...In this paper I will analyze and describe the consumption behaviors and sources of influence associated with such widely recognized cultural occurrence as Christmas. “Christmas is a mixture of celebrations, personal behaviors and attitudes, rituals and myths, the selling and buying of gifts, and public and private get-togethers. They all are brought together from ancient pagan festivals, various ethnic traditions, the biblical stories of Jesus’ birth, historic religious traditions, practices and beliefs, and material business strategies that are all focused around December 25th” (Sherbondy). How much do we actually know about the history of Christmas? Some might be completely surprised that December 25 is an approximate date of the birth of Jesus Christ. The exact date of his birth was unknown, so early Christians chose that date “to correspond with the day exactly nine months after they believed he was conceived” (Crock). The current culturally accepted forms of consumption behavior became established over time. “For centuries it was common to give Christmas gifts to friends and relatives at Christmas. However hanging out stockings to be filled with presents was first recorded in parts of England in the early 19th century. It became common in the late 19th century” (Lambert). “The sending of cards at Christmas time evolved from the practice of giving small, inexpensive favors to wish distant family, friends, and acquaintances well over the holidays. Over time, this...
Words: 4272 - Pages: 18
...PROJECT TITLE: EVERY BUSINESS NEEDS AN ANGEL WRITTEN AND SUBMITTED BY: IRIS CHONG Executive Summary (1) Background Just before last Christmas, Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc. announced the acquisition of HSBC Insurance Brokers Limited (‘HIBL’), through its subsidiary MMC UK Group Limited.1 (‘Marsh’) The announcement came as a surprise for me and quite a few of my fellow workers at the HSBC Insurance Brokers (Asia-Pacific) Ltd.2 – somebody bought us out?! Nobody told us! (2) Purposes of report Applying the Co-opetition model3 and the Game Theory,4 I would like to take advantage of this project paper to try to find out some of the hidden ‘Whys’ and ‘Whats’ leading to the acquisition, which might have been classified for internal use, and not released. The exercise and the findings would be useful for future strategic management. (3) Scope and limitations Given the geographic locations of Marsh and HIBL, and the confidential nature of the transaction, the acquisition was already factual at the time of its public announcement. Furthermore, the HIBL CEO Announcement5 about the acquisition in Hong Kong was focused mainly on the process of integration, with measly disclosure of the underlying motives. As such, while I believe I have done ample researches and obtained reasonably sufficient information to proceed with the project paper, some of my findings may have been speculative, and may deviate materially from the unpublished corporate records; I do not possess any boardroom-information...
Words: 7118 - Pages: 29
...KERN COUNTY RECYCLING GUIDE 2013 TABLE OF CONTENTS Curbside Recycling Programs ........................2 Drop-off Recycling Programs .........................4 Buyback Recycling Programs ........................6 Recycling Automotive Products ......................9 Recycling Bulky Waste ................................10 Commercial Recycling .................................11 Construction & Demolition Material .............12 Special Recycling Programs & Education ......13 Electronic Waste (E-Waste) ..........................14 Green Waste Recycling ...............................15 Recycling Hazardous Waste ........................16 Junk Mail ....................................................18 Recycling Market Development Zone ...........19 Waste Disposal Site Locations & Schedule ....20 A - Z Directory ............................................21 Illegal Dumping ..........................................30 www.KernCountyWaste.com IMPORTANT RECYCLING/ WASTE CONTACT NUMBERS Kern County Recycling Hotline ............................(661) 862-8979 Kern County Waste Management Department Local ........................................................................ (661) 862–8900 Toll-free ......................................................(800) 552–KERN option 6 ..................................................................... (800) 552–5376 option 6 TTY – ready............................................................. (800) 735–2929 Website ............
Words: 12503 - Pages: 51
...1 Kerala Mural Paintings Kerala: An Introduction According to mythology, Parasurama an incarnation of Vishnu, weary of long years of war and bloodshed decided to undertake a penance in the Western Ghats. Varuna, the God of water responded to his prayers and granted him a boon. Parasurama was asked to throw his axe and the area and distance covered by the axe would be his. Known for his strength and valour, Parasurama swung his axe with such power and might that it reached Kanyakumari. This strip of land covered by the axe came to be known as Kerala. Another creation myth narrates how Varuna raised lands from beneath the ocean and formed the region called Kerala. Politically a merging of three regions in 1956 Travancore, Cochin and Malabar, formed the state. In Sanskrit Kerala means, Land added on which is both mythically and geologically true of the origin of Kerala. Another opinion is that the name is derived from Kera, which means coconut in Malayalam. But there are also theories about the absence of coconut in Kerala, at that time. A more convincing view can be traced back to the Chera Dynasty. The Chera kings were referred to as Cheralan and Cheralatan. The Sanskrit word for Chera is Kera and alam means country. Thus the name Kerala or Keralam may have meant the country of the Cheras. Whatever the origin story may be, Kerala is truly Gods own country, as it is popularly known. Situated on the southwestern coast of the Indian sub continent, it has the Western Ghats...
Words: 2426 - Pages: 10
...Kinukupkop ako at tinutulungan Maging malakas, masipag at marangal. Dahil mahal ko ang Pilipinas, Diringgin ko ang payo Ng aking magulang, Susundin ko ang tuntunin ng paaralan, Tutuparin ko ang tungkulin Ng mamamayang makabayan: Naglilingkod, nag-aaral at nagdarasal Ng buong katapatan Iaalay ko ang aking buhay, Pangarap, pagsisikap Sa bansang Pilipinas Panunumpa sa Watawat ng Pilipinas Ako ay Pilipino. Buong katapatang nanunumpa Sa watawat ng Pilipinas At sa bansang kanyang isinasagisag Na may dangal, katarungan at kalayaan Na ipinakikilos ng sambayanang makadiyos, makakalikasan, makatao at makabansa TEACHER’S MEDITATION What wonder do I see in thee? O little child who comes to me, And looks into my eyes as though You’ll find the truths you want to know. Such question, child, I wish to know Just how to answer them for you Yes, how I long for wisdom too, When question come to me from you. “Who made the stars? What is the...
Words: 15721 - Pages: 63
...almost $79 billion (bn). Yet despite the largest public offering in history and tens of billions of barrels in proven and expected reserves, analysts at Credit Suisse and Deutsche Bank, among others, have downgraded Petrobras’ investment rated to “neutral” and “hold,” respectively. Despite incredible potential, uncertainty over the potential increase in government control, over-ambitious targets, infrastructural bottlenecks, technological capabilities, and corruption loom large for potential Petrobras investors and business partners worldwide. The huge pre-salt oil deposits will have considerable implications for Brazil’s international role, its domestic governance, regional balances of power, and the future of investment in the region. This paper will analyze the evolution and current state of the Brazilian petroleum industry, the integral role of...
Words: 8713 - Pages: 35
...sustainability report 2011 This report is printed on environmentally friendly paper. YTL CORPORATION BERHAD 92647-H Table of Contents 2 10 12 20 38 102 114 116 Managing Director’s Review Corporate Responsibility Promotion Of Arts & Culture 14 Starhill Gallery Arts Festival 15 The Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPac) 17 Singapore Dance Theatre 17 The Actor’s Studio at the Rooftop, Lot 10 17 A Midsummer Nights Feast at Starhill Gallery 18 Feast Village Junior 18 Hutong – A Gourmet Heritage Village at Lot 10 19 YTL Concerts of Celebration Supporting Education & Community Development 22 Education Initiatives 28 Community Support & Development Initiatives 36 Employee Welfare Protection of the Environment 40 The YTL Group’s Environmental Vision 42 Utilities 61 Cement Manufacturing 65 Express Rail Link 68 Property Development & Sustainable Design 85 Hotels & Resorts 87 Carbon Credit Consultancy Services 88 Biodiversity & Nature Conservation Programmes & Collaborations 102 Earth Hour 2011 105 Ongoing Outreach Through Climate Change Week 106 National Geographic Store, Kuala Lumpur 108 The Copenhagen Communiqué on Climate Change 108 The Cancun Communiqué on Climate Change 108 The 2°C Challenge Communiqué on Climate Change 109 Support For Environmental Organisations 113 Memberships Be Part of the Solution Find Out More Go Onlin e at : www.ytl. co m . m y / w w w. y t l c o mmu ni t y . co m 2 Managing Director’s Review Dear Stakeholder, You may...
Words: 48018 - Pages: 193
...AS/A2 English Literature B Student Guide A-LEVEL STUDENT HANDBOOK CONTENTS PAGE | | | |What we Expect of A-Level Students |3 | |Overview of the AS and A2 Course |4 | |Assessment Objectives |5 | |AS Marking Criteria |6 | |A2 Marking Criteria |7 | |Selecting and Studying Texts |8 | |Approaching Essays – coursework |9 | |Punctuation Guide |11 | |Glossary of Literary Terms |12 | |Reading List ...
Words: 4760 - Pages: 20
...Improve your Written English Visit our How To website at www.howto.co.uk At www.howto.co.uk you can engage in conversation with our authors – all of whom have ‘been there and done that’ in their specialist fields. You can get access to special offers and additional content but most importantly you will be able to engage with, and become a part of, a wide and growing community of people just like yourself. At www.howto.co.uk you’ll be able to talk and share tips with people who have similar interests and are facing similar challenges in their lives. People who, just like you, have the desire to change their lives for the better – be it through moving to a new country, starting a new business, growing your own vegetables, or writing a novel. At www.howto.co.uk you’ll find the support and encouragement you need to help make your aspirations a reality. For more information on punctuation and grammar visit www.improveyourpunctuationandgrammar.co.uk How To Books strives to present authentic, inspiring, practical information in their books. Now, when you buy a title from How To Books, you get even more than just words on a page. Improve your Written English Master the essentials of grammar, punctuation and spelling and write with greater confidence MARION FIELD Published by How To Content, A division of How To Books Ltd, Spring Hill House, Spring Hill Road, Begbroke, Oxford OX5 1RX, United Kingdom. Tel: (01865) 375794. Fax: (01865) 379162...
Words: 33140 - Pages: 133
...you an outsider after 30 years, Sorensen would be very much the newcomer. Despite that, he would try to convince the others to adjust the firm’s successful design process—to change a winning game. In April 2006, Bang & Olufsen (B&O) sold a range of televisions, audio systems, loudspeakers, telephones, and other products (see Exhibit 1) in more than 60 countries. The company had a worldwide reputation for idea-based products of high quality and artistic design, many of which held places of honor in the permanent collections of the world’s greatest art museums. (According to a citation at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, B&O had “delivered the largest and most consistent design portfolio among the world’s industrial companies.”3) This level of accomplishment translated into high price points (see Exhibit 2) and profit margins, realized through an exclusive network of dealers, from devoted and discerning customers. To create products with appearance and functionality that made them instantly recognizable, the company had evolved unique design and development processes. B&O gave designers free reign to create new products that would challenge engineers to find a way to manufacture them. New ideas, materials, and technologies made their way into B&O products only if designers put...
Words: 11881 - Pages: 48
...Para os meus pais, porque "o valor das coisas não está no tempo que elas duram, mas na intensidade com que acontecem. Por isso existem momentos inesquecíveis, coisas inexplicáveis e pessoas incomparáveis" como vocês! Obrigado por tudo, Filipe Abstract The Retail Banking Industry has been severely affected by fraud over the past few years. Indeed, despite all the research and systems available, fraudsters have been able to outsmart and deceive the banks and their customers. With this in mind, we intend to introduce a novel and multi-purpose technology known as Stream Computing, as the basis for a Fraud Detection solution. Indeed, we believe that this architecture will stimulate research, and more importantly organizations, to invest in Analytics and Statistical Fraud-Scoring to be used in conjunction with the already in-place preventive techniques. Therefore, in this research we explore different strategies to build a Streambased Fraud Detection solution, using advanced Data Mining Algorithms and Statistical Analysis, and show how they lead to increased accuracy in the detection of fraud by at least 78% in our reference dataset. We also discuss how a combination of these strategies can be embedded in a Stream-based application to detect fraud in real-time. From this perspective, our experiments lead to an average processing time of 111,702ms per transaction, while strategies to further improve the performance are discussed. Keywords: Fraud Detection, Stream Computing, Real-Time...
Words: 56858 - Pages: 228
...De La Salle University- Manila College of Business Global City Auto Sales, Inc. FORD Global City Strategic Management Paper Submitted to: Mr. Real So In Partial Fulfilment Of the requirement in Strategic Management (STRAMAN K36) Submitted By: Calantoc, Kimberly Kate L. Chua, Maris Danica T. Gamboa, Beatriz Suan, Ada Lynn M. Te, Krislynn Audrey C. 1 Table of Contents I. Table of Contents II. Acknowledgements III. Executive Summary IV. Introduction V. External Environmental Analysis 1. Definition of Industry 2. Analysis of Present Task Environment 3. Analysis of Potential Changes in the Macro-environment 4. Threats and Opportunities 5. External Factors Evaluation (EFE) Matrix 6. Industry and Competitive Analysis 7. Competitive Performance Matrix (CPM) VI. Analysis of Internal Environment 1. Company Overview 2. Corporate Values 3. Value Chain Analysis 4. Strengths and Weaknesses 5. Financial Analysis 6. Internal Factors Evaluation (IFE) Matrix VII. TOWS Matrix VIII. Strategic Plan 1. Vision and Mission 2. Objectives: Strategic and Financial 3. Evaluation of Present Corporate Strategies 4. Proposed Corporate Strategies 5. Corporate Social Responsibility 2 II. Acknowledgements Thank you to Ford Global City for answering all our queries about the company and its competitors. 3 III. Executive Summary Ford Global City is an automobile dealership that sells brand new Ford brand new Ford cars. They also provide car services, maintenance and repairs for...
Words: 14032 - Pages: 57
...Para os meus pais, porque "o valor das coisas não está no tempo que elas duram, mas na intensidade com que acontecem. Por isso existem momentos inesquecíveis, coisas inexplicáveis e pessoas incomparáveis" como vocês! Obrigado por tudo, Filipe Abstract The Retail Banking Industry has been severely affected by fraud over the past few years. Indeed, despite all the research and systems available, fraudsters have been able to outsmart and deceive the banks and their customers. With this in mind, we intend to introduce a novel and multi-purpose technology known as Stream Computing, as the basis for a Fraud Detection solution. Indeed, we believe that this architecture will stimulate research, and more importantly organizations, to invest in Analytics and Statistical Fraud-Scoring to be used in conjunction with the already in-place preventive techniques. Therefore, in this research we explore different strategies to build a Streambased Fraud Detection solution, using advanced Data Mining Algorithms and Statistical Analysis, and show how they lead to increased accuracy in the detection of fraud by at least 78% in our reference dataset. We also discuss how a combination of these strategies can be embedded in a Stream-based application to detect fraud in real-time. From this perspective, our experiments lead to an average processing time of 111,702ms per transaction, while strategies to further improve the performance are discussed. Keywords: Fraud Detection, Stream Computing, Real-Time...
Words: 56858 - Pages: 228
...Madagascar Rainforest Madagascar, located approximately 400 kilometers east of Africa is the world's fourth largest island. Because of its isolation it is occupied by some of the most unusual and rare species of plants and animals on earth. Madagascar was at one time formerly an independent kingdom; became a French colony in 1896 and regained independence in 1960. During 1992-93, free presidential and National Assembly elections were held ending 17 years of single-party rule(Science 1990). The main historical problem with international trade has been the correlated destruction of the environment. This is especially true when it comes to the issue of deforestation. In Madagascar, (Economic Geography, 1993) people have been cutting down the forests for decades. Throughout the past century, much of the rainforests of Madagascar have disappeared. People have begun moving out of the cities, industries have started to expand, and the use of land for farming (particularly coffee) has dramatically increased. All of these phenomenons have led to the destruction of the forest of Madagascar. Many plants and animal species have been severely endangered due to the deforestation (New Scientist 1990). With a current population near 14 million and growing at roughly 3% yearly combined with a per capita income of $230 per year, the major threats to the remaining forest are driven by subsistence needs and cutting for fuel. This has become a major issue, not only because of the value...
Words: 3085 - Pages: 13
...onaryDictionary of Ònìchà Igbo 2nd edition of the Igbo dictionary, Kay Williamson, Ethiope Press, 1972. Kay Williamson (†) This version prepared and edited by Roger Blench Roger Blench Mallam Dendo 8, Guest Road Cambridge CB1 2AL United Kingdom Voice/ Fax. 0044-(0)1223-560687 Mobile worldwide (00-44)-(0)7967-696804 E-mail R.Blench@odi.org.uk http://www.rogerblench.info/RBOP.htm To whom all correspondence should be addressed. This printout: November 16, 2006 TABLE OF CONTENTS Abbreviations: ................................................................................................................................................. 2 Editor’s Preface............................................................................................................................................... 1 Editor’s note: The Echeruo (1997) and Igwe (1999) Igbo dictionaries ...................................................... 2 INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................................... 4 1. Earlier lexicographical work on Igbo........................................................................................................ 4 2. The development of the present work ....................................................................................................... 6 3. Onitsha Igbo ...................................................................................................
Words: 129398 - Pages: 518
