Type 2 diabetes

Table of Contents Constancy Discouragement versus empowerment Need for discipline, therapy, medication and diet Uncertainty of future Pain Experience of health professionals Reference Coping with type 2 diabetes (DT2) involves three major things. First, there is need for change in diet. A lot of fruits and vegetables is advised as opposed to high-sugar foodstuffs. However, for some who find it hard to drop the aforementioned, consumption is limited to periods of low blood sugar.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Type 2 diabetes specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Secondly, it is important to exercise regularly as this will help burn out excess calories and keep the blood sugar level low. Some adopt regular exercise and good diet as a measure to keep blood sugar low in order to avoid the need of taking medicines (nytimes.com, 2009). Lastly, some attend diabetic classes to better understand and manage the disease (n ytimes.com, 2009). Constancy People with DT2 need to permanently observe healthy eating habits and regular exercise explained above due to the chronic nature of the disease. They are also required to daily monitor their sugar levels and react as advised (nytimes.com, 2009). These enables them keep their blood sugar at normal level and thus prevent the development of adverse complications that come with high blood sugar. Discouragement versus empowerment Those diagnosed with the disease first experience a great deal of self-denial about their new health status (nytimes.com, 2009). This can be out of ignorance or fear. However, upon learning the facts about the disease from medical practitioners and personal efforts they shed this attitude and adopt new habits which lead to healthier lifestyles (nytimes.com, 2009). They gain attitudinal empowerment when they accept the reality and longevity of their new health status, the need for exercise, low-sugar diet, and regular medication. Need for discipline, therapy, medication and diet DT2 requires constant monitoring and intervention therapies. Personal discipline in observing doctors directives is important as most of the monitoring is carried out at home. For example, patients are required to daily set up, read and record their blood sugar levels sugar using an electronic monitoring kit (nytimes.com, 2009). Therapy is vital as the symptomatic aspects of the disease worsen with time if there is no intervention of any kind. Medication is necessary to quickly lower blood sugar when it suddenly shoots up, a common occurrence in type 2 diabetes. Low-sugar diet rich in vegetables and fruits is necessary to manage blood sugar within safe levels and prevent debilitating symptoms. Uncertainty of future DT2 is said to be genetic and victims report the challenge of living with the knowledge that their offspring may also relive their experiences. There is also the fear of possible amputation of feet in the future given that it has been performed on some patients before. Many also despair about the possibility of early death (nytimes.com, 2009).Advertising Looking for essay on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Pain Pain is common in patients with type 2 diabetes. Patients have reported a burning sensation in the feet accompanied by sharp on-off pains (nytimes.com, 2009). In some cases headache and leg amputation have been reported (nytimes.com, 2009). Experience of health professionals From the podcasts, it can be discerned health professionals have difficulty breaking news of positive diagnosis to victims (nytimes.com, 2009). This is likely in the case of patients with little knowledge about the disease. Perhaps another challenge they face is getting the patients to drop negative attitude about the disease, observe medications and best practices such as healthy diet, regularly exercising and use of personal sugar monitoring kit. Refe rence NyTimes.com (Producer). (2009, August 9). Patient voices: Type 2 Diabetes [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/08/04/health/TE_DIABETES.html?emc=thth This essay on Type 2 diabetes was written and submitted by user Tessa Mercer to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here. Type 2 Diabetes Introduction Diabetes is a health condition that is developed when sugar level in the blood increases above normal levels. The two major types of diabetes are type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is more prevalent than type 1 diabetes. This essay discusses some of the most frequently asked questions about type 2 diabetes through a sample dialogue between a patient and a doctor.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Type 2 Diabetes specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Patient: What is type 2 Diabetes and how is it developed? Doctor: Type 2 diabetes can be described as a complication in the metabolic processes characterized by a relative shortage of insulin and high levels of glucose in the blood (Barnett, 2011). It differs from type 1 diabetes where there is a complete deficiency of insulin caused by destruction of pancreatic islet cells. In addition, type 2 diabetes is more common in adults unlike type 1 d iabetes which is prevalent amongst young people. The typical symptoms of type 2 diabetes include: recurrent urination, excessive thirst, and persistent hunger (Wilson Mehra, 1997). Type 2 diabetes is caused by a mixture of lifestyle and hereditary factors. Even though some factors, like nutrition and obesity, are under individual control, others like femininity, old age, and genetics are not. Sedentary lifestyle, poor nutrition and stress are the major causes of Type 2 diabetes. Particularly, excessive consumption of sugar and fats increases the risk of infection. Genetic factors have been linked to this condition. For instance, research indicates that if one identical twin is infected, there is a 90% probability of the other twin getting infected. Nutritional condition of a mother for the period of fetal growth can as well lead to this condition. Inadequate sleep is associated with Type 2 diabetes since it affects the process of metabolism (Hawley Zierath, 2008). Patient: How is t ype 2 Diabetes transmitted? Doctor: Type 2 diabetes cannot be transmitted from one individual to another, since it is not caused by micro-organisms that can be spread. Instead, it is a health condition where the body is unable to create sufficient insulin to maintain the blood sugar level. Nevertheless, a child from diabetic parents is likely to develop the complication due to genetic inheritance. According to Hanas Fox (2007), there are some genes that may result in diabetes. As in 2011, research showed that there are more than thirty-six genes that increase the risk of type 2 diabetes infection.Advertising Looking for essay on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More These genes represent 10 per cent of the entire hereditary component of the complication. For instance, a gene referred to as TCF7L2 allele, increases the probability of diabetes occurrence by 1.5 times. It is the greatest threat amongst the genetic i nvariants. Children from diabetic parents are, therefore, likely to get infected since genes are transferrable from parents to the offspring. Patient: How is type 2 Diabetes treated? Doctor: The first step in the treatment of type 2 diabetes is consumption of healthy diet. This involves avoiding excessive consumption of foods that contain sugar and fats as they are likely to increase the levels of sugar in the blood. In addition, getting involved in physical activity and losing excessive weight are also important. These management practices are recommended because they lower insulin resistance and improve the body cells’ response to insulin. Eating healthy food and physical activity also lower the level of sugar in the blood. There are also pills and other medications that can be injected when these lifestyle changes do not regulate the blood sugar (Roper, 2006). Type2 diabetes pills function in different ways. Some pills work by lowering insulin resistance while some raise the level of insulin in the blood or decrease the rate of food digestion. Even though the non-insulin injected medicines for this condition work in complex ways, essentially, they lower the levels of blood glucose after injection. Insulin injection treatment basically raises the insulin level in the blood. Another treatment for type 2 diabetes is weight loss surgery that is recommended for obese people. This treatment has been proved effective since most of the patients can maintain regular levels of sugar in their blood after surgery (Codario, 2011). Multiple prescriptions can be applied in controlling the levels of blood sugar. Actually, combination treatment is a popular remedy for Type 2 diabetes. If a single therapy is not sufficient, a health care provider may prescribe two or more different kinds of pills. For instance, individuals with type 2 diabetes have high fat levels in the blood and high blood pressure. Therefore, doctors can prescribe medicines for treatment of these conditions at the same time. The kind of medication prescribed depends on the health condition of the patient (Ganz, 2005).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Type 2 Diabetes specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Patient: What are the chances of survival? Doctor: Diabetes is one of the major causes of deaths in the United States each year. Statistics indicates that it contributes to approximately 100,000 deaths every year. In the United States, there are over 20 million reported cases of diabetes, the majority being Type 2 diabetes. Proper remedy including change of lifestyle and medications is known to improve the health condition of a patient. If properly used together, lifestyle changes and medication can increase the chances of survival of a patient by up to 85 per cent (Rosenthal, 2009). References Barnett, H. (2011). Type 2 diabetes. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Codario, A. (2011). Type 2 diabetes, pre-diabet es, and the metabolic syndrome. Totowa, N.J: Humana Press. Ganz, M. (2005). Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes. Chichester: John Wiley Sons. Hanas, R., Fox, C. (2007). Type 2 diabetes in adults of all ages. London: Class Health. Hawley, A., Zierath, R. (2008). Physical activity and type 2 diabetes: Therapeutic effects and mechanisms of action. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. Roper, R. (2006). Type 2 diabetes: The adrenal gland disease : the cause of type 2 diabetes and a nutrition program that takes control!. Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse.Advertising Looking for essay on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Rosenthal, S. (2009). The Canadian type 2 diabetes sourcebook. Mississauga, Ont: J. Wiley Sons Canada. Wilson, L., Mehra, V. (1997). Managing the patient with type II diabetes. Gaithersburg, Md: Aspen Publishers. This essay on Type 2 Diabetes was written and submitted by user Blakely Pace to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Basic Tips to Ace Your Biology Class

Basic Tips to Ace Your Biology Class Taking a biology class doesnt have to be overwhelming. If you follow a few simple steps, studying will be less stressful, more productive, and result in better grades. Always read the lecture material before class. This simple step will pay big dividends.Always sit in the front of the class. It minimizes distractions and gives you an opportunity for your professor to know who you are.Use effective study techniques like comparing notes with a friend, not cramming, and making sure to start studying well before exams. Biology Study Tips Always read the lecture material before the classroom lecture. This simple step is surprisingly powerful and effective. By preparing beforehand, your time in the actual lecture will be more productive. The basic material will be fresh in your mind and you will have the opportunity to get any questions answered during the lecture. Biology, like most sciences, is hands-on. Most of us learn best when we are actively participating in a topic. So make sure to pay attention in biology lab sessions and actually perform the experiments. Remember, you wont be graded on your lab partners ability to perform an experiment, but your own.Sit in the front of the class. Simple, yet effective. College students, pay close attention. Youll need recommendations one day, so make sure your professor knows you by name and you arent 1 face in 400.Compare biology notes with a friend. Since much of biology tends to be abstract, have a note buddy. Each day after class compare notes with your buddy and fill in any gaps. Two heads are better than one!Use the lull period between classes to immediately review the biology notes you have just taken.Dont cram! As a rule, you should start studying for biology exams a minimum of two weeks prior to the exam.This tip is very important- stay awake in class. Teachers have observed too many people s noozing (even snoring!) in the middle of class. Osmosis may work for water absorption, but it wont work when it comes time for biology exams. Additional Study Tips Avail yourself of your teachers or professors office hours, review sessions, and similar activities. In these sessions, you are able to get any questions answered directly from the source.Many schools have excellent tutorial programs that are a great resource for getting questions answered. Studying for the AP Bio Exam   Those who wish to gain credit for introductory college level biology courses should consider taking an Advanced Placement Biology course. Students enrolled in the AP Biology course must take the AP Biology exam to gain credit. Most colleges will give credit toward entry level biology courses for students who earn a score of 3 or better on the exam. If taking the AP Biology exam, it is a good idea to use good AP Biology exam prep books and flash cards to be sure that you are prepared to score high on the exam. Key Takeaways Always read the lecture material before class. This simple step will pay big dividends.Always sit in the front of the class. It minimizes distractions and gives you an opportunity for your professor to know who you are.Use effective study techniques like comparing notes with a friend, not cramming, and making sure to start studying well before exams.

Carolines Real Bread Company SWOT Analysis

Caroline’s Real Bread Company are a small village bakery who produce and sell a variety of niche breads to cater for specific needs. Emphasis is placed on high-quality, fresh organic products. Their products are sold through their website, farmers markets, food festivals and other outlets. They also provide bread for specialist restaurants and cafe’s. This report provides an analysis and evaluation of the current state of the grocery market, and provides recommendations on the possible actions that should be undertaken for Caroline’s Real Bread Company to expend and take advantage of the current state of the industry. Methods of analysis used in this report include PEST analysis which analyses the external factors effecting companies operating within the grocery market, and SWOT analysis which is a method used to assess the strengths and weaknesses of a company, and the opportunities and threats that are currently presented to them. This research draws attention to the fact that grocery retailers have changed during the past few years in order to react to customer demand. As a result of technological advantages, the demand for convenience is increasing and all major supermarkets now sell their products online. Further research has shown that the market size for fresh organic bread is increasing, and is forecasted to increase even further in the future. The growth of the market size of their products can be attributed to two things. The increase in health awareness amongst consumers who are slowly becoming more conscious of the foods they eat due to a growth in political campaigns alongside new food labelling laws, and the increase in demand for gluten free bread as a result of a steady increase in the amount of gluten intolerant people in the UK. The store competes in an expanding, competitive niche market. It has steadily grown whilst staying true to the ideologies behind it, resulting in Caroline and her company winning many awards. We recommend that the next step that Caroline’s should take is to expand their production capacity in order to take advantage of their distribution channels already in place. They should also refrain from distributing to large supermarkets who do not share their beliefs in order to keep their unique selling point and maintain their current customer base. Instead, they should aim to increase online orders through increased marketing and promotions. We suggest they should get involved in social media in order to increase awareness of their wide variety of products, and to generate more traffic to their website. Due to their limited budget, Caroline’s Real Bread Company should directly target those with special dietary needs as the niche is expanding and these are the customers most likely to buy their products. This could bring opportunities for them to increase their number of deliveries across the UK. The report also investigates the fact that the research conducted has some limitations. Some of the limitations include the fact that secondary data has been used, and that our recommendations assume that the state of the UK economy will not severely worsen in the near future. 2. Introduction and Aims Caroline’s Real Bread Company is a small bakery in Mid/South Wales since 1992. It has two partners Nigel Devlin and Caroline Frampton. Caroline is the baker and Nigel does the accounts. Their products are sold through farmer’s markets, food festivals, local organic box schemes and other outlets. It also supplies restaurants specialist cafes, outside caterers and one off events. Caroline won the Gold Welsh True Taste Awards in 2005 after expanding her business. They offer over 30 varieties of bread which are wheat-free and yeast free. In recent years they have been trying to expand themselves through technology, through online orders which can be collected from in-store or delivered (Carolinesbreadcompany, 2013). The aims of this report are to outline the Political, Economic, Social and Technological issues that impact the Grocery Market Environment. The Product specific market will be explored through a SWOT analysis. The report will highlight the recommendations to Caroline concerning her company and its current position in the market. 3. The Grocery Market 3. 1 Political The government launched an advertising campaign in early 2013 to promote healthier eating habits in the UK (BBC 2013). The main aim of this campaign is to increase the awareness of â€Å"hidden nasties† such as fat and sugar in popular foods. This campaign is the latest in a long line of government aided movements in order to increase health awareness in the UK, some examples of others being change4life and 5 A Day. This latest movement shows that healthy eating is high on the agenda of the current government. The government are under pressure to introduce new legislation to reduce the salt content in foods. The coalition is currently working with the industry, through the ‘Responsibility Deal’, to improve food content and labelling (Department of Health, 2013); however they are being challenged by labour to scrap this voluntary approach and to introduce tougher regulation and legislation in fighting foods high in fat, salt and sugar. One proposition includes a 30% cap on sugar content in cereals aimed at children. The on-going debates and propositions are increasing public awareness of healthy eating habits which benefit specialist local producers such as Caroline’s Real Bread Company. According to new government rules, the UK’s food industry will be required to include clearer information regarding the ingredients on product packaging from summer 2013 (FSA 2013). The new arrangement is front of pack labelling that combines the food content with the guideline daily amounts, showing consumers the percentage of their daily allowance that they will be consuming with the product. As a result of this, suppliers of foods high in salt, sugar or fat may need to rethink their production process or risk losing customers. This change, combined with the growing healthy eating awareness of the UK will again benefit companies who are producing organic foods with natural ingredients. 3. 2 Economic An increase in interest rates has led to less disposable income which may change their shopping pattern from buying luxury goods to necessities, thus restricting the growth of a company like Caroline’s (Times, 2013) (Keynote, 2012, p. 13). Additionally, a rise in inflation would increase the price of any grocery product, resulting in lack of growth in the overall market (Gurdian, 2012). Adverse weather conditions in Europe had a negative effect on wheat supplies, thus increasing the cost of wheat (Keynote, 2012, p. 11) (Julia Glotz, 2011). Retailers can either let their profits decrease, or raise their prices and risk losing customers, to combat this rise (Keynote, 2012, p. 33). The price of flour has also risen, by ? 75/tonne (Gyton, 2012). In recession, most companies face decreased revenue. As this particular business is more focused on providing good quality products, they charge more than supermarkets would, again resulting in a change in consumer spending habits. It has been noted (Keynote, 2012, p. 16) that people are spending over 30% more on bread but this is solely due to the rising price of bread – consumption is in decline. Corporate taxation has fallen; this provides businesses with a better financial environment in which to expand (PwC, 2011). 3. 3 Social Due to the worsening economy, consumers have increasingly attempted to recreate the restaurant experience in their own homes; thus the sales of speciality breads have increased (Keynote, 2012, p. 10). The market share for specialist breads is currently roughly 30% and it is thought that these breads are acting as replacements for the more expensive premium breads (Keynote, 2012, p. 25). Foreign breads have also increased in popularity, creating a niche (Keynote, 2012, p. 32) which could save craft bakeries that are now at risk due to the growth of the supermarket in-store alternatives (Keynote, 2012, p. 33). White bread sales are beginning to decline as consumers become increasingly health-conscious (Keynote, 2012, p. 32) and switch to brown, wholemeal, and ‘best-of-both’ type breads. These, and foreign breads, are more expensive than conventional loaves leaving retailers with the potential for greater profits. It is expected that part-baked white breads will keep white bread sales from dropping too severely (Keynote, 2012, p. 41). There are three major bakers, Warbutons covers a range of qualities while Associated British Foods and British Bakeries both have a high and a low end bread product (Mother’s Pride, Hovis and Sunblest, Kingsmill respectively). The low end products are targeting people who shop for everyday value. The premium loaves are often purchased by those looking for quality rather than value. Warburtons is the most direct competitor for small village bakeries due to the broadness of budgets it caters for and the range of qualities it produces. Small village bakers tend to hold monopolies as the villages for which they cater are often remote and without other stores. Caroline’s Real Bread Company is located in Merthyr Cynog, a village six miles from the nearest town (Brecon) and stores (Google, 2013). It is over four miles from the village to the nearest bus stop from which there is a mere thrice-daily service (Sirgarfyrddin. gov. uk, 2013), so the village is isolated and the baker has a monopoly. 3. 4 Technological Businesses use ecommerce and social media such as Facebook and Twitter to reach a wider audience. This can be used for advertising and to collect feedback from the customer, for example: Tesco has made a Facebook page where they get connected with bigger audience where they post offers of their products and gain feedback from consumers. They are targeting a wider audience, separating themselves from the norms of company (Tesco, 2013). Development in technology also means the reduction in first hand skills. Skilled workers have been replaced by technology, improving efficiency and productivity. In 2011, British Food Plc was investing millions in upgrading its baking business by installing new equipments. Thus modernising its production pattern, improving efficiency and reducing production costs (Keynote, 2012). Premier Foods has increased automation and thus laid off workers to cut costs (Edwards, 2013) after their profits fell by 48% in 2012 (Edwards, 2013). Hovis used to have the concept of using only British wheat as their unique selling point, due to a plummet in profits they have had to abandon this and redesign their packaging, to survive (Edwards, 2013) showing how challenging the bakery sector is today. 4. Description of Product Specific Market The main competitors for Caroline’s Bread Company are supermarkets, bakeries and in-store bakeries. Bread retailers have faced increasing competition over the past few years due to new entrants in the market who believe they can make a profit. The main competitors are supermarkets and convenience stores who now have in-store bakeries making them a one-stop-shop. They can further their influence by having freshly baked products in their petrol stations, increasing convenience. Supermarkets will invest in their bakeries to provide a quick, easy and fitting shopping experience (SmartCompany, 2012) as a result revenue should rise. The increasing price of wheat and fluctuations in household income due to the economic crisis has caused demand and preferences to change, leading to consumers becoming more aware of the products they buy. The main consumers targeted are a small but expanding segment of the niche market. To combat the growth of competition, more innovative loaves and marketing campaigns are needed to increase brand awareness. Caroline offers courses that cement her brand ethic of fresh organic produce making consumers aware of the health benefits associated with eating wholegrain, rye and gluten free breads. Consumers who prefer quality produce, and are concerned with chemical additives, will benefit from Caroline’s speciality breads. By carefully geographically selecting her location and creating her brand to suit this, Caroline is maximising her brand exposure to the local market encouraging a loyal customer base. The main trend in the market that Caroline specialises in is the emphasis of healthy living. This enhances her opportunity to break into the catering market and supply her products to people for special occasions offered on her website. By displaying her products without packaging she adheres to the attractive product presentation that many customers desire with their organic purchases (SmartCompany, 2012). Consumers would find this appealing as there would be enough different varieties to appeal to various customers, which expands her segmentation and increases her client base. 4. 1 Strengths As a dietary staple and a cemented establishment, bread is a necessity. Caroline’s business is versatile and consumer-centric. Her company suffered losses due to under developed management skills (Guardian, 2006) but the company soon recovered and studied business management elements to become a recognised bread company. Caroline’s company has taken product innovation and expanded this to their benefit. To avoid high salt levels she ensures only organic ingredients are used, keeping salt to a minimum (Caroline’s real bread company, 2013) as 80% of UK bread is processed (LoveFood. com, 2013). Alongside organic, the company specialises in making rye and soda breads as well as gluten free and yeast free products in order to cater to precise dietary needs. These can be delivered freshly door to door via the delivery service. The company also supplies local restaurants and caterers with various breads (Caroline’s real bread company,2013). This efficiency, versatility and product care linked with their customers specific detailing alongside their expanding availability of products enlarges their segment of the bread market from local people to people that may live further away as well as those that may not have considered the purchase of organic foods before but would now as they can buy into the ideals behind organic foods. 4. 2 Weaknesses With the bread market being dominated by branded products such as ‘Hovis’ and ‘Kingsmill’, it is difficult for a business so small to penetrate this market. Many consumers are unwilling to pay extra for organic bread. Competition between craft bakeries, such as Caroline’s, and supermarkets is fierce and harsh to penetrate due to the brand association and prices (Keynote, 2012). Due to the entrenched ideological beliefs that are indoctrinated into Caroline’s real bread company, the company is restricted to a small segment of the bread market. Caroline’s is restricted to those who believe in the organic wellbeing and are willing to pay extra for it. The company produces their bread so that it can be frozen for individuals who purchase in bulk (Caroline’s real bread company, 2013) to avoid waste, however this was not their intention for the businesses they were supplying. Nigel reports â€Å"we started supplying a local specialist food shop; selling the bread at just over cost price it later turned out that the shop was freezing the bread, undermining the whole premise of the bread company† (Guardian, 2006) in turn losing a customer and revenue as an effect. Due to their target market being so limited, their market segmentation is smaller than other brands that produce and promote to all customer types. A downside to bread is the shelf life is short for mass produced bread, and even shorter for freshly baked bread, resulting in 1 million loaves of bread being thrown away (Keynote, 2012). This becomes a further disadvantage for a small business such as Caroline’s real bread company. 4. 3 Opportunities There has been an increasing demand for healthier bread and bakery products in the UK economy due to healthy living becoming a more significant factor in people’s everyday lives. Larger bread companies will already be aware of this and will have targeted products towards this; however Caroline’s company is unique in that all products are completely healthy and have already targeted their products. This company has exclusive principles unlike larger suppliers (eg Hovis) who use bulking agents to increase the shelf life of their products, and are completely against using anything that isn’t natural or fresh. On their website it says ‘our business ­ is about producing products that meet the needs of those small but growing numbers of customers who demand only the finest quality food’ (carolinesrealbreadcompany. co. uk) which shows that the quality of their products is more important than quantity. This is a perfect opportunity for Caroline’s bread company to expand and grow due to the higher demand in the products that they already offer. As there is already an increasing demand for healthier bread products, there are also an increasing number of consumers who are adopting a gluten-free diet which is pushing up the demand for these products. Caroline’s offers over 30 different varieties of bread and already offer wheat-free bread so this is another opportunity for them to break into a new market and expand their customer base. They already offer gluten free and yeast free products so it wouldn’t cost them anything more to produce these products, it would just benefit their company due to a higher demand. 4. 4 Threats The increasing niche for freshly baked produce has created further competition by supermarkets against craft bakeries matching quality for less. Consumer perceptions are stimulated through the sensory system of smell. This could result in a change of brand loyalty once people realise that freshly made products could be purchased in similar quantities for less money. Although the ‘Real Bread Campaign’ has disclosed that only Marks and Spencer out of all big supermarkets actually make their bread from scratch and even then not all of it is freshly made from scratch. These companies use the sensory perception to lure in customers from independent bakeries (LoveFood. com, 2013). According to ‘Keynote’, craft businesses are dying out in favour of in-store bakeries (Keynote, 2012) due to their parallel innovation of fresh products. Part-baked and specialised breads, e. g. half and half, dietary, brown, are now being produced by Tesco (Tesco, 2013) and other supermarkets. ‘Food prices are expected to rise after the second wettest summer on record’ (Guardian) which has resulted in a poor harvest leading to an increasing price of grain hence an increase in food prices. The National Farmers Union (NFU) reported that wheat yields in England are down by almost 15% which has added to already been rising prices caused by a heat wave in Russia that destroyed a large majority of their crops. Richard Dodd of the British Retail Consortium said: â€Å"The most recent figures are that wheat prices are up 29% compared with a year ago† (Guardian 2012). This is a major threat towards Caroline as this rise could result in a fall in profits as it would cost more for them to purchase their supplies. As a small company there will be more of an impact than larger bread companies. However, even ‘Hovis’ (premier foods) are struggling to sell their breads and they are known as the best-selling bread brand (the mirror 2012). They ‘struggled with soaring costs and cut-throat competition’ resulting in them losing its co-op contract to their rival company allied bakeries. 5. Recommendations and Conclusion Our recommendations for ‘Caroline’s Real Bread Company’ are that they should continue to distribute to the grocery market but not to large supermarkets as they do not share her ideological beliefs. As they have enough vans to distribute the products, we recommend that they should expand their production space so they are able to produce more products and try to distribute to places further across the country to establish their brand and attract more customers. In terms of their products there is an increasing demand for speciality breads which supermarkets do not sell many varieties of, so Caroline should see this as a product innovation and her bakery should focus on expanding into this market more. People are now more conscious of healthy lifestyles so we recommend that they should continue to focus on organic, dietary, gluten-free and wheat-free breads to continue to appeal to this expanding niche market. The target consumers for Caroline’s Real Bread Company should continue to be those who favour organic products over products that are not. Her beliefs on organic foods are the foundation of her business ideology and therefore this is unlikely to change. By targeting more directly those with dietary needs, such as gluten and wheat free products as these consumers already pay higher prices in supermarkets than other customers, therefore they may wish to look into Caroline’s company if she promotes these product more vigorously. Promotion can also be carried out by encouraging brand switching, existing consumers to purchase more, raising awareness of the brand and attracting new customers to her brand by trialling new products. This can be carried out by implementing multi-buys and incentives for example free vouchers and gifts. These can be promoted via online social media networks, for example Facebook, Twitter and other forms they will be able to make consumers aware of their brand and ideologies so that they can expand their customer base further. By doing this it can bring opportunities for the company to expand their delivery services to larger regions of the UK. 6. Limitations The majority of the data used was online secondary data. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of information obtained. The report evaluates long term performance; looking so far ahead, economic conditions could change affecting the PEST analysis. For instance, our economic condition could for now be described as recovering from a double-dip recession, so in the near future the economy might be at a better or worst stage of recovery and this would affect the company’s target market. The bread market is constantly evolving and is susceptible to massive changes as a result of crop failures, adverse weather conditions, or the general economic climate. While it was argued that people who no longer go to restaurants due to the cost may now be buying more specialist and foreign breads to compromise, it must be noted that the breads in the restaurant were purchased from somewhere, perhaps even from the same wholesale baker, so this may not affect overall bread sales. What is also worth noting is that Caroline’s Real Bread Company operates within a small isolated community and has a monopoly in the grocery market for that village. This means it most likely has a steady flow of repeat customers, though the company also provides a delivery service and supplies commercial clients. Therefore expansion in their wholesale/commercial supply operations might be more beneficial than the suggested expansion in consumer retail operations due to the limited customer base. Another issue is the approach of the company – Caroline’s Real Bread Company pride themselves on being independent and local, if the desired method of expansion was in any way to threaten these attributes then the expansion would be to the detriment of the company. What must also be noted along these lines is that the bread is currently handmade; the company should consider the ultimate savings of automation against the attraction of handmade bread. The former might lose former clients who chose the brand for their traditional bread, yet it might gain customers looking for more inexpensive bread by a local company.

IT Career Comparison Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

IT Career Comparison - Research Paper Example Having studied the criteria to evaluate the sources, we shall apply this in evaluating the different sources of information available on websites which advertise for jobs and compare three different careers. In terms of salary, the range of salaries for graphic designers varies from $32000 to $55000 per annum. On the other hand, salaries for computer support specialists range from $40000 to $48000. The post of Information Security Engineer is stated to be drawing the maximum salary out of the three which ranges from $80000 to $140000. In terms of education, Information Security Engineers need to have a bachelors degree (preferably in computer science) with other certifications related to computer networking and information security. For graphic designers, in some cases, a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts is required with majors in graphic designing. However, for some posts, a bachelor’s degree in some other field may also be acceptable with graphic designing qualifications. Due to differences in the nature of jobs for Computer Support Specialists, there are also differences in the educational requirements. Some employers prefer the candidates to have a bachelor’s degree in computer science or computer engineering, whereas, some others may only require an associate’s degree with qualification related to computer support. In some cases, the employers also require specialized courses beyond the bachelor’s degree. In terms of travel, all the listed jobs for three fields do not offer any provisions for travel. This indicates that the job is mainly in-house and does not require the person to spend much time out of office. When it comes to work hours, graphic designers follow a fairly regular work schedule with normal office timings. However, occasionally, they may be required to work long hours to meet a deadline. For computer specialists, the hours depend solely on the nature of work. In some cases, the professionals may be required to work in

Overview of the GCC States Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Overview of the GCC States - Essay Example This is aimed at providing an economical balance in the Gulf region and also envisaged a common currency in the area (Low and   Salazar, 2011). This would help the council to foster the growth of the private sector in the economy of the Gulf region through economic co-operation, scientific and technological progress, joint ventures and strengthening the ties of the people among the Arab states. The Gulf Co-operation Council also aims to set up a unified military structure involving the Arab States. About GCC Gulf Corporate Council is the economic and political alliance of six different Middle Eastern Countries, such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and The United Arab Emirates (MSU, 2013). In the year 2007, the states of Gulf Corporate Council supported the International compact document with Iraq which was adopted in Egypt. In the year 2011, Saudi Arabia suggested that the Gulf Corporate Council intensify their integration in order to form a confederation. However, se veral objections rose against this specific proposal of Saudi Arabia by the other GCC countries. Several discussions are going on regarding the future membership of Morocco, Jordan and Yemen. Establishment of GCC GCC is the short form of Gulf Corporate Council. GCC was founded in Abu Dhabi in the year 1981. The original council of GCC comprised a total 630 million acre Persian Gulf state of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait and Qatar. The integrated economic agreement between the GCC countries was signed in Abu Dhabi in the year 1981 (Britannica, 2013). These six countries are referred to as the Gulf Corporate Council states. There are several key objectives behind the formation of GCC. Fostering technical and scientific progress in agriculture, mining, industry, animal and water resources is one of the major objectives of Gulf Corporate Council. The GCC states aimed to develop several scientific research centers in order to enhance countries’ growth. In addition, they are trying to establish several important joint ventures. This strategy and idea can enhance the business environment of GCC countries. Devising similar regulations in different social, political and economical fields, such as finance, trade, religion, tourism, customs, administration and legislation is another major objective of the states of Gulf Corporate Council (Ahmad & Faris, 2010). These countries were facing threat of several outside attacks. Therefore, they tried to cohesive strong military presence in these countries. This unified military force is recognized as Peninsula Shield Force. In the year 1981, these several states of Gulf Corporate Council aimed to establish a common currency by 2010. GCC tries to encourage the cooperation of several private sector organizations. According to the states, this co-operation can enhance the economic environment of these six countries. Healthy social balance of a country is very much important in order to achieve future growth ( Kirgis, 2006). Therefore, Gulf Corporate Council aimed to strengthen the ties between the people of these countries. However, in the year 2006, Oman announced that the council cannot meet the objective within the target date. In addition, the country also announced that the

Mirror for Man - A Logical Conclusion :: Mirror for Man Essays

  Mirror for Man  Ã‚  - A Logical Conclusion Kluckhohn explains the differences and similarities among people of the world as culture. Culture, in this instance, spans a variety of areas. To begin with, culture is the way a person was raised. In addition, it's the values a person was taught. Finally, culture is related to man's biological needs. Habits that a person is taught as a youngster will influence the rest of his life. Societies have a tendency to have distinct habits that their people live by, First, education is one example. To explain, in some areas of the world children are sent to school until they are 18 and in others they are never educated. Second, what people eat is part of their culture. In Italy people eat pasta on the other hand in Israel people eat fallafels. Finally, a person's dress is influenced by which society he lives in. To further explain, in the U.S. women wear anything from dresses to pants, but currently in Iran women wear dresses only and must wear a veil to cover their face. Certain societies have values that influence their people. Different civilizations have distinct social values. First, marriages are treated differently. In the U.S. most women feel that polygamy by a man isn't acceptable. Women feel jealous and furthermore it is illegal. On the other hand, a woman of Koryak, Siberia, would not comprehend how a woman could be so selfish and so unwanting of another woman in the house as to wish to restrict her husband to one mate. Certain countries also have religion while others don't. For example, in the U.S.S.R. atheism is the way of the State; in many Mid-East countries Mohammed is worshipped and the Koran is a sacred book. Third, bigotry is not something people are born with, but are taught. Little children play with anyone regardless of color, sex, or religion. Unfortunatly, adults become jealous or dislike a person, and instead of disliking the individual, they will dislike the individual's race, religion, sex, or anything else they can find to dispise. The adults will then teach the children their bel iefs and the hatred becomes a never ending chain. Similarities are shown by the fact that man has biological functions that can't be ignored. Men of all societies can't ignore nature. To start, all men have the same life cycle. This cycle is that all men are born and all men eventually die.

Cold War Impact on US Foriegn Policy

The mentality of the Cold War greatly affected the decisions made by the Presidents that held the office from 1950 to 1974. The main thought that prevailed from the beginning of the Cold War was containment. It was the main goal of the United States to contain the spread of Communism whenever possible. â€Å"Brinkmanship† was the first major policy that was employed by the United States in the effort to stop the spread of Communism throughout the world. President Eisenhower’s Secretary of State John Foster Dulles coined the term â€Å"Brinkmanship†, which simply stated means using the military to push things to the brink of war without actually going to war. This was often used to intimidate the Soviet Union into backing down during the early part of the Cold War era. President Kennedy would take a slightly more flexible stance in terms of retaliation should an attack occur. However, it wouldn’t be until President Nixon took office that the metaphorical waters between the US and the Soviet Union would begin to calm.Could Cold War Have Been Avoided? In 1957 Secretary of State John Foster Dulles addressed the Associated Press in a speech known as Dynamic Peace. In this speech Secretary Dulles seems to be trying to convince the American public why they must always be prepared to go to war even though it was not what America desired. He also explained how the Soviet Union would not want the free nations of the world to work together to arm themselves and be willing to protect each other from attack. The Soviet rulers understandably prefer that the free nations should be weak and divided, as when the men in the Kremlin stole, one by one, the independence of a dozen nations. So, at each enlargement of the area of collective defense, the Soviet rulers pour out abuse against so-called â€Å"militaristic groupings. † And as the free nations move to strengthen their common defense, the Soviet rulers emit threats. But we can, I think, be confident that such Soviet assaults will not disintegrate the free world. Collective measures are here to stay. . . .† Dulles goes on to talk about how the greatest deterrent of war is the retaliatory ability of other nations. Secretary Dulles then goes on to explain that the United States sought the liberation of the nations under the Soviet Union not to surround Russia with hostile nations but because peace cannot be achieved until all captive nations are set free. President John F. Kennedy would set the tone of his administration’s stance on the Cold War and the Soviet Union during his inaugural address. He asked that the nations of the world to come together to fight â€Å"the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself†. His address gave realistic expectations by saying that his goals might not even be achieved during his generation’s lifetime, but even that possible truth should not discourage the United States or the rest of the world from starting on the road towards peace and freedom for the whole world. In June 1961 President Kennedy met with the Premier of the Soviet Union Nikita Khrushchev. During this meeting many subjects were discussed, but the most important was Berlin. Even though he allowed himself to be bullied, President Kennedy felt he made it clear to Khrushchev that the United States was not willing to compromise on a withdrawal from Berlin. Only a few short months later East German authorities would begin to restrict the movements of people from East Berlin into West Berlin. These actions would prompt the United States to send a note to the Soviet Union protesting these actions and asking that the Soviet Union put a stop to it before things got too far out of hand. The Soviet Union’s reply stated that it supported the actions of the East German Government because they were trying to protect themselves from western spies who were trying to undermine the Government. It goes on to talk about how the United States is well aware of these activities and is just trying to shift blame so that the illegal activities of the West could continue. â€Å"West Berlin has been transformed into a center of subversive activity diversion, and espionage, into a center of political and economic provocations against the G. D. R. , the Soviet Union, and other socialist countries. Former and present West Berlin municipal leaders have cynically called West Berlin an ‘arrow in the living body of the German Democratic Republic,’ a ‘front city,’ a ‘violator of tranquility,’ the ‘cheapest atom bomb put in the center of a socialist state. ’† All of the back and forth between the United States and the Soviet Union would come to a head a little more than a year later with the Cuban Missile Crisis. When the United States government discovered that the Soviet Union was building bases meant to house ballistic missiles President Kennedy had a choice. He could have very easily used the occasion as justification for an attack on the Soviet Union. But instead he made the choice that kept the world from World War III. Instead of attacking the Soviet Union President Kennedy, on October 22, 1962, addressed the nation and the world and announced that there would be a blockade on Cuba. This blockade would only turn away ships carrying weapons and not stop ships carrying the necessities that the people of Cuba would need. â€Å"We are not at this time, however, denying the necessities of life as the Soviets attempted to do in their Berlin blockade of 1948. On October 28, 1962 the confrontation ended with the Soviet Union agreeing to dismantle their offensive weapons in Cuba. As time continued to go by both the United States and the Soviet Union were in positions where a relaxation of the tensions between them was necessary. Soviet leadership felt that the financial costs of the nuclear arms race were unsustainable. The United States was spending millions on the war in Vietnam and trying to extend the welfare state in the country. The Soviet Union was experiencing troubles in their relationships with China, and they worried that these troubles might lead to an American-Chinese alliance. â€Å"All this is, in the first place, a stab in the back for the heroic Vietnamese people in their struggle against the American aggressors, Imperialist circles fully approve of this line of Mao Tse-tung's group. The Washington Post has said that officials in Washington believe that Mao is serving American interests and they are therefore even thinking of cultivating Maoism as a means of bringing pressure to bear on Moscow. The magazine United States News and World Report has directly stated in this connection that the United States is gambling oil Mao and that American officials tend to prefer a victory for Mao Tse-tung in his struggle to destroy more nioderate elements, because that would mean more trouble for Soviet Russia. † During President Richard Nixon’s administration the first steps towards Detente began. The most important part of this was the SALT I treaty of 1972. The conditions of Detente allowed for mutual cooperation between the United States and the Soviet Union. In fact one of the basic principles of relations between the Soviet Union and the United States was that the two nations work together especially in the areas of science and technology. In July of 1975 the United States and the USSR would work together on the Apollo-Soyuz project. Even though the idea of containment was the driving force behind many of the decisions made by US presidents during the Cold War, each President had their own ideas on how best to achieve that containment. For President Eisenhower the best strategy was â€Å"Brinkmanship†, while President Kennedy took a slightly more flexible approach. Had Kennedy followed the lines of â€Å"Brinkmanship† the Cuban Missile Crisis would most likely have been the start of World War III. President Nixon, due to the changing world and economic climate was able to reach at least some neutral ground with the Soviet Union. The relaxation of tensions in the late 1960s and early 1970s helped to bring about the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s.