The Body Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Body - Assignment Example 571). The notion of being in a pageant is like an obsession in the society, going beyond the bounds of schooling and social ethics, where most of them are geared towards socializing of womens bodies (Anderson-Fye, 2004, p. 572). The community’s perspective is inclined towards pleasing the tourists and many will do whatever it takes to look good to them by getting thinner bodies. This craze makes even parents encourage their daughters to get thinner and please the many tourists visiting the country (Anderson-Fye, 2004, p. 579). Further, the strip clubs frequented by tourists prefer thinner women and thus girls are encouraged to eat less to get better pay and recognition to them (Anderson-Fye, 2004, p. 580). The tourists are a motivation towards getting better body images as a promise of employment and other future career benefits like the threat of Kara. The extent of connectivity in the global scene has indeed influenced the bodily aspects of the people in the country. Most girls who have gone on trips in other countries have been influenced to take up their traits, in the example of the United States (Anderson-Fye, 2004, p. 586). Further, the interconnectivity through media has also influenced the body aspects of the people in the way that outside influences determine their attitudes towards body size (Anderson-Fye, 2004, p.

Commodity Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Commodity Paper - Essay Example The Chinese used hand fans as coolant since time immemorial. In the 1800, American engineers made an attempt to create air conditioners as they had money and resources for doing this. The 20th century saw major development in this area majorly contributed by the discovery of electricity. Willis Carrier a 25 year old American invented the first model of air conditioning which was not designed for human comfort but was made to reduce humidity at his printing plant. It was made of mechanical unit that cooled air through circulating it in cooled water coils. He later added a centrifugal cooler to this unit greatly reducing its size. By 1930s, air conditioners were been used in offices, department and cars and this increased the workers productivity during the hot summer periods. This was a major development for Carrier Corporation which grew incredibly during these years. At some point the use of Air conditioning in the workplace was seen as an unnecessary luxury. However, evidence from several researches conducted showed that the use of air conditioning during the hot summers came with increased productivity. Organization therefore started getting the air conditioners for their offices in order to leap off benefits (Street et al 629). The air conditioners were not very common in homes with only 10% of the American homesteads using air conditioning. The rest of Europe and eastern countries slowly stated using the air conditioning mostly in the workplace. Outside work people still use the traditional methods of staying cool like dipping their underwear in iceboxes. Some of the popular air conditioning companies include Carrier Corps, Daikin Industries, LG and Samsung and lastly Haier, Midea and Gree. Carrier Corporation is the biggest layer in the market. This can be as a result of the fact that it was the pioneer in this industry and has therefore has the competitive advantage over the others that mushroomed after it was established. The company has established its operations in almost every part of the globe. It engages in the production of a wide varied range of products including indoor units, outdoor units, heaters of all kinds and HVAC equipment. It has several established brands such as the weathermaster, weathermaker, centurion, Byrant and Payne among others. Daikin Industries is based in Japan which is responsible for the creation of the Variable Refrigerator Flow HVAC systems. This is a special kind of system that is used to supply cooling or heating to a room depending on the demand. It can also provide cooling and heating simultaneously in different parts of a building. In order to get to its current position, the company has wielded to the wind of globalization. For instance in the year 2006, it acquired the OYL group company based in Malaysia. This expanded its scope and also increased the company’s brand giving it a stronghold in the market. Some of the brands associated with this company include the J& E hall and AAl (Am een, 72). Acquisition has made Daikin the second largest company in the production of air condition equipments after Carrier Corporation. There are other players in this industry in Japan and they include Sanyo, Toshiba, Mitsubishi and Panasonic. LG and Samsung are the third largest companies in this industry both based in South Korea. In a united effort to have a large market share in the globe,

Strategic Analysis Of Wholesale Company Costco Marketing Essay

Strategic Analysis Of Wholesale Company Costco Marketing Essay This report has performed a brief strategic analysis of the internal resources and external factors that affect Costco. The report includes an over view of the firms strategies using Porters five force model as well as a SWOT analysis of the firm. The report illustrates why Costco remains the Anti-Wal-Mart using aggressive scare tactics to achieve the lowest possible prices for its customers even if it means dropping high brand names. The report includes recommendations for the wholesalers, the main one being to carry on with their current successful strategies in order to maintain the fight for industry leadership and further their globalisation in to Eastern countries 1.0 Introduction to Costco Costco is a wholesale cash and carry, which operates through warehouses using a membership only service. The company sells high quality, private label merchandise at low prices to businesses buying for commercial use as well as individuals that are members of specific employment groups , for example NHS or government employees. The basis of the company is to achieve high sale volumes and rapid inventory turnover, offering a limited array of merchandise, with a wide product category at low prices (www.costco.co.uk). Additionally Costco operates customer services ranging from health insurance to financial planning. The main competitor of the company is Wal-Marts -Sams club within the US, although they have 200 more stores operating in ten more states than Costco , Sams club does not experience the same revenues. Yet there is still a constant battle for increased market share with newer entrants such as BJs Wholesale Club (Hughes, 2007). Operating internationally the company has divisio ns in the US, Canada, Mexico, UK, Taiwan, Japan and Korea, Australia and an internet site operational in the US and Canada. Some of the stores include pharmacies, food courts, opticians, photo centres, travel desks and hearing aid centres within the warehouses. The company also operates 307 petrol stations with some of the US and Canada stores. Named as the only company Wal-Mart fears James Signal (2004) of Costco has captured a breed of urban sophisticates, who trade up for exiting products and trade down to private labels of more prosaic products (Duff,2009). 2.0 Costco existing missions/strategies Costcos Mission Statement; To continually provide our members with quality goods and services at the lowest possible prices (www.findarticles.com) In order to sell at the lowest possible prices Costco implement various pricing strategies through bargaining with suppliers and only adding a maximum mark up of 14% to each product, even in cases where demand is high as CEO Signal stated you always give the customer the best deal'(Shapiro, 2004). Costco falls into the Overall Price Leadership category one of Porters four generic competitive strategies (Mitchell, 2001). Price leadership is achieved by implementing a successful strategy using continual exceptional efforts to reduce costs, without excluding services or products which customers perceive to be essential. There strategies include; ? Low advertising costs to keep merchandise price down, using word of mouth ? High employee wages to retain employees and reduce new staff that would require training ? Merchandise stock on pallets to reduce labour and allow for maximum sales ? Inventory system detects items that are reaching thresh hold for re order ? Just in time approach to reduce over stock, buying direct from manufacturers and sent directly to warehouses within 24 hours ? Provide low prices through volume buying ? Willing to change manufacturers to gain the best possible price on a product 3.0 Strategic Management Costco Strategic management shows an ability to develop and sustain competitive advantage, resulting in of added value to their brand (Ramachandran et al, 2006). Illustrated by Costcos rise in net income by 1.1% to $266 million and revenue soared to $71.4 Billion compared to Sams club at $46.8 billion and BJs at $10 billion for the first fiscal quarter ended Nov 22nd 2009 (Business News, 2009) compared to Wal-Mart net sales which increased by 1.2%. The just in time approach implemented by the company means products are sold for cash before the payment to the suppliers is due ,creating a high operating cash flow. This operating advantage improves Costcos working capital and efficiency, resulting in a long lasting value difference in the product, compared to the competitors and as perceived by the customers (Duncan et al, 1988). 4.0 Porters Five Forces The nature of competition in an industry rely on five forces including; the threat of new entrants, the bargaining power of new entrants, the bargaining power of customers, the bargaining power of suppliers and the threat of substitute products or services (Porter, 1979). These are all competitors that may be more or less prominent or active depending on the industry. A companys awareness of Porters five forces can allow the organisation to stake out a position within its industry that is less vulnerable to attack (Bruton, 2008). 4.1 The threat of new entrants- medium threat There are many potential new entrants into the industry, which could pose as a threat including, wholesale clubs, discounters and hypermarkets such as Aldi and Netto, which are both limited range discounters. Other large existing wholesale competitors such as Wal-Mart could gain market share through acquisition giving them new resources. However, barriers to entry in to the wholesale food industry are relatively high, as huge costs would be involved in imitating established distribution networks, brand name and financial capital that Costco have established. Furthermore it is unlikely customers will switch to a competitor when they have already paid a yearlong membership fee (Costco reported 85% of cardholders renewed their membership in 2009, www.phx.corporate-ir.net). 4.2 Bargaining power of suppliers-low/medium threat The bargaining power of Costco sells to many business owners, the power over their suppliers is very high, as suppliers are forced to cut prices to lessen the risk of them losing their contract. Costco have a small range of brands for each product, yet sell high quantities. They could be losing a large amount of sales compared to Wholesalers like Wal-Mart, whom give customers a larger amount of choice and therefore spread their sales between suppliers. Furthermore Costco have proven they are willing to lose even major brands to improve their leverage, margins and lower prices, forcing suppliers to compete amongst themselves and with the wholesalers cheaper own brand products. Highlighted through Costcos most recent decision to stop selling Coca-Cola in a pricing dispute due to growing power of private labels, by using details received from loyalty cards retailers are more aware of which brands to keep and lose (Neff, 2009). 4.3 Bargaining power of customers- low threat According to Bruton (2007) the threat is low because there is only a small concentration of wholesale buyers, predominantly middle class consumers, small business owners and families. The latter two however have a greater power over the higher and middle class customers as they would buy to satisfy needs rather than luxury items. They are likely to resort to finding alternative stores such as competitors to get what they want at the price they can afford to pay for their regular purchases, due to the growth and alternative availability in discount stores. 4.4 The threat of substitute products- low threat The threat of substitutes limits the profit potential of the wholesale industry by identifying the effectiveness of volume of sales at a particular price level. Substitutes include specialised stores, for instance The Home Depot in America and BQ in the UK competing against the non-food sales through discounting as well as hypermarkets. For these reasons, the threat of substitutes is low for the wholesale notion. However, there is an increased threat to particular sections such as furniture and electronics especially because supermarkets are now selling a wider array of products for example Tescos. A further threat is e-commerce businesses and sites such as EBay focusing on the customer directly (Bruton, 2007). 4.5 Rivalry among competitors-medium threat Rivalry between competitors in the growing wholesale industry is particularly low because the three main competitors concentrate on different consumer groups. Furthermore price wars are minimal due to the lack of advertising with the rivals especially Costco. However as Costco is gaining strength through globalisation, there are different levels of threats in particular countries. 5.0 SWOT analysis The basis of strategic management is the notion that strategy creates an alignment between an enterprises internal strength and weaknesses as well as its opportunities and threats (SWOT) in its external environment (Andrews, 1987). The following table illustrates alignments factors within and outside of Costco; 6.0 External factors Focusing on the external, broader environment in which the company operates it is clear the next stage in the Costco globalisation process would be expansion. Due to the fierce market in the US and saturation a large opportunity for the company would be to enter the Chinese and Eastern European market and according to Baker (2001) Globalisation of the markets is at hand. Competitor Wal-Mart have already entered the fast growing market in China through purchasing 35% of the recognised hypermarket- Trust-Mart. The alliance benefits Wal-Mart , gaining expertise in operations and logistics and allow Chinese consumers to build trust with their brand name- an important part of their culture. Globalisation forms markets where economies of scale lead to reduction of costs and prices according to Baker (2001). Therefore, Costco may have to adapt their strategy when entering new countries due to the barriers of entry; it would be difficult to compete with local companies that are already established as well as suppliers to cut prices as low as they do in the West. The main threat to Costco currently is online speciality stores, which can compete through lower operating costs and manufacturing abroad thus increasing the power of existing buyers. The economic slowdown in 2007 with the credit crunch attracted more customers to the company due to its low prices and bulk products which allowed customers to stretch their money in the economic crisis enabling sales to grow by 13% by 2008. However the net income still decreased by 15.3% by 2009 as of the weakened economy. Even fiercer pricing strategies reduced the impact of the recession by reducing costs on a range of popular products two weeks before the reduction came through anticipated from manufacturers. Thus allowing them to get ahead of competition by taking advantage of the opportunity to attract customers through surrendering their profit (Duff, 2009). 7.0 Conclusions From carrying out the report on one of the leading wholesale suppliers it is clear they refuse to buy from suppliers that are not willing to pass on the reduction in manufacturing costs on to Costco. They are willing to remove high named brands from their shelves if they think they are being charged too much for the product. Through these publicly made choices it seems clear that Costco are on the customers side when it comes to prices, and are willing to lose profit to satisfy their customers. Both the Porters Five Forces Model and the SWOT analysis identify the main internal and external threats to the company, the highest threat of all being the power of suppliers. Costcos strategy of merging high wages with innovative ideas, and low cost products highlights that consumers, workers and shareholders can all benefit from a cost-leadership strategy. 8.0 Recommendations ? Continuation with their current successful pricing strategies of low prices and high volumes in order to maintain barriers against buyer power, supplier power and new entrants. Porters low cost leadership will also allow growth in revenues from further international expansion. ? The main threat to Costco currently is the threat of substitutes especially in discount stores and hypermarkets and the alternative to this is online speciality stores which can compete through lower operating costs and manufacturing abroad thus increasing the power of existing buyers. ? In order to compete with the threat of e-commerce businesses a further development in the online sales capability is likely to increase the companys strengths. Cannibalisation is unlikely to occur until the industry becomes completely saturated in the US in which case the company can then be ahead of competitors through the internet or through global expansion. ? Subsidiaries or Joint venture are a possibility as in Mexico where the 31 warehouses are 50% joint ventures, this strategy may benefit within the foreign Indian and Chinese market, to allow for a better integration and brand loyalty ( www.slideshare.net). The firm is likely to have the logistical capabilities to enter the Chinese market as they have entered nearby Japan successfully, and some networks would be partially formed through transportation. ? More strategic alliances with manufacturers as with Kirkland in expanding countries to gain trust from customers, enabling them to recognise brand names and build loyalty 9.0 References Andrews, K.R (1987), The concept of Corporate Strategy, Homewood: Irwin Baker.M.J Critical perspectives on business and management, Routledge, London Bruton. A, (2007) Five Forces Analysis, www.books.google.co.uk/books?id=9lmR75vPpEACprintsec=frontcover#v=onepageq=f=false accessed 21/02/10 Costco Financial Report 2009, www.phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=83830p=irol-reportsannual, accessed 16/02/10 Ducan, W.J, Ginter, P.M Swayne, L.E (1998), Competitive advantage and internal organisational assessment, Academy of Management Executive Duff. M (2009) Costco Surrenders Profits To Make a Point www.industry.bnet.com/retail/1000461/costco-surrenders-profits-to-make-a-point/ accessed 19/02/10 Hughes, M.T (2007) Costco wholesale strategic analysis, Washington College Business Management Ireland, R.D, Hitt, M.A Simon, D.G (2003), A Model of Strategic Entrepreneurship: The construct and its dimensions, Journal of Management, 29, 963-989 Mitchell. R.C, (2001), Strategy Formulation, TAOFS Formulation, www.csun.edu/~hfmgt001/formulation.doc, accessed 20/02/10 Neff, J (2009) From CVS to Costco, retailers put the screws to brands, Advertising Age,Business Source Premier, 11/30/2009, Vol. 80, Issue 40 Porter. M.E, (1979) How competitive forces shape strategy, Harvard College, Harvard Business Review Porter, M.E, (1985), Competitive advantage: creating and sustaining superior performance, New York: The Free Press Prahalad, C.K Hamel, G. (1990), The Core Competence Of The Corporation, Harvard Business Review, 68, 79-91 Ramachandran, J.M Sud. M, (2006) Strategic Entrepreneurship in a Globalising Economy: Evidence from Emerging Economies, IIMB Management Review, 28, 291-302. Trout. J, (2004), Trout on Strategy: capturing mindshare, conquering markets, McGraw-Hill (Jan 14th 2008) Food industry , BNET UK, www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb3235/is_1_25/ai_n29402690 accessed 16/02/10 Shapiro, N. 2004. Company for the people. Seattle Weekly, December 15. Retrieved from www.seattleweekly.com/ generic/show_print.php on 15/02/2010. www.slideshare.net/guestce0202a/costco-strategic- plan accessed 20/02/10 www.findarticles.com/121753md5=91af14cebe7ede4/c72/169594b2badc8b accessed 20/02/10 www.costco.com accessed 21/02/10 Contents Page Executive Summary 1.0 Introduction to Costco 2 2.0 Costco existing missions/strategies 2 3.0 Strategic Management 3 4.0 Porters five forces 3 4.1 The threat of new entrants 3 4.2 Bargaining power of suppliers 3 4.3 Bargaining power of customers 4 4.4 The threat of substitute products 4 4.5 Rivalry among competitors 4 5.0 SWOT analysis 5 6.0 External Factors 6 7.0 Conclusion 6 8.0 Recommendations 7

Essay --

Aerogel is a synthetic porous ultra-light material derived from a gel, in which the liquid component of the gel has been replaced with a gas, resulting in a solid with extremely low density and low thermal conductivity. Nicknames include "frozen smoke", "solid smoke", "solid air" or "blue smoke" owing to its translucent quality and the way light scatters in the material. However, it feels like Styrofoam to the touch. Aerogels are solid, rigid, dry materials that do not resemble a gel in their physical properties. Pressing softly on an aerogel usually does not leave even a minor mark; pressing more firmly will leave a permanent depression. Despite the fact that it is susceptible to to shattering, it is very strong structurally. Aerogels are good thermal insulators because they are adept at counteracting the three methods of heat transfer (convection, conduction, and radiation). They are good conductive insulators because they are composed almost entirely from a gas, and gases are very poor heat conductors. Silica aerogel is especially good because silica is also a poor conductor of heat (a metallic aerogel, on the other hand, would be less effective). Aerogels are poor radioactive insulators because infrared radiation passes right through silica aerogel. Aerogels by themselves are hydrophilic, but chemical treatment can make them hydrophobic. If they absorb moisture they usually suffer a structural change, such as contraction, and deteriorate, but this can be prevented by making them hydrophobic. Aerogel was discovered in the late 1930’s by chemist Samuel Stephens Kistler. He accomplished this by the process of supercritical fluid drying. A supercritical fluid is any substance at a temperature and pressure above its critical poi... ...st spacecraft. The particles vaporize on impact with solids and pass through gases, but can be trapped in aerogels. †¢ NASA used aerogel for thermal insulation of the Mars Rover and space suits. †¢ The US Navy is evaluating aerogel undergarments to be used as thermal protection for divers. †¢ Dunlop Sport uses aerogel in some of its racquets for tennis, squash and badminton. The production and use of silica aerogels is nonthreatening to the environment. No considerably hazardous wastes are created during their construction. The disposal of silica aerogels is harmless. In the environment, they quickly crush into a fine powder that is basically identical to sand. Additionally, silica aerogels are completely non-toxic and non-flammable. If they eventually find their way into widespread use, they could eradicate a very large amount of unwanted, hazardous plastic materials.

Would Juluis caesar be a good king

Would Julius Caesar be a good king? Julius Caesar takes place in ancient Rome in 44 B. C. He was never technically king, but he came close to having the powers of a king, but he got killed before he could become one. He is very arrogant throughout the story while he is still alive. He is pretty stubborn while being p retty manipulative Just like almost every character in the play. I don't feel like he will be a good king just because of his arrogance. He also had his good qualities like being a military astermind.Caesar shows us his arrogance throughout the play. For example in Act 1 Scene 2 he says â€Å"Such men as he be never at heart's ease Whiles they behold a greater than themselves, and therefore are they very dangerous. I rather tell thee what is to be fear'd than what I fear, for always I am Caesar† . In this quote we can see that is Caesar unashamed of how arrogant he is being. This arrogance would cause him to do other errors like he did later in the story like igno ring his wife's dreamHe was great ruler because he led Rome in the right direction, but by doing so, in the process he was an arrogant and selfish ruler. He was great for Rome as a ruler but not for the people. Just like Brutus said in Act 2 Scene 1 â€Å"And therefore think him as a serpent's egg which, natch'd, would, as his kind, grow mischievous, and ill shell. † Here Brutus is comparing Caesar to a â€Å"Serpent's Egg† that is should be destroyed before it hatches and becomes dangerous if he becomes king.They are not afraid of him ecause he is a tyrant but will become one if he becomes the king of Rome. In the book Julius Caesar manipulation seems like a varsity sport. In Act 2 Scene 1 Caesar really deceives the Romans. He is putting a show and refusing that he doesn't want the crown, even though he would secretly love it deep inside. He thinks that refusal to the crown in front of the public is a smart political tactic to get people to love him and think he less ambitious or for lack of better word desperate.This is also a form of reverse hycology as Caesar is using it to make the crowd like him and even consider making him king as he is not greedy and hungry for it. In conclusion Caesar would be a great king for Rome but not for the Romans. He is a genius in warfare but is very arrogant which cost him his life. If he was king his arrogance would definitely be his downfall. And the romans would find out that he was manipulating them, it was Just a matter of time. He would be a very good war chief of be a ruler with Pompey but not a king all by himself.

Obesity Is Not a Personal Problem

Obesity is Not a Personal Problem As the obesity wave crashes over the United States, more Americans are paying out of pocket to flourish the $33 billion commercial diet industry (Spake 283). As American’s waistbands continue to expand, they immerse themselves in one of the largest, most scandalous consumer markets: the weight loss industry. Amanda Spake, author of â€Å"Rethinking Weight†, addresses the question as to who should cover the overall cost of weight loss programs. Spake challenges that insurance companies should pay for the expenses that obese people encounter. This, she states, is due to the fact that obesity is a biological â€Å"disease† and it should be treated and paid for like any other critical illness (283). In this article, Spake does not present the importance of physical activity, only discussing unsuccessful dieting experiences and bad genetic makeup. Although Spake briefly suggests that exercising is an advantage to those who are obese, she puts the solitary blame for obesity on the genetic aspect. From 1986 to 2000, the number of people who are severely obese–which is identified by having a body mass index of 40 or more–has quadrupled, from about 1 in 200 adults to 1 in every 50. This startling statistic has caused more people to be aware of this rising occurrence that has swept over the United States. Obesity has medical professionals worrying; not only are the numbers of overweight people continuing to rise but weight-related medical costs are soaring. Healthcare costs for illnesses due to obesity have now exceeded those related to both smoking and alcoholism. The obesity epidemic is a big contributor to skyrocketing health care costs in the United States, partly due to the weight-related diseases that come hand-in-hand with obesity. Ailments such as type II diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and high cholesterol are closely connected to obesity and an alarming 80 percent of obese adults suffer from one of these life-threatening diseases (Spake 283). Many research foundations are now connecting obesity to a person’s genetic makeup, calling it a biological development that an individual cannot control. Spake suggests that insurance companies should cover the costs of obesity as it is a genetically and biologically determined disease thus the individual does not have the ability to lose weight on their own. As a result, researchers suggest that including the treatment of obesity in health care plans might bring science and sanity to the anarchy of weight loss (Spake 286). Many researchers do not identify obesity as a disease in fear that unhealthy weight-loss programs will someday be considered acceptable treatment and ultimately mandated to be covered by insurance. Although Spake validates her assertions by backing up her words with credible opinions and statistics, she weakens her argument by not addressing the importance of physical activity. Maria Pfisterer is an obese mother who Spake claims has tried every weight-loss strategy imaginable. However, nowhere does it say that in addition to the drugs and â€Å"quick-weight-loss fads† Pfisterer had attempted to include an exercise regime. She claimed that all of the programs she tried resulted in a few pounds lost and quite a few more gained; always returning to the same 197 to 202 pound range. Being overweight is the result of one thing: eating more food than one burns (Spake 285). Nowhere in the article does Spake suggest that physical activity is a effective, healthy and inexpensive way to lose weight, choosing to put forth the idea that weight loss comes only from high-priced dieting programs. In her article, Spake claims that genetics are the sole factor for obesity in America. There are many other factors mentioned in the article that play into someone’s weight including the food they eat, their level of physical activity, and societal factors such as advertising. Also, Spake quotes Arthur Frank, director of George Washington University’s Weight Management Program, â€Å"So saying to an obese person who wants to lose weight, ‘All you have to do is eat less,’ is like saying to a person suffering from asthma, ‘All you have to do is breathe better’† (284). Obesity and asthma are two very different things therefore should not be compared. An individual who is overweight can take control of their weight-gain by taking more personal responsibility and making healthier choices. However, asthma is an inflammatory disorder that can strike at any time which causes an individual to wheeze or gasp for air where an individual cannot control its effects. Not everyone agrees that obesity should be considered a disease, some stating that the obesity epidemic can be overturned by individuals taking more personal accountability for their wellbeing and opting to make healthier lifestyle choices (Spake 283). In an alarmed attempt to make readers believe that obesity should be considered a disease and insurance companies should cover the cost of the individual’s expenses, Spake fails to provide enough evidence to support her claim. She maintains that overweight people have a genetic flaw that causes them to be susceptible to weight gain. Physical exercise, which is seldom mentioned in Spake’s article, is an important weight loss tool that helps to burn the extra calories an individual’s body does not burn on its own. Spake portrays a defective argument that invalidates her main purpose. People with health insurance should look to see what is covered and seek healthier, less-expensive alternatives to fix the things that are not included. Regardless of what â€Å"Rethinking Weight† suggests, overweight individuals have an equal opportunity to replace their existing lifestyle with healthier habits. Works Cited Spake, Amanda. â€Å"Rethinking Wight. † Writing and Reading for ACP Composition. Eds. Thomas E. Leahey and Christine R. Farris. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2009. 282-88. Print.