Nutrition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Nutrition - Essay Example The Six Classes of Essential Nutrients Proteins, carbohydrates, water, lipids, minerals, and vitamins are the key essential nutrients for the human body. Proteins carbohydrates, water, and lipids are classified as macronutrients, while minerals and vitamins are classified as micronutrients (1). Insel et al, 2011, p.230, define proteins as â€Å"large molecules made up of amino-acids joined in various sequences†. Thus various kinds of proteins are present in the human body in various shapes. Based on their shapes the several kinds of proteins have specific roles within the human body. Some of them are enzymes, and speed up the many chemical reactions within the body essential to its survival. Some others act as hormones. Hormones may be viewed as chemical messengers within the human body. Yet other hormones go into the makeup of the antibodies of the human body to protect the human body from foreign substances and pathogens. Some other proteins act as pumps within the body to m aintain fluid balance. In this balance maintaining process they pump molecules across cell membranes and attract water. The acid base balance in the body is maintained by the action of proteins through the taking up or releasing of hydrogen ions, depending on the need. Finally, proteins act as transporters for many key substances like oxygen and the micronutrients to the targeted cells all over the human body. The essential nature of proteins to the human body is thus clear (2). Insel et al, 2011, p.146, define carbohydrates as â€Å"organic compounds that contain carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O) in the ratio of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom for every carbon atom.† The main role of carbohydrates in the body is to act as a fuel for the cells in the human body. Even though the human body can use fats also for energy purposes, carbohydrates are the preferred source of energy, particularly for the brain, red blood cells, nervous system, fetus, and placenta. Carbo hydrates also contain fibres that make it easier for the passage of stools through the digestive system (2). Water is absolutely essential for the survival of the human body. The water content in the human body is responsible for up to 75% of the weight of the human body. The importance of water to the human body lies in it being a very good solute. In the human body water carries several dissolved minerals in the form of electrolytes. These electrolytes are maintained at a constant balance. The very existence of cells in the human body depends on the maintenance of the right balance of these electrolytes in water (2). Insel et al, 2011, p.182, describe lipids as â€Å"a broad range of organic molecules that dissolve easily in organic solvents like alcohol, ether, and acetone, but are much less soluble in water.† Three main types make up the lipids, which are triglycerides, phospholipids, and sterols. Lipids are an energy source for the body and when stored in the body as fat act as energy reserves in the body for use when there is a deprivation of carbohydrate supplies to the body (2). Ball 2004, p. 8, defines vitamins as â€Å"a group of organic compounds which are essential in very small amounts for the normal functioning of the body.† Vitamins as required for nutrition in the human body are thirteen in number and classifies into water soluble vitamins and fat soluble vitamins. The water soluble vit

Research this questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Research this questions - Assignment Example A report of a research project in a specialist journal will mostly be longer complete with extensive citations to additional research. A report in Financial Times, on the other hand, will be shorter with few citations and may not cite additional research (Grinnell & Unrau 2011, p.149). A report presented in Financial Times will mostly be written by a reporter, journalist- almost anyone. On the contrary, a report of a research project in a specialist journal will mainly be written by either professionals in the field or scholars (experts). Similarly, a report of research project in Financial Times will mostly be written using non technical language. There is the use of an entertaining language to arouse general interest and little documentation (bibliographies) (Kawa-Jump 2003, p.50). The language may also be partially complete with eye catching illustrations to elicit an emotional response. A report in a specialist journal, on the other hand, follows an in-depth research and is written using technical language. In addition, a report in a specialist journal will feature original research studies, bibliographies and references with a language that is objective (Kawa-Jump 2003, p.51). Every research undertaking has philosophical and theoretical ancestry and the foundation and encompasses ontological assumptions and epistemological assumptions (Bryman & Bell 2007, p. 16). A research philosophy refers to the principle on how the data dwelling a certain phenomenal is to be collected, analyzed and used. The key philosophical paradigms that distinguish key components within a research undertaking include positivist derived from natural sciences and characterized by the testing of hypothesis constructed from existing theories (Colwell 2006, p.188). Constructivist, on the other hand, holds that researchers understand situations based on their individual experiences, memories,

High levels of corruption limit investment and growth and lead to Essay - 1

High levels of corruption limit investment and growth and lead to ineffective government. Discuss with reference to concrete examples - Essay Example iciency is being advocated at all levels ÃŽ ¿f .the world outlook has now transitioned from the sustenance ÃŽ ¿f regulated economies to a liberalization ÃŽ ¿f the world economy. It is in this regard that corruption, a relatively new phenomenon is gaining widespread importance in economic circles. What distinguishes corruption from other indictors is essentially the fact that it is non-quantifiable concept. While measures ÃŽ ¿f growth, education and access to health facilities are easily available, it is extremely difficult to actually assess the level ÃŽ ¿f underhand dealings in an economy. The lack ÃŽ ¿f concrete information makes any corruption measure largely susceptible to biases and subjectivity. To augment is, depending on the definition ÃŽ ¿f corruption for any single economy. Our project is aimed at waiving the problems encountered in comprehending the exact nature ÃŽ ¿f the relationship between corruption and economic development. To this effect .we have attempted to do the following: * Present a theoretical framework in which to view the effect ÃŽ ¿f corruption on growth; we have presented annotated summaries for acceptable theories about corruption. At the same time we have ventured to formulate our own hypotheses about the corruption-development relationship. * Test the theoretical base for empirical validity; By conducting a cross-sectional study we attempted to discern the practical significance ÃŽ ¿f corruption. For the purpose ÃŽ ¿f the best we formulated our own model ÃŽ ¿f economic development, using both theory and relevant econometric tools. In the wake ÃŽ ¿f this we have rejected and accepted several theories. Our study has also acquainted us with economic relationships which digress from our main analysis but which are nevertheless educating. We were able to discern a highly interesting relationship whereby corruption was found to be more relevant to economic development than to economic growth, leading to the conclusion that perhaps the level ÃŽ ¿f rent -seeking in

Smartphone Essay Importance of Smart Phones

Smartphone Essay Importance of Smart Phones In this report there is a fine introduction of Smart Phones and their importance in our lives that how it is influences our daily routine work and also this report contains the role of E-Commerce and Web 2.0 in the trade of amazon.com and eBay.com. Firstly there is overview of Smart Phones is given then how it is influences our daily routine and then there are some descriptions of softwares which are being used in Smart Phones and also some of Smart Phones manufacturers names. Secondly in this report there is discussion how in next few years smart phones will take over all the digital devices and will be only one digital device we may own. Thirdly it has shown that what is E-Commerce and Web 2.0 technologies and how Amazon and EBay websites are using these technologies to expand their businesses all over the world. In the last conclusion is given followed by the references. Introduction Smart phone is a mobile phone which offers advanced technologies with functionality similar as a personal computer. While offering a standardized platform for application developers a smart phone performs as complete operating system software. Secondly, there are also very advanced features in smart phones such as internet, instant messenger and e-mail and also built-in keyboard are very typical. Because of these reasons we can say a smart phone a miniature computer with the similarities of a simple phone. With the growing speed of technological advancement, Smart phones have become the essential components of our daily performance. As we look for convenience, we also respect the devices, which can combine multiple features and which give us more mobility and entertainment. As the whole world is going into the new phase of technological performance, our needs become more sophisticated. On the one hand, we need speed, quality, and effectiveness on the other hand, these features should be combined in a solution small enough to carry it in the pocket. Smart phones have come to exemplify one of the wisest and the most convenient technological ideas in the history of mankind. The unique combination of features makes Smart phones extremely usable and useful for different purposes. In business or in pleasure Smart phones expand our capabilities and help us resolve our problems in timely manner. This is because of the growing speed of all decision-making processes in business and life that technological companies have come to the need for developing a new unique technological device. Usually, a Smartphone combines the functions of a cellular phone and a handheld computer in a single device. It differs from a normal phone in that it has an operating system and local storage, so udders can add and store information, send and receive email, and install programs to the phone as they could with a PDA Yuan. A Smartphone may also be referred to as a cellular Overview of Smart Phones These smart phones today can do almost everything. Faster networking systems, attractive and powerful applications and the technology literate users are making these smart phones very powerful these days. Huge markets are adopting the smart phones due to their flexibility, more productive features and better connectivity to the world in terms of internet. Along with many benefits, smart phones are increasing the value of the wireless technology, including the mobile phones, wireless tablets and the notebook computers. Some smart phones have the keypad similar to a notebook PC, this type of keypad is known as QWERTY keypad. The QWERTY keypad smart phones are easy to use and recommended when the user has to always type a lot. The other type of keypad is the on screen keypad, which is actually a touch screen keypad; this kind of keypad also comes in the form of buttons, which are not in the touch screen but below the screen of the smart phones. The touch screen smart phones are no doubt very advanced but they are a bit difficult to use when compared to a QWERTY or embossed keys keypad (Jackson 2010; Alejandro, X). Smartphone Operating Systems There are many operating systems which are being used by companies to introduce their smart phones but most important system is Symbian which is really popular these days and every other smart phone has this software. Some software are listed below: Symbian Linux Java Unique Operating System Apple OS Smart Phone Manufacturers In this new era of technology, there are a lot of companies who are manufacturing not only mobile or cell phones but even they are trying to put their all expertise in manufacturing smart phones. Every company has different technologies from each other and trying to be number one in Telecommunication Field. Some of the main smart phone manufacturing companies are Apple Nokia Samsung Siemens HTC Vodafone Black Berry Motorola Some examples of Smart Phones are I phone Blackberry X-peria Nokia N8 Samsung B3410 HTC Will Smart Phones become the single most important digital device we own? Technology is getting really advanced today and it is becoming an essential part of life. There has been also a great and very vast era of the evolution of mobile phones from simple and bigger mobile phones, which were able to send and receive calls and send and receive the text messages only. The smart phones are more likely to be the hand held computers for configuring the daily schedules, saving large documents, for watching videos, listening music, using internet, using world wide web, video conferencing and much more than a human mind can think. Smart phones are getting really popular in this advanced world. Everyone wants to carry his own personal data and information with him all the time which smart phone makes possible. It is being accepted that in the future smart phones will take over all the other digital devices in next years such as laptops, personal desktop computers and notebooks. Today smart phones carry all the features of digital devices as well as a common phone features. Smart phones include the projector video sharing, music player, high megapixel cameras and better navigators. Implications Justifications Today smart phones are the devices which provide all the facilities what a user need in his daily life, such as e-mail, notebook, Bluetooth, gaming panel, high resolution camera applications, Microsoft office suite, television and many other computerized applications that a human being can just think of. There is also a lot of perceptions about that smart phones will take over the other digital computerized devices like laptops, personal computers and notebooks. The technology used in smart phones is getting really advance day by day. Technicians are committing their time to explore new technologies and putting them into one simple device called smart phone for the beneficial future of human being. Smart phone are the best digital devices of present which provides what a human need. Everyone try to have a smart phone instead of having a simple phone because by a simple mobile he can only do call or text to other numbers but having a smart phone is beneficial by this we can do our office work on MS Office, can check our mails any time anywhere and there are a lot of more things that we can do with smart phones. There is no doubt that in future Smart Phone will become the single most important digital device we own. Future Due to the popularity of smart phones technology, it is being expected that smart phone sales will continue to grow in next years and some of the improvements vendors are making to help convince consumers to pick up a new device include dual-core processors and better video capabilities. E-Commerce Web 2.0 Technologies E-Commerce Selling through the websites is the best method of increasing trade worldwide.The business done electronically is called E-Commerce and it includes many different activities both in business-to-business market and in the business to consumer market. It includes trading of goods and services electronically, online delivery, transfers of funds electronically. It includes both products and services. Commercial transaction of goods and services is e-commerce; good services are exchanged electronically not physically between parties. It has a very big range of communication technologies i.e. e-mail, internet. After consideration the importance of internet people prefer to shop online because it makes shopping easy and saving of time. Web 2.0 The web 2.0 is known as the next generation or second generation of the internet web. The web 2.0 allows users to use internet in more enhanced way such as publishing of videos or audio on the internet, sharing of files and photos. This term was used in 2004 for the first time; it is also a collaboration of different processes of business and the technology to provide more flexibility to the marketing. It is of much related to the social networking such as facebook.com, twitter.com, linkedin.com and many others; while it also refers to the video and audio sharing on internet such as youtube.com, mp3.com, 4shared.com and many others. It is a vast term which is many steps ahead when the internet was launched and after many years or launching of internet there was only web 1.0 (OReilly 2005; google.co.uk 2010). Role of E-Commerce Web 2.0 Technologies in EBays Amazons Popularity Amazon and eBay are those companies which are pure e-commerce companies which are using web 2.0 technologies that allow users to shop online without any physical relationship. These websites are security protected and facilitate their customers with every possible way. By using these technologies we can buy anything online by sitting in comfort of our home anytime in 24 hours with complete security and satisfaction. Amazon is one of the best website where we can buy about anything which is necessary in our routine life and they also provide free home delivery of whatever you buy online. This enhancement in technology allows consumers or businesses to use the web more efficiently and with flexibility even if the consumers do not have any experience (Chaffey 2008; Chinahourly.com 2010; keynote.com; Marketingexperiments.com 2005; Phillips 2006). These website provide low cost products to their customers who can buy that products with only 1 click in safe and pure atmosphere and customers can also compare the items with one to other products so they can decide easily that which product suits their nature. E-Commerce has made it very easy to shop online for these types of websites. These websites allow shoppers to shop online and provide complete satisfaction. Life is so busy today and mostly people has no time to spend on shopping and amazon.com and e-Bay.com made it easy to shop online without any physical interferences. These websites are becoming very popular and feasible for the shopping purposes. The e-commerce is increasing the revenue of amazon.com and eBay each year, because of the awareness among the consumers and the more enhanced and easy to use web 2.0 portals, which makes it attractive for consumers to purchase through e-commerce (Andam 2003; Chinahourly.com 2010; keynote.com; Marketingexperiments.com 2005; Phillips 2006). Conclusion Today life is so busy and everyone is trying to complete his own needs. No-one has such time to look around him and think for a while to what he/she wants. The economies are becoming stable and unstable sometimes. To overcome the needs of consumers of bigger digital devices, smart phones are solving the issues. We can use smart phones for a lot of purposes of routine life and because of this we dont have to carry heavy weight laptops and digital dairies, we can save anything in our smart phone so we can get benefits of this anywhere any time. This advancement of technology shows that smart phones will take over the other digital devices easily. Similarly, with the passage of time everyone is getting more busy in their routine life and no one has such time to visit physical markets for shopping. So this online shopping made life so easier to explore new adventures and find out what we need. E-commerce and web 2.0 has made it easier for the people to use the web with flexibility even if they do not have much experience to use the internet. These enhancements and technological changes are making peoples life easier.

The Seduction Eileen McAuley To His Coy Mistress Andrew Marvell Eileen

The Seduction Eileen McAuley To His Coy Mistress Andrew Marvell Eileen McAuley’s The Seduction is set against the bleak surroundings of Merseyside. ‘The Seduction’ Eileen McAuley ‘To His Coy Mistress’ Andrew Marvell Eileen McAuley’s ‘The Seduction’ is set against the bleak surroundings of Merseyside. The purpose of the story is to show a teenage girl’s predicament after getting drunk at a party. The poet contrasts the girl’s ideas of love and sex with reality. This is done effectively by using techniques such as similes and alliteration. The poem shows how young teenage girls can be easily seduced under the influence of alcohol. ‘The Seduction’ also shows how young girls can be manipulated by the media. McAuley presents the setting for the seduction of the girl as harsh through use of language and imagery. The setting is described using phrases such as ‘far from the blind windows of the tower blocks’. The words ‘tower blocks’ gives the setting a threatening atmosphere. Also the words ‘blind windows’ adds mystery to the setting. This is because the two words are contrasting. The word ‘blind’ is usually associated with visionless. While ‘windows’ are usually see-through. ‘The Seduction’ is set in the ‘quiet bricks of Birkenhead’ suggesting that place that he takes her to is remote. ‘Far past the silver stream of traffic through the city’ this is implies that they were distant from the busy city leaving them isolated this makes the girl vulnerable. A lot of the language used in 'The Seduction' is symbolic. ‘So she followed him there all high white shoes’ is an example of symbolic poetry. The shoes are described as white to present a symbol of purity, which is a major theme in the poem. Towards the... ... Mistress’ is to show the effects of a seduction. ‘The Seduction’ focuses on a teenage seduction whereas ‘To His Coy Mistress’ focuses on a more matured seduction. McAuley’s poem ‘The Seduction’ is critical of teenage magazines. McAuley shows a disliking attitude towards the contents of teenage magazines. This may be because she is against the way love and romance is presented these types of magazines. McAuley is also critical of society’s attitude towards teenage pregnancy. She explores how things like anorexia and drugs amongst teenagers are accepted by society and how teenage pregnancy is not. McAuley also criticizes prejudice and stereotyping in the society. I enjoyed reading both ‘The Seduction’ and ‘To His Coy Mistress’. I preferred Eileen McAuley’s ‘The Seduction because it has a more meaningful message, also because it is directed at my age group.

Being American

In America, anyone can grow to be successful and all it takes is hard work. A lot of instances in the country have proven that the playing field is level. There is no reason that any person can be hindered by his or her background from achieving success in America. It is possible to find any individual in any position, even the most unlikely. In some countries around the world, there are positions that are left for the privileged in the society; schools for the rich and those for the poor, occasions for the rich and those for the poor, and opportunities for the rich and those for the poor.Watching the documentary, Spellbound reveals an entirely different scenario in America. The documentary is on eight teenagers who walk their way to the finals in the Scripps Howard national spelling bee championship in Washington D. C. , from regional level. With hard work and commitment, success is possible in America and nothing can hinder this from taking place. The freedoms and opportunities in America means that once a person has a dream, is committed and willing to sacrifice in order to achieve it, there is nothing that can stop him or her from achieving it.There are hindrances and failures, but the fate of every American is in an individual’s willingness to dream and put efforts in achieving the dreams. Every dream in the country is offered an opportunity to be nurtured to achievement. The truth of this statement is evident where we meet unlikely heroes, who against all odds, achieve beyond imagination. From interview with their parents and teachers, it is realized that the students are hard working. They practice on a daily basis and have to start by winning in regional competitions before proceeding. Success however does not come in a silver platter.There are challenges and pressures that are faced by those who dare to dream and work hard in achieving their dreams. However, these challenges cannot hinder those who are determined to succeed from gaining success. The students in the documentary begin competing in a large group of over 250 students from different backgrounds and socio-economic status. They face tremendous pressures and challenges as the words they are meant to spell gets more difficult. Against all these challenges and pressures, eight of the students from different backgrounds get to the finals.Unexpectedly, out of the eight, two have single parents and three are children born of immigrants. This might seem a peculiar situation since in most cases; children who would be expected to win in such a tough competition are children from privileged families who are able to access private school education and other privileges like computers and television. The students who compete in the finals are talented and work hard to win the prize. As I watch the finals, I realize that any of the students is likely to win the prize.One of the parents, an immigrant dad, comments that in America, hard work brings success. This means that one d oes not have to be financially or socially privileged to become successful in the country. This is one country where one can grow to be a President, a Congressman or a Senator. There is an equal opportunity for all and all it requires is hard work. Every person in the country is entitled to become what he or she wishes and is provided with a level playing ground to compete with others eying the same opportunity. Work cited: Blitz, Jeffrey. Spellbound. Blitz/Welch, 2003.

Home Depot Case Study Analysis Essay

According to the case study, Home Depot Incorporated: The Specialty Retailer of Building Materials, Home Depot, Inc has been incorporated since 1978. The company functions in the home improvement retail industry, which includes multiple markets as do-it-yourself, professional, and renovation home improvement. At the end of 2000, the company had 1,190 brick and mortar retail stores, mainly located in the United States, but slightly less than 100 retail outlets were distributed between Canada and South America. The retail sales of Home Depot are various, and include building materials, home improvement and renovation, lawn and garden, as well as household appliances, supplies, and tools. Other retail sales at Home Depot include cabinetry, tiles and flooring, lighting fixtures. In services, Home Depot offers installation, design assistance, and even instruction/installation assistance. The case study, Home Depot Incorporated: The Specialty Retailer of Building Materials, further shows how Home Depot segments its products into Fix It, Build It, Grow it, Decorate It, and Install it. These segments are based on the three consumer markets, the do it yourself, buy it yourself, and professional customers. This allows Home Depot to seek competitive advantage in specialized retail outlets by defining the characteristics of consumers by their purchase type and buyer characteristics. Home Depot Incorporated: The Specialty Retailer of Building Materials shows that Home Depot’s long-term debt reached $1. 55 US billion in 2002, and total liabilities were at $6. 37 US billion. Home Depot had $177 US million in cash and short term investments as of January, 2001. Their inventory value was at $6. 56 US billion, and the cost of goods sold was $31. 46 US billion, leaving Home Depot with inventory turnover every 76 days. This means that Home Depot incurred more inventory costs in warehousing and distribution, than retail sales supported. Issues in Strategic Management The case study, Home Depot Incorporated: The Specialty Retailer of Building Materials explains that Home Depot’s management issues have several dimensions. First, the increase in retail stores and implementation of specialty stores in response to customer segmentation led to the speculation that Home Depot was having an ‘identity crisis. ’ The diffusion of the core home improvement domain was extreme and initially occurred over a short time line, thus operating expenses climbed. This was combined with a slowing of the do it yourself industry and markets, as well as competition from Lowe’s. In response to this, the CEO at the time, Robert Nardelli, shifted away from the exponential growth strategy and towards reducing warehousing of low-purchase items and boosting in-store item differentiation and sales. Nardelli’s strategy chain was, according to the case study, envisioned as gaining ground in installation and services growth before the competition cornered these markets. The company’s focus then changed from one of brick and mortar growth to one of service industry growth. Thus, Nardelli moved from the traditions of the home improvement industry and towards innovation. In growth strategy, the senior vice president of Home Depot’s management team felt that increasing operational efficiency and maintaining the strength of brick and mortar growth was more important than implementing new service dimensions. The basis of this argument was that traditional growth strategy had a huge success rate since the company’s inception, and multiple trade areas in the Northwest and Southwest United States were largely ignored by major competitors, specifically Lowe’s. The case study, Home Depot Incorporated: The Specialty Retailer of Building Materials, examines that the second management strategy was also in contention, where the executive vice president believed that instead of focusing on the service strategy, or the retail market strategy, Home Depot should maintain its segmentation of consumers into specialty stores, which would allow Home Depot to gain competitive corners of the market that it had not yet explored. In this strategy, Home Depot would be able to market towards the appeal of specialized services. In closing the management strategy analysis, the case study emphasizes the decision of Nardelli as being difficult, as both strategies presented held risk and benefits. Nardelli’s decision making process, therefore, had to be one that focused on the growth initiative of Home Depot, as overcoming competitors, establishing the domains, and segmenting (or not segmenting) the retail outlets. Based on this, the pertinent issues facing management processes at Home Depot are directly related to the growth initiative, growth strategy, and implementation of the growth strategy. Analysis and Evaluation of Issues The concern of Home Depot is to develop a management strategy that enhances growth. There are two main conclusions, as presented in the above case study. First, Home Depot can rely on its traditional method of retail brick and mortar store development with a focus on the under-marketed North-western and South-western United States. Secondly, Home Depot can focus on the development of specialty stores which are geared towards the segmented consumer markets. Key Concepts Lippert, Schwieger, and Schweiger (p 13 2005) examine that options to help a company achieve strategic growth are highly relative to the ability of the company to take action and rely on financial viability. Thus, a strategic growth initiative has the objective to be consistent with corporate growth and profit objectives through the development of key individuals in the organization (Lippert, Schwieger and Schweiger 3005). The focus of the growth strategy should be in the ability of Home Depot to maximize efforts with respect to investment opportunities, gather valuable and real-time data on existing market opportunities and strive for industry-changing innovations on an ongoing basis (Lippert, Schwieger and Schweiger 2005). The concern of either strategy presented to Home Depot is relative to that of all corporate entities. The basic concern is to maximize growth while reducing the risk of the strategy (O’Leary p 37 2005). The underlying strategy of corporate growth initiatives is largely based on innovation, and the engine for innovation is the creation of an efficient connection between technologists, funding, and scale is its abilities (O’Leary p 37 2005). The growth strategies should therefore include diversity in innovation, rather than relying on the older ideals. Based on these key concepts, Home Depot’s optional growth strategies will be evaluated through a SWOT analysis, with a focus on the financial viability and strategic innovation presented. Strengths Home Depot has a strong market position as one of the largest home improvement retail stores in the United States. The sales volume allows Home Depot to maintain strength in domestic and foreign markets. The strong market position inidicates that the traditional growth initiatives have facilitated consumer support. Furthermore, Home Depot has a diversified and balanced brand mixture. The company stocks major branded appliances and a wide range of its own store-branded products. While there has been some worry regarding financial viability, Home Depot has remained the top domestic retailer in the home improvement market, and has a wide range of resources it can use for supporting corporate growth and new market entry. Weaknesses The weaknesses in Home Depot can be identified as a lack of customer service and support, the store has little initiative towards customer service that is easily visible to customers other than the retail store ‘customer service’ line. This shows that Home Depot has lagged behind its competition in providing high customer service quality, and raises a concern for the ability of Home Depot to maintain specialty service stores. The other identifiable weakness of Home Depot is the multiple brick and mortar extensions, which created a diffusion from the central home improvement retail business, and is exemplified by the management decision to ‘cut back’ on building new retail outlets. For the retail store, this creates a loss of square footage, which is vital to maintaining supplier relationships and meeting consumer demands. Opportunities Home Depot’s opportunities lie in the acquisition of new businesses. The company has the financial stability to acquire multiple businesses to further its growth strategy. This could include the service industries and specialized markets. As an opportunity, acquisitions have the ability to save costs over implementing ‘new’ growth strategies. Threats Home Depot’s business is highly competitive. Home Depot must compete against multiple market segments: other home improvement stores, electricity and construction stores, plumbing and lighting stores; cabinet-makers and lumber yards. In the retail segments such as paint, appliances, and tools, Home Depot also competes with discount stores, local, regional and national hardware stores, mail order firms, warehouse clubs and independent building supply stores.