Financial Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Financial Management - Research Paper Example According to the latest financial report of Google.inc it has been found that they are in a great position when it comes to debt ratio, the debt ratio is 0.02 which means that they have more assets than debt and the debt can be paid off very easily so the company need not worry about anything as far as the debt ratio is concerned. Following are the most important ratios of the company: Current ratio: 5.8 Quick ratio: 5.6 Asset Turnover: 0.6 Return on Assets: 14.0% Return on Equity: 17.3% All these ratios clearly show that Google inc is financially very sound and there is nothing to worry about for the company but they have several competitors and can’t afford to rest on their laurels. Business Model Employees are more than willing to work for Google because the organization has established itself as one of the best companies in the world, in the year 2007 and 2008 Google was the top company to work for, it is one of the very best companies across the globe, they treat their em ployees with a lot of respect and they take special efforts to motivate them. All this success is because of their leadership and cross-functional organizational structure. Google employs the rule of â€Å"70-20-10† this means the employees can communicate directly with each other, this much improved communication system has been the key to success. Formal channels are normally avoided by the company to avoid any misunderstandings, the staff is always highly motivated because they have a sense of belief that they can contribute immensely towards the company, this sense of belief keeps them motivated and inspires them to keep performing for the company. Cross-Functional Leadership Structure of Google Features of Cross-Functional Leadership Structure: â€Å"To meet the many demands of performing their functions, managers assume multiple roles. A role is an organized set of behaviors. Henry Mintzberg has identified ten roles common to the work of all managers. The ten roles are divided into three groups: interpersonal, informational, and decisional. The informational roles link all managerial work together. The interpersonal roles ensure that information is provided. The decisional roles make significant use of the information. The performance of managerial roles and the requirements of these roles can be played at different times by the same manager and to different degrees depending on the level and function of management. The ten roles are described individually, but they form an integrated whole.† (Henry Mintzberg). Another big challenge which the leaders of today face is the daunting task of decision making. Decision making is the most challenging task for any leader. One wrong decision can change many things around in an organization and those changes will surely be for the worse of the organization on the other hand one good decision can help the organization in more ways than one. Decision making is a very delicate process, numerous things h ave to be kept in mind, a leader just cannot go on making wrong decisions because that would result in disaster, even one wrong decision can be disastrous for any organization so considering all these things it becomes imperative that leaders analyze the situation and make their decisions wisely, if a leader analyzes a

Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Strategy - Essay Example It has 760 stores in UK and 30 countries around the world. (Annual Report) M&S profits peaked in 1998 when it crossed the  £ 1 billion mark that year. It was the highest achieved by a UK retail chain. From then until 2002 it was downhill. In 2004 a new CEO Rose took over the reins and M&S slowly but surely got back to making higher profits every year since, although they are still far from the billion pounds they made in 1998. (see Appendix 1) Several major factors affected profits, the barometer of public support and financial performance. Rivals had switched to source their products from abroad at cheaper prices while M&S continued with the costly UK suppliers. As a result margins came under pressure, sales became stagnant and profits plummeted. From a high of a billion pounds in 1998, the profits fell to a low of 145 million in 2001. M&S were forced to curtail their dependence on UK suppliers and resort to other means for sustenance. (see Appendix 1) The second factor was the company policy not to accept credit cards. This had become a universal phenomenon and denial was luring younger and more mobile customers away to other rival outlets that offered this facility. The third factor was that M&S had abandoned its high street image and had gone for low end products like rivals were doing and it suffered an image loss. It was earlier known for quality of its products and it was no longer a leader in that segment. This forced a serious rethinking in the boardroom and let to a total revamp in both control and strategy of the company. A new post of Chairman as well as a new one for a CEO, as against a combined post, were created and have since seen the company’s fortune turn around. M&S, chastened by the serious erosion in customer loyalty and profits decided to revert to its roots. In the first stage they went back to exploit their core competencies. M&S started off with introduction of a new range of classical clothing for women and it was reported

The plague Essay Essay Example for Free

The plague Essay Essay The plague that wiped out one-third of the population of Western Europe in the 14th century was nondiscriminatory. Many reasons contributed to the large number of deaths. The plague was a turning point in Europe socially, economically and culturally. There were several ways in which the plague affected Europe. One of the reasons the plague affected Europe was socially. This was the by-product of a single flea bite. Erasmus of Rotterdam states, â€Å"The plague and sickness in England is due to the filth in the streets and the sputum and dogs’ urine†¦Ã¢â‚¬  which could be close to the correct answer because the fleas infected the rats and then the rats infected other animals which then infected the humans. Giovan Flippo a physician seemed to think people in higher positions would try to take power from some and frighten others. With so many deaths, Europe was socially devastated. Economy was another reason why the plague affected the people of Europe. â€Å"Since the rich fled, death was principally directed towards the poor†¦Ã¢â‚¬  explains French author Nicolas Versoris. This means the poor were left to die and infect more of the poor people while the rich were able to flee. According to M. Bertrand, physician at Marseilles argues â€Å"The plague must be considered a particular chastisement exercised by an angry god†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . Meaning that it was god’s way of showing his anger by taking the lives of people. Again, the plague took the lives from all walks of life, whether rich or poor. So many people died that there weren’t enough people to do jobs therefore a labor shortage occurred. Finally culture played another significant role. Cultural beliefs play an important part in the decision making process for people. â€Å"†¦sent me a little piece of bread that had touched the body of St. Domenica. I fed it to my husband and suddenly the fever broke†, mentioned Lisabetta Centenni, Italian housewife. She believed that her husband was cured by the holy piece of bread because it touched the body of St. Domenica. A French physician, H. de Rochas seemed to think that wearing toads around the necks of the infected would draw the venom of the plague out of their bodies.

Strategic Development Study of Caterpillar Inc

Strategic Development Study of Caterpillar Inc INTRODUCTION This report presents the Strategic Development Study of Caterpillar Inc. Caterpillar Inc. founded on 15th April, 1925 in California, United Stated. Caterpillar is involved in designing, manufacturing, marketing and selling heavy equipments, machinery and engines and it is also involved in selling financial services to the customers all over the world. Caterpillar is the worlds largest manufacturer of manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines and industrial gas turbines. The organization is serving worldwide and is providing employment to around 104,490 employees. Its products includes Bulldozer, Excavator, Wheel Loader, Haul Truck, Diesel Engine etc. and its services includes Financing, Insurance, Maintenance and Training. The developmental strategies used in the past, present strategies and the strategic planning for the future development of the Caterpillar, are discussed further in this report. Strategic Planning is about the finding the best solution for future problems to be faced by the organizations that not only solves the problems but should also proves to be beneficial to the organization. Caterpillar value statement is We have the people, processes, tools and investments to deliver the quality, reliability and durability customers expect from Caterpillar in each new product introduction. This strategic planning report focuses on three major tasks: Describe the strategies deployed by the organization in the past and their resulting outcomes i.e. the strategic development history of the company. Undertake the evaluation and appraisal of the companys current strategic situation with reference to the companys strategic macro industry and competitive environment and companys endowment of its resources and capabilities. Explore, evaluate and access the strategic choices available and recommend the best strategic plan available for the organization. STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT HISTORY OF CATERPILLAR It has been more than 85 years that Caterpillar is serving its customers and hence ranked worlds number one in its own industry. The company has been developing every year and has maintained its position into the market. In 1980s, Caterpillar came very close to bankruptcy but still it manages to come back as a high tech globally competitive growth company. The company has now proved itself as the worlds largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines and industrial gas turbines. Companys Establishment In April 1925, the financially strong C. L. Best merged with the market leader Holt Caterpillar to form Caterpillar Tractor Co. Caterpillar is involved in manufacturing of heavy equipments used in construction and mining that are recognizable with CAT logo. Because of the intensive competition over the market share, in 1963, Caterpillar forms the joint venture with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. which is ranked 2nd in Japan for manufacturing construction and mining equipments. Caterpillar agreement with Shanghai Diesel in China was helpful in improving the market share of Caterpillar as it was a technology sharing alliance. Come back of Caterpillar from Recession In the year 1981, Caterpillar faced huge economy downtown and was very close to bankruptcy. For 3 consecutive years, the recession costs around $1 million a day to the company which further forces the company to reduce the employment. There were three reasons for this crisis i.e. global recession, strikes and unfavorable currency exchange rates. Company faced many competitors that time including Komatsu Ltd. as the prime competitor. To overcome this recession, the company CEOs introduced various strategic measures like cutting costs, employee reduction, out sourcing of machinery, parts and their components, introduction of modernization, diversification of product line and reorganization of companys structure. These measures were very important that time to save the organization to become bankrupt. Later on the organization worked really well and managed to generate the highest revenues. George Schaefers encouraged the executives to respond to recession. Caterpillar outsources 80% of its parts and components and further they used their brand names for selling the outsourced products keeping the quality control of the products. They doubled their product line in just 4 years from 150 to 300 equipments with an introduction of small and light weighted products along with the customer diversification as well. Caterpillar also focused on repairing its relationship with the labour as they experienced many strikes because of the cost cutting the company successfully achieved the target of an healthy employee and employer relationship. Also employee involvement program was launched by Schaefer in 1986 that involves employee satisfaction, quality improvement and increasing efficiency level. This program was termed as Employee satisfaction Progress i.e. EPS. EPS helps in reducing the rate of absenteeism, decline in labour grievances, saving in costs of upto $10 million and increases employees loyalty. Plant with the future (PWTF) is launched a s a modernization program. Shift from batch production to flexible work cells proved to be good for the organization. The technological improvements and PWTF program resulted in high quality of products, increased efficiency level and high productivity. As a result of all these efforts put by the organization, the Caterpillars 30 worldwide plants managed to cut the inventory level by 50% and manufacturing space by 21% in just 3 years. Also Caterpillars world market share goes up to 50% and its revenues increased by 66% from the year 1985 to 1990. Caterpillar beat the Komatsu by having total sales of over $11 billion in the year 1989, which were nearly twice the sales of Komatsu. The company takes the advantage of the growth in global demand for heavy construction industry at a steady rate of 4.5% in the 1990s and was successful in making its way towards the top most position. Schaefer proves to be the best manager of any manufacturing company of heavy construction equipments. After five year tenure of Schaefer as CEO, Donald Fites becomes the next CEO of Caterpillar Inc. Donald brought leadership style to the organization. He further focuses on reorganization plan that involves the customer needs on priority basis. Research and Development In 1904, Benjamin Holt solved the problem of driving tractors smoothly in moist soil faced by farmers in California by manufacturing a tractor with gasoline engine instead of steam engines that are much lighter in weight and that tractor was nicknamed as Caterpillar. By 1915, the Holt tractors were sold in around 20 countries. Further they formed a company named Caterpillar by merging with best company in tractors. Caterpillar was the first company that introduces diesel engines on a moving vehicle. In 1931, the company created separate engine sales group for the marketing of diesel engines to other equipment manufacturers and they further replaced it with sales and marketing division for serving better range of customers. The company was highly involved in manufacturing replacement parts as well because it generates over a quarter of the total revenue because of two main reasons i.e. sale of replacement parts is more profitable than the whole machines and the replacement parts marke t was less cyclical than that of original equipment. After World War 2, the demand for Caterpillar products increased to reconstruct the disaster happened in Europe because of the 2nd world war. Finally in 1960s, Caterpillar becomes the leader of the heavy construction equipment industry. Further in 1965, Caterpillar expanded its operations to Britain, Canada, France, Brazil, Australia, India and Japan. In 1983, the company starts providing financial services as well. There has been huge diversification in the product line to overcome the recession in the year 1985 to more than 300 products. As the company was developing and diversifying in its operations, it changes its name to Caterpillar Inc. In 2001, Caterpillar was the first company that launches 6 Sigma that helps the organization in improving its quality to the best level. Caterpillar starts sustainable development in the year 2005 as it responded to the Asian tsunami disaster and earthquakes in South Asia. CURRENT STRATEGIES OF CATERPILLAR Caterpillar Inc. is the worlds number one manufacturer of construction and mining equipments, diesel and gas engines and natural gas turbines. The organization is developing day by day and continuously expanding their business. Its market is not only limited to Europe but Caterpillar is selling its products all over the world like China, India, America, Russia etc. Caterpillar serves its customers with the highest quality product at a very reasonable price and also involved in good customer relations. Caterpillar is manufacturing its products at 110 plants worldwide and is selling its products in nearly 200 countries. Caterpillar made its sales through independent dealers that contribute around 66% of the total sales. Caterpillar uses many business strategies for its development and to compete effectively with its competitors. For the evaluation and appraisal of companys current strategies, various strategic tools are used like PESTEL Analysis for analyzing the macro environment, SWOT Analysis for analyzing the capabilities efficiency of resources as well and Porters Five Force Analysis is used to analyze the market, customers, competitors, suppliers etc. PESTEL Analysis For evaluating and analyzing the macro environment of the organization, the PESTEL Analysis tool is used. There are various macro environmental factors that affect the workings of an organization like Political factors, Economical factors, Social factors, Technological factors, Environmental factors and Legal factors. Let us now discuss in detail that how these factors affect the working of Caterpillar Inc. Political Factors Political factors are one of the main factors that affect the operations of the organization. Every country has its own governments with different laws and legislations, rules and regulations, import and export policies etc. As Caterpillar is operating and serving the customers worldwide, it should be aware of the political factors. Economical Factors The economic factors includes the recession, inflation, growth in GDP, growth in population etc. In 1980s, the recession hits Caterpillar badly as it was very close to bankruptcy but somehow it manages to overcome that economic downtown. The rise in the prices of raw material, diesel, petrol, import and export costs etc. is big problems for the organizations. A rise in raw material prices increases the manufacturing costs in Caterpillar and to maintain a balance, the organization has to increase its prices. Social Factors Caterpillar is operating in many diversified countries. Hence it becomes essential to consider the social factors while framing the business strategies. Each and every country has different societies with different values, culture, religions, attitudes etc. the company has to maintain a balance to avoid any kind of discrimination into the organization. Technological Factors A manufacturing organization like Caterpillar needs ongoing technological advancements. It should be updated with all the latest technologies to compete in a better way and maintain its position into the market. Caterpillar is always using the best technologies for manufacturing its construction equipments. Moreover it has invented many new products with the best quality and price range among the whole market. Environmental factors The Caterpillar has moved towards the sustainable development i.e. they are focusing on new technologies and innovations to increase the efficiency and productivity of the organization by not impacting the environment and also providing guidelines to the customers for doing the same. Their mission is to enable economic growth through infrastructure and energy development, and to provide solutions that protect people and preserve the planet. Legal Factors The various laws and legislations of the country in which the company is operating cannot be ignored. The laws related to import and export, employment laws, labour laws, should be taken care of. A lawful and legal organization can effectively survives in long run. SWOT Analysis The SWOT Analysis shows the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats available with the organization and provides an opportunity to the organization to use its Strengths and Opportunities for the betterment of the organization and keep the organization safe from its weaknesses and outside threats. Let us discuss the SWOT Analysis of Caterpillar. Strengths The main strength of Caterpillar is that it is a global leader in its own industry as it is worlds largest manufacturer the construction and mining equipment, diesel and gas engines and natural gas turbines. It is ranked as number 44 among all the organization in 2009 by Fortune 500. It has the highest revenue generation and highest share value in the market as well. It has a strong financial condition as it can grab the worldwide opportunities available. Caterpillar has 110 plants worldwide and is serving around 200 countries which show its huge customer diversification. It has a strong dealers worldwide network which contains over 200 full line dealers that helps the organization in capturing about 60% of the market. Weaknesses In recent years the company has faced many downtowns. The sales volume of the company is decreasing since 2003 which results in less revenue. Also the long term debts of the company have been increasing. The company does most of its sales through its independent dealers. Dealers show a very less confidence towards the Caterpillars new forecasting system. Opportunities Caterpillar has good opportunities of growth in developing countries like India and China. These countries demand lot of construction equipments and engines as well. Again the growth in the population demands more construction. Entering into joint ventures and acquisitions provides good opportunities for the companys development. In 2004, the company formed Caterpillar Power Generation Systems in association with Solar Turbines Incorporates to market the products of both the companies which further reduces the manufacturing costs of the firm and makes the organization more competitive. Threats The outside threats cannot be ignored as they affect the organization adversely. The recent threats faced by Caterpillar include the rise in the prices of raw material especially metal prices. This increases the manufacturing cost and further decrease the organizations profits. The demand of the mining equipments depends on the population growth and Gross Domestic Product growth which is very uncertain. The deal between Caterpillar and United Auto Workers finishes in 2004 which enable strikes and disruptions in work. Hence such contract expuration are great threat to the organizations. Porters Five Forces Porters Five Forces is a business strategy that is formed by Michael E. Porter. He points out the five forces available in the macro environment that affects the abilities and capabilities of an organization. These five forces are threat of new entrants, intensity of competitive rivalry, threat of substitutes, bargaining power of customers and finally bargaining power of suppliers. This helps an organization to be aware of the outside environment and make their business strategies accordingly. The further discussion on Caterpillars Porters Five Forces is as follows: Threat of New Entrants The threat of the new entrants in very low for Caterpillar. Caterpillar is into manufacturing the construction equipments which requires a huge capital and resources. It is difficult for any new entrant to invest that much into this industry when it knows that there are already highly competitive firms available. Caterpillar should compete continuously with its competitors to maintain its position into the market. Intensity of Competitive Rivalry Caterpillar faces a high competition into the market and the other competitors can overcome Caterpillar anytime if they lose focus or using bad business strategy. Caterpillar has around 50 competitors worldwide that controls around 80% of the market. Threat of Substitutes There is nearly no threat of substitutes for Caterpillar as it is involved into the manufacturing of such unique construction and mining equipments. Bargaining Power of Customers The customers have a moderate bargaining power as most of the sales are done through independent dealers and pricing is done according to the markets. Bargaining Power of Suppliers Again the suppliers also have a moderate bargaining power. For manufacturing construction equipments, there is a need of steel or other heavy raw materials which are difficult to transport and also costs very high. Hence an increase in the prices of raw material is a big issue for the organization. FUTURE STRATEGIC PLANNING OF CATERPILLAR Caterpillar has set various targets for future and is seriously involved into the achievement of those targets. The organization has set its strategy as Vision 2020. This strategy sets the stage for the next phase of the companys leadership and growth in the global industries it serves. The visions and missions set by Caterpillar are very practical and will provide further development to the organization. In the past 80 years, Caterpillar has proved itself to be a well established business with effective management and business strategies that helps the organization to maintain its profits and position into the market even at the time of recession. The organization knows the ways of beating the recession and wins back its position into the market. Caterpillars future strategic visions are like becoming a recognized leader in its own industry everywhere, the products, services and solutions provided will helps the customers to succeed, making use of the organizations distributions system as their competitive advantage, maintaining good labour relations and acquiring highly talented people. The organization has set various targets for its next five years i.e. providing the best return to its shareholders, hiring and maintaining the best talented people into the organization and becoming a global leader everywhere they do business. These targets are already achieved by Caterpillar to great extent. The 100% achievement of these targets needs more efforts. Caterpillar is now focusing towards more sustainable development i.e. making the efficient and effective use of the resources available without impacting the environment and also works for the society as a whole. Caterpillar has named as one of the top 10 industrial supply chains in 2010 on Gartners Inc. top 10 list. Also the Caterpillars Chairman and CEO, Doug Oberhelman named into the top 50 people in business according to Fortunes 2010. Hence Caterpillar is actively involved in the development of its business and competing at its best into the environment. Future Recommendations Caterpillar should be opening new markets all over the world as an expansion of its business mostly into the developing countries as around 80% of the population lives there and they demand for such construction equipments on high basis. Also the diversification into the product line and customers is important for further growth. Lack of diversification reduces the sale which has already suffered by the organization. The diversification of the products done by the organization in the past proved to be very profitable. Marketing has become an essential part of any organization. Successful marketing plays an important role in gaining competitive advantage. A wide spread distribution service network is important is essential in competing with heavy construction equipment industry. Joint ventures are important to expand the new markets and diversify into new products. This is important for the growth and development of the organization and to cover a large number of customers. Recently the global economy downturn decreases 25% of the Caterpillar sales. The ability to rebound the economy plays a significant role in the profitability maintenance of the organization. The other critical issues for the organization like changes in the prices of raw material, changes in the government monetary and fiscal policies, the credit risk involves into the financial services provided by Caterpillar etc. should be given special attention as their affect on the organization can proven to be the worst. Continuous growth and development initiatives are important for the maintenance of the topmost position into the market. Like entering into the new markets, diversification of products and services, customer diversification, sustainable development, new distribution channels etc. The full usage of its Strengths like companys strong reputation, dominating among the industry, good financial condition for upto date technology and beating any competition and diversified business competencies, will provide a competitive advantage to the organization.

Wal-Mart International Essay -- Business Management, Case Study, solut

Wal-Mart International Introduction In 1993, Wal-Mart had become America’s leading retailer, with net sales of $67 billion from its Wal-Mart stores, Sam’s Clubs, and Wal-Mart Supercenters. The Company had grown at a rate of 25% per year since 1990, and it was clear that to continue at its current rate of growth, Wal-Mart would have to seriously consider continuing its recent international expansion. During 1992, Wal-Mart had entered into a joint venture with CIFRA, Mexico’s largest retailer, which currently operated 24 stores in Mexico and had plans to open 70 new stores by 1995. The Company had also recently completed the acquisition of 122 Woolco department stores in Canada. Each of these expansions had presented unique challenges for Wal-Mart to adapt its operations to suit local market demands, but Wal-Mart had successfully risen to the challenge. Given the Company’s successful track record, it seemed logical to continue to expand internationally. If Wal-Mart didn’t expand internationally, David Glass, Wal-Mart’s CEO, felt that companies would start to come to the US and increase competitive pressures domestically. International expansion would drive growth and help in maintaining Wal-Mart’s dominant domestic position. Namely, entrance into foreign markets would force competitors to focus on their primary markets. If Wal-Mart planned to maintain its dominant position in the U.S., international expansion would not only drive growth, but it would also keep potential competitors trying to operate stores in their home markets rather than expanding into the U.S. Wal-Mart Company Background: Sam Walton began his retail career working at J.C. Penney while in college and later leased a Ben Franklin franchised dime store in Newport, Arkansas (1945). In 1950, he relocated to Bentonville and opened a Walton Five and Dime. By 1962, Walton owned 15 Ben Franklin stores under the Walton Five and Dime name. Walton felt that big supermarkets would eventually destroy the smaller, traditional five and dimes and in 1962, Walton opened his own supermarket discount store. Eight years later, the Company was trading on Wall Street and had 30 stores. Wal-Mart’s growth accelerated greatly during the 1970s. The Company aggressively marketed itself to middle class shoppers by advertising "Everyday Low Prices." Walton motivated his employees by impleme... ...ring Argentina with a local partner, analysts expected the new stores to be able to capture additional market share and initially achieve lower operating and administrative expenses than if Wal-Mart entered on its own. Martin wondered which of these alternatives would be most beneficial to Wal-Mart. Summary The annual shareholders meeting was coming up, and Bob Martin needed to make a recommendation to Glass on how to proceed. Although Glass agreed with Martin that international expansion needed to continue, he wasn’t convinced Argentina was the best choice. Glass wanted to be sure that they had considered all of the risks involved before making such a large investment in a new country. If Martin did decide that Wal-Mart should invest in Argentina, Martin wondered which alternative to recommend. He needed to finish his analysis and prepare a report for Glass that compared the alternatives. Whatever Martin’s recommendations, he knew they needed to be presented with a compelling argument. This was a critical year for Wal-Mart, and Glass would want to be able to demonstrate to Wal-Mart’s investors that the Company could overcome its slow down in growth during the last year.

Robbert Harris :: essays research papers

We have all read interesting, touching stories in our lifetime. I have read a few, myself. The one that really sticks out in my mind is, The Unquiet Death of Robert Harris by Michael Kroll. This story left me filled with emotions, opinions, and questions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The story was told by a man named Michael Kroll that had a very dear friend on death row named Robert Harrison. They had been friends for ten years and now that friendship was to come to an end. Nothing that night seemed to go as planned or on schedule. Michael and a few others including Roberts’s brother, waited several hours in a small room only to be filled into another small room, where they continued to wait. When Robert finally came into sight Michael was a little relieved. Nothing happened for a long time then they took Robert out of the room. Michael was confused and wasn’t sure what was going on. Finally they brought Robert back, and of course they executed him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At the end of this story my first reaction was sadness. I felt awful for Michael, Robert, and everyone that was involved. I thought this story was the worst thing I ever heard, and I wanted to cry. My next reaction was anger. I was horrified that one human being could do something as horrible as this to another.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Next my brain started rattling with opinions. First I though the death penalty was a horrible thing, and should be outlawed completely. Then I started to think, what if it was my family, and someone had killed one of my family members. I would want that person dead! I wouldn’t care how they did it, when, or even where they did it, as long as I knew that they paid for what they did. In order to insure that they would never hurt anyone in my family, or even anybody at all ever again, they would have to be dead in my opinion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Then came the questions. One major question I had was how did the death penalty ever come into the picture? Did some creep invent it, or was it discovered by accident? When did they start using the death penalty, and what state was first to use it? Is it legal in all states in the United States of America? After a person is executed, does the family get to perform a proper funeral as they please?

Obesity in Todays Society

For good healthy long life, more energy and greater happiness, among many other benefits, the importance of regular exercise and a proper diet can't be understated. These two factors together are the most pivotal to determining a person's overall health, and adopting them both can make a dramatic difference in how you look and feel. Health Benefits According to the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, a healthy diet means eating lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products and lean meats and minimizing the consumption of cholesterol, sodium, sugar and saturated fat.In conjunction with regular exercise, a healthy diet can reduce your risk of heart disease, osteoporosis, type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure and some cancers. For good health , long life, more energy and greater happiness, among many other benefits, the importance of regular exercise and a proper diet can't be understated. These two factors together are the most pivotal to determining a pers on's overall health, and adopting them both can make a dramatic difference in how you look and feel. Health Benefits According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, a healthy diet means eating lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products and lean meats and minimizing the consumption of cholesterol, sodium, sugar and saturated fat. In conjunction with regular exercise, a healthy diet can reduce your risk of heart disease, osteoporosis, type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure and some cancers. Weight If you're overweight, eating healthfully and exercising regularly can help you lose weight safely and keep it off.And if you don't have a weight problem, physical activity and a healthy diet can help you maintain your current weight and reduce your risk of gaining extra weight in future years. Healthy foods are generally lower in calories and higher in nutrients than other foods, and regular physical activity burns off extra calories and keeps your metaboli sm healthy. Energy According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, a combination of working out and eating healthy foods can boost your energy level as well as help you feel more alert and aware, both mentally and physically.Healthy foods give your body the nutrients and vitamins it needs to function at its best, and even though you use calories and energy through physical activity, the process actually increases the total amount of energy you have. Resolved Question Show me another  » Can someone proofread my argumentative essay? Can someone proofread my argumentative essay? Feel free to make changes if needed. P. S. sorry if it seems long†¦ In the United States, many people like to go out to dine at restaurants and fast food places on daily basics.People can turn their head to the right and left and they could see someone next to them who is obese or overweight. â€Å"Approximately 22 million children under five years of age are overweigh t. During the past three decades, the number of overweight children in the Unites States has more than doubled. In 1983, 18. 6 percent of preschool children in the United States were defined as overweight, and 8. 5 percent were defined as obese; by 2000, 22. 0 percent of preschool children were overweight and 10. 0 percent were obese†(Decklbaum and Williams p. 39S). Childhood obesity is an â€Å"epidemic† in America as many children are either overweight or obese. The reasons for childhood obesity are lack of exercise, healthy eating and nutrition, health problems, and low self-esteem. The lack of exercise and physical activities is one reason for childhood obesity. Therefore, there are many elementary schools that do not have any physical education teachers to teach exercise. For example, many elementary schools would have teachers who have no background in physical education teach students about exercising.Instead, they would tell students to go outside during class t ime about once a week to play kick ball or softball and that would be their exercise for the week. Another reason for not exercising is technology. Many children do not want to go outside to play with their friends, exercise or do any sport participation. They rather stay at home to chat with their friends over the Internet using Yahoo Messenger or AIM (software programs that allow people to chat with each other). They also rather stay at home and spend hours in front of a television playing video games and watching television shows like Rob and Big, CSI, and Sponge Bob. Television viewing often is considered one of the most modifiable causes of obesity in children. Children spend a substantial part of their lives in front of the television set. Recent parent-report and self-report data from a nationally representative sample of 3155 children indicate that 2- to 7-year-old children in the United States spend an average of approximately 2. 5 hours per day and 8- to 18-year-old childr en spend an average of about 4. 5 hours per day watching television and playing video games.When these data are combined with typical sleep data from children, it is found that children in the United States are spending more than 25% of their waking hours in front of the television set† This shows that technology is a big influence on why children do not want to exercise or do any physical activities. Many children who are obese in America do not eat healthy or have proper nutrition. Now a day, many parents are busy with work so it is easier for them to drive to McDonald’s or Burger King’s to order some fast food meals along with soft drinks for their children.Instead of cooking a meal and having their children drink water. In addition, these fast food restaurants like McDonald’s would try to convince their customer’s by asking them if they would like to â€Å"Supersize† their meals, so they can have larger portion of French fries and larger soft drink’s that would cost a few cents more. â€Å"As children's body weights have increased, so has their consumption of fast foods and soft drinks. The proportion of foods that children consumed from restaurants and fast food outlets increased by nearly 300% between 1977 and 1996.Children's soft drink consumption has also increased during those years, and now soft drinks provide soft drink consumers 188 kcal/d beyond the energy intake of nonconsumers†. Proper nutrition is essential and yet many children are not consuming enough fiber per day. Instead, they are consuming less than 10 grams of fiber per day and less than 25 grams per day during adulthood. â€Å"A 5-year-old child should consume at least 10 g of fiber per day and fiber intake should approach adult levels (20–25 g per day) by 15 years of age.Unfortunately, persons of all ages in the United States eat far fewer than the recommended number of servings of whole-grain products, vegetables, and frui ts. In 1994 to 1996, only 3% of individuals 2 years of age consumed 3 daily servings of vegetables (with at least one third being dark green or orange vegetables), whereas only 7% consumed 6 daily servings of grains (with 3 being whole grains). Currently, dietary fiber intake throughout childhood and adolescence averages 12 g/day or 5 g/1000 kcal (4200 kJ), a level of intake that has not changed in the past 30 years.Because total carbohydrate content has increased considerably during this period, most of this increase seems to be in the form of fiber-poor refined grains, starchy vegetables, and sugar-sweetened beverages† Mood Exercise stimulates brain chemicals that help produce feelings of happiness, contentment and relaxation, so you'll feel better if you workout on a regular basis. According to the Mayo Clinic, physical activity also makes you look better, which is a significant factor in boosting self-confidence and inspiring a satisfied life.Diversification Exercise and h ealthy eating can help make your life more diverse and interesting. You can seek creative ways to be physically active in your daily life and don't have to stick with the same exercise routine all the time. The American Cancer Society suggests exercising with co-workers, going dancing with friends, playing on a sports team and spending active time with your kids and family members. Following a healthy diet can also bring up opportunities for home cooking, culinary classes, farmers' market visits and more fun activities.