Social Desirability and Effectiveness of a Fat Tax in Countering Essay

Social Desirability and Effectiveness of a Fat Tax in Countering Obesity and Dietary-Related Disease in Canada - Essay Example Food labeling measures have been implemented for years, but despite such policies being in place, people in these nations continue to grow obese. Recently, most governments, especially in America, Europe and parts of Asia have or are considering implementing high tax policies on junk food. Experiences show that food tax policies are withdrawn later for their unintended consequences, with only a few exceptions of countries like Finland that seem to progress well with such policies. Thesis: This paper asserts that fat tax yields unintended consequences by impacting consumers differently in reference to regression effect, and there are challenges in altering consumer dietary behavior. Fat tax alone is an insufficient measure to solve the problem of obesity in any country; it would require combined policies and regulations by different responsible parties to alleviate the health problem. Each government has individually selected which food categories to impose the tax on. Some focus on levying high sugar foods, while others focus on fat saturation or the cholesterol content. These are some of the ways used to evaluate taxable junk food. However, defining junk food is complicated for the reason that it extends even into the healthy food types. First, not every meal that is served at the table even in sizable proportions is healthy or has the right nutritional value. Researchers classify vegetables and fruits among the recommended food types, others extend to healthy fatty acids which can be challenged when high-fat content is considered, but place a bias on the served fast foods at most outlets, targeting those prepared or manufactured with high sugar, salt, fat, cholesterol and fat-saturated or low vitamins contents. Others define unhealthy foods as a combination of the latter category but criticized to be rather harsh on the consumer.

Child Care College Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Child Care College - Essay Example In contemplating the kind of assistance parents should resort to for child care, it is essential that the requirement of a safe and happy environment that fun, educational and nurturing is met. Baby sitters are often among the top choice of parents in their decisions on which kind of help they would embark for their child. Though this is the case, it does not in any way conclusively suggest that it is the best practice. I would argue that child care from a licensed child care center is undeniably better than care from a baby sitter which is also fondly called as nanny. A child care center provides care for groups of children. They often provide entertainment and activities for all of the children to take part in. In child care centers, the space and equipment is designed strictly for the intended use of the facility (www.childcarehelp.org). Children tend to be grouped with others their own age and activities can be designed to meet the needs of each classroom of children. Most caregivers in a center are required to have education in child development or early childhood education, and all staffs are required to have annual in-service training in child development. ... In exchange for a bed, food and allowance they will look after the child or children while the parents go to work (www.babycenter.com). A live out nanny, on the other hand, will live in their own home and come to the house as and when arranged to look after the children. Either form of nanny would be considered an employee of the family (www.nannysource.com). The individual care offered to a child is the primary reason that many people select this service for their infant care needs. Parents are also able to have almost complete control over activities, feeding times and any other factor of the child's daily lives. Obviously in home care is the most expensive form of day care or any other care that is available but does offer a one on one service in exchange. There are a lot of disadvantages of babysitting though parents may think that it is the best care since there is a one to one interaction. Nanny care is unsupervised and our parents must do careful screening of any potential caregiver. The most glaring disadvantage is the expense, because, after all, our parents are paying someone's salary, and they are likely to be working a long day. Nanny care is the most expensive form of child care that I think our families could have, with most of us paying 18K - $40K per year for nannies (www.nannysource.com). Nannies are in high demand and there is a lot of competition in the marketplace for the qualified nanny. Lack of socialization may be an issue for an only child. Not all child care logistical problems are magically solved by nanny care. There may be issues on how to cover days when the nanny is ill or if there are weather emergencies which I

Lux Brand Promotion Essay Example for Free

Lux Brand Promotion Essay Promotion Lux campaigns have wooed millions of hearts over the decades. Popularly know as the beauty soap of film stars, Lux has been an intimate partner of the brightest stars on the silver screen for decades. An ode to their beauty, an announcer of their stardom, advertising campaigns on Lux have featured film stars across the nation, promising their beauty to ordinary women. In Bangladesh, almost all of the beautiful faces in media from different generations have been associated with Lux over the years. To name a few re Doyel, Champa, Suborna Mustafa, Nipa, Shakila Zafar, Bipasha Hayat, Afsana Mimi, Shomi Kaiser, Mou, Kushum Shikder and Aupi Karim. However, this star depended communication was slowly seen to be losing relevance, as consumers were beginning to question if the film stars actually used the brand. Thus, for the first time the film star was used as a communication device and not as the main feature of the ad. With the new communication strategy, the film star is used purely as a communication device to portray star quality in every Lux user. Branding story:  What is the common seductive link between Hollywood actor Paul Newman, Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief J. Jayalalithaa? They have all tried selling a soap at some point or the other. And the soap is Lux, the premium beauty soap from consumer products company HUL. â€Å"Lux has been the epitome of beauty for the Indian woman and inspires all women in India to enjoy the process of beautifying without any constraints,† says Srikanth Srinivasamadhavan, category head, personal wash, HUL. Lux—derived from the word luxury— was launched in 1899 as a laundry soap in the UK. In 1925, the brand was extended to the toilet soap category. It was positioned as a beauty soap in India, and HUL has since used successful film actors of the time—such as Leela Chitnis, Madhubala, Hema Malini and Kareena Kapoor—to endorse the product. Lux’s secret of longevity has been its consistent evolution—be it the soap colour, packaging or new variants, the brand has banked on innovation to keep its youthful image intact. Extending the soap cake to a range of shower gels, liquid soaps and moisturizing bars has helped the brand keep consumers excited and the competition at bay. What has not changed is the consistency in its communication and its positioning. Its tag lines—If it’s good enough for a film star, then it’s good for you too to Play with beauty—have conveyed the same message over the years. â€Å"Lux is a brand like Mills Boon. While the packaging and content could change, the romance angle doesn’t. It taps into an emotion very close to humanity’s basic need—social interaction. The brand has always hired celebrities when they have reached a certain height rather than using them at the start of their careers. This avoids the issue of celebrities overshadowing the brand,† says Agnello Dias, national creative director, JWT, which handles the account. Competitor pod Godrej(9. 2%)- Cinthol,  Fair glow Nikhar Nirma soaps(6. 74%) Wipro-Santoor Chandrika Itc(1. 75%)-Superia,Fiama di wills, vivel Internally-Lifebouy Dove

Futures and Options Essay

Futures and Options Essay The agreement to buy and sell such commodities is made through contracts to bring in legality in trading as it involves cash payments margins, delivery of goods and scope for profit maximisation. The emergence of contract systems eventually led to trading in contracts whereby a middlemen stands in between buyers and sellers. The active trading in such contracts brought standardisation which in turn led to the development of futures contracts. A future contract is a standardised, binding agreement to make or take delivery of a specified quantity and grade of a commodity at an established point in future at an agreed upon price. The organization of merchants involved in the trading these commodities evolved into an organisation that standardised the contracts and trading practises and came to be known as The Futures Exchange such as the New York Board of Trade (NYBOT) and the London International Financial Futures Exchange. One essential objective of the exchange is to provide the dealers with all necessary information with regard to price volatility i.e. the magnitude of price movement in either direction. Note that it measures price risk and volatility but does not remove or eliminate risks. The exchange provides the benchmark for the determination of price by making price margins mandatory for effective fair trading. Future transactions do not require full advance payments for the commodity (just the margin), the buyer of a futures contract which increases in value (or the seller of futures contract which decreases in value) can realize a profit which can be substantial in relation to the commitment of capital. Brazil today is the world largest producer of coffee. Considering this figures, it is not surprising to note that it has attracted considerable amount of speculation and ever increasing susceptibility to price volatility. Coffee production has direct linkage with weather besides many other factors such as world coffee prices. A coffee drink manufacturer will buy coffee beans from a coffee producer at an agreed price if he/she expects to have drastic climatic changes which will result in coffee being expensive at a future date. A sudden drop in the production in future will cut supply and make it more expensive. the buyer can, therefore, avoid unnecessary risk by buying a futures contract that will guarantee him delivery of coffee at a future date at a price fixed now. However, it must also be noted that he/she will suffer loss if the future current/spot price of coffee beans were to fall drastically due to improved production and competitions. Take an example of Brazil The Brazilian Crop was initially expected to produce about 50 million bags of coffee. Seasonal disturbances such as rain, harvest delays and quality problem caused production to fall to 33.5 million bags. Due to severe drought in Viet Nam coffee production dropped by almost 1 million bags. These shortages of coffee output distort the supply level which leads to a global rise in prices. So what roles does the future markets play in the production and selling of coffee? Taking these points into account the next chapter looks at the Indian and world coffee markets and the role future market plays in its pricing. In the analysis, I have made use of some articles from the Times of India newspaper and other websites. It is logical to state that at times of shortage prices tend to go up due to higher demand and which in turn puts pressure on sellers to sell their product at a lower price. We know from our analysis before that a buyer will resort to futures contract if he expects the prices to go up in future. However considering that the production too has been low the chances of producing the required amount to meet the demand is less which adds to speculation in the market. The report also suggests one source as saying that it is better to pay penalty and cancel a contract rather than to loose significant amount of money by fulfilling it. Note that sometimes the whole idea of futures contract is not meet the obligation in terms of delivering the commodity but to profit from the speculation that these uncertainties give rise to. The world coffee production in 2003/2004 was estimated to be around 105.3 million 60 kilogram bags down nearly 2 percent from forecast made in June and down 15 percent from the 2002/03 season. Factors such as lower production contribute to great extent the price determination. For the year 2004/2005 it was widely believed that Brazilian coffee production to be around 33-35 million bags but due to substandard weather and low level of investment the production is likely to be below 30 million bags. This drop in production is likely to cut the supply level and Brazil being the world largest producers, any drop in its output will affect the world supply and thereby raise the price. These uncertainties lead to prices going up in the futures markets. It has long been felt that some traders hold stocks to push the prices up and then sell it to make supernatural profits. Lets look at the graphical representation of prices of Robusta class of coffee as determined at the International Coffee Organisation (ICO) to assess the trends in the market. The graph below shows that since November 2004 Robusta coffee prices have increased at a slow and steady pace. However, a report that appeared on the Economic Times suggests that volatility in the world prices over the last few days have affected trading in coffee in the markets. The ICO in its Coffee Market Report seems to suggest that the downturn in mid-April caused a slight fall of 3.19 percent in the monthly average of the ICO Composite Indicator Price which dropped from 101.44 cents/lb in March to98.20 cents/lb in April. It also suggests that this has been due to high level of activity from various investment funds. Comparing the results put forward by the ICO to the recent reports in the Economic Times newspaper (24/05/2005) the volatility in the world prices have triggered a bullish trend in the Indian markets which explains why trading in the coffee auctions markets have suffered. Estimates shows that there was a 40 percent drop in the overall quantum sold when compared to the previous ICTA auction. The beginning of the year showed a significant climb in the moving averages between January and mid-March and then a significant drop till the mid of April. One of the least complex ways to use a moving average is to simply look at the slope a rising slope indicates that the market is in an uptrend and falling slope indicates a downward trend in the market. Moving Averages is a statistical technique for smoothing price movement in order to identify the trends more easily. It is equally important to understand that moving averages are sensitive to the number of days used to calculate the average i.e. the more days that are used; the less sensitive is the average. Some experts are of the view that MA can be a critical factor in decision making. For e.g. traders can make use of one or more MA to determine buy or sell decisions i.e.to use a slow MA together with a fast MA. A slow moving average can be calculated by taking more days opening or closing prices and fast moving average by taking fewer days prices. In a more elaborate way, what it means is that you must buy when the faster MA goes above the slower one and sell when the faster MA goes below the slower one [or] buy when prices are above both fast and slow MA and sell when prices are below both MA. The chart below is a graphical example of how a Moving Average looks like as of 05/27/2005. The Red Line (price line) is above the moving average so the trend is up indicating that the market is bullish and also the fast moving average (dark blue) is above the slow moving average (light blue). Volume of7078.00 suggests the measure of trading activity during the selected period of time. It refers to the number of futures contract that are either bought or sold during that period. Open Interests, on the other hand, measures the number of futures contract that remains open at a particular point in time, usually at the closing of trade. In the next chapter, I have looked at India as a producer of Coffee. India is relatively new into the coffee future markets and has performed exceedingly well. However, due to the speculative nature of the futures market and also bureaucratic hurdles have led to decrease in contract sales and increased price and non-competitiveness in the global coffee market. The two principal species of coffee grown in India are Robusta and Arabica. Trading in coffee futures was introduced only recently and prices are extensively depended on the coffee trading in the New York and London futures markets as it has considerable influence on the world coffee prices. These prices are notoriously volatile and varies considerably due to factors such as weather forecast, size of the coffee stock worldwide and speculations in the futures markets The Indian coffee production and physical trade is worth over $ 430 million annually. The production of Indian coffee is greatly influenced by world prices particularly since it is the second largest actively traded commodity in the world market. The Coffee Futures Exchange India Limited was formed under the supervision of Forwards Markets Commission to look into all trading practices affecting coffee prices. The main objectives are To provide hedging opportunity against coffee price risk. To ensure guaranteed delivery of coffee. To provide a price discovery mechanism for future period up to 18 months at any given point of time. Besides these it is important to look at the mechanism COFEI uses to ensure that market participants follows the rules in ensure financial integrity. Factors such as margins, Price limits for trading, daily marking-to-market of all trades and sufficient capital including guarantee funds ensures that proper procedures are followed when a contract is bought and sold. In India, coffee has been categorized into 4 different types with each having different margins for smooth and efficient trading. The table next page gives a snapshot view of how coffee in India is traded and in particular the different class of coffee whether raw or clean. The coffee industry, in general, has seen surge in prices by almost 40 percent. Exports in recent times have been hit quiet badly. Reports on the Financial Express newspaper suggest that export have suffered especially due to the price non-competitiveness in the world markets. India exported nearly 225,000 tonnes of coffee last year with majority (50 %) of it going to Europe. Indias coffee production and exports for the year 2005-06 (October-September) are forecast to increase by 5% and 29%, respectively. The anticipated rise in coffee export is against the backdrop of almost 26% decline in the current year (2004-05/Oct-Sep). Coffee exports are expected to fall to an eight-year low of 169,980 tonne, or 2.83 million 60-kilogram bags, in the current year ending Sept 30, from 229,320 tonne, or 3.82 million bags, a year earlier. India, the worlds fifth-biggest coffee exporter is set to witness decline as farmers and traders are withholding beans on expectations of higher prices. One of the biggest problems facing the traders in the Indian coffee industry is the time difference between India and the New York and London trading centres. Indian traders were now finding it difficult to hedge their risk. The local exchange functioned only till 5pm when the LIFFE and NYBOT and other European markets functioned till over 11.30 pm IST.

A Life of Purpose Essay -- essays research papers

When you live your life based on sentiments, trying not to hurt everyone’s feelings or doing things just because it feels good to do it, you’ll get nowhere twice as fast. Do not live by tradition either. If you do the same things the same way you have always done them, you will continue to get the same results. Do not live by tradition, it is an enemy of progress. Live by purpose. Ask yourself, â€Å"How can I do it better this year than I did last year?† Success brooks no argument. It announces itself. Every morning before you set about the day’s work, ask God for directions. He is a God of plan and productivity. He set to work for 6days and the whole of the universe came into existence. Our Lord ministered for three and a half years and the whole world changed. That is effectiveness. â€Å"Efficiency† means to do things well; â€Å"effectiveness† means to get results. Strive not only to be efficient, go for effectiveness. When you get results people will bow to you. People who are going nowhere keep waiting for the right time, or a better day. People who are going somewhere know that today is a better day. â€Å"Blessed is the man who walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly. Nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat if the scornful†¦.And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers if water that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither: and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind dri... A Life of Purpose Essay -- essays research papers When you live your life based on sentiments, trying not to hurt everyone’s feelings or doing things just because it feels good to do it, you’ll get nowhere twice as fast. Do not live by tradition either. If you do the same things the same way you have always done them, you will continue to get the same results. Do not live by tradition, it is an enemy of progress. Live by purpose. Ask yourself, â€Å"How can I do it better this year than I did last year?† Success brooks no argument. It announces itself. Every morning before you set about the day’s work, ask God for directions. He is a God of plan and productivity. He set to work for 6days and the whole of the universe came into existence. Our Lord ministered for three and a half years and the whole world changed. That is effectiveness. â€Å"Efficiency† means to do things well; â€Å"effectiveness† means to get results. Strive not only to be efficient, go for effectiveness. When you get results people will bow to you. People who are going nowhere keep waiting for the right time, or a better day. People who are going somewhere know that today is a better day. â€Å"Blessed is the man who walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly. Nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat if the scornful†¦.And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers if water that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither: and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind dri...

Dead Poets Society :: essays research papers

"It was Mr Keating's blatant abuse of position as teacher that led directly to Neil's death."We are asked to discuss the above statement after watching the movie: "Dead Poets Society". This statement I feel is ridiculous and when I have finished this essay you will agree.The school was a dull, meaningless place where tradition and reputation was put before creativity and education. That was until Mr Keating, came to the school as an English teacher. He focused around Poetry. He taught the boys to express themselves and do what they in their hearts wanted to do, not what their parents wanted them to do.The boys found a photo of Mr Keating in an old yearbook with the caption under reading- "Alan Keating, Leader of the Dead Poets Society." The boys approached Mr Keating about what the DPS was. He told them they would sneak out at night and sit the old Indian cave and read brilliant poetry. Neil, one of the more energetic boys, suggested that their group co ntinue this tradition, and they, in turn agreed.Mr Keating taught the boys to enjoy the poetry and let them speak out about what they wanted to be. He taught them to be individuals. But eventually allegations that he was responsible for Neil's death came flying back at him.Neil wanted to be an actor. He was very good at it and performed in the local production of: "A Midsummer Night's Dream". His father, however wanted him to be a doctor. After Neil's superb performance his father rushed him home and told him that he was sending him to Military school for another ten years to stamp out any further ideas of his acting.Neil shot himself that night.Students, parents and teacher immediately looked for someone to blame and the headmaster, Mr Norton picked out Mr Keating as the unlucky scapegoat.

Spontaneous Recovery: Reflections of a Smoker

Definition: Spontaneous Recovery is the tendency of a learned behavior to recover from the extinction after a rest period. (Schacter, Gilbert, Wegner 2009). In order to better understand this definition I had to do more reading on the basic principles of learning and behaviorism. The definition for learning is some experience that results in a relatively permanent change in the state in the learner. (Schacter, Gilbert, Wegner 2009) In order for one to have a spontaneous recovery you must first have learned the habit, such as smoking. Next is the habitation, which is a general process in which repeated or prolonged exposure to a stimulus results in a gradual reduction in responding (Schacter, Gilbert, Wegner 2009) This would be the learned smokers getting use to the taste of nicotine, the smell of the smoke and ultimately the mood or mental state associated with the effects of the cigarette. I have been a smoker since I was about fourteen years old. At first I began smoking due to peer pressure. I was not truly addicted till the year 2003 when everyone I worked with would gather and smoke after out shift to relax and reflect on our night. In 2008 I quit smoking with the use of the medication called Chantix with complete success. Unfortunately, I picked it up again when I had a roommate move who smoked. Now even though I hadn’t smoked in over a year the craving came back, which was the spontaneous recovery. I hadn’t smoked In over a year and found myself under stress and quickly went back to the habit (habituation) of smoking again and have been doing so for the last year. Now, I find myself with another prescription for Chantix but I know that unless I control my urges after I quit. I will forever have the learned behaviorism of a smoker and must always remember that spontaneous recovery will be right around the corner if I allow myself to fall back into the habit of smoking.