Impacts of Data Classification Standards Essay Example for Free

Impacts of Data Classification Standards Essay Through my research I have found three basic domains that are affected by the â€Å"internal use only† data classification standard. What I would like to discuss in this report addressing IT infrastructure is how these three domains are affected. I will be discussing the User Domain, Workstation Domain, and LAN Domain and will cover everything from the end user to the internet. The User Domain controls who has what access to what information within the organization and enforces the APU or Acceptable Use Policy. The APU only allows the user to access or work within the set parameters of what has be set as acceptable use. This is the weakest point in the IT infrastructure and it is the user’s responsibility act with integrity around this domain. The Workstation Domain is where the user is able to access the company network and use resources that are not on their host station. This is to allow the worker to easily be able to get the data or applications they may need. For the company’s network’s security usually the IT departments will set up user names and passwords or can allow access through managing the active directory. They will also have anti-virus protection as well as undergo regular updates and scans. Since this would be a company network it would be not acceptable to have personal devices on the network unless preauthorized by management. The LAN Domain is the big picture of what the company network has. It is a collection of all the host and devices on the network and also including all the physical networking of the company’s network. The LAN Domain needs to be very secure due to the vast amount of components involved. One of the biggest threats can be as simple as unauthorized access on the company’s local area network.

Consumer priority between cadbury and nestle chocolates

Consumer priority between cadbury and nestle chocolates In this research the product performance and buying behaviour of two famous brands of chocolates Nestle and Cadbury, which is use by people of all ages, is surveyed. This research involves interaction with people of PANIPAT. Conclusion of the research includes how people got these products on the change like advertisement, satisfaction, taste, packaging, price, quality, brand loyalty etc. and also which specialised brand of chocolate is most preferred by people of different age collections. In this research it is checked that how fast and how much chocolate they consumed, whether they buy small, big or family pack. Trend on changing basis their connection has been shown in the report. In this report it is tried to explain that the entire research and facts product wise. As already mentioned in this research the product performance and buying behaviour of two famous brands of chocolates Nestle and Cadbury, which are taking by people of all ages is surveyed. As consumers, everyone plays a vital role in the health of the economy international, local, national . The decision we make concern on our consuming behavior affect the demand for the basic raw materials, for the conveyence, banking, production; they effect the service of workers and decrement of resources and success of some few companies and failures of others. Thus marketer must understand this. PRIORITY (or taste) is a concept, used in the social sciences, particularly economics. It perceive a imagined or real choice between substitute and the probably of rank ordering of these substitute, based on gratification, enjoyment, happiness, satisfaction, utility they provide. More generally, it can be seen as a source of inspiring. In cognitive sciences, single choice enable choice of objectives/goals. The consumer significance not only emphasis on why and how consumers make purchasing decision, but also emphasize on why and how customers make some choice of the goods they make and their assesment of these goods after use. So for achieving of any company or product raise it is very necessary to take out its attention towards consumer preference. PROJECT BACKGROUND The source of chocolate can be captured back to the ancient Maya and Aztec civilizations in Central America, who first enjoyed chocolate a much-prized spicy drink made from roasted cocoa beans. Throughout its history, whether as cocoa or drinking chocolate beverage or confectionary treat, chocolate has been a much sought after food. The initial proof of chocolate was over twelve hundred years ago in the central America rain forests, where the tropical mix of high rain fall combined with high year round temperatures and humidity provide the ideal climate for cultivation of the plant from which chocolate is derived, the cacao tree. Chocolate is made from the cocoa bean, found in pods growing from the trunk and lower branches of the cacao tree, Latin name theobroma cacao meaning food of the gods Cacao was corrupted into the more familiar cocoa by the early European explorers. The Maya brewed a spicy, bittersweet drink by roasting and pounding the seeds of the cacao tree with maize and capsicum peppers and letting the mixture ferment. This drink was reserved for use in ceremonies as well as for drinking by the wealthy and religious elite; they also ate cacao porridge. The first mention of chocolate being eaten in solid form is when bakers in England began adding cocoa powder to cakes in the mid 1600s. Then in 1828 a Dutch chemist, Johannes van houten, invented a method of extracting the bitter tasting fat or cocoa butter from the roasted ground beans, his aim was to make the drink smoother and more palatable, however he unknowingly paved the way for solid chocolate as we know it. Chocolate as we know it today first appeared in 1847 when fry sons of Bristol, England mixed sugar with cocoa powder and cocoa butter (made by the van houten process) to produce the first solid chocolate bar then in1875 a Swiss manufacturer, Daniel peters, found a way to combine (some would say improve, some would say ruin) cocoa powder and cocoa butter with sugar and dried milk powder to produce the first milk chocolate. ABOUT NESTLE The  Company  was founded in  1866 by Henri Nestlà © in Vevey, Switzerland, where our headquarters are still located today. We employ around 280 000 people and have factories or operations in almost every country in the world. Nestlà © sales for 2010 were almost  CHF  110bn. Nestle strategy Nestlà ©s objectives are to be recognised as the world leader in Nutrition, Health and Wellness, trusted by all its stakeholders, and to be the reference for financial performance. We believe that leadership is not just about size; it is also about behaviour. Trust, too, is about behaviour; and we recognise that trust is earned only over a long period of time by consistently delivering on our promises. These objectives and behaviours are encapsulated in the simple phrase, Good Food, Good Life, a phrase that sums up our corporate ambition. ABOUT CADBURY Cadbury is a company with a long history in New Zealand and a passionate commitment to making everyone feel happy. Cadbury strategy This 6 Point Action Plan will help us deliver our contribution towards preventing obesity and positively influencing consumer health: 1.Innovation Through innovation were investing in the development of new products within every category that will provide consumers with more choice. These include lower calorie offerings and new sweetening options. In addition, were reducing trans-fats and salt content in our products and have discontinued marketing products with embedded toys. 2.Marketing weve introduced a Global Marketing Code of Practice with specific reference to children. We will not advertise where children under eight years are likely to be the majority of the audience. It also defines the special care to be taken when advertising to children between ages eight and twelve. 3.variety we help our consumers by providing a broader range of options across all our product ranges, to provide greater choice and flexibility for how they consume our products. We are including new portion sizes and sharing information on our labeling. Where we have larger product formats, we provide serving size information to make it clear that these products are for sharing or multi-occasions. 4.Labeling were looking for ways to help people make more informed choices about what they eat, how much and how often. This includes providing nutrition information in a format that is easier to understand and responsible consumption messages. Were applying a new global labeling standard, called Be Treat wise, to help educate consumers about the role of treats in the diet. 5.Vending We dont vend our confectionery or carbonated soft drink products in primary schools and will only vend these products in secondary schools by invitation and in line with nutritional guidelines set by the school. Guidelines for vending are included within our global marketing code of practice. 6.insight we continue to invest in consumer research that helps build our knowledge of health concerns, including obesity. Were using and sharing our consumer research and expertise to help improve understanding of concerns, both within and outside our business. PROJECT AIMS OBJECTIVES This project is based on the relative study consumer performance towards Nestle and Cadbury chocolates. Objectives of the study are: To the customer satisfaction level linked with the product and the customer first choice level. To enlarge customer satisfaction and recall the market share by satisfying the customer desires. To study the factor distressing the utilization sample. RESEARCH PROGRAM In this the method of the study is describe. This project is based on data composed from primary resources. After the complete study, an effort has been made to show full study of utilization of Cadbury and nestle chocolates taken by the people. The data had been used for various aspect like utilization, consumers first choice and customers approval regarding Cadbury and Nestle chocolates. In collecting vital data and information concerning the topic selected, I went to the people of Panipat and composed the data. Survey design: The study is a stratum study because the data were composed at a single time. For the reason of this study a connected sample of residents was selected on the basis of expediency. Sample Size and Design: A sample of 500 people was taken on the basis of expediency. The actual customer were contacted on the basis of random sampling. Time period of the Study:- The research will be take around 6 month. Research Period: Research work is carried in 8-12 weeks. Research Instrument: This work is passed out through the making of questionnaires. The questions integrated were open ended and obtainable multiple choices. Data Analysis: The data will be analyzed on the basis of appropriate tables by using mathematical techniques. The technique that I will use is bar technique. This dissertation includes the following area of research CONSUMER RESEARCH: customer research deals with customer and their troubles and solution to the problems. PRODUCT RESEARCH: Under product research variation which customers wants as to the packing, shape, quality, color and quantity etc of their desired chocolate is studied. PRICING RESEARCH: This includes capability to devour, to pay for the product, how much a person can spend on his/her favorite chocolate. ADVERTISING RESEARCH: Under this It is accomplished that whether the advertisement appeals the customer or not. DELIVERABLES Dissertation proposal Comparative study of customer response for Cadbury and nestle Review of existing literature on Cadbury and nestle Review of current market situation for Cadbury and nestle Reason for customer preference between Cadbury and nestle. Situations that are leading to customer dissatisfaction Dissertation report RESOURCES Data Collection: The data, which is collected for the purpose of study, is divided into 2 bases: Primary Source: The primary data include data survey of relative study of customer behavior towards Nestle and Cadbury chocolates. The information has been taken directly from answerer with the help of structured and unstructured questionnaires. Secondary Source: The secondary data was collected from internet, References from Library.

Biomechanics Essay -- essays research papers

The term biomechanics means the study of the structure and function of biological systems using the methods of mechanics. Biomechanics studies the process of kinematics and develops artificial limbs and footwear specifically to aid the body in performance. The study of biomechanics also includes the stress testing on crash dummies in car accidents and any sport where stress is placed on the body in order to produce performance. The type of stress specifically is the joint stimulation and bone modeling stress.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The most common use of biomechanics is in the development of prosthetic limbs used for the handicapped. Most work on prosthetics is done in laboratories where scientists use calibrated machines to test stress and wear of artificial limbs. These days, prosthetics, are made of titanium and lightweight fiberglass to make a near perfect match with most people. The most common prosthesis is the replacement in a below the knee amputation. The American Society of Biomechanics (ASB) held a meeting at Clemson University of 1997 in order to develop a sports prosthesis that would stand up to every day flexing of the knee for performance in sports.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In order to develop this prosthesis they had to go through two main phases, the analysis of a jogger wearing a standard walking prosthesis and computer simulation of the flexing of the knee on this walking prosthesis. They had to measure rotation, weight bearing, moments, and t...

Good Instructor :: essays research papers

Whether a good or bad instruction can affect the learning of students. A lot of instructors had been teaching me through out my years in school. No doubt some of the instructors are good and some of them are bad. Whether the instructor is bad or good cannot be judge by his or her education background. It is also important that they have a good way and method of treating and teaching their student. Teaching individually will be very effective, however, it will not happen in a classroom. In order to be affecting in the classroom, I think the instructor should be patient to the students, understand how people learn, be familiar with the difficulties people have with learning, then recognize these difficulties when they occur in class and know how to overcome these difficulties, and finally plan and be prepared to teach.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is hard for an instructor to teach a lot of student with different learning ability at the same time; therefore, the primary factor to teach is patient. Patient is a primary thing to be an instructor. There are a lot of student in a classroom. The instructor should know that different person has different learning ability. Some Student may learn very fast but some learn very slowly. The instructor should not expect all students get the knowledge right after he taught. Student may ask a lot of questions or need to be explained a lot of time to understand the material. The instructor should be patient to the student when dealing with different students. Knowing that there are a lot of materials from the book to cover in a school year, a well skilled instructor should always plan ahead for the lecture. Remember there are poorly skilled instructors too - most of us have had inexperienced or poor teachers. Good Instructor :: essays research papers Whether a good or bad instruction can affect the learning of students. A lot of instructors had been teaching me through out my years in school. No doubt some of the instructors are good and some of them are bad. Whether the instructor is bad or good cannot be judge by his or her education background. It is also important that they have a good way and method of treating and teaching their student. Teaching individually will be very effective, however, it will not happen in a classroom. In order to be affecting in the classroom, I think the instructor should be patient to the students, understand how people learn, be familiar with the difficulties people have with learning, then recognize these difficulties when they occur in class and know how to overcome these difficulties, and finally plan and be prepared to teach.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is hard for an instructor to teach a lot of student with different learning ability at the same time; therefore, the primary factor to teach is patient. Patient is a primary thing to be an instructor. There are a lot of student in a classroom. The instructor should know that different person has different learning ability. Some Student may learn very fast but some learn very slowly. The instructor should not expect all students get the knowledge right after he taught. Student may ask a lot of questions or need to be explained a lot of time to understand the material. The instructor should be patient to the student when dealing with different students. Knowing that there are a lot of materials from the book to cover in a school year, a well skilled instructor should always plan ahead for the lecture. Remember there are poorly skilled instructors too - most of us have had inexperienced or poor teachers.

Comparing Heart of Darkness and A Separate Peace :: comparison compare contrast essays

Heart of Darkness and A Separate Peace There are many similarities between the books The Heart of Darkness and A Separate Peace. Most are between the two main characters' friends and how they deal with their situations and problems. The similarities between the two characters are their leadership skills, their expertise, and how their friends affect them. Mr. Kurtz and Finny both have incredible leadership skills. Finny is able to persuade Gene to do practically anything he wants him to do which in the end is his downfall since he convinces Gene to climb the tree with him and do a double jump. He also shows his leadership skills when he gathers a lot of the students and teaches them a new game that is fitted perfectly to his physical abilities. Mr. Kurtz showed these skills when he had the courage to go into the cillages of cannibals and convince them to give him their ivory or to tell them where they knew there was some. He also saved Marlow and his crew's lives when he commanded the natives to stop firing at their steamboat. "Kurtz got the tribe to follow him, did he?" I suggested. He fidgeted a little. "They adored him," he said." At the drop of his finger, he could have had the natives attack Marlow and his crew and kill them. While Mr. Kurtz and Finny are both alive, they are extremely good at what they do. Before his accident, Finney is the most athletic student at his school. After the accident, he tries to help Fene to become more athletic. His dream is for Finny to make the Olympics instead of him. Mr. Kurtz worked for a company that found ivory and then sold it to the public. "The he began again, assuring me Mr. Kurtz was the best agent he had, an exceptional man." Mr. Kurtz also brought back the most ivory then any other employee; "Sends in as much ivory as all the others put together." Both Mr. Kurtz and Finny had friends that had something to do with their deaths. In Finny's case, his friend Gene accidently jarred him off the tree branch that caused him to break his leg. When Finny got a brace on his leg, he tripped and broke it again, but when the doctor tried to mend it, bone marrow escaped and instantly killed him when it reached his heart.

Alfred Marshall

Alfred Marshall became one of the most influential economists of his time. His book, Principles of Political Economy (1890) brought together the theories of supply and demand, of marginal utility and of the costs of production into a coherent whole. It became the dominant economic textbook in England for a long period . Born in London, and educated at St John’s College, Cambridge, Marshall took the mathematics tripos.By 1868 he was college lecturer in moral sciences at St John’s College, with particular responsibility for teaching political economy. In 1885 he became professor at Cambridge University, retiring in 1908. Marshall was regarded as one of the founders of the neoclassical school in economics and the most influential figure in the marginalist tradition of British economics. He dominated economics at Cambridge University almost to his death with many disciples, including A. C. Pigou, the young J. M. Keynes, and D. H. Robertson.His major contributions related to the economics of the stationary state, welfare economics, and partial equilibrium analysis; although claims could be made on his behalf for much that became part of economics textbooks over generations, including innovations relating to utility theory, economies of scale, and supply curves. Marshall saw economics as concerned with those aspects of human behavior open to pecuniary influences and sufficiently regular and ubiquitous to permit statements of broad scope and some persistence.While maintaining that some heeded moral imperatives might be impervious to pecuniary considerations, he conceded that most behaviors lay within the ambit of the measuring rod of money. On the other hand, he emphasized that motivation was not merely a matter of pursuing pecuniary self interest, even broadly conceived to include interests of family and friends. He stressed the human desire for social approbation or distinction, and the pleasures of skilful activity. Marshall developed a number of econ omic theories that main of which are the following:Demand Theory Marshall’s treatment of the theory of demand is sketchy, concentrating on the demand for a single commodity, or commodity group, against a loosely defined background. One of the outcomes of his Demand Theory is that demand price and consumer surplus are proportional to the marginal utility and the utility benefit, respectively, the proportionality factor being the reciprocal of the individual's marginal utility of money. This result is fundamental for Marshall’s welfare analysis.The now-familiar concept of demand elasticity – propor ¬tional quantity change divided by proportional price change -was first defined by Marshall. Production and Long-Period Competitive Supply In deriving the long-period supply curve of a commodity, Marshall envisages production as organized by firms, typically family businesses. Each firm strives to minimize its production costs, substituting one productive factor or pr oduction method for another according to the Principle of Substitution.In its simpler forms this involves marginalist adjustment to bring relative marginal value products into line with relative marginal costs. But more generally, the Principle of Substitution is akin to a natural selection process, being â€Å"a special and limited application of the law of survival of the fittest† . Marshall’s firms do not have costless access to a common production function, but must grope and experiment their way to cost-reducing modifications. The long period supply curve is defined for a given state of general scientific and technical knowledge. But each firm must explore this to some extent anew.The conception of competition in Marshall’s manufacturing case is much closer to later ideas of imperfect or monopolistic competition than to modern notions of perfect competition. Products are differentiated and firms are not price takers. Even if the difficulties of rapidly buil ding up a firm’s internal organization can be overcome, the resulting enlarged output can not be sold at a price covering cost – even granted substantial scale economies in production – without going through the slow process of building up a clientele and shifting the firm's particular demand curve.The time this takes is assumed to be considerable relative to the duration of the firm's initial vitality. But in some cases the difficulties of rapid expansion may be overcome. They may not have been very severe, as when different firms' products are highly substitut ¬able, or the firm's founder may have unusual genius. In such cases the industry will pass into a monopoly or be dominated by a few, strategically-interacting firms, or ‘conditional monopolies’ as Marshall termed them . Price Determination and Period AnalysisThe long-period supply curve for any good indicates for each market quantity the least price at which that quantity will continue ind efinitely to be supplied. The equilibrium price and quantity (long period) are determined by the intersection of this supply curve with the negatively sloped market demand curve, indicating the highest uniform price at which any total quantity can be sold. In an agricultural case, equilibrium will be unique as the supply curve slopes positively. But in a manufacturing case, the supply curve, as well as the demand curve, will have negative slope, so that multiple equilibrium can occur.Equilibrium is adjudged locally stable if demand price is above (below) supply price at a quantity just below (above) the equilibrium quantity. The intuitive justification for this is that the actual price of any available quantity is determined by the demand price, while quantity produced tends to increase whenever an excess of market price over supply price promises high profits, while it tends to decrease in the opposite case. Period analysis is Marshall’s most explicit and self-conscious appl ication of the comparative-static, partial-equilibrium method with which his name will always be associated.As he observed, the most important among the many uses of this method is to classify forces with reference to the time which they require for their work; and to impound in Ceteris Paribus those forces which are of minor importance relatively to the particular time we have in view Normal Value and Normal Profit Normal value is defined as the value which would result â€Å"if the economic conditions under view had time to work out undisturbed their full effect† . It is contrasted with market value, which is â€Å"the actual value at any time† .Normal value is hypothetical, its role being to indicate underlying tendencies. The normal value of a commodity may approximate its average value over periods sufficiently long for the â€Å"fitful and irregular causes† , which dominate market value to cancel out, but this should not be presupposed automatically outsid e a hypothetical stationary state. Profit was viewed by Marshall as the residual income accruing to a firm’s owner, a return to the investment of his own capital and to the pains he suffers in exercising his â€Å"business power† in planning, supervision and control.Normal profit is essentially an opportunity cost, the minimum return necessary to secure the owner’s inputs to their current use, or rather to accomplish this for an owner of normal ability. Marshall presumes that there is a large and elastic supply of versatile actual or potential owner managers of normal ability. In long-period equilibrium each of these must just receive the same normal rates of return on his investment and exercise of business power whatever his line of business. The brief survey of economic theories constructed by Alfred Marshall provides the grounds to maintain that the main field of his activity was macroeconomics.His theories include most of Ten Principles of Economics. Specif ically such principles as ‘People face tradeoffs’ and ‘The cost of something is what you give up to get it’ and ‘Rational people think at the margin’ are considered in his Demand Theory, while principles ‘Markets are usually a good way to organize economic activity’ and ‘Governments can sometimes improve market outcomes’ are considered in interrelated markets and distribution theory; and finally the principle ‘Prices rise when the government prints too much money’ is included in his monetary theory.BibliographyMarshall, A. (1893) On Rent. In C. W. Guillebaud, A. Marshall (1961), Principles of Economics. Vol. II , 492 -512.Marshall, A. (1890) The Principles of Economics, Retrieved on Feb. 19, 2007 from http://www. ecn. bris. ac. uk/het/marshall/prin/.Medema, Steven G. , Samuels, Warren J. (Eds. ). (2003) The History of Economic Thought: A Reader. New York: Routledge.O’Brien, D. P. (1981) A. Marshall. In D. P. O’Brien and J. R. Presley (Eds. ), Pioneers of Modern Economics in Britain (36-71). London: Macmillan.Robertson, H. M. (1970) Alfred Marshall’s aims and methods illus ¬trated from his treatment of distribution. History of Political Economy, 2 (1), 1-65.Whitaker, J. K. (1986) The continuing relevance of Alfred Marshall. In R. D. C. Black (Ed. ) Ideas in Economies, London: Macmillan.

History and Significance of Cavendish Banana Essay

The banana plant, or Musa acuminata, is one of the most important fruiting plants on Earth. This plant belongs to the Musaceae family, also known as the â€Å"banana family†. The genus Musa refers to â€Å"large herbaceous flowering plants† with fruit that is usually elongated and curved, with a yellow, purple, or red rind covering soft starchy fruit (Merriam-Webster). Banana plants are often mistaken for trees, because their â€Å"false stem† or pseudostem resembles a tree trunk. However, trees are dicots with organized vascular bundles while banana plants are monocots, which have scattered vascular bundles. The average cultivated banana plant stands at 16 feet tall, although they may range from 10 to 23 feet (Nelson 26). A mature banana plant forms an inflorescence at the top of the pseudostem, a structure known as the â€Å"banana heart†. Each banana heart usually develops bunches of banana fruits made up of tiers (called â€Å"hands†) with as ma ny as 20 fruit to a tier. â€Å"Cultivated bananas are sterile and develop the typical seedless fruits without the need for pollination† (Van Wyk). Bananas are one of the most important fruits because of the role they play in the global economy, food security, and the everyday lives of people around the world. Bananas originated in Southeast Asia, which is still the center of banana diversity in flavor, scent, texture, color, shape, and size. However, bananas were most likely domesticated first in Papua New Guinea, where cultivation can be traced back to times between 5000 and 8000BC. Around 1000AD, the banana crop spread to Africa through Indo-Malaysian immigrants who colonized Madagascar, and also to the Pacific region (Van Wyk). In the 15th and 16th centuries, banana plantations began to sprout up in the Atlantic Islands, Brazil, and western Africa under the care of Portuguese colonists. Shortly following the Civil War, North Americans started eating bananas on a small and expensive scale. In the 1880s, banana consumption in the United States became a lot more widespread due to advancements in transportation and refrigeration (Koeppel). Today, Americans eat more bananas than apples and oranges combined (Koeppel). This development of modern transportation networks and storage materials allowed for the introduction of the earliest modern banana plantations located in Jamaica and other regions in the Western Caribbean Zone and Central America (New Zealand Herald). This yellow fruit has played a big role in economies all over the world. Banana plants are currently being produced in over 107 different countries, primarily for their and less frequently for producing fiber, banana wine, and as ornamental plants. The 2011 study of production and exportation of bananas and plantains by the Food and Agricultural Organization found that worldwide, we produced a total crop of 145 million metric tonnes. India led the world by producing 20% of this, followed by Uganda, China, the Philippines, and Ecuador. However, the leading exporters of bananas and plantains were Ecuador (which exported 5.2 million metric tonnes, making up 29% of worldwide banana and plantain exportation) followed by Costa Rica, Colombia, the Philippines, and Guatemala. Although plantains were included in this study, Ecuador did specify that 93% of its exportation statistic was made up of solely bananas (FAOSTAT). The delicious fruit is used frequently in the daily lives of people around the world. Bananas can be eaten raw or baked in both savory and sweet dishes. Some popular examples are fruit salads, milkshakes, yogurts, pancakes, breads, and the famous banana split. Plantains are not distinguished from bananas in some parts of the world because they are very similar, but can be differentiated by their lower sugar and higher starch content. Plantains are usually used as a vegetable in African and West Indian cuisine. Bananas are cultivated on an extremely large scale in tropical regions, so they remain a big staple in the diets of millions of people in Asian and African populations, and in other developing countries (Van Wyk). Since banana plants produce fruit all year, they present an invaluable food source during the time of year between harvests known as the â€Å"hunger season†. This, combined with their exceptional nutritional value—an individual banana has an energy yield of about 95-125 kcal and the ripe fruit comes equipped with a large variety of essential vitamins and minerals—makes them essential to food security worldwide (Anania, van Wyk). Price competition among supermarkets has reduced margins, leading to lower prices for growers. Chiquita, Del Monte, Dole, and Fyffes have somewhat of a monopoly over the banana plantation business, and their plantations are centralized in Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Honduras. Many producers in these countries are wealthy land owners that have tried to raise their prices by marketing their bananas as â€Å"fair trade† or Rainforest Alliance-certified (Wikipedia). The term â€Å"banana republic† has been used to describe countries like Costa Rica, Honduras, and Panama because the banana trade has become the dominant part of their economy. Banana producers have also played a large political role, including â€Å"working with local elites and their rivalries to influence politics or play to the international interests of the United States, especially during the Cold War, to keep the political climate favorable to their interests† (New Zealand Herald). Although banana production is a huge industry, the entire banana species is facing an increasingly serious problem. The most popular cultivar of bananas was Gros Michel for quite some time, but after an attack by a soil fungus called the Panama disease, this cultivar was almost completely wiped out. After a large amount of agricultural research, scientists were able to produce the Cavendish cultivar, which has made up the majority of banana crops for the past 40 years. However, the Cavendish banana is also in danger. T he Black Sigatoka fungus has begun to attack Cavendish banana plants all over the world. This once high-yielding crop has decreased in yield by 50-70% and the lifespan of banana plants has dropped from about 30 years to an average of only two (Alison). Researchers blame the vulnerability of the banana plants on the monogenetic cultivation, resulting from commercial motives. Plantation owners and farmers have been selectively breeding bananas since the beginning of their cultivation 10,000 years ago, which is why the modern cultivar is seedless and sterile (Alison). This has resulted in banana crops with no genetic diversity, which leaves them helpless against environmental stresses, including disease and crop pests. Some experts predict that cultivation of the Cavendish banana will become unviable within the next 10-20 years, so agricultural researchers are searching for an equivalent banana cultivar, but it has proven difficult because most of the cultivars used in other countries produce bananas that are more starchy and thus used in cooking instead of eaten raw as a sweet snack. Over time, genetic modification and selective breeding of bananas has transformed what we know as a banana from a small, seed-filled, starchy, wild banana to the huge-in-comparison Cavendish dessert banana (Figure 1). Because of this, various hybridization and genetic engineering programs are exploring the wild banana genomes in an attempt to produce a â€Å"disease-resistant, mass-market banana† (Wikipedia). Bananas represent a delicious and essential part of the world’s economy and food security, so hopefully the extensive agricultural research will pay off to create a new banana that is ready to ward off environmental pressures. Cavendish bananas are the most important cultivar in the world, representing all of the exports in the statistical figures discussed earlier†¦ The Cavendish â€Å"dessert banana† that is eaten raw and is most common in the US is the one that is under attack by the Black Sigatoka fungus. â€Å"why bananas† instead of going through prompt. Figure 1: The common Cavendish dessert banana, left, is shown with the seed-filled wild variety (Mestel) Bibliography Alison, Robert. World: Bananas are a Dying Breed. Globe and Mail. 19 July 2003. www.corpwatch.org Anania, Giovanni. How would a WTO agreement on bananas affect exporting and importing countries? July 2009, Issue Paper No.21, ICTSD â€Å"Banana†. Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Retrieved 2013-01-04 â€Å"Banana†. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/banana Big-business greed killing the banana – Independent, via The New Zealand Herald, Saturday May 24, 2008, Page A19 â€Å"FAOSTAT†. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Van Wyk, Ben-Erik. Food Plants of the World, an Illustrated Guide. October 2005. Timber Press. Koeppel, Dan. Banana: The Fate of the Fruit that Changed the World (New York: Hudson Street Press, 2008), pp. 51–53 ISBN 0-452-29008-2 Koeppel, Dan. Yes We Will Have No Bananas. New York Times. 18 June 2008. Nelson, Ploetz & Kepler 2006, p.26 Mestel, Rosie. Banana genome sequencing gives a boost to pest-plagued fruit. Los Angeles Times. 11 July 2012. http://articles.latimes.com