The Role of the Church in Society Essay Example for Free

The Role of the Church in Society Essay The role of the church in today’s society has been undervalued, misrepresented, and ineffectively communicated. There are many churches in the United States alone that possess a great deal of resources. Some churches are full of multimillionaires and others with six-figure incomes. However, they have too much, are doing too little, and when something is done it is too late. Those who call themselves Christians and that possess an excess of wealth are called to have that wealth. There is nothing wrong with being wealthy and affluent. It is truly a blessing to have more than enough. The problem with those who are wealth is that they are oppressing the poor. Of course those who are not of the faith can be expected to care less about those who are in need. However, those who are Christian, and not just claiming to be, must in the words of the Nesquik rabbit â€Å"share the wealth. † It is more than okay to have nice things and a nice home. It is even okay to have servants such as butlers and maids. When the wealth of a Christian becomes an affair for them and they neglect the need that is plainly in view, it becomes a problem. I do not mean to say just throw money at the problem. However, to not share your finances in a way that is pleasing to the lord is sin. In James it says â€Å"†¦to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. † When a wealthy Christian redistributes his or her wealth he or she ministers to God and receives favor from both God and man. The wealthy also have a near unlimited amount of political influence. Their political influence is not just in the capacity of a lobby, but often the wealthy are personally or mutually connected with mayors, governors, senators, and the like. With the resources they possess there is an unlimited amount of good that they can do. They can break down the strong holds of evil that claim lives by way of violence, drugs, gangs, and poverty. They must also be willing to live among the poor and not separate themselves by living in suburbs or in high rises that overlook the sea of misfortune. On the other hand, there are churches that have members that do not possess an excess of financial wealth. However, they still possess a great deal of spiritual gifts and a wealth of knowledge that the old and young have acquired throughout their experiences. Many churches that do not have wealthy members still have members who possess some amount of affluence. Those same churches are also filled with knowledge, wisdom, and love that can be used to break the same strongholds mentioned above that the devil likes to employ so enthusiastically. For instance, there are people in my church who have been to college, who have are counselors or therapist, there are teachers, I would even venture to say there exist some incredibly brilliant people in my church. With those resources, a church can be considered just as wealthy as a church full of millionaires. I know a slew of students who are high school aged, that do not possess the ability to read and write effectively. Education is certainly power and more importantly, the three Rs reading, writing, and arithmetic, are the most powerful components of education. A church that has members who can navigate the three Rs ought to be sharing the wealth of that ability. By sharing that wealth, those who do not have the ability to navigate the three Rs can acquire it. Then they can do likewise and help others become more educated. Education is one of the main reasons for poverty in this country and even throughout the world. If you are educated, you can figure things out and you are able to improvise when certain dilemmas take place. Another component of wealth is the experience of overcoming tragedy, adversity, and overcoming or being content with one’s socioeconomic status. That is probably the most significant component of wealth that those in a poor church possess. The Minor Prophets were blessed with a unique calling. That calling was to be the voice of those who did not have a voice. Throughout the Old Testament and the New Testament, there are two recurring themes. The first them is to love God with all your heart, your soul, and your strength. The second is to love thy neighbor as thyself. The twelve Minor Prophets were called to tell Israel about itself in regards to not complying with those two major themes. Each of the twelve Minor Prophets addressed Israel with God’s displeasure. God was extremely displeased with them because Israel would often take on the idols of the nation that God allowed them to overcome. Israel would also begin to take part in some of those nation’s undesired cultural traditions and practices. The Minor Prophets also addressed Israel’s oppression of the poor and disenfranchised. Israel was guilty of being unkind and being harsh towards the poor. All of Israel was judged according to their action and inaction regarding God’s law and their mistreatment of the poor.

The History Of Listeria Biology Essay

The History Of Listeria Biology Essay Salmonellosis, Shigellosis, Yersinosis and many other infectious diseases were named after the one who discovered them unlike Listeriosis. Once the causative agent was discovered by Murray, Webb and Swann, generic names such as bacterium monocytogenes was used and finally Listeria (Pirie) to honor Dr. Lister, the discoverer of antisepsis. Hence, in the past the disease was known as Listeriosis until, Listeria came into the general usage. Listeria was first known to be the causative agent of epidemic and sporadic cases in 50 species of animals, now the disease has been appearing on an increasing rate in the population of mankind. In 1926, Murray, Webb identified Listeria Monocytogenes and the bacterium was named by Swann. The bacterium was then renamed by Pirie in 1927 and was given its current name, Listeria Monocytogenes. In 1891, doctors in France and Germany discovered a gram positive bacterium in samples of tissues of patients who suffered and died from a disease similar to Listeriosis. In 1929, Nyfeldt described the first confirmed report of Listeriosis in humans caused by Listeria Monocytogenes. Listeria was first known to be the cause of epidemic and sporadic cases in 50 species of animals. Characterization of Listeria Monocytogenes. Listeria Monocytogenes is a small highly motile gram positive rod. It is a non spore-forming cocco-bacillus, facultative anaerobe which is catalase positive. These ubiquitous saprophytes are widespread in nature that is they can be found in soil and water. Vegetables can get contaminated if the soil, manure or the water used is contaminated. The bacterium can also be carried away by both wild and domestic animals that may apparently appear healthy. The bacterium is an opportunistic pathogen. It is capable of surviving and multiplying outside animal hosts and in quite simple nutrient medium. (Chapman and Hall, 1996.). It grows under refrigeration conditions from 1 °C up to 44 °C. However, its growth rate decreases below 1C and it is easily destroyed by heat. Normally pasteurization and cooking kill Listeria, but in certain ready-to-eat food, it can be found. This is due to contamination which occurs prior to packaging. Serology: Listeria Monocytogenes can be further characterized based on the presence of specific heat stable somatic (0) and heat-labile flagella (H) antigens. Based on the O and H antigens, strains of Listeria Monocytogenes, isolated from pathological sources are subdivided into serotypes: 1/2a,1/2 b, 1/2c, 3a,3b,3c,4a,4ab,4b,4c,4d,4e,4f,5 and 6. Serotypes 1/2a, 1/2b and 4b are responsible for greater than 95% of all human infections (Frances Pouch Downee, Keith Ito, 2001). Factors affecting growth and survival of Listeria Monocytogenes. Listeria Monocytogenes is a psychotropic bacterium that is it has the ability to resist the cold temperature of refrigeration. However, Listeria Monocytogenes is also thermo tolerant when subjected to temperatures above the optimum. The broad pH range for growth for Listeria Monocytogenes allows it to survive. pH 7.0 7.5 is the optimum pH for the growth of Listeria Monocytogenes (Dean, 1990). The bacteria can resist a high concentration of salt that is an environment with a low water potential. It has been shown that the organism can tolerate environments of 25.6 % Nacl for at least 132 days at 22 °C and 5 days at 37 °C (Adams; 2001; Lovette, 1989). Moreover the presence of other microorganisms in the same medium (on the same contaminated food) can cause a decrease in the population of Listeria Monoctyogenes. Listeriosis: Also known as the Circling Disease or Silage sickness, Listeriosis is a sporadic bacterial infection caused by Listeria Monocytogenes. It is a worldwide disease and a serious food borne disease for humans. The term Listeriosis encompasses a wide variety of disease symptoms that are similar on animals and humans. Persons of advanced age, pregnant women, new born and adults with infected immune systems are normally prone to attract this disease. A normal person without those criteria mentioned above can also be affected. He can be infected by consuming contaminated food. Babies may get infected at birth itself if their mother had consumed contaminated food during pregnancy. According to the world health organization (WHO), outbreaks of Listeriosis have been reported from many countries, including Australia, S Switzerland, France and the United states. Two recent outbreaks of Listeria Monocytogenes in France in 2000 and in the USA in 199 caused by contaminated pork tongue and hot dogs. CASES IN MAURITIUS MISSING!!!!!!!!!! Health risk of listeria: Hayes (1992) considered Listeria Monocytogenes as a low grade pathogen since there is no clinical manifestation in healthy individuals upon ingestion of low numbers of viable cells. According to the center for food security and public health 1-10 % of the population is thought to carry Listeria Monocytogenes asymptomatically in the intestines (May, 2005). Vomiting, Nausea, Cramps, Diarrhea, severe headache, constipation ad persistent fever are the symptoms that may occur suddenly. Meningitis encephalitis is the infection of the brain and its surrounding tissue. Septicemia is the poisoning of blood caused by listeria. The overall mortality rate in the group of susceptible people mention in sectionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Are 20 -30%. Listeria Monocytogenes can be identified in tissues using ELISA, PCR and other molecular techniques. It is treated with antibiotics depending on the form of the disease. Mode of invasion and spread of Listeria in host cells: Listeria Monocytogenes is acquires by ingestion. The bacterium must find and adhere to the intestinal mucosa or the intestinal crypt cells, which are the only undifferentiated mucosal cells. Once the bacterium is phagocytosed, it becomes enclosed in a phagolysosome, a sub cellular organelle. Normally the low pH and the contents of the phagosomes are toxic to microorganism, however, environment of low pH causes Listeria Monocytogenes to produce hemolysin, Listeriolysin O (LLO).LLO lyses the cell membrane of the phagolysosome and this causes release of the Listeria into the cytoplasm. According to F.S Southwick and D.L Purich all pathogenic strains of Listeria produce Listeriolysin-O which is important for their escape and pathogenesis. Once in the cytoplasm, the bacteria multiply and proliferate and the bacteria become surrounded by an electron-dense material. The bacteria are then known to be polarized at one end. The electron-dense material give the bacterium an elongated protrusions form and filopods which are in turns ingested by adjacent cells and the cycle begins anew. Spreading from cell to cell without directly being in contact with the extracellular environment is how Listeria Monocytogenes invade the cells of its hosts. Isolation of Listeria Monocytogenes: Since there has been increasing interest in the presence or absence of Listeria Monocytogenes in foods, as a result of some substantial outbreaks of food borne listeriosis in North America and Europe, there has been a vital need to develop methods to isolate it in various type of food. Several methods such as ELISA, PCR and genetic hybridization technologies (Entis and Lerner, 1991, RMR Labs, 2000, certification, Report, 2000; Klein and Juneja, 2001) have been developed. Department of agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), are the two US agencies that made use of different protocol for analysis of Listeria Monocytogenes. The techniques for isolation of Listeria Monocytogenes involve two- stage enrichment, the pre-enrichment followed by enrichment and plating for isolation. The enrichment procedures helps to keep the level of contaminating microorganisms to a reasonable numbers and allow multiplication of Listeria Monocytogenes to levels that are enough for detection of the organism. Half Fraser Broth and the University of Vermont broth (UVM) are examples of broths for the pre-enrichment procedures. They allow revival of injured Listeria cells. The Fraser broth is used with a selective Fraser broth supplement in enriching for the enrichment steps after the pre-enrichment and for detecting Listeria. Both the Fraser and Half Fraser Broth contain sodium phosphate and potassium phosphate which are buffering agents. The presence of ferric ions acts as an indicator since the bacteria produces 6, 7- dihydroxycoumarin that reacts with the ferric ions thus resulting in the blackening of the medium. Lithium chloride, nalidixic acid and acriflavine give the broth a higher concentration of salt and inhibit growth of enterococci. However, it is only after 48 hours that there is blackening of the broth. For plating, PALCAM, Oxford and Modified Oxford (MOX) are used as selective agars for isolation of Listeria Monocytogenes. Lithium chloride, polymyxin B sulphate and acriflavine HCl, present in the PALCAM medium Base and ceftazidine found in the PALCAM supplement ensure the selectivity of the medium. These elements suppress other bacteria present in food except Listeria. For differentiation, the PALCAM medium provides esculin and mannitol. Hydrolysis of esculin by Listeria causes production of 6, 7, dihydroxycoumarin, which reacts with the ferric ions that are present in the PLACAM medium to form blacken halos. USDA method: The USDA method involve a two- stage enrichment procedure with a 24-48 hours primary enrichment with UVM medium followed by a second enrichment phase with Fraser broth. Black colonies on the MOX plates show the presence of Listeria Monocytogenes. FDA method: This method involves 48 hour enrichment at 30 °C in buffered Listeria Enrichment Broth (BLEB). Pre enrichment procedure is optional which is done 4 hours at 30 °C prior to the addition of the selective supplements. After 24 hours to 48 hours the culture is streaked onto Oxford, PALCAM, Lithium chloride-phenyl ethanol moxalactant (LPM). After 24-48 hours at 30 °C, black-halo colonies prove the presence of Listeria. ISO method: The ISO method and the USDA method are alike with only the difference of using Half Fraser Broth for enrichment in the ISO method. The enrichment is done using Fraser Broth. On PALCAM or Oxford agar, the Listeria colonies are gray green with the black halo and black respectively.

van gogh :: essays research papers

His move to Paris in 1886 brought van Gogh into contact with Paul Gauguin, Camille Pissarro, Georges Seurat and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Paris saw the first evolution in his paintings; his palette became lighter and he started to use pure colours. In 1888 he moved to Arles, where his artistic liberation was accelerated and completed. He also had his first attack of insanity there; he used to paint every day and produced an astonishing amount of marvelous work, such as the Sunflower series. During a visit by his friend Gauguin van Gogh cut off one of his own ears. Austrian expressionist artist Egon Leo Adolf Schiele, b. June 12, 1890, d. Oct. 31, 1918, was at odds with art critics and society for most of his brief life. Even more than Gustav Klimt, Schiele made eroticism one of his major themes and was briefly imprisoned for obscenity in 1912. His treatment of the nude figure suggests a lonely, tormented spirit haunted rather than fulfilled by sexuality. At first strongly influenced by Klimt, whom he met in 1907, Schiele soon achieved an independent anticlassical style wherein his jagged lines arose more from psychological and spiritual feeling than from aesthetic considerations. He painted a number of outstanding portraits, such as that of his father-in-law, Johann Harms (1916; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York City), and a series of unflinching and disquieting self-portraits. Late works such as The Family (1918; Oesterreichische Galerie, Vienna) reveal a newfound sense of security. 1902 - Ansel Easton Adams born on February 20, at 114 Maple Street, San Francisco, the only child of Olive and Charles 1915 - Despises the regimentation of a regular education, and is taken out of school. For that year, his father buys him a season pass to the Panama-Pacific Exposition, which he visits nearly every day. Private tutors provide further instruction. 1916: Family Trip to Yoesmite, Californina. 1925: Decides to become a pianist.

A Unique Approach: Education in Public and Charter Schools Essays

A Unique Approach: Education in Public and Charter Schools School choice: two words that together spell out a multitude of educational options for students today. Among them are charter schools and public schools; public schools standing the test of time and charter schools being at the forefront of a revolution in educational change. Surprisingly, these two educational institutions have more in common than one might think, but maintain their differences. Key differences between charter and public schools include approach to education, funding, level of government involvement, and enrollment practices. Despite these differences, both charter and public schools share the following features: free of charge to students, required to demonstrate adequate yearly progress on state standardized tests and status as public institutions. Charter schools are educational institutions that share common features with public schools and at the same time have key differences that make them unique. Charter schools and public schools share a definition as public educational institutions; however, there remain key differences within this explanation. Charter schools are independent public educational institutions that have the freedom to operate within a specific educational focus, such as math and science or agriculture science. (WestEd, 2010) Within the context of this specific educational focus; charter schools tailor curriculum, assessments, program goals, and measures of achievement towards the students their charter serves. (WestEd, 2010) Unlike charter schools, public schools are educational institutions that operate under the direction of a school board along with state and federal government whose rules and laws sanction their daily ope... ... and federal government on a per pupil enrollment basis, however do not have the luxury of levying taxes that public schools do. Finally, charter schools are independent of the geographical confines that a district imposes on public schools. Works Cited MN Association of Charter Schools. (2010, November 8). MN Charter School Facts & Statistics. Retrieved November 5, 2010, from MN Association of Charter Schools: http://www.mncharterschools.org/page/1/facts.jsp MN Charter School Resource Center. (2007, August 29). What is a Charter School-Center forSchool Change. Retrieved November 8, 2010, from Minnesota Charter School Resource Center: http://www.centerforschoolchange.org/index2.php?... WestEd. (2010, November 8). Answers to Frequently Asked Questions. Retrieved Novemeber 8, 2010, from US Charter Schools: http://www.uscharterschools.org/lpt/uscs_docs/171

Application Paper -- Essays Papers

Application Paper The social penetration theory is a theory composed by Altman and Taylor in which people are compared to onions. This may seem like an absurd comparison, but when explored more deeply it makes quite a bit of sense. The social penetration theory is a description of the multi-layered nature of people's personalities. As the outer skin of an onion is peeled away another layer is found beneath it, and if you remove that layer you will expose another layer, and so forth. The same holds true for people; as we get to know someone better we expose more layers of their personality and hence become closer to the core of the individual, or the private self The outer layers of our personality is the public self, or characteristics that are apparent to people we do not know very well. Some of these characteristics include a person's world view, studies, and tastes (Griffin, 1997, p. 145). Altman and Taylor proceed to say that in order for people to develop close and meaningful relationships penetr ation must occur; this process requires self-disclosure and vulnerability in order to be achieved. People are able to choose who they want to become closer to and to decide how much of their private self they want to expose. According to Sidney Jourard, author of Transparent Self (1980), "You cannot collaborate with another person toward some common end unless you know him. How can you know him, and he you, unless you have engaged in enough mutual disclosure of self to be able anticipate how he will react and what part he will play?" (p. 3). One main reason Jourard says people may be reluctant to self-disclose is that they dread the moral judgment of their friends, family. minister, or the law. This is the same as becoming vulne... ...e amount of penetration that occurs; in any case it would be very interesting to talk about in relation to the social penetration theory. I have definitely enjoyed learning about the social penetration theory and social exchange theory the most. They are very important theories that happen every day with people we know and people we don't know. I believe that they are among the most important theories that need to be used in order to achieve and maintain close, meaningful relationships throughout our lives. In analyzing my own level of penetration with a close friend, I have discovered a little bit more about myself and how prone I am to self-disclose for a potential relationship. Works Cited Griffin, E. (1997). A first look at communication theory. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Jourard, S. (1980). The transparent self. New York, NY: Macmillan.

Income Security for Women Essay

The Employment Insurance (EI) is a leading insurance program that revamped the Unemployment Insurance (UI) program introduced in 1940. The EI reduces dependency on the state for income support. After being introduced in 1996, minor changes were done to the EI frequently. Earlier under UI, women’s jobs and unemployment risks were not covered or less covered. The EI focused mainly on women’s entitlement to increased maternity/parental benefits. The new Compassionate Care Benefit (CCB) benefits woman to provide end-of-life care to family members. Introduction of EI and Canadian Health and Social Transfer (CHST) are interpreted as a measure to consolidate a neo-liberal welfare state. It is a kind of market approach to social issues. Earlier, the liberal welfare state was built around the male bread winner model. During that time, adult women benefited only through male earners in the family. The adult worker model expected caretakers to work more to meet the care needs. Women suffered the consequences because of this approach and it resulted in falling birth rates and stress-related productivity problems. The EI addressed most of the issues concerning caretakers but then the 1996 EI reform hurt women more than men. Because, women were expected to meet the male norm to qualify for benefits and also the entrant/re-entrant (NERE) rules were tough on women. The motivation behind was to make people take any or all available work. Part-time workers and seasonal workers found it difficult to qualify for benefits. The self-employed – many women – were out of the system. The intention was to promote labor force attachment. Women workers in precarious jobs could not meet the NERE rules. Employees with irregular jobs could not meet the average insurable earnings based on the last twenty-six weeks of work. This rule was later relaxed in high-unemployment regions. Employees with dependants in the family qualified for family supplement (FM). Women were expected to work for a minimum of 35 hours a week (to meet 700 hours in 20 weeks) to qualify for maternity/parental benefits. Many women failed to qualify. The requirements were later decreased to 600 hours and the NERE rules were adjusted. The maximum parental benefits were received by 93% of women recipients though it is gender neutral. On the whole maternity/parental benefits are a positive measure liked by many. Compassionate Care Benefits (CCB) allows employees to take care of the gravely ill or dying child without putting their jobs or income at risk. 600 hours of insurable employment are needed to qualify for up to six weeks of compassionate Care Benefits. Here again, self-employed, part-time and non-standard work employees find it difficult to qualify. The state is more focused on resolving care giving issues. This created gender inequalities in insurance benefits. Though changes are done to fine tune regular benefits and to give impetus to special benefits, women are benefited only if they are mothers. Since labor force attachment is vital to access parental benefits, some women are restricted from access to benefits due to inequalities in work pattern such as part time employment. Suggestions according to the author on areas where EI can be improved: 1) Women’s income security needs to serve by better progress 2) Implicit use of a male work norm in setting EI parameters to be addressed. 3) Care related work has to be free from NERE eligibility rules. 4) Part time worker should be made available for benefits based on their hours of work. 5) Minimum devisor should be dropped. Benefit formula should use the best X number of weeks for a longer time frame. 6) Self employed workers should be considered for both regular and special benefits. 1) What did you learn from this piece? The Canadian government initiated Unemployment Insurance (UI) in 1940. This was gender biased and did not cover women’s jobs and their unemployment risks. As a result women suffered the consequences for long. A major reformation on UI came in the form of Employment Insurance (EI) Act in 1996. The EI was proposed to reduce the dependency of employees on the state for income. The gender biases and better access for women to the EI were addressed in the subsequent reforms of EI. Whenever there was a reformation of the EI, a particular group of employees were either not benefited or less benefited from the EI. For example, under UI, the EI maternity/parental benefits expected 700 hrs of work from an employee for 20 weeks. This criteria disqualified many women workers who worked less than 35 hours a week. Women who worked part time and women with children found it difficult to qualify. The new entrant/re-entrant (NERE) requirements were stringent for women who had already taken maternity leave. Later, in the reform process, the government reduced the 700 hours to 600 and readjusted NERE rules. At regular intervals the government improvised on EI and UI policies thereby consolidating the neo-liberal welfare state. The crux of the matter is that the women employees who benefit from the changes are largely mothers. There are many women in precarious jobs, self employed and live in high unemployment areas without access to the benefits of EI. The new programs of the state should try and bridge these gaps. 2) Is there anything in this writing that made you think differently? Explain. According to McKeen and Portar, the EI reforms are heading towards consolidating a neo-liberal welfare state. Well, this means that the state’s emphasis is on the primacy of market. It rewards ‘Good’ workers and punish ‘Bad’ workers. ‘Good’ and ‘Bad’ alone do not determine the social well being. The prime concern is ‘Will the state insulate its economy from the globalization process? Will it prevent people facing higher levels of unemployment and job insecurity? ’ If yes, the next step is to bring more EI reforms by securing women’s employment without getting mired in the globalization process. Yielding to the international competitiveness of the market will have repercussions on the society. 3) What is the most significant contribution of this writing? The author Martha MacDonald has clearly pictured how women employees were caught unawares in the midst of the Unemployment Insurance (UI) that was built on the male bread winner model. The consequences led to falling birth rates and stress related productivity problems. Even the 1996 reforms of regular UI benefits hurt women more than men. Women had difficulty qualifying for new entrants/re-entrant (NERE) rules. The end of the 20th century has seen some good results in EI reforms by allowing women to have better access to EI benefits, however, the women who benefited are mothers than those in precarious jobs, self employed, part-time or seasonal workers and residing in high unemployment areas. 4) What is your ‘critique’ of this piece? â€Å"Procrastination is the thief of time† – Edward King The state waited all these years hesitating to bring quick reforms to allow women to have better access to EI benefits. As the author rightly says â€Å"The result was that the states broader social and economic feedback effects are now being manifested in falling birth rates and productivity problems. † Besides explaining women’s poor access to EI, the author explains the gradual developments in the EI chronologically with reference citations to reputed authors. As a scholarly piece of writing, â€Å"Income Security for Women: What about Employment Insurance? † has all the influence to promote her suggestions on how women’s income security could be better served through new programs. This short piece is a wealth of information for anyone who wants to know the real scenario on Employment Insurance with regard to women employers and their income security. In other words, it is a pool of data, a healthy interpretation of EI developments, a logical conclusion through scholarly effort and fruitful ideas for a prospective EI reforms. 5) Questions for class discussions: i) Do you think the neo-liberal welfare state and the EI reforms can go hand in hand benefiting each other? Explain. ii) What will be your stance on the latest EI reforms? iii) Imagine that you have talents and resources to get self employed. Will you hesitate to become self employed because of the poor access to EI benefits? iv) Is there any woman in your family who faced difficulties due to poor access to UI? Share your experience.

Blue Ocean Strategy Canvas & the Four Actions Framework Essay

Applying the Blue Ocean Approach December 3, 2012 Problem Statement B-cycle charges an annual fee in range of $50-100 for membership thereby making its offering uncompetitive against mass bicycle merchandizers like Wal-Mart and Target who sell bikes at highly discounted and cheap prices. Analysis Plan/Data Used/Key Assumptions Analysis Plan: We will use the Blue Ocean Strategy Canvas & the Four Actions Framework to assess steps B-Cycle needs to take to stay ahead of its red ocean bike dealership competitor. Key Assumptions: 1. Purchasing a bicycle is a discretionary spend 2. There is a strong market for cheaper substitutes to owning a bicycle Data: 1. B-Cycle charges an annual fee in range of $50-100 (Source: B-Cycle website) for its membership while its usage fee is relatively cheaper in range of $5 for 24 hours to $15 for 7-day rental 2. Mass merchandizers like Wal-Mart & Target dominate Bicycle Dealership & Retail industry, which is a $6.1 billion industry, with 75% market share (Source: IBIS Industry Report) 3. A mass merchandizer like Wal-Mart sells a comfort & cruiser bike at a starting price of $69-88 4. B-cycle charges fees up to $1200 for loss and damage to its bike (Source: B-cycle website) Data Analysis & Conclusions B-cycle annual membership fee is at same price point as the retail price of a comfort or cruiser bike sold by WalMart which makes buying a bike a more tempting proposition as opposed to renting a bike. B-Cycle does not offer liability protection for bike damage and customers could end up paying up to $1200 in damage fees which makes it very expensive proposition compared to owning one’s bike. In order for B-Cycle offering to compete effectively against mass merchandizing bicycle dealership like Wal-Mart, B-Cycle should make its price proposition more attractive for customers so they can rent a bike as opposed to buying a bike. Recommendations to Management Eliminate Membership Fees. Create a loyalty program for its members that rewards members based on usage. Reduce customer liabilities against damage or loss of a bike by offering protection program. Increase locations across the country to gain footprint and market share in the bike rental segment.