Mechanical Test of Ldpe and Hdpe P

Mechanical Test of LDPE and HDPE Processed by Extrusion, Injection Molding, Compression Molding and Sheet Extrusion Abstract LDPE and HDPE were processed by extrusion, injection molding, and sheet extrusion. Their mechanical properties such as tensile strength and percent elongation were measured by tensile test and analyzed statistically (Table 2). During the extrusion process, both polymers underwent die swelling. The water cooled polymer cords have a higher tensile strength but lower % elongation compared to the air cooled cords. HDPE has a much higher strength than LDPE due to its high crystallinity.LDPE and HDPE samples processed by injection molding and sheet extrusion show the same tendency in the extent of yield strength and elastic modulus. For sheet extrusion, the heat treated polymer sheet has a higher strength than the non-heat treated sheet because heating leads to an increase in both crystallinity and crystallite size. The specimen in rolling direction also has a higher strength than those in transverse direction due to the alignment of the polymer chains in rolling direction. UHMWPE (Ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene) saucer was processed by compression molding.The cross section of the saucer was examined by optical microscopy. Further, the melting temperature of PEO was determined to be 74. 0Â °C ~ 78. 9Â °C. Introduction A polymer is a chemical compound or mixture of compounds consisting of repeating structural units created through a process of polymerization. 1 The units composing polymers derive from molecules of low relative molecular mass. When all the repeating units along a chain are of the same type, the resulting polymer is called homopolymer. Chains composed of two or more different repeat units are termed copolymers.The physical characteristics of a polymer depend both on its molecular weight and shape, and the structure of the molecular chains. The chain structures include linear polymer, branched polymer, crosslinked polym er and network polymer. The polymer synthesized in this experiment, LDPE and HDPE, have different chain structures (i. e. LDPE is a branched polymer and HDPE is a linear polymer. ). The polymer chain structure has a significant influence on polymer crystallinity, which is defined as the packing of molecular chains to produce an ordered atomic array. The mechanical properties that investigated in this paper, such as tensile strength, elastic modulus and percent elongation, greatly depend on the crystallinity of the polymer sample. Polymers play an essential and ubiquitous role in everyday life from those of familiar synthetic plastics and other materials of day-to-day work and home life, to the natural biopolymers that are fundamental to biological structure and function. 1 Quite a variety of different techniques are employed in the forming of polymeric materials. Molding is the most common method for forming plastic polymers.The several molding techniques used include extrusion mold ing, compression molding, blow molding and injection molding. 3 During molding, crystal regions in polymer melts upon heating. The resulted polymer melts are non-Newtonian fluids, and their viscosity depends on the shear rate. Melt index (MI) could be used to indicate the viscosity of the fluid. It is defined as the mass of polymer flowing in ten minutes through a capillary of a specific diameter and length by a pressure applied. 4 Polymer melts are formed into a continuous charge of viscous fluid.The viscous fluid then solidifies into polymer product with specific shapes. During the solidification process, polymer melts recrystallizes and forms spherulite structure consisted of both amorphous region and lamellar. Experimental Procedure Crystallization of PEO Crystallization of PEO (Sigma-Aldrich Co. , St. Louis, MD) was observed by optical microscopy. Sample of PEO powder was placed on glass slide and heated up using hot stage. Both the melting and the solidification processes were observed under optical microscope under crossed polarizer. The melting range was determined to be 74. 0Â °C ~ 78. 9Â °C.Extrusion of LDPE and HDPE Both LDPE (MI = 0. 25, Equistar ) and HDPE (MI = 9, Equistar) pellets were processed into cords using single-screw extruder (Model TL3215B, Extruders ). The die temperature was 350 Â °C, Zone temperatures were all 425 Â °C and the screw speed was about 3. 6 rpm. Water cooling and air cooling were carried out for mechanical properties evaluation. Tensile tests were performed on both LDPE and HDPE cords in order to evaluate their mechanical properties. Compression Molding UHMWPE (Ticona) powder was used to produce UHMWPE saucer by using a compression molding apparatus (Model 3725, Carver).The starting temperature was 245 F, and the molding temperature was 310 F. The cross section of the saucer was examined by optical microscopy. Injection Molding Both LDPE (MI = 9, Equistar) and HDPE (MI = 7, Equistar) pellets were processed into dog b one specimens by injection molding. The barrel, nozzle and mold temperatures used are listed below. Tensile tests were performed on both LDPE and HDPE specimens in order to evaluate their mechanical properties. Table 1. Barrel, Nozzle and Mold temperatures for injection molding. | LDPE| HDPE| Barrel Temperature | 390Â °F| 400Â °F|Nozzle Temperature| 395Â °F| 405Â °F| Mold Temperature| 275Â °F| 275Â °F| Sheet Extrusion Both LDPE (MI = 0. 25, Equistar) and HDPE (MI = 9, Equistar) pellets were processed into polymer sheets using sheet extruder (Model KLB125, Extruders). The die temperature was 375 Â °C. Zone temperatures were all 420 Â °C. Adapter temperature was also 420Â °C. The screw speed was about 20 rpm and the roller speed was set up to 2. 0 rpm. Heat treatment using glass furnace was performed on both polymers. Tensile tests were carried out in order to evaluate the mechanical properties of both LDPE and HDPE. Result and DiscussionCrystallization of PEO The melting tem perature of PEO was determined to be 74. 0Â °C ~ 78. 9Â °C, where the literature melting temperature of PEO is 65Â °C. The polymer melting behavior is a function of the rate of heating5. That the measured melting temperature is higher than the literature value results from the relative high heat rate (20Â °C/ min). Besides, the melting temperature for polymer is a range instead of a single point. The melting temperature depends on the molecular weight of the polymer chain, the thickness of the chain-folded lamellae, the heating rate and the impurity content.Since the PEO samples used contain polymer chains with different size, and they were heat at an inconstant rate, the melting must take place over a range of temperatures. | | | | Figure 1. Micrographs of PEO melting stage at 10X. (a). Full spherulite (red circle) growth at 54. 8Â °C. (b). Spherulite starts to disappear 74. 0Â °C. (c). Spherulite completely disappeared at 78. 9Â °C. A A | B B | C C | D D | Figure 2. Microgr aphs of PEO crystallization stages at 10X. (a). Completely melted polymer. (b). Spherulite start to grow from nucleation site (red circle). (c). Growing of spherulite (red circle). (d).Spherulite structure of PEO and interspherulite boundary. The spherulite consisted of chain-folded crystallites (lamellae) and amorphous region start to grow from the nucleation site at 56. 7Â °C. Individual lamellae are separated by amorphous materials. As shown in Fig. 2 (c), the spherulite keeps growing and getting larger as the recrystallization process continues. When the crystallization of a spherulite structure nears completion, the extremities of adjacent spherulites begin to impinge on one another, forming planar boundaries (Fig. 2 (d)). At 56. 0Â °C, the crystallization process of PEO sample reached completion.Compression Molding A A | B B | Figure 3. Micrographs of middle cut (B) and outer cut (A) of UHMWPE saucer at 20X. The mold is closed with a top force. Pressure is applied to force t he material into contact with all mold areas, and heat and pressure are maintained until the molding material has cured. During that process, particles diffuse together and become one piece. As shown in Fig. 3, the outer cut of the UHMWPE saucer has lower porosity, and the middle section of the saucer has a much higher porosity. The outer region of the saucer was cooled much faster than the middle section of the saucer.Slowing cooling rate in the middle section led to the high porosity. Liquidus polymer shrinks as it solidify into solid leaving a large amount of pores in the middle section. Extrusion and Sheet Extrusion Die swell happened during extrusion as shown in Fig. 4. A flow stream has a constant rate before entering the die. It also occupies a spherical conformation and maximizes the entropy. 6 As it goes through the die, polymer loses its spherical shape and becomes less entangled. Therefore, the entropy is lowered. When polymer melt comes out of the nozzle, the remaining p hysical entanglements cause the polymer melt to relax (i. e. egain a portion of its former shape) and restore the entropy. It appears like the polymer is swelling at the nozzle. Figure 4. Die swelling happened when polymer melt came out of the nozzle. Air cooled LDPE took 3 runs before fracture, and the water cooled LDPE took 2 runs before fracture. As shown in Fig. 5, both water cooled and air cooled LDPE cords have similar elastic modulus and yield strength. However, the air cooled cord has a higher tensile strength but lower percent elongation. Since the degree of crystallinity depends on cooling rate during solidification, the higher the cooling rate , the higher the degree of crystallinity.Increasing in crystallinity increases the hardness but lower the ductility of the polymer cords. Thus, water cooled LDPE cord has higher tensile strength but lower % elongation compared to the air cooled one. Figure 5. Extrusion sample stress vs. strain plot. Red curve represents water cooled LDPE cord, and blue curve represents air cooled LDPE cord. Figure 6. Sheet extrusion sample Stress vs. Strain plot. Blue curve represents heat treated LDPE specimen in rolling direction. Purple curve represents non-heat treated LDPE specimen in rolling direction.Red curve represents non-heat treated LDPE specimen in transverse direction. Green curve represents heat treated LDPE specimen in transverse direction. Figure 7. Sheet extrusion sample Stress vs. Strain plot. Blue curve represents non-heat treated HDPE specimen in rolling direction. Purple curve represents heat treated HDPE specimen in rolling direction. Red curve represents non-heat treated HDPE specimen in transverse direction. Green curve represents heat treated HDPE specimen in transverse direction. Tensile test result of sheet extruded LDPE and HDPE specimens are shown in Fig. 6 and Fig. 7 above.HDPE specimens have higher yield strength, elastic modulus and % elongation. HDPE has a linear chain structure. It was highly packed. Therefore, it has a larger density and higher degree of crystallinity than LDPE. Molecular chains are closely packed in an ordered arrangement in crystalline region. The alignment of the packed chains in crystalline region makes the intermolecular secondary bonding much stronger than it is in amorphous region. Thus, HDPE with higher crystallinity has a much higher strength than LDPE. The heat treated specimen has higher yield strength and tensile strength than non-heat treated specimens.It is also due to the increasing in the percent crystallinity, which makes the polymer harder but less ductile. Further, polymer specimen in rolling direction has higher yield strength and elastic modulus, but lower percent elongation compared to samples in transverse direction. It is because during drawing the molecular chains slip past on another and become highly oriented. This alignment once again enhances the tensile modulus in the direction of drawing (RD), while reduces the tensile st rength in the direction (TD) perpendicular to the rolling direction. Injection Molding Figure 8.Stress vs. Strain plot of HDPE samples processed by injection molding. Figure 9. Stress vs. Strain plot of LDPE samples processed by injection molding. Table 2. Statistic data of HDPE and LDPE samples processed by injection molding. | HDPE| LDPE| | ? y (MPa)| E (GPa)| %EL| ? y(MPa)| E (GPa)| %EL| 1| 19. 317| 0. 41| 163| 5. 29| 0. 040| 131| 2| 23. 216| 0. 44| 265| 5. 38| 0. 050| 155| 3| 23. 77| 0. 49| 69| 6. 302| 0. 049| 144| 4| 24. 142| 0. 78| 509| 6. 408| 0. 058| 141| Average| 22. 61| 0. 53| 251. 50| 5. 85| 0. 049| 142. 75| Standard Deviation | 2. 23| 0. 17| 189. 41| 0. 59| 0. 0073| 9. 8| 95% Confidence Interval | 22. 61Â ±3. 54| 0. 53Â ±0. 27| 251. 50Â ±301. 35| 5. 85Â ±0. 94| 0. 049Â ±0. 012| 142. 75Â ±15. 72| Compared to literature value , P-value| t = 3. 22,Df=3,P

Lord of the Flies: Savagery vs Civilization Essay

An innocent pig in a jungle nibbles on grass in the early morning. The pig squeals whilst his head snapped off with a boy as its last image it would ever witness. â€Å"He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man† is a quote which widely relates to the novel, Lord of the flies, and creates a comparison of how it’s like to be civilized and savage. The characters in the story represent the difference between being a beast and being civilized by showing responsibility, coming of age, and rationalism. First of all, responsibility plays a huge role in this story for responsibility resembles a man of civilization and leadership. Being a civilized government is no easy task in comparison to being a savage. Ralph tried to form a government with his reliance to the conch and portrayed responsibility through his willingness to keep everyone together. In the beginning of the novel, Ralph was the boy who maintained order. He does so by using the conch as power to create assemblies and positively mannered conversations. He is a boy who decides from right or wrong and acts upon situations. For example, the littluns could not live on their own and could not feed or protect each other. The littluns soon became scared of the rumour about a â€Å"beast†. With this knowledge, Ralph creates shelters for the littluns to hide. This created a sense of safety and protection. In addition, Ralph demonstrates how he can problem solve as a leader. Jack comes into the picture and takes care of the boys when he fulfills his duty as a leader and decides to hunt for food. Food is a huge priority because the boys were only left to eat fruits from the island which caused diarrhea. With Jack acting like a leader, he decides to hunt animals for food. In short, being a civilized being is no easy task. Secondly, characters in the novel are carefree and free to do what they please. Ralph and the others became the adults and went through the difficult of babysitting everyone to be rescued whilst the rest took the easy path and went to have fun. The boys progressed from being well-behaved, orderly children to blood thirsty hunters. The boys on the island excluding, Ralph, Piggy, and Simon, all did what they wanted to do. They thought of the island as a place for joy and fun. They did what they wanted to regardless of the consequences. For example, the littluns all played in the water and the jungle while Ralph was creating shelters for everyone. Being a leader is not an easy task for not everyone can be expected to fulfill tasks. As mentioned previously, the littluns feared a beast or a monster which they thought had roamed the island. With this in mind, Jack takes complete advantage and decides to use his power to calm the littluns, but what really feared the littluns was Jack himself. The littuns has developed their loss of innocence and have been drowned in fear and follows Jack as a leader. They become carefree and do whatever they want which applies to Jack as well. Jack finds clay ont he island and uses it as a way to cover his face. This is symbolic because the time Jack puts on the mask, he becomes a different person and takes on a different persona. As he put the mask on, he threw away his old self and emotions. He kills Simon and watches the death of Piggy with no shame or guilt. He has permanently changed himself. Therefore, being a savage and following your id is a simple task. Last but not least, the children in the novel showed rationalism and some were fully aware of the predicament they were caught in. As the novel progresses, the majority of the characters lost there viewpoints and completely forgot about the rescue. While Ralph, Simon, and Piggy were working hard on being rescued, Jack became obsessed with the nonsense of hunting and gaining power. Jack chose to do what everyone else wanted to do, and that was to have fun. In the beginning of the novel, Ralph prioritized the rescue and wanted to maintain the fire for outsiders to possible see for rescue. Jack promised to keep the fire going with his hunters, but soon failed to do so when he retreated his group in order to hunt for a pig. He has lost the objectives that he should have achieved. As Piggy was represented as the weak and helpless, yet smart and resourceful, he was the character who was most consumed by the conch. He wanted to maintain order and civilization. Jack also said to follow rules and later on became a hypocrite and backstabbed his own rules. While Jack spent all his time being fixated to hunting, Ralph worked extremely hard into creating shelters for the protection from fear and weather. Jack, on the other hand, has become the fear and uses it to control and kill or witness death of other characters without feeling guilt or negative emotions. Once again, Ralph, the leader, ends up working hard, experiencing the death of others, and sticking through until the very end of the novel. Whilst Jack, the power, ends up losing sanity as well as the rest of the children. Jack is the dictator and gains control of everyone on the island with the exception of Ralph and is followed because it is easier to be with Jack for he has food, fire, and shelters. In conclusion, being a man of civilization must be responsible, have emotions/feelings, and be irrational. These people are bound by rules and what we call being humane. On the other hand, being a savage is far easier for they are able to do whatever their id desires and lives with no guilt by their side. Civilization requires a person to be responsible, be mature, recognize the things that are happening around them, and keep sight of goals. Savages are required to have fun, be free, have no goals or dedication, and have no morals. Perhaps in the future, everyone will become savages and take the easy road.

Effect of Mandated Testing on Education Research Paper

Effect of Mandated Testing on Education - Research Paper Example The consequences or sanctions vary in level of severity, but the implication is clear. They send vivid indications that the method gives a crystal picture of the student’s performance. However, some of the implemented tests may not offer a fair platform to pass judgment on the teachers or students using their performance results. In that, the tests may not offer full and fair credibility on the performers or the tutors. The following paper will show an elaborate analysis of articles touching on mandated testing and its effect in schools. Susan Ohanian, in her article, â€Å"Constraining Elementary Teachers' Work: Dilemmas and Paradoxes Created by State Mandated Testing,† scrutinizes this mode of testing in an elaborate manner. In her work, Susan is keen to provide the resultant effects of mandate testing on the affected individuals, who are teachers and students. She argues that teachers are pressured to act in ways that seem unprofessional to them. In turn, this forms a leading disadvantage of the program in schools. Subsequently, the teachers believe that their behavior will not yield fruits of success in the affected students. Moreover, they feel that they are acting in unprofessional ways as mandated testing seem to focus on Mathematics and English language arts more than the science-related disciplines (Ohanian, web). In addition, according to Susan’s article, the teachers do feel that the test pressure them to work the things the tests demands of the students instead of improving the student’s general performance. In relation to this, when the mandated test turns to asking the student for something previously not familiarized to the student, need to refocus ruptures. There is a need to refocus on things to feed the students’ minds, as the mandated tests requires. However, the article claim a more pressing matter is forcing the teachers to lose their professionalism. The teachers find themselves between helping the studen ts in elementary school and being loyal to their professional field. They feel that their professional training does not concur with the requirements of the mandated test. In order for a student to succeed in the mandated tests the teachers, have to comply with the requirements, which they feel they are not in line with their professional understanding of the curriculum. In turn, they end up ignoring their professional feelings and instead assist the students conform to the requirements of the mandated tests. On the other hand, within the same article, Susan reports of teachers who embraced the ideology of mandated tests and their effects. The teachers believe that the tests offer a comprehensive way of developing the writing, listening and reading skills of students. Moreover, these tests enable students to develop their thinking from a lower level to higher one. Within yet another article, by GreatSchools’ Staff, they record of reasons behind the tests from federal and stat e governments. They believe that the government offers these tests as a way of ensuring all students meet the standard level of the expected grades. As a way of encouraging students to pass in their tests, the government introduced mandated tests. In addition, they publish the results of the mandated tests giving everyone, including teachers, parents and students, an opportunity to view them and contemplate on the way

Case Study - Organisational Development Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

- Organisational Development - Case Study Example Notably, such poor leadership skills portrayed in poor organizational communication usually lead to increased conflict thereby leading to poor production. Therefore, this case aims at addressing vital interventions and the modes they can be applied towards achieving their intended applications towards correcting the current lame organizational leadership systems. To manage systematic changes in an organization, often organization development interventions prove useful. The Chris Argyris’ Ladder of Inference is the first intervention used to solve the problems of VRD (Argyris, 1985; Pg. 37). The Ladder of inference illustrates that to reach to a conclusion or draw inference it is necessary for follow the steps in the ladder that includes observing the available data, selecting the relevant data, affixing meaning to the data, making assumptions, developing belief and drawing conclusion and finally taking action based on the belief. In this applications, the inference to be applied in working the conclusions to the underlying organization problems include opinions, beliefs, and or conclusion drawn from gathering data that are based on cultural or personal experiences. The same data must be supported data based on the premises that the same data is true. In VRD, the implication of the Ladder of Inference can be explained base on the available data or evidence that shows that the organization lack strong leadership and employees are not ready to quit the status quo or to accept organizational changes. Notably, both the employees and the management are unable to understand the need of a radical change among other factors such as ineffective communication, lack of innovation, and change in the VRD’s organizational management. Other data sets that can be drawn in case for managerial management adjustments include the inadequate organizational communication that leads to poor production and

Mill on Repression Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mill on Repression - Essay Example Moreover, his individuality must be nurtured instead of hampered. This idea greatly affects his belief that social repression must be thwarted. This paper intends to look deeper into the ideas of Mill in order to understand further why he is so against social repression and to examine further the differences between social and political repression. As mentioned earlier, Mill strongly believes in individuality. Consequently, he also has considerable confidence in diversity. As human beings, each of us have differences and such differences often make us differ in tastes, opinions, interests and other important characteristics and traits. For Mill, such differences should be encouraged instead of stopped. He is against uniformity because this thwarts the expression of one’s unique attributes. As a result, uniformity encourages a few people to stand out because they take courage in being different however, ultimately, the numbered few will rise to rule over the uniform others. Suc h system eventually leads to other social problems such as political repression, tyranny, racism and sexism. On the contrary, when individual attributes are to be encouraged, there would be no uniformity but diversity. Diversity results to individualism which in turn inspires being informed. Information is very important in improving one’s self. As they say, knowledge is power. ... Whereas when there is uniformity, those who are able to access important information tend to keep it to themselves so that they will be the only ones to benefit from the knowledge. In addition, the numbered few who tend to rise when there is uniformity often alter information fed on the bigger percentage of the population so that they are deceived to believe that they are well-informed. This leads to tyranny because the misinformed public tends to trust the stronger majority. Consequently, people can be transformed to puppets who will simply obey what is asked of them. People will be dictated by a few individuals who are able to control the information being told and they will in turn ‘mere industrious sheep’ who will simply obey orders without questioning. This again can lead to abuses such as what was witnessed in the relationship between the Black slaves and the White masters during the recent century. Through social repression, the Blacks were made to believe that th ey are mere objects who were supposed to serve their White masters. However, as social beings, the Blacks came to learn that they, too, can have the liberty the Whites are enjoying and that they can also have their own lands by doing lesser jobs compared to when they are yet slaves. For decades, there have been no Blacks who excelled in art, music or other professions because they have been deprived of opportunities and information. This is the very reason why Mill is against social repression. He is afraid that there will come a day when the talents and creativity of individuals will not be encouraged because they have been limited to some standards. He sees this as a dangerous end because when such circumstance happens, people will eventually become accustomed to an

General Motors Corporation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

General Motors Corporation - Essay Example GM’s six main automaking divisions have catered to its manifesto of â€Å"a car for every purse and purpose† (Monks & Minow, 2008: 414). Statement of Purpose: This Case Study on the General Motors Corporation is for the purpose of investigating the company’s downward spiral into possible bankruptcy. Using appropriate theories and literature, investigation of the What? Why? and How? of the organization will help to determine the reasons for the auto giant’s decline 0ajjind the implications for the future of the company. The reasons for and the processes by which the United States’ auto giant General Motors Company deteriorated to a position of near-bankruptcy, can be determined by investigating various factors based on relevant theories of corporate collapse (Fig.1). These would include corporate governance, organisational culture, leadership styles, operational risk management and financial risk management pertaining to the functioning of General Motors. The underlying concepts pertaining to risk management, financial markets and products, and global perspectives on risk are important aspects. A widely encompassing approach that associates the causes of bankruptcy to the characteristics of the company and to the financial symptoms of distress, is essential, in examining the company’s financial decline (Thornhill & Amit, 2003). Besides the financial situation of the company, other crucial factors include the time dimension of failure, and the influence of key non-financial factors such as managerial error which is found to be one of the main reasons (Balcaen & Ooghe, 2006). Over the decades, from the time of GM’s inception in 1909, the company has suffered numerous set-backs which destroyed its ability to control the cost of its workforce. Roger Smith as CEO started downsizing the manufacturing units from 1985, with a commitment to revolutionizing the organization.

With todays advances in the use of C.G.I. and digital imagery, will Essay

With todays advances in the use of C.G.I. and digital imagery, will the human actor eventually become obsolete - Essay Example a green grid and a few rudimentary objects; as he first enters the alternate universe represented by CGI animation, Homer Simpson says "this place looks expensive... I feel like Im wasting a fortune just standing here" (Treehouse of Horror VI). This was the attitude of many animators for years who struggled to advance their technology while battling financial constraints. In the last decade, however, great advancements have been made not only in the capabilities of computer graphic artists and software but in the ability of computers to animate more for less; it didn’t hurt that animation studios were granted larger budgets to explore CGI options. Feature films like the CGI breakout hit Toy Story paved the way for more investment in computer animation and now people in the film industry are beginning to wonder whether computer animation is destined to overtake the role of real, live actors. CGI is an acronym for computer generated imagery; this field encompasses many different specific computer graphics such as landscaping, people, animals, weather and other special effects (Pierson, 2002, 3). 3D computer graphics were primarily used for special effects in TV and movies before the trend of feature length computer animated films caught on, animators focused their efforts on creating new, and ultimately cheaper and less complicated, ways of dealing with onscreen special effects. Traditionally, special effects could include anything from a fire in a burning building to a full on explosion, or even the tricks of an illusionist which were too complicated to be performed in reality. With CGI animation, television and film producers can sidestep the often messy and unpredictable hazards of physical special effects and actually make the outcome closer to what they had envisioned to begin with. Specifically, special efforts on computer began to take the place of the creation of miniatures (used when large scale models are too cumbersome) and also to take the

Financial Reporting case study Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Financial Reporting case study - Coursework Example accounting practices in different countries, the International Finance and Reporting Standards has established guiding principles to facilitate the convergence of the international accounting practices and to improve the quality of the information presented to different users. In the attempt to achieve the convergence in accounting practices, the IFRS has established the following principles: information relevance, information reliability (faithful presentation, neutrality, complete and free from material error and prudence), comparability (consistency and disclosure of accounting policies), understandability and materiality. In addition, the IFRS has also provided a standard definition and guides in recognition of various elements of the financial statements such as revenue recognition, definition of different assets and liabilities (ZüLch & Hendler 2011, pp. 12-18). In response to the needs and requirements of various bodies such as the FASB and the IFRS, and different stakeholders in the government and their agencies, customers, the investors, the employees, lenders, suppliers and other trade creditors and the public, it is necessary to create financial statements. The needs of the mentioned stakeholders are as follows: the investors, who provide capital to a company are concerned about the levels of risk and return on their investments. They need financial information to help them decide whether they should buy or sell shares of a particular company. They also need the information that enables them to assess the ability of the business to pay the cash dividend. The second category of people is employees. Employees need to know whether their employer is financially stable. They use this data to evaluate the employer’s ability to implement a fair remuneration package, provide retirement benefits and be able to offer employment chances (S audagaran, 2009, pp. 150-155). Lenders use financial information to access the ability of a company promptly to pay both

Obesity in America Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Obesity in America - Research Paper Example 3). In the speech that she made on 20 February 2004, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Dr. Julie Gerberding referred to obesity as an epidemic in America, â€Å"If you looked at any epidemic -- whether it’s influenza or plague from the middle ages -- they are not as serious as the epidemic of obesity in terms of the health impact on our country and our society† (Gerberding cited in Kvicala, 2003). Hearne et al. (n.d.) record some very alarming statistics with respect to obesity of Americans, some of which are discussed in this and the following paragraph. Obesity is one of the most significant causes of health related problems in America. Obese people are 50 to 100 times more susceptible to premature death than normal weight people. It is estimated that obesity may soon become a more prominent reason of preventable death as compared to tobacco in America. Every year, up to 400000 deaths occur because of physical inactivity and poor di et. Number of diseases caused by obesity exceeds 30. Diseases for which obesity serves as a causal factor include but are not limited to high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, cancer and coronary heart disease. Diabetes may also cause blindness in adults, failure of kidney and the patients may occasionally have to undergo amputations. Number of patients of diabetes has increased above 50 per cent in the last decade and this percentage is expected to increase more by 165 per cent in the coming five decades. Presently, 18 million Americans are patients of diabetes while 41 million people are in the pre-diabetic phase. There has been noticed an increase in the number of children that suffer from type 2 diabetes that was considered as a form of adult-onset diabetes until now. Individuals that acquire type 2 diabetes in childhood or adolescence are at increased risk of suffering from stroke, kidney failure and heart diseases when they grow up. Those kids are getting adult-type diabetes b ecause they're overweight. We're seeing an absolute epidemic of diabetes in the schools in this country because children are just not getting the right exercise †¦ The gap between what they're eating and what they're expending is getting larger on an annual basis. (Gerberding cited in Kcivala, 2003). Cost associated with obesity is another problem that the government of America has to address. According to the estimates made by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the direct and indirect expenses of obesity per year sum up to above $117 billion (Wechsler, 2004). These expenses include but are not limited to loss of productivity and medical expenses. In 2003, medical expenses that could be attributed

Interpersonal Conflict in the Movie Hitch Essay Example for Free

Interpersonal Conflict in the Movie Hitch Essay This article to me proves to be somewhat true. I do feel that when you are in a relationship with someone you do tend to feel that you know this person well and can understand what the other person is simply saying at that time. When you are the person trying to communicate it should be as clear as possible. Like in the article the man misunderstood what she was saying but he had no way of knowing because if she was hot temperature wise she should have just said it in a way where he would know she meant temperature wise. This could also put a major strain on relationship between people. There would always be arguments or something because you and whoever would never be able to communicate successfully with one another. It would be nothing but miscommunication because you would have thought that you would be close enough to someone appears to create the illusion of understanding more than actual understanding. (U. S. News World Report) Miscommunication played a major role in something that happen to me one day. We were having a pizza party for the class and we need to buy extra pizza for the teachers because the kids could only eat cheese. The issue was that some did not eat the same type of pizza as others. So, after that a coworker and I decided we wanted supreme and the others wanted chicken pizza. My understanding was that her and I was going half and half on the supreme pizza because when we made the order we both were telling our coworker what we did and did not want on the pizza. As the pizza arrived they gave her a whole pizza and they brought a supreme pizza upstairs which we was trying to figure out who pizza it was because other people was asking for some but we did not want to give it away until we knew who the pizza belonged to. However, after talking to my coworker she stated that the others thought we had just took their pizza to because it was in our class and did not know they were sending people to ask for the pizza because it was in our room but how were we suppose to know. It got me kind of upset and she told me not to worry about it. So later that day in the meeting after school I felt I needed to address the problem and told my coworkers how were we suppose to know the pizza in our room because our class is upstairs and you guys did not want the kids to see that type of pizza because they could not be offered any. They should have told us that they were coming to our room to eat instead of thinking we were trying to take the pizza they bought. From that day forward we made sure that we understand clearly what we are ordering and doing when it comes to lunch time or whatever.

Quantitative And Qualitative Research Techniques And Procedures Psychology Essay

Quantitative And Qualitative Research Techniques And Procedures Psychology Essay The term research is usually used interchangeably with investigate, study, explore examine and make inquiries of a specific topic. In general terms, research can be defined as the gathering of data, information and facts for the advancement of knowledge. The Princeton University wordnetweb published some interesting definitions of research including: Attempt to find out in a systematically and scientific manner; Systematic investigation to establish facts inquire into or a search for knowledge; In the scientific and academic terms however, the common use of the team tends to refer to the definition of research in a scientific context where it is used to mean performing a methodical study in order to prove a hypothesis or answer a specific question. This scientific understanding and application of research assumes a research process which involves manipulation of the variables in general with exceptional of process that use case studies and pure observational science for which this generalization does not always hold true. Research methods are technique(s) for gathering data (Harding, 1986) and are generally dichotomized into being either quantitative or qualitative. It has been argued that methodology has been gendered (Oakley, 1998), with quantitative methods traditionally being associated with words such as positivism, scientific, objectivity, statistics and masculinity. In contrast, qualitative methods have generally been associated with interpretive, non-scientific, subjectivity and femininity. C. R. Kothari categories research methods into three main types depending on purpose, area of focus and research approach: i. Depending on its purpose, research is said to be exploratory research which is also divided into two subtypes of descriptive and analytical research. This type of research is purposed to and structured to identify new problems or relationships between phenomena. Thus, it is aimed at describing the state of affairs as it exists and it is usually done through survey to get new facts which are analyzed to find new connections: ii. Based on the focus and the result of the research process, we do find the Constructive research also known as applied research. This type of research is used to develop solutions to practical problem at hand. In this same category, there is Empirical research through which researchers tests the feasibility of a solution using observed data: iii. Based on the approach, research can also be categorized as qualitative or quantitative. This categorization is based on the research methods used. The choice between the two is based on the properties of the subject matter and or the objective of the research. (C. R. Kothari 2004). Those two are the most commonly used categorisations and form the main schools of thought in research. Although they are commonly used together in complex research processes, the merits of one of over the other hotly debated especially in the field of social science research. Due to the scope and space limitation, I do not intend to cover the entire field of scientific research. The reminder of this paper will therefore focus on the examination of these two methods in iii above Looking their key characteristics, date collection and analysis methods, and identifying the respective advantages and disadvantages, validity level and the discussing the contemporary usefulness on the two methods in the research process. Quantitative Research Techniques and Procedures Qualitative analysis is a process that is often the precursor to quantitative, statistical work; a process to make the tacit underpinnings of an issue explicit; a process you can use to deepen your understanding of complex social and human factors that cannot be understood with numbers; a process that helps you figure out what to count and what to measure (Kerlin, 1999, p. 1). Some of the common methods of carrying out quantitative research are surveys and observations. Surveys are commonly carried out either the respondent or the researcher filling in questionnaires. While observational research involves the research watching or observing various behaviors and patterns. Mary other different kinds of quantitative research methods are used besides the surveys and observations. More complicated forms of quantitative research are experimental research or mathematical modelling research (Peter J.P. Donnelly J.H, 2000). In the social sciences, quantitative research refers to the systematic empirical investigation of quantitative properties and phenomena and their relationships. The process will involve the development and use of the different mathematical models, theories and/or hypotheses pertaining to phenomena to measure empirical observation and mathematical expression that evidence the quantitative relationships. Although this research approach is commonly used in the social sciences such as psychology, sociology and anthropology, quantitative research mathematical sciences such as physics is also quantitative by definition, though this use of the term differs in context. In the social sciences, the term relates to empirical methods, originating in both philosophical positivism and the history of statistics, which contrast qualitative research methods. (http://en.wikipedia.org) One of the key characteristic of quantitative research is that it Involves analysis of data like numerical date, word, pictures and objects. (Miles Huberman (1994) Qualitative Research Techniques and Procedures Qualitative research is a generic term for investigative methodologies described as ethnographic, naturalistic, anthropological, field, or participant observer research. It emphasizes the importance of looking at variables in the natural setting in which they are found. Interaction between variables is important. Detailed data is gathered through open ended questions that provide direct quotations. The interviewer is an integral part of the investigation (Jacob, 1988). This differs from quantitative research which attempts to gather data by objective methods to provide information about relations, comparisons, and predictions and attempts to remove the investigator from the investigation (Smith, 1983). According to Andrew (2007), qualitative research is a method of inquiry appropriated in many different academic disciplines, traditionally in the social sciences, but also in market research and further contexts. Qualitative researchers aim to gather an in-depth understanding of human behavior and the reasons that govern such behavior. The qualitative method investigates the why and how of decision making, not just what, where, when. Hence, smaller but focused samples are more often needed, rather than large samples. According to Andrew (2007), qualitative research is used to denote approaches which are supported by a set of hypotheses concerning the way the social world functions. It deduces many of its basic principles from the perspective that there are fundamental differences between the science of human world and science of natural world and consequently needs to use distinctive methods. Here, attention is focused upon looking at the world through the eyes of studied objects and upon evolving concepts and theories which are grounded in the collecting data. So, qualitative research connected with own accounts of the individuals of their attitudes and behavior. The significance of qualitative research consists in setting stress on describing, understanding complex phenomena. It investigates, for instance, the relationships and patterns among factors or the context in which the activity happens. It is concentrated on understanding the full many-dimensional picture of the subject of investigatio n. Qualitative methods produce information only on the particular cases studied, and any more general conclusions are only hypotheses (informative guesses). Qualitative research is aimed at deepening our understanding about phenomenon, and will usually involve going beyond surface analysis of numbers and the statistics to the deeper meaning behind story being told by the numbers. It aims to gives the reasons and establishes causal relationships. It is often contrasted to quantitative research which focuses on the quantitative elements of phenomena. In practice however, the two methods are often used together to get to the bigger picture. Face-to-Face Interviews and Focus Groups The most common forms of qualitative research are face-to-face interviews and focus groups. Face-to-face interviews are just that: Meeting someone in person and discussing various issues. The informant or person you are interviewing may be an expert in a particular field (e.g. the editor of a newspaper) or they may be someone who is affected by the issues you are researching (e.g. someone who is HIV positive or who reads the media). Focus groups involve discussions with two or more participants. While questions for focus groups need to be prepared to guide and focus the discussions, the responses are often free-ranging, as the participants are encouraged to explore the issues at hand in an in-depth way. While focus groups and interviews will help you develop explanations for quantitative data, sometimes they can provide you with quantitative data themselves Basic Differences between Quantitative and Qualitative Research Techniques Quantitative and qualitative research methods differ primarily in: their analytical objectives the types of questions they pose the types of data collection instruments they use the forms of data they produce the degree of flexibility built into study design The key difference between quantitative and qualitative methods is their flexibility. Generally, quantitative methods are fairly inflexible. With quantitative methods such as surveys and questionnaires, for example, researchers ask all participants identical questions in the same order. The response categories from which participants may choose are closed-ended or fixed. The advantage of this inflexibility is that it allows for meaningful comparison of responses across participants and study sites. However, it requires a thorough understanding of the important questions to ask, the best way to ask them, and the range of possible responses. Qualitative methods are typically more flexible that is, they allow greater spontaneity and adaptation of the interaction between the researcher and the study participant. For example, qualitative methods ask mostly open-ended questions that are not necessarily worded in exactly the same way with each participant. With open-ended questions, participants are free to respond in their own words, and these responses tend to be more complex than simply yes or no. In addition, with qualitative methods, the relationship between the researcher and the participant is often less formal than in quantitative research. Participants have the opportunity to respond more elaborately and in greater detail than is typically the case with quantitative methods. In turn, researchers have the opportunity to respond immediately to what participants say by tailoring subsequent questions to information the participant has provided. Merriam (1988) provided a basis for differentiating qualitative and quantitative research techniques based on their characteristics. Characteristics of Qualitative and Quantitative Research Point of Comparisons Qualitative Research Quantitative Research Focus of research Quality (nature, essence) Quantity (how much, how many) Philosophical roots Phenomenology, symbolic interaction Positivism, logical empiricism Associated phrases Fieldwork, ethnographic, naturalistic, grounded, subjective Experimental, empirical, statistical Goal of investigation Understanding, description, discovery, hypothesis generating Prediction, control, description, confirmation, hypothesis testing Design characteristics Flexible, evolving, emergent Predetermined, structured Setting Natural, familiar Unfamiliar, artificial Sample Small, non-random, theoretical Large, random, representative Data collection Researcher as primary instrument, interviews, observations Inanimate instruments (scales, tests, surveys, questionnaires, computers) Mode of analysis Inductive (by researcher) Deductive (by statistical methods) Findings Comprehensive, holistic, expansive Precise, narrow, reductionist However, there is a range of flexibility among methods used in both quantitative and qualitative research and that flexibility is not an indication of how scientifically rigorous a method is. Rather, the degree of flexibility reflects the kind of understanding of the problem that is being pursued using the method. Merits of Quantitative Analysis The use of surveys permit a researcher to study more variables at one time than is typically possible in laboratory or field experiments, whilst data can be collected about real world environments. The usefulness of a survey is that the information you get is standardized because each respondent the person who fills out the questionnaire is answering the exact same questions. Once you have enough responses to your questionnaire, you can then put the data together and analyze it in a way that answers your research question or what it is you want to know. Since case studies follow a structured format, different situations can be compared or analyzed comparatively. Case studies are typically short (often no more than 5 pages long) and usually only contain the essential information needed to present a situation and, if necessary, to describe and properly analyze a problem. Quantitative data can determine when students have achieved or failed a task, and they can provide national ranking, percentiles, and allow researchers to conduct comparison analyses. Nevertheless, they cannot provide the total picture of why a particular student has either succeeded or failed (Burnaford et al., 2001; Gall et al., 1996 and Mc Bride Schostak, 2000). In quantitative research, the researcher neither participates in nor influences what is being studied; thus, he/she examines the circumstances objectively. In some qualitative research, the researcher may play a more subjective role and participate by being immersed in his/her research. That is, the observer may be the teacher or the facilitator. This role is often the case with when action research, case studies, and focus groups are used in educational research. Advantages of surveys Good for comparative analysis. Can get lots of data in a relatively short space of time. Can be cost-effective (if you use the Internet, for example). Can take less time for respondents to complete (compared to an interview or focus group) Specific concrete example; Can help with problem solving; Are often interesting to read. Demerits of Quantitative Analysis A key weakness of quantitative analysis is that it is very difficult to realise insights relating to the causes of or processes involved in the phenomena measured. There are, in addition, several sources of bias such as the possibly self-selecting nature of respondents, the point in time when the survey is conducted and in the researcher him/herself through the design of the survey itself. It could be argued that the quantitative researcher is more precise, but the response would be that with people it is not possible to be so precise, people change and the social situation is too complex for numerical description. Quantitative research has a tendency to clarify where clarification is not appropriate. (Mc Bride Schostak, 2000, pp. 1-2) Disadvantages of Surveys Responses may not be specific. Questions may be misinterpreted. May not get as many responses as you need. Dont get full story. Can take time to develop; Depending on format, may need some level of good writing skills; Do not usually give broad overview of issue at hand. Merits of Qualitative Techniques The approaches of the qualitative research differ from the methods of the quantitative research. Quantitative methods have their aim in dividing into clearly defined parts, or variables. When we research an issue which we know how to quantify, for example, what can be quantified for sure, we may leave out the factors which are crucial to the real understanding of the phenomena under study (Andrew, 2007). Qualitative methods are helpful not only in giving rich explanations of complex phenomena, but in creating or evolving theories or conceptual bases, and in proposing hypotheses to clarify the phenomena. Besides, value of the qualitative research consists in validity of the information received; people are minutely interviewed so as the obtained data would be taken as correct and believable reports of their opinions and experiences. Its major disadvantage is that small group of interviewed individuals can not be taken as representative (Andrew, 2007). Case studies involve an attempt to describe relationships that exist in reality, very often in a single organization. Case studies may be positivist or interpretivist in nature, depending on the approach of the researcher, the data collected and the analytical techniques employed. Reality can be captured in greater detail by an observer-researcher, with the analysis of more variables than is typically possible in experimental and survey research. Another type of qualitative analysis is site visits. Site visits help you understand your research better; site visits (e.g. when you visit an organization, a manufacturing plant, a clinic or a housing project) are very useful and sometimes even necessary ways of gaining additional insight and making your theoretical information concrete in your mind. They allow you to observe what is going on, and to ask questions you may not have thought about. Qualitative research has a phenomenological focus that can provide an enriched and detailed description of the participants actions and/or viewpoints (Veronesi, 1997). Advantages of Face-to-Face Interviews Can allow for in-depth knowledge sharing; Helps to develop the bigger picture; Helps with analysis of results; Good for networking (e.g. you may be referred to other people to interview). Advantages of Focus Groups Good for community participation (grassroots input); Helpful in developing ideas and sharing latent, or hidden, knowledge spontaneously; Enables you to get information from a number of individuals simultaneously. Advantages of Site Visits and Observation Demerits of Qualitative Analysis Case studies can be considered weak as they are typically restricted to a single organization and it is difficult to generalize findings since it is hard to find similar cases with similar data that can be analyzed in a statistically meaningful way. Disadvantages of Face-to-Face Interviews Can be time consuming; May be difficult to arrange an interview time; Can be difficult to compare and analyze information. Disadvantages of Focus Groups Can be difficult to set up; Participants may need to be paid; Need to be sensitive to who the facilitator is; May need a translator; Sometimes difficult to organize and analyze information. Disadvantages of Site Visits and Observation Take time; Can be expensive (depending how far you need to travel); With observation in particular, you need to be careful how you interpret what you see. With site visits, you may want to make sure you have a guide so that you can ask questions However, the disadvantage of the quantitative as well as qualitative research is that they do not always underpin understanding of multi-dimensional pictures (Andrew, 2007).

Taiwanese National Health Insurance Card :: Insurance Coverage Taiwan Essays

Taiwanese National Health Insurance Card Taiwanese government has been providing health insurance coverage to all its citizens since 1997. Initially, the National Health Insurance Agency managed and tracked citizen's medical usage via four versions of paper national health insurance card. The health insurance card, the newly born handbook, the pregnancy handbook, and major disease/handicap certificate. Whenever a citizen visits health clinic, the visit is recorded on the back of the appropriate ID. When the card is full, the citizen exchange the used card for a new one at the local NHI office. The NHI also receive medical records from medical establishments when they file for claims. Starting July 2003, the health insurance agency began its modernization process. It started consolidating four paper versions with the digital version-- a smart card containing IC chip. By Jan. 1, 2004, the entire country was upgraded to the digital NHI card. The goal of the modernization process is to reduce the NHI's operational overhead so that more resources may be directed toward medical care. It is expected to save over 42 billion NTD or roughly 1.2 USD over the period of seven years.5 In addition, visits to the health care provider will be more convenient, as patients no longer need to bring multiple ID/handbooks with them to medical facilities. And there will be no need to visit local NHI office for new ID cards. For health care providers, the digital card provides a electronic infrastructure that allows them to streamline the claim filing process avoiding mistakes. It also allow NHI to provide a more efficient collection mechanism to gather accurate information regarding ove rall citizen's health and disease statistics. Despite its well intention and the ambitious plan, the modernization plan has serious ethical consequences. When the modernization process is completed, the NHI will has the most extensive online database of Taiwanese citizens. The database will contain nearly every citizen's medical record for his or her entire life. It will also contain the most up to date personal information such as home and work addresses. Because of the extensive nature of the database, if the database is misused, the consequence will be severe. Furthermore, Several human rights advocacy group has pointed out the infrastructure is insufficient to protect citizens' privacy rights as well as the lack of will on government's side to protect individual's personal information. And there is fear that there is risk that the leaked medical information can be used to persecute a specific segment of the population.

John Cabell Breckinridge :: essays research papers

John Cabell Breckinridge One day I was walking around the grounds at the capitol building in Frankfort. There sitting alone in the First Lady’s rose garden on a bench was a solemn looking fellow. He looked very distressed and confused. So, I inquired if he was feeling well or needed something. He replied that he had just discovered everyone he had ever loved was gone and for some odd reason he was all that was left. I wasn’t sure what he meant by that so I sat down beside him. He was dressed quit dapper in a dark suit with an upturned collar and some sort of fanciful scarf wrapped around his neck very tightly like a tie. I also noticed his shoes appeared to fit either foot and he had a bright gold watch chain. I thought all this was very odd, and assumed he may have been a reenacter at the capitol building. I began to inquire about his behavior the following is the account of this bizarre conversation. I started by introducing myself, he said his name was Gen. John Breckinridge and he was in search of Gov. Leslie. I thought this was odd because Leslie was governor in the late 1800†s (1871-75). At first I told him Paul Patton was the governor this seemed to confuse him greatly. He asked me where I procured my clothing, I told him in Carrollton. He then asked if I knew Gen. Butler. I replied that I had only known his name and who he was and that I had never met him. As he began to tell me about Butler, his own life and some of the places he had been, I could do nothing but sit and listen in awe. He told me that he was born Jan., 21st 1821 and during his younger years he had studied law at several colleges. These included Transylvania University were he earned his Associates in Arts degree, then continued studying law at Centre College and graduated from Princeton University in 1839. He had gone to Iowa to practice law with a partner Thomas Bullock who was also from the Lexington area. I asked why he went so far to practice, his answer was that this was about as far west you could go and still be â€Å"civilized†. Also he speculated in land and owned several plots in this northwestern state. John Cabell Breckinridge :: essays research papers John Cabell Breckinridge One day I was walking around the grounds at the capitol building in Frankfort. There sitting alone in the First Lady’s rose garden on a bench was a solemn looking fellow. He looked very distressed and confused. So, I inquired if he was feeling well or needed something. He replied that he had just discovered everyone he had ever loved was gone and for some odd reason he was all that was left. I wasn’t sure what he meant by that so I sat down beside him. He was dressed quit dapper in a dark suit with an upturned collar and some sort of fanciful scarf wrapped around his neck very tightly like a tie. I also noticed his shoes appeared to fit either foot and he had a bright gold watch chain. I thought all this was very odd, and assumed he may have been a reenacter at the capitol building. I began to inquire about his behavior the following is the account of this bizarre conversation. I started by introducing myself, he said his name was Gen. John Breckinridge and he was in search of Gov. Leslie. I thought this was odd because Leslie was governor in the late 1800†s (1871-75). At first I told him Paul Patton was the governor this seemed to confuse him greatly. He asked me where I procured my clothing, I told him in Carrollton. He then asked if I knew Gen. Butler. I replied that I had only known his name and who he was and that I had never met him. As he began to tell me about Butler, his own life and some of the places he had been, I could do nothing but sit and listen in awe. He told me that he was born Jan., 21st 1821 and during his younger years he had studied law at several colleges. These included Transylvania University were he earned his Associates in Arts degree, then continued studying law at Centre College and graduated from Princeton University in 1839. He had gone to Iowa to practice law with a partner Thomas Bullock who was also from the Lexington area. I asked why he went so far to practice, his answer was that this was about as far west you could go and still be â€Å"civilized†. Also he speculated in land and owned several plots in this northwestern state.

Critical Analysis of Drugs Essay

Drugs and alcohol use has been a common and consistent problem in the United States for quite a long time. From the prohibition era in the 1920’s to the common drug use seen in the 1970’s, we have always seen a problem that needs to be addressed. An array of scholars, from all the disciplines, have each experimented and researched this topic in their own unique ways. The natural sciences take a purely scientific approach by hypothesizing and using the scientific method to research and made evaluative claims based on experiment and observation as shown in the article â€Å"Relationship between Vigorous Exercise Frequency and Substance Use Among First-Year Drinking College Students†. Social Science is similar because it also uses hypotheses and the scientific method to observe and evaluate experiments, but at the same time uses theory critique and discussion methods as seen in the article â€Å"Decisional Balance and Collegiate Drinking†. The Humanities take a very difference approach to experiments and research than the natural or social sciences. The Humanities utilize analysis and interpretation in their approach and provide very subjective results to their studies as seen in, â€Å"Associations Between Aspects of Spiritual Well-Being, Alcohol Use, and Related Social-Cognitions in Female College Students†. All of these techniques give us a better understand of the subject as a whole by exposing us to all the different views of a single topic. See more: how to write a critical analysis outline Drugs and alcohol use, particularly in college students, in a continuously rising issue in our current society and is gaining more notice in recent years because of the rise in college student awareness. It is a pressing issue that affects people’s health, lifestyle, and general well being and needs to be treated with attention and an open mind to help resolve its current issues. Part I. From the scholarly point of view, drug and alcohol use in the college setting is covered by all the disciplines with different attention on certain aspects by each respective discipline. A social science article, â€Å"Decisional Balance and Collegiate Drinking,† by Dr. Morgen delves into college students drinking habits, and why they act as they do. The articles purpose is to show the relationship between how students perceive their drinking and how bad it actually is. Dr. Morgen focuses on identifying the problem and evaluating it. This isn’t far off from the approach the Natural Science article, â€Å"Relationship between Vigorous Exercise Frequency and Substance Use Among First-Year Drinking College Students† by Dr.Moore and Dr. Werch. Their focus is to compare exercise habits among self identified drinkers and to come up with scientific explanations for their habits. Like Dr. Morgen, the study included asking questions about the students drinking habits and perceptions of their actions. But, unlike Dr. Morgen there is a more objective approach to the results and less room for interpretation. The Humanities article compares more with the Social Science article and contrasts with the Natural Science take on the subject. The article, â€Å"Associations Between Aspects of Spiritual Well-Being, Alcohol Use, and Related Social-Cognitions in Female College Students† focuses strictly on discussion and results to questions they presented to the women in their study. When comparing the Humanities article to the other two, you can see a difference in the materials covered and analyzed. The Humanities support its findings through their discussion and thoughts on the results, while the two science articles find support from empirical data. When looking at all three sources it is easy to realize how complex and broad drugs and alcohol are among the three disciplines. When we view the Natural Science article is it clear that the use of scientific sources are more prevalent than in the Humanities article. The Humanities utilize primary sources, where the Social Sciences use a mixture of methods found in both the Humanities and the Natural Sciences. All of these scholarly discussions demonstrate the complexity of the subject, while also exposing it from many different angles. Each article seems to approach the topic of drugs and alcohol by exhibiting several different opportunities for argument. Given that all three articles deal with three different disciplines it’s no surprise that each article comes to its respective conclusion by different rhetorical means. â€Å"Relationship between Vigorous Exercise Frequency and Substance Use Among First-Year Drinking College Students,† by Moore and Werch, works to indentify factors in college students drinking and exercise habits and link them together. Moore and Werch rely on logos to convey their results, given that the article is in the Natural Sciences it uses facts, statistics, and experiments to argue its results. This differs greatly from, â€Å"Associations Between Aspects of Spiritual Well-Being, Alcohol Use, and Related Social-Cognitions in Female College Students† by VonDras et al. because VonDras et al. make up the framework of their approach and argument by using credibility and reliable sources (ethos). The Social Science article, â€Å"Decisional Balance and Collegiate Drinking† by Dr. Morgen, is a combination of both approaches. The use of logical reasoning and experiments yield to logos, but at the same time the exploitation of reliable sources and trustworthiness demonstrate ethos as its rhetorical choice. The point of view of the three articles is first person because the authors are directly explaining the experiments methods, process, and discussion to the reader. Throughout the three sources there is a certain ethos connection because of the experimenters relying on honest input from their subjects in each experiment. Overall, all three articles state the importance of the positions they take, and relate their topics to some degree. All have in common a kind of moderation in how they appeal to an audience rhetorically. Each source uniquely represents its particular discipline through textual evidence, and its take on the subject at hand. The Humanities article, â€Å"Associations Between Aspects of Spiritual Well-Being, Alcohol Use, and Related Social-Cognitions in Female College Students† by VonDras et al. represents humanities perfectly because of its strong use of interpretation and analysis. This approach differs greatly from the â€Å"Relationship between Vigorous Exercise Frequency and Substance Use Among First-Year Drinking College Students† article, which uses more observation and the scientific method, which is very representative of the Natural Sciences. Once again incorporating some of both of the disciplines to represent its take is the Social Science article, â€Å"Decisional Balance and Collegiate Drinking†. There is clear use of scientific method and experiment, but you can also see interpretation and analysis in the conclusion discussion which talks about the students drinking habits and perceived benefits from consuming alcohol. The Natural Science article strays from its disciplines approach at times and seems to come across as a Social Science article. Its uses analysis and observation along with its hypothesis. The Social Science article, â€Å"Decisional Balance and Collegiate Drinking† is most typical to its specific discipline. It exemplifies traditional Social Science approaches to the experiment and discussion more wholly than the Natural Science and Humanities articles represent their topic. The least typical to its discipline is the Natural Science article, â€Å"Relationship between Vigorous Exercise Frequency and Substance Use Among First-Year Drinking College Students†. Though, as stated, it does use scientific approaches which represent the Natural Sciences, it also incorporates some Social Science attributes in its structure. This is dissimilar to the Humanities article, â€Å"Associations Between Aspects of Spiritual Well-Being, Alcohol Use, and Related Social-Cognitions in Female College Students† because as previously stated, VonDras et al. stuck to the proper methods in their research and represented the Humanities in a proper fashion. Taken as a whole, these three scholarly sources predominantly stick to their discipline and properly represent their respective disciplines. Part II. The importance of drug and alcohol use in the college setting has never been more important and relevant than it is now. Drug and alcohol use at the college level can have many detrimental effects on the future of our society. We, the college students in America, are the future of this country, and if we cannot be responsible enough to drink not in excess then how can we be trusted to continue to run this country smoothly. The three sources used from the three different disciplines all touch on important ideas related to the topic at hand. As stated in the Social Science article, â€Å"Decisional Balance and Collegiate Drinking† by Dr. Morgen, most of the college students that claim they have their drinking habits in control and receive lots of benefits from drinking fall into the DSM-IV-TR category for alcoholism. This is a relevant issue because it shows that college students who think they are responsible for their actions could easily have a disease and not even know it. We must strive to fix or at least help the issue that is in front of us by going straight to the matter. In the Natural Science article, â€Å"Relationship between Vigorous Exercise Frequency and Substance Use Among First-Year Drinking College Students† it states college students who exercise more are more likely to drink heavily. That seems highly counterproductive, but from the student’s point of view, they feel that if they work out and exercise they can drink as a reward for their efforts. This is a skewed way to look at it and should also be addressed. We don’t need to promote no drinking because that will simply not work, but we can push to inform people of the health risks and harm they do to their bodies by drinking heavily on a regular basis. This is a very relevant take on the subject because it alerts the reader of the things they found and provides unbiased, correct information on the topic of drinking amongst college students. The Humanities article, â€Å"Associations Between Aspects of Spiritual Well-Being, Alcohol Use, and Related Social-Cognitions in Female College Students† approaches the subject from a different angle but still covers useful and relevant material to use and discuss. Its main idea is talking about how religion and spirituality effect their views and habits of drinking. The study found that religious affiliation and aspects of spiritual well being are moderators of behavior that lead to alcohol prevention. The level of awareness of the issue of alcohol use of all three scholarly sources seems to be very high. They all selected their topic of research to find definitive results about the use of alcohol and its effects on the people who abuse it. There seems to be a suitable amount of attention given, which is good because it seems that a large group of people are unaware of the negative aspects on their lifestyle and health of heavy drinking and drug use. We should be focused strongly on the issue more than the discipline we are reading it from. All the disciplines have unique approaches to their discussions but they still head towards the same issue that we should be focused on. All three of the sources seem to stay focused and never stray from alcohol use as their main topic. The Social Science article, â€Å"Decisional Balance and Collegiate Drinking† seems to be most relevant because of its practical explanations. It includes input and thoughts from the Natural Sciences and the Humanities, and that’s what makes it a Social Science article. The practicality of its subject, why students drink, is easy to understand, but at the same time is very in-depth. We learn so much from it such as, why people drink, how much they drink, their perceived benefits from consumption, and the effects of all those things added up. As stated earlier, this issue is very important in our society at this moment. College should be fun, but at the same time we must learn to be responsible and focus on what we are in college to do. That is learn and get an education so that we can later because the leaders and innovators that push this country to greatness. Only so much can be done, but the first step to changing anything is raising awareness on college campuses. Overall, drug and alcohol abuse is portrayed in all the disciplines with each one having an important input on the matter as a whole. It is a pressing issue that affects people’s health, lifestyle, and general well being and needs to be treated with attention and an open mind to help resolve its current issues. We cannot stray from this pressing issue in the near future and must continue to research and experiment so that we may better understand drug and alcohol use from all different points of view. As stated in the Social Science article, â€Å"Decisional Balance and Collegiate Drinking†, students who perceive their consumption as normal have in reality worse habits than the average person. We have to strive to expose this issue and correct it as best we can in the future. From the Humanities article, â€Å"Associations Between Aspects of Spiritual Well-Being, Alcohol Use, and Related Social-Cognitions in Female College Students†, we can conclude that religious affiliation and sense of spiritual well-being seem to have a positive effect on drinking habits. Simply put, morals seem to have an effect on if a person abuses alcohol or drugs. Also, as found in the Natural Science source, â€Å"Relationship between Vigorous Exercise Frequency and Substance Use Among First-Year Drinking College Students† people seem to be negatively reinforcing themselves because it was found that people how exercise more reported consuming more alcohol than the average person. That finding is a sad thing because it is so counterproductive to the body. From the sources as a whole you can easily find the connection that this is a pertinent issue today and will continue to be in the future. Its importance cannot be stressed enough but even with that, people will continue to not listen and use substances more than is considered responsible. We will see the consequences of this in the coming years, and determine if the issue really is as big as it seems, or if people finally grow up when they get out of college and realize they can’t have such destructive behaviors and continue to contribute to society in a positive way. In conclusion, we cannon stray from this issue, but we must continue to research it and learn from it to help fix and explain it to coming generations. Moore, Michele Johnson, and Chudley Werch. â€Å"Relationship Between Vigorous Exercise Frequency and Substance Use Among First-Year Drinking College Students. † Journal of American College Health Vol. 56. No. 6 (2008): 686-690. Morgen, Keith, and Lauren Gunneson. â€Å"Decisional Balance and Collegiate Drinking. † Journal of Alcohol & Drug Education (2008): 18-36. VonDras, D. , R. Schmitt, and D. Marx. â€Å"Associations Between Aspects of Spiritual Well-Being, Alcohol Use, and Related Social-Cognitions in Female College Students. † Journal of Religion & Health Vol. 46 (2007): 500-515.

Reducing oil dependence in United States of America Essay

Fossil fuels such as oil are the main source of energy used especially for modern vehicles. An important strategy to cut the oil dependence would be to use electricity as the source of energy because electricity is cheap and surplus in America (Sandalow, 2008). In order to reduce the oil dependence for the vehicles, the vehicles that run on electricity has to be generated. Although such vehicles are present, with the use of improved technologies, still better engines, which are light and which require less time for recharging could be produced and the dependence on oil could be reduced to a great extent. Here the electricity that is produced in an electrochemical cell is used. Although there are other methods of generating electricity such as utilizing wind power, solar energy etc, the use of such energy for vehicles in a feasible manner require much more research. Since the vehicles are the major consumer of oil, the best strategy to reduce oils dependence would be to use electrical energy from a battery to replace fuels used in vehicles. Foods with â€Å"no sugar added† label attached Sugar is a form of carbohydrate, which is one of the major nutrients required by our body. There are simple sugars as well as complex sugars. The sugar, which is added in the food, â€Å"table sugar†, is a simple sugar. Other forms of simple sugar such are lactose, fructose etc are present in foods such as milk, fruits, honey etc. The complex sugars such as starch are present in plenty in cereals, vegetables etc. These complex sugars would be converted into simple sugars in the body and can influence the blood glucose levels. Any food in which cereals, milk, fruits, vegetables etc are the ingredients, would contain significant amount of sugars. So even if sugar is not added in a food, it may contain sugar that would be dangerous for a diabetic patient. So even when the label â€Å"no sugar added† is there on any food item, it doesn’t mean a diabetic patient can safely consume that food. References Sandalow, D. (2009) Ending Oil Dependence :Protecting National Security, the Environment and the Economy. http://abcnews. go. com/images/Politics/PB_Energy_Sandalow. pdf. 2008 (accessed on 6 February 2009) Danoff, R. (2009) â€Å"No Sugar Added† Is Not a Free Ride. http://health. msn. com/health-topics/diabetes/articlepage. aspx? cp-documentid=100120404&vv=650 (accessed on 6 February 2009)

Margins: Meaning of Life and Frazier Essay

In Ian Frazier’s essay, â€Å"In Praise of Margins†, the author talks about his childhood life and how he had â€Å"margins† where he and his friends would do things and nothing would matter because they wouldn’t care. â€Å"Marginal† thought is valuable because it allows adults to use their imagination. His purpose is to try new activities without shame; it’s the spur of the moment that defines margin. I think his view about marginal activity is comprehensive and relatable. When we think of margins, we think of the extra space on the edge of the paper that we can’t write out of. But marginal has another meaning to it which has to do with the economic world and how we function with margins in our life such as personal experiences. Marginal space is key to the coming of age process in each person’s life whether we share the same activities or not. Although it’s not easy to pin point it out but marginal spaces are needed to escape from everyone’s present problem in everyday life. I agree and believe with Frazier when he is talking about the meaning of marginal because it is true that margins sometimes do not come out the way you want it to be, nothing or nobody is perfect and there are always something ruining the perfect moment that we all have or want. Marginal act take such a high valued meaning according to Frazier because the places and activities that he discovered through his childhood is something that has been lost in the past and also in many societies, especially the economic society. According to Frazier, he added, â€Å"†¦the margin is where you can try out ideas that you might be afraid to admit to with people looking on. † (7) This is an important concept to anyone’s life. One person’s marginal space can different from another person’s as long as it is an activity in which the person escapes from reality. In an economic society, time is considered money and Frazier’s activity of sitting on a tree for hours is more on the lines of suicidal, in economic society’s terms. Frazier agreed that he felt useless at the time of just sitting but as he grew older, the useless time of gazing off turned into something sacred towards him. The sitting in the tree gave him memories and something to reflect back on. It came upon me when I took my nephews out to the ice rink at the Christmas in the Park; I realized if I never done this I would have missed out on what defined me as of today. Though it’s all fun and games I know that it’s one of the activities you can do once in a while that can take you away from your stress and busy day life-style. Reflection cannot happen when there is nothing to look back on. There are always memories that others have whether it be good or bad. It might be their first time driving or their first time swimming. Any memory is something someone can reflect back onto to see who they are and to see how they got to the place they are now. The economic society always keeps moving on and thinks about the future, while human beings need time to focus and reminisce from where they came from. If someone keeps running straight with their heads down, they might get far but eventually, they will get lost. In order to stay on track and know where you’re heading, at times the person needs to look back to see where they started from. Know where you are is the most important thing to knowing who you are and Frazier realized the great importance of that. Frazier’s useless â€Å"marginal† activity such as just plainly sitting brought out the importance of just doing things not to gain a profit but to gain something to reflect on. When Frazier was younger, he had his own marginal place and would always go out to â€Å"the woods†; it was his â€Å"part-time address, destination, purpose, and excuse† (1). While Frazier ran around bumping into bushes and branches, slipping and sliding through thick brown dirt; I was ice skating at the ice arena, hop-scotching, and playing house. Throughout my childhood, I dedicated numerous hours in the freezing cold ice arena at the local mall, hop-scotched afterschool with my neighbors, and played house on the weekends with my cousins. These activities may sound typical as a child but it had a significant meaning towards me. It was my purpose to grow upon these marginal experiences. In the end, all that matters is being able to free your mind from something that you free yourself from caring about what others think. And I believe that I accomplish my marginal activity as a child, through every fall and bruises that I received while ice skating, I couldn’t care less about what others had to say about me because I knew that every time I got up it’ll only make me a better skater in the end. Although changes occurred and I grew out of the marginal acts, agreeing with Frazier’s realization, â€Å"†¦and suddenly there was nothing up there for us. † (4) The excitement of skating on the slipping cold ice with no shame of failing can only be done as a marginal act, because I can no longer look at the rink the same way I did when I was younger. Nor can I play hop-scotch the way I did, hopping from one box to another is like going from one class to another today. Instead of playing house with my cousins, we became college students looking for a stable job that can support our education. I agree with Frazier that the â€Å"remember whens† really does faltered and â€Å"playing† time doesn’t have to end here. Although margins can be done differently and looked at differently, marginal is necessary for a person of all ages to let loose in order to overcome the pressure and stresses of everyday life. Frazier’s marginal activities consisted of breaking ice, climbing trees, and picking fruits. My marginal activities consisted of ice skating, hop-scotching, and playing house. Marginal activities may vary from being active in a sport, traveling, singing or perhaps even enjoying a movie night on the couch; by the end of the day marginal activities is necessary in order to free yourself from the strains of everyday life.

Case Study †Mandalay Shweyi Co., Ltd.

I wish to express my sincere appreciation to U Aye Kyaw, Managing Director – Cum Principal of Myanmar Human Resources Co., Ltd. (MHR). I would like to express my heartfelt thanks and deepest gratitude to my course instructors, Dr. Ohnmar Myint for providing invaluable guidance, encouragement and supervision throughout the process of this assignment. I am also deeply thankful to Mandalay Shweyi Company Limited for the kind permission to study and analyze their operations. I also would like to express my special thanks to ABE for the opportunity to study for the Post Graduate Diploma through which I have gained a thorough understands of business concepts, idea and knowledge. Finally, I would like to thank my parents for their love and support throughout my life. I would also like to thank all my friends for their help in the task of developing this assignment.Executive SummaryThis assignment focuses â€Å"A Research on Improving Customer Satisfaction and Retention† of Man dalay Shweyi Co., Ltd which is a major manufacturer of alcohol industry and also a nationwide foods & beverages marketer in Myanmar. Customer satisfaction may be identified as external and internal customer satisfaction of an organisation.The main objectives of this study were focused on external customer satisfaction, to explore the main influences of customer satisfaction and to determine their relationships with customer satisfaction. This paper also intends to present the research methods reflection of customer satisfaction lead to maximize customer satisfaction benefits and minimize the customer dissatisfaction which were caused by customer service and product quality factors of Herbal Tea Product from Mandalay Shweyi Co., Ltd.Personal StatementI am a candidate of Postgraduate Diploma in Business Management (ABE). I have been trying to complete post-graduate diploma in business management as a bridge to further study for MBA because my aim is to manage either my own business or to be able to successfully manage other businesses. This assignment is requirement for â€Å"Research Methods and their Applications to Marketing† course.Firstly I learnt the business operations and activities of Mandalay Shweyi by interviewing, observation, surveying and studying documents. I learned of the vision, mission, business strategies and challenges by interviewing the management team and identified business practice and activities through dialogs with technicians and staff. By preparing this assignment, I can apply the marketing research concepts and marketing concepts which are covered in ABE courses.This paper displays â€Å"A Research on Improving Customer Satisfaction and Retention† profile of Mandalay Shweyi Company. I have tried my best not only reflection on the subjects and experiences but also to meet the assignment goals and constraints. I hereby declare that this assignment is a bonafide work carried out by myself. It has not been submitted to an y other university or institution for the award of any degree, certified or published any time before.Corporate ProfileAlthough started as a small scale business in 1992, Mandalay Shweyi Co., Ltd. Shweyi has grown into one of Myanmar's largest alcoholic beverages manufacturers with two distilleries one in Yangon and one in Mandalay. The full product portfolio includes 20 products in six different groups. Superior quality is obtained through Shweyi’s strict quality standards which are applied advanced manufacturing process. The company was formed with the well experienced distillers, knowledgeable technical experts and engineers from Yangon Institute of Technology. Shweyi is a major manufacturer of alcohol industry and also a nationwide foods & beverages marketer in Myanmar.There are nine branch offices in order to cope the whole national market (see Appendix-A). The vision of the company is â€Å"to provides healthy foods & beverages to consumers†, they produce healthy liquors series includes HERBAL RUM and SOBASHOCHU (Buckwheat Liquors). And the company also  manufactures various kinds of healthy food including Buckwheat products, Honey products and Herbal Tea products.Background of the studyNowadays, bombing of global market effect, it becomes more and more competitions in business environment and then customer satisfaction is becoming crucial role to the survival of any business organization. The competitors who will be successful recognize that customer satisfaction is a critical strategic weapon that can bring increased market share and increased profits. Therefore most of the companies all over the world are beginning to realize that customers’ satisfaction has a direct impact on the bottom line.And then they are trying to develop the unique strategies and new changes to satisfy their customer needs and wants and strive to exceed their expectations. Measuring customer satisfaction is the most important in differentiating the compan y. As markets shrink, companies are scrambling to boost customer satisfaction and keep their current customers rather than devoting additional resources to chase potential new customers. The key to customer retention is customer satisfaction.Therefore â€Å"A Research on Improving Customer Satisfaction and Retention† is essential for all business organisations. The need for customer satisfaction measurement is well documented and it can increase revenue and profit due to higher customer retention.MethodologyThis paper is a case study of Mandalay Shweyi Co., Ltd. from an inside-out perspective. It attempts to explore the benefits of Customer Satisfaction Survey and how it can provide the company with insight for development and support for future strategic decision making processes.This research was completed to identify what key components affect customer satisfaction at Mandalay Shweyi product. In this research methodology which included research design, questionnaires, samp ling process, data collection method, research timeframe and method of analysis.Research Design Exploratory: After getting the permission from company’s board of director, I  started to discuss what factors of Herbal Tea product contribute to customer satisfaction with marketing team. Because of time and budget constraints, I was unable to conduct focus groups or in depth interviews. By doing brainstorming with marketing team, I developed the research design.Descriptive: To gain a better understanding of the problem, and to clarify the research questions, I conducted secondary research to discover what experts found customer satisfaction to be at other food and beverage products. This research allowed me to gain a solid understanding of the business.QuestionnairesAfter developing what factors may lead to customer satisfaction at Herbal Tea product, I began to design a questionnaire to collect primary data from wholesalers and consumers. The type of instrument used in this r esearch was a five-point likert scale questionnaire. The questionnaire was divided into three sections. The initial portion of wholesaler questionnaire included customer service factors, the second section tested the product quality and the last section tested the pricing and reliability (reliability means that it has no side effect on customer) of Herbal Tea product.In the first portion of consumer questionnaire included demographic factors, the second section was asked the product quality and the last section measured the pricing and reliability of Herbal Tea product. The five-point likert scale assigned points 1,2,3,4 and 5. The questionnaire was pre-tested among a group of 25 potential respondents but no major problems were detected. Several minor modifications were made to ensure clarity of the items in the final version of the questionnaire (see Appendix-B).Sampling process Data were collected through survey using a structured questionnaires administered to wholesalers and con sumers (end-users). The total number of respondents (samples) who participated in this research was 149. The sample was separated into two groups. One is wholesalers group (wholesalers, N=58) and the next is consumers group (consumers, N=91). In this research the type of sampling that I used was convenient sampling.Data Collection MethodI collected the primary data by using marketing team and distributing the questionnaires to wholesalers and consumers. After collecting the data, I coded the questionnaire and entered the data into the SPSS software system to run statistical tests to analyze the data I collected. I collected the secondary research by finding professional articles and past research.Research Time FrameI compiled a research report that addresses how to improve customer satisfaction and retention at Mandalay Shweyi. I began my research in October 2010 and started to develop constructs and research hypotheses to answer the research question of what factors influence custo mer satisfaction at Mandalay Shweyi. In early November I developed my survey by putting the constructs I had previously created into likert scales. In last week of November I surveyed customers in the market, using questionnaire to measure satisfaction, and at early December I ran tests on the data using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 15.0. Method of AnalysisIn this research diagrammatic representations are used to represent the information which included frequencies and correlation tables, and bar charts (see Appendix-C). Appropriate statistical techniques like descriptive data analysis and Pearson correlation analysis were used to analyse and interpret the data.A Literature ReviewMarketing Concept Philip Kotler who is the world's foremost marketing guru. In his first book, â€Å"Marketing Management (1967)†, marketing has been defined as â€Å"A function of management with scientific rigour, models and statistical analysis†. The à ¢â‚¬Ëœmarketing concept' in the words of Kotler is â€Å"Holds that achieving organisational goals depends on determining the needs and wants of target markets and delivering the desired satisfactions more effectively and more efficiently than competitors do.†Marketing is only one factor in attracting and keeping customers but it cannot fulfill its managerial role unless customer needs and wants are understood and satisfied. The organisation must try to understand the target market’s needs and wants.  Needs describe the basic requirements of human, people need food, air, water, clothing, and shelter to survive. People also have strong needs for recreation, education, and entertainment. These needs become wants when they are directed to specific objects that might satisfy the need (Philip Kotler, 2006). Marketing StrategyThe aim of any business organisation is to make profit. This can only be achieved by forming an effective marketing strategy which can actually incre ase double or triple of organisational sales. Marketing Strategy is the set of helps to guidelines and policies used for effectively matching marketing programmes with target market opportunities in order to achieve organisational objectives. Developing marketing strategy includes deciding which customers to target and how to position products and etc. When forming a marketing strategy, customer satisfaction is really the main goal. And a strategy that does not address the needs of the customers cannot be classified as a good marketing strategy.Marketing MixThe major marketing management decisions can be classified into four categories as follow: Product: The product is the physical product or service offered to the consumer. Price: Pricing decisions should take into account profit margins and the probable pricing response of competitors. Place (distribution): Place decisions are those associated with channels of distribution that serve as the means for getting the product to the ta rget customers. Promotion: Promotion decisions are those related to communicating and selling to potential consumers. It is useful to know the value of a customer in order to determine whether additional customers are worth the cost of acquiring them.These variables are known as the marketing mix and also referred to as the â€Å"Four ‘P's. The marketing mix is the combination of marketing activities that an organisation engages in so as to best meet the needs of its targeted market. The service marketing mix involves analysing the 7’p of marketing, involving Product, Price, Place, Promotion, Physical Evidence, Process and People. Most of the firm attempts to generate a positive response in the target market by blending these four marketing mix variables in an optimal manner.External and uncontrollable environmental factors are very important elements of the marketing strategy  Programs. Therefore Marketing Mix should include customers, environmental variables, and c ompetitive variables (Kotler, 1984). Marketing ResearchMarketing research is a systematic process which may include these steps: data – gathering, analysis, storage, retrieval and dissemination of information and finally to aid decision making. The main reasons of doing research are to reduce risks, to help in planning and forecasting results, to aid marketing mix-decisions and to improve decision making capabilities (ABE, Strategic Marketing Management, Study manual). Effective communicating research result on marketing mix is an essential component of the research process. Clear, concise, and cogent reports enable informed effective decision making. For this reason marketing research is necessary to measure and track customer satisfaction.Customer SatisfactionCustomer satisfaction is regarded as customers can get more benefits than their cost (Liu and Yen, 2010). In comparison with other traditional performance measures, customer satisfaction is probably less sensitive to s easonal fluctuations, changes in costs or changes in accounting practices (Kotler, 2006). Therefore, many researchers consider customer satisfaction to be the best indicator of a company’s future profit. Keeping existing customers is as important as acquiring new ones.The approach towards existing customers must be active, based on a separate marketing mix for customer retention (Rozenberg and Czepiel, 1992). Interaction between the one delivering the service and the customer is very important and has direct effect on the service quality and quality perception (Heuvel, 1993). Sales are the most important goal of any commercial enterprise; it becomes necessary to satisfy customers. For customer satisfaction it is necessary to establish and maintain certain important characteristics like:Quality Fair prices Good customer handling skills Efficient delivery Serious consideration of consumer complaintsAccording to the Michael Porter (2006), today, more and more companies are recog nizing the importance of satisfying and retaining current customers.  Major advantage of customer retention is â€Å"Acquiring new customers can cost five times more than the costs involved in satisfying and retaining current customers.It requires a great deal of effort to induce satisfied customers to switch away from their current suppliers.† Customer satisfaction levels can be measured using survey techniques and questionnaires. Getting high levels of customer satisfaction is very important to a business because satisfied customers are most likely to be loyal and to make repeated orders and to use a wide range of services offered by a business.Analysis, Findings and DiscussionTo begin analyzing the Herbal Tea Product data, SPSS version 15.0 was used for statistical testing. In this research descriptive data analysis, frequencies and inferential statistic (Pearson correlation analysis) were used. From the analysis of Descriptive, Frequencies and Pearson correlation, the m ain findings and discussion can be found as follow.Demography of CustomersThe total number of respondents who participated in this research was 91 consumers and 58 wholesalers. Table 1 illustrates the demographic data of consumer respondents. Table 1: Demographic data of Customers (Consumers, N=91)Items n %Gender Male 38 41.8Female 53 58.2Age 20 to 40 41 to 60 61 and above 39 43 9 42.9 47.3 9.8Monthly Income (Myanmar Kyat) 10,000 to 4,00,000 4,10,000 to 8,00,000 8,10,000 and above 50 33 8 55.0 46.2 9.8As shown in table (1), the respondents consisted of 41.8% male and 58.2% female. Most of the respondents (47.3%) were in the age range of 41 to 60 years old. 42.9% of the respondents were 20 to 40 years old and only 9.8% of respondents were 61 years old and above. With regard to personal monthly income level, over half of the respondents i.e (55%) had the level of (10,000 to 4,00,000) Kyats, whereas another 46.2% of respondents earned (4,10,000 to 8,00,000) Kyats and only 9.8% of respo ndents had the range of above 8,10,000 Kyats.Frequencies of Consumers SatisfactionFrom the result of descriptive analysis on customer satisfaction (illustrated in Table 2), 29.7% of the consumers were satisfied with Good condition,  25.3% were satisfied with Fair condition, 17.6% of consumers were satisfied, 16.5% were satisfied with Very Good condition and only 11% were dissatisfied with Poor condition in quality of products.Table 2Customer satisfaction on product quality, taste of product and quality of packing (Consumers, N=91) Item Poor Fair Good Very Good ExcellentProduct Quality (%) 11.0 25.3 29.7 16.5 17.6Taste of Product (%) 18.7 24.2 25.3 23.1 8.8Quality of Packing (%) 16.5 25.3 34.1 12.1 12.1The result of finding on taste of products and quality of packing were displayed in Table 2. According to this research we can see most of the consumers are satisfied with 24.2%, 25.3% and 23.1% for fair, good and very good respectively on the taste of products. But 18.7% of consumer s were dislike the taste and only 8.8 % of the consumers were completely satisfied for taste. We can also see the frequencies of customer satisfaction on Table 2. Therefore we can conclude that majority consumers are satisfied with quality, taste and packing of the products. Table 3 shows the result of customer satisfaction on price, reliability of product and recommend to other for products.Even though (30.8%) of the respondents perceived that the price of the product were fair, another 33% were no comment (neither agree nor disagree) on price. However it was found that a significant total of 36.3% did not perceived price as fair. We can draw a conclusion that the price is not fair for most of respondents and we need to adjust the pricing strategy because pricing is one of the most important elements of the marketing mix and pricing a product too high or too low could mean a loss of sales for the organisation.For reliability (cannot side effect to consumer) of product, (38.5%) of c onsumers were neither agree nor disagree and a total of (34.1%) of the consumers were strongly reliable on product. But (27.5%) of consumers were not reliable on product. According to this result, we need to develop the product to get more reliable from customers.Table 3Customer satisfaction on price, reliability of product and recommend to other (Consumers, N=91) Item Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree nor Disagree Agree Strongly AgreeFair Price (%) 16.5 19.8 33.0 14.3 16.5Reliability of Product (%) 12.1 15.4 38.5 24.2 9.9Recommend to other (%) 5.5 20.9 26.4 30.8 16.5Frequencies of Wholesalers SatisfactionTable 4 shows the result of wholesalers’ satisfaction on service quality. From this result most of the respondents of (20.7%, 39.7% and 12.1%) were felt neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, somewhat satisfied, completely satisfied respectively for on time delivery. According to this analysis we found that most of the respondents were satisfied for on time delivery. But 15.5% of respondents were felt completely dissatisfied and 12.1% of respondents were also felt somewhat dissatisfied for on time delivery. If we want to maintain our customer satisfaction and retention we should care dissatisfied customers by doing effective service recovery which can improve their satisfaction level.Half of the customers were felt neither satisfied nor dissatisfied on sale management. Completely dissatisfied was not found at sale management. For sale person’s dealing, we found most of the customers were satisfied and only 1.7% of respondents were completely dissatisfied. The result of non-defect performance revealed that only 1.7% was defected. Mostly they were performed without defect.Table 4Customer satisfaction on Service Quality (Wholesalers, N=58) Item Completely Dissatisfied Somewhat Dissatisfied Neither Satisfied nor Dissatisfied Somewhat Satisfied Completely SatisfiedOn Time Delivery (%) 15.5 12.1 20.7 39.7 12.1Sale Management (%) 0 17.2 51.7 24.1 6 .9Sale Person’s Dealing (%) 1.7 13.8 32.8 41.4 10.3Non-Defect Performance (%) 1.7 20.7 44.8 27.6 5.2Hypothesis Testing and Results Table 5 Hypothesis 1: There is relationship between product quality and customer satisfaction Variable Pearson Correlation, r Significant, p Mean Standard Deviation Product Quality .276(**) .008 3.04 1.255 ** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed)