Chabros International Group: A World of Wood

The Chabros International Group started with fairly low-key beginnings in the late sixties, but has gradually become a respected name in a wealth of different timber markets. In particular, it has become a well-known wood and veneer supplier due to the relentless and often pioneering efforts of its president Antoine Chami, who has carefully built up a reputation for high quality products and exceptional service. The company employs more than 600 staff with an annual turnover of $100 million USD.Chabros is a leading producer and supplier of wood and veneer and a distributor of a wide range of interior and exterior products that have been specified and used in major high-end projects throughout the Middle East for over 40 years. With an aim to cater to the innovative needs of woodworking professionals, architects & interior designers as well as contractors, Chabros has established overseas production units and distribution points throughout the Middle East Region, targeting businesses that are in search for quality products and exceptional service.In addition to its strong presence of Lebanon, Chabros has always been devoted to expand its range of products to provide original and fresh design solutions to its customers. Chabros has also added a line of services to its current product offerings including veneer stitching & pressing, sanding, veneer finger jointing, parquet and exterior decking installation as well as teak yacht decking. Chabros is positioned as one of the market leading suppliers of Wood & Veneer with a large stock of wide range of products, exceptional service and unique expertise.The company’s success is driven by its loyal customers, their team and their unrelenting focus on delivering results by executing with excellence. In Lebanon, Chabros was one of the first to produce veneer products instead of solid wood because of its ecological and economical benefits. The company’s vision has always been to expand the business further in order to meet the industry’s demands and replenish the shortages that exist. However, due to the wars and political unrest in Lebanon, the company’s desire to expand was stifled somewhat until 1998 when it ventured into the GCC and could establish a branch in Dubai.In the midst of a growing global market, Chabros has established overseas production units and distribution points throughout the Middle East Region, targeting businesses that are in search for quality products and exceptional service. The company’s regional distribution centers are headquartered in Dubai covering a vast geographical area of supply. The Chabros International Group case studies how Chabros confronts a drastic drop in its largest subsidiary's sales after 2008's global economic crisis.Chami, the company’s owner and president, was reviewing his company's 2009 end-of-year financial statements and, in particular, a 30 per cent drop in sales in Dubai. In 2007, a year before the globa l economic crisis, Chami had invested more than $11 million to acquire and expand a sawmill in Serbia to meet Chabros's growing lumber sales demand. With a much higher capacity to produce lumber and a much lower probability to sell it, Chami had to decide what to do to overcome this challenge. Shocked, Chami went into crisis mode and consulted all of his top management to address these issues.Questions that were raised: Should he close parts of his Serbian sawmill? Should he try to boost his company's sales to use all of his sawmill's available capacity? If so, should Chabros try to increase sales within the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, and Egypt or should it expand into a new country such as Algeria, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Syria, Tunisia? Would Morocco, among other countries, be the best country to expand into? Was it the right time to embark on such an expansion?The management also had explored different alternatives such as closing parts o f the Serbian sawmill and different strategies that they could follow if they decided to try grow the company’s sales. The future seemed so uncertain and the team did not know what to expect. It was clear that closing the Serbian sawmill was out of the question, mainly because the company had invested over $11 just less than two years ago. Closing that plant would put the company in a difficult financial situation as it invested for the long run.The company’s best alternative would be to continue operations in the Serbian sawmill and try to expand into other markets where such materials were in high demand. Prior to this, expansion, an extensive research would have to be conducted, particularly due to the crisis affecting many parts of the world. If Chabros was able to find an expanding market, they could continue operations in all of their sawmills. Another option would be to sell off either part of the operations or the entire sawmill.Both of these options would put them at a loss, however, it would be a better option than shutting the entire mill. Some of the strengths and competitive advantages, which Chabros International Group consisted of, were being simultaneously a manufacturer and a wholesaler, which gave them strategic flexibility. They understood and adapted to its Western suppliers and the Middle East and North Africa suppliers. Lebanese people are very adaptable due to their culture, which brought the main sawmill to a much greater advantage.Another strength which Chabros had, was providing its customers with more varied and customized wood products than most other competitors, which built distinctive relationships with its key suppliers. With strengths and advantages come disadvantages, which Chabros had as well. Being a lumber manufacturer put Chabros in the reverse situation and sometimes gave it a disadvantage compared to lumber wholesalers. This happened during the financial crisis, where euro reached an all time high of $1.55 and Chabro’s Russian supplier was able to sell at a lower price. A weak point where Chabros stands, is not working on their brand name. Although Chabros was operating in seven MENA countries, their name was not very well known, not to mention in its parent country, Lebanon. Through its affiliates all over the world, the company has established strategic alliances with mills in Africa, North and South America and Europe, which are responsible for sourcing, cooking, cutting, drying, grading and supplying the various wood products.In recent years, it has broadened its product lines to include new products such as mother-of-pearl laminates and Duroxill UF powder glue. The growth of the company means it has also extended its services, which have developed to include the production of lay-ons, veneered boards and parquetry designs through the use of various splicing, cutting and laser machines in its different locations. Chabros International Group: A World of Wood The Chabros International Group started with fairly low-key beginnings in the late sixties, but has gradually become a respected name in a wealth of different timber markets. In particular, it has become a well-known wood and veneer supplier due to the relentless and often pioneering efforts of its president Antoine Chami, who has carefully built up a reputation for high quality products and exceptional service. The company employs more than 600 staff with an annual turnover of $100 million USD.Chabros is a leading producer and supplier of wood and veneer and a distributor of a wide range of interior and exterior products that have been specified and used in major high-end projects throughout the Middle East for over 40 years. With an aim to cater to the innovative needs of woodworking professionals, architects & interior designers as well as contractors, Chabros has established overseas production units and distribution points throughout the Middle East Region, targeting businesses that are in search for quality products and exceptional service.In addition to its strong presence of Lebanon, Chabros has always been devoted to expand its range of products to provide original and fresh design solutions to its customers. Chabros has also added a line of services to its current product offerings including veneer stitching & pressing, sanding, veneer finger jointing, parquet and exterior decking installation as well as teak yacht decking. Chabros is positioned as one of the market leading suppliers of Wood & Veneer with a large stock of wide range of products, exceptional service and unique expertise.The company’s success is driven by its loyal customers, their team and their unrelenting focus on delivering results by executing with excellence. In Lebanon, Chabros was one of the first to produce veneer products instead of solid wood because of its ecological and economical benefits. The company’s vision has always been to expand the business further in order to meet the industry’s demands and replenish the shortages that exist. However, due to the wars and political unrest in Lebanon, the company’s desire to expand was stifled somewhat until 1998 when it ventured into the GCC and could establish a branch in Dubai.In the midst of a growing global market, Chabros has established overseas production units and distribution points throughout the Middle East Region, targeting businesses that are in search for quality products and exceptional service. The company’s regional distribution centers are headquartered in Dubai covering a vast geographical area of supply. The Chabros International Group case studies how Chabros confronts a drastic drop in its largest subsidiary's sales after 2008's global economic crisis.Chami, the company’s owner and president, was reviewing his company's 2009 end-of-year financial statements and, in particular, a 30 per cent drop in sales in Dubai. In 2007, a year before the globa l economic crisis, Chami had invested more than $11 million to acquire and expand a sawmill in Serbia to meet Chabros's growing lumber sales demand. With a much higher capacity to produce lumber and a much lower probability to sell it, Chami had to decide what to do to overcome this challenge. Shocked, Chami went into crisis mode and consulted all of his top management to address these issues.Questions that were raised: Should he close parts of his Serbian sawmill? Should he try to boost his company's sales to use all of his sawmill's available capacity? If so, should Chabros try to increase sales within the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, and Egypt or should it expand into a new country such as Algeria, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Syria, Tunisia? Would Morocco, among other countries, be the best country to expand into? Was it the right time to embark on such an expansion?The management also had explored different alternatives such as closing parts o f the Serbian sawmill and different strategies that they could follow if they decided to try grow the company’s sales. The future seemed so uncertain and the team did not know what to expect. It was clear that closing the Serbian sawmill was out of the question, mainly because the company had invested over $11 just less than two years ago. Closing that plant would put the company in a difficult financial situation as it invested for the long run.The company’s best alternative would be to continue operations in the Serbian sawmill and try to expand into other markets where such materials were in high demand. Prior to this, expansion, an extensive research would have to be conducted, particularly due to the crisis affecting many parts of the world. If Chabros was able to find an expanding market, they could continue operations in all of their sawmills. Another option would be to sell off either part of the operations or the entire sawmill.Both of these options would put them at a loss, however, it would be a better option than shutting the entire mill. Some of the strengths and competitive advantages, which Chabros International Group consisted of, were being simultaneously a manufacturer and a wholesaler, which gave them strategic flexibility. They understood and adapted to its Western suppliers and the Middle East and North Africa suppliers. Lebanese people are very adaptable due to their culture, which brought the main sawmill to a much greater advantage.Another strength which Chabros had, was providing its customers with more varied and customized wood products than most other competitors, which built distinctive relationships with its key suppliers. With strengths and advantages come disadvantages, which Chabros had as well. Being a lumber manufacturer put Chabros in the reverse situation and sometimes gave it a disadvantage compared to lumber wholesalers.This happened during the financial crisis, where euro reached an all time high of $1.55 a nd Chabro’s Russian supplier was able to sell at a lower price. A weak point where Chabros stands, is not working on their brand name. Although Chabros was operating in seven MENA countries, their name was not very well known, not to mention in its parent country, Lebanon. Through its affiliates all over the world, the company has established strategic alliances with mills in Africa, North and South America and Europe, which are responsible for sourcing, cooking, cutting, drying, grading and supplying the various wood products.In recent years, it has broadened its product lines to include new products such as mother-of-pearl laminates and Duroxill UF powder glue. The growth of the company means it has also extended its services, which have developed to include the production of lay-ons, veneered boards and parquetry designs through the use of various splicing, cutting and laser machines in its different locations.

Counseling Liza

Joe understands Liza’s theme or belief that she has a problem with her boyfriend. It is not a life theme seeing as Liza’s problems with her boyfriend are recent and ongoing events. Besides, the frustration that she feels is her moodiness in the face of the problematic situation. However, if Liza expresses the belief that â€Å"All men are obnoxious,† Joe may rightfully conclude that it is a life theme that his client is expressing; and that, in fact, she is having a problem with her boyfriend because of a core belief.In order to deal with Liza’s stuck pattern of repeating the same story about her problem with her boyfriend, Joe should use both education and hypothesizing in his counseling sessions with Liza. It is clear that Liza would like to find a way out of her problem with her boyfriend. Regardless of whether she would like to continue her relationship with her boyfriend or not, Joe should provide his client with literature concerned with her particul ar patterns.Bibliotherapy in the area of relationship patterns should help Liza understand her own patterns. Furthermore, Joe should complement the education with hypothesizing by asking questions that would allow Liza to speak her mind and thereby understand her situation better. To allow Liza to hypothesize, Joe should ask her questions after she has spoken her automatic thoughts.If Liza claims about her boyfriend, â€Å"He always does that,† referring to problem behavior on the part of her boyfriend; Joe should follow up with the question, â€Å"Why do you think he does that? † Such questions would allow Liza to truly understand the situation that she is faced with. Moreover, her education as part of the therapeutic process would add to her insight, allowing her to eventually leave the problem pattern that she must work her way out of with the help of the counselor.

Analysis Of Ancient Egyptian History History Essay

Analysis Of Ancient Egyptian History History Essay Ancient Egypt was known as the’Cradle of Civilization’. Egyptian civilization is a gift of the Nile River that flows from the northern part of Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea. The river nile was the longest river that located in the Northern Africa. According to historian, Egypt was the second and the oldest civilization in the world that was formed about 3000 B.C.E. The Egypt remains a very interesting history in terms of culture, religion, agriculture, powerful government, their economy, construction of buildings like the pyramids and so forth. Historically, Egypt is an old civilization that ruled by the 30 dynasty of pharaohs in 3100 B.C.E and 332 B.C.E , which it has been divided into the three most major time periods in Egypt, those kingdoms were; the Old kingdom, Middle kingdom and New kingdom. The history of timeline of Ancient Egypt Historians also have divided the time period of ancient Egyptian history to some of the period. The following periods were: Prehist oric ( – 3100 BCE), Early Dynastic Period ( 3000 – 2686), Old Kingdom ( 3000 – 2890), First Intermediate Period (2181 -2055), Middle Kingdom (2055-1650), Second Intermediate Period (1650-1550), New Kingdom (1550 – 1069), Third Intermediate Period (1069 – 664) and Late Period (664 – 332) Pharaoh The King of Egypt was called as Pharaoh, which in other words, â€Å"greatest house†. Pharaoh had absolute power over Egypt and is fully entitled. In the reign of the pharaoh, the Egyptians believed in the existence of God, where the pharaoh considered as god. Pharaoh is not only a political leader that was exalted by the society of Egypt, but he is also regarded as a religious leader as well. Social Organization Position of women Women have a unique status in the Egyptian civilization as it has its own rights. Women role is very important ancient Egypt as the wife and mother, and also its position has been considered precious. In the royal fam ily, the ancient Egyptian women not only became the wife of a pharaoh, or a god, but will become the mother of the pharaoh. Pharaoh could have more than one wife. Religion and beliefs of ancient Egypt Ancient Egyptian civilization is known as a religious center, as evidenced by the discovery of monuments and temples of the religious nature of ancient Egyptian society and beliefs. The Egyptian believed that the world was dominated by many gods to determine life and death of a life, which was also called as trust in polytheism. Each of the Egyptian god often associated with the natural elements such as Re (sun god), Ra-Atum (God’s Heaven) and Amun (Wind God). The Egytian worship the ‘spirit’ where it is believed to help them obtaining the benefits and avoid misfortune or natural disaster. For instance, the Egyptian society worships ‘plant spirit’ to get a good crop. Pharaoh was deemed to be the descendants of God, and because of these, Pharaoh regarded as the great god and has the right to do anything for the Egyptian society. Ancient Egyptian society believes that there is life after death. For them, the person who died will live again in the hereafter. Thus, they preserve bodies (mummification) and build a huge pyramid to keep the mummy of the pharaoh. Pyramid is considered as a meditative spirit, used to store treasures, such as the property of the pharaoh. Food and furniture are also stored in the pyramids because they believed that by doing so the spirit will live in the hereafter.ListenRead phoneticallyListen

Evaluation of demand price elasticity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Evaluation of demand price elasticity - Essay Example The consideration which we pay for a product at a certain quantity is called the price of the product. When we talk of the product price, we mean market price. That is the price at which the product is sold to all buyers in the market. The quantity of a product that we purchase at a certain price is called the demand of the product.The price of a product and its quantity demanded are closely related in the sense that each of these has a bearing on another. When one of these two changes, the other also tends to change. This tendency is very well described by what is popularly known as Law of Demand. The law of Demand is a general law which need not be applicable in all situations. In certain situations, this law seems to be unrealistic. The Law of Demand states that when the price increases, the quantity demanded decreases and vice versa, other things remaining the same. The phrase 'other things remain the same' is an important one that it portrays the exceptions of Law of Demand. The Law of Demand, therefore, postulates the direction of change in one variable (price or quantity) due to the change in other variable. The law is silent about the magnitude of change; it talks only about the direction of change in one variable due to a change in another variable. It does not talk anything about the degree by which demand changes as a result of a change in price. Here lies the importance of Elasticity of Demand. This concept tells us the extent to which demand increases or decreases owing to a decrease or increase in price. Therefore, Law of Demand is a qualitative measurement whereas Elasticity of Demand is a quantitative measurement. Research Methodology At this juncture, the present research study is an attempt to analyze and evaluate the price elasticity phenomenon with the support of an empirically collected data on a certain product and its substitutes. The research is basically a qualitative one that analyzes the data to arrive at logical conclusions. The research uses observation method for data collection as the recorded data alone are sufficient. The data are collected directly by approaching three shops at different places (City I, City II and City III-for convenience) in the New York City. The demand elasticity is evaluated over a period of twelve months, which is segregated into four periods of three months each. The price variations of selected brands over this period are collected and the quantity sold during the same period is compared with that of the other two locations. Therefore, the study takes into account the price of the selected products and their quantity sold (demand) during a period of 1 year, which later co mpared with that of same brands from two shops each in other two locations. Unit of the study Three similar products with different brands from one shop constitute the units of study. For comparison, two more shops at different places in New York City are located and similar three brands are taken from each of the two shops. Therefore, altogether the product range is nine of three different brands. The three brands from City I form the units of study about which the price elasticity of demand is evaluated in comparison with similar brands from City II and City III. Data Collection The present study relies heavily on secondary data. Primary data are not supposed to be collected as the study depends upon the recorded fact such as price, quality and demand (quantity sold). Data are collected directly by approaching shops from three shops. Observation method is also applied to assess the quality of the products. The printed price less any discount form the price of the products and demand data are collected from the records of the concerned shops. The study is

IT Trends Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

IT Trends - Essay Example Various organizations such as Gartner and Juniper have listed some of the top technological trends that are leading in the field of information systems. This section will briefly explain two major trends from the two firms According to Gartner, the arrival of Windows 8 made battles related to mobile devices as one of the top technological trend for the year 2012 and 2013. Gartner claimed that the conflict among the vendors to have full attention from the consumers had forced IT managers to be heterogeneous. It was predicted that by the year 2013, mobile phones would overtake personal computers, mostly among those workers whose jobs required them to do so though a few still require the PCs. The rise of mobile devices signaled the end of PCs as well as Windows as the only corporate platform. This means that by 2015, it is highly likely that Windows 8 will be lagging behind Apple and Android, reducing Microsoft’s share (Miller par.4). The mobile money has attracted immense attention and related services have been diversifying and growing rapidly. According to Juniper, the environment in Asia and Africa has led to an increased uptake of mobile money oriented service, leading to the development of other services such as product tracking (Koetsier par. 3). In successfully adopting mobile devices in organizations, it is important to first understand some of the drawbacks such as loss of data and insecurity. In this case, there is a need to provide a strategy or framework for mobile users to work in a secure manner, including the use of applications with business oriented data at prescribed entries to heighten cost savings. Consequently, this will unleash innovation and easily solve business related problems. Another way of effectively adopting mobile devices in businesses is by heavily investing in IT. If the IT staff does not have the ability to support the devices, it is essential to outsource external support to ensure that users have someone they

Conversation with globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Conversation with globalization - Essay Example At first glance, it actually seems that globalization can become one powerful tool to gain better understanding and appreciation of different cultures, and break historically-rooted cultural stereotypes, given that globalization has enabled different peoples around the world to know more about the culture and way of life that other people from other corners of the globe possess. The sad thing is, despite the opportunities that globalization has offered for people to understand and appreciate more other cultures and other ways of life, it has even fostered adverse reactions among other people, wherein certain cultural groups now even identify themselves in a way that they are able to perceive themselves as opposed to others; in other words, despite globalization, other cultural groups reacted in a way that they would like to differentiate themselves from other cultures (in a negative way), and make this differentiation the defining aspect of their own culture. This attitude only breed s suspicion and misunderstanding between different cultures. Take for instance the division between â€Å"pro-soccer† and â€Å"anti-soccer† Americans as described in the work of Franklin Foer (Foer 235-248). According to Foer, globalization has actually failed some of its expectations, both economically and culturally, given that majority of the world’s nations remain poor, and that some cultures actually fear that â€Å"globalized culture† will eventually erode their own unique cultural identities (Foer 4). In order to illustrate the failures of globalization, particularly in its failure to promote the homogenization of culture (and even attracted the reversion to old cultural identities and hostility to other cultures), Foer actually used the ever famous worldwide sport of soccer (Foer 235). Looking at the feud between pro-soccer and anti-soccer Americans, Foer actually found out that Americans who hate soccer even stated that â€Å"that hating soccer is more American than apple pie, driving a pickup, or spending Saturday afternoons channel surfing with the remote control†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Foer 240), and that â€Å"people with actual power believe that soccer represents a genuine threat to the American way of life† (Foer 240-241). In fact, as Foer wrote, â€Å"The former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jack Kemp, one of the most influential conservatives of the 1980s, a man once mentioned in the same breath as the presidency holds this view. In 1986, he took to the floor of the United States Congress to orate against a resolution in support of an American bid to host the World Cup. Kemp intoned, â€Å"I think it is important for all those young out there, who someday hope to play real football, where you throw it and kick it and run with it and put it in your hands, a distinction should be made that football is democratic, capitalism, whereas soccer is a European socialist [sport].’’ (Foer 241) In this case, it can be seen that despite the windows that globalization has opened, particularly in letting other people see the dynamics of other cultures, or even other pastimes for this matter, some cultural groups actually resist

Stress-Effects on the Immune System and Psychological Disorders Dissertation

Stress-Effects on the Immune System and Psychological Disorders - Dissertation Example The author of the essay "Stress-Effects on the Immune System and Psychological Disorders" begins with a short introduction chapter. The authors assumes not all stress is bad. The right amount of stress is beneficial to the body but when the body is constantly exposed to negative stressors, it affects the health of the individual. Stress causes changes that weaken our immune system and as a result, health can be negatively affected. In this scenario, infections and illnesses can flare up. In people who have been diagnosed with psychological disorders, stress seems to have a detrimental effect and knowledge regarding measures to avoid stress and manage the different external stressors should be imparted to the caregivers as well as the sick themselves. The word ‘stress’ has different implications for different people. The layman defines it as tension, unpleasant external force or an emotional upheaval. Psychologists have defined stress in different ways. The most commonly used definition of stress was developed by Lazarus and Launier who regarded stress as a transaction between people and the environment with interaction between stressor and distress. Cannon’s fight or flight model was one of the earliest models which proposed that external threats elicited a fight or flight response which was accompanied by physiological changes. Seyle’s General Adaptation Syndrome had three stages in the stress response, the first being the alarm stage, the second the resistance stage and the third being the exhaustion stage.

Adult Crime, Adult Time Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Adult Crime, Adult Time - Essay Example Other non-violent offenses include skipping classes, violating the curfew laws, and running away from home (Stahl). The US crime law requires the juvenile offenders who are below the age of 18 should be treated rather than be punished. I strongly support the idea that juvenile offenders should not be treated the way adult criminals are being punished. In line with this, several reasons will be provided in order to strengthen this argument. Reasons behind the Argument There is a negative psychological impact associated with the idea of mixing the juvenile offenders with the adult prisoners. Several studies revealed that most children and young adolescents have not yet fully develop their critical thinking abilities. Since the adult offenders can easily influence and affect the emotions, attitude and behavior of the juvenile offenders, the act of mixing the juvenile offenders with the adult offenders could only worsen the situation. According to Siegel and Welsh, â€Å"social issue re lated to racism and despair could lead to the development of juvenile delinquency† (118). It means that the act of labeling a juvenile offender as a criminal offender could make the child accept the idea that he or she is a criminal.

Rectorseal in India Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Rectorseal in India - Research Paper Example The paper tells that companies venture into the international market with various aims and objectives. Expanding the market for the company’s products and gaining international recognition are obvious reasons why businesses engage in international businesses. Businesses however venture into the international market with specific objectives and intention. From this relation Rectorseal has its specific motives of venturing into the international market. Firstly, Rectorseal has succeeded in the marketing of competent products in the US market. This implies that the company looked forward towards a success in the international market. Anticipation of success and increased revenue for the international market was the first reason that led Rectorseal to venture into the international market. Rectorseal Company produces a variety of chemical products such as sealants and adhesives. The company is also involved in the production of variety of equipments for domestic and industrial usa ge. This implies that the company requires a wider variety of raw materials and expertise. The step towards international market is a positive step for the company since it will enable the company to establish additional suppliers. This will ensure that the company does not suffer from the high power of suppliers that currently characterize the industry. Rectoseal Company has been existence for the last 75 years. The company has achieved a lot of success in the production and marketing of its high quality products. The company produces a wide range of products for both industrial and domestic uses. The company has also enjoyed a lot of support from local trade’s men who form a greater percentage of its consumers. The company deals with the production of firefighting equipment and chemicals, air conditioning and refrigeration equipment, cleaning agents, plumbing products, soldering products and sealants (Bloomberg web). The company considers sealants as its main product and th roughout the 75 year of operation, the company has produced the product successfully. This does not imply that the company has not achieved success in the production and marketing of the other stated products. The success of the company can be attributed to its dedicated and skilled team of employees. Throughout the 75 years of operation, Rectorseal has attracted and retained high caliber employees from all field and professionals. This can be attributed to a good working environment in the company and an attractive payment package for the staff. The company has maintained between 100 and 249 employees who have helped the company to reach its current position (Bloomberg web). Due to its expansion needs, the company considers hiring its staff from a varied background. Since its formation, the company has always given equal employment opportunity to all people regardless of their nationality or race. Existence of highly dedicated team of employees and quality products has enabled the company to have a high degree of control on both the domestic and international market. Currently the company’s annual revenue stands at 50 million US dollars (Bloomberg web). This is high a revenue compared to the duration that the company has been in operation and diversification of its products. This high revenue can be attributed to high sale that the company expects in every financial year. Although the company has always tried to maintain a balanced sale from all its products, Sealant products have proved to have a good sale for the company. Sealant products account for nearly 50% of the company’s annual sale (Bloomberg web). This sale pattern is reflected in both international and domestic market where the company markets its products. Due to its success in the regional and domestic Rectorseal Company hopes to achieve similar success in the international market. The three strategies are the most appropriate for Rectorseal Company in its international expansion. This does not nullify the existence of other useful strategies that the company can

Exam practice question and answer Essay Example for Free

Exam practice question and answer Essay Marketing can be defined as an organization function and a set of process foe creating, communicating and delivering value to the customer and for managing customer relationship in a way that it benefits the organization and its stakeholders. In order to understand the marketplace and customer needs and wants, marketers need to identify the needs of the consumer, which is defined as the state of felt deprivation, such as hunger and self-actualization needs. Next, it advanced into wants, which is defined as the form of human need that is shaped by culture and individual personality. To satisfy ones hunger, they may opt to eat either rice or noodles depending on their preference. Demand, the human wants that are backed by buying power indicates a person’s financial ability to buy their wants. Organizations need to identify its microenvironment and macroenvironment to identify forces or actors in the business environment that can have effect on the organization’s marketing and business activities. Microenvironment of a company is made up of the company itself, its competitors, the suppliers, customers, marketing intermediaries and the publics. The publics are those people or organization that affect the operations of the organization. There are seven publics in total, which is made up of financial publics, media publics, citizen-action publics, government publics, local publics, general publics and internal publics that affects the marketing operation of an organization. Financial publics are banks and insurance companies that affect the company success in obtaining loan. Macroenvironment is the larger societal force that affects the whole environment. In an organizations macroenvironment, it consist of demographic environment, economic environment, natural environment, technological environment, political environment and cultural environment. Demographic environment is mainly made up of the changing age structure in the population, the changing family, geographical shift in population, better educated and white collar population and increased in ethnic diversity. A changing age structure means that as a person’s age grows, their needs and wants for a certain product will change according to their life cycle. After identifying the environment, marketers will undergo marketing research process. The first step of marketing research process is to define the problem and research objectives, which contains of exploratory, descriptive and causal research objectives. Next, the process will be continued by the development of the research plan from secondary source and primary source. Then it will decide on the research approaches it will utilize whether it is observational, experimental, ethnographic or survey type of research. Then, it researcher will decide on the contact method through mail, telephone, personal and group interviews or online marketing research. Then it will proceed to sampling plan and research instruments like mechanical devices and questionnaire. The processes are completed by implementing the plan and report it to the management. After research, marketers need to identify the factors that influence a consumers purchasing behavior. The factors that determine the buyer decision are personal factors, social factors, psychological factors and cultural factors. Social factors consist of age and life cycle, reference groups and roles and status in the society. For example, according to the age and life cycle of everyone, the needs and wants of an individual differs as their age grows, an old man require a walking stick. In buying a product, consumer may display one of the four buying behavior, which consist of complex buying behavior, dissonance-reducing buying behavior, habitual buying behavior and variety-seeking buying behavior depending on the involvement and the perceived brand difference from the consumers. In buying an item, consumers may go through stages such as problem recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase decision and post-purchase behavior. Then, marketers will move on to the next step of the marketing process of designing customer-driven marketing strategy. To create a marketing strategy, marketers need to identify the segments in a particular market. A market is a set of potential and actual buyers of a product. Market segmentation can be divided into four variables, which consist of geographical, demographic, psychographic and behaviorial. But then, there are some criteria in assessing the effectiveness of the segmentation by looking into the measurable, accessible, substantial, differentiable and actionable in the segmented groups. After segmentation, marketers will proceed to market targeting, defined by evaluating segment attractiveness and selecting one or more segments to enter. In evaluating market segments, marketers need to look into the segment size and growth, the structural attractiveness of the segment and the company’s objectives and resources. The companies can decide to use a range of market-coverage strategies such as differentiated marketing, undifferentiated marketing, concentrated marketing or micromarketing depending on the product they offers. After targeting, the company can differentiate their offering by giving superior value from several aspects, product, service, image or personnel differentiation. Customer value is the difference between the benefits gain from using and owning a product and cost of obtaining it. Thus consumer tend to purchase what they perceived as the highest value. Marketer will make their offering superior than of competitors by offer more value in its current offering to justify high price or lower price to compensate for low perceived value. Organizations need to have its own marketing offering in order to deliver value to customers. Marketing offering is a combination of product, service, information and experience that is offered to a market to satisfy a need or wants. Product is anything that can be offered into a market for attention, acquisition, use or consumption that might satisfy a need of wants. Products are classified into three different levels, which consist of core products, actual product and augmented products. Next, marketer will determine whether the product falls into the different categories of the consumer markets such as convenience goods, shopping goods, specialty goods and unsought goods. Or if it is industrial goods, the category of materials and parts, capital items and supplies and services. In service, its characteristic is intangible, inseparable, perishable and variable. Price is sum of value that the customer exchanges for the benefits from using or having a product or services. The internal factors that affect pricing are the marketing objectives, the marketing mix strategy, cost and organizational consideration while the external factors are market and demand, competitors price and offer and other factors such as economic conditions and government regulations. Some of the approaches in pricing are cost-based pricing, value-based pricing and competition-based pricing and price skimming and penetration for new innovative products. Promotion is an act that persuades the publics about the products or brands merits. In influencing the consumers to buy its products, marketers can utilize integrated marketing communication tools such as advertising, direct marketing, personal selling, sales promotion and public relation. For example, marketer can use sales promotion in the form of tools such as coupons, rebates and discounts that act as sort-term incentives to build add-in value to encourage people to buy it products. The next tool is place where it describes how the product is made available to customer. Marketer can examine the number of marketing intermediaries where it consists of intensive distribution, exclusive distribution and selective distribution. For example, the goods that run on intensive distributions are normally fast moving consumer goods that are stocked in as many outlets as possible. It is available anywhere and anytime. Process involves the process that is part of the service. For example, if a car owner who experience poor customer service during one of his regular service, then he or she will not recommend the company to others and is less likely to rebuy the brand. People in an organization determine the success of the organization’s process in delivering superior value and satisfaction. Example, a lack-trained employee may mislead a customer into buying the wrong needs. Physical evidence is the quality of services in physical feature the customer can see, such as brochures and facilities. Without the presence of lecture halls, one could doubt the presence of the university whether it is a place for academic learning. In building profitable customer relationship, one must look into the customer satisfaction, which is defined as customer evaluation of the product or service feature, or the product or service itself. Customer satisfaction prompt repeat purchase thus is important. Satisfaction is influenced by the customer’s past buying experience from the company or its competitors, the information given and promises by the company or its competitors and what the customer thinks of a fair value in the price they paid. Feedbacks, mystery shoppers and exit interviews set a platform to improve the customer satisfaction which then strengthens the bond between the company and the customer thus leading to higher customer loyalty. After accessing satisfaction, marketers need to concern by building and maintaining profitable customer relationship by delivering superior customer value and satisfaction. Retaining current customer relationship is cheaper than to attract new customer. In retaining customers, marketers can implement club and frequency marketing program to strengthen bonds with the customers. By building strong customer relationship, a company can capture value from customer in the form of loyalty, profits and the spread of word of mouth from them. When the company produces superior value to the customers, most likely it will generate high customer satisfaction. High satisfaction lead building long lasting relationship with the customer gaining the loyalty of these customers in a long period, profits will eventually grow. Companies aim to achieve lifetime customer value, share of customer and customer equity from the customers.. All in all, by creating, delivering superior value and developing a strong customer profitable relationship, one can achieve returns like profits and sales, a monetary return and brand loyalty from the loyal customers. Q3. The six forces in an organization’s macroenvironment is cultural environment, political environment, economic environment, technological environment, demographic environment and natural environment. Demographic environment is based on the utility of demography, which is defined as the study of human population in terms of size, religion, occupation, age, sex and education. The changing age structure of the population is one of the factors that affect the macroenvironment. People of different age have different wants and needs and will continue to change as their age varies. The increase in aging population because of low birth rates and higher life expectancy has change the demand for certain products in the market. For example, youths wants products that match their lifestyle of cool and adventurous like game consoles, skateboards and smartphones while those baby boomers typically in their 50s now wants products like vacation, massage chair and antique vase. Geographical shift in population is also one of the factors. It can be categorized into movement between states, movement from rural to urban areas and movement from city to suburbs and back again. For example, the need for air-conditioning is more likely to be in demand in the Northern Territory, which is very hot than the demand in Sydney, which is cooling. A better-educated and more white-collar population has trigger the demand for formal attires such as a suit and corporate skirt. Next, an increasing of ethnic diversity in Malaysia has trigger the rising demand for wasabi and rice from the Japanese population that migrated to Malaysia. Every group of people has their specific wants depending on their attitude, behavior and buying habits too. Q6. Consumer product is made up of convenience products, shopping products, specialty products and unsought products. Convenience products are consumer products and services that the customer usually buys frequently, immediately and with minimum comparison and buying effort. It can be relate to habitual buying behavior too when the purchase of a product is made without much consideration and it is cheap despite widely available. Examples are washing powder and broom. Shopping products are less frequently purchased consumer products and services that customers compare carefully on suitability, price, quality and style. Consumers spend considerable amount of time and effort to access information about the products. It is classified as in complex buying behavior. Examples are television and laptops. Specialty products are consumer products and services with unique characteristics or brand identification for which a significant group of buyers is willing to make a special purchase purpose. It is classified under the buying behavior of complex buying behavior and dissonance reducing buying behavior. This kind of product is purchase without much comparison with other brands. Examples are a Gucci handbag and a luxury car. Unsought goods are consumer products and services that the consumers either doesn’t know about it or knows but do not consider buying it. These products need intensive marketing such as promotions and advertising. Examples are funeral services and life insurance.

Sexual Abuse in Institutions of Learning Disabled

Sexual Abuse in Institutions of Learning Disabled Literature review that critically analyses the sexual abuse of people with learning disabilities in institutions There are a great many facets to the problem of sexual abuse of people with learning disabilities in institutions. The wide variety of learning disabilities, the wide scope for different types of sexual abuse and indeed the huge variety in the institutions themselves, means that there is not any unified standpoint or all-encompassing view that can be taken on the subject. (Ryan J et al 1987). This review will therefore consider each of these aspects in turn together with the literature associated with them and then attempt to draw conclusions from a critical evaluation of each The term learning disability is applied to cover a wide range of different clinical entities. Differing impairments due to differing aetiologies are typically â€Å"lumped together â€Å" under this one term. In the context of this review, differentiation of the various types of learning disability is largely irrelevant and the only discriminating factor that may be relevant is the degree of disability or impairment. For that reason alone we shall consider all causes of learning disability and the conclusions reached will therefore largely be generalisations in the area. Approximately 2% of the UK population are currently classified as having a learning disability and this proportion has been slowly rising over time. In their comprehensive review of the subject, Xenitidis suggests that the reasons for this growth are manifold and complex. (Xenitidis K et al 2000). Part of the reasons given are that the definitions and criteria for the diagnosis of a learning disability are progressively changing as our knowledge of the area expands together with the fact that other relevant factors are changing such as the socio-economic conditions together with the fact that pre-term neonates who would previously been expected to die are now helped to survive but with an increased risk of cognitive impairment and learning disability (Aspray TJ et al. 1999). The McGrother study suggests that over a 35yr period from 1960 the prevalence of learning disability has increased at an average rate of 1.2% per year (McGrother C et al. 2001). One of the difficulties encountered in the context of sexual abuse is the problems that there are in discovering it. The typical person with a learning disability may have differing perceptions of â€Å"right and wrong† and therefore may not be in a position to make a judgement about what is happening. Other factors are that they have a greater difficulty in accessing professional help. (Wilson D et al 1999).Clearly this is less of a problem if we consider the group who are in institutions rather then those who live in the community, but against this is the argument that those in institutions generally tend to be those with the greatest disability and therefore would intuitively be less able to draw attention to a potential problem. (Patja K. 2000) The literature in this area is not particularly extensive but there are a few high quality papers that stand out. The first is by Sequeira (Sequeira H et al 2003) which was a case controlled study (a rare construction in this particular area) which set out to consider any correlation between sexual abuse, mental health and behavioural problems in people with learning disabilities. The authors suggest that this is the first study to seek such a connection. They matched a surprisingly large entry cohort of 54 adults with learning disability in a residential setting who had suffered from sexual abuse with a similar cohort who had not been abused. The actual study was both carefully constructed and meticulously carried out. In broad terms the findings of the study were that there was a statistically significant correlation between sexual abuse and mental illness and behavioural problems together with symptoms of post-traumatic stress. Reassuringly, the authors found that the reactions to abuse were essentially the same as in the general population which suggests that when recognised, the symptoms were evident to observers, but equally this implies that a significant amount of abuse is undetected. (Thompson D et al 1997). With the group with learning disabilities, the authors concluded that in addition, the study group tended to exhibit stereotypical behaviour patterns and that there was a positive correlation between the degree of abuse and the severity of the symptoms reported. We can confidently conclude therefore that there is a positive association between sexual abuse and both psychiatric and behavioural abnormalities in people who have learning disabilities. How does the design and architecture of institutions foster abuse? It has to be observed that an extensive literature search reveals no specific studies on the issues of institution structure and opportunities for abuse. There are a number of papers that refer tangentially to the issue however, and we shall assimilate the points raised in them. Brown, (1999) and Manthorpe (et al, 1999), both observe that institutions, both large and small, are not specifically immune from sexual abuse of their residents. They point to working practices that allow professionals a degree of privacy when dealing with residents in vulnerable situations. (Burke K 1999). It would be unlikely that anyone would disturb a nurse giving a patient a bath or a doctor conducting an interview or examination of a patient. In this respect, it is not the actual architecture of the institution, it is the structuring of the working practice that fosters the possibility of abuse in this area. (Churchill J 1998). Some institutions have mixed sex dormitories and areas which can be difficult for nursing staff to monitor. Inter-resident abuse can therefore take place in areas which may be less easy to detect than the open plan structure of many wards in general hospitals (Brown H et al 1997) Who are the perpetrators of abuse against people with learning disabilities? This is clearly a difficult area in which to be dogmatic, as one can cite evidence from various enquiries which have examined the issue and have implicated virtually every category of professional from medical staff, (COI 1969), through nurses (COI 1971), to care assistants and sub-contracted employees (DOH 2000). Equally, to be balanced, one has to also examine the recent spate of prosecutions form residential care home workers that have been overturned in the appeal court where allegations of abuse have been found to be vindictive or fraudulent. (also COI 1978) What impact does power imbalance between carer and service user have over occurrence of abuse? Abuse, almost by definition, implies an abuse of power.(Northway R 1998).There is automatically an imbalance between those with learning disabilities and those in the general population as, by the very nature of their disability, the majority of those with a learning disability are dependent on other carers for their own protection and safety. (Pillemer K et al. 1993).This power imbalance is taken to a greater extreme when those (healthcare professionals) who are employed to care for their patients, and thereby are generally invested with a degree of trust give instructions to those who are more vulnerable. As Rogers points out, (Rogers AC 1997) the moment a nurse puts on a uniform or the doctor a white coat, they are invested with an automatic degree of authority and respect by the general population and possibly all the more so by those with learning disability, who may well have learned to be more deferential or respectful because these healthcare professionals are effectively the gatekeepers to their own security and well-being. (Sines D 1995) What can be done to reduce abuse in institutions? It is clearly important to be able to restore confidence in the residential settings for the care of those with learning disabilities. One of the prime mechanisms of reduction is to place professional emphasis on detection of abuse together with implementation of management procedures that will minimise the potential for abuse. The recent Government White Paper â€Å"No Secrets† (DOH 2000) has gone a long way into implementing such measures, and this, together with provincial measures in other parts of the UK (NAW 2000), presents guidelines which will help to prevent sexual abuse and also facilitate the investigation of such abuse when it is alleged. Professional bodies have publicly proclaimed a policy of Zero tolerance in this area and have encouraged the philosophy of â€Å"whistle blowing† (NMC 2002 a) it should be noted however, that a study commissioned by the same group, The Nursing and Midwifery council (NMC 2000 b) suggested that despite the guidance and directives given there is clear evidence that nurses, in particular, do not have sufficient knowledge or have received sufficient training in the area of prevention of sexual abuse to effect the recommendations in the Government White Papers. References Aspray TJ, Francis RM, Tyrer SP, and Quilliam SJ 1999 Patients with learning disability in the community BMJ, Feb 1999; 318: 476 – 477 Brown H Stein J 1997.  Sexual abuse perpetrated by men with intellectual disabilities: a comparative study.  Journal of Intellectual Disability Research 41 (3) 215-224. Brown H 1999,  Abuse of people with learning disabilities. In: N Stanley J Manthorpe r B Penhale (Eds) Institutional Abuse: Perspectives Across the Life Coarse. London: Routledge. 1999 Burke K 1999,  Nurses told to avoid close relationships with their patients.  Nursing Standard 13 (49) 4. Churchill J 1998,  It doesnt happen here! In:  T Thompson P Mathias (Eds)  London: Sage/Open University Press. 1998 COI 1969,  Committee of Inquiry (1969) Report of the Committee of Inquiry into Allegations of Ill-treatment of Patients and Other Irregularities at the Ely Hospital, Cardiff. Cmd 3975. London: HMSO. COI 1971,  Committee of Inquiry into Farleigh Hospital (1971) Report of the Committee of Inquiry into Farleigh Hospital.  London: HMSO. 1971,   COI 1978,  Committee of Inquiry into Normansfield Hospital (1978) Report of the Committee of Inquiry into Normansfield Hospital. Cmd 7357.  London: HMSO.1978 DOH 2000,  Department of Health (2000),  No Secrets: Guidance on Developing and Implementing Mula-agency Policies and Procedures to Protect Vulnerable Adults from Abuse.  London: The Stationery Office. 2000 Manthorpe J Stanley N 1999,  Shifting the focus: from bad apples to users rights. In: N Stanley J Manthorpe r B Penhale (Eds) Institutional Abuse: Perspectives Across the Life Course.  London: Routledge 1999 McGrother C, Thorp C, Taub N, Machado O. 2001,  Prevalence, disability and need in adults with severe learning disability.  Tiz Learn Dis Rev 2001;6: 4-13 NAW 2000,  National Assembly for Wales (2000) In Safe Hands: Protection of Vulnerable Adults in Wales.  Cardiff: Social Services Inspectorate for Wales. NMC (2002 a),  Code of Professional Conduct.  London: Nursing and Midwifery Council. NMC (2002 b),  Practitioner-Client Relationships and the Prevention of Abuse.  London: Nursing and Midwifery Council. Northway R 1998,  Oppression in the Lives of People with Learning Difficulties: A Participatory Study. PhD Thesis.  Bristol: University of Bristol. Patja K. 2000,  Life expectancy of people with intellectual disability: a 35-year follow-up study. J Intellect Disabil Res 2000;44: 590-9. Pillemer K Hudson B 1993,  A model abuse prevention programme for nursing assistants.  Gerentologist 33 (1) 128-131. Rogers AC 1997,  Vulnerability health and healthcare.  Journal of Advanced Nursing 26 65-72. Ryan J Thomas F 1987,  The Politics of Mental Handicap.  London: Free Association Books. Sequeira H, Howlin P, Hollins S 2003,  Psychological disturbance associated with sexual abuse in people with learning disabilities,  The British Journal of Psychiatry (2003) 183: 451-456 Sines D 1995,  Impaired autonomy: the challenge of caring.  Journal of Clinical Nursing 4 (2) 109-115. Thompson D, Clare I Brown H 1997,  Not such an ordinary relationship: the role of women support staff in relation to men with learning disabilities who have difficult sexual behaviour.  Disability and Society 12 (4) 573-592. Wilson D, Haire A. 1999,  Health care screening for people with mental handicap living in the community.,  BMJ 1999;301: 1379-81 Xenitidis K. Thornicroft G. Leese M. Slade M. Fotiadou M. Philp H. Sayer J. Harris E. McGee D. Murphy DG. 2000,  Reliability and validity of the CANDID-a needs assessment instrument for adults with learning disabilities and mental health problems.  British Journal of Psychiatry. 176:473-8, 2000 May ############################################################# 29.3.06 PDG Word count 2,071

How Does Advertising Work? Essay -- Business Management Studies

How Does Advertising Work? INTRODUCTION ------------ Definition  · The original definition of advertising was â€Å"to draw attention to something† or to notify or inform someone of something (Branston 1996).  · A modern definition is the publication (in various forms) of facts or opinions concerning goods or services, to awaken the public’s interest and persuade them to purchase.  · Advertising is now big business – an industry with extraordinary cultural and economic impact.  · This is funded through the cost of the goods that consumers buy.  · Advertising is now the media form most often encountered, and is perhaps the most powerful and pervasive form of propaganda in history.  · It is found in various forms including on billboards, websites, â€Å"junk mail†, and commercially funds most television, newspapers and magazines.  · Advertising has the power to create brand awareness and loyalty as well as stimulating demand. Advertising is not a science  · It is important to realise that advertising is not a science.  · An individual will interpret an advertisement using their own social networks, their own backgrounds and their own motivations.  · The way an advertisement is interpreted cannot be controlled or monitored by an advertiser, therefore it is important to realise that they do not contain a single meaning for all audience members.  · Advertising is much more effective when an advertiser understands their audience’s background and social networks as well as their ability to select media and advertisements that appear in those media.  · Therefore the challenge for advertising is to create a message that ultimately connects with a select group of people. WHAT DOES ADVERTISING DO?  · It has already been stated that advertising is created to help sell something.  · Therefore the ultimate goal of advertising is to increase the advertiser’s sales no matter who the advertiser is or the target audience, what the product is, or how the ad is delivered. Advertising Goals  · The ultimate goal of advertising is to increase sales.  · However, in terms of functional aspects a more specific advertising goal is required.  · There are various advertising objectives, which can largely be generalised into the following eight areas: . To provide ... ...nt methods and models.  · Consumers go through a complicated mental process when they make a decision about even simple purchasing which helps explain why advertising can be such a complicated subject and difficult to perfect.  · Consumers learn from advertising by acquiring knowledge about products that are available and figuring out which products can satisfy their needs.  · Consumers base their decisions on rational, informational aspects of advertising based on logic, as well as emotional aspects based on feelings and attitudes.  · All adverts stimulate these responses to some extent.  · It is the job of the advertiser to create an advert which will make the best use of these possible responses to affect an increase in sales.  · All brands have functional attributes, personality and salience as underlying brand dynamics.  · However, any given piece of advertising will only stimulate one primary response and one driving brand dynamic.  · Methods of and responses to advertising have changed much over the last 100 years and will continue to do so in the future as society continues to change, and new technologies are developed.

On the Grand Finale in Samuel Clemenss :: essays papers

On the Grand Finale in Samuel Clemenss Samuel Langhorne Clemens (Mark Twain) not only tells a story in this famous contribution to American literature, he also goes to great length to depict civilized humanity in a light that is anything but glamorous or glorious. In fact, his descriptions of typical representatives of society regarding their motivations, actions, habits, and morals are conveyed with subtlety but with unmistakable critical intentions. The metatextual aspects of this work appear gradually but intensify toward the end until the novel reaches a point where it begins to border on the absurd, a literary aspect explored more fully by later writers, such as playwright Samuel Beckett. Distinct elements of absurdity materialize when Huck Finn searches for Jim, his fellow traveler on the raft, who had been sold as a runaway slave by a con-artist. In the course of this search, Huck stumbles upon the farm of Aunt Sally and Uncle Silas who mistake him for Tom Sawyer. Huck goes along with this mistake, creating a situation that gets compounded when the real Tom Sawyer shows up. The latter, however, volunteers to go along with the ruse by posing first as a stranger and then as his own brother Sid. The novel depicts Huck Finn as a character who learned to stand on his own two feet at an early age and is used to surviving by his wits. He lacks formal education, and it is clear that he likes to view himself as un-"sivilized," but he is smart enough to wiggle himself out of almost any difficulty. His intelligence manifests itself in an uncanny ability to recognize human motivations and shortcomings and to act accordingly. However, he does not exploit people and generally refuses to compromise his own moral code which is fairly strict and amazingly conventional. Tom Sawyer, by comparison, is a well-read boy who clearly represents Clemens's view of the "learned" factions and aspects of society. The picture that emerges when Huck and Tom start to collaborate is one of almost perpetual conflict of the two in their mutual quest of a common objective: the liberation of Jim. Clemens turns this conflict into a tit-for-tat comparison of an "honor" student from the school of hard knocks in the so-called "real world" and his counterpart from the school of human civilization who functions mostly by using knowledge acquired from books.

Successful and Unsuccessful Spin Doctoring Case in Public Relations Ess

This essay focuses on how spin doctoring became a phenomenon among public relations, journalists, politician and even a massive campaign. This essay considers the tool used by the spin doctoring team to engage and steer public opinion. Spin team must have a strategy in using each tool and we will discuss how this strategy affected how well the result will be. Overall, this essay has been written to show two spin teams use different spin tools in order to change public’s perspectives. The brief explanation shows how well the strategy they use to the success of the campaign and how it can be unsuccessful. The mainstream model of liberal journalism believes that it’s practices result in stories that are an accurate reflection of reality, journalist believe they simply hold a mirror up to society (Louw, 2010). In constructing a story, spin team must have an insight on how the society believe nowadays, and it’s not only to just follow that believe, but give society an option to consider another belief. Therefore the spin team need to understand their audience first, what is the best tool they can use as a strategy, how to talk with those audience, generate comprehensive media knowledge and the ability to spin current perspective. The public relations / spin industry is geared to planting stories in the media by using journalists to disseminate stories serving the spin doctors agenda (Louw, 2010). Nowadays, in developing a campaign, the role of spin team is very powerful. It’s not about how well the messages received to the public or remembered but becoming a share worthy and meaningful messages that shows empathy as well as emotionally attached with everyone. The Dove â€Å"real beauty† campaign shows a successful role of spin team, the... ...cians and Creating Celebrity. The media and political process (2 ed., p. 126). London: SAGE. Louw, P. E. (2010). Spin Doctoring: The Art of Public Relations. The media and political process (2ed., p. 81). London: SAGE. Stampler, L. (2013, May 23). How Dove's 'Real Beauty Sketches' Became The Most Viral Video Ad Of All Time | Business Insider. Retrieved April 25, 2014, from http://www.businessinsider.com.au/how-doves-real-beauty-sketches-became-the-most-viral-ad-video-of-all-time-2013-5 Tempo (2014, January 20). 7 Ekspresi Sewot Ani SBY di Instagram | -nasional- | Tempo.co. Retrieved April 25, 2014, from http://www.tempo.co/read/news/2014/01/20/078546694/7-Ekspresi-Sewot-Ani-SBY-di-Instagram The Dove ® Campaign for Real Beauty. (n.d.). The Dove ® Campaign for Real Beauty. Retrieved April 25, 2014, from http://www.dove.us/Social-Mission/campaign-for-real-beauty.aspx

Vegetation Dynamics In Gravel Bed Rivers Environmental Sciences Essay

Background Gravel-bed rivers support a complex mosaic of both tellurian and aquatic home grounds of singular value for the whole river ecosystem. However, many fluvial system of the universe have been crucially affected by assorted human intercessions such as landuse alterations, torrent-control work and dike edifice, and crushed rock excavation ( Surian & A ; Rinaldi, 2003 ) . These recent alterations led to the break of the really complex channel morphology typical of braided systems, which in bend strongly affects their ecological position and their ability to incorporate inundation flows. Different human intercessions ( deposit excavation, channelisation, dikes, re-afforestation and downpour control works ) have been identified as the causes of channel accommodations in Italian rivers ( Surian and Rinaldi, 2003 ; Surian et al. , 2009 ) . For an overview on the causal factors such river development, see besides Liebault and Piegay ( 2002 ) . Human impacts on river systems normally cause rapid and widespread channel incision/narrowing or aggradation/widening as a effect of fluctuations in flows, deposit government, and boundary conditions ( Surian et al. , 2009 ) . Overall, few surveies ( e.g. Surian et al. , 2009 ) confirmed a complex recent stage of accommodation that took topographic point over the last 15-20 old ages. Channel broadening has become the dominant procedure in most of the survey reaches but channel narrowing is still ongoing in some ranges. Channel broadening has taken placed without important bed-level fluctuations in some ranges of the Brenta river, in Italy ( Surian & A ; Cisotto, 2007 ) . Besides, it is still an unfastened inquiry if all the rivers underwent this recent stage of accommodation or, as proposed for rivers in France ( Piegay et al. , 2004 ) , recent channel alterations may be considered short-run fluctuations related to specific inundation events, instead than existent long-run accommodat ions. Overall, an effectual river Restoration is now recognized to be desperately needed for most of the affected Alpine rivers, and the actions must be based on reconstructing fluvial procedures and their natural kineticss. Such an attack ( which is besides enforced by the EU Water Framework Directive ) must be therefore based on a scientifically sound cognition of sediment conveyance and morphodynamics procedures undergoing on human-impacted crushed rock bed rivers ( Dufour & A ; Piegay, 2009 ) . The overall purpose of the proposed undertaking is to research the recent morphodynamic tendencies of two Italian gravel-bed rivers characterized by different grades of human impacts, placing and measuring the synergistic effects of flora kineticss and morphological alterations evaluated utilizing fresh geoinformatics techniques.AimsThe chief aims of the proposed survey is to measure the recent ( & lt ; 20 old ages ) evolutionary tendency of the Brenta and Piave river in northeasterly portion of Italy in order to: To develop an apprehension of the morphodynamics of the both rivers with regard to selected parametric quantities such as channel width, lift, lacing index, island tenancy, and active channel country ; To measure the yesteryear and present morphological alterations of the two rivers based on natural and human induced alteration ; To measure the interlinked relationship between the active channel and flora kineticss ; To develop direction options for Restoration and preservation for the both rivers towards resilient river home ground every bit good as next bio-diversity ( riparian flora ) .Material and methodsThe research will be carried out in the intermediate crushed rock bed sections of the Piave and Brenta rivers ( North Eastern Italy, Fig. 1 ) . The two basins are comparable in footings of size, clime, geological scenes, and flora ; likewise, the two rivers in the survey reaches present a historically similar braided/wandering channel form with interspersed vegetated islands. However, the two rivers differ sing the degree of human impacts. To carry through the chief aims of the undertaking, three sets of variables of the both rivers will be studied like ( 1 ) chief drive variables ( 2 ) boundary conditions and ( 3 ) adjusting variables or channel signifier. The methodological analysiss range from distant feeling to field measurings, harmonizing to the spacial and temporal graduated tables under probe. Three spacial graduated tables will be considered, runing from big ( i.e. , 25-30 kilometer ) , intermediate ( i.e, 1-2 kilometer ) and little ( i.e. , 10-100 m ) . Related to these, two temporal graduated tables will be addressed, embracing medium-term channel development ( & lt ; 20 years, related to channel-forming discharges ) and shorter-term alterations ( related to individual events ) . The techniques deployed comprise reading of oblique and perpendicular ( aerial ) exposure, analysis LiDAR information by GIS package, flora field studies, structural studies of river channels, topographic surveying by DGPS, photogra phic and sieve analysis of deposit grain size, and statistical analysis of hydrological and land usage clip series. Figure 1: Location of the survey sites. In order to transport out the proposed research, the undermentioned undertakings will be considered every bit good as carried out: To place morphological characteristics: Geomorphic procedure of the both rivers will be identified every bit good as quantified utilizing temporal high declaration orbiter image, aerial exposure and LiDAR imagination. Present and possible position of eroding and accumulation point in assorted locations of the both river will be analyzed every bit good. To place riverine flora: Vegetation is an of import constituent in the proposed survey. From the proposed datasets, flora coverage along the rivers will be identified utilizing appropriate flora algorithms. Damaged flora will place and quantify from a set of temporal satellite datasets. Topographical analysis: Digital lift theoretical account ( DEM ) , Digital terrain theoretical account ( DTM ) from LiDAR and tellurian informations will be used to mensurate incline and analyses the plumbing of the rivers in this undertaking. Furthermore, cross-section and longitudinal profile of the rivers will be analyzed by direct field with DGPS and hand-held instruments. Field study: Significant field study will be carried out throughout the project- Sedimentlogical study in both surface and sub-surface majority samples Geomorphological study for image informations proof along with observation of channel alterationsExpected results and strategic impacts of the undertakingThe chief expected end products of the research will be as follows: To analyse recent tendencies of channel narrowing and scratch, every bit good as channel constellation, of both rivers, associating different morphodynamic tendencies to different human impacts ; To associate alterations of flora countries along the both rivers to different morphodynamic development tendencies ; To measure tendencies of sediment conveyance and morphological development on both rivers ; To developed action programs for long-run Restoration and direction in the both rivers. Gravel-bed river systems are under force per unit area worldwide. Considerable dismay has been expressed about the environmental direct and indirect impacts of human activities, and great attempts are presently employed to develop a new array of sustainable direction schemes for gravel-bed ecosystems. Since anthropogenetic influences have impacted the morphodynamics of river systems, one of the major boundary conditions found in fluvial systems has been changed significantly, viz. the deposit budget ( Habersack & A ; Schober, 2005 ) . Retention of deposits in the upper portion of the basin ( dikes and reservoirs ) and gravel extraction from the average portion of the rivers have increased the disagreement between sediment supply and conveyance capacity, with terrible jobs of bed debasement and ecological impacts. In order to accomplish a good river ecological position by the 2015, harmonizing to the European Water Framework Directive ( WFD ) , the deposit budget has to be restored in the long term. This creates a strong demand to better the apprehension and direction of deposits kineticss. Besides, the high spatio-temporal variableness of deposit and flora kineticss in gravel-bed rivers is non sufficiently considered in inundation hazard appraisal, besides because there are still considerable scientific uncertainnesss due to the deficiency of long-run incorporate field measurings of such fluvial procedures. For this ground, the proposed undertaking is focused on a subject where the demand for farther research is really relevant for the direction of gravel-bed rivers environments and the efficient and well-directed usage of the limited H2O resource.Essential mentionsDufour, S. , Piegay, H. , 2009. From the myth of a lost Eden to targeted river Restoration: bury natural mentions and concentrate on human benefits. River Research and Applications 25 ( 5 ) , 568-581. Liebault, F. , Piegay, H. , 2002. Causes of twentieth century channel contracting in mountain and Piedmont Rivers of Southeastern France. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 27, 425-444. Piegay, H. , Walling, D.E. , Landon, N. , He, Q. , Liebault, F. , Petiot, R. , 2004. Contemporary alterations in sediment output in an alpine mountain basin due to afforestation ( the upper Drome in France ) . Catena 55, 183-212. Surian N, Rinaldi M. 2003. Morphologic response to river technology and direction in alluvial channels in Italy. Geomorphology, 50, 307-326. Surian, N. , Cisotto A. , 2007. Channel accommodations, bedload conveyance and deposit beginnings in a gravel-bed river, Brenta River, Italy. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 32, 1641:1656. Surian, N. , Ziliani, L. , Comiti, F. , Lenzi, M.A. , Mao, L. 2009b. Channel accommodations and change of deposit fluxes in gravel-bed rivers of Northeastern Italy: potencies and restrictions for channel recovery. River Research and Applications 25, 551- 567.

My sisters keeper

Fitzgerald, who is an engineered baby, Is currently functioning at Erik Erosion's â€Å"Identity versus Identity confusion† stage. All her life she has been used by her parents as a donor for her dying sister, Kate, who is a suffering leukemia patient. Ana is finally at the point where she is evidentially trying to find her identity because she wants to claim the rights to her own body. She is now old enough to realize that being a donor can have a negative effect on herself.Erikson states that people in the Identity versus identity confusion stage begin to evolve the ability to explore different alternatives to questions of concerns Noon). One of Ana's alternatives for her situation concerning the rights to her own body Is getting a Lawyer. In this scene she shows how important it is for her to have her own identity by wanting to sue her own mother (Captivates). When she tells the lawyer about her situation and presents him with her medical documents, it shows how she is mora lly developing and growing up to be an individual person? not an object (Excavates).This is a big step for somebody her age. One would expect her to go erectly to her mother Instead of going through the hassle of bringing the Justice system into play. During the identity versus isolation stage Erikson says, â€Å"Parents and teachers are important at this stage. They can help to inform a positive identity by providing opportunities and encouragement as adolescences explore the various options of life† (John). In Ana's case, her mother, Sara, is not there to encourage her to be an Individual or explore the many paths which she can take in life. This isolates her from both of her parents.In the court scene near the end, Sara and the lawyer debate about Ana's mindset. Sara says that she needs to continue to use Ana In order to save Kate, and she has no choice but to do so because she is too young to make her own decisions (Captivates). In opposition to Sara, the lawyer stands up for Ana since she has nobody else to stand up for her against her mother (Captivates). Instead of providing Ana with opportunities to be free from sacrificing herself for Kate, Sara decides that Ana cannot make decisions of her own because of her progressively unhealthy attachment to Kate.She Is hindering Ana's exploration by telling her what she wants and does not want (John). During the movie Kate Fitzgerald is in Kohlrabi's pre conventional stage of â€Å"personal usefulness. † Kate is getting increasingly sick and as each day goes by she is more and more accepting of the fact that she does not have much longer to live. Goldberg states, â€Å"To the person In this stage, what Is right is that which satisfies one's own needs and occasionally the needs of others† (Wee). Kate ultimately aims to please herself because she wants to be with her boyfriend who dies before her. This is the reason why she is not afraid to die anymore.In one scene, Kate has a conversation wit h Ana and says, â€Å"Would you pull the plug for me? (Captivates). This question takes Ana off guard, and Kate tells her that she is not afraid of dying. Her reason which justifies this statement is because her boyfriend has already moved on, which then leads her into convincing Ana into stop being a donor (Asseverates). Kate does not take her family's feelings Into account while she makes the decision to tell through to keep her alive, how much they love her and how hard it would be for Ana to claim the rights to her own body, but she looks past all of this and still puts her feelings first.The basic motivation â€Å"you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours† is what titivates Kate (Wee). Ana gets what she wants by manipulating Ana and telling her about the consequences of donating her kidneys (Captivates). Ana aims to please herself; however there are times when she recognizes how her cancer affects her family's bond. As she is in her hospital bed looking through a scrap book, she reflects on how the attention has always been on her rather than her older brother and Ana (Captivates).Part of her motive to let her cancer kill her is based on her siblings' feelings which she takes into consideration? if she is out of the picture then they will get more attention from their parents. Ana is functioning at Kohlrabies personal usefulness because her motivations are based on her personal gain, and she partially takes others' feelings into consideration when making decisions (Wee). Moreover, her moral development is still progressing and has the potential to be at the conventional level where she puts others before herself.This is seen because of the fact that she takes time to reflect on how her siblings feel when all the attention is on her. Sara Fitzgerald goes from Fowlers â€Å"personal faith† to â€Å"mystical faith. † A person who is in the personal faith stage may run into some gray areas and tension with there while searching for the truth (Wee). Sara's search for the truth about Skate's wants causes a lot of tension between her and her family because when the answers are in front of her, she does not see them or they seem to be unclear.Her attachment to Kate is causing her to be oblivious to the wants and needs of her children, especially Kate who wants to die. In the court scene, the brother says to Sara, â€Å"Skate's dying and everybody knows it! You Just love her so much that you don't want to let her go. She told you a million times, you didn't want to hear it† (Captivates). Sara hints that she is doing everything to in her power to please Kate by keeping her alive, but in reality she is only pleasing herself and this is part of the personal faith stage pertaining to gray areas and unclear answers.Only when her son brings the truth to her out in the open, does she realize that as she keeps her spirit alive, she is killing Skate's. This answer to the question she has been searching for is a bad thing for Sara in the short term, but has its benefits in the long run. It is bad because she the truth is not what she wants to hear and causes her spirit to weaken. It is good that she hears the truth because it gives her a chance to finally move on to the next level of spiritual growth, mystical faith.Before Kate dies, she begins to open up instead of turning her head away from what Kate has to say like she usually does. In the mystical faith stage the person challenges and improves structure because they are more accepting. Near the end of the movie when Kate shows Sara her scrapbook she made, she begins to cry and lays down beside Kate. This symbolizes that she is beginning to accept the fact that Kate is dying and she needs to let her go. Her acceptance at this time and even after Kate is gone shows her improvement in structure.For Sara, her transition from one stage to another took place by overcoming a crisis she was facing, which is what one should do in order to move on to the next stage of spiritual growth (Wee). Captivates, Nick, dir. My Sister's Keeper. Writ. Level Jeremy. Film. 26 Novo 2012. John , B. In search of the good: A catholic understanding of moral living. 2nd deed. Ottawa: the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2004. Print. Wee, J. â€Å"Fowlers Six Stages of Spiritual Growth. † Trans. Reappoint. Wee,J. â€Å"Kohlrabi's Stages of Moral Reasoning. † Trans. Reappoint. My sisters keeper Fitzgerald, who is an engineered baby, Is currently functioning at Erik Erosion's â€Å"Identity versus Identity confusion† stage. All her life she has been used by her parents as a donor for her dying sister, Kate, who is a suffering leukemia patient. Ana is finally at the point where she is evidentially trying to find her identity because she wants to claim the rights to her own body. She is now old enough to realize that being a donor can have a negative effect on herself.Erikson states that people in the Identity versus identity confusion stage begin to evolve the ability to explore different alternatives to questions of concerns Noon). One of Ana's alternatives for her situation concerning the rights to her own body Is getting a Lawyer. In this scene she shows how important it is for her to have her own identity by wanting to sue her own mother (Captivates). When she tells the lawyer about her situation and presents him with her medical documents, it shows how she is mora lly developing and growing up to be an individual person? not an object (Excavates).This is a big step for somebody her age. One would expect her to go erectly to her mother Instead of going through the hassle of bringing the Justice system into play. During the identity versus isolation stage Erikson says, â€Å"Parents and teachers are important at this stage. They can help to inform a positive identity by providing opportunities and encouragement as adolescences explore the various options of life† (John). In Ana's case, her mother, Sara, is not there to encourage her to be an Individual or explore the many paths which she can take in life. This isolates her from both of her parents.In the court scene near the end, Sara and the lawyer debate about Ana's mindset. Sara says that she needs to continue to use Ana In order to save Kate, and she has no choice but to do so because she is too young to make her own decisions (Captivates). In opposition to Sara, the lawyer stands up for Ana since she has nobody else to stand up for her against her mother (Captivates). Instead of providing Ana with opportunities to be free from sacrificing herself for Kate, Sara decides that Ana cannot make decisions of her own because of her progressively unhealthy attachment to Kate.She Is hindering Ana's exploration by telling her what she wants and does not want (John). During the movie Kate Fitzgerald is in Kohlrabi's pre conventional stage of â€Å"personal usefulness. † Kate is getting increasingly sick and as each day goes by she is more and more accepting of the fact that she does not have much longer to live. Goldberg states, â€Å"To the person In this stage, what Is right is that which satisfies one's own needs and occasionally the needs of others† (Wee). Kate ultimately aims to please herself because she wants to be with her boyfriend who dies before her. This is the reason why she is not afraid to die anymore.In one scene, Kate has a conversation wit h Ana and says, â€Å"Would you pull the plug for me? (Captivates). This question takes Ana off guard, and Kate tells her that she is not afraid of dying. Her reason which justifies this statement is because her boyfriend has already moved on, which then leads her into convincing Ana into stop being a donor (Asseverates). Kate does not take her family's feelings Into account while she makes the decision to tell through to keep her alive, how much they love her and how hard it would be for Ana to claim the rights to her own body, but she looks past all of this and still puts her feelings first.The basic motivation â€Å"you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours† is what titivates Kate (Wee). Ana gets what she wants by manipulating Ana and telling her about the consequences of donating her kidneys (Captivates). Ana aims to please herself; however there are times when she recognizes how her cancer affects her family's bond. As she is in her hospital bed looking through a scrap book, she reflects on how the attention has always been on her rather than her older brother and Ana (Captivates).Part of her motive to let her cancer kill her is based on her siblings' feelings which she takes into consideration? if she is out of the picture then they will get more attention from their parents. Ana is functioning at Kohlrabies personal usefulness because her motivations are based on her personal gain, and she partially takes others' feelings into consideration when making decisions (Wee). Moreover, her moral development is still progressing and has the potential to be at the conventional level where she puts others before herself.This is seen because of the fact that she takes time to reflect on how her siblings feel when all the attention is on her. Sara Fitzgerald goes from Fowlers â€Å"personal faith† to â€Å"mystical faith. † A person who is in the personal faith stage may run into some gray areas and tension with there while searching for the truth (Wee). Sara's search for the truth about Skate's wants causes a lot of tension between her and her family because when the answers are in front of her, she does not see them or they seem to be unclear.Her attachment to Kate is causing her to be oblivious to the wants and needs of her children, especially Kate who wants to die. In the court scene, the brother says to Sara, â€Å"Skate's dying and everybody knows it! You Just love her so much that you don't want to let her go. She told you a million times, you didn't want to hear it† (Captivates). Sara hints that she is doing everything to in her power to please Kate by keeping her alive, but in reality she is only pleasing herself and this is part of the personal faith stage pertaining to gray areas and unclear answers.Only when her son brings the truth to her out in the open, does she realize that as she keeps her spirit alive, she is killing Skate's. This answer to the question she has been searching for is a bad thing for Sara in the short term, but has its benefits in the long run. It is bad because she the truth is not what she wants to hear and causes her spirit to weaken. It is good that she hears the truth because it gives her a chance to finally move on to the next level of spiritual growth, mystical faith.Before Kate dies, she begins to open up instead of turning her head away from what Kate has to say like she usually does. In the mystical faith stage the person challenges and improves structure because they are more accepting. Near the end of the movie when Kate shows Sara her scrapbook she made, she begins to cry and lays down beside Kate. This symbolizes that she is beginning to accept the fact that Kate is dying and she needs to let her go. Her acceptance at this time and even after Kate is gone shows her improvement in structure.For Sara, her transition from one stage to another took place by overcoming a crisis she was facing, which is what one should do in order to move on to the next stage of spiritual growth (Wee). Captivates, Nick, dir. My Sister's Keeper. Writ. Level Jeremy. Film. 26 Novo 2012. John , B. In search of the good: A catholic understanding of moral living. 2nd deed. Ottawa: the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2004. Print. Wee, J. â€Å"Fowlers Six Stages of Spiritual Growth. † Trans. Reappoint. Wee,J. â€Å"Kohlrabi's Stages of Moral Reasoning. † Trans. Reappoint. My sisters keeper Fitzgerald, who is an engineered baby, Is currently functioning at Erik Erosion's â€Å"Identity versus Identity confusion† stage. All her life she has been used by her parents as a donor for her dying sister, Kate, who is a suffering leukemia patient. Ana is finally at the point where she is evidentially trying to find her identity because she wants to claim the rights to her own body. She is now old enough to realize that being a donor can have a negative effect on herself.Erikson states that people in the Identity versus identity confusion stage begin to evolve the ability to explore different alternatives to questions of concerns Noon). One of Ana's alternatives for her situation concerning the rights to her own body Is getting a Lawyer. In this scene she shows how important it is for her to have her own identity by wanting to sue her own mother (Captivates). When she tells the lawyer about her situation and presents him with her medical documents, it shows how she is mora lly developing and growing up to be an individual person? not an object (Excavates).This is a big step for somebody her age. One would expect her to go erectly to her mother Instead of going through the hassle of bringing the Justice system into play. During the identity versus isolation stage Erikson says, â€Å"Parents and teachers are important at this stage. They can help to inform a positive identity by providing opportunities and encouragement as adolescences explore the various options of life† (John). In Ana's case, her mother, Sara, is not there to encourage her to be an Individual or explore the many paths which she can take in life. This isolates her from both of her parents.In the court scene near the end, Sara and the lawyer debate about Ana's mindset. Sara says that she needs to continue to use Ana In order to save Kate, and she has no choice but to do so because she is too young to make her own decisions (Captivates). In opposition to Sara, the lawyer stands up for Ana since she has nobody else to stand up for her against her mother (Captivates). Instead of providing Ana with opportunities to be free from sacrificing herself for Kate, Sara decides that Ana cannot make decisions of her own because of her progressively unhealthy attachment to Kate.She Is hindering Ana's exploration by telling her what she wants and does not want (John). During the movie Kate Fitzgerald is in Kohlrabi's pre conventional stage of â€Å"personal usefulness. † Kate is getting increasingly sick and as each day goes by she is more and more accepting of the fact that she does not have much longer to live. Goldberg states, â€Å"To the person In this stage, what Is right is that which satisfies one's own needs and occasionally the needs of others† (Wee). Kate ultimately aims to please herself because she wants to be with her boyfriend who dies before her. This is the reason why she is not afraid to die anymore.In one scene, Kate has a conversation wit h Ana and says, â€Å"Would you pull the plug for me? (Captivates). This question takes Ana off guard, and Kate tells her that she is not afraid of dying. Her reason which justifies this statement is because her boyfriend has already moved on, which then leads her into convincing Ana into stop being a donor (Asseverates). Kate does not take her family's feelings Into account while she makes the decision to tell through to keep her alive, how much they love her and how hard it would be for Ana to claim the rights to her own body, but she looks past all of this and still puts her feelings first.The basic motivation â€Å"you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours† is what titivates Kate (Wee). Ana gets what she wants by manipulating Ana and telling her about the consequences of donating her kidneys (Captivates). Ana aims to please herself; however there are times when she recognizes how her cancer affects her family's bond. As she is in her hospital bed looking through a scrap book, she reflects on how the attention has always been on her rather than her older brother and Ana (Captivates).Part of her motive to let her cancer kill her is based on her siblings' feelings which she takes into consideration? if she is out of the picture then they will get more attention from their parents. Ana is functioning at Kohlrabies personal usefulness because her motivations are based on her personal gain, and she partially takes others' feelings into consideration when making decisions (Wee). Moreover, her moral development is still progressing and has the potential to be at the conventional level where she puts others before herself.This is seen because of the fact that she takes time to reflect on how her siblings feel when all the attention is on her. Sara Fitzgerald goes from Fowlers â€Å"personal faith† to â€Å"mystical faith. † A person who is in the personal faith stage may run into some gray areas and tension with there while searching for the truth (Wee). Sara's search for the truth about Skate's wants causes a lot of tension between her and her family because when the answers are in front of her, she does not see them or they seem to be unclear.Her attachment to Kate is causing her to be oblivious to the wants and needs of her children, especially Kate who wants to die. In the court scene, the brother says to Sara, â€Å"Skate's dying and everybody knows it! You Just love her so much that you don't want to let her go. She told you a million times, you didn't want to hear it† (Captivates). Sara hints that she is doing everything to in her power to please Kate by keeping her alive, but in reality she is only pleasing herself and this is part of the personal faith stage pertaining to gray areas and unclear answers.Only when her son brings the truth to her out in the open, does she realize that as she keeps her spirit alive, she is killing Skate's. This answer to the question she has been searching for is a bad thing for Sara in the short term, but has its benefits in the long run. It is bad because she the truth is not what she wants to hear and causes her spirit to weaken. It is good that she hears the truth because it gives her a chance to finally move on to the next level of spiritual growth, mystical faith.Before Kate dies, she begins to open up instead of turning her head away from what Kate has to say like she usually does. In the mystical faith stage the person challenges and improves structure because they are more accepting. Near the end of the movie when Kate shows Sara her scrapbook she made, she begins to cry and lays down beside Kate. This symbolizes that she is beginning to accept the fact that Kate is dying and she needs to let her go. Her acceptance at this time and even after Kate is gone shows her improvement in structure.For Sara, her transition from one stage to another took place by overcoming a crisis she was facing, which is what one should do in order to move on to the next stage of spiritual growth (Wee). Captivates, Nick, dir. My Sister's Keeper. Writ. Level Jeremy. Film. 26 Novo 2012. John , B. In search of the good: A catholic understanding of moral living. 2nd deed. Ottawa: the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2004. Print. Wee, J. â€Å"Fowlers Six Stages of Spiritual Growth. † Trans. Reappoint. Wee,J. â€Å"Kohlrabi's Stages of Moral Reasoning. † Trans. Reappoint.