Who Stayed On Junas On The Em - 1392 Words

Four days later they, without O’Donnell, who stayed on Junas to work on the EM device, made their way, with IQ and Screwdriver as guides, in a transport vessel towards the planet Kalos to inspect the battle fleet. None was ready for the incredible sight as they approached the planets orbital plane. The rate of the fleets construction was unbelievable. In four days, six finished battle groups, each containing three thousand battle cruisers, already orbited the western side of the planet, with at least thirty finished fighter squadrons, each containing five hundred fighters, orbiting its eastern side. IQ slowed the transport ship down and guided it into the planet s atmosphere before turning towards the Central Construction Headquarters. On the ground, the heavy rumble of industry vibrated the atmosphere like a constant thunder as they walked from the transport vessel to a waiting runabout. Everywhere around, androids worked at impossible paces as automated machines spun an d clattered. Above their heads, booms swished to and fro as they swung their heavy payloads from one place to another and, amidst all of this, loud orders cut through the dust filled noise like gaggles of tempered Geese. The loudest of these belonging to Sidebottom. â€Å"Get a move on!† He shouted, as he whizzed between the construction workers. â€Å"Hurry with that Neutronic Booster! On your feet, it s not time for an oil break!† â€Å"I’ll turn his head inside out if he doesn’t shut up!† A voice

Affirmative Action Is The Perfect Plan - 1173 Words

Affirmative Action On March 6th, 1955, President John F. Kennedy signed executive order 10925 enforcing that government corporations not discriminate against anyone based off their race and skin color. This became â€Å"positive† discrimination otherwise known as affirmative action. Affirmative action is a method benefiting anyone who have experienced discrimination particular to one’s education and/ or employment (Affirmative Action). In today’s age affirmative action is creating â€Å"reverse racism† due to colleges and universities wanting more diversity in their schools, setting white people at an unfair disadvantage. During the 1960’s, implementing race-based affirmative action was the perfect plan, giving diverse people an equal opportunity†¦show more content†¦On February 2nd, 1948, President Truman gave a significant speech to congress in which advocated the rights of equal opportunities within diversity saying, â€Å"If we wish to inspire the people s of the world whose freedom is in jeopardy, if we wish to restore hope to those who have lost their civil liberties.. we must correct the imperfections in our practice of democracy..† (Special Message to the Congress on Civil Rights). This speech played an essential role early on towards supporting equality between different races, ethnicities, and gender. The civil rights movement proposed the â€Å"Equal Protection Clause† and became the 14th amendment in 1955(Wikipedia). This policy defended black people from discrimination in any current day encounters affiliated to education and employment. President Kennedy signed this law, and was the first to label this policy as affirmative action in 1961. Afterwards next president Lyndon B. Johnson took upon affirmative action into his own hands. Johnson s executive order stated that affirmative action, â€Å"prevented discrimination based off skin color, race, and religion by places that were given federal contracts and subcontracts†(Affirmative Action). Johnson’s speech played a major factor by giving a concrete definition to affirmative action. During 1967, affirmative action widened its horizon to incorporate women of all race as well. Opportunities that were once prohibited

Enviromental aspects,issues, impact and legislation Free Essays

string(60) " energy ingestion records a high mark of 25 and ranked 1st\." Introduction The universe ‘s environment is non illimitable. The demand to take into consideration the sustainability of the illimitable universe ‘s environment has brought about inventions in assorted techniques and methods of doing certain the environment is good sustained. In the class of realizing the sustainability of the universe ‘s environment, there have been divergent positions on the definitions and accounts of sustainability. We will write a custom essay sample on Enviromental aspects,issues, impact and legislation or any similar topic only for you Order Now Brundtland ( 1987 ) is of the position that, sustainable development involves run intoing the demands and aspirations of the present without compromising the ability to run into those of the hereafter. â€Å"We all have an impact on the environment by the mere act of populating from daily, Whitelaw ( 2004 ) † . This essay will take major stairss in turn toing environmental facets, issues, impact and the assorted statute law associated with them. STUDY SITE ( CASE STUDY ) The instance survey is a location in the University of Hertfordshire. This location is a level within one of the halls of abode, i.e. level in one of the inn adjustment. Precisely, kitchen 33, wide hall, bishop rise Hatfield, Hertfordshire. The flat is made up of 12 suites, with 12 residents sharing one kitchen, two bathing suites, three lavatories, a common step instance, and other installations put in topographic point by the authorization of the University of Hertfordshire Section ONE The survey site is affected by some environmental issues. The facets, issues, impacts and the guiding statute laws are tabulated below. Table 1: Showing environmental facet, issues, impacts and steering statute laws on the survey site, Kitchen 33, Broad hall. Aspect Issue Impact Legislation ( A ) Waste 1 Sewage waste 2 Plastic waste 3 Paper waste 4 Leftovers from nutrient 5 Empty bottles Waste production Waste disposal Waste direction job Environmental pollution Environmental debasement Loss of utile land Cost of recycling waste. cost of waste disposal The WRA 1991 ( H2O resource act ) : subdivision 85 Environmental protection act ( EPA ) 1990 UK WEE Regulation The landfill ( England and waste ) ordinances 2002 ( B ) ENERGY CONSUMPTION. High energy ingestion from 1.Electric cooker 2.Microwave oven 3.heaters in all suites. 4. Hot H2O from pat. 5. Electronic doors 6.Light bulbs. 1.Carbon missions into the ambiance. 2.Heat coevals 3.Climate alteration 1.Ozon bed depletion 2.Air pollution 3.Global warming 4.Loss of aesthetic value of the environment. 5.Green house consequence . 1.Kyoto pact 1997 aimed at cut downing the emanation of green house gases. 2.Environmental protection act 1990 ; UK parliament 1990. 3.Clean air act, 1993. 4.Town and state planning ( Hazard Substance Control Act. ) 1990. 5. Montreal protocol September 1987 6.Clean air act,1993 ( C ) NATURAL RESOURCES 1.Furniture from wood. 2.Use of tabular arraies 3.Use of chairs 4.cupboards for hive awaying nutrient. 5.Plastics ; waste bins, home bases, spoons, 6.Use of glass 7.micro moving ridge oven. 8.Refridgerators. 9.Rug rugs in suites 10.metal beds used in the suites. 1.Solid waste coevals. 2, Landfills 3.General waste. 1.Deforestation. 2Oxygen depletion. 3.Emission of C dioxide. 4.loss of utile land. 5.loss of universe ‘s biodiversity. 1.Refuse disposal agreeableness act,1978. 2.controlled waste ordinances ( S1588 ) 1992 3.Resouce recovery act 1970. ( D ) Noise This is any signifier of sound that is non endurable or that disturbs the ear or the organic structure in general. It could be from peoples raucous interactions, music, pealing telephones, closing of doors, interrupting of home bases in the kitchen. Disturbing stairss on the step instance by residents and visitants. Noise production Perturbations that wakes one up when resting or kiping Inability to concentrate while reading Unnecessary distractions by opening and closing of doors. Extreme noise could impact the ear membranophone The statutory noise act ordinances 2006 ( Tocopherol ) HEALTH/SAFETY Carelessness, non attachment to UH adjustment service regulations. The impacts could be hurts from the usage of family utensils Contamination from minor unwellnesss, e.g cough which is easy contagious The smoke-free ( premises and enforcement ) ordinances 2006. Health and safety act. 1974. Statutory instrument No. 2677. 2002. WATER CONSUMPTION. 1.Water usage 2.Use of chemical 3.Use of detergents 1.Chemical toxicity 2. Runing H2O from pat ( dripping H2O ) . 3.Dirty H2O fluxing through sink 1.Pollution of land H2O 2.Contamination of shoal aquifer 3. depletion of inland H2O beginnings. 1.Water industries act 1991, 2.Water resource act 1991 3. Land H2O ordinance act 1998. Section TWO Several environmental issues affect the survey site, wide hall of abode, kitchen 33. These issues include waste production, disposal, waste direction, energy ingestion, noise production, H2O usage, wellness and safety. The effects of these environmental issues vary in wide hall kitchen 33. A marking and ranking system was carried out to acquire the issue with the highest degree of importance. i.e, prioritizing the issues. Marking AND Ranking System:The ranking and marking system used in the facets and impacts analysis matrix Tinsley ( 2001 ) . 2.1.2 THE ASPECTS AND IMPACTS ANALYSIS MATIX For lucidity intent, a five point evaluation graduated table is used to sort each facet, environmental issues in relation to their corresponding environmental impact as: major, high, moderate, minimal, and low. Table 2.1: ASPECT CLASSIFICATION ( Tinsley 2001 ) SEVERITY/RATING ASPECT CLASSIFICATION ASPECT CRITERIA 1 Minimum No consequence of waste on the environment 2 Low Low consequence of waste 3 Moderate Moderate waste production 4 High High waste production presence and consequence 5 Major Major production of waste Table 2.2 PROBABILITY OF OCCURENCE:The chance or likeliness of happening can be ascertained from a mark of 1 ( less than 20 % ) to a mark of 5 ( 81-100 % ) . Tinsley ( 2001 ) PROBABILITY OF OCCURRENCE PROBABILITY % 5 81-100 4 61-80 3 41-60 2 21-40 1 0-20 Table 2.3 SEVERITY/RATING PROBABILITY ( 5 ) Mark Ranking 1 Minimal 2 low 3 Moderate 4 High 5 Major Likelihood Of Happening Probability Multiplied By Badness Harmonizing To Mark value Table 2.4 PRIORITISING THE ISSUE USING SCORING AND RANKING Issue Badness Evaluation Probability Mark Ranking 1 High waste production 5 5 20 2neodymium 2High energy ingestion 5 4 25 1st 3 Noise production 5 3 15 3rd 4 Water use 3 3 9 5Thursday 5 Waste direction 3 2 6 6Thursday 6 sloppiness 5 2 10 4Thursday Table 2,4 shows that energy ingestion records a high mark of 25 and ranked 1st. It can be concluded that high energy ingestion is the major environmental issue associated with wide hall, kitchen 33. This is followed by high waste production, ranked 2neodymiumwith a mark of 20. Noise production ranked 3rdwith a mark of 15, sloppiness ranked 4h and hold a mark of 10 while H2O usage and waste direction scored 9 A ; 6 and ranked 5th A ; 6Thursdayseverally. Emphasis will be on the two most of import issues in this essay. 2.2 HIGH ENERGY UTILIZATION Major productions today depend on high usage of energy. The demand for high energy usage has been on the addition. Brady ( 2006 ) explains that energy use has led to the presence of heat on the Earth and besides accretion of green house gases. This affects climate alteration. Collins ( 1998 ) defines energy as the capacity to make work. And that energy could be in assorted signifiers. These include electrical energy, mechanical energy, heat energy, light energy, sound energy, possible energy, kinetic energy etc. The hall of abode ( kitchen33 ) is associated with high energy use. Among the issues prioritised on table 2,4, energy use scored 25 and ranked 1st.It is the major issue. Light bulbs are left on for a long clip, electric cooker is ever in usage for cookery and boiling H2O. A batch of energy is consumed through this procedure. Furthermore, the warmers in the suites are invariably in usage since the conditions is cold. The chief entryway door and doors taking to each of the 12 suites are electronically operated with the usage of cards. In the class of this, energy is utilised. The bulbs that light the transition are in most instances on, since no 1 is attached to the transition for adjustment. The showers for bathing, running lights-outs in the kitchen are besides beginnings of energy use. Due to energy use, clime alteration has led to sea degree rise. Sea degree rise could endanger the endurance of 1000s islands of whose highest points are frequently non more than a few meters above sea degree, every bit good as other low lying country ; with significant animate being and human population Vrolijk ( 2002 ) . In order to keep sustainability of the universe ‘s environment, the Kyoto Protocol set out lawfully adhering quantified emanation restriction and decrease committedness ( QELRSs ) for industrialised states, and targeted 5.2 % decrease in emanations from 1990, degrees for a basket of green house, by the commitment period of 2008-12, Vrolijk ( 2002 ) . Energy usage besides has a batch of impact on the Earth. The combustion of fossil fuels is a beginning of impact. Harmonizing to the University of Hertfordshire environmental forum, quality of life study ( 2006 ) , the primary cause of planetary clime alteration is the green house gas emanation distributed to places and industries into the ambiance. It went farther to province that, UK. relies upon carbon-base dodo fuels for the bulk of its energy beginnings. Coal and gas supply Stationss to bring forth electrical energy. 2.3 WASTE PRODUCTION/ DISPOSAL / MANAGEMENT Waste could be described as a substance which constitute a scrap stuff or other unwanted excess substance originating from the application of any procedure, Bahu ( 1997 ) p24. Waste includes points, stuffs that are no more in utile. Cope ( 1983 ) , defines waste as the merchandises, spent residues and discarded constituents of industrial fabrication procedures, which have no realistic value. What could be taken as waste varies with persons. Brady ( 2006 ) , states that human activities have the possible to foul the aquatic environment, for illustration domestic waste. Beginnings of waste could be ; places, fabricating industries, offices, dilapidated stuffs from edifices, , sewerage etc. The quality of life study ( 2006 ) , Hertfordshire Environmental Forum, states that, in 2005-2006, the entire waste produced in the state amounted to 2 million metric tons.Several environmental issues are associated with the survey site, a level in the University of Hertfordshire pupil ‘s adjustment. Waste production, disposal, direction are endangering issues in the level. As an country develops and population additions, the volume of waste H2O additions, ensuing in an addition in hurtful substances leaching into the local aquifer and pollute the H2O, which becomes insecure for usage, Black ( 1977 ) . Sewage waste are generated from lavatories, soiled H2O gotten from soaked pots poured into the sink constitute high waste production in the level. Furthermore, waste bins are in most instances overfilled and rubbish litters the floor of the kitchen. This is an environmental jeopardy which straight affects the wellness of the residents and the aesthetic value of the level. The pro duction of waste is so high that the Rota prepared by the University of Hertfordshire adjustment office can no longer assist the state of affairs. Traveling by the manner of the adjustment service ‘s agreement, the waste are supposed to be disposed off each twenty-four hours. But in most instances, waste bins are already overfilled before the terminal of the twenty-four hours. This brings in the issue of direction since the Rota does non work out the manner it was planned. In some instances the residents have to â€Å"break protocol† by non waiting till the terminal of the twenty-four hours before disposing off the overfilled waste bins. In 2003, 43 % of the entire waste produced in the UK was disposed off in landfill site, DEFRA ( 2007 ) . If this tendency occurs really frequently, the universe ‘s environmental sustainability is threatened and the aesthetic value of the environment is compromised. There are besides waste from pots left for many yearss. The pots become smelly as some of the proprietors leave place for yearss. From the study embarked upon in the class of this work, it was found that â€Å"mini† waste bins get overfilled in some of the suites. If sustainability must be embraced, so the flat in inquiry is yet to make so. From table 2.4, it is justifiable to state that, waste production with a mark of 20 and ranked 2nd is one of the chief environmental issue concerned with the survey site. Section THREE 3.0The two issues that were identified with the instance survey ( wide hall, kitchen 33 ) as prioritised in table 2.4 are: Waste production, disposal and direction. High energy use. The above mentioned issues are prioritised as the two chief issues whose impact are more on the hall of abode ( kitchen 33 ) . It will be of import to explicate and propose solutions to the jobs caused by these issues. Here the benefit of environmental direction system, if implemented will be explained to the authorization of the University of Hertfordshire. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Definition: Sheldon ( 2003 ) described direction system as a simple manner of traveling information around inside an organisation. He moreover states that, its map is to determine reaching of information at the right topographic point at the right clip for a good determination to be made. An environmental direction system takes into history organisation forces, construction, be aftering map, operation, procedure and even its accustomed pattern. As opposed to fiscal and quality facets, it is the environmental facets of an organisation ‘s activities, merchandises and services that are capable to direction, Sheldon ( 2003 ) . In order to accomplish consequences through the usage of environmental direction system attack, a policy frame work is needed. Jaccard ( 2005 ) , sees policy as, an attempt by public governments to bring on action, and these include ; information proviso, ordinances, revenue enhancement, subsidies and the determination to take direct action. Brady ( 2006 ) , defines environmental direction system as a structured frame work for pull offing an administration ‘s important environmental impact. There are a figure of international criterion to be met or pursued by administrations who intend to run within the environmental scene. ISO 14001 is the most internationally recognized EMS usher and it is one of the wide scope of environmental criterions in the ISO 14000 series. ISO 14001 requires organisations to use proper attention and control in covering with the environment and that, administrations impact on the environment should be controlled, Whitelaw ( 2004 ) . An environmental impact is any alteration caused the environment whether adverse or good BENEFIT ASSOCIATED WITH EMS FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF HERTFORDSHIRE The environmental issues and impact concerned with the University of Hertfordshire ‘s Hall of Residence ( Broad Hall, Kitchen 33 ) exactly, should be addressed. Here the nidation of EMS is suggested. With the usage of an environmental direction system, the needed legislative and regulative attachment will be implemented. This execution will better on the University of Hertfordshire, particularly, conformity with the assorted statute law that are already in topographic point. Ana EMS will assist the University save cost in the country of energy ingestion. An analysis of the benefit and cost realised from an EMS can assist turn to of import managerial inquiries, Yiridoe et Al, ( 2003 ) . The University, with the usage of EMS, could determine whether environmental activities have resulted in increased operational volume or lessening in operating cost. By affecting the full work force in a cost decrease programme, spreads would be bridged and encouraging consequences are achieved, Hill et Al, ( 2004 ) . The University of Hertfordshire could develop its staff in line with established regulative and legislative criterions to accomplish high environmental public presentation. In the country of waste production, the University direction should endeavor to transport out a everyday cheques on the suites and kitchen of the hall in inquiry. Adopting an EMS would assist the University embracing method of waste direction. For illustration, recycling of waste as practiced with the usage of incinerators can be adopted Hepbasli ( 2008 ) . Increasing the figure of waste bins on a regular basis or frequent disposal will be of import. Embracing an EMS by the University direction will assist work out job of such nature. It is besides recommended that, punishments be awarded mistaking residents who fail to adhere to the new ordinances. The UK authorities has a mark of 1,500MW of new electricity bring forthing capacity from renewable beginnings by the twelvemonth 2000, and estimations that by 2025, renewable may provide between 5 % and 25 % of current UK electricity, Hill et Al ( 2004 ) . This could be good achieve with the execution of an EMS. This will in no uncertainty cut down the cost incurred from over ingestion of energy in the level within wide hall of abode. Adopting an EMS would besides cut down the sum of emanations into the ambiance, since it will take to a decrease in the combustion of fossil fuels. Hepbasli ( 2008 ) is of the position that renewable energy offers a scope of benefit, such as, lessening in external dependance on energy and besides hike local and regional industries in the country of employment. The University ‘s corporate image would hold a face lift through the execution of an EMS. Adopting an EMS will heighten environmental public presentation of the University in the country of waste direction and decrease in energy use. The University may besides derive a really high credence and acknowledgment from assorted supervising governments and bureaus, Especially, authorities governments, holding been enhanced by following an EMS. When coal and gas are burnt for energy, C dioxide ( CO2 ) is released together with a scope of other gases including green-house gases, ( quality of life study 2006 ) . With the application of EMS, the decrease of energy ingestion could be achieved and more so, several attempt should be made to guarantee dependance on renewable energy beginning. A good implemented EMS will be utile in this way. Making certain that occupant exchange off their electrical contraptions, i.e. bulbs, warmer, micro moving ridges, kettle-heater, and cooker etc in due times should be followed up. Environmental direction system can non be ruled out in seeking to accomplish a sustainable development. Decision: The being of adult male is dependent on assorted factors or phenomena. The environment seems to be the umbrella under which adult male lives continuously and sustainably. Though, accomplishing a perfect environmental sustainability is still being pursued, the environment is continuously faced with impacts, ensuing from environmental issues caused by adult male. Human activities are beginnings of environmental impacts. Since a sustainable environment must be achieved, persons should escalate attempts towards developing and protecting the environment.Adopting of good methods, techniques, and policies, for illustration EMS, is recommended to accomplish environmental sustainability. Mentions Bahu R. , Cretteden B. , Hara O. ( 1997 )Management of Process Industry Waste. Institute of Chemical Engineers, Rugby, p207. Brundtland, G. H. ( 1987 )Our Common Future:The Report of The universe Commission on Environment and Development, Oxford university imperativeness Brady, J. ( 2006a ) .Environmental Management in administration: Evaluating Environmental Performance, the IEMA Handbook, p251. Brady, J. ( 2006b ) .Environmental Management in administration: Climate alteration and energy, the IEMA Handbook, p364 Brady, J. ( 2006c )Environmental Management in administration: Key environmental subject, the IEMA Handbook, p366 Black, A. ( 1977 )Water pollution engineering. Reston publication. P220 Cope, Fuller and Willet ( 1983 )The Scientific Management of Hazardous Waste. Cambridge University Press. Collins G. ( 1998 ) English lexicon, new edition. Harper Collins publication. p182 Defra ( 2007 )Sustainable development indexs in your pocket: Department of nutrient and rural personal businesss, London, p43 Hertfordshire Environmental Forum ( 2006 ) . Quality of life study p39 Hepbasli, A. ( 2008 ) A cardinal reappraisal on energetic and appraisal of renewable energy beginning for the hereafter.Renewable and sustainable energy reappraisal.12,issue 3. P593-661 Hill, J. , Marshal, I. , Priddy, C. ( 2004 ) Waste decrease.Profiting concern and the environment.2131-36 Hill, J. , Marshal, I. , Priddy C. ( 2004 ) Energy coevals capacity.Profiting concern and theenvironment.2115-23 Jaccard, M. ( 2005 )Sustainable dodo fuels. Cambridge University imperativeness. p260 NetRegs ( 2007 ) . NetRegs: Environmental counsel for your concern. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.netregs.gov.uk/ . Site accessed: 9/02/2008 Sheldon, C. , Yoxon, M. ( 2003 )Installing Environmental Management System. A measure by measure guide. Earthscan publications, London, revised edition.p4 Tinsley, S. ( 2001 )Environmental Plans Demystified:A usher to implementing ISO 14001.Spon imperativeness, pp 240. Vrolijk C. ( 2002 )Climate alteration and power. Royal institute of international personal businesss. p3 Whitelaw K. ( 2004 )ISO 14001:Environmental System Handbook. Elsevier Butterworth, London, p 237. Yiridoe, K. , Marett, E. , Clark, S. , Gordon, R. , Duinker, P. ( 2003 ) ISO 14001: EMS standard enrollment determination among Canadian administrations,Agribusiness19,p439-457 How to cite Enviromental aspects,issues, impact and legislation, Essay examples

Pit Bulls free essay sample

Dr. Martin Luther King once said, â€Å"I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character† (King, 1963). As members of the millennial generation, we are taught that it is unacceptable to judge people by the way one looks, dresses, or talks. So why is it excusable for you to judge my four-legged companion based on the way she looks, the way she is built, or the way her bark sounds? As an owner of an American pit bull terrier, I witness first hand how the pit bull is discriminated against on a daily basis. C. Audience Relation How many of you enjoy being categorized by the way you look? Just as we, as people, are evaluated, all animals need to be evaluated by its own qualities, not their appearance. D. Central Idea Today, I would like to take the time to refute the falsely made claims that have been made against the pit bull breed and provide you with some information and instances that will hopefully shed some light on their true character. We will write a custom essay sample on Pit Bulls or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page We will be discussing the decline of the pit bull, the biggest pit bull fallacy, and the role the media has played in tainting the breed. Transition: Let’s begin by discussing the decline of the American pit bull terrier. II. MAIN IDEA #1: The American pit bull terrier was once the most popular dog in the beginning of the 20th century, so what exactly went wrong? How did this breed become so misunderstood? A. Far from being deemed a â€Å"killing machine† on four legs, pit bulls were once THE American favorite during the early half of the century. 1. During WW1, pit ulls were even pictured on recruitment posters and many pit bulls went on to become famous in the American military. The pit bull was the face of patriotism and was chosen to represent America. Stubby was a pit bull terrier mix that served during WW1 and holds the honor of being the most decorated war dog in US history. B. It was in the 1980s when the perception of the pit bull was smeared. 1. Regardless of being illegal in all fifty states, dog fighting made a comeback and the pit bull was the dog of choice. 2. They were also the preferred â€Å"guard dog† for big time drug dealers and gangs. But why does this irresponsibility fall on the breed? Humans have bestowed this demeanor upon them, yet the dogs are the ones receiving the repercussions. 1. The pit bull is well known for its loyalty and desire to please. They continually strive to exceed expectations that are set for them, which is one of the biggest reasons they are preferred as a fighting dog; they will not give up. They will fight for the attention and praise of their owner. 2. Pit bulls are loving, tender, faithful, and they are protective over the families they belong to. We, as owners and pet lovers, need to take the steps to ensure the image of this breed is restored; We need to speak up for the underdog. Transition: Contrary to popular belief, the pit bull is not born with the mentality that fighting is the spice of life. MAIN IDEA #2: One of the biggest preconceived notions about the pit bull is that they are the most dangerous dogs in the world that run around wild-eyed and blood thirsty. They have been improperly labeled as vicious creatures that are incapable of love and trust.

Constitution Ratification Essay Example

Constitution Ratification Essay Brady Bednorz Mrs. Lindquist PAP U.S. Government 1 9/17/15 We will write a custom essay sample on Constitution Ratification specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Constitution Ratification specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Constitution Ratification specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Why Should the Constitution be Ratified? Not everybody supported the U.S. Constitution.Farmers from Massachusetts were very suspicious of it thinking it would centralize the power of the government into the hands of the wealthy people.The only way the Constitution got ratified by them because it guaranteed individual liberties.Anyhow the Constitution was ratified anyway on February 7, 1788. (Document A) James Madison was a person that took a major part during the writing of the Constitution.He wrote many important essays that explained why it was important for the Constitution to be ratified.One of those important essays was his tenth essay that was published on November 22, 1787.It explained how in order to have liberty we have to have faction.â€Å"It could never be more truly said than of the first remedy, that it was worse than the disease.Liberty is to faction what air is to fire, an aliment without which it instantly expires.But it could not be less folly to abolish liberty, which is essential to political life, because it nourishes faction†(Document B) So Madison told the people that the Constitution would have to allow faction if they wanted liberty, but the faction would not interfere with the government. Another important figure that played an important role during the ratification of the Constitution was a farmer from Massachusetts named Jonathan Smith.Smith explained in his essay why it was important to ratify the Constitution.Smith’s essay pretty much explained why it was important for people to avoid living under a government of tyranny. A Pennsylvania farmer also had a good point on why the constitution should be ratified.There were many people that were afraid of the new Constitution taking away their individual liberties so the farmer from Pennsylvania flat out tells them why they should vote on ratifying the Constitution.â€Å"T

Free Essays on Meaningful Change In Education

Teach Institution: Building the Heart of a Teacher â€Å"Restoration, reweaving, is one of the obligations of leadership.† (Max De Pree, 1997) Schools today are being rewoven. The focus on high standards has created a culture of accountability that calls for high quality teaching to help each child reach his or her potential. Unfortunately, schools are also facing a severe shortage of teachers, particularly in middle and secondary schools as well as areas such as special education. One short-term solution has been the use of teachers who are operating with emergency credentials. Leave No Child Behind has said no to emergency certification and legislation to establish Teach Institution has opened a unique opportunity to reweave teacher preparation. Teach Institution, if funded to The University, will examine the in-school supports that need to be provided these alternate-credentialed teachers; most specifically, we will examine how mentors can contribute to greater success. A network of mentors has quietly emerged from prior initiatives of Mississippi legislation via the World Class Teachers program; this program provided a network to mentor Mississippi's best teachers into National Board Certification status. By working with mentors and mentoring for these alternate-credential teachers, the University of Southern Mississippi (UNIVERSITY), in conjunction with the other public IHLs (phased in over time), intend to reweave knowledge and skills standards to address alternate pathways for teacher development. Key to this initiative will be mentoring practices, secured from National Board Certified teachers and post-secondary institutions, in conjunction with school districts throughout the state. Severity of the problem Supply and demand of teachers for America’s schools has entered an era of persistent imbalance, reflecting concerns with unacceptably low salaries, low regard for the profession, and safety for self and students... Free Essays on Meaningful Change In Education Free Essays on Meaningful Change In Education Teach Institution: Building the Heart of a Teacher â€Å"Restoration, reweaving, is one of the obligations of leadership.† (Max De Pree, 1997) Schools today are being rewoven. The focus on high standards has created a culture of accountability that calls for high quality teaching to help each child reach his or her potential. Unfortunately, schools are also facing a severe shortage of teachers, particularly in middle and secondary schools as well as areas such as special education. One short-term solution has been the use of teachers who are operating with emergency credentials. Leave No Child Behind has said no to emergency certification and legislation to establish Teach Institution has opened a unique opportunity to reweave teacher preparation. Teach Institution, if funded to The University, will examine the in-school supports that need to be provided these alternate-credentialed teachers; most specifically, we will examine how mentors can contribute to greater success. A network of mentors has quietly emerged from prior initiatives of Mississippi legislation via the World Class Teachers program; this program provided a network to mentor Mississippi's best teachers into National Board Certification status. By working with mentors and mentoring for these alternate-credential teachers, the University of Southern Mississippi (UNIVERSITY), in conjunction with the other public IHLs (phased in over time), intend to reweave knowledge and skills standards to address alternate pathways for teacher development. Key to this initiative will be mentoring practices, secured from National Board Certified teachers and post-secondary institutions, in conjunction with school districts throughout the state. Severity of the problem Supply and demand of teachers for America’s schools has entered an era of persistent imbalance, reflecting concerns with unacceptably low salaries, low regard for the profession, and safety for self and students...

Irish migration to Great Britain Research Paper

Irish migration to Great Britain - Research Paper Example Irish people have a long and profound history of migration to Great Britain. The migration is due to economic necessities, political compulsions and geographical location. The historic aspect that accelerates the migration process since the eleventh century has varied impact on the economy of Great Britain. After many political and geographical adjustments and divisions, the present position is that Ireland has two entities. Independent Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, that remains part of Great Britain. This long association and disassociation, has resulted in millions or Irish people becoming residents of Great Britain and they can be identified through their Irish ancestry. As the migration process continues unabated, Irish people have become the largest minority group in Great Britain and this position is being sustained for centuries. Apart from others, proximity and employment factors are the important reasons for Irish migration to Great Britain and it is going on una bated with intermittent high and lows. Economic conditions dominate the scene of migration With the Great Famine of the 1840s and potato crop failures on a recurring basis, exoduses on a mammoth scale occur. About a million people migrate and an equal number of them die in Ireland due to hunger and poor economic conditions. Migration on a big scale occurs for the second time during the period 1930-1960, as the Irish people are trying to escape from the desperately poor economic conditions, following the establishment of the Irish Free State. On the other hand, conditions are favorable in Great Britain that facilitates migration from Ireland. With the rapid industrialization in Great Britain, demand for labor is intense and the domestic and constructions companies depend on labor. Especially in the construction industry, the contribution of the Irish labor is magnificent and this has been acknowledged by the concerned authorities in Great Britain. Seasonal migration for a specific period is also in vogue and they are known as harvest labors. London accounts for the biggest Irish population and they are concentrated in the County Kilburn area of North West London. Liverpool, Birmingham, and Manchester are the other important cities in England that own a good chunk of Irish population. Irish population in Scotland and Wales is also substantial. There are an unspecified number of people of Irish ancestry in Great Britain and some other cities with Irish population are, Cardiff, Coventry, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Coat bridge, Leeds, Lupton, Middleborough, Preston, Portsmouth and Sunderland. â€Å"Genealogy has become hugely popular throughout the world in recent decades but has long had an important position in Ireland. Many of the surviving medieval Gaelic manuscripts are accounts of the pedigree of important, powerful Irish families.†(Murphy) Due to some profound reasons that are not part of the culture of normal procedures of migration, it is impossible to decide the exact dimensions of Irish migration to Great Britain. Ireland remains under British rule for centuries, and notwithstanding the legal provisions to render the process of assimilation of the Irish in the mainstream society by barring them from owning land, the sense of kinship persists. â€Å"Emigration has been a feature of Irish society for centuries. There is another myth that emigration began during and after the "Great Famine" 1846 - 52. But in fact the Irish had been upping sticks and moving long before that.† (Murphy) The process has been unstoppable due to one or the other reason. It is often forgotten that until 1922 Ireland was part of the UK, The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. As such they were one and the same country and migration between the two islands was commonplace. Consequently records of Irish born are common in British civil, parish and other records. Indeed one-sixth of all residents of the UK

Book review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Book review - Essay Example Utilitarianism is a philosophical movement essentially defined by what pleases the most people. Morality is defined by the majority. The trend that follows is one of hedonistic pursuits with the avoidance of pain. Initially, this philosophy was delineated by Jeremy Bentham and later expounded on by John Stuart Mills. Utilitarian proponents view all things as measured by the amount of happiness they can elicit rather than the intrinsic value. The moral compass of any individual is gained from actual experiences, rather than any set of core values instilled in the individual by a higher power. Utilitarianism has largely been successful amongst the English, who consider all experiences derived from the five senses. This doctrine is contrary necessitates a physical experience as a means of understanding right from wrong, morality from immorality. The lineage of such a concept can be traced back to Hobbes’ code of ethics as measured by what best serves the individual while disregarding others. However, the utilitarian ideals are more carefully crafted, taking consideration of the greater good for the greater number of individuals. It is true that a perfect society in which all can be perfectly content is impossible. Therefore the only possible recourse is to try to please the majority. That is the fundamental premise of a democracy which holds to a standard of majority rule. As exemplified in various democracies around the world, a rule by the people has tremendous success while political regimes that are totalitarian in nature are not as successful socioeconomically. In Albert Camus’s The Stranger, Mersault is indifferent to his morally reprehensible acts. He represents the universe in his detachment to the events in his life. Even Camus’s style of of using first person to convey the story of his protagonist Mersault gives the impression of his conscience and the adopted morality that guides his thoughts

Effective and Non-Effective Communication Research Paper

Effective and Non-Effective Communication - Research Paper Example At the very core of human resource success is the issue of communication. As with any practice, communication can either be effectively practiced or ineffectively evidenced. As a function of seeking to understand this dichotomy in a more full and complete manner, the following analysis will be contingent upon discussing the importance of effective communication strategies; alongside referencing key examples of communication failures that threaten the entire firm/organization/group in question. Communication is essential in every interaction because it is through this process that an individual makes clear his/her thoughts and ideas. The human resource specialist must understand the conversation cycle and look for other means for communication. Therefore, a best practice would be for the human resources specialist to be able to interpret and understand non-verbal communication as well as verbal communication. In addition, the caregiver should also understand cultural differences in order to understand what is being communicated. Asking questions is another skill that professional must be proficient in because they are able to bring out more necessary information about their clients through questioning. Lastly, they should also have listening skills; understanding what is said between the lines and not just grasping meanings from spoken words. There are indeed many facets of communication and these should be mastered for effective communication. An obvious opposite to the scenario that has been reflected and represented above would be a situation in which the human resource specialist was not cognizant of the deeper meaning that could be reflected within a conversation or particular interaction. Without a level of appreciation and knowledge for non-verbal cues, the degree and extent to which the human resources specialist can

The Arguments For Regulation Accounting Essay

The Arguments For Regulation Accounting Essay History is filled with examples where crisis and scandals paved the way for regulatory interventions in the financial markets. The UK introduced major changes in its regulatory practice after the fall of the Barings Bank as a result of the financial scandals during the 1990s. The Financial Services Authority was deregulated in order to develop more rigid and consolidated regulations that conformed to the practice that were prevalent in the industry. Similarly, the US saw a major shift in its financial accounting regulations after the Enron catastrophe. The financial crisis of 2007-2009 has resulted in bringing the issue of standardizing the regulations on financial accounting practices. Regulators worldwide have realized the systematic risks inherent in the financial markets and the critical role that regulations can play in sprouting and exacerbating the fiasco. Accounting standards plays a vital role in financial accounting and reporting in order for investors to make good decisions. Financial accounting and reporting are subjected to various regulations such as the Securities exchange Commission (SEC), the financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). They differs from countries due to the differences in the economic, social and political factors involved. (P. Brown) The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was created in response to the major stock market crash in 1929 to restore investor confidence. At that time, financial statements were often poor in quality and not audited. Arguments for regulation Over the years there have been many arguments over the necessity for regulation. Accounting regulations are needed in the industries that are susceptible to monopolistic behaviours to protect stakeholders interests. These monopolies undermine the competition, as they would try to beat the competitor that poses a threat to their share in the market. Hence, regulation can help the governments in maintaining the efficiency of the markets to keep them attractive for investors and maintaining fair trade. Arguments in favour of regulation correspond to the market failure, government will be able to help through regulations. Moreover, regulations should be considered when there are businesses and financial institutions that offer windfall profits due to new innovation; the organization is able to achieve high profits. Suppliers will use unethical practices to charge a large sum of money by excluding the true cost, which is known as externalities. In addition to these, there are information asymmetries that exist where firms do not fully disclose their decisions. Bushman and Landsman (2010) suggest that optimal disclosure of financial information are beneficial because failure to do so might cause investors sceptical assumptions. Proponents of the regulations maintain that markets usually place their interest above the best benefit of the society. Thus, interventions in the regulations are necessary. Regulations are considered to provide a strong and focused control over the activities that are deemed important by the society. In the meantime, regulations can be seen as the strict process for performing and action in the corporate environment such as in order to set up, manage and end an organization, one has to follow the regulations laid out in the corporations law (Sloan, 2001). But regulations should not be considered as negative as it helps in managing, controlling and getting results from various business activities. For example, the rules and checks that are built into the regulations, give people the confidence that these regulations would not allow people to step out of their authority and conform to the regulatory requirements; that are developed keeping their interests in perspective. The move from governments brought light into the issue of regulating the accounting processing in the industry. Accounting is primarily responsible for providing relevant information for decision making required to make decisions of economic nature. This information is prepared by accountants and professionals in the industry which are responsible for maintaining the record of the financial and accounting data for the company. This information is published in the annual financial reports as well as the stock exchange helping investors to make informed decisions. Moreover, there are regulations relating to the application of taxes as well as the procedure through which organizations are formed and established. The statutory and financial requirements ensure that the organizations are capable of meeting their financial and corporate responsibilities (Bushman and Landsman, 2010) Hence, regulations play an integral role in the functioning of daily business organizations in the modern world. There are a large number of operations that need regulations as they contain data that is critical for efficient operation of the organizations. This information should not be put at risk and placing regulatory requirements on its collections and maintenance is a safe way to ensure the efficiency of the accounting process (Hoogendoorn, 2006). Arguments against regulation Nonetheless, there are a number of perspectives on the issue of regulating the financial markets. The critics of the idea present the argument that these regulations are not needed as the market players act in an efficient manner to serve the society and efficiently utilize their resources. Characteristics of principles-based and rules-based standards A standard consist of principles and rules that apply to given accounting issue (Nelson, 2003). Schipper (2003) suggested that accounting standards in US are more rules-based but often based on principles while IAS and IFRS are more principles-based. Principles-based standard According to ICAS (2006), principles-based accounting standards are based on a conceptual framework. They suggest that such standards require a clear hierarchy of overarching concepts, principles that reflect the overarching concepts and limited further guidance (ICAS, 2006). The principles-based deliver a comprehensive way in preparing the financial statement yet has the flexibility to overcome any situations. Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 required the SEC to assess the viability of a principles-based accounting system. The SEC focused their studies on objective-oriented standards, which is similar to FASBs definition of principles-based standards but Benston et al., (2006) propose that it is more optimal as it offer a narrower framework that limits the scope of professional judgement but allowing more flexibility. In 2008, Grant Thornton issued a White Paper suggesting six high-quality characteristics of principles-based accounting standard. This include; faithful presentation of economic reality, responsive to users needs for clarity and transparency, consistency with a clear Conceptual Framework, based on a defined scope that addresses a broad area of accounting, written in a clear and understandable language, use of appropriate judgment (Grant Thornton, 2008). Benston et al., (2006) agrees that principles-based tend to have more professional judgement. The practice of professional judgment is reinforced to give a true and fair view of the organisations performance. The fundamental advantage of principles-based accounting is that its broad guidelines can be practical for a variety of circumstances. Precise requirements can sometimes compel managers to manipulate the statements to fit what is compulsory. Rules-based standards According to Nelson (2003), rules-based standards have more bright line threshold, more rules, have more scope exceptions and large volume of implementation guidance. Example for bright-line rules-based standards is the managing of capital lease and operating lease. The principle contrast being that a capital lease might need to show up on the asset report of the carrier whereas operating lease do not need any recording. Two distinguishable lease transactions are characterized contrastingly based upon the GAAP renting guidelines (Maines, 2007). Rules-based increases the comparability especially when accountants and regulators have different opinions on interpretation of accounting issues. The FASB developed rules-based standards to increase verifiability for management, auditors and regulators who seek for a clear view of accounting issue. This is related to the reduction in litigation as guidance to protect them from any lawsuits or criticism for aggressive reporting (Benston et al., 2006). If organisation fails to conform to these rules, it has to face legal consequences due to the fact that investors entrust the organisation to meet the regulatory requirements and make their decisions based on the interpretation of financial data. Regulators often prefer rules to avoid unpredictable of later enforcement. Rules reduce discretion of preparer making their judgement less likely to be motivated by the yearning of personal benefits (Coglianese et al., 2004). Moreover, some managers prefer rules-based standards as business arrangement to prepare financial statement. To achieve desirable financial result, they get to gain opportunities by lobbying for treatment of different type of business arrangements (Maines, 2007). Why are principles-based standards more useful than rules-based standards? Many commentators have suggested that the US accounting standard is more rules-based. Rules are thought to be simple but in reality it could complex and easily be manipulated. For instances, tax regulations are mainly rules-based causing problem to arise when organisation start a new transaction not under the rule guideline. Making it difficult for auditors to clarify the inconsistencies (Coglianese et al., 2004). Benston et al., (2006) agree that the complexity of rules can become dysfunctional when the economic changes or when managers structure transactions that meet the rules. Therefore, theres no need to reduce earnings management and improve the quality of financial reporting because mangers will eventually find his way to meet rules by violating them that overcompensate for judgemental discretion. Thus, many regulators are now leaning towards the principles-based approach. Application of rules-based according to Schipper (2003) is undesirable because the check-box mentality tend to risk the quality of financial reporting whereas principles-based exercises professional judgement. Regulators believe that rules-based approach foster creative accounting, neither comprehensive nor comparable. It is a delusion that rules-based could completely eliminate risk of litigation. Instead of rules-based, principles-based accounting systems provide a true and fair framework with effective communication that are required by stakeholders. Risk of litigation will always remain but principles-based will minimise the risk (ICAS, 2006). Rules exist because a standard is based on poor principles. Using applicable principle would reduce the need of having detailed set of rules, therefore complexity of the rules could be minimised and standard will increase its comparability (Nobes, 2005). Furthermore principles-based standards are meant to provide a more precise accounting statement reflecting the companys performance reason because as the used of principles-based increase, manipulation of rules would reduce. Study result shows that corporate managers prefer principles-based. Objectives are yet again the flexibility when they could report what they believe of the consequences, beneficial of forecast earnings and if management reimbursement is related to their target (Philips et al., 2010). The study have also indicated that principles-based focus more on reporting the true economic circumstances, however with that much liberty auditors might challenge managements misappropriation of standards. Thus, focusing on one or the other standard will not necessary solve the transparency of financial reporting. There are two matters to take into consideration when engaging into principles-based standards. The issues are to reduce the weighting given to comparability relative to other qualitative characteristics in the conceptual framework and to increase professional judgement in both transaction and financial statement (Bennett et al., 2006). Problems standard setters have in promulgating standards that are principles-based Accounting standards are promulgated to assist the objective of financial reporting; some parties believe that collapse of a company was caused by the incompetent standards. Problems standard setters find promulgating principles-based standard is because rules-based standard is favourable at times. Rules-based standards are able to achieve qualitative characteristic of comparability in financial reporting whereas principles-based are not able to. Criticism of principles-based arise when uncertainty of the standard reflects a risk of regulator sanctions. Uncertainty can be accepted only if regulator agree to the firms interpretations and respond correspondingly (Black, 2007). Level of uncertainty will increase if standard setter developed internal understanding of the guideline not shown in the firms statement. Moreover, applying principles-based standard will have diminishing effect on the aggressive reporting than strengthening audit committee. (Agoglia et al., 2011) According to Coglianese et al., (2004) move to principles-based may rise problem such as insufficient training to make professional judgment, therefore training will be required. Moreover in the absence of rules, managers may disclose biased information thus company may need to professional resolve (Maines, 2007). Managers do not always apply accounting standards in good faith, they are always biased and now with the flexibility of principles it is criticised that rise of potential for earning management (Nelson, 2003). Providing suitable resolve may be challenging because auditors find difficulty in predicting how principles will be applied to certain litigation. Despite the limitation of rules-based, some standard setter would still prefer rules to principles just to avoid both uncertainties and litigations. Conclusions We can conclude from this discussion that accounting has been not been able to receive a complete regulatory pack that can provide a theoretical foundation for the financial accounting domain. The individualistic approach to developing these theories has not been successful because they miss out on some important factual information. Globalization has caused a number of challenges to the accounting domain as more and more companies have moved their systems from manual to computerized systems. Therefore, regulators face a raising problem of devising regulations that ensure the integrity and confidentiality of the accounting information. There are many mixed feelings regarding the ideas to regulate accounting. However, despite the mixed opinions, the idea to regulate accounting is strong. It is not only the responsible thing to do, but it will also safeguard the public form companies and fraudulent activities that could occur. To not regulate accounting laws and practices will only leave room to gather more mistrust in the accounting.

Circus-circus Summary :: essays research papers

Circus-Circus was an unprofitable business and a small time casino when William Bennett and William Pennington purchased it in 1974 for $50,000. With a new marketing program in place and a stock offering in October of 1983, the company was rejuvenated. What it has become is a hotel/casino that is targeted mainly towards middle income gamblers as well as family oriented vacationers, but has not strayed away from the high rollers that are found in most casinos. With the focus being on many market segments, along with it's amusement park type atmosphere, this company can be categorized as a broad differentiator. Most recently, to go along with their amusement park atmosphere, Circus-Circus has broke ground into developing an aquatic environment that has beaches, snorkeling reef, and a swim-up shark exhibit. 2. ww 1. Financial Ratio Analysis 1997  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1996  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1995 A. Current Ratio 151,849/129,768 124,380/95,532  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   110,923/82,000   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1.17 times 1.3 times 1.35 times B. Total Debt to 1,694,739/ 968,161/ 826,424/ Total Assets 2,729,111  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2,213,503 1,512,548   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   62%  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  43%  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  55% C. Asset Turnover 1,170,182/  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1,299,596/  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1,334,250/ 2,729,111  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2,213,503  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1,512,548   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   43%  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   59%  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   88%   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The results for current ratio are favorable. It states that Circus-Circus can pay off their short run debt with money to spare. Total debt to total asset is also favorable showing that they do not borrow much money that is listed as an asset. Asset turnover, however, is unfavorable. It was not as bad in 1995, but they are only making back about half of what they are spending. This is most likely due to the new aquatic addition they are putting adding. 4.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Circus-Circus' stock has been in somewhat of a slump since mid-March when the stock was at 26, but in June of 1998, had plummeted to 16. One of the main reasons for the drop is the rumor that Hilton Hotels has planned a takeover of the business.

Critically Assess the Uses and Limitations of Financial Statements Essay

Critically assess the uses and limitations of financial statements The definition for a financial statement is a written report which quantitatively describes the financial health of a company. (www. investorwords. com) It consists of a balance sheet, income statements and a cash flow statement. This essay will critically asses the uses and limitations of each of these types of financial statements for a business. A balance sheet shows the financial condition of a business at a specific date (Langemeier & Klinefelter 2008). It shows what is owned by the business, what is owed and the owner’s share (net worth) of the business. The balance sheet has three main uses. Firstly, it is used for reporting purposes as part of a limited company’s annual accounts. These must be shown to Companies House, HM Revenue and Customs and any shareholders unless agreed otherwise. It is also used to let potential investor’s or lenders asses the worth of a business at any given time. This way they can judge whether they think they should be investing money into the business according to how solvent the business is, how liquid its assets are, how the business is financed and how much capital is being used. Finally they can be used by the business itself to analyse how to improve its management. There are a few limitations of a balance sheet as some values of current assets are estimated (www. businesslink. gov. uk); therefore the balance sheet does not reflect a 100% accurate financial position of a business. Also, the fixed assets in the balance sheet have taken the depreciation of the asset into consideration and so the true value is not shown. Finally, intangible assets such as goodwill cannot be measured and are therefore estimated figures too and may be very inaccurate thus causing the whole balance sheet to be incorrect. Therefore a balance sheet is useful in many ways as long as whoever is interpreting the figures takes into consideration that a few of the figures are not accurate. An income statement, also known as a profit and loss account, measures the profits or losses a business has made over a certain period of time (money-zine. com). If a business wishes to expand and needs a bank loan they will need to produce their profit and loss accounts for the previous three years so the bank can see whether they will be able to repay the loan. These must be accurate records or it will be taken into account as fraud. There are many advantages of keeping accurate and up to date records. Firstly, it gives a business the information it needs to be managed and help it grow. If a business can see where its strong or weak points are then it can find ways to improve for example by cutting down on expenses. It also enables a business to produce their income statement quickly if required and filling in their tax return easier and quicker which in turn reduces the risk of interest for late tax payments. These financial statements are usually available to the public which means competitors can see how each other are doing, however very few people understand them when all transactions are recorded in larger companies. There are also some limitations of income statements one being that its data does not tell the user anything about what may happen in the future or factors that may affect future growth of the company. It is simply limited to accounting data. The second limitation is that not all businesses use an acceptable accounting method. An example from www. money-zine. com states that â€Å"if a business decides to accelerate depreciation then they hurt short-term net income and earnings (depreciation expense is larger). If they use straight line depreciation, net income in earlier years will be higher – but it will be lower in the future (all things being equal)†. The final type of financial statement is a cash flow statement. It records the inflow and outflow of cash over a period of time. The cash flow statement allows investors to understand how a company’s operations are running, where its money is coming from, and how it is being spent. According Hertenstein Article 26 there are three main people that want to see a business’s cash flow statements. Firstly stockholders want to know if the business is generating enough cash to pay dividends. Secondly suppliers want to know if their customers will be able to pay if offered credit. Thirdly investors want to evaluate future growth potential. These types of financial accounts are cheap to maintain because you do not have to be a trained accountant to produce them as they are not a complicated as the other types of financial accounts. Though the cash flow statement is a very useful tool of financial analysis, it has its own limitations which must be kept in mind at the time of its use. The main limitation is that the cash flow statement only records cash transactions and so ignores the basic accounting concept of accruals and tems bought on credit and therefore are not suitable for judging the profitability of a business. Also cash flow statements are prepared using historical information which is in the past. Therefore it does not asses what may happen in the future to a business’s accounts. In conclusion, there are many uses for financial statements as they provide a solid picture of a business’s performance when compared to each other, and the users can easily spot flaws in the entity’s financial position and manage these accordingly. However their limitations must be considered when analysing the data as they only supply the reader with past and present quantitative data and do not address any of the qualitative economic variables such as the morale of the employees or the quality of the management team. There is currently no way of measuring these intangible assets, even though a business’s human resources are some of its most valuable assets.

Impact of Media essays

Impact of Media essays A good indicator of human advancement is their ability to communicate. Thanks to technology, each year it gets easier to convey a message to another person. With this convenience comes not just communication of basic needs but more and more advertising for everything else. Needless to say, media is everywhere. It influences people in nearly every decision they make. Some say that this isn=t true and that people decide for themselves. It may all depend on the point of view. First of all, let it be said that media is everywhere. Newspapers, magazines, television, billboards, telemarketing, and the Internet. Example: John Doe leads a fairly normal life. Each morning he reads the paper to begin the day. The newspaper is filled with ads and also opinions. Each article may seem to be from an objective point of view but some personal views may come through. John Doe may or may not choose to be affected by it. Either way, it is still there and Mr. Doe may be subconsciously influenced. There is no way to avoid it. Even in TV programs or movies there is Ahidden@ advertising. A carefully angled shot shows the hero is drinking Coke and has been planned to catch the consumer=s eye. 1993 By the start of the year, 98% of U.S. households own at least one TV set, 64% have two or more sets. Companies will use innumerous ways to coerce the customer to consume their product. Association is a major one. Matching a song with a product can influence a consumer after the commercial is long over. Every time they hear the song, they will think of that product. Even colors in decorating can be planned to produce a response. Fast food places such as Burger King use warm colors like orange and brown. Coincidently, looking at those colors tends to increase appetite. People are influenced. In 1990, the Children=s Tele ...

Health Effects of PBDE Absorption

Health Effects of PBDE Absorption Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) is a common flame retardant used to reduce the risk of fire in a wide variety of products, such as childrens pajamas and your computer. PBDEs are excellent flame retardants, but the chemicals have been accumulating in the environment and in human bodies. Relatively recent reports have indicated that exposure to low concentrations of these chemicals may result in irreparable damage to the nervous and reproductive systems. The European Union will ban two of the three most common PBDE formulations starting in 2004. California is the only U.S. state to take action, passing a law to ban certain PBDEs, but not until 2008. Several Japanese electronics companies will be phasing PBDEs from their products. Other countries and individual manufacturers are taking steps to eliminate their use of PBDEs. PBDE concentrations are 10-20 times higher in North Americans than in Europeans. European concentrations are about twice those of Japanese levels. Calculations performed by Ronald Hites of Indiana University show that body concentrations have been exponentially increasing, with a doubling time of 4 to 5 years. PBDE-containing products are being phased out, but the chemicals remain a health concern because they are so persistent in the body and in the environment.

How does spa facilities aid in treatment for mental health patiences Essay

How does spa facilities aid in treatment for mental health patiences - Essay Example As a result, this will lead to a reduction in activity in hypothalamic- pituitary- adrenal (HPA) axis, which is the part of the brains that serves the function of governing stress response (McCray, 2009, 102). However, there are no conclusive results as to whether can actually be used in mental health treatment as different studies have come up with different results on this matter. However, it is safe to assume that yoga offers an acute benefit for patients suffering from depression. The only problem that makes yoga a little hard to incorporate is the fact that it is rather a cultural phenomenon which makes it hard for people to distinguish between the facts about yoga and mere hype. As much as physicians recommend the use of yoga in treating mental illnesses such as depression, it is recommended that the patient combines it with supervision from a trained therapist who can monitor the performance and warn against any negative effects that may occur as a result. Aerobic exercises such as swimming has over time been proved to improve mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. The sudden improvements in the moods of the patients can be attributed to the exercise-induced increase in blood circulation in the brain which will consequently affect the hypothalamic pituitary- adrenal (HPA) axis, which in turn affects the psychologic reactivity to stress. The other associated benefits with swimming include distraction, social interaction and self-efficacy. As much as structured programs are best suited for patients suffering from serious mental illnesses, lifestyle alterations that are mostly focused on buildup and enhancement of moderate-intensity activity throughout the patient’s day can be most effective for patients with mild cases of mental illnesses such as depression (Ridge, 2009, 28). Swimming for about 30 minutes three times a week is more than enough to help with treating mental patients suffering from depression. Physical exercise has

Characters in OConnors stories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Characters in OConnors stories - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that the characters of the grandmother in O’Connor’s story ‘A Good Man is Hard to Find’ and Mrs. Ruby Turpin in ‘Revelation’ are similar to a great extent. Grandma, a widow lives with her son’s family including grandchildren while Mrs. Turpin lives with her husband only. Both are in need of Catholic Grace and they belong to the Afro-American population. Both the characters are overconfident about their image, beliefs, and traditions. Grandma remarks about the current generation, saying, â€Å"In my time†¦ children were more respectful of their native states and their parents and everything else. People did right then†. On the other hand, Mrs. Turpin gets satisfaction in nomenclature – â€Å"white-trash woman†, â€Å"the pleasant lady† etc.   She likes scrutinizing people around her and derived at conclusions about them. She also contemplates what she could be if she is not herself. She always thanks Jesus for making her what she is and she also feels that Jesus is good to her. In contrast, Grandma believes that the finest lady God has made is her mother and does not directly talk of God’s blessings on herself. However, both retain their pride and feels that God’s has some extra favor on them. Unlike Mrs. Turpin, the latter, however, does not live in a world of fantasy or dreams and in contrast, she is more practical as she knows the ways and directions and keeps herself updated with the news of the Misfit.

Operations Management - Cruise Inc Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Operations Management - Cruise Inc - Case Study Example Every section of the cruise is productive for the firm either through the direct or indirect way of generating revenue. This productivity of the firm can be measured from the earning from each activity carried out on the cruise by analyzing the travel partner performances, analyzing the cost of sale for the firm and also analyzing the trend of the ticket booking. Analyzing these sections of the firm gives a better understanding of the financial condition of the company. The EBITDA of NCL improved a lot from $6.6 million to $37.4 million in the fourth quarter and a huge increment of over the year from $228.1 million to $324.1 million in the year 2009 (NCL, 2011). Since EBITDA don’t include interest expenses, income taxes and amortization it can also be a good addition if the additional elements are calculated for more accurate productivity measurement. Describe the service package offered by NCL to its customers. Visit the â€Å"Life Onboard† section of several cruise line websites and the insight provided by the film, â€Å"Cruise Inc† to gain a better understanding of service packages offered by cruise lines. The service packages offered by Norwegian Cruise Line ranges from high premium class to the economic class to attract all types of customer, especially who have not experienced their journey on a cruise in their life. The ‘Free Style’ introduced in the year 2000 from the company attracts each and every people of the society to avail the service with a huge collection of services and entertainment for the customers on the cruise. The resort vacation experience of the customer on the cruise is the major attraction for the customers. The cabin rates of NCL Pearl ranges from $35 to $2000 per day for each person on the cruise depicts the strategy from the company how they implemented the competitive advantage to grab the market from the low to the high market segment. The seven speciality restaurants provide foods for every need of the customers with a variety of food habits and taste.  

T-test results Essay Example for Free

T-test results Essay Factors in which Body Shop Exceeded Patrons’ Expectations. The following t-test of means of paired groups were significant at the . 01 level: Quality of the products, the customer service of the store personnel; the variety of product offerings in the store; the convenience of going to the store location; attractiveness of the packaging; the degree to which the product espouses â€Å"natural† rather than artificial; the values espoused by the company who sells the product. In all these items, Body Shop has exceeded the degree of importance attached by the respondent on the factor. Body Shop has to maintain its exemplary customer service in its stores, especially since the customer experience in the store forms part of the branding of Body Shop products. An often forgotten facet is the convenience of the store location, which also figured as a factor which exceeded the expectations of patrons. This may again be leveraged on for brand building. Consistent with the assertions of Kotler (2003), brand building involves a gamut of interdependent factors, which says everything about what Body Shop represents. This evidently includes the customer service received by the client when inside a Body Shop branch. He further asserts that customer service is perhaps the most important device for brand building. As this is a factor which has exceeded expectations of Body Shop patrons, it simply needs to maintain this asset to remain competitive. Exemplary customer service can breed loyalty among its clientele (Kotler 2003). Yet another factor which exceeded the expectations of patrons was the variety of cosmetic offerings by Body Shop. This is especially critical in the UK setting since women in Britain are the highest users of make-up in the whole Europe, about 93% of the population (Ending the Cosmetics 2008). In fact, the sales of cosmetics, toiletries and perfumes rose to 4. 1% from 3. 5%, giving the market a value of â‚ ¬64. 6bn (Montague-Jones 2008). Big names in the cosmetics industry dominate the market with L’Oreal leading the way. Variety is also a concern of the company. Since L’Oreal took over The Body Shop, the company is expected to stand out as it expands its product range to natural products (Euromonitor International 2008). This is again a facet which they can further leverage on for continued competitive advantage. Packaging is also a strength of Body Shop. It has successfully built a â€Å"green† brand and this is strongly reflective of its ‘natural’ packaging. The natural packaging of Body Shop logically tells patrons that the product has been made from natural or oganix ingredients. There is some anxiety over the accuracy of ‘natural’ and ‘organic’ labelling, although the results of the current research show that Body Shop is not in question. For instance, Paul Lieber, cosmetic chemist, expressed that physically possible for more 30-40% of the ingredients to be organic, unless its organic oil, for the simple reason that conventionally 60-70% of a product is water which cannot be certified organically grown. (Farlow 2006). Because there are no such ‘accusations’ of Body Shop products, there packaging and label information are perceived to be authentic and accurate. Moreover, Body Shop is also wary about indicating whether product may cause allerfic reactions. While other competitor brands struggle to promote an image of natural and being environmentally friendly, Body Shop has been at the forefront of the race. They always ensure that there is information on the front of the label about the health and safety of the ingredients inside the package (Farlow 2006). The foremost feature of Body Shop as a busines entity is the appeal of its noble thrusts or cause. This is attested to by the results of the survey, which suggest that it has exceeded expectations of clients in terms of the quality of their products and its natural appeal. These indicate that it has effectively used cause branding, an approach in branding where a company supports a cause to be able to increase profits or to set it apart from competitors (Ivy Cohen Corporate Communications 2007). It has gone into the league of such programmes as Avon Breast Cancer Crusade, ConAgra Foods’ Feeding Children Better Program, Reebok’s Human Rights Awards and Rockport’s Fitness Walking Program. While promotional activities are there only for the short term, cause marketing forms part of the brand, as a long-term initiative. They have been successful at making the Body Shop brand tantamount to caring for the environment and for promoting authentically natural products (Evergreen Partners 2005). Moreover, Body Shop has effectively promoted corporate social responsibility through its various community activities and environmental programmes. These various causes have helped spell its solid brand (Evergreen Partners 2005). The values of Body Shop have been instrumental in creating its successful brand, and the results of the current research have supported this. Not only has it been successful at creating a corporate brand, it has also been effective at creating a successful employer brand. VersantWorks (2008) asserts tht with the uptend in new resources such as technology, the core asset of any enterprise remains to be its manpower. Thus, as Body Shop competes with increasingly effective competitors, its must attract competent key people through its appeal as an employer. It must thus maintain its credible standing among its stakeholders current employees, potential hires, and previous staff about the company as place of work (Harris 2002), as Body Shop being a â€Å"great place to work†. This shall continually instill in them pride in being part of the company, engagement, and belongingness (VersantWorks 2008). This trend of advocating exemplary corporate values for creating an employer brand is expected to continue for Body Shop, with its acquisition by L’Oreal. The latter has in fact been nominated as among the Fast Moving Consumer Goods – FMCG Employer of Choice (Employer Profile 2008). It has also been espousing employee development explicitly through its website; they likewise offer a secure workplace, performance is given credit, a diverse culture, and where privacy and private life are valued (As An Employer 2008). What makes this strategy work for the company is because L’Oreal knows who it wanted to hire and focus the HR endeavor to accomplish the task (Klein 2008), something that they are likely to infuse further in Body Shop. Factors which Matched Patrons’ Expectations. There are no significant differences on the following items: brand; the degree to which the product is environment friendly; and positive feedback garnered from significant others. These suggest that Body Shop has met expectations of the respondents based on the degree of importance they have attached to each factor. Body Shop has matched its patrons expectations in terms of being a well known, globally acknowledged brand. Overall, they have not only raised awareness about their products, but have also been able to address the personal needs of their clientele (Lake 2003). They have been able to espouse a character to which the clients have related and associated themselves to (Klein 2008). In total, the opinions and interface of their customers with the Body Shop brand have been positive, and have allowed them to remain competitive (Lake 2003). Still among the reasons for their success if their effectiveness in building a corporate band. Body Shop has created brand loyalty where customers look for products under that company or under the Body Shop brand name (Crystal 2003). To this point, Body Shop continues to leverage on being an environmentally friendly enterprise, which is also one of the factors which matched the expectations of its patrons. Inf act, in collaboration with Adi Maimalaga Tafuna’i , executive director of Samoa’s NGO Women in Business Inc. , the Body Shop was instrumental with the launching of Samoa’s coconut oil to the world last year. September 2008, through the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, will be the launching of the organic standards for the agricultural produce in the Pacific regions, a cooperative work the NGO and New Zealand and Pacific expertise. Tafuna’i expresses complying with organic standards is always a major issue especially for agricultural exports and this undertaking will add value to the small quantities of agricultural produce for export (Radio New Zealand International 2008). Moreover, Body Shop promotes other advocacies apart from environmentalist. For example, it has commemorated International Friendship Day last August 3 by launching their For Me, For You shea butter lip care two-packs—a special edition launched late last month on July 28th —preservative-free balm retails for $15. All profits from each sale are donated to entities like Alice Housing through the Canadian Womens Foundation in support of its endeavor to help women and children who are victims of domestic violence (Webb-Campbell 2008). The women respondents in the present study have also expressed receiving positive feedback about the Body Shop brand from significant others. These results suggest that women are strongly influenced by reference groups, family, and role and status within the society. Moreover, a reference group could be a single person or a group of people that an individual consults when developing personal standards (Consumer Behavior 2008). These further indicate that their significant others’ expectations about Body Shop products have been met as well, and they were strongly influenced to adopt the same set of standards (Consumer Behavior – Social 2008). For instance officemates or friends show or introduce the latest trend, convincing their significant others that this good; consequently, purchase is impacted on by this feedback. In addition, Heath and Bryant (2000) suggested that when consumers buy things like cosmetics, they ask friends and family first prior to buying. The information and views expressed by these close relations have as much influence on whether the purchase will be made as the consumers’ own needs, inclinations and knowledge. Such is more applicable when a consumer is uncertan about what to buy; in such cases, they are likely to heed what they perceive as socially acceptable, especially by those who are significant to them (Heath Bryant 2000). Factors which Did not Match Patrons’ Expectations. In contrast, the following factors are those in which Body Shop did not quite meet client expectations based on the degree of importance they have assigned to each: competitive price of the product; trendiness or fashion sense represented by the product; and the sales promotions used for the product. Price, trendiness and sales promotions have to be beefed up further by Body Shop to be able to entice more clients and to maintain the loyalty of its patrons. While clients are willing to pay a premium for environmentally friendly products, clients are growing increasingly price-conscious. Moreover, while its popularity cannot be denied, it has still managed to elect a marketing entity to manage its affiliate marketing programmes in the UK. This suggests that it is still conscious about the need to further promote the products even if it has already gained a niche in the market. It has thus elected TradeDoubler, the pan-European digital marketing company, to exclusively oversee its trade marketing programme in the UK (e-Consultancy 2008).

Bottled Water Preferences Analysis

Bottled Water Preferences Analysis Preface â€Å"Leaders arent born, they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work. And thats the price well have to pay to achieve that goal, or any goal† Vincent Lombardi All the knowledge learning and procedures are useless without observations and practical experience. The purpose of this research is to acquaint the business graduate with empirical business practices. As a requirement for Bachelors Degree in Business Administration, I opted to conduct my research on â€Å"Consumer Preferences of Bottled water†, to fulfill my degree requirement. The reason for choosing bottled water was to get practical knowledge about consumer behaviour, so as to provide myself an opportunity to cope with the real life situation. This research covers the aspect about consumers preferences regarding usage of a certain brand of bottled water. The research focuses on the fact that why a consumer uses a specific brand of bottled water. Is it taste, health consciousness, fashion or any other aesthetic factor that makes a consumers use a specific brand of bottled water. The main idea for this research came from the observation, that why a consumer is using only a specific brand of bottled water, regardless of the fact that all the bottled water brands are providing â€Å"pure and clean† water. I felt that the knowledge that I have gained through this experience is an excellent way to think analytically for finding solutions to problems of day-to-day life. The study of consumer behavior and their preferences itself is a massive study comprising of different factors involved. It is impossible to study each one in detail and include everything in the report. However, I studied the consumer behaviour from preferences point of view. I am thankful to all my colleagues and higher ups for their valuable guidance in preparing this report in a presentable fashion. I am also thankful to my parents, teachers and all my friends for their cooperation. â€Å"MEASURING CONSUMER PREFERENCES FOR BOTTLED DRINKING WATER† CHAPTER 01: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the study: Bottled water consumption has been steadily growing in the world for the past 30 years. It is the most dynamic sector of all the food and beverage industry: bottled water consumption in the world increases by an average 7% each year, in spite of its excessively high price compared to tap water and although industrialized countries consumers have, in principle, access to cheap good quality tap water. Bottled water is often an alternative to tap water. Consumers often object to the taste of chemicals, particularly chlorine, used to purify tap water. In France, nearly half of them dont usually drink tap water because of its bad taste (IFEN, 2000), as opposed to only 7% in United States (Olson, 1999). Consumers also drink bottled water because they care for their health. In Europe, there is a long tradition, dating back to Roman times, of spas and of drinking mineral waters for medical purposes. In the 19th century, this activity developed with the fashion for upper classes to go to spas in order to improve their health. Spas owners werent long in understanding that they could increase the wellness of their customers and their own benefits â‚ ¬Ã‚  directly supplying them their water in bottles. Until the 1950s, mineral water was sold in drugstores as a health product. It has now become an everyday product. Natural mineral water, now sold in supermarket, doesnt carry along anymore this medical image. People now buy bottled water to feel well, responding to advertising campaigns based on well-being, energy, slimming, fitness etc. Bottled water is a healthy alternative to other beverages. It is calorie-free and attractive for people willing to lose weight: â€Å"one of the sparks that ignited the bottled water fire was the fitness craze that skyrocketed in the early 1980† (Sullivan, 1996). Increasing urbanization can also explain this trend for bottled water consumption. In Increasing standards of living and greater use of cars enabled people to buy water in supermarkets and to bring home higher number of bottled water, without difficulty. The use of plastic makes bottles lighter and easier to carry than when they were made of glass. The expansion of shopping centers, outside city-centers, provides consumers with a greater choice in bottled water brands. The explosion of bottled water consumption also reflects deep changes in working habits in industrialized countries, with the decline of the agriculture and industry sectors. In these countries, most people have office works and the bottle of water is now a common element on a desk, next to the computer and the telephone. Drinking expensive bottled water (compared to tap water) is a sign of a rise in the social scale. In addition, bottled water is the result of a huge marketing success. The bottled water market in Pakistan is witnessing annual growth rates nearing 40 percent. Bottled water in Pakistan is not considered a ‘beverage. Beverage processing includes carbonated soft drinks where Pakistan has the lowest per capita consumption in the world, fruit juices, syrups and juice flavoured drinks. Drinking water and also bottled water is not considered an important commodity either. The Government of Pakistan described the market for bottled water, with 33 million liters of consumption per annum in 1999, as small but growing. It furthermore estimated the consumption for 2003, as 70 million liters or 0.5 liters per capita. The bottled water market in Pakistan has witnessed annual growth rates of 40 percent, and after the introduction of Nestlà ©s ‘Pure Life, it had the fastest worldwide growth in bottled water in 2000, at 140%. Recent s estimate a yearly consumption of about 2 liters per person bottled water. Bottled water is not a solution to inadequate water supplies as it is simply not affordable for poor people who lack access to water. A bottled water culture which turns drinking water into a status symbol is not justifiable from the human rights perspective. The Pakistan government is obliged to adopt measures to provide access to safe and sufficient water supplies even if that means restraining corporations from turning water into a status symbol to make profits, or from polluting or extracting already depleting groundwater resources. 1.2 Purpose of the Study: This report/study is meant to: Understand what factors are influencing the consumer preferences to make them purchase different brands of bottled water. Identifying that what are the factors which affect the purchase of a specific bottled water brand. 1.3 Research Questions: 1. What do people expect from their water utility in the context of drinking water services? 2. What are consumers priorities? 3. What do customers consider acceptable in terms of the product and the service they receive? 4. What are they willing to accept for the current price they pay? 5. Why do people prefer to use a specific bottled water brand in terms of their priorities? 1.4 Scope of the Work: Scope of this report is limited to businessmen, professionals and students of Peshawar and Islamabad who are well users of bottled water. 1.5 Limitations of the Study: Expected limitations of this research can be: * Unavailability or Lack of data * Response from people * Limited time * Resource constraint 1.6 Research Methodology: The methodologies used for the research are as follows: 1.6.1.: Sample Unit: The respondents selected were belonging to different social backgrounds and different professions. 1.6.2: Sample Population: The study was conducted in Peshawar and Islamabad only. 1.6.3: Sample Size: A total sample size of 100 respondents was fixed for the research. 1.6.4: Sampling Procedure: Because of the limitations, convenient sampling has been selected, as the name implies, the sample is selected because they are convenient. This non probability method is often used during preliminary research efforts to get a gross estimate of the results, without incurring the cost or time required to select a random sample. The sampling was on the basis of Judgemental Sampling i.e. Non-Probability Sampling Method was used. 1.6.2: DATA COLLECTION: Both primary and secondary methods of data collection are used in the study. 1.6.2.1: Primary Data: The data-collecting tool for primary data was the questionnaire. The questionnaires were compromised of questions about personal preferences of the respondents along with questions on the subject of study. The questions used likert scale and category scale. This enabled the respondents to answer questions by marking most suitable answers. 1.6.2.2: Secondary Data: The most important source of secondary data for the study was articles from different websites and previous researches done on internet. Also different books and some related articles in different magazines and journal of marketing served as a source of secondary data. 1.7 Scheme of the Report: The report will comprise of following sections: Chapter 01: Introduction Chapter 02: Literature Review Chapter 03: Consumer Trust, Confidence and Customer Preferences for Drinking Water Chapter 04: Analysis and Findings Chapter 05: Conclusion and Recommendations CHAPTER 02: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction The global water shortage of affordable and safe drinking water is manifested in Pakistan with an estimated 44 percent of the population without access to safe drinking water. In rural areas, up to 90 percent of the population may lack such access. As one indication of the magnitude of the problem, it is estimated that 200,000 children in Pakistan die every year due to diarrhoeal diseases alone (UN Systems in Pakistan, 2003). Drinking bottled water reflects not just a certain way of life in the rich North but a necessity and the only option for safe water in the South. Beside official s, there should be no doubt that the majority of the Pakistans population is exposed to the hazard of drinking unsafe and polluted water. In an effort to improve this situation, many consumers in Pakistan have to turn to bottled water as a first alternative to drinking unfiltered tap water or contaminated water of other sources where no public drinking water service exists (GOP, Pakistan Environment Pro tection Agency, 2003). However, bottled water is a very expensive alternative and not always healthy because of infrequent testing for contaminants and sporadic inspection of processing plants. Bottled water should not be considered as a substitute to a sufficient service with drinkable tap water, but it is due to lack of access to water services or to bad quality of available resources (WHO, 2000). Bottled water consumption has been steadily growing in the world for the past 30 years. It is considered as one of the most dynamic sectors of all the food and beverage industry, where consumption in the world increases by an average 12% each year, in spite of its excessively high price compared to tap water (UNESCO, 2003). Bottled water consumption has been steadily growing in the world for the past 30 years. It is the most dynamic sector of all the food and beverage industry: bottled water consumption in the world increases by an average 7% each year, in spite of its excessively high price compared to tap water and although industrialized countries consumers have, in principle, access to cheap good quality tap water. This research report aims to provide background information on bottled water, the use of bottled water in order to understand the reasons of a trend that goes beyond a simple fashion and turns to be a real social phenomenon. It will first identify existing types of bottled water: although they seem very much alike, bottles of water dont contain the same product. The increase in bottled water consumption has boosted the bottled water industry and market trends show very promising perspectives for the future. This report will then identify the major reasons why consumers choose to buy speci fic expensive bottled water rather than drink tap water. It will finally analyze the impact this industry has on the environment. 2.2 Water Global Trends and Pakistans Struggle Water is essential for human beings to survive and develop. At the same time, water is a scarce good, and shortage sometimes results in crises. Both facts lead to the simple conclusion that lack of water hinders development and a dignified life. This can be assessed from global trends, as well as from Pakistans national and local struggles for better access for people to safe and sufficient drinking water. 2.3 Water A Global but Scarce Good According to s published by the United Nations, subsidiary organizations and other international organizations, 1.1bn people are without a sufficient access to water, and 2.4bn people have to live without adequate sanitation. Under current trends, the prognosis is that about 3bn people of a population of 8.5bn will suffer from water shortage by 2025. 83% of them will live in developing countries, mostly in rural areas where even today sometimes only 20% of the population have access to a sufficient water supply (Guissà ©, El Hadji, 2004). This actual lack of water is opposed to the theoretical conclusion that there is enough ground water existing in all regions of the world to guarantee an adequate water supply for all people. According to international law, in the case of concurring water users, the socio-economic priorities have to rest on human development and social interests of the people (UN, 1997). However, only 6% of global freshwater is used by households, while 20% is util ized industry and another 70% by agriculture. The conclusion drawn from these framework conditions is that water shortage and the unequal distribution of water are global problems rather than regional problems that require international solutions. Insufficient supply of drinking water is the main cause of diseases in developing countries. Already in 1997, the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development concluded that 2.3bn people suffer from diseases rooted in insufficient water provision and quality (UN, 1997). More than five years later, it was estimated that 2.4bn people were suffering from water related diseases, and the World Health Organization reckons that 80% of all infections are traceable to poor water conditions. 5,483 people die daily of water caused diarrhoea 90 percent are children under five. Taking into account all water related diseases and deaths, international organizations estimated in 2001 that 2,213,000 people died because of inadequate water supply ten times more than the tsunami disaster caused in December 2004 (UNESCO, 2003). 2.4 Poverty and Access to Water in Pakistan It is acknowledged that lacking safe and sufficient drinking water as with other basic needs such as food, shelter and education is not a geographical but social problem. Being poor or rich is mainly decided by birth, and poverty perpetuates itself from generation to generation. Development strategies should be judged by their effort to break through this vicious cycle. Single indicators, such as literacy rates or households with access to water, are a litmus test for such an assessment. 2.4.1 Access to Water in Pakistan Pakistan is an Islamic Republic, whose aim is to enable its Muslim majority â€Å"to order their lives in the individual and collective spheres in accordance with the teachings and requirements of Islam as set out in the Holy Quran and Sunnah† (Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973). Water is recognized in Islamic teachings as a vital resource, of which everyone has the right to a fair share. Following the Hadith, it is reported that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: â€Å"Muslims have common share in three (things): grass, water and fire† (Abu-Dawood 3470). Furthermore, the Holy Quran warns human beings against unfair distribution of common goods and the majority of scholars agree that Islam forbids speculation, manipulation and unbalance profit with a common good such as water (Faruqui, Naser I, 2001). In 1995, UNDP counted Pakistan as country having among the highest water potential per person out of 130 countries that should dramatically improve its water situation to overcome the current crisis and prevent future ones (IRIN, 2001). Obviously, Pakistan failed to make any improvement. In 2003, the United Nations dropped Pakistans ranking, because its total renewable water resources per capita per year have been estimated as 114th out of 180 countries (UN, 2003). Only three percent of Pakistans sweet water resources are used for household purposes and drinking (GOP, Pakistan Ministry of Water and Power, 2002). Therefore the debate about access to water in Pakistan is dominated by irrigation disputes, mega-projects of dams and canals, and climate change. The focus is on water for agriculture rather than for people (UNDP, 2003). This production oriented perspective continues in the debate about groundwater use and extraction. It is estimated that surface water meets only 75-80 percent of crop water requirements. As a result, groundwater is merely seen as a reserve water source for irrigation and food production, as well as the maj or factor for the growth of agricultural production in the late 20th century (World Bank, 1996). With regard to the availability of safe and sufficient drinking water, Pakistan lacks reliable statistics. While data about the availability of water and field studies about water quality exist, there is no sufficient data that take both into account. Official data about the access to drinking water vary between 60 and 90 percent of households. In rural areas where a decline of households with access to water is documented s about availability differ between 10 and 53 percent. Differences in these statistics mainly emerge from the inclusion or exclusion of households that rely on privately owned wells and supply systems (Pakistan Mouza Report, 1998). In addition, having access to water in Pakistan is not similar with having access to safe and sufficient water supply. Pakistans water quality ranks as 80th out of 122 nations. Pipe water in Pakistan is contaminated either because of leakages with all sorts of bacteria or due to geological conditions and insufficient purification, with abnormally high levels of arsenic and elevated fluoride (IRIN, OCHA, 2004). Water, extracted by hand pumps the major water source in rural areas is mainly brackish water and not sufficient for drinking and cooking. The Pakistan Council of Research and Water Resources (PCRWR) estimate that almost 50 percent of urban water supply is insufficient for drinking and personal use (GOP, Pakistan Council of Research and Water Resources, 2004). According to a research which took data about availability and quality into relation and concluded that an average of 25.61 percent of Pakistans 159 million inhabitants has access to safe and sufficient drinking water ( Nils Rosemann, 2005). This calculation shows that in rural areas only 23.5 percent and in urban areas approximately 30 percent can use their source of water without jeopardizing their health. These findings come close to a conclusion by independent experts who predicted that already in 2001, with prevailing consumption rates and a population growth of 4 million people per year, one out of three people in Pakistan would face critical shortages of water, threatening their very survival. The Government of Pakistan estimated with regard to diarrhoea that this mainly water related disease accounts for 14 percent of illnesses for children under five and for seven percent of all disease in people age five and older (GOP, Pakistan Ministry of Economic Affairs and Statistics, 2004). The Pakistan Council of Research and Water Resources (PCRWR) assesses that 40 percent of all reported illnesses are water-related. It is estimated that 200,000 children in Pakistan die every year due to diarrhoea l diseases alone (UN Systems in Pakistan, 2003). Unsafe water affects mainly rural and urban poor, who suffer above the average from sickness and water related diseases. (GOP, Pakistan National Human Development Report, 2003). 2.5 About Bottled Water The term bottled water seems to tell that any bottle containing water, however there are important differences: all bottles dont contain the same product. There is very little in common between natural mineral water and purified water, as the chemical compositions or the treatments these waters can undergo respond to very different criteria that can change from one country to another. In some cases bottled water is merely bottled tap water. 2.5.1 Industry Definitions Several terms are commonly used to describe the products of the bottled water industry, including some of the following: * Artesian water bottled water from a well that taps a confined aquifer (a water-bearing underground layer of rock or sand) in which the water level stands at some height above the top of the aquifer. * Fluoridated Water often used as a health focused drink for growing children, it contains fluorine within permissible limits. * Ground water obtained from underground sources, pumped out using pressure that is equal to or more then atmospheric pressure. * Mineral water An extremely specific product that must meet certain criteria. Defined as water with at least 250 parts per million total dissolved solids. The source of water is either ground water or a spring. * Purified water or drinking water is water taken from rivers, lakes or underground springs that has undergone some form of treatment. It can be produced by â€Å"distillation, deionization, reverse osmosis or other suitable processes. It can be chemically treated in order to have some components disappear. It is basically de-mineralized water from public sources. Purified water is actually a manufactured product. * Sparkling water water injected with carbon dioxide * Spring water water obtained from an underground formation from which water flows naturally to the earths surface. * Sterile water water that meets the requirements specified under government or other sterility tests. * Well water water from a hole bored, drilled or otherwise constructed in the ground which taps the water of an aquifer. (IBWA, 2000) If these waters contain the minimum required mineral content according to US standards, they can be called â€Å"mineral waters†. So many different categories of bottled water, changing from one country to another, are not easy for consumers to differentiate. 2.5.2 What is Distilled Water? Distillation is a process that leaves water free of minerals. Distilled water has been brought up to a boiling temperature. The steam is captured and is cooled, which condenses it back into a liquid form. When the water turns to steam, anything heavier than water (like minerals, or unwanted organic matter) is left behind. Thus, distilled water only contains water. Distilled water is good to use in appliances such as coffee makers because since it contains no minerals it does not leave behind lime scale. 2.5.3 Packaging Packaging used for water can have very different shapes and colours and are made of different materials. For a long time, bottled water was only available in glass, a very good but heavy material. At the end of the 1960s, bottlers started to use packaging made of PVC (vinyl polychlorure). In the 1980s, a new kind of plastic started being used: PET (polyethylene terephtalate). PET is progressively replacing PVC because of its numerous advantages. Plastic, either PVC or PET, is the most frequently used material to make bottles of water; about 70% of the bottles used for natural mineral water are made of plastic. Bottles usually contain 33cl, 50cl, 1 litre, 1.5 litre, 2 litres or 5 litres. The biggest packaging for bottled water is a 5-gallon carboy (about 20 litres). Packaging is an essential part of bottled water marketing strategies. â€Å"The packaging makes the brand. The brand makes the packaging. A product must have visibility to sell its presentation refers to notions such as service, security, hygiene† (Miquel, 1999). In some cases, such as Kinley, it is even possible to recognize the brand of the bottled water thanks to the shape and colour of its packaging. Some brands have reshaped their bottles in order to make them look like the marketing message they are supposed to carry. Many bottles, for instance, now high mountains not only on the labels but also on the plastic itself. The packaging is an important part of the bottled water marketing success. All types of bottles coexist and are regularly reshaped in order to better catch consumers attention. Marketing and advertising campaigns are essential to differentiate the product and attract consumers. Brands tend to associate with specific activities: sport, fitness, slimming, fashion, etc. For the last 50 years, Evian has been the water of babies, emphasizing that its low mineral concentration is suitable for them. The brands marketing strategy capitalizes on infants, from the pink colour of its labels to advertising campaigns. 2.6 Bottled water market trends and Planets Health The world bottled water market amounts to an annual volume of 89 billion litres, which represents an average 15 litres of bottled water drunk yearly per person (Danone, 2000). Western Europeans are the major consumers, drinking nearly half of all the world bottled water, with an average of 85 litres/person/year (Sollberger, 1994). In United States, 54% of Americans regularly drink bottled water (Olson, 1999). More than half (59%) of the bottled water drunk in the world is purified water, the remaining 41% being spring or mineral water (Belot, 2000). Bottled water is an extremely competitive market; hence companies need to develop diverse marketing strategies. But according to campaigners, the planets health may be suffering as a result. A new report warns that peoples thirst for bottled water is producing unnecessary garbage and consuming vast quantities of energy, even in areas where perfectly good drinking water is available on tap. The report, released by the Earth Policy Institute (EPI), says global consumption of bottled water doubled between 1999 and 2004, reaching 41 billion gallons (154 billion liters) annually. 2.7 Bottled Water Market in Pakistan Before focusing on Pakistan in particular, one should note that bottled water consumption has generally grown around the world in the past 30 years, despite its high price compared to tap water. Lured by the potential for huge profits, multinational companies have been trying to create an international market for bottled water. The bottled water market in Pakistan is witnessing annual growth rates nearing 40 percent. Bottled water in Pakistan is not considered a ‘beverage. Beverage processing includes carbonated soft drinks where Pakistan has the lowest per capita consumption in the world, fruit juices, syrups and juice flavoured drinks (Pakistan Investors Guide, 2004). Drinking water and also bottled water is not considered an important commodity either. Water supply and prices for drinking water and bottled water are not considered under the items in the Sensitive Price Indicator, Consumer Price Index or Wholesale Price Index. From this perspective; it is obvious that Pakistan has low consumption of bottled water. The Government of Pakistan described the market for bottled water, with 33 million litres of consumption per annum in 1999, as small but growing. It furthermore estimated the consumption for 2003, as 70 million litres or 0.5 litres per capita. The bottled water market in Pakistan has wi tnessed annual growth rates of 40 percent, and after the introduction of Nestlà ©s ‘Pure Life, it had the fastest worldwide growth in bottled water in 2000, at 140% (The Bottled Water Industry of Pakistan, 2004). Recent s estimate a yearly consumption of about 2 litres per person bottled water (Nils Rosemann, 2005). Compared with Thailands 43 litres and Philippines 15 litres per capita consumption, this seems relatively low. But taking Pakistans population into account, one has to estimate an annual consumption of 318 million litres. While, sufficient s are not available to prove this 964 percent consumption increase in five years, one is able to conclude that Pakistan is a highly dynamic and lucrative market. Market expectations are as high in the retail market of bottled water as in the household and operations sector for bulk water. Besides these market expectations, the production of bottled water is also considered quite profitable. It is estimated that a bottle of 1.5 litres has production costs of PKR 12.51 while it is sold for PKR 22 (Nils Rosemann, 2005). The profit is shared between producing corporations, with PKR 0.66-0.83, and middleman, with PKR 6.66-7.08. By this standard, the producing corporation makes a profit of 4-5 percent while the middleman makes a profit of 27-30.55 percent. In Pakistans water market, there are approximately 20 permanent players. Official s show an estimated number of 26 corporations, while in summer time, this number increases up to 70 (Nils Rosemann, 2005). But from the perspective of quality control, PCRWR is witnessing a fluctuation in the market of 50 percent, e.g. half of the brands disappear and are replaced by new brands yearly (PCRWR, 2003). In 2005, PSQCA admitted that 200 companies are selling bottled water in Pakistan, but only 27 are registered as maintaining standards stipulated for the product (Hoti, Ikram, 2005). Nestlà © itself estimates approximately 150 water brands, with only 15 registered under the PSQCA scheme (Hoti, Ikram, 2005). Regardless of this data, it is unquestioned that Nestlà © controls the majority of the market (over 50 percent) with its brands ‘Pure Life, AVA and Fontalia, while Danones subsidy 22 â€Å"Sparkletts† holds 12 percent and another local brand â€Å"BSW† has an estimated five percent market share (Nils Rosemann, 2005). Bottled water is not a solution to inadequate water supplies as it is simply not affordable for poor people who lack access to water. A bottled water culture which turns drinking water into a status symbol is not justifiable from the human rights perspective. The Pakistan government is obliged to adopt measures to provide access to safe and sufficient water supplies even if that means restraining corporations from turning water into a status symbol to make profits, or from polluting or extracting already depleting groundwater resources. 2.8 Bottled water consumption: a certain way of life Some consumers choose to only drink bottled water; we can identify several reasons for drinking bottled water. 2.8.1. Consumers care for their health and safety Bottled water is often an alternative to tap water. Consumers often object to the taste of chemicals, particularly chlorine, used to purify tap water. In France, nearly half of them dont usually drink tap water because of its bad taste (IFEN, 2000), as opposed to only 7% in United States (Olson, 1999). Consumers also look for security, in emerging as well as in industrialized countries. They often mistrust their tap water, because of previous bacterial contamination for instance, and perceive bottled water as being safer than tap water. In India, the suspicion of bad tap water quality, in addition to general and seasonal shortages of tap water, lead people to turn to bottled water. In Pakistan, only t Bottled Water Preferences Analysis Bottled Water Preferences Analysis Preface â€Å"Leaders arent born, they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work. And thats the price well have to pay to achieve that goal, or any goal† Vincent Lombardi All the knowledge learning and procedures are useless without observations and practical experience. The purpose of this research is to acquaint the business graduate with empirical business practices. As a requirement for Bachelors Degree in Business Administration, I opted to conduct my research on â€Å"Consumer Preferences of Bottled water†, to fulfill my degree requirement. The reason for choosing bottled water was to get practical knowledge about consumer behaviour, so as to provide myself an opportunity to cope with the real life situation. This research covers the aspect about consumers preferences regarding usage of a certain brand of bottled water. The research focuses on the fact that why a consumer uses a specific brand of bottled water. Is it taste, health consciousness, fashion or any other aesthetic factor that makes a consumers use a specific brand of bottled water. The main idea for this research came from the observation, that why a consumer is using only a specific brand of bottled water, regardless of the fact that all the bottled water brands are providing â€Å"pure and clean† water. I felt that the knowledge that I have gained through this experience is an excellent way to think analytically for finding solutions to problems of day-to-day life. The study of consumer behavior and their preferences itself is a massive study comprising of different factors involved. It is impossible to study each one in detail and include everything in the report. However, I studied the consumer behaviour from preferences point of view. I am thankful to all my colleagues and higher ups for their valuable guidance in preparing this report in a presentable fashion. I am also thankful to my parents, teachers and all my friends for their cooperation. â€Å"MEASURING CONSUMER PREFERENCES FOR BOTTLED DRINKING WATER† CHAPTER 01: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the study: Bottled water consumption has been steadily growing in the world for the past 30 years. It is the most dynamic sector of all the food and beverage industry: bottled water consumption in the world increases by an average 7% each year, in spite of its excessively high price compared to tap water and although industrialized countries consumers have, in principle, access to cheap good quality tap water. Bottled water is often an alternative to tap water. Consumers often object to the taste of chemicals, particularly chlorine, used to purify tap water. In France, nearly half of them dont usually drink tap water because of its bad taste (IFEN, 2000), as opposed to only 7% in United States (Olson, 1999). Consumers also drink bottled water because they care for their health. In Europe, there is a long tradition, dating back to Roman times, of spas and of drinking mineral waters for medical purposes. In the 19th century, this activity developed with the fashion for upper classes to go to spas in order to improve their health. Spas owners werent long in understanding that they could increase the wellness of their customers and their own benefits â‚ ¬Ã‚  directly supplying them their water in bottles. Until the 1950s, mineral water was sold in drugstores as a health product. It has now become an everyday product. Natural mineral water, now sold in supermarket, doesnt carry along anymore this medical image. People now buy bottled water to feel well, responding to advertising campaigns based on well-being, energy, slimming, fitness etc. Bottled water is a healthy alternative to other beverages. It is calorie-free and attractive for people willing to lose weight: â€Å"one of the sparks that ignited the bottled water fire was the fitness craze that skyrocketed in the early 1980† (Sullivan, 1996). Increasing urbanization can also explain this trend for bottled water consumption. In Increasing standards of living and greater use of cars enabled people to buy water in supermarkets and to bring home higher number of bottled water, without difficulty. The use of plastic makes bottles lighter and easier to carry than when they were made of glass. The expansion of shopping centers, outside city-centers, provides consumers with a greater choice in bottled water brands. The explosion of bottled water consumption also reflects deep changes in working habits in industrialized countries, with the decline of the agriculture and industry sectors. In these countries, most people have office works and the bottle of water is now a common element on a desk, next to the computer and the telephone. Drinking expensive bottled water (compared to tap water) is a sign of a rise in the social scale. In addition, bottled water is the result of a huge marketing success. The bottled water market in Pakistan is witnessing annual growth rates nearing 40 percent. Bottled water in Pakistan is not considered a ‘beverage. Beverage processing includes carbonated soft drinks where Pakistan has the lowest per capita consumption in the world, fruit juices, syrups and juice flavoured drinks. Drinking water and also bottled water is not considered an important commodity either. The Government of Pakistan described the market for bottled water, with 33 million liters of consumption per annum in 1999, as small but growing. It furthermore estimated the consumption for 2003, as 70 million liters or 0.5 liters per capita. The bottled water market in Pakistan has witnessed annual growth rates of 40 percent, and after the introduction of Nestlà ©s ‘Pure Life, it had the fastest worldwide growth in bottled water in 2000, at 140%. Recent s estimate a yearly consumption of about 2 liters per person bottled water. Bottled water is not a solution to inadequate water supplies as it is simply not affordable for poor people who lack access to water. A bottled water culture which turns drinking water into a status symbol is not justifiable from the human rights perspective. The Pakistan government is obliged to adopt measures to provide access to safe and sufficient water supplies even if that means restraining corporations from turning water into a status symbol to make profits, or from polluting or extracting already depleting groundwater resources. 1.2 Purpose of the Study: This report/study is meant to: Understand what factors are influencing the consumer preferences to make them purchase different brands of bottled water. Identifying that what are the factors which affect the purchase of a specific bottled water brand. 1.3 Research Questions: 1. What do people expect from their water utility in the context of drinking water services? 2. What are consumers priorities? 3. What do customers consider acceptable in terms of the product and the service they receive? 4. What are they willing to accept for the current price they pay? 5. Why do people prefer to use a specific bottled water brand in terms of their priorities? 1.4 Scope of the Work: Scope of this report is limited to businessmen, professionals and students of Peshawar and Islamabad who are well users of bottled water. 1.5 Limitations of the Study: Expected limitations of this research can be: * Unavailability or Lack of data * Response from people * Limited time * Resource constraint 1.6 Research Methodology: The methodologies used for the research are as follows: 1.6.1.: Sample Unit: The respondents selected were belonging to different social backgrounds and different professions. 1.6.2: Sample Population: The study was conducted in Peshawar and Islamabad only. 1.6.3: Sample Size: A total sample size of 100 respondents was fixed for the research. 1.6.4: Sampling Procedure: Because of the limitations, convenient sampling has been selected, as the name implies, the sample is selected because they are convenient. This non probability method is often used during preliminary research efforts to get a gross estimate of the results, without incurring the cost or time required to select a random sample. The sampling was on the basis of Judgemental Sampling i.e. Non-Probability Sampling Method was used. 1.6.2: DATA COLLECTION: Both primary and secondary methods of data collection are used in the study. 1.6.2.1: Primary Data: The data-collecting tool for primary data was the questionnaire. The questionnaires were compromised of questions about personal preferences of the respondents along with questions on the subject of study. The questions used likert scale and category scale. This enabled the respondents to answer questions by marking most suitable answers. 1.6.2.2: Secondary Data: The most important source of secondary data for the study was articles from different websites and previous researches done on internet. Also different books and some related articles in different magazines and journal of marketing served as a source of secondary data. 1.7 Scheme of the Report: The report will comprise of following sections: Chapter 01: Introduction Chapter 02: Literature Review Chapter 03: Consumer Trust, Confidence and Customer Preferences for Drinking Water Chapter 04: Analysis and Findings Chapter 05: Conclusion and Recommendations CHAPTER 02: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction The global water shortage of affordable and safe drinking water is manifested in Pakistan with an estimated 44 percent of the population without access to safe drinking water. In rural areas, up to 90 percent of the population may lack such access. As one indication of the magnitude of the problem, it is estimated that 200,000 children in Pakistan die every year due to diarrhoeal diseases alone (UN Systems in Pakistan, 2003). Drinking bottled water reflects not just a certain way of life in the rich North but a necessity and the only option for safe water in the South. Beside official s, there should be no doubt that the majority of the Pakistans population is exposed to the hazard of drinking unsafe and polluted water. In an effort to improve this situation, many consumers in Pakistan have to turn to bottled water as a first alternative to drinking unfiltered tap water or contaminated water of other sources where no public drinking water service exists (GOP, Pakistan Environment Pro tection Agency, 2003). However, bottled water is a very expensive alternative and not always healthy because of infrequent testing for contaminants and sporadic inspection of processing plants. Bottled water should not be considered as a substitute to a sufficient service with drinkable tap water, but it is due to lack of access to water services or to bad quality of available resources (WHO, 2000). Bottled water consumption has been steadily growing in the world for the past 30 years. It is considered as one of the most dynamic sectors of all the food and beverage industry, where consumption in the world increases by an average 12% each year, in spite of its excessively high price compared to tap water (UNESCO, 2003). Bottled water consumption has been steadily growing in the world for the past 30 years. It is the most dynamic sector of all the food and beverage industry: bottled water consumption in the world increases by an average 7% each year, in spite of its excessively high price compared to tap water and although industrialized countries consumers have, in principle, access to cheap good quality tap water. This research report aims to provide background information on bottled water, the use of bottled water in order to understand the reasons of a trend that goes beyond a simple fashion and turns to be a real social phenomenon. It will first identify existing types of bottled water: although they seem very much alike, bottles of water dont contain the same product. The increase in bottled water consumption has boosted the bottled water industry and market trends show very promising perspectives for the future. This report will then identify the major reasons why consumers choose to buy speci fic expensive bottled water rather than drink tap water. It will finally analyze the impact this industry has on the environment. 2.2 Water Global Trends and Pakistans Struggle Water is essential for human beings to survive and develop. At the same time, water is a scarce good, and shortage sometimes results in crises. Both facts lead to the simple conclusion that lack of water hinders development and a dignified life. This can be assessed from global trends, as well as from Pakistans national and local struggles for better access for people to safe and sufficient drinking water. 2.3 Water A Global but Scarce Good According to s published by the United Nations, subsidiary organizations and other international organizations, 1.1bn people are without a sufficient access to water, and 2.4bn people have to live without adequate sanitation. Under current trends, the prognosis is that about 3bn people of a population of 8.5bn will suffer from water shortage by 2025. 83% of them will live in developing countries, mostly in rural areas where even today sometimes only 20% of the population have access to a sufficient water supply (Guissà ©, El Hadji, 2004). This actual lack of water is opposed to the theoretical conclusion that there is enough ground water existing in all regions of the world to guarantee an adequate water supply for all people. According to international law, in the case of concurring water users, the socio-economic priorities have to rest on human development and social interests of the people (UN, 1997). However, only 6% of global freshwater is used by households, while 20% is util ized industry and another 70% by agriculture. The conclusion drawn from these framework conditions is that water shortage and the unequal distribution of water are global problems rather than regional problems that require international solutions. Insufficient supply of drinking water is the main cause of diseases in developing countries. Already in 1997, the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development concluded that 2.3bn people suffer from diseases rooted in insufficient water provision and quality (UN, 1997). More than five years later, it was estimated that 2.4bn people were suffering from water related diseases, and the World Health Organization reckons that 80% of all infections are traceable to poor water conditions. 5,483 people die daily of water caused diarrhoea 90 percent are children under five. Taking into account all water related diseases and deaths, international organizations estimated in 2001 that 2,213,000 people died because of inadequate water supply ten times more than the tsunami disaster caused in December 2004 (UNESCO, 2003). 2.4 Poverty and Access to Water in Pakistan It is acknowledged that lacking safe and sufficient drinking water as with other basic needs such as food, shelter and education is not a geographical but social problem. Being poor or rich is mainly decided by birth, and poverty perpetuates itself from generation to generation. Development strategies should be judged by their effort to break through this vicious cycle. Single indicators, such as literacy rates or households with access to water, are a litmus test for such an assessment. 2.4.1 Access to Water in Pakistan Pakistan is an Islamic Republic, whose aim is to enable its Muslim majority â€Å"to order their lives in the individual and collective spheres in accordance with the teachings and requirements of Islam as set out in the Holy Quran and Sunnah† (Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973). Water is recognized in Islamic teachings as a vital resource, of which everyone has the right to a fair share. Following the Hadith, it is reported that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: â€Å"Muslims have common share in three (things): grass, water and fire† (Abu-Dawood 3470). Furthermore, the Holy Quran warns human beings against unfair distribution of common goods and the majority of scholars agree that Islam forbids speculation, manipulation and unbalance profit with a common good such as water (Faruqui, Naser I, 2001). In 1995, UNDP counted Pakistan as country having among the highest water potential per person out of 130 countries that should dramatically improve its water situation to overcome the current crisis and prevent future ones (IRIN, 2001). Obviously, Pakistan failed to make any improvement. In 2003, the United Nations dropped Pakistans ranking, because its total renewable water resources per capita per year have been estimated as 114th out of 180 countries (UN, 2003). Only three percent of Pakistans sweet water resources are used for household purposes and drinking (GOP, Pakistan Ministry of Water and Power, 2002). Therefore the debate about access to water in Pakistan is dominated by irrigation disputes, mega-projects of dams and canals, and climate change. The focus is on water for agriculture rather than for people (UNDP, 2003). This production oriented perspective continues in the debate about groundwater use and extraction. It is estimated that surface water meets only 75-80 percent of crop water requirements. As a result, groundwater is merely seen as a reserve water source for irrigation and food production, as well as the maj or factor for the growth of agricultural production in the late 20th century (World Bank, 1996). With regard to the availability of safe and sufficient drinking water, Pakistan lacks reliable statistics. While data about the availability of water and field studies about water quality exist, there is no sufficient data that take both into account. Official data about the access to drinking water vary between 60 and 90 percent of households. In rural areas where a decline of households with access to water is documented s about availability differ between 10 and 53 percent. Differences in these statistics mainly emerge from the inclusion or exclusion of households that rely on privately owned wells and supply systems (Pakistan Mouza Report, 1998). In addition, having access to water in Pakistan is not similar with having access to safe and sufficient water supply. Pakistans water quality ranks as 80th out of 122 nations. Pipe water in Pakistan is contaminated either because of leakages with all sorts of bacteria or due to geological conditions and insufficient purification, with abnormally high levels of arsenic and elevated fluoride (IRIN, OCHA, 2004). Water, extracted by hand pumps the major water source in rural areas is mainly brackish water and not sufficient for drinking and cooking. The Pakistan Council of Research and Water Resources (PCRWR) estimate that almost 50 percent of urban water supply is insufficient for drinking and personal use (GOP, Pakistan Council of Research and Water Resources, 2004). According to a research which took data about availability and quality into relation and concluded that an average of 25.61 percent of Pakistans 159 million inhabitants has access to safe and sufficient drinking water ( Nils Rosemann, 2005). This calculation shows that in rural areas only 23.5 percent and in urban areas approximately 30 percent can use their source of water without jeopardizing their health. These findings come close to a conclusion by independent experts who predicted that already in 2001, with prevailing consumption rates and a population growth of 4 million people per year, one out of three people in Pakistan would face critical shortages of water, threatening their very survival. The Government of Pakistan estimated with regard to diarrhoea that this mainly water related disease accounts for 14 percent of illnesses for children under five and for seven percent of all disease in people age five and older (GOP, Pakistan Ministry of Economic Affairs and Statistics, 2004). The Pakistan Council of Research and Water Resources (PCRWR) assesses that 40 percent of all reported illnesses are water-related. It is estimated that 200,000 children in Pakistan die every year due to diarrhoea l diseases alone (UN Systems in Pakistan, 2003). Unsafe water affects mainly rural and urban poor, who suffer above the average from sickness and water related diseases. (GOP, Pakistan National Human Development Report, 2003). 2.5 About Bottled Water The term bottled water seems to tell that any bottle containing water, however there are important differences: all bottles dont contain the same product. There is very little in common between natural mineral water and purified water, as the chemical compositions or the treatments these waters can undergo respond to very different criteria that can change from one country to another. In some cases bottled water is merely bottled tap water. 2.5.1 Industry Definitions Several terms are commonly used to describe the products of the bottled water industry, including some of the following: * Artesian water bottled water from a well that taps a confined aquifer (a water-bearing underground layer of rock or sand) in which the water level stands at some height above the top of the aquifer. * Fluoridated Water often used as a health focused drink for growing children, it contains fluorine within permissible limits. * Ground water obtained from underground sources, pumped out using pressure that is equal to or more then atmospheric pressure. * Mineral water An extremely specific product that must meet certain criteria. Defined as water with at least 250 parts per million total dissolved solids. The source of water is either ground water or a spring. * Purified water or drinking water is water taken from rivers, lakes or underground springs that has undergone some form of treatment. It can be produced by â€Å"distillation, deionization, reverse osmosis or other suitable processes. It can be chemically treated in order to have some components disappear. It is basically de-mineralized water from public sources. Purified water is actually a manufactured product. * Sparkling water water injected with carbon dioxide * Spring water water obtained from an underground formation from which water flows naturally to the earths surface. * Sterile water water that meets the requirements specified under government or other sterility tests. * Well water water from a hole bored, drilled or otherwise constructed in the ground which taps the water of an aquifer. (IBWA, 2000) If these waters contain the minimum required mineral content according to US standards, they can be called â€Å"mineral waters†. So many different categories of bottled water, changing from one country to another, are not easy for consumers to differentiate. 2.5.2 What is Distilled Water? Distillation is a process that leaves water free of minerals. Distilled water has been brought up to a boiling temperature. The steam is captured and is cooled, which condenses it back into a liquid form. When the water turns to steam, anything heavier than water (like minerals, or unwanted organic matter) is left behind. Thus, distilled water only contains water. Distilled water is good to use in appliances such as coffee makers because since it contains no minerals it does not leave behind lime scale. 2.5.3 Packaging Packaging used for water can have very different shapes and colours and are made of different materials. For a long time, bottled water was only available in glass, a very good but heavy material. At the end of the 1960s, bottlers started to use packaging made of PVC (vinyl polychlorure). In the 1980s, a new kind of plastic started being used: PET (polyethylene terephtalate). PET is progressively replacing PVC because of its numerous advantages. Plastic, either PVC or PET, is the most frequently used material to make bottles of water; about 70% of the bottles used for natural mineral water are made of plastic. Bottles usually contain 33cl, 50cl, 1 litre, 1.5 litre, 2 litres or 5 litres. The biggest packaging for bottled water is a 5-gallon carboy (about 20 litres). Packaging is an essential part of bottled water marketing strategies. â€Å"The packaging makes the brand. The brand makes the packaging. A product must have visibility to sell its presentation refers to notions such as service, security, hygiene† (Miquel, 1999). In some cases, such as Kinley, it is even possible to recognize the brand of the bottled water thanks to the shape and colour of its packaging. Some brands have reshaped their bottles in order to make them look like the marketing message they are supposed to carry. Many bottles, for instance, now high mountains not only on the labels but also on the plastic itself. The packaging is an important part of the bottled water marketing success. All types of bottles coexist and are regularly reshaped in order to better catch consumers attention. Marketing and advertising campaigns are essential to differentiate the product and attract consumers. Brands tend to associate with specific activities: sport, fitness, slimming, fashion, etc. For the last 50 years, Evian has been the water of babies, emphasizing that its low mineral concentration is suitable for them. The brands marketing strategy capitalizes on infants, from the pink colour of its labels to advertising campaigns. 2.6 Bottled water market trends and Planets Health The world bottled water market amounts to an annual volume of 89 billion litres, which represents an average 15 litres of bottled water drunk yearly per person (Danone, 2000). Western Europeans are the major consumers, drinking nearly half of all the world bottled water, with an average of 85 litres/person/year (Sollberger, 1994). In United States, 54% of Americans regularly drink bottled water (Olson, 1999). More than half (59%) of the bottled water drunk in the world is purified water, the remaining 41% being spring or mineral water (Belot, 2000). Bottled water is an extremely competitive market; hence companies need to develop diverse marketing strategies. But according to campaigners, the planets health may be suffering as a result. A new report warns that peoples thirst for bottled water is producing unnecessary garbage and consuming vast quantities of energy, even in areas where perfectly good drinking water is available on tap. The report, released by the Earth Policy Institute (EPI), says global consumption of bottled water doubled between 1999 and 2004, reaching 41 billion gallons (154 billion liters) annually. 2.7 Bottled Water Market in Pakistan Before focusing on Pakistan in particular, one should note that bottled water consumption has generally grown around the world in the past 30 years, despite its high price compared to tap water. Lured by the potential for huge profits, multinational companies have been trying to create an international market for bottled water. The bottled water market in Pakistan is witnessing annual growth rates nearing 40 percent. Bottled water in Pakistan is not considered a ‘beverage. Beverage processing includes carbonated soft drinks where Pakistan has the lowest per capita consumption in the world, fruit juices, syrups and juice flavoured drinks (Pakistan Investors Guide, 2004). Drinking water and also bottled water is not considered an important commodity either. Water supply and prices for drinking water and bottled water are not considered under the items in the Sensitive Price Indicator, Consumer Price Index or Wholesale Price Index. From this perspective; it is obvious that Pakistan has low consumption of bottled water. The Government of Pakistan described the market for bottled water, with 33 million litres of consumption per annum in 1999, as small but growing. It furthermore estimated the consumption for 2003, as 70 million litres or 0.5 litres per capita. The bottled water market in Pakistan has wi tnessed annual growth rates of 40 percent, and after the introduction of Nestlà ©s ‘Pure Life, it had the fastest worldwide growth in bottled water in 2000, at 140% (The Bottled Water Industry of Pakistan, 2004). Recent s estimate a yearly consumption of about 2 litres per person bottled water (Nils Rosemann, 2005). Compared with Thailands 43 litres and Philippines 15 litres per capita consumption, this seems relatively low. But taking Pakistans population into account, one has to estimate an annual consumption of 318 million litres. While, sufficient s are not available to prove this 964 percent consumption increase in five years, one is able to conclude that Pakistan is a highly dynamic and lucrative market. Market expectations are as high in the retail market of bottled water as in the household and operations sector for bulk water. Besides these market expectations, the production of bottled water is also considered quite profitable. It is estimated that a bottle of 1.5 litres has production costs of PKR 12.51 while it is sold for PKR 22 (Nils Rosemann, 2005). The profit is shared between producing corporations, with PKR 0.66-0.83, and middleman, with PKR 6.66-7.08. By this standard, the producing corporation makes a profit of 4-5 percent while the middleman makes a profit of 27-30.55 percent. In Pakistans water market, there are approximately 20 permanent players. Official s show an estimated number of 26 corporations, while in summer time, this number increases up to 70 (Nils Rosemann, 2005). But from the perspective of quality control, PCRWR is witnessing a fluctuation in the market of 50 percent, e.g. half of the brands disappear and are replaced by new brands yearly (PCRWR, 2003). In 2005, PSQCA admitted that 200 companies are selling bottled water in Pakistan, but only 27 are registered as maintaining standards stipulated for the product (Hoti, Ikram, 2005). Nestlà © itself estimates approximately 150 water brands, with only 15 registered under the PSQCA scheme (Hoti, Ikram, 2005). Regardless of this data, it is unquestioned that Nestlà © controls the majority of the market (over 50 percent) with its brands ‘Pure Life, AVA and Fontalia, while Danones subsidy 22 â€Å"Sparkletts† holds 12 percent and another local brand â€Å"BSW† has an estimated five percent market share (Nils Rosemann, 2005). Bottled water is not a solution to inadequate water supplies as it is simply not affordable for poor people who lack access to water. A bottled water culture which turns drinking water into a status symbol is not justifiable from the human rights perspective. The Pakistan government is obliged to adopt measures to provide access to safe and sufficient water supplies even if that means restraining corporations from turning water into a status symbol to make profits, or from polluting or extracting already depleting groundwater resources. 2.8 Bottled water consumption: a certain way of life Some consumers choose to only drink bottled water; we can identify several reasons for drinking bottled water. 2.8.1. Consumers care for their health and safety Bottled water is often an alternative to tap water. Consumers often object to the taste of chemicals, particularly chlorine, used to purify tap water. In France, nearly half of them dont usually drink tap water because of its bad taste (IFEN, 2000), as opposed to only 7% in United States (Olson, 1999). Consumers also look for security, in emerging as well as in industrialized countries. They often mistrust their tap water, because of previous bacterial contamination for instance, and perceive bottled water as being safer than tap water. In India, the suspicion of bad tap water quality, in addition to general and seasonal shortages of tap water, lead people to turn to bottled water. In Pakistan, only t