Graduation Speech -- Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

Welcome ... again ... to the graduation of the class of 2012... and a congratulations to you class ... you deserve it. First of all ... thank you class ... I am honored to be chosen to speak tonight and I am truly honored to have been able to spend these last four years ... with all of you. The day has finally arrived. It is June 7th, 2006... 7 p.m. It is so hard to believe that this is the day that we have been counting down to for the last few months. This is supposed to be the end of the beginning, the first day of the rest of our lives ... we all seem so set with our future and we seem so sure of exactly what it will foretell. However, regardless of how mature we may think we are ... we are not. We are still so young and new. We have so much to learn. So much more note-taking to take. So many more halls to walk and so many more people to meet. So very few allowed sick days to take. We have so much more space to make mistakes ... but also ... we have the space to correct them. We may be out of the building, friends, but we will be taught and tested for decades to come ... but this time in life. The memories of tonight and these last four years will soon be added with new memories, new friends, new jobs, new loves and relationships, and most important will be a new you. Maybe in the next few years you will be a mom ... or dad, but just maybe you will never have kids. Maybe you will start a career right out of high school, but maybe you will go to school ... hey maybe you will go to school for the rest of your life. But whatever we may become, we can all remember that these last four years have demanded patience ... and have demanded time. The last four years has offered an education ... the last four years has offere... ... with a small act of kindness. Kindness is just taking time out of your day to help ... and to not expect anything in return ... like Isaiah, Denies, and others with these special purple ribbons. Hey and maybe you are easy going like Blake c ... he thinks that just liking him for who he is and not for what you want him to be is kind. You never truly know what happiness a simple act of kindness will bring about. As said before, we are still so very young and new, and we have so much to learn. "Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us every day ... " The challenge is ours ... not just as graduates ... but us as the future ... let us create a world where human relationships are what we value ... and where kindness is the basis of that. Let us go into a world where small acts of kindness are more important that act of self.

Animal Physiology

Our knowledge of the action of caffeine on the respiratory system has resulted mainly from studies on the effect of the drug on the rate and rhythm of respiration, alveoli and total ventilation of the lungs, and on the volume of gas exchanged between the organism and its environment. Edsall and Means (1), Grabfield and Means (2), Higgins and Means (3), Lohr (4), Schmidt and Harer (5), Smith (6), Fsungming (7).There seems to be a general agreement among these investi- gators that caffeine stimulates the respiratory center resulting in an increase in the rate of respiration and an increase in the oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide elimination. This in- crease in the gaseous exchange may not be entirely due to stimulation of the respiratory center, but to some other factor such as an increase in the basal metabolism.Owing to the fact that practically all of the previous experiments were conducted on mammals, which have the highest developed nervous system of any group of animals, and in order to throw more light on the fundamental effect of the drug on physiological processes, it was thought desirable to study the effect of caffeine on the oxygen consumption of lower organisms.For this purpose it was found advantageous to use young individuals (3 to 4 inches in length) of a fresh water fish, Erimyson sucetta oblongus, Mitchell (identifled by Dr. T. H. Langlois, University Museum, University of Michigan) and bull frog tadpoles, Rana catesbiana. These ani- mals remain rather quiet when not disturbed, thus the error in 1 Contribution from Battle Creek College. 5960 FLOYD J. BRINLEY oxygen consumption due to bodily activity of the animals is reduced to a minimum but not completely eliminated. M

Dunkin Donuts Marketing Plan Essay

Founded first as a restaurant called Open Kettle, it was later renamed to Dunkin Donuts in 1950 by William Rosenberg and Stephen So in Quincy, Massachusetts. Dunkin Donuts has become most famous for its donuts over the years, as well as their coffee. They have approximately 3,000 restaurants in the US and around the world, and sell 2.5 million donuts every day. Dunkin Donuts has evolved into one of Forbes magazine â€Å"Top 10 Global Fast-Food Chains†, and tops the lists of other noted industry websites and magazines. Recently, Dunkin Donuts has changed the way they want customers to think about them by incorporating the tag line â€Å"America Runs On Dunkin†, and adding new menu items, to their marketing strategy. This tag line was introduced to focus on their coffee being a cheaper, down home alternative to the more expensive competitor, Starbucks. This tagline focuses on the fact that Dunkin Donuts is a broader â€Å"beverage company† and gains most of it†™s profits from beverages. Read more: How many words in a 10-minute speech. A.Market Description While all of the food choices and beverage choices offered at Dunkin Donuts can appeal to any age, we feel it’s best to focus on college students at the University of Iowa right now. College students are known for pulling â€Å"all-nighters† to cram for their hardest midterm the next morning, or to write their 20-page research paper the night before it’s due. What’s more appealing than being able to get their cup of coffee, or favorite beverage to help stay awake than from Dunkin Donuts? Another reason we want to focus on targeting college students is because they are known to have unique schedules. They eat at odd times of the day, and are also looking for a range of snack foods, rather than full meals, to satisfy their cravings. There are currently no Dunkin Donut franchises on campus, but there was one just built in Coralville (neighboring town, 10 minute drive to the DD). This Dunkin Donuts only has a smaller target market, since it is not right in the college town and only students who have cars can travel to get their drinks and snacks. We want to integrate our franchise into one of the main buildings on campus to show students that purchasing our coffee is a better option; it is more affordable, easily accessible and offers a range of menu choices, something that competitors don’t do as well today. B.Benefits and Product Features The Iowa campus has offers many benefits of why Dunkin Donuts should open a store here. One of the key benefits that Dunkin Donuts offers is the diverse set of menu offerings. They have created an appealing menu for any time of year. For example, Dunkin’s coffee is served hot, frozen, or iced, every day of the year. Another key benefit that would help Dunkin Donuts be successful in Iowa City is the affordability. Dunkin Donuts is known to have different promotions going on that makes their products cheaper, and even when their promos aren’t happening, their coffee is still more affordable than Starbucks’s coffee (also located on campus). Now I want to talk about some of Dunkin Donut’s products. Product features are what sets your company apart from another, and it is important to point out that Dunkin Donuts has a wide variety of products. They serve hot, iced, frozen, and at home brewing products so that their products appeal to every type of customer. On the food side of products, there are both breakfast sandwiches and bakery sandwiches, bakery cooked goods, and even hash browns and oatmeal. Dunkin Donuts features many different products, which makes it a good place for any consumer to take their business. C.Product Review Dunkin Donuts provides a wide range of beverages and food items on their menu. First off, their beverages range from hot beverages, to iced beverages, to frozen beverages, and even to at home brewing beverages. In the humid, hot summers in Iowa City, students will be able to purchase their iced coffee or iced tea to cool off before class. In the freezing cold winters, students can warm up by purchasing their large latte or warm apple cider. If consumers in Iowa City are not coffee drinkers, they are able to opt to frozen â€Å"coolattas† in a variety of fruit flavors. Dunkin Donuts also offers a wide variety of bakery items and sandwiches on their menu. The bakery items are sure to capture any consumers taste cravings by offering their famous donuts, bagels, muffins, hash browns, and more. The sandwiches on the menu can be for breakfast, or lunch sandwiches. On the sandwiches, you can choose if you want your meat to be bacon, sausage, ham, Angus steak, or turkey sausage. They are served on any type of bakery item included on their menu. This shows there are so many options for sandwiches, and even ranging to a few vegan sandwiches with just eggs or spinach. As for lunch sandwiches, you can choose from ham, turkey, grilled cheese, chicken salad, chicken, and tuna salad. This proves that Dunkin Donuts will satisfy any college student’s food craving by appealing to everyone’s appetite and drink needs. D.Competitive Review On campus, competition is fierce for student business. The biggest competition in Iowa City is Starbucks. Starbucks appeals to students in the area because of their well-known, national brand name. They like to appeal to consumers by offering a premium blend of coffees, as well as smoothies, teas, and bakery items. Also, Starbucks is a known hotspot with free wireless Internet, which tends to bring in the typical college student looking for a place to study. On the other hand, Iowa City is well known for their local coffee shops. One of these locally owned competitors is The Java House. The Java House attracts older customers rather than students, but a good amount of students still take their business there. They are similar to any other coffee shop, offering different blends of coffees, as well as bakery items to eat. The Java House is known for their artwork and interesting atmosphere in their shops, which makes it stand out to a chain company. Two other local coffee shops are TSpoons and Capanna. They both attract a fair amount of students as well. Both of these shops offer students a refuge to study instead of going to the library and a good cup of joe, along with a quick snack. A last form of competition Dunkin Donuts would be competing with in Iowa City would be other fast food restaurants. Places like The Pita Pit, Jimmy Johns, and Which Wich all offer breakfast and lunch sandwiches for on the go college students. Jimmy John’s catch phrase is â€Å"Freaky Fast†, for example. When it comes to coffee and sandwiches, Iowa City has a good amount of competition in the area for Dunkin Donuts to compete with. III.SWOT Analysis A.Strengths Dunkin Donuts has many strengths in the way that they market their food and drinks. First, Dunkin Donuts has a wide variety of items for customers choose from. Not every coffee shop in the area has their range of drinks on their menu, as well as the amount of breakfast sandwiches and famous donuts on their menu. This aspect of Dunkin Donuts is a definite internal strength to help the company reach their objectives. Another strength Dunkin Donuts has is that they are a major global company. They have franchises in numerous other countries other than the United States, and most people around the world know the company’s name. This strength also helps the company be able to market on the television and signs on the street, which is a major advantage from competitors. Another strength is that there is strong brand loyalty within their customers. Just like their biggest competitor, Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts has customers who love their service and products so much that they refuse to go elsewhere for their cup of coffee in the morning or snack in the afternoon. This sense of loyalty is what Dunkin Donuts has accomplished over the years and is a major marketing strength. B.Weakness Dunkin Donuts has a few internal weaknesses that have interfered with the company’s ability to reach their objectives. First: they have not developed into emerging economies. Introducing their franchises into emerging economies could make the company more profitable than they already are. A second weakness Dunkin Donuts has is limited market share growth due to increased competition from other sales in the industry. This limited market share growth shows that Dunkin Donuts is very competitive with others in the industry and is not growing their revenues as fast as others in the industry. One last weakness facing Dunkin Donuts is the struggles with franchise owners in different parts of the world. There have been numerous instances where Dunkin Donuts franchise owners have been sued by the company because of disagreements. These fights make the company look dysfunctional internally, and take their focus and dollars away from their customers. C.Opportunity Dunkin Donuts has many opportunities to make their company even more successful than it already is. One major opportunity Dunkin Donuts could do is introduce low calorie snacks to their menu. In recent years, consumers have started to feel the need to eat healthier and not eat at fast food restaurants as often as in past years. If Dunkin Donuts introduced a healthier side to their menu, they could gain many more customers. Another opportunity is to increase their market to newer countries and economies. The world is growing exponentially right now and a great thought to create more revenue would be to open franchises in these new, uprising countries. Another opportunity in today’s market to increase customers is to start using effective online marketing strategies. Life today is all about the cyber world, and almost every country around the world has access to the Internet or computers. As effective as television commercials and advertisements on billboards are, Dunkin Donuts could further their marketing plans by extending advertisements to cyber space. D.Threats In every market, there are external threats in the world that companies cannot control. One of the largest threats in the fast food world is the threat of customers moving to healthier ways of eating. The world has finally realized that greasy fries and sugary drinks are not going to keep you healthy. Dunkin Donuts has a fair amount of healthier options on their menu, but the majority of products are greasy, sugary, and calorie filled treats. If Dunkin Donuts realizes this threat, they could change their menu for the better to attract the health conscious customer. Another threat for this company is the recent increase in raw materials. Pricing is very important in a company, and with this increase in materials, the company has had to increase prices. This is not Dunkin Donut’s fault, but customers may see it in that way. Another huge threat is the constant competition from other cafes and local joints. In the Iowa City area, specifically, the number of local coffee shops outnumbers the large chain shops. Many consumers like the thought that they aren’t giving all their money to large franchises and prefer to take their business to the locally owned spots. If Dunkin Donuts finds ways to decrease these external threats, they could make their company even more successful than it already is. Strengths Wide range of products for consumers to choose from Global company Strong customer brand loyalty Opportunities Introduction of lower calorie menu Expand market to new countries and emerging economies Use of effective online marketing strategies Weaknesses Have not developed into emerging economies Limited market share growth due to competition Fights/suits with franchise owners Threats Trend of people eating healthier Increase in prices of raw materials makes menu prices higher Constant competition from local coffee and cafà © joints

Child Labor is a Form of Child Abuse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Child Labor is a Form of Child Abuse - Essay Example Child labor hampers children from furthering their intellectual growth by robbing them of time spent inside the classrooms to be educated. Childhood is a very significant period in the intellectual development of an individual. However, being tied in different chores hinders children from getting proper schooling. Even if it is argued that child labor equips children with some skills, empirical evidence emphasizes that it significantly robs children the opportunity to be educated. Children who spend more time in work activities have less time to spare to attend their classes. Furthermore, â€Å"time spent working takes away from study, play, and sleep and might undermine the effectiveness of the classroom for child workers that attend school†. Child labor also lessens the ability of children to improve their academic performance. Lastly, child labor passes the responsibility of parents to their young children. It is the sole responsibility of parents to provide the material needs of their children and it is very abusive of them to have their offspring support the family. One extreme example of this is the case of bonded laborers where child labor is used to pay the debt of the family. In all these situations, children are burdened with responsibilities which are not theirs. Child labor is a form of maltreatment as it passes parent’s responsibilities to the child. Exposing children to hazardous working conditions endangers their physical well-being while robbing them of the time to be educated hinders their growth.

Car Industry in Europe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Car Industry in Europe - Essay Example The essay also look in to various technical measures which car industry has to take to improve the condition of more CO2 emitting cars towards less CO2 emitting ears. It also emphasizes that how these steps improve the overall environment in EU especially the he emission of CO2 level, which is to be achieved with in a time frame. Finally the essay recommends various measures the how EU enforce these regulations legislatively to improve the overall situation of emission of GHG. It also emphasize on how customers and car industry could be benefited by applying and adhering environmental standards for sustainable growth & development. Introduction: The European is at the forefront of international efforts to combat climate change and must deliver the reductions in greenhouse gas emissions to which it has committed under the Kyoto protocol. The greenhouse effect is one of the better-understood features of the atmosphere. The European commission proposed in January 2007 "The EU pursues in context of international negotiations, the objective of a 30% reduction of GHG emission by developed countries by 2020 (compared to 1990 levels)". To avoid distortions and for the sake of economical and social fairness, all sectors must contribute to the reduction effort. Cars are an important part of the everyday lives of a large number of Europeans; the automobile industry is a significant source of employment and growth in many regions of the EU. However, car usage has significant impacts on climate change with about 12% of the overall EU emissions of CO2, the main greenhouse gas, coming from fuel consumed by passenger cars. Even though there have been significant improvements in vehicle technology in particular fuel efficiency which also means lower CO2 emissions but this has not been enough to neutralize the effect of increased traffic and car size. While the EU as a whole has reduced its emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) by just under 5% over the 1990-2004 period, the CO2 emissions from road transport have increased by 26% keeping in view of the above situations in June 2006, European Council therefore unanimously reconfirmed that "In line with the EU Strategy on CO2 emissions from cars/light duty vehicles, the average new car fleet should ach ieve CO2 emissions of 140g CO2/km by 2008/09 and 120g CO2 /km by 2012". The European parliament called for "a policy of strong measures to reduce emission from transport, including mandatory limits for CO2 emissions from new vehicles in order of 80-100g CO2/km for new vehicles in the medium term to be achieved through emission trading between car manufacturers. In view of the above developments in implementing environmental norms and standards by EU, car manufacturers around the globe may face specific problems as well as adhering norms laid down by EU. The auto industry is often thought of as one of the most global of all industries. Car industry is experiencing rapid changes with globalization (Carlson 2004). Rapid changes are also altering the industry structure and attractiveness. The emerging markets

Business Policy (Case Study) Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Business Policy ( ) - Case Study Example It is observed that the most powerful feature of the Ford is its flexibility to assimilate with various market situations. This extreme feature has assisted the company to vie with many competitive aspects of the market. It also seems that the Ford possesses an efficient management team whothat effectively forecasts the market and changing consumer tastes and thereby designs innovative car models. This case study gives a detailed view of the automobile industry evolution and its progress over different eras. This paper evaluates the features of Ford Motor Company and also analyzes impact of 2008-09 economic crises on the company. Context of the case The first internal-combustion powered vehicles were notably produced by Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz in Germany. This was an epoch-making innovation in the history of automobile industry. By the end of nineteenth century, hundreds of manufacturers were producing automobiles both in Europe and in America. The twentieth century witnessed the rapid growth of automobile industry and thus the upward trends in sales volume were clearly visible after the Second World War. From the figure 4.1, it is precise that trucks and buses were less produced in US at the beginning of the 19th century as compared to other passenger vehicles (p.49). However, this trend gradually changed after 1990s and it can be clearly attributed to the effects of globalization and industrialization. Uncertainty over the design and technology of the motorcar was the major issue that impeded the early years of automobile industrial growth. The figure 4.3 indicates that US motor vehicle production as percentage of world’s production gradually declines from 1965 to 2008 (p.50). During the earlier periods of motor vehicles production, the internal-combustion engines faced tough competition from steam as well as electric motors. However, ranges of fascinating features of internal combustion engines could dominate the market. Over this period, compa nies brought different designs and technologies among which many one-promising designs were relegated to the scrapheap of history. As we discussed earlier, the Ford Model T was one of the designs that became the focus of attraction of automobile market in this period. Different countries adopted different sized market segments so as to capture the market opportunities. It is necessary to note that â€Å"Fordism† was the first major revolution in process technology although Toyota’s â€Å"clean production† got world wide acceptance during the 1980’s and 1990’s. The case reflects that the cost of creating a new mass-production passenger car from drawing board to production line was in excess of $1.5 billion. This huge cost associated with product development blocked faster economic growth of car manufacturers. This situation persuaded the companies to think about the concept of mergers and acquisitions. These integration processes and thereby combine d operating costs have assisted the companies to take advantages of lower product development costs economies. The figure 4.4 shows that Ford had made alliances with numbers of other automakers like Tata and Toyota. The Ford’s trend of the past 30 years shows that the firm moves toward increasing outsourcing of materials, components, and services with intent to achieve lower

Explain why Simmias and Cebes are so afraid of death in the phaedo, Essay

Explain why Simmias and Cebes are so afraid of death in the phaedo, whereas Socrates is not. Does Socrates' explanation convince you, or are you, like simmias a - Essay Example Socrates unequivocally asserts that any true philosopher â€Å"will be willing to die† (6). He is convinced that a better life awaits him. Death, as the harbinger of â€Å"the greatest good† (8), is something the true philosopher desires and pursues. Death may be defined as â€Å"the separation of the soul and body† (8). The philosopher is a seeker of truth and lover of wisdom, who pursues the essence of the knowledge of existence. In this pursuit, the body, with its’ lusts, sensual pleasures and physical needs, is â€Å"only a disturbing element, hindering the soul from the acquisition of knowledge† (10). Therefore, the philosopher desires death, which will release â€Å"the soul from the chains of the body† (11) and free the soul to attain the truth. His desire for the truth will be satisfied only by the separation of the soul from the body – that is, by death – which is the purification of the soul. Death is the philosopherâ €™s means to gain wisdom, while the body is his â€Å"enemy† (11). Socrates fearlessly and eagerly anticipates death and is ready â€Å"to depart with joy† (11) from this world. Cebes and Simmias acknowledge the truth of Socrates’ word, but continue to fear death, as they are afraid that the soul â€Å"may be destroyed and perish† (12) when she leaves the body, â€Å"vanishing into nothingness† after death. Socrates allays their fears by convincing them of the immortality of the soul. The accepted belief that â€Å"the living spring from the dead† (15) presupposes the prior existence of the soul, in another world, before it assumes human form. As recollection is an essential part of knowledge, this recollection is obviously gained by the intelligent souls’ existence in another place. The rebirth of the soul is proof of the souls’ immortality, as â€Å"everything living is born of the dead† (19). Once it is accepted that the soul is invisible,