Similar to the manner

May 31, 1988, the day I was born. The significance of my birth was that I was born while my mother had her final exams in college! It was a terrible situation for her at that time and it was difficult to juggle studies with family but she kept struggling until her graduation! Really, it was a great accomplishment that I have yet to show her proper gratitude for and when I was born, my grandfather had the priority to name me and he selected my name because it is the same name of his mother! May 31, 1988 was not simply the day that I was born but it was so much more. My coming into the world could not have been foreboded in a better manner.Never was a birth into this world received with so much fanfare and celebrity. In fact, how many can claim that on the day they were born the earth shook and trembled? Seriously, however, Darwin, Australia, was shook by an earthquake that registered a 7 on the Richter scale. There were so many events that transpired on the day that I was born. While my birthday was not exactly featured on any major newspaper and neither did it grace the headlines of any tabloid (gratefully so), it did not mean that it was an uneventful day otherwise. In Brazil, the government made a major decision to revitalize the local economy by instituting fiscal reforms.Similar to the manner by which my parents were forced to make monetary adjustments to compensate for my arrival into this world and the horde of resources they would need to support me, Brazil too was forced to brace for the coming of financially challenging times and notches of belt tightening. In other parts of the world, my birthday was celebrated with the appointment of an Australian to the Secretariat of State of the Vatican. Though I would certainly like to claim that there were no misfortunes that occurred on the day that I was born I have to, perhaps, take the good with the bad or see things in a different light.Other people say that a man died the day that I was born but, on a pers onal level, the maxim out with the old and in with the new comes to mind. It was unfortunate that a man died when his boat capsized but then again I have somewhat believed in the circle of life and perhaps his passing had made way for my entrance into this world. Speculation aside, I am sure that the day that I was born will always be either a day of farewells or a day of greetings and salutations. Far from it for me to claim that the only newsworthy events that transpired on my birthday.In fact, there were other events that are indeed quite fitting to mark this occasion were the introduction of a new swimwear line made by known fashion designers. This was a line that decided to be risque and daring, much like the life I was destined to lead. It also marked a major landmark for sports news casting because CBS announced that it was expanding its roster of announcers and looking for black announcers. CBS was taking a step forward in race relations and breaking down established cultura l barriers by making that announcement.I could perhaps claim that my birthday was a day that boundaries in fashion and culture were broken. Finally, what would my birthday be like it consumerism was not celebrated and heralded at its finest for my birthday was the same day that Coach decided to launch its new model bag that would become the hippest bag in the United States that summer. Retailing for what at that time was already a huge sum of money, the new Coach bag with a tag price of US $138 as well as the Corum Admiral Watch at US $6,900 would be the perfect way to signal my arrival into this world.Exposed to expensive and soft leather, as well as courted by the bright reflections dancing on pieces of shining jewelry, this is the way I intend to lead my life. As I read the events that transpired on my date of birth, I am struck by a realization that makes me smile. While I am aware that the event of my birth will probably not be as well remembered by others, the annals of histor y will always show that something happened that day. It may not be my birth that people will remember but it whatever memory people will have will always occur on the birth date.

Homeschooling vs. Public Schools

What is the most important thing you want your child to do in their lifetime? Most parents would answer for them to succeed greatly in their education and in their future careers. But how can parents be sure that their children will get the best education they can get through their educational careers? Well, they can ask the estimated 2 million children who are homeschooled every year on account of the benefits homeschooling has to offer to students. Homeschooling and public schools vary in quality and the benefits each one has. The vast differences between the two may determine the better choice for a particular child. Although parents might not be an expert or licensed to teach, students who are homeschooled succeed more academically compared to public school students and the parents can have a better knowledge of how their child learns the best. Homeschooling used to be the only form of schooling before public school came about. As said in Brian D. Ray’s â€Å"Research Facts on Homeschooling†, homeschooling used to be seen as an alternative mode of education just a decade ago, but is now turning into â€Å"the fastest-growing form of education in the United States† (Ray, par. ). The statistics included in Ray’s article show that in grades kindergarten through twelfth grade, about 2. 35 million children were being homeschooled in 2010 (par. 2). Homeschooling also used to be just about the schooling. Now, some parents look toward homeschooling as a chance to enlighten their children with their own morals and appreciate their role they have on them as well; being a teache r and a parent gives them the chance to connect with their child, plus be involved with their education. One of the main questions asked about homeschooling is why parents think it’s the best choice for their children? There can be many reasons why a parent would not want their children in the public school system. From the article â€Å"Homeschooling: The Sleeping Giant of American Education†, the authors, Dan Lips and Evan Feinberg, state the average reasons why parents choose homeschooling is because of dissatisfaction with the curriculum and a certain school system, the school’s environment, and religious or moral standings not being supported in the public school system (Lips and Feinberg, par. ). Parents often feel like there is no better teacher to set their children up for success than themselves, which can be true in some cases. They feel that they can teach their offspring certain values and morals, and they can teach them in a more controlled environment without having to worry about any negative influences; making it a safer environment for their childre n as well. Parents also want the control of having their child accomplish more in their academics than they would in public schools. This could benefit in how the child is well prepared for the rest of their academic career, for example, college. The possibilities on why parents would prefer homeschooling for their children can be endless, but a question still remains: why would the government support such a small percentage of Americans who home school? Government support and involvement in homeschooling has disregarded the movement because of many issues like approval of curriculum, testing, and access to public school classroom for laboratory work or textbooks. With the government focusing on issues in the public school system, homeschooling appears to be off their radar for importance, mainly since there are less homeschooled students than there are public school students in our population. [This is where I would put support to back up my claim with a source about government money going to schools]. Taxpayers also feel better about their tax dollars going to education for our future generation, instead of a private homeschooling session for a small amount of students. The government has provided the public school system for a reason, to ensure the same important knowledge gets passed on to all the students. The public school system is filled with people who have applied their lives to teaching children, but those people can’t determine how each individual student learns in the best way for them. All students learn differently, so why unify them all in one classroom? It might be easier for the government to support the public school system since every child is getting the same education, but to ensure that those certain students whose parents choose for them not to attend public school get an education, the government needs to support them as well. As said in Lawrence M. Rudner’s study, â€Å"The Scholastic Achievement and Demographic Characteristics of Home School Students in 1998†, â€Å"Home school families have a higher median income ($52,000 in 1997) than the median income of all American families with children ($36,000 in 1995)† (Rudner, par. 4). He also states that there is less of a minority percentage (6%) in the homeschooling society than there are in public schools (par. 17). If there becomes more of a diverse population as opposed to ethnicity and family incomes in the homeschooling society, government support can be an alternative as a choice for these families. Rudner describes, â€Å"The median amount of money spent in 1997 on educational materials for home school students was $400† (par. 19). We can consider this a small amount of money compared to the high academic achievement of most home schooled students. After all this being said, the government should support the homeschooling movement to give families of other diversities a chance for their children to succeed higher in their academics. Not every parent or home is stable enough to meet homeschooling requirements. According to The Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), â€Å"10 states require no notice from homeschcoolers; 15 have â€Å"low regulation† (requiring only parental notification): 19 have â€Å"moderate regulations†: and six states have â€Å"high regulation†Ã¢â‚¬  (Lips and Feinberg 22). This means the homeschoolers in those 10 states who do not require any notice that they are homeschooling can be teaching their children any given subject without the government to approve of the curriculum. How can we reassure ourselves that the future generation of this country is getting the education they need to keep the country going if we have illiterate families who insist on teaching their own children? Parents a lso are not licensed teachers to educate their children based on their knowledge. If the parents aren’t licensed to teach and don’t have much knowledge themselves, then their children are going to grow knowing the same level of knowledge their parent has. Educating your children by homeschooling is not as effective towards the quality of knowledge they can attain as if they went to a public school here there are licensed professionals who actually knows the curriculum. Most homeschooling parents are highly educated, wealthy, and are dedicated to education. Rudner describes in his study of how, based on background questionnaires, 88% of home school parents had continued their education past high school, as an average of the nation, only 50% of parents continue their education after high school (Rudner par. 13). This study shows that the majorities of the people who are teaching their children at home are well-educated and most likely know the topic in which they are teaching to their children. With what has been said in the previous paragraph, home school families tend to have a higher income than other families in the nation. This means that they will be able to afford all the special equipment and supplies it takes to school from home. Parents are also experts when it comes to understanding their offspring. They can know what works for their child in learning new things in the curriculum or how to make them understand in a way that is effective towards the child. Also, parents who home school are dedicated towards education. Either they grew up learning to be enthusiastic about education or they just want to see their child have the highest potential they can get in succeeding in their academics. I would insert some more supporting anecdote to convey why parents are effective teachers for their children]. This exact reason is why parents will devote their time to stay at home to educate their children themselves rather than sending them off to public school for some stranger to teach them. The rate of success of homeschooled students has come up a great amount of times, but how is this success measured? Home school student’s test scores are remarkable compared to public school students’ test scores. As stated in Ray’s â€Å"Research Facts on Homeschooling†, homeschooled students scored in the 15 to 30 percentile above students in public school on academic standardized tests and score above average on the SAT and the ACT (Ray par. 7). Being educated at home allows the students to move at the rate they are comfortable at, rather than going with the strict timeline the public school curriculum has. According to Rudner’s research, â€Å"almost one in four home school students (24. 5%) are enrolled one or more grades above age level† (Rudner par. 7). Rudner then notes that the information he has provided about the average test scores of the homeschooled students are from the students who are actually enrolled into the homeschooling system with the government. We wouldn’t know the average test scores of every homeschooled students in the nation because some states don’t require regulation that children are being homeschooled. Going back to what Ray stated in his studies, home-educated students score above average on standardized assessments despite their parent’s level of education and the family household’s income (Ray par. ). This just shows that the students’ academic achievement isn’t related to whether their parents are certified teachers or not. Homeschooling our children might just be the best choice in our children’s educational careers. Home educating prepares them for further education along in their lives by teaching them, not only the approved curriculum the government p rovides, but lessons about morals and values their parents live among. By having more time to have one-on-one interaction with the teacher (which in most cases are the parents), the students are able to achieve higher academic success through above average testing scores. Homeschooling is becoming more and more popular. With this becoming a more popular trend in education, the homeschooling population is also getting more diverse, making it so the government should support more of the home school movements so more families in America can experience the joy of having their children become academically successful in every way possible.

Adulthood by Nikki Giovanni

Adulthood by Nikki Giovanni BY urnerl 203 Umer Rehman Professor : Boisson English:200 Adulthood Nikki Giovanni wrote many peoms , basically between the time of 1960s and 1970s. At the time of depression. Adulthood is one of the peoms written in the same time as well. Adulthood is a short story about a girl and which shows her childhood and gradually coming into adulthood. In this peom the Narrator tells us at many places about the economic status of the little girl in different ways.In the beginning â€Å"when i was a little girl in Indianapolis†, Indianapolis is a subarban area, not a good economy there. It has small towns there and so Just by this we can figure out that girl is not from a rich family or place. in the next line it says â€Å"sitting on the doctors porches with post dawn pre debs†. Sitting on the doctors porches refers to someone sitting on the steps and doing nothing. It shows as someone who has no Job or has nothing mportant to do, so they Just sit an d look around.It describes how the place where girl lives has people, who have not much t do and so they sit on door steps and kill time. when we read the next two lines of the peom, where is says â€Å"i wondered if life would give me a chance to mean†. it relates with the fact that she is sitting there doing nothing and thinking she is worthless, and hoping life gives her a chance to make herself mean something important rather than sitting here.Narrator also mentions the slang language being used again and again in the poem like â€Å"usta† and the informal way she uses like â€Å"and other bullshit stuff'. This potrays her surronding , how and where she is brought up, as the economic status is not good and we see where she Ilives is not with many educated people so the slang language is used alot. They talk about stuff which is not important while sitting and conversing,shows kind of place and people there are.

Level of evidence Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Level of evidence - Term Paper Example When each study is completed, recommendations are made and results used to update the policies and procedures. For example, in validation of evidence for a clinical intervention for a particular disease, its results are important as the procedure regarding the treatment for the disease will be updated immediately. All policies and procedures are reviewed annually. The management of the health institution is the overall in charge in ensuring all policies and procedures are based on evidence. There are policies and procedures manual for the health institutions. The manual outlines each procedure and policy in detail, giving information on which particular individual is responsible. For example, there is a policy regarding the criteria to approve or exempt human subject research. The policy will indicate the scope, purpose and criteria, indicating the concerned department and personnel. The level of evidence indicates the type of study used in order to effectively make an evaluation of the intervention effect. This will be used to decide on whether the evidence is appropriate. The types of evidence accepted as appropriate are based on three factors namely, whether there is any real effect of the evidence, the relevance of the effect and the size of the effect. The strength of the evidence assesses the effectiveness of an intervention in clinical practice. There are different types of bias that can be detected in any study that can affect the outcome. Each type of study done can indicate the degree of bias. The methods used for the study determines the quality of the evidence in order to minimize bias within the particular study. The sources of bias for each study need to be determined. There are different types of bias such as selection bias or publication bias. Various questions need to be addressed as to how the sample was selected, whether the characteristics of the

Analyze one week of world economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Analyze one week of world economy - Essay Example Spending on durable goods was relatively rigid, this was an indication of stagnation or fall in the economy. Within the analysis week as the change or fluctuation in the index was minimal, from negative 0.3 to negative 0.2, a figure that was massively below the experts’ projection of 0.4 percent. The US economy registered negative statistics recording EUR/USD figures that were down as compared to experts’ projections. The only sector in the economy that recorded a positive figure was home sales whereas the new home sales, unemployment claims, and manufacturing reports recorded lowered figures from the projections. The projections indicated slowdown in the manufacturing sector that the negative statistics proved. The fluctuation of the dollar is another influencing factor that negatively affected the US economy. The unemployment rates were high because of the existence of part-time jobs in the labor market and lack of full-time positions that rendered many unemployed over time. The cost of orders received for the durable goods were low to a negative 2 percent, an indication of slow economic growth. The figures exempted orders for transportation that was stable regardless of the economic instability. From the rest of the world’s economies, Germany registered an index of 113.9, a figure up by 1.9 from the previous recordings (The Forex Market n.p). The figures indicate the current conditions and future projection of economic growth. The survey analyzed more than 7000 businesses, and the realization of a positive index indicates growth in the economy. The growth in the economy represents an improvement in the gross domestic income contributed to by an increase in net exports. The US Euro economy rarely benefits from variety of economy injections because of its weaker currency, which only favors the exports thereby discouraging local manufacturers who become less competitive. There exists a cut of close to a

Political Ideas and Political Change in Britain that Have Affected the Essay

Political Ideas and Political Change in Britain that Have Affected the Nature of Public Service - Essay Example Political ideas play a major role influencing the thinking and conduct of the leaders and when such leaders who when in power institute different approaches to governance which also shapes the public service used to achieve the goals of the electorates. The leader and his or her dominant political ideology determine strategies used handle the human nature and all the challenges facing the society. Government policies therefore originate from the main ideas of the political party that forms the government. At times, a government may modify or create radical change to the existing structure of governance and society as perceived suitable for achieving the desired outcome. Political ideas and Public Service An ideology is a as a set of ideas, visionary images and thinking patters that shapes how an individual or a class of people view society or other matters such as economic, political and governance systems. Political ideologies are therefore a set of ideas that provides a basis for o rganized political action, whether it intends to preserve, modify or overthrow the existing system of power. Ideas give a world-view, provide a model for the future, a vision for a good society, and outline how a political change can be brought about. Although democracy is a common system of governance worldwide, it is ideal governance approach but not an ideology. Ideologies are underlying principles that guide political action of an individual or a political class (Heywood, 2007). A political ideology may describe and interpret the past and present and define what the ideal future should be like, plus the appropriate strategies and policies for achieving the goals. Such political ideas therefore explain the human nature and history about the state in a way that steer political action and provides a plan for action. It also cut across political parties and may a leader may use different ideologies to support their policies. Identifying personal ideology involves having an understan ding of the human history that may have shaped the past and adopting a personal approach to shaping the world in future. This is important in any leader since human beings are controlled by motivation and events and at times structures. The ideas of the leader adopted to solve any situation may change the event and the condition and produce the desired change (Hoffman and Graham, 2006). Public service is an instrument used by the political leadership to achieve political goals and to serve citizens who pay tax to enjoy the common good. The public service therefore changes with the political ideology of the political party, which forms the government. Britain has had a number of ideologies brought by different leaders each of which introduces specific approaches to public service over the years. This is because public service is directly under the control of the political leadership and therefore the agenda of a political party, has to influence the structure and systems adopted by t he public service (Heywood, 2007). The main political ideologies The major political ideas, which have shaped the post war Britain to the present, include Liberalism, Socialism, Conservatism, Welfarism, Neo-liberalism, The Third Way and The Big Society. Each of these varies between two extremes of left which is also known as communism dominated by socialism and liberalism at the centre, then moves to conservatism the extreme right of either fascist or

Japanese manga censorship Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Japanese manga censorship - Research Paper Example Sometimes the word â€Å"air† is used to describe manga in Japanese which implies its possibility to penetrate everywhere: people buy manga on trains, in local supermarkets and small shops, in cinemas and read it in parks, luxurious apartments and shopping malls (Kinsella 4). Why has manga become so widespread and demanded in Japan? In post-war period it became linked to political events of the country and was perceived as counter-cultural experimentation. Most manga nevertheless concentrated on depiction of daily life events. Beginning from the 1970s manga adapted to the tastes of the population and concentrated on the topics popular among men: science fiction, robots, heroic events, however he group of women who appeared in the end of the 1970s adapted manga to female auditory making manga about love and romantic relationships (Gravet 24) The beginning of the 1980s coincided with the growth of the initial manga auditory and the economic rise of the country that is why publishers decided to widen the scope of genres and started looking for explicitly sexual and violent images in manga that were supposed to provide popularity. But the success on the territory of Japan was only a first step because manga has even won its special place in hearts of American readers with the help of exotic heroes, unique style of depiction, and unpredictable plot twists. Manga offered a fresh look on heroic epos: wide-eyed superheroes, latex-booted heroines and wild-haired supervillains have become extremely popular in a faraway America (Wood 14). For a long time manga and anime managed to avoid the attention of censors until an unfortunate case in 1989 when in a house of a serial killer a number of explicitly sexual content was found and he himself turned out to be a member in Comiket, the biggest convention for manga fans in the country. Since then the debates regarding the necessity of censorship for manga do not cease. Though some

Bibliography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Bibliography - Essay Example The relevance and appropriateness of the preservice teacher education has raised policy debate among the legislators in different states, with some considering it as a needless detour for the teaching profession. Kip Tellez has backed this assertion through a completed seven-year biographical study of a teacher who did not have the preservice experience, but has applied psychological and instructive resources to emerge as an effective alternative route teacher. Further, while educational training through coursework and higher degree qualifications form a vital component of the teaching content, such qualifications do not necessarily amount to producing effective teachers who are able to pass over educational knowledge to students in an effective manner. The methodology applied in the case study was lengthy interviewing of the participant teacher, and thus several limitations might befall the results obtainable, regarding alternative route teaching being equally effective. The observe d transformation of the capability of the teacher from a mathematics and English teacher to the principal of a new charter elementary school serves to back the assertions that alternative routes to teacher education are effective. The case study concludes that it is not the actual application of well defined methodologies of teaching or instructive methods, but the more psychologically a teacher is connected to the students, that enables a teacher, whether with previous preservice teacher education or the one from alternative routes, to understand the educational needs of the students, and thus be able to deliver knowledge appropriately. The relevance of this article by Kip Tellez is that; the case study reveals that it is through enthusiasm and gaining deeper insights into the students’ education understanding needs, that a teacher can become effective in delivering

Quantitative easing and inflation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Quantitative easing and inflation - Essay Example In the year 1694, the bank was established and on 1st March 1946 it became nationalised (Sayers, 1976). It gained its operational significance in the year1997 and from then the bank can independently work on the implementation of monetary policies (Bank of england, 2013). From the year 1993 the bank started to publish its inflation report on a quarterly basis. It contains a detailed economic analysis with the inflation projections for the upcoming months (Tennant, 2009). By depending on this analysis, the monetary policy committee of the bank take several decisions based on the interest rate (Bank of England, 2013). Quantitative Easing is a strategy in monetary policy that has been adopted by several governments and central banks to ease the effect of inflation. It helps to increase the money supply by purchasing securities from government or other securities from the market (Fukasawa, 2000, p.65). As the financial institutions got flooded with capital it helps to increase the money supply which will subsequently promote to increase the lending and liquidity. Quantitative easing is used by the central banks when the interest rates have already been minimized to near 0% levels and unable to produce the desired effect (Kimura & Small, 2004, p.45). In the following research the researcher will try to understand how the â€Å"Bank of England† is trying to minimise the inflation rate and if the Quantitative Easing program will cause higher inflation in future or not (Rochon & Rochon, 2012, p.69). Policy adopted by the Bank of England to minimise the inflation rate In the month of March of the year 2013 the inflation rate of United Kingdom has been rated as 2.80. For the purpose of national statistics inflation rate has been reported to the UK office. From the past history it has been found that from the year 1989 until 2013 the average inflation rate of United Kingdom is 2.81%. In the year 1991 it has its highest point at 8.50 and the lowest was in the year 2 000 rated 0.50 percentile. In this country the most important categories in the consumer price index are transport and housing, followed by water, electricity, gas and other fuels. The following chart shows the previous inflation rate in a bar chart format- The consumer price index grew by 2.8% in the current year. In spite of the large increase and decreases the CPI remain broadly flat. The central bank of UK introduced a monetary policy balloon which helps to set the interest rate to control the inflation. One needs to keep the balloon flying at a steady height of 200 meters. It is like the same as the bank’s monetary policy committee tries to make the inflation steady at 2%. The main objective of the bank’s monetary policy is to bring stability in the price, lower the inflation rate by supporting the objectives of the government for growth of the economy as well as employment. The targeted inflation rate is 2%. In the budget statement each year the Chancellor of the Exchequer announces the targeted inflation rate. The bank can change the interest rate; however in an extreme condition the government also can ask the central bank to change the inflation rate for a certain period. Depending on the consumer price index the inflation rate

Gun Control In America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Gun Control In America - Essay Example However, it has also been viewed that most of the people living within the country prefers keeping gun as a safety measure to avoid any such critical situations, which directly relates with the life of people (World Health Organization, 2002). Thesis Statement The main objective of this essay is to provide a valid argument regarding Gun control in America. This paper intends to describe about the implementation of gun policies within America to control the rising crime resulting from possession of gun by the common people within the country. Additionally, the paper also contains supporting statement made by many critics. Discussion In-favor The topic of gun control has been in debate amongst many critics, as it has been viewed that the crime rate resulting from possession of gun has risen to a great extent. The violence resulting from possession of firearms in the United States is considerably high, as compare to other developed countries. However, the recent increase in the crime ra te has force the government to implement new laws that restricts certain categories of individuals from possessing firearm as a safety measure. ... rior to the mass shooting on August 5, 2012, a 40 years old individual who worked with the U.S army was found entering a Sikh temple and committed a mass shooting resulting in death of 6 people and 3 critically wounded. Furthermore, it has been mentioned that one of the individual whom the offender allegedly shot several times was a police officer. Later, it was found that Wade Page the offender legally bought the guns from a registered ammunition shop located in West Allis, Wisconsin through cash payment (Krouse, 2012). Against Although, it has been observed that there exist many situations, where the use of gun has been illegally used causing harm to the general public. But in a country were crime rates are increasing at a rapid speed, it has been ascertained that people prefer keeping gun as a safety measure as it helps them to be secured in situations such as robbery, theft and rape among others. For instance, according to a survey conducted in 1993 amid 4977 families showed that 0.5% of the total number of people used gun for defensing themselves. They also stated that using gun was needed; otherwise they would have been killed by the offender. Additionally, on the basis of another survey being conducted in the year 1994, it was revealed that the people generally use gun to frighten away invaders who breaks into their houses almost 498,000 times per year. Furthermore, it has been estimated that in the year 2009, the country had a total population of 307 million people out of which almost 300 million of the civilians owned firearms within the country (Peaceful Americans against War, Violence and Gun Proliferation PAC, 2010). The aforementioned facts and figures contradict the control of arms and ammunition by the common people within U.S.A. Three to Four Pieces of

Discuss the reasons for the global distribution of heart disease Essay Example for Free

Discuss the reasons for the global distribution of heart disease Essay h The nature of Coronary Heart Disease. What is it? h The Global distribution of Coronary Heart Disease. h The likely causes for this include diet, smoking, lack of exercise as a minimum. For the heart to function properly, your heart needs a steady supply of oxygen from the blood, which flows through the coronary arteries, to the heart muscle. Coronary heart disease is a term used to describe the condition when the supply is blocked by fatty deposits or a thrombosis. The arteries become blocked due to a build up of fatty material in the lining. This causes the artery to become narrower, then the heart must pump harder to force the blood through. This causes the blood pressure to rise. There are three classifications of Coronary heart disease. If the coronary arteries become partly blocked, the person may experience chest pains brought on by exertion, which desist when resting again. This form of coronary heart disease is known as angina pectoris. The pain is caused by the shortage of blood to the heart muscles. With this form of coronary heart disease there is no death of the muscle tissue. If the arteries become completely blocked by a thrombus, this will cause a myocardial infarction, more commonly known as a heart attack. During a heart attack the lack of oxygen being pumped to the heart causes the heart muscle to die, and can also be fatal. Although many people survive with immediate medical attention. The other type of coronary heart disease is heart failure. This is the blockage of the main coronary artery, which leads to the gradual damage of the heart muscles. When this occurs, the heart will become weaker and weaker  until it eventually stops pumping blood around the body efficiently. Coronary heart disease was unknown before the 20th century. The main reason for this is most probably because the majority of people died of something else before they could die of coronary heart disease. Usually some kind of infectious disease. Coronary Heart Disease is more prominent in developed countries. The main reasons for this are stress, bad diets, lack of exercise, smoking and drinking. In developed countries we are more used to taking the bus or using a car rather than walking or cycling to where we want to get to. With increasing obesity we are also getting an increase of coronary heart disease. The distribution across the United Kingdom varies. For example, the people in the UK most likely to get coronary heart disease are those in the north west of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Manual workers are at a higher risk than those who have desk jobs are. South Asians in the UK are more likely get coronary heart disease than any other ethnic group. Men are also at greater risk than women are. The most common way for coronary heart disease start is when the coronary arteries become blocked by a build up of fatty deposits, known as cholesterol. The deposits form plaques in the lining of the artery, which narrows the arteries. Also making them less elastic. The narrowing of the arteries is called arteriosclerosis. This occurs when the lining is damaged, most likely due to high blood pressure. These breaks are taken over by phagocytes. These growth factors that stimulate the growth of smooth muscle cells. Cholesterol is a fatty substance made from the saturated fat that you eat. It is essential for cells to stay healthy. Lipoproteins carry cholesterol through the body, in the blood stream. Low-density lipoproteins (LDL) take cholesterol from the liver, and take it to the cells, and high-density lipoproteins (HDL) carry excess cholesterol back to the liver. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol is the one that tends to build up on the walls of the arteries. If your level of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol is too high, the high-density lipoproteins will not be able to remove the cholesterol sufficiently and you will be at risk of developing coronary heart disease. Thrombosis (blood clots) can also cause the coronary arteries to narrow, putting you at risk of heart attack. Coronary thrombosis occurs when blood turns from a liquid form to a solid form, creating a clot in one of the coronary arteries and stopping blood supply from getting to the heart muscle. Coronary thrombosis usually occurs at the site of existing arteriosclerosis. Agerisk increase with age. Although coronary heart disease can begin in early life Sexmales at a much higher risk than women (women protected by oestrogen until menopause, but will still be protected if they have HRT) Weightbeing overweight or obese will increase your chances Diethigh intake of animal (saturated) fats means high risk of coronary heart disease. Blood cholesterolhigh blood cholesterol levels results in high risk of coronary heart disease. High blood pressurehigh blood pressure causes higher risk of coronary heart disease. Smokingcombines with the other factors. Most common factor. Multiplies risk of getting coronary heart disease. Exercisemore exercise reduces the risk of coronary heart disease. Hereditysome families are at higher risk than others are Diabetesdiabetics have higher risk Alcoholexcessive drinking causes high blood pressure, increase risk of atheroslerosis. Moderate intake can be protective. Social classheart disease more likely to occur among manual workers The way to prevent getting coronary heart disease is to limit your intake of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and to keep you intake of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol high. Ways you can do this include: h Reducing the amount of food we eat containing saturated fat, as the body turns this fat into low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. h Avoiding excessive intake of egg yolks, most meats, such as pork, lamb, beef and veal, also butter, full fat milk and cream cheeses. h Eating more pea, lentils, beans, and oats will also help to lower cholesterol as they contain fibre. h Eat more vegetables, pulses, cereals, and fruit. h Higher intake of anti-oxidant vitamins, such as vitamins C and E. These vitamins can prevent saturated fat being converted into cholesterol by your body. h Nuts, like Brazil nuts are rich in selenium. This protects the body from tissue damage, like that damage causes by a myocardial infarction h Exercising is also very important. As well as being able to control your weight, also has been proven to increase the bodys levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Which in its turn keeps your low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels down. Walking and swimming are two of the  best forms of exercise. h Eat more oily fish like kippers, pilchards, trout, herring, sardines, mackerel and salmon. These fish contain oils that can lessen the risk of thrombosis. h If you are a smoker, the most important thing to do to reduce your risk of coronary heart disease is to stop smoking. Smoking is the major cause of coronary thrombosis in people under 50 years old Bibliography www.who.int/ncd/cvd www.who.int/whosid/ www.nhsdirect.nhs.ukhttp://nhlbisupport.com/chd1/chdexp.htm

The Degrading of Women Essay Example for Free

The Degrading of Women Essay In the 16th century, one of the last things anyone wants to be is a female. Throughout the play, it is evident that the role of a woman is burdensome. There is a set perception of a perfect woman, and only those depicting these characteristics are accepted by society. In The Taming of the Shrew era, a womans opinion is never valued, there is a class gap between males and females men are born with a higher rank -, and women are often seen, and are treated, as pieces of property. A womans opinion is not valued in the least and others always make decisions for her against her will. Throughout the male society, there are mental expectations as to how a woman should behave. These standards, although not written in concrete, are expected of all women. Not only is the male society aware of these expectations, but the females are as well, and they often live to meet these expectations. In the play, Katherina vocalizes the basis of these expectations: they are bound to serve, love, and obey (V, II, 164). In this quote, they refers to women, and bound is a very interesting word to use in this context. This is only one example of the thousands on how a womans opinion is not acknowledged. A woman is not only deprived of making her opinions heard, but they are bound to listen to, accept, and to honour a mans beliefs. In this case, the males viewpoint is that a woman is obliged to love, to serve, and to obey. Men even go as far as to decide a womans future husband. Not only is her voice not heard, she is sold off to the wealthiest bidder by none other than her own father. This is evident in the play as Baptista auctions his daughter off, awaiting the highest bid. Content you gentlemen; I will compound this strife. Tis deeds must win the prize, and be of both That can assure my daughter greatest dower Shall have my Biancas love. (II, I, 333-336) This is a clear indication that a woman is sold off to whomever can offer the most for her. It should be of no surprise that more times than another the woman is not always satisfied with the decision. As Katherina so aptly puts it: No shame but mine, I must, forsooth, be forcd / To give my hand, opposd my heart (III, II, 9). However, the mens reign over a woman does not end with her marriage. During her life after marriage, one could say that a womans mind is controlled more than ever. Not only must she uphold her fathers name, but her husbands as well. A womans husband also takes control of her as she is nothing more than mere slave that he has bought. In the play, Petruchio executes his power over Kate as he starves her (IV, II, 3-35), and refuses to pay heed to her opinions in how she would like to dress (IV, II, 81-103). No matter the circumstances whether it be choosing a husband or just living life a womans mind is always made up for her.

Best Model For The Welfare State Politics Essay

Best Model For The Welfare State Politics Essay A welfare state engages the responsibility of a state to secure the basic modicum of welfare to its citizens. It seeks to know whether social policies are liberatory and help in legitimization or help in the market process (Castles Pierson, 2007). In a welfare state, the government plays a big role in protecting and promoting the economic and social well-beings of the citizens. It believes in the social equity and justice in that there is equality of opportunity, wealth allocation is equivalent, and the people are philanthropic in that they help the less fortunate. In a welfare state, there is democracy, welfare and they practice capitalism. The Western Europe and the United States have been examples of welfare state models. The welfare state created by conservatives and opposed by socialist and labour unions has been of continuous debates on whether it is beneficial. There was the German welfare state, the British welfare state, the French welfare state and the modern Europe (Kenne tt, 2004). The United States followed suit and joined the western countries in instituting social welfare policies. The models dealt with mainly poverty relief but the modern models are universal in that they tend to concentrate on all citizens. Firstly, this paper is going to introduce the best welfare state model which seems as Social democratic model. Lastly, the reader should be able to know and explain the best regime by the end of the study. According to Esping -Anderson (1990), welfare regimes refer to bunches welfare states in terms of their level and quality of social rights and bases of stratification on which the welfare state is built. As Esping-Anderson acknowledged, the importance of the three welfare state models in Europe and America which were social democratic, corporatist and liberal (Castles Pierson, 2007). The social democratic welfare state believes in universalism in which all citizens are entitled to access the benefits. They believe in politics against the market. Examples of such states are Norway, Sweden and Finland. The corporatist welfare states believe in subsidiaries in which they offer insurance schemes. Examples of the states are Germany and Austria. The liberal states believe in market dominance and private investment in which the government helps only the poor and can provide for basic needs. The forces of supply and demand set the price of goods and services. They are the UK and the United States. All welfare states use either one of the models but to varying, extend. In the social democratic state, the criteria of citizenship are pervasive. The liberal welfare state is characterized by a stronger emphasis on means tested programs. In a social democratic state, individuals should be free and equal in the determination of the conditions of their own lives in that they should enjoy equal rights and equal obligations (Mookherjee, 2010). Rights to political participation should be distributed equally among citizens to provide them with an equal share of opportunities to act in public life. The democracy peace theory argues that citizens in a liberal democratic state are peaceful and liberal democracies have never engaged in war. Social democratic model puts more emphases on universalism, comprehensive risk coverage, generous benefit levels and egalitarianism. The state controls the economic and social policies. The state provides social services to its citizens and cares for the elderly and children. There is a high level of employment for women and people with disabilities. It heavily relies on the government provision to meet social needs and believes ion full employment as part of the welfare state. It is active and in the generation and maintenance. The social democratic model varies with others in terms of how it accords to the state, the market and family. While the corporatist model relies on social insurance and generous transfers to keep people well fed, social democratic welfare states provide a variety of social services and utilized the labour force to the best (Huber Stephens, 2001). Both of them are concerned with getting people out of poverty and are highly redistributive. The essential characteristic of the social democratic welfare is that they are comprehensive and inclusive, Universalist, redistributive, gender egalitarian and labour mobilizing. People can be able to apply their talents in generating more revenue or wealth for their nation. Profit margins are much more less than the other types, which leads social justice among the community (Glyn, 2001). The social democratic commitment to solidarity and equality gave rise to the universalistic and redistributive aspects of the welfare state. It advocates for citizenship criterion, which offer a basic, equal benefit to all irrespective of earnings, contributions or perfo rmance. This makes it better than the liberal model were one contribution to the insurance scheme determines his health care. In this model, citizenship is the membership in society and the rights. The gender is equal as far as obligations are concerned. The models views capitalist entrepreneurs as people much after achievement of self-interest. This tends to slow down the pace unto which capitalism is to be spread. Capitalism does not use the labor of undisciplined and neither can it make use of unscrupulous businessperson. However, there are those who can do anything to get wealthy as it the case of a Dutch sea captain. It therefore depicts that since capitalism is as old as human history there are those who are ruthless, may get involved into war and piracy to achieve wealth (Kennett, 2004). The redistributive model in the social democratic welfare believes that the market economy is successful in producing wealth. Unlike in capitalistic liberals where the wealth is unequally distributed, in this model there is equity for all irrespective of their social status. It does not advocate for health insurance as the liberal markets do. This is because it believes state health insurance schemes are able to achieve better results. The limitation is that opponents protest that the state should not engage in economic interventions. Gini coefficient measures the degree of income inequality. The coefficient varies between zero indicating equality and one hundred indicating inequality (Arnold, 2008). This means that in many capitalistic countries one person has all the income while others have none.. Inequality exists because people do not receive the same labour income, asset income and do not pay the same taxes. As CIA (2005) reported the coefficient was 45 in the US which is liberal state and 27 in corporatist country, Germany. The least coefficient was in Sweden, 23 which is social democratic country. In the social welfare state which advocates for equality most of the assets are owned by the state and it somehow controls wealth. Capitalism has a tendency of causing instability especially in cases of financial crisis. The claims for capitalism differ from the classical case for a competitive market. Some theorists such as Adam Smith had argued that presence of many buyers and sellers competing with one another in the marketplace would cause wasteful resource allocations. Capitalism has been associated with innovations and many economists argue that capitalism has to generate endogenous innovations. Joseph Schumpeter argues that innovations are normally a creation of business people and they are rules embodied in the new firms. The agents of change are the entrepreneurs who come up with new ideas and invest to generate profits. Limitations of social welfare states The social welfare states have some limitations. In a state where there is equality, the tax burden will be high to meet the expectations of the citizens. But it does not seem as a problem for the people of social democratic counties as labour market and taxation are balanced (Arts and Gelissen, 2002). Most welfare states are bureaucratic in that the citizens do not have much freedom since everything is being controlled by the state but the state to offer the best quality of services (ibid). It is expensive to run a social welfare state since the government can be forced to borrow to meet the demands of the people. However, the governments use that money in order to cover the socio-economic gap between poor and rich (Castles et al, 2010). Government interventions kill businesses since they dont allow for the prices to be set by demand and supply forces but the government controls the prices. But it gives stronger role in managing welfare (Ferragina Seeleib, 2011) Conclusion Although many capitalists will not agree with the conclusion is good hen a country is a social democrat than a capital democrat. The benefits of the social democratic welfares which believes in universalism is best compared to capitalist in which wealth lies in the hands of the few at the expense of others. The equal distribution of wealth and state ownership of assets as adjudicated by the Soviet Union in my opinion was the best. Though this will have been a topic of debate, forces of demand and supply should determine the prices of goods and services. This might lead to a monopolistic culture, which victimizes consumers. The social democratic welfare state believes in universalism in which all citizens are entitled to access the benefits. They believe in politics against the market. The paper concludes that it borrow some characteristics from Christian democratic state welfare, which will make this model a superb one. Countries using the two models have been economically equal unli ke countries like the United States where the gap between the rich and the poor is very wide.

European Union Description :: European Union Essays

European Union Description In 1967, three European institutions merged. The three institutions were the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), the European Economic Community (EEC), and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom). When the three merged, they formed the European Community or EC. On November 1, 1993, the 12 members of the European Community ratified the Treaty on European Union, or Maastricht Treaty. The twelve members were- Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain. The countries of the Benelux Economic Union- Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg- continue to and in some ways as a single economic entity within the European Union. The EC became the policy-making body of the European Union. In 1994 Austria, Finland, and Sweden became members of the European Union. By 1997 more than a dozen countries had applied for European Union membership, but the European Union had only admitted the three listed above. T he other countries that applied for membership include Turkey, Cyprus, Malta, Switzerland, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, and the Czech Republic. Of those countries, six are considered associate members of the European Union: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia. Three other countries-Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania-are being considered for associate membership. Other potential European Union applicants include members of the European Free Trade Association. The European Union was expected to decide which counties it would open negotiations for full membership with by the end of 1997. The purpose of the European Union was to increase economic integration and strengthen cooperation among its member states. European citizenship was granted to citizens of each member state, under the Treaty on European Union. Customs and immigration agreements were enhanced to allow European citizens more freedom to live, work, and s tudy in any of the member states, and border controls were also eased. The European Union also set a goal of establishing a single European currency, the Euro, by 1997; this date was later changed to 1999. It is proposed that full circulation of the Euro is to be in effect by the year 2002. At that time the individual states notes will no longer be valid. The European Union’s attempts to establish a single European currency have had some controversy. An example is, some member countries, such as Great Britain, have worried that a shared European currency would threaten their national identity and their government’s authority.

Conditions that Influenced Sino-Soviet Involvement in the Vietnam War :: Vietnam War Essays

Conditions that Influenced Sino-Soviet involvement in the Vietnam War In 1954 the Communists in North Vietnam reached a turning point in their history. The French defeat at Dien Bien Phu was a turning point in the history of this country. Free from the oppression of foreign countries the Communists of the DRV were freed to turn their attention to the task at hand; the infiltration and subjugation of South Vietnam. The influence that both China and the Soviet Union had on this fledgling government was substantial. Without the necessary material, logistics, and support the Communist victory in South Vietnam would never have come about. This paper looks to examine the motives that both the Chinese and Soviets had in their commitment to supporting the DRV in the Vietnam War. In dealing with the motives of both China and the Soviet Union it is also important to keep in mind the conditions of the world in this time period, 1950-1975. Both foreseen and unforeseen events would alter the respective policies of each country. In observing these events, this paper will take a chronological prose; history will be dealt with as it was made. In this style of analysis it is possible to shed some light on a seemingly confusing array of foreign policy's that even till today are hard to rationalize. China and the Soviet Union altered their obligation and support levels to North Vietnam according their policies and the history that those decisions produced. The United States will provide a backdrop to the Sino-Soviet involvement in Vietnam. This will provide insight into the relative positions that China and the Soviet Union took in North Vietnam. To both of these countries the United States represented 'the other side'. This is to say that the ideologies of both socialist countries depicted America as the opponent. In ideology this is true; capitalism was the precursor to a more egalitarian socialist society. This was to prove more so for the Chinese Communists, but that will be explained later. It is safe to say that both countries were able to rationalize their actions by telling the world they were defending one of their 'brothers' from an imperialist power. When making reference to the United States as the 'other side' it is crucial to remember that this analogy is only relative to the shifting relationship that each country would experience with the U.S. as the Vietnam War escalated.

Studying Law within a Broad Context :: Law College Admissions Essays

Studying Law within a Broad Context    While the law may be too ungainly and inefficient a vehicle to directly change the world, it offers a unique opportunity to help influence people's interpretation of the world. I have always longed to be in a more intellectual environment where I might be allowed to see things from a different perspective. Having thoroughly enjoyed the academic study of Government and Politics and Economics where understanding political rhetoric and economic influences on government policies had to be analysed through abstract theories I am looking forward to studying law within a broad political, economical, historical and social context. Through obtaining a law degree, I will also be able to join many others in the struggle of our rights and dignity and strive within an imperfect political system toward the goal of greater equality within the law.    My work experience placements have left me wanting to do a lot more in the legal sphere. Whilst working at the BBC, the dominance of international and domestic issues in news items which were broadcast, highlighted the relevance of a thorough knowledge and understanding of social issues and hence the legal system. In addition my work experience in a non-governmental organisation (HCA) helped me to distinguish the different types of problems faced by those who were seeking help from the organisation, such as injustice and civil conflict. My work experience with a freelance solicitor has also been invaluable in gaining practical skills in the implementation of the existing law system. My work experiences have undoubtedly built upon the skills I have gained through my academic experiences.    Throughout my studies I have successfully undertaken individual research. I have prepared and presented seminars to my peer group and prioritised my workload to meet deadlines with work of a high standard.    Within my school community I have undertaken volunteer work. As a library assistant my duties included organising the book loan system and making sure younger students used their time efficiently. As a school prefect I held many responsibilities such as organising school events and monitoring younger students. I also participated in In-class support assistance where I assisted with year 11 German lessons.    Out of school I enjoy travelling to a variety of locations as this broadens my perspective of life. Meeting a wide range of people and learning about different cultures and traditions is I believe of paramount importance in comprehending the entire world.

Importance of television in our life Essay

Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, as initially produced, consists of suitable polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds plus water. Forms of polyisoprene that are useful as natural rubbers are classified aselastomers. Currently, rubber is harvested mainly in the form of the latex from certain trees. The latex is a sticky, milky colloid drawn off by making incisions into the bark and collecting the fluid in vessels in a process called â€Å"tapping†. The latex then is refined into rubber ready for commercial processing. Natural rubber is used extensively in many applications and products, either alone or in combination with other materials. In most of its useful forms, it has a large stretch ratio, high resilience, and is extremely waterproof.[1] Varieties[edit] The major commercial source of natural rubber latex is the Parà ¡ rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis), a member of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae. This species is widely used because it grows well under cultivation and a properly managed tree responds to wounding by producing more latex for several years. Many other plants produce forms of latex rich in isoprene polymers, though not all produce usable forms of polymer as easily as the Parà ¡ rubber tree does; some of them require more elaborate processing to produce anything like usable rubber, and most are more difficult to tap. Some produce other desirable materials, for example gutta-percha (Palaquium gutta)[2] and chicle from Manilkara species. Others that have been commercially exploited, or at least have shown promise as sources of rubber, include the rubber fig (Ficus elastica), Panama rubber tree (Castilla elastica), various spurges (Euphorbia spp.), lettuce (Lactuca species), the related Scorzonera tau-saghyz, various Taraxacum species, including common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) and Russian dandelion (Taraxacum kok-saghyz), and guayule (Parthenium argentatum). The term gum rubber is sometimes applied to the tree-obtained version of natural rubber in order to distinguish it from the synthetic version.[1] Discovery of commercial potential[edit] The Para rubber tree is indigenous to South America. Charles Marie de La Condamine is credited with introducing samples of rubber to the Acadà ©mie Royale des Sciences of France in 1736.[3] In 1751, he presented a paper by Franà §ois Fresneau to the Acadà ©mie (eventually published in 1755) which described many of the properties of rubber. This has been referred to as the first scientific paper on rubber.[3] In England, Joseph Priestley, in 1770, observed that a piece of the material was extremely good for rubbing off pencil marks on paper, hence the name â€Å"rubber†. Later, it slowly made its way around England. South America remained the main source of the limited amounts of latex rubber used during much of the 19th century. In 1876, Henry Wickham gathered thousands of Para rubber tree seeds from Brazil, and these were germinated in Kew Gardens, England. The seedlings were then sent to India, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Indonesia, Singapore, and British Malaya. Malaya (now Malaysia) was later to become the biggest producer of rubber. In the early 1900s, the Congo Free State in Africa was also a significant source of natural rubber latex, mostly gathered by forced labor. Liberia and Nigeria also started production of rubber. In India, commercial cultivation of natural rubber was introduced by the British planters, although the experimental efforts to grow rubber on a commercial scale in India were initiated as early as 1873 at the Botanical Gardens, Calcutta. The first commercial Hevea plantations in India were established at Thattekadu in Kerala in 1902. In Singapore and Malaya, commercial production of rubber was heavily promoted by Sir Henry Nicholas Ridley, who served as the first Scientific Director of the Singapore Botanic Gardens from 1888 to 1911. He distributed rubber seeds to many planters and developed the first technique for tapping trees for latex without causing serious harm to the tree.[4]Because of his very fervent promotion of this crop, he is popularly remembered by the nickname â€Å"Mad Ridley†.[5] Properties[edit] Rubber latex Rubber exhibits unique physical and chemical properties. Rubber’s stress-strain behavior exhibits the Mullins effect and the Payne effect, and is often modeled as hyperelastic. Rubber strain crystallizes. Owing to the presence of a double bond in each repeat unit, natural rubber is susceptible to vulcanisation and sensitive to ozone cracking. The two main solvents for rubber are turpentine and naphtha (petroleum). The former has been in use since 1764 when Franà §ois Fresnau made the discovery. Giovanni Fabbroni is credited with the discovery of naphtha as a rubber solvent in 1779. Because rubber does not dissolve easily, the material is finely divided by shredding prior to its immersion. An ammonia solution can be used to prevent the coagulation of raw latex while it is being transported from its collection site. Elasticity[edit] In most elastic materials, such as metals used in springs, the elastic behavior is caused by bond distortions. When force is applied, bond lengths deviate from the (minimum energy) equilibrium and strain energy is stored electrostatically. Rubber is often assumed to behave in the same way, but this is a poor description. Rubber is a curious material because, unlike in metals, strain energy is stored thermally. In its relaxed state, rubber consists of long, coiled-up chains. When rubber is stretched, the chains are taut. Their kinetic energy is released as heat. The entropy and temperature increases during elongation but decreases during relaxation. This change in entropy is related to the changes in degrees of freedom. Relaxation of a stretched rubber band is thus driven by a decrease in entropy and temperature, and the force experienced is a result of the cooling of the material being converted to potential energy. Rubber relaxation isendothermic, and for this reason the force exerted by a stretched piece of rubber increases with temperature. The material undergoes adiabatic cooling during contraction. This property of rubber can easily be verified by holding a stretched rubber band to one’s lips and relaxing it. Stretching of a rubber band is in some ways opposite to compression(although both undergo higher levels of thermal energy of an ideal gas), and relaxation is opposed to gas expansion (Note: rubber bands last longer in the cold). A compressed and heated gas also exhibits â€Å"elastic† properties, for instance inside an inflated car tire. The fact that stretching is equivalent to compression is counterintuitive, but it makes sense if rubber is viewed as a one-dimensional gas, plus it is attached to other molecules. Stretching and heat increase the â€Å"space† available to each section of chain, because the molecules are pulled apart. Vulcanization of rubber creates disulfide bonds between chains, so it limits the degrees of freedom. The result is that the chains tighten more quickly for a given strain, thereby increasing the elastic force constant and making rubber harder and less extensible. When cooled below the glass transition temperature, the quasifluid chain segments â€Å"freeze† into fixed geometries and the rubber abruptly loses its elastic properties, although the process is reversible. This property it shared by most elastomers. At very low temperatures, rubber is rather brittle. This critical temperature is the reason winter tires use a softer version of rubber than normal tires. The failing rubber o-ring seals that contributed to the cause of the Challenger disaster were thought to have cooled below their critical temperature; the disaster happened on an unusually cold day. The gas molecules in the rubber were too close to their bound solid molecules(a partial phase change that separated the rubber molecules may have occurred), allowing the rubber to take on a more solid shape(a partial phase change to a more liquid and molecularly separated form would not be good, either). Heated gas has a higher energy, and rubber must be kept at specific temperatures and probably should not be used on vehicles that undergo extreme temperature changes. Chemical makeup[edit] Latex is the polymer cis-1,4-polyisoprene – with a molecular weight of 100,000 to 1,000,000 daltons. Typically, a small percentage (up to 5% of dry mass) of other materials, such as proteins, fatty acids, resins, and inorganic materials (salts) are found in natural rubber. Polyisoprene can also be created synthetically, producing what is sometimes referred to as â€Å"synthetic natural rubber†, but the synthetic and natural routes are completely different.[1] Chemical structure of cis-polyisoprene, the main constituent of natural rubber: Synthetic cis-polyisoprene and natural cis-polyisoprene are derived from different precursors. Some natural rubber sources, such as gutta-percha, are composed of trans-1,4-polyisoprene, a structural isomer that has similar, but not identical, properties. Natural rubber is an elastomer and a thermoplastic. Once the rubber is vulcanized, it will turn into a thermoset. Most rubber in everyday use is vulcanized to a point where it shares properties of both; i.e., if it is heated and cooled, it is degraded but not destroyed. The final properties of a rubber item depend not just on the polymer, but also on modifiers and fillers, such as carbon black, factice, whiting, and a host of others. Biosynthesis[edit] Rubber particles are formed in the cytoplasm of specialized latex-producing cells called laticifers within rubber plants.[6] Rubber particles are surrounded by a single phospholipid membrane with hydrophobic tails pointed inward. The membrane allows biosynthetic proteins to be sequestered at the surface of the growing rubber particle, which allows new monomeric units to be added from outside the biomembrane, but within the lacticifer. The rubber particle is an enzymatically active entity that contains three layers of material, the rubber particle, a biomembrane, and free monomeric units. The biomembrane is held tightly to the rubber core due to the high negative charge along the double bonds of the rubber polymer backbone.[7] Free monomeric units and conjugated proteins make up the outer layer. The rubber precursor is isopentenyl pyrophosphate (an allylic compound), which elongates by Mg2+-dependent condensation by the action of rubber transferase. The monomer adds to the pyrophosphate end of the growing polymer.[8] The process displaces the terminal high-energy pyrophosphate. The reaction produces a cis polymer. The initiation step is catalyzed by prenyltransferase, which converts three monomers of isopentenyl pyrophosphate into farnesyl pyrophosphate.[9] The farnesyl pyrophosphate can bind to rubber transferase to elongate a new rubber polymer. The required isopentenyl pyrophosphate is obtained from the mevalonate pathway, which is derives from acetyl-CoA in the cytosol. In plants, isoprene pyrophosphate can also be obtained from 1-deox-D-xyulose-5-phosphate/2-C-methyl-D-erythritol-4-phosphate pathway within plasmids.[10] The relative ratio of the farnesyl pyrophosphate initiator unit and isoprenyl pyrophosphate elongation monomer determines the rate of new particle synthesis versus elongation of existing particles. Though rubber is known to be produced by only one enzyme, extracts of latex have shown numerous small molecular weight proteins with unknown function. The proteins possibly serve as cofactors, as the synthetic rate decreases with complete removal.[11] Current sources[edit] Close to 21 million tons of rubber were produced in 2005, of which approximately 42% was natural. Since the bulk of the rubber produced is of the synthetic variety, which is derived from petroleum, the price of natural rubber is determined, to a large extent, by the prevailing global price of crude oil.[12][13] Today, Asia is the main source of natural rubber, accounting for about 94% of output in 2005. The three largest producing countries, Thailand, Indonesia (2.4m tons)[14] and Malaysia, together account for around 72% of all natural rubber production. Natural rubber is not cultivated widely in its native continent of South America due to the existence of South American leaf blight, and other natural predators of the rubber tree. Cultivation[edit] Rubber is generally cultivated in large plantations. See the coconut shell used in collecting latex, in plantations in Kerala, India Rubber latex is extracted from rubber trees. The economic life period of rubber trees in plantations is around 32 years – up to 7 years of immature phase and about 25 years of productive phase. The soil requirement of the plant is generally well-drained, weathered soil consisting of laterite, lateritic types, sedimentary types, nonlateritic red, or alluvial soils. The climatic conditions for optimum growth of rubber trees are: Rainfall of around 250 cm evenly distributed without any marked dry season and with at least 100 rainy days per year Temperature range of about 20 to 34 °C, with a monthly mean of 25 to 28 °C High atmospheric humidity of around 80% Bright sunshine amounting to about 2000 hours per year at the rate of six hours per day throughout the year Absence of strong winds Many high-yielding clones have been developed for commercial planting. These clones yield more than 2,000 kg of dry rubber per hectare per year, when grown under ideal conditions. Field coagula[edit] Mixed field coagula Smallholder’s lump at a remilling factory There are four types of field coagula, â€Å"cuplump†, â€Å"treelace†, â€Å"smallholders’ lump† and â€Å"earth scrap†. Each has significantly different properties.[15] Cuplump is the coagulated material found in the collection cup when the tapper next visits the tree to tap it again. It arises from latex clinging to the walls of the cup after the latex was last poured into the bucket, and from late-dripping latex exuded before the latex-carrying vessels of the tree become blocked. It is of higher purity and of greater value than the other three types. Treelace is the coagulum strip that the tapper peels off the previous cut before making a new cut. It usually has higher copper and manganese contents than cuplump. Both copper and manganese are pro-oxidants and can lower the physical properties of the dry rubber. Smallholders’ lump is produced by smallholders who collect rubber from trees a long way away from the nearest factory. Many Indonesian smallholders, who grow paddy in remote areas, tap dispersed trees on their way to work in the paddy fields and collect the latex (or the coagulated latex) on their way home. As it is often impossible to preserve the latex sufficiently to get it to a factory that processes latex in time for it to be used to make high quality products, and as the latex would anyway have coagulated by the time it reached the factory, the smallholder will coagulate it by any means available, in any container available. Some smallholders use small containers, buckets etc., but often the latex is coagulated in holes in the ground, which are usually (but not always) lined with plastic. Acidic materials and fermented fruit juices are used to coagulate the latex – a form of assisted biological coagulation. Little care is taken to exclude twigs, leaves, and even bark from the lumps that are formed, which may also include treelace collected by the smallholder. Earth scrap is the material that gathers around the base of the tree. It arises from latex overflowing from the cut and running down the bark of the tree, from rain flooding a collection cup containing latex, and from spillage from tappers’ buckets during collection. It contains soil and other contaminants, and has variable rubber content depending on the amount of contaminants mixed with it. Earth scrap is collected by the field workers two or three times a year and may be cleaned in a scrap-washer to recover the rubber, or sold off to a contractor who will clean it and recover the rubber. It is of very low quality and under no circumstances should it be included in block rubber or brown crepe. Processing[edit] Removing coagulum from coagulating troughs The latex will coagulate in the cups if kept for long. The latex has to be collected before coagulation. The collected latex, â€Å"field latex†, is transferred into coagulation tanks for the preparation of dry rubber or transferred into air-tight containers with sieving for ammoniation. Ammoniation is necessary to preserve the latex in colloidal state for long. Latex is generally processed into either latex concentrate for manufacture of dipped goods or it can be coagulated under controlled, clean conditions using formic acid. The coagulated latex can then be processed into the higher-grade, technically specified block rubbers such as SVR 3L or SVR CV or used to produce Ribbed Smoke Sheet grades. Naturally coagulated rubber (cup lump) is used in the manufacture of TSR10 and TSR20 grade rubbers. The processing of the rubber for these grades is a size reduction and cleaning process to remove contamination and prepare the material for the final stage of drying.[16] The dried material is then baled and palletized for storage and shipment in various methods of transportation. Transportation[edit] Natural rubber latex is shipped from factories in south-west Asia, South America, and North Africa to destinations around the world. As the cost of natural rubber has risen significantly, the shipping methods which offer the lowest cost per unit of weight are preferred. Depending on the destination, warehouse availability, and transportation conditions, some methods are more suitable to certain buyers than others. In international trade, latex rubber is mostly shipped in 20-foot ocean containers. Inside the ocean container, various types of smaller containers are used by factories to store latex rubber.[17] Uses[edit] Compression molded (cured)rubber boots before the flashesare removed Contemporary manufacturing[edit] Around 25 million tonnes of rubber is produced each year, of which 42 percent is natural rubber. The remainder is synthetic rubber derived from petrochemical sources. Around 70 percent of the world’s natural rubber is used in tires. The top end of latex production results in latex products such as surgeons’ gloves, condoms, balloons and other relatively high-value products. The mid-range which comes from the technically-specified natural rubber materials ends up largely in tires but also in conveyor belts, marine products and miscellaneous rubber goods. Natural rubber offers good elasticity, while synthetic materials tend to offer better resistance to environmental factors such as oils, temperature, chemicals or ultraviolet light and suchlike. â€Å"Cured rubber† is rubber which has been compounded and subjected to the vulcanisation process which creates cross-links within the rubber matrix. Prehistoric uses[edit] The first use of rubber was by the Olmecs, who centuries later passed on the knowledge of natural latex from the Hevea tree in 1600 BC to the ancient Mayans. They boiled the harvested latex to make a ball for a Mesoamerican ballgame.[18] Pre-World War II manufacturing[edit] Other significant uses of rubber are door and window profiles, hoses, belts, gaskets, matting, flooring, and dampeners (antivibration mounts) for the automotive industry. Gloves (medical, household and industrial) and toy balloons are also large consumers of rubber, although the type of rubber used is concentrated latex. Significant tonnage of rubber is used as adhesives in many manufacturing industries and products, although the two most noticeable are thepaper and the carpet industries. Rubber is also commonly used to make rubber bands and pencil erasers. Pre-World War II textile applications[edit] Rubber produced as a fiber, sometimes called ‘elastic’, has significant value for use in the textile industry because of its excellent elongation and recovery properties. For these purposes, manufactured rubber fiber is made as either an extruded round fiber or rectangular fibers that are cut into strips from extruded film. Because of its low dye acceptance, feel and appearance, the rubber fiber is either covered by yarn of another fiber or directly woven with other yarns into the fabric. In the early 1900s, for example, rubber yarns were used in foundation garments. While rubber is still used in textile manufacturing, its low tenacity limits its use in lightweight garments because latex lacks resistance to oxidizing agents and is damaged by aging, sunlight, oil, and perspiration. Seeking a way to address these shortcomings, the textile industry has turned to neoprene (polymer of chloroprene), a type of synthetic rubber, as well as another more commonly used elastomer fiber, spandex (also known as elastane), because of their superiority to rubber in both strength and durability. Vulcanization[edit] Main article: Vulcanization Natural rubber is often vulcanized, a process by which the rubber is heated and sulfur, peroxide or bisphenol are added to improve resistance and elasticity, and to prevent it from perishing. The development of vulcanization is most closely associated with Charles Goodyear in 1839.[19] Before World War II era manufacturing, carbon black was often used as an additive to rubber to improve its strength, especially in vehicle tires. Today, all vehicle tires are made of synthetic rubbers. Allergic reactions[edit] Main article: Latex allergy Some people have a serious latex allergy, and exposure to natural latex rubber products such as latex gloves can cause anaphylactic shock. The antigenic proteins found in Hevealatex may be deliberately reduced (though not eliminated)[20] through processing. Latex from non-Hevea sources, such as Guayule, can be used without allergic reaction by persons with an allergy to Hevea latex.[21] Some allergic reactions are not to the latex itself, but from residues of chemicals used to accelerate the cross-linking process. Although this may be confused with an allergy to latex, it is distinct from it, typically taking the form of Type IV hypersensitivity in the presence of traces of specific processing chemicals.[20][22]

Mama Thai Instant Noodle

Company Background Thai President Foods Public Company Limited  was established on February 15, 1972 with an initial registered capital of 6 million baht through a joint venture between President Enterprise Co. , Ltd. of Taiwan – providing manufacturing technology expertise and Saha Pattanaphibul Co. , Ltd. – responsible for marketing and distribution. The founding objective was to produce instant noodles under the â€Å"MAMA† brand. The Company’s first Head Offices were located on New Petchburi Road, while the first factory was inaugurated at Nong Khaem District, Bangkok. After the first year, all the shares then were transferred to Thai shareholder who remains as the major shareholder until now. The Company have been listd the Stock Exchange of Thailand and become a Public Company in 1994 with presently Registered Capital 240 million baht, comprising 18,000,000 ordinary shares, par value 10 bath per share, paid up 180 million baht. Mama Products Mama has variety of brands and products in food industry in which they separate their domestic products from export products. Mama’s main product is instant noodles under the brand name Mama is one of the most popular in Thailand as the brand has been a part in Thai market for the longest time comparing with other brands. The company had later launched many other products and brands including Homey, Bissin, Ruski, Mendake, Thai Chef, Kelly and Bamee. Under these brands, the company is able to expand its’ product lines to other kinds of food such as snacks, biscuits, fruit juice, etc. Today, Mama instant noodles have more than 20 variety of flavors which allow the company to match its exported products with each country preferences. The most famous flavor to all consumers both Thai and foreigner is Mama Shrimp Tom Yum. Mama instant noodles is also offered in vary sizes including pack 55-60 grams, pack 90 grams, bowl 60 grams, bowl 80 grams and cup. Internal Analysis Internal Analysis of Product ; Strength Cheap and Quick : Mama has low price. It’s only 5 baht per package and it uses 3 minutes for preparation. Easy to Cook : Mama is one of the foods that require low abilities of cooking. It is only pour hot water then it is ready to eat. ? Easy to Find : Mama has many distribution channels. You can easily find Mama in everywhere even in a small shop near your house or a big store. ? Many flavors : Mama has lunched many flavors to suit individually person. There are at least 20 flavors with also different type of noodles. Promotions : Mama has many promotions for their customers e. g. lucky draw for gold. ? Brand Loyalty : Mama has been introduced for 35 years. Therefore, everyone known Mama and will choose Mama as the first choice. Weaknesses Low Nutrient Mama has mostly only carbohydrate in their product. And people concern about the Monosodium Glutamate that Mama has been use in the ingredient. ? High Production Cost Recently, Mama has been face with the problem of high production cost. Internal Analysis of the Company ; Strength ? Global Network : The company has a global network and its products are sell in both Thailand and International markets. ? Reputation : The company has won the reputation as one of the most successful Thai distributors with its effective logistics system, wide distribution networks, and efficient handling services. Wide Range of Products : The company has wide range of products and can customize to serve different preferences of customers in different countries. ? Large Markets : The company’s market has expanded to many countries like North America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania with the estimated annual capacity of 100 million packages per year. Weaknesses ? Image : Because the company specially focus on MAMA so consumer only knows that this company se lls only MAMA even they produce many products besides MAMA. Exact Product Line we are going to export . Instant Noodles Artificial Tom Yum Pork Flavour 2. Instant Noodles Shrimp Creamy Tom Yum Flavour 3. Instant Noodles Shrimp Flavour (Tom Yum) Target Market Demographic: Pilipinos 15-60 years old. Geographic: Urban and Suburban area Psychological: Lower income people and those who preferred as desired. In-land Transportation In order to ship our products to Philippines, we first have to transport the products to Laem Chabang port. Mama factory is currently located in Chonburi which is only around 16 kilomaters from Laem Chabang port. As we are using the ocean shipping service from NYK, the company also offers the pick-up service from our factory to Laem Chabang port. HS code Instant Noodle: 1902. 30. 10. 00 1902: Pasta, whether or not cooked or stuffed (with meat or other substances) or otherwise prepared, such as spaghetti, macaroni, noodles, lasagna, gnocchi, ravioli, cannelloni; couscous, whether or not prepared. Custom Classification & Valuation Export Tariff structure of Thailand for instant noodles * Thailand Export Duty is exempted due to the agreement of ASEAN Import Tariff structure of Philippines for instant noodles Instant noodles that are imported goods into Philippines are levied on 1. Import Duty According to the Philippines’s custom policy, all imported goods are subjected to pay 3% of value of products. 2. Value Added Tax (VAT) According to the Philippines’s custom policy, it is 12% of the price of product. 3. Import processing fee The Philippines has import processing fees that are normally assessed against items that require review or examination, certifications, quarantine or similar services that are required upon import. Mama has food certifications which are needed to be examined for the first time exporting into Philippines. The rate of Import processing fees are as following. http://www. tariffcommission. gov. ph/cao02-2001. html Non-tariff barriers 1. Food Safety Certification In order to export â€Å"Mama† to Philippines, the certificates that the company needs to have are following. 1. 1 GMP : Good Manufacturing Practice GMP is a collection of generally recognized rules, procedures and practices that together provide a code stating what is acceptable and what is not acceptable in the Food Industry. It reflects the whole body of knowledge that has been developed by experience and scientific study in the fields of food preservation and technology and hygiene. GMP is closely linked to Quality Assurance because it is preventive in its approach. It aims to produce safe and wholesome food through well-controlled operations that avoid waste and any type of contamination. It is applied in the whole production and supply chain. 1. 2 HACCP : Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points HACCP is a preventive risk management technique designed to provide increased control and monitoring during critical stages of the food processing chain. It is a systematic and scientific approach of identifying food safety hazards along the manufacturing process flow and supply chain, setting limits or specifications, establishing controls and monitoring and then documenting results. Safety hazards precluded by this system are not only biological, microbiological and chemical hazards but also hidden allergens, physical contaminants such as dangerous foreign bodies and radiological contaminants. . 3 BRC Global Standard The BRC Global Standards are a leading global safety and quality certification programme. The BRC Global Standards are widely used by suppliers and global retailers. They facilitate standardization of quality, safety, operational criteria and manufacturers’ fulfillment of legal obligations. They also help provide protection to the consumer. 1. 4 ISO 9001 ISO 900 1 is an international standard that gives requirements for an organization’s quality management system (QMS). The requirements cover a wide range of topics, including supplier’s top management commitment to quality, its customer focus, adequacy of its resources, employee competence, process management (for production, service delivery and relevant administrative and support processes), quality planning, product design, review of incoming orders, purchasing, monitoring and measurement of tis processes and products, calibration of measuring equipment, processes to resolve customer complaints, corrective/preventive actions and a requirement to drive continual improvement of the QMS. Also, there is a requirement for supplier to monitor customer perceptions about the quality of the goods and service it provides. 2. Packaging According to mandatory label information, the label on packaging of foods exporting to Philippines should bear the following information. 1. ) Name of the Food : The name should indicate the true nature of the food and shall normally be specified and not generic†¦ 2. List of Ingredients : A complete list of ingredients should be declared in descending order of proportion on either the principal display panel or information panel except that when a food product is covered by a Food Standard, only the optional ingredients shall be declared unless otherwise required by such regulation†¦ 3. ) Net Contents and Drained Weight : The net content should be declared using the metric system of measurement or â€Å"SI† (International System of Units) on either the principal display panel or the information panel and in line generally para llel to the base of the package. . ) Name and address of Manufacturer, Packer and Distributor : The name and address of either the manufacturer, packer or distributor of the food should be declared on the label. 5. ) Lot Identification : The lot identification code shall be embossed or otherwise permanently marked on immediate individual packages or containers. PEST : Philippines 1. Political & Legal Environment 1. 1 Import tariff : There is no tariff of instant noodle product between Thailand and Philippines because of the ASIAN contract. Normally they charged 7% tariff restriction for noodles. 1. Free Trade Agreement : Philippines has join ASEAN as free trade agreement. 1. 3 Political System : Democracy modeled on the U. S. system 2. Economic Environment 2. 1 Market Size (Population): Total Population in Philippines is 92. 2 million people. The target consumer age 16-24 is around 61. 1% of total population in the country (male 31,103,967/ female 31,097,203). The annual population growth rate 2. 04% per year. 2. 2 GDP growth rate: GDP (2011 estimate): $188. 7 billion. Annual growth rate (2011 estimate): 7. 3%. GDP per capita is $2,007. 2. 3 Number of hypermarket and supermarket : Philippines has 192 Malls and Shopping Centers, 248 groceries, and 66 convenience stores. These are a lot of numbers of ways to sell and expand our noodles to Philippines. Especially for the groceries where they usually sell instant noodles in. Most of them are Greenfield groceries which use the owner name as the shop name. 2. 4 Import Volume : Total value of imports for the country is US$59. 9 billion. Primary imports products are electronic products, mineral fuels, machinery and transport equipment, iron and steel, textile fabrics, grains, chemicals, plastic. Primary imports partners are Japan (12. 5 percent of total imports), US (12 percent), China (8. percent), Singapore (8. 7 percent), South Korea (7. 9 percent), Taiwan (7. 1 percent), Thailand (5. 7 percent). In Thailand we import instant noodles from Philippines at USD$ 26,454,000 value. 2. 5 Export Volume : Total value of exports: US$50. 72 billion. Primary exports – commodities: semiconductors and electronic products, transport equipment , garments, copper products, petroleum products, coconut oil, fruits. Primary exports partners: US (17. 6 percent of total exports), Japan (16. 2 percent), Netherlands (9. 8 percent), Hong Kong (8. 6 percent), China (7. 7 percent), Germany (6. 5 percent), Singapore (6. percent), South Korea (4. 8 percent). In Thailand we export instant noodles to Philippines at USD 27,933,000 value. 3. Social Environment 3. 1 Geographic Distance (from Thailand) : The distance between Thailand and Philippines are 2,215 kilometers away. 3. 2 Consumer eating habits : Philippines people love to eat. Since people are kind and hospitality, food is important of their social life. Rice is the main component as usual in Asia countries. They eat three meals a day plus 2 snacks in between. The ingredients of the food they like to eat are usually contain salt and remain fresh. They commonly use spoon and folk as an equipment to eat. Some local people they still use hand to eat. 3. 3 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) : The Environmental Performance Index of Myanmar is now scored 65. 7at ranked 50th. 4. Technological Environment 4. 1 Infrastructure (Seaport) : Since the Philippines country is island, there are 19 Seaports available in the country. We can choose the appropriate location to export the instant noodles. Most of them meet the standard quality so we make sure that there won’t have much problem about the facilities and procedures. 4. Infrastructure (Roads &Highways) : The road and highways in Philippines are most likely the same as in Thailand. They spent adequate budget to improve the road systems every year. The route of the cities and houses around the country are all connected. The raod quality is great. We can transport the product within the country by using car or truck with no problems. 4. 3 Infrastructure (Telecommunication) : I n Philippines the communication system is quite perfect. The telephone system is provided to every houses. The internet, FAX, mails and other communication tools are provided. O (opportunities)| T (Threats)| P (Political)| ASEAN trade member| There are import tariff (3%)and VAT (12%)| E (Economic)| – Large market size (3rd largest in ASEAN)- Highest GDP growth rate in ASEAN- Various convenience stores& department stores| There are only few big shopping malls in the country but there are large numbers of small grocery stores. So, it will be difficult for us to distribute the products in the country. | S (Social)| Same eating habitat as Thai| | T(Technology)| Highly developed of telecommunication system| Moderate infrastructure of transportation| PEST : Thailand 1. Political & Legal Environment 1. 1 Import tariff : There is no tariff of instant noodle product between Thailand and Philippines because of the ASIAN contract. Normally they charged 7% tariff restriction for noodles. 1. 2 Free Trade Agreement : Thailand has join ASEAN as free trade agreement. 1. 3 Political System : Democracy;The politics of Thailand is currently conducted within the framework of a constitutional monarchy, whereby the Prime Minister is the head of government and a hereditary monarch is head of state. 2. Economic Environment 2. Market Size (Population): Total Population in Thailand is 66. 7 million people. The target consumer age 15-64 years: 70. 9% of total population (male 23,410,091/female 23,913,499). The annual population growth rate 0. 566% per year. 2. 2 GDP growth rate: GDP (2011 estimate): $616. 783 billion. Annual growth rate (2011 estimate): 9%. GDP per capita is $9,598. 2. 3 Number of hypermarket and supermarket : Thailand has 297 Malls and Shopping Centers all over provinces. These are a lot of numbers of ways to sell and expand our noodles in Thailand. 2. 4 Import Volume :Total value of imports: US$156. billion – Primary imports – commodities: capital goods, intermediate goods and raw – materials, consumer goods, fuels – Primary imports partners: Japan (18. 7 percent of total imports), China (12. 7 percent), Malaysia (6. 4 percent) 2. 5 Export Volume : Total value of exports: US$191. 3 billion – Primary exports – commodities: textiles and footwear, fishery products, rice, rubber, jewelry, automobiles, computers and electrical appliances – Primary exports partners: US (10. 9 percent of total exports), China (10. 6 percent), Japan (10. 3 percent) 2. 6 Exchange Rate : 1 baht = 1. 3832 pesos This currency chart displays the value of the  Philippine peso  in relation to 1  Thai baht  (PHP/THB) over a 6-month period. To view the currency graph over different time period please click the links below the chart. | 5-Day| 7-Day| 10-Day| 14-Day| 1-Month| 3-Month| 6-Month| 9-Month| 1-Year| 2-Year| 5-Year| 10-Year| 3. Social Environment 3. 1 Geographic Distance (from Thailand) : The distance between Thailand and ? Philippines are 2,215 kilometers away. 3. 2 Consumer eating habits : All types of food items are used by Thai people and they are also conscious about their health. They used to eat all dairy products, poultry products, eat, chicken, seafood, vegetables, fruits and grain products. Here are some famous dished of Thailand that people love to prepare and eat frequently. Thai pad Som tum Tom yum goong Tom kha kai Pad kaprao Moo satay 3. 3 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) : The Environmental Performance Index of? Myanmar is now scored 62. 2at ranked 12th in Asia -Pacific. 4. Technological Environment 4. 1 Infrastructure (Seaport) : Thailand seaport are fully equipped with many technology machines. We can able to move or transfer the cargo around the port. The areas are big and clean. The security system and safety are very great. There is a lot of private service to help provide facilities to us. The port also has general warehouses that we can keep our product or good, distribution centers, road and railway network system which connects every part of the country. Furthermore, the port provides significant utilities such as electricity, water and land lines throughout the whole port. 4. 2 Infrastructure (Roads &Highways) : The road and highways in Thailand are good. Total road network includes motorways, highways, and main or national roads, secondary or regional roads, and all other roads in a country. 4. Infrastructure (Telecommunication) : In Thailand the communication system is quite moderate. Daily Newspaper,Telephone,Mobile,3G,Internet, FAX, mails and other communication tools are provided. Thailand | O (opportunities)| T (Threats)| P (Political)| Thailand is always willing to promote the exportation in order to bring more wealth to the country. Thai government will support us and help us to export our product to the Philippine. Some advice or tax reduction or premium we might gain from the government. | Thailand and Philippine don’t do the business together much if we compare to other countries. Trust will be needed and bank guarantee should be the appropriate method. | E (Economic)| Thailand has a great number of cultivated area and be able to produce at very low cost. | As thai baht has been lately appreciated against pesos, this make our products more expensive to Pilipino people. | S (Social)| | The effect of major flooding in Thailand affect a lot to agriculture and maybe next year there will be a flood happen in Thailand again. | T(Technology)| Today, social network is very useful for the marketing purpose. We can bring the awareness of our product in less cost. The oil price in Thailand is going up especially diesel which can increase the transportation's cost within country. | Five Forces Analysis : Philippines 1. Rivalry Among Current Competitors (High) From our research, the market in the Philippines now having various brands of instant noodles sell in the country. Those brands are produce in the country and some were imported from other countries. Lucky me brand i s seems to be the biggest brand that earn a lot of market shares in Philippines. In the Philippines there are a lot of groceries and convenience stores where usually instant noodles have been sold. In each stores sell many kinds of instant noodles. Customer can choose the one they like easily. Each brand uses different promotions and different method to sell and present their products. This will challenge us, Mama Company, to think of new strategy in order to sell the product in Philippines. 2. Bargaining Power of Suppliers (Not our concern) For this type of industry, they mostly have ordered the ingredients and produced in the same place. The floor and other materials come from same factory. This type of factory are not much seen in the country because ostly the instant noodles product are imported (produced in other countries). So, the bargaining power of suppliers in Philippines are tend to be high. It is not not a good idea if we choose to produce the product in Philippines. Since we are doing the export method this should not be a problem. 3. Bargaining Power of Customers (Low) Even though there are a lot of instant noodle brands sell in the country. The price range is lik ely the same numbers. This price range tends to be fixed and most of stores in the market use this price range (From 1 USD to 2 USD). Customers can not bargain the price much because the prices are the same. If they are not satisfied with the price, they still have to buy it because every stores sell at the same prices. There are few well-known shopping malls in The Philippines. Convenience stores is tend to be more popular among the customers. In every area, city and local, there will be small groceries in each village. These small convenience stores or groceries buy the instant noodles product from shopping mall and sell it again in their own stores. EDSA CentralJTC Mall in Bantay, Ilocos Sur. Southway SquareStarMall And many convenience stores and groceries 4. Threat of Substitute Products or Services (High) As we already know instant noodles are easily cooked and can eat instantly in few minutes. This type of product has different features and brands. These could be cereals breakfast, tea, coffee, cream soup, joke, and many others that can be easily cooked instantly. 5. Threat of New Entrance (Moderate) Since there are many goods (instant noodles) imported from many countries. Most of them are in the trade agreement that concern the surplus and reduce the tax between countries. Especially the ASEAN trade agreement that pay very little tax or no tax to export the instant noodles into Philippines. For those who are not in the trade agreement, Philippines charge 10% tax rate and it would be very hard to those new comer to survive in the Philippines market. Competitor Positioning Low Price Low Price Payless Payless Quick Chow Quick Chow Lucky Me Lucky Me Quality Quality Market Share Market Share Mama Mama Various Tastes Various Tastes Explanation Our company, Mama, currently have many types of tastes and the production cost is low so the price is not high. Lucky Me has been in the Philippines market for a long time. They have a lot of market share in the country. Payless is expert in selling price. They sell the product at low price and have some market share. Quick Chow is in the middle of everything. SWOT Analysis Strengths * Cheap and Quick : Mama has low price. It’s only 5 baht per package and it uses 3 minutes for preparation. * Easy to Cook : Mama is one of the foods that require low abilities of cooking. It is only pour hot water then it is ready to eat. * Easy to Find : Mama has many distribution channels. You can easily find Mama in everywhere even in a small shop near your house or a big store. * Many flavors : Mama has lunched many flavors to suit individually person. There are at least 20 flavors with also different type of noodles. * Promotions : Mama has many promotions for their customers e. g. lucky draw for gold. * Brand Loyalty : Mama has been introduced for 35 years. Therefore, everyone known Mama and will choose Mama as the first choice. Weaknesses * Image : Because the company specially focus on MAMA so consumer only knows that this company sells only MAMA even they produce many products besides MAMA. Opportunities * Since Philippines and Thailand are in the ASEAN trade member, There is no tariff collected when doing export-import business. Philippines has a lot of seaport and also has good facilities to export our product by shipment. * People eating habits in the Philippines are likely to consume noodles type quite often. * The current tastes of instant noodles in Philippines are not various enough. If we introduce new tastes of the product, we might success and earn lots of market share. * Thailand is always willing to promote the exp ortation in order to bring more wealth to the country. Thai government will support us and help us to export our product to the Philippine. Some advice or tax reduction or premium we might gain from the government. Thailand has a great number of cultivated area and be able to produce at very low cost. * Today, social network is very useful for the marketing purpose. We can bring the awareness of our product in less cost. Threats * Philippines currently has a lot of instant noodle brands. It would be serious competition n the market. * As the government of Philippines encourages foreign company to come and invest in the country, it would be easy for other competitors to enter into the market. * Philippines has a lot of stores in the country, many small one, The delivery system of flowing our product within the country might face a potential complex. Thailand and Philippine don’t do the business together much if we compare to other countries. Trust will be needed and bank guara ntee should be the appropriate method. * As thai baht has been lately appreciated against pesos, this make our products more expensive to Pilipino people. * The effect of major flooding in Thailand affect a lot to agriculture and maybe next year there will be a flood happen in Thailand again. * The oil price in Thailand is going up especially diesel which can increase the transportation's cost within country. Demand Situation Currently in Philippines has a lot of instant noodle brands sell in the country. Which means Pilipinos like to consume noodles very often? All kind of food related Noodles is seems to be the main dish of Philippine people. In today instant noodle production has contribute more ingredients, vitamins, various of taste, and other food enrichments. People would like to consume it more not because only it is cheap but also have qualities and benefits. Another factor is that the trend of Korean TV shows that show about the Korean teenagers like to eat instant noodles more often. It makes a huge impact around Asia to boost the sales of instant noodles up high. In Philippines the demand of the instant noodle product are increasing everyday due to the variety of brands provide to them. Some people want to try new taste different from the local traditional taste. If we export our instant noodle products to the country with new feature taste that different from the current taste that already sell in the Philippine. Focus on the young customers who like to be adventurous and want to try new things. Rank| Country| 2007| 2008| 2009| Total| 9| Philippines| 24. 8| 25. 0| 25. 5| 27. 0| 13| Malaysia| 11. 8| 12. 1| 12. 0| 12. 2| 26| Singapore| 1. 2| 1. 3| 1. 3| 1. 2| Sales Contact Agreement Number: 1234a55b Date: 08/03/2012 [date of acceptance and legal agreement number] This sales agreement is committed between: Thai President Foods Public Company Limited. And SM Investments Corporation. INCOTERM: CIF Port of Bangkok Incoterm 2010 Term of Payment: Documentary Letter of Credit, Time Draft Price of the goods: S$1 Sales organization details: Name: Thai President Foods Public Company Limited Address: 304 TF Bldg. , Srinakarin Rd. , Huamark, Bangkapi, Bangkok 10240 Thailand. Factory: Sahapat Group Industrial Park, 601 Sukapiban 8 Rd. , Nongkarm, Sri Racha, Cholburi 20232 Thailand. Phone Number: Telephone  : (662) 374-4730  Fax :  (662) 374-7743 Buyer organization details: Name: SM Hypermarket Address: Building E, SM Corporate Office 1000 Bay Boulevard Central Business Park Pasay Metro Manila Philippines Contact number: +6328311212 Whereas, the buyer is interested to buy the following products from the seller organization 1. Instant Noodles Artificial Tom Yum Pork Flavour 2. Instant Noodles Shrimp Creamy Tom Yum Flavour 3. Instant Noodles Shrimp Flavour (Tom Yum) The seller organization will receive $_________ [money in the local currency] on every purchase as the buyer organization has already received $___________ as advance amount. This sales agreement is commencing on 17/08/2012 and is ending on 16/08/2017. [Give required dates] Both the organizations will follow the given terms: – Importers are required to source products from regulated establishments. The food is produced under proper sanitary conditions. – Traders and manufacturers adhere to quality assurance procedures that are acceptable to the AVA (Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore). – AVA demands the importers to submit certified-true-copy documents from the food safety authority of the country of origin certifying that the imported food product is produced by licensed or regulated premises. Validation of the sales agreement by both the organizations: Signature of the Seller organization: ___________ Singed by the buyer organization: ____________ [approved by both the parties] Incoterm CIF (Port of Manila) INCOTERMS 2010 Cost , Insurance and Freight (CIF) Exporters have to pay the transportation costs and freight cost that are required to bring the goods or the product from the factory at beginning to the named port of destination (Port of Manila). More ever, Exporter (us) is also required to find and buy insurance against the buyer's risk of loss or damage to the products (Mama) during sea transportation. Furthermore, the exporter is required to clear the goods for export custom as well. * Our company (Mama) will prepare all the documents that are needed for clearing export procedures, and deliver the goods to the reach the port of origin. * Our company will load the finished goods from the factory in Sriracha, Chonburi into our own trucks and give all prepared documents with them for export clearing purpose. * When trucks reach the custom clearing point at the port, do the export custom clearing with all prepared documents to let the goods go into the harbor. Then we follow all the export procedures to get our products or containers into Laem chabang port. * The products will ship to port of Manila along with insurance that we pay. Reasons to choose this CIF INCOTERMS The reason why we choose CIF incoterm method for export our product to the Philippine because Ports Port of Shipping Laem Chabang Port We choose Laem Chabang port as the main port to send the product, instant noodles, a nd export to Philippines port. Laem Chabang port is elected to be the main major seaport in Thailand for years and it is also Thailand’s largest port. It is Deep-water port and used for international importation and exportation. It is located between Laem Chabang distinct, Amphoe Sriracha and Amphoe Bang Lamung in Chonburi province Thailand. This port is under control by Port Authority of Thailand in overall management. Private firms are responsible for the activities process. This port is first open in 2534 and was fully supported by Thailand Government all along. Leam Chabang port can handle or has ships or vessels come to port around 8,118 ships. The areas around Leam Chabang port are being developed to be economic area of the country. The area that being developed are housing, utilities, communications, transportation, industry, and government center. In 2005 Laem Chabang port was order to be the 20th busiest port in the word. Many of the international shipping come in and out of Thailand will go through this Laem Chabang port. Leam Chabang Port has many sub-port and they was separated into 4 main zones; -Zone A -Zone B -Zone C -Zone D -Others Factors why we choose this port 5. Location Mama instant noodle has 3 factories which are located at Rayoong, Lumpoon, and Sriracha. Especially the factory in Sriracha is very near to Laem Chabang port. So it is very easily to transport the product or goods by in-land from the factory through the Laem Chabang port. 6. Facilities and equipment Surely, Laem Chabang port is the main port that mostly used in Thailand. This port is fully equipped with many technology machines. We can able to move or transfer the cargo around the port. The areas are big and clean. The security system and safety are very great. There is a lot of private service to help provide facilities to us. The port also has general warehouses that we can keep our product or good, distribution centers, road and railway network system which connects every part of the country. Furthermore, the port provides significant utilities such as electricity, water and land lines throughout the whole port. List of facilities in Laem Chabang port 7. Provincial Office of Chonburi – Public Relations Office of Chonburi – Chonburi Transportation Station – City Council of Chonburi – Local Police Station (Pattaya) – Local Police Station (Bang Lamung) – Tourist Police – Tourist Police (Jom Tien) – Tourist Police (Pattaya) – Bangkok-Chonburi Hospital – Eak-Chol Hospital – Bang-La-Mung Hospital – Many banks ; Bank of Ayudhya included – Courier express – Accommodation 8. Service We can say that Laem Vhabang port has a one stop service. Many of private and government firms in the port provide different service and cover all port activities. There is custom burean in the port that take care about the documents and also many private firms have helping service for us to prepare the document and give advice. Laem Chabang open 24 hours a day and 7 days a week: that’s mean the port opens all the time. The port has skillful and experienced employees, truck services, vessel routes, train schedule, shipping lines, forwarders, and many other more. The port also has an efficient website that provides understanding information and contacts. Port of Destination Manila Port, Philippine The Port of Manila is the largest seaport in the Philippines. It is widely used as the main port of all international shipping gateways to the Philippine. The port is located in the vicinity of Manila Bay. The Port of Cagmat is another name of this port for local and it is also known as Manila International Cargo Terminal. This port is operated by International Container Terminal Services Inc. This port is recognized as one of Asia’s major seaports and one of the Philippine most active port with full of activities every day. In 2005, port of Manila was list as 31st the world most active port. Manila is also the Philippine country’s main economic, cultural, and political center because Manila is the capital city and has the highest population. -Port of Manila has 3 major areas. 1. Manila North (seaport code MNN) 2. Manila South (MNS) 3. Manila (MNL) Port Location Map 9. Quick fact Summary information Port Location:    Manila Port Name:    Port of Manila Port Authority:    Philippine Ports Authority, PDO Manila/Northern Luzon Address:    PNR Building South Harbor Manila Philippines Phone:    527-44-14 Fax:    527-44-14 Email:    [email  protected] com. ph Web Site:    www. ppa. com. ph Latitude:    14 ° 31’ 27† N Longitude:    120 ° 56’ 57† E UN/LOCODE:    PHMNL Port Type:    Seaport Port Size:    Very Large Factors why we choose this port 10. Reliable This port is very popular and has been trusted by many countries. The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) who control and manage the port promise to provide reliable services, sustaining the development of port communities and the environment. The Philippine Ports Authority’s priority objectives are include of establishing, developing, regulating, managing, and operating a national port system that supports trade and development for the nation of the Philippines. To meet these goals, the PPA will make adjustment at least ten ports by the year 2010, improve port services, reduce costs for port customers, corporative between ports and communities, development and operation, and provide a working environment to improve productivity and job satisfactions. 11. Location Manila is the capital city. It implies the highest population city in Philippine. It will be a perfect place to enter our product to the market. This city has many distribution channel including Macro; where we going to send our cargo to. So this port is quite near to the destination location. 12. Facilities With no doubt, port of Manila is the largest and busiest port in Philippine. This port serves a total of 5325 vessels for both foreign and domestic. The entrance to the Bay of Manila is 19 Km wide and it will expand to 48 Km in the future so, the vessels could easily reach the port. The Port of Manila International Cargo Terminal (MICT) also help developing the facilities on the port. The company (MICT) is responsible for managing, operating, and administrating the Port of Manila. They are planning, developing, and constructing better facilities; supplying all equipment,handling more capacity, and controlling the system. Term of Payment Method of Payment : Documentary Letter of Credit (L/C) 16 16 15 15 14 14 13 13 12 12 11 11 2 2 4 4 8 7 8 7 7 7 6 6 5 5 Custom Shipper Custom Shipper Shipper Shipper Custom Shipper Custom Shipper Shipper Shipper 3 1 3 1 1 1 Issuing Bank Issuing Bank Advising Bank Advising Bank Exporter Exporter Importer Importer 9 9 10 10 1. Negociation in sales contact. 2. Send request to open L/C together with sending all documents required. 3. After bank verify the correctness of the documents, issue L/C and transfer to Advising bank. 4. Advising bank notifies the exporter the presence of L/C. 5. Exporter makes a shipping reservation. 6. Shipper sends export document to custom. 7. Receive mate’s receipt once product is on broad. Exchange mate’s receipt for Bill of Lading with shipper. 8. Documents collection as agreed. 9. Export sends documents for payment to advising bank. 10. Advising bank confirms documents and receives payment. 11. Advising bank sends documents and requests for reimbursement. 12. Issuing bank checks document and requests payment. 13. Importer makes a payment and documentation. 14. Reimbursement 15. Importer exchanges B/L for delivery order (D/O). 16. Shipper shows D/O for goods shipped to custom. Document needed * Draft or Bill of Exchange * Commercial Invoice, Packing List, Bill of Lading * Certificate of Origin, Insurance policy, License (if any) * Certificate of Health, Certificate of Analysis * Certificate of Inspection, etc * Insurance Certificate, Commercial, Official or Legal Documents (for shipping) Reasons for choosing this term of payment As we will export a large amount of goods to the foreign company as well as this is the first time that we do business with this company, using â€Å"Documentary Letter of Credit† will reduce the commercial risk or the risk of not being paid. This is because, for the first of doing business, there will be low trust of buyer’s credit and high risk that importer or buyer might not pay for the goods. Therefore, we choose â€Å"Irrevocable Letter of Credit, Time Draft (60 days)† to reduce risk. By using irrevocable letter of credit, issuing bank will be the one who is responsible for importers’ obligations toward exporters under the specified term and conditions and commit themselves not be able to make amendment without consensus from all parties related. Cable / Swift charges for LC opening| THB 1,000 for the first page, THB 300 for the other pages| THB1,000 (Max. pages, Next pages = 500/page)| Asia, Australia, % NZ: THB 500 Middle East, US, Europe, Africa ; Rest of the world: THB 800 With attached sheet: THB 400 per attached sheet Others: THB 400| L/C amendment | In case increase in amount or extension of validity date : ? % of opening amount for validity of each 90 days (1 period), fraction of month w ill be treated as one period (Minimum THB 500) Other cases: THB 500| Increase Amount – 0. 5% of incresing amounts (min. THB1,000. 00), Extend validity if exceed 1 period – THB 500 per item| Increase of L/C amount:0. 25% of additional amount per period (90 days) or part thereof min. THB 1,000 Extension of L/C validity: 0. 25% of opening amount per period (90 days) or part thereof min. THB 1,000| Cable / Swift charges for LC amendment| THB 500 per item| THB 500 per item| THB 400/item| Revolving L/C comission| ? of opening amount upon L/C times amount of time for revolving (Minimum THB 1,000)| 0. 25% per quarter or part thereof with a minimum of THB 1,000| 0. 25% of opening amount per period (90 days)or part thereof min. THB1,000 | Standby L/C comission| N/A| Morethan 2. 5% per annum or part thereof with a minimum of THB 300| 1. 5 – 2. 5 % per annum min. THB 1,000| Kasikorn Bank Kasikorn Bank Bangkok Bank Bangkok Bank Bank of Ayudhaya Bank of Ayudhaya Postage (Cour ier Charges) | N/A| Asia, EU and USA: THB 500 except China, Laos and Cambodia: THB 700| THB300. 0 for 1st envelope, additional charge of THB100. 00 per additional envelope | Reasons for choosing Kasikorn Bank 1. Kasikorn Bank provides the services of Cable/Swfit charges for L/C opening, Cable/Swift charges for L/C amendment,Standby L/C and postage fee at the rate cheaper than other banks. 2. Kasikorn Bank has professional staff, innovative technology and worldwide network that will enhance our international transaction easily and smoothly. 3. Kasikorn Bank got the award of Best Trade Finance Providers 2011 for the fourth consecutive year (2008-2011). This guarantees that it provides good international trade services. 4. Kasikorn bank got the award of Best Bank (Thailand) for the second consecutive year (2010-2011). This guarantees that the bank is realiable and trustable. 5. Kasikorn Bank provides a lot of information towards its services on the internet. So, the customer can find the information about the fee, procedure and document needed of services easily and conveniently. 6. Kasikorn Bank has K-BIZ contact center that provides business information for 24 hours. So, we can contact the bank anywhere anytime when we need information, advice or when we have a problem regarding our business. In addition, the K-BIZ staff are well-trained. So, we can be sure that we will get comprehensive and accurate answers or advice. Trade Finance Services 1. Export L/C Advising Kbank acts on behalf of the beneficiary in receiving the L/C issued by the overseas issuing bank. The bank will check the apparent authenticity of the L/C before notifying and delivering it to the beneficiary. Documents Needed 1. Letter of Credit agreed upon by both sellers and buyers. 2. Pro forma invoice 3. Application form for amendment of letter of Credit Procedure for Export L/C Advising 13. After receiving the L/C from the issuing bank in overseas, the bank will check its apparent authenticity. 14. Kbank notifies exporter of the arrival of the original L/C. 15. Before picking up the original L/C at any  Corporate ; SME Service Center, exporter have to pay for the L/C advising fees. 16. It is recommended that exporter has to review all terms and conditions specified in the L/C. If they are not comply with the terms and conditions as agreed with the importer, exporter is required to notify the importer to amend those conditions in the L/C. By using export L/C advising from Kbank, we can receive the authenticated L/C within 3 hours after Kbank receives it by SWIFT Message from the issuing bank in overseas and a copy L/C will be delivered to us in advance by facsimile or email to allow us to prepare export documents in advance. So, it’s more convenient for us to do the international transaction. 1. L/C Confirmation L/C Confirmation is the service that the bank, Kbank, add confirmation on the letter of credit received from the oversea issuing bank which allows adding confirmation and the beneficiary in the L/C request it to do so. The bank will add confirmation on full amount, not on partial amount, and effect payment to the beneficiary upon receipt of conforming documents provided that all terms and conditions have been complied with the L/C’s. Documents Needed 1. Application for L/C confirmation 2. Original L/C and amendment L/C (if any) Procedure  for L/C Confirmations . Exporter ( the beneficiary in L/C) submits an application for L/C confirmation alongwith the original L/C and the amendment of L/C (if any) to Kbank. 2. The bank will examine the application form, conditions in the L/C and credit rating and country rating of the issuing bank. 3. If all criteria is met, the bank will collect all confirmation charges and other expenses from the beneficiary. 4. A letter of confirmation and the original L/C will be delivered to  the beneficiary. 5. The bank, then, inform the issuing bank of the adding confirmation without delay. By using this service, we will have more security in receiving payment under L/C, Kbank will serve us with L/C confirmation with their professional and experienced staffs. Therefore, it is more reliable and secure than using only Export L/C advising. 2. Export Collection under L/C Kbank acts as the nominated bank authorized by the L/C issuing bank to collect payment from the L/C issuing bank in a foreign country by sending the documents for collection under L/C provided that all terms and conditions have been complied with L/C. Documents Needed 1. Application for Negotiation/Discount of Export Bills Drawn Under Letter of Credit. 2. Original L/C and amendment L/C (if any). 3. Other documents stipulated in the L/C. Procedure  for Export L/C Collection 1. Kbank receives the export documents submitted by the beneficiary, then check for the complying presentation. 2. Notify the beneficiary of checking result. 3. Send the documents to the issuing bank for collection. Also, tracking payment (as the case may be). 4. Upon receipt of payment, inform the beneficiary and remit proceeds to the beneficiary’s account. By using this service, we can be more assured of receiving payment under L/C. Moreover, the documents will be checked by professional and experienced staff. Also, they will be re-checked by CDCS or Certified Documentary Credit Specialists. As a result, we can operate our export business smoothly and confidently. Custom Export Clearance Procedure in Thailand Generally, the export clearance processes include 4 stages: 1. Submission of a Declaration: The export procedures start when an exporter/broker submits an Export Declaration in ebXML message to the e-Customs system. 2. Verification of a Declaration: The second stage is automated verification of the Declaration. As soon as the e-Customs system receives the Export Declaration data, such data is preliminary validated. In cases where the validated data contains no error, the Goods Declaration number is generated in conjunction with the e-Payment system (if export taxes and duties are applicable. ). The response message, then, is transmitted to the exporter/broker. In addition, the selectivity profile system will validate the transmitted data and classify the Goods Declaration into two categories: Green Line and Red Line. . Payment of Duties and Taxes: The third stage is payment of applicable duties and taxes and/or guarantee. There are currently 3 means for payment of export duties and taxes: payment at the Customs Department, payment via e-Payment system, and payment at banks. 4. Inspection and Release of Cargo: The last stage is to inspect and finally release cargo from Customs custody. At this stage , a freight forwarder loads cargo into containers and electronically sends a cargo control report to the e-Customs system. The e-Customs system validates the data, and reports any error for immediate online correction. If no error is found, the cargo control report number is automatically generated by the system and the response message is sent to the freight forwarder and the exporter/broker. The freight forwarder then prints out the cargo control report with its number and removes the cargo to the port of exit. At this stage, the Customs officer at a sub-gate checks whether the declaration is a Red Line or a Green Line. 4. 1  In case of the green line,the Declaration is cleared within a few minutes. After the cargo is exported, a shipping company/agent is required to submit, the manifest information to the e-Customs   system. The system then automatically loads the Goods Declaration and transmits the response message back to the exporter/broker. 4. 2  In case of the red line, the cargo is removed for physical inspection. Documents needs 1. Export Declaration 2. Invoice 3. Export License (if applicable) 4. Other relevant documents such as catalogue, product ingredients, etc. Example of Documents Custom Import Clearance Procedure in Philippines Documents required in all shipments to the Philippines * Commercial Invoice * Bill of Lading or Airway Bill for air shipments * Certificate of Origin, if requested * Packing List Applicable special certificates required due to the nature of goods being shipped/requested by importer/bank/letter of credit clause, such as the Bureau of Food   and Drugs (BFAD) license * Commercial Invoice of Returned Philippine Goods and Supplemental Declaration on   Valuation * For Letter of Credit (L/C) Transaction, a duly accomplished Letter of Credit (L/C)   including Proform a Invoice and Import Entry Declaration for Advance Customs Import   Duty (ACID) * For non-L/C Transactions, either Draft Documents against Acceptance (D/A),   Documents Against Payment (D/P), Open Account (OA) or self-funded, a Proforma Invoice Example of Documents Container * Type of Cargo and Container Size: Container| Interior Dimension| Door Opening| Tare Weight| Cubic Capacity| Payload| 20’ Dry Container| L:5. 919m 19’ 5† W:2. 340m 7’ 8† H:2. 380m 7’ 9 ? †| W:2. 286m 7’ 6† H:2. 278m 7’ 5 ? †| 1,900 kg 4,189 lbs. | 33. 0 cbm 1,116 cu. Ft. | 22,100 kg 48,721 lbs| As our products can be packed in cases, they are classified to be general cargo and can be stuffed in containers. Our products to be exported to Philippines will be sold throughout the country, we believe that the demand of the whole country with a huge number of population like Philippines is sufficient for us to fill up the whole container, meaning that we can use full cargo load. Our products do not require any special container, the normal general purpose container or dry cargo of 20’ft is sufficient to keep the products safely while transporting them from Thailand to Philippines. One 20 footer container can fit 360 cartons, one carton contains 6 boxes of 30 packs. Totally one container can fit 68,400 pack of Mama. * Container Transport Status: In order to deliver the products to Philippines, we have to use the combination of transportation modes that includes land and ocean transportation. The products will be placed in the container and taken from our factory by using the container truck or line haul to transport them to the port. At the port, the products then will be moved from the truck onto the container ship which will transport our products from the port of Thailand to the port of Philippines and again the products will be taken of the ship and placed on the container truck and deliver them to the distribution of our customers in Philippines. The most suitable container transport status for us is FCL/FCL. We as the only one seller deliver products by using full container load from Thailand and export to only one buyer in Philippines which is SM Hyper Market. To keep the products safe and in the best condition, we have to use the right method of packaging and cargo unitization which are mention below. Freight Forwarder As our products are shipped from Thailand to Philippines which are already a normal and often travelled route, we can save our cost by using the service from conference line vessel or the so called†Liners†. By using these liners, the service is cheaper than to use the non-conference vessels or charter ships. The rates are fixed and standardized, the schedule is also strictly followed which allow us to deliver our products to customers at the expectable time. The company that we use for ocean transportation is NYK and the route is FTS (Far East Thailand Service) which serves from Laem Chabang pass by Port of Manila to Busan. The turnaround day for the service route is 21 days. The total fee for ocean transportation is 765 USD which includes 730 USD for the service fee plus with 35 USD fuel fee which is calculated to be roughly around 23,532 Baht. Insurance Company As we are using CIF Incoterm 2010, we are responsible for all the risks of lost or damages occur during the inland transportation from our factory to Laem Chabang port and we are assigned to purchase the insurance to cover any risks of lost and damages occur during the ocean shipment from Laem Chabang port to Port of Manila. We selected Dhipaya Insurance Public Company Limited as our insurance company. The type of policy selected is open policy, which covers over a period of time as we plan to ship the products quite often in the near future. The package we choose is â€Å"Institute Cargo Clauses type C† which covers fire or explosion; vessel stranded or sunk, collision of vessel and discharge of cargo at port of distress. The reason we choose Dhipaya Insurance is because the company has a long history as well as the credit of the company is widely accepted both in Thailand and other countries in this region. Marketing Mix Marketing Mix(4P) 1. Product 2. Price 3. Place 4. Promotion Product Ingredients and Condiments of MAMA instant noodles still remain the same. The size of MAMA's pack and accumulated net weight within the pack are also the same. But label that state on the pack will be changed from Thai language to English language. And all informations at the back of the pack will be translated to Pilipino as well. – Product Standardization We make our product to be standardized. We not change any Research&Development. We use the same strategies as in Thailand. We dont adapted or changed our products forward Pilipino . Price We changed the price from originally 6 baht in Thailand to 30 baht or 1USD per pack selling Philippines. We set the price followed our competitors but our competitors set 1USD or more than but we set only 1USD to penetrate the market. Pricing Policy We use Dual Pricing because we change the selling price from 6Baht to 1USD. We add more price because we have to calculate cost-plus method ,For example; Import taxes,Vat,Transportation cost,Shipping cost,etc. Place We decided to sell our products MAMA instant noodles into Philippines though only one major distribution channel,SM hypermarket company. Promotion We use quantity discounts as a promotion in Pilipino market. Consumers will pay less if they buy pack of six. Cost Structure EXPORT| IMPORT| Cost element| Cost| Cost element| Cost| Factory cost of 205,200 [email  protected] US$0. 098 per packs| US$20,109. | Land cost CIF| $****| Expenses:| | Duty @ 3%| $****| Export packing (205,200 [email  protected] US$0. 005 per pack)| US$1,026| Other Taxes| $****| | | Brokerage – Clearance fees| $****| Consular invoice| US$30| Forwarder Fees| $****| Freight forwarder Fee (included in transportation cost)| -| Banking charges| $****| FOB price| US$21,165. 6| Total landed cost (DDP)| $****| | | Expenses:|   | |   | Warehouse| $****| |   | Repacking| $****| |   | Freight out| $****| |   | Advertising| $****| |   | Interest| $****| |   | Others| $****| Marine Insurance| US$317. 5| Total landed plus expenses| $****|   |   |   |   | Transportation (Ocean)| US$2,295| Plus Markup| $****| Landed cost (CIF)| US$23,778. 1| Suggested selling Price| $****|   |   |   |   | |   |   |   | Reference * http://www. dksh. ph/htm/388/en_PH/News-Detail. htm? Id=60707 * http://goodnewspilipinas. com/2010/04/06/philippines-set-to-become-food-safety-hub-of-asean/ * http://www. selamat. wur. nl/NR/rdonlyres/F6A33BEE-EE82-464A-A1EB-118034E1F9D9/122444/Philippines. pdf * http://www. iso. org/iso/iso_catalogue/management_and_leadership_standards/quality_management/more_resources_9000/9001supchain. htm#what_is_iso_9001 * http://www. rcglobalstandards. com/GlobalStandards/Home. aspx * http://www. inspection. gc. ca/food/fish-and-seafood/exports/by-jurisdiction/philippines/eng/1304243817860/1304243914409 * http://www. mama. co. th/faqs. php * http://ebook. foodrecap. net/food-standard/pinoy-food-label/ * http://www. lcbcustoms. net * http://www. laemchabangport. com * http://www. mama. co. th * www. thaiblogonline. com * ma ps. google. co. th * http://www. ppa. com. ph * http://www. maplandia. com/philippines/ncr/manila/port-area/ * http://www. worldportsource. com/ports/PHL_Port_of_Manila_1947. hp * http://www. mapsofworld. com/cities/philippines/manila/port. html * http://smhypermarket. com/hypermarket/index. php? p=420 * http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/SM_Hypermarket * http://internet1. customs. go. th/wps/wcm/connect/custen/importexport/exporter/exporter * http://www. dti. gov. ph/dti/index. php? p=196&fb_source=message * http://www. chanrobles. com/presidentialdecrees/presidentialdecreeno1679. html * http://www. nykline. co. th/main/content_view. php? data_cat=6&data_id=16 * http://www. dhipaya. co. th/ * http://www. x-convert. com/chart/PHP-THB? period=6m