Global Warming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Global Warming - Essay Example This paper will first describe the greenhouse effect then will explain the way man-made and naturally occurring gases affect it in addition to the potential consequences of these forces. It will then present a rebuttal. What is Global Warming? Basically, the greenhouse effect behaves in the following way. When sunlight pierces the atmosphere and strikes the surface of the earth, not all of the sun’s solar power is absorbed. Roughly 30 percent of this energy is reflected back into space. Certain atmospheric gases act in much the same method as does the outer wall and roof of a greenhouse, consequently the terminology. These gases allow sunlight to pierce then trap a portion of this solar energy. The remaining energy heats the earth (Gutierrez, 2008). It is a precarious balance and due to these greenhouse gases being artificially amplified by man-made sources, more continuously builds up in the atmosphere thus trapping more of the solar energy and reflects less back in to space. This avoidable circumstance is causing the earth to warm. Reasons of global warming Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is the most common of the greenhouse gases. Trees ‘breathe in’ CO2 and when they die, CO2 it is restored back into the atmosphere. The clearing of trees by mass burning, which is occurring at a phenomenal rate in the tropical rain forests, is decreasing the amount of CO2 that is absorbed therefore increasing the quantity that is added to the atmosphere. CO2 contributes about half of the total gases that produce the greenhouse effect. Though deforestation is contributing greatly to the excess of CO2 pumped into the atmosphere, a larger fraction is caused by the use of fossil fuels such as coal and oil. Fossil fuels are burned by electricity-producing power plants, vehicles and factories to name a few sources. The great majority of this excessive fuel consumption, its toxic pollutants and greenhouse-enhancing byproducts are found in the U.S., Russia and Europe. Among other greenhouse gases are methane, which is released when plants are burned during the clearing of land, during the coal-mining process and oil exploration activities; chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which is the gaseous substance which cools refrigerators and provides aerosol cans with propulsion and nitrous oxide (N2O) which is the lesser cause of greenhouse gas. It is estimated that man-made causes represents half of the CO2 production. (â€Å"Treaty,† 2001). The rising amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere is becoming progressively more disconcerting. Eighty percent of the earth’s population lives in countries that, combined, emit just 35 percent of the total CO2 while the U.S. and the Russia combined are responsible for creating half. Motor vehicles are a significant cause of air pollution. The burning of fuel to heat homes and power industries along with the poisons emitted from smokestacks at coal-burning power plants. â€Å"Vehicles produce high levels of carbon monoxides (CO) and a major source of hydrocarbons (HC) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), whereas, fuel combustion in stationary sources is the dominant source of sulfur dioxide (SO2)† (Socha, 2007). If the balance between the CO2 levels of the ocean and atmosphere is disturbed by adding ever-increasing quantities of CO2, the oceans will continue to take in greater concentrations than it would naturally. The resulting warming ocean waters are less capable concerning their capability of absorbing CO2 and when the seas can no longer

Goals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Goals - Essay Example I also aspire to become a successful individual by earning due recognition as an expert in the field in which I'm passionate. And in order to prepare myself for a successful career ahead I have set for myself, some goals which I intend to achieve in due course. 1. Lose 15 pounds of Weight: Today's life is full of activity, tense moments, stressful working, competitive environment etc. which calls for a physique fit enough to take long hours of working together with a host of other activities. I have the fortune of growing in a jolly good environment which helped me gaining a few pounds more. Though I am fit enough to work for hours together, but I sincerely feel that I need to control my body weight so that in the years ahead the backbone doesn't have to bear excessive load. I plan to lose about 15 pounds of my body weight within the next one year, which will help me in finding the professional look. In the corporate world, physical appearance also matters, but for a young female it becomes an added advantage if she could maintain the balancing act. I am aware that even to lose the weight I need to consult dieticians and experts, so that I could do it in a manner acceptable to my body and I could sustain the slim and trim look for a long p eriod ahead. 2. To be 'Well Read' and Read Critically: Internet and IT are the buzzwords today.

Traditional classroom environment Essay Example for Free

Traditional classroom environment Essay I chose to study through distance learning since I was thinking of the convenience that I wouldn’t have with a traditional classroom environment. I control my time since I don’t have to meet a regular schedule, I don’t have to dress up and travel to school, and I can work full-time while studying. I also thought the workload would be lighter to that of attending a traditional class. I did get the conveniences I hoped for. I control my time and I save time and effort going to and from classrooms. However, I also realized that distance learning can be just as tough and demanding to the student. One has to muster a lot of self-motivation because there is less of the pressure that is forced upon the student moving within a physical academic environment where he sees everyone reading or studying. With distance learning it is just you motivating yourself to log-on to the virtual classroom.

The Effects Of Imperialism In Europe History Essay

The Effects Of Imperialism In Europe History Essay The effects of imperialism have been subject of debate. However it has been generally agreed that imperialism had more negative than positive effects for the countries which the European imperialist lorded over. Major imperialism occurred in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. Imperialism refers to a situation when a country takes control of a smaller nation for political social and economic reasons (Duignan and Gann, 69) Heart of darkness was one of the very first literally text to provide critical view of European imperial activities. Conrad decision to set the book in the Belgian colony made it easier for the British readers, also imperialist, to avoid seeing themselves reflected in the book. The book does reinforce the fact that imperialism was an insult to the subjects as well as hypocritical Just like much of modernist literature produced in the early years of twentieth century, Conrads heart of darkness is much about confusion, alienation and intense doubt as it is on imperialism. However imperialism is the main theme, and with the help of symbolism brings this out perfectly. Darkness is essentially used to refer the continent of Africa in general and Congo in particular, and it backwardness at the point in time, while light (p3), is used to refer to western civilization that they imperialist purported to bring to Africa. By late 1890s most of African continent metaphorically referred to as worlds dark places had been put under European control (Conrad, 6). Women occupy Traditional roles as arbiter of morality and domesticity (69). However they are hardly present in the story; the concepts of home and civilization merely exist as insincere ideals, meaningless to men for whom survival is in constant doubt. Kurtz who goes into Africa with the idea of civilizing and improving the Africans ends up raiding villages and letting himself be held in awe like a god(). Hence the idealistic benefits western civilization would have had on Africa were hypocritical. Conrad explores how the transformation takes place and in the process questions the role Europe played in the exploitation of Africa. Initially the European claimed that their mission was to civilize the African whose culture they found appalling as well economic empowerment through engagement in trade. This was not to be, instead. Imperialist engaged in economic exploitation of African continent and overhauled the political and social structure of the African people. It is clear that the imperialistic activities were detrimental to Africa. Conrad finds inefficiency and wastefulness at the Belgian company in Congo contrary to the initial claim of economic development that the Europeans had claimed they endeavored to bring into the African continent. He found out that they were interested economic exploitation of Africa by obtaining raw material for their home industries by force if need be. The company was the Belgian Rubber Company which king Leopard II of Belgian had formed for enabling exploitation of rubber in the Congo region. In 1884 the partitioning of African among the imperial power was completed at Berlin conference in 1884, which Conrad refers sarcastically in the heart of darkness as the international Society for the suppression of Savage customs. Leopard declared Congo Free State his property in 1892, legally allowing Belgians to take whatever amount of rubber they wished without having to engage in trade with the locals. This resulted to tension between the locals and the Belgians and the fights which ensued left many Congolese dead, given their inferior weapons. The European was stretched thin trying to administer and protect massive far-flung empires. For example Congo was under Belgian empire while East Africa and Anglophone west Africa was under British Empire. Cracks begun to appear in the imperialist system: riots, war as well as the abandonment of commercial enterprises in a wholesale fashion as a result of the indigenous people quest for self determination. The imperialist did not have any intention of developing Africa but furthering their economic interests by exploiting it. The claim that the imperialist improved infrastructure is misplaced since they were not doing it for the interest of the African but to ease exploitation of the raw materials. The construction of Kenya Ugandan railways was meant to ease the transportation of raw materials from the east African region. Colonization was a major tool of imperialism. Its greatest misdeed was that it stripped African the responsibility in conducting their our own affairs and convinced them that their civilization was nothing less than savagery as a result giving them complexes that led to their being branded as irresponsible and lacking self confidence. The negative effects of colonization and imperialism could not be expressed better that from the African themselves. They stated that they deplored the economic exploitation by the imperialist as it reduced Africa to abject poverty, in the midst of plenty. Moreover heir fundamental rights, freedom of speech, freedom of association, of movement, freedom of worship and freedom to live a full and abundant life were denied them imperialist overt activities. Imperialism led to landlessness. People were displaced from high yielding areas and the land was taken under European plantation and which they used forced labors from the Africans. African was consigned in settlers settlement where they lived in deplorable conditions as squatters. An African proverbs best portrays the effect imperialism had on the land issue by stating that when the white man came to Africa, the African had the land while the white had the bible. Soon after the Africa was left with the bible and the European took over the land (Duigan, 89). Colonial masters destroyed the harmonious existence of the African society, by creation of tribes where they did not exist. They were aware that it was easier to exploit a divided group than a united one. Preferential treatment of one tribe over the other created tribal tension that at times led conflict. The 1994 civil war in Rwanda was fought between Tutsis and Hutu tribes that had been created by the French. Tribal animosity is rampant to this day (Boahen, 750-782). Civil wars in most of the aftrican countries are largely out of ethnic animosity and whose root causes can be found in Africas colonial legacy. On the positive side of imperialism, it is noted that the western government introduced improved health care and better sanitation method, curbing premature death that resulted from lack of treatment from preventable diseases like malaria and measles. The colonial government introduced new crops, new tools and farming methods which increased food production. The changes meant reduced death to smaller colonies and overall improved states of living. In conclusion, It is hard to decipher whether the disturbance from outside have been beneficial or detrimental given Conrads somewhat implicit portrayal of imperialism in his book. Proponents of imperialism say that the effects of imperialism were positive, but evidence shows that it led to the effects that were detrimental, than they were positive. Imperialism changed the world and made it a more difficult world to live in. The portrayal of African as backward and ignorant amounted to discrimination and racism. Imposition of eastern values was also tantamount to accepting superiority of European civilization. The effects are still felt to this day. Work cited Joseph Conrad. Heart of darkness. Courier Dover Publication, 1990 Peter Duignan and L.H Gann. Colonialism in Africa, 1870-1960. CUP, Archive. A. Abu Boahen.Africa under colonial domination 1880-1935. University of California Press, 1985.

Agatha Christie :: essays research papers

In the murder mystery by Agatha Christie, Murder on the Orient Express, her style of writing can be described as one of Christie’s best works, having an international trend, and being a genius with detective fiction. Murder on the Orient Express was a great book and should be read by all.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  “Agatha Christie is the world’s best known mystery writer.'; (Harper) All of her novels are known around the world as being very excellent. No one has read a Christie murder mystery they have not liked. Murder on the Orient Express is one of her most famous books. “This book is famous because it turns on a piece of misdirection and a solution which, in their day, were startlingly innovatory.'; (Lejeune) Throughout the whole novel, your thoughts are changed numerous amounts of time. You never know what is going to happen next. Agatha Christie knows just how to keep you interested in the story and to keep you wanting to read more and more. If you had to choose one of Christie’s novels to read, you should pick Murder on the Orient Express. Not only is she the best known mystery writer, but she is also known around the world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  “She is the most widely published author of all time in any language, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare.'; (Harper) All of Christie’s works are sold around the world and also known to have an international trend. She puts a variety of characters in all of her novels. Murder on the Orient Express has characters from all over, such as Germany, Istanbul, France, America, Britain, and England. “This international trend in Christie’s views can be noted in Murder on the Orient Express. A slight shift is perceptible here in the British stock characters, and men like Christie’s Colonel Padgett 2 Arbuthnot one of the Orient Express passengers, are already beginning to seem quaint and old-fashioned.'; (218) She makes her stories even more interesting when she uses people from all over the world. When she writes using these people, she also adds in the language in which these people speak as well as placing them in different countries than from where they are originally from. When she mixes different people and cultures together, it makes the stories more fun and it even helps to make them more mysterious.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All of Christie’s novels even contain the same characters. There are a variety of stories other than Murder on the Orient Express that contains the popular detective Hercule Poirot. Agatha Christie :: essays research papers In the murder mystery by Agatha Christie, Murder on the Orient Express, her style of writing can be described as one of Christie’s best works, having an international trend, and being a genius with detective fiction. Murder on the Orient Express was a great book and should be read by all.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  “Agatha Christie is the world’s best known mystery writer.'; (Harper) All of her novels are known around the world as being very excellent. No one has read a Christie murder mystery they have not liked. Murder on the Orient Express is one of her most famous books. “This book is famous because it turns on a piece of misdirection and a solution which, in their day, were startlingly innovatory.'; (Lejeune) Throughout the whole novel, your thoughts are changed numerous amounts of time. You never know what is going to happen next. Agatha Christie knows just how to keep you interested in the story and to keep you wanting to read more and more. If you had to choose one of Christie’s novels to read, you should pick Murder on the Orient Express. Not only is she the best known mystery writer, but she is also known around the world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  “She is the most widely published author of all time in any language, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare.'; (Harper) All of Christie’s works are sold around the world and also known to have an international trend. She puts a variety of characters in all of her novels. Murder on the Orient Express has characters from all over, such as Germany, Istanbul, France, America, Britain, and England. “This international trend in Christie’s views can be noted in Murder on the Orient Express. A slight shift is perceptible here in the British stock characters, and men like Christie’s Colonel Padgett 2 Arbuthnot one of the Orient Express passengers, are already beginning to seem quaint and old-fashioned.'; (218) She makes her stories even more interesting when she uses people from all over the world. When she writes using these people, she also adds in the language in which these people speak as well as placing them in different countries than from where they are originally from. When she mixes different people and cultures together, it makes the stories more fun and it even helps to make them more mysterious.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All of Christie’s novels even contain the same characters. There are a variety of stories other than Murder on the Orient Express that contains the popular detective Hercule Poirot.

Surveying :: essays papers

Surveying The commonwealth of Massachusetts has many different requirements for people who want to become registered land surveyors. Applicants for registration as a Land Surveyor require five references; three of these five must be from registered Land Surveyors who have seen the work of the applicant. The present supervisor should also be a reference. These references should cover the applicant’s entire surveying career. Acceptable education for registration as a Land Surveyor with four years of experience is a degree of Bachelor of Science in Surveying or Engineering, including courses in land surveying, from an institution authorized by the Massachusetts Legislature or a degree of Bachelor of Science in Surveying or Engineering accredited by ABET (American Board of Engineering and Technology) including approved courses in land surveying. Education obtained outside of the United States may qualify if a complete description of the curriculum is presented and the Board or an agency qualified to evaluate foreign curricula finds it to be equivalent. Acceptable education for registration as a Land Surveyor with six years of experience is a degree of Bachelor of Science or Associate degree in Surveying or Civil Engineering Technology, including at least 12 credit hours in land surveying, or two years of formal education above high school level with at least 60 semester credit hours passed, 12 of which m ust be in land surveying courses approved by the Board. Acceptable educations for applicants who wish to be a Surveyor-in-Training are to pass the Fundamentals Examination as well as have a Bachelor of Science Degree. An applicant having a degree in something other than surveying must have attained the required experience before receiving certification. An applicant for Surveyor-in-Training certification having an Associates Degree or 60 semester hours of acceptable education including courses in surveying approved by the Board may be certified after passing the Fundamentals Examination and attaining the required experience. Acceptable professional land surveying experience is full-time activity. Part-time land surveying work performed during full-time study at an educational institution is considered part of the educational program and is not acceptable professional experience. A graduate of four-year engineering institution taken on a daytime program, or five years for a co-operative program must obtain the necessary experience in eng ineering work acceptable to the Board after graduation.

Beer Industry Marketing Analysis Essay

The Beer makes up most of the alcoholic beverage industry, with a 74% volume in 2002 (Alcoholic Beverages, 2005). The production of beer around the world has increased from 36. 85 billions gallons in 2000 to 38. 78 billion gallons in 2003 (Alcoholic Beverages, 2005). Beer production has been a part of society close to the beginning of civilization. A Mesopotamian tablet dating back to 7000 B. C. contains a beer recipe named ?  §wine of the grain (Alcoholic Beverages, 2005). In 1292, a Czech Republic town produced its first pilsner beer. A prominent beer brand, Pilsner Urquell, brewing dates back to the early thirteenth century. Beer is produced with a mixture of mashed barley, malt, and rice or corn. U. S. brewers use filtration systems as well as add additives to stabilize the foam and allow long lasting freshness. Bottled or canned beer is almost always pasteurized in the container in prevent the yeast from further fermentation. After 1996, the U. S. beer industry had consistent growth with about 3,500 brands on the market in 2002 (Alcoholic Beverages, 2005). The U. S. exported beer to almost one hundred countries worldwide. The beer industry peaked production with 6. 2 billion gallons in 2003 (Alcoholic Beverages, 2005). The U. S. beer industry haws over 300 breweries. However, this industry is dominated by three companies: Anheuser Bush (45% of the industry), Miller Brewing (23% of the industry), and Adolph Coors (10% of the industry) (Overview of the U. S. Beer Industry, 2005). MARKETS BASIC PRODUCT/SERVICE OFFERINGS There are several different types of commercial beer, consisting of pilsner, lager, ale, stout, light, low-carb, malt liquor, dry, ice-brewed, bottled, draft, and non-alcoholic. Further, the U. S.market has been divided in to three categories: super premium, premium, and popular-priced (Alcoholic Beverages, 2005). In 2002, the U. S. Market Share Reporter stated that light beer consumed 40. 1% of the beer market, premium held 25. 9% of the market, and popular-priced beer held the remainder. Here is a brief description of the most popular types of commercial beers: ?  «Lager: a high carbonated beer, containing a low alcohol content, with a pale, medium-hop flavor ?  «Stout: a thick, dark beer, almost like syrup ? «Porter: a sweet, malty flavored brew with a farley high alcohol content ?  «Malt Liquor: a mostly malt based containing high amounts of fermentable sugars ?  «Light: a reduced calorie brew made by decreasing the grain amount used when brewing or by adding enzymes to break down the starch content in the beer (Alcoholic Beverages, 2005). One small segment of the beer industry is the micro brews. This segment as well as brewpubs had a double-digit increase in the U. S. throughout the early 1990?  ¦s (Alcoholic Beverages, 2005). However, this increase started to decline toward the end of the 1990?  ¦s. This was mostly due to overexpansion. This did not stop all the microbreweries from continuing to open in the U. S. which allowed this market to show considerable growth. In 2002, the U. S. reportedly had 396 microbreweries, 46 regional specialty breweries, and 994 brewpubs (Alcoholic Beverages, 2005). III. MARKET STRUCTURE AND ATTRACTIVENESS Market Structure The three major players in the brewing industry, Anheuser-Bush, Miller, and Coors Co. , have started increasing their market shares at the expense of smaller national brewers. The alcoholic beverage industry has gone through a consolidation period since the consumption rate has declined over the past few years (Overview of the U. S. Beer Industry, 2005). One of the markets that have flattened in this industry is the domestic beer market. This industry has hit a mature stage where consumption rates have flattened. This caused price increases to help suffering companies increase its profit margins (Overview of the U. S. Beer Industry, 2005). This along with increased vertical integration and inherent production economies makes it very difficult for a inefficient major industry player to compete nationally. The market that is dominating the brewing industry is the micro brewers. This group has found a niche market in the beer industry and has steadily driven the market share upwards. These companies normally target the smaller market segments and do not try to compete with the large industry brands. To achieve such successful profit margins, the micro brewers have the production process under contract with a regional brewer (Overview of the U. S. Beer Industry, 2005). Attractiveness The attractiveness of the beer industry is steadily growing. However, it is not growing in to area of large domestic brewers. This area of the beer industry has hit a flat consumption growth. The area that is become more attractive is the micro brews. From 1999 to 2002, the micro brew market grew almost 11 percent in the U. S. (Future of †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Specialty Beer, 2004). This has caused the major companies in this industry to break into this niche market by combining forces with smaller companies or penetrating the market with a new micro brew product line. This niche market remains attractive to any investors due to the fact that the micro brew consumers will not react negatively to higher prices or price increases (Overview of the U. S. Beer Industry, 2005). The other area in the beer industry that continues to flourish is the international beer market. From 1999 to 2003, the market share for imports grew from 9. 1% to 11. 9%, respectively (Future of †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Specialty Beer, 2004). Not only does the increase in market share hinder the domestic brewing companies, but the average case for imported beer is $24. 27 and for domestic beer is $16. 47 (Beer Report, 2003). This shows that imports sales are much higher due to increase in market share. As well, from a revenue stand point the international market has a higher attractiveness over the domestic market. From this, U. S. beer firms have penetrated into the international market by joining with international brewing companies to become American distributors for their brands. The continuing growth of U. S. beer firms penetrating international beer markets are due to the continuance of licensing agreements, direct exports, and foreign investments (Alcoholic Beverages, 2005). IV. Porter?  ¦s Five Forces Model A good way to look at the beer industry is by using the Porter?  ¦s Five Forces Model. This analysis will help analyze the attractiveness of the industry as well as discuss the ease of entry and exit. Threat of Substitutes: Substitutes for this market include wine and distilled spirits. The wine industry consists of grape wine, sparkling wines, brandy, and fermented dinks (Alcoholic Beverages, 2000). Most distilled spirits are based on name brand products including vodka, gin, rum, whiskey, and liquors and cordials. Both of these markets have a major capability of expanding due to international exports. Another substitute for the domestic beer market is the higher priced brewed beverages including micro brews or imports. Though these products do carry a much higher price, the customers willing to pay higher prices are capable of using a substitute. Threat of New Entry: The threat of new entry in this market is relatively low. The legal costs and economics of scale in the manufacturing and distribution areas of the beer market are strongly weighed to successfully compete (Overview of the U. S. Beer Industry, 2005). This prohibits most potential entrants. Buyer Power: Since there are many different competitors and substitutes in the alcoholic beverage industry, the buying power is in the hands of the buyer. The only approach to sway the consumers buying behavior is through advertising and marketing. Supply Power: Some breweries in the U. S. hold no supply power. All the company is responsible for is brewing the beer. On the other hand, the large domestic beers, for instance Coors Brewing Co. , have a manufacturing plant where it controls of the manufacturing process with it products. Companies who have this capability hold huge amounts of supply power. This sometimes eliminates manufacturing costs from another company. Intra-Industry Rivalry: Competitive rivalry remains strong amongst the three leading companies in the beer industry, Anheuser-Bush, Miller, and Coors. These three companies battle against each other through advertising and market share. The micro brews in the beers industry also compete against each other to hold a competitive advantage over other products at that level. This area of the beer industry competes as well using advertising, packaging, and market share. Political Variables/Trends There are quite a few political variables to consider in the beer industry. The first issue in this industry is the implementation of taxation on alcohol sales. Governments around the world strong believe in taxation on alcohol to both increase revenue and decrease consumption (Alcoholic Beverages, 2005). This trend has been effective since the consumers continue to purchase the products no matter how high the prices. The U. S. has had the lowest tax rates on its alcohol sales compared to other countries. In 1991, the tax rate on beer doubled to $18 per barrel, equally 16 to 32 cents per six pack (Alcoholic Beverages, 2005). This was a sharp increase from its previous tax rates. The next political view most companies have had to deal with in the alcoholic beverage industry is the issue of alcohol abuse. Many companies have to monitor how it markets its products to now allow the persuasion of binge drinking or excessive drinking. The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism estimates costs of $140 billion per year relate to alcohol abuse (Alcoholic Beverages, 2005). Drunk driving has been another issue that beer companies have come under attack in relation to beer sales. The government has pasted several laws in the past to stricken the drink and driving laws. The U. S. Senate passed a law to decrease to legal blood-alcohol level from . 10 percent to . 08 percent. As well, a bill was passed regulating the legality of having open containers in a moving vehicle. This was passed in the Senate making it illegal to have any open containers in a moving vehicle. Marketing to minors was another issue that several beer companies got slammed with in 2004. Lawsuits were filed stating that some of the marketing tactics in the beer companies commercial were intention targeting underage drinkers (Lawsuits, 2004). The courts argued that the material used in the commercial ads were young video games and models ?  §chosen to appeal to underage consumers (Lawsuits, 2004). Some of the brewing firms decided to implement underage drinking warnings in its ads to cover itself from any future litigation Economic Variables/Trends The economic trend in the large domestic beer market has pretty much flatten entering in the maturity stage in the product life cycle. This will mean that sales will mostly stay consistent with little increase. Unless the major companies can try to dominate the niche markets in the beer industry, they will need to use advertising and marketing to drive sales. The fear of consumers switching to a substitute product like the micro brews could be present. Thus, branching out into that niche market would help the companies to gain higher market share and increase sales. Social Variables/Trends The major social trend in the beer industry is the ?  §low carb craze (MacArthur, 2004). Americans have entered into a low-carb phase. Beer sales decrease a good amount following the introduction of this phase into the American food markets. Anheuser-Busch had a heading start when this phase started since it was the first to implement a low-carb beer, Michelob Ultra, into the alcoholic beverage industry. This sparked a spin off with other major companies and soon mostly all major players in the industry had developed a low-carb beverage (MacArthur, 2004). Anheuser-Busch, Coors Brewing, and Miller were putting together a $300 million media campaign supporting any brands that help avoid a beer belly (MacArthur, 2004). In 2003, Bud Light still led the market with an increase from 2. 6% to 8. 1% while Coors Light volume decreased from 0. 6% to 8. 5% of the market share (MacArthur, 2004). Technological Variables/Trends Technology in this industry is mainly computer based focused. Companies use computer software and equipment to allow for efficient production of the products being manufactured. Also, increase in technology variables could mean better advertising strategies due to the technology created. On top of being used to speed up the production and efficiency of service, new technology also has been used to pull well-defined reports that become useful with inventory and point-of-sale purchases. V. ECONOMIC PROFITABILITY ASSESSMENT VI. MARKET POWER DISTRIBUTION AND PERFORMANCE VII. TARGET RECOMMENDATIONS