Morality - Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Morality - Philosophy - Essay Example Indeed, broader ramifications of one’s morality and ethical behavior are significantly influenced by his socio-religious compulsions. Thus, morality becomes highly debatable and objective issue within the field of philosophy that is interpreted and rationalized differently by different individuals. Philosophy is intrinsic part of life which people exhibit through their actions and reactions to events in their life. The wisdom and individual perspective to various issues and aspects of one’s life reflects the individual’s philosophy. Each individual responds to other people and circumstances as per his values and principles based on his socio cultural and religious paradigms. Many of these values are imbibed through associations and peer relations, while others are evolved through personal experiences. These values become critical aspects of one’s life while determining the standards of good and bad things that help him in making informed choices. In the contemporary environment of rapid globalization, the wide diversity of socio-cultural and religious paradigms often results in diverse ethical and moral practices across different societies. People coming from different cultural background may endorse different ideologies and views regarding issues and their actions are good or bad would depend on the moral norms and value system of their culture. These become vital considerations for moral dilemmas in the contemporary times of multicultural societies. Thus, understanding of cross cultural value system is encouraged within and outside the society so that moral and ethical dilemma could be resolved easily and amicably. Interestingly, philosophers assert that morality and ethics could be different but the wider ratifications of the same are designed to have similar outcome which is to ensure that happiness is the result. Morality can broadly be described by rationalizing one’s

Hospitality Event Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Hospitality Event - Essay Example As the essay declares while dealing with current environmental issues, undoubtedly climate change is the most potential one. Climate change can be simply referred to as a permanent change in a region’s statistical distribution of weather that occurs over a long period of time. Even though climate change is a natural process historically, nowadays man made causes outweigh the natural forces. Hence, the rate at which climate change occurs has been increased for the last two decades. The process of climate change has far reaching consequences on human life, agriculture, ecosystems, biodiversity, and the atmosphere This study stresses that more specifically saying, unscientific and careless waste management is another troublesome environmental issue facing the modern society. Majority of the industrialists and households are not aware of the application of proper waste management mechanism or its significance in promoting a sustainable environment. Hence, they dump waste materials including e-wastes in their surroundings, marshlands, and oceans. Such practices have wide range severe implications on the environment. Studies have proven that waste dumps significantly contribute to emission of greenhouse gases. Even though a number of ‘waste to energy’ conversion technologies have been developed, improper waste management is still threatening environmental sustainability because people and businesses do not give much emphasis on waste management practices.

Swot Analysis Of The Home Depot

Swot Analysis Of The Home Depot Business model: Home Depots business model, the first of its kind in the home improvement industry has revolutionized the way customers shop for home improvement products. Their business model is focusing on selling home improvement products and services to DIY, BIY, and professional customers with wide variety of products and sales associates that are educated and knowledgeable about home improvement. Well known brand name: The Home Depot, as an established corporation, has much strength behind its name. One of the largest strengths would be that of its brand recognition The Home Depot name has become synonymous with home improvement. Brand recognition is of strong significance to the consumer that provides a sense of trust to its customers. Extensive product offerings: The Home Depot is one of the leading distributors in United States. It has wide variety of merchandise including different types of building materials, home improvement supplies, and lawn and garden products. Convenience: It is no secret that if you want anything having to do with home improvement the first place to go is Home Depot. Home Depot has distinguished itself as the home improvement warehouse that has what you are looking for when it comes to home improvement. Their extensive product lines have made The Home Depot the one stop shopping in home improvement. Training Employees in Safety: The Home Depot provides a strong focus during the training of their employees on safety. New hires complete a training curriculum that is designed for their specific job type. Television Network(HDTV): Money saving device that allowed HDs top executives to get instant feedback from local managers, and allowed training and communication programs to be viewed in the stores. Price: The Home Depot is committed to competitive pricing. It often prices its products substantially below major chains. Home Depot has low price advantage due to economies of Low price scale. Service: The company uses sophisticated selection criteria to select people with a customer-friendly orientation. They also value, but do not require, experience in the building trades. Weaknesses Counterbalancing the strengths of Home Depot, it also has a couple of key weaknesses that need to be addressed. Growth: Is both a blessing and a headache for Home Depot. As they have expanded aggressively into new markets, they have seen their operating expenses rise in direct proportion with their growth in revenue. While this is would be expected in most instances. This means that Home Depot is not capitalizing on economies of scale in logistics and distribution provided to them by their market saturation strategy. Decline in Customer Loyalty: One of Home Depots noticeable weaknesses would be the declining customer loyalty. The decrease is not solely based on their customer service or product offering but that there is a strong presence of strong competition in their industry. Lowes is Home Depots number one competitor in the industry. Over time Lowes has followed Home Depots way in product/service offerings and expansion. Consumers have more choices and Lowes is continuously building on their brand recognition, which spreads the consumers thin between the two rivalries. Focus of Consumers: Home Depot focuses on the male and professional segment of the market. They should consider catering to the women and families in the market segments. Environment: Competitor Lowes is generally regarded as having cleaner, smaller, brighter, more customer-friendly store. Financials: With a new CEO, making drastic changes at HD and having expanded sharp decline in stock price, the morale of managers is down. As HD enters its nature stage, share returns have declined and management has become less enthused. Lack of Local Market Focus: HD store managers were given great freedom in customizing their stores, from merchandising choices to employee relations. Organization structure: The Home Depot former CEOs militaristic leadership style and centralized organizational Leadership style structure are main weaknesses. These are affected the performance of employee resulting in excessive layoffs. Opportunities: Because of Home Depots size they have some interesting opportunities available to them. With a solid foothold in North America, Home Depot will set its sights on other world markets to further expand and spread its business risk across many diverse world markets. Expansion will be the primary focus for growth into the year 2000. Home Depot has an opportunity in the global sourcing of their products as their scope and reach becomes global. Sourcing from other countries may significantly grow their gross margin. Home Depots Service Performance Improvement (SPI) program is due to deliver huge paybacks in productivity of night team workers. Other IT projects pose great opportunities to increase efficiency, decrease costs and further increase margins. HD is staying within its core competencies by expanding their new landscaping division. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Through a strong marketing research program, HD should fully grasp what the consumer is wanting. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ HDs specialty in home improvement and strong name recognition, will allow them to capture a large portion of this market. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ HDs EXPO Design Centers are an opportunity to expand their market niche by providing potential customers with innovative remodeling suggestions. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ As the EXPO centers enter more markets, they will be taking sales directly from stores such as Pier One, Bed BathBeyond , Sears , Williams-Sonoma and SAKS 5th Avenue. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ By specializing in high and home improvement products such as small appliances and culinary ware, patio accessories, ceiling fans and Persian rugs, people should enjoy the trendy shopping experience. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ HD is taking the initiative to update the appearance of their older stores by investing $250 million in store remodeling in the upcoming year. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ They intend to transform their somewhat outdated stores into cleaner, more user friendly stores to enhance the overall shopping experience. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Tool rental services had a significant impact on HD` s Gross Profitability. As the number of centers increase, so will gross profit as a percentage of sales. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ HD recognized a strong market potential in smaller cities surrounding large cities. By initiating the new market penetration strategy of smaller cities, HD will benefit greatly. Serving primarily to do-it-yourselfers, which is a largely recession-proof market. So, even during a recession Home Depot can survive and even make money. Offering a broad line of products that can lead to an increase in the number of customers. Restructuring management and organization is opportunity for Home Depot to improve its market Globalization value: Globalization has always two sides like to sides of coin. The positive side of globalization is to get efficiency and economies of scale and expanding market by internationalization. Innovation has opportunities and threats both. Opportunities are it allows Home Depot to leverage the space it has and display a multitude of product in warehouse setting so customer can see the products available and buy it on same visit. Leveraging the power of brand leadership through inclusive marketing campaigns that target pros and active do-it-yourself customers among both men and women. At the same time, we market opportunities for store growth expect to shape our marketing plans to capitalize on our large scale and geographic advantages. Providing customer benefits from investments in new point-of-sale systems, self-checkout, and Threats: The biggest threats that I see for Home Depot are its competitors such as Lowes, which are trying to emulate or even take a step further every strategy used by Home Depot. Wholesale outlets can also affect Home Depot by offering lower prices to professional business customers. Serving to the DIY industry can also be a threat because it is a very competitive industry and the profit margin is very low. So, if the DIY industry is not managed properly, a company might end up selling it off, like Kmart with Builders Square. Intense competition fuels business to be efficient in almost every way. Intense competition is one of the biggest threats for Home Depot right now. Home Depot has more than 25 direct competitors including Lowes, Menards, True Value, Ace Hardware, Do It Best, Sears, Target and Wal-mart. Lowes and Menards has significant market share right now. High buyer power There are high buyer power and low switching cost due to many firms in market competing among each other. Innovation The major threat of innovation is that each store must have and extremely efficient and organized warehouse supply chain operation. Globalization The negative side of globalization is different economical, political and legal condition in different nations. Different culture, people attitude and local firm also threat for firm. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, fluctuations in and the Economical conditions overall condition of the U.S. economy, stability of costs and availability of sourcing Weather conditions and channels, conditions affecting new store development, the companys ability to attract, train Competiton. and retain highly-qualified associates, unanticipated weather conditions, and the impact of competition and regulatory and litigation matters. Because of the competitive nature of the retail industry, Home Depots success depends on price, store location, customer service, and wide product selections. In each market that Home Depot serves there is a plethora of specialty home improvement stores that have the potential to cutting into Home Depots market share (Datamonitor). Home Depots overlap with primary competitor, Lowes, poses a potential threat. In the minds of consumers, Home Depot may be seen as interchangeable with Lowes which would in turn decrease customer loyalty. Also when a Lowes enters a market that is only served by Home Depot, Home Depots sales have a tendency to decrease by up to 15% (Datamonitor). As Home Depot and Lowes continue to compete head to head in primary markets and both continue their strategy of market saturation, the awareness of US market saturation becomes a very real possibility. According to Datamonitor, The US home center potential is valued at approximately 3,500 stores. With Home Depot and Lowes opening a combined 300 stores a year, the industry could reach saturation in the next few years. Because of the competitive nature of the retail industry, Home Depots success depends on price, store location, customer service, and wide product selections. In each market that Home Depot serves there is a plethora of specialty home improvement stores that have the potential to cutting into Home Depots market share (Datamonitor). Home Depots overlap with primary competitor, Lowes, poses a potential threat. In the minds of consumers, Home Depot may be seen as interchangeable with Lowes which would in turn decrease customer loyalty. Also when a Lowes enters a market that is only served by Home Depot, Home Depots sales have a tendency to decrease by up to 15% (Datamonitor). As Home Depot and Lowes continue to compete head to head in primary markets and both continue their strategy of market saturation, the awareness of US market saturation becomes a very real possibility. According to Datamonitor, The US home center potential is valued at approximately 3,500 stores. With Home Depot and Lowes opening a combined 300 stores a year, the industry could reach saturation in the next few years Go to Page 1 View as single page à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ HD is competing head to head with Lowes. They have been stealing HDs market share with a positioning strategy of opening stores as close as possible to HD. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Looming poor economic conditions present challenges for this retailer. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Declines in GDP growth, employment, personal disposable income and customer sentiment are a threat to HDs sales revenues in the short term. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Decreases in the economic factors would signify a worsening economy. Consumer would start a larger portion of their disposable income Questions for Discussion 1. What is your assessment of Nardellis changes at Home Depot? Which had the greatest impact? In my opinion Nardelli, during the years he was The Home Depots CEO, did an overall great job. The changes he introduced to the business model were necessary to help The Home Depot to keep growing in the right direction. The Home Depot, at the time Nardelli was appointed CEO, was a company with an old style management and operations that could have compromised the future of the company. Nardelli focused on and achieved increasing sales and profitability, by 2006 sales had doubled from $45.7 in 2000 to $90.8, and profits had more than doubled from 2000 to 2005 to $5.8 billion. Among all the changes he made, the ones that had the biggest impact were: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Geographic expansion: Nardelli brought the company to Mexico were it went from zero to number one. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Diversification: he expanded the wholesale business with the creation of Home Depot Supply, which provided products and services to professional customers. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Cost cutting measures: he centralized Home Depots merchandising and purchasing which lead to an improvement of the buyer power with suppliers and better deals extending payment terms from 30 to 45 or 50 days. He also took the decision to switch full time store employees to part time employees and to reduce the number of employees in the stores. This had actually a negative impact as it certainly contributed to the erosion of the share price during the years and it actually cost Nardelli his job. Opening to different countries, having better communication system with stores and dealing with distributors in corporate level vs. locally deals. This had more potential on getting better deals. 2. How did Nardellis changes affect profitability, labor productivity, and customer service? What metrics would you use to assess these impacts? The main change that Nardelli introduced that affected profitability was the centralization of the merchandising and purchasing. It is true that before 2000 the store managers were able to be closer to customers and to decide what products stock in the stores, but at the same time that was highly inefficient from an operational point of view, leading to a mismanagement of stock levels. Thanks to Nardellis new centralized approach the company was able to eliminate almost 20,000 unprofitable items and to introduce other higher priced, higher-end products which contributed to increase sales and eventually profits. Nardelli improved labor productivity thanks to heavy investments in information technology as the company was lagging behind its competitors. He started the Front End Accuracy and Service Transformation (FAST) initiative, through which all stores were equipped with new point of sales terminals with touch screens. Other measures taken by Nardelli that contributed improved productivity were: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Introduction of self check out registers. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Standardizing of in-store logistic activities. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Introduction of cordless scan guns. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Six Sigma Approach. As mentioned above, Nardelli actually worsen the Customer service since he started his job, mainly switching the full time store employees to part time employees. The result was that customers were unhappy about the level of customer service since the part time employees were not enough prepared as the full time workers. This eventually led to the share price erosion during the years. Some of the metrics used by Nardelli to measure the productivity were pallets per hour for the monitoring of the freight flow process and inventory velocity to measure the length of time it took for products to flow through stores. He also used other sort of performance metrics such as financial, operational, customer and people skills metrics. He definitively should have monitored closer the customer satisfaction and people skills to avoid the problems he had at the end of his career with Home Depot. Profitability increased, productivity increased however there was a decline in customer service. 3. What caused the decline in customer service? Hiring more part time employees and having military backgrounder store managers. It is hard to carry a system when you have more part time employees than your full time employees. Each employee has to attend trainings and need to practice these with the customers. In this case it would be hard to monitor improvements in part-time employees and this also effects hiring and firing process. It would take more time to find out if an employee is valuable to the company. With this on mind, having more part time employees mean more job and safety training and spending more time in monitoring and hiring process. On the other hand military backgrounder store managers can be seen as a strength however, compared to the previous managers they wouldnt necessarily have knowledge on materials to help their customers. Imagine a customer comes and asks about an item or a DIY project, even store manager has no idea about that. The Home Depot`s main competitor Lowe`s has more customer oriented service and has a refreshing atmosphere with employees knowledgeable in their interested fields.

Reality of War in Cranes War is Kind and Tennysons Charge of the Ligh

Reality of War in Crane's War is Kind and Tennyson's Charge of the Light Brigade  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   An overwhelming tendency to fight and battle has plagued humankind since the dawn of the written word. Countless wars have been fought since the dawn of man and most times such conflict exists simply for its own sake with no productive end. Immense human suffering and death can be caused by conflicts that hold little logical justification. Since the birth of the written word, criticism and discussion have persistently followed the topic of war. In exposing the grim reality of war, two works of literature stand out as being both vivid and compelling. Through similar uses of graphic imagery and forceful diction, both Stephen Crane in his "Do Not Weep, Maiden, for War is Kind" and Alfred, Lord Tennyson in his "The Charge of the Light Brigade" evoke strong sentiment on the reality of war. "The Charge" offers a slightly more glorified view of war while still portraying its harsh essence.      Ã‚  Ã‚   Stephen Crane in his "Do Not Weep, Maiden, for War is Kind" uses several methods to convey his perception of war; most strikingly, stark imagery. As the poem begins, a woman cries over the death of her lover who, while left to die on the battlefield, "threw wild hands toward the sky" (2). His posture illustrates the physical pain he experienced as well as the longing he felt for his lover and his lost life (Cady 102). He threw his hands toward the sky in a vain effort to reach out to her and the life that had been taken from him. Crane's next stanza portrays an image of troops marching to their death, men "born to drill and die" (8). Crane endeavors to show the blind trust that soldiers are forced to place in their leaders. The soldiers knew li... ... popular phenomenon when it forces people to make great sacrifices that lead to no sufficiently important goal.       Works Cited    Cady, Edwin H. Stephen Crane. Twayne Publishers. 1980: 100-160 Foltinek, Herbert. "'Their's Not to Reason Why': Alfred Lord Tennyson on the Human Condition." A Yearbook of Studies in English Language and Literature 80 1985-1986: 27-38 Knapp, Bettina L. Stephen Crane. New York: Ungar Publishing Company, 1987. 136-140 Lowell, Amy. "Introduction" in The Black Riders and Other Lines. Vol. VI Russel & Russel. 1963: ix-xxix Pinion, F. B. A Tennyson Comparison: Life and Works. The Macmillan Press Ltd. 1984 Saintsbury, George. "Tennyson." Corrected Impressions: Essays on Victorian Writers. Dodd, Mead and Company. 1985: 21-30. Whitman, Walt. "A Word about Tennyson." The Critic 10 Jan. 1987: 1-2      

Hanging Fire Essay

Self-centered Teen or Thought-invoking Speaker : â€Å"Hanging Fire† by Audre Lorde The speaker in Audre Lord’s poem â€Å"Hanging Fire† is extremely self-centered. Does this limit the poem’s ability to say anything of general value? A simple read of â€Å"Hanging Fire† by Audre Lorde might lead one to conclude that there is no real value in this self-centered poem. However, upon critical analysis, one can obtain valuable insights from the poem. The 14-year-old speaker deals with major issues that plague the adolescent generation such as peer acceptance, race and gender inequality, sexuality, death and communication with parents. In the following paragraphs, I will demonstrate the speaker’s feelings on each of these matters. One issue that the speaker addresses is the pressure to fit in with her peers. The poem deals with such topics as dancing and upcoming parties (â€Å"I have to learn to dance/ In time for the next party†), the importance of fashion (â€Å"I have nothing to wear tomorrow†) and physical appearance (â€Å"Why do I have to be/ The one/ Wearing braces†). These are typical topics that cause teenagers to fear failure in terms of social acceptance. The pressure of not fitting into societal norms can oppress these young individuals, both emotionally and socially and the speaker is quite clear in the poem that she is concerned with these issues. Secondly, the issue of racial and gender inequality is evident in the poem. The speaker appears to be an African American girl. The poem begins with â€Å"I am fourteen/ And my skin has betrayed me†. This line could be interpreted in two ways. First, it could indicate that the speaker is dealing with pimples and blemishes, another example of a teenager’s concern about physical appearance. On the other hand, a more interesting interpretation is that the speaker is indicating that she is black. This reference to race indicates the speaker’s awareness that racism has caused and will cause her many frustrations in life. Another line in the poem states that â€Å"I should have been on the math team/ My marks were better than his†. The use of this incident is very creative because it deals with two issues: racial inequality and gender inequality. The speaker feels the unfairness of discrimination because she believes the spot on the math team should have been for her but, instead, was rewarded to the boy due to her gender and the  color of her skin. This line provides the reader with an example of the oppression and hardships the speaker is suffering as a black girl in school. The speaker later states in the poem, â€Å"There is nothing I want to do/ And too much/ That has to be done†. She recognizes that it will be hard to step forward and join the fight to have society accept equality. In fact, at times the speaker feels the task is too hard and that she does not want to try at all. Her adolescent desire to be accepted in society without ridicule further impedes her efforts to overcome the oppression. The third issue in the poem is sexuality. In the third line, the speaker states â€Å"The boy I cannot live without /Still sucks his thumb / In secret†. It is here that she tells the reader that she is not comfortable expressing her different views about her sexuality. The â€Å"boy I cannot live without† refers to the boy inside her and the reader sees that the speaker is aware that her feelings, emotions, and preference to the female sex must remain a secret for fear of scrutiny and non-acceptance. The secret thumb-sucking may refer to her insecurities of being gay. The speaker feels compelled to live a lie to avoid further shunning by her peers and society. The statement in the poem â€Å"Suppose I die before graduation/ They will sing sad melodies/ But finally/ Tell the truth about me† describes the unveiling of the truth of the speaker’s secret life upon her death and so reinforces the fact that she is not ready to publicly acknowledge her sexuality. Another topic in the poem is the communication problem between the speaker and her mother. Each of three stanzas ends with the same two lines: â€Å"And momma’s in the bedroom/ With the door closed.† It is obvious that the speaker feels that her mother is unapproachable. The door between the mother and speaker represents the lack of communication flowing between parent and child. The speaker, as a teenager, wishes to exercise her independence but still requires guidance in order to deal with adolescent issues such as social acceptance, racism, gender, sexuality and death. However, the conflict between the teenager’s growing pains and the mother’s reluctance to acknowledge her child’s independence has caused their communication to become obstructed. The speaker feels alone in the world and believes that she has nowhere to turn. Lastly, the speaker describes her adolescent fascination with death. The speaker refers to death in each of the three stanzas. As a teenager, the speaker is not only feeling overwhelmed by adolescent problems, but is also becoming aware of the future obstacles in life. The speaker sees death as a way of escaping these troubles. Death would allow her communication problems with her mother to disappear, cause her secret about her sexuality to be uncovered and save her from having to fight against societal oppression to accomplish the acceptance of equality. The speaker is seen to contemplate the common, yet unfortunate, adolescent idea of whether death and suicide is a real way to avoid the pressures of life and growing up. Therefore, if the reader of Audre Lorde’s poem â€Å"Hanging Fire† is able to move past the adolescent’s self-pity and into the substance of the poem, the reader is likely to gain an understanding of the serious topics being contemplated by a 14-year-old black girl. In this poem the speaker considers issues such as peer acceptance, racism, gender, sexuality, death and the importance of parental communication. Even the title, in association with the poem, provides value as it communicates to the reader that the speaker wishes to â€Å"hang fire† or delay dealing with the many pressures and obstacles in her life. Thus, even though the speaker in this poem is extremely self-centered, it does not limit the poem’s ability to say something of general value.

Applying Six Sigma to Toyota Motor Manufacturing, U.S.A., Inc. (an Operations Management Commentary)

The Toyota Motor Manufacturing, U. S. A. , Inc. (TMM) case involves a scenario where – as a result of deviating from Toyota Production System (TPS) practices. TMM found itself faced with quality issues (i. e. , a â€Å"hook† component in the car seat would break during installation) that created a bottleneck in the production process, a pile-up of cars with quality issues waiting to be addressed at the clinic and overflow parking areas of the Kentucky plant – and therefore failed to avoid some of the â€Å"wastes† (i. e. wastes of time, material and production utility as a result of defective products) that the TPS philosophy in itself was designed to eliminate. In the context of a customer value-driven approach, this meant the seat problem gave issues to the final assembly team (e. g. , being bulky and prone to damage, it was likely time-consuming to install), the QC team (e. g. , in relation to crash-test performance, and also in terms of not being broke n or defective), the ultimate customer (i. e. , in terms of surface finish). The goal of the Six Sigma strategy is to improve the quality of process outputs by addressing errors through minimizing variability in the manufacturing process – i. e. , the production process can statistically be expected to be free of errors or defects at the Six Sigma confidence level (effectively only 3. 4 defects per million). In the case of a manufacturing entity like TMM, Six Sigma could be implemented through the so-called â€Å"DMAIC† methodology, which involves defining the problem, measuring and analysing relevant data (i. e. statistical data), improving or optimizing – based on the data analysis, and controlling and monitoring the implemented improvements to address any deviations from the optimized process. TPS and Six Sigma philosophies both employ process-based (as opposed to a functional) approaches to process optimization and improving quality. However, the Six Sigma approach takes this to another level by putting problem solving in the context of reducing risks of â€Å"deviation† from the norm. Six Sigma calls for the use of verifiable quantitative data – i. e. , statistical data and analysis – as basis for designing or optimizing a process (i. e. attempting to eliminate risk of variation), and quantitatively monitoring compliance (or deviations) from these targets. In the case of TMM’s seat hook problem, TPS would ideally have called for production to stop at the first sign of problem, and drilling down to the source of the problem through techniques such as the â€Å"5 Why’s†. A statistical approach, however, such as determining the number of defects in relation to the entire production lot, and in relation to Company standards, and subsequently monitoring whether the improvements to address the problems are operating as designed could have provided a more rationalized solution. Six Sigma could also benefit TMM through improving the â€Å"value† of the suppliers, by helping them improve their own processes and products. For example, if the â€Å"5 Why’s† pointed to a problem in KFS’ own production process, TMM could work with KFS to obtain statistical data as basis for comparing production output with quality standards (e. g. , defect rate, or maybe even compliance with existing manufacturing tolerance levels), identify deviations/ problems, and monitor effectiveness of solutions. By using a Six Sigma approach as early as the supplier level, TMM should, theoretically, be able to expect a higher quality level in the production inputs that it receives, which invariably, should also translate into a higher quality level the finished product. Six Sigma could also be used to optimize the overall efficiency of the production process. Six Sigma could be used to determine standards for production efficiency, like task times, cycle times and throughput times, and if monitored properly, deviations from the standard should easily be detected. When combined with other TPS techniques such as the â€Å"5 Why’s†, the problem – once identified and defined properly – could be addressed immediately, and Six Sigma approach (i. e. , DMAIC) should again measure the effectiveness of new solutions. From the broader perspective, Six Sigma as a philosophy benefits the Company’s stakeholders by adding value to TMM as a whole – the assurance of being able to produce quality products with virtually zero defects raises the overall perception of TMM and its products. Likewise, on the micro perspective, with each process being viewed as a customer of the preceding one, Six Sigma adds value to the predecessor (i. e. , â€Å"supplier†, or preceding production task) by providing assurance over the quality of the production inputs. Nonetheless, the success of any such philosophy – whether TPS, or Six Sigma, or a combination of both – really depends on the people tasked with implementing the philosophy. Six Sigma approach at TMM may still be doomed without a corresponding improvement in the culture and mindset of people attempting to employ the philosophy. References: -Kazuhiro Mishina, â€Å"Toyota Motor Manufacturing, U. S. A. , Inc. † (Business Case), HBS Premier Business Case Collection, September 8, 1992 -De Feo, Joseph A. ; Barnard, William (2005). JURAN Institute's Six Sigma Breakthrough and Beyond – Quality Performance Breakthrough Methods. Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing Company Limited. -Tennant, Geoff (2001). SIX SIGMA: SPC and TQM in Manufacturing and Services. Gower Publishing, Ltd.. p. 6. ISBN 0566083744.

A Capitalization Cheat Sheet

A Capitalization Cheat Sheet A Capitalization Cheat Sheet A Capitalization Cheat Sheet By Mark Nichol Capitalization is a bewilderingly complex issue, with many rules and exceptions. This post outlines the basic, most common guidelines for capitalization, with examples. Academic degrees: Lowercase- â€Å"bachelor’s degree†; capitalize entirety of most abbreviations (with a few exceptions, including PhD and DLitt) Academic disciplines: Capitalize only proper names- â€Å"Asian studies† (except as part of a full name of an entity (â€Å"the School of Business,† â€Å"the Department of Philosophy,† â€Å"the Commission on the Liberal Arts,† etc.) Acronyms and initialisms: Capitalize most abbreviations of proper names- NATO, FBI (but some style guides and writing handbooks call for using initial capitalization only for extensive and established acronyms, as with Nasdaq); most abbreviations for units of measurement are not capitalized, but check a dictionary or style guide for exceptions Animal names: Lowercase terms except in the case of proper names- â€Å"African elephant,† â€Å"Steller’s jay† (do the same for animal breeds, as in â€Å"Labrador retriever,† though specialized publications often capitalize all words in breed names); capitalize first word in binomial and trinomial nomenclature (â€Å"Homo sapiens,† â€Å"Gorilla gorilla gorilla†), but differentiate between nomenclature and popular name (â€Å"Pinus ponderosa,† but â€Å"ponderosa pine†) Astronomical terms: Capitalize most names of specific bodies and collections of bodies- â€Å"the Milky Way,† but â€Å"the solar system†; capitalize Earth (and Moon and Sun) in astronomical references but lowercase in terrestrial or figurative contexts- â€Å"The third planet is Earth,† but â€Å"The earth is flat† (do not capitalize earth when the word is preceded by the) and â€Å"Where on earth is he?† (and â€Å"The sun is about to rise† and â€Å"The moon is full†) Brand names and trademarks: Follow capitalization as used by the brand owner, but ignore logo format- for example, the brand names Lego and Time (the magazine) are treated as all-caps in the respective company logos; companies discourage genericization of trademarks such as kleenex and xerox, but writers have no obligation to honor such usage as â€Å"Kleenex Brand Facial Tissue† Color terms for ethnic identification: Lowercase unless a company or publication prefers otherwise- â€Å"black man,† â€Å"white people† Compass points: Generally lowercase, but capitalize in geopolitical contexts- â€Å"the Pacific Northwest,† â€Å"customs prevalent in the East†) Cultural terms: Look up specific terms, as treatment varies widely- â€Å"art deco,† but Beaux-Arts Emphasis: Capitalize only in ironic contexts- â€Å"He was apparently a Big Man on Campus†; do not capitalize entire words, except perhaps to denote a newspaper headline or signage (and then, small caps are recommended) Epithets: Capitalize key words- â€Å"Alfred the Great,† â€Å"Babe Ruth,† â€Å"Michael ‘Air’ Jordan,† â€Å"the Windy City,† â€Å"Big Pharma† File formats: The Chicago Manual of Style recommends capitalizing names of formats, but do so only in such usage as â€Å"I made a GIF from the video,† and lowercase (and precede with a dot) in references to files such as â€Å"The latest version of Microsoft Word uses the file extension .docx† Foreign terms: German capitalizes all nouns, but lowercase German words adopted into English- hausfrau, schadenfreude, weltanschauung (if it’s in the dictionary, it’s English) Generations: Lowercase except in the case of initials or other single letters- â€Å"baby boomers,† â€Å"generation X† Geographical names: Capitalize in proper names, but lowercase in generic usage- â€Å"the Mississippi River,† but â€Å"the river†; check style guides for variations such as â€Å"the Pacific coast†/â€Å"the West Coast†; lowercase metaphorical and nonliteral use of proper names- â€Å"manila envelope,† â€Å"They set out to create a utopia† Historical terms: Look up specific terms, as treatment varies widely- â€Å"the colonial period,† but â€Å"the Gilded Age† Honorifics: Capitalize key words- â€Å"the First Lady,† â€Å"Your Honor† (but â€Å"Yes, my lord†) Key commands: Capitalize words denoting switch, keyboard, and command functions- â€Å"the Pause button,† â€Å"the Command key,† â€Å"the Save command,† etc. Kinship names: Capitalize only in direct address or in place of or in combination with a name- â€Å"Yes, Mother,† â€Å"We’re going to Grandmother’s house,† â€Å"Uncle Joe† (but â€Å"my uncle Joe†) Laws, theories, and the like: Capitalize only proper names- â€Å"Newton’s third law,† â€Å"the Pythagorean theorem† Letters as letters: Capitalize only if the letter is specified as an uppercase letter- â€Å"a capital C† (exception: letter grades, as in â€Å"She earned four As†) Letters as shapes or musical notes, or points, concepts, or hypothetical names: Capitalize- â€Å"a V-shaped symbol,† â€Å"from point A to point B,† etc. (exception, lowercase- but italicize- letters in rhyming schemes, as in â€Å"an abab pattern†) Medical conditions: Capitalize only proper names- â€Å"Alzheimer’s disease,† but â€Å"muscular dystrophy† Natural events and phenomena: Capitalize names of storms but otherwise lowercase generic words- â€Å"Hurricane Harvey,† but â€Å"the San Francisco earthquake† Organizational entities: Capitalize in proper names, but lowercase in generic usage- â€Å"the Federal Bureau of Investigation,† but â€Å"the bureau†- and â€Å"the federal government†); lowercase generic versions of entity names- â€Å"the company,† â€Å"the museum,† â€Å"the committee,† etc.; lowercase the preceding entities’ names (unless house style allows exceptions) People’s names: Capitalize names of real and fictional people, but lowercase figurative usage- â€Å"Jack Nicholson,† â€Å"Jack Sprat,† but â€Å"every man jack†; capitalize personifications- â€Å"Mother Nature,† â€Å"Ol’ Man River† Prefixes for proper names: Look up specific terms, as treatment varies- pre-Columbian, but transatlantic Seasons: Lowercase- winter, spring, summer, fall Titles of compositions: Capitalize key words- â€Å"Pride and Prejudice† (check a style guide for specifics) Titles of jobs and offices: Capitalize key words before the name (except when modified) and lowercase after the name or in isolation- â€Å"Director of Marketing John Smith,† â€Å"Pastor Jane Jones† (but â€Å"former director of marketing John Smith,† â€Å"John Smith, director of marketing,† and â€Å"the director of marketing,† as well as â€Å"the pastor†); capitalize in direct address (â€Å"As you were, Sergeant†) or in formal written contexts or in a ceremonial or promotional list Titles of nobility: Capitalize before names and when using full title in isolation- â€Å"There’s Prince Charles,† â€Å"the Duke of Windsor† (but â€Å"the duke†) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Incorrect Pronunciations That You Should AvoidThat vs. WhichThe Two Sounds of G

A New Technology of Cloning Humans essays

A New Technology of Cloning Humans essays Is cloning the new method to treat human beings in the future? Recently, there has been an argument about cloning a human being. When it comes to cloning, people seem to want it both ways: "no" to reproductive cloning on moral grounds and "yes" to therapeutic cloning on scientific grounds. But, which one is the right decision? Human therapeutic cloning helps the ill to recover more efficiently. Therapeutic cloning helps recreate cells and tissues for better health. The Advanced Cell Technology say: 'therapeutic cloning is cloning for the possibility of recreating young cells and tissues potentially of any kind, genetically identical to the person who needs them, to replace worn out cells and tissues? (www.advancedcell.com). This therapy would help patients with Parkinson's disease and spinal cord injury, heart muscle cells for heart failure, cartilage for arthritis, pancreatic cells for diabetes, as well as many others. Cells are obtained from embryos during women first stage of fertilization. This is one problem that part of society is concern about. They think this act is against moral grounds. Politicians are very concerned with this new therapy method too. They rail against the scientists and try to prohibit a whole tide of research. But such social and political responses ignore the dynamism of medical science its complexity and possibility. At this point, society and politicians have asked many questions to this new issue. Are women allowed to do this? Should there be a restriction on who is able to provide embryos? Is this against religious judgment? But, adult women are capable of their own decisions. If she has chosen to be a donor, it's because she needs a financial support, and at the same time she wants to help people not capable to ideally complete certain present treatments. Before she donates, she is aware of the causes and consequences for which she'd ...

Functions on SAT Math Linear, Quadratic, and Algebraic

Functions on SAT Math Linear, Quadratic, and Algebraic SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips SAT functions have the dubious honor of being one of the trickiest topics on the SAT math section. Luckily, this is not because function problems are inherently more difficult to solve than any other math problem, but because most students have simply not dealt with functions as much as they have other SAT math topics. This means that the difference between missing points on this seemingly tricky topic and acing them is simply a matter of practice and familiarization. And considering that function problems generally show up on average of three to four times per test, you will be able to pick up several more SAT math points once you know the rules and workings of functions. This will be your complete guide to SAT functions. We'll walk you through exactly what functions mean, how to use, manipulate, and identify them, and exactly what kind of function problems you'll see on the SAT. What Are Functions and How Do They Work? Functions are a way to describe the relationship between inputs and outputs, whether in graph form or equation form. It may help to think of functions like an assembly line or like a recipe- input eggs, butter, and flour, and the output is a cake. Most often you'll see functions written as $f(x) =$ an equation, wherein the equation can be as complex as a multivariable expression or as simple as an integer. Examples of functions: $f(x) = 6$ $f(x) = 5x − 12$ $f(x) = x^2 + 2x − 4$ Functions can always be graphed and different kinds of functions will produce different looking graphs. On a standard coordinate graph with axes of $x$ and $y$, the input of the graph will be the $x$ value and the output will be the $y$ value. Each input ($x$ value) can produce only one output, but one output can have multiple inputs. In other words, multiple inputs may produce the same output. One way to remember this is that you can have "many to one" (many inputs to one output), but NOT "one to many" (one input to many outputs). This means that a function graph can have potentially many $x$-intercepts, but only one $y$-intercept. (Why? Because when the input is $x=0$, there can only be one output, or $y$ value.) A function with multiple $x$-intercepts. You can always test whether a graph is a function graph using this understanding of inputs to outputs. If you use the "vertical line test," you can see when a graph is a function or not, as a function graph will NOT hit more than one point on any vertical line. No matter where we draw a vertical line on our function, it will only intersect with the graph a maximum of one time. The vertical line test applies to every type of function, no matter how "odd" looking. Even "strange-looking" functions will always pass the vertical line test. But any graph that fails the vertical line test (by intersecting with the vertical line more than once) is automatically NOT a function. This graph is NOT a function, as it fails the vertical line test. Too many obstacles in the way of the ascent works out as well for functions as it does for real life (which is to say: not well at all). Function Terms and Definitions Now that we've seen what functions do, let's talk about the pieces of a function. Functions are presented either by their equations, their tables, or by their graphs (called the "graph of the function"). Let's look at a sample function equation and break it down into its components. An example of a function: $f(x) = x^2 + 5$ $f$ is the name of the function (Note: we can call our function other names than $f$. This function is called $f$, but you may see functions written as $h(x)$, $g(x)$, $r(x)$, or anything else.) $(x)$ is the input (Note: in this case our input is called $x$, but we can call our input anything. $f(q)$ or $f(\strawberries)$ are both functions with the inputs of $q$ and strawberries, respectively.) $x^2 + 5$ gives us the output once we plug in the input value of $x$. An ordered pair is the coupling of a particular input with its output for any given function. So for the example function $f(x) = x^2 + 5$, with an input of 3, we can have an ordered pair of: $f(x) = x^2 + 5$ $f(3) = 3^2 + 5$ $f(3) = 9+5$ $f(3) = 14$ So our ordered pair is $(3, 14)$. Ordered pairs also act as coordinates, so we can use them to graph our function. Now that we understand our function ingredients, let's see how we can put them together. Different Types of Functions We saw before that functions can have all sorts of different equations for their output. Let's look at how these equations shape their corresponding graphs. Linear Functions A linear function makes a graph of a straight line. This means that, if you have a variable on the output side of the function, it cannot be raised to a power higher than 1. Why is this true? Because $x^2$ can give you a single output for two different inputs of $x$. Both $−3^2$ and $3^2$ equal 9, which means the graph cannot be a straight line. Examples of linear functions: $f(x) = x − 12$ $f(x) = 4$ $f(x) = 6x + 40$ Quadratic Functions A quadratic function makes a graph of a parabola, which means it is a graph that curves to open either up or down. It also means that our output variable will always be squared. The reason our variable must be squared (not cubed, not taken to the power of 1, etc.) is for the same reason that a linear function cannot be squared- because two input values can be squared to produce the same output. For example, remember that $3^2$ and $(−3)^2$ both equal 9. Thus we have two input values- a positive and a negative- that give us the same output value. This gives us our curve. (Note: a parabola cannot open side to side because it would have to cross the $y$-axis more than once. This, as we've already established, would mean it was not a function.) This is NOT a quadratic function, as it fails the vertical line test. A quadratic function is often written as: $f(x) = ax^2 + bx + c$ The $\bi a$ value tells us how the parabola is shaped and the direction in which it opens. A positive $\bi a$ gives us a parabola that opens upwards. A negative $\bi a$ gives us a parabola that opens downwards. A large $\bi a$ value gives us a skinny parabola. A small $\bi a$ value gives us a wide parabola. The $\bi b$ value tells us where the vertex of the parabola is, left or right of the origin. A positive $\bi b$ puts the vertex of the parabola left of the origin. A negative $\bi b$ puts the vertex of the parabola right of the origin. The $\bi c$ value gives us the $y$-intercept of the parabola. This is wherever the graph hits the $y$-axis (and will only ever be one point). (Note: when $b=0$, the $y$-intercept will also be the location of the vertex of the parabola.) Don't worry if this seems like a lot to memorize right now- with practice, understanding function problems and their components will become second nature. Want to learn more about the SAT but tired of reading blog articles? Then you'll love our free, SAT prep livestreams. Designed and led by PrepScholar SAT experts, these live video events are a great resource for students and parents looking to learn more about the SAT and SAT prep. Click on the button below to register for one of our livestreams today! Typical Function Problems SAT function problems will always test you on whether or not you properly understand the relationship between inputs and outputs. These questions will generally fall into four question types: #1: Functions with given equations #2: Functions with graphs #3: Functions with tables #4: Nested functions There may be some overlap between the three categories, but these are the main themes you'll be tested on when it comes to functions. Let's look at some real SAT math examples of each type. Function Equations A function equation problem will give you a function in equation form and then ask you to use one or more inputs to find the output (or elements of the output). In order to find a particular output, we must plug in our given input for $x$ into our equation (the output). So if we want to find $f(2)$ for the equation $f(x) = x + 3$, we would plug in 2 for $x$. $f(x) = x + 3$ $f(2) = 2 + 3$ $f(2) = 5$ So, when our input $(x)$ is 2, our output $(y)$ is 5. Now let's look at a real SAT example of this type: $g(x)=ax^2+24$ For the function $g$ defined above, $a$ is a constant and $g(4)=8$. What is the value of $g(-4)$? A) 8 B) 0 C) -1 D) -8 We can start this problem by solving for the value of $a$. Since $g(4) = 8$, substituting 4 for $x$ and 8 for $g(x)$ gives us $8= a(4)^2 + 24 = 16a + 24$. Solving this equation gives us $a=-1$. Next, plug that value of $a$ into the function equation to get $g(x)=-x^2 +24$ To find $g(-4)$, we plug in -4 for $x$. From this we get $g(-4)=-(-4)^2 + 24$ $g(-4)= -16 + 24$ $g(-4)=8$ Our final answer is A, 8. Function Graphs A function graph question will provide you with an already graphed function and ask you any number of questions about it. These questions will generally ask you to identify specific elements of the graph or have you find the equation of the function from the graph. So long as you understand that $x$ is your input and that your equation is your output, $y$, then these types of questions will not be as tricky as they appear. The minimum value of a function corresponds to the $y$-coordinate of the point on the graph where it's lowest on the $y$-axis. Looking at the graph, we can see the function's lowest point on the $y$-axis occurs at $(-3,-2)$. Since we're looking for the value of $x$ when the function is at it's minimum, we need the x-coordinate, which is -3. So our final answer is B, -3. Function Tables The third way you may see a function is in its table. You will be given a table of values both for the input and the output and then asked to either find the equation of the function or the graph of the function. Oftentimes the best strategy for these types of questions is to plug in answers to make our lives simpler. This way, we don't have to actually find the equation on our own- we can simply test which answer choices match the inputs and outputs we are given in our table. Let's test the second ordered pair, $(3,13)$ with each answer option. For the correct answer, when we plug the $x$-value (3) into the equation, we'll end up with the correct $y$-value (13). A) $f(x) = 2(3) +3 = 9$. This equation is incorrect since 9 doesn't equal 13. B) $f(x) =3(3) +2 = 1$. This equation is also incorrect. C) $f(x) = 4(3) +1=13$. It's a match! This equation is correct so far. D) $f(x)= 5(3)= 15$. This equation is also incorrect. It looks like C is the correct answer choice, but let's plug the first and third ordered pairs in to make sure. For the first ordered pair $(1,5)$: $f(x) = 4(1) +1=5$ That's correct! For the third ordered pair $(5,21)$ $f(x) = 4(5) +1=21$ That's also correct! Our final answer is C, $f(x) = 4x +1$ Nested Functions The final type of function problem you might encounter on the SAT is called a "nested" function. Basically, this is an equation within an equation. In order to solve these types of questions, think of them in terms of your order of operations. You must always work from the inside out, so you must first find the output for your innermost function. Once you've found the output of your innermost function, you can use that result as the input of the outer function. Let's look at this in action to make more sense of this process. What is $f(g(x−2))$ when $f(x) = x^2 − 6$ and $g(x) = 3x + 4?$ A. $3x − 2$ B. $3x^2 + 12x − 6$ C. $9x^2 + 24x + 10$ D. $9x^2 − 12x + 4$ E. $9x^2 − 12x − 2$ Because $g(x)$ is nested the deepest, we must find its output before we can find $f(g(x−2))$. Instead of a number for $x$, we are given another equation. Though this may look different from earlier problems, the principle is exactly the same- replace whatever input we have for the variable in the output equation. $g(x) = 3x + 4$ $g(x−2) = 3(x−2) + 4$ $g(x−2) = 3x − 6 + 4$ $g(x−2) = 3x − 2$ So our output of $g(x−2)$ is $3x−2$. Again, this is an equation and not an integer, but it still works as an output. Now we must finish the problem by using this output of $g(x)$ as the input of $f(x)$. (Why do we do this? Because we are finding $f(g(x))$, which positions the result/output of $g(x)$ as the input of $f(x)$.) $f(x) = x^2 − 6$ $f(g(x−2)) = (3x−2)^2 − 6$ Now, we have a bit of a complication here in that we must square an equation. If you remember your exponent rules, you know you cannot simply distribute the square across the elements of the equation; you must square the entire expression. So let's take a moment to expand $(3x−2)^2$ before we find the solution for the entire equation. $(3x − 2)^2$ $(3x − 2)(3x − 2)$ $(3x*3x) + (3x*-2) + (−2*3x) + (−2*-2)$ $9x^2 − 6x − 6x + 4$ $9x^2 − 12x + 4$ Now, let us add this expanded form of the equation back into the output. $f(g(x−2)) = (9x^2 − 12x + 4) − 6$ $f(g(x−2)) = 9x^2 − 12x − 2$ So our final solution for $f(g(x−2))$ is $9x^2 − 12x − 2$. Our final answer is E, $9x^2 − 12x − 2$. Functions within functions, dreams within dreams. Make sure not to lose yourself along the way. Strategies for Solving Function Problems Now that you've seen all the different kinds of function problems in action, let's look at some tips and strategies for solving function problems of various types. For clarity, we've split these strategies into multiple sections- tips for all function problems and tips for function problems by type. So let's look at each strategy. Strategies for All Function Problems: #1: Keep careful track of all your pieces and write everything down Though it may seem obvious, in the heat of the moment it can be far too easy to confuse your negatives and positives or misplace which piece of your function (or graph or table) is your input and which is your output. Parenthesis are crucial. The creators of the SAT know how easy it is to get pieces of your function equations confused and mixed around (especially when your input is also an equation), so keep a sharp eye on all your moving pieces and don't try to do function problems in your head. #2: Use PIA and PIN as necessary As we saw in our function table problem above, it can save a good deal of effort and energy to use the strategy of plugging in answers. You can also use the technique of plugging in your own numbers to test out points on function graphs, work with any variable function equation, or work with nested functions with variables. For instance, let's look at our earlier nested function problem using PIN. (Remember- most any time a problem has variables in the answer choices, you can use PIN). What is $f(g(x−2))$ when $f(x)= x^2 − 6$ and $g(x) = 3x + 4?$ A. $3x^2 + 24x − 2$ B. $3x^2 + 12x − 6$ C. $9x^2 − 24x + 10$ D. $9x^2 − 12x + 4$ E. $9x^2 − 12x − 2$ If we remember how nested functions work (that we always work inside out), then we can plug in our own number for $x$ in the function $g(x−2)$. That way, we won't have to work with variables and can use real numbers instead. So let us say that the $x$ is the $g(x−2)$ function is 5. (Why 5? Why not!) Now $x−2$ will be $5−3$, or 3. This means $g(x−2)$ will be $g(3)$. $g(x−2) = 3x + 4$ $g(3) = 3(3) + 4$ $g(3) = 9 + 4$ $g(3) = 13$ Now, let us plug this number as the value for our $g(x−2)$ function into our nested function $f(g(x−2))$. $f(x) = x^2 − 6$ $f(g(3)) = (13)^2 − 6$ $f(g(3)) = 169 − 6$ $f(g(3)) = 163$ Finally, let us test our answer choices to see which one matches our found answer of 163. Let us, as usual when using PIA or PIN, start in the middle with answer choice C. $9x^2 − 24x + 10$ Now, we replace our $x$ value with the $x$ value we chose originally- 5. $9x^2 − 24x + 10$ $9(5)^2 − 24(5) + 10$ $9(25) − 120 + 10$ $225 − 120 + 10$ 5 Unfortunately, this number is too small. Let us try answer choice D instead. $9x^2 − 12x + 4$ $9(5)^2 − 12(5) + 4$ $9(25) − 60 + 4$ $225 − 60 + 4$ $165 + 4$ 169 This value is still too large, but we can see that it is awfully close to the final answer we want. Just by looking over our answer choices, we can see that answer choice E is exactly the same expression as answer choice D, except for the final integer value. If we were to subtract 2 from 165 instead of adding 4 (as we did with answer choice D), we would get our final answer of 163. As you can see. $9x^2 − 12x − 2$ $9(5)^2 − 12(5) − 2$ $9(25) − 60 − 2$ $225 − 60 − 2$ $165 − 2$ 163 So our final answer is E, $9x^2 − 12x − 2$. #3: Practice, practice, practice Finally, the only way to get truly comfortable with any math topic is to practice as many different kinds of questions on that topic as you can. If functions are a weak area for you, then be sure to seek out more practice questions. For Function Graphs and Tables: #1: Start by finding the $\bi y$-intercept Generally, the easiest place to begin when working with function graphs and tables is by finding the y-intercept. From there, you can often eliminate several different answer choices that do not match our graph or our equation (as we did in our earlier examples). The y-intercept is almost always the easiest piece to find, so it's always a good place to begin. #2: Test your equation against multiple ordered pairs It is always a good idea to find two or more points (ordered pairs) of your functions and test them against a potential function equation. Sometimes one ordered pair works for your graph and a second does not. You must match the equation to the graph (or the equation to the table) that works for every coordinate point/ordered pair, not just one or two. For Function Equations and Nested Equations: #1: Always work inside out Nested functions can look beastly and difficult, but take them piece by piece. Work out the equation in the center and then build outwards slowly, so as not to get any of your variables or equations mixed up. #2: Remember to FOIL It is quite common for SAT to make you square an equation. This is because many students get these types of questions wrong and distribute their exponents instead of squaring the entire expression. If you don't properly FOIL, then you will get these questions wrong. Whenever possible, try not to let yourself lose points due to these kinds of careless errors. For instance, let's say that you must square an expression. Square the expression $x + 3$. We are told to square the entire expression, so we would say: $(x + 3)^2$ Now you must FOIL this out properly. $(x + 3)(x + 3)$ $(x*x)+(3*x)+(3*x)+(3*3)$ $x^2 + 3x + 3x + 9$ $x^2 + 6x + 9$ The final expression, once you have squared $x + 3$, is: $x^2 + 6x + 9.$ (Note: It is a common error for students to distribute the square and say: $(x + 3)^2 = x^2 + 9$ but this is wrong. Do not fall into this kind of trap!) You're all leveled-up- time to fight the big boss and put knowledge to action! Test Your Knowledge Now let's put your function knowledge to the test against real SAT math problems. 1. Let the function $f$ be defined bye $f(x)=5x-2a$, where $a$ is a constant. If $f(10)+f(5)=55$, what is the value of $a$? A) -5 B) 0 C) 5 D) 10 2. A function $f$ satisfies $f(2)=3$ and $f(3)=5$. A function $g$ satisfies $g(3)=2$ and $g(5)=6$. What is the value of $f(g(3))$? A) 2 B) 3 C) 5 D) 6 3. 4. Answers: C, B, A, D Answer Explanations: 1. As you can see here, we are given our equation as well as two inputs and their combined output. We must use this knowledge to find an element of our output (in this case, the value of $a$.) So let us find our outputs for each input we are given. $f(x) = 5x − 2a$ $f(10) = 5(10) − 2a$ $f(10) = 50 − 2a$ And $f(x) = 5x − 2a$ $f(5) = 5(5) − 2a$ $f(5) = 25 − 2a$ Now, let us set the sum of our two outputs equal to 55 (as was stipulated in the question). $50 − 2a + 25 − 2a = 55$ $75 − 4a = 55$ $−4a = −20$ $a = 5$ Our final answer is C, $a=5$. 2. We're told in the question that $g(3)=2$. To find the value of $f(g(3))$, we need to substitute 2 for $g(3)$. We'll use that value in the $f(x)$ equation. Substituting 2 for $g(3)$ gives us $f(g(3))$ = $f(2)$. We're also told that $f(2)=3$, so that means 3 is the correct answer. Our final answer is B, 3. 3. As per our strategies, we will start by finding the $y$-intercept. We can see in this graph that the $y$-intercept is +2, which means we can eliminate answer choices C and E. (Why did we eliminate answer choice E? Because it had no $y$-intercept, which means that its $y$-intercept would be 0). We can see that the vertex of the graph is at $x=0$ and so it is not shifted to the right or left of the $y$-axis. This means that, in our quadratic equation $ax^2+bx+c$, our $b$ value has to be 0. If it were anything other than 0, our graph would be shifted left or right of the $y$-axis. Now answer choices B and D are squaring expressions, so let us properly FOIL them in order to see the equation properly. Answer choice B gives us: $y=(x+2)^2$ $y=(x+2)(x+2)$ $y=x^2+2x+2x+4$ $y=x^2+4x+4$ This equation would give us a parabola whose $y$-intercept was at +4 and whose vertex was positioned to the left of the $y$-axis (remember, a positive $b$ value shifts the graph to the left.) We can eliminate answer choice B. By the same token, we can also eliminate answer choice D, as it would give us: $y=(x−2)^2$ $y=(x−2)(x−2)$ $y=x^2−4x+4$ Which would give us a graph with a $y$-intercept at +4 and a vertex positioned to the right of the $y$-axis. By process of elimination, we are left with answer choice A. But, for the sake of double-checking, let us test a coordinate point on the graph against the formula. We already know that our equation matches the coordinate points of $(0, 2)$, as that is our $y$-intercept, but there are several more places on the graph that hit at even coordinates. By looking at the graph, we can see that the parabola hits the coordinates $(1, 3)$, so let us test this point by plugging our input (1) into our equation, in hopes that it will match our output of 3. $y=x^2+2$ $y=(1)^2+2$ $y=1+3$ $y=3$ Our equation matches two sets of ordered pairs on the graph. We can reasonably say that this is the correct equation for the graph. Our final solution is A, $y=x^2+2$ 4. Instead of using $x$ for our input, this problem has us use $t.$ If you become very used to using $f(x)$, this may seem disorienting, so you can always rewrite the problem using $x$ in place of $t$. In this case, we will continue to use $t$, just so that we can keep the problem organized on the page. First, let us find the $y$-intercept. The $y$-intercept is the point at which $x=0$, so we can see that we are already given this with the first set of numbers in the table. When $t=0$, $f(t) = −1$ Our $y$-intercept is therefore -1, which means that we can automatically eliminate answer choices B, C, and E. Now let's use our strategy of plugging in numbers again. Our answer choices are between A and D, so let us first test A with the second ordered pair. Our potential equation is: $f(t) = t − 1$ And our ordered pair is: $(1, 1)$ So let us put them together. $f(t) = t − 1$ $f(1) = 1 − 1$ $f(1) = 0$ This is incorrect, as it would mean that our output is 0 when our input is 1, and yet the ordered pair says that our output will be 1 when our input is 1. Answer choice A is incorrect. By process of elimination, let us try answer choice D. Our potential equation is: $f(t) = 2t − 1$ And our ordered pair is again: $(1, 1)$ So let us put them together. $f(1) = 2(1) − 1$ $f(1) = 2 − 1$ $f(1) = 1$ This matches the input and output we are given in our ordered pair. Answer choice D is correct. Our final answer is D, $f(t) = 2t − 1$ You did it! High fives all around. The Take Aways Many students have not dealt a lot with functions, but don't let these kinds of questions intimidate or confuse you when you see them on the SAT. The principles behind functions are a simple matter of input, output, and plugging in values. The test will try to muddy the waters when they can, but always remember that these questions will appear to be more complex than they truly are. Though it can be easy to make a error with your signs or variables, the actual problems are simple at their core. So pay close attention, double-check your work, and you'll soon be able to work through functions problems with little trouble. What's Next? Speaking of quadratic functions, how's your grasp of completing the square? Learn how and when to complete the square with this guide. Phew! Knowing your functions means knowing a significant portion of the SAT math section (round of applause to you!), but there are so many more topics to cover. Take a look at all the topics you'll be tested on in the SAT math section and then mosey on over to our math guides to review any topic you feel rusty on. Not feeling confident about your exponent rules? How about your understanding of polygons? Need to review your slopes? Whatever the topic, we've got you covered! Looking for help with more basic math? Refresh your memory on the distributive property, perfect squares, and how to find the mean of a set of numbers here. Think you need a math tutor? Check out our guides on how to find the tutor that best meets your needs (and your budget). Running out of time on the SAT math section? Not to worry! We have the tools and strategies to help you beat the clock and maximize your point gain. Trying for a perfect score? Check out how to push your score to its maximum potential with our guide to getting an 800 on the SAT math, written by a perfect scorer. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this Math strategy guide, you'll love our program. Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands of practice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Athens and Florence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

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Case Study Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

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The new york times, The Bes tLaws Money Can Buy July 12, 2010 - Essay Example The Private Equity council, which has eight partners, has paid Capitol Tax $ 30000 per month for keeping the taxes of its members low. Considering the amount spent by other firms on the same issue, the total amount spent for a favourable carried-interest tax i.e. the 20% fee that fund managers get from the fund's profits, may be $15 million. With lobbying, the law makers agreed to a compromise on carried- interest tax. That is, part of the earnings will be taxed at the regular rate and another part at a lower capital-gains rate (Brill). The new proposals are made effective from 2011 meaning additional tax savings worth $2 million for clients. The intention of the reformers has been to make the Americas’ wealthiest pay taxes the same graduated income-tax rate that ordinary persons do (Brill). But the opposite happened. Financial-regulatory-reform bill To reconcile differences over the financial reform bill between the Senate and the House of Representatives, two week- long conf erence committee was convened and the proceedings were telecasted to make the process transparent. But the real action happened in the night after the televised sessions are over. In public, the two sides made offers and acceptance which were fixed earlier behind closed doors (Brill). 2000 lobbyists are registered in 2010 to lobby for the financial industry. They watch proceedings of the conference live and perform surgical strikes (Brill). Volcker Rule The Volcker rule prohibits banks from putting their own money into risky ventures such as private-equity or real estate deals (Brill). It is aimed to prevent another financial crisis. Bankers do not like such rules. So their lobbyists tried to insert some provisions that would allow some percentage of funds to go into high-risk deals, delay the rule's implementation or exempt some big players (Brill). Two lobbyists tried to influence the Volcker rule. The argument of one lobbyist is that the government is giving tax credits for encou raging green energy investments. As banks making consistent profits have large tax liabilities, they can make use of tax credit. Hooper of Capitol tax tried to get the same benefit for members of the American Wind Energy Association. According to Hooper, lobbyists work with legislators and staff to avoid unintended consequences of well-intended proposals (Brill) The lobbyists were able to get exception for most mutual fund companies and allowed banks to manage their funds. Banks can make investments up to 3% of their capital. Banks were allowed to define their capital. Those who got exception on the basis of energy deals won a provision tucked into a paragraph on page 670 that, depending on how the implementation rules get written, might allow exceptions for investments in small or start-up businesses that "promote the public welfare (Brill)." Originally, the House Bill consisted of 1615 pages. The Senate version consisted of 165 pages. The final Bill, however, consisted of 2319 pag es. On every page, dozens of phrases were added which have diverse interpretations. Variations in language imply millions in profit. The more complex bills are becoming, it becomes easier to manipulate. President Obama, does not permit lobbyist to function in his office. The 1914 law establishing the Federal Trade Commission was eight pages (Brill). The 1935 Social Security Act, which also included unemployment compensation, child-welfare services and a complex allotment to

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Nickeled and Dimed - Essay Example Ehrenreich, during her ‘investigation’, held onto her car and her ATM cards, to be used in emergencies, and when the going got tough she promptly moved away from that job. However, her experiment succeeded to get an idea of the American low wage work force and find out the daily hardships and the various bureaucratic pitfalls that affect the lives of these poor people. Barbara Ehrenreich in her book also gives these working people a human face, which touches the heart of almost all readers. As one reads the book the question that comes uppermost in one’s mind is that, is it really possible to survive by earning something as low as 6-7$ per hour? In reality, as Ehrenreich starts her â€Å"low-wage life† (Ehrenreich, 39), she finds that there are many Americans who do such work every day. Besides getting low wages, as Ehrenreich notes, these people must make various cuts to be able to make the multiple payments, necessary to get by. These include food, rent, children, health insurance, and automobile insurance, amongst various other payments that must be paid from the low salary, which these people receive. As Ehrenreich tries to make these payments from her low wages, she falls short each time, even as she keeps on changing her job and location. She befriends many of her co-workers and learns how they manage to survive through all such hardships. While working as a waitress, she learns of a woman who sleeps in her car, as she cannot afford to hire a house with her meager earnings. Here again Ehrenreich talks of another waitress Lucy, who has an ailing leg and needs treatment. However, she cannot get the medical aid she needs, as she does not have any health insurance owing to her poor salary. While working in ‘Merry Maids’ as a house help Ehrenreich comments â€Å"although no one, apparently, is sleeping out of their car, there are signs†¦of real difficulty†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Ehrenreich, 79). Here she meets

State Liability and Direct Effect Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

State Liability and Direct Effect - Essay Example The implementation of law of state liability is the responsibility of national courts of EU states1. Certain incidents in EU states led to the development of the doctrine of state liability. In 1991, the Italian government was held responsible for not completely enforcing the Directive 80/987, which ensured a minimum wage of all employees when employers suffered from insolvency. The European Court of Justice made Italian government pay compensations for all workers who suffered as a result of its non-implementation of the law. It was modified in 1996 after the cases of Brasserie du Pcheur v Federal Republic of Germany and R v Secretary of State for Transport ex parte Factortame Ltd (Cases C-46 and C-48/93) took place. The law was further clarified and the details were given. The law of State liablity could only be used in three conditions :when the law which was under scrutiny was meant to deliver individuals's rights, when the law has caused serious damages and when a clear link would be established between the state 's breach and the damages caused.2 Direct Effect is one of the ways through which the citizens of EU countries can file cases of non-implementation against the state. ... There are two types of direct effect: vertical direct effect and horizontal direct effect. In case of the former, the individual can file a case against the state, while in the case of the latter the inidividual can use it against another individual or any non-State entity. Further, in order to use Direct Effect , the particular European Community law must be either a Directive ,or Treaty Article or a Regulation and it must claim to confer individual laws.3 The working of Direct Effect is different in case of Treaty Articles, Directives and Regulations and the distinctions between them needs to be understood. In case of Treaty Article, it can be used both vertically and horizontally, i.e. it can be used against the State as well as a non-State entity. in case of Regulations, direct effect is only viable if its confers rights on persons and if the Van Gend criteria is satisified. It can be applied both , horizontally and vertically. However, not all regulations of European Community law have a Direct Effect, for instance laws dealing with crime and criminals such as Tachograph Type Regulation, which don't confer rights upon an individual don't have Direct Effect. It is directly applicable but not directly effective.4 For direct effect to be applicable for directives, certain criteria needs to be satisifed. First the provisions of directives in question should be precise, clear and unconditional as stated in Van Duyn case. The court stated that"provision [which] lays down an obligation which is not subject to any exception or condition and which, by its very nature, does not require the intervention of any act on the part either of the institutions of the Community or of Member

Nickeled and Dimed Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Nickeled and Dimed - Essay Example Ehrenreich, during her ‘investigation’, held onto her car and her ATM cards, to be used in emergencies, and when the going got tough she promptly moved away from that job. However, her experiment succeeded to get an idea of the American low wage work force and find out the daily hardships and the various bureaucratic pitfalls that affect the lives of these poor people. Barbara Ehrenreich in her book also gives these working people a human face, which touches the heart of almost all readers. As one reads the book the question that comes uppermost in one’s mind is that, is it really possible to survive by earning something as low as 6-7$ per hour? In reality, as Ehrenreich starts her â€Å"low-wage life† (Ehrenreich, 39), she finds that there are many Americans who do such work every day. Besides getting low wages, as Ehrenreich notes, these people must make various cuts to be able to make the multiple payments, necessary to get by. These include food, rent, children, health insurance, and automobile insurance, amongst various other payments that must be paid from the low salary, which these people receive. As Ehrenreich tries to make these payments from her low wages, she falls short each time, even as she keeps on changing her job and location. She befriends many of her co-workers and learns how they manage to survive through all such hardships. While working as a waitress, she learns of a woman who sleeps in her car, as she cannot afford to hire a house with her meager earnings. Here again Ehrenreich talks of another waitress Lucy, who has an ailing leg and needs treatment. However, she cannot get the medical aid she needs, as she does not have any health insurance owing to her poor salary. While working in ‘Merry Maids’ as a house help Ehrenreich comments â€Å"although no one, apparently, is sleeping out of their car, there are signs†¦of real difficulty†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Ehrenreich, 79). Here she meets

The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company Essay Example for Free

The Great Atlantic Pacific Tea Company Essay Company’s briefly introduction Once one of the biggest baggers of groceries in the US, The Great Atlantic Pacific Tea Company (AP) has been reduced to a shrinking portfolio of regional grocery chains. It now runs about 300 supermarkets in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and three other eastern states. In addition to its mainstay 80-store AP chain, the company operates five banners: Pathmark, Waldbaums, Superfresh, Food Emporium, and Food Basics. AP acquired its longtime rival in the Northeast, Pathmark Stores, for about . 4 billion, but the purchase failed to reverse APs lagging fortunes. Indeed, AP in 2012 emerged from 15 months bankruptcy after a financial restructuring and closing 75 stores. More from Wikipedia: The Great Atlantic Pacific Tea Company, better known as AP, is a supermarket and liquor store chain in the United States. Its supermarkets, which are under six different banners, are found in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. APs liquor stores, known as Best Cellars, are found in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Virginia.[2] APs corporate headquarters are in Montvale, New Jersey.[3] Supermarket News ranked AP #19 in the 2010 Top 75 Food Retailers and Wholesalers based on 2009 fiscal year estimated sales of $9.1 billion.[4] Based on 2009 revenue, AP was the 34th largest retailer in the US.[5] From 1915 through 1975, it was the largest food retailer in the nation (until 1965, the largest US retailer of any kind).[6] AP is considered an American icon.[7] The Wall Street Journal, in an editorial on December 10, 2010, said that AP was as well known as McDonalds or Google is today and that AP was Wal-Mart before Wal-Mart.[8] What is now AP began in 18 59; it established a small chain of retail tea and coffee stores in New York City and a national mail order business. It grew to 70 stores by 1878. In the late 19th century, AP, still a tea and coffee company, became the countrys first grocery chain. At the turn of the century, it operated almost 200 stores. The company grew dramatically after introducing the economy store concept in 1912, growing to 1,600 stores in 1915. After World War I, the company opened stores offering meat and produce. In 1930 the company, now the worlds largest retailer, reached $1  billion in sales with 16,000 stores.[9] In 1936, AP adopted the self-serve supermarket concept and opened 4,000 larger stores by 1950.[10] APs decline began in the 1950s when it failed to keep pace with chains which opened larger, modern supermarkets with features demanded by customers. By the 1970s, AP stores were out of date; its efforts to combat high operating costs resulted in poor customer service. In 1975, the company hired outside management, closing older stores and building modern ones. When these efforts failed to turn the company ar ound, the heirs of the original owners, and foundations that owned a majority of the stock, sold to the German Tengelmann Group. AP then launched a store-closing program financed by the surplus assets of its pension plan.[11] Starting in 1982, AP acquired several chains; these stores operated through their names rather than AP. While AP regained profitability in the 1980s, in 2002 it operated at a record loss because of new competition, especially Wal-Mart. AP closed more stores, which included the sale of its large Canadian division. In 2007, AP purchased Pathmark, one of its toughest competitors; AP again became the largest supermarket chain in the New York City area. Highly leveraged after this acquisition, the company experienced financial difficulties because of the recession and filed for Chapter 11 protection in 2010. In late 2011, AP implemented a restructuring plan to emerge from bankruptcy.[12][13] On March 13, 2012, it was announced that AP had emerged from bankruptcy and was now a private company. History: More than 150 years ago, The Great Atlantic Pacific Tea Company, Inc. (AP) began operations as The Great American Tea Company. Its first store – on Vesey Street in New York City – sold tea, coffee and spices at value prices. Soon after, stores sprung up all around the New York metropolitan area, and salesmen took their wares to the road in horse-drawn carriages bound for New England, the Midwest and the South. In 1869, the Company was renamed The Great Atlantic Pacific Tea Company, commemorating the first transcontinental railroad. In 1936, AP became the first national supermarket chain in the United States, one of many innovative concepts that radically changed the way consumers shopped. Its  vast advertising and promotional activities reached so many consumers that AP became an American icon. Below are select milestones from the Companys rich history: 1859-1899 Becoming a Grocery Pioneer * 1859 The Great American Tea Company is founded as a mail order business by tea and spice merchants George Huntington Hartford and George Gilman. The same year, the first store-warehouse operation opens in New York City at 31 Vesey Street. * 1869 The Company is renamed the Great Atlantic Pacific Tea Company, or AP. * 1880 AP begins marketing its own brand of baking powder, its first private label product. It also pioneers the use of refrigerated railroad cars to transport fruit, and becomes the first to bring fresh seafood to the Midwest. * 1881 AP becomes the first grocery chain to operate 100 stores and expands to 5,000 delivery routes. * 1880s With the publics taste for coffee growing rapidly, AP establishes its own brand, Eight O Clock Breakfast Coffee, packaged in a red bag. George Huntington Hartford names the product after the time of the day that he believed the most coffee was consumed. * 1887 Sales hit $1 million. * 1890s AP introduces premium â€Å"checks† to be redeemed for cups, saucers and other goods, marking the first original customer-loyalty program with premiums and savings coupons. 1900-1959 Becoming an Innovator and American Icon * 1912 John Hartford convinces his father and brother to launch the first no frills† grocery format in America with the opening of the AP Economy Store in Jersey City, N.J. The cash and carry store, with plain furnishings and fixtures, offered no credit, no deliveries and no premiums just quality groceries at very low prices. * 1920 The AP Economy Store concept flourishes and catalyzes an extraordinary period of growth, resulting in 4,638 stores, from about 350 stores in 10 years prior. * 1924 The AP Radio Hour launches as Americas first national radio program. Soaring in popularity through the 1930s, it featured popular artists such as Kate Smith, Harry Horlick and the AP Gypsies. * 1929 AP more than triples its store count to 15,418 stores and increases  sales five-fold to reach the $1 billion mark. * 1930s AP expands to California, Washington and Canada. * 1933 AP participates in the Worlds Fair in Chicago. Housed in a 2,000-seat amphitheater, the AP Carnival draws thousands of visitors with the AP Marionette Revue, Harry Horlick and other entertainment. * 1936 AP opens the nations first supermarket, a 28,125-square-foot store in Braddock, Pa., that enables customers to select their own groceries without the assistance of a clerk. * 1937 AP launches Womans Day magazine through a wholly-owned subsidiary, The Stores Publishing Company. The magazine features articles on food preparation, home decoration, needlework and childcare, selling for two cents a copy exclusively in AP stores. * 1941 Eight O Clock coffee becomes the best-selling brand of coffee in the world. * 1958 Sales grow to $5 billion and 4,252 stores. AP tops the industry, with volume exceeding that of its closest competitor by more than $1 billion. * 1959 AP celebrates its 100th anniversary. 1960-1999 Becoming a Supermarket Family * 1963 With its new Plaid Stamps redemption program, AP brings back the premium concept. With every purchase, shoppers receive plaid-colored stamps, which can be later redeemed for popular household items, such as snack trays and Lazy Susans. * 1971 AP opens its first Warehouse Economy Outlet (WEO). This low-price warehouse concept, featuring displays of fast-selling grocery items in the original cases, is rolled out to 1,500 stores. * 1979 The Hartford Foundation and family members sell the majority of AP shares to The Tengelmann Group of West Germany in the face of declining sales and profitability, as competitors follow consumers to the suburbs. * 1980 James Wood is elected Chairman, President CEO. Under his leadership, the company closes operations in several markets, including hundreds of older stores and the majority of its manufacturing operations. * 1981 Beginning a new growth via acquisition strategy, the Company purchases 17 Stop Shop supermarkets in New Jersey. * 1982 The Company launches the Superfresh banner in the Philadelphia area, emphasizing product freshness and strong customer service. * 1986 AP acquires the Bronx, N.Y.-based Shopwell Inc., which includes 26 upscale stores named The Food Emporium. It expands further in New York with  the acquisition of Waldbaums, Inc. that fall. * 1994 AP in the U.S. launches a new private label program, introducing four new brands across all of its banners: Americas Choice, Master Choice, Health Pride and Savings Plus. 2000-Present Innovating and Restructuring for the Future * 2000 The Food Emporium opens its unique Bridge Market store, located at 59th Street and First Avenue beneath New York Citys landmark Queensborough Bridge. * 2001 AP opens its first U.S. Food Basics store in Passaic, N.J. * 2003 To reduce debt and lower operating costs, AP exits Northern New England, sells Kohls stores in Wisconsin (which it acquired in 1983), closes all remaining Kohls operations, and sells the Eight OClock Coffee division. * 2005 The Great Atlantic Pacific Tea Company, Inc. sells AP Canada to METRO INC., a supermarket and pharmaceutical operator in the Provinces of Quebec and Ontario Canada. * 2009 The Great Atlantic Pacific Tea Company celebrates its 150th Anniversary as the oldest grocery retailer in the United States. * 2010 The Board elects Sam Martin as President CEO. Under his leadership, the Company embarks on a turnaround plan and files for Chapter 11 to enable it to restructure its operations and financial obligations. * 2011 AP launches Woodson James, a new line of premium-quality Angus beef featuring steakhouse-quality meat at affordable supermarket prices, exclusive to all AP, Pathmark, Superfresh, Waldbaums and The Food Emporium stores. * 2012 AP exits Chapter 11 as a private company with 320 stores. SWOT ANALYSIS The Great Atlantic Pacific Tea Company (AP or the company) is engaged in the retail food business. The company offers a strong portfolio of private label brands. Green Way, a new private label launched in 2009, features over 200 healthy, organic and eco-friendly products. In the current economic environment, consumers are tending to choose private label brands due to their quality and competitive pricing. Given the growing demand for private label products, the companys portfolio of private brands offers a competitive advantage. However, the sluggish US economy could depress purchasing power of consumers affecting the sales of the company. Strengths  Weaknesses Robust private label portfolio Declining market share Operational and financial issues led to bankruptcy filing Multiple store formats Coupons portfolio Opportunities Threats Economic downturn in US affects consumer spending Online retail channel offers opportunities for revenue growth Increasing demand for organic products Intense competition Rising labor wages in the US likely to increase the operating cost Remodeling of stores will lead to incremental sales Strengths Robust private label portfolio AP offers a strong portfolio of private label brands including Americas Choice, Hartford Reserve, Live Better Wellness, Americas Choice Gold, Smart Price and Via Roma. APs Americas Choice brand presently stands among the best selling private brands in the industry. In addition, in 2009, the company launched Green Way, a new private label line featuring over 200 healthy, organic and eco-friendly products. The company launched The Food Emporium Trading Company private label brand of international specialty items, in November 2010. In the face of macroeconomic pressures, consumers are increasingly opting for private label products. According to industry watchers, private label sales have increased in the US in the recent years. In the current economic environment, value-oriented consumers are choosing private label brands due to their competitive pricing. Also, strong push from retailers and improvements in both quality and selection has been influencing the shopping trends. This trend is expected to continue even after the economy recovers as consumers consider the quality of private label brands to be as high as name brand products. In addition to providing savings to consumers, private labels provide higher operating margins than national brands to AP thereby improving profitability. Increased  penetration of these private labels will improve the margins of the company. Additionally, they offer a competitive advantage and will enable the company to develop a niche customer base. Multiple store formats AP operates multiple store formats. The companys store formats vary from full-service supermarkets featuring fresh produce, seafood, meat, deli, groceries, floral, and pharmacies, to upscale gourmet stores (The Food Emporium), to limited variety stores featuring everyday low prices (Food Basics). Through its broad base of supermarkets, AP has expanded and diversified within the retail food business. The company operates stores with merchandise, pricing and identities tailored to appeal to different customer segments, including buyers seeking gourmet and ethnic foods, a wide variety of premium quality private label goods and health and beauty aids along with the range of traditional grocery products. The wide variety of products offered to meet the needs of a diverse customer base will drive footfall and also provide immense opportunities for cross selling. This in turn will contribute to higher revenues by increasing the average ticket. Coupons portfolio Consumers drastically cut back on spending during the recession as unemployment rose and lending slowed. They are looking at generating more value for the money spent. AP, keeping this in view, launched a comprehensive coupon portfolio of innovations in 2009, to provide shoppers with more savings and convenience. The company partnered with Zavers, a pioneer in digital couponing, to launch the first paperless, clipless and completely digital coupon service available by a supermarket chain in the Metropolitan New York area. This service allows club card members at AP, Pathmark, Waldbaums and SuperFresh to go online and save the coupons directly onto their club card. The savings are automatically deducted off the customers shopping order once the club card is scanned at the checkout. Subsequently, AP introduced the Rewards Online Mall, allowing club card members to earn rewards by making purchases at over 1,000 online retailers including eBay.com, Best Buy, Home Depot, Macys, Barnes and Noble, Travelocity, Staples, 1-800-FLOWERS and many more. For every purchase made, customers can receive an average of 3% back. Once the total reaches $10, customers will receive a Rewards Certificate in the mail to be used towards their next in-store purchase at any AP, Waldbaums, SuperFresh, The Food Emporium or Pathmark store. To complement its couponing  programs portfolio, AP also premiered an innovative new online coupon gallery available via its banner websites. This service which helps customers save more money while shopping for groceries, was made available through AP’s partnership with Coupons.com. Each of the company’s banner websites features a special coupon gallery with hundreds of dollars of savings on all departments. Besides offering savings this service is convenient and saves time. Such additional benefits offered by the company will help attract customer visits. Weaknesses Declining market share AP has been losing its market share to the bigger discount retailers and wholesale clubs including Wal-Mart, Costco, Target, and BJs. These companies have expanded into the grocery business and yielded to the economic downturn by lowering prices, thereby attracting the value-driven consumers. The big-ticket consumers, on the other hand, preferred higher-end retailers such as Whole Foods and Trader Joes. AP by sticking to its consistent pricing, lost its customers to these companies in the difficult retail climate, while the other grocery retail chains lowered prices considerably, endorsed value proposition, and attracted sales. The company recorded a decline in revenues of 8.3% and 7.4% in FY2011 and FY2010 respectively. The sales declined primarily due to a decrease in comparable stores sales and store closures, partially offset by sales from new stores. The overall decline in sales was primarily caused by a decrease in customer count. The loss of market share to competitors has aff ected the company financial results significantly. Operational and financial issues led to bankruptcy filing AP, in December 2010 filed a voluntary petition under Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code with the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York to facilitate its financial and operational restructuring. The company experienced severe financial and operational issues which led to this move. At the end of the third quarter of FY2011, the company had cash reserves of $92.4 million compared with $281.8 million during the same period, the previous year.The company had long-term debt of $816.8 million at the end of the third quarter of FY2011. The current portion of long-term debt increased to $171.5 million at the end of the third quarter of FY2011 compared with $191,000 at the end of the third  quarter of FY2010. The company has also experienced several other issues that contributed to its bankruptcy filing, including large pension funding requirements and union agreements. Approximately 92% of the companys employees are represented by unions and covered by collective bargaining agreements. Furthermore, the company had about 70% of inventory tied to one supplier in an unfavorable contract. The company also had obligations, including the payment of rent on stores that were not subleased or leases terminated. The rent expenses for the mostly empty stores were estimated to be substantial next year. All the above factors put the company at a competitive disadvantage and rendered its business unsustainable in the current scenario. The bankruptcy filing and the subsequent financing will significantly affect the investors confidence in the company. Online retail channel offers opportunities for revenue growth The online retail market in the US is growing at a fast pace and the trend is expected to continue. Online sales contributed to 6% of the retail sales in 2009 and are estimated to contribute 8% of the total retail sales by 2014. Online sales grew by 11% in 2009 compared to a total retail growth of 2.5%. Online sales while offering convenience to customers, also improve a companys margins by cutting down operating costs. AP is well poised to benefit from the expected increase in online sales. Increasing demand for organic products Natural and organic food products segment is one of the fastest growing categories in food retailing. Increasing consumer awareness about health and environmental issues, along with an increasing resistance towards genetically modified (GM) food products and GM farming, has led to a rapid increase in the demand for organic food. According to industry estimates, the organic product sales in the US reached $26.6 billion in 2009, an increase of 5.3% over 2008. Of the total, organic food accounted for $24.8 billion and organic non-foods, the remaining $1.8 billion. In comparison, the total food sales in the US increased by 1.6% in FY2009.The growth trend of organic foods is expected to continue. The company offers over 200 healthy, organic and eco-friendly products under its Green Way brand. The company could leverage its presence to exploit the increasing demand for  organic products. Remodeling of stores will lead to incremental sales AP has been investing in re-modeling its stores to offer a unique shopping experience to its customers. These remodeled stores offer an expanded selection of deli, bakery, floral, meat, seafood and organics departments and many specialty sections. The Pompton Plains AP store, located in Pompton Plains, New Jersey, besides offering traditional food categories, also introduced new departments including the kids and toddler aisle featuring all the products needed by mothers in one area; an enhanced pet selection; expanded mens offerings featuring an extensive array of specialty products for men; and a special section dedicated to gluten-free packaged products. Apart from offering a wide selection of quality groceries, fresh produce, breads, seafood, and meats, APs new Port Jefferson Pathmark store features a full-service pharmacy department which provides numerous benefits to customers including, all major prescription drug plans including Medicare Part D accepted; health screening serv ices; complete diabetic supply center; patient counseling and information service; mail order and online prescription refill; and Live Better! Wellness club. The new Pathmark is designed with a bright, open layout with modern decor and colorful artwork and signage, further enhancing the overall experience for shoppers. AP’s Woodcliff Lake AP store offers expansive departments that feature a wide selection of fresh and gourmet foods. This is complemented by a full-service bakery, Starbucks Cafe, floral department and pharmacy, along with a center store department that presents a complete line of specialty items for men, children and pets. The company also re-opened the New Providence AP store with expansive departments offering a wide selection of fresh and gourmet foods, a full-service bakery and floral department and an expansive center store department with a complete line of specialty items for children and pets. The remodels with additional departments attract more consumers and offer cross selling opportunities, therefore contributing incrementally to the sales increase. These additional services will also help the company differentiate itself from its competitors. Threats Economic downturn in US affects consumer spending The US, the worlds largest economy, shrank 4.1% from the fourth quarter of 2007 to the second quarter of 2009. Household spending fell 1.2% in 2009, twice as much as previously projected and the biggest decline since 1942. The US economy slowed in the second quarter of 2010 as scarcity of jobs eroded consumer spending. GDP in the second quarter of 2010 grew at a 2.4% annual rate less than forecast. Consumer spending, which accounts for about 70% of the economy, rose at a 1.6% pace in the second quarter, compared with a 1.9% rate in the first quarter of 2010. Job gains have been slow to take hold, curbing household purchases. US retail sales rose a meager 0.1% in July 2010 from June 2010, according to industry watchers. In addition, the US economy grew 2.6% in the third quarter of 2010. The World Bank forecasts the US economy to grow at a sluggish rate of 2.8% in 2011. High unemployment rate which is estimated to reach 10%, sluggish wage gains and credit crunch are all expected to keep consumers relatively cautious. The unemployment rate remained significantly high at 9.4% towards the end of 2010. Rising unemployment further reduces the consumer spending as customers feel unsecured. Thus, slowdown in US economy would depress purchasing power of consumers which could result in a decline in sales of the company. Intense competition AP conducts its retail merchandise business under highly competitive conditions. Although AP is a large regional department store chain company, it has numerous competitors at the national and local level that competes with its individual stores, including specialty, off-price, discount, and internet and mail-order retailers. Competition is characterized by many factors including location, reputation, fashion, merchandise assortment, advertising, price, quality, service and credit availability. AP anticipates intense competition to continue with focus on pricing. Some of the companys competitors have substantially larger marketing budgets, which may provide them with a competitive advantage. If AP is unable to maintain its competitive position, it could experience downward pressure on prices, lower demand for products, reduced margins, the inability to take advantage of new business opportunities and the loss of  market share. Rising labor wages in the US likely to increase the operating cost In recent times, tight labor markets, increased overtime and government mandated increases in minimum wages resulted in an increase in labor costs, which could materially impact the companys results of operation. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) has increased the federal minimum wage rate in the US from $6.55 an hour in July 2008 to $7.25 an hour in July 2009. This was further increased to $8.25 an hour in July 2010, revising the labor rates for the fourth year in a row. Many states also have minimum wage laws. If an employee is subject to both state and federal minimum wage laws, the employee is entitled to the higher minimum wage. Increased labor costs could increase the operating costs for the company.