Evolutionary Imperatives and Genes are the Driving Force Beh essays

Evolutionary Imperatives and Genes are the Driving Force Beh essays Evolutionary imperatives and genes are the driving force behind animal and human instincts and behavior Humans have for a long time now wondered what it is that drives us to behave the way we do. The most popular theory was that our actions are an equal combination of nature and nurture. Or, instincts and how we were raised. This is no longer considered to be true. New studies and findings show that the scale has been tipped more towards instincts and genes. To better understand how instincts and genes drive us we must first realize that humans are in fact animals. We, as humans tend to place our species a tier above other animals. The truth is, many other species can act, think, and reason much the same way that we do. The most notable examples of this are found in the studies of apes. Chimpanzees, for example, can figure out how to solve a puzzle on their own, seem to do so in much the same way as humans and, like humans will do it for no other reward than the satisfaction of having done it. (Chance pg.1) Apes also display other human characteristics by making tools and using sign language in original ways to express new ideas. The apes are not the only other species that display human tendencies. Porpoises can be trained to not only perform tricks but also invent or create their own. (Chance pg.1) Behavior is not the only trait that animals and humans have in common. Mans behavioral equipment of sense organs, nerves, and hormones is basically the same as that of other mammals and similar to that of vertebrates. (Davis pg.110) Not only is their behavioral equipment the same but also the responses to environmental stimuli are similar to those of other vertebrates. Davis also states that, Mans social organization is derived directly from that of primates and parallels the organization of a large number of vertebrates. (Pg. 110) The truth is, man is so similar to other animals ...

How to Make a Storm Glass to Predict the Weather

How to Make a Storm Glass to Predict the Weather You may not feel the approach of impending storms, but the weather causes changes in the atmosphere that affect chemical reactions. You can use your command of chemistry to make a storm glass to help predict the weather. Storm Glass Materials 2.5 g potassium nitrate2.5 g ammonium chloride33 mL distilled water40 mL ethanol10 g natural camphor How to Make the Storm Glass Dissolve the potassium nitrate and ammonium chloride in the water.Dissolve the camphor in the ethanol.Add the potassium nitrate and ammonium chloride solution to the camphor solution. You may need to warm the solutions to get them to mix.Either place the mixture in a corked test tube or seal it within glass. To seal glass, apply heat to the top of the tube until it softens, and tilt the tube so the glass edges melt together. If you use a cork, wrap it with parafilm or coat it with wax to ensure a good seal. A properly prepared storm glass should contain colorless, transparent liquid that will cloud or form crystals or other structures in response to the external environment. However, impurities in the ingredients may result in a colored liquid. Its impossible to predict whether or not these impurities will prevent the storm glass from working. A slight tint (amber, for example) may not be cause for concern. If the solution is always cloudy, its likely the glass wont function as intended. How to Interpret the Storm Glass A storm glass may present the following appearance: Clear liquid: bright and clear weatherCloudy liquid: cloudy weather, perhaps with precipitationSmall dots in the liquid: potentially humid or foggy weatherCloudy liquid with small stars: thunderstorms or snow, depending on the temperatureLarge flakes scattered throughout the liquid: overcast skies, possibly with rain or snowCrystals at the bottom: frostThreads near the top: wind The best way to associate the appearance of the storm glass with the weather is to keep a log. Record your observations about the glass and the weather. In addition to the characteristics of the liquid (clear, cloudy, stars, threads, flakes, crystals, and the location of crystals), record as much data as possible about the weather. If possible, include temperature, barometer readings (pressure), and relative humidity. Over time, youll be able to predict the weather based on how your glass behaves. Keep in mind, a storm glass is more of a curiosity than a scientific instrument. Its better to allow the weather service to make predictions. How the Storm Glass Works The premise of the functioning of the storm glass is that temperature and pressure affect solubility, sometimes resulting in a clear liquid and other times causing precipitants to form. In similar barometers, the liquid level moves up or down a tube in response to atmospheric pressure. Sealed glasses are not exposed to the pressure changes that would account for much of the observed behavior. Some people have proposed that surface interactions between the glass wall of the barometer and the liquid contents account for the crystals. Explanations sometimes include effects of electricity or quantum tunneling across the glass. History of the Storm Glass This type of storm glass was used by Robert FitzRoy, the captain of the HMS Beagle during Charles Darwins voyage. FitzRoy acted as meteorologist and hydrologist for the journey. FitzRoy stated storm glasses had been made in England for at least a century before his 1863 publication of The Weather Book. He had started to study the glasses in 1825. FitzRoy described their properties and noted there was a wide variation in the functioning of the glasses, depending on the formula and method used to create them. The basic formula of the liquid of a good storm glass consisted of camphor, partially dissolved in alcohol; along with water; ethanol; and a bit of air space. FitzRoy emphasized the glass needed to be hermetically sealed, not open to the outside environment. Modern storm glasses are widely available as curiosities. The reader may expect variation in their appearance and function, as the formula for making the glass is as much an art as a science.

Operation Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Operation Management - Research Paper Example Operation management 1. Introduction The five star hotel described in the case study must consider a variety of factors when considering new and existing operational strategy. The hotel is large-scale in that it offers 250 bedrooms which must be regularly serviced and monitored for cleanliness and relevance to fulfilling the customer needs. This requires a labour-intensive focus to ensure that all elements of the guest experience are fulfilled, thus the need for a structured and regulated cleaning and maintenance crew must be established and managed appropriately. The hotel’s three kitchens will require more demands, especially in relation to quality and management, as it is designed to cater and service walk-in patrons from the external environment and guests as well. All of these facilities require an operational approach that takes into consideration design, the supply chain, planning, technology, and control from the management perspective, along with human resources, each with its own focus on input considerations and outcome demands. 2. Methodology of research The data gleaned for this report involved secondary desk research with consultation with various texts related to operations management, human behaviour, psychology and marketing. Because the role of employees is integral to the service encounter and maintaining a positive brand image, various journals regarding the role of human resources was not dismissed as part of operational and management strategy. The research identified case studies within a real-time hotel environment regarding environmental initiatives and human resources strategy as it relates to operations management in order to benchmark recommendations regarding what constitutes a quality contemporary operations strategy. Data was analysed by comparing the literature to the case study to identify correlations between concepts and operational strategy in order to gain an understanding of what operational components must be in pla ce in a large-scale, five star hotel environment. 3. Additional hotel features bearing on analysis One of the main themes associated with hotel environments and the hospitality industry as a whole is the human relations element related to employee motivation, worker role in marketing reputation, and general employee satisfaction. Though not described in the case study, the role of the service employee is vital to sustaining a quality reputation with customers and fulfilling their customer service expectations. Therefore, it was necessary to consult with literature describing the employee experience as well since their psychological and sociological attitudes will have a direct impact on their output results and interactions with diverse, international customers. The elements also associated with culture, both employee related and customer related, were also considered since most of the facility operational components maintain a high level of service interaction and will play directl y on whether or not the customers remain loyal to the hotel brand. These are important inputs when considering restaurant quality, cocktail environments where socialization between staff and customers is routine and the organisational structure that guides the hotel environment.

Public health Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 13

Public health - Essay Example Morbidity on the other hand refers to the degree of effect of a disease on the victim. Mortality represents the number of deaths resulting from a given disease (Friis and Sellers 93-99). These terms could be interrelated in different ways. For instance, when incidence rate increases, prevalence increases correspondingly. However, morbidity could be independent of incidence and prevalence. On the other hand, morbidity and mortality rate are largely dependent. When morbidity rate is high, then mortality rates are also likely to be high as well. This is because a disease with a high morbidity rate is likely to cause more fatalities hence higher mortality rates. High incidence rates could also mean high mortality rates, as high incidence rate translates to higher number of people being diagnosed with a given disease. The higher the incidence rates, the higher the probability of fatalities, which translates to high mortality rates. Conversely, high mortality rates could be highly correlated to high morbidity, incidence, or prevalence rates or a combination of

Systems Maintenance Essay Example for Free

Systems Maintenance Essay Onsite help desk will be located at the head Office. It will provide help desk support to all of their branches via a toll-free number and/or website. When a problem has occurred at a franchisee, the franchisee staff needs to log a call through to their helpdesk over phone or website. The help desk will try to troubleshoot over phone first and if that does not fix the problem, subsequently they will organize for a technician to attend ASAP. In addition to that there will a full time technician at the web server location at the head office providing 247 support. User support will be provided in number of methods, such as online documentation and troubleshooting, a help desk, technical support, end user satisfaction, resolving service request quickly and seamlessly, increase productivities, online document, online enquiry facilities, online transaction facilities and others. A. User Documentation a. User guide The user guide would feature all the roles of the system users and the various functionalities they possess for the successful operation and use of the system. A business process-oriented manual The business process oriented model would collate all the business processes that the equipment tracking system holds and ensures rightful use of them for exploiting the system. c. Security policies for the equipment tracking system The security issues are the primary issues which an organization must take care to protect their data which is king to any organization. In particular as the system implements payment system, security is very much required as that would ensure safe communication with financial information. The following are the identified issues and their correct implementation process: 1. Login/Access Issues: Every customer would be asked to sign up with the company before any services are provided. That would ensure safety of transactions made with the company. It could be similar to Pay Pal, where a person can get verified by giving his Credit card number. 2. Back up: Periodic backups can be taken of the database in magnetic tapes so that data remains safe and is not lost. The saved data also ensures continuity of business and good recoverability options. 3. Antivirus software: The system needs to be protected against all vulnerabilities and threats like viruses. Good anti-virus software would ensure that the system is well protected and operations will not halt for any external threat. 4. Access control: This ensures that everyone is not allowed to access all information and all business functions. Access control is a mechanism which creates views for every type of user. Views are used for giving a user a specific access area outside which nothing is available. Such as an accounts officer should not be able to view reports of the profits in the business which is meant for the owners and higher management. B. Evaluation 1. Critical Appraisal The database designed is a fully automated system for the equipment tracking system. It follows all the CRUD properties and ensure better handling the users and the roles. 2. Strengths of each stage All information is stored and retrieved in the RDBMS tool created for the system. 3. Weaknesses of each stage The cost of maintaining the system is a little overhead for the organization. The backups and support issues may pose a problem. C. Conclusion The equipment tracking system’s fundamental goal was to manage the inventory and ascertain at any point of time the availability of the equipments to be allocated to departments. Another intention is to check the various calculations of the firm based on their earnings and profit in the long run. Content should be maintained and produced for scan-ability. Engineering principles were a necessity in the complexity/diversity surrounding online activity. Legal and ethical issues are vital to security conscious users. Further work can be in the form of a web based system to spread its operation and functionality over the internet to increase its usability, acceptance, workability and many other factors. The systems development model based on the web technologies would make sure that the complete supply chain of the business is managed thoroughly by the system and would take care of the process of getting the products to their warehouse to ultimately selling to the customers (Laudon, 2003). Online order tracking options can be implemented to reinforce visual symbols such as â€Å"Best Buys†, â€Å"Add to Basket† and instructions to â€Å"proceed to Basket and Checkout† which are reminders of physical store environments, providing familiarity to customers. (Weick, 2001). References / Bibliography Barry Mawer (2000). Systems Maintenance, vol 32, pp 12. Booch, Grady (2003). Object-Oriented Analysis and Design with Applications, 2nd Edition, Addison-Wesley Professional.

Cells :: essays research papers

History of the Cell Theory   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cells, the make-up of all living things. Some cell are complete organisms, such as unicellular bacteria and protozoa. Other types of cells are called multicellular, such as nerve cells and muscle cells. Withen the cell is genetic material, Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) containing coded instructions for the behavior and reproduction of the cell. The cell was first discovered by the 1665 English scientist Robert Hooke, who studied the dead cells of cork with a crude microscope. Robert Hooke was born on the isle of Whight and educated at the University of Oxford. Hooke could not have discovered the cell without the microscope which was developed by Antoni van Leeuwenhoek a 1674 Dutch maker of microscopes. Leeuwenhoek born in Delft, Holland and had little or no scientific education. Leeuwenhoek also confirmed the discovery of capillary systems. Theodor Schwann a German physiologist born in Neuss and educated at the universities of Bonn, Wurzburg, and Berlin, Schwann was involved in the study of the structure of plant and animal tissues. Along with Matthias Jakob Schleiden a German botanist, Schwann proposed the cell theory. The cell theory has three parts:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1. All organisms are composed of cells.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2. Cells are the basic units of structure and function in organisms   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  3. All cells come from preexisting cells.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The impact on science was very great due to the discovery of cells and the cell theory. Many or all things were effected by the discovery of cells, everything was looked upon in a different way. Some people still did not believe that all living organisms were made of tiny microscopic chambers called

Toothpaste and Colgate

INDEX S. No. | CONTENTS| PageNo. | 1| COMPANY PROFILE| 4| 2| INTRODUCTION| 5-7| 3| COMPANY HISTORY| 9-12| 4| MARKETING MIX| 11-16| 5| BCG MATRIX| 14-18| 6| SWOT ANALYSIS| | 7| STP ANALYSIS| | 8| BALACESHEET| | 9| RECOMMANDATIONS| | 9| CONCLUSION| | 10| | | COMPANY PROFILE Company name Colgate Palmolive Ltd. Date of Establishment 1937 Revenue 347. 188 (USD in Millions) Market Cap 111160. 5286158 (Rs.In millions) Corporate Address Colgate Research Centre, Main Street Hiranandani Gardens Powai ,Mumbai-400076, Maharashtra WWW. colgate. co. in Management Details Chair person – J Skala MD – R D CalmeyerDirectors – Derrick Samuel, J K Setna,Skala, K V Vaidyaanathan, M Elias,PK Ghosh, R A Shah, V S Mehta Business Operation Household &Personal Products Background Colgate-palmolive is Rs 1. 300 crore company started in year 1937. In Rs 2,400 crore domestic market it enjoys 50% of markets share.It spread across 4. 5 million retails outlets out of which 1. 5 million are direct outlets. Financials Total Income – Rs 20606. 60 Million (year Ending Mar 2010) Net Profit – Rs 4232. 60 Million (year Ending Mar 2010) Company Secretary K V VaidyanathanINTRODUCTION * Colgate – Palmolive Company is an American diversified multinational corporation focused on the production, distribution and provision of household, healthcare and personal products, such as soaps, detergents, and oral hygiene products (including toothpaste and toothbrushes). * Under its â€Å"Hills† brand, it is also a manufacturer of veterinary products. The company’s corporate offices are on Park Avenue in New York City, across from the Waldrof Astoria. * In India, it operates under the name as Colgate-Palmolive (India) limited and its head office is at Mumbai. Colgate Palmolive is a $10. 6 billion global company serving people in more than 200 countries and territories with consumer products that make lives healthier and more enjoyable. COLGATE PALMOLIVE INDIA: * Headquarter in Mumbai. * Annual Turnover around 1100 crs. * Market leaders in oral care. * Colgate consistently won India no 1 brand of the year award from last three years. * Colgate ranked among best employer in India. * Customer base of more than 8 lacs retailers. * Serviced by company field force, more than 1800 stockiest & super stockiest & their field force. Colgate is the brand that people trust, for complete oral care protection for themselves and ones they lov COMPANY HISTORY * 1806 – William Colgate starts a starch, soap and candle business on Dutch Street in New York City. * 1817 – First Colgate advertisement appears in a New York newspaper. * 1820 – Colgate establishes a starch factory in Jersey City, New Jersey. * 1857 – Upon the death of founder William Colgate, the company is reorganized as Colgate & Company under the management of Samuel Colgate, his son. * 1873 – Colgate introduces toothpaste in jars. * 1879 – Gerha rd Mennen establishes a pharmacy in Newark, NJ, later ecoming the Mennen Company. * 1896 – Colgate introduces toothpaste in a collapsible tube. * 1902 – Stylish Colgate advertising begins, emphasizing ingredient purity and product benefits. * 1906 – Colgate & Company celebrates its 100th anniversary. Product line includes over 800 different products. * 1911 – Colgate distributes two million tubes of toothpaste and toothbrushes to schools, and provides hygienists to demonstrate tooth brushing. * 1914 – Colgate establishes its first international subsidiary in Canada. * 1930 – On March 13, Colgate is first listed on the New York Stock Exchange. 1939 – Dr. Mark L. Morris develops a pet food to help save a guide dog named Buddy from kidney disease. This breakthrough leads to the first Hill's Prescription Diet product. * 1956 – Colgate opens corporate headquarters at 300 Park Avenue in New York City. * 1968 – Colgate toothpas te adds MFP Fluoride, clinically proven to reduce cavities. * 1972 – Colgate acquires Hoyt Laboratories, which later becomes Colgate Oral Pharmaceuticals. * 1985 – Colgate-Palmolive enters into a joint venture with Hong Kong-based Hawley ; Hazel, a leading oral care company, which adds strength in key Asian markets. 1989 – Annual Company sales surpass the $5 billion mark. * 1995 – Colgate enters Central Europe and Russia, expanding into fast-growing markets. * 1997 – Colgate Total toothpaste is introduced in the U. S. and quickly becomes the market leader. Only Colgate Total, with its 12-hour protection, fights a complete range of oral health problems. * 2004 – Colgate acquires the GABA oral care business in Europe, with its strength in the important European pharmacy channel and its ties with the dental community. * Today †¦Today, with sales surpassing $15 billion, Colgate focuses on four core businesses: Oral Care, Personal Care, Home Care and Pet Nutrition. Colgate now sells its products in over 200 countries and territories worldwide. MARKETING MIX MARKETING MIX CUSTOMER WANTS AND NEEDS PRODUCT COST TO SATISFY PROMOTION PLACE PRICE CONVIENCE TO BUY COMMUNICATION 1. Product :- * The product, the Precision toothbrush, is a product that should add value to a buyer’s life. * It should also add utility, and meet the wants and needs of targeted consumers. The product should be unique and different from all similar products that are already available on the market. * The strategy is to differentiate the product’s design and packaging, which in return will cause the toothbrush to stand out. VARIOUS TYPES OF COLGATE 2. Price:- * The price of a product says something about the quality. * Even though the quality of the Precision toothbrush will be significantly higher than other leading toothbrushes, the price of the toothbrush will be determined by the prices of the other toothbrushes already in the market . This pricing strategy is a result of positioning the toothbrush as a mainstream product rather than a niche product. COLGATE| 20gms| 40gms| 50gms| 75gms| 80gms| 100gms| 150gms| 200gms| 300gms| Dental cream| 5rs| —-| 14rs| —-| —-| 30rs| 45rs| 56rs| 86rs| Max fresh| —| —| 15rs| —| 32rs| 35rs| 55rs| —-| —| Total| —-| —-| —| 35rs| —| —| 65rs| —| —| Sensitive | —| —| 35rs| —| —| 60rs| —| —| —| Kids| —| 26rs| –| —| —| —| —| —| —| Advance whitening| —| —| —| 27rs| —| —| 53rs| —| —| Active salt| —-| —| 14rs| —-| —-| 30rs| —-| 54rs| —-| Cibaca| —| —| —| —| —| 18rs| —| 28rs| —| Herbal| —| —| 14rs| —| —| 30rs| —| 55rs| —| Fresh energy gel| —| —-| —-| —–| —| —| 55rs| 60rs| —| 3. Place:- * Place represents the location where a product can be purchased. * The most important part of marketing is how a product will get from the seller to the buyer. * Many products go through a channel of distribution, which involves manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, and consumers. The distribution strategy proposed for the Precision toothbrush is through dentists, plastic surgeons, drug stores, grocery stores, large retail stores, and department stores. * The product is available in the all India market, including semi-urban & rural markets which are their primary focus. 4. Promotion :- * Product promotion is communication spread through advertising, Publicity and sales promotion. * Promotion represents all of the communication that marketers use in the market. * We suggest that Colgate-Palmolive advertise their products by using commercial, maga zine ads, the radio, ads that are to be placed in dentist ffices, billboards, and the sides of buses. * Advertising is done to promote new products, remind consumers of existing products, and also promote the image of the company at hand. We also suggested that Colgate offer special coupons and rebates through their other products, and also food products. * Also, Colgate could benefit from the usage of in-store displays. * Most of the promotional activities would be T. V. media. * T. V. , FM radio for urban population. * Promotion towards rural population also. BCG MATRIX * The BCG matrix or also called BCG model relates to marketing.The BCG model is a well- known portfolio management tool used in product life cycle theory. * BCG matrix is often used to prioritize which products within company product mix get more funding and attention. * The BCG matrix model is a portfolio planning model developed by Bruce Henderson of the BOSTON CONSULTING GROUP in the early 1970’s. * The B CG model is based on classification of products (and implicitly also company business units) into four categories based on combination of market growth and market share relative to the largest competitor. SWOT ANALYSIS â€Å"SWOT is an acronym for the internal strength and weakness of a firm and the environmental opportunities and threats facing the firm. * SWOT analysis is a widely used technique through which managers create a quick overview of a company’s strategic situation. * The technique is based on the assumptions that an effective strategy derives from a sound â€Å"fit† between a firm’s internal resources (strengths and weakness) and its external situation (opportunities and threats). INTERNAL FACTORS:- (1) STRENGTH:- * Colgate dental cream offers all-round cavity protection, even where a toothbrush cannot reach. Its great mint taste freshens breath. * It protects against root caries. * It cleans ; makes teeth whiter and repairs early decay spots. * E xtremely popular brand and high brand awareness due to advertising. (2) WEAKNESS:- * High dependence of the company on a single category i. e. , oral care. * Reduction in advertisement expenditure in order to maintain growth. EXTERNAL FACTORS (3) OPPORTUNITIES:- * Leverage on fact that Colgate has been ranked as the most trusted brand in India. * Focus on innovations and new product launches by deploying advanced technologies. Growth in emerging markets – rural and semi- urban. (4) THREATS:- * High competition from competitive brands like Pepsodent from HUL. * Increasing commodity prices for manufacturing. STP ANALYSIS (1) SEGMENTATION :- * Colgate’s market segmentation is very broad because all their products are of need to most people so those people share a similar interest in product needs. * Colgate uses a segmentation bases by knowing that certain groups of people need Colgate toothpaste for a specific similar reason like yellow teeth, sensitive teeth or just tee th with cavities. Colgate also uses the family life cycle because they make toothpaste that could be used for grownups and children. * Also, toothbrushes are made to attract young children with cartoon characters and different tastes and are less strong so that it wouldn’t damage their gums. (2) TARGET GROUP:- * MAX FRESH :– Colgate targeted youth with the introduction of this toothpaste, as this helps in refreshes breath. * ACTIVE SALT :- Elder people are targeted in this segment as it makes teeth stronger and provides protection from cavities. COLGATE TOTAL :- Colgate Total contains the anti-microbial ingredient triclosan, which reduces the number of bacteria that cause gingivitis, cavities and halitosis Basically it’s for kids but Mothers are targeted as they are very concerned about their kids. This toothpaste safeguards teeth for 12 hours. * COLGATE SENSITIVE :- People who have sensitive teeth are targeted in this segment who have problem in their gums. * K IDS TOOTHPASTE :- Often small children don’t like to brush teeth, so for them this toothpaste was launched. Colgate had focused on taste aspect to encourage kids to brush teeth. COLGATE WHITENNING – A whitening toothpaste that is â€Å"Clinically-proven to whiten in 14 days†. Its whitening ingredient is hydrogen peroxide, which gradually bleaches the teethFocus is given on group of customers in this segment those who are already suffering from plaque in their teeth. * COLGATE 2in1 :- People who want both strongness and fresh breath are targeted. (3) POSITIONING:- * Colgate dental cream positions itself as toothpaste that has the necessary calcium and minerals to provide decay protection, strong teeth, germ protection and fresher breath. Colgate positioned several toothpaste so that people would like the products more like adding a different style or taste to the toothpaste. * Colgate repositions their products because with the way they market and promote their p roducts, consumers know that these products are way better than other brands and competition that is out there. * Lately with competition from indigenous â€Å"vegetarian† toothpastes, Colgate dental cream has also positioned itself as an â€Å"always 100% vegetarian† toothpaste. The tagline of its advertisements, â€Å"trusted by generations to make teeth stronger†. Colgate total12 have been projected as the â€Å"most advanced toothpaste† that provide 12 hr germ protection even after eating and drinking by building a protective shield around the teeth. * Colgate max fresh positions itself on the basis of â€Å"freshness†. The tagline â€Å"new dimensions brings† home this very point. * Colgate kids toothpaste tries to position itself based on emotions which is apparent in its tagline â€Å"makes fighting cavities fun† RECOMMANDATIONS * Colgate should hire celebrities for the advertisement. They should also increase their CSR activit ies because they have very good image in the market. * Target market should be clearly emphasized in the advertisement. * Colgate should emphasize on digital branding i. e. , online purchase. * Colgate should use colorful paste to create uniqueness. BALANCESHEET | Mar ‘ 12| Mar ‘ 11| Mar ‘ 10| Mar ‘ 09| Mar ‘ 08| Sources of funds| Owner's fund| Equity share capital| 13. 60| 13. 60| 13. 60| 13. 60| 13. 60| Share application money| -| -| -| -| -| Preference share capital| -| -| -| -| -| Reserves & surplus| 421. 79| 370. 45| 312. 51| 202. 0| 148. 61| Loan funds| Secured loans| -| -| -| -| -| Unsecured loans| -| 0. 05| 4. 59| 4. 69| 4. 69| Total| 435. 39| 384. 10| 330. 70| 220. 98| 166. 89| Uses of funds| Fixed assets| Gross block| 522. 50| 579. 83| 534. 52| 425. 26| 449. 59| Less : revaluation reserve| -| -| -| -| -| Less : accumulated depreciation| 268. 08| 324. 79| 287. 57| 251. 33| 258. 19| Net block| 254. 42| 255. 04| 246. 95| 173. 93| 191. 41| Capital work-in-progress| 69. 38| 12. 26| 6. 19| 4. 67| 7. 59| Investments| 47. 12| 38. 74| 21. 00| 38. 33| 72. 59| Net current assets| Current assets, loans & advances| 758. 8| 739. 21| 626. 71| 577. 18| 444. 85| Less : current liabilities & provisions| 694. 21| 661. 15| 570. 15| 573. 13| 549. 54| Total net current assets| 64. 47| 78. 06| 56. 56| 4. 06| -104. 69| Miscellaneous expenses not written| -| -| -| -| -| Total| 435. 39| 384. 10| 330. 70| 220. 98| 166. 89| Notes:| Book value of unquoted investments| -| 38. 74| 21. 00| 33. 01| 56. 39| Market value of quoted investments| -| -| -| 5. 00| 15. 60| Contingent liabilities| 68. 45| 82. 06| 62. 75| 46. 46| 46. 67| Number of equity shares outstanding (Lacs)| 1359. 93| 1359. 93| 1359. 3| 1359. 93| 1359. 93| CONCLUSION * By the Detailed study on the product and market of COLGATE it was able to get a clear picture of the past and present of the products and was able to get in to the assumptions about the future of the product. * The Brand â₠¬Å"COLGATE† has been sold successfully and has created a good demand all the time. * It is also holding a good place in the toothpaste market with a share of around 10% – 15%. * As like for all other products Colgate is also facing a tight competition in the toothpaste Market. Since the competition is too strong the company has to keep on watching market closely for avoiding any sudden collapse for the product. * Finally, it should note that the company may have to face lot of threats in coming years like political threats, legislation threats ongoing economic crisis, changing life style of the people etc. If the company is able to overcome all the threats and can prepare themselves for facing the problems in advance it can achieve a good growth for â€Å"COLGATE†.

One word essay: Harmony Essay

Confucius once said â€Å"Let the states of equilibrium and Harmony exist in perfection, and a happy order will prevail throughout heaven and earth, and all things will be nourished and flourish.† Harmony is defined as the state of being in agreement or concord. Singapore is a bustling metropolis and a multi-racial society, where people of different ethnic groups co-exist and lived harmoniously. Singapore has thrived rapidly because of our openness to international trade flow, knowledge and cultures, all of which have brought us opportunities and progress. As Singapore moves towards a more diverse landscape, it is important that Singaporeans continue to embrace diversity and live in harmony. Singapore is also a cosmopolitan city , just like many other dynamic cities of the world. Singaporeans also need to go beyond understanding the main races to respecting all people regardless of race, language or religion, who live and work in Singapore – for the harmony, prosperity and progress of the nation. The nation’s turbulent and tumultuous history is a coherent testimony to the significance of racial harmony. The day commemorates the communal riots that broke out on 21 July 1964 between Malays and Chinese during a Muslim procession celebrating the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday, which led to 36 dead and 590 injured. That is why we make it a point to commemorate Racial Harmony Day every year on 21 July. George Washington once said â€Å"Cultivate peace and harmony with all.† More importantly, throughout the year, we must strive to better understand the multifarious myriad of cultures and practices, and form strong friendships across the communities. These relationships that bind us as a nation will help us in difficult and dark times. Disharmony will also lead to schism , enmity and discord such as in Sri Lanka or Northern Ireland which kindles hostility. As Albert Einstein once said, â€Å"Harmony cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.† Singaporeans have to continue to build strong bonds in our community — bonds of friendship and understanding — to meet the challenges of the volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous global environment one faces today. Racial harmony is vital for peace, progress and prosperity in this multi-racial Nation. Through Racial Harmony Day,  Singaporeans can strengthen religious harmony through mutual tolerance and understanding. Singaporeans in turn will recognise the secular nature of our State, promote cohesion within our society and respect each other’s freedom of religion. As a nation, Singaporeans can then grow our common space while respecting diversity, foster interreligious communications, and thereby ensure that religion will not be abused to create conflict and disharmony in Singapore. Imperative is this celebration, as Singaporeans can assimilate and learn cultures and traditions of other races. This is paramount in avoiding misunderstandings and conflicts of different races and make our country a democratic society. So, what does the government do to promote racial harmony in our multi-ethnic society? Besides food tasting, games, homestays and the practice of donning ethnic costumes, a few key activities have been introduced to the Racial Harmony Day celebrations over the years. The practice of wearing orange ribbons – the colour symbolising racial harmony and intolerance towards racism – first began in 2001, when the Singapore History Museum (now known as the National Museum of Singapore) introduced it in a school. In addition, since 2008, OnePeople.sg has organised the Orange Ribbon Celebrations, a signature month-long event held every July, to commemorate racial harmony on a national level. The Government has also established Inter-Racial Confidence Circles (IRCC) and Harmony Circles in all our 84 constituencies to reach out to all Singaporeans in order to strengthen understanding and a shared sense of responsibility among Singaporeans of all races and religions. The IRCCs create opportunities for Singaporeans to explore and appreciate their differences and develop bonds among different ethnic and religious communities. They organise visits to the houses of worship of different religions. This fosters greater religious harmony between the different religious and ethnic groups. This can promote racial harmony in our society. In addition, more than 80 % of Singaporeans live in HDB flats. Living in multi-racial housing estates is a step towards forging a bond between the different racial groups in our society. As the various communities are brought closer together and share common facilities in the housing estates, it allows them to interact with and understand one another better. Living together in multi-racial housing  estates may also increase the likelihood of friction between different races. Hence, residents have to learn to live in harmony with one another.  Furthermore, government encourage schools to organise a range of cross-cultural activities for students during Racial Harmony Day, which may extend to become a weeklong event. Some of these activities include dressing up in ethnic costumes, sampling ethnic food and playing traditional games. Students also revisit the 1964 communal riots in different ways such as skits, talks and oral history accounts. Moreover, The National Heritage Board and its various museums took part in the Racial Harmony Day celebrations in 2001. Activities organised by the National Heritage Board included an exhibition at the National Archives titled â€Å"Living History: Tracing Our Customs and Traditions† and another exhibition at the Singapore Philatelic Museum, which explored Singapore’s ethnic cultures through stamps and postcards. We should not take our Singapore’s harmony for granted and should continue to flourish as a nation, regardless of our differences. Sallust, a roman historian, once said â€Å"Harmony makes small things grow. Lack of it makes great things decay.†

Doctrine of Caveat Emptor Essays

Doctrine of Caveat Emptor Essays Doctrine of Caveat Emptor Paper Doctrine of Caveat Emptor Paper In general, it was believed that the business have the duty responsibility to provide products that fulfill the claims that the business explicitly made about the products on the markets to their consumers. Consumers form expectations about the products they are going to buy based on those claims and thus, leads them enter into a buying contract. The company has the duty to provide consumers what they pay for. However, consumers today were assumed to be wise, knowledgeable and doubtful. The doctrine of caveat emptor, meaning â€Å"let the buyer beware†, proclaims that consumers were entitled to buy at their own risk unless a warranty is given by the sellers. It was because that the consumers nowadays have their absolute right to choose what they want to buy freely; therefore, they were expected to take the responsibility to inspect and check any potential buying carefully based on their own judgment and were asked to accept the risk that the products have the possibility to be either defective or unsuitable to their needs. Products with this information prevented sellers or manufactures from any lawsuit regarding to consumers’ negligence and carelessness during the buying or using processes that the consumers might get injured when they use the products they bought. Anyhow, the doctrine of caveat emptor is not designed to protect the sellers/manufacturers who trying to concealed any hidden defects or making misleading claims about the quality or condition of the products they sold that may amounting to fraud and bad faith of the company so consumers must clearly know their rights and be alert to any possible scams. Nevertheless, product safety is an ethical obligation nowadays, so the products were assumed to be safe for ordinary use all the time. Product liability comprises â€Å"all claims or action brought for personal inquiry, death, or property damage caused by the manufacture, design, formula, preparation, assembly, installation, testing, warnings, instructions, marketing, packaging, or labeling of any product† according to Section 102(2) of Uniform Product Liability Act. Although the consumers are still required to check upon buying, the responsibilities of sellers and manufacturers upon products safety were increased even more in this modern trend. Hence, there are few ethical theories regarding to product liability can be discuss here. The social contract theory that connected modern moral with political theory was first introduced by the 17th century British philosopher Thomas Hobbes. He had came out with a view of psychological egoism which held that one’s actions are motivated by self-desires. Everything one does is solely prompted by the desire to better one’s situation, and to satisfied as many of one’s desires as possible. Human beings are eternally appetitive and truly only concerned with their own interests. An action that seems selfless might still contains the element of selfishness. For example one who donates to the charity might still enjoy the feeling of control over others at the same time. Therefore, the theory of psychological egoism sustained that eventually the most important factors which driving the human’s acts is their own interests. On top of this founding, Hobbes had developed the social contract theory. It was one of a kind of the normative theory. The social contract theory can be related to the â€Å"rule-ethical-egoism†. It indicated that an individual is well off to live in a moral-based society than a society with no moral rules. Without the existence of moral rules, people were threatened by others’ selfish interests at a continual risk no matter their property, prestige, families, or even their lives. The selfishness of each individual will therefore prompted to an adoption of a fundamental set of rules for a more civilized world. These rules prohibited any criminal acts like lying, robbing or killing that might threaten individual safety. In other words, these rules will safe guard any individual from getting harm by others’ selfishness once the rules enforced. Human beings as selfish creatures would keep trying to take advantage of others and therefore, a policing agency must be set up to punish those who break the rules. Individual relies on one another to keep the agreements but a third party is still needed to supervise the situations so as to ensure that no one is breaking the rules or harming each other. In need of governance, individuals agree to form a government that was empowered to enforce the rules and regulations upon those who go against the agreements by giving up some of their social power. The social contract theory holds that manufacturers/sellers’ duty to provide products that are safe to use is determined by the agreements between the sellers and consumers. It consisted of the implicit and explicit agreements that supervise the liability between manufacturers/sellers and consumers which stated that a business have the obligation to provide the products that fulfill the claims that the sellers explicitly made about the products’ safety level to the consumers or the claims that the sellers implicitly made when marketing the products which its safety level is well known. Express warranty claims the facts about the products and become part of the sales agreement while implied warranty claims that the goods sold must fit to the ordinary use. Social contract theory is supported by two important philosophies. First, utilitarian stated that society overall happiness will be increased by complying with the agreements that made between manufacturers/sellers and consumers; second, Kantian said that it is deceiving and disrespecting others if the agreements are fail to be kept. According to the social contract theory, there are some duties that the manufacturers/sellers should accomplish. The first one is to obey the conditions of sales agreement. It indicates the products offered have to be safe for original purpose. Second, products’ related information such as reliability, maintainability of the products and etc must be disclosed. The third is to prevent any misleading information about the products that may confuse the consumers and the fourth is to avoid the use of force and excessive influence. The due care theory holds the idea that the consumers and manufacturers/sellers cannot be considered as equal and the consumers’ interests are susceptible to be harmed by the manufacturers/sellers who have better knowledge and expertise of the products that the consumers don’t have. Therefore besides the obligation of sending products that fulfills the implied and express claims the sellers made about the products, they also have the obligation to exercise due care to protect consumers from being injured by the use of the products that the seller can reasonably foresee even if such responsibilities had been explicitly disclaimed and consumers had agreed to the disclaimer. Thus, the manufacturers/sellers were held to be liable for the consumers’ cost of injuries if they failed to practice the due care. The theory also claimed that the manufacturers/sellers practice adequate supervision to the consumers only when they take reasonable steps to prevent any harms that they can predicted the use and any other possible misuse of products may have on consumers. Manufacturers/sellers are required pay extra attention to the product’s designs, choice of product materials, anufacturing processes, quality control during productions, and the cautions, labels and instructions attached to the products. Failure to exercise these steps has breached the moral obligations of due care, manufacturers/sellers are considered to be negligence. However, manufacturers/sellers are not morally negligence if the consumers are injured by the products but the harm was the one that couldn’t be predicted or prevented before the purchases. Manufacturers/sellers are also not morally negligence if they fulfilled all the sufficient steps to protect consumers and make sure that the consumers are aware of any irremovable risks of the products. For example a car manufacturer is not morally negligent when consumers misuse the cars that the manufacturer produced unless the manufacturer allow any excessive risks of the cars’ design that the consumers aren’t expected to know about and prevent it from happening. Unfortunately, it is difficult to determine whether the due care towards product safety has been exercised by the manufacturers for the consumers’ sake and how far the manufacturers must go to assure the products’ safety. The due care theory emphasize more on manufacturers’ conducts rather than the products’ quality; therefore according to the legal law, consumers must have sufficient evidences that the manufacturer failed to exercise due care rather than the evidences of products’ defects. The social cost theory is the fundamental of the doctrine of strict product liability. In accordance to the social cost theory, manufacturers will have the legal responsibilities to pay the costs for any damages or injuries of the consumers which brought about by the defects in the products which made the products excessively dangerous even though the manufacturers had practiced all the due care that related to the products’ designs, manufacture, quality control and packaging and had warned the consumers of every risks related to the products’ usage which the manufacturers can reasonably predicted. Under the doctrine of strict product liability, manufacturers are liable to all the damages even if they have not been negligent in allowing the defects to happen. However the strict liability is not an absolute liability because the products have to be defective and the consumers have to be accountable in exercise care. Besides, there are some criticisms about the strict product liability. It was asserted that to the manufacturers, the doctrine was relatively unfair. It was persisted that a business that had taken every reasonable precautious in order to prevent and get rid of any possible defects that might damage consumers’ interests, shouldn’t be held liable for the defects that they have no ability to prevent it from happening. It seems to be unjust for the manufacturers to be held for the defects that happened notwithstanding they had tried their best efforts to guard against them. On the other hand, the strict product liability is justified by the utilitarian. The first argument is that the utilitarian proponents that the businesses will only make their extreme efforts to ensure the product safety with the promotion of such policy like strict product liability. This was due to the facts that they know they will have to liable for any damages and injuries defects, so they will try their best efforts to intensify the safety of products. The second argument is that the utilitarian contended that it will be best that the manufacturers to bear the costs of damages and injuries due to defects of the products. The manufactures will usually raise the products’ prices in order to cover the costs of injuries. These costs will then directly spread among all the consumers on the market rather than falling on a single individual which can be said as a kind of insurance plan. The social cost theory is a theory that explained the manufacturers’ obligation to provide products that are safe to use rather than a theory that specified on who should bear the costs of injuries. The manufacturers owned absolute obligation to provide products that are free from defects according to the doctrine. These theories had so far enforced the business to perform their part to ensure that the products that they provide to the consumers are fit for the purpose, at the same time, safe for use. However in the real world, there was numerous numbers of cases which had been brought out for judgments. For example, a seventy-nine-year-old lady Stella Liebeck successfully sued McDonald’s for compensation. She was suffered from a third degree burns on her thighs and buttocks which she may need to require a skin grafting surgery and may leave her permanent scars because of a cup of McDonald’s hot coffee that spilled on her. At first, Liebeck intended to ask to the McDonald’s for a claim for the medical charges that she spend and also an additional sum of money for her suffering but the company rejected, so the lady brought up the case to the court. Lawyers who represented McDonald’s claimed that the coffee wasn’t unreasonably hot and Liebeck should responsible for her own injuries. However, the court jury refuted McDonald’s claims using two significant points. First, the McDonald’s coffee was served at 185 degrees Fahrenheit which was both undrinkable and even more dangerous than the consumers could expect. Second, McDonald’s had received over seven hundred complaints for its burning coffee before Liebeck brought up the case to the court. Although McDonald’s had actually printed the cautious label on the coffee cups to remind the consumers that the coffee is hot and also changed the lids into tighter lids after getting complaints from its consumers, but the efforts seem functionless because in the Liebeck’s case, she spilled the coffee when she held the coffee cup between her legs and trying to pry the tighten lid. Based on these points, McDonald’s was held liable for the compensation damages because the company hadn’t done enough to warn its consumers and was liable for an additional punitive damages as a warning to the fast-food chains. McDonald’s had violated the due care theory because the company hadn’t done enough in warning the consumers regarding the hot coffee. There was a case regarding to the resistoleros in Central America. A large number of homeless children were found sniffing some glue produced by the Harvey Benjamin Fuller Company which called Resistol adhesives. They were addicted to the intoxicating but dangerous fumes of the glue. Child-welfare concerned to the issue and urged the company to resolve the problem by adding a noxious oil to the glue in order to discourage abusers but Fuller refused. Fuller seems to have challenged to the criticism with its brand that dominated Central America and its good-citizen image. However the issue had become even more irritating because now Fuller must argue with the dissenting stockholders inside and protestors outside during its annual meeting. Fuller therefore announced that the company will stop selling Resistol in Central America but the matters turned out to be worsen because the protestors turned their jubilation into anger when they found that Fuller never intend to stop selling Resistol in Central America after few months. Instead of selling to the small-scale customers in Honduras and Guatemala, Fuller now sells large tubs and barrels of Resistol to the industrial customers in neighboring countries. Although the company had taken other steps to stop the abuse of Resistol by altered Resistol’s formula and developed other substitutes, but the actions were said to be mere image polishing because Resistol is still available to the children in other countries. In applying the doctrine of strict product liability in this case, Fuller had violated the manufacturers’ obligations by continuously supply Resistol in the market with the knowing that the products will harm the society. They should pull out the products from all the countries. There was also a case regarding to the skateboard scare. Colin Brewster’s sport shop had the briskest business ever since the craze of skateboard arrived at the River City. Many of the youngsters in the city got themselves a skateboard from Brewster’s sport shop. Brewster was informed by the River City consumer committee few weeks later that the skateboards were proved to be unsafe to the consumers with sufficient statistical support. The numbers of youngsters injuries resulted directly and indirectly from the use of skateboards was shocking, but Brewster claimed that it wasn’t his responsibility for the issue because it’s not about the safety level of skateboards it’s about how the youngsters are using them. Brewster also stated that he is just a retailer instead of manufacturer, however, the committee expected him to be responsible on this issue as a retailer. The committee also attacked Brewster that his advertisement on television advocated dangerous sport actions to the public without warning the youngsters not to imitate the actions without special guidance. Brewster held that parents are liable on this issue for being irresponsible when their children get injured for attempting to try out those actions in the advertisement. Anyhow, the committee asked him to take the necessary steps to settle the problems which including cutting down the advertisement. Brewster refused. Brewster was exercising the doctrine of caveat emptor in this case that he proclaimed that consumers are responsible for their own risks. However according to the social contract theory, Brewster should warns his consumers about the potential dangers of skateboarding before buying the skateboards. Brewster had violated the social contract theory so he was held liable for the costs of injuries from his consumers. Concluded the theories and cases above, the businesses have the obligation to manufacture and sell the products that are safe for use to the consumers and society while the consumers should acquire related information before making a purchasing decision in order to avoid such product safety problems. Both parties are liable to responsible for this issue. Bibliography 1) Burnett, J. (2006). Product Liability. Retrieved 2nd October 2011 from: referenceforbusiness. com/encyclopedia/Per-Pro/Product-Liability. html 2) Fieser, J. (2009). Ethics. Retrieved 30th September 2011 from: iep. utm. edu/ethics/#SSH1b. i 3) Free Books Online. (2011). The Due Care Theory. Retrieved 1st October 2011 from: http://free-books-online. org/management/business-ethics/the-due-care-theory/ 4) Free Books Online. (2011). The Social Costs View of the Manufacturer’s Duties. Retrieved 2nd October 2011 from: http://free-books-online. rg/management/business-ethics/the-social-costs-view-of-the-manufacturer%E2%80%99s-duties/ 5) Friend, C. (2004). Social Contract Theory. Retrieved 30th September 2011 from: iep. utm. edu/soc-cont/ 6) Gray, J. W. (2011). Moral Issues Related to Consumers. Retrieved 29th September 2011 from: http://ethicalrealism. wordpress. com/2011/05/16/moral-issues-related-to-consumers/ 7) Hasnas, J. (2010). The Mirage of Product Safety. Retrieved 29th September 2011 from: http://faculty. msb. e du/hasnasj/GTWebSite/SafetyFinalDraft. df 8) Investopedia. (2011). Caveat Emptor. Retrieved 29th September 2011 from: investopedia. com/terms/c/caveatemptor. asp#axzz1Z5iIVFCP 9) Owen, D. G. (1996). Product Liability and Safety: Cases and Materials. NY: The Foundation Press. 10) Shaw, W. H. Barry, V. (2007). Moral Issues in Business 11th Edition. CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. 11) The Free Dictionary. (2011). Caveat Emptor. Retrieved 29th September 2011 from: http://legal-dictionary. thefreedictionary. com/caveat+emptor

Sizing the ComboBox Drop Down Width

Sizing the ComboBox Drop Down Width The TComboBox component combines an edit box with a scrollable pick list. Users can select an item from the list or type directly into the edit box. Drop Down List When a combo box is in dropped down state Windows draws a list box type of control to display combo box items for selection. The DropDownCount property specifies the maximum number of items displayed in the drop-down list. The width of the drop-down list would, by default, equal the width of the combo box. When the length (of a string) of items exceeds the width of the combobox, the items are displayed as cut-off! TComboBox does not provide a way to set the width of its drop-down list :( Fixing The ComboBox Drop-Down List Width We can set the width of the drop-down list by sending a special Windows message to the combo box. The message is CB_SETDROPPEDWIDTH and sends the minimum allowable width, in pixels, of the list box of a combo box. To hardcode the size of the drop-down list to, lets say, 200 pixels, you could do: SendMessage(theComboBox.Handle, CB_SETDROPPEDWIDTH, 200, 0); This is only ok if you are sure all your theComboBox.Items are not longer than 200 px (when drawn). To ensure we always have the drop-down list display enough wide, we can calculate the required width. Heres a function to get the required width of the drop-down list and set it: procedure ComboBox_AutoWidth(const theComboBox: TCombobox); const HORIZONTAL_PADDING 4; var itemsFullWidth: integer; idx: integer; itemWidth: integer; begin itemsFullWidth : 0; // get the max needed with of the items in dropdown state for idx : 0 to -1 theComboBox.Items.Count do begin itemWidth : theComboBox.Canvas.TextWidth(theComboBox.Items[idx]); Inc(itemWidth, 2 * HORIZONTAL_PADDING); if (itemWidth itemsFullWidth) then itemsFullWidth : itemWidth; end; // set the width of drop down if needed if (itemsFullWidth theComboBox.Width) then begin //check if there would be a scroll bar if theComboBox.DropDownCount theComboBox.Items.Count then itemsFullWidth : itemsFullWidth GetSystemMetrics(SM_CXVSCROLL); SendMessage(theComboBox.Handle, CB_SETDROPPEDWIDTH, itemsFullWidth, 0); end; end; The width of the longest string is used for the width of the drop-down list. When to call ComboBox_AutoWidth?If you pre-fill the list of items (at design time or when creating the form) you can call the ComboBox_AutoWidth procedure inside the forms OnCreate event handler. If you dynamically change the list of combo box items, you can call the ComboBox_AutoWidth procedure inside the OnDropDown event handler - occurs when the user opens the drop-down list. A TestFor a test, we have 3 combo boxes on a form. All have items with their text more wide than the actual combo box width. The third combo box is placed near the right edge of the forms border. The Items property, for this example, is pre-filled - we call our ComboBox_AutoWidth in the OnCreate event handler for the form: //Forms OnCreate procedure TForm.FormCreate(Sender: TObject); begin ComboBox_AutoWidth(ComboBox2); ComboBox_AutoWidth(ComboBox3); end; Weve not called ComboBox_AutoWidth for Combobox1 to see the difference! Note that, when run, the drop-down list for Combobox2 will be wider than Combobox2. The Entire Drop-Down List Is Cut Off For Near Right Edge Placement For Combobox3, the one placed near the right edge, the drop-down list is cut off. Sending the CB_SETDROPPEDWIDTH will always extend the drop-down list box to the right. When your combobox is near the right edge, extending the list box more to the right would result in the display of the list box being cut off. We need to somehow extend the list box to the left when this is the case, not to the right! The CB_SETDROPPEDWIDTH has no way of specifying to what direction (left or right) to extend the list box. Solution: WM_CTLCOLORLISTBOX Just when the drop-down list is to be displayed Windows sends the WM_CTLCOLORLISTBOX message to the parent window of a list box - to our combo box. Being able to handle the WM_CTLCOLORLISTBOX for the near-right-edge combobox would solve the problem. The Almighty WindowProcEach VCL control exposes the WindowProc property - the procedure that responds to messages sent to the control. We can use the WindowProc property to temporarily replace or subclass the window procedure of the control. Heres our modified WindowProc for Combobox3 (the one near the right edge): //modified ComboBox3 WindowProc procedure TForm.ComboBox3WindowProc(var Message: TMessage); var cr, lbr: TRect; begin //drawing the list box with combobox items if Message.Msg WM_CTLCOLORLISTBOX then begin GetWindowRect(ComboBox3.Handle, cr); //list box rectangle GetWindowRect(Message.LParam, lbr); //move it to left to match right border if cr.Right lbr.Right then MoveWindow(Message.LParam, lbr.Left-(lbr.Right-clbr.Right), lbr.Top, lbr.Right-lbr.Left, lbr.Bottom-lbr.Top, True); end else ComboBox3WindowProcORIGINAL(Message); end; If the message our combo box receives is WM_CTLCOLORLISTBOX we get its windows rectangle, we also get the rectangle of the list box to be displayed (GetWindowRect). If it appears that the list box would appear more to the right - we move it to the left so that combo box and list box right border is the same. As easy as that :) If the message is not WM_CTLCOLORLISTBOX we simply call the original message handling procedure for the combo box (ComboBox3WindowProcORIGINAL). Finally, all this can work if we have set it correctly (in the OnCreate event handler for the form): //Forms OnCreate procedure TForm.FormCreate(Sender: TObject); begin ComboBox_AutoWidth(ComboBox2); ComboBox_AutoWidth(ComboBox3); //attach modified/custom WindowProc for ComboBox3 ComboBox3WindowProcORIGINAL : ComboBox3.WindowProc; ComboBox3.WindowProc : ComboBox3WindowProc; end; Where in the forms declaration we have (entire): type TForm class(TForm) ComboBox1: TComboBox; ComboBox2: TComboBox; ComboBox3: TComboBox; procedure FormCreate(Sender: TObject); private ComboBox3WindowProcORIGINAL : TWndMethod; procedure ComboBox3WindowProc(var Message: TMessage); public { Public declarations } end; And thats it. All handled :)

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge - Term Paper Example A striking aspect of the story is the non-linear plot structure employed by the author. The story is divided into four compact parts. Chronologically they are arranged in this fashion – 2,1,3,4 – which means the background information about Farquhars allegiance to the confederate cause is placed next to the event of his hanging by Union soldiers. The last two parts are chronologically in the right places, and it is in the crisp and concise fourth part that we learn that the whole of preceding narrative were the final hallucinatory thoughts of Peyton Farquhar. The material for the thesis is contained in the third part which was only a matter of few minutes but takes up a large chunk of the narrative. This is deliberate on part of the author, for he is trying to show to the reader that there is so much life contained in each passing second. The author is also hinting that we mostly dont enjoy our lives to the fullest, probably because our attention is being diverted from really important things in life like family and children and toward superficial things like status, wealth accumulation, etc. (Powers, 1982, p.280) By showing to the readers that so much drama could be contained in a brief period of time, Bierce is suggesting that there is a great scope for happiness and enjoyment during human lifetime which we dont realize in the normal course. The high-adrenaline condition created by the thought of approaching mortality had taken Peytons imagination to a surreal zone. In this state of mind, the small hopeful signs of his escape from death looks magnified and magnificent. His powers of perception and the intake of sensory stimuli were taken to new heights. For example, â€Å"He felt the ripples upon his face and heard their separate sounds as they struck. He looked at the forest on the bank of the stream, saw the individual trees, the leaves and the

International Logictics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

International Logictics - Essay Example World trade has been increasing at an average rate of six percent for the last 20 years, which is twice the rate of world output. The integration of the world economy with the help of trade has lifted the living standards of the people within these developing nations, which is a positive sign. However for the trade to occur in the first place, it is very significant to understand what goes behind to actually make supply chain management possible. Transportation of goods holds the key in this scenario. Also, sustained and consistent economic growth requires policies that can open trade and investment with the rest of the world. There is proof to it and it is that there has not been a single nation that has achieved economic stability without being open to the world for trade. International trade requires liberalization, i.e., openness to all and sundry within the world no matter what. The living standards are in direct proportion with them. Transportation holds the significance for connection between the channel members at the trading level as it swifts up the whole process of delivering goods from the manufacturer to the distributor who in turn does his best to provide the retailer with the goods after he stores the same for a while. In the end, at certain instances the retailers also give customers with the goods and products that they want through transportation service. There is a high need to promote and liberalize the manner in which trade is carried out within the world eco nomy. It needs to be more generous to everyone and anyone as well as helpful for the developing nations so that more and more trade is carried out between the economic world markets. Agriculture is one such example of being more liberal for the international trade market. Trade liberalization proves very helpful for any country’s economy but it encompasses within itself some negative factors like the increased food