Psychology of Adolescence Essay Example for Free

Psychology of Adolescence Essay BoysTown is a registered charity and a national organization for youth welfare in Australia. It focuses on helping disadvantaged youths who are at risk of social exclusion to enhance their quality of life (â€Å"Youth social†). It recognizes several causes of social exclusion among disadvantaged youths that need to be addressed, which include single parenthood, low self-esteem, physical and mental health problems, substance abuse, lack of work experience, functional illiteracy, and underdeveloped personal and vocational skills (â€Å"Youth social†). BoysTown also recognizes that most of the disadvantage youths came from families who have a history of intergenerational unemployment and welfare dependency and from Indigenous backgrounds (â€Å"Youth social†). BoysTown offers several social inclusion programs to help disadvantage youths to improve their life. The programs include Kids Helpline, Youth Programs, Indigenous community development, Family programs, and Intermediate labor markets. The key attribute of these programs is that they emphasized sustainable outcomes while they rely on safe strategies for working with youths who are at risk of social exclusion (â€Å"Youth social†). BoysTown’s Kids Helpline is a national telephone and web-based counseling program that provides services for more than 60,000 children and youths across the country. The Youth programs offer personal development, training and employment assistance to more than 3,500 youths in communities. BoysTown is collaborating with key stakeholders to work on a social inclusion project with four remote Indigenous communities in the East Kimberleys (â€Å"Youth social†). It also provides parenting programs and family refuges such as home-based support and training to make way for the transition of disadvantaged youths to the wider world (â€Å"Youth social†). The organization also operates various social enterprises and transitional employment programs in order to provide 400 youths per year with paid work and on-the-job training. There are various indicators that demonstrate the degree of social exclusion suffered by families and children, which include low-birth-weight babies, permanent exclusion from school, the number of children living in unemployed households, teenage pregnancy, low academic achievement, and the number of children aged 10-16 who are in young offender institutions (Pierson, 2002). The indicators of social exclusion at the level of community include overcrowded housing, a high percentage of households without a bank account, poor community participation, and high levels of burglaries (Pierson, 2002). The key forces that increases the likelihood of social exclusion are poverty and low income, lack of social supports and networks, lack of access to the labor market, the impact of the local neighborhood, and exclusion from services (Pierson, 2002). Pierson (2002) suggests ways to address social exclusion, which include maximizing income and securing basic resources; improving social networks and supports; collaborating in partnership with local organizations and agencies; developing channels of effective participation for users, local residents, and their organizations; and concentrating on whole neighborhoods. Socially excluded youths have a significant cost impact on society in terms of publicly-funded health services, justice system and social security costs, and the impact of decreased individual earning capacity, lost productivity, and decreased tax revenue (â€Å"Youth social†). The Australian government is investing in developing the capability of the not-for-profit organization to provide more holistic, community-based strategies to respond to social exclusion, especially among young people (â€Å"Youth social†). Models of intervention must be multi-dimensional and aimed at providing young people with a comprehensive range of support over an extended period of time (â€Å"Youth social†). They should also be based on a holistic approach in order for young people to overpower personal barriers; improve their strengths, health, well-being, life and interpersonal skills; develop their self-esteem and the ability to learn; and succeed in shifting to independent living, training or work, and further education (â€Å"Youth social†). BoysTown’s Youth programs are effective in helping youths who are at risk of social exclusion because they incorporate individual assessment, counseling, and support, life skills training, personal development and mentoring; vocational skills training, employment assistance; and post-placement support (â€Å"Youth social†). Young people must be provided assistance into paid employment by giving advice, training and other help that they need to make them more employable (Kemp, 2005). Focusing on individual agency such as young people’s attributes, qualifications, decision-making, and behavior allows young people to successfully transition from welfare to work (Kemp, 2005). The Kids Helpline at BoysTown is similar to a mentoring program that helps disadvantaged young people to tackle social exclusion. Mentoring consists of an informal educative role and personal support and encouragement (Pierson, 2002). Mentor acts as a trusted counselor or guide (Pierson, 2002). The goal of a mentoring or counseling program is to connect two individuals in a one to one voluntary relationship, with one individual being more experienced than the other and with the hope that their knowledge and skills will be transferred (Pierson, 2002). The key features of a mentoring relationship include a voluntary arrangement as required by the individual being mentored and can be ended by either party at any time, interpersonal skills of mentors to manage and monitor the relationship, and the understanding of both mentored and mentors about the boundaries and objective of the relationship (Pierson, 2002). Colley (2003) mentions the popularity of mentoring with policy-makers because it addresses their concerns such as the moralization of social exclusion. The author adds that the solution to social exclusion of young people depends on their re-engagement with the labor market and/or formal learning routes. The key role of mentoring is to provide a way for the re-engagement by changing young people’s values, beliefs, attitudes, and behavior to engage their personal commitment to become employable (Colley, 2003). Mentoring helps young people in terms of empowering them, discussing aspirations, and making them more realistic about their view of work (Colley, 2003). It is also important to assist young people to attain skills in areas such as confidence building, problem solving, improvement of interpersonal skills, punctuality, and team working in order to enhance their personal effectiveness in the workplace (Colley, 2003). Moreover, mentoring is also important to help disadvantaged young people develop social networks and capital (Colley, 2003). It is necessary to create initiatives that involve young people not only in making decisions that affect them individually or on particular services but also in making decisions that influence their communities collectively (Pierson, 2002). Organizations led by young people play an important role in defining services and provide practical support for young persons (Pierson, 2002). The aim of the Indigenous community development at BoysTown is to help young people to re-engage in learning; increase community involvement in formal education and training; enhance access to sustainable mainstream employment opportunities; and develop training and work opportunities through community-based social business enterprises (â€Å"Youth social†). According to Pierson (2002), adolescent support teams have emerged rapidly during the early 1990s. The author adds that the aim of adolescent support teams is to divert youths from the care system and offer short-term preventive service that assists families prevent problems in relationships that might result to homelessness. The approach used by the adolescent support teams is preventive and based on time-limited, task-focused work (Pierson, 2002). Most of the work of the adolescent support teams involves negotiation and mediation between young people and parents (Pierson, 2002). BoysTown enterprises are involved in several community infrastructure development, asset maintenance, and urban renewal projects in disadvantaged areas (â€Å"Youth social†). Enterprise-based intermediate labor markets are effective in minimizing crime and anti-social behavior and in helping young people who are socially excluded to engage again with the labor market (â€Å"Youth social†). According to Aiken (2007), social enterprises are considered mission-driven organizations with a commitment to a specific disadvantaged group. The author adds that placement agencies function as intermediaries in searching and training people to move into work in the mainstream labor market. Social enterprises have often focused on the needs of socially excluded client groups (Aiken, 2007). Aiken (2007) mentions that the origin of social and community enterprises can be found in the mutual and cooperative sector in Great Britain. The author adds that the emergence of this movement has resulted to an important pattern which has focused on the economic development of poorer communities, including the importance of maintaining paid work. Intermediate Labor Market organizations focus on short-term training and employment with the goal of trainees transitioning into paid work in other organizations (Aiken, 2007). They may be working with disadvantaged people and will have a tendency to be reliant on some degree of public sector contracting. References Aiken, M. (2007). What is the role of social enterprise in finding, creating and maintaining employment? for disadvantaged groups? Retrieved June 14, 2009, from http://www. parracity. nsw. gov. au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/22575/Cabinet_Office Colley, Helen (2003). Mentoring for social inclusion: A critical approach to nurturing mentor relationships. New York, NY: Routledge. Kemp, P. A. (2005) Young people and unemployment: From welfare to workfare. In M. Barry (Ed. ), Youth policy and social inclusion: critical debates with young people (pp. 139-156). New York, NY: Routledge. Pierson, J. (2002). Tackling social exclusion. New York, NY: Routledge. Youth social exclusion: A global concern. Retrieved June 14, 2009, from http://www. boystown. com. au/downloads/rep/BT-Youth-Social-Exclusion. pdf

The Writings of John Updike :: Biography Biographies Essays

The Writings of John Updike      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   John Updike's Rabbit books tell the story of a man whose life is in constant turmoil. Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom's downward spiral started the day his senior basketball season ended. Rabbit was a basketball jock; he knew nothing else. He married his high school sweetheart more out of convenience than love and worked in the same printing press as his father. Rabbit couldn't face the working world, couldn't face his parents, and couldn't face his wife and son. He was constantly caught somewhere in the middle ground between righteousness and sinful pleasure. Rabbit's mind was constantly wandering, searching for something he could hold on to, something that would remain constant through the thick and thin of life. He needed another basketball.    Rabbit's life is the perfect model for a case study on how not to live. Anything appealing that entered his mind, he did it. Rabbit cheated on his wife, ignored his mother, was unaffected when his wife left him, took up with an eighteen year old girl when he was well into his thirties and did not attempt to hide any of it from his twelve year old son, Nelson. Rather than getting tough when times were hard, Rabbit ran. He ran from a pregnant wife, Janice, from Nelson who was then twelve, from employment, from his parents, from everything. Rabbit practiced the opposite of perseverance. When life wasn't going well, Rabbit simply moved on to something else.    Rabbit matters because he was so wrong. Our thoughts often mimic Rabbit's actions. But Rabbit takes the heat for us. His twisted, perverse life shows us that the choices he made were the wrong ones. Not to imply that he was in any way godly, but like Jesus, Rabbit suffered for our sins. How many times do we find ourselves bored in life, wishing that we could just move on to something else, give up and start over? Each time we do, we can remember Rabbit. Rabbit reminds us that without work, life is not fulfilling. He shows us that you can't start over, that you can never leave your life behind.    Rabbit shows us that we have to live with our mistakes, that we can't just act like they never happened. Rabbit tries to run, but he can't. He reminds us that people don't just forget and move on.

Costco Wiki

Costco From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Not to be confused with COSCO, a Chinese shipping company. Costco Wholesale Corporation| | Type| Public| Traded as| NASDAQ:  COST| Industry| Retailing| Founded| 1983 (Kirkland, Washington)| Founder(s)| James D. Sinegal Jeffrey H. Brotman| Headquarters| Issaquah, Washington, U. S. | Area served| Worldwide| Key people| Jeffrey H. Brotman (Chairman) W. Craig Jelinek (President, CEO & COO)| Products| Discount stores, Merchandise, Cash & Carry/Warehouse club| Revenue| US$ 88. 15  billion (2011)[1]| Operating income| US$ 2. 439  billion (2011)[1]| Net income| US$ 1. 462  billion (2011)[1]| Total assets| US$ 26. 761  billion (2011)[1]| Total equity| US$ 12. 002  billion (2011)[1]| Employees| 92,000 (2012)[1]| Website| Costco. com| Costco Wholesale Corporation is the seventh largest retailer in the world. As of July 2012, it was the fifth largest retailer in the United States, and the largest membership ware house club chain in the United States. [2][3] As of October 2007, Costco is the largest retailer of wine in the world. 4] Contents * 1 Location * 2 History * 3 Costco today * 4 Sales model * 5 Membership * 6 Policies * 6. 1 Return policy * 6. 2 Food stamps in the U. S. * 6. 3 Cash Cards * 7 Products * 7. 1 Kirkland Signature * 8 Services * 8. 1 Online shopping * 8. 2 Costco Travel * 8. 3 Costco Connection * 8. 4 Food service * 9 Animal Welfare Concerns * 10 Labor relations * 11 International * 12 Locations * 13 Other wholesale formats * 13. 1 Costco Business Center * 13. 2 Costco Home * 14 See also * 15 References * 16 External links| LocationCostco is headquartered in Issaquah, Washington, United States[5] and was founded in 1983 in Kirkland, Washington[citation needed] with its first warehouse in nearby Seattle. [6] Today Costco has locations in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Mexico, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and the United States. [7] History Logo used until the early 1 990s. Founded by James (Jim) Sinegal and Jeffrey H. Brotman,[8] Costco opened its first warehouse in Seattle, Washington, on September 15, 1983. [9] Sinegal had started in wholesale distribution by working for Sol Price at both FedMart and Price Club.Brotman, an attorney from an old Seattle retailing family, had also been involved in retail distribution from an early age. [citation needed] Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton had plans to merge Sam's Club with Price Club. [10] In 1993, however, Costco merged with Price Club (called Club Price in the Canadian province of Quebec). Costco's business model and size were similar to those of Price Club, which was founded by Sol and Robert Price in 1976 in San Diego, California. [6] Thus, the combined company, PriceCostco, was effectively double the size of each of its parents.Just after the merger, PriceCostco had 206 locations generating $16  billion in annual sales. [11] PriceCostco was initially led by executives from both companies, but then Sol and his son Robert Price founded Price Enterprises and left Costco in December 1994. [6] The Costco in Moncton, New Brunswick Entrance in Henderson, Nevada In 1993, when growing competition threatened both Price Club and Costco Wholesale, they entered into a partial merger just after Price’s earnings dropped to 40%. The new company, named PriceCostco, Inc. , focused heavily on international expansion, opening stores in Mexico, South Korea, and England.Despite best efforts to recover losses, sales continued to drop. Disagreement between the two leaders, Robert Price and Jim Sinegal, regarding company direction and recovery policies soon left the merger in tatters. In 1994, the breakup was formally announced. Sinegal continued to manage PriceCostco while Price’s breakaway company was named as Price Enterprises. In 1997, the name of Sinegal’s company was changed from PriceCostco to Costco Wholesale. The first Price Club location was opened in 1976 in an old ai rplane hangar,[6][11] previously owned by Howard Hughes, and is still in operation today (Warehouse No. 01, located on Morena Boulevard in San Diego). In 1997, the company changed its name to Costco Wholesale and all Price Club locations were rebranded Costco. [6][11] CNBC premiered its documentary â€Å"The Costco Craze: Inside the Warehouse Giant† on April 26, 2012. [12] Costco today In the United States, the main competitors operating membership warehouses are Sam's Club and BJ's Wholesale Club. [13] Although Sam's Club has more warehouses[14] than Costco, Costco has higher total sales volume. [15] Costco employs about 142,000  full and part-time employees,[7] including seasonal workers.As of September 2009, Costco had 55 million members. [16] Costco was the first company to grow from zero to $3  billion in sales in less than six years. [11] For the fiscal year ending on August 31, 2011, the company's sales totaled $88. 915  billion,[7] with $1. 462  billion net pr ofit. [17] Costco is 24th on the 2012 Fortune 500. [17] The ACSI (The American Customer Satisfaction Index) named Costco number one in the specialty retail store industry with a score of 83 in Q4 2008. [18] As of September 2010,[19][dated info] Costco's board of directors is chaired by co-founder Jeffrey H.Brotman and includes three officers of the company: CEO/co-founder James D. Sinegal, President/COO W. Craig Jelinek, and CFO Richard A. Galanti. There are also eleven independent directors: Hamilton E. James (the â€Å"Lead Independent Director†), Benjamin S. Carson, Sr. , Susan Decker, Richard D. DiCerchio, Daniel J. Evans, William H. Gates, Sr. , Richard M. Libenson, John W. Meisenbach, Charles T. Munger, Jeff Raikes, and Jill Ruckelshaus. In the United States, Costco is closed on seven holidays: New Year's Day, Easter, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.Sales model Typical Costco warehouse interior Costco focuses on selling products at low prices, often at very high volume. These goods are usually bulk-packaged and marketed primarily to large families and businesses. Furthermore, Costco does not carry multiple brands or varieties where the item is essentially the same except when it has a house brand to sell, typically under the Kirkland Signature label. This results in a high volume of sales from a single vendor, allowing further reductions in price, and reducing marketing costs.If Costco management feels the wholesale price of a product is too high, they will refuse to stock the product. For example, on November 16, 2009, Costco announced that it would stop selling Coca-Cola products due to the soft drink maker refusing to lower its wholesale prices. [20] Costco resumed selling Coca-Cola products on December 14, 2009. [21][22] Costco also saves money by not stocking extra bags or packing materials; to carry out their goods, customers must bring their own bags or use the merchandise shipping boxes from the compa ny's outside vendors.Lighting costs are reduced on sunny days, as most Costco locations have several skylights. During the day, electronic light meters measure how much light is coming in the skylights and turn off an appropriate percentage of the interior lights. During a typical sunny day, it is very common for the center section of the warehouse to have no interior lights powered on. [23] Most products are delivered to the warehouse on shipping pallets and these pallets are used to display products for sale on the warehouse floor. This contrasts with retail stores that break down pallets and stock individual products on shelves.Costco limits its price markup on items to 15%. [24] Membership Costco in Tlalpan, Mexico City Costco is only open to members and their guests, except for purchases of liquor and gasoline in some US states because of state law; and prescription drugs because of federal law. [25] Memberships must be purchased in advance for one year. Purchases made at Costc o's website do not require a membership; however, a 5% surcharge is added to purchases made by non-members. Purchases made with Costco Cash Cards also do not require a membership, and there is no surcharge.Canadian and United States Costco locations only accept American Express, PIN-based debit cards (Interac in Canada), Costco credit cards, Costco Cash Cards, cash, checks, and EBT cards (food stamps). While Costco welcomes members to bring up to two guests, only the members may pay for items. American Express is the only accepted credit card (in the United States, Canada, and Japan) because they charge Costco very low interchange fees (a percentage of revenue from total sales made); as Costco's margins are low in comparison to other retailers[citation needed].Costco accepts Flexible Spending Account (FSA) debit cards for qualifying purchases at the pharmacy and optical departments in the US. Costco. com accepts the American Express, Visa, MasterCard, and Discover cards. The website also accepts Bill Me Later accounts for payment. [26] As of November 2011, membership fees at Costco are $55 per year for a Gold Star (individual) or Business membership (older memberships are grandfathered in at $50 per year), which can be upgraded to Executive membership for an additional $55 per year. [27] Along with the additional benefits the executive membership offers (e. . home loans, car insurance, check printing services) Executive members also receive an annual â€Å"2% Rewards Check† of up to $750. 00 from Costco on all purchases made, excluding select items such as gasoline, tobacco, stamps and in some states, alcohol. [28] In Canada, membership is CDN $55. 00 a year for a Gold Star membership and includes a card for a spouse, or CDN $110. 00 a year for an Executive membership. [29] In the United Kingdom, membership is restricted to certain groups only. Trade membership is available to the owners or managers of businesses for ? 20. 00 (plus VAT).Trade members re ceive a complimentary spouse/partner card, and can purchase additional cards (at a cost of ? 12+VAT each) for employees. Qualified professionals such as solicitors, magistrates, accountants and engineers, as well as employees in certain specific sectors (such as medical services, education, local government, the civil service, airlines and banking) may apply for individual membership, which costs ? 25 including a spouse/partner card. [30] A Costco card issued in another country is valid in the U. K. ,[31] and as such, it would be possible for a U. K. esident to sign up elsewhere and use their card at home without meeting U. K. membership requirements. [citation needed] In Australia, membership is A$55. 00 a year for a business membership, or A$60. 00 a year for a Gold Star membership. [32] In Mexico, membership is MXN $450. 00 a year for a Gold Star membership, or MXN $1000. 00 a year for an Executive membership. [33] Costco is only open to members for all services and purchases. Me xican locations only accept cash and Visa Electron debit cards; purchases with MasterCard or Visa credit cards have a surcharge of approximately 4%.Purchases with the Mexican Costco credit card keep cash prices. Policies Australia's first Costco outlet, at Docklands, Victoria Return policy Costco memberships can be refunded in full at any time before they expire. [34] Costco guarantees almost all of their products with a full refund within a reasonable amount of time. Exceptions include televisions, projectors, computers, cameras, camcorders, digital audio players, and cellular phones; these may be returned within 90 days of purchase for any reason for a refund.After 90 days those returns must be done through the manufacturer according to the terms of the warranty. Also excepted are tires (which are covered by their manufacturer's separate defects and treadware warranties) and batteries (which are covered by a 36/100-month warranty, where they may be replaced for free in the first 3 6 months and are covered under a pro-rated warranty for months 37-100). Costco has negotiated with manufacturers to extend the manufacturers warranty to two years for new TVs and computers (five years on TV's sold by Costco in the UK).Costco also offers a free â€Å"concierge† service to members who purchase electronics, to help answer questions regarding setup and use and avoid potential returns due to not understanding how to use the products. [34] Food stamps in the U. S. Until 2009, Costco did not accept food stamps. As of March 14, 2009, an article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette quoted Jim Sinegal, co-founder and president of the company, as saying, â€Å"Generally we don't have customers who use food stamps. [35] In response to the poor economy, as well as competitor BJ's Wholesale Club's decision in April to accept electronic food-stamp benefits chainwide,[36] Costco announced in May 2009 that it will accept food stamps on a trial basis in two New York City stores sta rting in June 2009 and depending on its success, might expand it to all New York City stores. [37] The company subsequently announced plans to expand the program beyond New York City, targeting first the â€Å"hard-hit areas likeMichigan, Indiana, and the central valley of California†, expanding to â€Å"half its roughly 410 U. S. stores by Thanksgiving†, and then going nationwide. [38] Cash Cards Costco Cash Cards can be purchased in the warehouse and members can load them with money to make non-cash purchases at all Costco warehouses in the United States and Australia. Because Costco gas stations take only Costco Cash, debit cards, American Express, and Costco credit cards, people who can only pay for gas by check or cash must purchase a Costco Cash Card inside the building before filling up.A Costco Membership is not required to make purchases with a Costco Cash Card. A non-member may not purchase or re-load a Costco Cash Card; however, they may spend more than the total value of their cash card in-store provided they pay in cash or approved debit cards for the remaining balance. [39] Products Over the years, Costco has gradually expanded its range of products and services. Initially it preferred to sell only boxed products that could be dispensed by simply tearing the stretch wrap off a pallet. It now[when? sells many other products that are more difficult to handle, such as fresh produce, meat, dairy, seafood, fresh baked goods, flowers, clothing, books, computer software, vacuums, home appliances, home electronics, solar panels, jewelry, tires, art, fine wine, hot tubs, furniture and caskets. Many warehouses have tire garages, pharmacies, hearing aid centers, optometrists, photo processors, and gas stations. Optometrists working at Costco locations will see patients without Costco memberships. Costco Optical ranks as the fourth-largest optical company in the US. [40] A membership is required to fill a prescription at the optical department. Some locations have liquor stores, often kept separate from the main warehouse in order to comply with liquor license restrictions. In some states (such as Texas), the liquor store must be owned and operated by a separate company with separate employees. [41] In 2006, Costco lost a lawsuit against the state of Washington in which it was seeking to purchase wine directly from the producer, bypassing the state retail monopoly. [42] In Australia, Costco has to comply with regulations set by each state they choose trade in; their first store in the state of Victoria benefits from some of the most liberal lcohol licensing laws in the country, with retailers permitted to sell alcohol on shelves within the store, in a manner similar to most European countries, yet they have chosen to have a separate checkout within the liquor section. [citation needed] Kirkland Signature Kirkland Signature logo Kirkland Signature branded bottled water Kirkland Signature is Costco's store brand, otherwise k nown in the retail industry as an â€Å"own-brand,† â€Å"house brand† or â€Å"private label. † It is found exclusively at Costco's website and Costco warehouses and is trademarked by the company.The name derives from the fact that Costco's corporate headquarters was located in the city of Kirkland, Washington between 1987 and 1996. [43] Costco introduced Kirkland Signature as its house brand in 1995. The idea was to identify categories in which a private label product could provide brand name quality at discounted prices. [44] To counteract the consumer confidence problem common in store branding, Kirkland Signature sometimes relies on co-branding. According to Costco, while consumers may be wary of same-store-branding, they are less likely to be wary of brands that they are familiar with and trust. 45] Services | This section does not cite any references or sources. (October 2009)| Costco acts as an investment broker and travel agent. Costco has an agreement with Ameriprise for auto and home insurance. In 2004 Costco offered an original artwork by artist Pablo Picasso on their online store; more recently[when? ] a highly regarded 1982 Mouton Rothschild wine was offered as well as other rare wines in rotation. [citation needed] Costco Photo Center is a multi-functional photography printing lab offering services at the warehouses as well as through their web site, costcophotocenter. com.The website provides free unlimited digital file storage with a current membership. Previous to May or June 2010, Costco had an agreement with Mypublisher. com for custom book and calendar publishing. Now,[when? ] they print the photobooks and calendars themselves. Online shopping The domain costco. com attracted at least 58 million visitors in 2008 according to a Compete. com survey. [46] Costco Travel Costco Travel is a wholly owned subsidiary of Costco Wholesale, and offers leisure travel to Costco members of the United States. [47] The program was esta blished in 2000 as a service to Costco members.Costco Travel's offices are located in Issaquah, Washington, adjacent to Costco's corporate headquarters. Costco Travel employs 290 travel professionals, all of whom are Costco employees. The program offers vacation packages to Hawaii, Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe, Orlando, the South Pacific, the Desert Southwest and Las Vegas. [citation needed] Other products include cruises, guided vacations, theme park packages, houseboat rentals, hotel-only lodging and luxury vacation rentals. [citation needed] Select products feature additional benefits for Costco Executive Members. citation needed] The program is marketed directly to Costco members through various Costco avenues, including the Travel Guide to Savings (found in all U. S. Costco warehouses), online in the Travel section of Costco. com. [citation needed] Costco Connection | This section does not cite any references or sources. (September 2012)| The Costco Connection is a magazine se nt free to members of the warehouse club Costco and includes articles which regularly tie into the corporation along with business, health and social articles. Food serviceA food concession stand at the Costco warehouse in Overland Park, Kansas Most Costco locations have a food court, offering a quarter-pound 100% beef hot dog or polish sausage and 20  oz drink (with refill) for $1. 50, the same price since 1985. [48] In Australia the hot dog is made of pork and is sold at A$2. 49 with large soda. In Canada the price for a hot dog and 20 oz pop drink with refill is 1. 50 CAD. [49] In Mexico, the hot dog is made of pork, and includes a drink (with refill) for $25 MXN. In the UK, the hot dog is also made from beef and you also get a drink (with refill) for ? 1. 50.Costco sold more than 82 million quarter-pound hot dogs in its food courts in 2008. [49] Pizza is also available in most locations as cheese, pepperoni, veggie, or combo, and can be ordered to go at many locations. Frozen yogurt is also served in chocolate, vanilla, or swirled together. Also offered are berry smoothies, mocha latte freezes, chicken bake, turkey provalogne sandwiches, twisted churros, chicken Caesar salads, and in some locations, gelato. French fries are also offered in some locations. Due to slow sales, the pretzel was replaced by the churro. [50] The nutrition data for the Costco Food Court items is posted online. 51] In April 2010, certain Costco warehouses in the U. S. and Canada replaced their Coca-Cola drink fountain selections with Pepsi, accompanied with a change in labels on the disposable cups. [citation needed] Animal Welfare Concerns In 2010, Mercy for Animals conducted an undercover investigation at Buckeye Veal Farm, a veal supplier to Costco. [52] Immediately following the investigative release, Costco adopted a policy against purchasing veal from producers that use the crate-and-chain production method. [53] The case prompted Ohio decision-makers to vote in favor of a veal crate phase-out in the state. 54] In 2012, Mercy for Animals conducted an undercover investigation at a pork supplier to Costco, Walmart, Safeway, Kroger, and Kmart. [55] Before the public release of the investigation, Costco announced they would begin requiring their pork suppliers to phase out gestation crates. [56] [57] Labor relations While some former Price Club locations in California and the northeastern United States are staffed by Teamsters,[58] the majority of Costco locations are not unionized although there seems to be a move in 2012 to unionize some locations in Canada. 59] The non-union locations have revisions to their Costco Employee Agreement every three years concurrent with union contract ratifications in locations with collective bargaining agreements. Only remotely similar to a union contract, the Employee Agreement sets forth such things as benefits, compensations, wages, disciplinary procedures, paid holidays, bonuses, and seniority. The employee ‘a greement' is subject to change by Costco at any time and offers no absolute protection to the workers. As of March 2011, non-supervisory hourly wages ranged from $11. 00 to $21. 0 in the United States, $11. 00 to $22. 15 in Canada, and ? 6. 28 to ? 10. 50 in the United Kingdom. In the US, eighty-five percent of Costco's workers have health insurance, compared with less than fifty percent at Walmart and Target. [60] Product-demonstration (e. g. , food samples) employees work for an outside company. In the western U. S. , the company is called Warehouse Demo Services, Kirkland, Washington. [61] Costco also uses Club Demonstration Services, based in San Diego, California. [62] In Canada, demonstrations are done exclusively by Professional Warehouse Demonstrations. 63] Demonstration employees receive a pay and benefit package that is less than that of Costco employees. [64][unreliable source? ] International Warehouses outside the US are similar to those in the US. Layout, signage, and even parking lot markings are generally identical to warehouses in the US. [citation needed] Food court menus are tailored to international tastes, with poutine on offer in Canada, seafood-topped pizza available in Asian and Mexican locations, clam chowder in Japan, Taiwan ; South Korea, jacket potatoes in the UK and meat pies in Australia. 65] The merchandise mix available in warehouses is also tailored to local tastes, with a mix of both American and local products available. Map of Costco warehouses in the US. Locations As of October 26, 2012, Costco has 611 warehouses:[66] * 442 in the United States (including 4 in Puerto Rico) * 82 in Canada * 32 in Mexico * 22 in the United Kingdom. The latest to open is in Coventry. * 13 in Japan. The latest to open is in Kobe * 9 in South Korea. The latest to open is in Gwangmyeong * 8 in Taiwan * 3 in Australia The latest to open is in Sydney In 2005 the world's largest Costco was located in Hillsboro, Oregon, U.S. [67][68] Other wholesale formats Costco has experimented with other formats. Plans for Costco Fresh, a gourmet supermarket, were abandoned in February 2003. The membership-based format was to include a pharmacy, bakery, olive bar, deli, cafe, garden center and photo and optical departments, with products packaged in smaller quantities. [69] Costco Business Center Costco Business Centers carry restaurant, hospitality, janitorial, convenience store, and professional office supplies; items are offered in bulk or in smaller quantities, and selection for a given category of product is much broader. 70] Delivery is available. Unlike traditional Costcos, products such as clothing, sporting goods, jewelry, tires, hearing aids, and optical products are not available. [70] A limited assortment of over-the-counter drugs and toiletries are sold, though there is no pharmacy. Some locations have a gas station and/or food court. All except San Diego have a Print & Copy Center. As of October 2012, there are ten Costco Busi ness Centers, located in California (Commerce, Hawthorne, Hayward, and San Diego), Washington (Lynnwood, Fife), Morrow and Tukwila, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Phoenix, Arizona. [66] Costco HomeThe first Costco Home warehouse debuted in 2002 in Kirkland, Washington. The warehouse's concept was to combine the value, setting and members-only elements of Costco's warehouse clubs with the product array one would find at an upscale home store, such as Fortunoff or Crate & Barrel. The Costco Home warehouses sold furniture, housewares, kitchen products and accessories from higher-end brands such as Lexington, Ralph Lauren and Waterford[71] in a warehouse-club setting. Costco claimed that, similar to its main warehouses, it accepted lower margins in return for greater volume with minimal overhead.Over time, the concept was adjusted to include home electronics, some major appliances, office furniture, and a large selection of outdoor furniture and window treatments. Costco also partners with Glen tel subsidiary WIRELESS etc. to sell mobile phones and plans in Canada and Wireless Advocates in the US. On April 2, 2009, the company announced that it would be abandoning its Costco Home concept, closing the two existing stores in Kirkland, Washington and Tempe, Arizona on July 3, 2009, and abandoning plans for a third store on the West Coast. 72] The company cited cutbacks in consumer spending on home products and its interest in focusing on its core business as the main reasons. See also | Seattle portal| | Companies portal| * BJ's Wholesale Club * Bulk foods * Sams Club * Walmart * Privacy policy * About Wikipedia * Disclaimers * Mobile view * * The world’s fifth largest retailer by sales, Costco Wholesale Corp (Costco) known for its warehouse club model is also interested in coming to India and waiting for the right opportunity. [

Macbeths Power Essay - 1051 Words

Throughout reading the play, Macbeth changes a lot from being a man of loyalty and honesty, to a man of whom is power hungry and greedy. This shows how the more power you receive the more power you want; which in many cases, such as this one leads to destruction. Many of the choices that Macbeth made were influenced by the power that he had, and this power began to take over him. This then lead to greed and destruction of not only others, but himself as well. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;In the beginning of the play, Macbeth is not in a position of authority yet still receives praise. Although Macbeth is not in a place of power, he is truly content with his life. Macbeth is looked up to and admired for begin so brave and courageous. In†¦show more content†¦But little did the king know that this taste of power would bring out new dangerous qualities in Macbeth. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Once Macbeth possessed the power of being Thane of Cawdor he began to exhibit more greed. He has just been given such a huge responsibility and once he was given new power, he craved more; especially when he stumbled upon the witches. He liked the power that he had and wanted to gain more, no matter what he has to do to get it. Macbeth had an encounter with the three witches and they had told him that he will become the next king. Although the witches did say this it did not mean that it was certain, it was just a possibility. But when Macbeth realized the opportunity for power he knew he wanted to become the king. This passage was in part of the letter that Macbeth wrote to Lady Macbeth: â€Å"Whiles I stood rapt in the wonder of it came missives from the King, who all-hailed me ‘Thane of Cawdor,’ by which title, before, these Weird Sisters saluted me and referred me to the coming on of time with ‘Hail, king that shalt be’† ( 1.5.6-10). . It seems as if the power and greed now had full control over him, he is doing things that he wouldn’t do when he did not have all this power. This is the first time that we see this side of Macbeth, the side of him that is greedy for power and is willing to kill the king to do so. In the beginning of the play the thought of being Thane of Cawdor never even crossed his mind, and by no means beingShow MoreRelatedPower in Macbeth1680 Words   |  7 PagesPower in Macbeth The play Macbeth by William Shakespeare is still a well known a widely studied text, despite having been written many centuries ago. Arguably one of the most pivotal themes of the play is that of power, which is looked at in many different ways and lights in the text. Ultimately, Shakespeare does not seem to support the commonly held view that power corrupts. 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He goes from being praised as a noble soldier to a traitor andRead MorePower And Its Creations : Lady Macbeth1094 Words   |  5 PagesPower and its creations Power has the ability to manipulate and control whatever one desires; to do what one pleases to do without answering to authority. The power that corrupts the characters plays an extensive role throughout Shakespeare s play. In Williams Shakespeare s tragedy of Macbeth, a scottish noble craving for power leads to him to commit terrible actions that creates conflict between him and society. Shakespeare demonstrates Macbeth abuses power by using it negatively againstRead More Corruption and Power in Macbeth Essay754 Words   |  4 Pages nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Personal power has the ability to be essential to greatness, and at the same time is able to destroy a person’s nature. In the drama Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the main character, Macbeth, becomes corrupt through power that he gains. The play shows that even someone who starts out like Macbeth and does not crave power, will do terrible things to gain authority and power. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The play begins with the characters King Duncan and Malcolm talkingRead MoreEssay on The Influence of Power in Macbeth1421 Words   |  6 PagesTragedy of Macbeth, the most prevailing theme is the shift in power in the relationships of the central character. The main character of the play, Macbeth, experiences a shift in control of his relationships as he gains more power. Duncan is the most unlikely character to be killed because of his personality, but because he is the King of Scotland, Macbeth loathes him. In the play there is very interaction between Macbeth and Duncan, showing the little time in which Macbeth gets more power. Prior