The Effects Of Military Spouses On Family Dynamics, Lack,...

Testimonials Supported by Research Through various testimonials, we realized that military spouses were expressing similar concerns about the shift in family dynamics, lack of resources, and lack of support systems. The role reversal was a problem for both female and male military spouses; but especially more so for the male military spouses. The males seemed to have a tough time accepting the fact that their female partners were now considered the â€Å"breadwinners.† They also had a tough time adjusting to the domestic lifestyle. Again, this goes back to the fact that males are naturally conditioned to be the â€Å"breadwinner.† This then makes men feel emasculated; therefore leading to an increased divorce rate. Resources were not†¦show more content†¦Developing an intervention that addresses cognitive patterns so as to provide strategies to help military spouses through deployment transition. Home Front Strong (HFS) is an 8 week group that promotes in dividual resiliency and improving psychological functions by identifying and changing negative thoughts specific to military life and deployment (Kees, Nerenberg, Bachrach, Sommer, 2015). The issue with the research is that it is scarce and it does not separate the female spouses from the male spouses; therefore allowing one to question the validity of the research. There needs to be more valid research for the military male spouses, such as Jacobs 2014 work entitled Our Pride is the Same: Life as a Male Military Spouse which explores the uncharted territory of parenting and marriage within the military has been made easier thanks to some military programs offered through ACS (Army Community Service) and MyCAA, the Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts reopened by the Department of Defense in 2010, with several key changes in eligibility and dollar amounts. Solution Civilians need to help remedy the problem of isolation through psychoeducation by helping elevate the problem of emasculation by educating and informing male military spouses about their worth in our nation’s security efforts. Simply, civilians need to learn about military culture; rather than polarizing both worlds we need to find and accept the fact that we live in this oneShow MoreRelatedThe Effects Military Deployment Has On Marital Relationships.1540 Words   |  7 PagesThe Effects Military Deployment has on Marital Relationships Meghan GaNung Indiana University of Pennsylvania Abstract This research paper provides a theoretical perspective on the effects that military deployment has on marital relationships. The background section investigates the five different military branches, what stressors are involved for those in military relationships, and a brief history of what military relationships were like in the past. 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But, is it justified to discard the old parents who offered their entire life to empower their children? Can we forget the labor-pain of the mother and hard work of the father who worked day-in-and-day-out

The Segregation Of African American Culture - 835 Words

I feel for the most part the characteristics in this united or consistent with my experience in the African American culture. Slavery did set us back some years, but I have to say it has made us stronger. Most of us had to face great obstacles to get in a good place, but no matter what we keep making it through the adversity. After slavery, we as a culture had to make it through the jim crow laws. This sparked the civil right movement that gave blacks a voice to speak out against the injustice that had been quietly dealt with for years. In most of these different processes blacks had to face a criminal justice system that never seemed to be on their side. Blacks had to literally practice before the went up to testify in court in the justice system because of the very rigid injustice presented in courts. Blacks did earn their right to vote in the justice system, and they did earn their freedom in the justice system, but the justice system was geared for whites and not blacks, but th rough actual quoting the actual law, blacks was able to fight for their freedom. The actual law did protect its people. but it is what people inject into laws the are discriminating. Later, came the muslim movement that made blacks realise that they control their own destiny. African Americans has even came up as for in the middle class, but the problem is that it is a big gap between the low class and the middle. Most Blacks feel they cannot trust the police, and I believe it is from the past.Show MoreRelatedThe Downfall Of The Black Experience1559 Words   |  7 PagesMany Americans point to the suffering of the African American experience from the internal problems in African Americans communities; however, they neglect the external social constraints that African Americans have faces in America. 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A Second Depression Predicted from History Free Essays

The factors contributing to the struggle of working class Americans during the Depression are still relevant today. Clues as to the imminent occurrence of a second Depression can be found by comparing the Great Depression to today’s economic climate. The following essay compares contributing factors to the struggles of working class society during the time of the Depression and today. We will write a custom essay sample on A Second Depression Predicted from History or any similar topic only for you Order Now Key factors to be analyzed are; low wages and unemployment rates, unfair tax laws and foreign and American economic influences, as well as American spending. Low wages are as much a problem today as they were during the Depression. One out of four working families in America today are low income; earning wages which are so low that it is nearly impossible for them to survive financially (Waldron, et.al., 2004). Key characteristics in today’s poor include; low-paying jobs, inadequate benefits and little-to-no job advancement opportunities and lack of skills and/or education (2004). Presently the economy demands high skilled workers, due to the rise in technology. Low paying service jobs are still available and needed by the economy, yet the United States has not taken the proper action to support employees of such jobs and thus their needs and those of their families, go unmet (2004). Lack of proper support by government reduces the chances for families of low paying service jobs to make or plan a solid future. Policies and regulations today are inadequate for the needs of the poor; much like during the Depression. Suggestions for the improvement of poverty-stricken American’s involve the creation of better paying jobs, better access to education, training and health care and better benefits; all these items are available to better paid employees. It is suggested that in order to accomplish these things, Americans must effectively invest public resources (2004). Research has shown that the level of education strongly influence living standards in America; for example, thirty-five percent of low-income families have a parent who did not graduate high school (2004). America’s poor struggle with balancing their wages; the majority of their income is going to housing and utilities, not leaving enough for health care. This is a concern because without health care, America’s poor miss work or lose their job because of illness. The struggles of low-paid workers in America are similar to that of workers during the Depression. Education and skills were as important, and difficult, to obtain today as in the 1930s. As in the 1930s, tax structures and investments affect working Americans significantly. Public assistance varies and is mandated by state; however the maximum amount of earnings allowed by any state in America is so low, that if a family wanted to maintain health insurance after reaching the maximum income level, it is close to impossible. Some states only allow a maximum yearly income level of ten thousand dollars. Once reaching the maximum amount, public assistance is no longer available. There were similar concerns of how to help America’s poor during the Depression. The Dust Bowl migration of the 1930s demonstrates the struggles and political policies which affected the poor during the Depression. During the Dust Bowl migration, families from Oklahoma and surrounding states headed for California during the Depression, in search for a better life in the growing agricultural state (Gregory, 2004). The Depression affected everyone, but especially farmers in Oklahoma and surrounding states; the severe drought made it all the worse. Unemployment rates were high across the country; farmers and those in the city experienced joblessness. The poor were often discriminated against by states; many states were unwilling to allow the poor to relocate to their states (Gregory, 2004). California, for example, set up a boarder patrol to keep poor migrants out of the state. It wasn’t until 1941, that the Supreme Court decided that states had no right to restrict fellow Americans from migrating to their state (2004). Â  There were attempts by some counties to help educated farmers; as well as give minor health care services. How to cite A Second Depression Predicted from History, Papers

My Fair Lady Review Essay Thesis Example For Students

My Fair Lady Review Essay Thesis In this review, I will discuss a professional performance of the musical, ‘My Fair Lady’, that I saw performed in Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London. I will comment on scenery, costumes, choreography, sound, audience reaction, the actors’ interpretation of their characters, how well they interacted with the other characters and responded to what was going on on-stage. I saw an afternoon performance performed on a proscenium arch stage. The musical is set in London in 1910. The main characters are: Eliza Doolittle a commoner with a common accent that she wants to change so she can work in a flower shop, Professor Henry Higgins the man who teaches her and Alfred P Doolittle Eliza’s father, played by Dennis Waterman. The main storyline is that Eliza a flower girl at the time wants to work in a flower shop, but cannot due to her cockney accent. She turns to Prof. Henry Higgins to give her lessons in speech. He laughs in her face but is convinced by his friend Colonel Pickering that he could pass her off as a lady if he really wanted to. Higgins accepts the challenge and successfully passes Eliza off as a lady at many events including ‘a day at the races’ at Ascot, where she meets Freddy Eynsford Hill played by Mark Umbers, who follows her home, hoping to see her again. After a ball at the Embassy, Higgins and Pickering congratulate each other on their good work but forget Eliza. Hurt and angry, she rushes out of the house and runs into Freddy. He proclaims his love for her, but she demands that he stops talking about it. Meanwhile, her father, who has now become famous through his philosophies decides it time to marry the woman he has been with for years and spends his stag night on the town. Get me to the church on time. Higgins awakens to find Eliza gone, and after searching for her, finds her at his mother’s house where she’s gone for comfort. Eliza refuses his tentative offering of truce. Upset, Higgins returns home revolving on his thoughts of Eliza I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face and sits listening to recordings of her voice, when Eliza quietly enters as the curtain falls. All the scene changes were computerised. I could tell this because I could see the stage manager in one of the side boxes, controlling the lighting and scene changes. I didn’t like this because it reminded you that you were actually in a theatre, not in Covent Garden in 1910. The stage was like a conveyor belt, moving to bring the set on between scenes. At the end of each scene they’d move into the wings bringing the set for the next scene on. All other sets were flown in with ropes, except for the green at Ascot, which was a carpet, rolled on by two of the stage crew. I will discuss what I thought about the sets for each scene, The first scene was introduced during the overture. The audience saw a transparent curtain at the front of the stage covered in roses, which was appropriate as Eliza is a flower girl. During the overture, the roses gradually became by means of light a picture of the poor people of the time. This curtain became transparent to reveal a scene outside the opera house in Covent Garden. There were pillars stage left and right, moving back to up-stage, and this created depth, as though the stage were a long road. The cobbles were projected onto the stage floor using light and were also coloured to look even more realistic. I thought that this was a good trick to use to save effort creating a floor, although, you could sometimes see the cobbles on men’s hats. The set was then dressed with the Company who sat around as the poor people on boxes which were brought on using the ‘conveyor belt’ stage. At the end of the scene, the stage immediately started moving, the belt taking off these boxes to stage left and bringing on a bar from stage right. Other belts in front brought on tables and chairs from both sides. The pillars were flown off and hidden above the stage. The back wall for the next scene Public house was also brought in using this ‘belt’ method. I liked this method of scene change because it all happened in front of the audience’s eyes as we saw the scene gradually ‘fade away’ whilst seeing the set for the next being gradually built up. Queen Elizabeth EssayAlso, outside the public house for ‘A little bit of Luck’ was a song I enjoyed because of the dancing and the singing. The men attached dustbin lids to their feet and banged them on the floor like drums. At one point, the orchestra weren’t even playing and the cast were dancing around whilst playing percussion. It was a very energetic scene and it seemed very surreal because of the fact that the tuning on the dustbin lids was perfect and in key with the pots and pans that were being hit. The sound on the microphones was excellent. Everything was clear, and the singing sounded as though it was actually being projected by the actors themselves. The orchestra were all in time and sounded very professional. However, I found that they didn’t play much of an overture before the opening. It only contained highlights from about three songs and was too short. The audience reaction was approving of the performances. Eliza got a round of applause after the scene where she drops her H’s. Also, they seemed to laugh at the jokes actually written into the script as much as they laughed at the actors’ interpretation of the characters. The way Eliza spoke especially, as she was trying to be overly posh, and the audience knew she was just a common flower girl. I have chosen to talk about the performances of three actors. Alexandra Jay, who played Eliza, Jonathan Price, who played Higgins and Nicholas le Prevost who played Pickering. I thought that Alexandra maintained both accents that she used very well, though I felt that the last line she sang in ‘Wouldn’t it be loverly’ wasn’t common enough. It was sung before Eliza had lessons in diction. I think her interpretation of Eliza as a ‘lady’ was excellent. Eliza’s voice seemed like those around her, but her manner was not. The way she did this was very amusing to the audience. Alex managed the uncomfortable feeling Eliza would have had perfectly. She seemed stiff and not very confident in herself, which I thought was perfect. During her speech lessons, she was very funny. Her movements, including the way she did little things like sigh seemed very melodramatic as though she was frustrated. I think that the controversial relationship between Eliza and Higgins was shown very well between both the actors. For example, during the song, ‘Without You’, they’re saying how they’d cope without each other, but we know that really they can’t. I felt Alex was an excellent all rounder. Higgins’ accent was also excellent and maintained well even when singing, although I felt that he struggled in bringing the words across to the audience in some of the songs. His frustration in Eliza when she wouldn’t use the proper accent was brought across well. When he shouted at Eliza, he was right up next to her face and seemed to really ‘scare’ her. His body language was also excellent in showing his frustration, especially in ‘Why Can’t the English? ’ He threw his arms around a lot. Nicholas’ performance as Pickering didn’t stand out to me as much as the others. He just seemed to say the lines and not put any energy into his performance. The fact that he didn’t have a very big part contributed towards this, also. However, his performance in ‘The Rain in Spain’ was excellent and Pickering’s excitement was really brought across in his dance movements. This was a performance I liked as a whole anyway, because of the energy there was on stage. My overall impression of the show was that it was very good, but I feel as though it was let down at some points because of slips in the actors’ performances, but I felt that this was compensated by the other excellent performances at other times during the play. The story ends with a cliff hanger which I didn’t really like but had me thinking about the ending afterwards. It was very good and I would like to see it again or perform in it, mainly because I like the songs and the comedy in it.

Romeo And Juliet Modern Essays - Romeo And Juliet, Juliet

Romeo And Juliet Modern For my English creative writing assignment, I have chosen to do a letter correspondence between a modern Romeo and Juliet. I have turned the play around a bit, and it differs from the original story. Near the end of the play, the Capulets discover Juliet and Romeo's marriage and forbid her to see him ever again. Juliet then marries Paris, but sends one last word to her beloved Romeo. Below, is her letter. Romeo, I'm really upset that our parting had to be so sudden into our marriage, and that our wedding night had to end so suddenly. With thoughts of you still in my mind, I rushed home to finish off what I never got the chance to say to you in the form of a letter while your beautiful face is still very clear in my mind. Romeo, I know you, and how you react and how you think. So I know your first instinct will be to pretend the reality of these past few days never happened. You will want to rip up and throw away this letter, trying to hide from the situation. But please, I am asking of you, if you loved, love or are in love with me then do not. For my sake. Seriously, I will be starting from the beginning, the truth. When I first laid my eyes on you at the ball at my mansion just days ago, I thought you were the most beautiful creature God could have ever possibly created. What we had was difficult. Romeo, I have gone and will continue to go through everything for you. I am now living in a different city and with a different man because of you and I am sure we both know that this is the worst place I could possibly be. I have devoted my life to you and not for one minute do I ever regret any of it. I've been trying to convince myself that what happened over these past couple of days never happened at all. Since the past week, I've done nothing but think about us. I love you so much Romeo, too much. At this point in time I can't even imagine picking up my life and moving on without you in it. Fate, I believe is what brought us together. It also was what tore us apart. Romeo, everything happens for a reason. I hope that one fine day fate will kick in and destiny will bring you back to me. One day. Take good care of yourself so I don't have to worry too much about you. I really wish that our UN-dying love would help us over this hurdle once more. A piece of me has died with our parting. I love you, and Romeo, I will never forget you. Your Bright Angel, your shining star, Juliet C. Juliet, I couldn't sleep at all last night. Reading your letter just erupted my feelings all over again, to you I write. Please understand me. We were made for each other. Everyone goes through tough times and they usually end up hating each other, but last night when I was walking back to Verona, and even when I was arguing with you, I didn't hate you at all. What I felt was totally different. It was fear that I was going to loose You. I didn't think I was going to lose you, but I was really scared that I might. I tried not to cry and I through my emotions aside. All I felt for you was love. I make promises to you that things will be different soon, and we will find a way to reconcile our marriage and I don't blame you for doubting them. You haven't even seen them! That is totally unreasonable. You were right in your letter, I hope fate will one day help us through these tragic times. I think I should keep acting as if you are still my wife because then and only then will you see, and feel How much I love you. These last few days I have been trying to convince myself that I hated you for what you did with Paris, but I couldn't. There is nothing that I hate about you. In a working relationship you don't hide feelings like these under the carpet. I glad you told me everything in your letter, and I think that things will work out, but only time will

Carbon Fiber essays

Carbon Fiber essays Many materials that are found naturally on the earth are very strong and have lasted the test of time. Some examples of the stronger materials are wood, rope, and stone. However, they dont come close to the strengths of man-made materials. There are also many other benefits to man-made materials than natural materials such as weight and styles. The main material that I will be focusing on began in the 1930s as fiberglass and now has developed into a lightweight composite known as carbon fiber. Producing this man-made composite is not very complicated compared to the processes of others. There are many uses for this somewhat new material and they come into parts of our everyday life. The expense of carbon fiber is also relatively cheap compared to other similar strength materials. The main technique of making carbon fiber starts off with the polymer polyacrylonitrile. Once this is heated up enough times which is usually four times it starts to form the beginnings of carbon fiber. Each time that the polyacrylonitrile is heated up it will lose nitrogen atoms until there is almost none left and only carbon in a graphite form is remaining. The final product looks like ribbons and that is why it called carbon fiber. These ribbons are used by combining them together to make a large unit of carbon fiber. (fibraplex.com/string.asp). The uses for carbon fiber are almost endless. Some of the most common uses are bike frames, golf club shafts, and baseball bats. One of the main reasons that carbon fiber is used for sporting goods is lightweight and high strength of the material. As in the case of bicycle frames, a faster bike needs to be very light. If steel was used it would weigh too much and slow down the biker. When it is used in golf clubs the carbon fiber keeps the shaft very light and also it is more flexible than steel. So, this will make a longer shot. There is a use for it in ...

Mystery Shopping Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Mystery Shopping - Essay Example However to evaluate the service from a customer point of view is the critical factor that most organizations are faced with. There are different types of research methods and techniques to evaluate customer service and mystery shopping and it can be regarded as the significant tool used by modern businesses to measure the quality of the service or to collect particular information about product or service. It is a highly detailed shopping program and it will help managers to make sure that the particular brand experience is protected or not. Therefore managers have identified that effective service delivery will direct particular organization on profitable growth and lead to sustainable gains in the market. Moment of truth is a main element in a customer delivery process and managers will concentrate in depth of different moment of truth that get only one chance to make a good first impression about a particular product or a service. There are important features in service delivery process - the roles of product; place; process and physical atmosphere, and then there each element of the service delivery process is recognized as a significant factor in customer service experience. Further it evaluates whether the brand promise is delivered along with meeting customer expectations. Thus mystery shopping considered as a main management tool to measure the customer perspective and performance of the current products and service which is mainly affecting to customer loyalty and the satisfaction (Schmidt, 2007).When the marketing mix - price, product, place, promotion and by extension people, process and physical evidence - is considered against the current level of market concentration rati os there are a lot of opportunities in the market. For instance the existing brand loyalties might curtail the degree of freedom enjoyed by each seller. In such situations mystery marketing efforts don't help much. This development has a very significant impact on the organization's marketing goals too. 1.1. Purpose of the study or research aims To establish correlations and regressions, if any, among and between the above mentioned variables such as the mystery shopping programs and customer satisfaction as determined by organizational environment: cleanliness, speed of service, store appearance, grooming, friendly environment and greeting and so on . To identify and emphasize the existence, if any, of such mystery shopping programs related initiatives and policies and customer satisfaction, thus focusing attention on an otherwise often neglected aspect of customer satisfaction related compulsions. To delineate the existing correlations between mystery shopping programs and customer satisfaction against the backdrop of an ever growing complexity and diversity in theoretical and conceptual spheres of the modern business environment. To arrive at particular as against broader conclusions on the strategic importance of mystery shopping programs in the organization's own operational environment within the defined limits. 1.1. Hypothesis or thesis statementThe hypothesis or thesis statement of this paper rests on the testing of the primacy and the immediacy of a broader cross section of theoretical and

AFA 201 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

AFA 201 - Essay Example Even worse, some philosophers and historians argue that not all regions and people have a history to consider. In this regard, African history has been deemed to be relatively new especially after obscure remarks were made by some philosophers. From the onset of the nineteenth century, a German philosopher gave a seminar in which he declared that Africa is not a historical part of the world. He emphasized that it had no development or movement to exhibit to the rest of the world. A hundred years later, a Harvard professor Hugh Trevor-Roper shared Hegel’s sentiments and declared that the only history that Africa can share is Europeans in Africa. He further stated that the rest is largely darkness and that darkness is not a history subject. Such sentiments indicate a racist worldview and high ignorance of African achievements. However, besides racism, statements refuting that Africa holds a history are founded on crucial conception of historical sources that are valid. It was believed that development towards progress and changes in societies was to be written at the particular time of occurrence. This insistence on written materials depicted Africa’s past invisible to some historians and to the wider public. Most of the African societies had not developed writing systems prior to the nineteenth ant twentieth century (Taiwo 118). This reveals that there was a paucity of documented records that could be used by historians in the study of Africa’s history. The few documented details stemmed from observers from outside such as European travelers and merchants. Due to this inconsistency, it was widely held that there was no history in Africa. It was however discovered much later that indeed Africa had a rich past confined to Africa’s colonial history. After all, the missionaries, businessmen, and European colonial administrators kept detailed accounts of observations and activities on the continent of Africa (Oladale 319).

Cloud Computing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Cloud Computing - Research Paper Example Martin Sandler, Director Systems security lab HP says’ â€Å"People often think of virtualization as adding to security problems, but it is fundamentally the answer to a lot of those problems,† (Anthes 2010). Overall, cloud computing includes a number of advantages and some disadvantages as the data must be secured while using cloud computing methods from possible security breaches. Likewise, transferring information on the cloud determines that it is not manageable by the organization anymore and any consequence or a breach of data occurring on the vendor side will be a prime threat to the organization. Therefore, information security is the part of due care and due diligence that is derived from the responsible employees of the organization. 1.1 Cloud Deployment Models The private and confidential property and data must be secured by the ‘Business Cloud’ that contains trading secrets, customer’s information and other data. It is the main responsibi lity of business cloud to ensure proper security for the above mentioned information. Security breach can cause permanent damage to business that leads towards bankruptcy and other legal complications. Similarly, it is also necessary to analyze service models and implementation methods before making any plans related to critical applications transfers of the cloud. In order to implement right services and to avoid any possible risks, business requirements must be aligned. Furthermore, cloud computing implementation methods are selected by the ‘Business Cloud’ according to the organizations requirements. There are four types of implementation factors available to choose from. (Shelton 2013). 1.1.1 Private Cloud The private cloud is also referred as a neologism. However, the concept of this term out dates cloud computing by 40 years. Private clouds are recommended for organization requiring advanced security and privacy measures (Shelton 2013). The private cloud is admini stered exclusively for only a single organization, in order to maintain strict level of security. 1.1.2 Community Cloud As compared to a private cloud, the community cloud is shared among many organizations having identical business requirements. Moreover, the required infrastructure is shared among all the organization that is connected to the cloud saving the cost and demonstrates one of the advantages of cloud computing (Shelton 2013). 1.1.3 Public Cloud Public computing is a traditional approach where the resources are accessible on the Internet. Third party providers, known as the cloud vendors, organize the hosting for these resources on the Internet. The services and resources on this cloud are accessible to the public and groups of various industries (Shelton 2013). 1.1.4 Hybrid Cloud A hybrid cloud comprises of a mixture of all types of clouds i.e. public, private and community. Most organizations deploy this type of cloud as it provides a range of options in the context of accessibility. By incorporating hybrid clouds, issues such as PCI compliance can be eliminated (Shelton 2013). 2 Cloud Computing Advantages Cloud computing will derive many valuable benefits for ‘Business Cloud’, as they are discussed below (Wu, Shen et al. 2011): The first factor is justifiable, as there is no requirement of managing or maintaining software, hardware and

Basic Concept Of Coordination Compounds Biology Essay

Basic Concept Of Coordination Compounds Biology Essay We live in the world of uncertainty and assumptions, no one can predict the next activity, it may be good or bad but thing is how to tackle bad things? Chemistry is the most power full tool to understand the world at almost every scale may be huge or femtometer scale. Chemistry is closely associated with humans day to day life , it application in medicine is major one. Medicine is the life living entity which play vital role in ones life , but how medicines are made? What are their chemical properties and how they affect our body? Let us study the application of chemistry(co-ordination compounds) in medicinesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Basic concept of co-ordination compoundsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The coordination chemistry was discovered by Nobel Prize winner Alfred Werner (1866-1919). He received the Nobel Prize in 1913 for his coordination theory of transition metal-amine complexes. In the starting of the 20th century, inorganic chemistry was not a prominent field until Werner studied the metal-amine complexes such as [Co (NH3)6Cl3]. He further studied the coordination compound of cobalt and ammonia and discovered its different properties. He studied different colors and no. of Cl atoms attached to the compounds and on that basis he proposed a table- Solid Color Ionized Cl- Complex formula CoCl36NH3 Yellow 3 [Co(NH3)6]Cl3 CoCl35NH3 Purple 2 [Co(NH3)5Cl]Cl2 CoCl34NH3 Green 1 trans-[Co(NH3)4Cl2]Cl CoCl34NH3 Violet 1 cis-[Co(NH3)4Cl2]Cl The structures of the complexes were proposed based on a coordination sphere of 6. The 6 ligands can be amonia molecules or chloride ions. Two different structures were proposed for the last two compounds, the trans compound has two chloride ions on opposit vertices of an octahedral, whereas the the two chloride ions are adjacent to each other in the cis compound. The cis and trans compounds are known as geometric isomers. Other cobalt complexes studied by Werner are also interesting. It has been predicted that the complex Co(NH2CH2CH2NH2)2ClNH3]2+ should exist in two forms, which are mirror images of each other. Werner isolated solids of the two forms, and structural studies confirmed his interpretations. The ligand NH2CH2CH2NH2 is ethylenediamine (en) often represented by en. Basically coordination compound consists of two parts Central metal ion Ligands both metal ion and ligands lie inside or outside the coordination sphere, coordination sphere is represented by square brackets for example [Co(NH3)6]Cl3 here Co is the metal ion and NH3,Cl3 are the ligands , one lie inside and the second one is outside. Contain coordinate covalent bonds 4) Unusual composition: Central metal ion or atom + ligands + counter ion (if needed) 5) Called complex ion if charged For an instantÆ’Â   Basic concept of medicines and how they are discovered Drug discovery is very time -consuming and expensive process. Estimates of the average time required to bring a drug to a market ranges from 12-15 years at an average cost of $600-800 million. For approximation every 10,000 compounds are evaluated in animal studied , 10 will make it to humans clinical trials in order to get 1 compound on the market ! for every drug introduction we need approval for that and once the new drug application (NDA) is submitted to the Food and Drug Administration(FDA) , it can be several months to several years before it is approved for commercial use. Then study is done and the result are considered and if the results are found are same with the drug that is already in the market then the whole project is rejected ! so the discovery of new medicine is very costly , that is why medicines costs high when bought. In general medicines are never discovered , what is more likely discovered is called lead compound. The lead compound is prototype compound that has a number of attractive characteristics , such as the desired biological but may have many undesired characteristics for example high toxicity ,other biological activities, absorption difficulty ,insolubility or metabolism problems , so considering all these things further modified compound is formed which is called clinical drug ,which is ready for many clinical researches. The drug discovered without lead are called penicillins ! How does a medicine works on human body? The quest for knowledge to established how the drug act in a living system has been a thought provoking topic to scientist belonging to various disciplines such as medicinal chemistry, biochemistry and pharmacology. Factors affecting the drugs to reach the active sites Absorption-biological membrane play a vital role towards the absorption of a drug molecule. Soon after drug is taken orally ,it makes the way through the gastrointestinal tract, cross the various membranes and finally reaches the active site. It has been observed that drug moves from a region of high drug concentration to low drug concentration. However the rate of diffusion solely depends upon the magnitude of the concentration gradient (à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  C). across the biological membrane. Rate = -k{C(abs) C(bl)}, c(bl) is concentration present in blood and C(abs) is the concentration of drug at active site. Distribution As soon as drug finds its way into the blood stream, it tries to approach the site of biological action. Hence , the distribution of a drug is markedly influenced by such vital factor as tissue distribution and membrane penetration ,which largely depends on the physio-chemical characteristics of the drug. Metabolism (biotransformation)-when a drug molecule gets converted into the body to an altogether different form, the phenomenon is called biotransformation. Mostly the metabolism occurs in the liver. The metabolism products are more polar than the parent drug. Inside liver ,in metabolism two important reactions take Change in the functional groupeg. The side chain or ring hydroxylation reduction of nitrogroup. Conjugationthe drug substance undergoes conjugation whereby the metabolized product combines with various solubilizing groups. Excretion this is also very important process and may be done with the help of a number of process ,namely renal excretion, biliary excretion , excretion through lungs and above all by drug metabolism(biotransformation). COMMON TYPES OF MEDICINES USED IN DAILY LIFE Some of the medicines which we use in daily life are:Æ’Â   CISPLATINtreatment of cancer Paracetamol -reduces body temp. Aspirin reduces pain Local anesthetic 1 )Cisplatin :- Cisplatin is a chemotherapy drug which is used to treat cancers including: sarcoma, small cell lung cancer, germ cell tumors, lymphoma, and ovarian cancer. While it is often considered an alkylating agent, it contains no alkyls groups and does not instigate alkylating reactions, so it is properly designated as an alkylating-like drug. Cisplatin is platinum-based and was the first medicine developed in that drug class. Other drugs in this class include carboplatin, a drug with fewer and less severe side effects introduced in the 1980s, and oxaliplatin, a drug which is part of the FOLFOX treatment for colorectal cancer. The other names for cisplatin are DDP, cisplatinum, and cis-diamminedichloridoplatinum(II) (CDDP). Cisplatin was actually first created in the mid 19th Century and is also known as Peyrones chloride. (The disoverer was Michel Peyrone.) It wasnt until the 1960s that scientists started getting interested in its biological effects, and cisplatin went ito clinical trials for cancer therapy in 1971. By the late 1970s it was already widely used and is still used today despite the many newer chemotherapy drugs developed over the past decades. Structure of cisplatin:- Structure of cisplatin is tetrahydral (sp3) in shape. Here one atom of platinum is bound to 2 chlorine atoms and 2 ammonia atoms. Working mechanism of cisplatin:- The way that cisplatin operates is by forming a platinum complex inside of a cell which binds to DNA and cross-links DNA. When DNA is cross-linked in this manner, it causes the cells to undergo apoptosis, or systematic cell death. One of the methods it uses causes apoptosis through cross-linking is by damaging the DNA so that the repair mechanisms for DNA are activated, and once the repair mechanisms are activated and the cells are found to not be salvageable, the death of those cells is triggered instead. Cisplatin undergoes aquation to form [Pt(NH3)2Cl(OH2)]+ and [Pt(NH3)2(OH2)2]2+ once inside the cell. The platinum atom of cisplatin binds covalently to the N7 position of purines to form 1,2- or 1,3-intrastrand crosslinks, and interstrand crosslinks. Cisplatin-DNA adducts cause various cellular responses, such as replication arrest, transcription inhibition, cell-cycle arrest, DNA repair and apoptosis. 2 ParacetamolÆ’Â   Paracetamol is commonly used for relief in headache , and other minor pain and aches. It also serve as major ingredient in cold and flu remedies in collaboration with opioid analgesics, it can also be used in management of several major disease such as cancer. Structure of paracetamolÆ’Â   In some publications, it is described as 4-hydroxyacetanilide or N-acetyl-p-aminophenol and in the US Pharmacopoeia it is known as acetaminophen. Paracetamol is a white, odourless crystalline powder with a bitter taste, soluble in 70 parts of water (1 in 20 boiling water), 7 parts of alcohol (95%), 13 parts of acetone, 40 parts of glycerol, 9 parts of propylene glycol, 50 parts of chloroform, or 10 parts of methyl alcohol. It is also soluble in solutions of alkali hydroxides. It is insoluble in benzene and ether. A saturated aqueous solution has a pH of about 6 and is stable (half-life over 20 years) but stability decreases in acid or alkaline conditions, the paracetamol being slowly broken down into acetic acid and p-aminophenol. Mixtures of paracetamol and aspirin are stable in dry conditions, but tablets containing these two ingredients, particularly in the presence of moisture, magnesium stearate, or codeine, produce some diacetyl-p- aminophenol when stored at room temperature, and this latter compound is hydrolyzed in the presence of moisture to paracetamol and p-aminophenol. Mechanism of workingÆ’Â   Over 100 years after it was first discovered, we are now learning what the mechanism of action is that makes paracetamol such an effective and useful medicine. It now appears paracetamol has a highly targeted action in the brain, blocking an enzyme involved in the transmission of pain. As with many medicines, the effectiveness of paracetamol was discovered without knowing how it works. Its mode of action was known to be different to other pain relievers, but although it produces pain relief throughout the body the exact mechanism was not clear. The production of prostaglandins is part of the bodys inflammatory response to injury, and inhibition of prostaglandin production around the body by blocking the cyclooxygenase enzymes known as COX-1 and COX-2 has long been known to be the mechanism of action of aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen. However, their action in blocking COX-1 is known to be responsible for also causing the unwanted gastrointestinal side effects associated with these drugs. Paracetamol has no significant action on COX-1 and COX-2, which left its mode of action a mystery but did explain its lack of anti-inflammatory action and also, more importantly, its freedom from gastrointestinal side effects typical of NSAIDs. Early work (1) had suggested that the fever reducing action of paracetamol was due to activity in the brain while its lack of any clinically useful anti-inflammatory action was consistent with a lack of prostaglandin inhibition peripherally in the body. Now, recent research (2) has shown the presence of a new, previously unknown cyclooxygenase enzyme COX-3, found in the brain and spinal cord, which is selectively inhibited by paracetamol, and is distinct from the two already known cyclooxygenase enzymes COX-1 and COX-2. It is now believed that this selective inhibition of the enzyme COX-3 in the brain and spinal cord explains the effectiveness of paracetamol in relieving pain and reducing fever without having unwanted gastrointestinal side effects. 3 Aspirin In 1897 Flex Hoffman a German chemist employed by bayer and company was researching on the arthritic pain of his father ,then he began his study on the acetalsalicyclic acid and discovered a stable compound which was further refined to Aspirin ! Acetylsalicylic acid, marketed everywhere as Aspirin (USAN), is a salicylate drug mostly used as an antipyretic to reduce fever, as an anti-inflammatory medication to reduce swelling, and as an analgesic to alleviate minor pains and aches. To wit, aspirin is often used to relieve mild to moderate pain and to reduce fever from typical maladies such as headaches, toothaches, muscle aches, and the common cold. This medication may also be used to reduce arthritic swelling and pain as well. This salicytate drug is classified as a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug or NSAID, and it works by blocking a certain natural substance in your body to reduce inflammation and throbbing aches. Structure of AspirinÆ’Â   Aspirin, also known as acetylsalicylic acid, has a chemical formula of C9H8O4. Working mechanism of aspirin:- Many kinds of prostaglandin exist in the body to serve a plethora of physiological functions, some of which are irritable, others beneficial.   Prostaglandins are among the chemicals secreted by the bodys immune system when it fights off bacteria and other invaders in injuries.   Located around wounds , these chemicals cause pain and inflammation.   Following bacterial infection, prostaglandins are also produced the hypothalamus, the brains center for controlling body temperature, resulting in a rise in temperature.   In their capacities to cause pain, inflammation, and fever, prostaglandins are nuisances.   Inhibiting their production, consequently reducing pain, inflammation, and fever, is the main therapeutic value of aspirin. On the other hand, prostaglandins secreted by the stomach regulate acid production and maintain the mucus lining that protects the stomach from digesting itself.   Prostaglandins in the bloods platelets cause the platelets to stick together to initiate blood clotting in wounds.   In these capacities, prostaglandins are crucial to a healthy body.   Inhibiting their production leads to aspirins undesirable side effects, including upset stomach and excessive bleeding.   How does aspirin curb prostaglandin production?   The many kinds of prostaglandin are synthesized by a host of complicated biochemical pathways.   However, all pathways share a common stage facilitated by an enzyme called COX, whose action aspirin suppresses.  Ã‚   Enzymes are protein catalysts that speed up chemical reactions without being themselves used up in the reactions.   An enzyme is a huge molecule with an active area that works somehow like a mold that accepts certain raw pieces and casts them into a final form.   Imagine a mold that stamps a rod and a bowl into a spoon.   Spoon production would be disrupted if someone throws a monkey range into the mold.   Such a monkey range an enzyme inhibitor would make a desirable drug if it stops an enzyme from producing disease-inducing chemicals.   Aspirin is an enzyme inhibitor.   It suppresses the action of the enzyme COX, stops the production of prostaglandin, thus disrupting the pathways to pain, inflammation, elevated temperature, and stomach protection.   Vanes success attracted many researchers to the area.   Their investigations spread from aspirin to similar drugs that suppress pain and inflammation.   By 1974, it was fairly well established that all NSAIDs act with similar mechanisms.   They are all COX inhibitors. Aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, and many other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) work as COX inhibitors.   They suppress the catalytic functions of the enzymes COX1 and COX2.   COX2, which appears up injuries and other inflammatory stimuli, is deemed bad.   It catalyzes the synthesis of prostaglandins that, located near sites of injuries, cause pain and inflammation.   Inhibition of COX2 is responsible for the therapeutic effects of reducing pain, inflammation, and fever.   COX1, which is present in many parts of the body, is deemed good.   It catalyzes the synthesis of prostaglandins that perform many physiological functions, e.g., maintaining the mucus lining of the stomach or causing platelets in the blood to stick and form clots over wounds.   Inhibition of COX1 is responsible for the drugs side effect of stomach irritation.   In reducing the risk of blood clots, it is also responsible for aspirins efficacy in heart attack prevention.   A new class of NSAID, COX2 inhibitor, is designed to target bad COX2 selectively and leave good COX1 alone, thus reducing pain and inflammation without upsetting the stomach. 4-local anestheticÆ’Â   Cocaine is a naturally occurring compound indigenous to the AndesMountains, West Indies, and Java. It was the first anesthetic to be discovered and is the only naturally occurring local anesthetic; all others are synthetically derived. Cocaine  was introduced into Europe in the 1800s following its isolation from coca beans. Sigmund Freud, the noted Austrian psychoanalyst, used cocaine on his patients and became addicted through self-experimentation. In the latter half of the 1800s, interest in the drug became widespread, and many of cocaines pharmacologic actions and adverse effects were elucidated during this time. In the 1880s, Koller introduced cocaine to the field of ophthalmology, and Hall introduced it to dentistry. Halsted was the first to report the use of cocaine for nerve blocks in the United States in 1885 and also became addicted to the drug through self-experimentation. Procaine, the first synthetic derivative of cocaine, was developed in 1904. Lofgren later developed lidocaine, the most widely used cocaine derivative, during World War II in 1943. Chemical structureÆ’Â   All local anesthetics have an intermediate chain linking an amine on one end to an aromatic ring on the other. The amine end is hydrophilic, and the aromatic end is lipophilic. Variation of the amine or aromatic ends changes the chemical activity of the drug. Two basic classes of local anesthetics exist, the amino amides and the amino esters. Amino amides have an amide link between the intermediate chain and the aromatic end, whereas amino esters have an ester link between the intermediate chain and the aromatic end. Amino esters and amino amides differ in several respects. Amino esters are metabolized in the plasma via pseudocholinesterases, whereas amino amides are metabolized in the liver. Amino esters are unstable in solution, but amino amides are very stable in solution. Amino esters are much more likely than amino amides to cause  allergic hypersensitivity reactions. Commonly used amino amides include lidocaine, mepivacaine, prilocaine, bupivacaine, etidocaine, and ropivacaine and levobupivacaine. Commonly used amino esters include cocaine, procaine, tetracaine,  chloroprocaine,  and benzocaine. An easy way to remember which drug belongs in which category is that all of the amino amides contain the letter i twice, as does the term amino amides. The newest additions to clinically available local anesthetics, namely ropivacaine and levobupivacaine, represent exploitation of the S enantiomer of these chemicals to create anesthetics which are less toxic, more potent, and longer acting. WORKINGÆ’Â   Local anesthetics produce anesthesia by inhibiting excitation of nerve endings or by blocking conduction in peripheral nerves. This is achieved by anesthetics reversibly binding to and inactivating sodium channels. Sodium influx through these channels is necessary for the depolarization of nerve cell membranes and subsequent propagation of impulses along the course of the nerve. When a nerve loses depolarization and capacity to propagate an impulse, the individual loses sensation in the area supplied by the nerve.   The order of affinity of local anesthetics for different sodium channel states is open is better than inactivated, which is better than resting.  Thus, the  open state of the sodium channel is the primary target of local anesthetic molecules.  The blocking of propagated action potentials is therefore a function of the frequency of depolarization. The mechanism for differential block, the block of pain perception without motor block, is  still unclear.   *

Preparing for Success in a High Tech World Essay -- essays papers

Preparing for Success in a High Tech World The expectations of teachers when faced with teaching and learning technology can often be a difficult subject. Teacher technology standards can often be hard to define and preparation is needed to ensure the quality of both the teacher and their student’s education. The intention of this paper is to examine educational practices and training experienced by teachers to guide them in the process of implementing classroom activities designed to meet National Educational Technology Standards (NETS). National Expectations of Teachers According to the NETS website, its main goal is to develop standards to guide educational leaders in recognizing and addressing the essential conditions for effective use of technology to support Pre K-12 education. The standards that are being developed and refined are to build a technology foundation and set student standards (which will reflect the teachers teaching skills), the connection of the curriculum and technology, educational support standards, standards for student assessment and evaluation of technology use in learning and teaching, accredited teacher preparation programs, unit guidelines, and general standards for all teachers. These standards are what is shaping the future of educational technology and how it used by both teachers and students. Hopefully they will go into affect soon so that the nation can evaluate what areas of technology need the most attention. A Strong Hold on Technology To ensure a teacher is able to instruct technology properly adequate training must be provided . As well as a large effort put forth by the instructor to gain the knowledge of technology and to be able to teach it. The National Educational... ...rview.html This site went over the ISTE standards as well as overviewed the NETS project and offered other related links. (2000). Teaching and Learning on the Internet. Technology Standards for Teachers. Retrieved September 22, 2003, from http://dragon.ep.usm.edu/capstone/tonette/nets.html This site went over six steps for teaching and learning on the Internet from educational operations and concepts to ethical issues to help teachers understand what, why and how to teach technology. (2003). US Department of Education. Department Seeks Broad Input for New National Education Technology Plan. Retrieved November 23, 2003, from http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2003/05/05232003.html This site went over how the US Dept. of Education was going to go about implementing a plan for new technology education and Rod Paige the Dept.’s secretary was directly quoted.

Fast Food and Obesity Essay

Now a days, fast food is becoming a cheap and yet a popular way for people who are too busy to cook. But the cheap price of the fast food is nothing in comparison to the true price that these people are paying. Every 4 out of 10 adults in the USA will become obese in the next 5 years if they keep eating this food the way they are. Eating fast food like this is causing major health risks. Since this food is so cheap, it makes it convenient for people to go out and get food instead of staying home to cook. In addition, fast food companies are trying to target kids. If the companies get to the kids at a young age, they will get hooked on the food. Because of all this, people need to stop eating fast food before it gets out of hand. This fast food world has spread tremendously around the globe, and obesity has shortly followed. In addition to this it has also brought heart disease, arthritis, diabetes and many other types of illnesses. Fast food isn’t only making people fatter, but its also increasing people’s chances of obtaining type two diabetes. People’s muscles and fat cells that have type two diabetes lose the ability to take in a sugar called glucose from their blood. The glucose builds up and reaches very high levels and because of this they get damage to the eyes, neuropath (loss of feeling), kidney disease and heart disease. Most of the people who have type two diabetes are obese or overweight. A long-term study between the link of fast food, obesity and diabetes were tested. It compared the people who would eat fast food at least twice a week to the people who ate it less than once a week. The results showed that the people who are more fast food gained about 10 pounds more then the people who are it less than once a week over a fifteen-year period. Eating fast food can cause many diseases such as Hypertension, Heart Disease, Cancer, Gall Bladder Disease and E. coli, which is one of the worst forms of food poisoning. E. Coli is spread through undercooked burgers and it is very difficult to cure. 4 % of the people who have this poison develop hemolytic uremic syndrome and close to 5 % of the kids who develop this die. E. Coli is now becoming the major reason for renal failure for American kids. People would rather spend their money on a cheap burger that tastes good compared to a burger that tastes just as good for six times the price. The great thing about fast food is that over these many years their products taste hasn’t changed. â€Å"The whole experience of buying fast food, has become so routine, so thoroughly unexceptional and mundane, that it is now taken for granted, like brushing your teeth or stopping for a red light.† Says Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation. Millions of people a day are buying fast food because it’s so convenient to get to. Today’s economy is also dropping and because of this going out to buy fast food has become easier to feed people’s families. Instead of a family going out to a restaurant to feed the family for 60 dollars, they can go to a fast food restaurant and spend about one third of that. These fast food restaurants are making a lot of money off this cheap food With the money they make, they spend some of it for advertising to grab people’s attention Since most kids watch TV they are the ones that are affected most by this McDonald’s spends billions of dollars on advertising each year. Most of the kids know Ronald McDonald more than they do their own president. Just about 30% of all children each day eat fast food according to a Harvard study. This is part of the reason why America is the fattest country in the world. According to Alan Green, on average, kids who eat fast food gain an extra 6 pounds in weight each year. â€Å" The numbers, though alarming, are not surprising since billions of dollars are spend each year on fast-food advertising directed at kids, â€Å" said lead author Dr. David Ludwig, director of the obesity program at children’s Hospital Boston. Borzekowski says that most people prefer the branded fries compared to unbranded fries and the same results were found about branded chicken nuggets and non-branded chicken nuggets. â€Å" Its no surprise that branding works,† says Borzekowski. In another test done by Borzekowski, they took two burgers from McDonalds and put one in a non branded wrapper, Borzekowski had the kids try both and astonishingly most kids tasted a difference in the two burgers. The majority of the preferred the McDonalds wrapped burger. McDonalds also finds ways of getting to the kids, because in Seminole County, the kids are rewarded with Happy Meals if the have a nearly perfect attendance or it they do well on their report cards. In fact, Stuart Elliot of the New York Times says that the Florida schools are â€Å"using children’s report cards to help stimulate sales { at McDonalds }.† Kids can get a number of Happy meal choices such as four chicken McNuggets, a Hamburger and small fries or a cheeseburger with apple dippers. These kids are being rewarded with fast food, which is part of the reason that they are becoming obese.

The Crucible similarities and differences essays

The Crucible similarities and differences essays The Crucible Similarities and Differences Many movies are played out much differently than their stories. Most are the same and different in many ways. The Crucible was one of those exceptions. It was made into a movie that was almost exactly the same as the play. During the movie John Proctor was followed by Abby Williams when he walked out of Reverend Parriss home. Abby followed him out to the side and started to talk to him. Abby did most of the talking while John was trying to understand her and yet trying to ignore her. She told him that she thinks about him all the time and can live without him. She also thinks that he feels the same way but feels like his wife is in the way of their love. Abby proceeds to talk until she kissed him on the lips. Much to his surprise John pulled away and started to pronounce his love for his wife Elizabeth and wanted Abby to leave him alone. This never happened in the play even though Abby was in love with John and most likely would do that. While in the courtroom when Mary Warren was there Abby cried out about a yellow bird on top of a board in the ceiling. She said that it was Mary Warrens spirit. All of the others girls followed Abby example and started to yell and cry. They all started to shake and said that there was a cold breeze. Reverend Parris felt Abbys forehead and said that it was very cold. He ordered Mary to stop possessing the girls. Mary refused to say that it was her. While explaining that it was not her the girls started to repeat everything she was saying as if she was telling them to. Mary pleaded with the young girls to stop but they wouldnt. John Proctor took her out of the court room and the girls then stopped. This scene happened in both the movie and the play. Near the end of the play John Proctor confessed to the high court. He was made to sign his name to a written confession. Elizabeth was by his side the entire ti...

Biography of Warren G. Harding, 29th U.S. President

Biography of Warren G. Harding, 29th U.S. President Warren  Gamaliel  Harding (November 2, 1865–August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States. He was in office when World War I formally ended by the signing of the Knox-Porter Resolution. Harding died of a heart attack while he was still in the White House; he was succeeded by Vice President Calvin Coolidge. Fast Facts: Warren G. Harding Known For: Harding was the 29th president of the United States; he died of a heart attack while he was still in office.Born: November 2, 1865 in Blooming Grove, OhioParents: George Tryon Harding and Phoebe Elizabeth Dickerson HardingDied: August 2, 1923 in San Francisco, CaliforniaEducation: Ohio Central College (B.A.)Spouse: Florence Kling  (m.  1891–1923)Children: ElizabethNotable Quote: Americas present need is not heroics, but healing; not nostrums, but normalcy; not revolution, but restoration; not agitation, but adjustment; not surgery, but serenity; not the dramatic, but the dispassionate; not experiment, but equipoise; not submergence in internationality, but sustainment in triumphant nationality. Early Life Warren G. Harding was born on November 2, 1865, in Corsica, Ohio. His father George was a doctor and his mother Phoebe was a midwife. Warren was raised on the family farm and attended a small local school. When he was only 14 years old, he began attending Ohio Central College. As a student, Warren and a friend published a small paper called the Iberia Spectator. Warren graduated from college in 1882. Career After college, Harding worked briefly as a teacher, an insurance salesman, and a reporter before buying a newspaper called the Marion Star. Through persistence and hard work, he was able to turn the failing newspaper into a powerful local institution. Harding used the paper to promote local businesses and build relationships with advertisers. On  July 8, 1891, Harding married  Florence Mabel Kling DeWolfe. She was divorced with one son. Harding is known to have had two extramarital affairs while married to Florence. He had no legitimate children; however, he did later have one daughter- Elizabeth- through an extramarital affair with Nan Britton. In 1899, Harding was elected to the Ohio State Senate. He served until 1903, making a name for himself as one of the most popular Republicans in Ohio. He was then elected lieutenant governor of the state. Harding attempted to run for the governorship but lost in 1910. In 1915, he became a U.S. Senator from Ohio, a position he held until 1921. As a senator, Harding was part of Congresss Republican minority, and he tried to preserve his popularity by avoiding controversial political positions. On the subject of womens suffrage, for example, he did not voice support until other Senate Republicans did, and he took stances both for and against Prohibition. Presidential Election Harding was nominated to run for president for the Republican Party as a  dark horse candidate following the 1919 death of Theodore Roosevelt, the partys favorite. Hardings running mate was  Calvin Coolidge, the governor of Massachusetts. He was opposed by Democrat James Cox. In 1920, Harding won the election with 60% of the popular vote and 404 electoral votes. Presidency President Hardings  time in office was marked by several major scandals. The most significant scandal was known as Teapot Dome. Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall secretly sold the right to oil reserves in Teapot Dome, Wyoming, to a private company in exchange for $308,000 and some cattle. He also sold the rights to other national oil reserves. After he was caught, Fall was sentenced to one year in jail. Other officials under Harding were also implicated in or convicted of bribery, fraud, conspiracy, and other forms of wrongdoing. Harding died, however, before these events began to affect his presidency. Unlike his predecessor  Woodrow Wilson, Harding did not support America joining the League of Nations (an early version of the United Nations). His opposition meant that America did not join the organization at all. The body ended in failure without Americas participation. Even though America did not ratify the Treaty of Paris ending  World War I, Harding did sign a joint resolution officially ending the state of war between Germany and America. As part of his isolationist stance, Harding also opposed further American intervention in Latin America; he was critical of Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt for their involvement in American activities in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. From 1921 to 1922, America agreed to a limit of arms, according to a set tonnage ratio between Great Britain, the United States, Japan, France, and Italy. Furthermore, America agreed to respect the Pacific property of Great Britain, France, and Japan and to preserve the Open Door Policy in China. During his presidency, Harding also spoke out on  civil rights  and commuted the sentence of socialist Eugene V. Debs, who had been convicted of anti-war demonstrations during World War I and imprisoned in the Atlanta Penitentiary. Harding released other anti-war activists as well. Though he was only in office for a short time, Harding made four appointments to the Supreme Court, nominating former president William Howard Taft, George Sutherland, Pierce Butler, and Edward Terry Sanford. Death On August 2, 1923, Harding died of a heart attack in San Francisco, California, which he was visiting as part of a tour of the western United States. He was succeeded as president by Calvin Coolidge. Legacy Harding is widely considered one of the worst presidents in American history. Much of this is due to the number of scandals that his appointees were involved in. He was integral for keeping America out of the League of Nations while meeting with key nations to attempt to limit arms. He created the Bureau of the Budget as the first formal budgetary body. His early death probably saved him from impeachment over the many scandals of his administration. Sources Dean, John W.  Warren G. Harding. Thorndike Press, 2004.Mee, Charles L.  Ohio Gang: The World of Warren G. Harding. M Evans Co, 2014.

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Soft Drink Industry Case Study Essay Example for Free

Soft Drink Industry Case Study Essay Introduction Description The soft drink industry is concentrated with the three major players, Coca-Cola Co. , PepsiCo Inc. , and Cadbury Schweppes Plc. , making up 90 percent of the $52 billion dollar a year domestic soft drink market (Santa, 1996). The soft drink market is a relatively mature market with annual growth of 4-5% causing intense rivalry among brands for market share and growth (Crouch, Steve). This paper will explore Porters Five Forces to determine whether or not this is an attractive industry and what barriers to entry (if any) exist. In addition, we will discuss several critical success factors and the future of the industry. Segments The soft drink industry has two major segments, the flavor segment and the distribution segment. The flavor segment is divided into 6 categories and is listed in table 1 by market share. The distribution segment is divided in to 7 segments: Supermarkets 31. 9%, fountain operators 26. 8%, vending machines 11. 5%, convenience stores 11. 4%, delis and drug stores 7. 9%, club stores 7. 3%, and restaurants 3. 2%. Table 1: Market Share 19901991199219931994 Cola69. 9 69. 768. 36765. 9 Lemon-Lime11. 711. 812 12. 112. 3 Pepper5. 66. 26. 97. 37. 6 Root 2. 72. 82. 32. 72. 7 Orange2. 32. 3 2. 62. 32. 3 Other7. 87. 27. 98. 69. 2 Source: Industry Surveys, 1995 Caveats The only limitations on access to information were: 1. Financial information has not yet been made available for 1996. 2. The majority of the information targets the end consumer and not the sales volume from the major soft drink producers to local distributors. 3. There was no data available to determine over capacity. Socio-Economic Relevant Governmental or Environmental Factors, etc. The Federal Government regulates the soft drink industry, like any industry where the public ingests the products. The regulations vary from ensuring clean, safe products to regulating what those products can contain. For example, the government has only approved four sweeteners that can be used in the making of a soft drink (Crouch, Steve). The soft drink industry currently has had very little impact on the environment. One environmental issue of concern is that the use of plastics adversely affects the environment due to the unusually long time it takes for it to degrade. To combat this, the major competitors have lead in the recycling effort which starting with aluminum and now plastics. The only other adverse environmental impact is the plastic straps that hold the cans together in 6-packs. These straps have been blamed for the deaths of fish and mammals in both fresh and salt water. Economic Indicators Relevant for this Industry The general growth of the economy has had a slight positive influence on the growth of the industry. The general growth in volume for the industry, 4-5 percent, has been barely keeping up with inflation and growths on margins have been even less, only 2-3 percent (Crouch, Steve). Threat of New Entrants Economies of Scale Size is a crucial factor in reducing operating expenses and being able to make strategic capital outlays. By consolidating the fragmented bottling side of the industry, operating expenses may be spread over a larger sales base, which reduces the per case cost of production. In addition, larger corporate coffers allow for capital investment in automated high speed bottling lines that increase efficiency (Industry Surveys, 1995). This trend is supported by the decline in the number of production workers employed by the industry at higher wages and fewer hours. This in conjunction with the increased value of shipments over the period shows the increase in efficiency and the economies gained by consolidation (See table 2). Table 2 General Statistics: Year CompaniesWorkersHoursWagesValue of Shipments 1982162642. 485. 27. 84 16807. 5 198341. 585. 18. 2417320. 8 198439. 8 81. 78. 5118052 1985141437. 277. 89. 119358. 2 1986 133535. 573. 59. 7720686. 8 1987119035. 471. 510. 45 22006 1988113535. 271. 810. 7823310. 3 1989102733. 4 67. 710. 9823002. 1 19909413265. 711. 4823847. 5 1991 31. 966. 811. 8525191. 1 199229. 861. 612. 46 26260. 4 199328. 659. 312. 9327224. 4 199427. 4 56. 913. 3928188. 5 199526. 254. 513. 8629152. 5 1996 2552. 114. 3230116. 5 Source: Manufacturing USA, 4th Ed. Further evidence of economies is supported by the increased return on assets from 1992-1995, as shown in table 3. Coke and Pepsi clearly show increased return on assets as the asset base increases. However, Cadbury/Schweppes does not show conclusive evidence from 95 to 96. Table 3 CADBURY/SCHWEPPES93949596 ASSETS2963100 326690035015004595000 SALES33724003724800 40296004776000 NET INCOME195600236800261900300000 Sales/Income5. 80%6. 36% 6. 50%6. 28% Income/Assets6. 60%7. 25%7. 48%6. 53% COKE ASSETS11051934120210001387300015041000 SALES 13073860139630001618100018018000 NET INCOME1664382217600025540002986000 Sales/Income12. 73%15. 58%15. 78%16. 57% Income/Assets15. 06%18. 10% 18. 41%19. 85% PEPSI ASSETS20951200237058002479200025432000 SALES 21970000250210002847240030421000 NET INCOME374300158800017520001606000 Sales/Income 1. 70%6. 35%6. 15%5. 28% Income/Assets1. 79%6. 70%7. 07%6. 31% Source: Compact Disclosure Capital Requirements The requirements within this industry are very high. Production and distribution systems are extensive and necessary to compete with the industry leaders. Table 4 shows the average capital expenditures by the three industry leaders. Table 4 Dec-95Dec-94Jan-94Jan-93 Receivables1624333 138576712266331077912 Inventories867666. 7 803666. 7777366. 7716673. 7 Plant Equip5986333 579536752466004642058 Total Assets15022667 140555001299790011655411 Source: Compact Disclosure The magnitude of these expenditures causes this to be a high barrier to entry. Proprietary Product Differences Each firm has brands that are unique in packaging and image, however any of the product differences that may develop are easily duplicated. However, secret formulas do create a difference or good will that cannot be duplicated. The best example of this is the New Coke fiasco of 1985. Coke reformulated its product due to test marketing results that showed New Coke beat Pepsi 47% to 43% and New Coke was preferred over old Coke by a 10% margin. However, Coke executives did not take into account the good will created by the old Coke name and formula. The introduction of New Coke as a replacement of Coke was met by outrage and unrelenting protest by the public. Three months from the initial launch of New Coke, management apologized to the public and reissued the old Coke formula. Test marking shows that there is only a small difference in actual product taste (52% Pepsi, 48% Coke), but the good will created by a brand can have significant proprietary differences (Dess, 1993). This is a high barrier to entry. Absolute Cost Advantage Brands do have secret formulas, which makes them unique and new entry into the industry difficult. New products must remain outside of patented zones but these differences can be slight. This leads to the conclusion that the absolute cost advantage is a low barrier within this industry. Learning Curve The shift in the manufacturing of soft drinks is gravitating toward automation due to speed and cost. However, industry technology is low and the manufacturing process is not difficult, therefore the learning curve will be short and will have a low barrier to entry. Access to Inputs All the inputs within the soft drink industry are commodity items. These include cane, beet, corn syrup, honey, concentrated fruit juice, plastic, glass, and aluminum. Access to these inputs is not a barrier to enter the industry. Proprietary Low Cost Production The process of manufacturing soft drinks is not a proprietary process. The methods used in the process are relatively standard within the industry and the knowledge needed to begin production can easily be acquired. This is not a barrier to entry. Brand Identity This is a very strong force within the industry. It takes a long time to develop a brand that has recognition and customer loyalty. Brand loyalty is indeed the HOLY GRAIL to American consumer product companies. (Industry Surveys, 1995) A well recognized brand will foster customer loyalty and creates the opportunity for real market share growth, price flexibility, and above average profitability (Industry Surveys, 1995). Therefore this is a high barrier to entry. Access to Distribution Distribution is a critical success factor within the industry. Without the network, the product cannot get to the final consumer. The most successful soft drink producers are aggressively expanding their distribution channels and consolidating the independent bottling and distribution centers. From 1978 to the present, the number of Coca-Cola bottlers decreased from 370 to 120 (Industry Surveys, 1995). In addition, 31. 9% of the soft drink business is in supermarkets, where acquiring shelf space is very difficult (Santa, 1996). This is a high barrier to entry. Expected Retaliation Market share within the industry is critical; therefore any attempt to take market share from the leaders will result in significant retaliation. The soft drink industry is a moderately mature market with slow single digit growth (Industry Surveys, 1995). Projected growth rates are 4-5% in sales volume and 2- 3% in margin (Crouch, Steve). Therefore, growth in market share is obtained by stealing share from rivals causing retaliation to be high in defense of current market position. This is a high barrier to entry. Conclusion To be successful on a large scale, the high capital requirements for manufacturing, distribution, and marketing are high barriers to entry. Therefore the threat of new entrants is low making this an attractive industry. Suppliers Supplier concentration Supplier concentration is low due to the fact that the main ingredients are sugar (cane and beet), water, various chemicals, and aluminum cans, plastic and glass bottles. There are many places to get sugar and ingredients for soft drinks because they are commodity items. The containers (aluminum cans, bottles etc.) make up 36 percent of all the inputs that the industry uses. Other supplies like sugars, syrups and extracts account for 23 percent of the inputs (Manufacturing USA). There are five major suppliers of glass bottles. Altrista Corp. , Anchor Glass Container, Glassware of Chile, Owens Illinois, and Vistro Sa are the major makers of glass bottles (Compact Disclosure). This is a fair amount of suppliers considering that only five percent of soft drink sales are in glass bottles. There are even more suppliers of plastic bottles. This is good because 43% of all sales are from plastic bottles (Prince, 1996). All this makes the concentration for glass and plastic suppliers moderate. The aluminum can industry is even older and more established than the plastic industry. Reynolds Metal Products, American National Can Company and Metal Container Corp. are the main suppliers of aluminum cans. 50. 6% of total soft drink sales are packaged in aluminum cans (Prince, 1996). Since the aluminum industry is older and more established, these are likely to be the only manufacturers for a while. Even though the concentration of aluminum producers are low there are only three major players in the industry, Coke, Pepsi, and Cadbury. These three account for nearly 90% of domestic soft drink sales (Dawson, 1996). This makes the balance of power slightly favor the suppliers of aluminum cans, even though the number of producers and buyers are equal (3). Syrups and extracts account for 16. 7% of input costs to the soft drink industry (Manufacturing USA, Fourth Ed. ). Even though these are a small percentage of inputs, all the major soft drink companies own companies that produce flavoring extracts and syrups (Industry Surveys, 1995). This is probably due to the fact that they all have secret formulas and this is how they protect the secret. Coke, Pepsi, and Dr. Pepper all have secret formulas. This makes the concentration of suppliers for extracts very low but they are owned by the soft drink industry. This backward integration by the major players makes the power question moot. Suppliers do have limited power over the soft drink industry. The concentration of suppliers remains relatively low, which would seem to give the supplier power. The shear mass and volume that the industry buys negates that effect and balances, if not tips it back toward the soft drink industry. Presence of Substitute Inputs There is not a lot of variety in inputs. The biggest substitute input was when the industry switched from aluminum cans to plastic bottles. This made the glass industry almost shake out completely. The next big substitute input was for sugar. Since people were demanding more and more ways to lose weight and consume fewer calories, the diet soft drink exploded in sales. This demand made the soft drink industry find an alternative to sugar to sweeten their product. This substitute turned out to be Nutrasweet non-sugar sweetener. This was found to reduce the calories and retain the taste of their respective products. Other sweeteners, like molasses, do not work because they change the flavor of the product. Most of these substitute inputs had already taken place so they become less relevant to the industry as time marched on. Substitute inputs usually do not become important until the customer or market changes dramatically. This happens when new studies come out from the government about how harmful something is. This was the case when scientists came out with the study that stated that saccharin was harmful to rats. The industry had to respond by reducing its use of saccharin and look for a substitute. At this time, the industry found Nutrasweet to be a reasonable substitute for saccharin, which was used more heavily in diet drinks. All in all, there are a lot of substitutes for packaging but not for sweeteners because these sweeteners must have government approval (Crouch, Steve). This makes suppliers have power over the industry as seen in the almost overnight empire of Nutrasweet. This will most likely change drastically when Aspirtain (Nutrasweet) loses its patent in a few years. Differentiation of InputsÃ'Ž Sugar is commonly available while Nutrasweet is patented. There is no differentiation for sugar and only one choice in Nutrasweet. As far as the other chemicals and inputs, they are commodity items, and it does not matter who supplies them. This makes suppliers have little power over the soft drink industry. Importance of Volume to Supplier The soft drink industry buys a large portion of the Nutrasweet market but their percentage of purchases are falling as other products begin to use it. Sugar is bought but not in the volume that the grocery store or other industries do. The aluminum can, plastic bottles and glass bottles (less now) are all pretty much dependent on the soft drink industry for their livelihood. This makes the supplier have pretty much no power over the industry. Impact of Input on Cost or Differentiation Since the inputs are basic elements there is no differentiation and therefore no impact on the final product for using different inputs. If the price of the input changed, it would dramatically change the price of the product as the aluminum cartel did in 1994. Since the major inputs are commodity items, the prices can change dramatically due to environmental forces. If the sugar industry suffers a loss due to weather or because of political unrest (like in Cuba), then the prices go up and the soft drink industry is usually left absorbing them. The soft drink industry can not, in all cases, simply pass along the price increase. Customers and distributors are more price sensitive than ever. This makes the supplier have a fair amount of bargaining power over the industry. Threat of Backward or Forward Integration With the current climate of sticking to the core of the company, there is little threat of backward integration into the suppliers industry. This is after the fact that they already have integrated into the extracts to protect their secrets. The integration into the extract-producing segment of the suppliers will be the extent of the backward integration. The suppliers do not have the capital required to forward integrate into the soft drink industry. This makes the industry attractive for investment. Access to Capital The soft drink industry is very profitable and therefore looked upon favorably by financial institutions. This includes the stock market, direct investors (bondholders), and banks. Currently the operating margins for the industry have grown from 17. 9% in 1992 to 19. 5% in 1996. The projected operating margins are projected to grow to 20. 5% from 1997 to 2001 (Value Line 1996). The profit margins and demand are increasing for the soft drink industry (Industry Surveys, 1995). What this means is that capital is available for expansion or upgrading, if additional capital is required. This is favorable to the industry. Access to Labor The industry is not highly technical except for chemical engineering. This means that the demands for skilled labor are not very high. Which means that the soft drink industry will not have trouble finding labor. There are no established labor unions. The average labor cost is no more than in any other industry. The average hourly wage is $11. 85 per hour, which just about the same as all manufacturing firms of $11. 49 (Manufacturing USA). Summary of Suppliers When you sum up the different aspects of the suppliers you come to the quick conclusion that the power is definitely in the hands of the soft drink industry. This makes the industry very attractive for investment and for the companies already in the industry from the supply aspect. This means that it is attractive to new entrants as well. Buyers Buyer Concentration versus Industry Concentration The buyers for the soft drink industry are members of a large network of bottlers and distributors that represent the major soft drink companies at the local level. Distributors purchase the finished, packaged product from the soft drink companies while bottlers purchase the major ingredients. With the consolidation that has occurred within the industry, there is little difference between the two. Distributors are assigned to represent a specific geographic area, for example a town or a county. In turn, these distributors are responsible for distributing the product to the retailers who sell the products to the end consumer. In recent years, the national companies have been purchasing independent bottlers in an effort to consolidate the business and gain some distribution economies of scale (Thompson and Strickland, 1993). Buyer Volume The contractual agreements, which are present in this industry, dictate that the major soft drink companies will sell their products to the distributors. Therefore, buyer volume is not a factor for this industry. Buyer Switching CostÃ'Ž Independent bottlers have contractual agreements to represent that company within a certain area. Switching costs would include establishing new relationships with other companies to represent and the legal costs associated with distributors being released from the contract. Buyer Information Distributors are very informed about the product that they are distributing. Information flows freely between the soft drink Companies and the local distributors and down to the retailers. There are many co-operative promotions where distributors and soft drink companies collaborate on price and advertising campaigns (Crouch, Steve). For example, major soft drink firms will send a regular report out to its distributors describing upcoming promotional events where the cost will be shared between the two companies. For promotions that fall outside of this report, the distributors will have to coordinate that sponsorship with the soft drink company. Threat of Backward Integration It is doubtful that local distributors will move into the actual production process of soft drinks. Distributors specialize in the transportation and promotion of the product that they rely on the carbonated beverage companies produce. However, major retailers; for example Wal-Mart and Harris Teeter have begun distributing their own private label brands of soft drinks. Wal-Mart now offers Sams Choice and Harris Teeter offers Presidents Choice at a significantly lower price. These private label competitors will not provide the variety of packaging alternatives, which make the national leaders so successful (PepsiCo 1995 Annual Report). For example, Pepsi offers 12-ounce cans, 20 ounce bottles, 1 liter bottles, six packs, twelve packs, cases and The Cube 24 can boxes. Pull Through Pull through is not a factor from the independent bottlers perspective. These bottlers have a franchise agreement to represent a major carbonated beverage company on the local level. These distributors are legally bound to represent these companies and therefore cannot choose not to promote certain types of beverages. Brand Identity of Buyers Brand identity of buyers is not relevant to the distributors because of the contractual relationship that exists where distributors represent the soft drink companies. The distributors have an exclusive contractual agreement to represent that soft drink brand. Price Sensitivity Distributors are not highly price sensitive buyers. Independent bottlers are on a national contract so all distributors pay the same price for the same products. Price to Total Purchases Soft drinks are the single product that the distributors are concerned with so price is very important to them. Soft drink companies rely on these distributors to represent them on the local level, so it is important to maintain a healthy relationship. Impact on Quality and Performance All three of the leading carbonated beverage producers, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Cadbury Schweppes believe that their buyers (distributors) are an important step in taking their products to the end consumer. The service, which their distributors provide to the retailers, makes a difference to the retailers who sell the product to the end consumer. The actions of that distributor reflect on the soft drink company so if the distributor does not provide the level of service that retailer or restaurant desires, it may harm the companys image. Substitute Products Relative price/performance relationship of Substitutes The carbonated beverage industry provides a non-alcoholic means of satisfying an individuals desire to quench their thirst. Traditionally, coffee and tea would be considered substitute products. In recent years, carbonated beverages have seen the emergence of many new substitute products that wish to reduce soft drinks market share. The soft drink market has been traditionally competitive, without the added friction from ready to drink tea, shelf stable juice, sports drinks and still-water competitors also. (Gleason, 1996) Leaders in these emerging segments include Quaker Oats, with their Snapple and Gatorade products, Perrier, and Arizona Iced Teas. In other words, Pepsi isnt Cokes biggest competition, Tap water is. (Gleason, 1996). Generally speaking, soft drinks are less expensive to the consumer than these substitute products. Buyer Propensity to Substitute Buyer propensity to substitute is low due to the contractual relationships between the soft drink companies and the distributors. Rivalry Degree of Concentration and Balance among Competitors Three main competitors: Pepsico, Coca-Cola, and Dr. Pepper/Cadbury control the Soft Drink industry. Their combined total sales revenues account for 90 percent of the entire domestic market. This market dominance makes the industry a fiercely competitive and dynamic business environment to operate in. The single market leader is Coca-Cola with a 42 percent market share and over $18 billion in sales worldwide. PepsiCo maintains a 31 percent market share with $10. 5 billion in sales worldwide. The smallest of the three leaders is Dr. Pepper/Cadbury, which holds roughly 16 percent of the market. Cokes consistent dominance of both Pepsi and Dr. Pepper/Cadbury has caused Coke to become a household name when referring to soft drinks. As far as balance among competitors is concerned, PepsiCo is a much larger company than Coke and Dr. Pepper/Cadbury combined. The reason being that PepsiCo also owns companies in the snack and food industries (Frito-Lay, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and KFC). With a work force of 480,000 people, PepsiCo is the worlds third largest employer behind General Motors and Wal-Mart. This has not lead to a more profitable soft drink business, nor has it helped PepsiCo use its size to steal market share from Coke or Dr. Pepper/Cadbury. Diversity among Competitors Though Coca-Cola dominates the industry in sales volume and market share, it does not dominate when it comes to innovative marketing and business strategy efforts. For instance, PepsiCo generates 71 percent of its revenues from the U. S. , while Coca-Cola derives 71 percent of its from international markets. Similarly, PepsiCo only gets 41 percent of its total revenues from soft drinks. The remaining 59 percent come from its snack and food business. Coke on the other hand gets all of its revenues from its soft drinks. Clearly both of the industry leaders have different strategies as far as revenue generation is concerned. However, as far as their product lines are concerned they are very similar and operate parallel to one another. Pepsi and Coca-Cola both have lemon-lime, citrus, root beer, and cola flavors. Dr. Pepper/Cadbury does not have as similar a product line to that of Pepsico and Coca-Cola. It manufactures Dr. Pepper (a unique spicy cola drink), ginger ale, tonic water, and carbonated water under its Schweppes and Canada Dry brands. Coke does have an answer to Dr. Pepper in its Mr. Pibb, but only holds a . 4 percent market share compared to Dr. Peppers 6 percent market share. The relatively low level of diversity makes the soft drink industry unattractive for investment. Industry Growth Rate Although new product lines have come into the beverage industry over the past two to three years, the soft drink segment has held and grown its share steadily. The onslaught of the sport drink and bottled tea have proven to be a passing fad that has gained little if no long term market share from soft drinks. Growth figures for the soft drink industry have been very steady since 1993, and are projected to continue to be so into the last part of the twentieth century. As can be seen in Figure 1, volatility was somewhat prevalent in the 1980s but has since lessened and leveled off (Valueline, 1996). Figure 1 Year87-8888-8989-9090-9191- 9292-9393-9494-95 Growth5. 7%5. 2%2% 3%2. 9%4%4. 4%4% Over the past ten years soft drinks have gained 5 percent of total beverage sales, putting them over the 25 percent share level for all beverage sales. As for new and emerging markets, both Coke and Pepsi are attacking the international environment. Coca-Cola generates 80 percent of its revenues abroad, and Pepsi is attempting but failing to put more emphasis there as well. Pepsi is losing customers to Coke in every major foreign territory. The company has always struggled overseas, but in the past few months it has lost key strongholds in Russia and Venezuela to Coke (Sellers, 1996). Because of the consistent growth of both the domestic and foreign markets, the soft drink industry is attractive for investment. Fixed Costs The SP Industry Survey has shown the soft drink industry profit margin to be on a steady incline over the past fifteen years. Levels in 1980 were near 14%, while as of year-end 1995 were over 20% and expected to flatten a bit. This flattening effect may be an indication that fixed costs are on the rise due to expansionÃ'Ž