Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Analysis of the Market for Olestra Based Potato Chips Essay -- Busines

An Analysis of the Market for Olestra-Based Potato Chips Who wouldn?t want to munch on delectable potato chips all day without the worry of adding extra inches to the waistline? This is the assumption the manufacturers of Olestra-based potato chips are banking on. Olestra is a ?fake-fat?; it is a cooking oil, made by a combination of sucrose and vegetable oil, whose numerous fatty acid chains are indigestible by the human body. Therefore, it imbues potato chips with the same flavor and texture as their full-fat cousins but diminishes the guilt factor substantially. Olestra chips have zero fat and half the calories of the full-fat varieties (ACSH). Obviously, this is quite an attractive prospect to chip producers, especially in the current times where thinness and physical fitness reign supreme. Presently, there appear to be three major potato chip brands using the fake-fat technology: Frito-Lay?s WOW! Chips, Procter and Gamble?s Fat Free Pringles, and Utz Brand Yes chips (though Utz is sold almost exclusively on the eastern half of the country). The market structure is a bit interesting, considering that the Olestra oil is an innovation of Procter and Gamble alone. Adding to this interest is the heated controversy surrounding the fake-fat chips, which has undoubtedly had some effect on pricing and market behavior. Before examining the market workings of today, it could perhaps be beneficial to review a brief history of Olestra. Olestra is not a new fat substitute by any means; Procter and Gamble scientists discovered it in 1968. They esterified eight fatty acid residues to a molecule of sucrose, reasoning that the increased number of fatty acid chains would help premature infants to absorb more fat. However, ... ...98. http://www.acsh.org/publications/story/olestra Annual Report: Pepsico Corporation. ?1998 Annual Report.? 1998 http://www.pepsico.com Annual Report: Pepsico Corporation. ?1999 Annual Report.? 1999 http://www.pepsico.com Annual Report: Pepsico Corporation. ?2000 Annual Report.? 2000 http://www.pepsico.com Baumol, William J. and Alan S. Blinder. Economics: Principles and Policy. Fort Worth: Harcourt. 2001 Center for Science in the Public Interest. ?A Brief History of Olestra.? 2000. http://www.cspinet.org/olestra/history.html CNN. ?FDA Panel Generally Endorses Safety of Olestra.? June 17, 1998. http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/9806/17/olestra.fda FDA Backgrounder. ?Olestra and Other Fat Substitutes.? November 28, 1995 http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/olestra.html Olean. ?Answers to Questions about Olean.? Procter and Gamble. 1998 http://www.olean.com

My Dream Computer :: essays research papers

My Dream Computer   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After perusing the isles amongst isles of desktop computers at CompUSA I found myself drawn to the Sony desktops. SONY is a high quality brand name and has shown me throughout the years that anything and everything they create seems to be a winner. Eventually I decided to get one that was practical in size and powerful enough to handle the most strenuous projects. I ended up decide ding on the Sony VAIO RA834G Minitower. The components in this PC were more than I needed for a price I just couldn’t resist.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This particular computer also intrigued me because of its processor. The processor is a common one, an Intel Pentium 4. I like that Sony decided to stick with Intel, since they are an American brand. The exact processor they used is the Intel Pentium 4 3.6Ghz 560J with HT Technology. The Hyper threading technology is very helpful and I’m glad they decided to use it because it really makes multi-tasking even with complex software faster and more efficient and significantly cuts down on the lag. The 3.6 Gigahertz processor is very very fast and can handle even the most multifaceted functions. The bus speed is also very impressive coming out with a total of 800 solid Megahertz’s. This is an extremely fast bus speed considering it only has one successor the 1066 Mhz speed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The motherboard chipset also is made by Intel. It is a well put together chipset that runs very well with the ram chosen for this computer. Sony chose the Intel 915P Express Chipset which runs the PC3200 DDR SDRAM at an harmonious 400 Mhz. I was also very excited that they chose the Double Data Ram as oppose to the normal SDRAM. The computer comes with a 1GB stick of ram, however, I am going to add another stick of Kingston 1Gb ram to max out the ram capacity at 2 gigabytes. And since it’s DDR its going to be running like it has 4GB’s of SDRAM.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The hard drive is a very hefty one with almost 400 gigabytes of space. However after researching the PC closer I learned that it actually contains two 160GB drives configured with RAID 0. The two drives both run at 7,200 RPM’s which is also pretty good.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I also picked this computer because it has a long list of card slots that would work perfectly with any type of media I might need to use.

Tuesday, October 1, 2019

Education for Students with Exceptional Needs Essay

Education is a detrimental factor to one’s success. Through formal education an individual’s knowledge is maximized and nurtured. It is because formal education hones the human mind to think critically and helps human mind in improving its decision making ability. Education also allows individuals to learn about history that enable them to better understand the present and face the challenges of the future. Education helps individuals receive information from the external world. The things people learn through formal education are the very foundation that permits them to move up in the world and seek better jobs. While it is true that hands-on-experience is an important aspect to get to the top, formal education and training are also essential to be qualified for top positions. Raw talents are important but they also need honing and the best way to hone them is through experience and assistance through schooling. Education is a must for everyone. Individuals with exceptional needs should also be given equal opportunity to learn and gain knowledge. Teaching students with exceptional needs is indeed a challenge (Adams, 2006). Teachers who wish to impart their services to these individuals should be equipped, trained, and should posses great patience and care. I believe that the experiences and learning that I am gaining from the university would significantly help me to become a better teacher for these individuals. My major helps me understand that the field of special education is an evolving and changing discipline. It is based on philosophies and it involves studying evidence-based principles and theories, which could be complicated without the guidance of experienced professors. In addition, teachers must learn how to communicate effectively with students and parents so that students will have a more enriched learning experience. I have always been taught that sharing knowledge to others is one of the best ways to help people. Teachers are heroes, they say. I do not want to become a hero but I simply want to help others. Individuals with exceptional needs have to be helped so that they could also learn to stand on their own. Giving them education is one way to support these people. It will help the students reach their full potential and give them more confidence. This will also empower parents and give them less worry regarding their children. Sincerity is an important trait of a person working for individuals with exceptional needs. I sincerely want to help them that is why I chose this field as my career. I believe that pursuing a career on the field of special education would give me the opportunity to help others. As a rehabilitation service major, I know that I will be able to impart my knowledge to these individuals and help them in my own little way. Many teachers are not very enthusiastic in pursuing a career in special education since this is a very challenging task. On the contrary, I am one of those who enjoy facing challenges. Since there are only few who choose the path on special education, I decided that I will be one of the few who could make a difference to these individuals with exceptional needs. I also believe that all people could actually learn. However, since each person is unique, appropriate instructional support is needed especially for individuals with exceptional needs. Thus, training is needed to become a suitable teacher for these individuals. That is why I highly appreciate all the things that I learn in the university because I know that the knowledge will help me in my future career.

Monday, September 30, 2019

An Analysis of “Peach” by D. H. Lawrence Essay

What will you think of, when you eat a fruit, like a peach? I think many people’s answer would be nothing at all. However, a peach triggers some poetic romance in D.H. Lawrence, and some beautiful verses are thus created. The poem _Peach_ was brainless at first glance–this is indeed not an impenetrable poem, but it renders a significant thought that the creations of nature, even the most unconscious ones, has the beauty that no artificial objects can ever achieve. The poem itself in free verse is modernist, defying conventional structured form and the language is more prose than scanned lines – the whole poem is a kick at traditional attitudes and the Victorians were not traditionalists but reactionaries regarding their attitudes to sex, so this is a complex revolutionary poem and extemely modern for its time. The poem is intensely modernist. Not only does D H Lawrence take an everyday activity (eating a peach) and unpack unsuspected and surprising meaning from it. Lawrence suggests that the simple pleasure of eating a peach may be connected with the way that the peach hasn’t been manufactured. Nature’s beauty is embodied in its imperfection because there are no straight lines or perfect shape in nature. It exists randomly and obliquely. After we stepped onto this world mankind has been finding all ways to be ‘perfect’, as defined by them. This is nature’s definition of perfection, or perhaps working towards a common goal of being perfect. Why do we have to turn that 180 degrees and make straight lines all over the world? We grasp our pencils and place the rulers on that sheet of paper and zoom the line goes straight and â€Å"perfect†. We connect the dots with straight lines and we draw geometric figures in mathematic and so on. But maybe we need to adjust our angle of  see the world. Actually nature has very little to do with math. Most things in the world cannot and should not be simply viewed scientifically. Things were, are and will never be judge to be right or wrong. We live in a wonderful world but we are probably making a hash of it. Nature has given us beauty in everything we see and for no good reason – nature or unknown forces could have made the world ugly but it has not and almost illogically has given us wonderfully coloured flowers, incredible animals and sunsets to die for. Lawrence saw man as kind of a mad animal like many painters saw the industrial revolution as a disaster. Next time we encounter a fruit, we should not only eat it for nutrients, but also soak in its incomparable beauty endowed by nature.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Is Walmart good for America? Essay

As the largest retailer in history, it’s no surprise that Walmart is the target of both vicious attacks and effusive praise. According to its own website, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. operates more than 8,000 stores, employs more than 2.1 million people, and sells more than $400 billion worth of goods in every year. Though this bulk intimidates those who fear for the viability of â€Å"mom and pop† retailers, Walmart’s great strength is that it devotes its considerable power to American consumers. Its size enables it to provide services that other retailers cannot, and it has deservedly become an integral part of the modern American economy. Criticisms of Walmart’s effect on small retailers fall flat because of Americans’ role in that effect. Consumption is the only democratic component of the corporate world: small retailers fail because Americans choose Walmart. Walmart provides cheaper, better, more accessible services than its competition. While competing stores’ closings produce touching hard-luck stories, the shift to Walmart is beneficial for society, because Walmart is much more efficient at every stage of its business. The benefits of this efficiency are less personal and more broadly spread than the costs to smaller competitors, but such dissemination of value demonstrates one of the best qualities of Walmart – its egalitarianism. Walmart provides a good that is accessible to virtually all Americans. The 2006 book The Walmart Effect estimates that 97% of Americans live within twenty-five miles of a Walmart, and Walmart’s low prices assure that the store is also economically accessible. As long as consumers continue to choose Walmart (for understandable reasons), the onus is on small retailers to find better ways to compete. The second main argument against Walmart deals with its impact on suppliers. Because Walmart has such immense buying power, it carries great influence with manufacturers. Fortunately, Walmart uses its substantial bargaining power in the interests of American consumers by demanding ever-decreasing prices. Though manufacturers often complain about this pressure, it forces  constant innovation, which ultimately benefits consumers. Walmart has much to teach American businesses. Despite its size, Walmart is a paragon of corporate efficiency. It has compiled the largest sales data-set of any American retailer and analyzes this data using the second largest supercomputer in the world (trailing only the Pentagon). Aided by this number-crunching, Walmart excels at knowing what its consumers want. Walmart’s purchasing decisions thus reflect American preferences. In short, Walmart is a driving force in the American economy leading to smarter, more streamlined production, and (as always) lower prices for consumers. The benefits of Walmart’s efficiency are not only economic, as illustrated by the company’s response to Hurricane Katrina. Walmart’s response to the hurricane was lauded even by its critics: it donated more than $20 million worth of merchandise, including food for 100,000 meals, and it promised jobs for all of its displaced workers. But what I wish to extol is not Walmart’s largesse, which bore immediate public relations benefits, but rather the utility of their efficient distribution system. The first supply truck to arrive at the Superdome after the hurricane came from Walmart, not from FEMA. The administrative particulars of Walmart’s response to the hurricane, detailed in a study by Steven Horwitz, are both fascinating and inspiring. Walmart’s existing distribution chain was – and is – able to deliver needed goods faster and more efficiently than a government agency, which (besides being inept) had no existing infrastructure to respond to the disaster. The Coast Guard, another organization praised for its post-Katrina efforts, was great for rescuing people from flooded houses, but it was incapable of providing them with sufficient supplies afterwards. Without the aid of Walmart, the aftermath of the hurricane would have been even more catastrophic. Regardless of its reputation or its value to society, Walmart is here to stay. Consumption drives our daily lives and accounts for some 70% of America’s GDP. As long as Walmart continues to increase the accessibility and quality of consumption, it will remain America’s top retailer and continue to grow. Whether or not you choose to shop at Walmart, everyone should appreciate it as an outstanding American institution.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Middle Range Theory in Nursing Essay

The credibility of a profession is based upon its ability to create and apply theory. Nursing as a whole has not been at the forefront of theoretical research being much more practical or hands-on in nature. Unless nurses increase the value placed on research and the body of knowledge that establishes the legitimacy of their practice then nursing will remain in a subordinate position in the medical environment. Theorists anticipated that by conceptualizing models of nursing, practitioners would be able to become more autonomous in their clinical settings while increasing the visibility and authority of nursing as a discipline. It would therefore be anticipated that nurses being able to comprehend and use theory will continue to grow with more master degree nurses and with the development of advanced practice nurses. Theoretical development is imperative as nursing progresses into care management, prescribing rights and specialist arenas traditionally held solely by physicians. Current embodiments such as the Magnet Recognition Program have encouraged theoretical research in nursing (McCrae, 2012) Definition Middle range theory as defined by Smith and Liehr (2008) is a set of related ideas associated with the defined reality of nursing. These theories are developed at the level where research and nursing practice intersect. Nursing is a professional discipline and as such middle range theories are part of this structure. Middle range theories and thusly the knowledge base of nursing is growing and theories are useful to both the nursing profession nut also other disciplines involved in the care of individuals and populations. On the Ladder of Abstraction, middle range theories are the middle rung; below the abstract philosophical rung of symbols and concepts, and above the empirical or concrete level or that which can be observed. Current Trends In the evolving nursing profession, nursing theories have set the stage for nursing research and practice. The current trends in nursing theories as noted by Im and Chang (2012) were categorized into six major groupings: (a) â€Å"foci on specifics† where the researchers rather than further developing nursing theory focused their energies on details of the previous work and in testing associations among those concepts; (b) â€Å"coexistence of various types of theories† where it was identified the most prevalent trend in nursing research was that particular theories were cited predominantly, where 257 articles were about grand theories, 84 were about middle range theory, 13 were related to situation-specific theory, etc. (c) â€Å"close links to research â€Å"where it was noted that most of the articles published in the last 10 years were based on multiple areas of theorizing including research findings; (d) â€Å"international collaborative works† whereby much of the work reviewed was written by international authors coauthored by authors in the United States, whe re the US author was the senior author. This may be related to an increasing number of international nurse scholar exchanges in nursing academia; (e) â€Å"integration to practice† where nurses attempt to integrate theory into practice in their clinical practice. Occasionally two or more theories were combined to explain a particular practice setting phenomenon; and finally (f) â€Å"selective evolution† where most of the research noted related to the four grand theories: Neuman’s system model, Orem’s self-care theory, Rogers’ history of unitary human beings and Roys’ adaptation model. Im and Chang titled it such because only those four selective theories had been further developed through additional research in the past 10 years. They postulated that these particular theories were further developed because they are more closely linked to nursing practice. Examples An example of the â€Å"coexistence of various types of theories† is demonstrated by Andershed and Olsson’s (2009) research review of the existing middle range theory of caring by Kristen Swanson. Her theory was developed from separate experiential studies and has been used by multiple authors referring to her theory, applying it in practice or validating and testing the theory. The authors concluded that if people are guided through discussions about their experiences and â€Å"feel understood, informed, provided for, validated and believed in† (p. 609), they were better able to integrate ifficult events into their lives in a positive manner. The middle range intellectual capital theory conceptualizes nursing knowledge within health care organizations and how it relates to patient and organizational outcomes. This incorporates two concepts: nursing human capital and nursing structural capital. These are influenced by nurse staffing and employer support for continuing professional development. Magnet hospital nursing staff and nurse executives deem educational support to be necessary for higher quality patient care (Covell, 2008) Conclusion Overall it is important for the profession of nursing to formalize and expand upon middle range theories as they relate to nursing to advance the profession and validate the expanded roles being seen in today’s nursing field. While building upon existing research is beneficial it is also important to conduct new research and expand the knowledge base for all nurses. As the role of the nurse is advanced so must the research that validates the nursing profession.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Product Packaging Analysis Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Product Packaging Analysis Assignment - Essay Example the product originates from high temperature and low humid region, the suitable package for this product is a cylindrical, transparent, container varying in sizes according to quantity inside. The container should be made of plastic and fitted with tight brown plastic lid too. After which, the container should be wrapped with transparent polythene paper. On the half side of the container, on the polythene used for wrapping, there should be nice brown drawings of desert date fruits and underneath the fruit there should be writings in pink stating the nutrient values of the product, it uses, and storage conditions (Sinha 637-641). The remaining half of the package container should be left as transparent as it is so that buyers who have never tested the dates can see exactly how it look like before paying for it. Packaging the desert dates in a transparent cylindrical plastic container fitted with an airtight lid protects the fruits from deformations due to clamping together and dissolution of the fruit’s outer coating by moisture. It also enhances its longer preservation and displays the fruits nicely to attract buyers, which is the ultimate objective of any