Justification Report for Barnes & Noble Research Paper

Justification Report for Barnes & Noble - Research Paper Example This report provides an evaluation of the environmental impact of paper bags and plastic bags. Through this evaluation I will come to a conclusion on the kind of actions, the company Barnes & Noble must take to ensure favourable publicity from environmentally conscious actions. The main points expressed in the report are: †¢ Plastic Bags are harmful to the environment because they are non biodegradable and generate huge amounts of litter. †¢ Plastic Bags are toxic to animals and marine life. †¢ Paper Bags, though biodegradable and recyclable need a lot more resources than plastic bags to be produced. †¢ The impact of both plastic bags and paper bags is thus, negative. †¢ The solution is to use reusable bags. †¢ Barnes & Noble must charge a nominal amount for plastic bags, and then donate the proceeds to charity. †¢ By publicising this, Barnes & Noble will get favourable publicity and consumer behaviour will be affected because they will use more reusable bags. †¢ Barnes & Noble can also sell branded reusable bags thereby ensuring more publicity with minimal investement. Introduction This report seeks to examine whether paper bags should used over plastic bags at Barnes & Noble, the largest bookseller in the United States.1 The question is whether the environmental concerns that exist for plastic bags are absent in paper bags and what position should Barnes & Noble choose to improve public relations through environmental activism. Plastic bags and paper bags both leave an environmental footprint but the key question is which one affects the environment more. Problem Statement Paper bags are widely seen as better than plastic bags since they are supposed to be biodegradable. However, for a company like Barnes & Noble to switch to paper bags and totally eliminate plastic bags requires significant investment and thus such an investment should be backed by verifiable fact. Thus, there is a need to study whether the costs of switching from paper bags to plastic bags are justified by the benefit to the environment which in turn will give favourable public ity to Barnes & Noble. I propose to evaluate the benefits that plastic and paper bags have over each other and propose a solution that will benefit the environment and Barnes & Noble. Method Used I did an examination of the various primary and secondary sources available to understand the environmental issues concerned with both plastic and paper bags. Based on those findings I proposed a plan of action that will give favourable publicity to Barnes & Noble along with being cost effective. Findings Plastic bags are ubiquitous in America today because they are cheap to produce, plentiful and easy to carry. They have also captured 80 percent of the grocery store market. 2The biggest threat that plastic bags pose environmentally is litter. The Environmental Protection Agency of the United States points out that 31 million tons of plastic waste was generated in 2010 and made up 12.4% of Municipal Solid Waste. Only 12% of this plastic waste was recycled.3 Plastic bag nuisance has become a big problem in places like Ireland, Bangladesh, Australia where they are either banned or heavily taxed. However plastic bags have huge economic advantages because they are far cheaper than paper bags. In fact, consumers and producers who earlier used to oscillate between paper and plastic bags have switched to plastic bags because of the economic advantages. 4 However, one city in the United States, that is San Francisco decided to ban plastic bags in favour of

John Stuart Mill and Women’s Movement Essay Example for Free

John Stuart Mill and Women’s Movement Essay John Stuart Mill was born in London in 1806. He became renowned as an economist, a writer, a philosopher and senior personnel in the East India Company (EIC). John Stuart Mill rendered much of his life time to a prominent activist working for women’s rights and movements. The Beginning The history which links Mill to the feminist movement dates back to the year 1851 when he married to a widow named Harriet Taylor and got settled in Blackheath Park. This place is said to be his spot from where a number of influential writings that advocated women’s right were written, which subsequently became popular worldwide. The Victorian Womens Movement in England is also said to reach to this very place of Mill in the hope of counseling, headship and financial assistance (Sunshine for Women, 2003). Mill started working for the women’s cause after getting married to Taylor. As a matter of fact, he had to be subtle in participating in reform movements while being a member of the EIC. This is the reason he had to use his pen to work for the purpose. Mill retired from the East India Company in 1858. The first popular writing that he have with his name was written in 1860 and 1861 entitled as The Subjection of Women, which he did not give to publish as yet (Sunshine for Women, 2003). The Breakthrough In the year 1865, Mill was asked to stand at one of the positions for the parliament, the offer which was readily accepted by him. The agreement was basically, on the basis of the platform’s top most agenda as to give women rights to vote along with other equality rights. Following Mill’s enthusiasm for the cause and seeing his participation, different other women’s rights organizations approached him for his support. In due course, a Ladies Discussion Group carried out a poll asking its members if they thought it right for the women to participate in the public affairs. To their surprise, all the women members consented with this. Such an overwhelming response made Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon, a leading early nineteenth century feminist and educationist, take a daring step. She suggested at par to build a suffrage society. Unfortunately, this step could not be carried out at that point in time because other contemporary activists were also afraid of extremists’ actions against the idea. However, Mill was courageous enough to support this idea once it was made certain that a Reform Bill would be put forward to the Parliament. He asked Bodichon to get more than hundred signatures in support of the petition. The stride proved to be quite successful and Bodichon was able to bring around 1,500 signatures following the formation of the first ever Women’s Suffrage Committee. Subsequently, when Mill put forth the petition after almost a eyear in 1866, the Bill was passed and the agenda of having women’s suffrage was incorporated in the parliament. Despite many hurdles, Mill’s one another daring step towards the cause was to make an amendment in the clause that dealt with property qualifications. He proposed to substitute the word ‘man’ with ‘person’ (Sunshine for Women, 2003). Nevertheless, at that point in time, the amendment was defeated with a larger number of votes against it. Unfortunately, this committee did not live very long and was dissolved with the dissolution and reformation of the bill as well. But, the women and Mill’s support did not end here and Mill’s wife along with other women members of the committee succeeded in creating a whole new organization which they named as London National Womens Suffrage Society (Sunshine for Women, 2003). Mill’s leadership led him to become the honorary president of this very organization. At this moment, this organization needed something in written to disseminate among their members and among the external public. Mill felt a dire need to make his writings public and thus his The Subjection of Women got published and it saw gaining popularity worldwide being translated into a number of languages. Most importantly, this piece of writing was only of its kinds to be present on such a topic until World War 1 (Sunshine for Women, 2003). This step certainly, proved to be a milestone in women’s movement in that era. Subjection Mill’s Subjection remained a limelight for decades whenever women’s movement and feministic approach was talked about. What he wrote in it was women’s persistent low-leveled position which was in a constant struggle to rise. His writings show his sensitivity towards the issue as he talked about the prevalent attitude of the society towards a patriarchal system while subjugating women’s very existence. Subjection also talks about how women’s existence could be kept on exploiting once the society does not follow the norms of equality and justices. The comprehensive book also gets the reputation of advocating how terrible domestic violence is and could prove to be. However, it voices that the right to vote granted to women is only the first step towards a series of obligations that should be followed to treat them as equal beings (Mill, 2003). Conclusion All in all, analyzing John Stuart Mill’s life we can conclude that he got depression and physical ailment at a much younger age, but his intellect was far above those of his contemporary men. He thought and spoke high of women and worked for the feminist movement as much as his health granted him to. References Mill, J. S. (2003). On Liberty and Other Writings. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. Sunshine for Women. (2003, February n. d. ). John Stuart Mill (1806-1873). August 2, 2010, from www. pinn. net

Coke :: essays research papers

History of Coca Cola Coca Cola a company founded in 1885 by John Pemberton and his partner Frank Robinson has had a historic era in it's growth till 1970 passing through two owners and a number of people, managing it at the top which made Coca Cola what it is today. The company in the early 70's was at its critical stages of loosing its pre eminent position as the No.1 cola drink in U.S.A. to it's erst while competitor Pepsi Cola. The company was owned by Ernst Woodruff since 1919 and was run by his son Robert Woodruff. Robert's leadership and financial skills had steered the company through number of battles with the Government and the bottlers by the fifties. "Coca Cola ruled the soft drink world and its name, was universally known as that of any other product in commercial history." Thomas Oliver, The Real Coke, The Real Story. " All told, to the Coca Cola executives of the sixties, the future looked bright. Everyone connected with Coca-Cola was making money. The policies of the past decades that would rock had not revealed themselves." Thomas Oliver, The Real Coke, The Real Story. To the world that watched up beat Coke advertisements, packed coke for every picnic, had stocked Coke for every party, the Coca-Cola Company appeared huge and healthy throughout the seventies. But behind the scenes the executives were snared, in a very different drama, bickering among themselves, distracted by tangible issues and loosing sight of the heart of the matter - Coke itself. The top executives of the Coca-Cola Company of the late seventies actually paid less attention to the marketing and sale of their central product. They were so caught up were they in dodging government allegation, fighting with bottlers over the price of the syrup and squabbling over wether or not to control who owned the company franchises. Gone were the days of the inspired entrepreneur and the spritely intellect, gone the days of answering leadership. The FTC Government charged Coca-Cola in 71 for granting territorial exclusivity restricted competition. If Government laws prevail a bigger, richer bottler could invade a bottler's territory and take a substantial if not fatal bite out of the market. There was another conflict inside Coca-Cola, within the walls of the Atlanta head quarters.

Martin Luther Essays -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Martin Luther and the Break With Rome   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Martin Luther began as a simple Augustinian Friar in the Roman Catholic Church, the reigning power of Western Europe for hundreds of years, and he soon became the leader of the most important stand against the Catholic Church. I call Luther’s actions a stand rather than a revolt because he did not willingly mean to disrespect the entire church or even start a new denomination of Christianity, he was only trying to bring truth to it. Luther published writings such as The Ninety-five Theses, Address to the Christian Nobility of the German Nation and A Treatise on Christian Liberty, all which produced outrage in the Church for the fact that it blatantly accused the clerics, and especially the pope, of many wrong doings in their practice.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Luther belonged to a church in Wittenburg, Germany and here he was a scholar as well as a priest. He, like many others, came to notice the corruption in the Church. The Church had come to own a great deal of land all over Europe, collect a very considerable sum in mandatory taxes from the middle-class, and they had become very rich and very powerful. This led to an even greater hunger and they started the practice of selling indulgences, which is paying to be forgiven of one’s sins, and simony, which is paying to get into church office. These were just a few of the many un-Godly acts of the Catholic Church during the 1500’s. Luther felt that these injustuces should be brought to light and dealt with and then the Church should reform. With this idea he wrote The Ninety-five Theses, which were a series of wrongs committed by the church and the things they needed to do to change. This was originally supposed to be simply ideas put up for discussion among his peers in the Church, but very quickly this document spread like a wild fire and set the church a flame.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Ninety-five Theses included the ideas that, â€Å"The pope cannot remit any guilt...The dying are freed by death from all penalties...The pope (cannot) grant remission to souls in purgatory...† He basically concluded that the Church did not have all the powers they claimed to have. They lied and cheated for money. Of course Luther did not write this and then march into Rome with it demanding change, they were only... ...d, I find that they have done nothing of special importance.† It seems to me that at the point when Luther wrote Address to the Christian Nobility of the German Nation, he knew that the Church was out to get him and he was, in a way, rallying for supporters. He was pointing out that the pope cannot do much harm if they come together and stand against him. But will this work? Can the Catholic Church be defeated? Martin Luther was summoned to appear before Emperor Charles of the Holy Roman Empire as well as the clergy to defend himself against the charge of heresy in Worms in 1521. Here was his moment, he knew he could not reform the Church but he could tell the truth. His truth was that he only believed God was before him and the Word of God was the only truth or law he had before him. Luther was excommunicated from the Catholic Church although it is very surprising to me that he was not put to death. Maybe the church knew their power was waning. Luther had succeeded in gaining an admirable following, he was victorious over the Church because he held fast to what he believed and here is where the first branch split from the tree of Christianity and the world was forever changed.

Brain Compatible Strategies

One of the most important avenues of debate when it comes to education is the question on how to make the learning experience in school be also connected with real life. There are many hurdles to answering this question. For example, the feeling of being closed in during learning makes the students feel that school is an entirely different world and is an entirely different experience, and when classes and end and they rejoin the real world, they tend to leave the things that they relate to school in the recesses of their mind and shifts their cognition by turning on the brain they use for real life.This is just one of the many different factors, and because of this reason, experts are consistently looking for a way to ensure that what the children learn is something that they also apply in real life. The effective designing, formulation and use of brain compatible strategies are important in the learning experience of the students; but more importantly, the brain compatible strategi es should also be updated and up to date.As Sousa (2003) explained, â€Å"the sit-down-be-quiet-and-listen model is not compatible with the brains of many students who now cross the thresholds of our schools because the environment has affected the contemporary student brain compared with that of just 20 years ago (Sousa, 2003, p. 101). †The use of brain compatible strategies are strategies which do not just help in the effective teaching and lesson retention inside the classroom; more than that, the application of these approaches of this type of style is also usually connected with approaches that individuals take in real life when they are faced with different scenarios, picking a system which the individual feels is suitable for a particular situation.Because of this, brain compatible strategies help not just in the learning process of school-based education but also close the gap found between school life and real life. According to Karten (2007), one of the basic princi ples of brain-based learning strategy is the use and the presence of the effect of â€Å"activities such as simulations and role (that) provide real-life emotional connections (Karten, 2007, p. 57).† This is one of the proofs that through the use of brain compatible strategies in teaching and in the learning experience of children, the lessons learned are applied in real life, closing the gap found between school life and real life. What is the gap between school life and real life? For some students, the problem with going to school is that they see lessons in school as purely limited for use inside the school or inside formalistic educational grounds.They see math solutions as tools to achieve problems inside the classroom as well as history notes as the key to answer the midterm history exam. The manner by which the students are thought sans brain compatible strategies isolate school life and real life, and when this happens, the students feel that whatever it is they lear n in school is exclusive for school use alone, which should not be the case because the lessons learned in school should be transformed as intellectual tools that should be used in real life so that a person can react correctly and rationally in real life situation.This is the gap present in school life and real life, and there was a point that the gap grew bigger and bigger simply because of the fact that the teaching style does not make the learning experience of the students a way for them to realize that what they learn in school should be applied in real life – that math solutions should be applied for counting changes when buying in a store, that the critical thinking during science experiments should be extended in real life. Take for example the different types of brain compatible strategies being used today.In cooperative learning, the student is learning school based education while at the same time learning the value and use of cooperation between individuals, and because of that, the student transfers this knowledge about cooperation in real life. The same is true with the use of problem-solving, which infuses in the child’s conscious and unconscious mind the need to use critical thinking not just to solve school examinations but real life problems as well (Cooperative Learning, Collaboration, Problem-Solving etc. ), not only increase student learning but also help bridge the gap between school and â€Å"real life.† Experts are inclined also to believe that as much as most people believe that brain compatible strategies for learning should impact not just school-based scenarios but real life as well, the truth is that proponents of brain compatible strategies who teaches this system to teachers are advocating the use of not just school-based examples but also to use real life examples to teach the students how the lessons in school are actually usable as well in real life scenarios and not just limited to school experience.As T ate (2006) explained in her book about integrating brain compatible system in teaching inside the classroom, â€Å"a third way to gain student's attention is to connect the learning to real life. It stands to reason that if the brain was meant to survive in the real world, then the closer a teacher can get the instruction to the real world, the more memorable it becomes (Tate, 2006, p. 51). †Conclusion – The use of brain compatible strategies to teach students today has already garnered many followers, if not something that is already widespread, and people ask why such phenomena occurred. Brain compatible strategies are always changing, based on the changes happening on the target audience, and it is important that everyone is on the same page. Maybe the shift in the education paradigm has happened. Before when education was limited to a select few, the idea was to teach things that cannot be easily learned by sheer experience alone (i. e.technique in arts, formula in sciences, strategies in politics), but now educators are looking the reality that what the students needs is a good dose of traditional educational content and lessons which have practical application to assist in the refinement of the actions and reactions individuals make when faced with circumstances, using the knowledge transmitted and embedded in a child’s brain through the use of brain compatible strategies that closes the gap between school learning and real life learning. References Fisher, Robert (December 2005). Teaching Children to Think. Thornes Nelson.Karten, Toby J. (April 2007). More Inclusion Strategies That Work! : Aligning Student Strengths with Standards. SAGE Publications. Sousa, David A. (May 2003). The Leadership Brain: How to Lead Today's Schools More Effectively. SAGE Publications. Tate, Marcia L. (August 2006). Shouting Won’t Grow Dendrites: 20 Techniques for Managing a Brain-Compatible Classroom. SAGE Publications. Tracy, Kim (May 2000). Brai n Compatible Learning: Another New Program†¦ or Is It?. The Teachers. Net Gazette. Volume 1 Number 3. Retrieved June 14, 2008, from http://teachers. net/gazette/MAY00/bcl. html

Famous Latin Americans in History

Famous Latin Americans in History The history of Latin America is packed full of influential people: dictators and statesmen, rebels and reformers, artists and entertainers. How to pick the ten most important? My criteria for compiling this list were that the person had to have made an important difference in his or her world, and had to have international importance. My ten most important, listed chronologically, are: Bartolomà © de Las Casas  (1484–1566) Although not actually born in Latin America, there can be no doubt about where his heart was. This Dominican friar fought for freedom and native rights in the early days of conquest and colonization, placing himself squarely in the way of those who would exploit and abuse the natives. If not for him, the horrors of the conquest would have been immeasurably worse.Simà ³n Bolà ­var  (1783–1830) The George Washington of South America led the way to freedom for millions of South Americans. His great charisma combined with military acumen made him the greatest of the different leaders of the Latin American Independence movement. He is responsible for the liberation of the present-day nations of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.Diego Rivera (1886–1957) Diego Rivera may not have been the only Mexican muralist, but he was certainly the most famous. Together with David Alfaro Siquieros and Josà © Clemente Orozco , they brought art out of the museums and into the streets, inviting international controversy at every turn. Augusto Pinochet  (1915–2006) Chiles dictator between 1974 and 1990, Pinochet was one of the leading figures in Operation Condor, an effort to intimidate and murder leftist opposition leaders. Operation Condor was a joint effort among Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia and Brazil, all with the support of the United States Government.Fidel Castro  (1926–2016) The fiery revolutionary turned irascible statesman has had a profound effect on world politics for fifty years. A thorn in the side of American leaders since the Eisenhower administration, he has been a beacon of resistance for anti-imperialists.Roberto Gà ³mez Bolaà ±os (Chespirito, el Chavo del 8) (1929–2014) Not every Latin American youll ever meet will recognize the name Roberto Gà ³mez Bolaà ±os, but everyone from Mexico to Argentina will know el Chavo del 8, the fictional eight-year-old boy portrayed by Gà ³mez (whose stage name is Chespirito) for decades. Chespirito has worked in Tel evision for over 40 years, creating iconic series such as El Chavo del 8 and el Chapulà ­n Colorado (The Red Grasshopper).​ Gabriel Garcà ­a Mrquez (1927–2014) Gabriel Garcà ­a Mrquez did not invent Magical realism, that most Latin American of literary genres, but he perfected it. The winner of the 1982 Nobel Prize for Literature is Latin Americas most celebrated writer, and his works have been translated into dozens of languages and have sold millions of copies.Edison Arantes do Nascimento Pelà © (1940–) Brazils favorite son and arguably the best soccer player of all time, Pelà © later became famous for his tireless work on behalf of Brazils poor and downtrodden and as an ambassador for soccer. The universal admiration in which Brazilians hold him has also contributed to a decrease in racism in his home country.Pablo Escobar (1949–1993) The legendary drug lord of Medellà ­n, Colombia, was once considered by Forbes Magazine to be the seventh-richest man in the world. At the height of his power, he was the most powerful man in Colombia and his drug empire stretched around the worl d. In his rise to power, he was greatly aided by the support of Colombias poor, who viewed him as a sort of Robin Hood. Rigoberta Menchà º (1959–) A native of the rural province of Quichà ©, Guatemala, Rigoberta Menchà º and her family were involved in the bitter struggle for indigenous rights. She rose to prominence in 1982 when her autobiography was ghost-written by Elizabeth Burgos. Menchà º turned the resulting international attention into a platform for activism, and she was awarded the 1992 Nobel Peace Prize. She continues to be a world leader in native rights.

Digital Television Essays - Digital Television, Television

Digital Television Essays - Digital Television, Television Digital Television Digital Television On November 1, 1998 computer companies, television makers, broadcasters, and program suppliers have made a transition from analog to digital television. When the FCC passed a law forcing the networks to change from an analog broadcast to a digital broadcast, all the above mentioned industries have been scrambling to get a jump on their competition. The picture and sound qualities of digital TV broadcasts are the best on Earth. However, at this moment cost remains a big problem. You can spend anywhere from $6,000 to $10,000 at the present time (Booth 80). Once the cost is driven down over the next few years, the average citizen will be able to experience the advantages of digital TV. Digital TV will allow for a wider screen display, like those screens in movie theaters, and a sharper picture. What causes this perk is the fact that digital signals have a higher bit rate. This allows for more bits to be transmitted into the TV (cable, antenna, or satellite). The more bits a TV can transmit, the better the picture or screen resolution. The digital TV signal can carry as many as 19.4 megabits of data, which means a broadcaster can mix multiple programs of varying bit sizes onto a single channel. Say youre watching a football game, since one camera view only uses up so many bits, you can select a different camera angle while watching the same game on the same channel. It is possible for a network, like NBC, to show two different programs at the same time on the same channel. Conceivably, if the president in on, you can watch regular scheduled programming. With the introduction of the digital TV, the introduction of WebTV is upon us. One will be able to surf the internet through the television instead of using their computer. That is how the computer industry is involved in the digital TV. What companies like Sony and Microsoft hope to do is combine the TV and PC into one unit. They believe they can diminish the lines between consumer electronics and computers. Ultimately, both companies would like to make things more convenient and interface both industries. This will force computer companies and television makers to get on the ball and compete with these two corporate giants. What will the transition to digital TV be like? Like any new radical product transition, the changeover will take some time. There will be the people who will adopt early and pay the high prices to get the first sets. There will be varying degrees of value. Some people will buy the movie screen type display with the 16x9 aspect ratio. Others may want a digital TV with the screen size ratio we have now. That will allow for a drastically sharper image. Some will want the DTV-ready box. This is a converter box you set on top of your current TV, and it will change the image to a sharper digital image. This could give you an extra 10 years out of the TV you currently own. The industry is flexible in learning how to merchandise a mix of changing products. Theyve done it hundreds of time before and will certainly do it again. One example is the introduction of the audio compact disk. On November 1, 1998 the era of digital TV began. It isnt available nationwide yet. The current markets include the 12 largest cities in the U.S., where 30 DTV stations began airing DTV programs on new channels assigned by the FCC. Come next spring, 15 more stations in another 11 cities will hit the airwaves. This will extend the coverage to about four of every ten American TV households. Here is what the FCC hopes to accomplish: nationwide coverage by 2003. During the year 2006, the FCC hopes to discontinue analog broadcasts all together (Booth 78). That goal isnt set in stone since many other factors will come into play, many of them being political. What turns on TV sets is programming that people want to watch. During the analog era, viewers have tolerated ghosts and snow in order to watch their must see TV. Americans only want the best available equipment and digital TV is available now. The average