Sustainability Financial Analysis Project Research Paper

Sustainability Financial Analysis Project - Research Paper Example 3). While assessing and selecting companies for inclusion to the DJSI, various corporate economic, environmental and social performance factors are taken into consideration. These factors include, but are not limited to: corporate governance, brand management, risk and crisis management, climate change mitigation, supply chain management, strategy for emerging markets, environmental policy, water related risks, raw material sourcing, human capital development, social reporting (DJSI Annual Review, p. 50). All these and other factors specific to each industry belonging to the three pillars mentioned above are also known as a concept of a triple bottom line. Nike Inc. was chosen for analysis. The company is included in the DOW Jones Sustainability United States Index and belongs to the consumer goods industry (category: Footwear). The non-DJSI company that will be analyzed and compared to Nike Inc is the Jones Group Inc. ... Supplier power. Many western countries domestically manufacturing the footwear can’t effectively compete within the mainstream market and much of the footwear offered within this market is outsourced to low-cost manufacturing regions, particularly South-East Asia (Footwear Industry Profile: United States 14). However, many western suppliers have increased their supplier power through differentiation techniques, such as high-end designer footwear and specialist foortwear for specific needs (Footwear Industry Profile: United States 14). New entrants. The threat of new entrants to the foortwear retail market is considered to be strong, mainly due to relatively low fixed costs for retail operations (Footwear Industry Profile: United States 15). Threat of substitutes. Overall, the threat of substitutes to the market is weak as footwear is a basic necessity (Footwear Industry Profile: United States 16). Degree of rivalry. There is a high degree of rivalry among large retail groups, which dominate the market (Footwear Industry Profile: United States 17). However, there are also many smaller retailers that co-exist within the market. Footwear market is broadly diversified by retailers, varying from large supermarket chains to apparel retailers and dedicated shoe retailers (Footwear Industry Profile: United States 17). Company Business Strategy Analysis As Don Blair, CFO in of NIKE Inc. claimed, â€Å"Innovation is at the heart of NIKE, Inc.'s business growth strategy† (NIKE, Inc. CFO, Don Blair, on Sustainability n.p.). At NIKE, Inc., a sustainability strategy is an integral part of its business strategy. Sustainability is perceived

The General Consensus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The General Consensus - Essay Example Of importance to note is the fact that expressions such as Barrack Obama are known as proper names. Hornsby and Longworth, (2005), hold the view that proper names such as the aforementioned expression are generally regarded to be paradigmatic expressions of reference. Hence, this paper shall seek to answer the question as to why proper names are directly referential. By so doing, this paper shall delve into the mechanism of referencing. In a nutshell, this shall be approached from the standpoint of what do words of referring attach to individuals or objects. Furthermore, the paper shall seek to exhaust the relationship between meaning/sense and reference. Against this backdrop, some theories of proper names reference shall be used to provide a deeper insight into this topic. On the other hand, this paper shall also consider views which have been put forward by opponents in relation to reference. As it has been stated above, there is the general consensus that proper names are paradigmatic expressions of reference. This can be attributed to the fact that they tend to have a distinct attachment to things in the World. Perhaps one might wonder what really constitutes proper names in the first place. For the purposes of this research paper, proper names shall be used in the context of all that is commonly known as names. Expressions such as Barrack Obama, New York or Mount Kilimanjaro fall within the category of proper names. Yet still, one might wonder what is common among all the three expressions. In essence, do they form a genuine group of linguistic expressions? A closer look at all the three expressions reveals that they are indeed syntactic expressions which are simple. In this regard, they refer or part of them refers to specific individuals and objects. Hence, ‘Barrack Obama’ refers to a specific man; ‘New York’ refers to a given city while Mo unt Kilimanjaro refers to a specific mountain.

Family needs Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Family needs - Assignment Example Successful communication helps meet the needs of the family of a sick individual Unfortunately, many studies indicate that families can satisfy their needs very seldom. The study of Ejaz et al shows that many families report about their negative interaction with nurses. The authors emphasize the importance of positive interaction and family satisfaction improvement: â€Å"with respect to direct care, families perceived significant improvements were needed when they had more negative interactions with staff† (Ejaz et al, 2002, p.1). Taking care of the families of sick individuals should be among the primary tasks of a nurse especially if a case is serious. According to Hardicre, â€Å"Caring for the families of critically ill patient is an essential component of a nurse’s role and a professional obligation† (Hardicre, 2003, p.1). Usually relatives want to be able to stay with a patient as much as it is possible, to be provided with all necessary conditions to feel comfortable taking care of their relative, to be able to ask questions and have support every time they need it. If technological improvements allow to meet all these needs, the attitude of nurses towards the relatives is usually far from ideal. Notwithstanding that taking care of relatives is among nurse’s responsibility, the attitude of nurses towards this issue is not studied well. Staying with their relative the members of the family can express negative emotions, which are caused by the serious case of their loved relative and by the fear to lose him/her. In this case the communication is very important as a nurse should find the right words to stabilize the emotional state of the relatives. Unfortunately, very often the words of a nurse do not provide any support, but on the contrary increase the stress. Nurses should not forget about their task to support the relatives instead of expressing negative emotions towards them. Nurse should be always available to help the members of

The Role Of Riots In The Eighteenth Century

The Role Of Riots In The Eighteenth Century During the 18th century, riots were a frequent occurrence all throughout England. Several of these riots occurred for different reasons, some that often occurred as a result of how things were like in this time period for much of the English people. As a result of these so called riots, it had a profound effect on the economy in the 18th century, and would wind up changing the way the economy was during the course of these riots. Rising food prices, various protests and actions taken are all causes as to why so many riots occurred in the 18th century, and how it would play a big role in regulating the economy at the time. All throughout the 18th century, the economy had suffered greatly from various different reasons. For one thing, food shortages were a major contributor to numerous riots in England during the 1700s. In Edward Palmer Thompsons book The Moral of the English Crowd in the Eighteenth Century, he states that a majority of the riots were known as rebellions of the belly. This means that a majority of rioting in the eighteenth century was a result of people in England that were upset and angry over food prices being too high. To further add on to this point, in the online journal entitled Food Riots In North-West England 1790-1801 by Alan Booth, the author illustrates how much of this part of England experienced food shortages during the 18th century. In the journal, it states how all food riots between 1795 and 1801 was a result of wheat and oat crops. The author writes this because during the time period in north-western England, food shortages were noticeable, especially when it came dow n to producing oats and wheat crops. This helps backup the point of how rising food shortages were eminent in certain parts of England, which would attribute to numerous riots that helped regulate the economy. The author continues to generate more by showing how when the wheat crops had failed, prices of the wheat increased dramatically, with the peak prices of wheat at the higest point in March 1796. When food became a commodity amongst English consumers And it was becoming more and more scarce, it didnt help the people more that the wages of food prices soared drastically, making it hard for people to purchase food. With food shortages and prices increasing, it finally lead to a series of riots that occurred as retaliation against food shortages. The author of the journal shows that most riots occurred during times of price increases in north-western england, also showing how several townships in the country recorded large riots in 1795 and 1796, all as a result of prices in food rising. This relates back to the main question of how riots changed the economy in the eighteetth century because when the time came and food shortages were eminent in the country of England and food prices soared through the roof, the people of England took it into their own hands to make their voices head by rioting and showing their displeasure with the food prices rising as a result of shortage of food. The prices of food had a profound effect on the English community. For example, the cost of grain increased significantly in the North-west part of England, with the price of grain doubling. The author writes how in the township of Wigan, the price of oats doubled from 3 shillings to a whopping 8 shillings during this time period of the eighteenth century, which was all a result of shortages of food. All throughout the north-west regions of England, different areas were getting hit hard with rising food prices, including Stockport and Chester. In Stockport, the prices of potatoes had almost doubled while in Chester, the prices of barley jumped up almost triple in size, selling for 8 shillings from the original cost of 3 shillings. As a result of all of this, riots were seen all around England, including the North-West region. With frequent food prices increasing, several mobs were formed, as seen in the same journal, when the author writes how a mob attacked several different grain houses by smashing the windows into rubble and also how other mobs destroyed local corn mills. All of these ties back with the central argument because it illustrates how rising food prices had a profound effect on those living in these townships during the eighteenth century. It also shows thoroughly how people took matters into their own hands and began attacking others due to frustration and anger in the English community. Another example as to how food shortages had an imminent effect on England can be found in John Leas web page called Crime and Protest in Eighteenth Century England. The author includes a brief but concise section on the bread riots in the eighteenth century, stating how bread riots were caused as a result of rising prices. The author adds on to this by stating that the rising food prices for bread was a hard impact on the poorer class, and that farmers would sell bread to the people when food was becoming more and more scarce and when food prices for bread would be at much higher prices, giving more money to the farmers. As a result of this, the author writes that riots had occurred as a form of having their voices heard. This relates back to the central question because it connects with how riots played an important part to the eighteenth century economy. All of these points on rising food prices relates back to the central argument of how riots had a role in regulating the economy because of what impact high food prices had on a majority of people in England. As seen in north-western England and other parts of England, it was a time of struggle that ended up in riots occurring all throughout the country. With high food prices in mind, similar protests and the formation of several different mobs in England would only add to the mix of how rioting in England played a role in regulating the economy. The eighteenth century was a time when things were going all wrong in the country of England. As mentioned previously, numerous types of foods were being raised in prices, which sparked several different riots as a result of it. Although rising food prices was a big contributor to riots, several other protests had been made that eventually lead to more and more riots spewing over the country of England. In John E. Archers book Social Unrest and Popular Protest in England 1780-1840, the author talks about different kinds of protests that had occurred in England, such as agricultural protests, industrial protests, political protests and policing protests. Prior to talking about each different type of protest, the author states that notable historians have mentioned that as a result of different protests, it lead to a working class forming in England. Right off the bat, the author illustrates how as a result of several protests it leads to a change in the economy. Further into the readi ng, the author continues to include information on several protests previously mentioned. One important protest that stands out is the agricultural protests, and the reason this is, is because of how much detail the author goes into explaining how these types of protests had a profound effect during the eighteenth century. The author talks about how farmers had a big role with agricultural protest, as the price of wages was being reduce drastically in several parts of England. The author adds on by saying that East Anglia was one of the highest wage regions in England and by the early nineteenth century, it was the lowest amongst all other wage regions, and this was a result because of no other alternative employment options at the time so prices were reduced drastically. This proved to become more and more of a situation because the labourers that worked on the farmland were no longer needed. As a result of this, multiple protests were made, which often lead to fences being destroy ed, threatening letters being released and more riots ensuing. All of this illustrates how agricultural protest was a process during the eighteenth century that took its toll on several labour workers that were earning money through farming. All of this ties back with how rioting regulated the economy because with more and more poor people showing frustration with either food shortages or different protests, it would make the economy go from one standpoint to another. During this time of agricultural and other protests, it sparked more outraged people in England. As previously stated, mobs were becoming more frequent within England. In Robert B. Shoemakers journal entitled The London Mob in the Early Eighteenth Century, the author illustrates how several people rioted by forming groups and destroying buildings and shouted out threats to others. Rioting in England was caused from several different reasons such as private and public affairs, with a majority of these riots being a resu lt of political and economical reasons. The author continues to write in the journal by stating that a majority of these rioters were of the middle or lower class sections in the English community. As a result of all the riots that were being held in the town of London, an act was created call The Riot Act of 1715, which was used to try and reduce the amounts of riots going on at the time. All of this relates back to the central question as to how riots had a role to play in the eighteenth century. All of these points connect to the central question because they all show the way different parts of England was at the time and how food prices being risen had a profound effect on the English people, sparking numerous riots in the country of England. Although riots had an imminent affect on changing the way the economy was, more and more actions were being taken to ensure that the economy would recover from all of this. With rising food prices, several protests being made and even mobs being formed, more people in the middle and lower class were growing more irate with all of the turmoil happening in this time period. Eventually, some actions were taken to try and help out a majority of people in England during the eighteenth century. Riots indeed had a significant effect on how it would regulate the economy in the eighteenth century. With food shortages occurring and multiple protests and mobs emerging, it was only a matter of time before several different actions were taken to try and ease this time of struggle. Firstly, when the food shortages occurred in England during the eighteenth century, much of the lower and middle class were affected. This point can be linked towards what Edward Palmer Thompson states in his book The Making of the English Working Class, which he states that several protests are results of rich people battling against poorer people. This point shows just how a majority of the struggle in the economy was a result of middle and lower class people protesting and rioting against those more well of then the rest. This point also illustrates how the majority of the English population would take matters into their own hands when several problems were seen such as the food prices being raised an d multiple riots occurring. When people in England saw prices were too high for food, they would fix the prices to make them much lower prior to the rise in food. In Andrew Charlesworths and Adrian Randalls journal called Morals, Markets and the English Crowd in 1766, they state that in a marketplace in a place called Cirencester, people grabbed a vast majority of food such as corn, cheese and other foods and had a big sale in the marketplace. This shows how the people of England took matters into their own hands and were selling foods at alot cheaper prices. In other parts of England, a majority of the food was selling for less than half price, which was benefitting the middle and lower class people. All of these points connect back as to how the economy would become regulated because the people of England were purchasing food for much cheaper prices instead of buying them for prices that were very high. Another point to add to how actions were taken is through the process of welfa re being created. The Speenhamland system was used as a welfare system for the middle and lower class people, which was used to gain foods such as bread and was gained through how much bread was priced at the time and the amount of children were in a family. This type of relief was a result of the rise in bread prices during the eighteenth century. During the 18th century, riots were a frequent occurrence all throughout England and would often cause problems all throughout the country. With a rise in food prices that destroyed the middle and lower class and various protests that affected a majority of people, actions were needed to turn the economy around in hopes of reducing the amount of turmoil seen in the eighteenth century. With riots being a common occurrence and mobs being formed as a result of this, England would eventually turn things around after a disastrous eighteen century, with hopes of stabilizing the economy once again.

Blood Diamonds: The Conflict in Sierra Leone Essay -- A Level Essays

Blood Diamonds: The Conflict in Sierra Leone History of Diamonds: The name "diamond" comes from the Greek word, "adamas" meaning unconquerable. Fittingly diamonds are made of pure carbon, and diamonds are the hardest natural substance known to man.[1] Diamonds have long been a sign of wealth and fortune. Kings and queens have worn these forms of concentrated carbon and even more countless millions people over time have lusted after them. These gems can be transparent, truculent white, yellow, green, blue, or brown. To understand the value of these stones, and ultimately their role in war, it helps to first understand their origins and where they come form. Diamonds are the most frequently used form capital by the rebels in Angola, Sierra Leone, and the Democratic Republic of Congo use to purchase weapons. The earliest gem diamonds were found in India and Borneo, were they were found in riverbeds. In the early eighteenth century, deposits similar to those in India were found in Brazil. The story of diamonds in Africa began between December 1866 and February 1867, when a 15-year-old found a transparent stone on his father's farm, on the south bank of the Orange River. Within the next fifteen years, African diamond mines produced more diamonds than the India, the previous leading producer, had in the last 2,000 years. This increase in production occurred at the same time as the diamond mines in Brazil experiences a sharp decline in their production. The depletion of mines in Brazil assured that supply would remain stable and diamond prices would not fall as they previously had when Brazil over produced in the 1730s.[2] Diamonds are the pure form of carbon in a transparent state, that ... ...fer, Stefan. The Last Empire: De Beers, Diamonds, and the World. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 1993. Tamm, Ingrid J. Diamonds in Peace and War: Severing the Conflict-Diamond Connection. Cambridge: World Peace Foundation, 2002. Web Sources: Allafrica.com: www.allafrica.com Amnesty International: www.amnesty.org CNN: www.cnn.com De Beers: www.debeers.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [1] www.debeers.com [2] Kanfer, Stefan. The Last Empire: De Beers, Diamonds, and the World. [3] Hirsch, John L. Sierra Leone: Diamonds and the Struggle for Democracy [4] Hirsch, John L. Sierra Leone: Diamonds and the Struggle for Democracy [5] Hirsch, John L. Sierra Leone: Diamonds and the Struggle for Democracy [6] Tamm, Ingrid J. Diamonds in Peace and War: Severing the Conflict-Diamond Connection

The Use of Money as a Motivational Factor in the Workplace

Haohan Wu Vladimir V Kalugin PHIL 305 08. 19. 2012 The Use of money as a Motivational Factor in the Workplace Claim: This paper aims at proving that the use of money as a motivational factor in the work place is equitable to a bribe and should not be allowed. Explanation of the Claim: To start off, there is need to explain as to what motivation means and how money comes into the equation. According to Saddiqui, motivation is the act of giving another person the incentive or a reason to do something (1).That is, giving the individual the hope or support to carry out a particular act. Psychology Today quips that motivation is the desire to do something (2). As such, motivating is the act of creating the desire to do something in an individual. That is, propelling someone towards doing a particular thing as opposed to pushing an individual away. To further explain the aspect of motivation, Bizhelp (para. 1) explains the Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory of motivation, which has it tha t there are two types. First of all are the factors that motivate the individuals to continue working.These are the factors that make the people appreciate their job; hence they continue putting all their efforts at it. On the other hand, there are the factors, which prevent job satisfaction. These are not, in whichever way, related to the happiness of the individuals. Rather, they just remove the unhappiness from work; hence making the people work more comfortably. In other words, they are referred to as the hygiene factors. Business Plan Hut explains that there are many ways of motivating the employees and those monetary incentives are one of the many ways (para. ). With the concept of motivation well explained, there is the need to look at the definition and explanation of a bribe, so that a comparative analysis of the two can be carried out to show that monetary incentives and the bribe are one and the same. According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, a bribe is â€Å"money or favor given or compromised in order to influence the judgment or conduct of a person in a position of trust, or something that serves to induce or influence† (1). By bringing these two definitions together, that is the efinition of motivation by money and that of a bribe, it can be seen why this essay takes that monetary motivation is equivalent to a bribe. It comes out quite clearly that money is a major factor in bribing, just as it is when used as a motivation factor. The above explanations bring about a controversial issue as pertains to the issue of using money as a motivational factor. It is, therefore, quite important to look at the issue in more detail so as to come up with a solid argument as to whether money should be used as a motivation factor or not.The argument will be largely based on the definitions given, and will rely on the understanding of the writer as pertains to the issue of money and motivation. These factors will be explained in detail in the followin g section of the argument. Reasons for the Claim Below are some of the reasons as to why this paper holds that monetary incentives should not be used as a motivation factor within the workplace: 1. From the definitions given above, it can be seen that a bribe is a monetary incentive given to an individual so as to sway his decision or act in a given manner.In other words, it is practically buying an individual so that he can act in a manner that is in accordance with the desire of the individual giving the bribe. The same happens when an individual is given an incentive as a motivation factor. It is aimed at making the individual feel kind of obliged to give a particular service or deliver given results so as to get the incentive. By any means, this is a bribe in disguise, and should not be allowed at all since it leads to the corruption of morals within the organization. 2. Monetary motivation can be seen as a form of manipulation of the employees.This is where they are put in a po sition where they have to fulfill a particular requirement so that they can have the incentive. Practically, it is the kind of analogy where the employee plays the dangling carrot with the employees. The employees feel or assume that they are working hard so as to get a specific reward, while in the real sense; the employer is playing his cards so as to make the employees work even harder for him. The monetary gain seems so enticing for the employees that they work so hard just to get it, while all the time, the employer gets the lion’s share. The trick works in the exact manner as a bribe.Give something little and get much in return. 3. Monetary incentives can ruin or corrupt the morals within an organization. This can be seen in the cases where the employees understand that they have to achieve something or hit specific standards so that they can get the reward that is promised to them. As such, they can go to whichever ends so as to reach these standards, due to their need for the money. This works the same way as a bribe does. When people are bribed in order to do something, they have to make sure that they use whichever means possible to arrive at the expected result.Whether the means are wrong or right. In other words, there is total disregard of transparency or the ethics code of conduct. 4. Lastly, there is the fact that monetary incentive as a motivation factor can plant conflicts and unnecessary or unhealthy competition amongst the employees. It is well known that different people are motivated by different factors just as they are gifted differently. As such, when the rewards are given in terms of cash, there is a high possibility that those who get the reward work hard and continue delivering the results while those who do not get the reward are de-motivated.This works out exactly like a bribe. Some people are favored and others are not. Rivalry comes in within the organization and the performance is hindered. This caps the reasons as to why monetary motivation should be avoided. Therefore, there is always the other side of the coin in everything. In this case, there is another argument as concerns the use of monetary motivation, which tries to indicate that it should be allowed. The reasons are as stated below. i. First of all, it is acceptable that there are many ways of achieving a set goal. The same applies in the work place.When there is the need to motivate the employees, there are various methods that can be applied. The use of monetary incentives is just one of them. Therefore, there should be no hullaballoo as to why the monetary motivation is not used. In fact, monetary incentives hit the charts as one of the most effective ways of motivating the employees to achieve the goals of the industry, which puts the organization on the right track to achieving its overall objectives (Anon. , 1). ii. Just like in any other setting, it is agreeable that there are always the positive and the negative sides of any given act.As such, there are the advantages and the disadvantages of using monetary incentives as a form of motivation. As such, there is no need to demonize the act and term it as a bribe. Otherwise, if this was to be taken as the standard in different arguments, then a lot of activities would be written off since there would be the dark side in every single of them. In this case, the focus should be on the positives and the negatives, and whichever wins carries the day. Monetary motivation should not be ruled out even before it has been tried. iii.It is well known that in the business setting, the ultimate goal is to make profits and be the most competitive. This does not come all that easily since there are various hurdles that have to be overcome. Just like in any field, there have to be ways of going about these hurdles. When it comes to the employees, motivation, nothing seems to work out better then the use of the monetary incentives. As such there is no reason as to why this shoul d not be employed in the business setting. iv. Lastly, it can be said that the main reason as to why people seek for employment is so that they can make money.This means that they work hard so that they can achieve this goal. As such, it can be seen that the main reason as to why they are motivated is what they get from the employment. As such, when monetary incentives are used as a motivation factor, they do not come in as a bribe. Rather, they just indicate to the employees that their hard work is all that matters. The more you work, the more you get. Simple and clear. Decision After looking at the reasons and the arguments presented above, this paper goes in favor of the claim. It, therefore, agrees that the use of monetary gains as a motivation factor should not be encouraged in the work place.It is equitable to a bribe, which is ethically and morally wrong. The reasons for taking this stand are well explained in the section that follows. Rebuttals i. While it is acceptable that there are many ways of motivating the employees, it is also important to look at the various outcomes of the different strategies that are applied. In this case, it has been proven that the use of money as a motivation factor has quite a lot of disadvantages that put the organization’s integrity at risk. As such, there is no reason as to why this method should be chosen while there are others that deliver the same result but at a much lower risk.Business entails making wise decisions, and using monetary motivation does not pay out in this case (Burns, 1). ii. As already explained above, being in business entails looking at the prevailing situation, analyzing the benefits and demerits of a given decision then making a decision from this analysis. This calls for a very practical and critical mind that cannot be deceived by the face value of a deal that seems to be so good. For this reason, it is agreeable that the use of money as a motivation factor has its advantages and disa dvantages. After weighing both, it appears that the disadvantages are more.Why, then, should an organization take the risk while there are other safer ways of getting the work done? iii. It is commonly said and known that two wrongs do not make a right. In the business sense, it cannot be denied that there are the hurdles that have to be overcome. But just because the hurdles are there, it does not mean that anything passes as long as it aims at dealing with the hurdles. Rather, the spirit of doing things right should apply in this case. The hurdles should be overcome in a manner that does not create more problems. The methods used should be very ethical and straight. v. It is true that the reason as to why people seek employment is so they can make more money and live more comfortable lives. It is also true that people who get into crooked deals such as corruption, vandalism and embezzlement of funds also do so in a bid to make more money and live good lives as well. As such, this cannot be used as the reason fro using money as an incentive. After all, human wants are insatiable and money cannot quench them all. Instead of providing a shortcut to making more money, organizations and businesses should focus more on doing this in the right manner.Works Cited Anonymous. Employee Morale. Business Community, 2012. Web, 24th July 2012, http://www. ehow. com/employee-morale/ Bizhelp. Motivation in the Workplace. Bizhelp24. com, July 21, 2012. Web, 24th July 2012, http://www. bizhelp24. com/personal/employment-and-personal-development/motivation-in-the-workplace. html Burns, Gabriel. The Disadvantages of Extrinsic Motivation. Ehow. com, 2012. Web, 24th July 2012, http://www. ehow. com/list_6534932_disadvantages-extrinsic-motivation. html Business Plan Hut. Motivating Employees. Businessplanhut. com, 2012. Web,

Customer Service Essay

1. The key concepts and topics in this course that have made me a stronger candidate to continue in the business world would be what I have learned from the units dealing with: Diversity, Customer Behavior, Customer Loyalty, and Exceptional Service: I have learned that customer comments, good or bad should always be taken into consideration, addressed and handled appropriately. Comments can provide insight to the thought process of the customer and it could help improve not only the customer service department but the product as well. The success of a company relies on the customer. Relationship Building and Solving Customer Problems: Satisfied customers will remain customers until there is a better option offered to them. Loyal customers establish an emotional connection with a business and/or company. Their loyalty is motivated by their experience with the products and the service. Customer service is what a company or business provides; customer loyalty is the result of the service. Extraordinary approaches to customer service is to go beyond the customer’s satisfaction, and make every attempt to surpass the customer’s expectations every time. A company earns customer loyalty by molding the shopping experience to the needs of the customer. Customers have a tendency to patronize companies that interactive with them in a positive, meaningful, personal manner. Many companies offer their customers loyalty programs such as; reward programs. This method can ensure a company keeps their current customer base and entices possible new customers. The Impact of Communication Styles on Customer Services:  A business cannot afford to lose customers because of a lack of customer service, but many do. Customers remember how they are treated and pass the word along, good or bad. Once a customer has been treated poorly they are likely not to return to buy from that business again, even if that business has what they need. When customers are satisfied, it is probable that they will spend more on the product or service and keep returning to that business. Customer service representatives (CSRs) play a big role in keeping, and bringing customers to a business. That is why it is essential to train customer service representatives in effective communications styles and skills because they are the liaison between the customer and the business. The CSR’s communication skills can impact the decision of a customer’s loyalty and the right communication style can be helpful in avoiding conflicts. Communication styles are methods in which a particular individual converses with another individual. Great service requires effective communication styles, and skills. Having a combination of these elements will guarantee that the right message is conveyed in a way that ensures the customer receives and understands it correctly and as intended. 2. Discuss how this course has affected you in your professional development as a student and as a person as well as encouraging you on your academic path. This was a very beneficial, educational and informative class. I have chosen the legal  field, more specifically, paralegal studies. I currently work for a bankruptcy law firm and I have learned a great deal since I have been employed there. I have 30 plus years work experience and a great work ethic. With what I have learned in this class, my work ethic, and common sense, I believe I will be successful as a paralegal. I have learned the importance of maintaining professionalism. This class has reinforced my desire to continue in the legal field and has helped me in interacting with clients, co-workers and the attorneys I currently work with. My skills in listening, communicating, observing and relationship building have improved by taking this class. I would recommend a class in customer service, regardless of the professional field one decides to enter into. I believe it would be very insightful and valuable.