Analysis of Brand Loyalty in Chinas Cosmetic Market

Analysis of Brand Loyalty in Chinas Cosmetic Market 1.0 What is cosmetic market? ‘Cosmetic are not strange to everyone, even though some people dont use them. They definitely hear about them. Cosmetics were invented in thousands years ago. When cosmetics were introduced, they were considered as exclusive things used by female. In those times, only few kinds of cosmetics existed. Some people believe cosmetics are limited by some sorts such as perfume, makeup. Actually, cosmetics come in many forms. Except for perfume and makeup, they comprise of shampoo, soap, lotion and others. Cosmetics are used to care for and clean people body, maintain people in a well condition and enhance people beauty (Kumar et al., 2006). For instance, the goal of sun protection is to keep out UV and reduce the risk of getting skin cancer. In the past, men used cosmetics to dress up would be treated effeminate. Certainly, people didnt hear about mens cosmetic advertising. Nowadays, the reality has gradually changed. The cosmetics have not been the patent of women. Men and kids join in group of using cosmetics. The number is increasingly growing up. Està ©e Lauder as the first womens cosmetic companies tried to enter the male cosmetic market in 1964. After 1year trial, it came out with Aramis and an entire line for mens skin. (Alpern) In cosmetic market, thousands of cosmetics for men and kid are available. In past ten year, cosmetic companies launched some products that were suitable for both men and women. As men customers increase, companies start to launch new product line for men. Exclusive perfume and cleansing foam were designed for men. In order to target these emerging potential customers, many cosmetic companies invest a lot on advertising through TV, beauty magazine and others. The aim of the advertisement i s to convey the idea that cosmetics are not girly products. Some big cosmetic companies employ famous actors or sportsmen to promote products through positive imagery. It lets men believe that using cosmetics is very normal. (Souiden and Diagne, 2009) The cosmetic industry is one of the most competitive industries all over the world because more than 300 cosmetic brands exist in the market. Most of these companies utilize great number of resource in Research and development to launch new products every year in order to meet ever-changing customers need and demand. Innovation is fundamental to survival and success of cosmetic companies. (Kumar et al., 2006) To stay vantage point during fierce competition, cosmetic companies should create value to customers. The World top ten cosmetic companies are Maybellline accounting for 7.4% market share, Avon (5.4%), LOrà ©al Paris (5.3%), Lancà ´me (4%), Clinique ( 3.6%), Revlon (3.3%), Està ©e Lauder (2.9%), Max Factor ( 2.8%), Cover Girl (2.7%) and Shiseido (2.2%) (Ejiofor, 2006). All of them seize about 40% of the market share. 1.1 Overview of cosmetic market in China China is the countries with the largest population in the world it makes up one-fifth of the worlds population. The population growth rate of China is 0.629% in 2008 with a current average life expectancy of 73.18. Men possess 51.8% of the total population whereas women possess 48.2%. (Nancy E, 2008) Chinese paying more attention to beauty can date back to ancientry. It has already deeply rooted in Chinese culture. In Chinese poetry and art, beauty has always been extol (Newham, 2006) Before the reform and open door policy were implemented, China economy was very not good. Most of income of Chinese was spent on food, transportation and house. They didnt have extra money to buy cosmetics. Through proper economy policies are carried out by Chinese government, economy is booming is China and people living standard is increasingly improved. People have more disposal income to spend on beauty. More and more people absorb beauty information from different sources. Some of them become ‘beauty professional. They believe spending money on beauty as a valuable investment. Attractive appearance and figure will assist them to get benefits in career and social life, because everyone loves beauty. (World Wide Watch: China) In order to join World Trade Organization (WTO), Chinese government reduced import tariffs. Due to reduction of import tariffs, cosmetics import was increased 160% from 1996% to 2001. (Li,2003) Since 2001 China has entered WTO, it provided a good opportunity for foreign cosmetic companies to access China market. For these companies, China is a big emerging market due to the largest population. In saturation market such as Europe, cosmetic companies are difficult to boost their sales. Many foreign companies joint venture with domestic manufacturers through advanced technology along with products and huge capital: and set up plants in coastal regions such Guangdong province and Shanghai in China. Top twenty cosmetic brands have flowed in China cosmetic market. (Asia Consulting) On the other hand, regarding to domestic manufactures, they also gain benefits. For example, advanced technology assists to effectively reduce production costs and improve product quality as well. Strong economic growth in China shock people all over the world, but cosmetic market in China is growing faster than Chinas economy. According to Chinas National Fragrance and Flavor industry Association, cosmetic sales in China have increased by 16.6% to $4.2 billion in year 2001. In year 2004, the sales jumped to 85 billion yuan. China is considered as the second largest cosmetics market in Asia, and ranks no.8 worldwide. Cosmetic spending was 1yuan during the early 1980s, but spending dramatically went to 25 yuan in year 2000. Even in big famous cities Shanghai, Beijing, the annual average spending on cosmetics was among 150-180 yuan (LIFUNG Research Centre, 2005) Compare development of cosmetic market among Asia, growth rate of cosmetic market is significantly faster than other countries and regions. (Figure 1). Even around the world, this kind of growth rate is fantastic. Hence, â€Å"China is the market cosmetic companies will never give up. China is one of the most important countries for our overseas business operations; it is a huge market backed by a population of about 1.3 billion about 10 times Japans population.† (Tadakatsu Saito, Director of Shiseido) Consumption tax introduced by the State Administration of Taxation gave benefits to domestic cosmetic companies develop. 11 categories of goods such cigarette, car are subject to consumption. The aim of consumption tax is to narrow the income up. The widening gap currently became serious social problem in China. High-end cosmetic is subject to 30% consumption tax, for basic cosmetic is subject to 0%. (Fang, 2005) Actually, most of foreign brands are considered as luxury. For domestic cosmetic companies, they can provide competitive price to customers. In areas with lower income, it may be more attractive customers than foreign brands. Competition of China cosmetic market is very intense because more than 300 brands exist. However, target markets of domestic and foreign brands may be different. For example, customers in large cities with a higher level of disposal income have a preference for famous brands from foreign countries. Outsides the metropolitan area, however, many customers are purchasing products produced by local companies. In 1980s, there were more or less 40 cosmetic brands available in China cosmetic market. These brands only offer limited products such as Shampoo, lipstick. Cosmetics like perfume were used by few people. However, currently more than 300 brands can be found in market In respect of types, skin-care products account for 35% of total cosmetic output, hair-care products possess 28%, make-up products perfumes are 29% and 28% respectively (Figure 2) In earlier of 1990s, the regulations on Cosmetics in China were very imperfect so that China cosmetic market was jumbled. A huge number of small cosmetic enterprises raid the market healthy development ( Li et al., 2004). Regulations on Cosmetics Hygiene Supervision are the basic laws and regulations on cosmetics that were enacted by Ministry of Health on November 13, 1989 and put into effect of January 1, 1990. They include general provisions of cosmetics, hygiene supervision over cosmetic manufacture, hygiene supervision over cosmetics distribution, the organ for Hygiene supervision over cosmetics and its duties, penalties and supplementary provisions. For instance, cosmetic ingredients must abide by standards set by Regulations on Cosmetics Hygiene Supervision. Besides, with regard to labeling, the regulations set down provisions. On the label of cosmetics, the name of the product, the name of the producer and the serial number of the hygiene license for the producer should be cle arly stated. Lots of false advertisements existed in the past exaggerate the effectiveness of the products to misguide customers. Regulations ban false and misleading statements in advertisements (Regulations Concerning the Hygiene Supervision Over Cosmetics) On the other hand, the related authority actively attacks false advertisements. As rapidly development of cosmetics, regulations gradually become complete. China cosmetic market is standardization and is brought in line with international practice. Complete regulations guarantee sound development cosmetic market. More and more cosmetic manufacturers have corporate social responsibility consciously comply with regulations. With rapid China cosmetic market development, cosmetic distribution channels are diversified. Different kinds of modern retail distribution channels swarm into market. In the past, Chinese customers bought cosmetics through supermarkets and hypermarkets. Most of cosmetics they purchase were ‘basic cosmetics such soap, shampoo. In that time, scarce premium cosmetic brands were in the market due to high tariff. Accounting to beauty retailing China 2005, 80% of cosmetics and toiletry sales were completed through hypermarkets and supermarket. Except for supermarket and hypermarket, department store is the other major channel that is very popular among Chinese customers. (Pitman, 2005). In China, cosmetic companies open specialty counters on the first and second floors of department store. These counters forming cosmetic area are convenient for customers. Not every cosmetic brand is able to own specialty counters. The premise is that the brand should have a wide range of products an d distinctive brand name and images. Therefore, customers believe cosmetics sold in department store have reliable quality and can be safely used. Nowadays, various channels including Pharmacy chains, specialty stores professional stores exist in the market. Specialty stores provide professional services and full range of products of a particular cosmetic brand. Actually, specialty stores in China are owned by former cosmetic direct selling companies such as DHC. Because direct selling business model is generally prohibited by China government unless license is given by China government. Avon as a leading direct selling cosmetic company was successfully granted direct selling license in year 2008. Its also the company obtaining first direct selling license in China. For most of companies, specialty stores as the effective way for them to adjust their business models (LIFung research center, 2005) Rapid development of China cosmetic industry has went on over the last two decades. Cosmetics become the fifth largest consumption products by Chinese customers. This market still has a great room to develop and is far way saturation. There are two main reasons. On one hand, China has a population of 1.3 billion so that it has a large potential customer. China government has committed itself to develop the middle and western part of China to balance the economic gap between east and west China. The grand western development program is in process. The purchasing power of west China will become strong in future. On the other hand, the current capita annual spending on cosmetic of Chinese customers is still far below that of developed countries. Capita annual spending on cosmetic of Denmark and Sweden has reached â‚ ¬171 (Global Insight, 2007) China economy is still booming so that people living standards will increasingly improve. Customers will spend more money on cosmetics. For co smetic companies, China is expected as a market with enormous business opportunities. (LIFung research center, 2005) 1.2 Why choose Shanghai? Shanghai has the worlds fastest growing economy. The population of Shanghai is about 16 million, financial income is more than RMB 6 billion, GDP Per Capita is RMB 37,382 and average annual people salary is about 21,781 in financial year 2001. (Zhao, 2005). Shanghai is the biggest commercial city in China; GDP has continuously grown up in past 13 years. In year 2004, GDP growth rate has achieved 13.6% (Wu and Delong, 2006). Shanghai alone accounts for a large proportion of the target markets for cosmetics. Eastern coastal region is critical to the whole Chinas cosmetic retail sector. At present, total cosmetic retail sales of Shanghai, Beijing, Jiangsu province, Guangdong province, Zhejiang province and Shandong province is up to 55% of nation cosmetic retail sales. Among them, Shanghai accounting for 12% ranks first, followed by Beijing, Jiangsu province. ( HKTDCs China cosmetic market report, 2008). Shanghai is just a city compared to one whole province; cosmetic sales of it are st ill higher than that of province. It proves that cosmetic used by Shanghai people is really popular. Furthermore, Shanghai is viewed as ‘fashion capital in China. In Asia, its status has gradually been enhanced. It plays a key role on leading fashion in Asia. Many people believe Shanghai is ‘The Paris of the East. Everything managing peoples appearance and figure are considered as fashion process. Hence, expect for apparel, cosmetic, jewelry and others are parts of fashion people pursue. Cosmetic are used to enhance peoples beauty, exhibit their personality and aesthetic preference. (Guthrie et al., 2008). Customers from other cities and province may imitate how Shanghai customers make up, which facial cream brands they use. Another main reason of choosing Shanghai is that mostly cosmetic brands no matter international brands or domestic brands can be found in Shanghai cosmetic market. According to the Shanghai Commercial Information Center, Shanghai is not only a place of using cosmetics, but also a major place producing cosmetics. Except for domestic manufacturers, many foreign cosmetic companies set up plants in Shanghai. Shanghai has a sound production environment. Most of suppliers, manufacturers are located nearly in industrial area so that it facilitates communication and assists to reduce transportation costs. (HKTDC, 2002) As the economic and financial center of China, Shanghai as locations of this study is selected. The findings of this study can give an overall understanding of brand loyalty of Chinese customers in cosmetic market. Shanghai may be more representative in contrast other areas, because a huge number of people in Shanghai are from different cites and areas of China. Hence, it ensures respondents of this study have different background. 1.3 Why select facial cream? For this research I select facial cream among thousands upon thousands cosmetics. The reason is that facial cream is one of the popular cosmetics in China market and also has large market potential. By contrast, cosmetics like shampoo, soap have already reached saturation because growth rate is very slow (HKTDC, 2002). According to figure 1, skincare products account for around 35% of cosmetics market share and still are the main stream of cosmetic consumption. At the same time, skincare products are the one with bigger market potential and highest profit in cosmetics market. In the skincare segment, facial care is the largest product category consumed by Chinese customers in China .Facial care includes facial cream, facial cleanser, toners, masks and sun protection. Facial cream can be categorized into moisturizer, whitening cream, anti-ageing cream, nourisher and others depending on its function. Moisturizer and nourisher already constitute nearly 71% of facial care market share (F ukuda, 2004). These cream are sold well in China because of dry weather. On the other hand, the whitening cream in China is supposed to be prevalent due to Chinas culture. White skin is one standard characteristic of the Chinese concept of beauty. Chinese proverb say ‘ Yi Bai Zhe San Chou. It means white can offset three uglity. Skin tone is very important viewed by Chinese. Even though healthy skin is popular all over the way, Chinese people are eager for white skin. (The China observer) The demand of facial cream is expected stably growing. Purchase rate and usage rate of these are relatively high in contrast with other products. Therefore, target population may easier to be accessed. 1.4 Problem definition The goal of business is to make as much money as possible. Brand loyalty grants a great number of advantages to companies for them to achieve goal. It prevents companies from competition imitation and maintains business stability. On the other side, it gives customers confidence to shop in a complex market. Because customers need not go through decision process to decide which brand should purchase. (Tepeci, 1999). Companies are able to charge higher price to loyal customers to maximize their profitability. Actually loyal customers are less likely to affect by price increase. (Kumar, 2002) Furthermore, companies enable to save funds on promotion and acquisition costs to attract customers. Customers are loyal toward brands will make repeat purchase in the future and make recommendation to their relatives and friends. It provides efficient and effective way for companies to increase their sales. Hence, establishing brand loyalty is the sustainable advantage which will build the constan t flow of customers, continuous profits for companies, finally determine success of companies. (Coggins, 2009) As Chinas economy roars ahead, lots of cosmetic companies have entered China cosmetic market in order to seize this attracting market share. One of fundamental reasons is that most of these companies are difficult to increase sales in mature regions such as Western Europe and America. On the contrary, in emerging market, a number of potential customers companies will target. However, in accordance to China market research group (CMR), many marketing executives complain brand loyalty cannot be built among Chinese customers. (Rein, 2007) Importance of brand loyalty should not be ignored. Because it lacks brand loyalty, consumers are readily to switch to competitors products. Cosmetic markers realize significance of brand loyalty. When existing customers are not properly retained, new customers must be continuously induced. Hence, companies are supposed to invest huge amounts of advertising, promotion activities, and sales costs to seize new customers. For example, companies have to car ry out sale promotion to induce trial and enhance their brand name as well. The expenditure of capturing new customers is approximately six to ten times what spends on retaining current customers. ( Pogol, 2007) Furthermore, brand loyal customers are less likely to switch to other brands by price allure. Since they consider brand they are loyal towards possess unique value that other brands cannot replace. (Tepeci,1999) Due to meet customers need, companies are able to keep price at high among fierce competition. It reduces threat of price wars for companies. In China, companies lack brand loyalty is really in danger. Imitation is very rampant in many industries of China. Cosmetic market is no exception. Imitator usually set quite low price to draw customers. Moreover, customer spending tends to increase over time. For example, customers who are loyal to facial cream of particular brand are highly likely to try other product lines or new products of the same brand. It provides a solid foundation to companies for new product launch and reduces new product failure risk as well. Thus companies are able to increase sales. Importance of brand loyalty have already recognized by marketer and researches. A number of studies were conducted in this area. Why dont cosmetic companies to create customer brand loyalty? Cosmetic companies cannot implement appropriate strategies to contribute brand loyalty. Because cosmetic markers dont have clear understanding of which factors play important role on affecting brand loyalty in cosmetic market. They didnt make effort in right areas. Even many researches are about significance of brand loyalty, few of them studies on factors creating brand loyalty. Therefore, cosmetic marketers cannot obtain sufficient information to implement appropriate marketing strategies to build brand loyalty. 1.5 Research questions: Do any factors significantly affect brand loyalty in cosmetic industry? What is current brand loyalty level in cosmetic industry? Which cosmetic brand possesses the highest brand loyalty level? 1.6 Research objectives The objective of this research is twofold. On one hand, the objective is to investigate main factors affecting brand loyalty in cosmetic market. On the other hand, it identifies current brand loyalty level of cosmetic industry in Shanghai. It can be treated as a benchmark for cosmetic companies to compare their own brand loyalty level with overall brand loyalty level to determine their positions in industry. At the same time, the brand with the highest brand loyalty level is able to be identified. 1.7 Significance of study This study will be a significant endeavor in determine main factors contributing to brand loyalty in cosmetic industry. By understanding major elements affecting brand loyalty, cosmetic companies are able to develop their appropriate strategies to enhance brand loyalty to gain competitive advantages in fierce competition. This study will also assist cosmetic companies to utilize limited resources to target areas such as marketing; research and development (RD) where critical affect brand loyalty in cosmetic market. Moreover, this research will provide directions for cosmetic companies to set down their human resource policies including recruitment, training, reward and promotion. For example, companies implement training programs so that employees are able to serve customer better. CHAPTER THREE METHODOLOGY 3.0 Introduction This chapter illustrates an in-depth description of the research methods used to implement this research. In this part, source of data, sampling techniques and research instruments are explained. This chapter is very important because it highlights adopted models and methods utilized to answer the research questions. 3.1 Source of Data There are two main methods available for data collection, the primary and secondary data collection methods. The primary data consisted of data collected by the researcher to ensure validity and reliability. Apart from conducting primary research, this study based its analysis on existing data from professional organizations such as HKTDC as supplements by published materials.This is because these organizations do extensive work in the relevant areas of this research. 3.1.1 Primary data This research uses quantitative data in the form of questionnaires. The quantitative data in form of questionnaires consist of close and open ended questions and also questions based on Likert-scales. The questionnaires cover all relevant areas needed for the research such customer demographic, main factors affecting brand loyalty of facial cream. Questionnaire is selected as a quantitative method for collecting data because according to Oppenheim (1972) â€Å"Questionnaires are not merely just forms to be filled up, but also are scientific instruments for collecting and measurement of data.† Developing a research questionnaire is a bottom up process. Beside of questionnaire, a pilot study using interviews is conducted with 40 customers who are shopping in shopping mall. Before they are interviewed, they are asked do they use facial cream. Only users are selected to do interviews. The aim of this pilot study is to develop the questionnaire for this research. According to the respondents, factors influencing brand loyalty of facial cream comprise of product quality, store environment, brand name and service quality. Besides, the nature of service quality dimensions directly relate to the industry under analysis. Information collected shows that salespersons professional knowledge, appearance (beauty) and responsiveness are more importance to customers to identify whether the service provided is excellent or not that will affect their brand loyalty toward cosmetics. The information gathered from this pilot study indicates that Olay (PG), Dabao, Avon , LOreal Ponds(Uniliver) are familiar facial cream brands. Furthermore, they also state brands like Shiseido, LOreal, Lancome and Olay (PG) are famous cosmetic brands. Moreover, respondents state they usually purchase facial cream around two to three month one time based on their own experience. Therefore these data collected are used to address specific research problems in this study. 3.1.2 Secondary Data This refers to data that have been already collected and analyzed by other people. The main purpose of retrieving these data is to find a basis for the research and acknowledge the work of experts who had contributed to the pertinent literature on the subject matter. This study bases its analysis on existing data from professional organizations (e.g. HKTDC) that do extensive work in the areas of China cosmetic industry and brand loyalty in China. It provides information about overall development of China cosmetic market. Furthermore, it identifies which kind of cosmetics is usually used by Chinese customers. Hence, Im able to select object to conduct this study. Other secondary data sources used are journals, articles, dissertations, newspapers and textbooks. Journal articles help to identify relevant variables and develop theoretical framework. 3.2 Method A self-administered questionnaire is directly distributed to 200 customers aged from 20 -50 years old. Sample size 200 should be suitable for exploratory study. The questionnaire is originally written in simple Chinese and then translated into English. According to national statistics, customers who are 20-50 years old are the largest group of cosmetic consumption in China. They account for around 76% of cosmetic consumption of whole country. This age group selected lead that sample can be more representative of the population. The surveys are conducted in Henglong shopping mall and Eastern shopping mall where respectively locate in Nanjing road and Xujiahui road that are the most important commercial centers in Shanghai. Because not only people in downtown come to these two shopping mall, but also a great number of people in suburb and country like to shopping in there. Hence customers from different income groups can be accessed. In order to ensure customers from suburb and country can be targeted, surveys are done in Weekend. Compared to Weekday, proportion of customers from suburb and country on Weekend is higher. Because customers have sufficient time to travel to downtown on Weekend. Furthermore, Most of facial cream brands are available in these two shopping centers. Quota sampling (non-probability sampling) is utilized in this study. Gender is chose as control variable. Number of male is 80, others are female. Since female using facial cream is slightly higher than male. Customers who are visually estimated to be 20 to 54 year old are approached and asked to respond to the questions. To further ensure customers with different income level to be targeted, questionnaires are distributed in supermarket, specialty stores and beauty counters in shopping malls. To ensure only customers using facial cream would be respondents of this research, I politely ask them first to identify whether they are the target population. 100 of them are from Henglong shopping m all, others are from Xujiarui shopping mall. Convenience sampling is the less expensive and faster and convenient method. Respondents are accessible, easy to measure and cooperative. The completed questionnaires are used for this research. 3.3 Questionnaire Overall, the questionnaire includes three parts. Firstly, the questionnaire deals with demographic variables of respondents. Variables such as age, education are considered. Second part relates to customer brand loyalty of facial cream, the last part is concerning factors affecting brand loyalty. The structure of the questionnaire is clear, easy to understand, and straightforward to ensure that the respondents are able answer the questions with ease. 3.3.1 Brand loyalty In this research, I use attitudinal measures that are usually based on survey to identify the current brand loyalty level of facial cream in Shanghai. As mentioned above, behavioral measures are more sensitive to short-run fluctuations. The most important limitation of behavioral measures is that they make no distinction between brand loyalty and repeat buying. (Day, 1969). In this questionnaire, brand loyalty is measured on brand preference, switching attitude toward loyal brand and purchase in intention. The open-ended question is used to ask respondents to list out their favorite brands of facial cream. Then five Likert scale question is set down to identify respondents degree of preference. Next part questions examine switching attitude toward the loyal brand. Respondents are asked whether they feel comfortable when they switch to other brands. Furthermore, other question is relevant to respondents willing to change to other brands. Five-point Likert scale questions are also exer cised to indicate respondents degree of agreement on each of the statement (1=strongly disagree; 5=strongly agree). Regarding to purchase intention, respondents are asked to state how likely are they purchase favorite brands in future. (1=no chance, 5=certain). Target how many female and male Target on customers of different income group Income based on report (ä ¸ ­Ã¤ º §Ã©Ëœ ¶Ã§ º §) 3.3.2 Factors affecting brand loyalty Four above mentioned variables (brand name, product quality, store environment and service quality) are measured on a five-point Likert scale using close-ended questions. Two questions are relevant to brand name, four questions are about product quality, three questions are asked about store environment, while three questions relate to service quality. Respondents indicate the level of agreement with the statements that the best describe their feeling toward their favorite brands, ranging from 1= strongly disagree, 5=strongly agree.

Inspirational Essay

We walk around in the world and we as human beings look to find fulfillment and happiness in many things such as sports, friends, and boy/girlfriends and as young people when we get rejected by these things we act like we can’t go on with life. . But i challenge you to think about the meaning of â€Å"LIFE†. Well Life is a Gift of God, Abundance of receiving things. . In John 4 its speaks on living water and how Jesus uses both the physical and spiritual meaning of water when he speaks to the Samaritan Woman, He refers to the spiritual side as living water. People in the world tend to you suicide or hurting themselves as a way out of situations but God gave us eternal life so that we may be humble servants unto him. . God never puts more on us than we can bear. . Life is important so we really need to know the meaning of it because it seems to be lost in today’s society. .I used to be bitter and sad before i had gotten saved. . I had a huge void that needed to be filled and nothing truly could fill it. . Except GOD.

Controlling Organized Crime Essay

Combating organized crime can be an intricate task. Various laws exist in the fight against organized crime, and some have been successful in prosecuting several members of organized crime groups. However, without the refinement of such laws, organized crime groups will just find ways to get around such laws. Law enforcement efforts to combat organized crime can run into limitations as far as what law enforcement can and cannot do. Laws need to be changed to avoid such limitations. Without the changing of such laws, law enforcement efforts to combat organized crime will be almost wasted. Organized crime has become a growing problem over the last several years. Organized crime can exist in any community and strikes fear into the individuals which live in the communities in which an organized crime group has set up base. An organized crime group will come into a community where the government is weak, or nearly non-existent. Setting up base in these types of communities makes it easier for the organized crime group to perform their illegal activities. Organized crime groups have their hands in many illegal activities meant to make money. Illegal activities such as loan sharking, prostitution, illegal gambling, drug trafficking and human trafficking are just some examples of the activities organized crime groups are involved in. The problem with stopping these activities is that there can be a great number of people from one group committing these crimes, and getting to the â€Å"big fish† is almost impossible. Even if the small players are taken out of the game, those people likely will not tell who they are working for, making it almost impossible to take down the entire group. With organized crime reaching across state and country boundaries, combating organized crime can run into legal limitations. Each state’s and country’s jurisdictional requirements are going to vary. Different jurisdictional requirements make it almost impossible for law enforcement from one jurisdiction to apprehend criminals in anothe r jurisdiction. Organized crime groups are aware of these problems with jurisdictions and will use this knowledge to their advantage when committing criminal acts (Limbaugh, 2010). A major federal law intended to combat the growing problem of organized crime is the 1965 /1967 Mafia-membership (law proposed by Senator John McClellan) Senate Bill 2187, 89th Congress, Senate Bill 678, 90th Congress. This law states that any person who knowingly and willfully becomes, or remains a member of the mafia, or any other organized crime group, in which the group operates illegal activities such as gambling, extortion, blackmail, narcotics, prostitution, or labor racketeering, and the member has prior knowledge of such activities committed by the organized crime group, is subject to a punishment of no less than five years but no more than 20 years in prison and fines up to $20,000.00 (â€Å"Organized Crime And Federal Legislation†, n.d.). This particular piece of legislation appears that it would be very effective in combating organized crime. Taking out the small players in an organized crime group could lead law enforcement to the top of the chain-of-command, ther efore effectively taking down the group as a whole. Another federal law intended to combat organized crime is the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Statute. The RICO Statute provides penalties for persons involved in racketeering activities. Racketeering includes criminal acts committed such as any act or threat involving murder, kidnapping, gambling, arson, robbery, bribery, extortion, dealing in an obscene manner, or dealing in a controlled substance. I think this law would also be very effective in combating organized crime as organized crime groups are likely to be involved in some form of racketeering. Having laws such as the RICO Statute can bring down an entire organized crime group, as each member will likely be involved in some form of racketeering. Laws such as this one may not completely stop an organized crime group from committing such criminal acts, but this law may make an organized crime group think twice about committing such criminal acts. The continual refining of such laws intended to combat organized crime would create better efforts for the law enforcement fight against organized crime. As times change, organized crime groups are becoming smarter, and using new technology in the commission of criminal acts. Operating an online store to sell counterfeit clothing overseas would be one such example of use of new technology. Laws need to be refined to keep up with the changing criminal world. Laws written prior to the introduction of the internet did not take into account the changes that would come over time, so such laws have to be re-written to accommodate technology such as the internet. The fight against organized crime will be a never-ending effort. As long as there is public demand for prostitution, illegal drugs, and other services provided by organized crime groups, there will be organized crime. Taking down organized crime groups will have to be a joint effort amongst all law enforcement agencies, federal and state. By combining resources of state and federal law enforcement, a better handle can be gotten on the fight against organized crime. References Limbaugh, S. (2010). Controlling Organized Crime. Retrieved from http://voices.yahoo.com/controlling-organized-crime-6835298.html Organized Crime and Federal Legislation. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.organized- crime.de/OCLAWS.htm

Improving School Lunches (for Kids and the Environment)

Now that many schools have stopped selling sodas and other unhealthy vending machine items to their students, improving the nutritional quality of cafeteria school lunches is on the agenda of many parents and school administrators. And luckily for the environment, healthier food usually means greener food. Connecting School Lunches with Local Farms Some forward-thinking schools are leading the charge by sourcing their cafeteria food from local farms and producers. This saves money and also cuts back on the pollution and global warming impacts associated with transporting food long distances. And since many local producers are turning to organic growing methods, local food usually means fewer pesticides in kids’ school lunches. School Lunches Linked to Obesity and Poor Nutrition Alarmed by childhood obesity statistics and the prevalence of unhealthy foods offered to students in schools, the Center for Food and Justice (CFJ) in 2000 spearheaded the national Farm to School lunch program. The program connects schools with local farms to provide healthy cafeteria food while also supporting local farmers. Participating schools not only obtain food locally, they incorporate nutrition-based curriculum and provide students with learning opportunities through visits to the local farms. Farm to School programs now operate in 19 states and in several hundred school districts. CFJ recently received significant support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to expand the program to more states and districts. The group’s website (link below) is loaded with resources to help schools get started. USDA Offers School Lunch Program in 32 States The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) also runs a Small Farms/School Meals program that boasts participation in 400 school districts in 32 states. Interested schools can check out the agency’s â€Å"Step-by-Step Guide on How to Bring Small Farms and Local Schools Together†, which is available free online. Chef Alice Waters Teaches School Lunch Cooking Classes Other schools have taken the plunge in their own unique ways. In Berkeley, California, noted chef Alice Waters holds cooking classes in which students grow and prepare local organic fruits and vegetables for their peers’ school lunch menus. And as documented in the film, â€Å"Super Size Me,† Wisconsin’s Appleton Central Alternative School hired a local organic bakery that helped transform Appleton’s cafeteria fare from offerings heavy on meat and junk food to predominantly whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables. How Parents Can Improve School Lunches Of course, parents can ensure that their children eat well at school by forgoing the cafeteria offerings altogether and sending their kids to school with healthy bag lunches. For on-the-go parents unable to keep up with a daily lunch making regimen, innovative companies are beginning to sprout up that will do it for you. Kid Chow in San Francisco, Health e-Lunch Kids in Fairfax, Virginia, New York City’s KidFresh and Manhattan Beach, California’s Brown Bag Naturals will deliver organic and natural food lunches to your kids for about three times the price of a cafeteria lunch. But prices should change for the better as the idea catches on and more volume brings costs down.

American Civil Liberties are NOT Violated by the Patriot Act

American Civil Liberties are NOT Violated by the Patriot Act As we face the threat of terrorism, how do we protect ourselves without hurting our freedoms? Today, terrorism is a major threat to our homeland security and has become increasingly more prevalent and difficult to monitor with the publics accessibility to communication and information through todays technology. Terrorists are now able to communicate more freely with recent technological advances. In an effort to combat this new threat, the government passed the Patriot Act, which was created to relieve some of the difficulties of monitoring communications and activities of the public so the government can easily detect terrorist activity. In response to the†¦show more content†¦government, and we cant afford to have people lose their lives because part of the information is in one department and part is in another department and they are not talking to each other (Frank, 2002, p. 1505). The Patriot Act expands the pen register statute to include electronic communications and Internet usage, which was previously limited to tracing of telephone numbers called by suspect criminals (Olsen, 2001). In addition, this act allows the government to obtain warrants to examine what people read in libraries and bookstores from records on what a person checks out or buys. Moreover, the law allows the government to detain or deport suspects of terrorism as well as monitor financial transcripts and electronic records. Recently, the federal court ruled to expand the use of wiretaps and other surveillance techniques in tracking suspected terrorists under the Patriot Act. The main part of the ruling is removing previously existing legal barriers between the FBI and the Justice Department investigators, prosecutors and law enforcement personnel (Fox, November 2002). Those opposed to the Patriot Act claim that it takes away our civil liberties and basic rights afforded under the Constitution. Many argue that the bill was rushed through Congress and never gave members time to go over it or interpret it (Demmer, 2002). According to one representative who voted against the bill, the bill was never available to him to read before theShow MoreRelatedAliens : An Alien Who Arrives At The Nation s Borders7568 Words   |  31 Pagessubjected to mandatory detention is constitutionally guaranteed a bond hearing? II. Introduction In 2014, the Obama Administration adopted an aggressive deterrence strategy as a response to the surge in families arriving at the U.S. borders from Central American countries. There was an increase in murders committed by gangs such as M-18, specifically targeting women. The Administration requested that families that arrived at the border, including children should be sent to detention facilities. The DepartmentRead MoreCorrectional Administration Reviewer18383 Words   |  74 Pagesdistinguish from Penitentiary Science- Penology deals with the various means of fighting crimes as regards to penalties and other measures of security, while Penitentiary Science is limited only to the study of penalties dealing with deprivation of liberty. ï  ½ The Golden Age of Penology - the period from 1870 to 1880 was considered the golden age of penology because of the following significant events: ï  ± 1870- the National prisons Association organized in Cincinnati, Ohio. ï  ± 1872- the First InternationalRead MoreImmigration to the United States8027 Words   |  33 PagesImmigration Debate US immigration laws in the last 25 years †¢ 1980 - Refugee Act increased overall refugee quotas to 270,000 †¢ 1986 - Immigration Reform and Control Act granted lawful permanent residency to over 2.7 million undocumented immigrants †¢ 1990 - Immigration Act established categories of employment and placed cap of number of non-immigrant workers †¢ 1996 - Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act - imposed strict penalties against illegal immigration and expanded definitionRead MoreNotes18856 Words   |  76 PagesTable 4.1). The period from the  ­ id-1800s to the early 1900s marked the zenith of imperial rule m in Africa. The formalization of colonial rule was accomplished at the  ­ 99 M04_KHAF1713_04_SE_C04.indd 99 1/18/12 10:30 AM  100 C ha p t e r 4â€Æ' Colonialism and the African Experience Table 4.1 European Control of Africa Period Imperial Power France Britain Belgium Germany Italy Portugal Uncolonized Total Pre-World War I (percent) Post-World War I (percent) Read MoreAr 670-1117328 Words   |  470 PagesInsignia Headquarters Department of the Army Washington, DC 3 February 2005 UNCLASSIFIED SUMMARY of CHANGE AR 670–1 Wear and Appearance of Army Uniforms and Insignia This rapid action revision of 3 February 2005-o Updates figures throughout the regulation (throughout). o Clarifies the definition of unauthorized tattoos while wearing the class A uniform (chap 1). Identifies officials responsible for making initial entry determinations on tattoos and brands (chap 1). Delegates the authorityRead MoreMarketing Mistakes and Successes175322 Words   |  702 Pagesmay be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, website www.copyright.com. Requests toRead MoreAr 670-1116218 Words   |  465 PagesArmy Washington, DC 3 February 2005 UNCLASSIFIED SUMMARY of CHANGE AR 670–1 Wear and Appearance of Army Uniforms and Insignia This rapid action revision, dated 11 May 2012-o Integrates the Program Executive Office Soldier products list guidance into the Uniform Quality Control Program (para 2-8). o Makes administrative changes (app A: marked obsolete forms and publications; corrected forms and publication titles; and corrected Web site addresses; glossary: deleted unused acronyms

Cruel and Inhumane Treatment of Animals - 1390 Words

Animals aren’t actors, circus clowns or prisoners. So, how come it’s okay to force them to perform confusing tricks or travel across the country in cages and trailers? Why are they exploited for human amusement? Unfortunately, some of these animals even lose their lives from incessant physical punishment and abuse. Animal suffering can be seen in many forms of entertainment including rodeos, circuses, and zoos. There are around eight hundred professional rodeos and a number of smaller ones in the United States each year (Francione 25). They involve a series of timed events using horses and other farm animals designed to challenge the skills of the contestants. Circuses are also a very popular form of entertainment that began in the late†¦show more content†¦Various forms of punishment are also used in training to show human dominance over the animal. To make the animal suitable for the act, whips and bull hooks are often employed (Coster 36). Sometimes animals are choked with collars, tormented with electric prods or removed of their claws and teeth (AAC 200). â€Å"Dancing Bears† are sometimes burned by their animal trainers, forcing them to stand vertically (Francione 23). Secondly, animals in the circus are confined in small spaces in comparison to their wild habitats. While they are not performing, they are chained or confined in beast wagons with only enough room to stand up and lie down (Francione 23). These small, barren cages are only 1.2-1.5 meters wide and 2.4-3.08 meters long and can easily be compared to a man living in his closet. Circus big cats spend 75-99% of their lives in such wagons (Laidlaw, On Parade 14). The animals are forced to drink, eat, sleep and excrete in these enclosures. An investigation by The British Animal Defenders found that circus elephants spend 98% of their day in chains and a 2009 scientific journal, Animal Welfare, reviewed that they were chained 12-13 hours a day (Laidlaw, On Parade 13). H oofed animals usually spend their time in small stalls, tied by ropes. When animals are transported, they are confined in small areas for very long periods of time so they cannot shift in the vehicle. Some circuses say, â€Å"†¦elephants [are] chained in railcars for an averageShow MoreRelatedThe Ethical Treatment Of Animal Testing1199 Words   |  5 Pagesnot animals such as mice and rats should be experimented on. The organization Psychologist for the Ethical Treatment of Animals believes in observing animals instead of experimenting on them (Meyer). Another known organization is People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). An organization that is in favor of animal experimentation is called Pro-Test and is located in the United Kingdom (UK). This organization thinks that experimenting on animals may help humans. About 95% of animals are notRead MoreAnimal Testing Is Not All Humane And Pain Free1130 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"An estimated 26 million animals are use d every year in the united states for scientific and commercial testing† (ProCon.org). We are rapidly using up the earth’s supply of small animals. â€Å"A 2011 poll of nearly 1,000 biomedical scientists conducted by the science journal Nature found that more than 90% agreed that the use of animals in research is essential (ProCon.org). Right now, millions of mice, rats, rabbits, cats, dogs, and other animals are locked up in cages and are getting killed for scientificRead MoreAnimal Cruelty959 Words   |  4 PagesAnimals are subjects to inhumane treatment by the hands of many individuals, however there is little done in order to protect them from this form of physical and neglectful treatment. Though there are several laws against this type of conduct, a great deal of animal abuse is unforeseen and these animals are victims whom cannot protect themselves. The state of New York describes felony animal cruelty as, â€Å"intentionally and without just cause seriously injuring or killing an animal† (Iannacone 2011)Read MoreAnimal Experimentation At University College London1685 Words   |  7 PagesI. Introduction a. Attention getter device: This is a picture of a kitten that was forced to undergo animal experimentation However, this is only one of the 11 at University College London that had part of its skull removed for a three-day round of experiments. The first day involved the kitten being paralyzed as electrodes and probes were put into their brains to be able to measure what they saw. 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Instead of testing on animals there are other ways to test products on. To prevent animal testing, one can buy cruelty-free products, educate others, help stop cosmetic testing or make donations to organizations that are against testing on animals. For my topic, I choose to research whether animals should be used for scientific or commercialRead MoreThe Pros And Cons Of Animal Testing1725 Words   |  7 Pages Each year, more than 100 million animals are experimented on in U.S. laboratories. These experiments are for things such as biology lessons, medical training, curiosity-driven experimentation, and chemical, drug, food, and cos metics testing.(Procon writers) Animal testing, also known as animal experimentation, is the use of non-human animals in experiments that seek to control the variables that affect the behavior or biological system under study. Animal testing is controversial and people findRead MoreAnimal Welfare Campaign Should Be Banned1185 Words   |  5 PagesEvery year, over billions of innocent animals, are dying, poisoned, and killed as a result of million experiments that are tested on them. These new experiments are not hundred percent guaranteed. However, these experiences may work with animals and give positive results, but when it tests back on the human, it gives the opposite results. The animal welfare campaign finds that testing new products on animals is an inhuman and a cruel thing and it should be stopped. So, they start making attacks aroundRead More Animal Rights Essay example1007 Words   |  5 Pageson the brain. Cruel and inhumane experiments like this one is an excellent re ason why people should recognize the importance of animal right activist groups such as PETA (People of the Ethical Treatment of Animals). Founded in 1980 by Ingrid E. Newkirk and Alex Pacheco, PETA is the largest group in the world with 600,000 plus members. PETAs effort to delete animal abuse in factory farms, laboratories, fur trade, and entertainment through education, investigations, research, animal rescues, legislationRead MoreIs the Captivity of Killer Whales for Entertainment Purposes Inhumane?924 Words   |  4 Pagesonly unethical but inhumane. This depicts the capturing process and life in captivity for public display of Orcinus Orcas, popularly known as Killer Whales since 1961. Although some laws regarding the capturing of whales have changed, whales are still being treated unethically. Just as inhumane as it is for this to be done to humans, it is equally inhumane for it to be done to animals. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, inhumanity is â€Å"the qual ity or stage of being cruel to other people or

Gravity Essay Example For Students

Gravity Essay Gravity has many benefits to humanity. It holds us to the earth so we do not fall off the earth and die in space. It holds the planets in orbit around the sun, and moons in orbit around their planets. It also holds stars in orbit around the center of the universe. (Gibben, page 14)Sir Isaac Newton thought that God created a perfect universe. He thought our universe was so perfectly designed that if God left the universe could run by itself. This view was extremely different early pagan scientist and offered new views about gravity. (Lindley page 34 and 35). Some two-hundred years later Einstein developed the General theory of Relativity. In this theory he stated that matter disturbs space-time. he said that the universe is like a giant rubber sheet and objects such as stars bend space-time. (Gibben, page 49.)One of a gravitys most complicated features are black holes. Black holes are objects that have as strong or stronger pull of gravity as stars such as the sun compacted into a extremely small space. It is so strong that light can not escape a black hole. It has been proven that black holes leak. The smaller the black hole is the more it leaks. (Gibben, page 46) If a object is put in the path of a black hole the process of spegetification begins. This process begins when an object falls under gravity it stretches and stretches into a long thin object. the only way to get out is by traveling faster than the speed of light. (Gibben, page 63)According to Newton, if the sun was to disappear, the suns gravity would immediately disappear with it. This would cause the gravitational attraction of the sun and earth to immediately leave into outer space. Then the earth along with all the other planets, moons, and asteroids would fling into space. (Lindley, 186)All objects fall at the same. speed. Galileo found this out by dropping the cannon balls with different weights off the Tower of Pisa. Later, Isaac Newton found out that a heavier object needs a great pull of gravity for the object to fall as fast as the smaller object. (Lindley, page 188)Works CitedLindley, David. The End of Physics.1993 Basic BooksGibben, John and May .Time and Space. 1994Dorling-Kinchsley