Impacts on the Retail Fuel Price in Malaysia

Impacts on the Retail Fuel Price in Malaysia Background description of retail fuel price in Malaysia According to the local news on 7 March 2013, the retail price of RON 97 will be RM2.90 per litre when it was previously RM2.70. Meanwhile, the retail price of RON95 remains unchanged as it is subsidized by the government. In May, a 20 sen drop incurred for RON 97 per litre. There was no change in price for RON 95 and diesel. On September 2, 2013, Malaysia’s Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced that the price of diesel and RON95 petrol would increase by 20 sen (Bridel Lontoh, 2014) joining neighboring Indonesia to threaten investor confidence besides curbing in subsidies (Chong, 2013). There was a 20 sen price incremental to 2 Ringgit per litre for diesel and the new price for RON 95 is RM 2.10 per litre from RM 1 (Lim, 2013). â€Å"The hike was to prevent financial leakage and misappropriation of the subsidised fuel,† said Tun Dr Mahathir Mohmad, reportsBernama (Phung, 2014). The retail price of RON 97 continued to increase by 15 sen (Lim, 2013). In November, the price of RON 97 had gone down to RM2.75 per litre from the existing RM 2.85 per litre (Lim, 2013). On the first month of 2014, the price of RON 97 went up 5 sen to RM2.80 per litre. Another 5 sen was incurred for the price of RON 97 in the following month. In March, the previous price of RON 97 brought up with a new retail price of RM2.90. The RON 97 price decreased with a 5 sen to RM 2.85 per litre. (Lim, 2013) On 9th September, the price of RON97 dropped by 10 sen to RM2.75 per litre. (Lim, 2013). Royal Malaysian Customs Department senior assistant director Ishak Daud toldSin Chew Dailythat there is an addition of 80 to 85 zero-rated items. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced that diesel and LPG will be exempted from the Goods and Services Tax (GST) taking effect in April 2015 (Tan, 2014). The prices for RON 95 petrol and diesel will slightly increase by 20 senon 2 October, announced by the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer (Sze, 2014). The Sun reported that Political party PAS urged for an increase in price for both petrol and diesel, to allow petrol station operators compete with each other (Lim, 2014). Theprices of petrol and diesel were indicated to drop until January of next year (Lee, 2014). In short, the graph in 2013 shows there’s an upward trend for Ron95 and diesel where there’s a rise in 20sens on 3 September. However, the fuel price for Ron97 fluctuates between a low of RM2.70 and a peak of RM2.90 before ending at RM2.75 at the end of the year. In 2014, there was a plateau in fuel price for Ron95 and diesel from January to September and then it increase gradually. For Ron97, the fuel price rises since January but then fell gradually after June. Fuel price in Malaysia between 2013 to 2014 (Galvin, 2015) Date Ron 97 (RM) Ron 95 (RM) Diesel (RM) 10 Jan 2013 2.70 (-0.05) 1.90 ( ) 1.80 ( ) 7 Mac2013 2.90 (+0.20) 1.90 ( ) 1.80 ( ) 22 May 2013 2.70 (-0.20) 1.90 ( ) 1.80 ( ) 3 Sep 2013 2.70 ( ) 2.10 (+0.20) 2.00 (+0.20) 5 Sep 2013 2.85 (+0.15) 2.10 ( ) 2.00 ( ) 14 Nov 2013 2.75 (-0.10) 2.10 ( ) 2.00 ( ) 8 Jan 2014 2.80 (+0.05) 2.10 ( ) 2.00 ( ) 7 Feb 2014 2.85 (+0.05) 2.10 ( ) 2.00 ( ) 7 Mac 2014 2.90 (+0.05) 2.10 ( ) 2.00 ( ) 6 Jun 2014 2.85 (-0.05) 2.10 ( ) 2.00 ( ) 9 Sep 2014 2.75 (-0.10) 2.10 ( ) 2.00 ( ) 2 Oct 2014 2.75 ( ) 2.30 (+0.20) 2.20 (+0.20) 19 Nov 2014 2.55 (-0.20) 2.30 ( ) 2.20 ( ) 1 Dec 2014 2.46 (-0.09) 2.26 (-0.04) 2.23 (+0.03) Note: Ron 95 and diesel are subsidies by government, while pricing of Ron 97 is determined according to market forces. Ron 92 remains at RM1.70 since 16 Dec 2008 Determinant for retail fuel price Demand and supply of crude oil   Ã‚   The world’s biggest economies such as the United States, consumes most oil in the world. The other world’s largest oil consumer includes Japan, Canada and South Korea (Gethard, 2008). However, the country that plays the biggest role in oil consumption is China. In 2013, China surpassed the United States becoming the worlds largest importer of crude oil as they took up one-third of growth in the global demand (Eia.gov, 2014). As China is currently a dynamic and fast-growing economy, China’s demand and usage of oil grows rapidly. The development of the country’s economy can be seen in China’s increasing number of factories and growth in number of people driving cars (Wagner, 2008). As China economy starts developing rapidly only these recent years, their oil reserves are not as much compare to other developed economies like the United States who had reserved oil for many years, thus China’s has extensive demand for oil from the global market. T his increased demand has contributed to the rise of global crude oil price which has indirectly raise retail fuel prices in Malaysia. Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is a body that has great influence over the worldwide price of oil which compriseof 12of the worlds largest oil producing nations (Gethard, 2008). Since there is a shortage of the worldwide oil production, OPEC as the biggest oil supplier reduces the amount of oil contributed to the world market and manipulate the selling price of oil per barrel. Besides, political conflicts in Libya sustains its crude oil production further leading worldwide oil supply to decrease (Batovic, 2014). With uncertainty of supply, countries compete with each other for crude oil supply and this rising demand increases the price of crude oil. The global market now has to pay at a higher price for the same amount of oil. As the cost of purchasing crude oil price increases, the Malaysia government increases the retail fuel price to the citizens. Foreign exchange rate Because the world crude oil price is set in US Dollars, the conversion of world oil price into Malaysia ringgit changes every day in the foreign exchange rate market. Suppose there is a fall in Malaysia’s ringgit against the US dollar on the world currency exchanges, Malaysia has to pay more to purchase the same amount of fuel from the global market. Example the increase from US$1.00 = RM3.50 to US$1.00 = RM3.75 indicates a depreciation in Malaysia dollar. As the cost of purchasing crude oil increases, this implies citizens have to pay more for the same amount of fuel too. The foreign exchange rate is constantly monitored by the Malaysia government before determining the retail price of fuel. Therefore, the retail fuel price often fluctuates. Subsidy The changes in retail price of fuel depend on the provision of subsidies by the government. If the government provides subsidies for fuel such as the Ron95 and diesel, the price is cheaper compare to the price of Ron97 which is not subsidies. In 2013, MYR 24.8 billion (US$7.9 billion) was allocated to fuel subsidies. The government argued that the subsidy reduction would save at least MYR 1.1 billion (US$349 million) by the end of 2013 (Lee, 2013). The cost saved in subsidies would be channeled into the BR1M welfare fund, said Prime Minister Najib Razak (Lam, 2013). By doing so, 20 sen was increased in the price of RON 95 and diesel starting on 3 Sept of 2013. In brief, the absence of subsidy causes retail fuel to rise in Malaysia. Effects Consumer Low oil price results in the savings cascade down into the rest of the economy in form of cheaper prices. Consumers will hence have more disposable income to spend (Parry Kemp, 2012) leading to higher purchasing power. Besides, individual who drives car can save the cost for car petrol monthly. High oil price causes consumers to have less disposable income to spend especially those with a lower income. After barely consuming the necessities such as groceries, there will be not much money left to afford the luxuries, for example, travelling with family and friends. Producer Falling oil price brings negative impact on the mining industry, for instances those extracting oil and natural gas or constructing the pipelines to move those commodities. For producers, cheaper prices mean either less profits or even losses. Thus, oil producer will supply less oil to the market until oil prices rise back. If a person is required to pay more for oil, delivered goods and others, less will be left over for discretionary spending by the consumers (Parry Kemp, 2012). Buying a new home is such type of discretionary expenditure. Hence, the producers of the housing will supply less as the demand from consumers had fall. Besides the housing producers, other sectors are also affected. As fuel is needed for transportation to deliver goods and services, higher oil price will affect the delivery sector as transportation fee is higher. Not to mention, oil producers may use this opportunity to charge a higher price on fuel to gain more profit as well. Government As oil producers are taxed by Malaysia government, when oil prices are lower, government revenues will drop. There is always measure to be taken to diminish the damage. Government can save money by reducing or removing oil subsidy. Through this, government can spend the money on other area like education, welfare of the society or development of infrastructure for the economic growth of Malaysia. Inversely when oil price is higher, the cost to build or maintain infrastructures will be higher as materials, labors, and other costs needed to build or repair infrastructures are higher. Fuel consumption for the transportation of these materials also leads to higher expenditure of the government. As government spends more money on this area, they will have to cut back expenditure on other areas such as health care and education expenses (Parry Kemp, 2012). Conclusion In conclusion, the demand and supply for crude oil, foreign exchange rate and subsidy provided by the government affects the retail fuel price in Malaysia. When oil price is low, government gain less tax revenue, producer gain less profit and consumer have more spare money to spend, where they might afford luxury goods after purchasing necessities like groceries. When oil price is high, government gain more tax revenue, producer gain more profit and consumer have less spare money to spend. If the producer loses and not gaining profit, employees might get fired, causing them to be jobless and have less money for consumption. Reference list Batovic, A. (2014). Five political risk factors affecting oil markets in 2014 Global Risk Insights. [online] Global Risk Insights. Available at: http://globalriskinsights.com/2014/01/five-political-risk-factors-that-will-affect-oil-markets-in-2014/ [Accessed 21 Jun. 2015]. Bridel, A. and Lontoh, L. (2015). [online] Available at: https://www.iisd.org/gsi/sites/default/files/ffs_malaysia_lessonslearned.pdf [Accessed 14 Jun. 2015]. calvin, d. (2015). Malaysian Fuel Price History decoding galvin. [online] decoding galvin. Available at: http://blog.galvintan.com/malaysian-fuel-price-history [Accessed 14 Jun. 2015]. Chong, P. (2013). Malaysians Brace for Austerity as Najib Cools Spending: Economy. [online] Bloomberg.com. Available at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-09-16/malaysians-brace-for-shift-to-austerity-as-najib-cools-spending [Accessed 14 Jun. 2015]. Eia.gov, (2014). U.S. crude oil production growth contributes to global oil price stability in 2013 Today in Energy U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). [online] Available at: http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=14531#tabs_SpotPriceSlider-2 [Accessed 14 Jun. 2015]. Gethard, G. (2008). How Does Crude Oil Affect Gas Prices?. [online] Investopedia. Available at: http://www.investopedia.com/articles/economics/08/crude-and-gas-prices.asp [Accessed 14 Jun. 2015]. Lam, J. (2015). It’s finally here, fuel price up tonight. New taxes next? The Malaysian Insider. [online] Themalaysianinsider.com. Available at: https://globalvoicesonline.org/2013/09/10/fuel-price-increase-divides-malaysia/ [Accessed 14 Jun. 2015]. Lee, J. (2014). Fuel prices in Malaysia to fall further – Ahmad Maslan. [online] Paul Tans Automotive News. Available at: http://paultan.org/2014/12/09/fuel-prices-malaysia-fall-ahmad-maslan/ [Accessed 14 Jun. 2015]. Lee, S. (2015). It’s finally here, fuel price up tonight. New taxes next? The Malaysian Insider. [online] Themalaysianinsider.com. Available at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/ron95-and-diesel-price-up-20-sen-from-midnight [Accessed 14 Jun. 2015]. Lim, A. (2013). RON 95 and diesel to go up by 20 sen per litre, effective Sept 3. [online] Paul Tans Automotive News. Available at: http://paultan.org/2013/09/02/ron-95-diesel-go-rm2-10/ [Accessed 14 Jun. 2015]. Lim, A. (2014). PAS calls on govt to impose ceiling price on fuel. [online] Paul Tans Automotive News. Available at: http://paultan.org/2014/12/05/pas-calls-on-govt-to-impose-ceiling-price-on-fuel/ [Accessed 14 Jun. 2015]. Parry, G. and Kemp, S. (2012). Investigate Macroeconomics. 2nd ed. Western Australia: Tactic Publications Pty Ltd. Phung, A. (2015). Petrol price hike not to burden people, says minister | theSundaily. [online] Thesundaily.my. Available at: http://www.thesundaily.my/news/1187644 [Accessed 14 Jun. 2015]. Sze, G. (2014). RON 95, diesel prices up by 20 sen from October 2. [online] Paul Tans Automotive News. Available at: http://paultan.org/2014/10/01/ron-95-diesel-20-sen-october/ [Accessed 14 Jun. 2015]. Tan, D. (2014). GST will include petrol, not in zero-rated list Kastam. [online] Paul Tans Automotive News. Available at: http://paultan.org/2014/09/12/petrol-not-exempted-gst/ [Accessed 14 Jun. 2015]. Wagner, H. (2008). What Determines Gas Prices?. [online] Investopedia. Available at: http://www.investopedia.com/articles/economics/08/gas-prices.asp [Accessed 14 Jun. 2015].

Uranus Essay -- essays research papers

The bland aquamarine face of Uranus bears witness to the fact that Uranus is enshrouded in clouds. The planet appears to be blue-green because the atmosphere absorbs the, red wavelengths of the visible spectrum, . The uniformity of the planet's appearance confirms that the planet's atmosphere is composed almost solely of one element, methane gas. There is a preponderance of haze, composed of ethane and other hydrocarbon ices high in the stratosphere, and clouds of methane ice low in the troposphere. The cloud particles constantly recycle themselves, first creating then destroying the heaviest crystals. This is an indication that Uranus' atmosphere is still evolving from its formation out of the solar nebula. Because Uranus lies on its side, Uranus has very strange seasons. Motions in the cloud patterns indicate that, like Jupiter and Saturn, the basic meteorology of Uranus can be described as a striped pattern of winds. This means that, even though the pattern is difficult to distin quish, Uranus is striped, just like Jupiter and Saturn. Uranus has 21 fascinating moons and a complicated ring system. The ring system is a completely different form of ring system than that found at Saturn or Jupiter. At Uranus there is even a very obvious partial ring, or "ring arc". Many moons are icy moons with fascinating surface features. These icy moons have neither an atmosphere nor a magnetosphere, and there is not much possibility for life. The surfaces of these moons indic...

Best Buy Business Analysis

Best Buy Contemporary Business Abstract This research paper focuses on the functionality of Best Buy’s website. It further discusses the how Best Buy promotes their products. There is a description about how their website informs the consumer about the capabilities of their products. Further there is an evaluation of the contact information which includes the many options for contacting them. Due to the large variety of the products offered by Best Buy there are many ways for them to customize products to the customer needs which they attribute their sustainability. Also there is a discussion about the marketing strategies and what is in place on their website. Additionally there is an analysis of the corporation’s privacy policy and response to a security breach with recommendations on how to prevent further compromises. Describe and evaluate a major corporation’s Website in these four areas: (1) product information, (2) corporation’s contact information, (3) customization of products for customers, and (4) customer information at purchase. Best Buy Incorporated, founded by Richard Schulze in 1966, is a top provider of electronics (Form 10K, 2011). Best Buy is also a Fortune 500 hundred company is considered the largest retailer in its class who dominates the market by accounting for 21 percent of the market (Form 10K, 2011). Best Buy Inc is also globally diverse with stores in Canada, China, United Kingdom and Mexico (Form 10K, 2011). Best Buy conduct online operations through many different brand names; BestBuy. com, BestBuy. ca, BestBuy. co. uk, BestBuyMobile. com, CarphoneWarehouse. com, Five-Star. com, FutureShop. ca, Geek Squad, Magnolia Audio Video, Napster. om, and PhoneHouse. com (Form 10K, 2011). Each brand name targets a specific market internationally. Best Buy employs a robust website which features all of their electronics, home office and entertainment products, appliances and services. When selecting an item the consumer has access to a multitude of information about the product. For example, when selecting a flat screen television the first thing that stands out is â€Å"free shipping† then right underne ath is the price, both which is very important to the consumer. Also on this page are credit card advertising and solicitation, protection plans and the ‘buy back’ program. Additionally they have a general description of the product features which gives basic information about the television. As a show of confidence in their product and the service they provide, there is a section dedicated for ‘customer reviews’ where those who has experienced the product can voice their opinion on a 1 to 5 scale. Best Buy shows the individual reviews and an average of the totals. This can prove valuable to the consumer when needing the opinion of someone that has experienced the products functionality to give an assessment of its operation. Additionally there is a ‘specification’ section which gives more detailed description about the characteristics of the product. Further there is a ‘learn’ section which educates the consumer about the featured terms used when reading technical information on the product and a featured guide section which gives detailed information about research and development of the various types of products. Finally Best Buy offers a ‘accessories’ section which give the customer suggested product that are compatible to the specific item which also can be purchase from their store. Best Buy’s corporate contact information link presents the customer with a whole host of information about the organization. The ‘about best buy’ link opens the book about the company. This link gives stock quote and the latest news releases on what the company is offering, tips on shopping and more. There is also information on careers, a link for the investors and developers, sustainability, community relations, site map, and affiliate programs. The ‘contact us’ link offers many avenues in which to contact several departments within the corporate umbrella. The Best Buy corporate customer care supplies their postal and e-mail addresses and phone number. There is also a means to get in contact with the public relations department and vendor inquiries. On the ‘Sustainability’ link Best Buy takes pride in educating customers on technology so they can make the correct decisions when in the market to purchase products to fit their use (Sustainability, 2011). Their site states, â€Å"Through education, influencing public policy and driving industry innovation, we want to help you learn about technology solutions and how to use them to enrich your life and our world at the same time (Sustainability, 2011). † With the large variety of products and their willingness to educate consumers on their products shows they make a great ffort to satisfy their customers’ needs and to influence them to purchase products from them. When checking out Best buy provides the customer and option to purchase matching accessories and protection packages. Then there is an opportunity to subscribe as a recurring customer by checking out and building your profile which will save the customers information for future purchases that wil l speed up the checkout process or there is an option to check out as a guess which will only save the consumers information for the purpose of checking out. Either way at this point is where the customer enters billing information to include; name, address, phone number, and e-mail address. Once the free delivery date has been selected then the customer is directed to the payment method window where the option to pay using a credit card or PayPal to pay for the items. This page also offers links to; conditions of use, legal notices, and privacy policy. On the privacy policy link Best Buy Web site employs TRUSTe and uses encryption technology to protect personal information. Describe and evaluate three (3) of the corporation’s Internet marketing strategies and the competitive advantages its Website provides. Best buy utilizes differentiating product by applying the positioning concept by establishing their products in the mind of the consumers as soon as you visit their web site. They accomplish this by showing an array of products to gain the attention of the customer giving the impression since they have a large variety of products then there will be an item the consumer will want to buy. In comparison the H. H. Gregg site which has a limited selection to choose from. Best Buy also uses the provide information strategy providing detailed information about each of their products and affording customers to write a review about their purchases gives the customer the most up to date information about their experience with their new item. In marketing, people, is a very important element in the promotion of the organizations product (3 Keys, 2009). Word of mouth is the most effective advertisement to influence others to patronize the company (3 Keys, 2009). They also accentuate product value by offering extended warranty plans in addition to the factory warranty and they have also implemented a ‘buy back’ plan where the customer buys into the plan which guarantees the price Best Buy will pay for product purchased. All of these incentives prove Best Buy backs and has a strong confidence in their wide variety of products which gives them the competitive advantage. Analyze and evaluate the corporation’s privacy / security policy and the corporation’s response to the security breach. Best Buy employ’s TRUSTe and encryption technology to protect the privacy of their customer personal information (Privacy, 2011). Within their privacy policy they advertise they take the customers privacy seriously (Privacy, 2011). It tells what information is collected, how it’s used, how it’s shared how they protect you information, and the customer choices regarding their personal information (Privacy, 2011). They collect highly sensitive information to include; name, postal address, e-mails address, phone number, credit card number, driver’s licenses number, social security number when applying for credit and demographic information (Privacy, 2011). All of which if compromised would cause grave consequences for their customers. Additionally Best Buy admits they collect information through cookies which saves data on the customer’s personal computer (Privacy, 2011). But advertises the cookies are used to create a personalized shopping experience on their websites (Privacy, 2011). Best buy uses this information for marketing practices, customer’s transactions, research and analysis, managing customer accounts, e-mail communications, and advertising (Privacy, 2011). They maintain this information for as long and the customer has an account with them and to comply with legal issues (Privacy, 2011). Best Buy shares customer’s information within their organizations other websites and legal ramification may require (Privacy, 2011). There is also a disclaimer Best Buy will share personal identifiable information in the event of a sale, merger, or disbanding (Privacy, 2011). Best Buy victim to hackers recently which acquired access to customer files (Security Breach, 2011). Their reaction to the security breach was to inform customers of the breach and warned them to ignore emails asking for confidential information but acknowledged there credit card information was safe (Security Breach, 2011). Recommend and provide rationale for two (2) methods and/or tools to ensure greater security for customers One thing which seems to stick out the most is Best Buy will share personal identifiable information in the event the company disbands. It would be better to purge this information to avoid compromise. When disbanded there is no guarantee the information would have the same protection engines in place as the company had while in business. There is not any mention of an outside computer security organization to monitor their systems for hacking. Since hacker have stepped up their effort and have been successful on many occasions it would be wise to step up security measures in order to prevent future compromise. Conclusion This analysis was conducted to provide a description of best Buy’s website and its functionality. How the products are displayed, promoted and the robust details they give about each of their item. Best Buy uses many marketing strategies to promote their products which give them the competitive advantage. Additionally there is a look in Best Buy’s security practices and a how compromises are handled. References United States Securities and Exchange Commission Form 10K (2011, May). Best Buy Corporation, Commission File Number 1-9595. 4-7. Retrieved November 25, 2011, from http://phx. corporate-ir. net/External. File? item=UGFyZW50SUQ9NDI0NDcyfENoaWxkSUQ9NDM5MjU1fFR5cGU9MQ==&t=1. Best Buy. com (2011). Sustainability Report. Retrieved November 25, 2011, from http://sustainability. bby. com/management-approach/sustainable-solutions/. DesignDamage. com (2009, July). 3 Keys to Improve Your Brand in Social Marketing. Retrieved November 26, 2011, from http://www. designdamage. com/tag/best-buy/. Best Buy. com (2011, July). Privacy Policy. Retrieved November 26, 2011, from https://www-ssl. bestbuy. com/site/olspage. jsp? id=cat12102&type=page&contentId=1218227255732&entryURLID=pcat17011&entryURLType=page&h=488. MPRNEWS (2011, April). Best Buy, US Bank Among Companies Warning of Security Breach. Retrieved November 26, 2011, from http://minnesota. publicradio. org/display/web/2011/04/04/data-breach-best-buy-epsilon/.

Concrete Frame Structure essays

Concrete Frame Structure essays The design of multi-story concrete frame structures, as well as other permanent structures, is based on loads dictated by the end use of the structure. However, the loads applied to the structure during construction can greatly exceed the end use design loads. In multi-story concrete frame structures, these large loads occur when the concrete is poured on the successive floors. In the conventional manner of forming concrete for successive floors, the floor beneath the floor to be poured must support the weight of the forming, the weight of the reinforcing bars and the wet concrete, and any superimposed construction live load that can be applied by the workmen and equipment during the pouring of the concrete. The combination of these three loads, in most instances, is greater than the allowable live load of the floor supporting these loads. The problem is further compounded by the fact that the floor supporting these loads may not have The conventional manner in which these large construction loads are handled is to place props, commonly called reshores, between some number of floors under the floor supporting the construction load. These reshores, allow the construction load to be distributed in some way between the floors that are tied The manner in which the construction loads will be distributed between the floors that are reshored together is controlled by the manner that the backshores or reshores are installed, and the age of the concrete at which the various stages of It is the intention of this study to describe a method for accurately calculating the loads that are distributed between floors of a structure during all phases of the construction cycle. It is further intended to examine various construction techniques keep the load distributed to the floors within allowable limits, and also ...

Tackling Childhood and Adult Obesity essays

Tackling Childhood and Adult Obesity essays Drive down your citys main street and observe how many fast food restaurants are located just in that area. This is a typical reason why about one-third of U.S. citizens are overweight or even worse obese. Americans have had an ongoing struggle with nutrition and living a healthy life style, and sadly right now its at its peek. The United States of America is in the worst shape since its independence. I am determined that Americans can change using simple, but effective methods. Im a firm believer because I, myself, am an excellent example of how someone can be overweight and become healthy through dieting and exercise. A solid support group is key to weight loss. Our Nations schools need to have dieting and exercise programs to motivate the students and the people around them. I am not the only one who says nutrition is crucial, but I am one of the few who cares enough to change the direction this country is heading in. Nutrition is a widely discussed topic in America. Whether its about the population and its obesity rate over time or nutritional facts and hints to a healthy lifestyle, nutrition is considered a broad, popular, and important topic of discussion. Lately American citizens have been having issues with weight and are malnourished (Lemley, Balanced Living). Which is weird to hear because America is the most overfed country in the world. How can a country have too much food and still be unhealthy? Although there is plentiful food in America, most of the food consumed nowadays is classified as junk food. On top of that, ones include: fried foods, sweets, soda pop, etc. All this is what causes malnutrition. Malnutrition is the lack of proper nutritio...

Food Safety and Sanitation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Food Safety and Sanitation - Assignment Example Boxes with watermarks may signify that the food item has bees let to partially thaw in the course of transit. It is advisable at all times to open at least one box per shipment and test out the core food item temperature with a thermometer that provides instant results. Again, it is extremely vital to always confirm the net weights of the food items, and in case of any uncertainties, it is advisable to ask guidance from the quality assurance board. In order to ensure that your employee is consistent with these guidelines, it would be best if he trained practically. This is to mean that he/she accompanies you severally for him to observe the entire process. It is also vital for him to take down the necessary details, for instance, the appropriate temperatures for each item in case he happens to forget them. A number of factors characterize rejection of shipment, for instance, if the dates on the item are not suitable for your food service establishment if the qualities of the products are not up to standard. When receiving food items such as fish, one only ought to smell the sea and not the product. Another factor is if the temperatures of the products do not meet shipping specification and if the net weight does not match one’s order. Another important aspect is if the animal products lack inspection stamps that indicate that they have been inspected by a legal medical officer. Lack of this stamp is a serious issue since one cannot determine whether the product is fit for consumption. Identify the different types of storage found in a food service establishment. What are some examples of each and what food items would you store in each? In addition, what are the proper temperatures that are needed in each in order to be in line with standard storage guidelines?

Success in Social Commerce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Success in Social Commerce - Essay Example As technology developed, these challenges were being turned into opportunities and over the years to date, there are several changes that have come up due to the changes in technology. Since the major aim is to reach out to the consumers through the social media, the recent years have seen inculcation of online sites such as MySpace, twitter, Facebook and as these have been made accessible through mobile phones (Weintraub & Litwinka, 2013). Defining Success in Social Commerce Success in social commerce includes use of many parameters that shows the changes that have been experienced over the years and the developments that are being experienced. These parameters of success include many issues that comprise a compilation of many components of social commerce. Success also includes use of all the initial objective goals that would make it possible for a strategic success to be realized (Rad, 2011). Clarity can therefore be defined by use of the following very important procedural metho ds; Clarity of ROI Goals Return on investment (ROI) is very important especially when it comes to consideration of the long term strategy of the company engaging in social commerce. One of the factors that will lead to a high success on the ROI realized is the acquisition of new customers. Customers play a very important role in realization of the business prospects. For instance, the current generation specializes in use of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Therefore concentration on advertisement through these will increase the number of customers and hence a high ROI (Berger & Heath, 2007). For instance, Vente-Pricee Company, a European leading Retail Company created a Facebook referral program that made sure that there is a new acquisition of new customers. The second goal that would increase the returns is the capture of new data points and website referrals. Website referral is the sharing of website information where there is an aim of increasing the customer web by increment of the information shared online. Capture of new data points is also a method that would be used to modernize the information system and help install new technology that works fast enough to the best interests of the customers and the company (Duan & GuWhinston, 2008). The outcomes of website referral and data point capture are diverse. According to Liang and Turban (2011), information shared on micro-blogs act as special media that is used to reach out to many individual blogs hence sharing the information. Loyalty program growth is an issue that should be captured in the objectives and therefore aims at retaining the existing customer base apart from addition of more customers. Online business is an issue of the current generation. For instance, to retain loyalty of Facebook users, Carrefour, a leading retail company in the world invented face shopping mostly for those that use Facebook only. Response to customer sentiments is a method that will be used to listen to the customers an d make sure that all the needed changes are made. This ensures that their demands are met hence making the ROI more by virtue of adding value to the needs of the customers (Kietzmann, Hermkens, McCarthy, & Silvestre, 2011). Implementation of On-Off the Media Strategy This is a strategy that makes sure that there is