Economic Features of Beer Industry Essay

The beer industry is incredibly large industry that has an enormous effect on the country, contributing greatly to the society. Two of its main contributions include tax dollars and jobs. The beer industry serves the country through its taxes, jobs, and purchases from other suppliers, its contribution to agriculture and more. The market growth rate of the beer industry is perplexing which is evident through following production statistics of top brewing companies (in millions hectaliters) In 2000In 2005 1. Annheuser-Busch-1211. InBev-233. 5. 2. Heineken-742. Anneheuser-Busch-152 3. Ambev-633. SABMiller-135 4. Miller Brewing 534. Hieinken-107 5. SAB (South Africa Breweries)-435. Carlsberg-78 6. Interbrew-876. Scottish &Newcastle-52 The national market consists of few major competitors as mentioned above. After 1990’s some of the leaders started expanding abroad, using progressive consolidation and leading to a small number of global players in the industry by 2004-2007. Which created high level of competition amongst the leading brands and a fight to gain the most market share. The Scope of competitive rivalry is also one the best way to identify the economic characteristics of any industry; with the beer industry the scope entails the global geographic area over which most of the leading brewing leaders compete. Penetration in the foreign market arena is becoming a key success indicator for most of the competitors in the beer industry. Use of high-speed packaging line helps in processing thousands of cases of beer per day, and with modern computerized control, the inventory can be tracked throughout the distribution network. These inventions are setting a faster pace of technological change in the industry, where by companies are delving into extensive research, and employing highly qualified personnel in order to beat the competition. To comprehensively examine the brewing industry we must also consider the factors of social ramifications to the product, the political climate, and the arena of technological advances within the business environment of the beer industry. Over the years in order to gain economies of scale some leaders have tried to increase the size of their plants, improve packaging and introduce automated breweries, thus reflecting few of the business characteristics dominant in the industry. Grupo Modelo for example tried to expand into the American beer market by the use of competitive distribution channels. Therefore indicating an economical ripple effect experienced through the effective use of technology and distribution channels in hand.

Best Rich Picture Book

Designing touch screen voting systems: a rich picture exercise. Name: Course: Instructor: Pavel Gokin HF 770 Prototyping Chauncey Wilson Collecting the data. My primary source of data was the Internet in general and the ACM digital library in particular. The papers and articles found there provided information about the design and use of voting systems, as well as the entities influencing or influenced, directly or indirectly, by the system. Some of the stakeholder concerns came from my personal experience and educated guessing.This is, of course, not how I would collect the data for this rich picture if I were doing it as a â€Å"real† project. Ideally, the insights would come from contextual interviews of the stakeholders as outlined in Monk and Howard’s article (Monk & Howard, 1998, p. 22). Thus the concerns addressed by the design would be real user concerns (albeit reported rather than observed) rather than what I, the designer, think the concerns were. Touch scree n voting systems (VS) share most of the same stakeholders with all types of voting machines.The exceptions here are the stakeholders that come into play due to the electronic nature of the data collection. For example, the Secretary of State office, where voting system vendors have to escrow the source code of their systems (Dill et al. , nd, 2. 3). However, some design issues and stakeholder concerns are unique to touch screen VS. Let’s look at the stakeholders and their concerns, expressed in their own words. Primary / core stakeholders. 1. The voter. This one is obvious. However, it may be useful to break this stakeholder into sub-stakeholders. Here’s why. Voting systems must be usable by all citizens 18 years of age or older.This includes not only â€Å"normal† voters, but also the elderly, disabled, uneducated, poor, and minorities (Bederson, 2003, p. 145). Each group has additional concerns on top of the ones it shares with all of the voters. a. Concerns c ommon to all voters, in their own words, include: i. â€Å"Will I be able to figure this thing out quickly? † ii. â€Å"Will my vote be properly recorded and counted? How will I know? † iii. â€Å"Will my vote be kept anonymous? † b. Disabled: i. â€Å"Will I be able to see the screen? Will I be able to use the system without seeing anything? † (low/no vision) ii. â€Å"Will I be able to reach the controls? † (stature, wheelchair) iii. Will I be able to indicate my selection properly? † (motor) c. Elderly. In addition to having physical disabilities, the elderly are particularly distrustful of technology. They often need written proof of important transactions (i. e. paper social security checks). i. â€Å"Will I get a paper receipt or some written confirmation of my vote? † ii. â€Å"Will I have enough time to do everything comfortably? † d. Low literacy users: i. â€Å"Will I be able to understand the instructions/choices? â €  e. The poor and racial/ethnic minorities: i. â€Å"I can do this much better in Spanish! † ii. â€Å"Will they even count my ballot? †1 2. Poll workers.Poll workers are the people who deploy and manage the systems. Their concern stems from the fact that they have minimal training on the system and, therefore, may not be able to troubleshoot problems or answer questions (Bederson, 2003, p. 145): â€Å"†¦ because poor and ethnic and racial minorities were more likely to cast their ballots on outdated systems, their votes were among the least likely to be counted† (Bederson, 2003, p. 145). 1 a. â€Å"Oh no! Election night is tomorrow and we only got these things this morning! How will I ever learn how to use it, let alone help someone if they have a problem? † 3. The VS’s UI designer.This role may physically reside inside the system vendor’s organization (and influenced by it), but it also has its own concerns. a. â€Å"How can I de sign the interface so that it meets the requirements least expensively and do so without working nights and weekends to meet the deadline? † The problem here is three-fold: (i) requirements may stress functionality required to pass certification rather than assure a usable product (FEC’s fault); (ii) the pressure to cut costs may mean that some of the users’ needs will be sacrificed; (iii) personal time pressure means that the designer may not have enough time to come up with the best solution. . The VS’s programmer. a. â€Å"How can I program this thing so that it meets the requirements and what shortcuts can I take so that I get it all done while only working nights and weekends to meet the deadline? † The programmer’s problems are similar to those of the designer: too little time to care about the user experience. Secondary stakeholders. 5. The management team of the VS vendor. Their concern is, among others: a. â€Å"We need to design a system that will pass qualification by the ITA. † b. â€Å"How can we design, manufacture and sell the system most profitably? † c. Who has the deepest pockets to pay for our state of the art system? † 6. State and local authorities who purchase the system. According to Bederson et al. â€Å"state or county purchasers are usually more concerned about cost than usability† (Bederson, 2003, p. 145): a. â€Å"Who’s got the cheapest NASED-certified system? † Note that this concern is in conflict with the VS vendor’s need to charge as much as possible for the systems. 7. The Federal Election Committee (FEC) creates voting system standards (VSS): a. â€Å"We need a system that’s secure, reliable, and accessible. † 8.The Independent Testing Authority (accredited by the National Association of State Election Directors (NASED)) qualifies VS for use in elections (Coggins, 2004, p. 35): a. â€Å"Does this system meet the qualificatio n requirements? † 9. Electees. To quote/paraphrase Al Gore: a. â€Å"We need a complete and accurate count! † 10. The Media. Would they ever love to dig up some â€Å"dirt† on a system that a disabled veteran could not use and was thus disenfranchised! a. â€Å"Are there systems out there that are not secure or accessible? † 11. Political Analysts. They too like to talk about chads. a. Will the new systems again threaten our Democracy? † The Rich Picture. The diagram on the following page places (a) all the stakeholders, (b) their concerns, and (c) their relationships to one another. The relationships are defined by the information or material goods they exchange. The voter stakeholder is â€Å"exploded† into its subgroups. Direct stakeholders appear in the shaded area. Will I be able to figure the system out quickly so I can help the voters? Will I understand the instructions / choices? The Voter Can I figure this out quickly? I can do this m uch better in Spanish!Instructions / help Poll Worker Requests for assistance Low Literacy Voter Voter Will I be able to use this thing at all? Poor and Racial/Ethnic Minority Will I get a receipt? Sala ry Need the cheapest certified system we can get. Need to cut costs and charge more. Votin g Syste m s Disabled Voter Elderly Voter er Us inp ut (? ) I don’t have time for UCD! I want a complete and accurate vote count! State / Local voting authority (VS Purchaser) t un co te Vo l resu Vote ts System design Salary Paym ent VS Designer System VS Vendor ec code I wish I had more time! Salar s sp y Qu m aliVote results Sy ste fic o ati Electee VS Programmer n# Is poor design causing disenfranchisement among the voters? Media We want â€Å"dirt† on badly designed voting systems! Political Media Analyst We need universal standards for secure and accessble systems V S Qu alificat Repor ion t NASED VS n Sta da s rd ITA Vote res u lts Note: Primary / core stakeholders appear in the light gray shaded area FEC Discussion. Obtaining concerns. Since I didn’t interview the stakeholders, many of the concerns are based on my assumptions about the stakeholders. Therefore, those concerns may not be real.For the same reason I can only guess the exact language to use in the concerns thought bubbles. An interesting alternate strategy could have been to omit unverified concerns. In this case the resulting rich picture would point to information gaps requiring more research. Which concerns to include. Even if all concerns are identified we must keep in mind that some affect the system about which we’re trying to make a rich picture while others don’t. In general, identifying concerns that have an impact on the design of the touch screen voting system was difficult.This was especially true for indirect stakeholders. In addition, choosing concerns that seem to have an impact on the system being designed and ignoring the others may have caused me to o mit an important concern that may have a significant impact on the system. Direct vs. indirect stakeholders. Where to draw the line? The way I dealt with this problem was to classify as direct stakeholders all entities that physically interact with the system or whose decisions have a direct impact on a particular voting system. A possible alternate approach.In their paper, Monk and Howard illustrate two approaches to indicating process flows between stakeholders in a rich picture: illustrating the flow of data and the flow of influence. While I chose to illustrate the flow of data or information, the influence flow approach could have provided some interesting insights as well. I could have placed the system itself in the center of the diagram and represented the ways in which the different stakeholders influenced the system using process arrows. These influences, combined with concerns, could then be used to create system requirements. Bibliography. Bederson, B. B. , Lee, B. Sherm an, R. M. , Herrnson, P. , Niemi, R. G. (April, 2003). Electronic Voting System Usability Issues. CHI 2003, April 5–10, 2003, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, USA. Dill, D. L. , Mercuri, R. , Neumann, P. G. , & Wallach, D. S. (nd). Frequently Asked Questions about DRE Voting Systems. Retrieved on February 14, 2006 from: http://www. verifiedvoting. org/article. php? id=5018. Coggins, C. (November, 2004). Independent Testing of Voting Systems. Communications of the ACM, October, 2004, 47(10), pp. 34-38. Monk, A. , & Howard, S. (March-April, 1998). The rich picture: A tool for reasoning about work context. Interactions, pp. 21-30.

The Sea Wolf

The crew of the seal hunting ship the Ghost stood in disbelief as they gazed upon their recently departed first mate. Then a most unusual thing occurred. The captain began yelling at the dead man like a raging storm. Oaths rolled from his lips in a continuous stream. And they were not nice and thoughtful words or mere expressions of indecency. Each word was a blasphemy, and there were many words. It is this lack of remorse for others that defines Wolf Larsen, the antagonist in The Seal Wolf by Jack London. From the beginning of the book you are introduced to the contrast of characters at hand. The feeble gentleman Humphrey Van Weydon, who is cruelly forced upon the voyage, and the devilish and somewhat divine captain Wolf Larsen. This combination of good and evil sets the stage for an amazing battle of wit and perseverance. But to understand the great battle between these two men, you have to understand the almost invincible nature of Captain Wolf Larsen. Wolf is a five foot ten inch, tan skinned brute. His height is not at all the most striking characteristic of the captain. His amazing muscular build and strength rival that of an enlarged gorilla. In fact, the author repeatedly compares Wolfs immense strength with that of a wild animal. The name London gives him is perfect to describe his nature. It is this godlike ability to kill anyone with his bare hands that keeps the crew in fear of him. There is a scene in the book where the crew attempted mutiny on the lone captain. The men jumped all over his back and from then on Wolf Larsen had seven strong men on top of him. The forecastle was like an angry hive of bees aroused by some intruder. No man less than a giant could have accomplished what Wolf Larsen did next. Step by step, by the might of his arms, the whole pack of men striving to drag him back and down, he drew his body up from the floor until he stood upright. The captain then proceeded to make his way up the ladder thus freeing him from this group of murderous tyrants. The whole crew of the Ghost hated Wolf with a great passion, but no one could do anything because his strength and fighting ability were unmatched. The second aspect of Wolf Larsen that makes him so great is his mind. Larsen was born and bred on the sea. Wolf never saw the inside of a schoolhouse. He taught himself everything he knew by reading the great works of American literature. Poetry and novels are the only thing that can take Wolfs mind off the sea. Through his learning he developed a â€Å"live for yourself only† theory on life. You could use such words as egocentric or arrogant to describe Wolfs trust no one attitude. But its easy to see that he got that complete self-reliance from his childhood. Wolf didnt have any parents that ever took care of him. As soon as he was of a decent age (around 10) he was on the boats as a cabin boy making his living. He taught himself reading and writing. The only thing Wolf could be thankful for is the body he was given, everything else he got on his own. The opposite of his first-mate Mr. Van Weydon, who was brought up with nothing but money, and learned at the finest schools. Wolf Continuously mocks death. More so the death of others around him than his own, but it is clear he does not fear his own demise. He lives his life around the theories of Charles Darwin. He believes that the strongest should survive and he is the strongest therefore nothing should stand in his way. Wolfs thinks of himself as godly, where as the rest of his crew would compare him to no other than Lucifer himself. It becomes evident by the end of the novel that the only that is able to defeat Wolf is himself. London is never clear on what exactly kills Wolf Larsen, but it is deeply implied that a brain tumor slowing eats away at him taking away his senses one by one. â€Å"Good-bye, Lucifer, proud spirit,† Maud whispered. Those were the last words echoed as Wolf Larsens body was cast into the deep blue. The epic final chapter to a life matched in comparison by few. The life of The Sea Wolf.

Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 89

Summary - Essay Example The author argues that in order to improve communication relationships with people in a particular organization, it is vital to combine critical inquiry, dialogue, and discussion, which in turn will provide a clear insight of the information being disseminated (Senge 13-15). In this book, the author centers his discussion on the significance of â€Å"system† thoughts, which he perceives as indispensable for required qualities that strengthen long-term institutional change. For instance, he views an organization as systematically grounded partly in a holographic truth where each one represents the image of the organization as a whole. A system view permits a reader to look beyond the surface of events to the fundamental structures of attitudes and behavior in order to obtain an advantage for constructive change that was not accessible via a concentration on specific occasions. The author calls for the application of system maps or diagrams that depict the core aspects of systems and how they fuse or connect (Senge 41). Basing on the organizational theory, an organization or institution has the ability to understand and gain insight from experiences by observation, analysis, experimentation, and the willingness to examine failures and success. In this concept, an organization or institution learn through individuals who act as mediators for them. In addition, individuals also learn from organizations or are controlled by the organization’s learning system. The author clearly illustrates this notion by labeling organizations with the best opportunities to succeed. The author argues that organizations that regularly communicate, generate, and control their intellectual assets as organizations, allow people to frequently expand their capacity to initiate the results they really desire. Moreover, such organizations nurture expansive and new thinking patterns, where collective aspiration is

Reduction of urinary catheter days versus catheter irrigation Research Paper

Reduction of urinary catheter days versus catheter irrigation - Research Paper Example Inserted catheters form an entry point for microbes to colonize the patient’s rather sterile body.   â€Å"Following finite colonization, the risk rate of bacteriuria is estimated at (3-10) % per day. The invading microbes could be of low virulence but nonetheless they are no match for the body’s host defense system, which is compromised† (Nicolle 2012, p.13). The immune-comprised patients succumb to nosocomial infections and in this respect, catheter urinary tract infection (CAUTI). Underlying malignancies and therapeutic interventions e.g. corticosteroids, parenteral nutrition are recognized as risk factors.   The risk of suffering from nosocomial infections is mainly linked to duration of hospital stay. Multivariate analyses of evidence shows that catheters and implantable devices are risk factors for over 50% of patients with blood cultures that test positive for bacterial contamination.   Consequently the duration at which a patient has an inserted cat heter strongly predisposes him/her to contracting catheter-associated bacteriuria. However, even short-term use of catheters ranging from 3 to 11 days poses a risk of bacteriuria by up to 26%. Consequently, it is no wonder that bacteriuria develops in nearly all patients who have been catheterized for only 1 month. Of these patients who develop bacteriuria, the disease progresses to urinary tract infection (acteremia (Warren, 1997). This prompted the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to form stringent guidelines.... Consequently the duration at which a patient has an inserted catheter strongly predisposes him/her to contracting catheter-associated bacteriuria. However, even short-term use of catheters ranging from 3 to 11 days poses a risk of bacteriuria by up to 26%. Consequently, it is no wonder that bacteriuria develops in nearly all patients who have been catheterized for only 1 month. Of these patients who develop bacteriuria, the disease progresses to urinary tract infection (UTI) and the incidence of suffering bacteremia is about 5%. Hence, the prevalence of nosocomial CAUTI is 15% of the overall nosocomial bacteremia (Warren, 1997). Effective Catheter Management There is evidence on the overuse and misuse of catheters, and hence the prevalence of CAUTI. Evidence shows that catheters are used for unknown as well as unjustified medical conditions in about 20% of hospitalized patients. Moreover, this continued use of catheters is unnecessary for (0.3-0.5) % of catheterization days. This pro mpted the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to form stringent guidelines concerning the use of catheters. According to the CDC (2011), catheter use should be streamlined and removal of catheters should be done promptly after an appropriate duration of usage. Most important, health workers are required to be responsible and to avoid misuse of catheterization. Guidelines concerning approved techniques of catheter insertion and care were also issued. However, there has been poor adherence and implementation of these guidelines (Furfari & Wald, 2008). Catheter Use Several health conditions warrant the insertion of catheters. For instance, a case of acute urinary retention

What is a (successful) business strategy Example of Volkswagen Group Essay

What is a (successful) business strategy Example of Volkswagen Group - Essay Example The description of this research paper will incorporate the integrated nature of the course of development of corporate strategy along with the description of the four key dimensions of a well-developed business strategy.The research paper is a description of the issues related to the development of a business strategy. The analytical discussion will be supported with evidences from the strategic operations of the Volkswagen group.Business strategy is the basis of successful business that helps the organizations achieve the desired strategic goals and objectives that are long term in nature. Besides the prevalence of different types of business strategies to choose from for the organizations, that strategy is considered the best which increases the chances of prevalence of the organizations in an extremely dynamic world, both at present and in the future.The development of corporate strategy revolves around two major aspects such as setting the objectives and reaching the results tar geted. Every business establishes objectives but lacks the desired level of cohesion between the set objectives and the path chosen to be followed for supporting them. The integrated nature of the strategic development helps the organizations in choosing the right direction of fulfilling the objectives. The integrated approach towards the development and implementation of strategy is therefore referred to as bridging of the â€Å"relevance gap†. The vision is that single succinct statement that defines the goals which are medium to long term in nature. .... For example, the vision of the Volkswagen group for the ‘strategy 2018’ is to make the group a leader in the global environmental and economic perspective among the manufacturers of automobile. By the year 2018, it aims to become the world’s most fascinating and successful automaker5. 2.2 Components of Vision The vision is composed of three essential components that form the basis of successful functioning of the organization. The components are the values, purpose and leadership. The importance of value is justified through choosing of the best valued guiding actions and goals of the organization. Purpose is essential because it not only drives a company forward but also helps in building sustainable advantage. Purpose and value, both cannot operate in isolation and thus for making them work, leadership is essential. It helps in sustaining the organization’s values and purposes3. 2.3 Mission A mission describes the present business of a company. The missio ns of a company can be multiple in its nature and it is the vision that guides the formulation of the mission. The mission helps the organization in deciding the planning process that will fulfill the objectives and help to achieve the ultimate goal of the organization. For example, in review to the vision statement of Volkswagen, the following and many more mission statements have been formulated that is aimed towards the achievement of the strategic goals: Preparing for the challenges in the global competitive market Consistent building up of the company’s strengths and targeting new goals Optimization of CSR and management of the sustainability factor Enhancing the compliance of the company with legal requirements and

Genesis and exodus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Genesis and exodus - Essay Example God also assures Abraham that after punishment He will raise up the Israelites and lead them to the Promised Land. After 400 years of hardship and torture in the exile, the Israelites were ready to leave Babylon and go back to rebuild Jerusalem. However, bearing in mind that it was not an easy task, the books of Isaiah and Genesis encourage the exiles to leave Babylon and go back to rebuild Jerusalem. In order to encourage exiles, these two books (Isaiah and Genesis) used different means including reminding them of the God’s promises. For instance, the book of Genesis reminds exiles how God entered into a covenant with Abram. The book of genesis states that â€Å"And Abram fell sound asleep when the sun went down. Then he was overwhelmed by a great terror. Then the Lord said to him, â€Å"Know for sure that your descendants will be strangers in a foreign country. They will be oppressed and enslaved for 400 year. But I will execute judgment on the nation that they will serve. Afterwards, they will come out with numerous possessions. But for you, you will join your ancestors peacefully and be buried at a good old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sins of the Amorites have not yet reached its limit.† When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking firepot with a flaming torch passed between the animal parts† (Gen. 15: 12-17) On the other hand, book of Isaiah encourages exiles by also reminding them God’s plan. For instance the book of Isaiah states that â€Å"Now, this is what the Lord says, the one who created you, O Jacob, and formed you, O Israel: â€Å"don’t be afraid, for I will protect you. I call you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I am with you; when you pass through the streams, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not harm you. For I am the Lord your God, the sovereign king of Israel, your deliver. I have handed over