The Five People You Meet in Heaven: the Impact of Relationships

Personal Goal: Attempt to tie every idea, topic, and commentary back to the prompt and the thesis. Make sure no deviations from the current main ideas exist and all ideas are directly relevant to surrounding sentences. Personal Goal: Attempt to tie every idea, topic, and commentary back to the prompt and the thesis. Make sure no deviations from the current main ideas exist and all ideas are directly relevant to surrounding sentences. Clayton Little Ms. Davis English 2 22 February 2013 Independent Reading ProjectThe Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom follows a man’s journey through heaven after dying at the age of 83 in a horrific theme park accident. The novel proposes that when one dies, one meets with the five people that most influenced, affected, or defined one, before moving on. The story is told partly through Eddie’s interactions with his five people and also through vivid snapshots of his life, both of which allow the reader to see changes in his char acter and the development of his identity as he journeys through life.The changes in Eddie’s character before and after his death and the musings the author instills in the reader exemplify the theme that what defines an individual the most are the people around them and their relationships with them. The novel begins at the end, right before Eddie dies in the accident. It is here the reader gets the first view of Eddie as an old man, weary of the world: â€Å"His plans never worked out.In time, he found himself graying and wearing looser pants and in a state of weary acceptance, that this was who he was and who he always would be, a man with sand in his shoes in a world of mechanical laughter and grilled frankfurters† (Albom 5). This initial introduction to Eddie delivers the reader with a vivid description of his weariness and resignation. Throughout this same first chapter, the author also interjects small stories of Eddies past, no more than a paragraph each: †Å"Another story went around about Eddie. As a soldier, he had engaged in combat numerous times. He’d been brave.Even won a medal. But toward the end of his service, he got into a fight with one of his own men. That’s how Eddie was wounded. No one knew what happened to the other guy. No one asked† (Albom 8). These short glimpses into Eddie’s past interspersed throughout his last moments make the reader wonder what the meaning of these stories are. The way the author uses short, clipped sentences and the repetition of the phrase â€Å"No one† evokes a tone of mystery, arousing the reader’s curiosity in Eddie’s past. What was Eddie like in his childhood, his adolescence, his adulthood? What made him into what he is now?These unanswered questions pester the reader like flies and builds the framework for future revelations about Eddie’s character. The first of these changes seen in Eddie’s character is when Eddie first awakes in heaven, finding himself 75 years in the past, on Ruby Pier, the place that has always been a constant setting throughout his life. He is at the beginning. It is here that Eddie meets his first person in heaven, the Blue Man, who explains the intricacies of the journey Eddie must travel and how he will meet five people in heaven, â€Å"Each of us was in your life for a reason.You may not have known the reason at the time, and that is what heaven is for. For understanding your life on Earth† (Albom 35). Eddie learns that his relationship with the strange man he barely knows was Eddie’s unintentional act that led to the Blue Man’s death. The knowledge that it was his irresponsibility that caused the death of the man sitting in front of him fills him with guilt and sorrow that ultimately deeply affects his identity and character, as seen in the two quotes, â€Å"‘You see? the Blue Man whispered, having finished the story from his point of view. ‘Litt le Boy? ’ Eddie felt a shiver. ‘Oh no,’ he whispered† (Albom 44), and, â€Å"‘Please, Mister†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Eddie pleaded. ‘I didn’t know. Believe me†¦God help me, I didn’t know’† (Albom 47). The shock and guilt Eddie feels is profoundly felt by the reader, through words with foreboding connotations like â€Å"whispered† and â€Å"shiver† and by the ellipses and commas between phrases, showing pauses in his speech as he attempts to absorb the impact of the new knowledge.The revelation that he had a hand in murdering another person strongly affects Eddie’s character, making him more paranoid and confrontational, as everything he knew about his life crumbles into a much less desirable image, a trait he holds for the rest of the book. The gruesome relationship between Eddie and his unintended victim affects Eddie’s behavior and attitude in a way that no setting, environment, or event ever could: â€Å"Eddie stepped back. He squared his body as if bracing for a fight†¦Eddie was skeptical. His fists stayed clenched† (Albom 47).The transformation from a weary old man too tired to care about much but the weather to a confrontational man willing to fight for the life he had once known is radical and sudden, and brought about merely through what many would consider a fleeting acquaintance with a man he barely knew. Yet, this apparently minor relationship had a major effect, clearly exemplifying the huge power of a relationship with another individual. The people Eddie meets in heaven do not all affect his character after death, such as the Blue Man, but rather let him and the reader reflect on Eddie’s fluctuating identity in the past.One of these such people was his father: â€Å"The damage done by Eddie’s father was, at the beginning, the damage of neglect† (Albom 104). Eddie was often neglected and abused physically as well as emotionall y by his father. This resulted in him always thirsting for approval or affection, two things he would only ever receive in small, taunting tastes from his father: â€Å"And on occasion, as if to feed the weakest embers of a fire, Eddie’s father let a wrinkle of pride crack the veneer of his disinterest† (Albom 106).This virtual torture of Eddie’s emotions as a child and for the rest of his life would forever scar him and breed a habit of coldness between Eddie and his father. The impact on Eddie’s character cut deep. The abusive relationship between him and his father made him into a man that was always searching for his place in the world, always feeling inadequate. Eddie was never content with his lot in life, not with his wife, job, or family: â€Å"He cursed his father for dying and trapping him in the very life he’d been trying to escape† (Albom 128).Of everything that defined Eddie, the relationship with his father was the most influen tial, a relationship that stemmed from less than opportune circumstances, yet yielded what is perhaps the core of Eddie’s character. After reading The Five People You Meet in Heaven, it becomes obvious to the reader that changes in an individual are direct results of relationships and connections between individuals. Many things can grow to define a person’s self: war, hunger, death, time.Yet none of these can compare with the soft words of a parent or the pleading of an enemy soldier on the battlefield or the trust held between friends. One realizes, as Eddie did, that every individual is just a strand in a web, a drop in a pool of water, and when one strand is plucked or the surface disturbed, the ripple is felt by those closest. Albom, Mitch. The Five People You Meet in Heaven. New York: Hyperion, 2003. Print.

Bussiness

Part one Excuative Summary Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with 1,000 properties in 100 countries and approximately 145,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood Hotels is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels and resorts with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, Sheraton, Westin, Four Points by Sheraton, W, Le Meridien, Aloft, and Element. Starwood Hotels also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc. one of the premier developers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts. Starwood hotels and resorts offer an array of innovative services to meet the needs of guest, and business traveler. Including high speed internet throughout all of their hotels, two-line telephones in the guest rooms, and fax and print services at stations threw out their hotels. In 2011 the company posted revenues of $5,624,000,000. In 2 006, it had sales of nearly $6 billion and profits of $1 billion. Starwood Hotels and Resorts has six core value that they follow; Trust, Respect, Callaboration, Innovation, Accountability, and Execution.With these values Starwood Hotels and Resorts uses these core values and its mission statement to serve as a blueprint for what they will accomplish. Starwood Hotels and Resorts mission statement is as follows; â€Å"Create the most successful branded, global, lifestyle Hospitality Company by ensuring that trust and respect, for our associates and guests, are at the forefront of everything we do. We are committed to re-imagining our business with creativity and innovation, resulting in exciting, fun workplace. †(http://www. starwoodhotels. com/corporate/careers/believe/values. tml) Starwood Hotels and Resorts mission statement focuses on creating a great hospitality company for their employees and their guest. CEO Fritz Van Passchen and CFO Vasant M. Prabhu of Starwood Hotels and Resort makes it there goal to do so. Fritz Van Paasschen, has been Chief Executive Officer and President of the Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. since September 2007. Previously he served as and CEO of Molson Coors Brewing Company’s largest division from March 2005 until September 2007. Vasant M. Prabhu Reports to Frits Van Paasschen as vice chairman and financial officer or Starwood Hotels and Resorts. Vasant is responsible for the accounting, tax, strategic planning, corporate development and risk management function of the corporation. Vasant has 20 years of experience and previously served as an executive vice president and chief financial officer for Safeway Inc. It is not nothing new for companies in the hospitality industry to give back to the community. Starwood hotel and Resorts is the world’s leading hospitality company with over 1128 properties in 100 countries represented by nine innovative brands and over 145,000 associates.With such breadt h and verity it makes the Starwood hotels and resorts willing and ready to promote change around the world and they are committed to doing so. When it comes to social responsibility Starwood Hotels and Resorts   has other hotels beat in 2012 one of the Starwood store brands   the Sheraton Metechi palace Hotel received an award for the â€Å"World’s Leading CSR Programme†Ã‚     and that’s not the only time they were nominated for such rewards according to  http://www. worldtravelawards. om/profile-2434-starwood-hotels-resorts. Some CSR programs Starwood Hotels and Resorts are associated with; Starwood hotels and resorts has been charitable partner with UNICEF since 1995 and the program now operates in more than 210 of its hotels throughout world and has raised $13 million for UNICEF. Some 2012 CSR projects include Starwood’s employees fundraising campaign, the road to awareness, $320,000 was raised from the schools for Africa project and list goes on and on.Part Two Technological Opportunities Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. is the most global High-end hotel company in the world. Their strength lies in nine distinct lifestyle brands, an award-winning loyalty program and there more than 171,000 associates at their owned and manages properties. Starwood hotel and resort tries focusing on blending and mining there associates. They makes it a priority to maintain an associate and customer base as diverse as the world population. Our culture of diversity and inclusion has also been recognized by DiversityInc as one of the â€Å"Top 50 Companies for Diversity† and by the Human Rights Campaign as one of the â€Å"Best Places to Work for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equality†. Starwood hotels and resorts offer an array of innovative services to meet the needs of guest, and business traveler. Including high speed internet throughout all of their hotels, two-line telephones in the guest rooms, and fax a nd print services at stations threw out their hotels. Part Three Marketing OpportunitiesStarwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. Plans to strengthening its position as the leading hotel operator across the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region with an existing portfolio of 82 hotels, representing nearly 22,000 guest rooms, the majority of which are operated under Starwood’s world-renowned Sheraton and Le Meridien brands. The company plans to increase its MEA portfolio by more than 60% with nearly 50 new hotels set to open over the next five years, adding more than 14,000 guest rooms to the region while creating thousands of local employment opportunities.With over 20 hotels expected to open by the end of 2015, Starwood is on track to reach a milestone 100 hotels across MEA. Further underscoring the importance of the region as one of Starwood’s fastest growing hotel and travel markets, earlier this month the company relocated its global headquarters from Stamford, Connec ticut to Dubai for a month-long immersion. â€Å"Starwood continues to see demand for growth of all of our brands across the Middle East and Africa despite economic and political uncertainty in some parts of this incredibly diverse region,† said Frits van Paasschen, President and CEO, Starwood Hotels & Resorts. Rapid economic growth, rising personal incomes, a growing middle class and ever greater global connectivity are driving new travel patterns and demand for travel, and this region is at the center of these trends and a key focus of our growth strategy. † According to http://www. starwoodhotels. com/corporate/about/index. html Part Four Recruitment Presentation At Starwood Hotels and Resorts Inc. they make it a mission to create opportunities for undergraduates and graduates across every area of their business.Through internships, externships, and management training programs they will teach you leadership and team’s skill. So position yourself for a rewardi ng career in hospility industry take it from me I only work at one of their location and actually started as an intern and now I am a supervisor. Making there recruitment overview to be right on target when they say â€Å"We advance. No matter where we go, we always move forward. We open new hotels and resorts and create more personal, global experiences for our guests.You can be a part of it all with our programs at our properties and corporate locations throughout the world in places such as China, the United States, Canada, Europe, Africa and the Middle East and South Asia. We inspire. We immerse you with people, places and practices that make up our thriving portfolio. You will experience firsthand the thrills of working with some of the most sought-after hospitality brands and leaders in the world. † Part Five Future Opportunities From the company's luxury General Managers Summit in Dubai, Starwood Hotels ; Resorts Worldwide, Inc. NYSE: HOT) today announced its luxury fo otprint has nearly doubled worldwide in five years to meet growing global demand. Starwood is lengthening its lead in luxury hospitality with more than 160 hotels in 39 countries as part of The Luxury Collection, St. Regis and W brands, offering guests and residents personalized service and exceptional experiences around the world. Looking ahead, Starwood will add 50 luxury hotels in 12 new countries over the next five years. The General Managers Summit coincides with Starwood's month-long relocation of its global headquarters to Dubai. Modern luxury has not replaced tradition; they sit at the same table, but in slightly different clothes† â€Å"We are on the cusp of a new golden age of luxury travel as technology and globalization drive new trade routes, capital flows and wealth creation,† said Frits van Paasschen, Starwood's President and CEO. â€Å"Dubai is at the epicenter of this change and we are delighted to welcome our general managers from around the world to cultivate a deeper understanding of a new and growing luxury landscape. † According to www. starwoodhotels. com Starwood's inaugural luxury General Managers Summit

Case WriteUp for Sunshine Foods Marketing

First, their motto: â€Å"As long as new products look like they will increase the company’s sales volume, they are introduced. † This is causing the company to take on too many products that don’t increase their revenues. It spreads them to thin and makes them too generic. Second, adding more products to use the unused areas of production. They need to do a cost analysis to see if using that unused production time has any cost/revenue benefit. Just because it is unused doesn’t mean that it will generate more money if it is used. Third, their contract states a grocer needs to carry at least 65 Sunshine Food items. This forces only large grocers to carry their items, which limits their market area. By limiting their market area to only large grocers they are unable to have price control and they are always competing against all of the other brands that the store carries. Sunshine’s lack of growth is primarily caused by their lack of specialization. If they can and freeze everything and anything then a consumer doesn’t see them as being â€Å"the best† in any product. Their lack of expansion into smaller stores is also holding back their growth. High overhead costs are created by Sunshine’s need to use every second of factory time. This is causing them to spend too much to create a product that returns very little. If their factories have that much unused time they should just close a few factories and focus on what is really important. Recommendations I would recommend that they first do a cost analysis on the products that they are producing. This will allow them to see which products sell the most and create the highest return. Once they know this information they need to produce more of those items and stop producing the items that aren’t helping their bottom line. Along with this, they will be able to identify which factories are the most efficient at producing those items. They can then close the slower factories and use the money to make the remaining factories more efficient. I would then have them change their contract to a much smaller number of items for stores to carry. If they lower their number to 25 items then they could sell items in more boutique shops that will have lower competition and higher prices. To really increase their profits they should pick a few â€Å"specialty† items and market themselves as having the best in those items. This will help them create more of a brand name, especially if they sell those items in the boutique shops. Case WriteUp for Sunshine Foods Marketing First, their motto: â€Å"As long as new products look like they will increase the company’s sales volume, they are introduced. † This is causing the company to take on too many products that don’t increase their revenues. It spreads them to thin and makes them too generic. Second, adding more products to use the unused areas of production. They need to do a cost analysis to see if using that unused production time has any cost/revenue benefit. Just because it is unused doesn’t mean that it will generate more money if it is used. Third, their contract states a grocer needs to carry at least 65 Sunshine Food items. This forces only large grocers to carry their items, which limits their market area. By limiting their market area to only large grocers they are unable to have price control and they are always competing against all of the other brands that the store carries. Sunshine’s lack of growth is primarily caused by their lack of specialization. If they can and freeze everything and anything then a consumer doesn’t see them as being â€Å"the best† in any product. Their lack of expansion into smaller stores is also holding back their growth. High overhead costs are created by Sunshine’s need to use every second of factory time. This is causing them to spend too much to create a product that returns very little. If their factories have that much unused time they should just close a few factories and focus on what is really important. Recommendations I would recommend that they first do a cost analysis on the products that they are producing. This will allow them to see which products sell the most and create the highest return. Once they know this information they need to produce more of those items and stop producing the items that aren’t helping their bottom line. Along with this, they will be able to identify which factories are the most efficient at producing those items. They can then close the slower factories and use the money to make the remaining factories more efficient. I would then have them change their contract to a much smaller number of items for stores to carry. If they lower their number to 25 items then they could sell items in more boutique shops that will have lower competition and higher prices. To really increase their profits they should pick a few â€Å"specialty† items and market themselves as having the best in those items. This will help them create more of a brand name, especially if they sell those items in the boutique shops.

Death and Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Death and Philosophy - Essay Example Nagel, interestingly, argues that it is not the death that is harm but rather the ending of life. He takes the a bit further by discussing prenatal life and life after death, almost equally qualifying the value of each "state" but fearful to arrive at a conclusion. Should we follow Nagel's premise, then the loss of life is the injury and the earlier loss of life compared to a later loss of life is far more injurious. Indeed, by way of example he states that a corpse can suffer no injury because the corpse is a dead being. Thus perhaps, in Nagel's world, there should be no such thing as a crime committed against a corpse. For example, because the person is dead, one cannot have violated the law because he desecrated a corpse. One can be found guilty, if he contributed to the cause of death only. Nagel's focal point is time. Thus when a person dies, they have been robbed of the extra time that they would have lived. Thus if a man lived 80 years, the harm is not so bad, but if the man lived only 20, the harm is egregious. Lacking here, is the discussion of what happens during that time. For example, if a man lives only 20 years, and becomes an astounding man, has he been robbed Nagel would probably argue in the affirmative. Conversely, if a man is 80 and has lived a life of no consequence, has he been harmed by being robbed of extra years Perhaps not. What if the person has spent 10 of those years suffering from a painful disease Has not death then rescued the person Finally, I am asked to explain which theory I prefer. I do not believe that one suffers by death. I agree with Rosenbaum in that once death has happened, there is no harm. Indeed, it is the path to death in which harm lays in wait. Many religions herald the notion that we choose our own exit from this world by our behavior during the time in it. Rosenbaum however offers an explanation that agrees with my religious values and my basic common sense. Once I am dead, I expect that to be it. Indeed, depending on my condition at death, I may find death to be a

Compare and Contrast Smoking in USA and Smoking in Saudi Arabia Essay - 1

Compare and Contrast Smoking in USA and Smoking in Saudi Arabia - Essay Example The global aspect of smoking occurrence is well documented. For instance, Audrain, Janet, and Jon (1743) provide a general findings on how smoking is a major problem affecting the modern society. This research provides a detailed account of the increase in the number of smokers from 19th to 21st century. With its severity in mind, many nations across the globe have implemented laws that ban smoking in public places. This research seeks to compare and contrast smoking in the USA and smoking in Saudi Arabia. In his article, Alturki (72) affirm that smoking level in developing countries is quite alarming. While the developed countries such as Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, and the United States have enjoyed the benefits of, decreasing rate of smoking for the past four decades, developing countries such as Saudi Arabia still report rapid smoking rate. Tobacco smoking has been the main cause of death in developing countries with the number of addicts increasing rapidly. Based on a recent study conducted in 2007, Al-Haqwi All, Hani, and Asery (146) argue that, 11% of female and 34% of male secondary students were smoking in their teenagehood. Likewise, Saudi Arabia estimates that 30% of adult men smoke while 10% of adult women smokes. This indicates a major difference between smoking habits in Saudi Arabia and other settings such as the United States where the number of female smoking is considerably higher than Saudi Arabia. Obaidullah and David (4) also noted that, the highest rate of smoking is among the young generation between the age 21 to 45 years. Additionally, tobacco smoking is more common among married couple, uneducated, and those in certain occupations such as army officers, businessmen, and manual workers just to name a few. Since 1960, there has been a tremendous increase in the quantity of tobacco import,

Financing Health Information Technology in Health Services Research Paper

Financing Health Information Technology in Health Services Organization - Research Paper Example The paper also examines the cost-effectiveness and cost efficiencies together with outcomes of implementing health information technology. According to Clarke (2009), health information technology (HIT) has emerged as a critical aid to the transformation of health care service provision. It serves as an electronic health record, a platform for information sharing and a data warehouse. It is also a clinical decision-making support system and a physician practice management system. It also serves the critical functions of scheduling and billing. Organizations considering implementing a HIT system have to critically consider the possible Return on Investment in the chosen system. Returns vary in timing, value, certainty and in recipient. These returns may be either financial or non-financial like better health outcomes, safety owing to legible records and better quality of life. There are also other returns that accrue to other parties rather than the one making the investment. These include patients who get to avoid hospitalizations, and networking benefits that accrue to other actors in the system. Some of the key HIT system functions include decision support for health care providers, electronic health records, computerized data entry, results management and administrative functions. To determine the Return on Investment, one has to look at the different components of the health information technology system and examine their effects. According to Kolodner, Cohn and Friedman (2008), paper-based information management has very limited capacity given the large volume and complexity of transactions in health care, the need to integrate new scientific approaches and technologies and other aspects of information management. Systems such as the Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) simplify the management of information and seamlessly integrate co-related data for easy information access. The RIO of

Gentleman Alone - by Pablo Neruda Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Gentleman Alone - by Pablo Neruda - Essay Example In the poem, Gentleman Alone, Neruda has explicitly talked about sex and lovers and the whole theme of the poem is preoccupied with the sexual content. The poem starts with the illustration of people who are surrounding the speaker. They include homosexual men, pregnant house wives, young girls, cats in their heat, all of whom are surrounding the house of the speaker and making love. The speaker’s tone shows that he is desperate about his loneliness when the whole world around him is making love. Sex and passion seems in the air and everybody in the poem is shown drenched with the lust of bodily experiences. People of all ages are getting involved in sex. The speaker talks about a beach paradise which is lined with palm trees, a scene that is depicting the summer season, and which is perfect for lovers. The poem then talks about a low salaried clerk who has been sleeping with his neighbor and has seduced her to making love. He takes her to the movies and continues to fill his desire of lust. The poet talks about his own despair when he sees that the husbands, students, priests and animals, all are occupied with sex and lovemaking. Hence, the message that we can figure out from this poem is that despite the fact that one is surrounded with people who are enjoying and having fun and are doing whatever they like, one is bound to live in despair if his heart is not happy just the same. When one is sad from within, then no matter how much enjoyment is going on around him, he will continue feeling sad and nothing in the world will seem pleasurable enough to soothe him. The poet is feeling lonely instead of the crowd surrounding him. People are making love and there is nobody to love him and thus he feels deserted. As far as the poetic devices used in the poem are concerned, the overall tone of the poem is melancholic depicting the speaker’s frustration that he feels inside him when he sees the world having fun. There is no alliteration and assonance obs erved in the stanzas. However, the poet has intensively made use of imagery and has described things that create vivid mental pictures using any of the five senses. For example, he has used imagery in phrases like ‘palpitating sexual oysters’ (line 5), ‘fat and thin and happy and sad couples’ (line 12), and ‘bees smell of blood’ (line 28). Metaphors have been used, for example, when the poet compares the women’s breasts with glistening eyes, heroes with horses and passionate princes, and beds with ships. The poet has been able to give human qualities to many inanimate objects by using personification in phrases like ‘my solitary home’ (line 6), nights of hunters and husbands ‘burying’ the poet (line 25), and ‘breathing forest crushes me’ (line 36). Onomatopoeia has also been used when the poet uses words like buzz to imitate sounds like in the phrase ‘and the flies buzz cholerically’ (l ine 28). The poet has used the first person narrative with him being a character in the story telling it from his perspective like in phrases ‘cross my garden at night’ (line 4), ‘enemies of my soul’ (line 7), and ‘bury me’ (line 25). There is no repetition of words, lines and stanzas. Every line seems independent of the one preceding it and there is no rhyming scheme as well. The poem has also not been divided into stanzas. The poet has sometimes used hyperbole to make

Internet Banking Security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Internet Banking Security - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that the three major techniques are used by Banks to provide security to the customers Password Encryption Firewalls/Server. For the online security, the passwords or usernames pays an important role. The password is an important element that ensures verified customers to log in to their accounts. On the contrary, the hackers can seize a username or password while transmission and can utilize to access the customer’s account. A research states that an added authentication method is required because in financial services trust is now redefined. In addition, trust is identified as a significant factor that influences a customer’s presence in web-based commerce. Security threats are the main factors that work as a barrier to online banking. The customers are disturbed about the security and safety issues while using Internet banking options. The improved security measures can re-build the trust in customers that influence them to u sed Internet banking. II. Internet Banking Security for SME’s For discussing the SME industry in terms of Internet Banking Security, we have utilized a typical SME as an example. A. Centralized Database access for sales/customer databases The sales database and customer database are connected to the switch. Every request from the users is redirected to the router, where the router checks the Access Control List (ACL). In this scenario, the accounts staff has permissions to access these servers. However, all the other users on the network are restricted to access these servers. B. Email An SME has configured an email server to provide email facility to the employees. It is connected to the switch. The router analyzes all the email requests, from the inbound network, to decide whether to send it to the LAN interface or the WAN interface. The security factor is handled by the firewall and IDS C. Internet Access Internet access is only provided by the Internet Security and Accele ration (ISA) server. The network administration staff can create access policies on the ISA server to allow or deny Internet access by providing MAC address and IP address of the specific user. In a domain environment, as the SME has a domain environment, usernames that are created on the domain server are sufficient. D. Company Website and Intranet The intranet is available to everyone who is associated with the network. E. VOIP To support VoIP functionality, the VoIP architecture is connected to the public switched telephone networks (PSTN).

DSL Services In my Area Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

DSL Services In my Area - Case Study Example There are a number of companies that offer internet provisional service in the Upper Marlboro community. These include: the Verizon, EarthLink, XFINITY by Comcast and the dishNET company. In this case, the focal point of this study uses the EarthLink internet company since it the only firm that offers both the DSL and Cable modem services with favorable download speeds. When it comes to selecting an appropriate DSL or Cable connection, there are a number of factors that one has to consider, for example, the speed or internet bandwidth and the popularity of use between the two. The internet bandwidth speeds for the two types of connectivity vary greatly in the Upper Marlboro area. A cable modem connection using the EarthLink Internet Company offers a peak of up to 15 Mbps (megabytes per second) for both the download and uploads speeds. This is slower compared to the DSL connection service offered by the same company. The DSL internet connection only provides up to 7 Mbps (megabytes per second) for downloads and uploads. Some other aspects of an internet connection that an interested party ought to look at are the cost and reliability of the connection. Having constant access and reliable internet connection at an affordable cost is valuable for any internet subscriber. The subscription cost demanded by the EarthLink Cable Internet is a monthly payment of $29.95 compared to the $14.95 a month budget for subscribing to a DSL connection. The logical implication in the above features is that the Cable modem connection is the most reliable since it has a higher bandwidth and dial up connection. The Verizon Company and the XFINITY Internet Company do not offer both of the packages, but instead provide DSL and Cable modem services respectively. The most lucrative DSL package the Verizon Company provides is the Verizon High Speed Internet Enhanced package that

Methodology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7500 words

Methodology - Research Paper Example he similarities and differences between qualitative and quantitative research will be discussed to provide a clear understanding of the research method used for the study. The main objectives of the research are derived from the literature review is to examine: â€Å"Change Management and Leadership in the context of implementing a Positive Behaviour and Support model in a School environment.† The main aim of this research is to study the effects of the PBIS action plan on the secondary students of Al Amanah College. The research tries to strike a balance between the benefits of implementing PBIS, and its overall impact on the school as a whole. The study enables the researcher to gain the perspective of both the students and the parents on the benefits of implementing the PBIS systems within the school. This chapter further discusses how this balance will be struck and how the research provides a clear understanding of the effects of the PBIS action plan on the secondary students of Al Amanah College. Action research is the methodology used for this research. â€Å"Action research...aims to contribute both to the practical concerns of people in an immediate problematic situation and to further the goals of social science simultaneously.   Thus, there is a dual commitment in action research to study a system and concurrently to collaborate with members of the system in changing it in what is together regarded as a desirable direction.   Accomplishing this twin goal requires the active collaboration of researcher and client, and thus it stresses the importance of co-learning as a primary aspect of the research process† (O’Brien, 1998). The main aim of action research is to ensure complete accuracy and focusing on the data collected to ensure validity and reliability. Significant tends to be spent on â€Å"refining the methodological tools to suit the exigencies of the situation, and on collecting, analyzing, and presenting data on an ongoing, cyclical basis†

The social division in America Essay Example for Free

The social division in America Essay There are different sectors in the society when social injustices against the African-American race are committed within the American society. This is clearly demonstrated within the governmental policies that are made within the American society that are mostly favorable of the White Americans alone. There are different situations when the injustice against the African-American race is pursued by several sectors of the American community. As for example, in employment procedures, there is a widespread color discrimination that keeps the Black American race from obtaining the best employment there is to support their living. As a result, only the low-level employment positions are left available for the said racial group. Although this situation does not happen all the time, there are only a few accounts when the African-American races are able to land higher positions than rank and file jobs. Aside from entering a certain job position, the said discrimination happens even when the individual is already able to obtain a certain working position. A case on this matter reads: â€Å"A black employee was subjected to a barrage of racial epithets, culminating in an incident where white co-workers placed a noose around his neck in the company bathroom and choked him. The employer did not stop its employees, including managers, from harassing the employee on the basis of his race (black) and subjecting him to a racially hostile work environment including verbal and physical abuse. † (Source: EEOC got a $1 million settlement of a racial harassment case. http://www. lawmemo. com/blog/discrimination_race/index. html). From this particular case, it could be observed that many among the American employers still see the African-American race as a lower level of human community that makes it harder for them to avoid racial discrimination cases that holds them responsible for not being able to attend to the needs and complaints of their Black American employees as well as they are able to attend to the needs of their White American employees. When it comes to incarceration practices, it could be observed that the situation is almost the same. The favor is usually given to the white Americans. It could be noted than in dealing with different cases, the courts in the United States have a hard time becoming much objective when the issue involves the racial differences of the whites versus the blacks. As noted in the study of the group of George Borjas: â€Å"Some studies note that the trend in black incarceration rates was shaped by the crack epidemic of the 1980s and early 1990s. The invention of crack cocaine in the early 1980s represented a technological innovation that greatly increased the profitability of the cocaine trade. As illegal drug markets expanded, crime rose (Grogger and Willis, 2000). Many jurisdictions responded by increasing both drug arrests and the likelihood of imprisonment for convicted arrestees (Boggess and Bound, 1997). Crack and its consequences were concentrated in African-American communities, in part because pre-existing black gangs acted to profit from the expanding drug trade (Fryer et al, 2005). † (Source:http://irpshome. ucsd. edu/faculty/gohanson/BorjasGroggerHanson. pdf) Individual and intellectual inferiority then is the primary result that is received by the entire American society. This particular problem affects the people as individuals, their opinions and their views with regards themselves begin to become inferior. True, discrimination among races in different fields of social division have and impact on people as individuals. Conclusion To be able to regulate the said situation, the black race tried to create some policies of absolutely separating themselves from the White society to be able to avoid dealing with the different problems of the said discriminative acts. Political commentators in the Republic of South Africa are not slow to draw attention to the racial turmoil boiling up in other countries. In this they feel they find some justification for the South African policy of apartheid, an Afrikaans word literally meaning â€Å"separateness. † However, in the minds of South Africa’s critics, apartheid represents the last word in racial intolerance and injustice. They argue that apartheid is degrading and is but an expression of selfish racialism to protect the interests of the white man in that part of Africa. South Africans hotly deny this. In efforts to justify their government’s policy, political commentators make much use of the expression â€Å"separate development† as a synonym for apartheid. The policy, they argue, is not just to separate people by race, but, rather, to provide opportunities for each race to develop according to its own culture, abilities and social habits. In support of this view these political commentators point to the government-sponsored â€Å"Bantustans† or â€Å"homelands† for the African people of various tribes. In these they can enjoy a large measure of internal self-government and develop almost as a state within a state. Efforts have been made to encourage white industrialists to establish factories on the borders of the â€Å"Bantustans† (called â€Å"border industries†). This would provide opportunity for employment in those areas that are mostly underdeveloped from the industrial viewpoint. However, it could not be denied that with all the efforts placed forward by the Black American society, they could still not attain of the freedom that they ought to experience. The social equality that they always wanted has not been completely experienced at al, not yet at this period of time. The realization of the society of the fact that everyone deserves to be treated equally regardless of the color of the skin of a certain race shall be the only key that could regulate the situation that invades the African-American society. References: George Borjas. IMMIGRATION AND AFRICAN-AMERICAN EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES: THE RESPONSE OF WAGES, EMPLOYMENT, AND INCARCERATION TO LABOR SUPPLY SHOCKS. http://irpshome. ucsd. edu/faculty/gohanson/BorjasGroggerHanson. pdf. (May 24, 2007). EEOC got a $1 million settlement of a racial harassment case. http://www. lawmemo. com/blog/discrimination_race/index. html. (May 24, 2007). The U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Questions and Answers About Race and Color Discrimination in Employment. http://www. eeoc. gov/policy/docs/qanda_race_color. html. (May 24, 2007). Jonathan Richardson. (2006). The Complicated Life of the African-American Man (Whats on His Mind). Now Its Done Inc. Asafa Jalata. (2002). Fighting Against the Injustice of the State and Globalization: Comparing the African American and Oromo Movements. Palgrave Macmillan. Francis Njubi Nesbitt. (2004). Race for Sanctions: African Americans Against Apartheid, 1946-1994. Indiana University Press. Gloria J. Browne-Marshall. (2007). Race, Law, and American Society: 1607 to Present (Criminology and Justice Studies). Routledge; 1 edition. The African Development Bank. (2002). African Development Report 2002: Rural Development and Poverty Reduction in Africa (African Development Report). Oxford University Press, USA; New Ed edition. American Federation Federation. (2003). American Co Mason Official Bulletin of the American Federation of Human Rights 1932. Kessinger Publishing. Donald Wright. (2000). African Americans in the Colonial Era: From African Origins through the American Revolution (The American History Series). Harlan Davidson; 2nd edition.

Key Objectives of an Organization Essay Example for Free

Key Objectives of an Organization Essay Task 1A. Identify the mission, values and key objectives of an organization of your choice and assess the influence of stakeholders The Body Shop is a public limited company they mainly specialize in beauty products, however they are very much different compared to regular make up brands such as DIOR, SHU UMERA and so on, they are different in a way that they use natural products and they are against animal cruelty. They use plants resources wisely. The body shop is different because of their values. Ms Dame Anita roddick, was a human rights activist and the founder of the body shop. AGAINST ANIMAL TESTING Every one of the body shops products is animal cruelty free and vegetarian. they were the first international cosmetics brand to be recognized under the Humane Cosmetics Standard for our Against Animal Testing policy. FOR TRADING FAIRLY They believe in fair trade to such an extent, that over 20 years ago we set up our own fair trade programme, called Community Trade. Body Shop believe this level of commitment to trading fairly is unique in the cosmetics industry. Community Trade now works with over 30 suppliers in more than 20 countries, providing over 25,000 people across the globe with essential income to build their futures. Most of our products contain Community Trade ingredients. OUR FIVE CORE VALUES The Body Shop is a leader in promoting greater corporate transparency, and we have been a force for positive social and environmental change through our campaigns around our five core Values: Support Community Trade, Defend Human Rights, Against Animal Testing, Activate Self-Esteem, Protect Our Planet. OUR CHARITABLE FOUNDATION We also have our own charity, The Body Shop Foundation. Launched in 1990 (registered charity no. 802757) we give financial support to pioneering, frontline organisations that otherwise have little hope of conventional funding. The Foundations focus is to assist those working to achieve progress in the areas of human and civil rights, environmental and animal protection. Let us move on to the various stakeholders in the organization. Primary Stakeholders Usually internal stakeholders like stockholders, customers, suppliers, creditors, and employees. Secondary Stakeholders Usually external stakeholders like general public, communities, activist groups, business support groups, and the media. The influence of various stakeholders on the organization establishes a balance of priorities on the organization. Some examples of balances that various stakeholders bring to the organization are: Stockholders: The stockholders of the organization ensure that the organization is constantly looking for new means to improve operating net profits. The stockholders of the companies keep a keen eye on the performance of the organization through the quarterly reports of the organizations submitted to respective regulatory bodies in the world. This ensures that the organization keeps a fine balance between working for short-term profits while keeping a firm eye on the long-term business possibilities that may emerge. Positive performance by a company over a long  period of time is rewarded through improved prices. Customers: The most important to any business, customers of an organization keep the organization on their toes to offer best of services in comparison with the market. The organizations strive hard to meet the ever-growing customer expectations in terms of improved products and services and reduced cost for these improved services year on year. Improved performance of the organization to meet customer demands is rewarded through more business orders. Employees: The employees of the organization are the assets of the organization that keeps the organization nimble and agile to meet the customer expectations resulting in profits that meet the stockholders expectations. The employees are rewarded through promotions and merit increments based on their contributions to meet the organizations goals, vision and objectives. Task 2 Evaluate the extent to which the organization achieves the objectives of three stakeholders. As mentioned above there are two different types of stakeholders, there is primary and there is secondary. Primary stakeholders include Internal stakeholders like stockholders, customers, suppliers, creditors, and employees. Secondary includes External stakeholders like general public, communities, activist groups, business support groups, and the media. Beginning with the internal stakeholders also known as primary stakeholders, the employees obviously work towards the goals and objectives that are set,  however in the body shop they are in for it in a different way as the people are passionate. They’re a customer-focused business that strives to create a fantastic experience for everyone who shops and works at The Body Shop. Aside from employees and customers they are also dedicated to their suppliers and creditors as well as stockholders. The body shop is dedicated to the planet and the people in simple words. The body shop is financial stable meeting their financial objectives as well as meeting the stock holders objectives which is keeping on-going improvements and new objectives which is what the body shop is already doing. Achievement of Customer Objectives: The organization is always talking about the natural way of beauty. In addition, the company also shares very positive information of the number of accounts where they have grown the relationships to multimillion dollar revenue generating business accounts through good performance in existing contracts and offering greater value to the customer though their foresight and operations management. This has resulted in good customer retention and repeats businesses for the company across various lines of businesses. Achievement of Employees objectives: Body shop has a large workforce employs over 100,000 employees across the globe and has become an employer of choice. This has provided many opportunities to the employees to grow professionally and vertically as well. Additionally, the body shop provides merit increments every year based on the performance of the employees, which keeps them engaged in their roles and glued on to the target objectives. Task 3. Explain the responsibilities of the organization and strategies employed to meet them. The body shop not only has responsibilities that they must keep to the company and their customers but also the environment, which is why they do the natural way. Nature is the key objective and responsibility to the Body Shop. Their responsibilities towards the environment can be seen on their website, the body shop focuses on cruelty free make up. More  responsibilities and strategies are shown below AGAINST ANIMAL TESTING Every one of the body shops products is animal cruelty free and vegetarian. they were the first international cosmetics brand to be recognized under the Humane Cosmetics Standard for our Against Animal Testing policy. FOR TRADING FAIRLY They believe in fair trade to such an extent, that over 20 years ago we set up our own fair trade programme, called Community Trade. Body Shop believe this level of commitment to trading fairly is unique in the cosmetics industry. Community Trade now works with over 30 suppliers in more than 20 countries, providing over 25,000 people across the globe with essential income to build their futures. Most of our products contain Community Trade ingredients. OUR FIVE CORE VALUES The Body Shop is a leader in promoting greater corporate transparency, and we have been a force for positive social and environmental change through our campaigns around our five core Values: Support Community Trade, Defend Human Rights, Against Animal Testing, Activate Self-Esteem, Protect Our Planet. OUR CHARITABLE FOUNDATION We also have our own charity, The Body Shop Foundation. Launched in 1990 (registered charity no. 802757) we give financial support to pioneering, frontline organisations that otherwise have little hope of conventional funding. The Foundations focus is to assist those working to achieve  progress in the areas of human and civil rights, environmental and animal protection. These are their values as well as responsibilities. The employees of Body shop and the suppliers all use environmental friendly products and packaging to support the living earth. Task 4. Explain how economic systems attempt to allocate and make effective use of resources Resource allocation is used to assign the available resources in an economic way across the economy. This may be done at a regional level, Social strata based or on priority basis. Resource allocation can be studies under two broad heads This includes majority of resources that is used in today’s economy except some specific natural resources that are allocated to ensure an Oligopolistic or Monopolistic market. The economic systems attempt to distribute the available resources in an even manner through the price elasticity model. The price elasticity model proposes that demand and supply in the market will drive the cost of the resource. This is typically seen as below |High Demand – low Supply |High Prices | |Low Demand – High Supply |Low Prices | In the above cases, both demand and supply are relative to each others volumes. In a competitive market scenario, the requirement of products and services and its availability guides the prices of these resources. Given that Money by itself is a limited resource available to market forces, high prices of resources ensure optimized consumption of high priced resources. Once the resource prices are above the price of an alternative resource, market forces will start using the alternate resource as a main resource until such time that the prices of the original resource is again affordable  due to slowdown of demand. This is typically seen in the oil and gas business wherein some manufacturing organizations shift to alternative fuels like BP oil and residue oil in lieu of diesel fuel price rise. This model ensures that resources are optimally used by the economy and any steep increase in consumption is controlled through increased prices resulting in optimized allocation and effective use. allocation of some natural resources may not always take the same route as marketed resources. This is typically done by the government’s authorities to ensure lower prices of producers that reaches the consumers at large and to ensure availability of certain products to all and sundry of the population. Some very good examples of such resources are Irrigation Water supplied at subsidy to farmers, Coal allocation to Thermal power stations to ensure low electricity prices for consumers etc An economic system is consist of the several processes of organizing and motivating labour, manufacturing, allocating, and circulating of the results of human labour, including goods and services, consumer products, machineries, equipment’s, and other technology used as inputs to future manufacturing and the infrastructure within and through which manufacturing, circulation, and distribution occurs. There are three types of economic system which are generally accepted by the different nations. They are: Free market, centrally planned, mixed market. 1. Free market economic system: The interference of government is reserved at a lowest point or mistreated in open market system and all the finances assets comes under the private sectors as well market. Price mechanism will decide the amount of goods or services to be provided with respect to the market demands. The majority judgments are on the basis of market mechanism. The supply, demand and capability play the very important function in market  judgment making. According to observing at the open market operations it lifts a variety of unexplained questions like who will generate the goods and services and infrastructures for the country to congregate the requirements of the public. 2. Centrally planned economy system: Centrally planned economic system explains that government assigns the financial possessions; government initiates all the arrangement concerning the financial actions. Private sectors are held in reserve in distant in participation of any monetary gathering. These types of finances were establish in the Asian, central Europe, Eastern Europe and Latin American nations but now a days these are set up in Cuba, Iraq, Iran, North Korea etc. In this structure fundamentally joblessness troubles will not be tackled because government organize all the monetary performances and possessions will be owed on the basis of requirements of its persons and dissimilar industries contribution. 3. Mixed economy system: This structure is a combination of all other structures. The organism where together capitalism and socialism monetary schemes are involved it is called as the mixed financial system. In this globalizing world largely the countries are acquiring this financial system. Mixed financial system divides the obtainable financial possessions accessible in the country to mutually private sectors and government. Task 5. Discuss the impact of social welfare and industrial policy initiatives on organizations and the wider community. The social welfare and industrial policy of a nation impacts not only the economy but also the larger community. |Social Welfare Policy |Health Policy | | |Housing Policy | | |Income maintenance Policy | | |Education Policy | | |Social Security | |Industrial Policy |Inflation control | | |Financial Market stability | | |Manufacturing boost for increase in employment rate | Health policy can be described as the judgment, plans, and measures that are commenced to attain specific health care goals within a society. There are many groupings of health guidelines, involving personal health care policy, pharmaceutical policy, and policies regarding health of public such as vaccination policy, tobacco control policy or breastfeeding promotion policy. They may envelop monetary subjects and liberation of health care, access to care, quality of care, and health equity. The contemporary theory of health care includes right of entry to medical professionals from different sections as well as medical technology, such as medications and surgical tools. It also includes easy access to the newest data and confirmation from research, comprising medical research and health services research. Public housing is a type of housing tenure in which the possession is hold by a government authority, which may be central or local. Social housing refers to leasing housing which may be possessed and controlled by the state, by non-profit firms, or by a mixture of the two, generally with the aspire of offering housing which could affordable. Education policy can be defined as the compilation of laws and regulations which manages and directs the functions of education systems. Education takes place in a lot of type for countless functions through several organizations. An example involves early childhood education, kindergarten from side to side to 12th grade, two and four year colleges or universities, graduate and professional education, adult education and job training. Consequently, education policy can straightly influence the educated persons involved of all ages. Income maintenance Policy is habitually functional due to several curriculums formulated to offer a residential with income at times when they are not able to take care of themselves. Income preservation is on the basis of a mixture of five major kinds of program: 1. Social insurance: 2. Means-tested benefits: 3. Non-contributory benefits:. 4. Discretionary benefits. 5. Universal or categorical benefits Social security a social insurance program given that social security or protection against socially renowned circumstances, involving scarcity, old age, disability, joblessness and others. Social security relates to a bunch of advantages obtainable (or not available) from the state, market, civil society and households, or through a grouping of these organizations, to the person/family to trim down multi-dimensional deprivation. The Industrial Policy plan of a country, from time to time condensed IP, is its official planned attempt to support the expansion and progress of the producing sector of the economy. A countrys infrastructure (transportation,  telecommunications and energy industry) is a main element of the industrialized sector that frequently has a main role in the Industrial Policy. Industrial strategies are division definite, unlike broader macroeconomic strategy. They are occasionally label as interventionist as conflicting to laissez-faire finances. Several kinds of industrial strategies comprise ordinary fundamentals with other kinds of interventionist exercises such as trade policy and fiscal policy. An example of a distinctive industrial policy is import-substitution-industrialization (ISI), where trade barriers are provisionally obligatory on a number of key sectors, such as manufacturing. By selectively securing some business, these business are provided moment in time to study (learning by doing) and improve. Task 6. Evaluate the impact of macro economic policy measures and the influence of the global economy on UK-based organizations and stakeholders. Macroeconomic policy instruments define the macroeconomic measures that can be straight away managed by an economic policy former. Instruments can be divided into two subsets: a) Monetary policy instruments and b) Fiscal policy instruments. Monetary policy is carried out by the Federal Reserve or the central bank of a country or supranational region. Fiscal policy is formulated by the Executive and Legislative Branches of the Government and contracts with supervising a nation’s Budget. 1) Monetary policy Monetary policy instruments comprise of directing short-term rates (Fed Funds and Discount rates in the U.S.), and altering reserve necessities for commercial banks. Monetary policy can be moreover extensive for the market (short-term rates low relative to inflation rate) or restraining for the  market (short-term rates high relative to inflation rate). Traditionally, the main purpose of monetary policy had been to direct or restrain domestic inflation. In recent times, central bankers have frequently paying attention on a second objective: running economic growth as both inflation and economic growth are highly interconnected. 2) Fiscal policy Fiscal policy comprises in supervision the national Budget and its investment so as to manipulate economic activity. This necessitates the growth or development of government expenses regarding particular government curriculum such as building roads or infrastructure, military expenditures and social welfare programs. It also involves the elevating of taxes to finance government expenses and the increase of debt (Treasuries in the U.S.) to meet both the ends (Budget deficit) between receipts (tax receipts) and expenses regarding the execution of government curriculum. Increasing taxes and lowering the Budget Deficit is considered to be a preventive fiscal policy, as it would decrease cumulative demand and slow down GDP growth. Reducing taxes and raising the Budget Deficit is measured as an outgoing fiscal policy that would enlarge collective demand and encourage the economy. The impact of macroeconomic policy measures On enlargement, there likely to be periods of strength follow by phase of weak or even negative growth (recessions), particularly known as the economic cycle. All governments have an objective of eradicating this cycle. They desire repeated, sensible expansion that never ignites price increments. Fresh governments have stimulated closer to this Goldilocks scenario. Become aware of that the growth rate has been over 2% without receiving out of hand for six years. Subsequent the bust/boom/bust of the early 80s/late 80s/early 90s, this is quite an accomplishment. Inflation has also been extraordinarily submissive by historical standards.  Subsequent the horribly inflationary 70s (peaked at 25%) and the near 10% figure ten years ago, RPIX has been growing at 3% pa or less for six years. The objective of full employment has efficiently been relegated to the history books. Unemployment reached one million in the 80s for the first time since the 30s, and then continued to reach 3 million (or 4 million, depending on the definition) within three years. Having said that, full employment does not mean that everyone has a job. It is a depressing reality of economic life that UK customers favor imported goods to those made in Britain. The degree of the current account deficit mainly depends, consequently, on how well we export our services. Unfortunately, services are not quite as exportable as goods, so the UK is constantly fighting a losing battle. Optimistically the modifications in technology, and our capability to utilize them, will permit us to enlarge our exports of services by sufficient in the future to permit for the deficit in goods. Some economists consider that there is no problem, since in a world of completely mobile capital; the UK no longer depends completely on their own pool of foreign reserves to compensate for its importation. These days, if you want something from overseas but you do not have the foreign currency, then immediately purchase it on the Foreign Exchange Markets. Due to the global characteristics of financial markets, the financial services industry is deeply prejudiced by worldwide monetary improvement. These financial connections to international markets are just one of the numerous conducts in which wider worldwide expansion influence the UK economy. Global economic developments For instance the current commotion in financial markets – also have a significant manner on the resolution of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC). Similar to the UK, in an open economy worldwide forces can affect the prices to rise and vary about its aim or goal temporarily, and also insert  instability into the real economy. We have observed growing oil and product costs determined by tough universal demand push up price rises in the UK and further main economies over the earlier period and couple of years. By distinction the fresh modifications and alterations in international financial market circumstances could decline demand situations in the UK and globally put forth descending pressure on price rises. These are all aspects we require to take into consideration in our attention rate judgment. Ultimately it is domestic monetary policy Not the state of the international economy, which will conclude the UK inflation rate. The challenge for the MPC consequently is to regulate interest rates to make sure that worldwide pressure does not generate lengthened and important divergence in price rises from its aim. Global economy affects UK inflation There are a broad diversity of conducts in which international economic expansion influence the UK economy and therefore manipulate our rate of price rises. The entire procedure of globalization has structural influence on the UK economy, comprising the influence on labor relocation. The prices of trade in goods and services are the first one has an impact. Imports account for approximately 30% of the value of goods and services directly and indirectly sold by UK business at residence and overseas. On the other hand, the prices of trade in manufactured merchandise will also reproduce the resources and power utilized in their produce, forming a supplementary indirect influence from product markets. The second channel of impact from the international economy is through demand. Tough expansion of demand, whether it derives at residence or overseas, permits the profit margins to develop and is pushed at an upward pressure on expenses, mainly when the economy is operating close to its capacity limits. By the similar token, weak demand exercises a dampening  impact on cost and price augmentation. Manipulating demand situations with the help of interest rates is one of the major means due to which the Monetary Policy Committee controls UK price rises. International economic expansion influence demand circumstances in the UK both directly and indirectly. The direct influence comes in the course of alteration in the demand for UK exports of goods and services, which make up approximately a quarter of the production of UK businesses on average. The significance of abroad demand diverges significantly among diverse sectors of the UK economy. Some manufacturing sectors sell a huge percentage of their production abroad, and for manufacturing industry as a total exports are approximately half the worth of production. In calculation to this export channel, there are also indirect financial connections in the course of which international economic circumstances can affect UK demand. The UK business society is extremely intercontinental, depicting our custom as a trading nation and the honesty and friendliness of our financial markets to abroad investment. A lot of UK businesses are branch of bigger worldwide groupings, which is probable to strengthen the compassion of their investment and other trade judgments to worldwide demand and profitability. In accumulation to these price and demand factors, there is a third method in which worldwide economic situations might also influence UK price rises, which is in the course of their influence on the pricing conditions. As businesses turn out to be further skilled and global in edge, some economists have disagreed that international circumstances have turn out to be more and more significant in influencing pricing actions, relation to domestic issues. As per this vision, the worldwide equilibrium of demand and supply and spirited forces on international markets may appear to have an important influence on cost in economies which are release to global business, such as the UK. The role of monetary policy In a world in which worldwide progress has a significant manner on UK price rises, monetary course of action should react in subsequent way. One ending you might illustrate from my conversation so far is that UK price rises will be deeply subjective by international upgrading. And however, in spite of the modifications we have observed in the worldwide market more than the decade, UK price rises has been low down and extraordinarily steady. Three major traditions in which financial guidelines can act as a factor to manipulate the price rises when the UK economy is batter by worldwide shocks. The first of these is the affect the interest rates on the exchange rate. The exchange rate is not straightly managed by financial policy. But financial policy has a significant impact. The interest rate discrepancy among diverse currency and the aspects, which are anticipated to manipulate its influence in currency markets due to their influence on the possible income to investors. If financial policy is constrict comparative to other countries, or is estimated to be constrict, this will be likely to push up the exchange rate in the next to time. Such an increase in the exchange rate should have a dampening influence on import cost augmentations, and can consequently answer an increase in worldwide price rises pressures. It also affects how eye-catching abroad markets are to exporters and consequently has a supplementary influence through the state of demand. The second way in which financial policy can contradict worldwide monetary forces is due to its influence on domestic demand expenditure by customers and investment by the private sector, both of which are exaggerated by interest rate alteration. Customer expenditure is the biggest single constituent of demand in the UK, and accounts for concerning 60% of domestic expenditure. A contraction in policy such as we have observed over the past year should have an important influence on the expansion of utilization, and therefore domestic demand. A third steady aspect is the reliability of financial policy and its  influence on cost prospect. If price raises prospect stay fast at or shut to the price rises goal, turbulence to the price rises pathway should demonstrate momentary, and it will be simpler for financial policy to be carried out a provisional shift in price rises. The duty of the MPC is now made simple by the practice of a decade and a half of low and steady price rises, which has assisted to fasten UK, price rises prospects. The impact and pass-through of the identified unconventional policy shocks should help to learn more about the extraordinary policy measures taken by central banks as a response to the financial turmoil. Some caution is, however, required. A caveat of the analysis is that the estimations are based on a sample period that covers the turbulent period on financial markets, as well as normal times. An implicit assumption is hence that the parameters did not change dramatically as a consequence of the crisis. In addition, the analysis only captures unconventional monetary policy to the extent that the measures influence the banking sector. Hence, a useful extension would be to also include direct lending of central banks in private markets in the analysis.

Analysing Aquafina Bottled Water

Analysing Aquafina Bottled Water Aquafina bottled water is bottled around the country in 33 different locations from municipal tap water. It is both filtered and purified in a process that involves seven separate steps called the HydRO-7 Purification System. Included in the steps are processes such as filtration, exposure to high intensity light, osmosis, polishing, and ozonization. What results is water that has a Total Dissolved Solid (TDS) content of 4 parts per million (ppm), 2.5 times lower than the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) maximum amount. The packaging of the water goes through a long process and creates some muda. Many of the Pepsi bottling processes are outsourced. For example, the bottles are manufactured by Amcor PET Packaging North America. The process is also very detailed and complicated in order to ensure both safety and a reliable product. We will also be explaining every material in the packaging process. Additionally, we will be discussing the recent boom of the water industry and its environmental implications over the last decade. The amount of natural resources being used to produce the entire bottled water package, is extraordinary, and causing a real problem. The environment is also being contaminated on a daily basis with a majority of the bottles being thrown away as opposed to being recycled. Along with the destruction of our planet, plastic bottles and the water contained within them are starting to be seen as a serious health threat. For the economical part of this paper, we will touch on Aquafinas numbers over the past few years and try to predict the future. We will also make suggestions on how to gain a bigger market share, and how to make safe products in a business perspective. Pepsi-Colas Aquafina, which has reigned as the number-one brand for several years, has become the U.S. bottled water businesss first billion-dollar brand in 2004 has sustained strong growth in 2005 when wholesale dollar sales neared $1.3 billion. Introduction Bottled water is one of the biggest selling beverages in the world due to its convenience and quality taste. Whether due to the uneasiness of the safety of tap water or the convenience of the bottle, bottled water continues to gain profit share for companies in the industry. Specifically for busy college students such as ourselves, it has become increasingly important for us to be able to drink water when not near a water source. Hence, the product we chose to study is Aquafina bottled water. When one purchases a bottle of Aquafina, he will receive the purified water and the bottle in which it is contained including its label, nutrition facts and ingredients, and a sealed cap. Although the Aquafina water bottle is only meant for one use, many choose to refill their bottle with ordinary tap water. Because Pacific Lutheran University contracts its beverages and vending machines through Pepsi, Aquafina is the most consumed bottled water for our campus. This report is the study of the Aquafina bottled water process, value stream, muda, and economic evaluation of the bottled water that is widely circulated not just on our campus but around the world. The HydRO-7 Purification System Purifying the Water Achieving Aquafina water is a complex and complicated process. Aquafina bottles water in 33 different municipal locations around the country from underground formation springs, the same location as our tap water. Whereas tap water is merely filtered and treated to remove bacteria and contaminants, Aquafina takes an extra step by purifying the water using the Hydro-7 purification system which removes substances according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards. Creator of the state-of-the-art purification system, the HydRO-7 removes substances in seven different steps. The Aquafina website provides the consumer with information related to the filtration and purification steps of its product (www.aquafina.com). Prefiltration In this first step, the system removes tiny particles in the water through a filter. Polishing filter Here, this first polishing filter (of 2) catches any particles that were missed in the previous step. High-intensity light A burst of high energy light imparts energy into the water stream to eliminate naturally occurring organic substances in the water. Reverse Osmosis (R.O.) Here, the system uses pressure and a hyper filter to remove 98% of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) and organic compounds from the water. The TDS is the sum of all dissolved solids in water in parts per million. This step uses semi-permeable membranes with smaller pore sizes than micro filtration, ultra filtration, and nano filtration to remove substances such as sodium and chloride from the water. Charcoal Filtration This step isolates the elements that affect the taste of the water in a charcoal filter. Polishing Filter This is where the system polishes the hydrogen and oxygen elements in the water to make the water clear. Ozonization The system passes purified, oxygen-rich air through a generating cell. Here, three oxygen molecules are brought together to keep unwanted particles away. When they have done their job, they revert back to double oxygen molecules. Here is a standard Aquafina nutrition facts label found either on the bottle or the packaging. More important than what is in Aquafina water is what has been removed. The Aquafina website suggests that everything that the system removes from the water is unnecessary and perhaps harmful to humans (www.aquafina.com). The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires a maximum of 500 ppm (parts per million) of TDSs in spring water and the FDA requires 10 ppm in purified water. Aquafina, a purified water, bottles water at 4 ppm, 2.5 times lower than the FDA standard (Mosko, 2004). The process removes the following trace compounds from the water: Carbonates Bicarbonates Chlorides Sulfates Phosphates Nitrates Calcium Magnesium Sodium Potassium Iron Manganese Calcium and potassium are necessary for the human body, but they are still removed. Aquafina claims that the minute levels in the water have little effect on human health and removing them only delivers a more pure water (www.aquafina.com). However at the end of the purification process,  ¼ of the bottled water that Aquafina bottles is tap water (Mosko, 2004). Aquafina claims to have the purest water in the industry, but even more pure and containing less TDS is Penta water, which goes through a rigorous 11-step process and distributes water with 0.5 ppm TDS. Pentas website also explains the process and the advantages of Penta in detail (http://www.pentawater.com/what.shtml). The Aquafina system at the plant in Austin, Indiana, for example, has bottles 32,000 gallons of water an hour. The system is computer monitored and keeps track of which valves are open and closed and how much is in each tank. The Aquafina system is also used for bottling soft drinks at the plant. All the water is carbon-filtered in one of two tanks; the same process is used for all the water that is used in soft drinks, only the Aquafina water goes through the extra step of ozonization (Investing, 2004). Pepsi/Aquafina Bottling The Bottle Pepsi Bottling Ventures LLC (PBV) In July of 2002 the first products were being produced at PBVs new small-bottle PET line in Raleigh, NC in a 200,000 sq ft production/distribution plant. This was a $40 million investment for PBV that gave the company the ability to increase production. PBV has bottling rights for Pepsi products covering most of North Carolina and a portion of Long Island, NY. One of the facilities that upgraded to the PBV production bottling plant was the Raleigh location with the primary goal being the production of bottled water under the Aquafina label, one of the fastest growing products within Pepsi. The need for this upgraded production facility from PBV offers Pepsi the ability to be competitive and cost-conscious (Mans, 2003). Features Individual sanitary enclosures are designed and manufactured by ICS Intl. These contain washing/capping/filling systems on the PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) lines. The fillers are housed in one room, with a common heating, ventilating and air conditioning system. The PBV plant features an individual sanitary enclosure for each filling system with monobloc filler guards that are integrated into the face of the enclosure. The enclosures have an epoxy floor that is sloped to a stainless-steel drain, vision panels and a complete air-quality control system. The walls and ceiling are made of insulation sandwich panels consisting of inside and outside stainless-steel panels filled with polyurethane foam. The clean rooms come complete with lighting, doors, an air filtration unit, air conditioning, and an air exhaust system. The air-filtration units maintain pressure in the enclosure to prevent outside air from entering (Mans, 2003). Bottles Aquafina uses bottles that are produced by Amcor PET Packaging-North America. Amcor uses PET to make plastic containers for Pepsi products. Amcors website states that this plastic material is manufactured from various by-products of the oil and gas industries, especially ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid. PET consists of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen and can be incinerated without residues for energy recovery. PET is the most valuable of the recyclable plastics. It offers the ability for the container to be lightweight, shatter resistant, resealable and recyclable. The formation of a bottle is blow molded which involves blowing air into a molten plastic tube and then forcing the material to follow the shape of the mold. Injection molding is also involved which is the process of converting plastic pellets by using heat and pressure to inject the molten material into a water-cooled mold. Amcors website explains this technology (http://www.amcor.com/Default.aspx?id=505). Filtration/Sanitation/Air Quality The units have three filtration stages. These stages involve roughing filters, bag filters and HEPA filters for an average air quality of Class 1,000. ICS added an air extractor that sucks the air from the enclosure and ducts it outside the plant to avoid discharging air loaded with sugar or ozone into the surrounding area inside the plant. Air quality is optimized through the limits that are placed on the filler. This also allows the operator to stand outside the room and control the machine (Mans, 2003). Bottling Pre-labeled bottles are delivered to an automatic depalletizer on pallets with cardboard slipsheets between the layers. The depalletizer raises the pallet one layer at a time. A sweep carriage equipped with suction cups swings over and automatically removes the slipsheet and deposits it in a bin for return to the bottle supplier. The depalletizer then indexes the layer of bottles up, and the carriage sweeps the bottles onto a mass bottle conveyor. The bottles on the small-PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) line are then conveyed in mass to two Lanfranchi high-speed bottle scramblers which have rotating turrets that orient the bottles in an upright position. Level sensors in the hopper of each unscrabler turn delivery elevators on and off to maintain bottles in the hoppers. The bottles from both unscramblers converge in single-file and are injected into the neck-guided air-conveyance system, where the bottles are supported by rods beneath their neck finishes. The bottles are then pushed along the chamber by air blowing. The depalletizing workcell includes three depalletizers and is designed to allow two operators to feed containers to three production lines. Empty bottles are conveyed directly via air conveyor into the sanitary enclosure and the infeed star of the monobloc rinser/filler/capper. All bottle-handling within the monobloc is accomplished by supports under the neck rings of the bottles. The bottles are delivered to the gripping heads of the 108-station rinser through the entrance starwheel, and are turned upside down as the unit rotates. Purified water is sprayed into the bottles through nozzles affixed to the gripping heads, and then drains out as the unit continues its rotation. This solution contains ozone for maximum cleaning efficiency when producing Aquafina. Bottles are then turned upright and discharge through a starwheel that also serves as the delivery starwheel to the filler. The filler for these bottles is an isobaric-volumetric machine with 144 filling valves. Each filling valve is connected to the central tank through a product pipe and two gas pipes connected to the carbon dioxide supply. One pipe is used for the bottle pressurization and the other pipe for the pressure stabilization between the tank and the filling valve. When running Aquafina, the system uses nitrogen instead of carbon dioxide. The level inside the filling cylinder is essentially the same as the level in the central tank, and changes in the quantity of fill for different bottle sizes is accomplished by changing the level in the central tank. A piston in each cylinder is adjusted by an external magnetic coupling to set the exact volume to be filled to an accuracy of  ±2 mL. This is done from the operator panel (Mans, 2003). Capping From the filler, bottles travel through another starwheel into the 36-head Arol CSD screw capper. Caps are supplied by Alcoa and are sorted and delivered to the capper by a system from SIDEL, Packaging Systems Div. Caps are loaded into a hopper located outside of the enclosure. Then a nearly vertical belt carries the caps to the top of the enclosure. Caps are contained on horizontal cleats on the belt and if any caps improperly orient they fall back into the hopper. The belt discharges the caps onto a track that carries them down to the capper. A transfer star picks the caps from the track and places them on the capping head, which then rotates synchronously above the bottle turret. The capping head lowers and screws the cap onto the bottle as the unit rotates. Capped bottles leaving the enclosure pass through an Industrial Dynamics Filtec x-ray fill height inspector. The capped bottles then pass two Videojet Excel ink-jet printers that print a freshness date on the bottle cap tamper ring. The plant has installed two of these units to provide redundancy in case one unit malfunctions. For added security a Domino laser printer applies production codes and a freshness date to the bottle. After being coded the bottles then travel onto a multichain mat-top conveyor that slows their transport speed from 350 to 40 ft/min and accumulates the bottles from single-file to mass (Mans, 2003). Label/ Glue/ Packing /Packaging A HiCone machine produces six-packs of 16- and 24-oz, and 500-mL bottles. The bottles are delivered to the machine in two lanes. The two lanes separate six bottles and apply the plastic carrier material. The material is delivered in a continuous web to a large vertical wheel rotating above the bottles. The wheel pushes the web down onto the six bottles, and it is then cut to separate the six-pack. The packs are then diverted into two lanes and fed to a Hartness 2650 continuous-motion case packer that places four six-packs into reusable plastic crates for delivery to the PBV warehouse for distribution. Bottles can also be conveyed to a packing installation incorporating a Model MW7 multipacker and a Model TDL tray former/loader and shrink wrapper, all supplied by Douglas Machine. Each of these servo-driven machines has its own control panel, with intuitive touchscreen interfaces with real-time production data, maintenance scheduling and changeover settings. Bottles are delivered to the multiwrapper where groups of six or 12 bottles are then wrapped in registered film. This is a dual-stream machine that wraps two parallel groups of bottles simultaneously. Bottles are delivered in mass to the machine and are separated into either six or twelve bottle groupings by a proprietary pinless metering system. The groups are then delivered into the wrapping section. The film is placed around the bottle group and the package is conveyed through a heated shrink tunnel. Four six packs or two twelve packs are then delivered to the tray former/loader. The machine forms a tray from a paperboard blank, pushes the wrapped packs onto the tray, and then seals the open sides with hot-melt glue. This glue is applied by a Nordson glue system. Some 500-mL bottles, as well as 20- and 24-oz bottles of all products can bypass the multipacker and be delivered directly to the tray former/loader. After these are placed on the tray, it travels through a shrink wrapper/heat tunnel. Once the products are packaged, they are conveyed past a Videojet ink-jet case coder for application of production codes and then overhead to an automatic palletizer. Each sku is individually palletized to a designed stacking pattern. Individual packages are delivered to the upper level of the palletizer and are assembled into layers. After each layer is completed the platform is then lowered so the next layer can be assembled. Finished pallet loads are released at floor level and are transported by pallet conveyor to an Orion stretch wrapper. PBV uses plastic pallets that have improved palletizing efficiency and eliminated the debris and floor damage that are usually caused by wood pallets (Mans, 2003). Finished Products/ Reductions of Plant Costs Finished products are stacked two or three high, without pallet racks, and are rotated by code dates. The warehouse has been designed to have twin-load pallet racks in the future that will accommodate four-high stacking. The forklifts are also responsible for placing empty pallets into the palletizers. The PBV plant was specifically designed to allow all raw materials and finished goods to be handled on double forklifts. These forklifts allow two pallets to be picked up at a time and greatly reduce loading and unloading time of the production equipment. The dock equipment was engineered to allow the movement of these extra-wide and heavy loads in and out of the building. The double-fork trucks are also used to load trailers with finished products going to the sales centers, unload return trailers with empty plastic pallets and shells, store empty shells and pallets, and feed empty shells to the three lines. Double-fork trucks greatly reduce the number of forklifts and total travel distance in high-volume beverage plants (Mans, 2003). The Need for Water Vs. The Need for Bottled Water Water is a precious resource and the source of life. Its one that many people take for granted on a daily basis, and because of that, a water crisis has been developing over the last few decades. According to a study done in the year 2000, 346,800 million gallons per day (mgd) of freshwater and 61,200 mgd of saltwater were used in the United States (Water, 2006). Based on these numbers, its figured that the typical American single family home consumes, on average, 69.3 gallons of water per day (Water, 2006). Our daily needs include hydrating ourselves, using in food preparation, flushing toilets, showering, kitchen and bathroom sink purposes, and washing clothes and dishes. These uses attribute to the amount of water consumed, both for purposeful reasons, as well as for wasteful and unnecessary reasons. While hydrating ourselves to keep our body functions working properly does not consist of a large portion of the daily water usage among Americans, it is still an amount that is being used and will never decrease. Human beings need, on average, eight to twelve cups of water per day to replenish the approximately ten cups of water lost each day due to body functions, varying either more or less depending on activity level (Lempert, 2004). Because of this physical need, someone realized that they could profit. This profit realization turned into a multi-billion dollar business we now know as the bottled water industry. The thought that one day human beings would spend money on a bottled version of something that they can get from their own home for a fraction of a cent for the same amount, is mind-boggling but has become the norm. Nothing is created without a need or a want; hence, bottled water was created. Since the U.S. is becoming a more on-the-go society each and every day, Americans rely more and more convenience items. One example of this is the rise of fast food restaurants, which happens to be a factor in the current obesity epidemic in America. So, because of this go, go, go! mentality, many just do not have the time to walk to a sink and fill up a glass with water. They instead need to have it right by their side, only needing to open up a cap and just toss it to the side when it is empty and open up the next thats right there. Another beneficial aspect is in times of emergencies, such as a hurricanes or earthquakes, the water supplies to those areas are usually shut down and/or contamin ated. In which case, bottled water is needed for consumption. Besides the convenience and emergency factors, Americans seem to think that bottled water is a safer, and sometimes, tastier, alternative to tap water. Some people fear coming down with gastrointestinal illnesses, while others fear contaminants, such as pesticides, to enter their bodies (Terry, 2005). People live under the impression that all bottled water is safer to drink than tap water because of a typical misconception, the idea that if it is bottled or packaged by a beverage or food company, then it must be safe. This is an idea that can be argued back and forth. Consumption, Recycling, Physical Harm, and Muda The amount of bottled water being purchased is growing almost exponentially each year. According to a bottled water study, based on the year 2004, Americans consumed 6.76 billion gallons of the pricey beverage (Falcone, 2006). This total amount averaged out to 70 million one-serving bottles being drank each and every day (Falcone, 2006). Consuming that many bottles of water everyday is incredible, and it is no wonder that entrepreneurs are coming up with new ideas all the time on how to get into the bottled water industry. A big reason for the increasing amount of bottled water drinkers is because of, as mentioned earlier, the convenience. It is a lot easier to grab a couple of bottled waters from the refrigerator before going somewhere. Aside from the convenience or laziness factor, the rise in bottled water consumption has begun to have a serious impact on our environment. With the amount of bottled water being produced everyday, there is a high amount of left over product once the water has been drank that must be dealt with. That portion left over happens to be the plastic bottle, something that is not the most earth-friendly item. Of the daily amount of bottled water being consumed, 70 million, 60 million are never recycled (Falcone, 2006). On a daily basis, that means that approximately 86% of bottles are thrown away and sent to a landfill, hurting our environment. This also means that 60 million new plastic bottles have to be created each day to replace those that are thrown in the trash, which amounts to more natural resources being used and more future muda being produced. What is more disturbing is that once these bottles are taken to a landfill, they can take up to 1,000 years to fully decompose (Falcone, 2006). First of all, how is someone able to compute that amount, because, after all, bottled water is a fairly new concept? And secondly, wi th 60 million bottles being added to dumps each day all over the U.S., where are the bottles going to be taken to in ten years, when most likely the amount of bottled waste has doubled, or even tripled? So why is it that the majority of plastic bottles are not being recycled? Many experts say that it is because vehicles are not equipped with recycling receptacles (Falcone, 2006). Since a majority of Americans who purchase bottled water are on-the-go all the time, they have less patience and desire to hold onto their empty plastic bottles until they get to a location where a recycling bin is present. It is easier to just throw them in the trash or on the street. It seems ridiculous that it is easier for people to throw a bottle in the trash as opposed to recycling especially when many places are placing recycling bins next to trash cans. This laziness and lack of patience is causing an extreme amount of harm on the environment. To put this idea into perspective the amount of muda in California created ten years from now would create a two lane, six-inch deep highway that stretches the entire coast of California (Wilson, 2003). During the rare 14% of the time when empty bottles of water are recycled, a lot of good can come from them and it is a step in the right direction in helping the environment. The raw materials used to make the plastic bottles can be saved and used for numerous items which helps to save resources from being destroyed to make new products. By looking at California only, it is estimated that one billion plastic bottles get thrown away over the course of a year (Wilson, 2003). This amount calculates to almost three million bottles being thrown away each and every day (Wilson, 2003). That is an incredible, as well as, disturbing, amount of unnecessary trash. If instead of being thrown away each and every one of those bottles were recycled, the materials reused could produce either 74 million square feet of carpet, 74 million extra large T-shirts, or 16 million sweaters (Wilson, 2003). It is incredible to think that a plastic bottle could be turned into other useful items and help save the environment by not using as many natural resources. Some other interesting information about the recycled material is that five recycled bottles can produce one extra large T-shirt, polyesther carpets can be created from the resin contained within the bottles, and the materials of the bottle can be spun like cotton candy and produce filling for quilts and pillows (Recycling, 2006). By looking over these types of statistics, it paints a wonderful picture of how recycling so much can be saved. Many precious fossil fuels are wasted in this process. The transportation of bottled water to other parts of the U.S. as well as being shipped to other parts of the world uses large amounts of fuel on a yearly basis. This fuel is being wasted on a daily basis for a product that a majority of Americans can get for almost nothing just by turning a knob in their own home (Arnold, 2006). Besides wasting fuel on transportation costs, this same precious resource is being consumed during the packaging process. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is the type of plastic most commonly used to produce bottles and just so happens to contain crude oil (Bottled, 2005). According to research, 1.5 million barrels of crude oil is used over the course of a year to be able to produce the amount of bottles Americans demand (Bottled, 2005). Putting this amount into perspective, 1.5 million barrels would be enough to fuel approximately 100,000 cars for an entire year in the U.S. (Bottled, 2005). It is no sho ck that our world is currently dealing with a fuel crisis. By wasting such an extreme amount of oil on the production of bottles and transporting the finished product, we are not only hurting the environment but we are ruining the future for the next generations. Previously mentioned was the apparent safeness of bottled water as opposed to tap water. While in some cases this may be true, tap water can be just as good as bottled and it may even be safer. Many scientific studies have been conducted on bottled water over the years and some of the information found is disturbing. Unlike tap water, which is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), bottled water is classified as a food. Hence, it is regulated by the Food Drug Administration (FDA) (Mosko, 2004). The two groups have different standards in which companies are to follow otherwise harsh consequences result. Some differences are that the FDA does not require products to be tested for coliform bacteria whereas the EPA specifies that no confirmed E.coli or fecal coliform contamination is allowed in tap water (Howard, 2003). Also unlike the EPA, contaminants are not required to be listed after testing whereas additives are required (Mosko, 2004). Since 1990, findings of chem ical contamination and fecal coliform during testing have caused 11 major recalls of bottled water (Mosko, 2004). According to a study done by the World Wildlife Fund, bacterial counts in bottled mineral water can jump 1,000-fold after one week in storage (Mosko, 2004). When bottled water is stored in an un-refrigerated environment for a long period of time, the amount of microorganisms that begin to develop are far greater than the amount contained within tap water (Mosko, 2004). Some water companies, including Aquafina, do not use NSF-certification which tests bottled water for 144 dangerous contaminants (Mosko, 2004). Besides the water being unsafe in many cases, the plastic bottles can also cause a health threat to consumers. When bottled water drinkers notice a taste difference between brands, some of that difference can be attributed to the type of plastic used for the bottle. If the type of plastic used can have an effect on the taste of the water, shouldnt that make a person wonder as to what else the plastic is doing to the water microscopically? One such chemical used in PET bottles, known as Bisphenol-A, is a known endocrine disruptor and carcinogen (Mosko, 2004). This chemical found through testing mixes with the water contained inside the bottle (Mosko, 2004). It is one thing for a person to be inhaling smoke from cigarettes and knowing the possible cancer they are creating within their body. But it is absolutely ridiculous and uncalled for when a person unknowingly harms their body on a daily basis by drinking a product they are told is healthy and necessary for survival. With all of these findings from studies, just how good is that three-dollar bottle of water looking to a person now? Economical and Environmental Analysis in the Business Process First, some numbers on PepsiCo and Aquafina: According to the New York Times, The Pepsi Bottling Group posted better-than-expected profit April 18th as strong sales of Aquafina bottled water and Lipton Ice Tea brands in North America offset rising costs for raw material and fuel (Pepsi, 2006). The company had net income of $34 million, or 14 cents a share, compared with $39 million, or 15 cents a share, in the period a year earlier. Earnings were 3 cents ahead of analysts average forecast of 11 cents a share, according to Reuters Estimates. Excluding stock option expense, Pepsi Bottlings profit was 18 cents a share. The company, which is 43 percent, owned by PepsiCo Inc., said revenue rose to $2.37 billion from $2.15 billion. In the United States, sales of noncarbonated beverages, excluding water, grew more than 20 percent in the quarter while sales of Aquafina water grew about 35 percent. Pepsi Bottling said first-quarter sales by volume, a crucial gauge of performance in the bevera ge industry, rose 6 percent worldwide as well as in the United States and Canada. The company said worldwide net revenue per case grew 4 percent, fueled by price increases in the United States that helped offset a 9 percent jump in selling, delivery and administrative expenses (The New York Times, April