Performance Enhacing Drugs in Sports Essay

Performance enhancing drugs should not be allowed in sports. As plain and simple as my opening sentence reads and I totally believe in the theory. The theory that not only are the drugs un-healthy in prolonged use, but the fact that it allows for an unfair advantage over other players who are competing legitimately, and is 110% cheating. This also gives the youth a positive idea if they see their role models take enhancers, leading them on to think that these drugs are okay to partake in. Legitimate competition should be taken very seriously, with the attitude of fair play and gracious defeat. Just as if a card player could see their opponent’s cards, so is the unfair advantage that is caused by using these performance enhancing drugs. There is a great deal of preparation that goes into the competitors before they compete in a match of their choice. Some people train all their lives just to be able to compete in an event, let alone win. To throw an opponent in the ring that put in less effort for the results shown is an unfair advantage on its own. But facing someone who has trained all their lives, and you who have just done adequate training on top of the drug usage is not only unfair, but it is cheating. If you can’t compete legitimately then there is not much point in competing at all. If you cannot play a sport in which you are paid more than enough money to play without using â€Å"enhancers† you should not be allowed to play. Besides the issue of unfair advantage there are also health and social issues. Not only do sportsmen hurt themselves undergoing artificial treatment for both their body and mind, but they also hurt society. When players take part in drugs, they are not thinking of the long term effects of what they are injecting into their bodies. For example, when athletes take anabolic-steroids, they are putting themselves at risk for dehydration, digestive disorders, and addiction to the steroid itself!(Ray) As sports is a big part of our culture and the famous players are also role models for our youth this act sets an awful example. Athletes such as hometown hero Mark McGwire, baseball legend Barry Bonds, and even an Olympic contestant Marion Jones have lead us to believe it was their original skill, but in reality, it was help from the drugs.(pharmacytech) If we allow these drugs in sports then even the recreational weekenders would call for steroid use, thus leading the youth of our culture to exposure of bad medicine and physically wrong deeds. Morally our culture is against the use of drugs both mind altering and physically negative. However with the current generation of youth who would just like to go to the gym for health reasons or what not, a large majority partake in steroid use. In the United States, about 3 million people use anabolic steroids — one in four of these steroid users started as a teenager, and one out of every 10 is a teenager.(Mayo) These are not even professional athletes and they already have such a high view of steroids and think it is the â€Å"easy way out†. As a society we have done our best to prevent the use of drugs, but when role models and favorite players are caught participating in steroid use, they think it is okay because they want nothing more than to be like their role model. But what the youth is not thinking about are the side effects which are just yawned upon, and left for later down the roads of their lives. Conclusively I would stress that when a famous athlete injects himself with these substances, he/she also injects the minds of today’s youth. I for one firmly believe in role model influence and believe that the role models of today should lead by example, not by how high of rank they can receive. Work cited Ray, Linda. livestrong.com. Ed. Julie Mendenhall. N.p., 27 Sept. 2009. Web. 19 Nov. 2012. www.pharmacytechs.com. N.p., 2 Apr. 2010. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. MayoClinic. cnn.com. N.p., 5 Jan. 2007. Web. 20 Nov. 2012.

Space design considerations for an architecture school

And teaching staff in newly approved Institution / Program. Then it gives detailed time schedule for processing of applications . Page- 72 : It provides further information about Unapproved Institutions, detailed points to be carried out Action in case of violation of Regulations. It provides objectives , eligibility , processing fee and procedure for approval, conditions for approval regarding Collaboration & Twining Program between Indian and Foreign Universities or Institutions in the field of Technical Education, Research and Training .Peg 73- 81 : It gives information about the program , duration and eligibility for students o be considered while giving admission to under graduate degree program, Post Graduate Degree and Post Graduate Diploma Programs (Full Time), Diploma Program, Post Diploma Programs . Page- 107 : It lists the approved Nomenclature of Courses of 400 courses taught under CACTI. It gives information in tabular form regarding the Norms for Intake & Peggy-111 .Num ber of Courses / Divisions in the Technical Institutions of under graduate level, Post Graduate Degree and Post Graduate Diploma Level, Private Limited or Public Limited Company/laundry Establishing Diploma or UnderGraduate or Post Graduate Institute. Peg 12- : it describes the Norms for Land requirement and Building Space for Technical Institution , like the land requirement in acres in Other than Rural places(Competent Authority to certify that the place is not located in a rural area) and Rural Places as defined by Competent Authority.It gives detailed requirements of built-up area divided in 1 . Instructional area (NINA, carpet area in sq. M. ), Administrative area (DAD, carpet area in sq. M. ), Amenities area (AMA, carpet area in sq. 2. Circulation area (CIA) is equal to 0. 250 (NINA+DAD+AMA). M. ). , 3. Total built up area in sq. M. Is equal to (NINA+DAD+AMA)

Dollar General Essay

Dollar General is the leading dollar store retailer in the United States with 2011sales revenues of $13 billion. It evolved since 1939 from a family (Turner) owned business to a publicly-traded company to a de-listed private investor-owned company in 2007. In 2008 Mr. Rick Dreiling, the current CEO and Chairman of the Board, began to steer the company in new directions.  The operating priorities were to drive productive sales growth, increase gross margin, improve processes and information technology to reduce costs, and strengthen the Dollar General culture of serving others. Dollar General began to experience a decline in sales and store expansion as early as 2005, prior to the recession of 2007. As a leader in the industry, with its primary products being lower-priced consumables, Dollar General turned around under the new leadership and ownership structure to again begin increasing store expansion, sales and prospects for increased revenues and profits. At the present time Doll ar General make strategic use of its core competencies – leadership under the CEO, product selection expertise in merchandise sales, their organizational style and structure, the power of the retail store chain and distribution centers and a quality shopping experience to move forward towards achieving their operational priorities. However, Dollar General faces challenges that are both internal and external. They have strong leadership but with 10,000 stores leadership, culture, and values are hard to effectively trickle down through the whole organization. Improving the customer experience includes having highly motivate employees with a corporate culture of service. Dollar General has succeeded, in part, because they have sought out markets that the big box companies like Wal-Mart do not target, at least by a smaller scale easily accessible store in close proximity to consumer homes. This means, however, that the primary market of the company has tradtionally been in lower income neighbourhoods: it suits the price consciousness of consumers and aligns with lower priced commercial real estate. It is an irony that Dollar General has prospered during the recent recession. They must strategically align their core competencies with the external competitive environment, and this will include a need to possibly shut down poorly performing stores at the same time as they seek new store expansi ons. These priorities will be best served with a strategy of expansion of higher concentration of stores in existing successful markets, and setting up stores in new areas — new markets within existing states and new states with low or no current presence of Dollar General Stores. Introduction Dollar General Corporation is the largest discount retailer in the United  States, the company offers consumer staples merchandise in four categories: consumables, home products, seasonal, and apparel. As of February 25, 2011, Dollar General operated 9414 stores located in 35 states. Dollar General was founded in 1939 by J.L. Turner and his son as a whole-sale business. The first Dollar General store which is also the first dollar store in the States was opened in 1955 in Springfield, Kentucky. In the rest of this report, we will look at what happened to the Dollar General these years and have a comprehensive analysis of the company, which include the external, internal and SWOT analysis. Also we will provide several strategies recommendations to keep the company in the good path. Analysis of the External Environment In order to analyse the external environment of the discount retail industry, we conducted PEST analysis (see exhibit 1) and Porter’s Five Forces analysis (see exhibit 2) of the industry and these methods of analysis have allowed us to identify several most important opportunities as well as threats of the discount retail industry. First, there are several opportunities within the discount retailer industry. With the uncertainty of economy within the U.S., discount stores are getting more popular as consumers are facing the situation of lower purchasing power. Lower income neighbourhood would really be the ideal place for discount retailers to demonstrate their marketing strategies and to locate their stores. Also the use of technology can really improve their operational efficiencies. At the same time, there are several threats that the industry is facing. From the political aspect, there are trading issues between U.S. and countries where the retailers are importing merchand ises, higher tariff brings down the profits for companies. Also, the rapid growth of online-stores raised the competition within the discount retailing industry. Intensive competition within the industry resulted companies constantly reducing prices and profit margins. Analysis of the Internal Environment Value Chain: Primary Activities Dollar General (DG)’s inbound logistics consist of offering consumable, home products, seasonal and apparel merchandise from various suppliers. They also have stores located in many different states to take advantage of attracting  more customers. DG’s stores are either in freestanding building or in strip shopping centers to save on building costs. For outbound logistics, Dollar General hires third-party trucking companies to complete deliveries. The trucking companies transport the merchandise to a store from their nearest distribution center. DG also installed a voice pick system in the distribution centre, which allows employees to communicate with warehouse software systems by speech recognition. This would make the distribution costs go down for DG when the fuel cost increased. Dollar General operates its stores in leased space and also in their owned stores. This allows them to lowers their limited maintenance capital, low occupancy and operating costs. DG keeps building new stores and remodels its stores to make them easier to shop and increase store’s sale productivity. DG also tried to make its store’s look standardized across the chain. Dollar General has its own marketing which focuses on four variables: Price, Place, Promotion and Product to allow the company to attract existing and new customers. They create value through various products by increasing private labels products in consumables and non-consumables and through many stores across different regions to bring their reputation to their market. Having newspaper inserts and a web site allow DG to increase their brand image nationally. Dollar General’s service is done efficient and effectively by staff-scheduling model. This system would help to ensure the staff available at different times to the level of sales volumes during the week. DG provides training to their employees and focus on how to recruit and retain their high-performance employees. Value Chain: Support Activities Dollar General’s firm infrastructure has Richard Dreiling as CEO and chairman of the board. He previously was the CEO and board chairman of the largest drugstore chain in New York City. He is experience and knowledgeable in the food and drug retailer industry. Under his leadership, there are four important priorities identified by the managers, which are: driving productive sales growth, increasing gross margin, improving processes and information technology to reduce costs and strengthening the DG culture of serving others. Each typical store has one store manager, one assistant manager and three of more sales clerks. Dollar General has great human resource management. They employed more than 85,000 full-time and part-time employees. They have focus on how to improve recruiting, training and retained their employees. Dollar General has great technology and development. They installed a voice pick system in the distribution centre to decrease the distribution cost due to high fuel cost. They also installed new analytical and monitoring tools to assist with inventory shrinkage reduction efforts. This would avoid them from the loss of merchandise due to shoplifting, employee theft, damage and obsolescence and allow them to increase gross margin. Moreover, having a web site to allow customer to place orders online is another technology for DG to bring customer to store. Dollar General’s procurement is by purchasing merchandise through various suppliers, importers, agents, and other third parties. DG offers brand name, consumable merchandise and private label brands. DG also uses direct sourcing to get products to their store in order to control costs and increase its gross profit. They also held licenses to provide various trademarks and brands to the stores. Core competencies (Appendix C page Based on VRIS framework, we have identified five core competencies of Dollar General. These core competencies are Richard Dreiling (CEO), consumable merchandise, benchmark organizational styles and their retail stores chain. The separate evaluation of each of these competencies can be view in Appendix A. SWOT Analysis Strengths Dollar General is considered to be the largest retailed stores for selling merchandise mix priced at $1 or less in the US with more than 9400 stores in 35 states as of February in 2011. They sell consumable products at a very low price which attract more discount shoppers during recession. Their marketing strategy on 4Ps allows them to attract more and new customers. DG has the ability to catch market trends and adjust their product mix accordingly. They also create a fast and convenience shopping experience for consumer. They also have a very strong financial since they leased most of their stores and purchased leased stores during weak estate market period. Therefore, they have very low cost on capital expenditure. Their staff scheduling model allows them to make sure employees available during peak time. Also, the voice pick system in the distribution centres helps them to reduce distribution costs dramatically due to increasing in fuel cost. Moreover, the standard design in each of the retail store has helped them to increase sale productivity and easy to shop for customers. Weaknesses Dollar General has many weaknesses in its operations. They have to hire third party truck to deliver most of their merchandise, which could lead to delay in delivering merchandise to stores since they do not have control over the trucking company’s operation. DG has initiative to remodel and renovate their existing stores which could dramatically increase their debt because they have over 9000 stores. Also they are late on introducing online orders in 2007. As a result, they could lose on bringing more customers to know about their brand image. Their human resource management is problematic because they did not have clear policy on overtime pay and inequality salary due to gender. This could cause their reputation badly and financially hurt as there were cases where employees sued them over those issues. SWOT MATRIX: For the SWOT matrix, we have determined several things to be of importance in the following table: SWOT Matrix Strength 1. Low operating cost model 2. Large scale in term of retail stores 3. Strong finance Weakness 1. High cost on capital structure due to renovation 2. Late on introducing online order program 3. HR management is inefficient Opportunity 1. Economic uncertainty helps dollar stores 2. Low income Neighborhood 3. Use of technology 1. Entering global market(S3,O1) 2. Attracting more customers from different income groups(S2,O2) 3. Improvement on operational structures(S1,O3) 1. Opening new stores during economic downturns(W1,O1) 2. Upgrading online-order program(W2,O3) Threat 1. National trading issues 2. Rise of online-stores 3. Intensive Competition 1. Increased market share reduces the competition(S2,T3) 2. Financially healthy helps supporting online operations(S3,T2) 1. Redesigning online-store for better shopping experience(W2,T2) 2. Transferring cost on capital structure for merchandise mix(W1,T3) Assessments: (Appendix D page The mission statement at Dollar General is, â€Å"Serving Others. ‘For Customers: Convenience, Quality, and Great Prices. For Employees: Respect and Opportunity. For Shareholders: A Superior Return. For Communities: A Better Life’.† Based on our evaluation of this mission statement, we came up with a total quality score of 71% (Appendix B page †¦We felt in the mission statement that the purpose of Dollar General, services/ products offered, their competitive advantage, how they do to survived, how they treat  customers and positive public image to stakeholders are clearly outlined in the mission statement. Dollar General does not establish what their scope of operations is, does not create a shared sense of value among employees and does not explain the technology or innovation in their operations. Dollar General definitely has a strong mission statement, but could improve on a few aspects to make it better. Objectives of Dollar General are to increase mark et share in product and services, achieving high technology in operational processes and boosting company’s reputation by serving others. The company managers under CEO’s leadership drafted firm’s corporate governance principles. Dollar General has a board of directors and CEO is the chairman of the boards. Rick Dreiling, CEO, has extensive knowledge and experience in food and drug retailer. DG’s Top Managers are made up of local stores managers who allow firm to identify directions for the whole company. This helps for tighter unity among the upper and lower level managers within the firm. Strategic Alternatives 1. Uniform Branding and Functional/Facility Design Description: Create consistent signage, logo, brand uniformity, including greater internet presence. Apply across advertising and promotion mediums. Standardized store (floor & shelf) layout, and build private store products under improved branding efforts. Pro: Increase the square footage of sales (e.g. 10,000 sq ft building; 60,000 sq ft sales area) Pro: Create uniform, time-saving shopping experience Pro: Improve and standardize surveillance to reduce shrinkage from theft (large part of theft from employees) Pro: Increase sales per selling space Pro: Increase profitability through higher margin building of private store brand Pro: Store brands manufactured through low-cost East Asia manufacturers under private label Con: Most stores are leased – hard to find uniform size, shape, etc. Con: National brands still a consumer preference in many groups (such as higher income) Con: Private ‘branding’ or brand building may not be as important to value-conscious price-driven consumers 2. Human Resource Development – More Managers, Assistant Managers, Performance Bonuses Description: One of the goals of the company is to offer higher living standards to employees. More managers and assistant managers allows for non-hourly monthly wage, with base salary plus profit bonus potential. Pro: Reduces high staff turn-over Pro: Reduces shrinkage from staff theft Pro: Increases productivity and customer service (e.g. Staff more willing to rotate stock and presentation such as for seasonal goods or lowering and strategically placing stock that is shelved Con: May be perceived as offering a job title without wage increases Con: Increases expectations of staff Con: Could lead to higher wage costs, reduced net profits (if profit sharing), need to offer benefits (health insurance) Con: Less flexibility with part-time employees and cyclical/seasonal trends 3. Expansion to New States/More Stores Description: Plans are underway for expansion to states such as Connecticut, New Hampshire, Nevada. Presently they are in 35 states; states like Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Minnesota and Maryland all have less than 100 stores. A major business and population state like New Jersey only has 44 stores. New stores can be added to existing states because of local market (3 to 5 mile radius of stores) in all areas: city center, suburbs, rural areas. Pro: Resumes a past successful approach to expanded sales revenues and profits Pro: Shutting down of unprofitable stores, and new strategies, better suited to expand Pro: Recession has created many low-cost retail lease opportunities Pro: Many of the highest density states with most stores in ‘poor’ southern areas; major markets like New York state, Colorado and others are greatly under-served. Good opportunities. Pro: Regional distribution centers gain economies of scale and other efficiencies with enough stores; target areas wit h less-stores-per-distribution ratio Pro: Company has built high capability and advantage in low-cost store openings Con: Leases, even at lower prices, generally involve 10- to 15-year commitments Con: Recession still may be affecting employment, incomes and  sales patterns Con: Very low brand familiarity in new states Con: Threat, although small, of taking business away from other Dollar General stores if in higher per-city concentration 4. Target Higher Income Consumers Description: Higher income consumers have been shopping more at stores like Dollar General. This does not have to be solely for increasing purchasing power during recession. Many people of all incomes enjoy ‘value’ shopping. Increased focus on higher income consumers can be by increasing traffic to existing stores or new stores in more affluent areas. Higher income consumers may also have greater access to home computer, internet and preference for internet shopping. Pro: Increase per-customer total spending per visit, a main goal of current strategy Pro: Higher income consumers have means and ability to travel further – higher opportunity cost for their time though Pro: Allows for greater chance to sell national brands and higher price (closer to $10 range) goods Pro: Increased revenues and profits Con: Costs more to advertise/promotion to this new target audience Con: External advertising is more expensive and difficult to measure directly Con: Setting up stores in more affluent areas will have higher land, taxes, lease costs Recommendation: Alternative 3 — Expansion to New States/More Stores Implementation Plan The first step in the expansion plan is to identify the two paths of increased store numbers: (1) more stores per established markets and (2) new stores in new markets. (1) More stores in established markets Established markets have the advantage of useful sales statistics. Each area can be analyzed in terms of the total number of stores in an area, stores and sales revenue per population in the city/region, and total number of   stores, including competitors. These areas have already experienced within or intra-area exapansion. Impacts of higher concentration can be estimated. These patterns should be duplicated where possible seeking an optimum level of stores in a market. One of the great advantages the company enjoys is that most sales come from within 5 miles of an outlet. Even in cities with a high number of Dollar General stores, there remains a great deal of available market zones. (2) New Stores in New Markets Selecting new states to expand to and create new market presence can be guided by existing and planned distribution centers. Distribution centers are key to streamlining a uniform system of inventory and logistics. For example, relatively ‘new’ states with a lower density of Dollar General stores but with an existing under-utilized distribution center, with profitable stores, is the key criteria for new market selection. Other market analysis for new city/state markets can follow the patterns that have proven most successful in recent (past decade) expansions. Not all of the alternatives are mutually exclusive. The expansion to new stores and new markets more easily facilitates other goals such as improving store design and layout improving shopping speed, access to goods and higher density shelving use. These are tactics easier to achieve when selecting new properties than in remodelling existing buildings. Setting up new stores in new states may also be an opportunity to try out new labor-relations, including altering the mix between management (salary) positions and wage positions. However, to assure the most flexibility new stores and markets should begin with experienced store managers with wage employees. When new stores are in or near existing stores and markets it offers the chance for promotion of existing employees. The strategy is not simple expansion in terms solely of increased added store numbers. The strategic goal is to expand to new profitable markets and this includes the ancillary actions such as monitoring and closing poor performing existing stores. This blends opportunities while overcoming weaknesses towards higher profitability and sustainability. Implementation pace and schedule. With nearly 10,000 stores, and average expansion in the years between 2004-2009 inclusive being 354 stores, there are no simple decision criteria for selecting the best number for expansion. At the early part of the six year period (2004-5) expansion was by more than 600 stores per year. After a dip and slower growth in 2006-8, new store expansion grew to 466 stores in 2009. The bulk of this is higher concentration in existing state markets. Expansion to new areas should be in areas such as New Jersey, New York (state more than city due to high real estate costs in city) and other Northeast states which may be served by distribution centers. There is no current northeast distribution centers at all. Nearest regional centers are in Ohio (1229 stores) and perhaps Indiana (1000) stores. Over the next three years the pace and location of new stores in new markets should be 200 stores per year in the Northeast Atlantic coast area. Evaluation Criteria Through all stages the evaluative measure will be the extent to which performance matches the operating priorities: driving productive sales growth, increasing gross margin, improving processes and information technology to reduce costs, and strengthening the Dollar General culture of serving others. Conclusion Dollar General was the first mover in the discount consumer merchandise stores – an industry that has become mature, though continuing to find new ways to reshape itself or be influenced by world trends or forces. With a primary focus on low prices (many items in the $1 range and more established name brand products value priced with competitors like Wal-Mart) Dollar General has responded well to the low-cost production from countries like China and other emerging South-East Asia manufacturers. It has a high percentage of total products in national brands, but the majority of its products are private brands, including their own store brands. The strategic choices of Dollar General largely involves duplicating the sources  of their per-store success at a level encompassing nearly 10,000 stores in the United States. Dollar General has followed a strategy of rapid expansion of stores which has been successful except for a net closing of stores in 2007, and a slower pace of grow th in the years 2006 and 2008. Through the expansions, and restructured, and improved information systems and logistics, Dollar General is poised to achieve both increased number of sales and greater net profits. References: â€Å"Dollar General- Today’s Neighborhood Store† by Sue Cullers, Buene Vista University and S. Stephen Vitucci, Texas A&M University-Central Texas. â€Å"Dollar General 2013 Annual Report† by Dollar General. Exhibit 1 PEST Analysis Political – The level of political stability of the country is important to the consumer staples industry. Changes in government can lead to changes in taxation and legislation. The American elections may have an effect on the retailing industry as new legislation or new or existing government may bring in taxes. Also, trading issues between the US and other countries will affect retail companies when they are importing merchandises, higher tariff would resulted in decreasing profit margins for discount stores. Economic – The consumer staples industry is unique as it considered non-cyclical, which means it does not affected by traditional business cycles or economic downturns. The demand for consumer staples is always consistent as it has a low price elasticity of demand. Furthermore, discount stores often have recorded increased sales and income during recession. While their usual customers suffered from unemployment and lower purchasing power, people from higher income brackets found their way to dollar stores, looking for bargains. Social – Where income is distributed is an important factor that companies should look at as this also demonstrates the ideal place to aim their marketing or to locate their stores. Discount stores always targeted their merchandises assortment and store locations to meet the shopping needs of value-conscious customers. With the economy still remains weak and  uncertain, major dollar stores sought to keep their traditional customers and attract new customers. Technology – Use of upgraded technology of cashing machines can improve operational efficiencies. Also, integrated and sophisticated IT system would provide managements to manage their inventories efficiently and keep costs low. The rapid growth of on line-stores raised the competition within the discount retailing industry. Exhibit 2 Porter’s 5 Forces Analysis Threat of New Entrants (Low) The overall threat of new entrants in the discount retail industry is low. New entrants are facing many barriers in this industry. Top companies control the major portion of market share. Economies of scale play an important role in this industry as large companies have their cost advantage and offer their customers with lower prices products. New companies do not have much capital and resources to compete with them. Bargaining Power of Suppliers (Low) There is not much bargaining power for the suppliers include manufacturers and distributers. Large discount retailers purchase merchandises from many different suppliers so they are not relying on a sole supplier. Also most of the supplies are not rare or valuable. So the suppliers’ power in this industry is low. Bargaining Power of Buyers (High) The bargaining power of buyers is high within this industry, and this is due to customers are highly price sensitive, with low brand loyalty; customers are just seeking for products with the best values. Also, in the discount retail industry, the switching costs are very low, customers can easily switch between stores depending on which store has the cheapest products. Threat of Substitutes (Low) The threat of substitutes is low in the discount retail industry and this is due to products are already on the low end of pricing scale and the products offered by different dollar stores are almost the same, and the essential products are difficult to find substitutes. Rivalry among Existing Competitors (High) The competition within the discount retail merchandise industry is really high between several big players such as Dollar General, Family Dollar and Dollar Tree. Other than that, these companies are also competing with some giant retailers like Wal-Mart. Since the low-cost leadership is essentially the only competitive advantage within this industry, retailers are constantly reducing prices and profit margins to try to drive traffic to their stores and increase sales. Appendix C: Core competencies We have determined that Richard Dreiling is valuable, rare, costly to imitate, and non-substitutable. Richard Dreiling is valuable and rare because not many CEO’s have the leadership abilities to take Dollar General as far as he did. Further, Dreiling is costly to imitate and non-substitutable because a CEO of his caliber is very hard to find among CEO’s in the same industry. Consumable merchandise is very valuable because of the four categories that Dollar General offered, sales in consumable increased most rapidly during recession. This merchandise is not rare, costly to imitate and non-substitute because competitors can copy your merchandise by observing what your stores offer to consumers. Further, benchmark organizational style is another core competency. Benchmark organizational styles are valuable and costly to imitate because they represent an organizational structure that your competitors have difficulty mimicking. This organization style is not rare and is sub stitutable because competitors can copy your business model by observing how you operate as a firm. Retail stores chain is valuable and costly to imitate because Dollar has numerous of stores chain across the state, each store has been redesigned to specific standards to make it easier to shop and increase sale productivity. They also owned some of the leased store during the weak real-estate market, which is difficult for competitors nowadays to own its retail stores. These retailed stores chain are not rare and non-substitutable because competitors can copy their design and build their stores as same as DG did. Shopping experience is valuable, rare, costly to imitate and non-substitutable because Dollar General’s stores has provided  the marketing strategy 4Ps which allows them to differentiate from competitors on how consumers buy their products, how the stores designed and how the services they has to offered in such a fast and convenient way for consumer to shop. This experience is something that competitor cannot obtain by using money and copy from DG stores.

Theoretical Studies In Fashion SOCIAL MEDIA Essay

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Urban Policy - Research Paper Example In the end, it is important to generate a plan that meets the progressive needs of the community in such a way that benefits the residents of a given region. That should be the approach of urban policy and planning. It is not fruitful to represent only the needs of the few, but the needs of the many must be taken into account above all else. As the global community continues to grow exponentially, existing infrastructure has certainly become taxed to the limit. At the same time, the past century has seen the mass migration of individual members of society moving from rural areas of the earth to more urban environments where their needs can be better met, and where enhanced opportunities for prosperity seem to persist. This reality has necessitated urban communities the world over to activate aggressive urban planning policies in order to account for current needs, as well as to anticipate future issues that might arise. Urban planning itself is a caplet process that is often politically charged and encompasses various aspects of land use and the overall design the urban environment present in cities and major towns. This includes the implementation of appropriate air, water, and infrastructure use that creates the safest and most conducive living environment possible for inhabitants. In the modern era, urban planning al so involves the complex task of designing transportation and distribution networks throughout the region, such that the movement of large amounts of people and goods can take place with minimum disruption and impact on the environment. This can be seen in the case of the Ventura County Transportation Commission, a group of individuals tasked with managing the urban planning necessary to manage one of the most densely populated regions in the United States. The need for urban planning dates back to the early days of industry in the mid-19th century. It was

Is the death penalty effective Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Is the death penalty effective - Essay Example The society is one which requires deeply and desperately at all times, a capital punishment. If not for the punishment, there would have been a much higher level of murders across the world. Without the capital punishment, the population would tend to use, ‘mob mentality’ in situations where the emotions get out of hand. There are a number of cases, both simple as well as more intense where people have lost their lives and it is important to note that without the prevalence of a death penalty, there would not be any deterrent to murder. If a person was simply to be locked in jail with complete access to food, clothes, and shelter without having to earn it, then people would take this option and would never worry about murdering anyone (Davis, 1998). In simple terms, our society is filed with a number of criminals and is not civilized enough to manage without a clear set down deterrent for the crime. Hence, it is necessary for the death penalty to be applied to ensure a s afer society. A number of experts have also pointed their views to the ineffectiveness of the death penalties and have also brought out the fact that in spite of the death penalties that are being used within the countries, there are still a number of people who tend to do the crime. The process of giving the death penalty is a long one with the criminals living comfortably in prison and this to a great extent tends to reduce the effectiveness of a death penalty. As a deterrent, it is important that the criminals are not given a chance and are executed right away to make the punishment a successful one (Dieter, 1998). However this clearly is not possible considering the number of laws and regulations that need to be considered before giving a person a death sentence, thereby making this method ineffective and inefficient. I personally believe that the death penalties are a very effective method of conducting the society and criminals that have committed murder. This is mainly because, the

Theory of Clause Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Theory of Clause - Essay Example Usually, relative clause cannot stand alone as a sentence. In contrast to dependent clause, independent or main clause is a clause that can stand alone. Main clause is synonymous to a simple sentence. In essence, clause is the basic unit of meaning in the English language (Stuart-Smith, 2003). Either dependent or independent, a clause conveys a message. This paper, on the other hand, examines the relative clause as a basic unit of a language in relation to functional grammar, especially in the ideational metafunction level. Here, the use of the word clause will refer to dependent clause. The usage of a clause in the different world languages differs greatly. There are three identified dimensions of these differences: (1) position of the clause with respect to the head noun or the noun being modified; (2) how a clause is marked; (3) the absence or presence of a pronominal reflex (Celce-Murcia & Larsen-Freeman, 1999, p.573). In the English language, a clause follows the head noun. For instance, in the sentence, "San Antonio is a city that has experienced very rapid growth," the head-noun San Antonio precedes the italicized clause. To place the clause before the head noun in a sentence sounds, if not ungrammatical, awkward. Farsi and Arabic languages share similar syntactic pattern in the clause usage compared to most European languages. However, Japanese and Korean languages do not adhere to the first dimension of the above-mentioned clause usage (Celce-Murcia & Larsen-Freeman, 1999, p.573). In the second dimension, the English language employs a relative pronoun (e.g., who) or demonstrative pronoun (e.g., that) to mark that what follows is a clause (Celce-Murcia & Larsen-Freeman, 1999, p.573). For example, "I read the journal that you recommended." Or, "I love the girl who appreciates poetry." The lines before the demonstrative and relative pronouns are independent clauses that can stand as a sentence. The application of the pronouns that and who merely modify the head nouns. Besides English, Persian and Chinese languages use other forms of markers placed between the head noun and the clause. The presence or absence of the pronominal reflex is the third dimension along which languages differ in the clause usage (Celce-Murcia & Larsen-Freeman, 1999, p.573). In the sentence, "Art called out to the girl that he knew," the "that" replaces "the girl" in the embedded sentence, "he knew the girl." Ideational Metafunction Ideational metafunction is one of the three fundamental functional components of a language. Ideational metafunction is primarily concerned with the function that "language has of being about something" (Halliday & Hasan, 1976). In the past, a theory of the fundamental functions of language have been developed, in which lexicogrammar can be subdivided into 3 broad metafunctions, namely: interpersonal, ideational and textual. Each of these 3 deals with a different aspect of the world, and they are concerned with various modes of clause meanings. "The ideational metafunction is about the natural world in the broadest sense, including our own consciousness, and is concerned with clauses as representations. The interpersonal metafunction is about the social world, especially the relationship between speaker and hearer, and is concerned

Course Project Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Course Project - Assignment Example Such brainstorming combines fun, brainpower, thought process and creativity all in one. The target groups of this game board are industrialist, marketers, and start-up enterprises aimed at stimulating marketing ideas necessary for edging modern business competitive environment. I must emphasize though, the uniqueness of this new game model because playing a game like this promotes and brings on board the whole entrepreneurial idea. There are several board games in the market but as far as the core innovation is based, the Know your Opponent game will revolutionize and alter existing game instructions. Of all tons of board games in the market, none can be compared to this innovation and its entrepreneurial concepts. Our approach has taken the core idea of a stratagem board game and building on that a slightly fresh track will eventually lead to transformational board game improvement. To facilitate the success on this project I work with a team of four personnel: the financial officer, the design office, purchase and supply and marketing panel. The finance officer ensures that all budgetary allocation and inventories are up to date whereas the design office formulates the board game prototype and clear specifications; the purchase and supply office ensures that all specifications to manufacturer are met and ensure timely delivery. Lastly, is the marketing team works tirelessly to ensure our products are visible and sells in the market. In terms of financing board game, together with my savings I intend to approach a bank manager for a loan to aid in the launch. According to estimations, a sum of $25,000 will be enough to see off the project and sustain its entry to the market for some days. The board game market is totally constricted, however depending on how successive the games sales and customer feedback outcomes, we look forward in developing new products. Building trust will put as at high par at meeting the

Entrepreneurship and innovation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Entrepreneurship and innovation - Essay Example ompany owes its popularity and success to the greatest talents that it nurtured that is why the employees benefits and thus career development are paid big attention. Such policy toward employees allows the company to continue its growing and development. ZTE Corporation also thinks what is best for its shareholders, so the investments made in the company activities were made not in vain. Speaking about the social responsibilities, ZTE acts proactively to satisfy the community with its needs and thus respond to the most critique considerations. Having the most complete telecommunications product line in the world, ZTE covers wireless networks, core networks, access and bearer networks and also services and terminals markets.  Along with it, the development capability and customer-oriented strategy that the company conducts, as well as the market-driven strategy, allow ZTE to be able to develop and produce the best market-leading technologies in wireless, access, data and telecommun ications software. These expert solutions enable the company to meet the needs of customers across the globe.  Once the company have realized the potential of the wireless and broadband networking for the global stage, it have opened new opportunities for ZTE in its ability to support transmission infrastructure, which is aimed to maintain demand for smart devices and intelligent network. As a new wave of the company’s activities, it should pay attention on reinvention of its activities to be able to use such opportunities at its best. For businesses, the positive environment predetermines its success. That is why, political, social and technological factors can greatly affect the way companies run their activities. Thus in 2012, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence reported about the threat toward the U.S. national security from the ZTE company side. ZTE stated its own equipment did not threaten the U.S. national security as its all equipment was assessed by the U.S.

Analyzing the Central Theme of Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain Essay Example for Free

Analyzing the Central Theme of Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain Essay Cold Mountain is a tragic yet a very profound story of love, searching, and intuition which happens in an environment terrorized by war in 1864 (Buchanan). The story is set on the troubled plains and mountains of nineteenth century America where Inman, the main character, decided to leave the battlefield as he yearned and searched for his lover. In a nutshell, the story basically revolves around a tale of love which bound two people together amidst distance, chaos, and isolation. This debut novel of Charles Frazier has definitely redefined love in ways, portrayed as a powerful force which enables people to overcome dangers and even life threatening situations just to reunite with a loved one. In several ways, the novel reflects the importance of faith as well as love despite isolation, distress, and confusion that an individual faces. Central Theme of the Novel The main feature of the novel which an average reader may notice would be the war of the 19th century America. It tells the story of how distressing and miserable life during war is and how hopeless it gets most of the time. Inman, identified as the main protagonist of the story, was a part of the confederate army before he went on to his venture of coming back to his long lost lover, Ada. His life in the confederate army made him realize that it is indeed a lot worse to lose something a person already has than fail to get what that person currently wants. The war made the character feel all the isolation and alienation any person would never want to experience. Through this isolation, Inman felt the need to come back home. However, amidst the distress and pains brought by the war, Inman’s spirit was kept alive by his love and yearning for Ada. The epic describes how more painful Inman’s longing is for Ada compared to the pains he felt because of his wounds. The author illustrated Inman’s longing as miserable as if, â€Å"his wounds gave hi, just reason to doubt that he would ever heal up and feel whole of a piece again† (Frazier 25). Although the epic was largely about battles, what Inman felt because of his separation from Ada gave the story a soft, emotional, and sentimental effect. This aspect of the story depicts a reality that no matter how harsh a person’s environment may seem, there will always be some spark of compassion and love inside his or her heart to encourage him or her to live. The story also illustrates that compassion and love will always be strong forces that will bind two people regardless of how far they are from each other and irrespective of how tough and immovable the barricade between them may be. Ada’s love, on the other hand, is illustrated in her patience and faith in Inman. Despite their distance, she never stopped waiting for Inman and believing in him. Her faith and belief that everything between them will be alright is reflected in her notes as a response to Inman’s letter which said: â€Å"This you must know: that despite your long absence, such is the light in which I view the happy relation existing between us, that I will never conceal a single thought from you† (Frazier27). The story was basically split between Inman and Ada’s life events which proved that beyond borders, their love will always unite and hold them together. Incorporating such a sentimental theme in a distressing genre such as war was an amazing feat that Frazier was able o successfully portray in his novel. However, upon further analysis of the novel, one may realize that it is from these painful and trying times that the need for love and compassion emerges, since this is the time when people are more likely to feel alienated and lost. It is also from these hard times when the need for someone to love and to be loved back is stronger. Thus, it may appear understandable and explicable why Inman had such a strong desire to come back home and turn his back from the grueling and miserable face of war. Nevertheless, Frazier was also able to present the realities of war in a very compelling manner. The alienation which Inman felt was also very believable which made it possible for the readers to empathize with the main character. Conclusion Cold Mountain is a realistic and compelling epic of a warrior who did not only fight for his state but also for him to come home to the one he loved. In this novel, Frazier was able to blend well the very different concepts of hostility, isolation, alienation, faith, and love. Yet, the author was able to present these ideas in a very realistic manner through the characters of the story. The epic can be considered as a good representation of how powerful love can be inside a person’s heart in times of desolation and loneliness. As reflected in the story, it can indeed be the driving force which can help a person to survive the harsh elements in his environments just to come home to the arms of his or her lover. Similarly, the story also portrays well the impacts of alienation and isolation to an individual and what alterations these impacts can cause to a person’s life and points of view. Thus, if there is anything that this epic would send the readers as a message, it would be that, amidst isolation, distress, and chaos, faith and love can help a person survive the odds and the tough challenges. Works Cited Buchanan, Catherine. â€Å"Cold Mountain: Context. † Spark Notes. 2009. 15 Apr. 2009. http://www. sparknotes. com/lit/coldmountain/context. html. Frazier, Charles. Cold Mountain. New York: Grove Pres

Determine the Empirical Formula of Magnesium Oxide by reacting a known mass of Magnesium with Oxygen Essay Example for Free

Determine the Empirical Formula of Magnesium Oxide by reacting a known mass of Magnesium with Oxygen Essay Safety Risk Assessment: Properly follow lab safety guidelines by wearing lab coats, gloves, and goggles and clear any personal belongings off the experiment area or the apparatus table. Gently handle glassware. Be careful when dealing with Bunsen burners. Make sure the crucible does not break while heating it as it might break due to the immense air pressure inside. Conclusion: Mg10O3 is the empirical formula we found through our experiment. Theoretically, the empirical formula is MgO. This is because Magnesium is a group 2 element so it would lose two electrons to form Mg2+ ion. Oxygen is a group 6 element so it would gain two electrons to form a O2- ion. So in theory, the empirical formula is MgO. Therefore we see were nowhere close obtaining a empirical formula to the theoretical answer though according to our uncertainty for Oxygen which is  ±3 it could be the oxygen we had weighed 5g and so therefore giving us a much accurate result of Mg10O2 which would go to a simplest ratio of Mg2O which would be closer to the theoretical answer. In addition to this according to our huge uncertainty the ratio could have also been 1:1 if the ratio would have led to 6:6. Though we see that the reason behind getting such an inaccurate answer is due to the incomplete combustion and due to not using a much more precise and accurate balance to weigh the apparatus and chemicals used.

The Language And Linguistic Competence English Language Essay

The Language And Linguistic Competence English Language Essay Linguistic competence, besides being a part communicative competence, deals with language as such in oral communication which encompasses many spheres namely phonology that deals with pronunciation and perception of speech sounds, prosody that is needed when using intonation to convey syntactic information and the ability to interpret the information conveyed through intonation, lexis or diction which is the ability to choose the proper lexis in communication and make sense of the subtle meaning of a particular word or expression, and grammar that helps sentence formation and interpretation of sentence meaning. Then one needs to clarify the nature of a language. Language  is a set of rules for generating speech  [1]  , or system of conventional spoken or written symbols used by people in a shared culture to communicate with each other  [2]  . This shared culture is created by people. Hence, language cannot exist without its users. If its user quits using a language, then it ceases to exist. The vivid example is Latin language (here, the usage of Latin in medicine or other sciences is omitted). For a language to exist there should be society, because it is the society that uses and modifies language as time goes by. How many languages are there in the world? Entologue research counted 6909 languages in the world  [3]  . And according to Encarta Encyclopedia there are ten mostly used languages in the world: Mandarin Chinese, Hindi or Urdu, Spanish, English, Arabic, Bengali, Russian, Portuguese, Japanese, and German  [4]  ,  [5]  . These are used in intercultural communication most of all. Nonetheless, any language can serve as a channel for information flow. Yet, one language can have many speech communities that are big and small. Lobanov  [6]  implemented this term to describe variations of one language that exist, since one language can have many versions like, for example, English (British English, American English) or variances of one language in one country i.e. dialect. Language by its nature can serve not only as means of communication, but also as self identification or identification of others. Likewise, one can use a language to exclude people from communication. For instance, in Russian prisons inmates use prison jargon in communication so that staff of prison would not understand what they are talking about. Communication can occur if participants of oral communication know and use a common language. It is much easier if they are native speakers of the common language and share a lot of common ground knowledge. However, if they speak a completely different language, they wont have good interaction, except primitive exchange of basic information by hand gestures that can be misleading or they would need to hire an interpreter. This section of the dissertation presents the situation when people do speak a common language, however that means of communication is not their native language and they dont have common grounding. In such case, people would have different styles of communication that reside in their culture and differ from others that naturally cause miscommunication between them. There are 6 types of oral miscommunication which are caused by lack of knowledge of various language spheres such as phonology, lexis, grammar, and cultural competence  [7]  . Table.2 Model for the categorization of nonnative-native speakers oral miscommunication and its causes. Mispronunciation when encoding in speaking Misuse and misunderstanding of spoken due to lack of adequate competence in prosody and phonology Misperception when decoding when hearing Misspeaking when encoding in speaking Misuse and misunderstanding of spoken due to lack of adequate grammar and lexis competence /Misinterpretation of spoken because of lack adequate intercultural competence or socio-cultural differences Misunderstanding or non-understanding when decoding Misformulating spoken discourse misuse and misinterpretation of spoken due to lack of adequate pragmatic competence/ Misinterpretation of spoken because of lack adequate intercultural competence or socio-cultural differences Misunderstanding or non-understanding of spoken discourse. Zhenxian Wang, Verbal Miscommunication Between English Native Speakers And Chinese Learners of English, Beijing Institute of Education, 2009, p. 5-11. Mispronunciation which is the first point of the above table deals with encoding in speaking. Here Encoding is meant to be at the productive phonological level, which has three broad types: segmental, combinational, and supersegmental. Segmental mispronunciation occurs in individual consonants or vowels; combination mispronunciation refers to the omission of one consonant in a consonant cluster, poor pronunciation of linking sounds and weak forms; suprasegmental mispronunciation comprises the phenomena of stress (word stress and sentence stress) rhythm, and intonation  [8]  . For instance, one who speaks English that is not good enough could pronounce heat instead of hit, think like sink and many other words incorrectly. Misperception when decoding when hearing. It occurs when one wrongly perceive or fail to recognize the pronunciation of words. For instance, one can see the difference between hut and hot, sink and think, Seek and sick and other words as he or she might apply the competence on phonology of his or her native language which might differ tremendously. Misspeaking when encoding in speaking. Misuse of lexis, which often results from their lack of knowledge of the connotation of the lexis. For instance, one could say In lame mans terms: instead of In laymans terms meaning someone who lacks specialized knowledge on a topic. It wouldnt be correct, or nice, to label someone a lame man. Misunderstanding or non-understanding when decoding. Ignorance of a words connotation can lead to misspeaking, so it can also bring about misunderstanding. For instance, there is an expression break your leg that is used as a wish of good luck for the actors or entertainers before their performance. It is sometimes used even in the casual everyday life. Without knowing it, the foreigner might be offended that someone is suggesting breaking ones leg. Misformulating spoken discourse. For instance, in China, when the host offers anything to drink or eat, the guest, whether he or she wants to take it or not, will usually reply with a ritual No when asked for the first time. Then the host insists that the guest would accept the offer, replying with something like ok. Whereas, in certain other cultures of such continents as North America or Europe, the host does not serve drink or food against the spoken wishes of the guest. For that reason, in the western world, a Chinese person ends up without food or drink because of his or her ritual answer. Non-native speakers tend to employ the conversation strategies from their cultures, when they are not appropriate in cultures of native speakers or people from other cultures. Non-understanding of discourse force is often a result of failure to distinguish discourse markers. For example, the discourse force of the sentence Nice meeting you is to finish the conversation; however, a nonnative speaker may not understand it. As a result, s/he continues talking to the native speaker who finally has to finish the conversation by saying Sorry, we have to go.  [9]  This situation took place between a Chinese high school female teacher of English and a female visitor from America when they met at the Tiananmen Square for the first time  [10]  . 3.1 Vocabulary or Lexis Words are the basic units of any language in the world that are used in sentences supported by grammar. They are loaded with meanings that can be good, neutral or bad. Problems arise when, for instance, some of the words and phrases whose meanings are unknown to the hearer, which hinder the hearer from comprehension of the conversation. Likewise there are the words known to the hearer but are undesired to be use due to their degree of rudeness. Here I will present and discuss certain categories of words and expressions that require special attention as they might cause miscommunication. 3.2 Slang The first aspect of lexis in intercultural communication that needs reviewing is slang. The reason behind it is that slang and its misunderstanding can cause Behavioral and Mindset Anxiety, Discomfort Fear of the Unknown, Prejudice and Stereotyping, Perceived Cultural Superiority or Ethnocentrism, Racial, Sexual, and Educational Discrimination  [11]  . One needs to understand that Slang is an ever changing set of colloquial words and phrases that speakers use to establish or reinforce social identity or cohesiveness within a group or trend or fashion in society at large  [12]  . The usage of slang in verbal intercultural communication might raise a barrier or misunderstanding as slang is attached to a certain social group, culture or subculture, rather not to language as such. Hence, a person who employs slang in his or her speech with foreigners that is used in communication among the representatives of his or her social group might be misunderstood or not understood at all. There are certain criteria for words to be considered as slang  [13]  : Its presence will markedly lower, at least for the moment, the dignity of formal or serious speech or writing. Its use implies the users special familiarity either with the referent or with that of less status or less responsible class of people who have such familiarity and use the term. It is a tabooed term in ordinary disclosure with persons of higher social status or greater responsibility. It is used in place of the well-known conventional synonyms, especially in order (a) to protect the user from the discomfort caused by the conventional item or (b) to protect the user from the discomfort or annoyance of further elaboration. The most important is to realize that communication requires common ground knowledge for both parties of communication  [14]  . Slang cannot be considered a common ground for intercultural conversation as different nations do not share the knowledge of the same slang across the globe. Not to mention that slang should be avoided in certain settings of official meetings at any cost. The best option is to exclude the use of this type of vocabulary for speech in intercultural communication.

Essay --

The first poem that I chose was by the poet Julia Alvarez titled â€Å"Queens, 1963† this told the story of a family that has moved into in Queens, NY. The writer and narrator of this story is from the Dominican Republic. One year has passed for the family to finally settle into the neighborhood. This time an African American family has moved right across the street. The young girl notices how her neighbors have not treated this family with kindness and respect. More police have been seen patrolling through the neighborhood. When reading this poem my initial thoughts were that â€Å"Queens, 1963† describes the American people's behavior towards foreigners and their reactions. Alvarez states, â€Å"Mr. Scott, the retired plumber, and his plump Midwestern wife, considered moving back home, where white and black got along by staying where they belonged.† (Alvarez, pp 952) It will take another year and another family that will move into their neighborhood, than once the African American family settles in another family will be placed under the same scrutiny. The narrator also discusses about a girl about the same age as her would have never been the â€Å"right kind of American.† Minorities such as the African Americans, Dominican Americans and any other ethnicity that came to America were looked right under the microscope. This perplexed me I do not understand why they are treated unfairly by the â€Å"True Americans.† There is no such thing as True Americans and that this poem definitely targeted it's audience through racial discrimination rather than cultural changes within a neighborhood in Queens, NY. Another Poet had a much refined and unique style of another part of New York City, he is one of my favorite poets Langston Hughes. The poem that I chos... ...ability to write out whatever she desires definitely has been therapeutic for her. I believe that my Dad knew all along that Rabia had amazing writing ability. The success that she has had with her writing will only grow more and more. As for this poem it shows how my dad truly was angel in a humans body. He has been watching over Rabia and I as well as my family. Though the trials of life haven't come very easy I am sure he is proud to see that my sister has found something in life that she enjoys. I love him and my mom and my family and friends. Thank you Rabia for being the best sister a little brother can have. Thank you for being someone I can look up to. You have been an amazing influence and role model to me. You have endured so much and I didn't experience as much pain as you because I was so young. Your an amazing sister and I know you will do great things.

The Love Story of Pyramus and Thisbe :: Cyprus

The Love Story of Pyramus and Thisbe â€Å"Pyramus was the most handsome of young men and Thisbe was the fairest beauty of the East.† ~Ovid in Metamorphoses Pyramus and Thisbe lived in Babylonia and from the time they were young, were neighbors. They played together daily as children and fell in love as they grew older. Although neighbors, their families were hostile to one another so the love between Pyramus and Thisbe remained a secret. They had a special meeting place at a wall between their houses. This particular wall bore a scar. A large crack marred its smooth surface as a result of an earthquake long ago. Pyramus and Thisbe communicated through this crack when it was risky to see one another. One particularly magnificent day, they arrived at their usual meeting place. The beauty of the day made them lament their situation all the more. They cried as they watched two hummingbirds fly over the wall together. Suddenly they came to the decision that they would not be stopped from being together any longer. They decided to meet that night outside the city gates under a mulberry tree filled white fruit. This particular tree grew near a stream next to the local cemetery. Thisbe, hidden by a veil, arrived at the appointed spot first and waited patiently for Pyramus to come. All of a sudden, a lioness fresh from a kill, her jaws covered in blood, slunk out of the brush to satisfy her thirst at the stream. Thisbe, frightened by this disturbance, ran to a nearby cave. In her haste, she dropped her veil and the lioness grabbed it and shredded it with her bloody jaws. Meanwhile, Pyramus had arrived at the meeting place. As he approached the tree he could not help but notice the large paw prints of the lioness. His heart beat faster. As he approached the stream, his fears were confirmed upon seeing Thisbe’s veil torn and bloodstained. Unable to find Thisbe and fearing that she was dead, Pyramus was unable to contain his sorrow. He drew his sword and plunged it deeply into his side. As he removed the sword from his side, blood sprayed the white fruit on the tree, turning it a dark purple color. Meanwhile, Thisbe, recovered from her fright, came back to the meeting place by the stream. There she saw Pyramus’ body lying in a crumpled heap on the ground. Racked with uncontrollable agony, she took his sword and threw her body onto it. The Love Story of Pyramus and Thisbe :: Cyprus The Love Story of Pyramus and Thisbe â€Å"Pyramus was the most handsome of young men and Thisbe was the fairest beauty of the East.† ~Ovid in Metamorphoses Pyramus and Thisbe lived in Babylonia and from the time they were young, were neighbors. They played together daily as children and fell in love as they grew older. Although neighbors, their families were hostile to one another so the love between Pyramus and Thisbe remained a secret. They had a special meeting place at a wall between their houses. This particular wall bore a scar. A large crack marred its smooth surface as a result of an earthquake long ago. Pyramus and Thisbe communicated through this crack when it was risky to see one another. One particularly magnificent day, they arrived at their usual meeting place. The beauty of the day made them lament their situation all the more. They cried as they watched two hummingbirds fly over the wall together. Suddenly they came to the decision that they would not be stopped from being together any longer. They decided to meet that night outside the city gates under a mulberry tree filled white fruit. This particular tree grew near a stream next to the local cemetery. Thisbe, hidden by a veil, arrived at the appointed spot first and waited patiently for Pyramus to come. All of a sudden, a lioness fresh from a kill, her jaws covered in blood, slunk out of the brush to satisfy her thirst at the stream. Thisbe, frightened by this disturbance, ran to a nearby cave. In her haste, she dropped her veil and the lioness grabbed it and shredded it with her bloody jaws. Meanwhile, Pyramus had arrived at the meeting place. As he approached the tree he could not help but notice the large paw prints of the lioness. His heart beat faster. As he approached the stream, his fears were confirmed upon seeing Thisbe’s veil torn and bloodstained. Unable to find Thisbe and fearing that she was dead, Pyramus was unable to contain his sorrow. He drew his sword and plunged it deeply into his side. As he removed the sword from his side, blood sprayed the white fruit on the tree, turning it a dark purple color. Meanwhile, Thisbe, recovered from her fright, came back to the meeting place by the stream. There she saw Pyramus’ body lying in a crumpled heap on the ground. Racked with uncontrollable agony, she took his sword and threw her body onto it.

The Gap :: Clothing Retail Sales Papers

The Gap Formating problems GAP.à  It’s on every third glass window that covers the front of the store.à  The windows display large posters and body forms, not mannequins because they don’t have heads, hands, or feet.à  They wear the latest items to arrive in the store, and look impeccable most of the time, because most of the time I dress them.à  The tiled floor between the glass doors gives way to a scratched and scuffed hard wood floor in desperate need of a wax and buff.à  The dust bunnies that seem to breed and quickly distribute themselves until they are under every fixture and on top of every shelf must first be exterminated.à  The lighting is a combination of muted fluorescent in the middle with focused spotlights on the items toward the outside of the store.à  I can catch a whiff of wool, or leather every so often, but usually my nose is polluted with Dream, Heaven, and Blue, constantly sprayed by customers testing it.à  Just smell the bottle, ok?à  Music is always pump ing out of the speakers from a tape that is sent to us from the corporate office.à  Sometimes the songs are danceable, sometimes not, but the volume is always loud enough so that you can listen to it if you get bored, but still hold a conversation over it.à  Conversations that often times occur between employees themselves.à  I’m not big on the conversing side of it.à  I listen to the music, thinking about what I really want to be doing right now.à  Do I want to fold this sweatshirt?à  Do I want to look for another size?à  No I want to put my tongue piercing back in and dance around the store busting a move for all the world to see.à  I can’t do that.à  I have to obey the corporate law because I’m on â€Å"Gap Time.†Ãƒ Ãƒ Ãƒ  Women’s items are on the left side, men’s on the right.à  Each is divided further into four sections: sections one two and three, and the denim section.à  They all have themes.à  Section one is usually seasonally casual; currently it’s filled with sweaters and wool pants, scarves, hats and mittens.à  Section two has all the khakis; it’s sometimes the Gap at Work section, or the Smart and Snappy section.à  Right now Women’s Two is filled with velvet pants, silk shirts, tuxedo skirts and pants, button up shirts, and turtleneck sweaters in merino wool.

Sex Industry and Prostitution

PATTS COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS| Prostitution| Advantage and Disadvantage| | Brian Angelo A. Ong Lo| 07-Mar-13| A business or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute or sex worker. | Prostitution is the business or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute or sex worker, and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms.Prostitution is one of the branches of the sex industry. The legal status of prostitution varies from country to country, from being permissible but unregulated, to a punishable crime or to a regulated profession. Estimates place the annual revenue generated from the global prostitution industry to be over $100 billion. Prostitution is sometimes referred to as â€Å"the world's oldest profession†. Prostitution occurs in a variety of forms. Brothels are establishments specifically dedicated to prostitution.In escort prostitution, the act may take place at the customer's residence or hotel room (referred to as out-call), or at the escort's residence or in a hotel room rented for the occasion by the escort (called in-call). Another form is street prostitution. Sex tourism refers to travelling, typically from developed to underdeveloped nations, to engage in sexual activity with prostitutes. Etymology and terminology â€Å"Prostitute† is derived from the Latin prostituta. Some sources cite the verb as a composition of â€Å"pro† meaning â€Å"up front† or â€Å"forward† and â€Å"situere†, defined as â€Å"to offer up for sale†.Another explanation is that â€Å"prostituta† is a composition of pro and statuere (to cause to stand, to station, place erect). A literal translation therefore is: â€Å"to put up front for sale† or â€Å"to place forw ard†. The online Etymology Dictionary states, â€Å"The notion of ‘sex for hire' is not inherent in the etymology, which rather suggests one ‘exposed to lust' or sex â€Å"indiscriminately offered. † The word â€Å"prostitute† was then carried down through various languages to the present-day Western society.Most sex worker activists groups reject the word â€Å"prostitute† and since the late 1970s have used the term â€Å"sex worker† instead. However, a â€Å"sex worker† can also mean anyone who works within the sex industry or whose work is of a sexual nature and is not limited solely to prostitutes. Other meanings The word â€Å"prostitution† can also be used metaphorically to mean debasing oneself or working towards an unworthy cause or â€Å"selling out†. [9] In this sense, â€Å"prostituting oneself† or â€Å"whoring oneself† the services or acts performed are typically not sexual.History of pros titution The history of prostitution extends to all ancient and modern cultures. It has been described as â€Å"the world's oldest profession†. Advantage Well, it pays vastly more than other jobs that requires no formal qualifications, skills or previous work experience. Disadvantage Some of the disadvantages of prostitution are that it is dangerous. Disease can be transmitted this way. Some participants are taken advantage. Advantages of prostitution would be the ability for those involved in this activity to make money.

Bargaining Power Is the Ability to Influence the Setting of Prices

Bargaining power is the ability to influence the setting of prices. Buyer power refers to the ability of customers of the industry to influence the price and terms of purchase. The bargaining power of customers is also described as the market of outputs. The ability of customers to put the firm under pressure, which also affects the customer's sensitivity to price changes. Bargaining power of buyers occurs when leverage is given to the buyer and demand for lower prices, increased quality and more services are made.The amount of power enjoyed by a buyer group maybe determined by the concentration of buyers or volume of purchase. Additional occasion for high levels of buyer’s power may occur when the purchase represents a large portion of the buyer’s overall expenditures, if differentiation and switching costs are low, if there is likelihood of backward integration and if the buyer is fully informed about demand, market prices and supplier cost. The power of buyers is the impact that customers have on a producing industry.In general, when buyer power is strong, the relationship to the producing industry is near to what an economist terms a monophony a market in which there are many suppliers and one buyer. Under such market conditions, the buyer sets the price. In reality few pure monopolies exist, but frequently there is some asymmetry between a producing industry and buyers. The following tables outline some factors that determine buyer power. Buyers are Powerful if: Buyers purchase a significant proportion of output distribution of purchases or if the product is standardized. or example-Circuit City and Sears' large retail market provides power over appliance manufacturers. Buyers are weak if: Buyers are fragmented, no buyer has any particular influence on product or price. For example in garments industry there are so many kinds of customers there in the market. Prices are set by supply and demand and the market reaches the Pareto-optimal point where the highest possible number of buyers are satisfied at a price that still allow for the supplier to be profitable. In garments industry some of them are facing powerful buyers and some are facing weak buyers. ike sub-dealer of boo tic stores have a limited set of potential clients, each commanding a large share of their market these industries are having strong buyers. When retailers face individual consumers with little or no power at all that means now the garments industry has a weak buyer. In the garments industry it is economically feasible for buyers to follow the practice of purchasing the input from several suppliers rather that one. The products are unimportant to the quality of the customer's product or service.The buyers pose a threat of integrating backward to make the garments industry's products. In the garments industry the supplying industry is comprised of large numbers of relatively small sellers. They are concentrated and buy in large volume. The bargaining power of customers is also described as the market of outputs. The ability of customers to put the industry under pressure, which also affects the customer's sensitivity to price changes. These factors change with time and firm's choice of buyers-groups should be regarded as an important element in strategic decision-making.

“East of Eden” by John Steinbeck Essay

The prosecution will begin by establishing the character of the defendant, and further prove that the criminal acts committed by Ms. Catherine Ames were not random, but rather a part of a cynical mindset that deliberately caused harm. Catherine Ames was without a doubt, a stunning work of beauty with the power to make all heads turn everywhere she went. She have lovely gold hair, big hazel eyes, pointy small chin along with a delicate nose, and high cheekbones giving her a heart shaped face. She was an adorable child that became an irresistible woman with the power to make all man fall head over heels. With a timid smile and a soft spoken voice, this appears to be the perfect woman. However, let us not be fooled by her angelic appearance. Catherine Ames is a cruel, manipulative, sadistic being who knows how to get anything she wants through the lust from men. She was able to use her beauty to her advantage even as a young child. The very first incident was when Ms. Catherine Ames used her wittiness and manipulative skills to inflict moral and physical pain to two boys. The boys received immense punishments for actions that she herself encouraged, but declared herself a victim to preserve her reputation. Cathy used her sheer beauty and manipulation to seduce her Latin teacher James Grew. When she had James Grew’s heart in the palm of her hand, she denied him any affection or love, making him commit suicide. Cathy took an educated kind man and turned him into rubble just because she could. As Cathy grew she became more destructive and morally impotent. It became quite clear that Cathy had no respect for authority when she ran away from home and went to Boston. She was pushed to the edge after being caught trying to run away from home and was beat and punished. Driven by agitation she stole all her father’s money out of his safe. She cleaned the cellar and stuffed papers all around the edges of the foundation to block the draft. She oiled the hinges, the lock of the kitchen door and the hinges of the front door. She continued to prepare, on the night of the crime, she put on an old apron to protect her clothes and found a jelly jar and carried it to the carriage house. She then found a chicken, cut its head off, and filled the jar halfway with the blood. She then buried the evidence of the chicken.  She then took off the apron in the kitchen and put it on the stove. She poked the coals until the apron caught on fire. Again before leaving she hid the evidence of the jelly jar. She remorselessly locked her parents in their house and set it on fire. Her parents sad death did not make Cathy shed a tear as she was looking into a new exciting career: prostitution. When she meets Mr. Edwards she is keen to provoke him to become sexually attracted to her. After he puts her up in his own house, keeping her from his wife and providing for her, she begins to steal from him. She also locks him out of his own house and takes control of his property. When he realizes something horrible about Cathy, he attempts to get her drunk one night. While drunk she stabs him with a broken wine glass. Driven by her intoxication, she stabs him in the cheek and sends him running away from his own house. Her impulsive and evil nature was evident through her actions that night. After a bad run in with the whoremaster Mr. Edwards, Cathy successfully manipulated Adam Trask to fall in love with her. After Adam had provided Cathy with unconditional love and support during her weak time, she repaid him by sleeping with his brother Charles behind Adam’s back. After they moved to California to start off new Cathy and Adam had their twins she coldheartedly did not want to look at them claiming â€Å"No. I don’t want them† After she recovered from giving birth, she abandoned Adam and the twins. After abandoning her husband and children Cathy became a working girl in a whorehouse. Now under the alias Kate, Cathy manipulated Faye the owner of the whorehouse into signing a will giving everything to Cathie upon Faye’s death. After, slowly and painfully killing Faye, Cathie assumed control of the whorehouse. When it was thought that Cathy could not go any lower, when her son Caleb discovered the truth about her and wanted to be a changed man, she told him he can’t and he will become exactly like her as he grows up, sinful and damned. It’s quite clear that Cathy is not a noble human being with good intentions. Her life has been filled with nothing else but hatred for others and schemes to get as much money as possible. Evidence presented here after show the  criminal acts that Cathy has committed throughout her life, crimes that she admitted to performing without remorse. Cathy had committed crimes against law of the nation and crimes against religion as well. Even though she is no where near of being religiously moderate, she still followed the religion of Christianity for her marriage to Adam Trask. Cathy did commit some major felonies toward God such as committing adultery. First, adultery means having sexual relations between an individual who is married and someone who is not the individual’s spouse. In Christianity, adultery is considered a major sin which shows betrayal and lack of trust by that individual in the marriage. In the last two lines of Chapter 11, it states â€Å"Suddenly Charles laughed. â€Å"The Poor bastard,† he said, and he threw back the blanket to receive her.† Cathy did not care if she slept with Charles. Better yet, she does not embrace her marriage by sleeping with Charles. She is an embodiment of pure evil driven by self-hatred, desperation, and a love of pain, and Cathy destroys lives without any sen se of remorse. She wanted something to satisfy her cruel nature and did so behind Adam’s back. In the bible, Cathy is directly compared to Eve when Eve eats a forbidden fruit and introducing sin into the world. Cathy did the same by committing a forbidden act of trust and friendship. This proves to show the hypocrisy that exists in Cathy with no moral influence or structure. Cathy, without mentioning anything to her husband Adam, tried to abort her two children with a knitting needle while Adam was out obtaining information on his plot of land. If that isn’t terrible enough, Cathy gives the reason that she has a family history of epilepsy and did not want to pass it on to her children which is a blatant lie. This attempt at abortion was a complete secret from Adam until she was found unconscious due to a great lose of blood. Cathy tried to murder her unborn children while Adam was away and didn’t even tell him that she was pregnant in the first place. This was a disgusting act of attempted murder upon two completely helpless and vulnerable unborn children in which Cathy should be punished for. After Cathy attempted to murder her unborn children Cathy moved onto bigger and more horrific things. She attempted to murder Adam, her husband. A week after the birth of newborn twins, Cathy decides that she is going to abandon them and leave Adam alone. Before leaving, Cathy pulled out a handgun and shot Adam. Luckily she had bad aim and only hit him in the shoulder but we all know that she was aiming to kill him. After Cathy shot Adam, she ran out of the house and out of Adams’ life forever. This is the second time Cathy attempts to murder someone in her life. First it was her unborn children, and now her husband. Cathy is nothing but a murderer and cares for nothing but to inflict pain upon others. Another sin in which Cathy tries to commit is suicide. Suicide is not illegal by law in the nation except for some states, but this act of killing oneself is considered a sin and a crime against god. One of the commandments states that specifically â€Å"Thou shall not kill† which can pertain to a person’s life or their own life. In page 554, Cathy takes her own life by using a cyanide pill. This by far is much is strongly against the teachings of God and it goes against one of his commandments. God said there will be consequences for whoever commits suicide and that would be punishment in hell. Cathy may have her reasons to commit suicide, such as arthritic pain, low self esteem, and a painful life. However, this is the life she chose to follow as being sick and maliciously evil towards others which caused the downfall for her life.

Psychology †Pretty Little Liars Style Essay

Psychology The science of behavior and mental processes Nature vs. Nurture The controversy over the impact which genes and experiences have on psychological behaviors. Just like in the Bad Seed (performed at Rosewood High,) psychologists wonder if evil is something inherited or learned. Basic Research Science whose main goal is to increase the scientific knowledge base. Applied Research Scientific studies which aim to solve practical problems, like forensics being used to determine if the Liars’ evidence is real. Clinical Psychology A branch of Psychology which studies psychological disorders. Mona would have to have seen a clinical psychologist†¦ that chick cray. Psychiatry A branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders, with physicians who often give medicine to their patients. Empiricism The concept that knowledge comes from experience via the senses, while science comes from observation and experimentation. Jenna had lost the sense of sight, so in a strange, empirical sense, she could be less knowledgeable than the Liars†¦ if not, she certainly is more crazy. Hindsight Bias The tendency to believe that after a known outcome a person had known it all along. Reminiscent of people claiming they had known Toby is part of the A team†¦ It can’t be true!! False Consensus Effect The tendency to overestimate the extent to which others share our beliefs and behaviors. Similar to how Spencer completely opened up to Toby, assuming that there was no way he was involved with A. Illusory Correlation Surely connected to the phrase â€Å"correlation is not causation,† this is the perception of a relationship where none exists. Similar to how Noel kept imagining a relationship between himself and Aria. Independent Variable The experimental factor which is being manipulated and whose effect is being studied†¦ ust like how A manipulates the Liars to watch them crack. Dependent Variable The experimental factor which is being measured. A manipulates the Liars to see how far she can get them to crack. Evolutionary Approach The study of psychology using the principles of natural selection. A seems to follow Darwin’s theories, eliminating the weakest of the NAT club one by one. Biological Approach The study of Psychology linking psychological progresses and biology, such as genetics. This is similar to A’s belief that Aria would have an affair with Ezra simply because her father had also had a student-teacher relationship. Behavior Genetics Approach A theory which determines how our environment influences our individual differences. The Liars all had secrets similar to the ones their parents had kept, be it lying, cheating, or stealing. Psychoanalytic Approach Studies using Freud’s theories on how the unconscious drives our behavior. Humanistic Approach Emphasize the growth potential of healthy people†¦. such as the ever beautiful Keegan Allen. Structuralism An early school of psychology which used introspection to explore the structure of the human mind. Similar to how Dr. Sullivan asked Hanna to think back about her relationship with Alison to help her move past her death. Functionalism A school of psychology which focused on how mental process allow an organism to adapt, survive, and flourish. In the movie Psycho (scenes from which were replicated in the episode â€Å"unmAsked†) Bates had become his mother in order to cope with his life and adapt to his condition. Human Factors Psychology The study of how people and machines interact. For instance, how the Liars are so reliant on their cellphones, even though that’s what brings them misery. Bottoms-Up Processing Perception, or analysis of sensory information, which begins with the sense receptor and works up to the brains integration of sensory information. Aria and Emily had first seen Caleb talking on the phone, and after listening to him talk, they then interpreted his conversation to mean that he was lying to Hanna. Top-Down Processing A form of higher level mental process which constructs perceptions based on experience and expectation, more similar to how Spencer learns information. Sensory Adaptation Diminished sensitivity in consequence of constant stimulation. Similar to Paige’s concern over the fact that Emily has become so used to â€Å"A† that she no longer realizes the danger she constantly is in. Associative Learning Learning that two events occur together, typically stimuli and a consequence. Similar to the Liars becoming convinced that every ad thing that happens to them is linked to â€Å"A†. Behaviorism The view that Psychology should be an objective science that studies behavior without reference to mental processes. Many people had believed that Mona was not truly sick because of her mental state, but merely because of her objective behavior. Classical Conditioning A learning style where an organism associates stimuli. Pavlov’s study of dogs salivating was a large factor. The Liars had received texts from â€Å"A† and got scared, now simply hearing their phone go off is enough to scare them. Unconditioned Response The unlearned response in classical conditioning, in this case, the fear behind the texts. Unconditioned Stimulus The stimulus which naturally triggers a response. In this case, â€Å"A†. Conditioned Response The learned response to a previously neutral stimulus. The Liars learned to fear their cellphones. Stimulus An irrelevant stimulus which eventually becomes a stimulus in classical conditioning. In this case the Liars’ cell phones. Conditioned Generalization The tendency once a response is conditioned, for similar stimuli to issue the same response. For instance, if the Liars were to then fear their computers and other technology as well. Acquisition The initial stage in classical conditioning where the stimulus first elicits a response. Like when the Liars first jumped after hearing Aria’s cell phone ring at Alison’s funeral. Extinction The diminishing of a conditioned response, such as after Mona was found to be â€Å"A. † Operant Conditioning A learning style where behavior is strengthened following reinforcement or diminished by punishment. Like â€Å"A† terrorizing the Liars to punish them for how they acted around Alison. Law of Effect Thordike’s principles that behavior followed by favorable consequences become more likely and that behaviors followed by unfavorable consequences become less likely. For instance, Byron stopped having affairs after Alison blackmailed him in punishment for his actions. Operant Chamber The â€Å"Skinner Box† used to teach rats to hit a bar in order to obtain food or water. Shaping An operant conditioning procedure in which reinforcers guide behavior toward closer and closer approximations of a desired goal, like guiding mice to a specific area of a cage. â€Å"A† does this to lure Spencer into the fun house at the founders day festival. Fixed-Interval Schedule In operant conditioning, a schedule of reinforcement that reinforces a response only after a specific amount of time. Similar to having a paycheck and a specified pay day, which Ashley did have, but it just didn’t seem to be enough. Variable-Ratio Schedule A schedule of reinforcement that reinforces a response at an unpredictable amount of responses. Similar to Lucas and his gambling problem. Latent Learning Subject matter which is learned but not demonstrated, such as Mona pretending to be less intelligent then she really is. Overjustification Act When you reward someone for doing something they already like to do, such as Emily winning anchor. They won’t see it as a reward, but that doesn’t mean former psychopaths like Paige won’t see it that way. Neuron A nerve cell, the basic building block of the nervous system. Just like how Alison was the main building block of the Liars. Dendrites The branching extensions of a neuron that receive impulses, such as the Liars receiving information from A. Axon The extension of a neuron through which messages are sent to other neurons or to muscles or glands. Toby was an extension of Spencer who sent out messages as A. Myelin Sheath A layer of tissue that encases neurons. It enables faster transmission of neural impulses. The Liars’ families and their secrets protect the Liars, yet A uses them to get across their message more clearly. Threshold The level of stimulation required to trigger a neural response. After finding Toby was A, Spencer’s threshold for tolerating Mona sunk to an all-time low. Acetylcholine A neurotransmitter that triggers muscle contraction. Such as the neurotransmitter that makes Pretty Little Liars fans twitch every time Toby comes on screen. Central Nervous System The brain and the spinal cord, which are linked to survival†¦ something Alison was terrible at. Autonomic Nervous System The part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the internal organs. Such as the gorgeous boys of the show who control the hearts of the Liars. Sympathetic Nervous System The part of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body. Parasympathetic Nervous System The part of the autonomic nervous system which calms the body. Medulla The area of the brain that controls breathing and heart beats. Sensation The process of sensory receptors receiving stimulant energies from the environment. This can be analogous with the Liars gaining clues to A’s identity. Perception The process of interpreting sensory information to recognize objects and events. Analogous with interpreting clues to determine who A is. Psychophysics The study of the relationship between physical characteristics of stimuli, such as intensity, and the psychological experience of them. Absolute Threshold The minimum stimulation needed to detect a stimulus half of the time. The absolute threshold for Pretty Little Liars fans is low considering the intensity of their cliffhangers. Subliminal Something below the absolute threshold for conscious awareness. The clues that are in the show are subliminal while being watched, but only make sense when considered with hindsight bias. Weber’s Law The principal that two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage to be able to tell the difference. Apparently the difference between Alison and her twin are too minimal to pass the Liars’ threshold. Sensory Adaptation Diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation. After the blow of finding out Toby was A, it really shouldn’t surprise me that Spencer would join the A team as well. Optic Nerve The nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain. Something Jenna lacks. Sensory Interaction The concept that senses influence each other. While Jenna was blind, her lack of vision altered her taste for food. Selective Attention Focusing attention on one stimulus, such as Spencer ignoring Alex at Homecoming to pay attention to Emily and Toby. Perspectives/Approaches Methods of Research Social Psychology Biological Bases of Behavior Development Learning, Cognition, Language, Intelligence Sensation/Perception Motivation/Emotion States of Consciousness Personality Theories Abnormal Psychology People Foot-In-The-Door Theory The tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request. This would make it easy for the A-Team to attract followers. As soon as they agree to send one taunting text to the Liars as revenge on Alison, the next thing you know they’re running over Hanna with a car. Social Facilitation Improved performance of tasks in the presence of others, often occurs with simple or well-learned tasks, but not with difficult or unmastered ones. When Toby and Spencer ran together, they probably ran faster and longer than if they had been alone.