Fast Food Industry Is Bad For The Economy Essay - 1789 Words

The lifestyle of the typical American family has changed. The way families used to enjoy lunches and dinners have changed over the years. With the fast paced and busy America, fast food franchise businesses have grown rapidly over the years as an easy alternative to home cooked meals. This growing industry has been a controversial subject in the United States. With that being said, people tend to look at the health issues associated with fast food and there is no doubt that fast food is associated with health problems. However, when narrowing down the spectrum on fast food industry apart from the health reasons, there are also economic consequences that are becoming part of the problem. Fast food industry is bad for the economy because it destroys local businesses as well as local farms, hurts fast food workers, and lastly costs money to the taxpayers. Magnifying the fast food industry, most franchises are not actually owned by the big corporation with the displayed brand logo. The l ogo might have or Burger king on it but it’s rather owned by small entrepreneurs who is in the franchise agreement with this corporation (Freedman, 2014). They have to pay the corporations franchise fee to use the brand name and the entire cost of constructing and equipping the restaurant. Franchisees also pay a fixed percentage of their revenues every month in royalty and advertising fees, while also often having to buy most of their supplies from the franchisor. McDonalds, for example, earnsShow MoreRelatedEffects of Fast Food on American Economy1461 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿ Effects of Fast Food on the American Economy How does fast food affect America’s economy? Does fast food affects Americans economy in the bad way or good way? Some people say that fast foods are ruining Americans economy. They want to reduce effects of the fast food industry in America. However, the advocates do not agree because they think that fast foods are giving a major boost to the economy. They give out a few examples about the advantage of fast food to the economy such as proving jobsRead MoreFast Food Essay936 Words   |  4 PagesFood is a necessity in life. In making the right choices, we can have a healthy life. Sadly, America is not making those healthy choices. Contrary to our education and information about junk food, the fast food industry is still ever growing to this day. The fast food industry in America is an excellently funded, well-oiled machine that will not stop until we make better choices as consumers. Big business is winning, profits are garnered but unfortunately Americans are losing years of their livesRead More The Sociat Costs and Benefits of a Fast Food Industry Essay687 Words   |  3 Pagesof a Fast Food Industry There are many social benefits to a fast food industry. Firstly, it’s the accessibility and convenience of having the fast food restaurants – they’re located practically everywhere. The service is also fast, hence â€Å"fast food† and therefore maximizing the convenience of them to consumers. Most of the time, the products of the fast food industry are cheap, tasty and therefore have good value for the product. The existence of so many fast foodRead MoreMcdonalds : A Fast Food Restaurant Company1283 Words   |  6 PagesMcDonalds is a fast food restaurant company founded on April 15, 1955, by Ray Kroc. It’s headquarters are located in Oak Brook, Illinois, United States. They serve 68 million customers on a daily across 119 countries around the world. With approximately 35,000 running locations, they sell all types of fast food including burgers, wraps, fries, salads, pastry’s, sandwiches, and beverages and more! Industry: The industry that McDonalds Corp. operates within is the food industry, and to be moreRead MoreArgumentative Essay About Fast Food Industry1359 Words   |  6 Pagesworld economy has become fast-paced, and this has forced people to transform their lifestyle in order to adapt to the changing pace. Family structures have evolved drastically with modern mothers having outside careers rather than being housewives. Granted such mothers get out of work worn out with little strength to prepare a proper meal for the family. They often opt for an easier way of preparing a meal for their families. This is the foundation for the thriving of the fast food industry. A numberRead MoreFast Food Nation By Eric Schlosser848 Words   |  4 PagesLAST THREE DECADES, fast food has infiltrated every nook and cranny of American society†, Schlosser writes. Fast Food Nation, written by Eric Schlosser, includes topics about fast food chains impact on the community, jobs relating to fast food, and he alth issues. Fast Food Nation uses logic to appeal to the aspects of fast food chains by giving relatable examples from the devastating effects on the communities to the millions of jobs offered for our country. Moreover, fast food chains have contributedRead MoreFast Food Restaurants: A Detriment to the Health of Americans833 Words   |  4 Pagesthe have eaten regularly at fast food restaurants. As the obesity rate increases, the number of fast food restaurants goes up as well. Although it is not certain, many believe that obesity in the United States is correlated to eating fast food. Since the United States has the highest obesity rate out of any country, it is important for Americans to monitor the fast food industry that may be causing obesity. With the pressure to get things done in a timely manner, fast food became a big necessity. HoweverRead MoreDonT Blame The Eater By David Zinczenko1049 Words   |  5 PagesBlame The Eater,† written by David Zinczenko evokes rea ders the crucial impact that fast food restaurants have in todays nations youth causing them to be over weight and have type 2ndiabetes. Throughout Zinczenkos argument he makes the reader view the consumer as a victim yet on the other hand, what he is trying to persuade us to believe by using logos,pathos,and ethos in his argument is that the food industry is the one making the nations youth to increase obesity. The capacity of impressiveRead MoreThe Food Industry And Industrialization Of Agriculture1085 Words   |  5 PagesThe corporate food industry and industrialization of agriculture today have revolutionized the growing and buying of food for farmers and consumers. To see how it has transformed the system, one can look at the effects industrial agriculture has caused. Economically, it creates million of jobs that keep people employed and keeps food affordable, but has regrettably created subsidies too. In terms of health, mass production of agriculture has created new health risks that endanger the lives of bothRead MoreThe Precarious Relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia1481 Words   |  6 PagesIn the 1940s the United States brought on wave of globalization that ravaged Western Europe. Fast forward to 1979, and the United States is taking advantage of the fear drummed up by the Iranian Revolution in order to secure its influence in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia since then has seen a rise in chronic illness that can be directly tied back to the presence of the United States in this area. After 1979 there was a significant spike in diabetes in Saudi Arabia; it can be argued that increased

The Term, Social Facilitation, By Floyd Allport - 1702 Words

The term â€Å"Social facilitation â€Å" was coined by Floyd Allport in 1924 and was recently defined by Karau as â€Å"a tendency for the presence of other people to enhance an individual’s performance on a simple or well-learned task but to reduce it on complex or unfamiliar tasks† ( 2012, p. 486). This phenomenon has been widely studied for over a century and has produced numerous theories to explain its occurrence . Beginning with Norman Triplett in 1898, who discovered a social facilitation effect in cyclists that were competing against others in a race,opposed to those racing alone (Aiello Feinberg, 2006) This was followed by research to dispute and support Tripletts claims, as many studies found performance impairment in social situations. In general, three different types of presences were examined: co-actors, audiences or observers and others that were simply present but not interacting in any way with the individual. (Karau , 2012) As of today it is still unclear what exactly causes a facilitating effect to performance of individuals ,yet it is still a highly relevant area of research as people never cease to strive to improve their performances and seek the knowledge of how this is achieved . This essay will argue , that despite the complexity and interaction of numerous factors required for Social faciliation to occur, presence of others can facilitate performance of simple tasks in the absence of distraction and when there is an expected evaluation byShow MoreRelatedHistorical Reference Of Social Psychology1169 Words   |  5 PagesReference of Social Psychology Social psychology uses scientific methods to understand how people’s opinions and behaviors are influenced by the actual presence or the implied presence of others. Social psychology is an integrative field that builds the gap between psychology and sociology. Sociology, on the other hand, is the scientific study of human behavior. In addition, social psychology is a comparatively new field that originated in the early 20th century. In 1954 Gordon Allport nominated AugusteRead MoreCompare and Contrast Functionalism and Structuralism14315 Words   |  58 PagesChapter 1 What is social psychology? LEARNING OUTCOMES When you have ï ¬ nished studying this chapter, you should be able to: 1 Outline the main differences between experimental and critical approaches to social psychology. 2 Describe the three main ‘metaphysical battles’ between them. 3 Trace the origins of social psychology through the work of William McDougall and William James, and the contributions made by Và ¶lkerpsychologie and crowd psychology. 4 Describe the two contrasting

Business Intelligence Solution

Question: Discuss about the Business Intelligence Solution. Answer: Introduction: The Business Intelligence is the umbrella term including all the infrastructures, tools, best practices and applications (Chang 2014). The Facebook is a for-profit corporation based in America. It is the social media and social networking service via online (Ellison et al. 2014). Rather than depending upon social collaboration, the company has needed to inundate the impatient employees. This was done with proper training utilize the Business Intelligence tools in the Microstrategy-based portal. The following report explores the tools and techniques used by Facebook for its business operations. In addition to the improvements, the values and influencing factors are also discussed. Tools and techniques used by Facebook to support business operations: Facebook has been useful for various reasons, but the most important feature of it has been the gathering of information. The data business has been able to help in monitoring of the SEO metrics, setting the tone for the business personality and improvement in understanding of the customer experience. Hence, the approaches in which the Business Intelligence and Facebook has been going hand in hand has been important to realize (Liao, Hsian and Wu 2014). The various tools used by Facebook have been discussed below: Facebook Insights: This tool has been available to the admin of the company once they acquire more than thirty fans. This provides analytics by the platforms insights. LikeAlyzer: It is the free-to-use-tool allowing in entering to any page without any authorization in measuring its performance. Simply Measured: It has 4 distinct free report offering real insights. The first one is the insight report repurposing the data in Facebook insights into attractive graphs. Next is the competitive analysis report. It has been showing the comparative metrics in charts, response rates, top posts and so on (Laursen and Thorlund 2016). Lastly, the in-depth fan page report helps in sorting of posts and comments and the content analysis report help in breaking down of contents. Sociograph.io: Once authentication is done the analyzing of Facebook fan page could be done for free. Agorapulse: Allows in benchmarking the page and running sweepstakes and competitions. Cyfe: This dashboard integrates large range of widgets covering aspects of business. The techniques supporting business operations used by Facebook are: Researching and Analyzing Events: Facebook has been often made use to promote the online events. In the avenue, there has been lots of intelligence found. By observing the conversations, locations and times on pages, the companies have been able to collect information regarding customer preferences and demographics. Advertising more accurately: No advertisements could act better than the targeted ones. Since, Facebook came up with targeted advertisement options it became the most popular trend in the area of social networking. The Business Intelligence has made this possible foe the organization in crafting the advertisements directly (Colombo, Grech and Pace 2015). Further they have been sold to the target audiences directly. Improvements observed from Facebook as compared to other social networking sites: The Facebook Advertising has been really picking up acceleration in the world of business. It has been utilizing social activities and graphs pinpointing those who have been falling under the buyer demographics. This has made the Facebook Advertisements incredibly efficient than the other social networking sites. These advertisements have more likely brought strong leads that have been actually searching for the companys services. They have assured that the budget of the companys advertising has not been wasted (Jiang and Leung 2014). This has been done over those who have not been actually interested in the offers done by the companies. This has further helped in put the services or products into the hand of proper individuals requiring the services. Here is why the Business Intelligence should be used in Facebook: Replace the gut feelings with concrete information: While depending on the instincts has been helpful in various conditions, it has not been reliable to run the marketing campaign. The Business Intelligence replaced the maybes with the definite, assuring that every effort made has been on the basis of solid facts. Endow the employees with further knowledge: Once the team members get accumulated to the software of business intelligence, they readily get access to the detailed data. This helps the employees to become more decisive contributing to Facebook. Studying the behavior of audience: The Business Intelligence software has helped Facebook to find patters in the customer behaviors. This has offered higher visibility in the wishes of the customers. This insight knowledge has turned into profits directly. This has been done by leveraging the current information on the habits of customers and controlling valuable customers. The Facebook possesses numerous employees in various departments. Hence there has been potential for the communication breakdowns. The beauty of the business intelligence has been the integration of information from various departments and then synthesizing that conveniently (Gupta, Khanna and Kim 2014). Factors influencing the success of business intelligence in Facebook: Good Strategy: The sound business strategy has tied to Facebooks core competency. Good employees: They have been empowered to perform amazing jobs. Outstanding leaders: They have been motivating, inspiring and handling the changes brilliantly. The healthiness of the corporate culture: The employees have been able to brainstorm, collaborate and share knowledge. Facebook has been able to handle constant changes: Facebook has been agile due to the not over done or under done of the standards, procedures and processes (Isik, Jones and Sidorova 2013). Facebook has been proactive and not reactive. Issues have been anticipated. Risks have been managed. There have been no silos. The functional areas have been working together. Conclusion: The Business Intelligence has been enabling in passage and assessment of data in the company called Facebook. It has been improving and optimizing performances and decisions. Rather than depending upon social collaboration, Facebook has needed to inundate the impatient employees. This was done with proper training to identify and utilize the Business Intelligence tools present in the underpinning Microstrategy-based portal. As the business data amount has been growing constantly, it has turned important for Facebook to concentrate on analyzing of data with the self-serviced Business Intelligence. The visualization of data on actionable and clear dashboards has helped Facebook fetch the contexts and reasons behind every decisions of business. Moreover, viewing the situation of the present business has also been done from various angles. References: Chang, V., 2014. The business intelligence as a service in the cloud.Future Generation Computer Systems,37, pp.512-534. Colombo, C., Grech, J.P. and Pace, G.J., 2015, June. A controlled natural language for business intelligence monitoring. InInternational Conference on Applications of Natural Language to Information Systems(pp. 300-306). Springer International Publishing. Ellison, N.B., Vitak, J., Gray, R. and Lampe, C., 2014. Cultivating social resources on social network sites: Facebook relationship maintenance behaviors and their role in social capital processes.Journal of Computer?Mediated Communication,19(4), pp.855-870. Gupta, V., Khanna, S. and Kim, I., 2014. Personal Financial Aggregation and Social Media Mining: A New Framework for Actionable Financial Business Intelligence (AFBI).International Journal of Business Intelligence Research (IJBIR),5(4), pp.14-25. Isik, ., Jones, M.C. and Sidorova, A., 2013. Business intelligence success: The roles of BI capabilities and decision environments.Information Management,50(1), pp.13-23. Jiang, F. and Leung, C.K.S., 2014, December. A business intelligence solution for frequent pattern mining on social networks. InData Mining Workshop (ICDMW), 2014 IEEE International Conference on(pp. 789-796). IEEE. Laursen, G.H. and Thorlund, J., 2016.Business analytics for managers: Taking business intelligence beyond reporting. John Wiley Sons. Liao, S.H., Hsian, P.Y. and Wu, G.L., 2014. Mining user knowledge for investigating the facebook business model: the case of Taiwan users.Applied Artificial Intelligence,28(7), pp.712-736.

The Effects Of Race On Sentencing In Capital Punishment Cases Essays

The Effects of Race on Sentencing in Capital Punishment Cases Sam Houston State University, Huntsville CJ 478W-Introduction To Methods Of Research The Effects of Race on Sentencing in Capital Punishment Cases Throughout history, minorities have been ill-represented in the criminal justice system, particularly in cases where the possible outcome is death. In early America, blacks were lynched for the slightest violation of informal laws and many of these killings occured without any type of due process. As the judicial system has matured, minorities have found better representation but it is not completely unbiased. In the past twenty years strict controls have been implemented but the system still has symptoms of racial bias. This racial bias was first recognized by the Supreme Court in Fruman v. Georgia, 408 U.S. 238 (1972). The Supreme Court Justices decide that the death penalty was being handed out unfairly and according to Gest (1996) the Supreme Court felt the death penalty was being imposed ?freakishly' and ?wantonly? and ?most often on blacks.? Several years later in Gregg v. Georgia, 428 U.S. 153 (1976), the Supreme Court decided, with efficient controls, the death penalty could be used constitutionally. Yet, even with these various controls, the system does not effectively eliminate racial bias. Since Gregg v. Georgia the total population of all 36 death rows has grown as has the number of judicial controls used by each state. Of the 3,122 people on death row 41% are black while 48% are white (Gest, 1996, 41). This figure may be acceptable at first glance but one must take into account the fact that only 12% of the U.S. population is black (Smolowe, 1991, 68). Carolyn Snurkowski of the Florida attorney generals office believes that the disproportionate number of blacks on death row can be explained by the fact that, ?Many black murders result from barroom brawls that wouldn't call for the death penalty, but many white murders occur on top of another offense, such as robbery? (As cited in Gest, 1986, 25). This may be true but the Washington Legal Foundation offers their own explanation by arguing that ?blacks are arrested for murder at a higher rate than are whites. When arrest totals are factored in , ?the probability of a white murderer ending up on death row is 33 percent greater than in the case of a black murderer? (As cited in Gest, 1986, 25). According to Professor Steven Goldstein of Florida State University, ?There are so many discretionary stages: whether the prosecutor decides to seek the death penalty, whether the jury recommends it, whether the judge gives it? (As cited in Smolowe, 1991, 68). It is in these discretionary stages that racial biases can infect the system of dealing out death sentences. Smolowe (1991) shows this infection by giving examples of two cases decided in February of 1991, both in Columbus. The first example is a white defendant named James Robert Caldwell who was convicted of stabbing his 10 year old son repeatedly and raping and killing his 12 year old daughter. The second example is of a black man, Jerry Walker, convicted of killing a 22-year-old white man while robbing a convenience-store. Caldwell's trial lasted three times as long as Walker's and Caldwell received a life sentence while Walker received a death sentence. In these examples, it is believed that not only the race of the victims, but also the value of the victims, biased the sentencing decisions. The 22-year-old man killed by Walker was the son of a Army commander at Fort Benning while Caldwell's victims were not influential in the community. In examples such as these, it becomes evident that racial bias, in any or all of the discretionary stages, becomes racial injustice in the end. Smolowe (1991) also makes the point that Columbus is not alone: ?A 1990 report prepared by the government's General Accounting Office found ?a pattern of evidence indicating racial disparities in the charging, sentencing and imposition of the death penalty.? In an article by Seligman (1994), Professor Joseph Katz of Georgia State ?and other scholars have made a separate point about bias claims based on the ?devalued lives' of murder victims.? Seligman also asserts that those claiming bias believe that it is in the race

Understanding Place Value Decimals, Large Numbers, and Easy Charts

Understanding Place Value Decimals, Large Numbers, and Easy Charts SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips How do you read 4,349,394.382? What does each digit mean? How do you know what number means what? With place values, that’s how! If you don’t understand how decimal place values work, a number like that can look like a bunch of nonsense. In this article, we’re going to cover what place value is, why you need to know it, and how to work through place value problems to better understand large, complex numbers with ease. What Is Place Value? Let’s start with the basics. Place value refers to the meaning of a single digit in a specific position in a number. Unfortunately, that definition doesn’t make a whole lot of sense without an example, so let’s look at a number: 14. We know that number is fourteen, just as we know that 14 is the number that comes between 13 and 15. We can even break it down further- 14 is 4 more than 10. 10 + 4 = 14. Clearly, the different digits- the individual numerals that form a number- mean something. The 1 doesn’t mean 1, it means 10. That’s because the 1 in 14 is in the tens place. It tells us how many tens are in a number. So in the number 14, there is one ten and four ones- 10 + 4 = 14. If we change that 1 to a 2, we get 24, or twenty-four. The number 2 in the tens place tells us there are two tens. Each place value is 10 times larger than the place value to the right of it. So when we look at a number like 4,349,394.382, our example from earlier, we can see that there are: 4 ones 9 tens 3 hundreds 9 thousands 4 ten-thousands 3 hundred-thousands 4 millions That gives us a better idea of how to read the number aloud. It’s four million, three hundred forty-nine thousand, three hundred ninety-four. But what about all those digits to the right of the period, or decimal point? Those digits represent parts of one. Imagine this number represents the number of leaves on a particularly big tree. The .382 might represent a fraction of a leaf- perhaps one that’s been nibbled on by bugs. So how do we read those numbers? In the same way we read all the others, except the digits represent fractions of a whole. The digits to the right of a decimal point work almost exactly the same way, except there is no â€Å"ones† equivalent. We end the place values representing fractions with â€Å"th,† so instead of tens, hundreds, thousands, the numbers to the right of a decimal are tenths, hundredths, thousandths. More specifically, in our example, .382 equates to: 3 tenths 8 hundredths 2 thousandths Or, read aloud, three hundred eighty-two thousandths. The same rule holds true of numbers to the right of the decimal: each place value is ten times the place value to the right of it. Ten thousandths equal one hundredth, ten hundredths equal one tenth, and ten tenths equal one whole. Put the whole number together, and you get four million, three hundred forty-nine thousand, three hundred ninety-four and three hundred eighty-two thousandths. It may sound confusing, but once you’ve spent a little time with it, it’ll become second nature. Just remember that a digit’s place value represents the meaning of a single digit and that every place value is 10 times larger than the place value directly to the right and you’ll be on the right track. Why Do You Need to Know About Place Values? All of this can seem pretty complex. Why do we even need to know place values? Place values become increasingly important as you work more frequently with decimals and large numbers, because without understanding place values, you’ll have a really difficult time understanding how to read them. Place value is also really important in solving word problems. If a word problem says that somebody bought one thousand and four tacks, you might write that number as 1,400, 1,040, or 1,004 if you don’t understand place values. Only one of those answers can be correct, and you’ll have a much easier time of understanding those kinds of problems with a solid grasp on place values. Place Value Chart One of the best ways to learn place value is using a chart. You can write the different place values along the top and line the digits of numbers up with their correct position on the chart. Here’s what a place value chart might look like, though you can include more or less columns depending on the number you’re working with. Hundred Thousands 0 Ten Thousands 0 Thousands 0 Hundreds 0 Tens 0 Ones 0 Tenths 0 Hundredths 0 Thousandths 0 Ten Thousandths 0 Let’s try filling out a chart with an example number, like 156,412.5485 Hundred Thousands 1 Ten Thousands 5 Thousands 6 Hundreds 4 Tens 1 Ones 2 Tenths 5 Hundredths 4 Thousandths 8 Ten Thousandths 5 We took each digit and wrote it into its proper place. Now if we have a question about what any digit represents, we can answer it quite easily. For example, the 6 in this number represents 6 thousands. This is especially useful when dealing with numbers that contain zeroes. Let’s take this chart and turn it into a recognizable number: Hundred Thousands 3 Ten Thousands 0 Thousands 3 Hundreds 0 Tens 0 Ones 5 Tenths 0 Hundredths 0 Thousandths 3 Ten Thousandths 0 Remember, having a 0 in the place value of a number doesn’t mean that you skip it- it means that there are zero of that particular value in the number. 104 means that there are no tens, just one hundred and four ones- you can’t write 14 instead of 104 just because there’s a zero in it. So in this case, the number would be written 303,005.003. We can drop the last zero since nothing follows it. It might be tempting to write 335.3, but, as you can see, that’s a very different number from 303,005.003. Understanding place values helps us hold a place for the value that goes into that spot! Place Value Example Problem Let’s work through some example place value problems to get a better handle on how place value works. What Is the Place Value of the 4 in the Number 1,459.235? First, we have to write the number into our place value chart. The decimal will always fall between the ones and tenths place, so we write the nine in the ones place and the 2 in the tenths place, and fill the rest out from there. Hundred Thousands 0 Ten Thousands 0 Thousands 1 Hundreds 4 Tens 5 Ones 9 Tenths 2 Hundredths 3 Thousandths 5 Ten Thousandths 0 The question asks the place value of the 4. We look at the digits in the chart to find the 4 and see that it’s in the hundreds position. That tells us there are 4 hundreds, so the place value is 400. What Digit Is in the Thousandths Place in the Number 6,872,485.495? This one is a little different. The number is larger, so we’ll have to extend our chart a bit to fit it. Once again, you can start with the numbers on either side of the decimal, so 5 goes into the ones box and 4 goes into the tenths box, then fill out the rest of the chart from there. Millions 1 Hundred Thousands 8 Ten Thousands 7 Thousands 2 Hundreds 4 Tens 5 Ones 5 Tenths 4 Hundredths 9 Thousandths 5 This time we need to figure out what digit is in the thousandths place. Find the box labeled â€Å"thousandths† and see what number is next to it. It’s 5, and since we’re only asked for the digit rather than the place value, that’s our answer. What Number has 4 Thousands, 0 Tens, 3 Hundredths, 0 Ones, 5 Hundreds, and 6 Tenths? Notice the zeroes in this question- that’s where things start to get difficult. We’ll use a chart to help us figure it out! Fill the proper columns, but pay attention, because the numbers are out of order. Hundred Thousands 0 Ten Thousands 0 Thousands 4 Hundreds 5 Tens 0 Ones 0 Tenths 6 Hundredths 3 Thousandths 0 Ten Thousandths 0 Now that we have the numbers placed, we can write it out properly. Remember that the decimal goes between the ones and tenths place. Write it out, and you’ll get 4,500.63! Practicing place value probably won't make you better at dogsledding, but it can't hurt. Practice Problems Here are a few more practice problems you can work through to work on your own, with solutions down below! What Is the Place Value of 7 in 1,508,005.078? HINT: Pay attention to the question. Is it asking for place value or digit? HINT: Remember, zeroes still take up a place! Answer: First, we need to fill out our chart. Millions 1 Hundred Thousands 5 Ten Thousands 0 Thousands 8 Hundreds 0 Tens 0 Ones 5 Tenths 0 Hundredths 7 Thousandths 8 Next, we need to find the 7. It’s in the hundredths position, so there are 7 hundredths, or .07! What Digit Is in the Ten-Thousandths Place of 1.284681? HINT: Is the question asking for place value or digit? HINT: Does the place value end in s or ths? Answer: Let’s start with a chart. We’ll have to make some adjustments, because there are a lot more numbers to the right of the decimal this time. Ones 1 Tenths 2 Hundredths 8 Thousandths 4 Ten Thousandths 6 Hundred Thousandths 8 Millionths 1 Next we look for the ten-thousandths column, since that’s what the question asked for. The number in that column is 6, and since it’s asking specifically for the digit and not the place value, 6 is our answer! What Is the Place Value of 3 in 3,042.28? HINT: Are we looking for place value or the digit? HINT: Pay attention to zeroes! Answer: As always, we start with a chart. Millions 0 Hundred Thousands 0 Ten Thousands 0 Thousands 3 Hundreds 0 Tens 4 Ones 2 Tenths 2 Hundredths 8 Thousandths 0 We’re looking for the place value of the 3, so we need to find that first. It’s in the thousands place, which means the number has 3 thousands, so our answer is 3,000! What Digit Is in the Thousands Place of 32,734.426? HINT: Is this question about digits or place values? HINT: Are we looking for a number to the left or right of the decimal? Answer: Start with a chart! Millions 0 Hundred Thousands 0 Ten Thousands 3 Thousands 2 Hundreds 7 Tens 3 Ones 4 Tenths 4 Hundredths 2 Thousandths 6 The question asks us the digit in the thousands place, so first we’ll find the thousands row. The number in that row is 2, and since the question asks for the digit, that’s our answer! What Number Is Made up of 2 Hundreds, 0 Thousands, 6 Ten Thousands, 4 Tenths, 9 Ones, and 3 Tens? HINT: Remember, zeroes still take up space! HINT: The decimal always goes between the ones and tenths place. Answer: Let’s make a chart! Millions 0 Hundred Thousands 0 Ten Thousands 6 Thousands 0 Hundreds 2 Tens 3 Ones 9 Tenths 3 Hundredths 0 Thousandths 0 Once we’ve filled in all the blanks, we can write out the number: 602394. However, we’ll need to add a comma and decimal. The decimal goes between the ones and tenths place, so we’ll get 60239.4, and commas go between every third digit starting from the decimal and working to the left. Following that, we’ll end up with 60,239.4! 3 Key Tips for Decimal Place Value Problems Place value is an important skill to develop; once you understand it, you’ll have an easier time understanding large numbers. Understanding it can be tricky, though- it’s a concept that requires a lot of practice and memorization. Use these tips to help you improve your place value understanding until it becomes second nature! Memorize Ths Versus S Whole numbers versus fractions are an easy place to get tripped up when working on place values. Remember: numbers that end in â€Å"ths† are part of a whole- that means tenths, hundredths, thousandths, and so on. Numbers that end in â€Å"s† are whole numbers, so tens, hundreds, thousands, et cetera. Always double-check to make sure that you’re looking for the right number. Thousands and thousandths are very different from one another! Draw a Chart Though you will likely eventually develop the ability to tell place values without one, when you’re first starting out it’s wise to use a chart. It’s way easier to line the numbers up that way than to rely on counting and potentially get them wrong. Don’t Forget Zeroes Zeroes are the nemesis of people just learning place values. Remember, a zero in the middle of a number, such as 104, doesn’t literally mean nothing- it’s a place holder telling you there are no tens. If you skip the zero when writing the number, you’ll end up with an incorrect answer, so be sure that you fill every place! What’s Next? One of the places you'll be needing place value most is in understanding decimals. Check out this guide to converting decimals to fractions to learn more about how decimals and fractions are related to one another! Want to boost your math understanding? This guide to adding and subtracting fractions will walk you through everything you need to know about numerators, denominators, and how they work. Brushing up on math before you take the SAT? Check out this guide to prepping for SAT Math, including strategies, tips, and practice problems!

Analysis of Gryphon by Charles Baxter

Analysis of Gryphon by Charles Baxter Charles Baxters Gryphon originally appeared in his 1985 collection, Through the Safety Net. It has since been included in several anthologies, as well as in Baxters 2011 collection. PBS adapted the story for television in 1988. Plot Ms. Ferenczi, a substitute teacher, arrives in a fourth-grade classroom in rural Five Oaks, Michigan. The children immediately find her both peculiar and intriguing. They have never met her before, and we are told that [s]he didnt look usual. Before even introducing herself, Ms. Ferenczi declares that the classroom needs a tree and begins drawing one on the board an outsized, disproportionate tree. Though Ms. Ferenczi executes the prescribed lesson plan, she clearly finds it tedious and intersperses the assignments with increasingly fantastic stories about her family history, her world travels, the cosmos, the afterlife, and various natural marvels. The students are mesmerized by her stories and her manner. When the regular teacher returns, they are careful not to reveal whats been going on in his absence. A few weeks later, Ms. Ferenczi reappears in the classroom. She shows up with a box of Tarot cards and begins to tell the students futures. When a boy named Wayne Razmer pulls the Death card and asks what it means, she breezily tells him, It means, my sweet, that you will die soon. The boy reports the incident to the principal, and by lunchtime, Ms. Ferenczi has left the school for good. Tommy, the narrator, confronts Wayne for reporting the incident and getting Ms. Ferenczi dismissed, and they end up in a fistfight. By the afternoon, all the students have been doubled up in other classrooms and are back to memorizing facts about the world. Substitute Facts Theres no question that Ms. Ferenczi plays fast and loose with the truth. Her face has two prominent lines, descending vertically from the sides of her mouth to her chin, which Tommy associates with that famous liar, Pinocchio. When she fails to correct a student who has said that six times 11 is 68, she tells the incredulous children to think of it as a substitute fact. Do you think, she asks the children, that anyone is going to be hurt by a substitute fact? This is the big question, of course. The children are enthralled enlivened by her substitute facts. And in the context of the story, I frequently am, too (then again, I found Miss Jean Brodie pretty charming until I caught on to the whole fascism thing). Ms. Ferenczi tells the children that [w]hen your teacher, Mr. Hibler, returns, six times eleven will be sixty-six again, you can rest assured. And it will be that for the rest of your lives in Five Oaks. Too bad, eh? She seems to be promising something so much better, and the promise is alluring. The children argue about whether shes lying, but its clear that they especially Tommy want to believe her, and they try to produce evidence in her favor. For instance, when Tommy consults a dictionary and finds gryphon defined as a fabulous beast, he misunderstands the use of the word fabulous and takes it as evidence that Ms. Ferenczi is telling the truth. When another student recognizes the teachers description of a Venus flytrap because hes seen a documentary about them, he concludes that all her other tales must be true as well. At one point Tommy attempts to make up a story of his own. Its as if he doesnt just want to listen to Ms. Ferenczi; he wants to be like her and create his own flights of fancy. But a classmate cuts him off. Dont you try to do it, the boy tells him. Youll just sound like a jerk. So on some level, the children do seem to understand that their substitute is making things up, but they love hearing her anyway. Gryphon Ms. Ferenczi claims to have seen a real gryphon a creature half lion, half bird in Egypt. The gryphon is an apt metaphor for the teacher and her stories because both combine real parts into unreal wholes. Her teaching vacillates between the prescribed lesson plans and her own whimsical storytelling. She bounces from actual wonders to imagined wonders. She can sound sane in one breath and delusional in the next. This mix of the real and the unreal keeps the children unsteady and hopeful. Whats Important Here? For me, this story is not about whether Ms. Ferenczi is sane, and its not even about whether shes right. Shes a breath of excitement in the childrens otherwise dull routine, and that makes me, as a reader, want to find her heroic. But she can only be considered a hero if you accept the false dichotomy that school is a choice between boring facts and thrilling fictions. It isnt, as many genuinely wonderful teachers prove every day. (And I should make it clear here that I can stomach the character of Ms. Ferenczi only in a fictional context; no one like this has any business in a real classroom.) Whats truly important in this story is the childrens intense longing for something more magical and intriguing than their everyday experience. Its a longing so intense that Tommy is willing to engage in a fistfight over it, shouting, She was always right! She told the truth! in spite of all the evidence. Readers are left pondering the question of whether anyone is going to be hurt by a substitute fact. Does no one get hurt? Is Wayne Razmer hurt by the prediction of his imminent death? (One would imagine so.) Is Tommy hurt by having a tantalizing view of the world held out to him, only to see it abruptly withdrawn? Or is he richer for having glimpsed it at all?

Finance and funding in travel and tourism sector Assignment

Finance and funding in travel and tourism sector - Assignment Example Such costs are therefore apportioned on the basis of any formula or any other mechanism. Such costs include administrative costs like janitorial services, utilities etc. Fixed Costs: These costs remain constant irrespective of the level of the activity. For instance, the machinery fuel consumption; this will not be reduced or increased with the level of production. Rather, the fuel expenses will be distributed over the units produced. Therefore, it is the behaviour of the fixed costs that they remain fixed in totality but reduce per unit as the production increases. Variable costs: Variable costs are such costs, which increase or decrease with respect to the level of the activity. For example, the labour cost for the production of the units of product will be nil in case the production halts and will be increased when the production starts. Such costs behave parallel to the level of the activity. Semi-variable costs: Semi-variable costs are such costs which consist of the features of variable costs also and that of the fixed costs. It implies that such costs are fixed up to a certain extent and then they get parallel to the level of the activity. Cost volumes are significant in decision-making process of the management. Things get managed when they get measured; this is the main reason why costs volumes are always monitored. Constraints are established for the costs levels so that they do not exceed the prescribed budget. Costs volumes analysis sets the direction for the controls to be applied on different components of the variable costs. In addition to this, once the cost volumes are established, they can be then compared with the costs of prior periods, competitors and other departments by way of benchmarking. Comparison with prior period assists in comparisons and variance analysis with respect to the previous years. The results of the previous year are

Careers in Math Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Careers in Math - Essay Example Multifarious are the careers in which a sound knowledge and grasp of Mathematical subjects and principles find practical daily relevance. â€Å"These range from Mathematics teaching careers, at all levels of education, to those of engineers, architects, and astronauts.† (Donald, 1995, p.58). I interviewed a few professionals on their on-the-job, daily application of mathematical knowledge. These professionals are engaged in solving pre-calculus problems connected with their businesses. One of them was a participant in the project of salvaging the famous Pisa Tower, in Italy, which had begun to tilt dangerously for a long time. He told me that trigonometrical calculations were needed to determine the least angle of deviation from the perpendicular to which the tower had to be yanked to prevent it from toppling. The other professionals are sets of archeologists, one of whom was graphing asymptotes to illustrate the data generated from carbon-14 half-life dating of fossil specimens. The equation relating the original amount of carbon-14, A, in the fossil specimen to the amount, A(t), observed at time t is an exponential one which can be written thus This equation is an exponential relationship whose graphs are asymptotes. There are two possible asymptotes for the graph. The first is produced when A is plotted against t. The other is produced when the reverse is done, that is when t is plotted against A. Both asymptotes arbitrarily approach the x and the y-axes, and both have negative gradients except that the gradient of one is greater than that of the other. The difference in both asymptotes thus lies in the size of gradient.  

Intra Organization and Power Bargaining Model Essay Example for Free

Intra Organization and Power Bargaining Model Essay Intra organization is a key factor to the beginning stages of how successful a bargaining unit will be in negotiations. Intra organization is when each respective in a particular bargaining unit works towards a consensus. The inability to agree within ones bargaining unit slows down the process and can create dysfunction. Negotiating starts within each bargaining unit during pre-bargaining preparation. This is where discussion and negotiations begin within each bargaining unit to decide what is most important to least importance. Once the pre-bargaining preparation process is complete, the bargaining unit is ready to negotiate against the other bargaining unit. There were many forces that impacted our Intra-organizational bargaining. First we all had our individual perception on what was most important and what was least important. This had a lot to do with our personalities, attitudes, values and beliefs. For example, depending on our personalities, those who were shy didn’t get to fully express how they felt about their issue. On the other hand those in the bargaining unit who were out spoken would make it a point to not let up and fight for their concerns. Our bargaining unit had a variety of issues we wanted to push to get into the contract. We had to decide what we considered a must haves and what can be used as a bargaining chips. Discussions continued until we all had a good idea where our stance was as a bargaining unit with each issue. The end result of our intra-organization bargaining was difficult but successful. We were able to agree on what issues were most and least important to our bargaining members. We had a few bargaining representatives who were concerned with subcontracting and their job security. Then we have other members who felt subcontracting was irrelevant but having a flexible schedule was above all else. My concern was to allow management to keep their managing power in order to continue to be strong in this competitive market. I needed innovative ideas to create progress within the company, while building opportunity for our members. We agreed that machinist would get a 6% increase and nothing less. We wanted a wage increase across the board for all employees, but our team agreed if we can give employees other benefits outside of pay increase; we would still be in good stance. We understood that we should negotiate taking subcontracting out of the contract, and use it as a bargaining chip. While understanding that our bottom line in regards to subcontracting was the language; we wanted to make sure management doesn’t have full reigns. We would allow management the option to subcontract but at the same time put limitations to subcontracting with the language used in the contract. As a bargaining unit we knew that changing and adding into the contract different aspects such as, flexible schedules, use of vacation, adding health and safety and an apprentice program would help our overall contract negotiation process. Bargaining Power Model Bargaining Power Model a is held by both parties during negotiation process. Its Another important concept is the Bargaining Power Model. Both Union and Management have agreement and disagreement costs. Unions lower managements bargaining power when they receive financial supplements. On the other hand managements disagreements cost can decrease with the lack of need when it comes to employees. Unions and managements bargaining power can change from one day to the next. Incidents such as inventory, supply and demand, wage-price controls, economic changes along with social changes have major influences in the bargaining power model. Under the power bargaining model there are two major assumptions. The first being that â€Å"union and mangament negotiators cost issues in a similar manner and are rational individuals, and if it cost more for a party to disagree than to agree with the other, then the party will agree to the other party’s proposal. (labor relations process) As the union bargaining unit we have decieded to negotiate a win win bargaining strategy or also refered to Mutual gain bargaining. This strategy is used whern both partys negotiate in away where both needs are displayed and honesty takes the leading roll in negotiations. This strategy seemed to work well with our negotiation process considering we were able to pin point wehre we saw a common ground and dominate those areas. On the other hand we understood what was important to management and see what we can use to lower the cost of agreeing with management on specified issues. e understood that we have a lot of bargaining power considering 95% of employees are in the Union. We put that into consideration as we decided what it was we were going to negotiate and what type of resilience we were going to set for each issue. My Union bargaining member profile was Union International Representative. I had to be sure to negotiate a win-win contract. I wanted to make sure management kept their administrative rights, while implementing new programs to keep union bargaining members happy. My main objective was to make sure it was clear that a great contract is when both parties bargain in good faith. Showing to the members of the union that management is working with the and both parties want to make positive changes within the company for all employees. Implementing new programs such as apprenticeship along with health and safety article will bring positive reinforcement to union members and all members. This helped us come up with strategies to bargain an all-around good contract.

Who Has Seen The Wind - The Godlessness Of Formal Religions :: essays research papers

The essence of God isn't found in today's formal religions. It is evident throughout the novel Who Has Seen the Wind that author W.O. Mitchell intrinsically believes and wishes to convey this message. He states that the prairie is nature in it's simplest form, complete onto itself, and that the religious structure of today's "God" is simply made up by people to ease their pain and fears. Underlying everything is the sense that we as human beings don't really know where we're going, or for that matter, where we're coming from, in our search for God and the truth. W.O. Mitchell sees the prairies as the basic fundamental unit of nature. "Here was the least common denominator of nature, the skeleton requirements simply, of land and sky- Saskatchewan prairie" (WHSTW, p3) One might assume that this implies that God doesn't exist; That somehow, since the prairie is already complete, God is effectively out of the picture. Not the case! Rather, this implies, perhaps subtly, that God exists incorporated into nature itself, living with it, and not as the heavenly arbitrator he is supposed, by modern religion, to be. This is perhaps the most important message we are shown in the book. God is real, lives in real things, and, as we will see, is not bound by the finicky limitations and expectations of human beings. It is apparent that there is a definite message we are willed to decipher when we come across Brian creating his own "gods" on paper. This act is symbolic of the childish way in which we've created our own religious conventions and beliefs. Brian feels sad and lonely, so he solves the problem by copying what he sees as religion's solution: Brian was wishing that Forbsie didn't have the mumps†¦ He didn't want to draw men, he wanted to ride a vacuum cleaner up into the sky where it was blue†¦ on the paper he made blue with his crayon. And God was there. (WHSTW, p31) Brian, being a child, is impervious to the horrible sin of blaspheme. This, in conjunction with his natural curiosity, allows him to take religion at face value exposing it to the readers for the hollow shell it is: Not as a means to God, but a means to solving personal problems of loneliness and fulfilling dreams. This "confusion" on Brian's part is used by W.O. Mitchell to show insight into the falseness of religion as a means to God.

Teen Drug Addiction: a Chronic Ilness

Drug addiction is a chronic disease, associated with mental illnesses, and similar to other chronic diseases such as type II diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease. No one chooses to be a drug addict or to develop heart disease. In my paper, I am going to research some issues of teenage substance abuse and examine some of the biological factors that cause drug abuse and addiction. I will also explain how the brain reacts to drugs. In addition, I will also provide statistics on the number of teens afflicted with drug abuse their race and gender. Furthermore, I will be discussing how drug addiction affects the individual and their families, along with social, biological, psychological and vocational affects of the disease, and available community support and interventions. Good What is drug addiction? Addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive drug seeking and use despite harmful consequences to the individual that is addicted and to those around them. Drug addiction is a brain disease because the abuse of drugs leads to changes in the structure and function of the brain. Although, it is true for most people the initial decision to take drugs is voluntary, overtime the changes in the brain caused by repeated drug abuse can affect a person's self-control and ability to make sound decisions, and at the same time send intense impulses to take drugs. Source? From a medical perspective, substance abuse is a syndrome or maladaptive pattern of substance use. That result in a clinically significant impairment during a 12-month period, resulting on one or more of the following: recurring substance use causes a significant decrease in the ability to perform well and/or failure to fulfill obligations at work school or home despite negative social or interpersonal consequences (McLennan, A. , 2010). The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) issued by the American Psychiatric Association, defines â€Å"substance dependence† as; â€Å"when an individual persist in use of alcohol or other drugs despite problems related to use of the substance, substance dependence may then be diagnosed. (DSM) defines â€Å"substance abuse† as; a maladaptive pattern of substance use leading to clinically significant impairment or distress, as manifested by one (or more) of the following. These must re-occur within a 12-month period. Recurring substance use resulting in a failure to fulfill major role obligations at work, school, or home (e. g. , repeated absences or poor work performance related to substance use; substance related absences, suspensions or expulsions from school; neglect of children or household). Substance use disorders often affect a combination of psychological, biological, and environmental and social issues. Many of the substances are included in the disorders, including alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, opiates, sedatives, hallucinogens, and halides, or PCP. Substance use usually results in the complex disorder, which is addiction (Danielson, C. , et. , al. 2010). Experts have identified four stages in the addiction process: Stage one, is the exploratory stage, stage two, is the recreational stage, stage three, is the abusive stage, and stage four, is the dependent stage that eventually develops into an addiction. Once the person is addicted to a substance, they often begin to abuse them. Drug addiction most often results in a loss of choice. The desire to use the drug may have its roots in and need to ease the situation or unpleasant circumstance. This is dangerous because it is only one-step further away from using the drug for recreation and one-step closer to an addiction. Drug abuse is associated with the compulsivity that in turn leads to dependency and addiction. This is normally true; however, there are cases of individuals who abuse drugs without becoming dependent to them. Everyone’s brain reacts differently to drugs. Source? Brain Reaction When drugs enter the brain, they can interrupt the work and actually change how the brain performs its jobs. These changes are what lead to compulsive drug use, the hallmark of addiction ( NIDA, 2010). Drugs are chemicals. They work in the brain by tapping into its communication system and interfering with the way nerve cells normally send, receive, and process information. Different drugs—because of their chemical structures—work differently. In fact, some drugs can change the brain in ways that last long after the person has stopped taking drugs, maybe even permanently. This is more likely when drugs are taken repeatedly. All drugs of abuse—nicotine, cocaine, marijuana, and others—affect the brain’s â€Å"reward† circuit, which is part of the limbic system. Normally, the reward circuit responds to pleasurable experiences by releasing the neurotransmitter dopamine, which creates feelings of pleasure, and tells the brain that this is something important—pay attention and remember it. Drugs hijack this system, causing unusually large amounts of dopamine to flood the system. Sometimes, this lasts for a long time compared to what happens when a natural reward stimulates dopamine. This flood of dopamine is what causes the â€Å"high† or euphoria associated with drug abuse. These brain changes drive a person to seek out and use drugs compulsively, despite negative consequences such as stealing, losing friends, family problems, or other physical or mental problems brought on by drug abuse—this is addiction (NIDA, 2010). How does drug addiction affect the individual? Many teenagers face the problem of addiction. Some addictions are drugs, alcohol abuse and recurrent substance abuse, even when it is physically hazardous such as driving a car. Teens that are addicted feel a loss of control and are overwhelmed with the urge to search for and continue the use of drugs and alcohol despite negative consequences. Trying to understand this self-destructive behavior is difficult repeated drug use causes long-lasting changes to the function to the brain and the way it looks. It alters the brain interfering with the ability to think clearly, make good judgment, control behavior and to feel normal without the drug. There is a widespread notion that adolescents self medicate depression with drugs and alcohol, society appears to overlook the possibility that the substance use may precede or predict depression (NIDA, 2010). Psychological Affects  A chronic illness could be caused by substance abuse or the opposite may be true, chronic illness could even cause substance abuse. Either way, diagnosis of two illnesses makes treatment of both conditions complex. Individuals with a disease or chronic illness have easier access to prescription medication, making excessive use more likely and abusive. Depression, boredom, and frustration are psychological factors that can lead to a want to escape from reality. The need for acceptance as a result from alienation and oppression also contribute to the use to gain social acceptance (Falvo, 2005). Physical, Social, and Biological Affects Chronic illness and disease have a cause and effect relationship with drug use. Some physical effects of alcohol dependence and use are important to examine. Initially, alcohol acts as a stimulant, the level of intoxication increases however, it acts as a depressant, causing physical coordination problems, ataxia and decreased ability to perform. Judgment may also be impaired. While increased levels of alcohol use can cause confusion, mild stupor, amnesia, and coma and could eventually lead to death. Many negative, complex health issues are common from alcohol abuse. Some examples include blood abnormalities causing the presence of large abnormal red blood cells, a decrease in the number of bold white blood cells and platelets. Throat and esophagus cancer and liver disease are also common among many other medical diagnoses. Problems of the heart, liver and pancreas may develop, also muscle fiber destruction and weakness, mal-absorption of nutrients and vision problems are common due to the continued use of alcohol and drugs Research An interesting finding from a new study published in the, American Journal of Preventive Medicine suggests that adolescents, particularly girls, who engage in sex behavior and drug use are at risk for future depression. The previous notion was that adolescents self medicate depression with sex and drugs not the other way around. Among boys, their findings suggest that binge drinking and marijuana use increased the likelihood of depression in boys more than four-fold. From the information that is available regarding depression and substance use and abuse, it is evident that depression may contribute to substance use and abuse. Although, it is more likely that depression is the result of substance use and abuse (C. Danielson, et. al. , 2003). Good Second research project? Statistics To understand the startling impact addiction has on teens, statistics are needing to be examined. In the United States; â€Å"On average, in 2006, about 1. 2 million adolescents, each 12 to 17 years of age smoked cigarettes, 631,000- drank alcohol, and 586,000 -used marijuana. In addition, about 49,000 adolescents used inhalants, 27,000- used hallucinogens, 13,000-used cocaine, and 38,000- used heroine. To continue with these phenomenal statistics, this was an average â€Å"day† in the United States. Nearly 8,000 adolescents drank alcohol for the first time; 4,300 -used illicit drugs for the first time; 4000- smoked their first cigarette, 3600- smoked marijuana for the first time, and another 2000 used pain relievers for non-medical reasons for the first time (Sussman ,S. 2010)†. Treatments, Interventions and Community Support Alcohol and substance addiction initially requires detoxification and then a lifelong treatment plan that includes individual therapy, family and group counseling, and self-help groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous. There is Ala Non and Ala Teen for families. Families that live with an addict need moral and emotional support. The individual and the families know that abstinence from alcohol and other substances is the goal of treatment These are the many reasons why interventions and community support for teens are vital, for their well-being, and survival, getting the needed help for teens now, before they enter adulthood. An article, â€Å"Drugs and Teen Substance Abuse,† cited the most recent data about substance abuse facilities. The data collected about outpatient treatment and inpatient residential treatment facilities. There are more than 76,000 youth in outpatient treatment facilities, 10,000 in hospital residential treatment, and 1000 in hospital inpatient treatment. Experimentation with drugs among teens is common. Teams have the tendency to feel indestructible and immune to the possible problems that their actions can cause themselves and others. They are especially unaware of the link between their actions today and the consequences tomorrow. Using tobacco and alcohol at a young age increase the risk of using drugs later in life. Some teens seem to be able to experiment, use occasionally, stop and start again without becoming dependent on, or develop a need to use continually. Others will develop a tendency and addiction, often moving onto more serious drugs, causing harm to themselves and others (APA, 2010 ). Most people go into drug treatment either because the court ordered them to do so, or because loved ones urged them to seek treatment. The good news is that, according to scientific studies, people who enter drug treatment programs in which they face â€Å"high† pressure† to deal with their addiction can benefit from treatment, regardless of the reason they sought treatment in the first place (NIDA, 2008)†. My newly learned knowledge of researching this topic has helped me better understand the disease process of drug addiction. I took a personal note to the subject; I chose this topic to help me personally deal with my son and his abuse of marijuana. I do believe drug addiction is a chronic disease similar to other chronic diseases such as type II diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease. No one chooses to be a drug addict or to develop heart disease.

Fragrance Marketing Plan

DEDICATION/STUDENT BIO: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: MISSION STATEMENT: Blossom Beauty is all about empowerment. Our tag line ‘let your inner beauty grow’ perfectly encapsulates the purpose of our brand. That is, to the let the natural beauty of young women flourish and grow, as they grow. At Blossom we believe that makeup shouldn’t be about covering up imperfections or looking like someone different, it’s about learning how to enhance what you already have. At Blossom, our mission is to provide young women with natural cosmetic and skin care products that will magnify their true beauty. We also aim to empower our Blossom beauties by providing them with guidance in using our products. † PART I: RESEARCH BACKGROUND HISTORICAL RESEARCH: In ‘Hope in a Jar: The Making of America’s Beauty Culture’ (1998), a study on the evolution of cosmetic use, Kathy Piess explains that leading up to World War I, the use of makeup was viewed as immoral and ofte n linked to prostitution (p 134-167).However, the end of the war saw the movement of women into the workplace and the widening acceptance of cosmetic use, as Piess states ‘a democratic vision of beauty began to break down traditional representations of women’ (ibid. ) This uprise challenged male perceptions of the time, as demonstrated by a quote from Alain Rustenholz’s ‘Make Up’ (2003), ‘For the working woman, beauty has become the leading guarantee of efficiency†¦ In earlier days, only a husband or a lover had rights to a woman’s beauty.Today, she is beautiful for everyone†¦ A woman’s beauty is an essential element of the daily performance that the century has put on for itself in the working world’ (p 70. ) Piess goes on to clarify that the increasing use of cosmetics represented a sense of freedom and individuality felt by women. ‘Makeup was no longer just a sign of a vanity, but a true expression of fem ininity’ (p 134-167. ) The social acceptance of cosmetic use meant that feminine beauty and consumption would become intertwined. KelleyMassoni points out in ‘Fashioning Teenagers: A Cultural History of Seventeen Magazine’ (2010) that women began to purchase beauty products as a means to self-fulfilment and social acceptance, and this subsequently influenced the mindset of adolescent women (p 18. ) According to historian Lizbeth Cohen in ‘A Consumer’s Republic: The Politics of Mass Consumption in Postwar America’ (2008), after World War II women were viewed as the ‘consumers’ of society and advertisers pursued this idea by targeting younger women as a way of influencing spending habits early on (p 105. Throughout the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s, cosmetic manufacturers targeted the seemingly endless teenage market. In ‘Hope in a Jar’ (1998) Piess explains that brands like Covergirl, Maybelline, and Revlo n all ‘created beauty images that meshed closely with the ways high school students themselves classified girls into cliques and codified their evolving sense of personality’. By the mid 60’s, teenage girls, who comprised 11% of the population had bought nearly one-quarter of all cosmetics and beauty preparations (p 134-167. While the teen girl market was burgeoning, Piess adds that during this time, children were largely off-limits. Eye shadow and rouge were considered improper for young girls and advertising was targeted towards parents rather than children. By the 1980’s and 90’s, however in America and Europe, cosmetics were designed for and marketed to ‘tweens’ (girls between childhood and teen years) and then to children as young as three. The practice of encouraging young children to learn how to apply makeup has not developed without controversy.Cosmetic ingredients were largely unregulated in the US until the 2000’s, lea ding some critics to question the safety of cosmetic products, while others believe that such products force children to grow up too fast, or undermine their self-esteem. However, with a movement into natural cosmetic and skincare products in the last century, teens may be able to transition into the world of beauty in a healthier way. * Cohen, L. (2008)  A Consumer's Republic: The Politics of Mass Consumption in Postwar America. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, p. 105. * Massoni, K. (2010)  Fashioning Teenagers: A Cultural History of Seventeen Magazine.California: Left Coast Press, p. 18. * Piess, K. (1998)  Hope in a Jar: The Making of America's Beauty Culture. Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania Press, p. 134-167. * Rustenholz, A. (2003)  Make Up. London: Hachette Illustrated, p. 70. LITERATURE REVIEW: ‘Blossom Cosmetics’ sells 100% natural cosmetic and skin care products directed towards teens and tweens. This literature review will cover the history o f cosmetic use by women and teens, what goes into marketing to this age group and the representations of femininity and adolescence in media and marketing.The review will give an overview of the Australian cosmetics and toiletries industry, the intentions behind consumer purchase of natural products, and the advantages and disadvantages of natural and chemical-based products respectively. In order to define a gap in the market, this review will also give insight into current trends appealing to the teen and tween demographic of Australia and how teens are responding to cosmetics today. The sheer influence media and celebrities have on young people is explained in â€Å"Advertising to Children†.Marcia Amidon Lusted states that since the early 1980’s, advertisers have discovered children and teens make up an enormous market. One market-research group estimated that U. S teens spent more than $159 billion dollars in 2005. Amidon Lusted goes onto discuss some of the ways c ompanies cater to this tough market of teens. KAGOY or ‘Kids are Getting Older, Younger’ refers to the way that kids today are identifying themselves with the adult world at earlier and earlier ages.One of ways marketers react to this social change is through the strategy of ‘tweening’, the marketing of products that were once thought suitable for teens to younger and younger kids (Amidon Lusted, 2009, p 35-40). Through analysis of the August 2012 issue of ‘Girlfriend’ magazine – an Australian publication directed at teen girls, current trends appealing to this young demographic are revealed. With teen role model and burgeoning actress Emma Stone on the cover, the issue features articles like ‘hot Aussie bands to add to your playlist, 95 ways to keep warm this winter and why quiet girls can come first’.Style inspiration is heavily drawn from youthful celebrities like Elizabeth Olsen and Kate Bosworth, and posters feature the actors and actresses from recent blockbusters like ‘The Hunger Games’. Most interestingly is an article called ‘The Business of Beauty’, which praises natural beauty and promotes self-esteem for young girls (Girlfriend, 2012). Murphy’s â€Å"New Girl Order: Youth, Gender, and Generation in Contemporary Teen Girls' Media† also examines how the young women of Generation Y in particular, have become a key market for media industries.The book analyses various marketing campaigns, but most interestingly is that of 90’s cosmetic brand Flygirl. The analysis concludes that the campaigns careful balance between the importance of external appearance and the development of inner strength is necessitated by the shared characteristics of this generation. Through further analysis, â€Å"New Girl Order† explains that girl-focused media promotes conformity while simultaneously flattering the teen girl demographic with messages about the importa nce of their individuality (Murphy, 2008).While cosmetic brands are faced with the challenge of tapping into the psychology of teenagers, they are also confronted by the parents of this market. â€Å"Children’s Market – Doing It for the Kids†, an article written for the Cosmetics Business website by Julia Wray discovers how brands are appealing to both parents and children. Consumer analyst for Mintel, Ricky Lakhani explains, â€Å"due to added work pressure and lifestyles becoming more hectic, women are delaying starting their families until later in life, which is having a bearing on their ability to spend more on products for their children†.The article explains that unlike the teens they will become, the tween market doesn’t desire to be treated like adults, but they won’t suffer being babied either, and now the beauty world is starting to take note of this emerging demographic. Pacific World Corp and Walmart caused a stir when they anno unced their new line GeoGirl, a makeup brand for 8-12 year olds. The states that it is likely that similar offerings will hit store shelves in coming years as brand owners seek to engage with this potentially lucrative market (Wray, 2011).An article written by Felicia Kamriani for Hollywood Weekly discusses the ways teens and tweens are responding to cosmetics today. Young girls use makeup as a form of expression of their individuality and independence, but also because they have an inherent desire to feel accepted and liked. Marshal Cohen, NPD Group Chief Industry Analyst is quoted in the article saying â€Å"†¦ tweens make the decision to purchase based solely on brand recognition – they have a strong desire to fit in and be ‘just as good as’ their peers.While the teen market uses style as their indicator of fashion acceptance, the tween market uses brands†. Many teens and tweens are following the eco-natural trend, wearing lighter, barely-there mak eup. Today, more cosmetics companies are focused on developing safer products free from toxic substances (Kamriani, 2008, p 10). An overview of the Australian cosmetics and toiletries industry from Austrade reveals that there is room for the introduction of natural products in particular. The Australian cosmetic and toiletries industry has domestic sales of approximately A$5 billion per annum.Australian products achieve global success because of their reputation for being clean and green. We are also known for our natural and organic products. There is currently a growing demand worldwide for natural skincare and body products and Australia has the advantage of already being recognised in this sector of the market (Austrade, 2009). But why the push for natural products? Chen’s evaluation of the â€Å"Effectiveness of the Natural Cosmetic Product Compared to Chemical-Based Products†, discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the natural cosmetic and the chemical-bas ed product respectively.A survey conducted for this study revealed that out of the 87% of people that actually used cosmetics, 94% believed that chemical-based cosmetics would cause side effects. Natural cosmetics are made from raw materials, less harmful to the earth, and less harmful to the skin. However, natural cosmetics may contain plant-derived materials benefice to microbial growth and only a few preservatives, if any at all, which means a shorter shelf-life. Chemical-based cosmetics incorporate synthetic materials which achieve desired results quickly, but often at a cost.According to a study by the North American Contact Dermatitis Group, preservatives are the second most common cause of allergic and irritant reactions to cosmetics (Chen, 2009). â€Å"Consumer Purchase Intention for Organic Personal Care Products† examines the effects of consumer values and past experiences on the purchase intention of organic products. As part of the study, an online survey was cond ucted with 207 panel members. The results indicated that environmental consciousness and appearance consciousness positively influence toward buying organic or natural cosmetic products.The study suggested that retailers can develop effective marketing strategies emphasizing ecological beauty, product safety and affordable prices to increase the sale of organic and natural personal-care products (Kim et al, 2011). Based on this preliminary research, I have found that there is a definite gap in the market and a desire for natural Australian-made cosmetics. There is clearly a level of concern from the parents of the teens and tween that are so strategically marketed to and to succeed as a brand, Blossom would need to achieve the ‘cool factor’ for the tween/teen demographic to respond.However, to fully understand this target market and the objectives and strategies of competing cosmetic brands, primary research, including surveys, focus groups and ethnographic studies must be carried out. * Amidon Lusted, M. 2009. â€Å"Advertising to Children†. ABDO Publishing Company, Minnesota. p 35-40. * Girlfriend Magazine. 2012. [ONLINE]. Girlfriend Magazine. August Issue. Retrieved from:http://au. youth. yahoo. com/girlfriend/blog/galleries/g/-/14415833/2/august-2012-girlfriend-mag-sneak-peek/ * Murphy, C. 2008. â€Å"New Girl Order: Youth, Gender, and Generation in Contemporary Teen Girls' Media†.UMI Dissertation Publishing. * Cosmetics Business (2011)  Children's Market – Doing It For The Kids. [online] Available at: http://www. cosmeticsbusiness. com/technical/article_page/Childrens_market_doing_it_for_the_kids/61075. * Kamriani, F. 2008. â€Å"Teens and Cosmetics: It's Not Like It Used to Be†. Hollywood Weekly, Iss. 10 p. 10. * Austrade. 2009. Cosmetics and Toiletries Overview. [online] Available at: http://www. austrade. gov. au/Cosmetics-and-Toiletries-overview/default. aspx * Chen, Q. 2009. â€Å"Evaluate the Effectiveness of the Natural Cosmetic Product Compared to Chemical-Based Products†.International Journal of Chemistry, 1 (2), p. 57-59. * Kim, H. and Chung, J. 2011. â€Å"Consumer Purchase Intention for Organic Personal Care Products†. The Journal of Consumer Marketing, 28 (1), p. 40-47. TARGET MARKET RESEARCH: In researching the target market of Blossom Beauty products, I designed two surveys, one for 10-16 year old young women and one for parents, and mothers in particular. The results of each survey indicated that all participants in the 10-16 year old group had been using cosmetic and skincare products since the ages of 10-14.In contrast to this are the survey results from the group of mothers, which indicated that participants had started using cosmetic and skincare products from the ages of 13-20. This demonstrates that a shift in the social acceptance of youth cosmetic use has created a potential gap in the market for such a product. On asking the 10-16 year old participants how they learnt to apply makeup, the majority revealed that it was their mother/family members that had taught them, with friends and personal experimentation following closely behind.This shows that family members, in particular mothers, are most influential in cosmetic-related decisions for this age group. 10-16 year old participants chose Clinique, Maybelline, MAC, Chi Chi, Bloom and Natio as their favourite beauty brands, while parent participants chose Ponds, Australis, Bonne Bell, Clinique and Bobby Brown as their favourite beauty brands during ages 13-20. When asked what kinds of cosmetic and skincare products they used when they were younger, the majority of these participants chose eyeliner, eye shadow, lipstick, mascara and powder, and few skin-related products, mostly from skincare brand Nivea.This contrasts with the majority of 10-16 year old participants who chose mascara, lip gloss/balm and light foundation as their preferred products. These makeup products are much l ighter than those used by their mothers when they were teens, revealing a change in product use and commonly used brands. In terms of skincare, 60% of the 10-16 year old participants carry out a daily skincare routine, that involves a cleansing or exfoliating face wash, toner and moisturiser, with most favoured brand, Clearasil. Whilst the above graph shows that 66. 7% of the 10-16 year old participants use makeup products everyday, 86. % admitted to not owning any natural cosmetic or skincare products. This reveals that there is a gap in the market for natural beauty products that are designed for everyday use. When asked which celebrities they considered most physically attractive, participants chose teen TV stars like Mischa Barton, Leighton Meester, Blake Lively and Selena Gomez, fashion icons like Lily Allen, Alexa Chung and Kate Bosworth and ‘teen heartthrobs’ including Justin Bieber and Zac Efron. These celebrities are portrayed as stereotypically ‘prettyâ €™ and desirable, reflecting the sheer influence the media has on teen perceptions of beauty.The above graph shows that 64. 7% of parent participants would expect to pay between $10 and $20 for their daughters’ beauty products. 52. 9% of participants would purchase their daughters beauty products from department stores, followed by 41. 2% who would purchase them from beauty-specific stores like Priceline, as shown in the above graph. When shopping in the beauty/hygiene aisle of the supermarket, 88. 2% of parent participants and only 40% of 10-16 year old participants indicated that they would be more attracted to light, clean coloured packaging in white or silver. In contrast, the results showed that only 11. % of the parent participants compared to 60% of 10-16 year old participants would be attracted to bright, loud coloured packaging in red or pink. 76. 5% of parent participants would allow their daughter to wear makeup every day, and 58. 8% believe it is appropriate f or young women between the ages of 10 and 16 to wear makeup, however, a strong 41. 2% believe it isn’t. Through analysis of these survey results, primary and secondary target market characteristics have been identified. Blossom’s primary target market of teens and tweens between the ages of 10 and 16 are inexperienced with cosmetic products compared to their mothers as teens.They are interested in using makeup, and require skincare products, but their mothers and family remain highly influential in their beauty-related decisions. The media, however, is also extremely influential in the decisions of this age group and a certain perception of beauty and what is considered attractive is based around current celebrities. The mothers of 10-16 year olds who make up Blossom’s secondary target market are key consumers as they are the ones who purchase their daughter’s cosmetic and skincare products.These mothers want natural products for their daughters, but at a n affordable price. This target market won’t pay more than $20 and expect to find these beauty products where they might buy their own. PART II: MARKETING INTRODUCTION: MACRO & MICRO ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS POLITICAL: The Advanced Association of Beauty Therapists (AABTH) have reported that as consumers are becoming increasingly wary of potential toxicity in cosmetics and toiletries, market segments offering fragrance-free products made using natural ingredients and essential oils are likely to record strong growth.While natural beauty products are in demand, there are strict guidelines based on the labelling of these products. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission enforce the labelling of cosmetic products under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010. There are mandatory labelling requirements for the labelling of cosmetic products manufactured in, or imported into, Australia. Ingredients, including colour additives, fragrances and perfumes must be listed on the co ntainer or the product itself. ECONOMIC:Blossom is primarily targeted towards young women between the ages of 10 and 16. However, as this market is often still financially dependent on their parents, we must take the pricing of our products into careful consideration. Many believe that the cosmetics industry is a recession proof market because history has shown that women continue to spend on items that have the ‘feel good’ factor and represent ‘value for money’, but in the case of spending money on children, we must consider how the recession has affected parents. REFERENCE) SOCIAL: The AABTH have also reported that there has been continued growth in the youth segment (the teen and tween boom), which is thought to account for roughly 20 per cent of the overall cosmetics and toiletries market. It is believed that manufacturers and marketers may develop an increasing array of youth products that mimic their adult counterparts. Whilst the market for youth-foc used cosmetics is booming, there is a great deal of controversy surrounding the selling of make-up to young women in particular.Young girls are constantly influenced by a dominant message about physical appearance equating with worth and it has been shown that an over-emphasis on looks and attractiveness leads to negative body image, disordered eating, depression, anxiety and low self-esteem. While some cosmetic companies are setting unrealistic standards of beauty for their customers, Blossom is based on the idea of natural beauty and the empowerment of young women. The Blossom Mentor Program for young women without role models is evidence of our efforts in fighting for a better result.TECHNOLOGICAL: Recent studies have shown that 93% of teenagers 12-17 are online—the largest percentage of any age group, 73% of teens are on social networking sites and 75% of them own a mobile phone. The constant growth and popularity of technologies like the internet and mobile phones, combi ned with the immense influence the media has on young people is staggering. With such an online presence and a truly transient nature, it’s crucial for Blossom to tap into this younger generation of technology-savvy teens to remain current. COMPETITOR ANALYSIS:COMPETITOR 1: Bloom Cosmetics Bloom is an Australian beauty brand, based on Melbourne that was founded in 1993 by Natalie Bloom. According to the brand’s website, Bloom was born from Natalie’s packaging design hobby, which turned into a business and eventually a brand. The Bloom product range originally included Essential Oil Blends, Massage Oils and Aromatherapy Lip Balms and now features over 350 products including colour cosmetics, an 80-shade nail polish range, the Australian-manufactured Bloom Organics range and a diffusion range ‘b collection by Bloom’.Bloom is now an internationally recognised beauty brand and stocked across the globe (Bloom Cosmetics, 2011). Product| EYES * Shadows * L iners * Mascara * Brow liners/gelsLIPS * Lipstick * Stains/tints * Gloss * Lip liners * BalmsFACE * Foundation * Tint * Concealers/highlighters * Primer * Bronzing * BlushTANNING/BRONZING GELS/CREAMSNAILS * Polish * Accessories e. g. files, removerSKIN * Organic body care & skincare * Organic accessories e. g. owels/bagsACCESSORIES * Wipes, sharpener, bags & brushesSince 2000, each Bloom product has featured the playful yet sophisticated ‘Miss Bloom’ illustration, contributing to the youthful sensibility of the brand. | Price| The price point of Bloom cosmetics ranges from $10 for accessories, $20-$30 for lip, eye and nail products, and up to $40-$50 for body care, skin care and face products. This is a higher price point in comparison with competing brands. | Place| Bloom products are available from the Melbourne flagship store, Myer, David Jones and Target department stores as well as online. Promotion| * Bloom blog * Facebook * Twitter * Youtube * Email subscription * Competitions * Collaborations * Children’s Hospital Foundation | People| * Specific selection of trained staff knowledgeable in beauty products in department & flagship stores. | STRENGTHS| * Huge product range * Multiple collaborations * Series of awards won * Internationally recognised/stocked * Organics & diffusion ranges * Charity support – corporate citizenship| WEAKNESSES| * As a ‘youthful’ beauty brand, selling tanners & heavy makeup doesn’t set healthy example for young people. Quite expensive for young people & parents in comparison with competitors e. g. Kit, Maybelline, GeoGIRL * Lack of information online| OPPORTUNITIES| * A ‘youth focused’/cheaper diffusion line or collaboration * Expansion and growth of international presence| THREATS| * Negativity from parents * Competition from competing international cosmetic and skincare brands. | COMPETITOR 2: GeoGIRL CosmeticsGeoGIRL is an American beauty brand; selling ‘natu ral’ cosmetic and skin care products in recyclable packaging for 8-12 year old girls. The GeoGIRL website explains that the brand was launched in 2011 by US department store Walmart. GeoGIRL products are ‘natural’, affordable and ideal for young, sensitive skin. The 69-piece GeoGIRL line features blush, mascara, face shimmer and lipstick. Each GeoGIRL product comes with directions (GeoGIRL, 2012).Product| EYES * Shadows * Pencil * Mascara * Brow gelLIPS * Gloss * Balm * Shine * TreatmentsFACE * Concealer * Tint * Powder * Blush/shimmerSKIN * Cleanser * Toner * Moisturiser/refresher * Remover * Body mist| Price| The price point of GeoGIRL cosmetics ranges from USD$4 to USD$6, relatively low in comparison with competing brands. | Place| GeoGIRL cosmetics are available online at www. drugstore. com. | Promotion| * Facebook * Youtube * ‘Green tips’ – association with environmental consciousness * Charity link – animal shelters & endangered wildlife * Media e. . US magazines – Seventeen, Marie Claire & Teen Vogue * Music video * Membership & competitions| People| * GeoGIRL has a FAQ page dedicated to concerned parents, which explains the monitoring of personal information & accounts by trained staff members. | STRENGTHS| * Wide range of media coverage * A percentage of profits go to voted charities * How-to and music videos * ‘Parents’ section of the website that addresses any concerns about the GeoGIRL products. * Customers can also sign-up to become a GeoGIRL to share their ideas online. WEAKNESSES| * Only available online from a participating website called ‘drugstore. com’ * Pricing for the products doesn’t exceed $6 US dollars, portraying a cheap or low-quality brand image * The brand is only available to an American market * Website is inconsistent and some parts are missing| OPPORTUNITIES| * Expansion to an international market * Distribution into bricks and mortar stores * Further brand extensions or collaborations| THREATS| * Competing global brands * Negativity from parents & industry |While Blossom Beauty will offer a smaller product range in comparison to Bloom and GeoGIRL, the price point will be higher than that of GeoGIRL to portray an image of quality and to cover costs, but lower than Bloom to remain affordable. Blossom will only be available to an Australian market to begin with, but may expand globally to compete with brands like Bloom. Blossom will focus on youth-appropriate products and promotion like GeoGIRL but will maintain a sophisticated appearance and reputation like Bloom. Bloom Cosmetics (2011)  Our Story. [online] Available at: http://www. bloomcosmetics. om/cms-home/bloom-story. phps. GeoGIRL (2012)  About GeoGIRL. [online] Available at: http://geogirl. com/about. SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS: STRENGTHS: * Blossom Beauty produces 100% natural skin care and cosmetic products for everyday use * Each product comes with a set of direc tions * Blossom has recruited a famous female celebrity ambassador to represent the brand * We support young women without role models with our Blossom Mentor Program * Blossom aims to collaborate with a major teen fashion brand * Our product is available online, in department and beauty-specific stores WEAKNESSES: Blossom will only be available to the Australian market to begin with * We may have to produce offshore to remain competitive and cover costs * We are yet to achieve any media coverage OPPORTUNITIES: * A focus on planet-friendly, cost-efficient packaging * Growth of customer base, with sustained loyalty past teen/tween years * Brand extensions into fragrance, body and hair care THREATS: * Lack of control if manufacturing offshore * Risk of over-pricing products * Competing brands with established reputation and brand extensions * Negativity from parentsMARKET OVERVIEW: OBJECTIVES & STRATEGIES: Objectives| Strategies| * Position Blossom as a leading skincare and cosmetics brand, dedicated to the welfare of young women * Push the visibility of Blossom in the market through strategic promotional efforts| Work with PR team to form a strong concept and consistent brand message communicated through campaign shoot to be featured in Dolly/Girlfriend magazines, buses, billboards and online 2-3 months before line is released. * | Develop relationships with department stores e. g. MYER and David Jones, as well as beauty-specific store e. g. Priceline for distribution by June/July. | * | Launch line through event, coinciding with International Women’s Day in June/July – focus on mother-daughter relationship. | * | With the assistance of web expertise, develop e-commerce website by June and maintain consistent brand message in social networking via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr and Pinterest. * Diversify Blossom from competitors * Achieve a positive reputation through association|   Identify key Australian female celebrities who are viewed as positive role models and represent the values of Blossom and reach out to them to secure a brand ambassador by early 2013. | * | Kick start Blossom Mentor Program and design school workshops by August. Connect with The Butterfly Foundation charity, work with PR team to publicise the program e. g. magazines, internet and POS promotion and get brand ambassador involved. * Build a loyal customer base that transcends teen years| Align Blossom with youth-focused fashion destinations, online or in-store e. g. Factorie/ASOS etc and collaborate on a line as a goal towards the end of the year. | * | Research growing market and move into brand extensions by the beginning of 2014, branching out into fragrances, bath & body or haircare. | TACTICAL MARKETING PROGRAMS: PRODUCT: The Blossom Beauty range will consist of one cosmetic line and one skin care line.The all-natural cosmetic line will focus on the ‘basics of natural beauty’ and will be made up of lip glosses, balms and ti nts, mix and match eye shadows, mascara, easy-to-use eye liner and eye crayons, mineral blush and cheek tint, mineral powder and tinted moisturiser, as well as a variety of makeup related tools including brushes, a case, mirror, sharpener and eyelash curler. The 100% natural skin care range will also be focused on the essentials, with a cream cleanser, exfoliating facial scrub, nourishing moisturiser, toner and acne serum.Cosmetic and skin care products will look and smell delicious in feminine coloured packaging and each will come with a brief set of instructions on how to achieve the desired result. PRICE: Blossom beauty products will be priced anywhere between $15 and $30. This price point is slightly lower than competing brands to keep it accessible for teens and affordable for their parents as a secondary target market. The price may seem higher than other teen-friendly beauty products but only to cover the costs of natural ingredients and product tie-ins. PLACE:Blossom product s may have to be manufactured offshore in order for the brand to remain competitive. The products will be packaged in Australia and distributed to major department stores like Myer/David Jones, in beauty-specific stores including Priceline and online from our e-commerce website. PROMOTION: Much like other well-known cosmetic brands, Blossom will have a strong commercial presence. Blossom advertisements will be featured in print media (e. g. Dolly and Girlfriend magazine) and outdoors, on billboards and on buses. Each advertisement will feature bright natural colours, youthful imagery and our brand ambassador.Blossom has chosen these promotional tools in order to connect directly with teens, tweens and their parents. That is why the brand will also maintain a strong online identity through social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter and the Blossom website that will include how-to videos, interactive quizzes and games, competitions and brand information. Blossom will also be pr omoted through collaborations with online and bricks and mortar shopping destinations and its Mentor Program for young girls. Each promotional method reinforces the brands message of the positivity of natural beauty and the empowerment of young women.PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS: FINANCIAL: Month| Objective| Budget| Jan-Feb 2013| Brand ambassador chosen|   | | Market research conducted| $6000 for focus groups$300 per personal interviews – 6 interviews to represent different ages within target market – $1800| | Workshops designed|   | March-May|   Campaign shoot| $20,000| |   Promotional activity| Outdoor – Bus/Billboard: $20,000Magazine: $25,000| | Website design| $10,000-$20,000 to build website10% of cost to build website per month for website maintenance| | Cosmetic and skin care line manufactured| $20,000| June-July| Launch event| $20,000|