Acknowledgement Examples Essay Example for Free

Acknowledgement Examples Essay * First and foremost, we would like to thank to our supervisor of this project, Miss Shyamala for the valuable guidance and advice. She inspired us greatly to work in this project. Her willingness to motivate us contributed tremendously to our project. We also would like to thank her for showing us some example that related to the topic of our project. Besides, we would like to thank the authority of Multimedia University (MMU) for providing us with a good environment and facilities to complete this project. Also, we would like to take this opportunity to thank to the Centre of Affiliated Diploma Programme (CADP) of Multimedia University (MMU) for offering this subject, Computing Project. It gave us an opportunity to participate and learn about the operation of flights ticket reservation. In addition, we would also like to thank Malaysia Airline System (MAS) which provide us valuable information as the guidance of our project. Finally, an honorable mention goes to our families and friends for their understandings and supports on us in completing this project. Without helps of the particular that mentioned above, we would face many difficulties while doing this * Apart from the efforts of myself, the success of any project depends largely on the encouragement and guidelines of many others. I take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the people who have been instrumental in the successful completion of this project. I would like to show my greatest appreciation to Prof. James Geller. I cant say thank you enough for his tremendous support and help. I feel motivated and encouraged every time I attend his meeting. Without his encouragement and guidance this project would not have materialized. The guidance and support received from all the members who contributed and who are contributing to this project, was vital for the success of the project. I am grateful for their constant support and help. * I would like to gratefully acknowledge the enthusiastic supervision of Dr. Ali Rezazadeh during this work. I thank Prof. Garth Swanson for the technical discussions on the spectral response model and Dr. S. E. Kanellopoulos for the help with optical measurements and relevant discussions. Postgraduates of the Physical Electronics Research Group are thanked for numerous stimulating discussions, help with experimental setup and general advice; in particular I would like to acknowledge the help of Dr. Jim Luck for his support. Sean Wootton, Kevin Smith and Nick Nicola are thanked for their assistance with all types of technical problems at all times. I am grateful to all my friends from International Hall, University of London, for being the surrogate family during the many years I stayed there and for their continued moral support there after. From the staff, Donald Mann and Margaret Wilson are especially thanked for their care and attention. Finally, I am forever indebted to my parents and Anita for their understanding, endless patience and encouragement when it was most required. I am also grateful to Naela and Tanvir for their support.

Difference Between Love And Sex Theology Religion Essay

Difference Between Love And Sex Theology Religion Essay Peter Bertocci has explained the human experience of sex and explains the value of sex as part of the meaning of life. Regarding sex an end in itself Peter argues that more profound satisfaction is felt when the normal experience of sex lust is not primarily an end in itself but a symbolic expression of other values. Bertocci further explains the challenge in love which he explains through his progression of love in which marriage and its values are highlighted as an essentiality to protect sex and love. He argues that sex, love, marriage, family, and social responsibility are the key factors that bring stability in the society and nourish the values morality. He considers love as a an essential element to live, otherwise it will be a mere existence not living joyously. He argues for the place of marriage in society and emphasizes on the self regeneration of the partners through this novel relationship. In my opinion he really draws on personal experience and has a closed minded view. I disagree and will give reasons and arguments in my essay as to why I think that Bertocci narrates a story of an ideal situation. Difference between Love and Sex: Psychoanalysis asserts that love and sex can never be of same origin and character due to differences of decisive nature. Love and sex must be analyzed in their own purview and in their purest forms. Sex is related to biology related to some organism; love gives an emotional touch and a sign of individuals thoughts. Sex is used to eliminate the tense attitude; love can be used as an escape goat from ones own failure. Sex satisfies a person physically; love gives happiness. Sex has a broader meaning; special meaning is shown through love. Natures call can be answered through sex; culture is satisfied through love. Sex is known to millions; millions have not even heard of romance or love. Sex is arbitrary; love is always directed to someone. Sex gives relaxation; love grooms the personality. The taste and pleasure of sex cannot be called later while love can be recalled anytime even in thoughts if the lover is not physically present. Sex is an act; love is spiritual. Sex eagerness is f or a short time whereas love is continuous warmth. (Reik, New York: Grove Press.  1945)[1]. Can Love and Lust be combined? (Reik, p. 19), observes that if love and sex are combined, it is very difficult to assess that which has the most part or share, to be precise, during a sexual intercourse. I believe that it is purely dependant on our perception. It is our own mind and body that drives us to a particular point where we need to think that what should be combined and what should be separated. I believe that there are ways in which sex without love can be as joyous, fruitful and soothing as sex with love. So, the question as to the combination of lust and love, one cannot say that which is more dominating but one can say is that crude form of sex is generated after divorcing love from sex. Sex with Love: What Bertocci has explained about love is that through sex with love one gives in everything but Rollo May s  Love and Will  (New York: Dell Publishing Co.. 1969), says that one will always hold something back until the act is personal, and if we use this word personal instead of love, the context of sex is broadened and sex can be joyful even the partners are not lovers. May further argues that holding off something does not mean that sex will not be a pure sex. According to May (p. 311), relationship and intimacy are much more important factors than merely having sex with a person because of the impersonal society and it is unknown that the act of sex will satisfy the required needs of relationship and intimacy. But what one can say according to Mays stance that through love one is absorbed in another and isolation can be overcome through this. The irony of love is that one is at the same time losing oneself and absorbing the other in him. Mays writings show a lack of understan ding of how gratification can be achieved through sex without love. Analysis of Sex with Love: Like May many people in this world are unaware of the possibility of sex being a loving act even without being lovers to each other. As I mentioned earlier this is a traditional or closed mind view that sex without love is not as fruitful as sex with love. I reiterate my view that Sex without love allows the partners to have a more relaxing feeling. Contrasting to what bertocci, I would say that sex with love leading to a more chaining relationship which leads to taking each others pain, then placing your life in the basket of marriage which will land your life in the rearing of children. Bertocci further asks you to nourish the society through all these preceding acts of yours. Sadly, a true and a happy relationship of sex have been destroyed by the clogging views of writers such as May and Bertocci. Sex should be as free and motivating as a clear sky is available to the bird that goes high in strength and spirits to have a broader overview of the intricacies of this world. This fee ling takes me higher and regenerates the true spirit of life and makes me see what the believers of sex with love cannot see or visualize in their thoughts. Sex without Love: (Russell Vannoy, Buffalo: Prometheus, 1980) gives some of the examples from the papers of his students. I would like to mention a few; pleasuring my lover leaves me pleasure less as the mind is devoted to his satisfaction, thus disturbing the whole concept of sex. The deeper you get involve in other person and as the other is absorbed in you, the more a person is ceased to be a separate person, which is absolutely not encouraging and equally not satisfactory. The lovers gets cocksure and sometimes the girl does not feel horny, then if the lover pushes her and she refuses, is she getting selfish. I would say no because this might not have been the case with a stranger whom she did not love, a stranger cannot push you for something and one is at liberty to say no to stranger without worrying to dishearten him. Once a lover knows what you are capable of in the bed, he wants repetition whereas a new person will be attracted to the same demonstration. Self-sacrifice is common among lovers whereas no such sacrifice is required to be done during sex without non-lovers. (Casler, New York: Behavioural Publications, 1973), has argued that love is needed to satisfy the needs of personal insecurity. These needs are dictated to by the societal pressure and those without it are not considered an active part of this so called moral society. Caslers view shows that people getting loved or love someone are just trying to gain self-worth. With this attitude in mind the sex is most unfulfilling. Considering the older ages when women were not respected, how can males give respect to them in the shape of love? This has aroused women to write the most criticism on love. (Robert Solomon, Buffalo,  NY: Prometheus Books, 1976), writes that sexual encounters with strangers are the most satisfying ass there is fear, guilt and anticipation. Conversely sex with those we know and love is much less satisfying as the habits and reactions are known to each other which, nullifies the uniqueness among the partners. Moralists paints the picture of sex with a non-lover as crude and animalistic. They still have their view of having successful sex with only the ones you love and the other sex is never pure. Giving justification to love is just as hypocrite as actually doing hypocrisy during crude sex in love; one says that if I dont love her I am exploiting her, so he loves to make his sex justified is just another form of hypocrisy. The advocates of sex with love has not allowed the people to think to stop being selfishly loving others to justify the societys value system. Once this selfish behavior is outsmarted, only then a true loving act of sex could emerge without romantically being involved in the other partner. Many husbands perform crude sex and wives are left unfulfilled. The reason is that wives want a sensuous sex while men want manly, lusty sex which cannot be achieved as they get involved in each other and cannot push for the demands and now when married cannot change husbands. This situation leaves both thirsty for real experience in sex. Social Approval: Societys approval is considered necessary and the sex must be given the assent of the pure spirit of love. Otherwise the sex would animalistic and dirty. If this option is considered then, even in sex with love the partners remain unfulfilled and they are not spontaneous and guilt free. I believe that societys concept must not be involved in sex relationships, as it is only to strengthen the institution of marriage. Marriage will certainly make the experience of sex laborious although the society gives the assent of piety but will ultimately make the people who make the society unfulfilled with regards to their sexual satisfaction. Analysis of Sex without Love: I strongly believe that sex without love is much more fruitful and joyous than the sex with love. The reality is still that sex opens the doors for the people to happiness and gratification but when love comes and knocks the door and hugs sex, it suddenly engulfs sex and convinces to move to the next stage of sex with love. I reject this and say that this encompassing is just like going into a war which one choose for its own self without any reason. Conclusion The sex without love is the superior, mature and natural attitude which one must follow. The societys regeneration is indeed laid in the foundations of liberty and freedom of choice which can only be exercised when one has no restriction to follow a particular schedule or guidelines while having sex. I strongly believe in having sex without love for which I have argued in my paper after taking a view of the various aspects of what people want and what people face after taking a wrong decision of landing at a lovers corner.

Consumer Behavior: Multi Level Marketing

Consumer Behavior: Multi Level Marketing Consumer is considered as the core element which decides the exiting of a business firm. They are the ones who buy and use products and services (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English). Understanding consumer behaviors, consumer buying process and factors affect consumer buying behavior which may bring number of benefits is one of the most important tasks confronting every competing business. That is why companies spend such a lot of money in understanding behaviors of their consumers. This study aims to identify perceptions and key factors affecting to consumer behavior towards multi-level marketing companies and their products so that marketers can adapt and improve their marketing campaigns and marketing strategies to more effectively reach the consumer. PROBLEM STATEMENT Direct selling business has a history of dozens of years in the world and nearly ten years of operation in Vietnam market and more than four years from the issuance of Law on Competition (2004) and Decree 110 on Multi-level Marketing Management, it is still very difficult for distributors of multi-level marketing companies to sell products or to invite people to collaborate with them as an independent business owner of the company because of negative perceptions of consumers on direct selling companies and their products. This makes things to be very difficult for doing this kind of business in Vietnam. In addition, together with the entrance of many new comers into Vietnam market in recent years, the competition in the industry becomes not as harsh as ever before. Being recognized as born in the late 1800s when traveling salesmen created trained sales organizations with hundred of salesmen to sell various products in America, direct selling is considered as a dynamic and vibrant industry offering employment to more than 62 million independent sales representatives. According to data from World Foundation of Direct Selling Association (WFDSA), worldwide retail sales by its members accounted for more than US$114 billion in 2007. Although direct selling industry has a long history and obtained very good results with a great potential of growth, as consideration of many experts, it is not easy for direct selling companies to enter a new market and gain the good perception of local consumers. In Vietnam, direct selling appeared ten years ago (in 2000) but there still are very negative perceptions of consumers on this kind of business and its products. This makes things seem to be very difficult for doing this kind of business in Vietnam. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES: Primarily, this study aims to take a general picture of perceptions of consumer towards multi-level marketing companies and their products in relation to the factors that effect consumers buying decision. The main problem is to find out what the most important factors consumers have in mind when buying or not buying products and/or agreeing or refusing to become a distributor of a multi-level marketing company. Specifically, the research objectives include the followings: To define the current situation of multi-level marketing business in Vietnam; To identify factors that have influence on the consumer behavior towards multi-level marketing business in Vietnam; To describe the behaviors of consumers in HCMC and Mekong Delta toward multi-level marketing; To recommend solutions for increasing good perceptions of consumer for marketer working in multi-level marketing enterprises. THE SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF RESEARCH STUDY: The research just focuses on studying the literature of the consumer behavior, and the survey is conducted only in Ho Chi Minh City the economic hub of the South, and some rural areas in Mekong Delta region such as: Tien Giang, Can Tho and Ca Mau provinces which represent rural areas in the South of the country. Consumer behaviors of such regions may not represent the general behaviors of consumers nationwide. Due to the lack of official data of multi-level marketing industry and difficulty of getting the confidential internal business data from multi-level marketing companies, the data used in this research may not be sufficient enough. Besides, due of the limitation of time and money, the survey shall be carried out only with small sample size. THE POSITION OF THE RESEARCH COMPARED TO THE AVAILABLE KNOWLEDGE AND FORMER WORKS Multi-level marketing or direct selling is till a very young industry in Vietnam. There is no former research or survey on this business so far. There are so many vague understandings about the industry in the perceptions of Vietnamese consumers. Hence, it is expected that this research will contribute a very first premise for further study for a general picture of multi-level marketing industry in Vietnam market. THE RELEVANCE OF THE RESEARCH: The author of this report is now working as Mekong Delta Regional Sales Supervisor in Amway Vietnam Company Limited, a worlds leading multi-level marketing company. Therefore, it is feasible for me to carry the survey, collect data and have enough information for making analysis. THE RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: This is a combination of quantitative and qualitative research approaches, the research will access all potential sources and means to collect data and information such as: collection and synthesis of secondary data, questionnaire design and pilot survey to ensure the maximum clarity and effectiveness of the questions, face-to-face interviews using questionnaire, online survey using questionnaire and meeting with some experts or stakeholders of multi-level marketing companies. CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Definition of consumer behavior: Consumer behavior is The study of individuals, groups, or organizations and the processes they use to select, secure, use, and dispose of products, services, experiences, or ideas to satisfy needs and the impacts that these processes have on the consumer and society. The action a person takes in purchasing and using products and services, including the mental and social processes that precede and follow these actions. The behavioral sciences help answer questions such as: why people choose one product or brand over another; how they make these choices, and how companies use this knowledge to provide value to consumers. Belch and Belch define consumer behavior as the process and activities people engage in when searching for, selecting, purchasing, using, evaluating, and disposing of products and services so as to satisfy their needs and desires. 1.2 Consumer behavior and marketing mix: 1.3 Types of consumer decisions: 1.3.1 Habitual decision making: Habitual decision making involves no decision as such. Habitual decisions occur when there is very low involvement with the purchase and result in repeat purchasing behavior. A completely habitual decision does not even include consideration of the do-not-purchase alternative. Noticing that the product or service is needed will cause the consumer to purchase some of the same one in the next visit to such product or service supplier. The consumer will not even consider the possibilities of not replacing the product or service or purchasing another brand. 1.3.2 Limited decision making: Limited decision making covers the middle ground between habitual decision making and extended decision making. In its simplest form, limited decision making is very similar to habitual decision making. No other alternative may be considered, except, possibly, a very limited examination of a do-not-buy option. Limited decision making also occurs in response to some emotional or environmental needs. Consumers may also evaluate a purchase in terms of the actual or anticipated behavior of others. 1.3.3 Extended decision making: Extended decision making is the response to a very high level of purchase involvement. An extensive internal and external information search is followed by a complex evaluation of multiple alternatives. After the purchase, uncertainty about its correctness is likely and a thorough evaluation of the purchase will take place. Relatively few consumer decisions reach this extreme level of complexity. However, products such as cars, houses and personal computers are frequently purchased as a result of extended decision making. 1.4 Consumer purchase decision process: The purchase decision process is the stages a buyer passes through in making choices about which products and services to buy which includes five stages which are: problem recognition, information search, alternative evaluation, purchase decision and post-purchase behavior. Post-purchase behavior: Value in consumption or use Purchase decision: Buying value Evaluation of alternatives: Assessing value Information search: Seeking value Problem recognition: Perceiving a need 1.4.1 Problem recognition: The consumer decision process begins with the recognition that a problem exits. The recognition of a problem is the result of a discrepancy between a desired state and an actual state which is sufficient to arouse and activate the decision process. Without recognition of a problem, there is no need for a consumer decision. If the consumer resolves the problem by recalling one satisfactory solution and purchasing that product or service without an evaluation, this is termed habitual decision making. Many consumer purchases, particularly of frequently purchased items, such as detergents, soft drink and petrol, are of this nature. Other problems may be resolved by recalling several potential solutions and choosing from among them, perhaps using some additional information, such as current prices. A great many consumer purchases are the results of such limited decision making. Problems that require thorough information searches, both internal and external, the evaluation of several alternatives along several dimensions, and considerable post-purchase evaluation, result in extended decision making. 1.4.2 Information search: Once the problem has been recognized, an information search is undertaken to isolate an effective solution. The information search may be extensive, very brief or somewhere between. 1.4.3 Evaluation of alternatives: After the information has been gathered, which allows the consumer to determine and compare the relevant and feasible alternatives, the decision can be made. 1.4.4 Purchase decision : 1.4.5 Post-purchase behavior: Post-purchase behavior is a process occurs after purchase or acquisition: use, evaluation, disposal and repurchase behavior. These reflect the satisfaction of the consumers relating to the usage of such product and/or service. Consumer satisfaction is influenced by product performance, the purchasing process and consumer expectations. 1.5 Major factors influencing buying behavior: 1.5.1 Internal influences: Perception: Perception is critical to the decision process and is also an internal phenomenon that is highly influenced by the internal influences. Perception is also influenced by external factors such as variety of groups, situations and marketing efforts. Learning and memory: The result of learning is memory and memory also has an influence on the learning process. There are two kinds of memory which are short-term and long-term ones which relate memory to brand image and product positioning. Motives, personality and emotion: Motives are the forces that initiate and direct consumer behavior. Motives may be either physiologically or psychologically based. In developed countries, most consumer behavior is guided by psychological motives. While motives direct behavior towards objectives, personality relates to characteristic patterns of behavior: personality is generally considered to reflect a consistent pattern of responses to a variety of situations, although the role played by the situation itself must also be recognized. Emotions are the feelings or affective responses to situations, products, advertisements and so forth. They affect information processing and preferences, and are becoming of increasing interest to marketers. Attitudes: Attitudes are formed out of the interrelationship between personal experience and lifestyle and the factors that help shape lifestyles. Attitudes are composed of three components which are cognitive, affective and behavioral. 1.5.2 External influences: Demographics and lifestyles The household Reference group Social status Culture Values 1.6 Attitude: 1.6.1 The three components of attitude: Beliefs: cognitive component of consumer attitude Affect: emotive component of consumer attitude Intention: behavioral intention component of consumer attitude Beliefs: Cognitive component of Consumer Attitude A consumer belief is a psychological association between a product, brand, outlet, action, etc. and an attribute or feature (and associated benefits) of such: Beliefs are cognitive (based on knowledge, experience, perception, etc.) The stronger the association of features or attributes (and association benefits) with the products, brand, outlet, action, etc., the stronger the consumers belief Brand equity is a measure of the strength of the association in the marketplace. Strategies to change consumer beliefs: Positioning by: product attributes, consumer benefits, intangible attributes, price, application, brand user, celebrity recognition, brand personality, product category, association with competitors country or geographic area, etc. 1.6.2 The Fishbein models: Affective responses to a brand consist of: The strength or weakness of a consumers beliefs about the brand and its attributes; The consumers evaluation of or feelings toward those attributes. Where: A = Attitude towards a brand Bi = Belief that the brand possesses attribute i Ei = Evaluation or desirability of attribute i I = Attribute 1,2, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦, m The Fishbein Model Belief-important Model Theory of Reasoned Action Theory of Trying Theory of Planned Behavior CHAPTER II: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 2.1 Methods of studying consumer behavior: Qualitative research is a method of inquiry appropriated in many different academic disciplines, traditionally in the social sciences, but also in market research and further contexts. Qualitative researchers aim to gather an in-depth understanding of human behavior and the reasons that govern such behavior. The qualitative method investigates the why and how of decision making, not just what, when, where. Hence, smaller but focused samples are more often needed, rather than large samples. 2.2 Sources of information: 2.2.1 Internal information: 2.2.2 External information: Two problems the commonly arise with secondary data are they do not completely fit the problem and they are not totally accurate. 2.3 Data collection: 2.2.1 Primary data: 2.2.2 Secondary data: 2.4 Data analysis: CHAPTER III: INTRODUCTION OF DIRECT SELLING BUSINESS Definition of direct selling: The concept of direct selling is based upon person-to-person relationships. The seller goes to the consumer rather than the consumer go to a shop. In todays fast changing society, where more people work and shopping patterns have altered, this type of shopping not only provides consumers with accessibility to a wide range of products but is also convenient. 2.2 Benefits of direct selling: 2.2.1 Benefits from distributor edge: Direct selling offers opportunity for individuals who want to earn an income and build a business of their own. It offers an alternative to traditional employment for those who desire a flexible income earning opportunity to supplement their household income, or whose responsibilities or circumstances do not allow for regular part-time or full time employment. The cost for an individual to start an independent direct selling business is typically very low. This means it provides benefits for investors to avoid a significant risk of loss. This also means anyone can do it. Opportunities are offered to any ones who desire, particularly to those cannot or harshly compete for a job opportunity. There are no required levels of education, experience, financial resources or physical condition in direct selling. People of all ages and from all backgrounds have succeeded in direct selling. Usually, a modestly priced sales kit is all that is required for one to get started, and there is little or no required inventory or other cash commitments to begin. Direct selling can provide to distributors a good way to meet and socialize with people. For those who want to achieve a success based on the level of their efforts, direct selling is a good way. Set your own goals and determine yourself how to reach them since earning is in proportion to your own efforts. The level of success you can achieve is limited only by your willingness to work hard. Moreover, distributors can receive training and support from other distributors who works with them, and from the company they counter. 2.2.2 Benefits from consumer edge: Consumers benefit from direct selling because of the convenience and service it provides, including personal demonstration and explanation of products, home delivery, and generous satisfaction guarantees and serves consumers with a convenient source of quality products. 2.2.3 Benefits from enterprise edge: Direct selling provides a channel of distribution for companies with innovative or distinctive products not readily available in traditional retail stores, or who cannot afford to compete with the enormous advertising and promotion costs associated with gaining space on retail shelves. Direct selling enhances the retail distribution infrastructure of the economy. 2.3 Types of direct sellings compensation plan: 2.3.1 Single-level compensation plan: Single level compensation plan means a representative/distributor is compensated based solely on ones own product sales. 2.3.2 Multi-level compensation plan: In a multilevel compensation plan, distributors are compensated based not only on ones own product sales, but on the product sales of ones down-line. Multilevel marketing is an important component of the Direct Selling industry. It is also referred to as network marketing, structure marketing or multilevel direct selling, and has proven over many years to be a highly successful and effective method of compensating direct sellers for the marketing and distribution of products and services directly to consumers. Differences between multilevel marketing and pyramid scheme: 2.4.1 Multilevel Marketing model: Multilevel marketing is a popular way of retailing in which consumer products are sold, not in stores by sales clerks, but by independent businessmen and women (called distributors), usually in customers homes. As a distributor you can set your own hours and earn money by selling consumer products supplied by an established company. In a multilevel structure you can also build and manage your own sales-force by recruiting, motivating, supplying and training others to sell those products. Your compensation then includes a percentage of the sales of your entire sales group as well as earnings on your own sales to retail customers. This opportunity has made multilevel marketing an attractive way of starting a business with comparatively little money. And the most important statement should be emphasized is that multilevel marketing is a legitimate income opportunity for everybody. Anyone can do it. 2.4.2 Pyramid scheme: Pyramid schemes are illegal scams in which large numbers of people at the bottom of the pyramid pay money to a few people at the top. Each new participant pays for the chance to advance to the top and profit from payments of others who might join later. For example, to join, you might have to pay anywhere from a small investment to thousands of dollars. In this example, $1,000 buys a position in one of the boxes on the bottom level. $500 of your money goes to the person in the box directly above you, and the other $500 goes to the person at the top of the pyramid, the promoter. If all the boxes on the chart fill up with participants, the promoter will collect $16,000, and you and the others on the bottom level will each be $1,000 poorer. When the promoter has been paid off, his box is removed and the second level becomes the top or payoff level. Only then do the two people on the second level begin to profit. To pay off these two, 32 empty boxes are added at the bottom, and the search for new participants continues. Each time a level rises to the top, a new level must be added to the bottom, each one twice as large as the one before. If enough new participants join, you and the other 15 players in your level may make it to the top. However, in order for you to collect your payoffs, 512 people would have to be recruited, half of them losing $1,000 each. Of course, the pyramid may collapse long before you reach the top. In order for everyone in a pyramid scheme to profit, there would have to be a never-ending supply of new participants. In reality, however, the supply of participants is limited, and each new level of participants has less chance of recruiting others and a greater chance of losing money. A closer inspection of a pyramid schemes so called products typically reveals that they have no real market value. This is because the products are often gimmicks such as certificates, spurious training programs or magazine subscriptions, illusory discounts, or over-priced and under-performing miracle treatments and the like. Recruits are often obliged to invest in large quantities of these products with no realistic prospect of marketing them to actual consumers (or returning them for credit). Their investments, however, generate substantial income for the promoter who enticed them into the scheme. 2.4.2 Differences between lawful multi-level marketing model and illegal pyramid schemes: The following factors differentiate illegal pyramids from lawful direct selling businesses: Legitimate direct selling companies offer a genuine business opportunity based on the sale of quality products to consumers. They routinely offer consumers satisfaction guarantees or cancellation rights so that the consumer may return the product for replacement or refund if the consumer is dissatisfied. Pyramids schemes have no such commercially viable product sales base. Legitimate direct selling companies strongly discourage overstocking of inventory and provide participants leaving the plan with an opportunity to return any unused, salable merchandise to the company for a refund of not less than 90% of the salespersons net cost. In contrast, pyramid schemes often encourage or require large stocks of non-refundable inventory and disappointed scheme participants are then left with stock which they can neither sell nor return. Legitimate direct selling opportunities may be taken up with minimal start-up costs and little or no inventory investment. Even modest entry fees may be refundable if the new direct seller decides not to pursue the opportunity. Conversely, pyramid selling schemes often require high entry fees and/or substantial investment in inventory, and neither are refundable. This is because pyramid operators make their money from new recruits to their schemes. The sales and marketing plans of credible direct selling companies are based on the progressive recognition and reward of direct sellers for the development of a customer base for consumption of the companys products. The development and stability of a direct sellers business is dependent on satisfied consumers and fairly remunerated direct selling network members. Pyramid schemes, on the other hand, offer get-rich-quick schemes to induce participants to buy ground-floor or leadership positions. In pyramid selling schemes there is no viable, long-term business opportunity. Unfortunately, some potentially fraudulent schemes will claim to offer a multilevel marketing opportunity, but in fact are simply recruiting schemes in which people must make substantial investments in order to participate. CHAPTER IV: OVERVIEW OF DIRECT SELLING INDUSTRY IN VIETNAM 4.1 Overview of Vietnam direct selling market: 4.1.1 History: 4.2.2 Market size: 4.1.2 Market growth: 4.1.3 SWOT analysis: 4.2 Players of direct selling: 4.3 Distribution channel of direct selling: 4.4 Legal framework for direct selling: 4.5 Leading enterprises: 4.6 What managers thought about perspectives of direct selling in Vietnam? In 2008 the retail industry in Vietnam saw very strong expansion in terms of outlets in both grocery and on-grocery channels. Huge investment by local retailers was poured into the market in order to capitalise on available good locations before Vietnam fully opens its retail industry to foreign investors in 2009. Penetration from foreign retailers was also more fierce compared with 2007. International investors such as Wellcome Supermarket, Best Denki and Lotte Mart, among others, all obtained the requisite license. Local retailers prepared for the foreign invasion by providing better service, improving product quality and implementing more marketing activities and cooperation between local brands. Non-store retailing remained a niche of the overall retail industry. The main product category remained cosmetics and toiletries. Non-store retailing was not yet strong enough to influence manufacturers or other retail formatsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Non-store retailing still needs to educate consumers and increase consumer awareness. (Euromonitor Retailing Vietnam 2009) CHAPTER V: SURVEY RESULTS CONSUMER BEHAVIOR OF CONSUMERS IN HO CHI MINH CITY AND MEKONG DELTA 5.1 Overview of respondents: 5.2 Descriptive analysis: CHAPTER VI: KEY FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Key findings and recommendations: CONCLUSIONS:

Essay on Whartons Ethan Frome: A Psychological Novel -- Ethan Frome E

Ethan Frome as A Psychological Novel      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many authors have tried to convey truths about human behavior and explain the human psyche, often unsuccessfully. Edith Wharton's novel, Ethan Frome, is an example of a novel that succeeds in revealing truths. She fills her characters with nuances that reflect the subconscious and her setting is alive with reflected symbolism. She is able to interpret the characters actions in a way that can relate to all humans. Each word and phrase seems to be chosen so that it reflects a part of the subconscious in the characters. Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome is an examination of the human mind, based on her use of setting to reflect emotion, characterization to show human tendencies towards chaos and other psychological aspects of the human mind. In Ethan Frome, Wharton uses the setting to show the feelings and psychology of the characters. Because the tone of the novel is somber and the characters suffer greatly, Wharton used the gothic technique of matching the scenery to the characters emotions. The principal setting of the novel is Starkfield, which is a small farming based community. The houses are mostly several miles from the "center" of town. Richard Worth, a literary critic, says of Starkville, "...even the name suggests utter desolation" (64). The name of the town gives the initial impression of the mindset of the characters: hopelessness. "The New England winter... the physical landscape can reinforce psychic tensions oppressing the people in the community" (McDowell 85). The narrator, Harmon Gow, d escribes the setting and says, "...the winter set down on Starkfield, and the village lay under a sheet of snow, perpetually renewed from the pale skies"(7). During the entirety of the... ...me is a timeless classic that subtly and creatively lets readers understand the hidden depths of the human mind through psychological aspects present in the novel.      Bibliography Bell, Millicent. The Cambridge Companion to Edith Wharton. New York: Cambridge .....University Press, 1995. Fedorko, Kathy. Gender and the Gothic in the Fiction of Edith Wharton. Tuscaloosa: .....University of Alabama Press, 1995. Goodwyn, Janet Patricia. Edith Wharton: Traveler in the Land of Letters. New York: .....St. Martin's Press, 1990. McDowell, Margaret. Edith Wharton: Revised Edition. Boston: G.K. Hall and .....Company, 1991 Springer, Marlene. Ethan Frome: A Nightmare of Need. New York: Twayne .....Publishers, 1993. Wharton, Edith. Ethan Frome. New York: Penguin Group, 1993. Worth, Richard. Edith Wharton. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1994.

Walt Whitmans Song of Myself Essay -- Song of Myself Essays

Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself" Walt Whitman's 'Song of Myself' is, on the most basic descriptive level, a really long poem. Whitman is clearly a poet with a lot to say, or at least with a lot of different ways to say it. He meanders from the micro to the macro, from atoms to the whole earth. There are obviously myriad ways to explain what the poem is about, and myriad 'keys' to its true meaning. In what became Section 6 of the final edition (lines 90-121 of the 1855 edition ) Whitman himself addresses this sort of 'meta-question' of interpretation. By doing so in one of the quieter, more straightforward sections of the poem, Whitman invites us to use the section as one such 'key.' In Section 6, Whitman lays out a (possible) microcosm of 'Song of Myself' and gives a very kind prompt that here is a place where befuddled readers can ease their way into the poem. Whitman signals from the beginning of this passage that it is more accessible than most of his others. The first line tells us simply of a question asked by a child: ?A child said, What is the grass? fetching it to me with full hands?? (90). In contrast to some of the earlier lines--the challenge of line 22 (?Have you reckoned a thousand acres much? Have you reckoned the earth much??) or the confusion of lines 30-31 (?I have heard what the talkers were talking?.the talk of the beginning and the end,/but I do not talk of the beginning and the end?.?) --this information is easy to process. We are likely to pause and enjoy the refreshing image of an inquisitive child, hands full of grass. Although Whitman goes on to catalogue all kinds of similar brief, simple sketches, for the moment we only have to deal with one. This single child is a messenge... ... (as determined by the 1891-1892 edition). Whitman?s answer to the question he posed to us earlier is now just what we might expect. ?They are alive and well somewhere;/The smallest sprout shows there is really no death? he tells us (116). This seems almost to say ?Good job?you followed my clues correctly, you too can read poetry.? By setting this section up, Whitman gives us one of his main themes that we can proceed to follow through this poem. At the same time, he shows us that one poem can be about many different ideas, and so cautions us against being too adamant about our newly discovered lens. His multitude of ?uttering tongues? can be confusing, but he does not leave us stranded?he gives us a map that shows one way to navigate this poem, and also the freedom to discover others at will. Works Cited: Whitman, Walt. "Song of Myself." 14 Nov 2006 .

Death of a Salesman: The American Tragedy

Arthur Miller’s play â€Å"Death of a Salesman† is considered by many to be a modern tragedy. In â€Å"Poetics†, Aristotle offers his description of a tragedy, and Miller’s play meets these requirements. The American Dream that the protagonist, Willy Loman, spends his life chasing, is, in itself, tragic. And that his family had the same values, the same delusions that Willy did, helps to build the case for tragedy. Aristotle defined tragedy as such:Tragedy, then, is an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude; in language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament, the several kinds being found in separate parts of the play; in the form of action, not of narrative; through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation of these emotions. Tragedy, if one is to believe Aristotle, is something that causes fear and pity. In Arthur Miller’s â€Å"Death of a Salesman†, Willy Loman fails at the American Dream.T his is a common occurrence in modern America, and readers can see themselves in Willy’s shoes, creating fear. They feel sorry for Willy, because ultimately, he is the same as them. His failure is their failure. Not just pitiable, this thought is nothing less than terrifying. According to current research, all human brains have dopamine receptors. Dopamine (DA) is the predominant catecholamine neurotransmitter in the mammalian brain, where it controls a variety of functions including locomotor activity, cognition, emotion, positive reinforcement, food intake and endocrine regulation.If tragedy instills fear, an emotion, clearly a normal working DA is required. With the DA controlling emotions, such as fear and pity, it could be said that humans are hardwired to see all loss as tragic and the play, even as defined by Aristotle, is therefore a tragedy. Being able to see ones self failing, over and over again, is both pitiable and fearful. The average human can see themselves fai ling. Willy Loman’s failures and crushed dreams become their own. In his essay, â€Å"Tragedy and the Common Man†, Arthur Miller states: In this age few tragedies are written.It has often been held that the lack is due to a paucity of heroes among us, or else that modern man has had the blood drawn out of his organs of belief by the skepticism of science, and the heroic attack on life cannot feed on an attitude of reserve and circumspection. For one reason or another, we are often held to be below tragedy-or tragedy above us. The inevitable conclusion is, of course, that the tragic mode is archaic, fit only for the very highly placed, the kings or the kingly, and where this admission is not made in so many words it is most often implied.What he is saying is that, while outdated, tragedy still exists in some form, and no one is above or below it. Willy Loman wanted the American Dream. He wanted to be successful and he wanted his children to be successful. This dream per haps, is the biggest tragedy of all. The play begins when Willy is old, a salesman no longer working on salary, but for commission. He can no longer afford to support his family. All of his contacts from decades of selling are dead. He is the only one left, and he is far from successful.To Willy Loman, success is the equivalent of being well-liked. To modern man, success is having a house, a couple of cars, two point three children, Rover in the backyard and a white picket fence. There is no need to be well-liked as business can be done over the phone or via email while one is in his pajamas. Willy Loman was not well-liked. He had few friends and even less success. He struggled his life away, clawing for the next rung on the metaphorical ladder of life, and never reaching it. His sons were failures and destined to follow in his footsteps.Senile or not, Willy lived the last of his years in a complete fantasy, believing that Biff and Happy were doing well for themselves, when in reali ty, Biff was working as a farm hand and Happy was living with a new girl every week. Happy tried to reassure his father that he was going to get married and be successful. Biff seemed to throw his hands up in despair. He was content doing the work that he was, but Willy still thought of him as a failure.WILLY: How can he find himself on a farm? Is that a life? A farmhand?In the beginning, when he was young, I thought, well, a young man, it’s good for him to tramp around, take a lot of different jobs. But it’s more than ten years now and he has yet to make thirty-five dollars a week!LINDA: He’s finding himself, Willy.WILLY: Not finding yourself at the age of thirty-four is a disgrace! (Penguin Plays, pp 16)Biff himself tells his brother that their dad mocks him all the time. He feels inadequate and lost.BIFF: †¦And whenever spring comes to where I am, I suddenly get the feeling, my God, I’m not getting’ anywhere!What the hell am I doing, playin g around with horses, twenty-eight dollars a week! I’m thirty-four years old, I oughta be makin’ my future. That’s when I come running home. And now, I get here, and I don’t know what to do with myself. (pp22) Happy, too, in a conversation with his Biff, in clearly not content with the direction his life has gone in.HAPPY: †¦I don’t know what the hell I’m workin’ for. Sometimes I sit in my apartment—all alone. And I think of the rent I’m paying. And it’s crazy. But then, it’s what I always wanted. My own apartment, a car and plenty of women.And still, goddammit, I’m lonely. (pp 23) The severely dysfunctional Loman family is a tragedy. Biff and Happy’s constant struggle to make the grade, to be well liked, to be successful; is a tragedy. Willy, barely able to separate past from present, truth from fantasy, has raised his boys to think that the more friends they have the more successful the y will be. Willy Loman measures success in people, and he taught his sons to do the same. He is unable to understand what Biff’s problem is, though the reader finds out at a later time. The problem was Willy. Biff had it made.He was well liked. He had three scholarships coming his way. He failed math, and before summer school started he went to visit Willy on one of the many business trips he took. He finds his father with another woman and leaves, foregoing summer school, the credit and the football scholarships. Albert A. Shea considered â€Å"Death of a Salesman† to be a scathing social commentary on capitalist America. Shea wrote: Arthur Miller casts a score of darts — at advertising, credit selling, the family automobile; at the petty larceny and the subversive attitude toward sex characteristic of our time.But his main attack is against the view that a man is a fool if he does not get something — as much as possible — for nothing more than a smile, being a good fellow and having good contacts. Perhaps Arthur Miller is not casting darts at the view that man is a fool to expect something for nothing. Miller is no doubt attacking the standard good old American Dream, called a dream because that is precisely what it is— â€Å"†¦ something that somebody hopes, longs, or is ambitious for, usually something difficult to attain or far removed from present circumstances.†A dream then, that seldom becomes a reality. These hopes themselves are tragic, because, as mentioned above, they are difficult to attain. For the Lomans, they are not difficult, they are impossible. The Book Rags website writes Willy Loman died a failure by his own standards. Biff considers Willy's life a failure because he had the wrong dreams. He spent too much time convincing himself he could be a successful salesman, when what he was clear he was skilled at working with his hands.If he'd followed the right dreams, and confronted his abili ties in a realistic and honest way, he may not have been a failure, and his life might not have ended this way. Even in death, Willy Loman's plans fail; no one shows at his funeral, and his life insurance policy doesn't cover suicide. And so, at the end of it all, the reader sees, at the same time the Lomans see, that Willy is a failure. His life has consisted of numerous stories and fabrications. He has lied to his wife about how much he has sold, about how many friends he has and even about silk stockings.Willy is a perfect portrayal of the American husband in the fifties. He longs to provide for his family. He dreams about making it big. These are aspirations that he has passed on to at least one of his sons, Happy, who tells him â€Å"Pop, I told you I’m gonna retire you for life. † (pp41) to which Willy responds: â€Å"You’ll retire me for life on seventy goddam dollars a week? And your women and your car and your apartment, and you’ll retire me for life! † A summary on Homework Online offers this: Willy has lost at trying to live the American Dream and the play can be viewed as commentary about society.Willy was a man who was worked all his life by the machinery of Democracy and Free Enterprise and was then spit mercilessly out, spent like a â€Å"piece of fruit. † Joyce Carol Oates read the play in the 1950’s and now writes: His occupation, for all its adversities, was â€Å"white collar,† and his class not the one into which I’d been born; I could not recognize anyone I knew intimately in him, and certainly I could not have recognized myself, nor foreseen a time decades later when it would strike me forcibly that, for all his delusions and intellectual limitations, about which Arthur Miller is unromantically clear-eyed, Willy Loman is all of us.Indeed, Willy Loman is all of mankind, and that is perhaps the greatest tragedy of them all. Oates remarks that Willy Loman resembled none of the me n in her family when she was fourteen or fifteen, and then she realized that all of the men in her family were Willy Loman, in their own way. Aristotle’s definition of tragedy being something that creates fear and pity. Willy is both our fear and our pity.Perhaps Oates summarizes the tragic nature of Willy Loman better than anyone else:In the intervening years, Willy Loman has become our quintessential American tragic hero, our domestic Lear, spiraling toward suicide as toward an act of selfless grace, his mad scene on the heath a frantic seed-planting episode by flashlight in the midst of which the once-proud, now disintegrating man confesses, â€Å"I’ve got nobody to talk to. † His salesmanship, his family relations, his very life—all have been talk, optimistic and inflated sales rhetoric; yet, suddenly, in this powerful scene, Willy Loman realizes he has nobody to talk to; nobody to listen.Perhaps the most memorable single remark in the play is the qui et observation that Willy Loman is â€Å"liked . . . but not well-liked. † In America, this is not enough. Indeed, it is not enough in America.Works Cited:1. Poetics by Aristotle. Trans. S. H. Butcher. 21 May 2004. The University of Adelaide Library. 30 November 2006. .2. Missale, Cristina, S. Russel Nash, Susan W. Robinson, Mohamed Jaber and Marc G. Caron. â€Å"Dopamine Receptors: From Structure to Function†. Physiological Review. 78. 1 (1998): 189-225.3. â€Å"Tragedy and the Common Man†. The Literary Link. 7 October 2006. 8 December 2006. < http://theliterarylink. com/miller1. html>.4. Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. New York: Penguin Books, 1949.5. â€Å"Death of a Salesman† Book Rags. 8 December 2006. .6. â€Å"Death of a Salesman†. Homework Online 8 December 2006. 8 December 2006. .7. Oates, Joyce Carol. â€Å"Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman: A Celebration†. Fall 1998. USFCA. 10 December 2006. .

Oil Drilling and Gas Extraction Industry in the US Analysis

DATE: September 16, 2012 TO: Patricia Bennett, Supervising Principal FROM: Connor Sims, Associate SUBJECT: Oil Drilling & Gas Extraction Industry in the US Analysis (21111) This report presents information regarding the industry, the primary operator of oil and gas field properties. The industry fuels its key buyers, the Natural Gas Distribution (22121) and the Petroleum Refining (32411) industries, with crude oil and natural gas. The industry continuously battles a shortage of available oil. In addition, many major oil fields have been in use for decades, slowly waning.Currently, the industry grosses among the most profitable in the US despite these and similar obstacles. The benefits of investing here potentially outweigh concerning risks. Because of the esteemed value of the industry’s products, consistent demand for its products, and its positive near-future outlook, diversification into this industry may produce rewarding profitability in the short-term. High Product Valu e Crude Oil Prices The key economic driver for the Oil Drilling & Gas Extraction Industry, crude oil prices, determines much of its profitability according to supply and demand.Price trends in West Texas Intermediate, a grade of crude oil used as a benchmark in oil pricing, display the growth of its value in the past 3 years and past decade. An average barrel of crude oil grew from $26. 18 in 2002 to $61. 95 in 2009, $79. 48 in 2010, and $94. 87 in 2011 (Airlines, 2012). JP Morgan analysts project average annual prices above $99 in upcoming years (Sethuraman, 2012). Such upward growth points to lucrative profits. Natural Gas Outlook Natural gas production accounts for 41. 6% of industry revenue in 2012. Prices n natural gas reached a 10-year low in April this year, but have erupted by more than 70% since (Hargreaves, 2012). Natural gas has seen an abundantly large output due to recent discoveries of natural gas in the Appalachian Basin; this large supply has kept prices relatively l ow recently, leaving opportunity for even higher profitability in future years. Consistent Demand Fueling US Industries The Oil Drilling & Gas Extraction Industry is the sole supply industry for its two demand industries, Petroleum Refining and Natural Gas Distribution (Hersch).The US internally consumes 19,150,000 barrels of oil per day, doubling the world’s second largest consumer, China (Index, 2012). IBIS World describes the industry’s demand industries as â€Å"mature,† assuring the stable demand for our industry’s products (Hersch). Rising Exports, Foreign Buyers Current international relations appear conducive to this industry’s profitability. In 2011, for the first time since 1949, the US exported more refined oil than it imported (Winters, 2012); this evidences the success between the supply industry and its demand industries detailed above.Additionally, oil exports to China will surge as it industrializes quickly. China’s exponenti ally growing demand leads to worldwide price increases (Hersch). Any increases, particularly increase this substantial, raise the WTI average price per barrel, increasing profitability. Positive Current Standing Favorable Market Concentration The four largest firms in the industry comprise of approximately 30. 0% of total revenue (Hersch, 2012). Market share concentration is low, allowing firms of any size to portion the industry’s $345. 9 billion revenue this year.The competitive aspect of entering this industry would not be a difficult obstacle to overcome. Profit Margin The Oil Drilling and Gas Extraction Industry reels in a significantly larger margin in comparison to related industries. 46% of all industry revenue goes to profit, higher than the average for the entire mining sector, 39. 2% (Hersch, 2012). In 2008, the industry returned the 7th highest profit margin among US industries (Hargreaves). Profit margins have increased in the past 5 years as result of rising cru de oil prices. Risks and Concerns Barriers of EntryMost major oil and gas producers integrate services beyond drilling and extracting; many dualize as refining or distribution firms, circumventing demand industries en route to more direct profitability. New firms lacking this versatility may find an obstacle upon entry to the industry (Hersch, 2012). Additionally, firms in this industry must specialize in exploration and discovery for oil and gas resources. Firms may struggle finding initial success in this role due to the limited nature of resources. Long-term Resource Depletion ‘Peak oil’ refers to the prime of any field’s production, after which goes into terminal decline.Most major US oil fields are beyond peak oil. The largest US oil field, Prudhoe Bay, has been depleting since 1979 (Prudhoe, 2012). The US Energy Information Administration indicates much production, particularly in the Alaskan North Slope, depends on world oil prices (Energy, 2012). Geophysi cists and politicians debate over specifications regarding overall US peak oil, arguing the year in which US peak oil occurred. International Comparison In addition to the US peak oil situation, the US Oil Drilling and Gas Extraction Industry faces heavy foreign market competition.In 2011, the US ranked 3rd in oil production, behind Saudi Arabia and Russia (Energy, 2012). Saudi Arabia’s OPEC governor expects Saudi output to rise steadily beyond 2030 with a 1. 5 million barrel per day spare production capacity then (Energy, 2012). Russia holds the world’s largest natural gas reserves, and its fuel exports have steadily increased since each year since 1999 (Energy, 2012). Conclusion Despite entry risks and threats of limited resources, evidence supports the likelihood of success for us to diversify into the industry under certain stipulations.A new firm will implicitly face the challenge of exploring for land not already claimed by another firm. Additionally, alternative methods of energy will irrefutably have to replace oil drilling and gas extraction within an uncertain future; the remaining supply simply cannot match the demand forever. Two central obstacles hesitate immediate diversification: a barrier of entry and a negative long-term outlook. However, we must decide whether the benefits outweigh the concerns. World prices of oil and gas and China’s growing demand directly affect profitability.Because evidence above shows substantial progress in both of these drivers with a very positive short-term outlook, diversification must be considered. If presence in the industry can be established quickly and will remain only until profitability falls, I recommend diversification. References Airlines For America (2012). Annual Crude Oil and Jet Fuel Prices. http://www. airlines. org/Pages/Annual-Crude-Oil-and- Jet-Fuel-Prices. aspx.. Retrieved September 16, 2012. Energy Information Administration (2012). Project Alaska North Slope oil production at risk beyond 2025 if oil prices drop sharply. Today In Energy. http://www. ia. gov/todayinenergy/detail. cfm? id=7970 Retrieved September 16, 2012. Prudhoe Bay Fact Sheet (2012). British Petroleum. www. bp. com/assets/bp†¦ us†¦ /A03_prudhoe_bay_fact_sheet. pdf Retrieved September 16, 2012. Hargreaves, Steve (2012). Natural gas prices surge 70%. CNN Money. http://money. cnn. com/2012/07/24/investing/natural-gas- – prices/index. htm. Retrieved September 16, 2012. Hersch, Laura. (2012). IBIS World Industry Report 21111. Oil Drilling & Extraction In the US. Retrieved September 16, 2012 from IBIS World Database. How the US Uses Oil (2012). Alternative Energy. Retrieved September 16, 2012. ttp://alternativeenergy. procon. org/view. resource. php? resourceID=001797 Index Mundi (2012). http://www. indexmundi. com/g/r. aspx? c=us&v=91. Retrieved September 16, 2012. Sethuraman, Nathan (2012). Poll: Increasing numbers see oil below $100 in 2013, 2014. Reuters. http://www. r euters. com/article/2012/06/27/us-oil-poll- idUSBRE85Q14720120627. Retrieved September 16, 2012. Winter, Michael (2012). U. S. Exported more gasoline than imported last year. USA Today. http://content. usatoday. com/communities/ondeadline/post/2012/0 2/us-exported-more-gasoline-than-imported-last-year/1#. UFav7BhGhgI