The Reason For The Convenient Store Business Marketing Essay

The Reason For The Convenient Store Business Marketing Essay 1.0 Executive Summary The Commercial building is located 5 miles south of the city of Muscat and 2 minute walk distance by citys main road, which is used by thousands of commuters on daily basis between to the middle of city or just taking a shortcut to south of city. In the main road is being used by residents of citys south and south east in order to reach Muscat citys main center. While going to work, a person along for the ride could stop and buy a sandwich or soft/ cold drinks etc. Similarly on the way home, the same person along for the ride on main road, could come ABC Convenient Store and buy something like household items. 1.1 Shareholding Structure ABC Convenient Store is a registered Sole Proprietor. Its owned and managed by Mr. A. 1.2 Objectives The main objective of most of the small convenient stores in is to earn highest possible profit margins by selling quality products. Therefore ABC Convenient Store aims to provide highest possible quality products at competitive rates for the local residents of Muscat city particularly. In addition, ABC Convenient Store plans to offer movie rentals, non-food products and check cashing services in order to build and increase its revenues and hence profits. The other objectives of ABC Convenient Store are: One of ABC Convenient Stores main objectives would be to capture as much as possible share of the commuter traffic on the south east side of Muscat city. ABC Convenient Store will offer its customers better-quality products at an competitive price. Achieve at least 30% minimum gross profit margins (selling price less purchase/ wholesale cost) from beginning. Achieve a lucrative return on investment within five years. Achieve average growth in market share by 10% each year. Achieve average growth in revenue by 6% each year. 2.0 The Business Activity ABC Convenient Store is a new Startup convenient store business within Muscat city. Mr. A, the owner of ABC Convenient Store will occupy convenient store place in two units commercial building on rent, located 5 miles south of the city of Muscat and 2 minute walk distance by citys main road. It is the main street all the way through city and is used by thousands of commuters on daily basis between to the middle of city or just taking a shortcut to south of city. The building contains two units where mini restaurant is currently open and being successfully run by other individual. 3.0 Vision and Mission statement Mission:, ABC Convenient Store will make healthy profits margins for its owner and provide a satisfying work environment for its employees in near future. 3.1 Keys to Success The keys to success in this business are: Location: The location of convenience store plays a very important role in success of any store, and therefore is one of the main key factors for successfully running of convenience store. The location must be close to customers reach like where they work, live or on their normal route while returning and going to home/ work. As ABC Convenient Store is located 5 miles south of the city of Muscat and 2 minute walk distance by citys main road, which is used by thousands of commuters on daily basis between to the middle of city or just taking a shortcut to south of city. We feel that right location provides value to customer and convenience both. Speed of Service:Â  As nowadays consumers are always short of time and wants quality with speed of service, therefore it is also one of the major keys to success factors for convenience store industry in todays environment particularly. Convenience and value are both achieved only when the potential customers can easily locate the items they want to buy, where in return they get fast friendly and efficient service. In short the store is easy to shop. Availability: Availability of products/ items is another key factor for success of any convenient store, as each customer have different taste and needs, hence they have their own favorite brand names that they want to purchase, which any good convenience store must carry in order to fulfill potential customers needs. On the other hand the Omani citizens particularly are brand conscious and want items with big brand names, where residents of other nationality living and working in Oman, are more price conscious. Therefore it is necessary that products/ items for both customers segment must be made available. 4.0 Government support and rules and regulations 5.0 The Reason for the Convenient Store business The living standards of the Omani citizen are growing day by day as Government of Oman has taken major steps within last 20 years to increase the living standards. Therefore as of the majority of Omani citizens are upper middle class who are brand conscious and willing to pay anything to buy product required. On the other hand the convenient store industry has been growing on daily basis as people are shifted towards convenient store due to convenience and shortage of time in todays world. According to Government stats and research the convenient store in Oman is growing constantly at a rate of over 110% over last ten years. 5.1 Industry Analysis Summary Porter five forces model has been used widely with the purpose of analyzing a particular industry with a view to determine the level of intensity in terms of attractiveness and competitiveness within industry. This model consist of forces which are very close to any company and that can affect its capability badly to generate profits for owners by serving its customers effectively. Porter five forces model uses the following: Threat of potential new entrants, bargaining power of buyers, bargaining power of suppliers, Threat of substitutes and Determinants of Rivalry among Existing Competitors, in order to analyze the nature of competitiveness in any industry. Determinants of Rivalry among Existing Competitors The rivalry among existing competitors in Oman in retail store industry is being considered as high, as firms are competing severely with other with a view to capture high customer market share. There are many giant convenience stores in retail industry particularly in Muscat, who has gained majority of market share, where on the other hand small convenient stores like ABC Convenient Store, are competing each other to capture the remaining market share, specifically of convenient stores surrounding area at least. Therefore they are trying new developments in marketing, introducing new promotions, creativity of innovative ideas, which has led small stores achieved their target level of market share. Hence competitive rivalry in Omans retail industry is considered a high threat for existing convenient stores. Threat of potential new entrants Threat of new entrants into the retail industry within Muscat, Oman is medium, as there are very less product differences between products provided by convenient stores; furthermore cost to enter the market is relatively low. It is further assumed that convenient store items/products are easily purchased at wholesale prices or discounts at bulk purchases. By analyzing all factors including high growth in trends for Oman retail industry exclusively, further barriers to entry are relatively very low compared to other industries; therefore it can be take for granted that ABC Convenient Store may face further competition with new entrants. Threat of substitutes There are only few substitutes available for convenient store items which do not entirely replace the use of existing products by customers but may bring in new innovative ideas to develop new products or reduce the direct costs in producing the same products. In particularly the substitutes of any products may limit the level of generation of revenues and hence profits, in an industry by keeping the profit margins down. However, the greater the convenient stores could create uniqueness for their products the greater the likelihood of success. Likewise already discussed the availability of products, customer service and location of the convenient stores would be the key factors, which could not only create sustainable competitive advantage but could add significant value in overall earnings of the ABC Convenient Store. Therefore threat of substitutes is considered as low in retail/ convenient store industry. Bargaining power of suppliers The power of suppliers for small convenient stores like ABC Convenient Store can be prejudiced by key players in supermarkets and grocery chain stores. Because they are being able to negotiate better discounted and promotional prices compared to small convenient stores from suppliers/ manufacturers, which small convenient stores are unable to match due to high purchasing prices of same products. Therefore there is major threat as giant players always dictate the prices and purchase large amount of quantity at once, where small convenient stores are left with fewer products at high prices. Hence it is being analyzed the bargaining power of suppliers is high particularly for small convenient stores. Bargaining power of buyers Nowadays customers are aware of everything and they have more choices to buy from, therefore customers acts are considered as powerful force in making prices down. If any product is expensive in any store than they can go and purchase the required products from other convenient store providing lesser or discounted prices. In addition because product is a type of commodity item and consumers have no choice but to continue consumption, therefore we can see high growth in small convenient store if and only prices are matched with giant players in the industry. On the other hand, location and varieties of products provided may reduce this bargaining power. In addition the overall environment, customer service and location of the ABC Convenient Store would attract the customers. We can assume that large number of small convenient stores will be providing similar products and services as ABC Convenient Stores. Due to these reasons the overall industry looks more attractive and profitable. 6.0 Market Size and Growth According to our research, the main customers are males and females, ages 15 to 40. In addition, according to recent trends in Oman, many small and large stores are trying to capture market share of persons with age of more than 40, particularly females. We are expecting that by providing better customer services, we would be able to increase the number of customers of aged over 40. 7.0 The Choice of Location with reasons thereof ABC Convenient Store is a new Startup convenient store business within Muscat city. The commercial building has convenient store for rent out. It is located 5 miles south of the city of Muscat and 2 minute walk distance by citys main road, and is the main street all the way through city and is used by thousands of commuters on daily basis between to the middle of city or just taking a shortcut to south of city. Therefore its the best location for convenient store. The total area of convenience store is around 500 sq feet, where majority of the portion will be used for shelves. 8.0 Proposed Customers 9.0 Competitor Analysis The ABC Convenient Store may face little competition from other small and large convenient stores. Furthermore the main competition that ABC Convenient Store may face is from large enterprises that have established convenience stores within fuel stations. But we are expecting that our location will create competitive advantage which shall tackle the competition may face by ABC Convenient Store in near future. 10.0 Buying Patterns and Sales Strategy The convenience stores are generally small retail outlets with area of 500 to 2000 sq feet. The products or items normally sold at convenience store are: over the counter medicines, household groceries, soft drinks, cold drinks, some non food items, cigarettes, and dairy products. The convenience stores are mostly located on busy main roads and are regularly open 24 hours a day seven days a week. As name suggests, they not only sell products or items but also convenience to customers. ABC Convenient Store will aim to provide typical items of convenience store at a competitive price, so that items that customers purchase shall urge to visit again, which will increase the average sale per customer. The main focus of sales staff will be on customer service and always inquire clients if they have been able to locate and found the whole thing that they need. In case, they have not found they need, then these particular items shall be made available in stocks upon request by customers. 11.0 Strategy and Implementation Summary ABC Convenient Store will be using a strategy of impressive customer service. Where, companys initial emphasis would be to build same reputation as before, so that potential customers within town are targeted comfortably. The ABC Convenient Stores main competitive edge will be its prominent location, as it is conveniently located on the corner of where everyone must pass in order to leave and return home, it also allows the local community to walk or ride a bike to the convenient store. ABC Convenient Store intends to stock the shelves with items local residents need and want, with items ranging from milk to over the counter medicines and everything in between. If customers have requests for items not in stock then ABC Convenient Store will stock them. 11.1 Self Analysis 12.0 Competitive Advantage The competitive advantages, which ABC Convenient Store will have over its main competitors within Muscat, are: ABC Convenient Stores main competitive advantage is its position and its location as in front of Main Street. ABC Convenient Store is located on the corner of where everyone must pass in order to leave and return home. Currently there are no other stores within this location. Due to these facts, local residents will naturally choose ABC Convenient Store as their primary choice, because of the fact that it would be closest to their homes. They will promptly become aware that ABC Convenient Store offers high quality organic and healthy products at a typical convenience store prices; In addition it will become local residents number one store for small household grocery items and other household purchases. While returning home from offices the commuter will now be able to buy their household groceries to take home. We expect that due to our quick service, commuters will soon regard ABC Convenient Store as helpful time saver convenience store. 13.0 Selling Arrangement and Marketing Strategies The products or items normally sold at convenience store are: over the counter medicines, household groceries, soft drinks, cold drinks, some non food items, cigarettes, and dairy products. The convenience stores are mostly located on busy main roads and are often open 24 hours a day seven days a week. Our main emphasis would be to fulfill customer needs therefore we will ask customer every time if they have been able to locate items easily and have found they looking for. The city is in great need of change and this is the perfect opportunity to bring about that change. In years to come ABC Convenient Store will be known in the community as more than just another neighborhood business, this will bring the community together giving locals annual block parties and rewarding the kids when they bring report cards and honor certificates with free candy etc. The convenient location of the ABC Convenient Store will mean that ABC Convenient Store will have to carry out little bit above the line up advertising, but ABC Convenient Store will distribute flyers within surrounding areas on monthly basis so that local residents are made aware of ABC Convenient Store. 14.0 Products and Pricing Strategy The ABC Convenient Store will provide typical items found in any convenience store; however, items will be higher end than many convenience stores. ABC Convenient Store will offer a product range from over the counter medicines to cigarettes and everything thats sold in a convenient store. The products will be same as traditional convenience store items in the same quantity, quality and packaging sizes as other convenient stores provide. Some of the products include: soft drinks, cold drinks, fruit juices, household grocery items, newspapers, magazines, hot and cold snacks, bread, auto products like fuel addictives plus cleaning materials for autos, condiments, tooth pastes, over the counter medicines and paper products etc. ABC Convenient Store will price little increase over competitors but most of the products prices will be matched to the most giant convenient stores within Muscat. On the other hand top selling brands will be sold at a discounted price even lower than most of competitors prices, so that ABC Convenient Store can create competitive advantage over its direct competitors and be able to sustain in coming years to come. 15.0 Various sources of finance available and the source selected The company will need around RO 23,000, total initial requirements for capital expenditures. The Funding sources for ABC Convenient Store will be mainly from the shareholders investments. The only shareholder, Mr. A will contribute full amount of RO 23,000. The total initial capital requirements will be around RO 6,100 which includes Computer for cash counter and point of sale software with scanner and receipt printer at a price of RO 400 Shelves will be placed in major portion of convenient store for placing displaying of different types of convenient store items/ products, so that potential customers would be able to locate these convenient items comfortable. In addition price tag and banners would be displayed for each type to items. The shelves would cost around RO 2,200 in total. Other convenient stores equipments includes banners, price tags, chairs, ice machines, beverage equipments, ice cream equipments, Microwave oven, safes, Air Conditioners, exhausts etc. This will cost around RO 3,200. Cash counter setup would include counter desk, chairs etc. This would cost around RO 300. Legal expenses would include business and sole proprietorship license, and license to start convenient store business and other legal fees necessary. This would cost around RO 500. Initial marketing expenses would be around RO 900 for banners, distribution of flyers, printing of business cards, purchase of printing papers for receipts, printing of cover letter etc. However we have very tight marketing budget initially but as business starts to grow the marketing budget would be significantly increased as well. The convenient store will be obtained on monthly rent of RO 500. The initial inventory would be of around RO 15,000, which includes all major convenient stores items like: soft drinks, cold drinks, fruit juices, household grocery items, newspapers, magazines, hot and cold snacks, bread, auto products like fuel addictives plus cleaning materials for autos, condiments, tooth pastes, over the counter medicines and paper products etc. This number of items initially will be less; however as business starts to grow the number of each particular item or products would be increase significantly in order to meet customer demands. Furthermore, special requests from customers will also be fulfilled believing on the fact that ABC Convenient Store needs to meet every customers demands by making each types of brands names products or items available at the door of ABC Convenient Store. The break-up of startup requirements is shown in the table below: Table 1: Start-up 16.0 Key People and Job Functions ABC Convenient Store is a registered Sole Proprietor. Its owned and managed by Mr. A. The owner will engage employees to help run their convenient store. A business Full time Manager will be hired. He will be overseeing the operations at the store like supervising the staff, dealing with various suppliers, performing managerial jobs and developing marketing plans. Furthermore, administration and financial aspects will be managed by the owner, Mr. A himself. 17.0 Financial Plan The Financial Plan consists of Breakeven Analysis, Pro-forma Profit and Loss, Cash Flow Projections and Pro-forma Balance Sheet. 17.1 Important Assumptions 17.3 Break-even Analysis Table 3: Break-even Analysis 17.4 Projected Profit and Loss The Pro-forma Profit and Loss shows that, ABC Convenient Storewill be able to meet Net profit margin in excess of 20% throughout five years of operation. Table 4: Profit and Loss

Sutra for Long Life Essay -- Sutra, Mahayana, Religion

After closer study of the Sutra for Long Life and the World Universe as a Sutra it seems evident that, although Mahayana Buddhism is based on the teachings of the traditional Pali Canon, it places a larger emphasizes on philosophical inquires; while still managing to create a more accessible Buddhism for all. In their own way both Sutras highlight the fact that Mahayana Buddhism is more lay people friendly than the traditional Pali Canon, while still maintaining an important role for monks and nuns. Perhaps the most obvious example of this is presented in the â€Å"Whole Universe Sutra†. According to the Sutra, all beings possess the knowledge and enlightenment of Buddhahood within themselves. This pure core is simply buried beneath or wrapped in the deluded minds of the imperfect being (107-World). In other words, every being is capable of reaching Buddhahood as the truth resides within each individual, however, it can only be reached when â€Å"they abandon their deluded, contrary views†. It is only then that the â€Å"unimpeded knowledge† will arise within them (107,108-World). The sutras also make clear the idea of the Bodhisattva, those who have reached awakening and refrain from entering Nirvana in order to help others along the path. For example, the TathÄ gata is described as a person with â€Å"penetrating wisdom, and was endowed with a perfectly pure divine eye† (109). The TathÄ gata has already found the knowledge and truth within him and is also able to see that the same wisdom is present within every being. He finds it strange that every being cannot see the truth within, and therefore, takes it upon himself to â€Å"teach these beings so that they may fully awaken within the Noble path† (109-world). This is known as the â€Å"tenth intuition o... ...tiness, the Mahayana tradition as a whole is more philosophical than the Pali canons. The Mahayana introduces the idea of celestial Bodhisattvas, who are able to do extraordinary things. In the Sutra for Long Life, Buddhas become a teacher of â€Å"gods and humans† while living in a realm in between nirvana and samsara: the Buddha-fields (424-425-long life). Mahayana Buddhism stretches the notion of traditionally accepted reality. It is for this reason that the â€Å"Whole Universe Sutra† presents the knowledge of Buddhahood as the core within a deluded being (109-world). In other instances it is compared to as a womb wrapped inside defilements that must be ripped open. The Pali Canons may be a fundamental part of Mahayana Buddhism, but Mahayana sutras go a step further in asking philosophical questions and re-interpreting teachings and ideas present within the tradition.

International Security: Saudi-Iraq Border Dispute Essay

When the Saudi Arabian government began to experience the uprising of social movements in the 1960s, one of the first suspects of origin was Baghdad. The tension that had been going on between the two countries quickly degenerated to a point where it became volatile. Since forces in Baghdad had been suspecting of having a role to play in movements similar to the one in Saudi Arabia around the same time, it was natural for Saudi Arabia to develop relations towards Baghdad that were all the more strained in nature. This paper shall provide an introduction to the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Iraq and shall attempt to begin by establishing an understanding of the evolution of their relationship over time in order to attain a clearer picture of attain a clear picture and a complete understanding of the actual nature of relationship that exists between the two countries. The paper shall begin by providing a brief introduction to the relationship between the two countries and shall then proceed to delve into the scenario that exists with respect to the volatility of the Saudi-Iraq border. The paper shall give special attention to areas that pertain to the terrorist threat posed because of the scenario that exists on the border of Saudi Arabia and Iraq. The paper will highlight the problem of the terrorist movement across the Saudi-Iraq border and shall elaborate upon the numerous aspects that pertain to the terrorist movement across the Saudi-Iraq border and how it serves to put both the countries at a risk in the process. In the latter paragraphs, the paper shall also elaborate upon the ethnic problems that exist in Iraq in order to highlight the volatile nature of the current Iraqi situation. Special consideration will be given to the aspect of migration that exists across the two regions and in the area of illegal migration with respect to situations such as the Saudi-Iraq border in general. As a result of the deteriorating relations with Iraq and the close proximity with the same that Saudi Arabia was faced with, it was only natural that Saudi Arabia began to attempt to strengthen its relationship with other neighboring countries and allies such as Iran, Kuwait, Syria and the United States. It is not too hard a task to note that Saudi Arabia was particular in improving relationships with countries that held a similar loathing towards the Iraqi government. The 1970s saw an improvement in the relations between Saudi Arabia and Iraq, fundamentally because of the fact that both countries were in fear of the implications of the Iranian Islamic Revolution spilling over into their territories. In the 1980s, Saudi Arabia actually served to assist Iraq during the Iran-Iraq war through numerous loans that were designed upon generous return terms (Tollitz, Prados and Blanchard). However, this ripening of the relationship between the two countries did not last long when Iraqi forces took hold of Kuwait. In retaliation, Saudi Arabia took action against Iraq and also sought assistance from the United States in confronting Iraqi forces. The United States responded by sending its troops to Saudi Arabia upon the invitation of the threatened country and using the coalition that they held in the opposition of Iraq, the United States forces were given complete permission to make use of Saudi Arabia’s military facilities. The United States did not merely assist the Saudi Arabia government in the war against Iraq but also served as an integral spearhead in the war. The United States forces were took part in ground assaults as well as areal assaults against Iraqi forces. The fact that the Iraqi forces chose to launch Scud-B missiles at numerous towns in the Saudi Arabia served to hit the nail on the head with regard to the deterioration of the relations between both countries. The damage to Saudi Arabia as a result of the missiles was predominantly that of civilian life and property. By this time, the relations between Iraq and Saudi Arabia damaged to a point where next to nothing could possibly be done to repair them since the people of the two countries had grown to loathe each other as the war raged on. As time went by after the war, every foreign policy that Saudi Arabia formulated was designed to ensure that it addressed any all threats that Iraq could pose towards Saudi Arabia. Elements such as these were areas of Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy which dictated that Saudi Arabia would support forces in Iraq that opposed the government and desired to remove Saddam Hussein’s reign (Al-Rasheed). The Saudi Arabia proceeded with this stance for a few years without making it too public, but as time went by and the 1990s approached, the desire to topple Saddam’s government became all the more dominant and prominent in Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy. When Saddam Hussein’s reign finally ended, Saudi Arabia was relieved of one issue with regard to Iraq, but was immediately visited by another. Over the years, the Saudi and the Iraqi border had been a much disputed region. Neutral zones had been established along the perimeter as a result of prolonged discussions and negotiations between the two countries. When the United States forces invaded Iraq, the influx of terrorists into Iraq and the out flux of refugees, both became functional in a manner such that the Iraq-Saudi Arabia border was incorporated (Tripp). It is essential to highlight at this point that in the latter half of 2006, it was reported that Al-Qaida operatives had begun to move from bases located and operational in the Pak-Afghan region, to Iraq where Al-Qaida has apparently decided to channel its man power for the coming period. It was speculated that there is a chance that Al-Qaida operatives may choose to enter Saudi Arabia and then gain access to Iraq through the border connecting Saudi Arabia and Iraq. It would not be unjustified to concur that Iraq is playing out the role of a magnet of sorts for hostile elements such as Al-Qaida and regions that fall around Iraq are therefore falling into the line of fire (Regan). As Al-Qaida operatives move from around the world towards the Middle East, Saudi Arabia is faced with a security threat that makes it not only vulnerable to terrorist threats, but by serving as a pathway for terrorist elements to cross through into Iraq, also puts Saudi Arabia in a compromising position with regard to its role in preserving international peace. The scenario for Saudi Arabia is quite similar to that which exists for the United States with regard to Mexico and for Israel with regard to Palestinian areas. Much like the United States, Saudi Arabia is also considering establishing a barrier along its borders. The Saudi Arabia is considering serious plans to establish a penetration proof barrier along its border with Iraq in order to keep out any violent and hostile elements. Not only are political extremists an issue, but the supplementing threat of drug smugglers does not come as any improvement in the scenario because this serves to open routes for other unwanted parties such as weapons dealers and human smugglers. The involvement of elements such as these causes the further degradation of the scenario and puts Saudi Arabia at a high security risk level. The threat to Saudi Arabia has only increased with the recent war in Iraq that has caused countless Iraqis to opt to flee across the Iraq-Saudi Arabia border. Along with the few refugees that have attempted to do so, hostile elements have also attempted to take advantage of the chaotic situation and have tried to gain access to Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia faces a highly vulnerable standing because of its border disputes with Iraq because of the fact that the Shia minorities of the country are located in the most significant oil producing regions of the country (The Associated Press ). However, the border is not causing problems merely for Saudi Arabia, but is also causing problems on the other side of the fence. This is because of the fact that as the war in Iraq rages on, hostile elements from Saudi Arabia are choosing to cross the border and join terrorists groups in Iraq that are operating against the coalition forces. The situation worsens further with the fact that this puts Saudi Arabia in a position where it may possibly serve as a gateway for terrorists into Iraqi territory. It has become almost natural for the neighboring countries of Iraq to fear that the force with which coalition forces are carrying out operations in Iraq may cause hostile elements to opt for using Iraq’s neighboring countries as their bases of operations or as safe houses for refuge (Saudi-US Relations Information Service). It is for the same reason that Saudi Arabia has decided to undertake security projects along its borders with Iraq that ensure that there will be almost no possibility of any infiltration from any of the two sides of the border. Measures such as these are because of the fact that the frequent illegal movement of hostile elements and illegal immigrants across the border tends to encourage such elements to attempt to transport equipment across the border as well. In the case of terrorist elements, this aspect is nothing less than alarming considering the damage that terrorists groups can cause to Saudi Arabia and Iraq both if they managed to establish a pathway to transport heavy weapons to and from the two countries. Because of the presence of such multilateral threats, both the Saudi Arabia and the Iraqi government have attempted to reconcile on disputes that they previously did not choose to bring up (Saudi-US Relations Information Service). Another adverse implication of the existence of the cross-border movement dispute between the two countries is the fact that there is a possibility that the excessive movement of hostile elements from Iraq may encourage elements to move across the border that could instigate the Shia minority into getting carried away with their emotions and working against the coalition forces (The Associated Press ). Iraq has been plagues with ethnic problems for years now. The conflicts between Sunnis and Shiite Arabs have turned Iraq into an increasingly volatile battle ground. Under the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein, the Shiites grew exponentially powerful and reached a point in the Iraqi society where they constituted sixty percent of the Iraqi society and were still denied their fundamental political and religious rights. Under Saddam Hussein’s regime, the Sunnis gained more power and reached a point where they formed the bulk of Saddam’s administration. A fact that serves to irk the Sunni population of Iraq is the presence of the political ties with Iran. This serves to anger not only the Sunnis of Iraq but also the Arab countries that are United States allies. The fear of Iranian influences intervening in the already increasingly volatile Iraqi scenario is an aspect that serves to increase doubts about the prospective Iraqi scenario. However, it is essential to mention that Kurds also play a significant role in the Iraqi scenario since they comprise of nearly twenty percent of the total Iraqi population. This puts them in a position where they are a minority that can have a significant influence upon the series of events that Iraq undergoes. The Kurds have their own distinct language, culture, history and traditions and are generally concentrated in and around the northern areas of Iraq. The Kurds have been struggling for their rights in the regions of northern Iraq, eastern Turkey, northeastern Syria, northern Iran and southern Georgia. Incidents where the Kurds have chosen to initiate a movement and have been faced with vicious oppression from the resident society. However, since the gulf war in 1991, the Kurds have found a considerable degree of independence in the regions in and around northern Iraq and have entered into Iraqi politics as well. However, even though the Kurds have gained a significant degree of recognition in Iraq, their desire to gain independence still exists with the same vigor as it held several decades ago. Fundamentally, the Kurds are a part of the Sunni Muslim population of Iraq, but the aspect of secular nationalism is quite strong in them. Another fact which serves to make the Kurds a highly crucial element in the Iraqi scenario is that they are concentrated in the northern regions of Iraq where oil is found quite commonly (Karon). This puts the Kurds in a position where they can choose to keep revenues with themselves instead of handing them over to the state, hence enabling them to establish an autonomous government that they can protect it from an external intrusion. However, the Kurds are faced with opposition from not only the powers of the state but also from the Turkmen minority that also has the same intentions. There has been a vast amount of migration in the Arabic gulf countries and specially the United Arab Emirates and if one was to consider the aspect of the migration that is caused as a result of disputes such as the Saudi-Iraq border issue, there are a number of natures of immigrants that can move about. The first and most dangerous are the terrorist elements that more than often choose to move around when disputes such as the Iraq-United States war erupt. When terrorist elements move around, they tend to establish a base of operations in any region they can during their stay there. Their movement causes the exercising of terrorist elements that may otherwise have become stationary and of no threat to the region where they are concealing themselves. As a result of the movement of active terrorist elements, these otherwise stationary terrorist elements become an active threat to the immediate region and the exchanging of information amongst these elements serves to increase the danger of the execution of a terrorist activity exponentially. This is also associated with the fact that the continuous movements of terrorists across different regions causes them to form safe houses in these regions that can later turn into their base of operations. Therefore, a country that is housing an active terrorism element may be actually serving as a base of operations for a terrorist activity in another country. The presence of scenarios such as these serves to cause deterioration of the relationship amongst allies because of the fact that evidence found at a terrorist attack which directs towards the involvement of an ally country serves to decrease the degree of trust that the victim region has on its ally and also simultaneously serves to show the inability of the region in keeping terrorist elements out or handling them once they have gained access, causing a deterioration in overall international relations. The second form of immigrants in a scenario such as this include refugees who choose to leave behind their native land and attempt to establish a refuge in a region that is not their native region by birth. In cases such as these, the region to which they migrate in order to seek refuge more than often has to face an imbalance of sorts because of the adjustment of an unexpected influx of refugees into the region. In cases where the region is already suffering through an economic imbalance, the influx of refugees causes a further deterioration of the economic scenario.

The Effects Of Fast Food On The Food Industry - 2319 Words

Think Skinny Thoughts In 2007, one study found that 31 percent of American men and 33 percent of American women have a body mass index of 30, at least. This means that in society today, they are considered obese (Human Diet, 2014). 1/3 of children are overweight or obese. 2/3 of adults are overweight or obese (McCarthy, 2010).What is causing this mad epidemic outbreak? Media is enticing the eyes of many viewers by the way they present themselves (What Causes Obesity, 2006). Advertisements in the fast food industry are persuading people to eat their greasy, fat, salty, unhealthy foods (McDonald’s Advertising Themes, 2013). In order for people to live a happy, healthy life, they must change their eating habits. However, fast food advertisements are contributing to what is making eating habits so hard to change, with their misleading advertising. Fast food is slowly but surely killing us, yet we hardly notice until it finally hits hard. In this first advertisement, a skinning, young female with sun ki ssed skin, glistening with moisture on her body from the heat of the sun hitting her, is enjoying a big juicy hamburger. Her hair is brushed forward by the wind blowing gentle is seems, as she lays there in her petite, fitting, brown bikini. In the background, ocean blue waves peacefully and steadily ride ashore. Sand is surrounding this young lady. The clouds are far off into the horizon looking fluffy, full, and breathtaking to a viewer’s eye. Following the young lady’s armShow MoreRelatedThe Effects Of Fast Food On The Food Industry2086 Words   |  9 PagesFast Food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served quickly. Typically the term refers to food sold in an economical restaurant served to the customer for eating there or elsewhere but, any meal with low preparation time can be considered to be fast food. It might seem harmless, satisfy your hunger, and be cheap, but research has shown there are more severe consequences beyond just gaining a c ouple pounds. The food industry is run very intelligently in that they have many cleverRead MoreEffects Of The Fast Food Industry On Canadians1263 Words   |  6 Pages This paper will look at the effects of the fast food industry on Canadians, specifically, the raise of obesity in Canada due to the wide availability of fast foods. This topic is covered by providing a background about obesity, examining the health consequences, the economic impact, and looking at the social impact and the psychosocial impact on individuals diagnosed as obese. The paper was researched by reading about the subject matter in peer-reviewed journals and grey literature. 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