Brauns Online Presence :: essays research papers

Key Issue: Braun’s main concern is to determine in which extend it is beneficial for the company to extend its online presence, and how aggressive the expansion should be. Recommendation: It is recommended that Braun increase gradually its online presence in order to maintain a broader customer base. However, an aggressive increment of its online presence is not recommended since it would be too risky for them. Rationale: Nowadays, online presence is a â€Å"must† for many businesses. Moreover, being a Canadian sports retailer, it is an asset to have access to other markets that guarantee sales throughout all the year, and not just in the summer season. Additionally, it can’t be argued that Braun’s online incursion was very successful, and that being online represents another way of interacting with customers, which have been Braun’s base of success. The fact that they’ve translated their customer service orientation into its online portal, have provided them with a competitive advantage. However, online sales makes just 10% of Braun’s annual revenue, and it can not be forgot that, being a respected small business focused in long term relationships with their retail customers, the main way of business for them is in-store business, which differentiate themselves from Bikeshop.com and its recent failure against all odds. Therefore, even though entering the online sector in an aggressive way is not recommended, it can not be denied that to increase gradually an online presence will be good for Braun’s business. Financial Implications: Last 4 months actual online sales were around 47,000$, so 120,000$/year will be a conservative estimate (taking into account that majority of the sales are done in summer).

Anthony Burns Essay

Imagine being a slave during the time of the fugitive slave act. Would you run away or would you stay and continue being a slave? If you ran away and you ran to Massachusetts and your master found you would you run from him? The man in this story did, listen as I tell you the sad story of Anthony Burns. Anthony burns was an educated slave that had a white father. His mother was a breeder which meant she had a baby every year. Anthony’s first master treated him like a sun early in the morning and gives him a horse ride. Anthony was very smart. One day his master threw him of his horse in mid air Tony did a somersault and landed on his hand and he flipped over. At the age of nineteen, Anthony Burns escaped slavery in Richmond, traveling by ship to Boston in 1853. In Boston he worked for â€Å"Coffin Pitts, clothing dealer, no. 36 Brattle Street. † On May 24, 1854 he was discovered â€Å"while walking in Court Street† and arrested. As a hub of resistance toward the â€Å"slave power† of the South, many Bostonians reacted by attempting to free Burns. President Franklin Pierce made an example of the case to show he was willing to strongly enforce the Fugitive Slave Act. The show of force turned many New Englanders against slavery who had passively accepted its existence before. On May 26, before Burns’ court case, a crowd of abolitionists of both races, including Thomas Wentworth Higginson and other Bostonians outraged at Burns’ arrest, stormed the court house to free the man. In the melee, Deputy U. S. Marshal James Batchelder was fatally stabbed, becoming the second Marshal to be killed in the line of duty. The police kept control of Burns, but the crowds of opponents, including such African-American abolitionists as Thomas James grew large. While the federal government sent US troops in support, numerous anti-slavery activists arrived in Boston to join the protest and continue the faceoff. It has been estimated the government’s cost of capturing and conducting Burns through the trial was upwards of $40,000. He was eventually taken back to Virginia where he went to a slave prison for a year. Afterward he was sold in North Carolina. Where his friend bought him and sent him to Canada where he lived the rest of his short life. He became a pastor and preached and lived peacefully.

Comparing Diverse African Cultures Essay

Throughout every culture there are many similar customs, however it is the personal experiences that make the cultures different and diverse. In the book Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the main character Okonkwo lives in Umofia until the tribe exiles him for accidentally killing a man in his village. After seven years the people of his village allow him to return to Umofia, among his return there are white missionaries in his village that have come to introduce christianity to his people. Okonkwo quickly realizes that his village is now unrecognizable. The short story Life Is Sweet At Kumansenu by Abioseh Nicol, expresses the strong relationships between the living and the dead that are present in African culture. The religious beliefs, social structures and attitudes toward the dead represented in Things Fall Apart are equally similar and different to the concepts present in the short story Life Is Sweet At Kumansenu. Death is a natural part of the circle of life, and the way the dead are treated varies from culture to culture. In Life Is Sweet At Kumansenu, a grandmother (Bola) and her granddaughter (Asi) receive an unexpected visit from the spirit of their son/father Meji. Except it is unknown to Bola and Asi that their loved one is a spirit until after he leaves them. Mr. Addai announces Meji’s death to the village on Monday, â€Å"‘But I tell you, he was here on Friday and left Sunday morning,’ Bola said. ‘He couldn’t have died on Friday.’† (Abioseh 10). The spirit of Meji had come back to his family to say his final goodbyes and thank his mother for all she had done for him. In the African culture they worship and praise the dead, as the dead are a huge part of their lives and culture. Similarly in Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo’s people believe in spirits of the Nigerian tribes, also called the egwugwu. The people of Umofia both fear and respect the egwugwu, â€Å"A woman fled as soon as an egwugwu came in sight. And when, as on that day, nine of the greatest masked spirits in the clan came out together it was a terrifying spectacle.† (Achebe 78). The people of Umofia believe that the egwugwu have magical powers, and know that when they are present someone will most likely be taken as a sacrifice to the gods. The people of African descent treat the dead with great respect and think highly of them. There are many different types of religion in the world, in many African cultures the people are polytheistic. In Things Fall Apart not only do they worship gods and priestesses but they idolize spirits too; like the ojbange. The ojbange is a child who has previously passed away, but has come back to haunt the mother and be reborn. â€Å"Some of them did become tired of their evil rounds of birth and death, or took pity on their mothers, and stayed.† (Achebe 70). Some of these children did continue their lives and grow into adults, but most of them die as young children or infants. Also in Life Is Sweet At Kumansenu the mothers of ojbange children are ridiculed and mocked by the village people. â€Å"All the years of their married life, people had said she was a witch because her children had died young.†(Abioseh 6). Even though most likely it is not the fault of the mother that their child had died, the people of the village overlook that and continue to outcast them for their â€Å"witchcraft†. A major social custom in African culture and many other cultures is food. Food has the power to bring a lot of people together. In Things Fall Apart we see this during the feast for Obierika’s daughters wedding shower. â€Å"As the evening wore on, food was presented to the guests. There were huge bowls of foo-foo and steaming pots of soup. There were also pots of yam pottage. It was a great feast.† (Achebe 104). Everyone, all over the world, eats food; it is the recipes and different dishes that make the experience diverse. Similarly in Life Is Sweet At Kumansenu, Bola uses food to welcome home her son. â€Å"We must make a feast, we must have a big feast. I must tell the neighbors at once.† (Abioseh 3). Bola’s excitement that her son is home calls for a celebration. When having people over nine out of ten times food will be involved in some way. Food is something that most all people have in common, and is something they think about everyday. The religious beliefs, attitudes toward the dead and social customs make Things Fall Apart and Life Is Sweet At Kumansenu equally similar and different. Two different African stories, from the same culture but that have different traditions and techniques is what makes our society different and diverse.

How To Grow Sodium Nitrate Crystals

How To Grow Sodium Nitrate Crystals Sodium nitrate is a common chemical, found in food, fertilizer, glass enamel, and pyrotechnics. Sodium nitrate, NaNO3, forms colorless hexagonal crystals. Although these crystals are a bit more challenging to grow than some of the beginner crystals, the interesting crystal structure makes them worth the effort. The crystal somewhat resembles calcite, exhibiting some of the same properties. Sodium nitrate crystals can be used to examine double refraction, cleavage, and glide. Sodium Nitrate Crystal Growing Solution Dissolve 110 grams sodium nitrate per 100 ml hot water. This will be a supersaturated solution. One method of growing crystals is to allow this solution to cool in an undisturbed location and allow it to produce crystals as the liquid evaporates.Another method of growing this crystal is to grow a single crystal in a sealed container from a supersaturated solution. If you choose to follow this method, prepare the aforementioned solution, allow this solution to cool, then add a couple of grains of sodium nitrate and seal the container. The excess sodium nitrate will deposit on the grains, producing a saturated sodium nitrate solution. Allow a couple of days for this to occur.Pour off the saturated solution. Pour a small amount of this solution into a shallow dish. Allow the liquid to evaporate, to produce small seed crystals. Select a crystal or two for further growth.To prepare the supersaturated growing solution, to your existing solution add 3 grams of sodium nitrate per 100 ml of w ater in the original solution. So, if you prepared 300 ml of solution, you would add an extra 9 grams of sodium nitrate. Carefully add your seed crystal to this liquid. You can suspend the crystal from a nylon monofilament. A nylon monofilament or wire is used because it wont wick up the solution, causing evaporation.Seal the jar and allow the crystals to grow at a constant temperature, someplace they wont be disturbed. Sodium nitrate is very sensitive to temperature changes, so maintaining a constant temperature is important. If you have difficulty maintaining a temperature, you can place the sealed jar inside a water bath. If you dont see crystal growth after a few days, try lowering the temperature slightly.

Discussions Essays

Discussions Essays Discussions Essay Discussions Essay Essay Topic: Discussion Discussions Name: Course: Date: Discussions Discussion 1 The passage that I enjoyed the most from U.S.A. was that which talked about the legendary musician, Big Bill. This passage appealed to me greatly because it talked of a celebrated musician who was celebrated not only by American citizens but also by other people all over the world. Big Bill was a singer, a guitarist and a songwriter whose career begun in the 1920’s. The passage ahs explained his rise to fame through the messages in his songs. He produced music with heartfelt messages and this was the main reason he became so famous. In the passage, Big Bill is portrayed by the author as one of the notable individuals in the country who represented â€Å"America at its best.† This is to mean that his music had a great effect on the world and since he came from the United States, it earned the country a good reputation. However, the passage goes on to state that even though he was an outstanding individual, he was not the â€Å"savior of the U.S.A.† This is because his messages were not heeded and the country fell into the very vices that which he was trying to warn them. For this reason, Big Bill is a victim because even id they were righteous, the rest of the people were not. This led to the presence of corruption in the country as well as other vices that have led to moral decay. This passage applies in the present situation because the vices that Big Bill talked about in his music are deeply entrenched in our societies. This passage makes one wonder, if his advice was taken into consideration, would we be facing the situations that we do now and would the world not be a much better place to live in. Discussion 2 A correctional officer in most jurisdictions requires a high school diploma or a GED. College credits or degrees should also be a necessity for the officers. The basic requirements for this position is the high school diploma but some institutions like the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons also requires all the applicants to have a bachelors degree in a field related to the post. Degrees required include one in criminal justice or in social science. These degrees are important because they enable the correctional officers to do their job more effectively. For instance in the case of an individual who has a degree in criminal justice, they will be able to understand the justice system as well as the psychology of the prisoners in the institution. This will make it easier for him or her to monitor the inmates while compared to the individual who just has a high school diploma. This is because the officer with the GED or diploma does not have the necessary knowledge to handle the inmates i n the institution in question effectively. Therefore, in order to ensure that the correctional system in the United States has capable correctional officers, it is imperative that they all acquire degrees in fields related to their job descriptions (Simmons, n.d). Discussion 3 The just concluded elections were one of the most competitive ones recorded in the history of the United States. In order to analyze the election efficiently the demographic breakdown of the election is fundamental. In the demographic breakdown, different groups of people will be considered based on factors like age, gender, locality, income and educational background. A majority of the people aged between 18 and 49 supported Obama in the election while those aged above 50 supported Romney. The ages of the two candidates is assumed the reason behind this breakdown. In terms of gender, the females greatly supported Obama while the majority of the males supported Romney. The alleged reason for this is that the policies that Obama had brought forth favored women. Based on the areas of residence, the people living in the suburbs and the rural areas supported Romney more while the rest who lived in medium populated areas supported Obama. People with incomes over $100,000 supported Romney while all the ones who earned below that supported Obama. In the case of educational achievements, no disparity was there in terms of support but it was noted that people with postgraduate education supported Obama. For all the rest of the groups, the difference noted was limited to only 3% or below. Demographic breakdowns are very important in the analysis of elections as noted in this case. References Simmons, Constance. (n.d) â€Å"What Education Should a Corrections Officer Have?† Retrieved from: ehow.com/about_6320723_education-should-corrections-officer-have_.html

How to Write a Lead Paragraph

How to Write a Lead Paragraph How to Write a Lead Paragraph How to Write a Lead Paragraph By Mark Nichol Absent or in spite of a photograph or other visual information, the headline is the first thing most readers notice. But even the most captivating headline has to be followed by a lead paragraph (known in journalistic jargon as a lede) that convinces the reader that the article is worth reading. What’s the function of a lede? (The odd spelling supposedly derives from the tradition of distinguishing the noun lead or the adjectival form in â€Å"lead paragraph† from the homonym lead, as in â€Å"lead type.†) An article is a story, and the lede is the pitch to woo the reader. But that analogy is of dubious use if your storytelling overtures are along the lines of â€Å"Let me tell you about this crazy thing that happened to me today† no more useful than clearing your throat or shuffling papers before you give a speech. In person, your audience might patiently and politely await your account, but readers, knowing you’re not there to have your feelings hurt, will likely not hesitate to move on. But what if you cut to the chase and said, â€Å"A guy pulled a gun on me today†? Your audience will almost certainly invest some time and effort into hearing what comes next. By the same token, a lede must be constructed to attract attention. What content, exactly, goes into a lede? The first paragraph of an article provides the main points without digressing into details; those can follow in subsequent paragraphs. A lede tells the reader something interesting and/or newsworthy, providing context and perspective. Ideally, it speaks to the reader’s curiosity, and perhaps their desires or fears. It might introduce conflict or controversy. The traditional lede for a news article includes what journalists call the 5 Ws (and sometimes an H thrown in for good measure): This term is shorthand for who, what, when, where, and why (plus how). Of course, a lede that includes all five (or six) elements is usually overstuffed; it’s better to focus only a couple or at most a few of these. (One of the most celebrated newspaper-article ledes, in reference to a man who was shot and killed because he attacked a fast-food worker over an order of fried chicken, tells you only who and what and is reticent about the what: â€Å"Gary Robinson died hungry.†) The challenge to writing a good lede is achieving both specificity and brevity. To be specific, remember who and its friends. Pick one, or another question, to answer, and wrap the lede around it. To accomplish brevity (ideally, a lede should consist of less than thirty words), choose strong, vivid nouns and verbs, eschew verbosity and redundancy, and make every word count. To test the lede, read it aloud, and omit adjectives, adverbs, and wordy constructions and, especially in these search-engine-driven times, focus on keywords. To craft an effective lede, avoiding writing what readers already know and telling readers what you’re going to tell them. Keep to one point, and avoid attribution and specific numbers (an exception to the specificity rule). Think of the lede as an elevator speech the proverbial opportunity to sell your story to a movie producer or book publisher with a brief pitch during the interval the two of you share an elevator ride. This is your chance; take it. What if you just can’t put a lede together? Write a placeholder sentence, and come back to it later after you’ve completed the rest of the article the result may show you the way. You might also think about potential ledes before you even begin to report or research, or during the process. You may not end up using anything you come up with at that stage, but it will get you thinking. Also, keep in mind that the traditional journalistic lede isn’t the only way to go. Besides the summary form, there’s also the anecdotal lede, the question, the quotation, and the direct approach or a combination of forms. Remember â€Å"A guy pulled a gun on me today†? Though the question, quotation, and direct forms are challenging to pull off, the anecdotal form, a hallmark of what is called narrative journalism or narrative nonfiction, is increasingly popular and often intuitively constructed. Here’s the lede to a true first-person story I might write: â€Å"I had always wondered how I would react if someone pulled a gun on me. Today, I found out.† Would you like to read more? Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Freelance Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:7 English Grammar Rules You Should Know11 Writing Exercises to Inspire You and Strengthen Your Writing20 Criminal Terms You Should Know

Inclusive leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Inclusive leadership - Essay Example This leadership will need to be found not only in the organization's management but also among employees, customers, investors, suppliers and the community. As an inclusive leader, one must adopt - and live - a set of values, which places human relationships centre stage and which defines the purpose of your enterprise in other than purely financial or commercial terms. For leadership to be meaningfully inclusive, it must find a way to include everyone in governance processes and be organized to pursue inclusive principles. Inclusive leaders perceive the organization as a complex system of mutually interdependent relationships, understand the links between the organization and the wider socio-economic environment and see organizational change in the context of social and technological change. "It is this deep understanding of the nature of the interdependence that exists between the organization and its dynamic environment that provides the basis for the ability of leaders to contribute to the development of an inspiring yet achievable vision of the organization's future." Such vision should meet the needs of the key stakeholders and at the same time provide the basis for an enterprise strategy to develop and sustain a competitive advantage. It attracts young managers with recognized leadership potential working in the voluntary, public and private sectors.