Free Essays on Amish

â€Å"Amish Culture† All aspects of Amish life are established by written or oral rules, known as Ordnung. The Ordnung defines what it means to be Amish. It dictates their lifestyles, ranging from dress to hair length to buggy or farming style. The Ordnung varies in different communities. This is why one may see Amish in one part of the country riding in automobiles or using electricity. The most important social unit in the Amish culture is family. Amish marry only Amish; intermarriage is forbidden. Large families with up to ten children are very common. The father is the head of the household. He, along with his sons, are responsible for the farm work. The wife does the cleaning and cooking. The conveniences of modern technology are not encouraged or accepted in most Amish communities, known as the Old Order Amish. Most Amish cultivate their fields with horse-drawn machinery, travel in horse-drawn buggies, and live in homes without electricity. A telephone is a common use, yet they are not allowed inside the home. These conveniences are believed to weaken the family structure. The Old Order Amish use little modern technology, while the New Order Amish are permitted to use electricity, own vehicles and other conveniences. The Amish style of dress is very simple. It represents their separation from other cultures and their faith. Clothing is made of primarily dark, plain fabrics. Amish women generally wear long sleeve dresses with a full skirt. They are not allowed to wear patterned clothing or jewelry. They also never cut their hair, and wear it in a braid or a bun concealed by a small bonnet. Amish men typically wear straight-cut suits without collars or pockets. Young men are to be clean shaved, while married men are to allow their beards to grow. Mustaches are forbidden. The Ordnung of each community specifies their own dress code along with other aspects of life.... Free Essays on Amish Free Essays on Amish â€Å"Amish Culture† All aspects of Amish life are established by written or oral rules, known as Ordnung. The Ordnung defines what it means to be Amish. It dictates their lifestyles, ranging from dress to hair length to buggy or farming style. The Ordnung varies in different communities. This is why one may see Amish in one part of the country riding in automobiles or using electricity. The most important social unit in the Amish culture is family. Amish marry only Amish; intermarriage is forbidden. Large families with up to ten children are very common. The father is the head of the household. He, along with his sons, are responsible for the farm work. The wife does the cleaning and cooking. The conveniences of modern technology are not encouraged or accepted in most Amish communities, known as the Old Order Amish. Most Amish cultivate their fields with horse-drawn machinery, travel in horse-drawn buggies, and live in homes without electricity. A telephone is a common use, yet they are not allowed inside the home. These conveniences are believed to weaken the family structure. The Old Order Amish use little modern technology, while the New Order Amish are permitted to use electricity, own vehicles and other conveniences. The Amish style of dress is very simple. It represents their separation from other cultures and their faith. Clothing is made of primarily dark, plain fabrics. Amish women generally wear long sleeve dresses with a full skirt. They are not allowed to wear patterned clothing or jewelry. They also never cut their hair, and wear it in a braid or a bun concealed by a small bonnet. Amish men typically wear straight-cut suits without collars or pockets. Young men are to be clean shaved, while married men are to allow their beards to grow. Mustaches are forbidden. The Ordnung of each community specifies their own dress code along with other aspects of life.... Free Essays on Amish â€Å"Amish mount rare petition drive to keep horses on property.† By Dan Lewerenz I chose this article for chapter four to fit under Cultural Diversity. The article discusses a situation involving two Amish men who received fines for having horses on their property without the adequate amount of land required by law. One of the men challenged the zone ordinance on religious freedom grounds and the district postponed the hearing for procedural reasons. The Amish are a very good example that we can relate to due to the fact that they are like neighbors to us. We can see the cultural differences in reality on a day to day basis because they are a part of our society. We see how they differ from our own culture by the Gesellschaft society and the Gemeinschaft community. Although the Amish are a subculture and usually looked at in that perspective, this article shows us that there are circumstances that we find the reactions shocking. In this article, an Amish man receives a fine, starts a petition, goes to court and fights the fine that he receives instead of laying low and accepting it like we would all expect. It is very rare to see this happen in the Amish community. The Amish are very culturally diverse in various ways but this article also shows us an example of cultural diffusion. Years ago, a person belonging to the Amish community wouldn’t dare to fight the law. Times sure are changing along with the Amish com munity....

Has the American Dream changed Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Has the American Dream changed - Essay Example under the American Dream dogma is that the aforementioned benefits of being an American are available to anyone, regardless of where they hail from, and are distributed according to a person’s motivations and unique talents and abilities (Library of Congress 1). The conception of the American Dream has changed significantly from the 1960s to today, as what constitutes success and happiness, as well as freedom, is now underpinned by new social, professional and economic ambitions which were not dominant needs or ambitions in 1960s society. In the 1960s, the American Dream, as iterated by the venerated Martin Luther King, Jr., were the achievement of social equality and freedom from various types of oppression that were guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution that all men are created equal (Armitage 16). During the 1960s, it was not just African-Americans being oppressed, but many diverse ethnic groups and population subsets (for example homosexuals) that continued to be socially ostracized by other members of majority society. The American Dream, therefore, for those living in the 1960s, was ensuring achievement of true liberty and putting an end to social subjugation for failing to comply with the norms of society which asserted that being different from the majority was an opportunity to dominate and oppress. In today’s America, my personal American Dream is the achievement of wealth through self-governance of lifestyle and profession which underlines the ability to maintain a better quality of life. More wealth, from my perspective, brings opportunities for travelling, living in a top quality home, and procuring products and services that enhance one’s image, both physically and socially. In the 1960s, King saw the American Dream as ending the plight of â€Å"disinherited children of God† who were rising up to bolster the American Dream as related to â€Å"the most sacred values in our Judeo-Christian heritage† (Kloppenberg 147). Further reasserting the 1960s

Reflection and refraction Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Reflection and refraction - Research Paper Example eflection to occur, the light waves have to encounter a boundary that cannot absorb radiation energy forcing the waves to bounce away from the surface. Reflection is always enhanced by suppression of wave propagation in metals. For one to understand reflection, one must understand the law of reflection and also the different types the reflection has. Reflection of light is either specular meaning it is mirror-like or diffuse meaning that it retains energy. Specular light reflection also called regular reflection is seen when smooth surfaces direct reflected light at an opposite angle (Rezetko and Auld, 19). Specular reflection is mainly seen on smooth surfaces like mirrors or even a calm body of water. During specular reflection, laws of reflection are applied. The light rays that usually hit the surface of the mirror are called the incident rays. Those lights that are reflected from the surface of the mirror are always called the reflected rays. The first law entails that the incident rays of light, the reflected rays and even the normal to the reflection surface which is at the point of reflection should lie in the same plane. The angle of incidence is that angle at which beams of light hit a reflecting surface. The second law of specular reflection is that the angle made by the incident ray with the normal is always equal to that angle in which the reflected beams of light make to the same normal. The third law of specular reflection is that the reflected rays and the incident rays lie on the opposite sides of the normal. Since the light behaves somehow as waves and in other ways as if it is composed of particles, there has emerged a number of independent theories that explain this phenomenon. In reference to wave based theories, the waves of light spread out in all directions from the source. Immediately they strike a mirror; they become reflected by an angle that is determined by the angle that the light arrives. The process of reflection thereby inverts

Managerial Accounting Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Managerial Accounting - Assignment Example 5. Machine requirements Man hour costs 1,000*15=$15,000 1,000*12.50=12,500 2,500 Man hour costs forms part of direct labour costs since it must be met for the process to take place. 6. Engineer’s charges Monthly salary= 42,000/12=$3,500 This forms part of the indirect labour cost since it is not primary for the initial stage of the project. (ii) The valuation in the context of the proposed tender is valid hence need to be considered by the company. The direct costs being considered on the basis of absorption cost are lower than the overall revenues expected from the entire project. Direct material A is the direct material A available in stock and awaiting to be used in the manufacturing process. Direct material B is the direct material B available in stock and awaiting to be used in the manufacturing process. Direct Labour is the amount of direct labour that will be used in the production process to generate initial revenue. (iii) Revised schedule Engineering specification 2,0 00 Direct material A 72,000 Direct Material B 3,000 Components 9,000 Direct Labour 15,000 Supervision 400 Machine hire 3,000 Overhead costs 6,500 Total 110,900 (b) . Total revenue from the project $100,000 Direct material A 72,000 Direct Material B 3,000 Direct Labour 15,000 Supervision 400 Machine hire 3,000 Overhead costs 6,500 (99,900) Profits $100 The expected profits is higher than the actual profits which will lead into conflicts. Absorption costing basis tends to inflate the profits thus making them higher than the actual. (c) Non financial matters for consideration Effects on creditors The firm must adequately consider the impact its operation will have on its creditors. Labour relations. This is not financially related but it largely affects how a firm can manage to achieve its goal. 2. Althepal Ticket sales earnings (500*5) ?2,500 Food & drinks (500*3) ?1,500 Althepal’s hiring cost ?375 Special licence- ?25 (?1,900) Expected Profits ?600 McBoy Ticket sales earnings (250*5) ?1,250 McBoy hiring cost and transport (?150) Expected Profits ? 1,100 Break even point Althepal X= 400/(5-3)=200 units McBoy=150/(5-3)=75units Margin of safety Althepal 400-200=200 McBoy 150-75=75 Analysis By considering the expected profits from each of the two options, McBoy will result in higher profits than Althepal hence it should be undertaken. The expected profit of Althepal is greatly reduced due to the cost of providing the drinks and food as well as the cost of special licence charged for the sale of drinks. Both the margin of safety and break even point for both options are the same indicating that there are no external costs incurred. 3. Internal Rate of Return Definition There are basically many methods used in capital budgeting to determine the viability of investments such as Net Present Value (NPV), Payback Period (PP), Modified Internal Rate of Return (MIRR), Profitability Index (PI) and the internal Rate of Return (IRR). All these techniques aim at guiding a firm on the right choice to make when deciding on the best project to undertake. However the decisions on which technique to rely on depend on the

Present how strategic planning, performance improvement, and Essay

Present how strategic planning, performance improvement, and information systems are interrelated and fundamental to the delivery of quality health care - Essay Example This is because health care organizations are dynamic and thus they experience changes that are rapid, complex, and discontinuous from time to time (Swayne, Duncan, & Ginter, 2006). This makes the people involved in its management to require high degree of leadership skills. The investigations would have the capacity to improve this and thus improve management of these organizations. The issue to be investigated in this research is management of health care organizations. This encompasses issues like strategic planning, operational planning, and tactical planning. Health care organizations face a form of competition that could only be addresses using a systematic fashion (Moseley, 2009). The systematic fashion could be achieved through coordination of strategic planning, operational planning, and tactical planning. Issues that would be investigated by research proposed by this paper will aim at improving these three aspects of management and their coordination. Impact of not investigating this issue would be very great since it would make it difficult to improve management of healthcare organizations. Moreover, it would make improvement of these aspects of management too hard. As a result, health care organizations administrator would be able to use their leadership position and capability to interrelate strategic planning, performance improvement, and information system to provision of quality health care. Therefore, the profitability and survival of health care organizations in their respective markets would be greatly reduced. The research topic, which to be investigated in the proposed research, is improvement of health care organization management. Various specific researches have been undertaken on this research topic. Some of them have been trying to identify the factors that might be hindering proper management of these organizations. Others have been trying to investigate the impact of poor

Admissions Essay Essay Example for Free

Admissions Essay Essay Even since high school, I feel that I may have grown used to thinking that I will become a successful nurse someday. I envision myself, being like my two elder sisters who are nurses, being one of the best in this line of work. However, I do not regard this profession as a mere line of work. It is not a mere responsibility foster and nurture people, even unfamiliar ones. I honestly believe that there is a thin line between harboring life, and putting it in disrepair. I acquired my zeal for nursing since I was still in early high school. My two elder sisters, as mentioned, are also nurses. Sometimes being able to see them work, most of the time seeing them looking after patients’ health, as if it was their own, observing them obtain the satisfaction from helping other people†¦these are just some of the reasons that make me admire the people in that field of work. Moreover, my life experiences thrust me to practice Nursing and really put my life into it someday. My younger brother, who is indeed very dear to me, almost died when he was 8 months old. As what I was capable of understanding at that time, his temperature reached 107. See more: Satirical elements in the adventure of Huckleberry Finn essay 5 degrees, triggered by an ear and throat infection, which almost took his life. Throughout his illness, he was not able to do a lot of daily activities without someone to assist him. So, as his sister, I was there to look after him. I was there to nurse him, to assist in his needs, and make sure he was doing fine, at least that was what I can do. It is not that I am singing my own praises. It is just that, somehow, I feel that without someone to help or assist a sick person, he may not have been able to overcome such an illness. I am pleased and fulfilled to say I have taken care of my brother and helped him get through his ailment. I may have served as a support system for him, as well as my own family, in making things better, making him better, and keeping that thin line between life and death from becoming thinner for my dear brother. Sometimes when I look back to this experience, I tend to tell myself how possible I would have lost to death someone who is very close to me. I knew I did something for him, for him to get better. And somehow, that made me feel fulfilled. Thus, that gave me the inspiration to really push through a career in the future, such as Nursing. Inspired by my two elder sisters, enthused by my younger brother, I said to myself, I want to become a Nurse someday. Pursuing this field of interest is not just for and as my college course, but as a lifetime craft and vocation. It is not a mere money-earning job for me. Rather, as what I see from my siblings, I picture it as a self-fulfilling, people-caring job. I have lived my whole life in the small town of ____________. And in this small town, within the twenty years of my life, I have also been exposed to doing community work. I do volunteer works once a month at the nursery in my church at ______________. There, I teach three and four-year old children. Throughout doing this, I developed in myself the love for little children. That is why, when I become a nurse someday, I would really want to experience working specifically in relation to Pediatrics. Taking care of babies and innocent children feels like serving the satisfaction of being well appreciated. As far as what I have experienced, when children are well taken care of by adults, they give them high regards for making them feel well, especially when they are sick. Still, even if other soon-to-be nurses think that pursuing this career is a fast way to earn money by either staying in this country or going abroad, I still would prefer working at my little town where I grew up. When I finish my college degree as a Nurse, I would want to start working where I developed by passion for taking care of other people. It is because ___(Name of town)__ is where I will owe my success, hopefully. Besides, I also believe it is always a good deed to start helping your family and neighbors first, before you get on with the big world. At least, it would be a very good and fulfilling experience if I would be able to help my small town, in my small ways, at the start of my career. Since I am going to college soon, hopefully being able to pursue Nursing in ____Name of University___, I would be able to fully enhance and invigorate my passion for taking care of other people, and particularly their health. Because of my life experiences, especially with regards to my brother, I realized how important life is. And people need people who will take care of them when they are sick, people who scientifically know about health and who emotionally values life. And I believe I possess the qualities that it takes to become one good and successful nurse. One day, I told myself, I will be like my sisters. Dressed in clean white uniforms, taking care of my kin. As far as I know, nurses are indeed in demand here in the United States and in other continents like Europe. But I would prefer to stay here and serve my family and the rural town where I grew up. By the time I graduate, the need for nurses may have probably risen and I will be there to practice my profession, nurture and take care of people and live up to the care I have done for my brother and the inspiration I got from my sisters. And pursuing this as my college degree would be a step closer to my dream.

International marketing importance and role

International marketing importance and role International marketing is simply the application of marketing principles to more than one country. A great number of economists assures that international marketing is an on-going historical process, this process leads to the increasing integration of the production of goods, services, ideas, culture, communication and environmental pollution on a world-wide scale, imparting locality of populations and labor. Importance of International Marketing A firms international marketing program must generally be modified and adapted to foreign markets.   This international marketing program uses strategies to accomplish its marketing goals.  Within each foreign nation, the firm is likely to find a combination of marketing environment and target markets that are different from those of its own home country and other foreign countries.   It is important that in international marketing, product, pricing, distribution and promotional strategies be adapted accordingly.  In order for an international firm to function properly, cultural, social, economic, and legal forces within the country must be clearly understood.   The task of International marketing is more difficult and risky than expected by many firms.   One of the most controlling factors of international marketing is management.   It is very important for managers to recognize the differences as well as similarities in buyer behavior.  Many mistakes can occur if managers fail to realize that buyers differ from country to country.   It is the international differences in buyer behavior, rather than similarities, which cause problems in successful international marketing. Who is responsible? An international marketing manager is a manager responsible for facilitating the exchange of products between the organization and its customers or clients. Sometimes an international marketing manager will find difficulties in completing the exchange of products.  Many surprises in international business are undesirable human mistakes.   An international corporation must fully understand the foreign environment before pursuing business matters.  To be effective in a foreign market it is necessary to understand the local customs.   Knowing what to do in a foreign country is as important as knowing what not to do.   Failure to understand local customs can lead to serious misunderstandings between business people. Important Factors It is very important to be able to interpret the different means of communication in international marketing. It is almost impossible to attain complete knowledge and understanding of a foreign culture.   As established, culture plays an important role in the drama of international marketing.   Of all the cultural aspects, communication may be the most critical.  It is certain that communication has been involved in a number of cultural confusion.  Good communication linkages must be set between a company and its customers, suppliers, its employees, and the governments of the countries where it performs business activities. Issues with International Marketing Communications Poor communication can obviously cause various difficulties.  One source of difficulty among starting companies is that of effective communication with potential buyers.  The problem is that there are many possible communication barriers.  Sometimes messages can be translated incorrectly, regulations overlooked, and economic differences can be ignored.  Other times when the message does arrive, its ineffectiveness can cause it to be of no value. Every now and then a buyer will receive the message, but to the companies disappointment, the message was sent incorrect.  It is normal in multinational businesses to send and receive messages on a regular basis.   Many well-known people have incapacitated public speech introductions by using inaccurate titles and names.  Not all communication problems are verbal.  Some serious problems have occurred as a result of non-verbal communication.  Non-verbal communication exists in numerous forms.   Sometimes a persons appearanc e can convey a stronger message than intended. The perception of the product characteristics plays an important role in the international marketing strategy.  One must realize that the importances of a certain product traits vary from country to country.  Multinational corporations, therefore, must consider varying promotional tactics.   Adapting the product but using the same promotional mix is a strategy used when a product will not appeal to different local tastes. This international marketing channel is sequence of marketing organizations from nation to nation that directs the flow of products.   Most industrial products use shorter channels. One of the most basic levels of international marketing is licensing.   A license is a contractual agreement in which one firm permits another to produce and market its product and use its brand name in return for a royalty or other compensation.  This grant may be in the form of a direct sale of rights or be limited to a certain period of time. International licensing can be tied to joint ventures between the parent and the subsidiary. International marketers tend to concentrate on higher income countries as either personal, disposable, or discretionary.   For obvious reasons, marketers tend to concentrate on higher income countries.   Some producers have found that their products are more likely to sell in countries with low income.   As in domestic marketing, the determining factor is how well the product satisfies its target market.   International marketing encompasses all business activities that involve exchanges across national boundaries.   A firm may enter the international market for many reasons.   Whatever the reason international marketing can provide and efficient way of entering the market.   A firms marketing program must be adapted to foreign markets to account for differences in the business environment and target markets form nation to nation.   The marketing mix may require the modification of cultural, social, economic, and legal differences. Foreign marketing requires the under standing of various additional costs, which tend to increase the prices of exported goods.   The marketing program of an international company must adapt to the necessities of a foreign market. The strategies it uses to accomplish a firms marketing goal should be the main priority of the marketing program. Communication involves the skilful use of all the capacities of language organized into a system of tools, techniques and transmission devices. For example, if the idea of advertising is to create in the customers mind utility and value, this means that the marketer has to position the product in a way that makes it desirable to the customer, enabling transference of a basic need into a want. International integrated communication involves the formulation of vision that results in a strategy and implementation of an integrated communications plan in more than one country in various parts of the world, as opposed to the entire world, which would then make it global. Problems with International Marketing Communications Both the international marketing and marketing communications literature deal with this by adding some international elements to the basic process. The task that the sender has is to use socio-cultural cues and symbols familiar to the receiver and to select media that are socio-culturally and legally appropriate (if available). The increased difficulties are underscored by the idea of both the senders and the receivers realm of understanding and field of experience. Clearly factors affecting communication in the international context are such things as language for example brand names perception for example colour, values and beliefs for example veneration of the elderly or local advertising regulations for example comparative advertising. The complexity of the situation is clear to see. The difficulties of getting the message across the sender-receiver can be difficult These difficulties are exacerbated in the international setting. Marketing communications in  international markets  needs to be conducted with care, some of the factors that need to be considered in relation to  international marketing communications  (Promotion) are: The work ethic of employees and customers to be targeted by media. Levels of literacy and the availability of education for the national population. The similarity or diversity of beliefs, religion, morality and values in the target nation. The family and the roles of those within it are factors to take into account. International marketing is much more than just translating your advertising campaign.   Successful global brands communicate by understanding and adapting to local markets. One of the issues discussed in International marketing communication helps in uncovering how to reformulate products for local palates for instance HJ Heinzs wanted to market its oat based baby food in china. Research showed that the Chinese were not familiar with oats and hence it introduced methods of international marketing communications. Globalization in the sense of firms from all over the world interacting and dealing with each other is expected to be the normal state of affairs for the majority of businesses. In the industrial or business-to business sector, this pattern may be even more pronounced because advanced communications and transportation technologies have the potential for enabling the laws of comparative advantage to be realized to a very high degree. Thus, businesses that were used to dealing with other businesses from all over the country will now seek relationships from all over the world. Internet-based B2B E-commerce, has, of course, been at the vanguard of the expected revolution in the way global business will be conducted in the future and has led to uncounted predictions of a worldwide e-business revolution where virtually all industrial firms will be linked together in a gigantic electronic global network . Yet, this scenario seems a bit too simplistic. All of the hype about global B2B E-comm erce, networks, hubs, electronic auctions, etc., implies that the only thing standing in the way of electronically linked businesses on a global scale is the right technological hardware and software that, once put in place, will have global businesses operating with the precision and reliability of a Swiss watch. After all, this technocentric view suggests that the only difference between operating around the block or around the world is geographical distance. Therefore, it is just a matter of having the right satellites, telecommunications networks, and supply chains in place to solve this problem of distance. In an era of relatively instantaneous contact between organizations across the seemingly shrinking globe, why should one consider cultural distance at all? Simply because culture affects virtually all of human behavior. For example, culture has been defined as the software of the mind.Hofstedes extensive research on culture has helped conceptualize one of the most popular theories of cultural types, as evidenced by well over 1000 citations from Cultural Consequences reported in the Social Science Citation since 1980. His approach to culture initially identified four underlying value dimensions: (1) individualism vs. collectivism, (2) large vs. small power distance, (3) strong vs. weak uncertainty avoidance, and (4) masculinity vs. femininity (a fifth dimension, long- vs. short-term orientation was added later). The role of marketing communications in international marketing strategy has never been greater than in the emerging global competitive environment. A connecting fact in the literature is the understanding that the various elements of the communications and it shouldnt be isolated if they are to be utilized optimally and successfully these must be taken as part of a total concept for optimal results. Cultural issues may be even more prominent than they are for tangible goods. There are large variations in willingness to pay for quality, and often very large differences in expectations. In some countries, it may be more difficult to entice employees to embrace a firms customer service philosophy. Labor regulations in some countries make it difficult to terminate employees whose treatment of customers is substandard.  Speed of service is typically important in the U.S. and western countries but personal interaction may seem more important in other countries. A very complex and controversial issue is that of ethics. The varying norms and social values, many a time make the international business environment very intricate and perplexing. The term business ethics refers to the system of moral principles and rules of conduct applied to business. That there should be business ethics means the business should be conducted according to certain self recognized moral standards. There is, however, no unanimity of opinion regarding what constitutes business ethics. An international marketer often finds that the norms of ethics vary from country to country. What is ethically wrong or condemned in one nation may not be in another. Another issue is whether it is ethical to sell products are banned in some countries because of their harmful effects in other countries (often in developing countries). One issue is that if the government of a country permits the marketing of such a product, should a company give up the sales of the product on its own. If the harmful effects of a product outweigh the benefits, a company with sound ethics will not do business in that product even if there is no legal objection. With the increasing globalization of the business world, international segmentation becomes an ever more important concept in marketing. The globalization forces now at work push many companies to extend or reorganize their marketing strategies across borders and target international segments of consumers. Conclusion Business in the age of globalization has both facilitated and necessitated a move towards the internationalization of organizations of all sizes (Wood Robertson, 2000). However, while globalization is indisputably occurring in a variety of shapes throughout the world, there is as yet a considerable gap in the literature regarding the internationalization of businesses. Consequently, organizations engaging in international business frequently find themselves utterly unprepared for the environments they are entering and unaware of the potential risks involved in the internationalization move. This lack of preparation is already evident in the criteria applied to discriminate international markets against one another in order to select suitable countries for market entry. Often, countries for international business activity are chosen according to soft factors, i.e. factors such as proximity or personal preference, rather than hard factors such as market size, growth rate or accessibility