SYM Company Profile Essay Example for Free

SYM Company Profile Essay MITSUKOSHI MOTORS PHILS., INC. (MMPI) was established in 1998. Prior to the entry of MMPI in the motorcycle industry, the market was dominated by Japanese brands. It was Mitsukoshi MMPI who pioneered the introduction of Chinese Taiwanese motorcycles in the Philippine market. In November of 1999, Mitsukoshi began its business ties with Sanyang Industry Co. Ltd. of Taiwan (SYM). SYM isa household motorcycle brand in Taiwan where it grewits popularity through its Jet model. In November 1999, MMPI began its business ties with one of Taiwan’s leading motorcycle brands, Sanyang Industry Co (SYM). MMPI successfully penetrated the Philippine market through the popularity of SYM’s JET and Shark scooter models. As MMPI’s market share continues to expand, MMPI made business ties with the Chongqing LIFAN Industry Group Ltd of China in 2000 in order to meet growing demand. This successful venture further enabled MMPI to serve the growing Philippine market demand with a wider product offering. In 2000; to meet the growing demand of motorcycles in the market, Mitsukoshi tied-up with Chongqing LIFAN Industry group Ltd. of China. This venture allowed MMPI to provide a wider product offering to the Philippine market. MMPI created EUROMOTOR in June 2006 in order to establish a Philippine motorcycle brand. Popular brands such as Euro DaanHari 150 and Euro GTX 150 gained a warm reception from the local market. In June of 2006, in order to establish a Philippine brand motorcycle, Mitsukoshi creates EURO MOTOR whereits units are supplied by Lifan and Meido manufacturing companies of China. Motorcycles units such as Euro DaanHari 150 and Euro GTX 150 gained a warm reception from the local market. MMPI is enthusiastic of the tremendous potential of motorcycles and scooters in the Philippine market. MMPI manages more than 400 exclusive Retail Outlets and Showrooms nationwide. As MMPI’s market grows, it is determined to provide for the transportation needs of the Filipinos while providing them with affordable and quality motorcycles in the years to come.

Nature And Nurture On Neural And Cognitive Development

Nature And Nurture On Neural And Cognitive Development Throughout history, an ongoing debate has taken place regarding whether the development of certain aspects of an individuals life are affected more through nature or nurture. Those that argue for nature believe that genes influence an individuals development. Those that believe in nurtures influence claim that an individuals experience has more of an effect upon an adolescents temperament. Recently, researchers have uncovered evidence that it is not only nature or nurture that influences development, but a complex combination of both. This manuscript will attempt to cover some of the factors that influence an adolescents neural, cognitive, and emotional development. The degree to which nature and nurture influence these particular aspects of an individuals life will also be discussed. Lastly, this manuscript will briefly explore the possibility of genetics and environment off setting deficiencies in the one another. Discussion Neural Development One aspect of human development that has been focused upon in research is that of neural development. During early prenatal neural development, the brain takes its initial shape as well as forms neurons which create a foundation for future neural development. To guide this development, neurons are directed either chemically or by other cells which act as signposts. This guiding allows neurons to form the distinct sections of the brain which include the hindbrain, the midbrain, and the forebrain. It is during this formation neuron specialization takes place in that like-minded cells bunch together to process certain forms of information like auditory and visual. It is still controversial amongst researchers how this specialization occurs with some researchers believing that neurons possess a protomap (Rakic, 1988) while others believe that the functions of neurons are decided by the environmental inputs received (OLeary, 1989). While most evidence found points to the latter result, th ere is still much research that needs to be performed (Broderick Blewitt, 2010). During later prenatal brain development, researchers have found that the sensory organs of the fetus have developed enough to receive and interpret information from outside of the mothers womb. One study performed found that fetuses showed recognition to a point when a familiar nursery rhyme was played for the mother carrying the fetus (Decasper, Lecaneut, Busnel, Granier-Deferre, Maugeais, 1994). In another study, researchers sewed one eye shut of several kittens at birth. Several weeks later, the researchers opened the closed eyes and found the kitten had been rendered irreversibly blind in that particular eye (Wiesel Hubel, 1965). This research provided evidence that environmental neural stimulation was important for the neurons to initiate the connections that are needed for sight which, one may assume, would be the same for hearing as well (Broderick Blewitt, 2010). After birth, researchers have found that most neural development is associated with the creation of synapses rather than the production of more neurons as well as a pruning of arbitrary neurons. This production and pruning of synapses and neurons is a result of both the introduction of chemical substances to the neurons which promote synaptic growth and the sensory information introduced to the neurons as a result of infant actions and environmental factors. As this sensory information is introduced, synapses are formed to accommodate this new information. Greenough and Black (1992) discussed how during this period, two types of synapses are created which are experience-expectant and experience-dependant. Experience-expectant synapses are synapses that are overproduced because they are synapses that have occurred regularly within the evolution of the species. It is when these synapses are not stimulated that problems such as what was discussed above with the kittens occur. The format ion of experience-dependant synapses, as the name would suggest, is dependant upon the amount of stimulation available from the experiences of the infant. Researchers have found that stimulating and complex environments have positive effects upon the growth of experience-dependant synapses in rat pups and other mammals (Kolb, Gibb, Robinson, 2003). The branching points that are left after this process are a direct result of genetics, conditions of the prenatal period, nutrition, and the infants experiences and environmental experiences after birth. Cognitive Development The next developmental area on which this manuscript shall focus is that of cognitive development. During infancy, one area researchers have focused upon is an infants ability to remember and recall. Researchers have found that infants as young as three-days-old suck harder on pacifiers when they hear their mothers voice as opposed to that of a stranger indicating a sense of recognition on the infants part (DeCasper Fifer, 1980). This recognition has been shown to improve throughout infancy. A newborns recognition period has been found to fade after a few minutes or seconds (DeCasper Spence, 1986) while, in other studies, three-month-olds have been shown to give recognition after several months (Bahrick Pickens, 1995). Likewise, recall has been shown to increase dramatically once it begins. Studies have shown that infants display recall of simple actions as early as nine months (Meltzhoff, 1988). Further studies have shown that 11-month-olds may recall simple actions for as long a s three months and 20-month-olds may recall more complex actions for as long as a year later (Bauer, 2006). Research has also been preformed on cognitive development during an individuals preschool years. One area of study included the childs understanding of numbers. For example, Antell and Keating (1983) allowed a five-month-old to watch as they placed a doll behind a screen and also as they added one additional doll. The infants displayed surprise if there was one doll present when the screen was removed while those that saw two were not. This would indicate that newborns have some knowledge of addition and subtraction. Another study by Gelman and Gallistel (1978) taught children to pick a plate with a larger number of items between two plates each with a differing quantity of items. After the researchers changed the way the items were arranged on the plate, the children expressed surprise at the change but were still able to correctly choose the plate with the larger number of items. A more recent study by Sigler and Ramani (2008) found that children who were introduced to number-based board games displayed a greater ability to correctly estimate a number on a number line than those who played games that did not include numbers. These studies give evidence for both the nature and nurture sides of the debate. Emotional Development The last developmental area focused upon within this manuscript is that of emotional development. Currently, researchers disagree upon the initial development of emotions. One argument is that an infant is born with a set of basic emotions directly related to the neural processes that are related to the emotional expression of the infant (Izard, 2004). For example, if an infant looks angry, then it is angry. In contradiction to this theory, Sroufe (1996) believes that emotions start as undifferentiated responses that develop into differentiated responses which then develop into an emotional repertoire. Sroufe argues that emotions start this way because infants lack the cognitive processes with which to assign emotional experiences. Both theories give indication of genetic origins of an individuals emotions. As emotional development continues, researchers have found that infants learn how to moderate their emotions for different situations. For example, during one study by Jahromi, Putnam, and Stifter (2004) on infants emotional responses to inoculations, the researchers observed as mothers of two-month-olds soothed their infants. The researchers found that as the infants grew older the intensity and duration of the infants crying decreased which indicates an increasing emotional control as infants grow older. The researchers believed that the change in the emotional control came about to a degree from the mothers interaction with the infant. Another study, by Tronick, Als, and Brazelton (1980), observed the exchange as mothers either responded positively or negatively towards their infants emotions. During the exchanges the mother was instructed to respond positively to the infants emotions which garnered a positive emotional reaction from the infant. The mother was then instructed to stop responding to the infant that garnered what researchers referred to as other-directed coping behaviors which are facial expressions and vocalizations designed to try and get the mother to resume their previous actions. As the mother continued this action the baby became frustrated and took part in what the researchers referred to as self-coping behaviors such as thumb sucking and rocking. This research provides evidence that an infants adult caregiver provides critical support during an infants development of emotional self regulation (Broderick Blewitt, 2010). Gene Expression When discussing human development, the question of why certain genes express themselves while others do not is, many times, brought to the forefront. Each gene is made up of alleles that a child receives from both their mother and their father. Alleles may be dominant or recessive. If an infant receives two dominant or two recessive alleles, the infant will display those characteristics. Sometimes, in the case of two dominant alleles, alleles express codominance such as in the case of a dominant Type A blood allele and dominant Type B blood allele the infant will express Type AB blood. If an infant receives one dominant and one recessive gene, the infant will display the characteristics of the dominant allele. For example, if a child receives a recessive allele for red hair from both parents, then the infant will develop red hair. If the same child had received a dominant allele for brown hair from one of the parents, the child would have developed with brown hair. This phenomenon ma y also be used to explain why certain genetic disorders express themselves when they do such as the defective recessive allele for sickle-cell anemia or the defective dominant allele for progeria (Broderick Blewitt, 2010). Nature and Nurture Off Setting One would assume that, based upon the recent evidence that development is affected by both nature and nurture, that, in certain situations, one may be used to off set a deficiency in the other. The results provided in the following studies offer evidence supporting the phenomenon of epigenesis which is the control of genetic expression through correlation of both environmental and genetic factors (Broderick Blewitt, 2010). One study by Caspi, McClay, Moffitt, Mill, Martin, Craig, et. al. (2002) conducted to find out how different MAOA alleles, which release the enzymes controlling production of neurotransmitters such as serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine, affect childrens susceptibility to the negative effects of abusive environments in the early years of life. The researchers found that in individuals that had experienced early child abuse, there was a link between the low MAOA allele and aggression. Likewise, in individuals that had not experienced abuse as a child, there was no correlation between the production of MAOA and aggression. Reiss and Neiderhiser (2000) discussed how some irritable children appear to inherit some qualities such as irritability from their parents which evokes a hostile environment from those around them only reinforcing their irritable tendencies. They further discussed how these tendencies may be off set by environmental circumstances that do not sustain their irritable behavior. Results such as those provided by this research along with many others shed light upon one of the many possibilities unlocked by the further research of the nature and nurture controversy. Conclusion The nature versus nurture controversy has been strongly debated within the discipline of developmental psychology for many years. This manuscript cited many studies which have given evidence to the degree of influence both nature and nurture has on the neural, cognitive, and emotional development of an individual. From the results of these studies, it is easy to see that development is impacted by both nature and nurture in their own unique ways. Studies have even shown that it may be possible to off set certain deficiencies in genetics with environmental aspects or vice versa. The results of these studies provide important insight into the behavior of an individual, how they may have developed that way, and how that particular form of development may be reversed or avoided in others. There is no doubt that as the depth of research into the nature versus nurture controversy grows those within the psychological community, as well as numerous other disciplines, will be able to assist a larger number of individuals with developmental problems with increasing levels of accuracy.

Visiting Innsbruck †Gem of Tyrol! Popular destinations

Visiting Innsbruck – Gem of Tyrol! Popular destinations Innsbruck – Gem of Tyrol! Hallo! (Welcome in German) Innsbruck, the capital city of Tyrol is located in the middle of the Alps making it an awesome location for a vacation! It is most famous for its largest ski resort and has hosted the Winter Olympics twice. The name Innsbruck means ‘the bridge over the inn’. Innsbruck, which brings back pictures of snow and skiing between the Alps, is the perfect place to ski with spectacular surroundings. It is a paradise for a person who loves snow and skiing! The beautiful surroundings with snow clad mountains make it a perfect Alps getaway location. Best Season to Visit Innsbruck Innsbruck, being located in Central Europe enjoys a Continental climate with cold and snowy winters. The temperature during winter nights can go below -10 degree Celsius. During the fall season, hotels are cheaper, but you will miss the best part of the surroundings as they are without snow and without skiing. Spring lasts for a short time with slightly warmer days and cool nights. Summers (June to August) in Innsbruck are quite unpredictable with sunny, rainy or hot days and with a huge range of temperatures. However, the summer months are the main tourist season. Highlights (Special things to do in Innsbruck) Explore the beautiful 16th century Renaissance castle Schloss Ambras that is located on a hill. Visit the city’s famous symbol the Golden Roof (Goldenes Dach), which was earlier used by the emperor and his wife to watch the festivities. Ride the cable car to the Patscherkofel mountain ski area with stunning landscapes all around. Ski jump at the Bergisel Ski Jump. This has to be one of the top things to do in Innsbruck. Hike along the mountain trails soaking in breathtaking views of snow clad mountains at the North Park. Spend a leisure afternoon at the Botanical Garden where nature is at its best! Spend an entire day at the various city museums – Alpine Club Museum, Anatomical Museum, Tyrolean Folk Art Museum and several others. Stroll along Maria-Theresien-Strasse to best experience the city. Watch a spectacular musical or opera performance at the state theatre Tiroler Landestheater. Visit the Alpen zoo located by the hill with alpine animals, birds and other rare animals. Hotspots of Innsbruck Maria-Theresien-Strasse: This is the most famous place in the city for shopping, restaurants, cafes, pubs or just to enjoy a stroll with friends and family. Kaufhaus Tyrol , 6 floors of exquisite shopping paradise is located here. The architecture of the surrounding buildings with snow clad mountains in the background gives a different feel to the city. It is a perfect place to enjoy the beautiful surroundings at the courtyard cafes. This is not a place to be missed on your Innsbruck holiday! Schloss Ambras: The most popular tourist attraction in Innsbruck is the Ambras castle (Schloss Ambras in German). This castle has an interesting collection from the sixteenth century that includes silk paintings, rhinoceros horn goblets, bronze works, glass porcelain and ivory figures. The gardens here are beautiful with small waterfalls and forest trails. Bergisel Ski Jump: This is a place you cannot miss in Innsbruck. It is located on a hill and offers an unforgettable experience to ski while being surrounded by the most beautiful landscapes. If you visit at the end of January/February, you can watch the International Four Hills Tournament and other snowboarding competitions here. There is a tower restaurant and a museum here that offers great views of the beautiful snow clad mountain landscapes. Patscherkofel: A famous Alps mountain ski area, Patscherkofel is one of the best places to ski. Few of the Olympic events in the past were held at the Patscherkofel ski area. It is an unbelievable snow clad mountain that offers a panoramic view! The cable car to reach the top offers stunning views on the way. Shopping in Innsbruck Kaufhaus Tyrol is the most famous shopping destination in Innsbruck with 6 floors of an international shopping experience. DEZ Einkaufszentrum is very popular with the tourists as it was the first shopping arcade in Austria with over a 100 stores and restaurants and cafes. Swarovski Kristallwelten is one that cannot be missed even if you do not want to shop. The entrance to this place is a waterfall from a giant face with crystal eyes; there is a museum and a store to buy the world famous Swarovski crystals or jewelry or articles made of crystal. You can buy souvenirs, crystals and other porcelain artistic items in the old town. The old town is the best place to in indulge in authentic and artistic local shopping. Maria-Theresien-Strasse is known for its shopping as well as restaurants and cafes. How to reach Innsbruck By Air – Innsbruck Kranebitten Airport is the largest airport in Tyrol and it is well connected to all major cities in Europe with regular flights. There are seasonal flights to/from UK, Hamburg, Netherlands and Berlin. Munich Airport is 2.5 hours from Innsbruck; there are buses and vans available from the airport to Innsbruck. Ensure to book a minivan in advance if you are carrying ski equipment. By Train – Innsbruck is well connected by trains with other European cities. You can take a train from any of the nearby airports to reach Innsbruck. Most tourists travel by train from Munich, Venice, Vienna, Zurich and Graz; there are train services to/from other European cities as well. The Austrian train services Ãâ€"sterreichische Bundesbahnen (OEBB)operates to the suburbs and other cities in the country. The main train station is in South-Tyrolean Square in the Innsbruck City Centre. Ensure to check for available discounts – you can get 50% discount with Ãâ€"BB Vorteilscard, 25% discount with rail card if you travel from another country and a special discount if you are under the age of 26. By Road – You can drive to Innsbruck via autobahn motorways A 12 or A 13. It is easy to drive to Innsbruck due to its location between the valleys. You will have to pay toll charges on both motorways; they are well maintained and make it easy to drive to Innsbruck. How to get around in Innsbruck The best way to explore Innsbruck is by walk or by bicycle. The city center and nearby places are within a few minutes by walk and this is the best way to enjoy the beautiful landscapes. You can drive within Innsbruck but it is difficult to find parking for long durations and hence not recommended. The public transportation in Innsbruck is efficient and connects all areas. The tickets are valid on buses, trams and trains within Innsbruck. There are 4 tram lines with 2 connecting the villages close by. Buses operate to the major tourist attraction areas and are scheduled and regular. S-bahn is the suburban train service that connects the city, towns and villages close by. Innsbruck Card promoted by Innsbruck tourism provides free entry to some of the tourist attractions including the Alpenzoo and public transportation; you can avail the card for 24, 48 or 72 hours. Top areas in Innsbruck Pradl – A very popular village in Innsbruck, Pradl is famous for its theatre Pradler jousting. The area is connected by tram and is easy to commute to and from the city center. Natters – Most famous for Lake Natters, Natters is located by the mountains. It is a village with a lot of history from the sixteenth century. It is a beautiful little village that makes for a quiet vacation with beautiful landscapes. Amras – Located on the motorway, Amras is well connected by tram and bus services. Amras is most known for its castle, gardens and parish. The village has a lot of chapels and is a perfect place for a leisure stroll with beautiful landscapes around the village. There are a lot of hotels available at reasonable prices in Amras. The famous shopping center DEZ Einkaufszentrum is located in Amras. Natters – This is a beautiful town in the Wipptal valleys that is most famous for its ancient buildings, which take you back to the sixteenth century. Hoetting – Hoetting is a beautiful small town in Innsbruck which is well connected by train and bus services. The town has several ancient churches that are worth visiting; the beautiful landscapes around add a scenic touch to the church buildings. The town also has Hunger castle and Hofgarten which attracts more tourists. Hofburg – This area is known for its palace and is a prominent cultural building in the country. The palace has a lot of ancient history with a beautiful Gothic hall and courtyard. The Apline Club museum is located in the vicinity. Lans – This area is most known for its skiing area, recreational center and Lanseree Lake. It offers the most beautiful surroundings with only about 1000 habitants. It has a lake that is preferred by tourists who want a quiet leisure vacation amidst pristine nature. You can play golf amidst the mountains and the lake. Lans is a beautiful place for a vacation either during summer by the lake or during winter by the snow clad mountains. Danke! (Thank You in German)

Colgate Palmolive :: essays research papers fc

Colgate Palmolive With a continuous expansion in it's product line, Colgate-Palmolive is taking on the look of one of the most stable stocks on the exchange. Colgate has a wide variety of products sold around the globe including, Colgate Toothpastes, Speed Stick Deodorants, Ajax Surface Cleaner, and Hill's Science Diet foods for house pets. Colgate was founded in 1806 in New York City on Dutch Street by William Colgate as a starch, soap and candle business. Colgate produced soaps and perfumes or the next 67 years and then in 1873, they introduced their first toothpastes, which were aromatic toothpastes. Then 13 years later, they introduced the first dental creme packaged in collapsible tubes similar to those used today. After 104 years of being in business on Dutch Street, the largest tenancy on record in New York City the entire Colgate organization moved to Jersey City. In 1928 Colgate made its greatest merger of all time with the Palmolive-Peet Company and in 1953 took on its present name of Colgate-Palmolive. By 1967 Colgate-Palmolive was on a roll with sales passing the 1 billion dollar mark. In the years after, Colgate began acquiring major companies and expanding its product line with the purchases of Hill's Pet Products in 1976, the Mennen Company in 1992 and in 1993 acquired the liquid soap brands of S.C. Johnson. Before the purchase of Mennen Co. in 1992, Colgate Palmolive had no major presence in the deodorant industry. With the purchase of Mennen Co. they held 16% of the deodorant market but had to compete with Proctor and Gamble, who held 26% of the market with products such as Sure, Secret and Old Spice. After the purchase of Mennen Co., which was easily purchased without resist for $670 million in cash, Colgate-Palmolive held 16% of the deodorant market with their Speed Stick and Lady Speed Stick deodorants, which are now the leading in world wide sales of deodorants. They also now own products under the Baby Magic name such Skin Bracer and Baby Magic Foot. Powder. In 1976 , Colgate-Palmolive acquired Hills Pet Products Inc. Since the foundation of this company in 1948, they have committed themselves to the health and welfare of dogs and cats. Today, Hill's Pet Nutrition Inc. is one of the leading pet food manufactures and is revolutionizing the pet food industry with its Prescription Diet products used by veterinarians to manage such conditions as obesity, heart disease, kidney disease and many others. Hill's Pet Products also manufacture Hill's Science Diet food. Hill's Pet Products has not always been a success. When it was founded in Colgate Palmolive :: essays research papers fc Colgate Palmolive With a continuous expansion in it's product line, Colgate-Palmolive is taking on the look of one of the most stable stocks on the exchange. Colgate has a wide variety of products sold around the globe including, Colgate Toothpastes, Speed Stick Deodorants, Ajax Surface Cleaner, and Hill's Science Diet foods for house pets. Colgate was founded in 1806 in New York City on Dutch Street by William Colgate as a starch, soap and candle business. Colgate produced soaps and perfumes or the next 67 years and then in 1873, they introduced their first toothpastes, which were aromatic toothpastes. Then 13 years later, they introduced the first dental creme packaged in collapsible tubes similar to those used today. After 104 years of being in business on Dutch Street, the largest tenancy on record in New York City the entire Colgate organization moved to Jersey City. In 1928 Colgate made its greatest merger of all time with the Palmolive-Peet Company and in 1953 took on its present name of Colgate-Palmolive. By 1967 Colgate-Palmolive was on a roll with sales passing the 1 billion dollar mark. In the years after, Colgate began acquiring major companies and expanding its product line with the purchases of Hill's Pet Products in 1976, the Mennen Company in 1992 and in 1993 acquired the liquid soap brands of S.C. Johnson. Before the purchase of Mennen Co. in 1992, Colgate Palmolive had no major presence in the deodorant industry. With the purchase of Mennen Co. they held 16% of the deodorant market but had to compete with Proctor and Gamble, who held 26% of the market with products such as Sure, Secret and Old Spice. After the purchase of Mennen Co., which was easily purchased without resist for $670 million in cash, Colgate-Palmolive held 16% of the deodorant market with their Speed Stick and Lady Speed Stick deodorants, which are now the leading in world wide sales of deodorants. They also now own products under the Baby Magic name such Skin Bracer and Baby Magic Foot. Powder. In 1976 , Colgate-Palmolive acquired Hills Pet Products Inc. Since the foundation of this company in 1948, they have committed themselves to the health and welfare of dogs and cats. Today, Hill's Pet Nutrition Inc. is one of the leading pet food manufactures and is revolutionizing the pet food industry with its Prescription Diet products used by veterinarians to manage such conditions as obesity, heart disease, kidney disease and many others. Hill's Pet Products also manufacture Hill's Science Diet food. Hill's Pet Products has not always been a success. When it was founded in

Education without Truth in Postmodern Perspectivism :: Argumentative Linguistic Papers

Education without Truth in Postmodern Perspectivism Poststructuralist relativism, following the Nietzschean critique of Western rationalism, denounces the quest for truth as a quest to legitimize various claims on the level of universal human value, by covering up the indirect coercion of their discourse or imagery. Using perspectivism as an argument against philosophical grounding of various patterns and schemes, post-modern thinkers, under the influence of Poststructuralist relativism, try to depart from the cognitivist tradition by transforming philosophical thought to an edifying discipline (Rorty) or learning (Lyotard) liberated from a theory of knowledge, and giving into a discourse of literary or prosy character. I argue that post-modern perspectivism and the individualistic or collectivistic logic which nurtures its scope can be transcended through construction of hyperperspectivistic prisms based on alogic of interrelation animated by the interdisciplinarian spirit prevailing in the field of modern science. This latter serves as the leading thread for the foundation of a new canonicity which, without losing its historical and cultural character, can make claims to truth and validity of general acceptance. The hyperspectivistic canonicity deriving from such an interrelational logic is in a position to animate a new educational model capable of overcoming both idealistic and romantic versions of Bildung. During the last third of 20th century, the so-called postmodern world has been technically modernized in an unprecedented way. An unconstrained capitalist economy imposing constantly changing technologies determine, among other systems of social control, various forms of the educational system, each one of them promoting knowledge as a commodity. The ferment that swept, some years ago, not only the Third World but also the industrial societies for revolutionnary change of social and political institutions has given its place to a forceful modernization of established authority, political power and modes of accummulation. The belief that we live in a rapidly changing world is well spread. In fact, we live in a frenetically modernized but not changing world, given that the deification of the modern against the traditional forms of education, organization and communication levels the need to create a vision of a future society. The creation of such a vision presupposes the critical approach of the legitimacy of the established authority, of political power or wealth; issues which are no longer broadly discussed. The early and forceful advocates of libertarian or socialist values seem to be forgotten or definitely marginalised. (1) The philosophical tradition developed by philosophers like

Microeconomics and faber-castell

The perfect definition of a purely competitive market in microeconomics states that there should be specific factors which must be followed in order to guarantee that firms who are participating in the business for companies which are moving in the markets do not have control of prices.   Such factors are easy transportation, perfect communication, and a host of many other variables. However, practicing the most important factor in determining a perfectly competitive states in the economy and a perfectly competitive product is the homogeneity of a certain good. And this is where our definition of commodity comes in.   In microeconomics, a commodity is usually defined as an object or a good in which there is a certain demand, but however which is supplied by firms without differentiation between the other products.   And although we are all to used associate the word commodity with absolutely anything that has to do with a good or service that we should be purchasing,   in its purest sense and definition, a commodity is characterized by something in where it is the market which defines their prices, and not any other factor of control. Note that our keyword for this point of discussion is that a quantity should not be differentiated from other goods because if it is so, then it would theoretically be able to define the market price in its own, and not because as an effect of other factors imperfect competition (Mankiw, 2006). We then come to the discussion of an article by the economist.com website where in it discusses the history of the pencil company Faber-Castell. Our discussion of Faber-Castell as a commodity now becomes sacrificed, for he can now say, after being given a definition of what a commodity is that Faber-Castell cannot possibly be a commodity.   The reason for this is that as the article discusses, unlike the many other pencils available to our global markets, both in the local and international sense, today are more or less homogeneous in nature (Economist, 2007).   Meaning that although of course they can have many other brands which define their names, we do not necessarily care among the brands because each pencil is basically the same as the other.   The case of Faber-Castell, however, is that its pencils are produced in such a way and distributed in such a way that it may be further identified as a pencil with true quality and a much higher value therefore than the other pencils available in the market. Again of course one may argue that a pencil is still a pencil.   However, as we have discovered in the reading of the article, because of the nature of how the pencil is created specifically the lead content, the wood used in creating its frame, even its eraser and design has specifically put the user into mine even up to the point of already creating a steady following for its use. The article stated extremely popular names as the handful of the people who are loyal to the use of such a pencil. The shifting of the brands classification from commodity may even be thought of as a move where in is the owner of the company, Count Anton Wolfgang von Faber-Castell .net actually classify it as not a commodity, that it would eventually do so because the quality of the pencils themselves creates its own definition (Mulligan, 2007). as we have perhaps learned in many of our economics and management courses, as well as to the floor of the many here ethical marketing books out in the market today, product integrity plays an important role in the popularity and eventually the profit maximizing value of outputs of products.   Not only would there be higher revenues and therefore higher profits in London was to say able to maintain the integrity of the company’s products, it will also serve as a self advertising method for the companies. Perhaps the closest thing that we could compare to our model of Faber-Castell is the company of General Electronics headed by Jack Welch, where it is also product integrity as low as quality of the outputs being produced that displays at the highest importance and role in the company. If we were to use a theoretical model for microeconomics in understanding the issue of product integrity, perhaps you could relate it most closely to the demand equation of the supply and demand model. although the movement in the demand curve and eventually the demand schedule is determined specifically by price, the shifting of the said curve is affected by many other variable such as the income of consumers, the tastes and preferences of consumers, the price is up for latent or substitute goods, and the other factors except for price.   It is here that we see that if we were to factor in integrity into such economic variables, ceteris paribus, we arrive at the conclusion that product integrity may also be able to shift the demand curve further upward if product integrity is maintained or increased. The opposite may also be true, however, and that is essentially the danger in economics, where in unlike the labor supply of macroeconomics by John Keynes which is sticky upwards, micro economic models such as the demand function and to demand equation are effected both ways and both sides.   Increasing the integrity of a product may be able to increase its demand and therefore increase revenues and profit, but a decrease in the integrity of the product may also be able to perform the opposite effect, which is to decrease revenues and profits as well as increased costs, therefore moving the company closer to shut down point or already above the equilibrium price. Also, if we take in Faber-Castell to our situation, we also realize that the firm’s economic model is at actually a perfectly competitive model or not even close.   What it does close to, however, is a monopoly model for the economy where in the demand curve for certain firm is downward sloping and its marginal revenue curve is also below the demand curve where in decreasing quantity produced results in an increase in price. Because of the impacts on welfare of a monopoly model of a firm in an economy, it is more or less cited as negative by economists.   However, in the real world situation where it is money that rules, we could not ignore the fact that Faber-Castell has achieved a monopoly setting again because it has shifted its commodity into a monopoly good. We therefore arrive at the final question of efficiency.   Economic efficiency highlights that there is no welfare loss, which is explained by the Pareto Optimality condition of the production possibilities frontier.   However, real world definition of efficiency states clearly higher profits (Sutton, 2007).   And in the case of our Faber-Castell model, we can perhaps say that it has achieved efficiency within itself because of how it has been able to market its good so effectively that demand is higher. Works Cited â€Å"At the sharp end; Face value.(Faber-Castell Corp.).† Economist (US), The, March   3, 2007. Mankiw, N. Gregory.   Principles of Microeconomics. Mason, OH:   South-Western College Pub, 2006. Mulligan, Mark. â€Å"Pencil me in: the CEO of Faber-Castell, the world's top pencil maker, sets his sights on Latin America. Why not? Most of his production is already in Brazil.† Latin CEO: Executive Strategies for the Americas , June   1, 2001. Sutton, John.   Sunk Costs and Market Structure: Price Competition, Advertising, and the Evolution of Concentration. Cambridge, Massachusetts:   The Mit Press, 2007.   

Definition of family Essay

The definition of a family according to the U. S. Census Bureau is that a family consists of a householder and any other person living in the same household. However, the people living in the family should be related to the householder either by birth, marriage, or by adoption. The people in a family who are related to the householder are termed as his family members. However, in some houses there might also be people living in a family who might be unrelated to the householder, therefore they are not to be included in the householder’s family while the census is being carried out and thus, the number of family households is equal to the number of families, but the family households may include more members than do families. Therefore, the crux of this would be that all the households do not contain families as they might be unrelated as well. Functions of a family Basically the two functions of a family are: †¢ Economic functions †¢ Political functions Other than these two major categories, a family has a number of functions after doing which a family can be really termed as a family in a true sense and these are mentioned below. One of the most important functions is reproduction of babies and once a child is born, it is the duty of the householder to look after the children, take care of them, monitor that day to day activities, supervise them on certain things, interact with them and provide them with all the necessities and love it would require to make them good grown ups. As it is not just necessary to give birth to the baby, however they should also be taken care of so that they survive to become adult members of the society. Two persons basically tie the knot of marriage in order to legitimize their sexual relationship and this ensures the offspring is healthy. The household head is supposed to provide economics support to the family as well as to fulfill the love, emotional, security needs of the family. In the end, I would also add that the family is looked upon in the society with respect and they have a certain position in the society than those individuals just living together without marriage. (Schwartz & Scott, 2007). As mentioned above, a family consists of the household member who is basically responsible for his family members. However, to define my family I would say that my family does not fulfill the definition of the family mentioned above. This is because the fathers are usually the ones who are said to be the household heads and they are responsible of taking care of the family members. I am only the child in my family and my parents were divorced when I was four years old. I am living with my Mom right now and the rest of my family is living in China. Most of the family functions that I mentioned above are not actually applicable to my family. This is because my parents had an unhappy marriage and this thing gave me a lot of bad experiences. The first function of the family is to ensure that the baby grows as an adult of a society. In my case, however I did become an adult but it was just my mother who took care of me and looked after all my needs. A father is always necessary to make a family more strong as the responsibilities of a father are different than ones of a mother but in my case, my mother was my mother as well as my father. She was the one who was responsible for each and every activity of mine. It is believed that a family is economically supported mostly by the fathers, however as my mother had a divorce with my father, she was the one who had to support my needs all by herself. And I think that my family did not manage things well. The divorce of my parents at the time when I was just four was a shock for me as for a family to survive well; both the mother as well as the father has to be there so that they might fulfill their own set of responsibilities and ensure that the family is living happily. However, this was not the case for my family as the divorce between my parents made things worse for me. Although my mother did all she could do for me but still the presence of the father is essential for a family to prosper well. Thus, according to me, my family did not address the functions of a family well as it was an unhappy and irresponsible family. The fundamental purpose of each family is to fulfill the requirements and the functions of a family. It is vital for each family to fulfill their responsibilities as this not just affects the family alone but the society and the environment as well and it also affects the people around you. No one likes to be friends with the families who are not well settled in a way that the parents might have conflicts amongst each other or they might not want to live with each other and this would create lots of problems for their children. Therefore, for a country to prosper well it is essential that the families living there are happy and contended. The functions of the family highlight the responsibilities the household head has with reference to their family. Therefore, its informative nature helps to think about families in terms of the functions it fulfills. Reference Schwartz, M. A. & Scott, B. M. (2007). Marriages and families: Diversity and change. 5th Edn. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.