Coyote Blue Chapter 20~21

CHAPTER 20 Nevermore Santa Barbara When Sam walked into his office Gabriella met him with a cup of coffee. â€Å"Mr. Hunter, I'd like to apologize for my behavior yesterday. I don't know what came over me.† â€Å"That's okay. I do.† â€Å"I hope you were able to resolve the difficulties at the Cliffs.† Sam wasn't prepared for civility from Gabriella; it was like encountering a polite scorpion. Life was changing before his eyes. â€Å"Everything's fine. Any calls?† â€Å"Just Mr. Aaron.† She checked her message pad. â€Å"He would like you to stop into his office if it wouldn't be too much trouble.† â€Å"Exact words?† â€Å"Yes, sir.† â€Å"My my, has the Sugarplum Fairy been through here today?† Gabriella checked the pad. â€Å"No message, sir.† Sam smiled and walked away. Down the hall Julia told Sam to go right in. Aaron stood and smiled when Sam entered the office. â€Å"Sammy boy, have a seat. We need to talk.† Sam said, â€Å"Forty cents on the dollar, plus interest. You keep the office. I want out. That's it. You talk.† Aaron dismissed Sam's comment with a wave. â€Å"That's all behind us, buddy. Cochran's lawyer called. There isn't going to be any lawsuit. You and I are square.† â€Å"What happened?† Sam knew he should be elated at the news, but instead he felt dread. For a moment he had relished the idea of giving up all the pretending. Now what? â€Å"No explanation. They just backed off. They apologized for the mistake. You'll get a formal apology in the mail tomorrow. I never doubted you, kid. Not for a minute.† â€Å"Aaron, did you talk to Spagnola today?† â€Å"Just briefly. Just a social call. He was pretty heavily medicated. I'm not sure I trust him, Sam. You want to watch your back around that guy. He's unstable.† Sam felt his ears heat up with anger. Aaron expected him to act like the betrayal had never happened. There was a time when he would have, but not now. â€Å"Forty cents on the dollar, plus interest.† Aaron lost his friendly-guy salesman's smile. â€Å"But that's behind us.† â€Å"I don't think so. You're a shit, Aaron. That doesn't surprise me. But it does surprise me that you went after me when I was down. I thought we were friends.† â€Å"We are, Sammy.† â€Å"Good. Then you won't mind having the papers on my desk by midweek. And you can pay the attorney fees. They're tax deductible, you know. And if you're late, you will need the write-off.† Sam got up and started out of the office. Aaron called after him. â€Å"We don't have to do this now.† Without turning Sam said, â€Å"Yes we do. I do.† Sam nodded to Julia as he passed but he couldn't muster a smile. What have I done? he thought. In his outer office Gabriella was kicked back in her chair with her skirt up around her armpits. She seemed to be hyperventilating and her eyes were rolled back in her head. â€Å"Gabriella! Again?† She pointed to his office door. Sam threw the door open, banging it against the wall and disturbing a raven that was perched in the brass hat rack just inside. Sam stormed over to the bird, barely resisting the urge to grab it and rip its feathers out. â€Å"Goddammit, I told you to stay off my secretary!† Sam shook his fist at the bird. â€Å"And what kind of bullshit did you pull over at Motion Marine to get them to drop the lawsuit? Can't you just leave me alone?† â€Å"Why are you yelling at the bird?† The voice came from behind him. Sam looked around, his fist still threatening the raven. Coyote was standing in the opposite corner of the office by the fax machine. Sam's anger turned to confusion. He looked at the bird, then Coyote, then the bird. â€Å"Who's this?† â€Å"A raven?† Coyote speculated. He turned back to the fax machine. â€Å"Hey, what is this button that says ‘network'?† Sam was still looking at the bird. â€Å"It sends simultaneously to the home offices of all the companies we represent.† Coyote pushed the button. â€Å"Like smoke signals.† â€Å"What?† Sam dropped his fist, ran to the fax machine, and hit the cancel button a second too late. The display showed the transmission had gone out. Sam pulled the paper from the machine and stared at it in disbelief. Coyote had obviously lain on the copy machine to get the image. â€Å"You faxed your penis? That machine prints my name at the top of each transmission.† â€Å"The girls in the home office will think highly of you, then. Of course, they will be disappointed if they ever see you naked.† The raven squawked and Gabriella appeared at the open door. â€Å"Mr. Hunter, a gentleman is here to see you from the police department.† Coyote held the Xerox up to Gabriella. â€Å"A picture of your friend,† he offered. A sharp-featured Hispanic man in a tweed sport jacket pushed his way past Gabriella into the office. â€Å"Mr. Hunter, I'm Detective Alphonse Rivera, Santa Barbara PD, narcotics division. I'd like to ask you a few questions.† He held out a business card embossed with a gold shield, but did not offer to shake hands. â€Å"Narcotics?† Sam looked to Coyote, thinking he would have disappeared, but the trickster had stood his ground by the fax machine. On the hat rack, the raven cawed. â€Å"Nice bird,† Rivera said. â€Å"I understand they can be trained to talk.† Rivera walked to the bird and studied it. â€Å"Pig,† the raven said. â€Å"He's not mine,† Sam said quickly. â€Å"He belongs to-† Sam looked around and Gabriella was gone from the doorway. â€Å"He belongs to this gentleman.† Sam pointed to Coyote. â€Å"And you are?† Rivera eyed Coyote suspiciously. â€Å"Coyote.† Rivera raised an eyebrow and took a notebook from his inside jacket pocket. â€Å"Mr. Hunter, I have a few questions about what went on at Motion Marine a couple of days ago. Would you prefer to talk in private?† â€Å"Yes.† Sam looked at Coyote. â€Å"Go away. Take the bird with you.† â€Å"Nazi scum,† the raven cawed. â€Å"I'll stay,† Coyote said. Sam was on the verge of screaming. Sweat was beading on his forehead. He composed himself and turned to Rivera. â€Å"We can talk in front of Mr. Coyote.† â€Å"Just a few questions,† Rivera said. â€Å"You had an appointment with James Cable at ten. Is that correct?† â€Å"I was there for about an hour.† â€Å"I was there too,† Coyote said. Rivera turned his attention to the trickster. â€Å"Why were you there, Mr. Coyote?† â€Å"I was raising funds for NARC.† â€Å"Narc!† the raven said. â€Å"Narc?† â€Å"Native American Reform Coalition.† Rivera scribbled on a pad. Sam said, â€Å"I don't understand. What does this have to do with narcotics?† â€Å"We think someone put hallucinogens in the coffee over at Motion Marine. Two days ago James Cable claims he was attacked by someone fitting Mr. Coyote's description. He had a heart attack.† â€Å"I just asked him if his company would make a donation,† Coyote said. â€Å"He said no and I went away.† He had taken the Xerox of his penis from the desk and fitted it back into the fax machine. He searched the buttons. â€Å"‘Insurance commissioner, † he read as he pushed the button. â€Å"No!† Sam dove over the desk for the cancel button. Too late. He turned to Rivera. â€Å"That document wasn't signed.† He grinned and tried to move the conversation away from his panic. â€Å"You know, I was thinking – we've got an Indian, a policeman, and an insurance broker. We're only a construction worker away from the Village People.† Rivera ignored the comment. â€Å"Did you have any coffee while you were at Motion Marine, Mr. Hunter?† â€Å"Coffee? No.† â€Å"And you didn't drink from the watercooler?† â€Å"No. I don't understand.† â€Å"Today, three people at Motion Marine, including Frank Cochran, claim that they saw a polar bear in the offices.† Sam looked at Coyote. â€Å"A polar bear?† â€Å"We think that someone slipped them some LSD. We're testing the water and the coffee now. We just wanted to talk to anyone who has been in the building in the last two days. You didn't see anyone strange hanging around while you were in the building?† â€Å"I only saw Cable's secretary and Cable,† Sam said. Rivera flipped the notebook closed. â€Å"Well, thanks for your time. If you have any strange reactions or see anything strange, could you give me a call?† Rivera handed a card to Coyote. â€Å"And you too, if you would.† â€Å"Cabron,† the raven said. â€Å"He speaks Spanish, too,† Rivera said. â€Å"Amazing.† The detective left the office. â€Å"‘Santa Barbara News-Press advertising, † Coyote read as he pushed the button. The fax machine whirred. Sam started to go for the machine, then stopped and sat down in his chair. He sat for a minute rubbing his temples. â€Å"If that cop runs a background check on me, I'm going to jail. You know that, don't you?† â€Å"You wanted your old life back.† â€Å"But a fucking polar bear?† â€Å"Well, you have your old life back, whether you want it or not.† â€Å"I was wrong.† It felt good saying it, the honesty in it. He wanted a new life. â€Å"I just want you to go away.† â€Å"I'm gone,† Coyote said. â€Å"The girl is gone too.† â€Å"What does that mean?† The feathers on Coyote's shirt turned black and his fingers changed to flight feathers. In an instant Coyote was a raven. He flew out the office door followed by the raven from the hat rack. CHAPTER 21 All Happy Families Santa Barbara Calliope stood in the driveway, holding Grubb, waiting for Lonnie to return. Nina had been right: she wasn't very good at worrying, but she was giving it a good effort. She was sure that Lonnie wouldn't hurt her or Grubb, but then again, Lonnie had never acted the way he had the night before. She wished that she could have asked Sam to stay with her and help her with a decision, but it would have been too much to ask so soon. She wished, too, that there were phones at the ashram and that she could call her mother for advice. And she couldn't just jump in the car and drive to see her mother as she always had before. She had her job, her house, and there was Sam now. She was trying to push the dark specter of the unknown to the back of her mind when she heard the Harley approaching. She looked up to see Lonnie rounding the corner a block away, his new girlfriend clinging to him like a leech. Lonnie pulled into the driveway next to her and killed the engine. â€Å"I'm late for work,† Calliope said, wiping a trail of drool from Grubb's face with her finger. The woman behind Lonnie glared at her and Calliope nodded to her and said, â€Å"Hi.† Lonnie reached for Grubb without getting off the bike. Calliope hugged Grubb close. She said, â€Å"I don't want him riding on the bike with you.† Lonnie laughed. â€Å"The way you drive? He's a hell of a lot safer on the bike.† â€Å"Please, Lonnie.† The woman reached out and took Grubb from Calliope. The baby began to cry. â€Å"He'll be fine,† Cheryl hissed. â€Å"Why can't you just stay at home with him?† Calliope asked. â€Å"Places to go, people to meet,† Lonnie said. â€Å"I could get Yiffer to watch him.† Calliope felt her breath coming hard. She didn't like the look of this hard woman holding her Grubb. Lonnie said, â€Å"You tell Yiffer to watch his ass or I'll shoot it off.† â€Å"Lonnie, I have to go. Can't you just stay here? I'm only working the lunch shift today.† Lonnie grinned. â€Å"Aren't you going to stop by the hospital on your way home?† â€Å"Hospital? No. Why?† Lonnie fired up the Harley. â€Å"No reason.† He laughed and coaxed the big bike around in the driveway. As he gunned the engine and pulled into the street Cheryl shouted, â€Å"Don't worry, bitch, we'll put a dollar on black for you.† Over the roar of the Harley, Calliope could hear the woman grunt as Lonnie elbowed her in the ribs. Calliope saw Grubb looking at her as they rounded the corner. Panic tore at her chest as what the woman had said sunk in. She turned and ran back up the steps. -=*=- By late afternoon the contractors had replaced Sam's sliding glass door and patched the bullet holes in the walls. Sam canceled the week's appointments, which gave him time alone with his thoughts. He soon found, however, that his thoughts, like monkeys in church, were bad company. He tried reading to distract himself, but he found that he was simply looking at the pages. He tried napping, but as soon as he closed his eyes, images of Coyote and the police filled his head. When the worry became too much for him he thought of Calliope, which set off a whole new set of worries. What had Coyote meant, â€Å"The girl is gone†? Did it matter? She was trouble. Too young, too goofy, probably too attractive. And the kid – he didn't need a kid in his life either. Trouble. If she had gone somewhere he probably was better off. He didn't need the hassles. That thought still bouncing through his mind, he grabbed the phone and dialed her number. No answer. He called information and got the number for the Tangerine Tree Cafe. She hadn't shown up for work today. Where in the hell is she? Where in the hell is Coyote? The fucker knew where she went and he wouldn't tell. What had started as a niggling irritation turned to dread. Why in the hell does it matter? he thought. Terrifying and black, a word rose in his mind that matched his feeling. He recoiled from it, but it struck him again and again like an angry viper. Love: the sickest of Irony's sick jokes. The place where logic and order go to die. Then again, maybe not. It was only bad if you were hiding, pretending to be something that you were not. Maybe the hiding could end. Sam got up and headed out the door in what he knew was a ridiculous effort to find Calliope. He drove to the cafe and confirmed what they had told him on the phone. Then he drove to Calliope's house and found Yiffer and Nina getting out of the van as he pulled up. Nina said, â€Å"I don't know where she is, Sam. She left a note saying that Lonnie had taken Grubb and she was going after him.† â€Å"Nothing about where she was going?† â€Å"Any note at all is a big step for her. She used to disappear for days at a time with no note at all.† â€Å"Fuck.† Sam started to get back in the car. â€Å"Sam,† Nina called. He paused. â€Å"The note said to tell you she was sorry.† â€Å"For what?† â€Å"That's all it said.† â€Å"Thanks, Nina. Call me if she shows up.† Sam gunned the Mercedes out of the driveway, having no idea where he was going. He needed help. All his machines and access to information wouldn't help. He needed a place to start. Twenty-four hours ago he would have given anything to get rid of Coyote. Now he would welcome the trickster's cryptic, smart-assed answers – at least they were answers. He drove around town, looking for Calliope's Z, feeling hope rise each time he spotted an orange car, and feeling it fall when it turned out not to be Calliope's. After an hour he returned home, where he sat on his sofa, smoking and thinking. Everything had changed and nothing had changed. His life was back to normal, and normal wasn't enough anymore. He wanted real. -=*=- At the Guild's clubhouse Tinker was digging at a flea bite on his leg, trying to pull his grimy jeans up over heavy boots to get at the tiny invader. â€Å"Fucking fleas,† he said. The Guild's president, Bonner Newton, let out a raucous snort. â€Å"You know what they say, bro,† Newton said. â€Å"Lie down with dogs†¦Ã¢â‚¬  A din of harsh laughter rose in the room from the other Guild members. â€Å"Fuck you guys,† Tinker said, feigning anger while enjoying the attention. It wasn't that he liked ugly chicks, but who else would have him? Nineteen of the twenty full members of the Guild were draped over furniture and sprawled on the floor, smoking joints and cigarettes, drinking beers and feeling at the few old ladies present. Outside, two strikers, members who had not earned their full colors, sat on the front porch watching for the law. The house was a ramshackle stucco bungalow that had been built in the 1930s as part of a housing tract, before the term housing tract was part of the language. The walls were stained with blood, beer, and vomit. The carpet was matted with motor oil; the furniture was minimal and distressed. Only Tinker actually lived at the clubhouse. The rest of the club used it for meeting and partying. The Guild had paid a hundred thousand dollars in cash for the house. The deed was registered under Newton's married sister's name, as was the ranch house the Guild owned in the Santa Lucia Mountains above Santa Barbara, which housed the lab that provided their income. Ironically, the ranch's nearest neighbor was a wobbly-headed ex-president who had declared a war on drugs, and who, from time to time, would stand on the veranda of his palatial ranch house sniffing the odor of cooking crank and calling, â€Å"Mommy, there's a funny smell trickling down out here.† The lab produced enough income to support all of the Guild's members and ensure that none of them had to work except to man the counter of the Harley-Davidson shop that Bonner Newton used to launder drug money. Newton held an M.B.A. from Stanford. In an earlier time, before he fell from grace for smuggling cocaine, he had stalked the glass-cube buildings of Silicon Valley, wearing Italian suits and commanding crews of brilliant computer designers who could define the universe in terms of two digits, explain the chaos theory in twenty-five words or less, and build machines that emulated human intelligence – but who thought a vulva was a Swedish automobile. Newton's experience in coddling these genius misfits served him well as president of the Guild, for the members of the Guild were nothing more than nerds without brains: fat, ugly, or awkward men who found no acceptance in the outside world and so escaped into the security and belonging of an outlaw biker club. A Harley-Davidson and blind loyalty were the only requirements for membership. â€Å"Listen up, you fucks,† Newton said, calling the meeting to order. â€Å"Bitches outside.† He paused and lit a cigarette while the women filed out the door, glaring at him over their shoulders. He was not a large or imposing man compared to the other members, but his authority was not to be questioned. â€Å"Lonnie's not here yet,† Tinker said. â€Å"Lonnie's running an errand for us,† Newton said. â€Å"We're going to take an impromptu road trip. A little business and a little pleasure.† â€Å"Fuckin' A,† someone yelled. Newton gestured for quiet. â€Å"Seems like someone forgot to tell me that we were running low on ether up at the facility.† Newton always referred to the crank lab as â€Å"the facility.† Tinker stopped scratching his leg and hung his head. â€Å"Tink, you fucking idiot,† someone said. â€Å"Anyway,† Newton continued, â€Å"I wasn't able to arrange a delivery, so we have to go get it. There's a rally in South Dakota in a couple of days. At Sturgis. The Chicago chapter is going to meet us there with a couple of barrels. I want three fifty-five-gallon drums rigged with false tops so if we get stopped by the law it looks like we're hauling motor oil. Tinker, you'll drive the pickup.† â€Å"Aw, come on, Newt,† Tinker whined. â€Å"Warren,† Newton said. A thin biker with curly red hair looked up. â€Å"You fix one of the barrels for weapons, and make sure no one is packing. I don't want any weapons on anyone while we're riding.† A series of snorts, moans, and â€Å"Oh, fucks† passed around the room. Newton dismissed them with a wave. â€Å"Advice from the Gator,† he said. Gator was short for the litigator, the Guild's attorney, Melvin Gold, who handled all their criminal cases free of charge in exchange for the assurance that he could also handle their personal injury suits. Bikers got run over a lot. â€Å"Look,† Newton insisted, â€Å"half of you are on probation. We don't need some rookie pig looking for glory to fuck us on a concealed-weapons charge. Are we clear?† Newton paused until someone answered, â€Å"We're clear.† â€Å"All right, then. Lonnie's making a run to Vegas with his old lady to get the money to pay for the ether. He'll meet us in South D. We're out of here at nine tomorrow morning, so don't get too fucked up tonight. Bring your camping shit. Let your bitches carry your stash.† Newton dropped his cigarette and ground it out on the carpet. â€Å"That's all,† he said. The room filled with conversations about the trip. A few of the members got up to leave. When they opened the door a single flea hopped out with them. Once past the steps the flea changed into a horsefly and took flight. A block away the horsefly changed into a raven and headed toward the mesa and the Cliffs condominium complex.

Economic theory of mercantilism Essay

Mercantilism was popular and it was the prevailing economic philosophy in the Great Britain, the Netherlands, Spain, and France from the 16th to the 18th century (Gabay, et al. 2007). Gabay, ET al. asserts that according to the theory of mercantilism, for a nation to become rich and powerful, it needs to export more and import less. This basically meant that a nation on its conquest to grow richer, it had to achieve that at the expense of other nations. The difference would be an inflow of precious metals mostly gold. The more gold a nation had the richer and powerful it was. Due to this idea, mercantilists pushed for the government to restrict import and stimulate export and the fact that not all nations could do this, the mercantilists acquired precious bullion or precious metals at the expense of weaker nations (Gabay, et al. 2007). According to Ingrid Hahne Rima (2009) the larger issue of the role of trade in raising living standards of the English was not the concern of the mercantilists. For them the purpose of trade is to enrich the king and strengthen the nation politically. Rima asserts that their â€Å"fear of goods† was rooted in the premise that the quest for gold, like the quest for territory, is a zero-sum game; that is, more for England is at the expense of Spain, Italy, and Holland, and vice versa. According to Ingrid Rima (2009), most mercantilists suspected a direct relationship between the quantity of money and the level of prices. The earliest theoretical analysis of the relationship between the quantity of money and inflationary price increases was made by the sixteenth century French political philosopher Jean Bodin. He attributed the marked price rise experienced by Western Europe in his time primarily to the inflow of monetary metals from South America. Rima states that Bodin also observed that monopolies, through their policies of restricting output, and large demands by consumers of luxury commodities contributed to price increases. According to Rima, since few mercantilists favored inflation, their recommendations for a continuous accumulation of monetary metals via a favorable balance of trade appears contradictory. The mercantilists typically thought that increases in the amount of money â€Å"quicken trade† instead of producing an inflation of prices. Their advocacy of a favorable balance of trade, with its associated inflow of specie, was thereby rescued from a seeming contradiction of objectives. According to Rima, this line of reasoning reflects awareness that a growing volume of money and credit is essential to continued expansion of the physical volume of trade. Mercantilist reasoned that an inflow of hard money would keep interest rates low, while the downward pressure on prices resulting from an inadequate supply of money would serve to dampen further expansion of economic activity. Mercantilists seemed to sense the necessity of avoiding downward pressure on prices if commercial activity was to be expanded (Ingrid Hahne Rima, 2009). According to Walter LaFeber (1998) the mercantilist solicitude for production did not arise originally from a fear of overproduction, underemployment, or overpopulation. The desire for a favorable balance of trade which would result in an inflow of bullion caused the seventeenth-century thinkers to want increased production. Preoccupation with the wealth and growth of the state and the acquisition of treasure played a vital role by setting the stage for a number of corollary doctrines and policies intended to foster the achievement of these goals (Ingrid Hahne Rima, 2009). Rima states that the theory of production is of major importance, for the creation of the largest possible export surplus requires maximum utilization of the factors of production. Rima asserts that mercantilists distinguished between productive and unproductive labor in terms of its contribution to the national opulence. Manufacturers and farmers were regarded as productive, though the warmest praise was, understandably, reserved for merchants. It was also urged that the government hold the number of unproductive people to a minimum in order to direct their labor to some more useful occupation. According to Rima, mercantilist ideas on production are part of their legacy from the Scholastics of the medieval period, who regarded wealth as evidence of God’s bounty and production as the exploitation of this bounty by labor. According to Rima, another aspect of mercantilist emphasis on the importance of labor in production is the encouragement of population growth, not for the sake of mere numbers, but to increase the size of the working force. It was generally accepted that a large population, by keeping wages close to subsistence levels, would not only reduce the cost of producing goods but would also discourage the idleness that might become associated with higher wage levels. One of the most interesting bits of mercantilist reasoning incorporating views on both labor and balance of payments, according to Rima, was that when goods were exported, foreigners, in effect, pay the wages of the workers employed in making them, whereas imports involve like payments to foreigners. The obvious duty of government would therefore be to minimize foreign imports in order to achieve a favorable balance of foreign-paid income. Rima asserts that bullion is the most desirable import because it is wealth, and also has little labor incorporated in it s compared with the manufactured exports. During the era of mercantilism, economic behavior began to manifest itself through commercial activities. This is according to Ingrid Rima (2007). Rima states that mercantilist thinkers emphasized the importance of commerce and industry and the role of state in promoting economic development and national wealth (Ingrid Hahne Rima, 2009). References Gabay, Et Al (2007): Economics: It’s Concepts & Principles (w/ Agrarian Reform & Taxation) 2007: Rex Bookstore, Inc. Ingrid Hahne Rima (2009): Development of Economic Analysis 7e: Taylor & Francis Walter LaFeber (1998): The new empire: an interpretation of American expansion, 1860-1898 Cornell paperbacks: Cornell University Press

Basel Iii

1: Relationship between the capital base of banks and the 2007-1010 financial crisis and great recession. Previous financial crisis have demonstrated that past efforts to prevent systematic crashes are insufficient, and are still working to implement The Basel III framework. The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision tried to concentrate on solving some of the major systematic problems known during the financial crisis, however Basel III might fail to reduce the risks, some major countries could choose to reject the proposals or delay the implementation of this framework. One of the main problems is that Basel III is focusing mostly in Europe and the United States, ignoring the practices in emerging economies. This new regulation will only shift systematic risk from one place to another without really reducing the risk of global financial crises placing greater regulation on banks and allowing non bank institutions to operate without supervision, meaning that this will increase rather than decrease systematic risk. 2: What measures should limit counterparty credit risk? Counterparty credit risk is the risk that the opposing party in a financial transaction will fail to honor an agreement. Since Basel II did not required banks to hold enough money in order to honor the agreement, Basel II is imposing additional measures to calculate the amount of risk. Some of the measures to limit counterparty credit risk are to include a period of economic and market stress when making assumptions, this way banks will be required to hold more capital in order to honor the agreement. Also, it has been proposed that banks increase the correlation assumptions between financial firms assets, this will increase the risk adjusted weighting for banks funding from other financial institutions, and by doing this financial institutions will decrease the dependence on one another. 3: Discuss the use of liquidity ratios as a valid focus for international regulations. The liquidity framework aims to improve banks flexibility to liquidity problems in the market; however it will harm international practices. The liquidity framework will increase the cost and decrease the availability of credit, meaning that banks would not have sufficient funds to conform to the minimum regulatory NSFR. It could also create liquid asset shortages or a large concentration of risk since all banks will want to hold similar assets, so banks will not be able to rely on lines of credit, liquidity facilities or other type of funding. This could negatively affect the international bank lending market, which is a major source of funding for many banks.

Critically assess Jack Donnellys claim that human rights have become a Essay

Critically assess Jack Donnellys claim that human rights have become a hegemonic political discourse, or what Mervyn Frost calls settled norms of contemporary international society' - Essay Example The basic human rights of millions of people around the globe continue to be exploited.3 According to Jack Donnelly, human rights have become a hegemonic political discourse. Based on this assertion, human rights have been diluted with extensive political interferences. Additionally, this statement underlines that the powerful nations are increasingly dictating on the nature of human rights within the poor countries in the developing world.4 This perspective undermines the very goal of human rights-to promote equality and freedom among people from all walks of life. There are numerous perspectives towards the framework of human rights. Racial discrimination is among the most notable dimensions of human rights. This is epitomized by famous human rights activists like Martin Luther King Jr. His contribution towards the cause of human rights remains even today. His ideologies towards human rights have greatly contributed towards making the modern society increasingly equal. Despite the efforts of such people, powerful nations continue to influence other countries on the di rection that is supposedly acceptable for human rights. For instance, the extensive fighting in the Middle-East region over the past decades is a notable dimension of how human rights have become a hegemonic political disburse. Hundreds of thousands have been killed in these fights. In essence, the fighting has been largely triggered by political factors such as clamour for power and dominance. In view of these kinds of aspects, it is extremely pertinent to evaluate Jack Donnelly’s claim about the development of human rights as a hegemonic political discourse. This research narrows down on these perspectives while also evaluating the distinctive dimensions of human rights in the modern world. Human rights comprise of numerous dimensions. Within some contexts, human rights might refer to the prevention of any aspect of human exploitation. Within this context, human rights seek to protect

Social work and human services Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Social work and human services - Essay Example I have learnt that reflection can be used as a way to correct any misconceptions, distorted beliefs or even the assumptions previously formed that lack verification of knowledge (Mendes, 2003). It is the interpretations made by the reader during the reflection process that leads to transformations. I learnt that reflection is different from critical reflection not so much in intensity but in magnitude. Critical reflection does the exact things reflection does but instead of focusing on only one area, it spreads to cover the whole self. It therefore covers the beliefs, the feelings, the thoughts and even the action. Critical reflection looks at the whole picture when it comes to analysing anything that is complex and is therefore preferred in cases where the social worker wants to change the practice or the human services that have been previously used (Lyons, 2001). Ethics are meant to establish good or bad. What I had not learnt but did so in this course is about the existence of ethical challenges which affect the social worker while carrying out their duties of social relationship and social functioning. These ethical challenges affect the relationships, the boundaries that need to be established when carrying out the practice, the confidentiality and privacy of some issues about the clients as well as truthfulness. When the social workers are carrying out their work, they need to ensure that they apply the code of ethics of privacy, integrity, accuracy and not doing any harm to the clients as explained by (Garton, 1994). Learning about the codes and applying them protects the social workers from malpractice suits, being termed as incompetent by the clients, protecting their professionalism and professional identity as well as ensuring that they have self-regulating measures when working. The Australian code of ethics further insists on avoidance of conflict of interest and

Property rights under land laws Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Property rights under land laws - Case Study Example Similarly, a lease is a payment made by a person to the owner of the property for his or her use of the property. In this case, a verbal lease was agreed between Imran and Zac and Julie. We will discuss, how Emile, can treat a verbal lessee, after gaining control of the property in the latter part of this essay. Similarly, this case will also look at the position under which Aunt Mildred is in because her share in the property is not documented and how things could have been different if her share would have been documented. JULIE AND ZAC sells the property which was registered in their name to Emile. In other words, the rights of ownership of land are transferred from ZAC and JULIE to EMILE. However, even after the ownership of the land has changed, the parties to whom the property rights were granted in the form of lease, easement and deeds remain intact. In other words, it is binding upon EMILE to honour these rights. The proprietary nature of the rights is such that it is enforceable on parties other than the original signatories of these contracts. This relationship is expressed in FIGURE 2. The above clause clearly shows the fact that Imran, Rajindar are going to continue to enjoy these rights provided by the original owners Zac and Julie. These rights are supported by the LAW in section LPA1925.2 However, as far as Aunt Mildred is concerned, she might face difficultly as her name is not registered as partial owner and her share is not documented unlike Zac and Julie. Since, her name is not included as the partial owner of property, she is not the rightful owner of the property and she has not legal rights over the property in legal terms. As a result of this, unless Zac and Julie decide to pay her back, or she hires a tactful lawyer to have her claim over Zac and Julie settled, she enjoys no rights over the p

What, if anything, was revolutionary about the Scientific Revolution Essay

What, if anything, was revolutionary about the Scientific Revolution - Essay Example he telescope, the dissection and the new conception of the universe will be used to discuss the causes of the Scientific Revolution as well as illustrate how the Scientific Revolution influenced society then and now. Before the mid-1500s, when the Scientific Revolution is generally agreed to have had its start, ideas regarding medicine, the body and the universe were not based on the same sorts of observations that are available to us today. For those who considered the placement of the earth in relation to the universe, it was understood that the earth was at the center with concentric bands of water, air and fire surrounding it. Surrounding these were further bands of the stellar spheres with Jesus and the saints existing even beyond the outermost stellar sphere. Another conception of the universe, the Ptolemaic Universe, was described as consisting of two spheres, the inner one was the earth and the outer one, the remainder of the universe, revolved around this inner core. These images originating in scientific books on the subject produced in this period help to illustrate the depth to which these ideas, born of Biblical interpretations, were believed. However, touching off the debate that w ould eventually change the world, Copernicus wrote to Pope Paul III regarding his soon-to-be published and revolutionary idea that the earth revolved around the sun rather than the other way around (Copernicus 1543 cited in Levick, 2004: 524). Fearful of the backlash his observations might have on a public firmly entrenched in the idea of being central to the universe, Copernicus was working to gain the support of the Pope by pointing out the purely mathematical means by which he came to his conclusions as well as the support he found for this idea in ancient texts. In this letter, he informs the Pope that it is only by assuming a motion of the earth in addition to the observed motions of the other planets can the universe possibly retain its apparent

Local practice essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Local practice - Essay Example After interviewing the members of the Chinese family, I realized there are numerous misconceptions about the Chinese culture, practices, and family organization. The family has been in the United States for two generations, but none of the members has intermarried with other cultures. The family I interviewed comprises both parents and their five children. This paper is a comparison of the information in books with the local practices of the Chinese people. There is a misconception that Chinese can barely speak English. Although Chinese have limited English proficiency, some of them can communicate considerably well. However, I noticed they have a tendency of using Mandarin even in the presence of persons who do not understand it. Additionally, though some can speak some English, they have poor understanding capability. As we spoke, I realized that they would frequently misunderstand me. However, when discussing issues regarding their culture, they would understand better than when discussing other issues (Ngo-Metzger, et al., 2003; Rastogi, 2002). There is a misconception that the Chinese people do not take a stand in an issue or they are shy. On the contrary, I realized this is not true. In the short period I spent with them, they disclosed a lot of information regarding their past. They would freely talk about their social life. Like explained in the books, the Chinese culture stresses the dedication to family and traditions. I realized that they have some disregard to individualism. They have a tendency of shielding a sick family member from accessing bad medical news. They told me of an example that one of their family member died of cancer without ever knowing what she was suffering from. They argued that disclosing such news to her would only have made matters worse since she was still too young. While dealing with Chinese, it is thus important to ask them of the persons who can

Design Project Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Design Project Report - Essay Example IS INTERESTING TO SEE HOW PEOPLE WHO DEFY NORMS, THE NONCONFORMISTS, CHALLENGE POPULAR NOTIONS AND THRIVE IN A WORLD OF FREEDOM, BREAKING THE SHACKLES OF SOCIAL MANDATES. THIS RESEARCH PAPER DISCUSSES THE IMPORTANCE OF IDENTITY THAT REFLECTS IN SUBCULTURES OF 20TH CENTURY.IT IS INTERESTING TO SEE HOW PEOPLE WEAR UNIFORMS DIFFERENTLY WITH PERSONAL CHARACTERISTS ENGRAINED INTO IT. THIS SERVES AS AN EXAMPLE OF ANTI CONFORMITY, THE DESIRE TO EXPRESS ONE’S SELF AND MAKE A STATEMENT. Humans, being touted as civilized social animals, have to conform to various norms that the society imposes upon them and find themselves â€Å"just going along† (Epley & Gilovich 1999:588). These norms originate from culture, traditions, judicial systems and a host of other regulations that dictate the existence of human beings in a so called civilized society. Thus, they become forced to conform to the notions of what is civilized, to secure their safe haven within the society and to be recognized as respectable citizens. However, beneath this faà §ade a primeval animal lurks with its natural instincts suppressed and doused for fear of being outcast or alienated from the society. Conformity can be perceived as an attitude that compels humans to comply with the societal norms in vogue and modulating their behaviour to â€Å"match the responses of others† (Cialdini & Goldstein 2004:606). Thus, due to risks of being ostracized from their social cocoon, people normally comply with the dictates that society imposes on them. Human tendency or pressure to conform occurs even from the early stages of their community life, which is school. Therefore, they feel a â€Å"vital need to conform to peer pressure† to attain a sense of ‘belonging’ to a specific group (Younger et al 2005:18). While this trait can be good in the context of life of an individual within the society, from the point of view of artistic expressions, conformity can be a major limiting factor to one’s creative talent. It is

Should the legislature of the state of texas pass senate bill 11 and Essay

Should the legislature of the state of texas pass senate bill 11 and senate bill 17 - Essay Example The two bills that were discussed were the SB 11, the campus carry bill and SB 17, the open carry bill (Habib 43). The bills passed and forwarded to the committee and the Senate respectively for considerations to be done. The Texas Moms Demand Action Chapter for the American Presidents Gun Sense has been advocating some strict gun regulations (Hupp 45). The president has had the chance to testify at the end of the day opposing both the SB 11 and SB 17 bills. The bills operate by expounding the system of the state for hidden handgun licenses. The system allows for those who are over the age of 21 to pass a check on criminal background and complete the safety and proficiency training to be allowed to carry concealed handguns (Lott 18). The SB 11 bill if passed will allow for those who have qualified for a CHL to carry their guns even inside the classrooms of buildings on college campuses. Presently, those who hold the CHL may carry the guns on campus but they are not allowed to carry them on the college buildings. The laws on taxes also allow the holders to carry other long guns such as the shotguns and rifles (Smith 25). The SB 17 bill, on the other hand, will expand the existing laws to allow the CHL holders to carry their handguns openly. Consequently, the topic of whether those who hold CHL tend to be law abiding and safe is paramount for the lawmakers to put into consideration as they debate on passing the two bills (Ludwig and Lott 20). The Texas based public security department has also posted the conviction rates done to the CHL holders compared to the general population of Texas on their website that date way back from 1996. Although, the DPS does not in any case consider the convictions made to the CHL h olders to be final until a year elapses after the convictions have been made (Tanne 14). The time is given to allow appeals to be done and to generate the reports at

Economics of Race and Gender Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Economics of Race and Gender - Term Paper Example I intend to show that evidence exists that the imbalance in economic pay for women can be corrected with continued positive efforts by society. Much progress has been made in regards equal pay for equal job performance in recent decades, yet a significant gap still exists even among managerial professionals in the workforce. A study outlined in The Herald (Glasgow) mentions that women receive 17.1 percent less pay than their male colleagues (Morgan, News, p 10). One of the first significant legal moves toward equality was with the Equal Pay Act of 1963 (U.S. Dept. of Labor, 2). The Act states that it is illegal for employers to discriminate on basis of sex (p 2). Despite the Equal Pay Act, a 2005 article in The Herald reports that both females and pregnant women in particular face discrimination at work. The author found that 54 percent of Scottish women faced discrimination during pregnancy, while 50 percent of women in the UK reported similar issues. Only 20 percent of the women surveyed however decided to report occurrence of the issue (Morgan, News 10). Businesses also contribute to the problem since only 10 percent of companies surveyed in Scotland perform equal pay reviews, while only 22 percent perform such reviews in England (Morgan, News 10). Another recent article in Scotland on Sunday reported that surveys of workers in Scotland found that female mangers encountered greater pay discrimination the higher in the organization they went (Barnes, 9). The reporter mentioned that the pay gap is the greatest for top level jobs. The top 10 percent of males in Scotland were making more than 40,500 GBP, while the top 10 percent of females were making more than 34,000 GBP (Barnes, 9). Currently, women are largely left out of executive roles, and this is occurring in most developed countries. A recent article in The Independent newspaper from London

Produce a clear understand of the Coca-Cola Company in Australia Essay Example for Free

Produce a clear understand of the Coca-Cola Company in Australia Essay This report was written to satisfy the pass requirements of Marketing in Principles at Sydney Western International College. This study is aims to produce a clear understand of the Coca-Cola Company in Australia. The analysis of the Coca-Coal company brings an overview of how does the company has achieved its goals, their strategies and future growth. The investigation was also seek to find out how this well populated Coca-Cola products satisfied the customers and how they are different from other companies upon their marketing strategies. In order to achieve the objectives literature search was conducted by using websites, books, newspaper articles and journals. These categories help to compare the general marketing strategies with the Coca-Cola company strategies. Useful information regards to marketing help us to study the environment of the company. The final outcome of the report was that they have followed a complete theory on marketing to achieve its goals. Even the company had to face for the decline stage, the performance of the good management and advertising tools assist the organization to win the market and avoid distractions. The biggest challenge was been the Pepsi company which had a diametrical increase within a short time and populated in all over the world as Coca-Cola changing the whole marketing situation and attracting other companies consumers to their product. In conclusion this research was able to carry out current marketing situation, SWOT analysis, Issue Analysis, Company objectives, Marketing Strategy, Action Programs and Controls of the Coca-Cola Company. Strengths in Coca Cola Company (sponsorships) 1. In August 1993, FIFA working in co-operation with The Coca-Cola Company introduced a ranking system for football (soccer) men senior national teams. The system makes it possible to publish comparisons of the relevance strengths of internationally active teams at regular intervals. Since its introduction, the FIFA/Coca-Cola Ranking has proved to be a reliable measure for comparing national A-teams. To ensure that the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking always reflects the current status, FIFA primarily evaluates matches played in the 12 months prior to the date on which it is issued. Performance over the previous years is also taken into account, however. Basically, the score obtained from the current 12 months is added to that of the immediately preceding seven years with each previous year being devalued continually. The company help for sports it is a charity work 2. Healthy eating, physical activity what promotes healthy bones in growing children and youth? According to a decade of significant research, a combination of exercise and adequate calcium intake encourages good bone development in adolescents and children. To absorb calcium properly, a child also needs sufficient Vitamin D. Some parents wonder if other food and beverage ingredients could influence bone development. Studies on phosphorous and caffeine both used in small amounts in soft drinks have shown they have no significant effect on bone mass. The U.S. National Institutes of Health, as well as other sources, report no appreciable connection between these nutrients and an individuals calcium balance. This position counters a small body of work that has suggested associations between soft drink consumption and bone fractures in teen girls. The company help for childrens activities 3. Community works Society advances on the strength of community: people sharing their ideas and resources to reach common goals. We seek to strengthen local communities worldwide through our support for education, through partnerships with other organizations and through acts of citizenship by the people of Coca-Cola. We support education because of its power to expand opportunities for individuals and increase understanding between cultures. We partner with national and international organizations to alleviate economic disadvantage and help improve the quality of life in local communities. Together with our local bottling partners, we strengthen communities by giving with our hands and our hearts, as partners in the promise of a better life. (Strength, 2004) Weaknesses in Coca Cola Company. The threat of Coca Cola Company is that as their business too much vast compare to this their branches all around the world are not enough. (Our company, 2004) Opportunities in Coca Cola Company In regard to opportunities of Coca Cola Company are the western Philippines island of Pal wan, poverty-stricken children at rural schools have been known to look for edible plants to eat during recess. The Philippines Division of The Coca-Cola Company has launched a community initiative called NutriBreak to improve the daily nutrition intake of underprivileged children who attend Little Red Schoolhouses. Under the nutrition program, the governments Food and Nutrition Research Institute and Banquet State University have partnered to develop a nutritious snack for the schoolchildren. The snack provides kids with the daily requirement of protein and carbohydrates and is served with our vitamin-fortified Eight Oclock orange juice drink, as a part of the Philippines Divisions Active Lifestyle (AL) program. The Little Red Schoolhouse Project, the flagship program of The Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines, has already built fifty schoolhouses in the Philippines remote areas. The NutriBreak nutrition program will ultimately reach all fifty Little Red Schoolhouses They try to expand childrens charity works (our company 2003) THE COCA-COLA COMPANY INCREASES ANNUAL DIVIDEND BY 11 PERCENT 40th Consecutive Annual Increase Atlanta, February 21, 2002 The Coca-Cola Companys Board of Directors today announced it has increased the quarterly dividend from 18 cents to 20 cents per common share, equivalent to an annual dividend of 80 cents per share. This increase reflects the Companys significant free cash flow generation. This is the Companys 40th consecutive annual increase of its dividend. The dividend is payable April 1, 2002, to share owners of record as of March 15, 2002. They increased their board of directors Threats in Coca Cola Company The have only one company to challenge for their products it is Pepsi cola company. But however they have a complete control over it. (Threats, 2004) Action Programs As for as new products are concerned they are looking for health-conscious consumers should as consumers first look to nutrient-rich foods to obtain their daily nutrition. In this regard their Chef Barr Hogen is working out. (New releases, 2004) Four New Products, Super Nutrition The new Odwalla juice beverages Blueberry Smoothie, Protein Tropic ale(tm), Passionate C(tm) and Organic Orange Juice are available in 1.5 litre (50.8 fluid oz.) multi-serve recyclable-plastic bottles. Blueberry Smoothie and Protein Tropic ale(tm) are also offered in a new 11 fluid oz. size bundled into handy 4-packs. Suggested retail price for the multi-serve and 4-packs are $3.99 each, providing an affordable price for such premium juice products. These new products will be stocked in the refrigerated juice case, making it convenient for consumers to find them in the store. Drink It and Thrive At Odwalla, they chosen a variety of great-tasting and nutritious fruits, as well as other ingredients call super foods for these new juice beverages and Smoothie, are for healthiness and Wellness. As health-conscious consumers should first look to nutrient-rich foods to obtain their daily nutrition. Too often, consumers turn to pills and powders for what they think is an easy nutritional fix. Juices, however, are a convenient, flavourful and hydrating form of natural nutrition. Chef Hogens newest product recipes include a line-up of four delicious tasting products: * Odwalla Blueberry Smoothie is a blend of blueberries, blackberries and raspberries combined with oranges, apples and bananas to make a sweet and silky Smoothie. The bluesy blueberries boast a blow to free radicals, with a rhapsody of antioxidants and anthocyanins. This 100% fruit juice blend contains no added sweeteners. * Odwalla Protein Tropic ale is a tantalizing blend of tropical fruit juices and purees such as pineapple, mango and passionfruit, combined with 4 grams of soy protein per serving. * Odwalla Passionate C is a scrumptious sipper of orange, apple, mango, banana, strawberry, and acerola cherry (one of natures highest vitamin C-packed fruits) and passionfruit. Each vibrant 8 fluid oz. serving provides 470% of the Daily Value for vitamin C. * Odwalla Organic Orange Juice, made only from certified 100% organically grown oranges, underscores the companys commitment to sustainable agriculture and natural-resources conservation. The Coca-Cola Company objectives Marketing Objectives The company is dedicated to provide and maintain a safe and healthy workplace for its employees, suppliers, contractors and customers. As the company is large it is hard to continue to grow at a steady space. The competition is higher than ever before. And the forthcoming competition and challenge for the company in the targeting markets leads them to be more accurate and more efficient. The company has faced for the big challenge with its main against competitor Pepsi. Since the time the company met this new competitor it has to change its strategies, directors, distribution methods and promotion system. As consumers are drinking more and more new beverages, coca-cola company plan to improve their products with respect to the prices. The following objectives have been taken into consideration (Coca-ColaCCA, 2003) Market Place * Improve the quality of the product and deliver that quality without any changes to every market place. * Gain the success of suppliers, distributors and retailers who connected with the coca-cola network. * Provide more jobs, facilities, and marketing in the local market as well as in the global market. * Reduce the price but remain the quality of product or increase the quality of the product. * Innovation in the products they offer, the process they use to make them, the package they develop and ways they bring them to the market will change to a proper way and increase the efficiency,. The delivery system will faster than ever before. Work Place * Improve the safety of the work place. * Make it as the most diverse organization on the earth, with talented employees who bring a variety of intellectual, professional, ethnic and cultural perspectives to the company. * Make the policies to foster an inclusive environment that encourages all employees to develop and perform to their fullest potential. Consumer Needs * Improve the tasty and provide more hygienic beverages than today. * Offer a valuable price, which satisfied the customer. * Readily available in every time in the market place, especially where in places that the product is well consumed. * Fulfil the consumers expectation in order to satisfy the consumers and win the market place. *Growth Drivers, which company targeting on, are; -Profitable profit generation -Cost reduction -Customer service improvement -Capital Management -The Coca-Cola company relationship Financial Objectives The company is now focusing on the earning per share. They are expecting to increase the earning per share from 12% to 15%. Also expect to increase the net profit from 10% to 15% and return on capital employed growth from 1pt to 1.5pts. The changes of financial performance over the previous years indicate the future growth of the company (Refer Appendix- A and B and C). Current Marketing Situation ? Market Situation The company has a strong place in the market. The head of the marketing Mr. Sergio Zyman develop the company strategies to promote their product more efficiently than other competitors. From the whole beverage the Coca-Cola Company has achieved market more than 78%. With its indulgency, the company has the best selling and quality assurance comparing to other beverages. ? Service Situation The company performs a standard delivery service, which runs on time basis. Services are spread into every state including NSW, Victoria, Perth, and Queensland. High quality service guarantees that the company product exists in the market better than before. Marketing executives of the company always capable and available to help for their customers and resellers. The company well conducted with their wholesalers and retailers in order to encourage them and to be with them. Attract to another competitor is neglected upon this situation. ? Distribution Situation The company has the best selling images. It reserves more on advertising and its been useful and beneficial to increase their profit and production. Introductions like fast-lane merchandisers are continually increase each period. Agreements with colleges, universities and other public and private sectors help them to keep their product in one whole market and avoid entering of other competitors. (Schermehorn etal, 2004 p 46) Conclusion From all above facts and figure of the company. The strength of the company more than the weakness and likewise opportunities with compare to threats it concludes that company has strong swot analysis, which is a positive sign. As for as Current Marketing Situation is concerned with respect to market situation, service situation and distribution situation is much better than its competitors (Pepsi). The company is dedicated to provide and maintain a safe and healthy workplace for its employees, suppliers, contractors and customers; the coca cola company also have many campaigns in markets. Financial Objectives the Coca-Cola Company objectives are increasing day by day which shows that company will increase its sale ratio annually from 11% of the previous year to 20% in next coming 5 years. Appendix A Appendix B Appendix C KEY FINANCIALS 2003 2002 2001 2000 Change in 2000-2003 Revenue ($ million) 1,882.9 1,776.8 1,675.1 1,558.1 +6.5% Volume (million unit cases) 301.2 285.8 275.1 263.3 +4.6% Revenue per Unit Case ($) 6.25 6.22 6.09 5.92 +1.8% EBIT ($ million) 377.7 317.0 288.9 272.0 +11.6% EBIT margin (%) 20.1 17.8 17.2 17.5 Capex to Revenue (%) 5.2 1.7 3.5 4.8 Reference List Coca-ColaCCA, 2003 the CCA World [online] http://www.coca colacca .com _20020301 .html (Accessed: 29-04-04) My company, 2003 The Coca Cola Company [online] http://www2.coca-cola.com/ourcompany/whatsnew_20030404 .html 24.2KB in: 1, Coca: 1, Cola: 1, Company: 1, opportunities in.: 25 (Accessed: 29-04-04) New releases, 2004 The Coca Cola Company [online] http://www2cocacolacom/pre sscenter/nr_20030204_odwalla_new_juices.html (Accessed: 15-05-04) Our Company, 2004 The Coca Cola Company [online] http://www2.coca-cola.com/ourcompany/whatsnew_20020301 .html 23.5KB in: 1, Coca: 1, Cola: 1, Company: 1, weaknesses in.: 23 (Accessed: 29-04-04) Schermehorn etal, 2004 p46. Marketing Strategies: Ed: 4 New York (29-04-04) Threats, 2004 The Coca Cola Company [online] http://www2.coca cola.com /our company/whatsnew_20020301.html 23.5KB in: 1, Coca: 1, Cola: 1, Company: 1, weaknesses in.: 23(Accessed: 05-05-04)

Principles of Marketing | Dissertation

Principles of Marketing | Dissertation Definition of Marketing Marketing is part of all of our lives and touches us in some way every day. Most people think that marketing is only about the advertising and/or personal selling of goods and services. Advertising and selling, however, are just two of the many marketing activities. In general, marketing activities are all those associated with identifying the particular wants and needs of a target market of customers, and then going about satisfying those customers better than the competitors. This involves doing market research on customers, analyzing their needs, and then making strategic decisions about product design, pricing, promotion and distribution. Philip Kotler says, Marketing is managing profitable customer relationships. The twofold goal of marketing is to attract new customers by promising superior value and to keep and grow current customers by delivering satisfaction. Broadly defined, marketing is a social and managerial process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging value with others. Narrowly defined marketing involves building profitable, value-laden exchange relationships with customers. In short, it has been defined as the process by which companies create value for customers and build strong customer relationships in order to capture value from customers in return. The new definition given by American Marketing Association reads, Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large. The marketing process Create value for customers and build customer relationships Capture value from customers in return In the first four steps, companies work to understand consumers, create customer value and build strong customer relationships. In the final step, companies reap the rewards of creating superior customer value. By creating value for customers, they in turn capture value from customers in the form of sales, profits and long term customer equity. Core concepts of marketing Target Markets and Segmentation A marketer can rarely satisfy everyone in a market. Everyone in the market has different taste, likeliness, income and spending habit. Not everyone likes the same soft drink, automobile, college, and movie. Therefore, marketers start with market segmentation. They identify and profile distinct groups of buyers who might prefer or require varying products and marketing mixes. Market segments can be identified by examining demographic, psychographic, and behavioral differences among buyers. The firm then decides which segments present the greatest opportunity—whose needs the firm can meet in a superior fashion. The lucrative segment/s are selected or targeted for offering/selling the product. For each chosen target market, the firm develops a market offering. The offering is positioned in the minds of the target buyers as delivering some central benefit(s). For example, Volvo develops its cars for the target market of buyers for whom auto- mobile safety is a major concern. Volvo , therefore, positions its car as the safest car a customer can buy. Customer Needs, Wants and Demands Needs are the basic human requirements. People need food, air, water, clothing, and shelter to survive. People also have strong needs for creation, education, and entertainment. The above needs become wants when they are directed to specific objects that might satisfy the need. An American needs food but may want a hamburger, French fries, and a soft drink. A person in Mauritius needs food but may want a mango, rice, lentils, and beans. Wants are shaped by ones society. Demands are wants for specific products backed by an ability to pay. Many people want a Mercedes; only a few are able to buy one. Companies must measure not only how many people want their product but also how many would actually be willing and able to buy it. Product or Offering Customers needs and wants are fulfilled through a marketing offer or product. A product is any offering that can satisfy a need or want, such as one of the 10 basic offerings of goods, services, experiences, events, persons, places, properties, organizations, information, and ideas. A brand is an offering from a known source. A brand name such as McDonalds carries many associations in the minds of people: hamburgers, fun, children, fast food, and golden arches. These associations make up the brand image. All companies strive to build a strong, favorable brand image. Value and Satisfaction In terms of marketing, the product or offering will be successful if it delivers value and satisfaction to the target buyer. The buyer chooses between different offerings on the basis of which is perceived to deliver the most value. We define value as a ratio between what the customer gets and what he gives. The customer gets benefits and assumes costs, as shown in this equation: Based on this equation, the marketer can increase the value of the customer offering by (1) raising benefits, (2) reducing costs, (3) raising benefits and reducing costs, (4) raising benefits by more than the raise in costs, or (5) lowering benefits by less than the reduction in costs. Exchange and Transactions Exchange, the core of marketing, involves obtaining a desired product from someone by offering something in return. For exchange potential to exist, five conditions must be satisfied: There are at least two parties. Each party has something that might be of value to the other party. Each party is capable of communication and delivery. Each party is free to accept or reject the exchange offer. Each party believes it is appropriate or desirable to deal with the other party. Whether exchange actually takes place depends upon whether the two parties can agree on terms that will leave them both better off (or at least not worse off) than before. Exchange is a value-creating process because it normally leaves both parties better off. Marketing Mix Marketers use numerous tools to elicit the desired responses from their target markets. These tools constitute a marketing mix. Marketing mix is the set of marketing tools that the firm uses to pursue its marketing objectives in the target market. McCarthy classified these tools into four broad groups that he called the four Ps of marketing: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. Robert Lauterborn suggested that the sellers four Ps correspond to the customers four Cs. Winning companies are those that meet customer needs economically and conveniently and with effective communication. Marketing Philosophies and Concepts There are five competing concepts under which organizations conduct marketing activities: produc- tion concept, product concept, selling concept, marketing concept, and societal mar- keting concept. The Production Concept The production concept, one of the oldest in business, holds that consumers prefer products that are widely available and inexpensive. Managers of production-oriented businesses concentrate on achieving high production efficiency, low costs, and mass distribution. This orientation makes sense in developing countries, where consumers are more interested in obtaining the product than in its features. It is also used when a company wants to expand the market. Texas Instruments is a leading exponent of this concept. It concentrates on building production volume and upgrading technology in order to bring costs down, leading to lower prices and expansion of the market. This orientation has also been a key strategy of many Japanese companies. The Product Concept Other businesses are guided by the product concept, which holds that consumers favor those products that offer the most quality, performance, or innovative features. Managers in these organizations focus on making superior products and improving them over time, assuming that buyers can appraise quality and performance. Product-oriented companies often design their products with little or no customer input, trusting that their engineers can design exceptional products. A General Motors executive said years ago: How can the public know what kind of car they want until they see what is availablefi GM today asks customers what they value in a car and includes marketing people in the very beginning stages of design. The Selling Concept The selling concept, another common business orientation, holds that consumers and businesses, if left alone, will ordinarily not buy enough of the organizations products. The organization must, therefore, undertake an aggressive selling and promotion effort. This concept assumes that consumers must be coaxed into buying, so the company has a battery of selling and promotion tools to stimulate buying. The selling concept is practiced most aggressively with unsought goods—goods that buyers normally do not think of buying, such as insurance and funeral plots. The selling concept is also practiced in the nonprofit area by fund-raisers, college admissions offices, and political parties. Most firms practice the selling concept when they have overcapacity. Their aim is to sell what they make rather than make what the market wants. The Marketing Concept The marketing concept, in the mid-1950s, challenges the three business orientations we just discussed. The marketing concept holds that the key to achieving organizational goals consists of the company being more effective than its competitors in creating, delivering, and communicating customer value to its chosen target markets. The marketing concept focuses on the needs of the buyer. Marketing is preoccupied with the idea of satisfying the needs of the customer by means of the product and the whole cluster of things associated with creating, delivering and finally consuming it. The marketing concept rests on four pillars: target market, customer needs, integrated marketing, and profitability. The marketing concept takes an outside-in perspective. It starts with a well-defined market, focuses on customer needs, coordinates activities that affect customers, and produces profits by satisfying customers. The Societal Marketing Concept Some have questioned whether the marketing concept is an appropriate philosophy in an age of environmental deterioration, resource shortages, explosive population growth, world hunger and poverty, and neglected social services. Are companies that successfully satisfy consumer wants necessarily acting in the best, long-run interests of consumers and societyfi The marketing concept sidesteps the potential conflicts among consumer wants, consumer interests, and long-run societal welfare. Yet some firms and industries are criticized for satisfying consumer wants at societys expense. Such situations call for a new term that enlarges the marketing concept. We propose calling it the societal marketing concept, which holds that the organizations task is to determine the needs, wants, and interests of target markets and to deliver the desired satisfactions more effectively and efficiently than competitors in a way that preserves or enhances the consumers and the societys well-being. The societal marketing concept calls upon marketers to build social and ethical considerations into their marketing practices. They must balance and juggle the often confiicting criteria of company profits, consumer want satisfaction, and public interest. Yet a number of companies have achieved notable sales and profit gains by adopting and practicing the societal marketing concept. Marketing vs. Selling Oftentimes, marketing and sales are perceived interchangeably. But in actuality, these are two different things. Selling is a small portion of the entire marketing scheme. Selling is the transaction where a product is transferred from the business owner to a buyer for a price. In contrast, marketing is a process that involves several steps ranging from the generation of a product idea to the delivery of that product to the customer. Even after delivery of the product to the customer, the marketing process continues with direct communication with the customer to obtain feedback about the product. Profits from satisfied customers Theodore Levitt of Harvard drew a perceptive contrast between the selling and marketing concepts: Selling focuses on the needs of the seller; marketing on the needs of the buyer. Selling is preoccupied with the sellers need to convert his product into cash; marketing with the idea of satisfying the needs of the customer by means of the product and the whole cluster of things associated with creating, delivering and finally consuming it. The marketing concept rests on four pillars: target market, customer needs, integrated marketing, and profitability. The selling concept takes an inside-out perspective. It starts with the factory, focuses on existing products, and calls for heavy selling and promoting to produce profitable sales. The marketing concept takes an outside-in perspective. It starts with a well-defined market, focuses on customer needs, coordinates activities that affect customers, and produces profits by satisfying customers. CHAPTER 2 MARKETING ENVIRONMENT In order to correctly identify opportunities and monitor threats, the company must begin with a thorough understanding of the marketing environment in which the firm operates. The marketing environment consists of all the actors and forces outside marketing that affect the marketing managements ability to develop and maintain successful relationships with target customers. A companys marketing environment consists of the actors and forces outside marketing that affect marketing managements ability to develop and maintain successful relationships with its target customers Importance: The marketing environment offers both opportunities and threats Changes in the marketing environment often occur at a rapid pace. Marketers tend to be trend trackers and opportunity seekers. The company must use its marketing research and marketing intelligence systems to monitor the changing environment. A systematic scan of the environment helps marketers to revise and adapt marketing strategies to meet new challenges and opportunities in the market place. The marketing environment is made up of a micro environmental and macro environment. The Companys Microenvironment The micro environment consists of six forces (actors) close to the company that affect its ability to serve its customers: The company itself (including various internal departments) Suppliers. Marketing channel firms (intermediaries) Customer markets. Competitors. Publics. The Company The first actor is the company itself and the role it plays in the microenvironment. Top management is responsible for setting the companys mission, objectives, broad strategies, and policies. Marketing managers must make decisions within the parameters established by top management. Marketing managers must also work closely with other company departments. Areas such as finance, R D, purchasing, manufacturing, and accounting all produce better results when aligned by common objectives and goals. All departments must think consumer if the firm is to be successful. Suppliers Suppliers are firms and individuals that provide the resources needed by the company and its competitors to produce goods and services. They are an important link in the companys overall customer value delivery system. One consideration is to watch supply availability (such as supply shortages). Another point of concern is the monitoring of price trends of key inputs. Marketing Intermediaries Marketing intermediaries are firms that help the company to promote, sell, and distribute its goods to final buyers. Resellers are distribution channel firms that help the company find customers or make sales to them. These include wholesalers and retailers who buy and resell merchandise. Resellers often perform important functions more cheaply than the company can perform itself. Seeking and working with resellers, however, is not easy because of the power that some demand and use. Physical distribution firms help the company to stock and move goods from their points of origin to their destinations. Examples would be warehouses (that store and protect goods before they move to the next destination). Marketing services agencies (such as marketing research firms, advertising agencies, media firms, etc.) help the company target and promote its products to the right markets. Financial intermediaries (such as banks, credit companies, insurance companies, etc.) help finance transactions and insure against risks associated with buying and selling goods. Customers The company must study its customer markets closely because each market has its own special characteristics. These markets normally include: Consumer markets (individuals and households that buy goods and services for personal consumption). Business markets (buy goods and services for further processing or for use in their production process). Reseller markets (buy goods and services in order to resell them at a profit). Government markets (agencies that buy goods and services in order to produce public services or transfer them to those that need them). International markets (buyers of all types, including governments, in foreign countries). Competitors Every company faces a wide range of competitors. A company must secure a strategic advantage over competitors to be successful in the marketplace. No single competitive strategy is best for all companies . Publics A public is any group that has an actual or potential interest in or impact on an organizations ability to achieve its objectives. A company should prepare a marketing plan for all of its major publics as well as its customer markets. Generally, publics can be identified as being: Financial publics. Media publics. Government publics. Citizen-action publics. Local publics. General public. Internal publics. The Companys Macroenvironment The macroenvironment consists of the larger societal forces that affect the microenvironment: Demographic. Economic. Natural. Technological. Political. Cultural The company and all of the other actors operate in a larger macroenvironment of forces that shape opportunities and pose threats to the company. Major forces in the companys macroenvironment include: Demographic Environment Demography is the study of human populations in terms of size, density, location, age, sex, race, occupation, and other statistics. It is of major interest to marketers because it involves people, and people make up markets. Demographic trends are constantly changing. Some of the more interesting trends are: The worlds population (though not all countries) rate is growing at an explosive rate that will soon exceed food supply and ability to adequately service the population. The greatest danger is in the poorest countries where poverty contributes to the difficulties. The most important trend is the changing age structure of the population. Generational marketing is possible, however, caution must be used to avoid generational alienation. Changing family structure Geographic shifts in population will also alter demographics. Changing educational level : In general, the population is becoming better educated. The work force is becoming more white-collar. Products such as books and education services appeal to groups following this trend. Technical skills (such as in computers) will be a must in the future. The final demographic trend is the increasing ethnic and racial diversity . Economic Environment The economic environment includes those factors that affect consumer buying power and spending patterns. Major economic trends include: Changes in income—personal consumption (along with personal debt) has gone up (1980s) and the 1990s brought recession that has caused adjustments both personally and corporately in this country. In the 2000s, consumers are more careful shoppers. Value marketing (trying to offer the consumer greater value for their dollar) is a very serious strategy in the 2000s. Real income is on the rise again but is being carefully guarded by a value-conscious consumer. Income distribution is still very skewed in the United States and all classes have not shared in prosperity. In addition, spending patterns show that food, housing, and transportation still account for the majority of consumer dollars. It is also of note that distribution of income has created a two-tiered market where there are those that are affluent and less affluent. Classes of consumers include: Upper class—spending patterns are not affected by current economic events and who are a major market for luxury goods. Middle class—somewhat careful about its spending but can still afford the good life some of the time. Working class—must stick close to the basics of food, clothing, and shelter and must try hard to save. Under class—(persons on welfare and many retirees) must count their pennies when making even the most basic purchases. Changing consumer spending patterns: Consider Engles Laws where differences were noted over a century ago by Ernst Engle regarding how people shift their spending across food, housing, transportation, health care, and other goods and service categories as family income rises. Spending patterns have generally supported his ideas. Marketers must carefully monitor economic changes so they will be able to prosper with the trend, not suffer from it. Natural Environment The natural environment involves natural resources that are needed as inputs by marketers or that are affected by marketing activities. During the past two decades environmental concerns have steadily grown. Some trend analysts labeled the 1990s as the Earth Decade, where protection of the natural environment became a major worldwide issue facing business and the public. Specific areas of concern were: Shortages of raw materials. Staples such as air, water, and wood products have been seriously damaged and non-renewable such as oil, coal, and various minerals have been seriously depleted during industrial expansion. Increased pollution is a worldwide problem. Industrial damage to the environment is very serious. Far-sighted companies are becoming environmentally friendly and are producing environmentally safe and recyclable or biodegradable goods. The public response to these companies is encouraging. Government intervention in natural resource management has caused environmental concerns to be more practical and necessary in business and industry. Leadership, not punishment, seems to be the best policy for long term results. Instead of opposing regulation, marketers should help develop solutions to the material and energy problems facing the world. Concern for the natural environment has spawned the so-called green movement. Environmentally sustainable strategies and practices are being created. Companies are recognizing a link between a healthy economy and a healthy ecology. Technological Environment The technological environment includes forces that create new technologies, creating new product and market opportunities. Technology is perhaps the most dramatic force shaping our destiny. New technologies create new markets and opportunities. Every new technology, however, replaces an older technology. The challenge is not only technical but also commercial—to make practical, affordable versions of products. Political Environment The political environment includes laws, government agencies, and pressure groups that influence and limit various organizations and individuals in a given society. Business is regulated by various forms of legislation. Governments develop public policy to guide commerce—sets of laws and regulations limiting business for the good of society as a whole. Almost every marketing activity is subject to a wide range of laws and regulations. Some trends in the political environment include: Increasing legislation to: Protect companies from each other. Protecting consumers from unfair business practices. Protecting interests of society against unrestrained business behavior. Changing government agency enforcement. New laws and their enforcement will continue or increase. Increased emphasis on ethics and socially responsible actions. Socially responsible firms actively seek out ways to protect the long-run interests of their consumers and the environment. The recent rash of business scandals and increased concerns about the environment have created fresh interest in the issues of ethics and social responsibility. The boom in e-commerce and Internet marketing has created a new set of social and ethical issues. Privacy issues are the primary concern. Another cyberspace concern is that of access by vulnerable or unauthorized groups. Cultural Environment The cultural environment is made up of institutions and other forces that affect societys basic values, perceptions, and behaviors. Certain cultural characteristics can affect marketing decision-making. Among the most dynamic cultural char- acterisitics are: Persistence of cultural values. Peoples core beliefs and values have a high degree of persistence. Core beliefs and values are passed on from parents to children and are reinforced by schools, churches, business, and government. Secondary beliefs and values are more open to change. Shifts in secondary cultural values. Because secondary cultural values and beliefs are open to change, marketers want to spot them and be able to capitalize on the change potential. The Yankelovich Monitor has identified eight major consumer themes: Paradox. Trust not. Go it alone. Smarts really count. No sacrifices. Stress hard to beat. Reciprocity is the way to go. Me 2. Societys major cultural views are expressed in: Peoples views of themselves. People vary in their emphasis on serving themselves versus serving others.. Peoples views of others. Observers have noted a shift from a me-society to a we-society. Consumers are spending more on products and services that will improve their lives rather than their image. Peoples views of organizations. People are willing to work for large organizations but expect them to become increasingly socially responsible. Many companies are linking themselves to worthwhile causes. Peoples views of society. This orientation influences consumption patterns. Buy American versus buying abroad is an issue that will continue into the next decade. Peoples view of nature. There is a growing trend toward peoples feeling of mastery over nature through technology and the belief that nature is bountiful. Nature, however, is finite. Love of nature and sports associated with nature are expected to be significant trends in the next several years. Peoples views of the universe. Studies of the origin of man, religion, and thought-provoking ad campaigns are on the rise. Spiritual individualism may be a new theme. Chapter 3 Marketing segmentation Market Segmentation It is the process of dividing a market into distinct group of buyers who have distinct needs, characteristics or behavior and who might require separate product or marketing mixes. Market segment A group of consumers who respond in a similar way to a given set of marketing efforts. For Example: In the car market, consumers who want the biggest, most comfortable car regardless of the price make up one market segment. Consumers who care mainly about price and operating economy make up another segment. Requirements of Market Segments In addition to having different needs, for segments to be practical they should be evaluated against the following criteria: Identifiable: the differentiating attributes of the segments must be measurable so that they can be identified. Accessible: the segments must be reachable through communication and distribution channels. Substantial: the segments should be sufficiently large to justify the resources required to target them. Unique needs: to justify separate offerings, the segments must respond differently to the different marketing mixes. Durable: the segments should be relatively stable to minimize the cost of frequent changes. A good market segmentation will result in segment members that are internally homogenous and externally heterogeneous; that is, as similar as possible within the segment, and as different as possible between segments. Bases for Segmentation in Consumer Markets Consumer markets can be segmented on the following customer characteristics. Geographic Demographic Psychographic Behavioral Geographic Segmentation The following are some examples of geographic variables often used in segmentation. Region: by continent, country, state, or even neighborhood Size of metropolitan area: segmented according to size of population Population density: often classified as urban, suburban, or rural Climate: according to weather patterns common to certain geographic regions Demographic Segmentation Some demographic segmentation variables include: Age Gender Family size Family lifecycle Generation: baby-boomers, Generation X, etc. Income Occupation Education Ethnicity Nationality Religion Social class Many of these variables have standard categories for their values. For example, family lifecycle often is expressed as bachelor, married with no children (DINKS: Double Income, No Kids), full-nest, empty-nest, or solitary survivor. Some of these categories have several stages, for example, full-nest I, II, or III depending on the age of the c

Investigating the Energy Released of Ethanol and 1-pentanol

Investigating the Energy Released of Ethanol and 1-pentanol 1.0 Introduction Combustion reactions are always exothermic, due to the substances (fuels) releasing energy through combustion (temperature increases), which the change in enthalpy () is negative value. All fuels of this experiment are alcohols – ethanol, 1-pentanol and two mixtures of them with different ratios (90%:10% ; 80%:20%), which are the most common organic compounds. Alcohols contain the hydroxyl functional group (-OH) (Diagram 1) bonded to an alkyl group’s carbon atom (Chemwiki, 2014). The classification of alcohols depends on the number of carbon atoms are attached to the carbon atom that is attached to OH group. Both ethanol and 1-pentanol are primary () alcohols, which only one carbon atom is attached to the carbon atom with the OH group (Chemiwiki, 2014). Secondary () and tertiary () alcohols are when two and three carbon atoms are attached to the carbon atom with OH group, but they would not be used in the experiment. In this experiment, 1-pentanol () (Diagram 2) has the longest carbon chain (five carbon atoms) of the fuels, which is expected to produce the highest amount of heat during combustion (), and ethanol () (Diagram 1) has the lowest number of carbon atoms (two carbon atoms), which is believed to release low energy during combustion (). During combustion, the fuel/alcohol reacts with oxygen which produces carbon dioxide and water vapour. It is believed that the greater the change in enthalpy value, the more efficiency of the fuel and more energy will be released. The energy released is calculated through bond energy and measured data, which the heat of combustion of water is divided by the number of moles of the fuel used (). All fuels used in the experiment are hydrocarbon, which is when the carbon atoms joining together form different bonds. There are three main groups of bonding types (Diagram 3): alkanes, alkenes, and alkynes (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2015). Ethanol and 1-pentanol are both alkanes, that they only contain single bonds between carbon atoms; whereas, alkenes and alkynes group contain double and triple bonds between the carbon atoms. The calculated enthalpy change of energy is only an approximation, as the bond energy value for each bond is only an average. In addition, the bond energy value provided for each bond is measured in various states for different situations. This accounts for the difference between the calculated and the actual (Harcourt Education, 2007-2010). 4.0 Discussion 4.1 Analysis By investigating the energy produced during the combustion of different fuels, a linear increasing relationship (Figure 3) was discovered that the longer the carbon chain lengths (larger molar mass) in each fuel molecule, the higher energy released during combustion. Due to two of the fuels being mixtures, the number of carbon was hard to define; hence, the molar mass was used to compare with the average enthalpy. According to Figure 2, the average enthalpy and the fuels’ molar mass had a linear relationship, that the larger molar mass of the fuel, the higher the heat of combustion. Ethanol had the lowest molar mass of 46.069g and 1-pentanol had the highest molar mass of 88.15g (Table 2), hence ethanol had the lowest average heat of combustion (668.6403kJ/mole) whereas 1-pentanol had the highest value (1588.2183kJ/mole) (Table 1). There was a large percentage increase of 137.53% from ethanol to 1-pentanol, which supported the increasing trend and the significant difference in Figure 2. Since a longer carbon chain lengths contain more C-H and C-C bonds (more bond energies) which produce more C=O and O-H bonds ( and ); more bonds would be needed to break and larger level of energy released. Figure 1 clearly illustrated that the secondary and calculated data both supported the increasing trend as the blue and orange bars continued to rise with the increase in molar mass. Thus, 1-pentanol was expected and justified to be the most efficient fuel for this experiment. Mixtures of ethanol and 1-pentanol were used to explore whether ethanol would have a great impact on 1-pentanol and the mixture with ratio of 90% ethanol and 10% 1-pentanol was expected to be the most efficient fuel in real life context. Through calculations, both mixtures had larger values of heat of combustion than pure ethanol; hence, ethanol had an impact on 1-pentanol as the percentage change of the mixture with 10% of 1-pentanol was 22.78% and 20% of 1-pentanol mixture was 39.40% in comparison to pure ethanol. Theoretically, the percentage change of the mixture with 20% of 1-pentanol should be more efficient than the mixture with 10% 1-pentanol due to it produced more energy, which it did have a higher value of energy (933.9340 kJ/mole) released than the other mixture (820.9308 kJ/mole). However, the Australian Government regulations would have a proportion of 10% ethanol in petrol (Biofuels Association of Australia, 2014), due to most petrol used in gasoline and diesel engines (in Australia) have an expansion ratio of 10:1 for premium fuel or 9:1 for regular fuel, and some other engines have ratios of 12:1 or higher (Wikipedia, 2015). Therefore, although the mixture with 20% 1-pentanol had higher efficiency than mixture with 10% 1-pentanol, the hypothesis was justified that the mixture with a ratio of 90% ethanol and 10% 1-pentanol was a more efficient fuel for petrol because it had a more most efficient ratio in real life, whereas the mixture with ratio of 80%:20% would be not as effective and may require different design/structure of engine or cause damage to the engine. 4.2 Evaluation The trials of the experiment were completed with consistency, although heat loss occurred, the increasing trend still applied through measured, secondary and calculated data. Moreover, heat loss occurred throughout the whole experiment which justified the consistency, thus the experiment was valid. From Table 3, the average percentage error showed that the mixture with ratio of 80%:20% was the most accurate fuel with lowest percentage error (44.74%) and pure 1-pentanol was the least accurate and had the highest percentage error (50.35%). All percentage errors were mainly caused by heat loss, which was probably due to incomplete combustion occurring during combustion as some black substances were on the bottom of the small cans after burning, which would have reduced the fuel efficiency so more mass of fuel was used. The insufficiency of oxygen caused incomplete combustion to produce carbon monoxide and water vapour, which could be avoided by washing off the char on the can after use each time to ensure the fuel efficiency in the next trial. Fibreglass was used as insulator wrapped around outside the big can, it could be improved by wrapping another layer of cellulose insulator (mainly made of shredded newspaper and mixed with several of chemicals to reduce its flammability) for the next experiment to increase energy efficiency. Fibreglass’ main weakness is that its incapability of blocking air from passing though, whereas cellulose insulator has higher density which would limit the air movement and prevent air-leakage better (Binford C, 2011). The non-consistency of the flame may have reduced the fuel efficiency as well, due to the flame was not stable while burning, but this could be overcome by conducting the experiment with a diminished-scale of compartment and calorimeter (over the top of the flame and cans) to investigate the maximum heat released rate and the combustion efficiency. The precision between all trials of pure ethanol, 1-pentanol and the mixture with 10% of 1-pentanol were good as the results of mass used of fuels were consistent. However, there was a big anomaly due to heat loss, occurring in the second trial of the mixture with 20% of 1-pentanol that the mass of fuel used was 0.65g, which was approximately 9.25% higher than the other two trials. The anomaly may be due to the air-conditioning was just starting which affect the room temperature and the temperature around the flame. This could be improved by completing the experiment at a certain room temperature with no air-conditioning, and it would keep the consistency of surrounding’s temperature. The experiment could be extended by changing the percentage of ethanol (e.g. 10% of ethanol), based upon the Australian Government that most petrol have 10% ethanol because at this ratio ethanol produces the most efficient energy (justified in Analysis). It could be extended by using mixtures rat io of 50%:50% of ethanol and 1-pentanol to explore which fuel would have a greater impact, as well as mixtures with ratios of 10%:90% and 20%:80% of ethanol and 1-pentanol to investigate whether mixture with 10% of ethanol had the most fuel efficiency. Another way to extend this experiment is to use different concentration of fuels used in the original experiment, by adding water or evaporating the fuel (heating – increase the temperature) to decrease the concentration of fuels, then burn the fuels and calculate the mass of fuel used to then find the heat of combustion to investigate whether the trend of increase in carbon chain lengths/molar mass causes increase in the fuel efficiency still holds. 5.0 Conclusion In summary, the experiment was investigating the energy released of ethanol, 1-pentanol and their mixtures with ratios of 90% ethanol and 10% 1-pentanol and 80% of ethanol and 20% of 1-pentanol during combustion. Furthermore, the results of all fuels’ energy released were shown to obey the trend of increasing in carbon chain length (molar mass) lead to the increase in energy released, and the mixture with ratio of 90%:10% was discovered to be the most efficient fuel ratio for petrol as the Australian Government uses. Therefore, the hypothesis was justified that pure1-pentanol was the most efficient but when relating to real life circumstances fuel mixtures containing a ratio of 90%:10% were the most efficient for petrol.