The American Dream Essays (1877 words) - , Term Papers

The American Dream It is the intent of this paper to prove that the "American Dream" can best be explained as a "ciity upon a hill." "Ciity upon a hill" meaning being above and superior over those below. The Civil War, the imperialistic race of the 19th century, the Korean War, the KKK, and the Gulf War are all examples of the "American Dream" of superiority playing a part in American History. Each American has a different idea of this superiority, but nonetheless strive to achieve it, whatever it may be in. The Civil War which split the United States, was a clash of two aspects of approaching the "American Dream" in a young America. Both sides felt their idea's and philosophies were superior to those of the opposing side and therefore would benefit the country more and make it superior. Both North and South wanted to better the country to have it achieve the "American Dream". Unfortunately, each side had a different perspective on how to approach it. Slavery was a major issue, the North against, the South pro. The disagreement on slavery lead to difficulty in the issue of Westward expansion. Both agreed to it, but whether to admit them as free or slave states was where the split occurred. The compromise of 1850 stated that California enters free, and New Mexico and Utah decided on their own which is giving them more state rights in which the South heavily supported. This compromise did not satisfy each side fully. The issue of State rights intensified by the issue of slavery because the Southern states felt they had the right to decide on their own about Slavery without Federal intervention. It seems the Southern states felt that the "American dream" was out of their reach because they felt powerless and inferior with the Central government. When the American revolution was fought to break from Britain, the Southern States thought they would be treated as sovereign and free. With the State's limited power, they felt as if the Federal government would become a monarchy. The Northern States wanted the "American dream" achieved for the whole country to be industrial, anti-slavery, and very federalist. Upon these institutions they planned to make the U.S a superior nation in the world. The South wanted to achieve the same ultimate goal for the U.S but with agricultural, pro- slavery, and states sovereignty institutions. These are the differences between both sides in achieving "the American Dream." In order to resolve the conflict of interests, North and South had to go to war to prove superiority thus proving which side is "the ciity upon the hill" in which the losing side would follow. During the time of Imperialism in the 19th century, the U.S wanted to expand worldwide and strive for the lead in the "imperialistic race." In 1871, the U.S and Canada signed the Washington treaty meaning that the U.S recognized Canada as an independent dominion. Any schemes to forcefully annex Canada and to unite the North American continent under the U.S flag had been rejected. The U.S could not expand any further in North America and had to look at other parts of the world for expansion. At the time, there were many other nations looking to expand its empire such as Britain and Germany. Some Southern expansionists saw Cuba as an interest because it could have possibly been used as a slave territory. Because Northerners were highly against slavery, the plan was dropped. After the Civil War, Secretary of State Seward had negotiated a treaty to purchase the virgin Islands from Denmark, but the senate rejected this treaty. They were not purchased until 1917. In 1859, the U.S annexed t he Midway Islands in the South Pacific, and half the Samoan Islands; the other half belonging to Germany. Hawaii, another Pacific island, had always been important to the U.S. It served as an important base for trade with Japan and China. When the U.S annexed Hawaii in 1893 after a coup, to justify it, the U.S claimed it was an important strategic military foothold. They also claimed that the inferior Hawaiian natives were incapable of self government, and that it was in their best interests. After the annexation

Pillsbury Cookie Challenge Essays

Pillsbury Cookie Challenge Essays Pillsbury Cookie Challenge Paper Pillsbury Cookie Challenge Paper The Pillsbury RBG business had lackluster performance and volume growth between 2004 and 2006. In particular, the refrigerated cookie product line’s annual volume growth was only one percent over the past three years. This is very concerning because the refrigerated-cookies product line represented over 75 percent of RBD’s category profit. Pillsbury’s main problem lies in its marketing initiatives, as the Canadian division often leveraged advertising from the United States – which fails to target the Canadian market. Therefore, Pillsbury is faced with the challenge of improving the segment’s performance and unlock growth in Canada. Action plan First, Pillsbury RBG cookies should recognize that its value proposition is its convenience and family appeal. Insights from the consumer research undertaken by the General Mills Consumer Insights team shows that shows that Canadian â€Å"Users† and â€Å"Lapsed Users† focus on RBG cookie’s quickness to make, spontaneity and the easiness to clean-up. The brand should target both â€Å"users† and â€Å"lapsed users† because they perceive refrigerated cookie dough as convenient. Pillsbury should not focus on targeting â€Å"non users† because this segment does not view refrigerated cookie dough as convenient. The ad should also address lapsed user’s insecurity about using products that took them away from their commitment to scratch baking. Therefore, Pillsbury should create an online ad that focuses on the utilitarian dimension by providing information on â€Å"how† RBG cookies are convenient and easy to use. The endorser should be a mother in her mid-30s to 40s with active and busy lifestyle. Exhibit 6 shows that Canada has a much higher number of scratch users. Therefore, the marketing message should focus on the â€Å"baking from scratch† experience and â€Å"easy to make† aspect that resonates with Canadian consumers. Moreover, Pillsbury should produce a television ad that depicts a nostalgic and homey scene of a mother baking cookies with her children. This will create an emotional appeal and elicit an emotional response from Canadian consumers. Key findings from the in-home sessions and the workshop shows that the baking experience fuelled memories of happy moments. Therefore, the ad should focus the consumer’s attention on the emotional experience of Pillsbury’s product usage. Exhibit 7 shows that the purchase drivers of RBG products in Canada is based on how fun it is to bake with the kids, whether the kids like to make them and if it will be a fun activity with the kids. Therefore, Pillsbury should produce a TV ad that has emotional contagion – to induce consumers to vicariously experience a depicted emotion. Since cognitively based attitude are influenced by the communication source, the ad should feature a mother in her mid 30s-40s because ordinary people and women endorsers are perceived as credible sources. In terms of the store strategy, Pillsbury can attempt to arouse emotions by using techniques such as music and emotional scenes. For example, Pillsbury should work with its retailers to produce in-store radio ads that focuses on the positive emotions surrounding the baking of cookies with children. Visuals (such as posters next to product placement) and voiceovers featuring happy mother and children should be displayed in-store. The marketing team should create a multimedia campaign, with the tag line â€Å"The secret to fun baking†. This will resonate with the discovery workshop’s finding that Pillsbury had an integral sense of magic and was considered to be â€Å"a shared secret† while baking.

Diamond's Viewpoint Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Diamond's Viewpoint - Essay Example The nervous system is made up of neurons, and they are tasked with the responsibility of transmitting information in the body. Communication is as a result of chemical and electronic means. The cellular structure of a neuron comprises axons and dendrites. Synapses are the connection between cells. Neurons produce neurotransmitters – a chemical that enables neurons to communicate with one another. Diamond illustrates that the trees of the mind are neurons, and as trees, they have branches that interconnect to send and obtain messages to and from the mind. Environmental incentive affects the brain growth of a child, and productive environment stimulates the brain positively (Diamond and Hopson 18). Brain enrichment is significant at a young age since the brain is still young and learning can be incorporated easily. The full potential of a child can be ensured through the learning that they experience at a young age. Children use the skills they learn: thinking and remembering, to help them through school. The brain, when stimulated well and positively, will give satisfying

Advanced Financial Reporting & Regulation Assignment

Advanced Financial Reporting & Regulation - Assignment Example The present research has identified that according to the SEC, the BMS company also engaged in ‘cookie jar’ accounting. That is, it created phony reserves for disposals of unneeded plants and divisions during high-profit quarters. These would be carried to decrease the operating expenses in results of the quarters where BMS’ income or earnings figures are insufficient to meet the forecasted amounts. Required: a. Using relevant academic papers, discuss the incentives why managers would resort to extreme earnings management technique such as this. b. Critically evaluate the effectiveness of ‘stuffing the channels’ and ‘cookie jar accounting’ as earnings management devices. Earnings management is any legal activity via which the entity administers its profits earned, retained and distributed and thereafter carries out it's financial reporting, making decisions regarding the contents, details, and disclosures to be provided in the deliverable s to give a true and fair view of its operations. According to Lev, earnings play a very important role not only because they shape up the success of any business but also because they can have drastic effects if the management’s reporting of earnings get manipulated. Therefore, it is of utmost significance for all key personnel of the entity to excel at earnings management, taking into account that it doesn’t involve any manipulative measures and fraudulent practices. According to scenario given in the question, the pharmaceutical company mentioned was similarly involved in maneuvering its books of accounts by using tactics such as ‘stuffing the channels’ and ‘cookie jar’ accounting, resulting into non-compliances, being penalized for the same. The question here arises as to why would managers of this enterprise be engaged in such practices of window-dressing the company’s books of accounts though aware of its adverse consequences of n on-compliance? Following are given few incentives which may urge managers to be indulged in wrongful earnings management: Fulfilling Expectations of Capital Markets: The most common reason for a majority of the times in such instances is motivation to satisfy capital markets. Managers are mostly under extreme pressures to create value for existing and prospective shareholders and when they find no way to do so in real terms, they end up manipulating reporting of earnings thereby affecting favorably stock’s market price in the short run.

Guillermos Furniture Store Scenario Essay Example for Free

Guillermos Furniture Store Scenario Essay Financial principles, financial markets, and business ethics construct a major infrastructure for financial decisions that all managers or supervisors must make on a constant basis. The purpose of this paper is to explain the financial concepts found in this week’s readings and how these concepts relate to the Guillermo’s Furniture Store Scenario. According to the text reading, â€Å"the principles of finance, described in this section and the two that follow, are based on logical deduction and on empirical observation† (Chapter 2, p. 20). Until the late 1990s, Guillermo’s Furniture Store retained its competitive advantage in the furniture market. The arrival of a new overseas competitor entering the furniture market, decreased furniture prices, and increased labor costs posed as a new challenge for the organization (University of Phoenix, 2009). For several years, Guillermo’s Furniture Store dominated the furniture manufacturing market with the ideal supply of timber to create a variation of types of furniture. As a result, the owner did not know how to forecast the new challenges that faced the company. As the new competition starts to enter the furniture market, these competitors have developed an advanced technology that produces a more customized product to meet consumer demand. With labor costs rising, Guillermo did not realize these changes and how this would affect his current business. Guillermo’s Furniture Store will need to consider the principle of self-interested behavior to help minimize the risks associated with the changes in the furniture business to meet customer expectations. The concept of the principle of self-interested behavior basically implies that with a level playing field in the furniture business meaning all aspects of the business equals one another, then Guillermo will need to act or perform in the best financial interest of his own company. One option for Guillermo’s Furniture Store would be to purchase a high-tech laser lather operating equipment for manufacturing the product. This would be an example of the principle of self-interested behavior as it is an important corollary of this principle (Emery, Finnerty, Stowe, 2007). This action will create a more desirable competing action for the benefit of his organization. Guillermo could also consider becoming a furniture manufacturer for a Norway company by facilitating all distributing pathways and this behavior is an example of the principle of valuable ideas. Emery, Finnerty Stowe state, â€Å"new products or services can create value, so if you have a new idea, you might then transform it into extraordinary positive value for yourself† (Chapter 2, p. 24). This type of behavior is clear if the owner decides to patent the current process for coating the furniture as it creates new ideas. Guillermo will need to consider ways to create value by developing exceptional customer service with the creation of better products and services at the lowest possible price without sacrificing the quality of the product or service. The competition is fierce overseas as a direct result of inexpensive parts and labor. The furniture store will have to create the lowest and best quality product to meet consumer demands. Guillermo will need to meet the competition with its market presence by focusing on remaining competitive with the patent process. In order to make a strategic decision on which process will be best for the furniture store, Guillermo will need to take a closer look at the financial statements to make the financial decision. Strategic analysis of financial transaction is one of the most vital facets of an organization with regard to important business decisions. This type of analysis assists any business owner or manager in deciding which type of alternative or plan would be most beneficial to the company. These decisions should also consider the impact on the market and the competition as well as the organization. Guillermo will need to discover the financial impact of either choice mentioned above to make the best decision. Reference Emery, D. R., Finnerty, J. D., Stowe, J. D. (2007). Corporate Financial Management (3rd ed). Chapter 2: The Financial Environment: Concepts and Principles. Prentice Hall, Inc: A Pearson Education Company. University of Phoenix. Guillermo’s Furniture Store Data. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, Corporate Finance-FIN571 website. University of Phoenix (2012). Guillermo’s Furniture Store Scenario. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, Corporate Finance-FIN571 website

Zoos: Pitiful Dirty Prisons Essay -- essays research papers fc

Zoos: Pitiful Dirty Prisons If you have ever stepped into a zoo, you have stepped into a prison in which the inmates are defenseless and innocent, the sentence is long, and the penalty is cruel and severe. Zoos are not made for educational purposes but for entertainment, they do not benefit animals but push them toward extinction. "Zoos range in size and quality from cage-less parks to small roadside menageries with concrete slabs and iron bars." (Zoos: Pitiful Prisons.) The larger the zoo and the greater the number and variety of the animals it contains, the more it costs to provide quality care for the animals. Although more than 112 million people visit zoos in the U.S. and Canada every year, most zoos operate at a loss and must find ways to cut costs (which sometimes means selling animals) or add gimmicks that will attract visitors. (Zoos: Pitiful Prisons.) Zoo officials often consider profits over the animals' well- being.(Zoos: Pitiful Prisons.) A former director of the Atlanta Zoo once rem arked that he was "too far removed from the animals; they're the last thing I worry about with all the other problems." (Zoos: Pitiful Prisons.) Zoos are nothing more than animal prisons maintained for human amusement, not for education. ("Zoocheck".) Most zoo enclosures are quite small, and labels provide little more information than the species name, diet, and natural range. (Zoos: Pitiful Prisons.) The animals' normal behavior is seldom discussed, much less observed, because their natural needs are seldom met. Birds' wings may be clipped so they cannot fly, aquatic animals often have little water, and the many animals who naturally live in large herds or family groups are often kept alone or, at most, in pairs. (Zoos: Pitiful Prisons.) Natural hunting and mating behaviors are virtually eliminated by regulated feeding and breeding regimens. (Zoos: Pitiful Prisons.) The animals are closely confined, lack privacy, and have little opportunity for mental stimulation or physical exercise. Animals forced to endure such confinement often display abnormal and self-destructive behavior called "Zoochosis".(Zo os: Pitiful Prisons.) Zoochosis is a mental illness; symptoms include pacing, neck twisting, and other repetitive behaviors.("Zoocheck".) &... ...oadside zoos at all costs. If no one visits these substandard operations, they will be forced to close down. Contact PETA and start your own "Zoocheck" program in your local zoo. Zoos claim that they are good for research, but the purpose of most zoos' research is to find ways to breed and maintain more animals in captivity. If zoos ceased to exist, so would the need for most of their research. The key to saving exotic animals lies in saving their habitat, not removing them from it only to be placed in an unnatural and abusive environment.("Zoocheck".) Works Cited Zoo Target of "Bloody" Protest Over African Elephants PETA News Release http://www.peta-online.org/news/basel199.htm Zoocheck PETA's Action for Activists http://www.peta-online.org/library/actionideas/zoo.htm 21, Nov. 1999 Zoos:Pitiful Prisons Campaigns http://www.peta-online.org/cmp/ccircfs3.-html 21, Nov. 1999

Drink-at-Home, Inc Essay

CASE 2: DRINK-AT-HOME, INC. Drink-At-Home, Inc. (DAH, Inc. ), develops, processes, and markets mixes to be used in nonalcoholic cocktails and mixed drinks for home consumption. Mrs. Lee, who is in charge of research and development at DAH, Inc. , this morning notified Mr. Dick Jones, the president, that exciting developments in the research and development section indicate that a new beverage, an instant pina colada, should be possible because of a new way to process and preserve coconut. Mrs. Lee is recommending a major program to develop the pina colada. She estimates that expenditure on the development may be as much as $100,000 and that as much as a year’s work may be required. In the discussion with Mr. Jones, she indicated that she thought the possibility of her outstanding people successfully developing such a drink now that she’d done all the really important work was in the neighborhood of 90 percent. She also felt that the likelihood of a competing company developing a similar product in 12 months was 80 percent. Mr. Jones is strictly a bottom line guy and is concerned about the sales volume of such a beverage. Consequently, Mr. Jones talked to Mr. Besnette, his market research manager, whose specialty is new product evaluation, and was advised that a market existed for an instant pina colada, but was some-what dependent on acceptance by both grocery stores and retail liquor stores. Mr. Besnette also indicated that the sales reports indicate that other firms are considering a line of tropical drinks. If other firms should develop a competing beverage the market would, of course, be split among them. Mr. Jones pressed Mr. Besnette to make future sales estimates for various possibilities and to indicate the present (discounted value of future profits) value. Mr. Besnette provided Table 1. Mr. Besnette’s figures did not include (1) cost of research and development, (2) cost of new production equipment, or (3) cost of introducing the pina colada. The cost of the new production equipment is expected to be $ 100,000 because of the special way the coconut needs to be handled, and the cost of introducing the new product is expected to be about $150,000 because of the point-of purchase displays that would be necessary to introduce the new product. Mrs. Lee has indicated that she does have alternative development proposals, which are: 1. A reduced research program to see someone else comes out with the product first and if not, then proceed with a crash program. The reduced program for the first eight months would cost $10,000 per month. One advantage of this is that if the effort was unsuccessful, then development costs would be held to the eight-month figure (8 months ? $ 10,000 = $80,000). The likelihood of success under this approach is the same as the more orderly development. (The likelihood of a competing company developing a product in 8 months is 60 percent.) The crash development program would take place in months 9 through 12 and would cost an additional $60,000. It would proceed only if the eight-month study guaranteed a success. 2. Use a reduced research program and maintain an awareness of industry developments to see if someone else develops a product. If someone else has developed a product at the end of six months, it would cost only an additional $30,000 to analyze their product and duplicate it. The reduced development program would cost $10,000 per month. Mr. Besnette, being the great marketer that he is, is of course reluctant to be second on the market with a new product. He says that the first product on the market will usually obtain a greater share of the market, and it will be difficult to win those customers back. Consequently, he indicates that only about 50 percent of the sales that he indicated in Table 1 could be expected if Drink-at-Home waited until competing brands were already on the market. Moreover, he suspects that there is only a 50/50 chance that the competitor will be out with a product within the next six months. There are four options: (1) orderly development of the pina colada, (2) modest development effort followed by the crash program, (3) a modest development effort for the first six months to see if a competitive product comes on the market, and (4) do nothing. TABLE 1. Sales and Profit Potentials Consumer Acceptance Substantial Moderate Low (Sales Potential) Probability Present Values 0. 10 0. 60 0. 30 (Discounted Value of Future Profits) $800,000 $600,000 $500,000 What would you recommend? Show all supporting solutions/computations. Source: http://wps. pearsoned. co. uk/ema_ge_render_qam_11/202/51952/13299854. cw/content/index. html.