The Zone Diet Versus the Atkins Diet Essay -- Health Nutrition Diet Ex

The Zone and Atkins diets aim to achieve lower levels of insulin in the bloodstream. The Zone diet reduces carbohydrates by structuring calorie intake to a 40% carbohydrate, 30% protein, 30% fat ratio. The ratio decreases the amount of carbohydrates consumed, inturn lowering overall insulin levels. The Atkins diet also lowers insulin levels by lowering the quantity of carbohydrates ingested. This four phase diet begins with extreme limitation and gradually allows small amounts of carbohydrates. Though these diets implement different approaches they both reduce the insulin levels in the bloodstream. The Zone diet’s main concern is a lifelong optimization of the body’s metabolic function by regulation of levels of insulin in the bloodstream. These insulin levels are largely affected by the types of food consumed. Studies have shown that the consumption of foods high in carbohydrates lead to an increased level of insulin in the bloodstream. This increase in insulin levels is believed to lead to increased hunger and possibly obesity. In order to decrease the levels of insulin in the bloodstream, the Zone diet follows a strict formula of types and amount of food ingested. This one phase diet follows the notion that a diet should have a balance and avoid ketosis, or causing the body to think it is starving. This balance limits meals to a 40-30-30 composition. 40-30-30 means that 40 percent of a meal’s calories should be fiber rich carbohydrates, 30 percent should be low-fat protein, and 30 percent should be fats. Contrary to the Food Pyramid, the Z one diet decreases the amount of carbohydrates and increases the amount of protein. This decrease in carbohydrates lowers the levels of insulin and alth... ... The Zone and Atkins diets share the same main goal to regulate insulin levels in the bloodstream. Each has a unique way of achieving this goal. The Zone diet focuses on a strict calorie intake breakdown of 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein, and 30% fats. This structure of calorie consumption causes a decrease in the amount of carbohydrates ingested. The diet is not only strict in the proportions of the types of food consumed but also requires six precisely spaced Zone meals throughout the day. The Zone diet requires close adherence to guidelines, but the Atkins diet is in ways more flexible. The Atkins diet begins with an extreme limitation of carbohydrates and gradually allows small quantities, but has no other restrictions. Through balance or severe limitation of carbohydrates, the Zone and Atkins diets aim to reduce large insulin levels in the bloodstream.

Neuromancer :: Short Stories China Japan Neurosurgery Essays

Neuromancer The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel. "It's not like I'm using," Case heard someone say, as he shouldered his way through the crowd around the door of the Chat. "It's like my body's developed this massive drug defi- ciency." It was a Sprawl voice and a Sprawl joke. The Chatsubo was a bar for professional expatriates; you could drink there for a week and never hear two words in Japanese. Ratz was tending bar, his prosthetic arm jerking monoto- nously as he filled a tray of glasses with draft Kirin. He saw Case and smiled, his teeth a web work of East European steel and brown decay. Case found a place at the bar, between the unlikely tan on one of Lonny Zone's whores and the crisp naval uniform of a tall African whose cheekbones were ridged with precise rows of tribal scars. "Wage was in here early, with two Joe boys," Ratz said, shoving a draft across the bar with his good hand. "Maybe some business with you, Case?" Case shrugged. The girl to his right giggled and nudged him. The bartender's smile widened. His ugliness was the stuff of legend. In an age of affordable beauty, there was something heraldic about his lack of it. The antique arm whined as he reached for another mug. It was a Russian military prosthesis, a seven-function force-feedback manipulator, cased in grubby pink plastic. "You are too much the artiste, Herr Case." Ratz grunted; the sound served him as laughter. He scratched his overhang of white-shirted belly with the pink claw. "You are the artiste of the slightly funny deal." "Sure," Case said, and sipped his beer. "Somebody's gotta be funny around here. Sure the fuck isn't you." The whore's giggle went up an octave. "Isn't you either, sister. So you vanish, okay? Zone, he's a close personal friend of mine." She looked Case in the eye and made the softest possible spitting sound, her lips barely moving. But she left. "Jesus," Case said, "what kind a creep joint you running here? Man can't have a drink." "Ha," Ratz said, swabbing the scarred wood with a rag, "Zone shows a percentage. You I let work here for entertain- ment value." As Case was picking up his beer, one of those strange instants of silence descended, as though a hundred unrelated conversations had simultaneously arrived at the same pause. Then the whore's giggle rang out, tinged with a certain hysteria. Ratz grunted. "An angel passed." "The Chinese," bellowed a drunken Australian, "Chinese bloody invented nerve-splicing. Give me the mainland for a nerve job any day. Fix you right, mate.

GANGS :: Gang Essays

GANGS I'm doing a report on gangs. I need to start off by saying that a lot of the stuff I'm about to say, I think is bull shit. I think this because I am in a gang and do, or did drugs. I also have to disagree with some of, no actually a lot of the stuff I am about to say. Before I babble on about gangs I have to say one thing. Not all gangs are based around Latino's and or African-American's. Nor are all the gangs from Los Angeles area, but the Barrio is in East Los Angeles. There are many different gangs around. Some consist of African-Americans, Latinos, Skinheads, Caucasians, and Asians. Some are mixed. A lot of the gangs I've heard about and are friends with, mainly consist of colored-folk. In my gang for instance, we have five Caucasians, the rest of us are either black, latino, or dark like me. However, we do not have any asians in our gang. And no, we are not racist towards hispanics. There's a gang that is called The Satanic Cult, which is into some pretty weird rituals. They consisted of animal and human sacrifices and people with brown hair were forbidden and non-caucasians. There are many different gangs. Now there's one I am familiar with, the Necronomicon, who jumped me and my homeboy (who's Latino) just because we weren't white. Another one would belong to the punks. Which I do not have a problem with. The only two punk gangs I know of, do not call themselves "Gangs" but they call themselves a crew. They call themselves CFH, (Cowboys From Hell) and the other one is the Martians. A lot of the gang members come from broken homes, or something is wrong. So the kids end up in gangs doing drugs, drinking, smoking, committing crimes, and getting into violence. Some of us consider our gang "family." Some of the gangs actually do have real families in them. There's the problem of joining gangs. I got jumped into my gang. But that's one of the most common ways. The other ways are to have sex with someone who's already in it. Or you can get walked in. Some other ways which are sick and twisted that I've heard of are; the leader holds a knife to the newcomers throat. If the leader thinks the newcomer is lying he can slit his or her throat.

Immigration Issues in the United States of America Essay

The United States of America (U.S.A) is a country that was founded on immigration. If a surplus of European immigrants would not have made the transatlantic voyage to America, the U.S.A. would more than likely be nonexistent. For centuries foreigners have been flocking to American soil, in search of a fresh start in a safe location. With so much turmoil and hostility going on in varied countries around the world, more foreigners are attempting to immigrate onto American soil. Now that the total population is rising significantly due to immigrants, a plethora of United States citizens are becoming outraged. If only American citizens would open their eyes to reality, they would discover that immigrants are actually benefiting the United States. Once they immigrate, a large percentage of foreigners do everything they can to be successful. Immigrants benefit the country by starting businesses, working jobs the typical American refuses to work, and bringing cultural diversity to the count ry. Some skeptics believe that foreigners are taking their jobs and raising the crime rate, but they those are wrong allegations. Immigration of foreigners into the U.S.A positively benefits the country in countless ways, instead of negatively affecting it. The economy of the United States of America has had its ups and downs over the course of its existence as a country. Innumerable amounts of people across the globe dream about someday moving to the United States and living out the â€Å"American Dream.† For the lucky foreigners that actually succeed in immigrating to the United States(U.S.)., many of them wish to start up their own businesses. â€Å"In 2008, immigrants represented about 17 percent of all new business owners in the U.S., according to The Washington Post. By 2011, immigrants were creating 28 percent of all new businesses, CNN reports†(Immigration Helps US City Economies and Labor Markets, S&P Says.†). When immigrants come into the U.S., they search for whatever jobs they can get, so that they may support themselves or their families. Many of the jobs available to these immigrants are low-wage jobs, and with such a low income, it becomes hard to support a whole family. That is why a decent percentage of immigrants are starting their own businesses. Once the immigrant decides to be an entrepreneur, their potential profitability sky rockets, because the success of their business could be exponential. Who would choose a minimum wage job over a high paying business venture? Sure there is a chance that the new business could fail, but that is a chance that these hard working individuals are willing to take. These immigrants came to the United States to have a better life, and they will stop at nothing to make sure all their efforts will not be thwarted. â€Å"And as of 2008, immigrant-owned businesses were generating about $67 billion of the country’s annual $577 billion in business income†( Immigration Helps US City Economies and Labor Markets, S&P Says.†). As far as statistics go, it looks as if these foreign entrepreneurs are succeeding. Other areas of the United States economy rely on immigrants. The agricultural economy of the U.S. relies on immigrants to harvest their crops. If not enough foreigners are allowed into the country, farmers will lose vast sums of money, because their crops will not be harvested in time. â€Å"With the harvest season in full bloom, stringent immigration laws have forced waves of undocumented immigrants to flee certain states for more-hospitable areas. In their wake, thousands of acres of crops have been left to rot in the fields, as farmers have struggled to compensate for labor shortages with domestic help†( Bitter Harvest: U.S. Farmers Blame Billion-Dollar Losses on Immigration Laws). Recently with increased border security, fewer immigrants are being let in to the United States, and it has been taking a toll on the agricultural community. Farmers are desperate to get as many migrant workers that they can every harvest season. Now that there significantly less immigrants being allowed into the country, farmers crops are dying before the y can harvest them. Immigration is essential to the success of American farmers, because the common American is not willing to do the difficult labor that the migrant workers perform for the farmers. Immigrants are coming into the U.S. and are actually helping American citizens receive more capital for the jobs they are performing. Some Americans believe that immigrants are a nuisance to the country, and that they do nothing but hurt it. They are very wrong to assume this, because immigrants are actually enabling Americans to profit more for the jobs they are performing. â€Å"This implies that total immigration to the United States from 1990 to 2007 was associated with a 6.6% to 9.9% increase in real income per worker. That equals an increase of about $5,100 in the yearly income of the average U.S. worker in constant 2005 dollars†( FRBSF Economic Letter: The Effect of Immigrants on U.S. Employment and Productivity). This statistic is astounding. Not enough U.S. citizens believe that immigrants are essential to the prosperity of the United States. Immigrants are not only opening up more job opportunities for the American public, but they are also helping them to earn a reasonable increase of income. Without these immigrants, the minimum wage would more than likely take longer to increase over time. The demand for consumer goods is always fluctuating. The American public loves to spend the money they earn. With recent problems in the economy, such as the recession, people are spending less money on consumer goods. Immigrants are essential to the purchasing of consumer goods, because they make up a large portion of the United States population now. â€Å"The Immigration Policy Center estimates that the purchasing power of Latinos and Asians, many of whom are immigrants, alone will reach $1.5 trillion and $775 billion, respectively, by 2015†( The White House Blog). With the amount of immigrants increasing as such a rate, they have now become some of the top buyers of consumer goods in the country. The money that they earn working hard at their differing jobs, they go out and spend on American goods. This in turn helps the economy in the country exponentially, because without them, the population in the U.S. would be significantly less; therefore there would be a substantial loss in the profitability of consumer goods. Also, the immigrants coming into the country help support local buying of goods. No longer can they buy the goods that they once did in their home countries, so they are now supporting the economy of the United States more than ever before. A common misconception of foreigners is that they are taking jobs from American citizens when they immigrate into the country. â€Å"Illegal aliens come to the United States to take jobs that offer them greater opportunity, and they are often welcomed by U.S. employers who are able to hire them for wages lower than they would have to pay to hire U.S. workers†(Passel). The individuals who believe this fallacy could not be more wrong. The truth is, immigrants are benefiting the U.S. economy more than ever. â€Å"Meanwhile, the research has found that immigrants – including the poor, uneducated ones coming from south of the border — have a big positive impact on the economy over the long run, bolstering the profitability of American firms, reducing the prices of some products and services by providing employers with a new labor source and creating more opportunities for investment and jobs†( Immigration and American Jobs). These immigrants came to the U.S. to escape the rough cultures in which they grew up. They only hoped to start a better life in the United States, and do better for themselves. Not only are they now making more money than they would have in their country of origin, but they are also helping to stimulate the nation’s economy considerably. The immigrant work force has benefited the citizens of the U.S. to a degree that has never happened before. While some Americans despise the fact that a plethora of new foreigners are â€Å"taking over† their county, countless others are extremely thankful for all that the immigrants have done for the U.S. Foreigners are skilled in a wide variety of talents. Technology is key in the prosperity of a countries economy. With a surplus of new foreigners in the Unites States, more and more inventions are being constructed by these individuals. â€Å"According to a survey by the National Foundation for American Policy, immigrants have started nearly half of the top 50 venture-funded companies. Software, semiconductors, and biotechnology are the most common venture-backed startup firms started by immigrants†( Nowrasteh). Many of the immigrants that come to the United States of America, are coming from China and the Middle east. These populations of people grew up on the principle of working very hard and staying focused. Now that these foreigners are able to use more advanced technology, they are able to use their talents to their full abilities. Where they once did not have access to the most advanced technology available to mankind, they are now coming to the U.S. and experiencing all that a technologically savvy country has to offer. Crime has become quite the hot topic when it comes to immigrants. American citizens believe that the surplus of immigrants into the country has caused the crime rate to noticeably increase, but this is just another myth. â€Å"In El Paso, Texas violent crime down 36 percent – it sits right across from Juarez, Mexico, one of the deadliest cities on earth. In Phoenix major crime has dropped 10 percent from 2000 to 2009†( Does Illegal Immigration Lead to More Crime?). Just because many immigrants do not have the money, at first, to move into wealthy American communities, people in the U.S. believe that they are criminals. How many people get nervous when they drive through a rough part of town? Well these â€Å"rough† parts of town are where most of these immigrants live when they first come to the country, because they previously spent most of the money they had on moving to America. Crime and immigration are two terms that do not go hand in hand. A very large perc entage of the immigrants coming to America are doing nothing but trying to prosper and live the life that they always wanted to have. Immigration is something that will benefit the Unites States of America in the long run, because it helps to create a very diverse nation. â€Å"The fact that people want to come to the US enhances its appeal. Likewise, because the presence of many cultures creates avenues of connection with other countries, it helps to broaden Americans’ attitudes and views of the world in an era of globalization†( Immigrants Will Strengthen US Power). Once these immigrants come to the United States, they usually have family back in their home country, or connections with businesses. Now that they live in the U.S. they are able to make long lasting connections between their current businesses and their previous businesses. Not only are these immigrants connecting ties back to their home countries, but they are making the United States a more culturally diverse nation. Since the founding of the United States of America, people have been trying to move onto its soil to have a better life , and now they finally can live it. The United States of America has been profiting from immigration since its founding day. Now that there are a wide variety of foreigners in the U.S., the possibilities for economic growth are endless. Immigrants are so essential to the prosperity of the country. Even though there are a plethora of misconceptions of foreigners, they are doing everything they can to prosper in this nation. They start businesses, raise the income for American citizens, and do countless other things to better the nation. Immigration is the future. Works Cited â€Å"Bitter Harvest: U.S. Farmers Blame Billion-Dollar Losses on Immigration Laws.† Business Money Bitter Harvest US Farmers Blame BillionDollar Losses on Immigration Laws Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2012. â€Å"Does Illegal Immigration Lead to More Crime?† CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 23 July 2010. Web. 13 Dec. 2012. â€Å"FRBSF Economic Letter: The Effect of Immigrants on U.S. Employment and Productivity (2010-26, 8/30/2010).† FRBSF Economic Letter: The Effect of Immigrants on U.S. Employment and Productivity (2010-26, 8/30/2010). N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2012. â€Å"Immigrants Will Strengthen US Power.† South China Morning Post. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2012. â€Å"Immigration and American Jobs.† Economix Immigration and American Jobs Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2012. â€Å"Immigration Helps US City Economies and Labor Markets, S&P Says.† Fox News Latino. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2012. Nowrasteh, Alex. â€Å"Immigrants Help Fuel Te ch Growth.† The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 19 Jan. 2012. Web. 13 Dec. 2012. Passel, Jeffery S., and Cohn D’Vera. â€Å"Illegal Aliens Taking U.S Jobs (2011).† Fedoration For American Immigration Reform. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2012. â€Å"The White House Blog.† Ten Ways Immigrants Help Build and Strengthen Our Economy. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2012.

Step Away from Them

An Analysis of Frank O’hara’s â€Å"A Step Away From Them† At the turn of the 20th century, the movement of modern art began to distinguish itself by moving away from traditional and classical forms. Artists like Pablo Picasso were deconstructing their formal techniques by abstracting forms of conceptual art. We began to question and criticize: â€Å"Is that art? † By mid-20th century, the schools of the modern movement already began to echo into literature, dance, and music. Abstract Expressionist literature emphasizes spontaneity of motions and their fleetingness. Once a detail is mentioned, it disappears but resurfaces in the subconscious in the form of a daydream. Frank O’Hara’s â€Å"A Step Away From Them† adapts his unique style of free verse with arbitrary line breaks and enjambment. There is a relay of split-second action followed by spontaneous thought. Overall, the poem ventures into synapses of the mind in an urban space. O’Hara is the observer, self-satisfied, and content. In the first line, there is a felt quality of impulsive action. â€Å"So I go† gives a sense of urgency that we experience the moment our lunch hour hits. The meter of each word can be equal stressed. The I is a soft vowel, therefore, there is emphasize is on so and go. O’Hara combines two senses of visual and sound with â€Å"hum-colored. † Both senses capture dynamic movements like when someone takes a still photo of a moving object. The image of a cab smears across the photo. There is a distinction of the way space moves. Hum-colored can resonate sound that an engine makes. When we walk out the door into the city, the pace is already set. By line 3, the mind quickly wanders to the next visual moment. â€Å"Down the sidewalk† tells our awareness to focus on lunch hour of laborers. We are walking and capturing still photos. â€Å"Dirty glistening torsos† signifies the way construction workers eat shirtless. Another interpretation can perceive oil rubbed on their shirt hence the term, blue collar workers. At this moment, O’Hara draws an unconscious connection with the â€Å"yellow† colored helmets from the previous visual of hum-colored cabs. Yellow was missed due to the motion and sound. The color resurfaces from our short-term memory. He interjects nonchalant irony and inner wit with â€Å"I guess†. Despite stuffing themselves, they must protect themselves from falling objects. We have a sense of O’Hara’s humor and his eye for function. As your visual context moves upward to falling bricks, O’Hara draws the attention of the movement around ground floor, â€Å"heels† and â€Å"grates†. He does not add a space between lines. He follows each line with heavy enjambment. â€Å"Then onto the avenue† has a progression of walking around the corner to the next street. There is a new scene, new spatter of paint. He refers to a movie scene in pop culture by stating: †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Then onto the avenue where skirts are flipping above heels and blow up over grates. (lines 9-11) In 1955, Marilyn Monroe filmed The Seven Year Itch in New York City. The scene of her skirt being blown up had caused a spectacle making Marilyn a movie sex icon. Motion of upward movement is describe with gestures like â€Å"flipping above†, â€Å"up over†, and â€Å"stir up. † The city is hot. According to O’Hara, â€Å"cabs stir up the air† (line 12). In the city, there is always a cab in sight. How they motion around the city block without air conditioning. There is no escape from the heated engine but O’Hara is indifferent and aloof by the motion around him because â€Å"[he looks] at bargains in wristwatches† (line 13-14). He is still to himself, an observer. In line 14, â€Å"sawdust† draws back to previous space, down the street of laborers construction site. He allows the reader’s thoughts to dilate at each new scene. At the end of each moment of space, he draws inward almost as if he constricts his pupils to see an off detail. â€Å"There/ are cats playing in sawdust. † (line 13-14) It is as if he has seen them playing from the corner of his eye. He ends line 14 with a period and finally begins a new sentence on line 15. The poem opens up â€Å"On to Time Square,† O’Hara bring our attention to the skyline. †¦and higher/ the waterfalls pours lightly† (lines 16-17). There is a use of abstract imagery in comparing the sky to waterfalls. When scanning the space in between the building, it narrows down further as if we look further down Broadway. The blue image may look like water pouring out. The poem takes place in the summer heat. Waterfalls have a feelin g of cool air and openness but nature is contrasted by the â€Å"†¦ sign / blows smoke over head† (lines 15-16). To blow smoke is an idiom that describes someone telling falsehood or lie. Advertising in Time Square is saturated with hype of consumerism and billboard marketing. The same interaction of hype is exchanged by the people of Time Square, the poem follows: . †¦A Negro stands in a doorway with a toothpick, languorously agitating A blonde chorus girl clicks: he smiles and rubs his chin†¦. (lines 17-21) In the previous space, onto the Avenue, O’Hara makes a reference to Marilyn Monroe. She is idolized again in Time Square as the â€Å"blonde chorus girl†, a character she plays in most of her movies. An African-American male easily talks as if he is hounding around lazily. In an urban space, interracial lines are not separated or set by bounds. â€Å"Clicks† can describe how someone talks with gum in their mouth. The click can be an interpreted as the tapping sound of high heels walking by. â€Å"Everything/ suddenly honks† (line 21-22). Our attention is drawn to pause again to gridlock on Broadway. We may think it is the blonde who causes everyone to honk. O’Hara reverts back to time and day, â€Å"†¦. 12:40 / of a Thursday† (lines 22-23). We are reminded that the hour is coming to a close. O’Hara is consumed by time, like the bargain wristwatch on the avenue. To him, with whatever is going on, time marks the next. The poem changes momentum when O’Hara sits down to eat. He quickly writes in a style like Edwin Denby, a critic and poet of modern dance. Comparing â€Å"neon in the daylight is a / great pleasure† with â€Å"light bulb† we associate neon with bright color and light bulbs being plain white. Time Square is synonymous for its light and color at night. This is the place O’Hara has lunch. He finds the daylight enjoyable and adds texture by juxtaposing words that provide a mixture of different culture and art. He sets more periods and commons like he is itemizing a list. He spells out names as though he is thinking about them in association of. There is less action or verbs and more inward thinking. He has an American â€Å"cheeseburger† and â€Å"chocolate malt† in an Italian Actress’s restaurant, JULIET’S CORNER. I think about when people migrated to United States and how they take on the American tradition. Comparing â€Å"Juliet† with â€Å"Giuletta Masina†, it is typical to change name spelling to English form. Giuletta Masina’s husband, â€Å"Federico Fellini† writes and directs movie. His signature style is bizarre, foreign, and surreal. O’Hara writes in Italian â€Å"e bell’ attrice† which translates to beautiful actress. I imagine when O’Hara watched foreign movies they had English subtitle. So far, names mentioned are all artists who have an influence in the arts. O’Hara is an elitist. It is who he knows that allows him to separates himself from mainstream. He watches foreign films, speaks Italian, and wonders about the function of clothing. He loves all forms of art. Still, the humble, ubiquitous cab captures his eye, O’Hara states: A lady in foxes on such a day puts her poodle in a cab. (lines30-32) In line 31, â€Å"on such a day† reminds us about the heat. There is a surreal moment about a lady wearing fur carrying a dog while he drinks a cold drink. She is out of place by wearing something out of season. He does not linger in the thought. He moves on to the avenue, on an upbeat, pointing out that it is the Puerto Ricans that â€Å"makes it beautiful and warm. † The poem makes another iconic turn. He mentions the deaths of three friends, a writer, a musician, and a painter. O’Hara poses a question: â€Å"But is the / earth as full of life was full, of them? † (lines 33-34) Lang Bunny, John Latouche, Jackson Pollack were able to capture life through their art. When they passed away was the world done with them? Puerto Ricans, in the avenue, were carrying on. Everything around still was beating and alive. It was through life moved on, O’Hara writes: And one has eaten and one walks, past the magazines with nudes and the posters for BULLFIGHT and the Manhattan Storage Warehouse, which they'll soon tear down. I used to think they had the Armory Show there. (lines 40-46) It makes me think about how the modern art movement started. The impressionist painting of Manet’s Le Dejeuner Dur L'herbe had shocked the art world because clothed men were painted having a Luncheon with a nude woman. Goya’s realist painting of Bullfighting spoke about humanity. He was the first to paint blood during the Spanish Revolution. However, where mass production of magazine and poster were sold, people ate and walk pass, the world was full of life. The world keeps moving. It feels like an end of an era when the poem mentioned â€Å"Manhattan Storage Warehouse† was being torn down. The â€Å"Armory Show† is also known as the International Exhibition of Modern Art which was formed in New York. O’Hara thought that exhibition was here. There is a feeling that the exhibition is held somewhere else. O’Hara ends on a brighter note. He is self-satified. Before he heads back to work, he has papaya juice. â€Å"My heart is in my / pocket, it is Poems by Pierre Reverdy. †(lines 49-50) The heart symbolizes love and affection. To have it in your pocket means that it is carried close to him. Pierre Reverdy is a critic, writer, poet of Cubism, Pablo Picasso. O’Hara love for the art will always be with him. Imitation of â€Å"Step Away From Them† I’m waking up from my first nap of day, the phone rings underneath a noise of pigeons. The angular sun peeks through lace curtains while dust particles slowly attempt to move. After the 10th ring, I’m wondering if it was important mostly likely, not. I’m out the door; down the three flights of winding stairs, let the kid from Apartment K through the security gate. K collects bright colored cans around the neighborhood. I refused to make eye contact. Someone is still buzzing him in, speaking inaudible sounds through a muffled rattling speaker. A van drives by. How many rings does it take? On Mission Street, the 14 runs every 5 minutes. Stores are tagged but stocked with novelty items of Golden Gates, painted ladies, and cable cars. Whoever wears these shirts, might as well, give up their wallets. A bootleg VHS copy of Natural Born Killers is being sold by a street vendor. Tiny feet hurry up the second floor. The Haitian drums resonated across the wooden floors, bouncing off high ceiling. It’s a Wednesday; another day same as the others. We are warming up for the next class. It’s was only a year ago that they decided to robbed Muddy’s. Ran, Rich, and Joker were in jail now. I’m swinging my arm trying to break the chain. Were they ever free? Was it the squeak in their voice that gave it away? Swinging and stomping. I am raising my machete to cut through sugar cane fields. My heart is in-sync with the drums.

Regional Airlines Case Study

Case 2: Regional Airlines Case 2: Regional Airlines Case Introduction A+ for effort, Customer Service Pays for Itself In an extremely regulated and thus relatively uniform industry such as the commercial airline industry, the successful airline is the organization which sets itself apart from the competition. Within an industry that requires customer planning to interface with flight schedules and security measures, a major operational aspect which can aid an airline in gaining an edge on the competition is customer service.The effective consumption of air travel (finding flights, buying tickets, getting through the airport, boarding a plane, and finally reaching the final destination) is not the same simple consumer –supplier relationship that the consumer experiences in a trip through the Wal-Mart checkout counter; the nature of air travel makes the interaction between the airline and the customer very complex.Almost every facet of the complex relationship between the airlin e and customer can generate a large amount of stress for the consumer; consumers find poor customer service in the face of tight travel deadlines and paid for travel plans that did not necessarily go as intended extremely frustrating. Analysis Investigating Salient Case Issues To capitalize on offering a high level of effective customer service, an investment must be made.The airline must ensure their customer service department not only understands that customer service is highly valued in the organizational environment but also must ensure that the customer service department has the tools and resources to offer effective customer service (Graham, 2012). Like any business investment, the organization must make smart decisions when providing customer service resources; for instance a call center of fifty employees which only answers two calls an hour is a humongous waste of resources that would be better allocated towards another goal.The problem of understand that an investment to wards more effective customer service is needed, but at what cost to make that investment, is the problem which faces Regional Airlines in the case study on page 539 of the 2012 Anderson, et al, text: An Introduction to Management Science Regional Airlines is expanding its customer service operation by setting up a new phone system for the purpose of providing ticketing services and customer assistance over the phone.The airline is going ahead with the new phone system; however, two major decision points exist, how many agents to allocate to the line (one or two) and what complexity of system in which to invest (a system that provides a holding function versus one that does not). The expected call load for the new operation is one call every 3. 75 minutes, available metrics indicate that on each call a ticket agent spends 3 minutes with a customer; effectively this results that for every customer attended to, there will be 45 seconds of downtime (Anderson, et al, 2012).Unfortunately for Regional Air, those figures are only averages, there will be an indeterminate amount of calls which meet or exceed the 3. 75 minute span in between calls. The decision between systems which provides a hold function versus the one that does not will determine will determine if that customer is placed on hold or if the call is just dropped. Placing an unanswered call on hold provides a buffer for the agent to end the call and then service the holding customer; however, for a customer that stays on hold for an inordinate amount of time will begin to feel less and less like a well-served customer.The expected call load versus the time it takes for an agent to deal with each call is the basis of allocating only one agent to man the call system. The second option of allocating two or more agents is in effect, insurance that each call will be answered in a timely fashion and callers will not have to wait for extended periods of time. The decision of how many agents to allocate to the phone system is based upon the apparent cost for an extra agent sitting around not actively engaged in a call; however this view is relatively short sighted because it does not take into account the revenue lost from dropped calls and dissatisfied customers.The salient issue of the case is determining what the appropriate level of investiture to make for the phone system to provide an expected (and beneficial) level of customer service Group Discussion Exploring Simulations Simulation is a quantitative technique developed for studying alternative courses of action by building a model of that system and then conducting a series of repeated trial and error experiments to predict the behavior of the system over a period of time (Srivastava, Shenoy, & Sharma, 1989, p. 753). Of all the simulations waiting line simulations are of the most important to the customer service industry.In the airline industry long waiting times can lead to poor customer service scores and diminished sales. Reg ional Airlines is establishing a new telephone system for handling flight reservations (Anderson, Sweeney, Williams, Camm, & Martin, 2012). The airlines main goal is to decrease the wait time at its call centers and increase sales. Regional’s management team agrees that its goal should be to answer 85% of its incoming calls immediately. The following analyzes Regional Airline’s (RA) current reservation system and ways to improve it. Analysis of Current SystemCurrently RA is answering one call every 3. 75 minutes during 10:00 a. m. to 11:00 a. m. time period (? (average arrival time) = 60 minutes / 3. 75 minutes = 16 calls per hour). The average service time is 3 minutes per customer ( µ (service rate) = 60 minutes / 3 minutes = 20 calls per hour). With only one reservation agent, the probability that a caller will be blocked because of a busy signal is P1 = . 4444 ? o = ( ? / ? ) ? /0! i=0k ? /? i /i! = ( 16 / 20 ) ? /0! (16/20)o / 0! + (16/20)1 /1! = . 5556 ?1 = ( ? / ? ) 1/0! i=1k ? /? 1 /i! = ( 16 / 20 ) 1/0! (16/20)o / 0! + (16/20)1 /1! = . 444 With two reservation agents, the probability that a caller will be blocked because of a busy signal is P2 = . 1509. ?o = ( ? / ? ) ? /0! i=0k ? /? i /i! = ( 16 / 20 ) ? /0! (16/20)o / 0! + (16/20)1 /1! + (16/20) 2 /2! = . 4717 ? 1 = ( ? / ? ) ? /0! i=0k ? /? i /i! = ( 16 / 20 ) ? /1! (16/20)o / 0! + (16/20)1 /1! + (16/20) 2 /2! = . 3774 ? 2 = ( ? / ? ) ? /0! i=0k ? /? i /i! = ( 16 / 20 ) ? /2! (16/20)o / 0! + (16/20)1 /1! + (16/20) 2 /2! = . 1509 Regional Airlines’ current phone reservation system will answer an approximate of 85% of phone calls with two employed reservation agents.However, the other 15% will be blocked because of a busy signal. Customers who do not get a hold of an agent may not call back and contribute to negative customer service reaction and adversely affect the business. Analysis of Agents Needed Proposed expanded system will allow callers to wait. Instead of being blocke d when all lines are busy, customers can choose to stay on the line and calls will be answered in the order received. With only one reservation agent for Regional Airlines in the expanded system, 80% (Pw) of incoming calls will end up waiting. The average waiting time is also at 12 minutes (Wq).Cited numbers above show a horrendous system that is both undesirable and a business model doomed for failure. So in order for RA to realize the benefits of the expanded system, it needs to employ two or more reservation agents. Po=1- ? /? = 1-1620=0. 20 Lq = ? 2 ? (? – ? ) = 16 2 20 (20 – 16) = 3. 2 L =Lq + ? /  µ= 3. +1620=4 wq+Lq / ? =3. 216=0. 20 hours=12 minutes W = wq + 1/ µ = 0. 20 + 1/20 = 0. 25 hours = 15 minutes Pw= =1620=0. 80=80% At the planning meeting, Regional Airlines’ management team agreed that answering at least 85% of the calls is an acceptable customer service goal.This means that the probability of waiting will have to be 15% or less. Pw= 1k! k k? k? – ? Po k = 2 agents Pw= 12! 16202 2 202 20- 16 0. 4286= 0. 2286 k = 3 agents Pw= 13! 16203 3 203 20- 16 0. 4472= 0. 0520 Po=0. 4472 Lq=0. 0189 L=0. 8189 Wq=0. 0012 hours=0. 07 minutes W=0. 0512 hours=3. 97 minutes Using three agents clearly meets the company’s goal. With three reservation agents, only 5% of the calls will be waiting, which is way below the 15% targeted cap in order to meet the goal of 85% answered calls. Average waiting time is also at a minimum, calculated at 0. 012 hours or 0. 07 minutes. System Recommendation The current telephone reservation system design does not allow callers to wait; callers instead must attempt to reach a reservation agent when all agents are not occupied. Should callers reach the service line when all agents are busy they will be met with a busy signal. The management at RA is seeking to switch to an expanded telephone system to combat this problem. Based on the calculations in the previous paragraphs, RA will need appro ximately 3 reservations agents to run an expanded phone system.Group 3 recommends that the company employ the multiple channels waiting line which consists of two or more service channels that are assumed to be identical in terms of service capability (Anderson, et. al. , 2012). Regional airlines could support at least a two-channel operation to service the needs of its customers. MANAGERIAL REPORT ASSUMPTIONS: a. One call every 3. 75 minutes during 10:00 a. m. to 11:00 a. m. time period ? (average arrival time) = 60 minutes / 3. 75 minutes = 16 calls per hour b. Average service time of 3 minutes with each customer  µ (service rate) = 60 minutes / 3 minutes = 20 calls per hour 1.An analysis of the current reservation system that does not allow callers to wait. How many reservation agents are needed to meet the service goal? With only one reservation agent, the probability that a caller will be blocked because of a busy signal is P1 = . 4444 ? o = ( ? / ? ) ? /0! i=0k ? /? i /i! = ( 16 / 20 ) ? /0! (16/20)o / 0! + (16/20)1 /1! = . 5556 ?1 = ( ? / ? ) 1/0! i=1k ? /? 1 /i! = ( 16 / 20 ) 1/0! (16/20)o / 0! + (16/20)1 /1! = . 4444 With two reservation agents, the probability that a caller will be blocked because of a busy signal is P2 = . 509. ?o = ( ? / ? ) ? /0! i=0k ? /? i /i! = ( 16 / 20 ) ? /0! (16/20)o / 0! + (16/20)1 /1! + (16/20) 2 /2! = . 4717 ? 1 = ( ? / ? ) ? /0! i=0k ? /? i /i! = ( 16 / 20 ) ? /1! (16/20)o / 0! + (16/20)1 /1! + (16/20) 2 /2! = . 3774 ? 2 = ( ? / ? ) ? /0! i=0k ? /? i /i! = ( 16 / 20 ) ? /2! (16/20)o / 0! + (16/20)1 /1! + (16/20) 2 /2! = . 1509 Conclusion: Regional Airlines’ current phone reservation system will answer an approximate of 85% of phone calls with two employed reservation agents. However, the other 15% will be blocked because of a busy signal.Customers who do not get a hold of an agent may not call back and contribute to negative customer service reaction and adversely affect the business. 2. An analysis of the expa nded system proposed by the telephone company. How many agents are needed to meet the service goal? Proposed expanded system will allow callers to wait. Instead of being blocked when all lines are busy, customers can choose to stay on the line and calls will be answered in the order received. With only one reservation agent for Regional Airlines in the expanded system, 80% (Pw) of incoming calls will end up waiting. The average waiting time is also at 12 minutes (Wq).Cited numbers above show a horrendous system that is both undesirable and a business model doomed for failure. So in order for Regional Airlines to realize the benefits of the expanded system, it needs to employ two or more reservation agents. Po=1- ? /? = 1-1620=0. 20 Lq = ? 2 ? (? – ? ) = 16 2 20 (20 – 16) = 3. 2 L =Lq + ? /  µ= 3. +1620=4 wq+Lq / ? =3. 216=0. 20 hours=12 minutes W = wq + 1/ µ = 0. 20 + 1/20 = 0. 25 hours = 15 minutes Pw= =1620=0. 80=80% At the planning meeting, Regional Airlinesâ₠¬â„¢ management team agreed that answering at least 85% of the calls is an acceptable customer service goal.This means that the probability of waiting will have to be 15% or less. Pw= 1k! k k? k? – ? Po k = 2 agents Pw= 12! 16202 2 202 20- 16 0. 4286= 0. 2286 k = 3 agents Pw= 13! 16203 3 203 20- 16 0. 4472= 0. 0520 Po=0. 4472 Lq=0. 0189 L=0. 8189 Wq=0. 0012 hours=0. 07 minutes W=0. 0512 hours=3. 97 minutes Using three agents clearly meets the company’s goal. With three reservation agents, only 5% of the calls will be waiting, which is way below the 15% targeted cap in order to meet the goal of 85% answered calls. Average waiting time is also at a minimum, calculated at 0. 012 hours or 0. 07 minutes. 3. An analysis of the expanded system proposal by the telephone company. A representative from the telephone company suggested that Regional Airlines consider an expanded system that accommodates waiting. In the expanded system, when a customer calls and all agents are bus y, a recorded message tells the customer that the call is being held in the order received and that an agent will be available shortly. The customer can stay on the line and listen to background music while waiting for an agent.Expanded System with waiting allowed Pw for 1 agent P0= (1-? /? ) 1-16/20=. 20 Lq= ? 2 =16(2)= 3. 2 ?(? – ? ) =20(20-16) L= Lq+( ? /? )=3. 2 +(16/20)=4 Wq =(Lq/ ? )=3. 2/16=. 20 (12 minutes) W=Wq+(1/ ? )=. 20+ (1/20)= . 25 (15 minutes) Pw= ? /? = 16/20=. 80 Expanded System with waiting allowed Pw for 2 agents Pw=1/k! ( ? /? )k k? / k? – ? P0 1/2! (16/20)2 2(20)/2(20)-16 . 4286= . 2286 Expanded System with waiting allowed Pw for 3 agents 1/3! (16/20)3 3(20)/3(20)-16 . 4472= . 520 In order to use this system, Regional Airlines would have to use three agents to keep the customer service of 85% of the calls being answered immediately. The telephone arrival rate of incoming calls is expected to change from hour to hour. Describe how your waiting line analysis could be used to develop a ticket staffing plan that would enable the company to provide different levels of staffing for the ticket reservation system at different times during the day. Indicate the information you would need to develop this staffing plan.This analysis only covers the 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM time frame. As we have seen with the equations used, we have to have historical data for the other time frames. If the phone lines are open from 08:00AM – 08:00 PM, we could use the data from each hour. Keeping with the 85% rate of phone calls being answered immediately for good customer service and the use of the limited amount of call agents required to save Regional Airlines money, after further analysis, Regional Airlines will have the data need to make the best decisions for their company. 4. Staffing PlanIn order to develop a ticket agent staffing plan that would enable the company to provide different levels of staffing for the ticket reservation syst em at different times during the day, a similar simulation method and analysis used above are needed. By implementing the same application, the right number of reservation agents each hour can be determined. In addition to the number of agents used, it is also possible to use the same information to determine the full-time and part-time shift schedules that meet the company’s customer service goals.But in order for RA to do this, it needs the hourly average arrival rate for the whole day. 5. References Anderson, D. , Sweeney, D. , Williams, T. , Camm, J. , & Martin, K. (2012). An Introduction to Management Science Quantitative Approaches to Decision Making. Mason, OH. South-Western Cengage Learning Graham, J. (2012). Think Like the Customer – Or Lose the Sale. American Salesman, 57(4), 18-23. Srivastava, U. K. , Shenoy, G. V. & Sharma, S. C. (2005). Quantitative techniques for managerial decisions (2nd Edition). New Age International Publishers: New Delhi.

Innovative Product

Introduction Nowadays, innovative is an essential advantage in this dog-eat-dog market for every organization. Innovative can be everything that is new and not exist in current market, however in order to fulfill the gap in this demanding market, organizations must be very innovative to come out with new products and services. Organizations nowadays are recruiting employees who are creative and innovative because they are person who have sensitive antenna to sense and observe what the people want and need.In current market, thermos water bottle is very common for people to store their drinks; because thermos water bottle allows people to keep their drinks cold or warm for a very short period of time. Therefore, there would be a gap exists where the people want to drink cold or hot beverage at anytime and anywhere they want. To fulfill this gap, DualBottle has came out as it is a thermos water bottle which has the function of heating and freezing the beverage inside the thermos water bottle at anytime the customer wants.In other words, DualBottle will act like a refrigerator to chill the water as cold as it can or heating up the water just like a water boiler. In the current market, there is no similar product that has the function like DualBottle and this innovative product will bring in another level of convenience to the consumers in the market. Hence, people may want this new product to be in the market. In fact, water bottle in the current market is only used for storing water and sometimes not even suitable to store hot water as some water bottles have no qualified certificate because it is made of lower quality of plastic.In addition, DualBottle enables people to get hot or cold water easily in their daily activities. In this assignment, we are going to discuss in-depth on market research of DualBottle and also new product descriptions and specifications. Market Research Direct competitors There are several direct competitors for DualBottle which they hav e the similar types of product in the same market such as heaters, coolers and normal water bottles. In this case, keeping on track on consequential technological innovations is very important for a particular company to maintain a competitive advantage in the market.Firstly, the innovative product will have certain competition and comparatives with those existing and well-known brand like Thermos, Zebra, Camelback, Klean Kanteen, SIGG, Cheeki, Eco vessel and many more. These brands are the direct competitors for the DualBottle because these brands produce quality stainless steel and aluminium water bottles similar to the DualBottle but of course every brand has its specialty of their own products such as the designs, different attractive colors, functions, specifications, future and its outlook.These brands are the main direct competitors for DualBottle because both these products from these brands have the similar functions of heat preservation and have these brands are historical as compared with the new product. Though our new innovative product, DualBottle can reheat and re-chill the drinks; however, the existing of the products can only help to maintain the heat and the warmness of the drinks. In fact, people may be more likely to choose old brand due to brand loyalty and influenced by the power of word of mouth.The brand new product might be very novel yet it is still under the observation period to attract and being recognized by the people. On the other hand, old products are more creditable and always have good comments from one consumer to another consumer. Indirect competitors Beside those direct competitors, there are a number of indirect competitors for the DualBottle. Indirect competitors are the competitors that compete with the DualBottle indirectly. For example refrigerators that can cool the water, this is an indirect competitor because households have refrigerators at home.So it is considered as an indirect competitor. On the other hand, th e kettle and hot water flask are also indirect competitors to the DualBottle because at home people use kettle to boil water and hot water flask because the flask is to keep the hot water to remain hot. Other than that, Mineral waters that are sold in sundry shops, supermarkets, convenient shops, and other places are considered as indirect competitors because they have cold beverages and warm beverages separately. Instead of purchasing DualBottle, customers might just purchase mineral waters for daily usage.Besides that, water dispensers are the main indirect competitors because the DualBottle mostly targeted customers are people who work in office, travel daily and also students. Water dispensers are available in all colleges and offices. Hence, instead bringing the water bottles along with them, customers may prefer using the water dispenser for cold and warm drinks. So it is considered a main competitor to the DualBottle that competes in the market. Furthermore, companies such as Starbucks also are served as the indirect competitor for the new product.Although Starbucks specialized on producing good and tasty coffee, the company itself has launched their own tumbler which also has the similar function with this new product as tumbler can be used to fill up the hot beverages. Besides that, Starbucks also has a promotion for its own customers by using the tumbler when they purchase hot beverage. They can get the RM2 rebate by using the tumbler. Hence, most of the customers who loyal and fascinating in Starbucks will tend to purchase the tumbler to get better offer. This phenomenon also will be one of the issues for the launching of new product.Next, in terms of the future competition for the DualBottle where in this new era technology is growing in a fast pace, all the products that selling in the market already be advanced. In the past years, these products are not in existence. However, in today’s fast development society, these products cannot be le ft out and more innovative and modern products are being launched. Most of the young adults have strong interest in trying new products. When this situation happened, all of the past products might be left out.Thus, to consolidate the base of new product in the competitive market, branding should be taken into consideration. Future competitors not only on the products themselves, but also included the consumer behaviour in today’s society. There will be always new competitors that will enter the market because of the advance of the technology. Target customers The innovative product, water bottle thermos is designed to satisfy all the needs of the individual and company. Furthermore, targeted customers are normal people who travel a lot; they can keep warm or cold water together with them while travelling in the car or bus.For instance, long distance travellers can keep hot coffee in the DualBottle so they can drink it while travelling to keep them fresh. Besides that, we are also targeting DualBottle on working adults and students who usually face with busy and tight schedule where they may be even unable to have their proper meals. For example, an event executive, Amanda is too busy with her task and could not even find time to have her meals and so, with this DualBottle, she is now able to enjoy her favourite drinks either in hot or cold at anytime and anywhere even when she is busy.With our unique selling point of DualBottle, that is the ability to reheat and re-freeze the drinks quickly by using the steel casing in which making DualBottle appeared to be so practical; it may also attract many companies to purchase our product as it can provide a high level of convenience to their employees. Therefore, we may be indulging ourselves in both B2B and B2C market in order to gain higher market share respectively and establishing a strong position in the market. We strongly believe that targeting the right consumers will achieve a desirable benefit to our innovative product, DualBottle.New Product First of all, stainless steel water bottle maybe very common in this current market such as Thermos, Klean Kanteen, Thinksport, and Eco Vessel. In fact that, there are just normal insulated water bottles which can keep drinks cold or hot for a short period however; DualBottle is coming up with an innovative idea where the water bottle is chargeable in order to heat up the drinks or make the drinks chilled. Although it appears to be nothing different from ordinary bottle, DualBottle has a ‘magic' function that cannot be found in the current market.The uniqueness that able to chill soft drinks or to retain temperature of warm Chinese tea with a tiny â€Å"plug and play† kind of component attached to make DualBottle more standout. Similarly to some other portable coolers, it uses thermoelectric cooling system concept to switch between two modes (cold and hot) with just a button. In line with technology advancement, DualBottle is d esigned with an external component that can be attached from the bottom of the bottle and it is contacted with a metal plate to serve as conductor in order to transmit cold and heat.Meanwhile, instead of operating in 12 or 24 volts direct current (DC) which is similar to mini fridge, we would replace the battery storage with a 2800 milli-Ampere-hour (mAh) rechargeable battery. For instance, two hours are required to get the battery fully charged and it could be used for ten consecutive hours. Besides, there would be two different ways to charge the battery component by using direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC). It would be more convenient as users do not need to plug-on direct current or alternating current in order to use of the function because there would be power reserved in battery component.Additionally, DualBottle will have an automatic power switch off when the water temperature is heated up to 70 °C and the water temperature is chilled down to 3 °C to 5 ° C. On the other hand, DualBottle can be presented more innovative by introducing another range of models that uses solar energy as an optional charging method therefore; the battery can be charged automatically whenever solar heat is stored. Moreover, when users do not feel like using the function, they could always remove the external component to function it as ordinary bottles like Bros, Sigg and Zebra.In addition, DualBottle is chargeable by using USB port charger and car power adapter as well, this idea enables users to charge DualBottle whenever they want. In fact, DualBottle can act more than a common water bottle where it can perform as a water warmer to keep the beverage warm for 4-6 hours because of the double-wall insulation designed; then it also can act as a water heater to heat up the beverage up to 70 °C, lastly it perform as a water cooler to hill the beverage down to 3 °C. Forget about the traditional design of Thermos bottle in which it looked heavy with stainl ess steel silver colour; DualBottle would design the products with relatively new colours and standout themes. DualBottle would look more colorful and attractive by adding some printings on it, the designs can be plain but sharp colors and candy colours, animal prints for fancy female group, and users can even print their pictures or words on DualBottle.To target different types of customers, DualBottle would allow customers to choose their favourite colour and design or to custom-made their bottle by choosing what design, features, function, colour, and engrave their name on the bottle. Besides, it would be designed for easy to carry by attaching a strap and also slim fit exterior outlook of the bottle. Meanwhile, the cover cap of DualBottle would be anti-leaking water designed which are made by rubber and plastic. It would be easier to design the bottle with open-close cover, instead of using rubber grip cap cover.However, there are also pros and cons to adopt the design of open-c lose cover. For instance, rubber grip cap cover can have better prevention of losing the water temperature in the bottle as compared with the open-close cover. As people are more health conscious nowadays, DualBottle uses stainless steel, aluminium and bisphenol A (BPA) free as inner bottle materials in production line hence; it would not be harmful to the users. Since a metal plate would acts as an electrical conductor to heat up or chill cold the drinks; stainless steel, aluminium and BPA free plastic materials are not an issue to end-users.In general, DualBottle has three different kinds of bottles but they perform the same function for users. This is because to target different group of customers as stainless steel material is usually expensive, aluminium material is on the average price, and plastic material would be cheaper. Nevertheless, high quality of stainless steel materials are usually weigh heavier as compared to aluminium and plastic materials; so materials made of Dua lBottle might be affect the weight of product but however, DualBottle has only two standardized bottle volume which are 500ml and 750ml.To be a part of contributing towards environmental friendly program, we would to use recycle materials if possible. The quality of the product must be proven through some international recognized authorities like FDA (US Food & Drug Administration), LFGB (Europe Food Contact Material Standard), ISO (International Organization for Standardization), and SIRIM (Standard and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia).Besides, DualBottle would only use high quality of electric thermos which it is also often used by Thermos, Klean Kanteen, and La Gourmet; this is to ensure that DualBottle can produce high quality products instead of using cheap materials. With the fact that the production cost might not be cheap and therefore it is expected that DualBottle is placed in high quality and high price position. Conclusion In the current market, thermos water b ottle is frequently used by the people to store their drinks and keeping their drinks cold or warm for only a very short period of time.Our group has established the gap within the market where people may want to enjoy cold or hot drinks at the anytime and anywhere in their daily life. Thus, we have come out with an innovative product called â€Å"DualBottle†. In developing DualBottle, it is apparent that we will be facing those direct competitors like Thermos, Klean Kanteen, Sigg, and Zebra which have dominated the market for quite a long time in producing thermos water bottle. However, these products only consists the function of preserving heat and not heating or freezing like what DualBottle can do.On the other hand, we also will be facing some of the indirect competitors in the market like water dispenser companies, mineral water companies, some electrical companies that produces kettle and water boiler and even Starbucks as they had launched their own brand tumbler to i ncrease loyalty of their customers. The DualBottle is targeted at travellers, students and working adults who may be very eventful and does not even have the time to sit down and enjoy their drinks. Thus, the ability of DualBottle to heat and freeze drinks enable these people to have a moment of pleasure on their favourite drinks either in hot or cold.The practical side of DualBottle may attract companies to buy in bulk from us in order to supply to their employees as it is very convenient to their daily activities. DualBottle introduces a function where it can be heated up the beverage or chilled the beverage in water bottle by only clicking a button. This function can be done by attaching a metal plate which acts as conductor on the bottom of the inner bottle and then an external component to act as battery to transmit energy.In additional, the external battery is actually an external component which can be attached or removed from the bottle. It is easy to charge by using adapter , USB port, car power adapter, and also solar energy. Moreover, Dualbottle design the bottle by using 3 different kinds of materials which include stainless steel, aluminium, and plastic. There are all having the same performance and with 2 standardized capacity volume of bottle which are 500ml and 750ml.DualBottle may obtain international certificates by government organizations to prove that the bottles are safe to use and has no harms to health. Besides, it would be having attractive outlook as the designs are standout and DualBottle enables customers to custom-made their bottle as well. The cover cap of bottle may be open-close cover design because of convenience and anti-leaking purpose. In conclusion, DualBottle is a high quality dual-function bottle and hence, it would be also selling at higher price. Reference list Alicia,2009.Top 5 Stainless Steel Water Bottles. [online] Available at: [Accessed on 2nd April 2012] Better Bottle Stainless, 2012. [online] Available at: [Access ed on 3rd April 2012] Hydro Flask, 2012. [online] Available at: [Accessed on 3rd April 2012] Klean Kanteen, 2012. [online] Available at: [Accessed on 4th April 2012] Shop Naturally, 2012. [online] Available at: [Accessed on 4th April 2012] SIGG Design Bottles, 2012. [online] Available at: [Accessed on 3rd April 2012] Zazzle water bottles, 2012. [online] Available at: [Accessed on 4th april 2012]