Economics and United States Essay Example for Free

Economics and United States Essay Introduction to Allstar Brand Allstar Brand is a United States based consumer products company that produces and sells ethical (prescription) pharmaceuticals, OTC (over-the-counter or nonprescription) drugs, and consumer products. It is an $8.9 billion firm that was formed in 1924 and competes with a variety of larger and smaller firms, depending on the product market. It has a number of leading brands in various product categories. Over the years, it has expanded its product category width through internal new product development and acquisition of brands as well as companies. Allstar has operations in Europe and alliances in Asia. These have proven to be very successful markets that performing exceedingly well. But these markets are maturing very quickly, and with increased competition and slowing populations, it is now necessary to look elsewhere for continued growth and profit margins. The Allstar Board believes that to generate the kind of growth needed to drive their stock price, Allstar needs to develop a market presence in South America. South America is a region of great potential. With a population of approximately 450 million, the region represents a population that is 50 percent larger than that of the United States and Canada. The dominant national language across South America is Spanish, as is the case with Argentina. A variety of trade enhancement actions have put in place in recent years. The MERCOSUR agreement was set up among the South American countries of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay, including association agreements (but not membership) with Bolivia. This agreement reduces trade barriers among these countries and has encouraged a variety of companies to establish production inside their borders to take advantage of low labor costs and fairly seamless access to neighboring markets. For accounting purposes at Allstar’s corporate offices, revenues and costs are converted into US$. Therefore, fluctuations in the exchange rate will affect consolidated reports directly. Allsmile Demographics Allsmile, a toothpaste brand, is a key asset of Allstar Brands. It is one of the company’s highest recognition brands in the United States. It is produced in the United States and in Germany for the United States and European markets, respectively. A large number of stock keeping units (SKUs) are produced. South Korean and Japanese manufacturers also produce Allsmile under license for distribution and sales in Asia. There have been reformulations of the brand, but as of today, the product formulations are essentially the same across all markets for a given SKU (although there are slight differences in packaging and in the type and intensity of flavoring that are thought to reflect regional preferences). With an entrance to South America, it may end up being cost effective to build a plant in South America instead of shipping products from the United States. Current world toothpaste sales total approximately $10 billion. The largest country market for toothpaste is the United States, with $1.4 billion spent during the past year. Toothpaste is available in a number of sizes, delivery systems, textures (paste or gel), and formulations. The basic toothpaste product is a paste or gel with flavoring and one or more active ingredients that provide specific benefits to consumers. A general description of these variations in the United States market is listed below. It is important to note that not all companies produce all possible combinations as each company determines where the holes in the market are and where the most money can be made. Why Argentina? Below is a market attractiveness index for the potential countries Allstar could enter. We have listed five criteria which we believe most accurately provide the best comparative results. The importance weight displays the percentage of importance to the criteria compared other criteria. Under each country is a rating. The ratings illustrate the importance of the criteria in that specified country. The assessment combines the importance weight of the criteria’s and the overall assessment of the country. As you can see by this chart, we have determined that Argentina would be the best country to sell Allsmile toothpaste. Background on Argentina Argentina is a large country comprised of approximately 1,068,302.2 square miles, slightly smaller than 3/10 the size of the United States. It has a democratic government that was set up in 1983. It has a population of 39.9 million people of which about 49% are male and 51% are female. Of the population, 97.1% of the people ages 15 and higher can read and write. Eighty-eight percent of the population lives in urban areas. The population of Argentina is pretty steady and is only growing at 0.96%. At 97%, Argentina is comprised primarily of Spanish and Italian (white-skinned) people. The life expectancy of Argentina is quite high with males living to 76 years of age and women living to 80. The age structure of Argentina is typical of what it to be expected for a South American country. The Age Structure Chart below shows the different classifications. Argentina’s Economy Argentina currently has a strong economy compared to its neighbors. Argentina benefits from rich natural resources, a highly literate population, and an export-oriented agricultural sector. It has a large industrial section. Over the past decade however, the country has suffered recurring economic problems of inflation, external debt, capital flight, and budget deficits. Growth in 2000 was at negative 0.8%, as both domestic and foreign investors remained skeptical of the governments ability to pay debts and maintain the pesos fixed exchange rate with the US dollar. The economic situation worsened in 2001 with the widening of spreads on Argentine bonds, massive withdrawals from the banks, and a further decline in consumer and investor confidence. Government efforts to achieve a zero deficit, to stabilize the banking system and to restore economic growth proved inadequate in the face of the mounting economic problems. The pesos peg to the dollar was abandoned in January 2002, and the peso was floated in February. The exchange rate plunged and real GDP fell by 10.9% in 2002, but by mid-year the economy had stabilized. GDP expanded by about 9% per year from 2003 to 2005. Growth is being led by a revival in domestic demand, solid exports, and favorable external conditions. The government took corrective action and boosted spending ahead of the October 2005 midterm congressional elections, but strong revenue performance allowed Argentina to maintain a budget surplus. Inflation has been rising steadily and has now reached 12.3%. The unemployment rate for Argentina is currently 11.5% which translates to businesses the people have money to purchase products. As you can see on the Market Comparison Chart below, Argentina is the leader in GDP/Capita and is second in GDP Growth and CPI Growth. Argentina’s Infrastructure Argentina, while smaller than some countries in South America, has a great infrastructure. Argentina has 21,183 miles of railways, 129,463 miles of highways, and 6,835 miles of waterways. In addition, Argentina has 11 ports and harbors and 1,333 airports. This expansive infrastructure makes doing business in Argentina very reliable and smooth. As mentioned before, Argentina falls under the MERCOSUR Agreement which allows for seamless transactions between the countries under the agreement (Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay, and Bolivia). This agreement reduces trade barriers among these countries and has encouraged a variety of companies to establish production inside their borders to take advantage of low labor costs and fairly seamless access to neighboring markets. The chart below shows the benefits of doing business in Argentina. It also points out the extra costs of doing business outside this agreement. When deciding whether to build a plant in Argentina, we recommend looking at another country. It is important to take into effect all factors. For example, one may at first glance think Mexico is the most suitable to manufacturing, and this may be the case if the company was going to do business in the United States or Canada. However, when doing business in South America, it is important to stay within whichever trade agreement you will be doing business under. Otherwise, high tariffs and duties will blanket your company. It is also very important to look at means of distribution, specifically shipping. The table below shows the per unit costs for shipping toothpaste from various manufacturing locations, assuming the usual shipping mode for each origin – destination combination. As you will notice, having a plant in the United States is not so valuable because imports to Latin America come with a high price on shipping comparatively from shipping from within Latin America. As mentioned earlier, it is of great importance to note that in addition to shipping originating within Latin America, one also has no import duties or tariffs if shipping is done within the regional shipping agreements, such as is the case with the MERCOSUR agreement. Distribution channels in Latin America have traditionally been grouped into four categories: traditional, self-serve, hypermarket, and newly emerging is web purchases. Traditional channels are small, independent stores or open market areas almost exclusively served by wholesalers (indirect distribution). Self-serve is a more developed store where customers serve themselves, but that typically offers a narrow line of merchandise. These may be independent or part of a regional chain but are almost all locally owned. Convenience stores and grocery stores would fall in this category. Hypermarkets are a new style of channel that is found primarily in cities. These are usually large stores with a wide variety of goods and typically purchase items directly from the manufacturer (direct distribution). Many of the hypermarket chains are foreign owned or allied with a global distributor, such as Wal-Mart or Carrefour. The chart below shows the toothpaste distribution within each channel.

Gaelic League :: Essays Papers

Gaelic League What are the Irish known for? Most people would automatically think of some trivial fact about something like the potato famine, others the stereotypical views of the Irish drinking habits, and undoubtedly good old Irish American pubs would definitely come to mind. Although these are definitely interesting parts of the Irish history there are many other aspects to this unique heritage that truly capture the spirit of the Irish tradition. The Gaelic League was started with the founding of the Gaelic Athletic Association. This group founded in 1884 in attempts to promote and maintain Irish sports, helped to spawn the idea of Irish nationalism which eventually personified itself into organizations such as the Gaelic League. The Gaelic League was founded in 1893 by Douglas Hyde and Ed MacNeil to spread the Irish language (Hachey and McCaffery 14). Formed in Barnesmore where language classes were held in the national school; the support of both Catholics and Protestants made it poss ible to branch off to other areas (O’Connor 37). After the devastation of the potato famine and the implications of the home rule; both the Gaelic League and its predecessor the Gaelic Athletic Association had the common goal of bringing forth Irish nationalism in a country that desperately needed national pride. This movement for national pride had some success, but not before the failure that preceded it. There are a few reasons that this move, for national pride, produced failure one was the reputation of the Irish and another was the pressure of politics put on the different associations. The Irish language was considered to be a peasant’s language (O’Connor 87). Because of this the people of country that were poor and not educated in the language did not think it was worth spending money to learn. Tthe people in the country that had the money to learn the language normally did not want to learn the language for the mere fact it was considered to be a peasants language. Another reason for some of the failure that this movement attained is due to the political pressure created because of the nature of the movement itself. The two founders of the Gaelic League Hyde and McNeil never wanted the movement to become political (Gavin 56). However, this was inevitable. The mo vement caused a split in the people, those who were educated in the language and those who were not educated in the language (Hopkins 129).

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte is a gothic, Romantic novel that was seen by critics at the time as a controversial text. All though not revolutionary it did contain elements of social rebellion. Elizabeth Rigby from the Quarterly Review labelled ‘Jane Eyre’ an â€Å"anti-Christian† novel and an â€Å"attack on the English class system†. When read from a 21st century context, the novel shows, through the use of various motifs and imagery, the development of one central character. You can read also Analysis of Literary Devices of Jane Eyre Bronte shows Jane’s development, while highlighting aspects of her own social and personal context through the characterisation of Jane’s friends, family and acquaintances. A contemporary contextual reading allows the audience to view Jane Eyre as a character based novel. One critical paper known as the â€Å"Tablet† described Jane Eyre as being â€Å"simply the development of the human mind†. This bildungsroman genre underpins this reading of Jane Eyre. Similar to other Victorian authors of the time, like Charles Dickens, Bronte uses Jane to represent an individual’s search for identity and their adjustment to society. Q. D Leavis wrote that â€Å"the novel is not†¦but a moral psychological investigation†. As such the novel becomes laden with varying themes and ideal and is neither restricted by genre or by political view (much like the human mind) Characterisation is used consciously from the beginning of the novel to show the development of Jane’s individual nature and strength. One of the motifs used to represent Jane’s character is the colour red. A fine example of how the colour gains various meaning as the Jane develops is in the first 3 chapters. While in the first Chapter she is enshrouded by the curtains, which provide here with haven from The Reeds the colour soon becomes one symbolic of anxiousness, fear and anger as she is locked up in the red room. â€Å"A bed supported by massive pillars of mahogany , hung with curtains of deep red damask. † The description of the magnificent bed reflects Jane’s feeling of inferiority and belittlement. However in chapter 3 she awakes to the soft red glow of the fire which provides here with warmth and comfort. Bronte continues to use this theme later on to represent Jane’s passions for Mr Rochester and the wild nature of Bertha. Jane is represented as a strong-willed character with her own opinions, morals and mindset. While she is somewhat repressed by the society and context she lives in, she does not let this limit her entirely. Jane is not afraid to speak her mind even from a young age, nor is she afraid to think outside the conventional framework of society. â€Å"Women feel just as men feel†¦they suffer too rigid a constraint†. All other characters are seen through Jane’s eyes, and it is their impact on her development that is important, rather than their individual personalities. In the early stages of the novel, Jane is seen to be in conflict with Mrs Reed but later in the novel, the maturity that Jane has developed is seen, when Jane overlooks Mrs Reed’s cruelty, and treats her with kindness. â€Å"A strong yearning to forget and forgive all injuries†. Bronte’s use of setting provides a backdrop against which Jane develops from a young girl to an adult. The Five main settings symbolise the stages in Jane’s quest to find herself. The setting traces Jane’s childhood development at Gateshead Hall, followed by her schooling and work at Lowood institution and the development of Jane’s passionate nature at Thornfield. Moor House is then characterised by a moral and religious development of Jane. â€Å"God directed me to a right choice†. This counteracts the critic E. Rigby’s anti-religious reading of Jane Eyre, discussed later. Jane’s development concludes with her reunion with Rochester at Ferndean. Jane’s words â€Å"Reader, I married him†; show her internal fulfilment as she has found a balance between passion and reason and found her place as an individual in society. The gradual development of character highlights the textual integrity of â€Å"Jane Eyre† and enables readers in all contexts to trace the development of a central character. The narrative technique used by Bronte shows the gradual development of Jane as the central character. The first person narrative voice given to Jane enables a closer connection between Jane and her readers, allowing expression of feelings and emotions as her character develops. â€Å"Reader, though I may look comfortably accommodated, I am not very tranquil in my mind†. A duality present in Jane’s narration presents a child’s voice, echoed by a mature and intelligent adult voice of reasoning and reflection. â€Å"I should, if I had deliberated, have replied to that question†. This self-reflexivity is important in showing Jane’s character development. Consistency of Romantic imagery, linking nature and weather to characters, also adds to character development and sustains textual integrity. â€Å"The sun was just entering the dappled east and his light illuminated the wreathed and dewy orchard trees†. The imagery reflects the implications of characters choices and its impact on future character development. In the garden, after Jane agrees to marry Rochester, a storm breaks out and the great chestnut tree is damaged. This imagery symbolises the forbidden relationship that Jane agreed to. Throughout Bronte’s novel, elements of her personal and social context are highlighted, adding depth to her characters and her novel. Religion was significant in Bronte’s personal context, and in the Victorian context. Changing religious ideas, religious doubt, and an increase in non-conformists had emerged due to science and history. While the critic E. Rigby labels Jane Eyre an â€Å"anti-Christian† novel, I believe Bronte is representing religion without taking a clear stance on the issue. Bronte conveys no specific religious message but instead shows more of a general concern for religion, reinforced with religious language. â€Å"No nook in the grounds more sheltered and Eden-Like†. The text does not ignore religion or openly oppose Christianity; rather it represents the contextual importance of religion, while adding depth to Jane’s character development. Feminism is another contextual influence in Jane Eyre. The critic S. Gilbert suggests that Jane Eyre is â€Å"a traditional feminist reading of the Bronte’s†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . This critic has drawn parallels between Bronte’s life and Jane’s life, inferring that Bronte was exploring her contextual feminist struggle through the character of Jane. While there are some elements of feminism in the novel (mostly due to the independent ubringing of Charlotte Bronte) it is not the central theme. As seen from the above discussion, Jane Eyre is about the development of a human mind, with feminist themes simply an influence on Jane. Jane’s feminist comments show her character exploring the social context. â€Å"Women are supposed to feel very calm generally, but women feel just as men feel†. These elements link back to a â€Å"moral psychological investigation† rather than an exploration of feminism. ‘Jane Eyre’ is primarily focused on the development of an individual. The text shows Jane’s development from a child to an adult using characterisation, setting, narrative voice and romantic imagery. Bronte adds depth to characters by introducing aspects of her social and personal context. While critics in the Victorian context label Jane Eyre as a â€Å"feminist novel† or an â€Å"anti-Christian book†, in my contemporary reading it is neither of these things. Its merely the exploration of an individuals development.

An Orthodox Jewish Perspective On Happiness - 3711 Words

An Orthodox Jewish Perspective On Happiness Toba Cohen May 21, 2015 Capstone Maalot of Baltimore Social-scientists, phychologists, philosophers, and the media are all seeking to find the true root of happiness and well-being. Each views the meaning of happiness differently. Some of them define happiness in the context of pleasure. How does traditional Judaism define happiness and suggest its attainment? How does this compare to and differ from the secular goals of happiness? Traditional Judaism is a religious sect which bases its principals, values, and lifestyle on the Torah. The Torah was given to Moses by G-d on Mount Sinai over 3000 years ago, and has been handed down through the generations in its unchanging form. Traditional Jews view the Torah as a divine guidebook for life. The Torah contains instruction about how to live a meaningful life and very specific details pertaining to the service of man towards G-d (Ethics of the Fathers 1:1). The Torah contains many references to happiness and its attainment. The main word that is used to mean happiness is simcha. The Jewish people say in the daily prayers, â€Å"Serve G-d with joy† (Psalms 100:2). In Deuteronomy, G-d rebukes the Jewish nation and warns them that if they do not follow His words, they will be cursed with detailed specific punishments. G-d attributes all of these punishments to the fact that they â€Å"did not serve G-d with joy and with a good heart† (Deuteronomy, 28:47). To understand what the word simchaShow MoreRelatedThe Chosen: Danny and Reuvens Friendship855 Words   |  4 PagesDanny and Reuven represent deeply committed friends. Their live intertwine when historical circumstances , religious realities, and their fathers differences in child rearing dramatically affect their respective senses of security and happiness. 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