Outliers the Story of Success - 2176 Words

Knowledge and intelligence are specific characteristic traits that can lead us to experiencing professional success. Suppose a child scores within the 135-140 range on an IQ test. People would assume that child will become successful in life based on their high IQ score. The question is, how are certain people able to succeed in life while others tend to struggle? Is it solely based off their intelligence or IQ? Opportunities? Race and culture? In Malcolm Gladwell’s â€Å"The Trouble with Geniuses, Part 2† and â€Å"The Ethnic Theory of Plane Crashes†, two chapters taken from his book Outliers: The Story of Success (2008), claims that there is a misunderstanding on what success is and how it can be achieved. Gladwell feels that the idea of having an†¦show more content†¦Within chapter four, Gladwell introduces two different types of intelligence; practical and analytical, both in which influence our success. He claims that practical intelligence is somet hing one is not born with, but instead, a reflection of one’s cultural advantages. For example, Oppenheimer attained the skill of practical intelligence because he always knew what to say, when it was appropriate to say it, and knew how to get what he wanted through people. Oppenheimer was taught to be a social savvy through concerted cultivation because his parents had fostered him to be assertive and question authority. We see in chapter four that being a social savvy and having practical intelligence is â€Å"a set of skills that have to be learned. It has to come from somewhere . . . get these kinds of attitudes and skills is from our families† (Gladwell, 102). Another intelligence Gladwell introduces is analytical intelligence. Langan and Oppenheimer both acquired this skill. It was intelligence within your genes. Gladwell describes analytical intelligence as a mental process that is expressed through our intelligence. Gladwell states that it’s in â€Å"yo ur genes . . . he was born smart. IQ is a measure, to some degree† (Gladwell, 102). These two types of intelligence affect and influence one’s ability to succeed because intelligence refers back toShow MoreRelatedOutliers : The Story Of Success1889 Words   |  8 Pages Outliers The Story of Success â€Å"Why do some people succeed far more than the other?†(Gladwell, 2) Since childhood, individuals are easily bought into the myth that successful people are self-made, but Malcolm Gladwell’s, a well-known author opinion differs. He argues that successful people are invariably the beneficiaries of â€Å"hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities that allow individuals to learn and make sense of the world in ways others cannot.†(Gladwell, 19). Outlier; The Story ofRead MoreOutliers, The Story Of Success Essay1393 Words   |  6 PagesOutliers, The Story of Success In the book, Outliers, the Story of Success, Malcom Gladwell discusses â€Å"outliers† and uses many examples of success. This book expresses the many ways in which â€Å"outliers† are different from the â€Å"ordinary.† Gladwell explores the factors that influence and help people in their journeys to success. The factors expressed in this book include: their culture, family/parents, their background, and especially their personal experiences that have had major impacts on theirRead MoreOutliers : A Story Of Success1462 Words   |  6 PagesThe New Yorker. Spending time on this fast-paced journalistic endeavor and writing some out-of-the-ordinary pieces inspired Gladwell to go back to his roots, and explore the principals of psychology. In 2008, he published his third book, Outliers: A Story of Success. This novel explores the circumstances in which people are given the opportunity to be successful in their respective fields, based on their surroundings, along with personal drive, and perseverance to be the best. Gladwell wrote this novelRead MoreOutliers : The Story Of Success2057 Words   |  9 Pagessuccessful self-made people, which we know is contrary to popular beliefs. This theory was presented by Malcolm Gladwell in his book, Outliers: The Story of Success. The theory is further defined by the premise that holds that success is enabled by a person’s culture, environment, when and where they were born, and a strong work ethic. These theories and examples of success are analyzed using the textbook, Leadership: Research Findings, Practice, and Skills (2015) by Andrew DuBrin. Several examples areRead MoreOutliers : The Story Of Success1921 Words   |  8 Pagesnon-fiction book, Outliers: The Story of Success, by Malcolm Gladwell, he explains several different strategies and methods to achieve success. He is a firm believer in potential and opportunities; and that making the most of those opportunities is what ensures results. He focuses on time and opportunity as being significant in realizing potential, and believes in the motto â€Å"practice makes perfect† and refers to the â€Å"10,000-Hr Rule, in ensuring mastery of a skill. Gladwell discusses success, and the drivingRead MoreOutliers : The Story Of Success By Malcolm Gladwell1308 Words   |  6 PagesThe book, Outliers: The Story of Success, expands the idea of successful people. Through each chapter, the author, Malcolm Gladwell, explains various success stories, but he counteracts the idea that people’s achievements are based on luck. Instead, he forces readers to look beyond the individual to understand how success works and outliers are made through a variety of themes. Under the heading â€Å"The Matthew Effect,† Gladwell introduces the first chapter with a scene about Gordie Howe, a talentedRead MoreSuccess And Success : Malcolm Gladwell s Outliers : The Story Of Success1843 Words   |  8 PagesWendy Villalpando Professor Dobyns English 100- CRN#10915 01 December 2015 Luck VS. Success There may be no topic that more easily divides two set of people more than when they talk about success and luck. Some of them find it easy to associate success with luck rather than hard work and talent. Many conservatives would be the one to celebrate success as an almost imminent result of talent, effort, and hard work. Liberals, on the other hand, believe that even when people who work hard and areRead MoreThe Book Outliers The Story Of Success By Joe Flom851 Words   |  4 PagesThe story of Joe Flom incorporates many aspects of the first half of the book Outliers The Story of Success. Malcolm Gladwell uses comparisons of other families with similarities of Flom’s story to demonstrate why he is successful. The story of Flom not only has what the previous chapters present but also some new concepts. At the beginning of the chapter Gladwell tells the reader about Flom’s success and then jumps backwards to explain how it occurred. He also explains why some people t hrive whileRead MoreOutliers-The Story of Success, by Malcolm Gladwell Essay1894 Words   |  8 PagesOutliers-The Story of Success is a sociological, and psychological non-fiction book, which discusses success, and the driving reasons behind why some people are significantly more successful than others. Malcolm Gladwell explains this by dividing the book into two parts, opportunity and legacy. Opportunity discusses how select people are fortunate enough to be born between the months of January through March, and also includes the idea that those who are already successful will have more opportunitiesRead MoreOutliers : Story Of Success, And The Sports Gene, By David Epstein953 Words   |  4 Pagesquestion if destiny is determined by fate or by choices we make in our life. Two authors both take their sides on this topic producing evidence to support their claim. David Epstein author of The Sports Gene and Malcolm Gladwell author of Outliers: Story of Success both make an argument on how much we control in our lives in which they take different sides. David Epstein wrote about a track and field athlete who had incredible jumping ability despite never practicing high jumping. Malcolm Gladwell

Article Rebuttal - 757 Words

Article Rebuttal Maybelline Torres University of Phoenix BCOM/275 April 17, 2012 Prof. Lourdes Lebrà ³n Bayrà ³n Article Rebuttal In this article rebuttal an analysis will take place on the authors, reliability, credibility, and validity on the account of Noah’s flood. The rebuttal will give emphasis on the claims young earth creationist have on the earth’s existence period. Additionally, address old earth and young earth theories. Finally identify any fallacies in the argument. For centuries creation theorists have given emphasis to Noah’s flood as enough evidence to a universal deluge. Nevertheless, it is understood the ark presented in the Bible had a higher credibility to a local flood. According†¦show more content†¦The following claim states that it can give evidence that all animals and humans originated from occupants of the ark. The people could have descended from the ark inhabitants, but scientist lack evidence on the animals descending from the ark. Finding the ark does not give evidence of the ancestry of all creatures. One way to refute this is consider the Ko ala in Australia. How did this earthly animal travel to Australia once the ark settled? Traveling this distance would be impossible nevertheless because the flood was local Koalas did not need to be on the ark. Furthermore, the author asserts that locating ark remains forces paleontologists to re-decipher fossils as an effect of the flood, not of many years buildup. Old-earth creationists relates fully with the geological proof of the arks old age existence. There are no findings of the ark, although several informants alleged to have seen it. In reality the ark will never be located, most likely it no longer exists. Noah maybe used the ark wood for rebuilding the society. God declared to Noah never again would He destroy the world with water. Noah was clear he had no use for the ark maybe he dismantled it for constructing material. Moreover, creation theorists Baumgardner, and Barnett claim after the flood the land would have resembled a lifeless wilderness deprived of trees and plants. If the plant and tree seeds floated after the flood it would still take many yearsShow MoreRelatedEssay about Article Rebuttal651 Words   |  3 Pagesï » ¿ APA Format: Article Rebuttal Lori M. Slack BCOM/275 February 17, 2014 Rod Klein Article Rebuttal Marriage is not about a piece of paper, a ring, or sexual preference. It has never been about any of these matters, and should not be considered so. Marriage is the commitment between two people who love each other unconditionally. According to Psychology Today, â€Å"marriage is the process by which two people who love each other make their relationship public, official, and permanent†Read MoreArticle Rebuttal: Minimum Wage Essay1192 Words   |  5 PagesArticle Rebuttal: Minimum Wage Over the years there has been much debate about raising the federal minimum wage. Some states have taken it upon themselves to set higher minimum wages than the federal minimum wage, because of the lack of action by congress. The supporters of the raising of the federal minimum wage have been more vocal lately. This is especially true since studies have shown, that the gap has grown between the wealthier population, and the middle class. Recently President Obama, becauseRead MoreArticle Rebuttal - Does the Use of Cell Phones Cause Brain Cancer?706 Words   |  3 PagesArticle Rebuttal BCOM/275 March 19, 2012 Tania Say Article Rebuttal Does the Use of Cell Phones Cause Brain Cancer? The Opponent’s Argument In this paper valid points will be presented to refute the statement made by Dr. Ronald Herberman, Director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, to his faculty and staff on July 21, 2008. â€Å"Limit cell phone use because of the potential risk of cancer† (Reyes, 2009). Herberman based his claim on unpublished data and statedRead More College Sororities: Rebuttal of Evan Wright’s Article, Sister Act1177 Words   |  5 PagesCollege Sororities: Rebuttal of Evan Wright’s Article, Sister Act Walking around a university’s campus any day of the week, one sees an array of Greek letters worn proudly by young men and women in the Greek system. Fraternities and sororities play a big part in a university. The Greek system can also be an easy target to direct criticism. There are those who oppose the Greek system and those who embrace it. Evan Wright opposes the Greek system in his article â€Å"Sister Act† that was featured inRead MoreThomas Hobbs And John Locke865 Words   |  4 PagesBritain’s Monarchy for its lack of representation, which caused a revolution. Furthermore, after the American Revolution the articles of confederation was drafted to create order after independence was gained. The articles of confederation is extremely weak, and does not tie the newly birthed nation together cohesively. There are a plethora of problems with regards to the articles of confederation, but the most profound is the lack of power vested in the national governme nt. Therefore, the constitutionRead MoreThe Relations Of Two Governments1023 Words   |  5 PagesFinding a common ground, even with Federals superiority over States ruling. Though the two may not always agree, the improvement that America has made with their government has met milestones. It is amazing to think about how it all started with the Articles of Confederation, some 200 years ago. In 1776, thirteen colonies declare their independence from Great Britain, naming themselves the United States of America. Even at America’s earliest stage they feared too much taxation, too many internal conflictsRead MoreConfederation And Constitution ( Ginger )1376 Words   |  6 PagesAfter winning independence from Great Britain in 1776, the United States was in need of an organized national government, clearly defined in written form. The first Continental Congress drafted the Articles of confederation the following year, though it would not be ratified until 1781. The Articles provided the framework for a centralized government but ultimately were not strong enough to enforce its own requirements. A new constitution was needed. Congressional leaders began the process ofRead MoreBCOM 275 All Class Assignments and DQs – A Graded Material Essay703 Words   |  3 Pagesweek 3 Individual Assignment Article Rebuttal Locate an article on a controversial subject where the author makes an argument you do not agree with. Write a 350- to 700-word rebuttal to the article using valid arguments and supporting data. In the rebuttal, offer an analysis in which you do the following: †¢ Analyze the reliability, credibility, and validity of the data used by the author. †¢ Identify any logical fallacies in the argument. Format your rebuttal consistent with APA guidelinesRead MoreSocial Media in the Workplace873 Words   |  4 Pagesdefends the warrant; it also supports the warrant as it helps enables readers to discover their unanswered questions. Rebuttal Studies undertaken by Deakin University academics have shown that unrestricted access to various social media platforms can severely reduce the productivity of those workers who spend time socialising online during business hours. This is a rebuttal as it is dismissing and reducing the strength of the claim, giving readers doubt about the writer’s claim. Qualifier MonitoringRead MoreBCOM 275 Complete Class1327 Words   |  6 Pages275 Week 3 Individual Article Rebuttal    Locate an article on a controversial subject where the author makes an argument you do not agree with.    Write a 350- to 700-word rebuttal to the article using valid arguments and supporting data. In the rebuttal, offer an analysis in which you do the following:     ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Analyze the reliability, credibility, and validity of the data used by the author.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Identify any logical fallacies in the argument.    Format your rebuttal consistent with APA guidelines

Key Science for the Future Free Essays

Mathematics is a compulsory subject at all levels in pre-university education in Ghana. Due to its importance, the government is committed to ensuring the provision of high quality mathematics education. In spite of government efforts to better achievement of mathematics performance, mathematics has not undergone much change that successive governments seek to achieve in terms of students performance. We will write a custom essay sample on Key Science for the Future or any similar topic only for you Order Now This manifests contentiously in low achievement levels in mathematics among students at the West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) recently. Student’s achievement of mathematics in WASSCE serves as the gateway for senior high school graduates to get admission into tertiary institutions in Ghana. Without taking the WAEC certification examinations it will be very difficult for one to be able to progress into any tertiary institution in Ghana. The West African Examination Council (WAEC) Chief Examiner’s Report for the last five years shows that Ghanaian SHS students have been performing abysmally in mathematics. (Source Ghana News Agency Sunday, 19 February 2017). Statistics from WASSCE results in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 results points to the fact that students performances especially in the core mathematics were not encouraging. The statistics indicates that 25.29 % obtained (A1-C6) in 2015, (32.83%) obtained A1-C6 in 2016, (42.73%) obtained A1-C6 in 2017 and (38.33%) obtained A1-C6 in 2018. The grades A1-C6 serve as the basis that many tertiary institutions consider for admission. Since many tertiary institutions today do not accept D7 for admission, is a clear indication that majority of students were not be able to progress to the next stage of their academic ladder without having to rewrite to better the grade. It has been a headache to stakeholders and policymakers in the educational sector tracing the causes of these poor performances. It even becomes more difficult to attempt putting the blame on either teachers or students or parents. But it is obvious that the blame be shared among the three when subjected to critical thinking. Background of the Study Students’ academic performance is affected by several factors. Reddy et al. (2012), is of the view that some of the factors that are likely to affect students’ performance in academics are social which include the variables: prevailing school climate, teacher qualifications, classroom resources, learners’ home environment and learner attitudes. The study continuous to suggest that social vices such as violence, misconduct and all forms of abuse have the potential of impacting negatively on academic performance of students. This suggests that mathematics learning can also be enhanced giving the prevailing climate that exists both in the schools and society at large. The availability of academic resources appears to play a vital role in student performance. The World Bank (2000) report on higher education attributes the many problems facing universities and students in developing countries to lack of resources due primarily to insufficient financial funding. The ability of students to monitor, evaluate and make appropriate plans for their learning improves upon their performance. According to Kitsantas (2002) and Zimmerman (2008), Winsler, and Huie (2008) academic self-regulation is displayed by students who are independent, self-initiated learners with the ability to use a variety of learning strategies, such as organizing, transforming, note taking, to accomplish specific learning goals. Farooq and Shah (2008), in their study found out that learners’ success in mathematics depends on their attitudes towards the subject. Learners themselves may lack self-confidence in handling mathematics and such an attitude is likely to affect their achievement in mathematics. There are many theories of learning that have been proposed and developed by educationists and psychologists, and all of them aim at finding the best approach to the teaching and learning of school mathematics and other subjects. The constructivist teaching and learning theory is one of the many theories that seek to address the question of learner performance. A constructivist teacher offers his or her students options and choices in their work. Rejecting the common practice of telling students what to do, he or she engages their trust and invites them to participate in a constructivist process that allows them to be involved in decisions about their learning. Students actively involved in their own learning is a vital reality in a constructivist classroom. Theoretical Framework The constructivist approach is a popular mathematics teaching method that enhances better understanding. According to this theory knowledge is not transferred from, for instance the educator to the learner, rather knowledge is constructed by the learner himself or herself. The educator functions as a facilitator to the entire students. He or she prompts, coaches and mediates, in order to allow learners develop and assess their understanding and learning. Twomey Fosnot (1989) defines constructivism by reference to four principles: learning, in an important way, depends on what we already know; new ideas occur as we adapt and change our old ideas; learning involves inventing ideas rather than mechanically accumulating facts; meaningful learning occurs through rethinking old ideas and coming to new conclusions about new ideas which conflict with our old ideas. A productive, constructivist classroom, then, consists of learner-centered, active instruction. In such a classroom, the teacher provides students with experiences that allow them to hypothesize, predict, manipulate objects, pose questions, research, investigate, imagine, and invent. The teacher’s role is to facilitate this process. According to Midelton and Geopfert (1996), no two people have the same interpretations of same things because of their different backgrounds and experiences. The teaching for understanding was derived from Jean Piaget’s theory of socio-moral and cognitive development (Blythe, 1994). Freire (1998) indicated that learner centered education should be built on reflective teaching and undersstanding in order to facilitate learners making connections between classroom activities and real life situations. Constructivist strategies of teaching focuses on active learning, a method of teaching that places the learner, instead of the teacher or the curriculum, as the centre of the learning process (Woolfolk 2010, Alemu 2010). According to Gates (2001:126) the educator serves as a guide and a teaching aid. He or she would scaffold the learner through various aspects learning and the learner must construct meaning for himself or herself. Brooks and Brooks (1993) also indicated that the teacher’s role in constructivist teaching and learning strategies is that of a mediator rather than the transmitter. Teachers’ role as facilitator of students learning is to assist them construct their own meaning and understanding by creating conducive learning environment. Teachers continually encourage positive relationship among students and serve as a role models as reflective practitioner of teaching learning process. To carry out effective constructive teaching of mathematics, Canfrey (Souviney, 1994:37) suggested the following: Promote intellectual autonomy and commitment in students. Ensure that students views are respected. Develop students’ reflective processes by using learning logs. The educator should use portfolios or informal observation logs in order to develop a case history on the learner. The different ways to solve problems should be discussed with learners. After learners have arrived at solutions, revisit their solution path by discussing the various solution to find similarities and differences in the way learners have answered. Make a deliberate effort to prevent outside interruptions and ensure that learners stay focused on the lesson. Kinchloe ; Steinberger (1993) found out from their research that the vital role the educator plays in teaching for understanding is stimulating student learning. This study points out to the fact that for learners to be able to complete given tasks on their own, they should be given the opportunity to develop new knowledge through a process of active construction. In order to go beyond rote memorisation and achieve true understanding, students need to develop and integrate a network of associations linking new knowledge pre-existing experience deeply rooted in concrete experience. It was against this background that this study was carried out. The research is therefore seek to find out challenges that hinder effective teaching of mathematics for understanding in senior high schools in Ghana. Statements of the Study Mathematics is a key science for the future, through both its fundamental development and its enabling role for science, engineering and technology. This is illustrated by dramatic advances in communications, bioinformatics, the understanding of uncertainty and dealing with large data sets†(Lemaire,2003,p.21). This perspective on Mathematics has gained more attention with the rapid advances of information and communication. Mathematics is not just calculation but a tool for understanding structures, relationships and patterns to produce solutions for complex real life situations. Mathematics is an essential for people at all levels to be successful in life. It reveals some patterns that have been hid and therefore enable us to understand the world around us. Mathematical modes of thought builds mathematical power, a capacity of mind of increasing value of this technological age that enables one to read critically, to identify fallacies, to detect bias, to assess risk, and to suggest alternatives. Having a solid background in mathematics helps students develop sophisticated perspectives and offers more career options. The importance of mathematical learning has repeatedly been emphasized by educators and politicians (Wilkins ; Ma, 2002). Despite the wide applicability and importance of Mathematics, SHS students in Ghana consistently perform poorly in the subject, which makes the country lose economic advantage over other countries, because its students lag behind their counterparts in mathematics. Hence, mathematics achievement has been a great concern for policymakers, educators, teachers, researchers, parents and students as well. But, the desired level of mathematics achievement seems to require a dynamic interplay between individual factors, instructional factors, classroom management as well as evaluation factors. How to cite Key Science for the Future, Papers

Public Health Journal Qualitative analysis

Question: Describe about the Public Health Journal related to any public health issue in the UK. for the Qualitative analysis? Answer: Quantitative Analysis The complexity of obesity in UK adolescents: relationships with quantity and type of technology, sleep duration and quality, academic performance, and aspiration," by Arora et al. 2012 Aim and Objectives of the Study: In this research, the researcher aimed to find out the complexity of obesity experienced by the common people in the UK. At the beginning of the article, the researcher provided a list of points that statesthe information, which are already known about this topic and what this study adds. According to the researchers, the objectives of this study were to assess the linear associations between BMIà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¦z-score and (i) quantity/type of technology used; (ii) sleep quantity/quality and (iii) academic performance/aspiration. The objective of this study is very crisp and clearly focused to provide a precise knowledge about the significance of the study. After reviewing the article, it can be said that the article includes the right type of study as it properly addressed the review's question. Setting and participants The research was conducted upon the people of the United Kingdom. The number of participants in this research study was 624, which is admirable as it is a large sample size and helpful to produce an unbiased result. However, the significant part of selecting 624 participants is 64.9% of the participants are girls (aged 11-18). The researchers managed to choose the participant wisely, as it includes compliant young people. While conducting the research, the researchers also took care of the ethical considerations. None of the participants was forced to join in the research study. On the other hand, the researchers also maintained the participants confidentiality. The researchers did not reveal any personal data (name, address or medical background) in this research paper. Methods The researchers included 624 participants, who are aged between 11-18 rears. It is found that 64.9% of the participants are girls. To assess the relationship between BMI z-score and type of used technology, sleep quantity and academic performance of the participants, researchers administered the questionnaire. Besides, they also measured weight and height of the participants to enrich the data. The research method used by the researchers was well referenced, which signifies that the researchers tried to identify all relevant studies. All of the references used by them were extracted from authentic website sources (PubMed, PlosOne, NCBI and Nature). After analyzing the method used by the researchers, it is found that a clear and predetermined strategy was implemented that included a scoring system and a proper analyzing tool to extract the best result and analyze it in a significant way. Results The researchers were used quantitative analysis to conduct the research. The result of the experiment was presented in a table format. The results of each objective (i) quantity/type of technology used; (ii) sleep quantity/quality and (iii) academic performance/aspiration) were presented in different tables. The tabular presentation of the results is easily understandable and helpful to interpret the result. From the research result, it is observed that quantity of technology was directly influenced the BMI z-score = 0.10, P 0.01. According to the researchers, those young peoples who engaged themselves in video gaming demonstrated significantly higher BMI z-scores than those young people who never consumed themselves with a video game, which is = 1.00, P 0.001. From the result it is also observed that sleep onset and sleep duration latency in weekday were related to BMI z-score, which is = 0.01, P 0.001 and = -0.24, P 0.001 respectively. However, an inverse linear association was discovered among academic performance a BMI z-score, = -0.68, P 0.001. The results of each experimental part were clearly displayed. In the context of this research, the researchers managed to provide examples of other researchers works that support their result interpretation. Although the researchers accumulated a large sample size and presented a large size of data, it is easy to study the results as it is presented in a tabular form. The comparison between two types of data was also very easy since the variables were same and the researchers implemented BMI calculating formula in an efficient way. The bottom-line result was sum up by the researchers in a precise manner. The confidence interval was well reported. The recommendations provided by the researchers were based on the present condition of the situation. On the other hand, the research method and the research analysis were performed in such a way that it could be further implemented in another setting. According to (Wang et al. 2011), pediatric obesity is considered as a global curse. Therefore, it can be said that valuable outcomes of this research may be helpful to contribute in the global research on pediatric obesity. Conclusion From this research paper it can be concluded that the reduction of the bedtime and working in the nightshifts can increase the chances of developing cancer. On the other hand, the improvement of sleep hygiene among the men can decrease the chances of developing cancer. The purpose of this research was well achieved. However, the researchers failed to compare the situation faced by the man and women in the same context. Strengths The objective of this study is very crisp and clearly focused to provide a precise knowledge about the significance of the study. The researchers provided proper literature review, which was helpful to get a overview on this topic. Cancer is now epidemic and the researchers put their best effort to establish working at night shift is one of the main reasons to develop cancer. Weaknesses They failed to state proper research questions. The researchers failed to focus on the effect of night shift work on the women. Qualitative Analysis Qualitative studies of obesity: A review of methodology by Brown and Gould, 2013. Aim and Objectives of the Study In this article, the researchers are aimed to assess the significant of the different methodologies used by the researchers to conduct qualitative analysis of obesity. According to (Heslehurst et al., 2009), obesity is a global concern, and different researchers are using different methods to conduct the qualitative analysis; however, it is observed that there are very few methods that proved as fruitful to extract the best result. Although the researchers in this article did not dedicate any paragraph to specify their aim and objectives, they managed to provide a significant overview of the epidemic condition of obesity in worldwide. Setting and participants To analyze the significant contribution of qualitative analysis on the research of obesity, the researchers of this article included 31 qualitative analysis, which were collected from the authentic sources such as AMED (Ovid), Medline (Ebsco), CENTRAL (Cochrane Library), SCOPUS, CINAHL (Ebsco), Web of Science (ISI Web of Knowledge) and PsychINFO (CSA). Although the researchers did not dedicate any section on a literature review on this topic, they managed to provide an outline of the research study in their introduction part. They also failed to provide state proper research objectives and research questions. Methods Researchers collected 31 journals that used qualitative analysis to address obesity. The journals were collected from the authentic sources such as AMED (Ovid), Medline (Ebsco), CENTRAL (Cochrane Library), SCOPUS, CINAHL (Ebsco), Web of Science (ISI Web of Knowledge) and PsychINFO (CSA). The journals covered the period January 1995 to July 2012 (only English language studies). The search strategy used by the researchers to collect the research papers was presented in a table. In most of these journals, the researchers used face to face interviews to collect data from the participants. Initially, they selected 417 study papers and after reviewing all these papers, they exclude most of the journals (356). Then 30 articles were rejected from the rest 61 articles as most of them lack proper information or include less number of participants. The methods are used to sort out the collected research samples (article) was significant since they used authentic sources to collects the research samples and reviewed all of them. However, the method used by them was very time-consuming. The research method used in this article is also very significant as both of the authors initially worked independently to study the sample articles and then agreed on the key issues and themes from the collected data. Results The result of this study was presented in a table, which is helpful to compare the articles and interpret the result in an easier way. The main result table contains total 31 articles with the name of the researchers and the publication year. The context and recruitment of the articles differ from each other, which emphasizes the scenario of individual study. The table also displays a list of participants included in the individual research. The methodology section was divided into three parts such as data collection, approach and the characteristics of the interviewer, which is helpful to assess, whether the collected data were biased or not. Besides, the limitations were also discussed by the researchers. The conclusion drawn from the result was presented in a paragraph as well as in a precise manner to attract the attention of the readers. From the research, they concluded that the methodologically pragmatic studies are continuously improving the understanding of the issue (the experience of obesity). It is found that obesity could be considered as the "deep-rooted deep rooted psycho-social phenomenon," which is now epidemic in most of the society but not addressed properly by the researchers. Therefore, the implication of qualitative research on obesity stigma is not very clear. Most of the researchers in previous studies failed to put weight on the consideration of the sampling biases, particularly, which involve a large number of sample sizes. The researchers from previous studies did not reveal the true identity of the participants. Most of the researchers failed to provide clearer information about the participants such as socio-economic background and their medical history. The research methodology used in this research is very significant since, this methodology is easy to follow by the learners; however, new researchers may not feel comfortable to use this method in future research since this method is very time-consuming. After reviewing the research paper, it can be said that all important outcomes are considered by the researchers such as individual participants, policy maker, family as well as the wider community. Although the research paper does not contain any recommendation part, the researchers mentioned their valuable suggestions in their conclusion that can improve the qualitative study based on obesity in worldwide. Conclusion: The studies included in this research study are of variable quality. Although, it is also found that the researchers focused on the methods used to address the impact of obesity stigma, the researchers did not address the increasing problem of obesity in the society. Therefore, the implication of a qualitative research of obesity stigma is not very clear. The researchers need to undertake the sampling bias of the previous research papers, particularly those, which have large sample size. Consideration of other sample sizes could be helpful to enhance the quality of this paper. References Arora, T., Hosseini-Araghi, M., Bishop, J., Yao, G., Thomas, G. and Taheri, S. (2012). The complexity of obesity in UK adolescents: relationships with quantity and type of technology, sleep duration and quality, academic performance and aspiration.Pediatric Obesity, [online] 8(5), pp.358-366. Available at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.2047-6310.2012.00119.x/full [Accessed 6 Mar. 2016]. Brown, I. and Gould, J. (2013). Qualitative studies of obesity: A review of methodology. Health, [online] 05(08), pp.69-80. Available at: https://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?paperID=36211 [Accessed 4 Mar. 2016]. Heslehurst, N., Rankin, J., Wilkinson, J. and Summerbell, C. (2009). A nationally representative study of maternal obesity in England, UK: trends in incidence and demographic inequalities in 619 323 births, 19892007.Int J ObesRelatMetabDisord, [online] 34(3), pp.420-428. Available at: https://www.nature.com/ijo/journal/v34/n3/full/ijo2009250a.html [Accessed 7 Mar. 2016]. Wang, Y., McPherson, K., Marsh, T., Gortmaker, S. and Brown, M. (2011).Health and economic burden of the projected obesity trends in the USA and the UK. [Online] researchgate.net. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Tim_Marsh/publication/51600791_Health_and_economic_burden_of_the_projected_obesity_trends_in_the_USA_and_the_UK/links/0912f510a8549e2e47000000.pdf [Accessed 6 Mar. 2016].

The Geneva Convention

Waorani

Waorani There are many different reason why a person may act aggressively towards other human being. The person may act this way because of his background or the way he/she was brought up in life. A person does not; act this way based on natural feeling alone. Is more like a melded, learned behavior. A human being must have both environmental and instinctual factors in order to show aggression. Some of a person's natural instincts are to desire food, reject some things, escape from danger, fight in a dangerous situations or when challenged. As well also sex desire, care for the young, control, and to accept substandard status. This combination of both instincts and environment determines a person's behavior and actions throughout life. This is based on the theory that everything human beings do would have to be learned from other human beings. Aggression must be learned as we grow.English: ubuntu for human beingsIt is not just simply there from the moment of birth. A person behavior is somet hing that is taught to him rather than being an unmanageable instinct. For example, a newborn baby is breathing because it is an uncontrolled reaction. But on the other hand, a father may tell his young son to beat up the ant hill just to gain hunting expirence. As a result, the boy is dealing with the situation by using violence.I would consider this book an absolute "must read" for anyone interested in human violence. The Waorani were perhaps the most violent people on earth until peace was brokered by missionaries. The y were the terror of their neighbors, but they also killed each other; peace may have saved them from self-destruction. The Robarcheks had previously studied the Semai Senoi of Malaysia, who lived in a similar wayby shifting cultivation in tropical rainforestbut were...

One or Two continuing effects of slavery on our culture Essay

One or Two continuing effects of slavery on our culture - Essay Example The objective of this paper is to discern the nature of the damage and destruction, the particular institutions, persons, practices and policies that contributed to the lingering effects of slavery. The degree of the harm and its continuing effects is broad and includes most, if not all, of American society and its government. Just as white Americans have benefited from education, life experiences, and wealth that were handed down to them by their ancestors, so too have African Americans been harmed by the institution of slavery. The fruits of their labor were stolen from them; their African culture, heritage, family, language and religion were denied from them; their self-identity and self-worth were destroyed by repression and hatred. Sociologist Glenn C. Loury noted that "The severity of slavery's injury is far more profound than any cash transfer will be able to reverse." Furthermore, Loury has written of the immense task of how "teasing out underlying implications across the centuries of procedural violations" is difficult. Giving "compensation for identifiable historical wrongs" for specific individual actions may be possible; a procedural account "cannot possibly work for broad social violations..." Throughout the Americas, work impos... Giving "compensation for identifiable historical wrongs" for specific individual actions may be possible; a procedural account "cannot possibly work for broad social violations..." Throughout the Americas, work imposed as punishment for entire groups and generations of peoples were nearly all of their waking hours in furnishing the conveniences, caprices and luxuries of a diverse metropolitan (Paupp, 2003). The new urban poverty housed so many African-Americans who are still locked in segregated areas that are less favorable to employment and employment preparation than other areas of the city, where weak formal employment networks lead toward greater social isolation and exclusion, there exist a corresponding decline and reduction in their chances for acquiring human capital skill and adequate educational training. Most urban and labor economists learned the fact that employment in manufacturing has diminished in central cities, particularly in the Northeast and Midwest. Strong connection of poverty and unemployment is the major significance of this trend for African-Americans. The federal government withholds mortgage capital and makes it hard for urban areas to retain or attract families able to purchase their own home, manipulates market incentives which draws middle-class whites into the suburbs and, in effect, trapping blacks in the inner cities. Some government policies are also causal factors in the height of unemployment rate in the inner cities and other underlying areas, directly and indirectly. The distinction from central business districts, the uprooting of many black communities by urban renewal and forced migration, the displacement of many poor people from their homes to accommodate highway

Final project proposal Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Final project proposal - Assignment Example al., p13). Internationalization theory postulates that production by one company as opposed to many companies is much beneficial and this is one of the major reasons why most company would rather extend its operations to different location (internationationalization). (Bayraktutan& Yusuf, 23) In providing accounts why internationalization has survived in unlikely environment, suggests that technological transfer among the Multinational Corporations has played a key role in that, most of the developing countries are not able to access modern technologies that are associated with large production. This makes it possible for the Multinational Enterprises (MNE) to get access to such developing nations because of their financial muscles. The objective will be followed by the inquiry which deals with the question of how these companies should behave in terms of entry mode, subsidiaries, activities performed. The paper especially has the purpose of assessing how Multinational Enterprises deal with uncertainty once the decision of establishing an FDI has been reached. Casillias, J./ Moreno, A./ Acedo, F./ Gallego, M./ Ramos, E. (2009): An integrative Model of The Role of Knowledge in The Internationalization Process, in: Journal of World Business, 2009-07, Volume 44, Issue 3, pp.

An interesting product development process. Discuss what kind of Essay

An interesting product development process. Discuss what kind of product they are developing (e.g. technology push, high risk, e - Essay Example The product development process of Apple has been a mystery to many. Adam Lashinsky seeks to demystify Apple in his book, Inside Apple: How America’s most admired and secretive company really works. All Apple’s products are developed using this process: a) Design of the Product Each product at Apple is developed first and foremost from its design. The company lays a lot of emphasis on the designs of its product and the designers assigned to work on the design of each product must conform to the company’s vision. The designers at Apple are highly regarded by the company’s management because the firm is highly critical to the design of the products it brings to the market (Lashinsky, 2012). This is in contrast to other rival companies who leave the design aspect of their products to the manufacturing departments. For Apple, there is no limit as to the amount of resources that its designers can use; the designers have no contact with the finance departments a nd have unlimited resources at their disposal. The company’s design studio, where all Apple products are first generated, is only accessible to a handful of employees so as to keep the new product designs in secret. b) Formation of Start-up If the company decides to go forward with a product, it organizes a team that is separated from the rest of the company using secrecy agreements or even physical barriers. The teams working on specifically sensitive new products are segregated in their own section of the building that is locked to limit entry of unauthorized personnel (Lashinsky, 2012). The formation of this start-up is to ensure focus of the team only in the development of the product and taking it to market. The team is only responsible to the executive arm of the company so that it is freed from the laid down organizational structure. c) New Product Process After the onset of the design development process, Apple structures the whole development process in a document th at outlines the steps that will be undertaken in detail (Lashinsky, 2012). The blueprint of the development of the product is laid down including those responsible for each stage of the process, who will work on what stage and the estimated time of completion of the whole process. d) Product Review At any given time Apple has very few products that it has in production, this is to ensure that the company focusses on the development of high quality products. The executive team keeps tabs on the development process of each product by reviewing the progress of each team. The reviews are conducted every Monday and in case a product does not get a review, it is pushed to the next Monday for a review (Lashinsky, 2012). This ensures that no product stays for more than two weeks before a key decision is made on its development process. e) Bringing to Fruition Apple assigns two people to ensure that the product is brought to fruition once its production commences; the EPM and the GSM i.e. en gineering program manager and global supply manager respectively. The program manager is very powerful and is nicknamed the ‘EPM Mafia’ due to the total control possessed in the product development process (Lashinsky, 2012). The company produces its products in China due to the lower overhead costs incurred in relation to America. Both the EPM and GSM are positions held

Monolingual and bilingual childre

Monolingual and bilingual childre Developmental differences between monolingual and bilingual children The first language acquisition of infants is an astonishing and remarkable phenomenon on its own. It is unbelievable what knowledge these children can acquire in such a short period. There are certain cases, however, when these infants were born into bilingual families: that is, families where parents speak different languages. Bilingual children, thus, are the ones who need to acquire two languages simultaneously, studying both their mothers and their fathers mother tongues. This research aims to discover what developmental differences there are between monolingual and bilingual infants (if there are any) and what difficulties children have acquiring two different languages at the same time. The first major difference between the two sides (apart from the amount of information they have to obtain) lays on the systemization of knowledge. Monolingual infants need to treat the sounds and expressions they hear as part of one united system. In contrast, bilingual infants need not only create a system between the things they are hearing and what they refer to, but they even need to separate and pigeonhole them into two different language systems. This is called Language Discrimination and is a common phenomenon for all bilinguals. Although in bilingual families, language teaching usually occurs in a one-person-one-language context (that is, each parent represents one language only in front of the child), there are several situations when a neutral (previously unknown) person is talking to the infant. This can be the most difficult for the child, as they need to find the proper communicational channel without the familiar face, sound etc. of the parents, which they usually connect the given language to. This can be said to be the first major difference between bilingual and monolingual infants. Not only need bilinguals learn twice as many words and structures as one-language children do, they also need to separate the inputs into two different systems. There is another difficulty, with which monolinguals do not need to deal and that is Code Mixing. Code Mixing is the use of elements (phonological, lexical, morphosyntactic) from two languages in the same utterance or stretch of conversation. It can occur within an utterance (intra-utterance mixing-e.g., see cheval [horse]) or between utterances (inter-utterance mixing) (Genesee Nicoladis, 2007). This phenomenon is prevalent and typical for bilinguals, not only while they are children, but also among grown-ups. In case of infants, code-mixing can usually appear in the form of gap-filling. This means that, while they are speaking in one of their native languages, they substitute certain words or phrases from the other language of theirs. This can be the result of incomplete language knowledge; but it can also derive from the fact that a given word does not come to the childs mind and they substitute it for avoiding communicational breakdown. Code-mixing is based on the context-sensitivity of children; this means that depending on whom they are talking to they use one of their languages as dominant and only borrow inputs from the other system. (This can depend on which parent they are speaking with, for instance.) Since monolingual children have no other systems from which they can borrow resources, this phenomenon is not known for them; thus, only bilinguals face them. The appearance of the first words is at about the same age by mono- and bilingual children alike. They occur at the age of 12 or 13 months. Further vocabulary acquisition (first nouns, verbs, expressions etc.) also come more or less at the same time. However, there is a major difference between the two groups. When monolingual children learn a new word or expression, they connect it to a new referent. As opposed to this, bilingual children have more than one word for everything, thus, the new name does not necessarily comes with a new referent for them. As a result, bilinguals total vocabulary size (total number of words) is different from their total conceptual vocabulary (the total number of nameable concepts). It remains unclear which of these measures is most comparable to simple vocabulary size measured in monolingual infants. (Werker Byers-Heinlein, 2008) This way or another, this is the reason why it is so difficult to contrast their vocabulary and word learning process. Apart from the previously mentioned aspects, we need to cover two more important areas and these are childrens communicative competence and learning flexibility. There are certain problems which are relevant to monolingual and bilingual children equally: production of target-like language forms that are comprehensible to others; getting ones meaning across when language acquisition is incomplete; and use of language in socially appropriate ways (Genesee Nicoladis, 2007). Nevertheless, bilinguals also have to cope with the difficulties of conjugating a given situation with one of their languages, raising further hardships for them. As for learning flexibility, one would assume that bilinguals learn much slower as they need to achieve more language knowledge during the same time. However, research by à gnes Melinda Kovà ¡cs and Jacques Mehler (2009) proved that [t]welve-month-old preverbal bilingual infants [] seem to be more flexible learners of multiple structural regularities than monolinguals. Therefore, the fact that they will later speak two native languages comes with a further advantage that they are (more) able to study two different things simultaneously. Altogether, we can see that beside the similarities, monolingual and bilingual children have several differences, as well. The acquisition of two languages comes along with further difficulties apart from the amount of knowledge they need to achieve such as categorisation hardships, code-mixing and so on. Nevertheless, the process of acquiring two languages needs approximately the same amount of time as learning only one first language. First words and first expressions all appear at about the same age by both groups. In addition to these, beside the later advantages of knowing two languages, the developed learning flexibility of bilinguals will help these children in their later studies as well. References: Genesee, F., Nicoladis, E. (2007). Bilingual first language acquisition. In E. Hoff M. Shatz (Eds.), Handbook of Language Development (pp. 324-342). Oxford, England: Blackwell. Kovacs, à . M., Mehler, J. (2009). Flexible Learning of Multiple Speech Structures in Bilingual Infants. Science, 325. doi:10.1126/science.1173947 Werker, J. F., Byers-Heinlein, K. (2008). Bilingualism in infancy: First steps in perception and comprehension [Electronic version]. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 12(4), 144-151.

The Rash Romeo in Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet Essay -- William Shake

The Rash Romeo in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet In the play Romeo and Juliet, Romeo’s actions are rash throughout the play. For example, Romeo does not consider the consequences of his actions when he insists on marrying Juliet. Also, Romeo shows rashness when he kills Tybalt. Finally, Romeo is rash when he kills himself. Rashness is a quality that haunts Romeo throughout the play. One of Romeo’s acts that shows his rashness is his marrying Juliet. After Juliet says that she does not want to marry Romeo, he persists and says that he wants â€Å"Th’ exchange of thy love’s faithful vow for mine† (2.2.134). Romeo does not consider the consequences of their marriage. He simply wants his wish fulfilled. He is rash because he wants to rush into a marriage for which he is not ready. Romeo’s rashness persists throughout the play and leads to his downfall. Another example of Romeo’s rash personality is when he kills Tybalt. Romeo’s family is told that if they fight with the Capulet family, they will be killed. Tybalt of the Capulet family fights with Mercut...

Cell phones Essay

Every time a person answers his/hers cell phone, their safety and the safety of others around them are being greatly jeopardized. Cell Phones today pose a major risk to the human body and civilian population. When cell phones heat up they emit radiation that known to increase the chances of someone getting cancer. Besides cancer, other medical complications; such as, arthritis and damaged sleep have increased thought the use of cellular devices. Not only do cell phones cause medical problems, but they also pose a huge security threat with personal information being easily stolen. Overall, the safety of humans is being compromised by the use of the seemingly harmless device, cell phones. Many doctors and scientists are claiming that cell phones are causing medical complications. For instance, the National Cancer Institute states, â€Å"Cell phones emit radiofrequency energy, a from of non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation, which can be absorbed by tissues closest to where the phones is held† (â€Å"Cell Phones and Cancer Risk†). What this is basically saying, is that the radiation being put out from the cell phones are damaging vital tissues, which is known to increase the risk of cancer. This links back to the main idea of the overall safety of humans, showing that cell phones do cause a serious risk factor to the human body. Another common concern with cell phones is the theory that texting can cause arthritis; â€Å"Repetitive motion can cause pain and inflammation of the basal joint. It can even lead to thumb arthritis† (Eustice). The article confirms that the constant motion of the thumbs can indeed cause arthritis. The safety of the consumer is being compromised when a popular means of communication; such as texting, can lead to a major medical complication. Recent studies show that headaches are increasing tremendously due to cell phones: â€Å"Radiation from mobile phones damages sleep and cause headaches, according to a study by telephone makers† (carter). In this study, researchers found an increasing amount of headaches were occurring with people who use cell phones regularly; opposed to people who rarely use them or don’t use them at all. An increase in headaches is very dangerous to the safety of the human body and can be a gateway to many other complications down the road. After an extensive amount of research, doctors and scientists have found that cell phones do cause medical issues to the human body. Cell phones security is a fairly new issue brought up by a numerous amount of concerned citizens, with the fear that their safety is being jeopardized. As technology increases, more and more people are resorting to devices, such as cell phones, to get them thought the day: â€Å"The more people rely on cell phones and tablets, the more attractive these devices become as targets to thieves and other nefarious types† (Gahran). With all of these devices being used constantly, crooks can easily retrieve the personal information any personal information any person puts out there through the devices they are using. This has become a huge safety issue due to the fact that private information is being stolen from people who expect their information on their cell phones to be safe and secure. A man was shown an application on his cell phone that could link up to other people’s cell phones: â€Å"’It made all the contacts start jumping over to this phone,’ said Gooden† (Kridler). Gooden explained that the application he was shown let him easily access his wife’s phone contacts. His friend that introduced this application to Gooden then went to explain that hackers usually take the contact information and dial premium-rate numbers. The safety of the people who are in others contact information is being compromised when they have result in paying a fee for â€Å"calling† these premium-rate numbers because of someone else stealing their numbers. Boktah, an expert security hacker, states â€Å"Most people have no idea how vulnerable they are when they use their cellphones† (Murphy). Bokath’s job is to hack into cell phones to find and express all of the flaws in the devices, thus demonstrating how easy it is for a hacker to do the same. With all the scamming going on, consumers need to be aware of what they do on their cell phones to protect themselves, as well as the safety of others. Safety from personal information being stolen by hackers happens to be key concern to numerous amounts of people; this way people will not be liable for paying fees or having their identity stolen. Cell phones safety is a key concern, which the vast majority of users brood over. Cellular devices have been known to cause cancer; as well as, an increasing amount of medical problems. Some of these problems are arthritis and damaged sleep. Medical complications are not the only concern; a breach in security is another top concern for people. In essence, safety is top priority for humans, and cell phones are compromising that safety.

Free Essays on Ban Smoking

Ban Smoking in Public Places America is a country that’s based on freedom. People have certain rights as citizens, but those rights are limited if they begin to harm others. For example, people have the right to smoke cigarettes if they want to, but when their smoking is harming others, shouldn’t it be against the law? For many years now, there has been many organizations and governments that have reported secondhand smoke is very harmful to nonsmokers (Secondhand 1). About one thousand or more people die annually in Great Britain because of secondhand smoke (Hope 1). Here in America, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that about 3,000 nonsmokers die each year from lung cancer obtained from being exposed to secondhand smoke (Workplace 1). The American Heart Associations says about 35,000 nonsmokers die each year with heart problems associated with secondhand smoke (Haney 1). Between 150,000 and 300,000 children less than 18 months old get pneumonia or bronchitis due to secondha nd smoke each year (The Truth 1). These numbers are very startling, and there should be something done to try to reduce them. Even after all of the evidence found today, some people still say â€Å"I’m not harming anyone by smoking but myself, so why should you care?† Smoking should be banned all together in public places such as government buildings, stores, restaurants, theaters and workplaces. Health considerations are the number one reason why it should be banned, but banning smoking could also help businesses financially. Restaurants and other places have tried to deal with the smoking issue by assigning certain sections where smoking is allowed and other sections where it is prohibited. All this does is allow people to eat freely without smoke in their face. The smell is still there, the harmful agents are still there, and the workers still have to come directly in contact with it. Also, the tobacco industry has tried to co... Free Essays on Ban Smoking Free Essays on Ban Smoking Ban Smoking in Public Places America is a country that’s based on freedom. People have certain rights as citizens, but those rights are limited if they begin to harm others. For example, people have the right to smoke cigarettes if they want to, but when their smoking is harming others, shouldn’t it be against the law? For many years now, there has been many organizations and governments that have reported secondhand smoke is very harmful to nonsmokers (Secondhand 1). About one thousand or more people die annually in Great Britain because of secondhand smoke (Hope 1). Here in America, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that about 3,000 nonsmokers die each year from lung cancer obtained from being exposed to secondhand smoke (Workplace 1). The American Heart Associations says about 35,000 nonsmokers die each year with heart problems associated with secondhand smoke (Haney 1). Between 150,000 and 300,000 children less than 18 months old get pneumonia or bronchitis due to secondha nd smoke each year (The Truth 1). These numbers are very startling, and there should be something done to try to reduce them. Even after all of the evidence found today, some people still say â€Å"I’m not harming anyone by smoking but myself, so why should you care?† Smoking should be banned all together in public places such as government buildings, stores, restaurants, theaters and workplaces. Health considerations are the number one reason why it should be banned, but banning smoking could also help businesses financially. Restaurants and other places have tried to deal with the smoking issue by assigning certain sections where smoking is allowed and other sections where it is prohibited. All this does is allow people to eat freely without smoke in their face. The smell is still there, the harmful agents are still there, and the workers still have to come directly in contact with it. Also, the tobacco industry has tried to co...

History Of An Ethical Dilemma Social Work Essay Essay Example

History Of An Ethical Dilemma Social Work Essay Essay Example History Of An Ethical Dilemma Social Work Essay Essay History Of An Ethical Dilemma Social Work Essay Essay I would be lying to Raj and bewraying her trust and their relationship is this information was disclosed to a 3rd party ( Welfel, 2006 ) . However, while in instances of kid protection informed consent is non required due to holding a statutory responsibility to describe, I can be honorable and unfastened with Raj about what I plan on making to guarantee congruity and keep the curative relationship. There are many possible struggles between ethical rules and the jurisprudence. The jurisprudence states confidentiality must be abided so long as no 1 is at injury, nevertheless the BACP ethical rules of justness and self-respect guarantee that non merely does the professional consider the clients best involvement, without doing injury to themselves. However, by adhering to confidentiality about something I am morally against I would non be suitably using the ethical rules as entitlements for myself. While I have a chief duty to maintain Raj from injury, I besides must see the Aarons right for safety. While Raj has a human right to pick, I have an ethical and professional duty to guarantee I provide Raj with necessary information to guarantee the determination made is the best possible determination for Raj and Aaron and would do the least injury. By go toing clinical supervising and line direction supervising I will be able to have counsel on covering with quandary, derive a differing position on the state of affairs. Reflection will besides assist me understand the state of affairs more clearly. Fidelity I have established an effectual remedy relationship based on trust, congruity, safety, UPR and heat with Raj. It would be untrusty of me to transgress confidentiality as Raj trusts me. However as I am required by the BACP and administration to describe kid protection, I will necessitate to be honest with Raj and explain that I will necessitate to describe the incident nevertheless it would be better if she gave her consent and explicating why this affair needs to be reported. Autonomy Throughout the guidance procedure, I have valued Raj s liberty through pick and offering power to do determinations within therapy. I must esteem her determination by maintaining her stuff confidential and her right to be autonomous and do picks independently without hinderance ( Gillon, 1985 ) . However by assisting Raj see the state of affairs and effects exhaustively, through all positions, she will be able to do an informed determination. By deriving informed consent I will be staying by BACP guidelines every bit good as esteeming my client s right to pick and accurate information and being client-centred. By explicating my ethical duties in the catching procedure and repeating this and my demands in safeguarding kids when Raj made the revelation, I am informing her of foreseeable struggles every bit shortly as possible. Beneficence Raj is vulnerable, baffled, frightened and hard-pressed, therefore is it non certain if she is able to recognize her best involvement. She may non be moving rationally due to her fright of her ex-husband and concern over her boy. By explicating why it would be in her best involvements and Aarons best involvements to unwrap child maltreatment, I am demoing a committedness to advancing her wellbeing every bit good as being concrete and honest. Non-maleficence The action that would do the least sum of injury to Raj is to do the safeguarding qui vive without unwraping where I gained the information. While this will restrict the action societal services can take against her hubby and to protect her boy, it will guarantee that her hubby will non happen out that she or Aaron disclosed the maltreatment. If I was to non do the safeguarding qui vive, Raj would stay hard-pressed and fearing for her boy s safety which would do her farther emotional injury. Justice Raj has human rights to freedom and pick over her determination and the support she receives and the right to esteem for private and household life, nevertheless she and Aaron have a right to prohibition of anguish. The fairest determination for both Raj and Aaron is to do the safeguarding qui vive with informed consent. By honoring her right to information I am being fair by helping her to do an informed determination. I am besides being just to myself in staying by BACP moralss, the jurisprudence and organizational policies. Self-Respect I am being asked to travel against my ain beliefs and ethical motives every bit good statutory jurisprudence and BACP ethical guidelines, therefore conflicting with my right to beneficence, liberty, non-maleficence, justness and my human rights. BACP province informed consent should be sought before transgressing confidentiality, nevertheless the administrations policies province that clients do non necessitate to be informed when transgressing confidentiality for kid protection affairs, which would be dishonest of me and impact the curative relationship. This causes struggles within what is being asked of me, professionally, ethically, lawfully and morally what I feel is right. To work through these struggles I attended clinical supervising and discussed the quandary with my line director. Possible Courses of Action As a member of the BACP I am required to keep assurance at Raj s petition. By supplying a principle as to why confidentiality needs to be breached, I could work within the boundaries of my occupation and BACP ethical guidelines by assisting Raj to understand that this revelation would help in guaranting Aarons safety in the hereafter as processs would be put into topographic point to forestall farther injury to Aaron and a safety program can be formed to guarantee Raj is safe from injury from her ex-husband. I could explicate to her that when I make the revelation to societal services, I do nt hold to unwrap her personal inside informations and she can stay anon. therefore her ex-husband will non cognize that she has reported the incident. I can besides explicate to societal services that Aaron is at hazard of farther injury so processs will be put into topographic point to protect him should the incident be investigated. This will hopefully set Raj at easiness. Raj would necessitate to give written informed consent for me to portion her information with a 3rd party ( Welfel, 2006 ) , supplying she is to the full informed of all the facts to do that pick ( Gerch and Dhomhnaill ( 2005 ) . This would guarantee I am staying by the Data Protection Act ( 1998 ) . By giving a principle, offering a different position and accurate and necessary information, Raj will be able to do an informed determination. Raj is more likely to give me informed consent to do the revelation if I show her that she can swear me to see her best involvements and guarantee her safety every bit far as possible. I will let Raj clip to do up her head, and inquire inquiries to guarantee she does non experience pressured ( McLeod, 2010 ) . The other option is to transgress confidentiality without Raj s consent as a kid is at hazard of injury. This would intend the revelation could be made Oklahoman as I would non necessitate to talk to Raj therefore action to guarantee Aaron s safety could be taken Oklahoman. However, in making so I will damage the curative relationship, interrupting her trust and doing more psychological injury as she I would so be another individual in her life whom she trusted but allow her down, which will so do her more vulnerable and do trust issues within future relationships. Furthermore, Raj could take legal action against me or the administration ( Jenkins, 2007 ) . By taking this class of action I will be traveling against BACP ethical guidelines, the administrations ethos and my ain values and ethical motives as an integrative practician every bit good as safeguarding statute laws. To guarantee Raj s safety I still could maintain Raj s personal inside informations confidential when doing th e safeguarding qui vive. Course of Action Having referred to the Children s Act ( 1989, 2004 ) and it s back uping counsel for safeguarding kids ( HM Government, 2006, 2010 ) . I will explicate to Raj that due to ethical guidelines, the administrations policies sing kid protection and statutory and common jurisprudence every bit good as my moral responsibility of attention towards Aaron, I need to transgress confidentiality as stated in the guidance contract. I will explicate to her that this safeguarding qui vive will help in guaranting her boy s safety in the hereafter as there will be a record made and that societal services will make whatever they can to forestall farther injury to Aaron. I will explicate to Raj that when I raise this qui vive to societal services, if she prefers, I will non unwrap her personal inside informations, I will keep her namelessness in conformity to the information protection act ( 1998 ) ( Jenkins, 2007 ) and I will non unwrap where I got this information from therefore her hubby will non cog nize that she has reported the incident. However I will besides explicate to Raj that should she give me permission to unwrap where I got this information from it will be farther aid as the more grounds I can supply, the better opportunity there is of societal services moving upon the revelation. I will explicate that this is wholly her pick and I will esteem whatever determination she make, but I am professionally, ethically and lawfully required to transgress confidentiality, therefore enabling her to do an informed pick. Thus Raj would experience more confident and knowing about her determination and she will hold a pick in her determination ( BMAED, 2004, pp. 74 ) , therefore esteeming her liberty and Human Rights ( Bond, 2010 ) . I will besides explicate that due to my regard for Raj I would wish her permission to do this revelation and to hold upon what information will be shared every bit good as staying by BACP guidelines and the jurisprudence. By explicating to Raj why this action must be taken, how I will guarantee her and Aarons safety is maintained every bit much as possible and explicating each measure I will take and the information to be shared, I am demoing Raj that I value her and her sentiment, I have her best involvements at bosom and that protecting Aaron and keeping her safety is cardinal within the work that I am making. Ultimately I am representing she can swear me and supplying her with a safe environment, free from penalty. By besides offering alternate positions such as explicating the possible effects of non doing the safeguarding qui vive would besides let Raj to do an informed pick ( BACP, 2010 ) . It is of import that I am honest with Raj and that I give her the necessary information as this would represent fidelity, client liberty, regard, and equality. I will reassure Raj that I will back up her, listen to her and that as an Asiatic counselor I can understand her concerns sing household honor and confidentiality therefore I will keep her namelessness it she feels that it what she wants to make. By taking this class of action I show that I have considered catholicity, promotion and justness ( Bond, 2010, Gabriel and Casemore, 2010 ) and the ethical, legal and professional deductions, whereby I am staying by the BACP ethical model, the administrations policies on kid protection and statutory jurisprudence sing informations protection, confidentiality, and kid protection and safeguarding vulnerable grownups. Furthermore, I have considered the effects of this action within supervising, sing the consequence on the curative relationship, my ain rights and legal deductions if informed consent is non sought. Evaluation of the result The result was that after the 4th session, with informed consent I made a safeguarding qui vive whilst besides keeping Raj s namelessness, which led to societal services look intoing on Aaron and a record being made. Raj attended a farther where she reflected upon her curative advancement, her self-esteem and shared her determination to use for exclusive detention of Aaron. I would take this action once more for other clients and feel I made the right determination as I was honest, gave the necessary information, respected Raj s liberty, beneficence, maleficence and ensured that the determination was just for everyone involved, prevented farther injury to Raj, Aaron and abided by ethical and legal guidelines ( Bond, 2010, Gabriel and Casemore, 2010 ) . Furthermore, I considered the client s civilization and presenting issues which were relevant to guaranting her safety. Over all, I promoted the clients well-being and protected her from injury. Curative Relationship When clients are able to see us as truly concerned for them, that we are non seting on a professional facade, they will experience safe with us because we are dependable ( Merry, 2002 ) . By being honest about what I was meaning to make and explicating I was congruous yet mindful of the client s frame of mention and experience I highlighted I was sincere in offering aid. Beyond the physical cicatrixs, domestic force has profound effects on a adult females s dignity. Lewis ( 2003 ) stated an abused adult female needs to recover power and control over her life by doing independent picks and determinations. Carl Rogers ( 1951 ) highlighted that we all have the capacity to be to the full working if our power is given acknowledgment. Through a client centred attack based on regard, credence and pick, I helped Raj to recognize her worth and power within the curative relationship and therefore authorising her. Roger s nucleus conditions ( 1951 ) promote adult females to develop power from inside them in order to achieve improved self-awareness and to take control. Therefore by leting Raj to take control over what was go oning in therapy, I was assisting her become independent, and take control over the picks she wanted in life, whilst besides protecting her from injury and understanding her cultural demands through empathy and UPR. The addition in self-este em would enable farther self-awareness, which would subsequently assist accomplish successful therapy outcomes from alterations in personality and behavior ( Rogers, 1951 ) . These points highlight that I had provided a good quality of attention and maintained a good curative relationship ( BACP, 2010 ) . It must be considered, it is due to the effectual relationship that Raj felt comfy to do the revelation and through offering her power and liberty and being honest, she felt comfy with giving her consent as I was able to represent that her and Aaron s safety was paramount.

Choose a Technology that you think should be improved or developed Essay

Choose a Technology that you think should be improved or developed - Essay Example This later saw other manufactures come in to the field of designing better vehicles rather than a horse drawn carriage which was fitted with engine. It was until the year 2005 that the USA led the world in total automobile production. Before the great depression in 1929, the whole world is known to have had approximately 32m automobiles in operation whereby, the US contributed to 90% of this total production. (Bajaria, 2001). An automobile is a wheeled motor vehicle whose role is to transport passengers and goods from one point to another which carries its own engine. We cannot fail to mention the role which these automobiles have played towards the growth of our economies. In the field of transport, goods and services can be transported from one region to another. Trade has been enabled here between countries since goods are exported and also imported hence customers are in a position to enjoy a wide variety of products in the market. Basically, automobiles are designed to run on roads, most of them have more than one wheels, and have seats for passengers to sit on. This is one of the advanced technologies so far. This is because, you find that it is out of the introduction of these cars then that people are in a position to move from one town to another and even from one country to another. This technology has many advantages than its disadvantages though it can also be improved. Most of these vehicles move on roads and our argument here will be based on the cars which move on roads. (Bajaria, 2001). Around the whole world, there are approximately 807 million light trucks and cars in our roads. This was out of a research which was carried in a sample of countries around the world in the year 2007 which were consuming over 260 billion US gallons of diesel and gasoline fuel around the year. The table below show how important this technology has been. In India, the table below shows

Critical Summary for Meilaender's Why Remember Essay

Critical Summary for Meilaender's Why Remember - Essay Example The main reason why Leonard cannot remember is that he once sustained a blow on his head from an intruder who raped and killed the wife. Form the onset, Leonard is trying to recollect all that had happened to the wife so that he could identify this intruder, and subsequently plan for revenge. As the movie unfolds, Leonard is presented as a person who is working on unproductive events. Why is it claimed that he could not remember what happen, but he is planning for a revenge of what a happen. Actually, he wants to kill the intruder who caused him his state of the brain and wife. To this extent, it may be proper to claim that the writer of the script, once Gilbert Meilaender is writing or representing on something or an ideal that is affecting the society, but the society has adamantly refused to solve the situation. Leonard remembers to forget; that is he gets a hint of what actually happened but forgets the same after sometimes. Thereafter, Leonard opted to an option of taking snaps and jotting note behind each snap. He latter remembers that he could actually note that the intruder had some tattoos on his body. This leads him to his search; nonetheless, he is couscous not to be manipulated and used by other people to kill people who may be barriers on their way. Whatever Leonard is couscous of is what is actually taking place in the entire movie after this realization (Meilaender 01). The movie is quite an irony, how could a person undertake what he is wholly unfamiliar or rather illiterate. Even if, Leonard may finally manage to avenge the death of his wife with his slim knowledge about the events of that fateful day when he lost the wife and developed memory lapse, he would be in a never-ending search for this intruder. The entire puzzle seems to be giving Leonard a sense of depression as he digs into relevant information about his enemy. The recurring nature of Leonard’s state of mind makes a little bit difficult to summarize the movie. The puzzle is that the viewer is ever in the states of not knowing, as this is the same state Leonard is at, at all time. However, the viewer may be experiencing just a little of what may be the contemporary state of events in the world (Meilaender 01). The massage that may be picked from the movie is the concern of the scriptwriter who seems to be wondering if the humanity can make sense to the world if it lacks the capacity of forming new memories and connecting the same with an older one for continuity. On an everyday basis, Leonard wakes up in full knowledge of the death of the wife. Despite of this reality, Leonard is still unable to remember the duration that has happened. Addition, it may be true to say that at certain moments the depression and the pathos he is undergoing cannot even organize events in his life coherently because to him everything is always a discovery. He once claimed that he could not heal if he could not even feel time (Meilaender 01). The movie can actually draw one i nto a reflection of a place in memory in the human sense that deals with self, especially the self-sense that deals with a meaningful construction of life. As one analyzes, Leonard’s situation, particularly the desperation he is undergoing, it is apparent the human memory is a vital or central organ in organizing an individual by creating the understanding of the meaning of life to human beings. Moreover, there are several wanting situations that Leonard underwent that need deeper

Rice Industry in Burma during Colonialism Essay - 1

Rice Industry in Burma during Colonialism - Essay Example Private merchant companies served as the instrument of expansion – these were the English East-Indian company (1600) and the Dutch East-Indian company (1602), having gained monopolistic rights from their governments to have trade relations with Asian countries. By the middle of the 16th century, Portuguese have been almost pushed away from their Asian possessions, while the English and the Dutch became masters of the biggest territory of Southern and Eastern Asia. (Wilson) 'Asian countries have always been known as the main producers and exporters of rice and during the colonial era Burma became the main world center of cultivation and exporting rice.' (Frank, 2002, p. 261) At the beginning of the 19th century Burma attracted the English not only by its strategic location, but by its raw materials, and the abundance of rice and teak. After the second English – Burma war of 1852-53, the English gained the control on the Lower Burma, which was hardly populated at the time, and only 5% of the land, suitable for cultivation, was used for agriculture. This very region was going to become the new granary of the whole Burma, and thus, a big economic center. (Frank, 2002, p. 259)

7- eleven supply chian Essay Example for Free

7- eleven supply chian Essay Jim Keyes, the 4-year veteran CEO of 7-Eleven, is flying his Beechcraft A36 Bonanza. He is ascending to 10,000 feet, and despite the good weather he remains vigilantly focused on the instrument panel, and on the bright skies around him. â€Å"Flying is a great distraction,† he says. â€Å"You can’t think about anything else when you’re in the cockpit.† It is May 2004, and Keyes has a lot to think about. Since 2000, he has been leading a successful transformation of 7-Eleven, the global convenience store retailer with 5,784 stores operating across the United States and Canada and 19,501 international stores in 17 countries. (See Exhibit 1 for a biography of Keyes.) Focusing on what he calls â€Å"Retailer Initiative,† Keyes has overseen the transformation of the company’s distribution model, the steady redefinition of relationships with key suppliers, and the incorporation of technology and data-driven decisionmaking throughout the chain. Overall, he is pleased with the successes of his strategies. Earnings have been rising, up 15.6 percent during 2003.1 Same-store merchandise sales have increased for 29 consecutive quarters through the end of 2003. As a result, the company’s stock price grew from $9.14 in April 2002 to $16.91 two years later. (See Exhibits 2 to 5 for company financials and stock price history.) â€Å"We’ve had quite a rebirth of the company,† Keyes says, â€Å"but it’s been a slow, steady rebuilding of the company, basically reinventing ourselves.†3 Despite his many successes, Keyes continues to confront large challenges. He faces strong resistance from some of his largest suppliers to 7-Eleven’s evolving re-stocking and distribution systems. He also worries about people management issues: hiring and managing a workforce in the low-paid convenience store business; and working with franchisees to ensure implementation of key corporate initiatives. In addition, Keyes must manage the chain’s increasing international expansion and its efforts to reposition the 7-Eleven brand in the highly fragmented domestic convenience store industry. This case was prepared in May 2004 by Eleanor Broad (MBA ’05), Paul Kihn (MBA ’04) and Steven Schneider (MBA ’04) under the supervision of Professor Alan Kane as the basis for class discussion, rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a strategic situation. Copyright  © 2004 Columbia Business School. 1 Keyes levels off at his cruising altitude. Despite the clarity of the day, he feels some turbulence and wonders what corrective action he should take. Convenience Store Industry The convenience store industry represented approximately $290.6 billion in total sales in 2002, 62.4 percent of which were motor-fuels sales.4 The industry differentiates itself through convenience – of location and product offerings – and speed of service.5 Historically the industry has been highly fragmented and very competitive with low barriers to entry. Single store companies account for 60 percent of the 132,000 convenience stores across the U.S.6 There are also 100,000 combination convenience-store/gas stations owned by major oil companies which are run by a network of independent dealers and distributors. 7-Eleven, with 4 percent of the total U.S. market, remains the largest corporate entity in the convenience store industry.7 Most of 7-Eleven’s direct competitors are regional convenience store chains. Circle K has 2,000 stores in the South and Southwest, Casey’s General Stores operates 1,800 in the Midwest and The Pantry has 1,400 stores in the Southeast. Inefficient supply chains and â€Å"high-low pricing†8 also characterize the industry, according to Keyes. Stores need to stock very wide but shallow product assortments. For example, an individual store may keep only four bottles of ketchup on hand at any given time. Since 1999 the industry has been undergoing a structural transformation with consolidation occurring through acquisitions and a number of bankruptcies among the smaller regional chains. In December 2003, Circle K was sold to Canada’s largest convenience store chain, Couche Tard. In 2004 the Midwestern chain Hale Halsell, the parent company of Oklahoma based 115-store convenience retailer Git-n-Go, declared bankruptcy. In March 2004, Kansas-based Sav-A-Trip announced it was entering Chapter 11.9 Despite these changes, one-store companies continued to gain market share, up five percent from 2001 to 2002.10 Overall, the convenience store industry was facing increasing challenges. According to an industry report published in May 2003: The convenience store sector is poised for drastic change as players respond to depressed profit margins and intensified competition. Profitability and survival will depend on the ability of convenience store operators to offer value-added benefits to their convenience services, either by targeting the emotional needs of consumers or by adopting niche operating strategies.11 Company Background The 7-Eleven chain was born in 1927 as the Southland Ice Company in Dallas, Texas. From this single location it soon began operating convenience stores under the name Tote’m. In 1946, it changed its store names to 7-Eleven to reflect their new, extended hours of operation from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.12 The chain continued to expand rapidly, adding gas stations to its stores, opening locations across America and franchising overseas. (See Exhibits 6 to 7 for current domestic and international store locations.) In 1983, Southland acquired Citgo, an oil company, in an effort to pursue a vertically integrated strategy with ownership of its own dairy operations and distribution centers. Keyes, who began his career with the company at that time, recalls that the move backfired miserably. â€Å"We were great retailers but terrible refiners and dairy farmers,† he says. In 1987, stymied by debt, the company sold most of its non-retail businesses and its remaining 50 percent stake in Citgo. In 1988 management borrowed heavily to buy 100 percent of Southland’s stock in a leveraged buyout. However, in 1990, Southland defaulted on $1.8 billion in publicly traded debt and filed for bankruptcy protection. The company persuaded bondholders to restructure its debt and take 25 percent of its stock, clearing the way for the purchase of 63 percent of Southland in 1991 by IYG Holding, formed by Ito-Yokado (51 percent owner) and Seven-Eleven Japan (49 percent owner). From 1991 to 1993 sales declined as Southland closed stores, renovated others, and upgraded its merchandise. In early 2000 IYG raised its stake in 7-Eleven to nearly 73 percent. (See Exhibit 8 for 7-Eleven’s Board of Directors.) IYG currently owns or guarantees 80 percent of 7-Eleven’s outstanding debt. The company’s debt to total capital ratio is just above 91%. Also in 1999, the corporation changed its name from the Southland Corporation to 7-Eleven, Inc., in order to better reflect its primary business.13 In 2002 the company closed 133 under-performing stores and opened at 127 new locations in North America. At fiscal year end, 2003, domestic sales at 5,784 stores (2,457 of which also sell gasoline) was $10.8 billion ($3.4 billion in gasoline sales). (See Exhibits 9 and 10 for sales trends.) Interestingly, 7-Eleven’s percentage-of-sales ratios for merchandise (70 percent of sales) and gas (30% of sales) are the inverse of the convenience store industry’s as a whole. Worldwide, the company owned, franchised and licensed 25,796 stores that generated $36.5 billion in sales.14 (See Exhibit 11 for global store count growth.) Company structure There are three types of 7-Eleven stores: corporate, franchised and licensed. The company began franchising in 1964, signed its first United States area licensing agreement in 1968, and entered into its first international licensing agreement (with Mexico) in 1971. Corporate stores are owned and operated by the corporation, and run by store managers who are employees of 7-Eleven, Inc. About 2,480 of the 5,784 stores in the U.S. and Canada fall into this category. Franchises are run by independent contractors who enter into an agreement with 7-Eleven in order to operate one or more stores. 7-Eleven leases or owns the facilities and the store equipment, which are in turn leased by the franchisee. A typical franchisee pays a franchise fee averaging about $66,000, while the corporation retains ownership of the property, plant and equipment. 7-Eleven then requires an initial cash payment, averaging about $83,000 depending on the area, for the starting inventory and supplies.15 In some cases, the company will loan this amount to new franchisees. It is a franchise model, Keyes says, that provides â€Å"the best of both worlds†: the capital and support of the corporation, and the initiative and sweat-equity of individual entrepreneurs. Approximately 3,300 stores in the U.S. and Canada are franchised. 7-Eleven also enters into license agreements with partners, almost exclusively in foreign countries.16 A licensee is typically a retailing organization that owns or leases several 7-Eleven stores in areas where the company does not do business. In these cases, 7-Eleven does not own the PPE, and imposes a set of contractual obligations on the licensee to ensure consistency of signage, store design elements and store offerings. The licensee has access to brand equity and proprietary products. Specifically, 7-Eleven, Inc., grants the license to use the 7-Eleven trademarks, trade dress, and business information system. The company additionally provides ongoing business consulting services for a fee based on a percent of monthly gross sales and a commitment from the licensee to grow the 7-Eleven convenience store business in a specific geographic area on an exclusive basis for a set period of time. At the end of 2003, the company had 19,501 licensed stores operating internationally, an increase of approximately 1,400 locations over the prior year. In August 2003, Seven Eleven Japan, the largest international license holder, opened its 10,000th store. The New 7-Eleven Redefining Retailing In the Spring of 2003, speaking to the Retailing Leadership class at Columbia Business School, Keyes described the transformation in retailing he foresaw at 7-Eleven. â€Å"In the U.S., you say 7Eleven and people think sticky floors, surly salespeople and old product,† says Keyes. â€Å"In Japan where convenience stores sell sushi and pantyhose, 7-Eleven is known for service and for fresh, high quality product.† This vision of the potential for 7-Eleven stores in part drives Keyes’ ideas for change across the company. He continued: Twenty years ago when I was an MBA student at Columbia Business School there was no Retail class nor was Retail considered a worthy profession to go into – that is all changing. Retail is undergoing a massive transformation in the US right now. Retailers are seizing control of their own destiny. Keyes went on to explain how about 15 years ago Wal-Mart was the size of 7-Eleven. Wal-Mart has since grown to be the largest retailer in the world. â€Å"At 7-Eleven we are carrying out our own transformation,† said Keyes. â€Å"We have only just started.† Working with the Japanese owners and borrowing heavily from ideas generated by Seven Eleven Japan, Keyes has been leading a major cultural shift within the company, which he is calling the â€Å"Retailer Initiative.† At the heart of the initiative is 7-Eleven’s use of technology to empower the store operator (the person closest to the customer) to make key decisions. Keyes explains: Wal-Mart is very proud of their replenishment model. Its directly intended to take the thinking out of the store. Ours is exactly the opposite. Its intended to provide easy, funto-use and informative tools in the hands of store personnel. Its a fascinating use of technology. We become incredibly nimble. We can put a new product on the shelf, and by tomorrow we know how the customer is responding. Within a week, we can say with pretty good confidence whether it will be successful. We can tweak it or make it bigger or change the price. Its the heart of how we differentiate ourselves.17 With this fresh customer data in hand, 7-Eleven is working with suppliers to develop new private label products it knows its customers want. Overall, â€Å"Retailer Initiative† works to leverage the company’s scale, infrastructure and the entrepreneurial energy of its store-level operators. As Keyes wrote in the 2003 Annual Report: â€Å"[The store operators’] focus on item-by-item management – deleting slow-selling merchandise and introducing new items at every store, every day – allows 7-Eleven stores to satisfy their customers in ways that few retailers can match. In the simplest terms, we enjoy the power of a global retailer, but maintain the store-level focus of a single-store operator.†18 Retailing Leadership The New 7-Eleven stores while minimizing inventory and transportation costs. The company utilizes combined distribution centers (CDCs) that are strategically located near concentrations of 7-Eleven stores. In all, the company uses 23 CDCs across the United States that each can serve up to 700 stores. Driving time from the CDCs to the stores is usually no more than 90 minutes. Prior to the CDC approach, most vendors delivered directly to 7-Eleven stores at sporadic times, often no more than once per week. The cost of making more frequent stops could not be justified by single store sales. Further, 7-Eleven parking lots were frequently crowded with huge delivery trucks and more stops per week would only worsen this issue. As a result, each store needed to carry at least a week’s worth of inventory at any point in time. This drastically increased both inventory costs and storage space requirements while decreasing the freshness of the products offered to customers. 7-Eleven has the majority of its fresh products now delivered directly to the CDCs. By combining the demand of 200 stores, more frequent deliveries to the CDCs can easily be justified by the improved economics of the transportation costs. These CDCs, in turn, consolidate product from different vendors and combine them all on to one truck headed for each local 7Eleven. The company also runs their back-end supply chain very efficiently. 7-Eleven partners with third party logistics providers to run the CDCs. Each of these centers is approximately 20,000 square feet and ships 60,000 units per day—a very high number of orders given the size of the warehouses. Franchisees and corporate store managers make local vendor selection decisions. On average, store operators purchase 80 percent of their products from corporate recommended vendors using 7-Eleven’s internal systems. The remaining product can be purchased from suppliers outside of this network. By centralizing their buying for all of its stores, 7-Eleven is able to wield its purchasing power and negotiate better pricing, further contributing to their margins. Use of data and technology 7-Eleven takes a different approach to purchasing than traditional supply chain behemoths such as Wal-Mart. Rather than having a system decide what to order and taking the human element out of the process, 7-Eleven seeks to provide a set of tools for its local stores to make informed decisions on product ordering and assortments. The company effectively treats its local owners and operators as retailers. The corporation has developed a technology suite for its stores that helps local stores manage their purchasing. This system allows store managers to customize their product offering by ordering online and creating a suite of reports. Each local manager can track their total progress versus other 7-Eleven stores—which helps them determine if they are not taking appropriate steps to drive traffic (e.g. assortments, price points, etc.). Specific product reports are available to help managers determine their appropriate product mix and predict demand. Weather forecasts are provided as another tool to assist in the ordering process. The New 7-Eleven In addition, the huge amount of sales data and immediate response time help 7-Eleven make improved corporate decisions. The company is able to track trends at stores to understand how customers’ preferences are changing. Sales data helps the company understand the impact of opening up new stores and assists in location decisions. In addition, it allows the corporation to predict customer demand and helps in central purchasing decisions. Finally, this technology provides an immediate feedback loop for 7-Eleven on new products—within a matter of one or two days the fate of a new item becomes very clear. This information helps 7-Eleven drive key space in the store, innovate new products, and stay a step ahead of the competition. As Keyes points out, â€Å"Retailers are closer to customers than manufacturers,† even though the large suppliers traditionally drove the decisions on shelf space and location. Not all store owners and operators take advantage of this data and technology. Currently, the percent of product ordered through the online system by franchisees ranges from 100 percent to 20 percent. This raises the question of whether the right people are in place in 7-Eleven to make such localized decisions, and whether the company would be better served just ordering product for them. 7-Eleven is also faced with issues of brand consistency as a result: with different product assortments in each store, customers may be confused about what 7-Eleven stands for. Products Product innovation is another avenue through which Keyes is transforming the convenience retail industry. 7-Eleven tracks customers’ changing product purchasing habits and Keyes’ goal is to leverage this to create better quality products in the future. â€Å"We have the benefit of convenience, not price, being our main selling point. This gives us a lot of leeway to create higher quality, better products,† he says. 7-Eleven stores offer a wide range of products, from beer to beef jerky and cigarettes to cereal. The average store carries 3,000 SKU’s. About 70 percent of these are recommended by the head office and the remaining 30 percent are picked by local store managers to cater to specific local needs.19 For example, the 30 percent discretion allows a manager to stock up on beer if he knows that a local football game is playing, or to stock specific ethnic products if appropriate to a neighborhood. Merchandise mix Overall, tobacco products represent the largest selling product category at 7-Eleven, accounting for 29.3 percent of merchandise sales in 2003. (See Exhibit 12 for a breakdown of sales by product category.) Beverages represent 23.1 percent of sales, followed by beer/wine at 11.4 percent. Fresh foods account for 7.2 percent. Gasoline sales account for 31% percent of sales. The stores’ highest selling product is coffee – it sells thirty million cups a month.20 This is followed closely by beer (with sales of $64.58 million per month), the unit sales of which are The New 7-Eleven more than half single beers.21 The next highest selling product is the Slurpee, with over eleven million sold per month.22 Private label products 7-Eleven creates private label products to differentiate itself from the competition and boost its margins. The company’s most famous product, the flavored, crushed-ice beverage called Slurpee, was created in 1965. The company now sells 11.6 million Slurpees a month and introduces new flavors every year. Overall, the company creates 1,500 to 2,000 private label products each year, or 10-15 percent of its merchandise mix. Approximately 22 percent of its sales are proprietary products.23 If a product is not available in a conveniently sized package or is unknown in another country, 7-Eleven’s category managers will work with suppliers to create a new product. For example, in early 2004, 7-Eleven launched a low-carb category, primarily comprised of nutritional bars and snacks. It has also recently introduced the first mentholated gum in the U.S. after spotting the success of the product in Japan. (See Exhibit 13 for sample proprietary products.) Not all propriety products have been successful. In 2003, the chain launched its own proprietary imported beer brand, Santiago, brewed in El Salvador by an independent subsidiary of SAB Miller. Priced at $5.99 for a six-pack, a price roughly equivalent to Budweiser, Santiago suffered from oxidization and â€Å"taste† problems and is quietly being withdrawn after 10 months on the shelves. A reformulated version with improved taste and quality will be reintroduced later in the year.24 7-Eleven is also launching its first premium wine brand, Regions, in 2004. Packaged in 375-ml half bottles and finished with a natural cork stopper, Regions will retail for $4.99 compared to other wine selling in 7-Eleven stores at an average price of $6.25. Another new product 7-Eleven is launching is the EZ-D. Utilizing a new technology, this vacuum-packed DVD begins to oxidize upon exposure to the air. After 48 hours, it is no longer functional. As Keyes explains: We know we can sell DVDs. We know well never have the assortment of a Blockbuster, but if we can come up with a more unique way to sell movies, then we think theres an opportunity for us to be relevant. Were shooting for this to be priced like a rental with no returns at $5.99. Its a great example of how instead of waiting for the industry to catch up, we go to the manufacturer and say we need this.25 Services Currently, store sales from the Services category comprise 3 percent of overall sales. With new VCom Inc. terminals installed at 1,000 stores, the company provides financial services and Eretailing to in-store customers. The VCom units combine ATM capabilities with nonstandard features such as dispensing coins, cashing checks, and providing money orders. 7-Eleven also added E-retailing features allowing customers to buy products from retailers such as 1-800Flowers, eBags.com, and TopWebBuys.com. The goal is to have two kiosks in every store, Keyes says. Other services include 7-Eleven convenience cards – chargeable cards that work like cash – and pre-paid phone cards. As an extension to these phone cards, 7-Eleven started selling pre-paid Nokia wireless phones in April 2004. Customers will only be able to purchase additional minutes for these phones at 7-Eleven stores.26 Gasoline Tobacco Product categories which may be cause for concern in the future are gasoline and tobacco sales. From Dec. 2003 to March 2004 retail gasoline prices surged more than 25 cents per gallon from $1.48 to $1.73. The winners from this hike were oil refiner retailers such as Shell, BP, Exxon Mobile whilst the losers were convenience retailers, such as 7-Eleven. Such convenience retailers are required to pay refiners the higher fuel prices yet can not pass all of these increased fuel costs onto customers and thus sacrifice their gasoline margins. According to the Oil Price Information Service (OPIS) gross retail gasoline profit margins plunged by more than 37 percent in the December, 2003-to-March, 2004 period, falling from 16.8 cents per gallon to just 10.6 cents per gallon nationally27. With 31% of 7-Eleven’s sales coming from gasoline, the volatility in gasoline prices over the last year highlights the risks of such dependence. While quarterly volatility is a risk with most commodity based products, 7-Eleven’s annual earnings stream from gasoline has been quite stable with gross profit margins of at least 13 cents per gallon in each of the past 10 years. Along with other convenience store retailers, 7-Eleven faces an increasingly tough regulatory environment surrounding the sale of tobacco, its best-selling product category. This environment includes a potential rise in the minimum age to purchase tobacco, an increase in â€Å"sin taxes† and growing health concerns. Ultimately, these issues could put downward pressure on tobacco sales and 7-Eleven’s margins. Distribution and supplier relationships 7-Eleven has forged strong relationships with its suppliers, though many challenges still remain for the corporation. These relationships are critical elements of 7-Eleven’s operational efficiency and strategy. Technology allows 7-Eleven to seamlessly integrate ordering and delivery scheduling. Key suppliers to 7-Eleven, however, have remained resistant to participating in the company’s evolving distribution system. These consumer packaged goods manufacturers have extensive 26 The New 7-Eleven distribution networks of their own to deliver goods and control in-store shelf space. By controlling in-store product placement, they are able to drive sales and get a solid advantage over the competition. They are reluctant to give up such an advantage. 7-Eleven has been changing this model. The company believes that they can increase their own profitability by consolidating shipments from a variety of suppliers in their warehouses, and distributing to their own stores based on in-store sales data. While many of the smaller manufacturers have conceded and switched to this CDC model, many of the larger suppliers are still fighting. Companies such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Budweiser have such a vested interest in their distribution networks that they have not yet been willing to transition. They do not want to relinquish control over floor and shelf space. Keyes, however, feels that they will eventually come around as a result of pressure from key players such as Wal-Mart and 7-Eleven. Further, this centralized distribution model – which is effectively breaking down the barrier to entry of 100-year-old distribution networks – is providing opportunities for new suppliers to enter the market. Customers Traditionally 7-Eleven’s core customer was a male, blue-collar worker purchasing coffee before work or beer at the end of the day. More recently, the 7-Eleven customer demographic has shifted as the products and services it offers have changed. Describing the relationship between demographic and product mix, Keyes explains: â€Å"7-Eleven’s gasoline island today is over 50 percent female because we were one of the first with self-service, pay-at-the-pump gas pumps and it was easier for moms.† The customer base has shifted from largely blue-collar male to a broader demographic mix, including more female customers. Keyes says of this shift: Inside, the store isn’t 60 percent blue-collar male anymore, but we don’t want to run off our core customer. We still sell a lot of beer and beef jerky, and we plan to continue. Our new approach is subtle. When you know that you can get a good, healthy, fresh sandwich then well get you, not by advertising and telling you what a great place we are. As with most retailers, the key is having the right assortments. This strategy involves selling a wider range of products than the traditional beer and beef jerky alongside pork rinds. Broadening the product mix encourages a demographic broadening of the customer base. People Management People management remains an ongoing challenge at 7-Eleven. â€Å"There are huge labor issues,† says Keyes.28 Specifically he points out: â€Å"The people represent the company.† 7-Eleven has 70,000 employees worldwide, 6,000 of whom are staffing stores on overnight shifts. Keyes 28 Jim Keyes, Columbia Class Video, February 6, 2002. 10 Retailing Leadership The New 7-Eleven worries about the customer service provided by these front-line employees, and by franchisees who operate as independent contractors. â€Å"You cannot execute Retailer Initiative without retailers,† says Keyes. To help its store managers, both franchisees and corporate employees, 7-Eleven began a 12-week certification program in 2002. By the end of 2003, almost one-third of its store operators had been certified. In addition, more than 2,700 store sales associates had completed a two-day training module on the essential elements of the Retailer Initiative strategy.29 Franchisees 7-Eleven remains active in managing and supporting its franchisees. Each franchisee undergoes an initial 6-week training program in operating and managing a 7-Eleven store, and is subsequently assigned a field consultant who provides on-going support during weekly visits. In addition, the company hosts an annual â€Å"7-Eleven University† during which franchisees and corporate-store managers are introduced to new products and company initiatives. Historically, the franchises have been more successful than corporate stores. â€Å"We think this is because they’ve got skin in the game,† says Keyes. Now, however, the franchises have begun to fall behind corporate stores. While all corporate initiatives are immediately implemented in corporate-run stores, franchisees are not required to use the new inventory system. As Keyes has moved to change the way 7-Eleven operates, the existing group of 3,300 franchisees are proving to be a â€Å"challenge.† â€Å"They t hink that we’re trying to force them to be employees, and we’re not,† he says. Specifically, franchisees have been unhappy with the gross profit â€Å"split† between themselves and the company. Under the existing franchise agreement, franchisees retain 48 percent of their gross profit margin, and give 52 percent to the corporation. In turn, the corporation has become unhappy with the rate at which existing franchisees have been converting to the Retailer Initiative and the new, company-wide SKU-picking system in particular. In order to address these concerns, 7-Eleven has recently offered a new franchise agreement. Under this new agreement, the gross profit split is now 50-50. Under the new agreement, franchisees must now repay the corporation for advertising expenditures, equivalent to between 0.5 and 1.5 percent of the franchisee’s gross profit. To address the company’s concerns, the new agreement phases in a further requirement for franchisees to order 85 percent of their SKUs from recommended vendors. The new agreement will affect the 34 percent of all franchisees whose agreements were up for renewal on December 31, 2003, along with all new franchise holders. The remaining franchisees will be eligible to sign the agreement starting in 2004. 29 7-Eleven, 2003 Annual Report. 11 Retailing Leadership The New 7-Eleven Diversity As a further effort to address 7-Eleven’s human resource issues, the company has attempted to re-brand its diversity as an asset. Following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the company experienced antagonism directed at several of its front-line store employees who were thought to be of Middle-Eastern origin. The company responded to this crisis by attempting to define the diversity of its workforce as a strength. 7-Eleven produced and aired commercials that highlighted the immigrant origins of franchiseowners. In one commercial, a Thai franchisee is shown working hard to build her 7-Eleven franchise, followed by shots of her welcoming her two children to America in an airport waiting area after a long separation. Additionally, the company held its 75th birthday celebrations on Ellis Island in New York City, the former gateway to the U.S. for immigrants. â€Å"America was built by immigrants who came here to live the American Dream† says Keyes. â€Å"7-Eleven represents that opportunity to be your own boss.†30 Differentiation Continuing people management concerns also rest in part on the lack of training and on-going support for the hourly workers, particularly those that work in franchises where franchisees are responsible for the hiring and training of employees. According to the company, store-level employee turnover at over 100% is in line with industry norms, and 7-Eleven has seen two consecutive years of improvement.31 Keyes believes that 7-Eleven’s front-line employee issues can be resolved in part through differentiation. Just as 7-Eleven has to differentiate products, he says, it also has to differentiate the store for employees. Why work at 7-Eleven for $8-$9 an hour, rather than at McDonalds? Currently, says Keyes, â€Å"We have people looking for an hourly wage, not a challenge.†32 There are currently two drivers of employer differentiation at 7-Eleven. The first is staff development and ongoing training. At 7-Eleven University, franchisees and store managers are exposed to ideas for motivating and teaching employees. Keyes often visits stores and concludes that franchisees often do not work with their hourly employees to help them understand customer service. Hourly workers are told, for example, that the retail cost of an empty cup is 70 cents (a function of retail vs. cost accounting), so when customers come in and ask for a cup of water, they are told the cost is 70 cents. â€Å"They don’t know that the actual cup cost is only a nickel and that it would make more sense to build customer goodwill by giving them the cup and writing it off,† says Keyes. â€Å"We can turn an $8-9 dollar an hour employee into a retailer by giving them the tools, like performance-building skills.† Additionally, Keyes would like to see store franchisees and managers do more to create a positive work environment for hourly workers. You can â€Å"fire up† a group of hourly-wage employees, believes Keyes, thinking back to his own college job at McDonald’s. He was 30 Jim Keyes, Columbia Class Video, 2003. 7-Eleven. 32 Jim Keyes, Columbia Class Video, February 6, 2002. 31 12 Retailing Leadership The New 7-Eleven enthusiastic, he recalls, both as an entry-level worker and when he was promoted to run staff training at new stores. His managers and his peers, he believes, helped to create an atmosphere where people wanted to work. The second driver of employee differentiation is â€Å"social capitalism.† Keyes attempted to differentiate 7-Eleven stores as workplaces by building up the idea that the company can give back to the communities in which its employees work and live. In 2002, 7-Eleven set up the Education is Freedom Foundation, sustained through company gifts, website donations, and collection boxes at store cash registers. (See Exhibit 14 for the Foundation’s website.) The Foundation was expressly intended to provide money for the higher education of employees and their children. This idea intended to leverage 7-Eleven’s long identification with the American Dream – as a place where recent immigrants and others could run a business as a franchisee with little capital investment – into the idea that working for 7-Eleven is a good place to get an education. Overall, the Foundation distributed $2000 scholarships to 223 students, after receiving 30,000 applications.33 The impact on employee turnover, however, seemed negligible. â€Å"I was waiting,† says Keyes, â€Å"for my HR team to pick up the ball.† Despite wanting to differentiate itself in the eyes of employees, 7-Eleven, like other players in the convenience store industries, worries about an increase in the minimum wage. Labor expense accounted for 42.1 percent of gross profit in 2002 for the convenience store industry as a whole.34 For example, the New York Association of Convenience Stores noted that a proposed increase in the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.10 by 2006 would increase convenience store costs in the state by 38 percent.35 Finally, 7-Eleven faces the challenge of maintaining security in its stores, many of which operate 24 hours a day. A Learning Organization Keyes would like 7-Eleven to become a â€Å"learning organization† from top to bottom. As he works to reinvent the company, and to move away from traditional methods of retailing, Keyes would like to engender an environment of continual learning in franchises, corporate-run stores, and in HQ. Recognizing that 7-Eleven is not considered an attractive place to work for newlyminted MBA’s and others, Keyes wants to turn 7-Eleven into the â€Å"Procter Gamble training ground† for the convenience industry. Specifically, Keyes worries about creating a management team to succeed him. He talks about being in â€Å"leadership 101† as he looks back and realizes that he is so much of a hands-on person that he did not make enough effort to develop people as he was moving up through the ranks of the company. 33 7-Eleven news release, January 21, 2004. EDC Economics, An Overview of the US Convenience Store Industry, December 2003. 35 New York Association of Convenience Stores (www.nyacs.org). 34 13 Retailing Leadership The New 7-Eleven Search for new HR Director In order to develop employer differentiation ideas, manage the image of 7-Eleven’s front-line retailers and develop ways of making 7-Eleven’s corporate side a more attractive place to work and develop as retailers, Keyes instituted a search for a new Director of Human Resources. (See Exhibit 16 for a company organization chart.) After looking at many resumes, he remains unimpressed. â€Å"They don’t go above the baseline,† he says. So many of the candidates miss the point about differentiation and customer service, and do not understand that all employees must be able to fill in the blank: â€Å"I want to work for 7-Eleven because _______.† Growth 7-Eleven is expanding rapidly. In the U.S., store growth is balanced between new franchises and corporate-run stores. Internationally, the company enters into license agreements with partners in foreign countries. Domestic Expansion 7-Eleven is adopting an urban strategy learned from successful licensees in Japan and Taiwan, ceding high-traffic corners to others and looking for more unconventional locations. These types of selections decrease the cost of real estate and, as a result, increase the company’s return on investment. In addition, the company is upgrading both its technological and physical infrastructure to continue to redefine its brand image. 7-eleven spent over $500 million over the last five years to upgrade its technology platform (See Exhibit 16 for pictures of current stores.) In 2004, the company plans to open approximately 100 new retail outlets in the United States while continuing to close unprofitable stores. Keyes believes this is vastly undershooting their expansion potential. In Japan, the company netted over 1,000 new stores during 2003. He believes that 7-Eleven could easily add 500 to 1,000 stores per year in the U.S. market. Areas of focus include cities and airports, as well as further penetrating some of their existing markets. Questions remain, however: Can 7-Eleven justify the relatively high cost of real estate in these areas? What effect will cannibalization have on the economics of both their new and existing stores? Further, based on their highly leveraged balance sheet, can they even afford to do it? International Expansion Keyes also sees great opportunities in new markets. South America, Beijing and the rest of China are all examples of key markets that the company is looking to expand into.36 7-Eleven hopes to secure local partners that are familiar with the markets to increase the chances of success. While convenience transcends cultural differences, the definition of convenience will certainly vary by culture. 36 Associated Press, April 6, 2004. 7-Eleven, through a joint venture arrangement between licensee Seven-Eleven Japan and two Chinese partners opened its first store in Beijing on April 15, 2004. 14 Retailing Leadership The New 7-Eleven International expansion is facilitated through the use of license agreements. Such agreements give 7-Eleven, Inc., legal control over the use of trademarks, trade dress and business information, and attempts to establish mutually beneficial relationships in order to ensure additional control over licensees. Japan represents 7-Eleven’s greatest international success. The stores are consistently clean and well-organized, with a very wide and high-quality product line. Working closely with suppliers and providing first-class service to customers Seven-Eleven Japan has experienced phenomenal success. It now has over 10,000 stores. While the Japanese experience represents strong success, it remains to be seen whether 7-Eleven can replicate that model in other countries. Conclusion â€Å"It’s been a fascinating experience to take a company that was an icon in an industry and transform its economic model over the last 10 years,† says Keyes. He admits, however, that the transformation is on-going and not complete. He worries about the continued holding-out of his dominant suppliers like Coca Cola and Pepsi to the CDC model. Underlying these difficulties with his reinvention of 7-Eleven, the people management issues loom large. What should he be looking for in his new HR director? Why is the right person so hard to find? â€Å"The sky’s the limit in terms of what we can create,† says Keyes. â€Å"As I look around the landscape of retail all of my competition are playing the same game.† In his Beechcraft, as Keyes adjusts his altitude to compensate for the turbulence, he sees much blue sky in front of him. He also can’t help noticing the clouds off in the distance. 15 Retailing Leadership Exhibit 1 The New 7-Eleven Biography of Jim Keyes Jim Keyes is president and chief executive officer for 7-Eleven, Inc., the world’s largest convenience store retailer. Mr. Keyes served in a number of senior management positions before being elected to his current role in 2000. He joined 7-Eleven stores’ former subsidiary Citgo Petroleum in 1985 as general manager of marketing and business strategy. A year later, he became general manager of 7-Eleven’s national gasoline, with responsibility for the company’s retail gasoline business in the United States and Canada. He was named vice president of national gasoline in 1991. Mr. Keyes served as the company’s senior financial officer in 1992 and was named chief financial officer in 1996. He was elected to the company’s board of directors in 1997 and promoted to executive vice president and chief operating officer in 1998. Before joining 7-Eleven, he held various field and corporate positions at Gulf Oil Corporation. Mr. Keyes earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at Holy Cross College in Worcester, Mass., where he was named to the Phi Beta Kappa honor society and graduated cum laude in 1977. He also attended the University of London and received a Master’s of Business Administration degree from Columbia University in New York City [in 1980]. Mr. Keyes is founding chairman of Education is Freedom, a public charity dedicated to helping hard-working young people reach their full potential through higher education. He serves on the national board of directors of Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE), the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Latino Initiatives for the Next Century (LINC) and on the board of trustees for the Boys and Girls Club. Mr. Keyes also is on the board of directors for the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS). He was recognized by the Network of Executive Women for his efforts to promote diversity in the workplace. Mr. Keyes serves in a leadership role within the local Dallas community as well, as an executive board member of the Greater Dallas Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Dallas Citizens Council and a member of Southern Methodist University’s Cox School of Business and chairman of the Dallas Symphony Association. Mr. Keyes was born on March 17, 1955 in Grafton, Mass. He and his wife Margo live in Dallas.