Feeding a Rapidly Expanding Population Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Feeding a Rapidly Expanding Population - Essay Example First, demand for food is changing fast across the globe. This comes as a result of a larger and wealthier population that has cut straight into the global food supply chain. Second, as food producers seek to produce more, they are required to demonstrate and practice acceptable levels of social and environmental responsibility. The third is the need to eliminate hunger among the world’s most impoverished populations. These three dimensions form the ultimate solution to the problem of feeding nine billion people. In an effort to address these three dimensions of the food problem, it is important to come up with better approaches to meeting the global food demand, which should ensure that, while not much of the uncultivated land will be cultivated, more and higher quality food will be produced. The next section discusses the measures that should be taken in an effort to fulfill this objective. Effective Measures As Godfray and his analysis group have noted, the three-dimensional food problem that is facing the world needs to be addressed by significant changes in the process of food production by the producer and food access by the consumer. In other words, it is important, in an effort to solve the food problem, to execute an overhaul in the global food supply chain in an effort to accomplish the extent of efficiency that was witnessed in the previous three centuries. This is a goal that the world food production chain will have to focus on despite the hurdles that come with the constraints of natural resources.

British Politics and the European Union Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

British Politics and the European Union - Essay Example As observed by Scheffler (2008: 37), the media has been given whole opportunity to highlight the weaknesses of European Union and as a result, the sense of skepticism has continued to deepen. This has also resulted into the deepening of the differences between the parties in the integration and hence resulting into a more sophisticated debate on the merits of the integration. This is believed to be one of the reasons that have shaped the British approach to Europe which is important as well before one can describe British as an awkward partner in the union (Bache & Jordan, 2006:4). However, these are failures of the government and do not justify the British awkwardness with respect to the affairs of the integration. As stated by Booker & Richard (2003:174), however, all independent nations would want to benefit from all the economic integrations tat they are engaged in and hence would participate in the affairs of such integrations if they benefit. Lack of favoritism policies of the European Union is therefore perceived as a reason for awkwardness.However, as stated by Bache & Jordan (2006:5), the late membership of Britain to the European Union must have cost the nation greatly. Since Britain joined the European Union late after other members states had joined and set rules and regulations, some politicians have argued that the rules were set in favor of the existing members. As a result, Britain has not benefited much from the joining of the integration (2006:5).... dent nations would want to benefit from all the economic integrations tat they are engaged in and hence would participate in the affairs of such integrations if they benefit. Lack of favoritism policies of the European Union is therefore perceived as a reason for awkwardness. However, as stated by Bache & Jordan (2006:5), the late membership of Britain to the European Union must have cost the nation greatly. Since Britain joined the European Union late after other members states had joined and set rules and regulations, some politicians have argued that the rules were set in favor of the existing members. As a result, Britain has not benefited much from the joining of the integration. This means that the policies and regulations of the integration do not benefit the nation. The rules that were set in favor of the founding members states therefore presents a technical constraint to Britain and hence presents it as an awkward member. This reflects the fact that the political practices as well as the constitutional attitudes of the founders of the European Union are different from those that the United Kingdom was accustomed. The relationship between the integration and the United Kingdom is therefore very difficult as the nations and the Union’s policies and constitutions are not homogenous. The differences in the constitution have therefore presented difficulties with regard to the United Kingdom’s relation to the integration. For example, the basis of the European Union is the separation of the powers of institutions as well as political coalitions unlike the British’s emphasis on centralized state, an adversarial â€Å"winner take all† as a style of party politics and the informal constitution. In this context, it is difficult for the nation to benefit adequately

Integrating Research Methods with Marketing Decisions Proposal

Integrating Methods with Marketing Decisions - Research Proposal Example It is mostly qualitative and unstructured. Being qualitative in nature, it uses a small focus group instead of a larger population or interviews that are in-depth, or projective techniques. In the focus group method, a small group of people is interviewed on the topic. These people are free to interact with one another. This is a hurdle for the researcher as he has no control over the group. Many times it drifts towards irrelevant matters. The data also gets influenced by others. Another problem is that it is researcher dependent. The questions framed by the researcher lead in one particular direction. Projective techniques are indirect techniques that help understand the underlying beliefs without disclosing the actual aim of the research like word association, sentence completion , story completion, cartoon tests, role play etc. In-Depth Interviews are conducted on one-to-one basis. This helps in getting in-depth information and also to get to the hidden issues. Unlike survey interviews it may not have the same set of questions for all the participants. It is a time consuming process that may get influenced by the bias of the researcher. There are three techniques used in these interviews - One is Laddering, in this the questions start off with the external objects and slowly get to internal attitudes or feelings. Another way is Hidden issue questioning. In this the researcher concentrates on deeply seated beliefs and feelings. Third one is Symbolic Analysis. Here the researcher asks opposite questions and tries to understand their symbolic meanings In-depth Interviews are the best suited way for this research as it will help understand the underlying beliefs and attitudes that form the basis for buying a vehicle. This is the information needed by the company to remodel Taurus.Descriptive research methodDescriptive research gathers data and then interprets it by tabulating and organizing the data. Description is used as a tool in organizing the data. It is very helpful to find out what is the best solution to the given problem with many variables. Once the research question is fixed, the descriptive research method can be decided upon. The methods of data collection could be surveys, interviews, observations and portfolios. Surveys draw conclusion based on the questionnaire and help to identify the factor that needs change.These surveys can be done through written questionnaires or personal interviews or telephone interviews. Interviews are most time efficient and help in getting in-depth information by creating a rapport with t he participants. But it is time consuming and requires a lot of time to be spent in interviewing and in traveling for interviewing. In comparison, telephone interviews are less time consuming and less expensive but there is no visual input. Mailed questionnaire is even faster but has very low response rate and requires a very simple survey design.Observational research methods are based on direct observation that can give lot of

Business Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words - 1

Business Strategy - Essay Example The reputation of the university is based upon its volume, immense growth and diverse student base as well as academic and research excellence. The present growth strategy of the university was formulated as a result of the changing policies of the UK government. Looking at the emerging growth of educational sector and changing trends in education business; the university has decided to adopt a sustainable strategy. The growth strategy will include internalization of the university and reaching a distinctive position in research and academic excellence within 2015 (â€Å"Operations and Activities†). The objective of the organization thrusts in creativity and academics. From the strategy map of Leeds University, it is very clear that internalization of university is the main aim of the strategy map. The university has always maintained a trustworthy image. Banking on the equity of the brand Leeds, three growth strategies have been determined, in order to achieve the goals of th e strategy map formalized by the university. 1. Embedding internalization into the core activities of the university. The rationale behind internationalization strategy is to maximize the contribution and alignment of the international activities with the core academic and organizational mission. The strategic ambition of the university is to become one of the top known and respected universities in the world. To fulfil this strategic vision, internalization of the core academic activities should be a priority. In order to achieve this objective, the university will have to establish strategic management groups to look after the governance and well as overall marketing plan of the university (Enders 361-382). These facilities will ensure that proper coordination is achieved between the academic as well as professional and marketing departments and the individual objectives are aligned with the objectives of the organization. The strategic team should keep a track on the changing tre nds in education and as well as student preferences in terms of choice of academics and courses. This will indicate the changing preference of international students and thus, the university can upgrade its courses according to the latest trends. 2. International recruitment The university has been very successful in recruiting international students and has been boasting a large volume of international students. Thus it is very important that the organization sustains its position in the international education market (â€Å"Internationalization Strategy†). This can be achieved by establishing a platform where sustained marketing strategies are prepared to keep attracting international students. Though increasing international recruitment will be an important part of the strategy, the university should also focus into creating the right mix of students in the international segments. This will not only help in achieving a diversified mix of students, but will also avoid any f ormation of racial or ethnic groups (Croft 1-10). Strategic international recruitment will also help in increasing the overall performance of the university as top students from international locations will be invited to pursue different courses in the university. In order to define the right mix and volume of international students, the university can opt for external benchmarking and previous experience of international recruitment. While external benchmarking will help in expanding the mindset of the management, previous

Professional development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Professional development - Essay Example Unfortunately, there are some factors that disturb necessary reflective practice. At first, time restrictions do not give much air to reflective practice, as I have to solve numerous technical problems that should be settled immediately. Generally, my activity is not supposed to include much time for reflections, and custom practice also demands settling down definite concrete problems, rather than reflection in order to find alternative approaches or theoretical basis for professional strategies. Professional attitudes also comprise various kinds of activity, including technical support and resolving technical questions. Unfortunately, there are very few possibilities to implement mental activity for special theoretical reflections. But I need the time for mental activity, because it pushes me to self-development and this could help me in my professional sphere. In my experience over and over again I face the situations when technology outdoes the practice of tutor. These situations should be regarded from the point of view of the theory that comprises the notions of single-loop learning and double-loop learning. These schemes may be illustrated by examples from my professional experience. An example of single-loop may be a case when I have to print out a poster for a customer. At first, I need to choose a computer which is attached to the device. Then the poster is printed, I roll it up. The next step is to inform the user that the poster is ready and then I bring it to the reception and the customer collection for the user. As for double-loop learning, it is implemented in the case when after a virus that could damage the University system is reported; a team meeting is held out to find the most effective strategy to stop the virus. In this case the decision will depend upon the situation and possible effects. Often I implement reflection-in-action that is often described as thinking and making decisions while the situation unfolds. It involves changing the plans according to the circumstances of the situation. "The practitioner allows himself to experience surprise, puzzlement, or confusion in a situation, which he finds uncertain or unique. He reflects on the phenomenon before him, and on the prior understandings, which have been implicit in his behavior. He carries out an experiment which serves to generate both a new understanding of the phenomenon and a change in the situation." (Schn 1983: 68) Reflection-in-action may be characterized with the help of examples of single and double-loop learning. The former is implemented in the situation when I make copies of Microsoft CDs in QUB without changing the motives and governing variables. Double-loop learning is implemented in situation, when, for instance. A customer requires to provide him with a special equipment to be moved off, because it is old. In such cases I need to use a special program that is called autoclave to format a hard disk to delete the information. After that I contact Belfast City Council to learn about the costs, set a collection time and organize a session, where I will help a customer to get the equipment off. The practice described led me to use and explore the theories of Kolb. In order to make learning more helpful, Kolb (1976) came over with the idea that learners should go through four different stages. These stages are the following: the stage of experience, reflection, the development of new ideas and testing of the new ideas in practice (active

Amazon Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Amazon - Case Study Example The company, Amazon.com, Incorporation is one of the electronic commerce companies, operating on the multinational level, located in America having its headquarters in Seattle, Washington. It is one of the largest online retailers globally (Jopson, Barney, 2011). Amazon incorporation also produces the products of consumer electronics, which most prominently include the Amazon Kindle e-book reader. It also provides the services of cloud computing to its consumers. The company manages it sellers by contributing towards programs which let its consumers sell their products through the websites of the seller and also market and sell them on the website of Amazon incorporation. It earns per-unit activity fees or revenue share fees and fixed fees on such business dealings. The enterprises are served by Amazon through AWS that brings the technological infrastructure in easy access to the developers, who can utilize it to facilitate nearly every sort of business. Amazon mainly functions in the online retailing business of e-books, and has various websites in many countries across the world. They operate in United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Italy, France, Spain, Japan, Germany, and China, along with the international delivery to many other places for some of its products. The company initially came into the business by starting up an online bookstore. However, it quickly expanded into a bigger company dealing in the selling of CDs, DVDs, software, MP3 downloads, apparel, furniture, electronics, video games, toys, food, and jewelry (Rivlin, Gary, 2005). The Amazon Incorporation competes in the Internet & Mail-Order Retail industry. It provides business services in media, publishing, clothing and other retailing. The top competitors of Amazon incorporation include Apple incorporation, Columbia House Company, eBay Incorporation, Wal-Mart Stores, Incorporation, Barnes & Noble Incorporation, and Hastings

Website Evaluation Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Website Evaluation - Case Study Example Advair is a product of the famous multinational GSK. It has an elegantly designed website that centers on their product. Advair claims to provide solution to asthma patients through its Advair Diskus and it builds on this claim through an efficient explanation of the uses of the product and a description of merits of the drug in view of the experts. Customer satisfaction and comfort is at the core of modern marketing theory and this has been successfully addressed through online order facilities thereby protecting the customer from a physical venture to the pharmaceutical stores in search for the product. Advair website makes a good use of the marketing mix utilizing almost all the P's with a special attention to the product as it gives a detailed explanation of the use of the product, its merits and a description of how it helps the asthma patients. In order to productively the gravity of the subject that is asthma has been briefly highlighted to encourage the customer into exploring greater details and motivating him/her to buy the product. Trust building is the most significant feature of operational marketing and in this regard an effectual use of the popular brand name, GSK, has been made. GSK being one of the giants in the pharmaceutical industry worldwide the name itself offers credibility to the clients. A display of the logo at the bottom of the website clearly indicates the branding strategy of the company, and in the meantime would build the clients trust and would encourage him to test the drug by virtue of the developed brand name. Furthermore the site incorporates the segmentation policy by providing a list of eligibility rules and recommending an array of procedures with respect to the age of the patient. To condense the review like many other corporate giants GSK has efficiently marketed its drug through its website and its policies promise to give Advair a competitive advantage in the industry. Singulair.com The second site that was chosen for the purpose of study was MERCK's Singulair.com. Unlike Advair, Singulair lacks competence and it fails to integrate a variety of marketing tools. The website fell short in concentrating on the product which is at the center of the marketing mix, a description of the product and a detail regarding its use seem to be the very important aspects that are missing, and neither does it outline the severity of asthma, like Advair. Despite of the ignorance in these departments a number of positive characteristics can be identified that compensate for the drawbacks in the marketing mix. A particular branding strategy has been adopted and a greater use of the famous brand name MERCK has been made as compared to Advair. The display of the logo at the top of the website builds the drug's integrity in the minds of the customer from the very beginning and instigates him/her to anticipate a high product quality. An apparent segmentation has been done and it highlights the fact that it targets people from all age groups subsequently outlining the fact that asthma can attack anyone. The description of th