SESSION LONG PROJECT MODULE 4 Union Organizing (USAA INSURANCE Essay

SESSION LONG PROJECT MODULE 4 Union Organizing (USAA INSURANCE COMPANY) - Essay Example Now only around 16% of the overall labour forces across industries tend to be unionised (Lawler). The insurance industry, in the year 2008, only around 3% of the insurance workers are part of union contracts in comparison to over 14% of the employees in the private industry (Statistics). Considering the above statistics, it is evident that unionisation is not wide spread within the industry and here the overall impact of unions is relatively low. In the case of USAA, the company does not face any issues of unionization and hence there is a smoother and effective decision making process as a whole. USAA to a great extent has proved to be among the few companies which are independent and not interdependent as most insurance companies. The trends in the industry have little or no impact on USAA (Lawler). The company has been able to effectively work towards developing and improvising its products and overall position in the markets with a competitive edge that the company is focused on the military people and their families. USAA is impacted by a few of the federal government legislations and this impact the overall insurance industry and the daily procedures and practices.

Precis Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Precis - Article Example Experts are still on progress to analyze the effects a terror activity can cause to the global world. They have taken the World Trade Centre attack as the epicenter. Therefore it is of utmost importance to judge the importance of international terrorism in the arena of globalization. The population is driven rapidly in as circle of shock which seems to have fatal psychological effects on the civil society. The effects may not have direct economic effects but the arising panic have the potential to destabilize the economy dramatically. The anticipation regarding a terrorist attack can also play a part in short term behavior of the market. In addition huge costs are associated with the reconstruction and insurance of the casualties of terrorist attacks. The construction costs heaped to a huge amount as estimated some of the eminent concerns after the 2011 attack on US. The international terrorist activity has double impact on the economy. It can have short and medium term effects. The terrorist groups are used to collect funds from criminal enterprises, unregulated banking system and also through a network of charitable organizations. Some states are involved in funding the terrorist groups indirectly. They provide logistics as well as financial support to those groups. They position their finances in such a fashion that one cannot find unlawful activities and appears to be legitimate spending. The terrorist groups use multiple methods of fund transfer which makes it difficult to distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate transfer. An array of criminal activities also serves the purpose of funding for the groups. A significant portion of remittance from drug trafficking is generated only for the purpose of transferring the amounts to fund the terrorist activities. The operation of the terrorist activities within the globalized era is striking. For about a decade now, terrorism has become

Marketing Audit Of Primark Stores Limited

Marketing Audit Of Primark Stores Limited This report will start with an exhaustive examination of the internal factors of the organisation with a critique of its Marketing Mix. A SWOT Analysis will then be performed to get more evidence of where the company is standing now. The fourth part of the report consists of the auditing of external environment of the business with the help of a very effective tool which is PESTLE factors. To perform marketing audit in best possible manner another tool named Competitive Analysis will be employed which is also known as Porters 5 Forces Analysis. Here a broader view is adapted by looking at the fashion retail sector as a whole along with competition as faced by Primark Stores Limited. Marketing Audit of Primark Stores Limited A marketing plan clearly defines all the decisions relating to the marketing mix for the given product or service. Then each of the mix elements would be made into a plan at a further tactical level in the organisation to be implemented. The framework remains basic and unchanged at marketing and corporate level. It can be simply described as: Where are we now? (Audit) Where are we going? (Objectives) What are the alternative ways of getting there? Choosing the best option and developing an action plan (Tactics) Implementation and Control (Cravens and Piercy, 2003) The question of the report clearly indicates the researcher to focus upon the marketing plan, the implementation of which begins with a marketing audit. This report will attempt to do the marketing audit of Primark Stores Limited. Primark needs no formal introduction as being a value clothing retailer in UK; now more so when people are worried about the economy and employment. It has in total 207 stores across Europe in countries like Ireland (Trading as Penneys in Ireland), UK (145 Stores), Spain, The Netherlands, Portugal, Germany and Belgium (www.primark.co.uk). Primark outperformed MS this September with 17 per cent increase in profits and figure of  £233million (www.dailymail.co.uk). This Company is chosen for two other reasons as it being a prominent player in affordable fashion retail sector (www.gurdian.co.uk) and secondly the writer has worked in the retail sector and is hoping to secure a graduate placement in the same industry. Critique of Primarks Marketing Mix This Marketing Audit can prove useful in evaluation of the companys marketing, since evaluation compares results with expectations the findings should prove interesting and helpful. (Cravens and Piercy, 2003) Gillian and Wilson, 2003 suggest that a distinct competitive position as compared to other companies can be established and sustained through the manipulation of the elements of the marketing mix. In UK, services account for greater economic output as compared to manufacturing. In retail sector as well equal importance is placed on customer service and thus the 7 Ps of Marketing Mix are considered here. Primarks 7 Ps analysis is described below: Product: This is the first element of the marketing mix, the product is widely understood as the tangible and physical entity that is bought and sold. However there are three levels of a product namely the Core Product, the Actual Product and the Augmented Product. This is briefly explained in the diagram below: three_levels.gif Source: www.marketingteacher.com In case of Primark the Core Product is the Benefit that one gets by buying clothes and fashion accessories acceptance in society, protection from weather conditions, etc. The Actual Product will be clothes that are sold in stores and Augmented Product will be after sale services like refund and exchange. This also includes tools like Product Management, New Product Development, Product Life Cycle, Customer Life Cycle and Branding. It can be said that Primark has mastered its mix in an efficient way and this P has been added in the best possible manner. It has a product range comparable to any other clothes and fashion retailers. One can buy from socks to over coats and also home decoration products like bed sheets and so on. Price: Pricing consist various decisions and choices to price the product or service provided. This in broader sense includes terms of business, discount structures and pricing strategies. Pricing strategies can range from Value Pricing, Promotional Pricing, Psychological Pricing, Product Bundle Pricing and Geographical Pricing. The diagram below attempts to simplify the strategies: pricing_matrix.gif Primark without any doubt falls into Economy Pricing and that has been the key ingredient for the success of the company and also in making it more known brand name than its parent company which is Associated British Foods. It is undoubtedly a no frills low price retailer with cheapest rates in the market for majority of its products. Place / Distribution: This element refers to logistic and channel management, physical distribution of the goods and services. It is apparent from the pricing and policies of the company that it does not sell its products online. It has done very well in terms of the location of the stores in majority of town centers as well as high streets and Oxford Street Branch is one strong example of it. This is a key ingredient which Primark is suggested to re-evaluate as there is one more tool which is the most effective in todays retail environment which is e-retailing which can be used to its benefit with careful consideration. Promotion: Promotion is supposedly the most considered P among the other elements and in writers experience and the elements of Promotion Mix would form a very large chunk of the Marketing Budget of any retail company. Primark claims that it can deliver its products to the customer at cheaper rates which are thanks to their no promotions policy. (www.primark.co.uk) This can be claimed as the best strategy suited to a no frills retailer like Primark to maintain feasibility. People: As consistent with the concept of marketing itself, people form the most important part of any service offered to the customer. It consists of tasks like employee selection, training and motivation. Employees are the brand they are selling in many ways. Primark has struck a good balance with this P in the mix making the Primark team full with energy and team spirit. Rigorous recruitment process takes place to test the individuals patience and swiftness in serving customers. Physical Evidence: This can be said that the products itself are the major part of the physical evidence and looking at the things like packaging, layout, dà ©cor and ease of access, Primark can be said to have well designed layouts where products can be found with less effort. However as the case with many no frills companies, other retailer would get more score on this P comparatively. Process Management: Here the process management would cover right from when customer enters the store to when they leave the store. This experience would be considered process and this is also a weaker element in the marketing mix of Primark for it being a very busy place to shop at and at many instances good tend to be damaged if not selected carefully. (Hartley, 2004) Primarks SWOT Analysis Being one of the most frequently used tools, strategic importance of SWOT Analysis is many a times undermined. The outputs suffer at some occasions due to the superficial ways in which it is conducted (Gillian and Wilson, 2003). Its rigorous implementation however could greatly assist in two major purposes: To separate meaningful data from just interesting data. To discover what the company can do to exploit its competencies within its market segments in present and in future. SWOT-Analysis-sm.jpg Source: www.bizstrategies.biz Weihrich, 1982 also argue that using same inputs in TOWS pattern increases their recognition and fully integrates them into strategic planning process. Discussing Primarks SWOT: Strengths: Vast Product Range and Cheap Prices Part of Ethical Trading Initiative with workers rights taken care of. UKs second largest clothing retailer according to volume. (www.tnsglobal.com) Selling around 20 Own Brand Labels. Weaknesses: Bad name with allegations of child labour and worker rights. Criticised due to quality of clothes many times. Weak in terms of Augmented Product. (Figure in Section 2) Opportunities: Expansion in European countries. Improvement of Brand Image. Use of e-retailing. Threats: Competitors make use of Promotion element very well. Asdas own brand- George. Few shops degrading the name of the brand due to bad quality of service and unmaintained and shabby merchandising. Primark clothing.jpg Analysing PESTLE factors for Primark There is an argument that it is many a times not the customer but the external factors that decide what happens in the market. For example insurance companies are directly or indirectly involved with the design of smoke detectors and activists can demand of design change in dolls. (Salancik and Upah, 1978) For Marketing Audit to be realistic one of the binding necessities is to study the external trends. Amongst various approaches, analysing PESTEL factors is deemed best which include political, economical, sociological, technological, legal and environmental issues. Political Factors Government regulations in terms of worker health and safety. Primarks UK energy consumption is sourced against green power generated and sold into the grid by British Sugar. Economical Factors Economic turbulence might actually encourage the customer to buy cheaper clothes and save some money. In this way the economic factor has been a blessing in disguise for Primark. Sociological Factors UK Charity War on Want investigated and reported that the conditions of the workers in Bangladesh had not improved after all the problems with Indian Suppliers. Primark products are not considered to be very good in quality and thus rejected by many segments of customers. It is believed you will come across people wearing same t-shirt or other piece of clothing about 10 times in a day if it is bought from Primark. Technological Factors It is keeping ahead of the competition in a way by getting Entropy Software Platform developed by BSI Management Systems, which will enable global visibility and better management control in line with its ethical trade strategy. (www.bsigroup.com) Legal Factors It had to face legal issues regarding the child labour allegations. Its expansion in Europe might have undergone extensive legal checks to ensure it is abiding by the local laws. Environmental Factors It has to consider the environmental sustainability issues and it has also acted upon it by dumping plastic bags and giving away paper bags. Recent news shows that due to Throwaway Fashion in last five years, textile waste has rise from 7 percent to 30 percent. It is being called The Primark Effect. (www.dailymail.co.uk) Primarks Michael Porters 5 Forces Analysis Porter, 1980 emphasised that the first determinant of a firms profitability is the attractiveness of the industry in which it operates. The second determinant is competition. This led him to device five forces that determine the nature and intensity of competition within the industry which are described in the diagram below: Source: www.businessballs.com Based on: Michael Porters Five Forces of Competitive Position Model Threat of New Entrants Risk Very Low: High cost of setup. Power of the Supplier Risk Very Low: No single big supplier and less bargaining power of suppliers. Power of the Buyer Risk High: Competition in Market and no switching cost. Competitive rivalry Risk Moderate: Few low price retailers with similar vast range of products. Threat of the Substitutes Risk Moderate: Existing low price retailers but none that can be called a substitute. Conclusion This report started with an introduction to Marketing Plan and the first function of it which is Market Audit. Primark Stores Limited is chosen for various mentioned reasons. A critique of its Marketing Mix followed with a SWOT Analysis which gave a deeper insight into the companys current standing. Auditing of external environment of the business was then carried out with the help of PESTLE factors and Porters 5 Forces Analysis. It is apparent from the study that there are two areas namely its Brand Image and Online Presence that Primark need to work on and on the other hand it position is quite strong and its marketing mix very effective. This report concludes with a quote by Porter which summarises the whole study very coherently, 1998 Pp.142: Competitive Strategy means taking offensive or defensive actions to create a defendable position in an industry, to cope successfully with competitive forces and thereby yield a superior return on investment for the firm. Firms have discovered many different approaches to this end, and the best strategy for a given firm is ultimately a unique construction reflecting its particular circumstances. [Word Count: 2094 words]

Free Market Essays -- Capitalism, Bill Gates

Free-market Capitalism means that businesses are able to sell their product at whatever price they feel the market can sustain, allowing customers to buy products at a price they are willing to accept. The key to this market is price fluctuation; where pricing goes up or down to reflect supply and demand. The healthiest markets are those in which there are many producers competing for business and many consumers competing for the available products. This type of market minimizes the involvement of government, lessening regulations, unions, and trade barriers, allowing the businesses and the customers to decide which business will be successful. This in turn creates more jobs and competition (TheFreeDictionary, 2009). Creative capitalism is centered around companies’ spending money on projects that are seen as socially desirable. To Bill Gates (2008), it is "market-based social change [that adds up to] doing work that eases the world's inequities â€Å"(Gates, 2008). This constitutes companies supporting causes that are important to the customers in their neighborhoods. Many companies are jumping on aboard what some are calling the RED campaign, which started as a fight to end AIDS in Africa but has now expanded to a worldwide fight to end AIDS and to have an AIDS free generation. While this is just one of many community campaigns, the result of the community work done by companies has some economic advantages to the business. Some corporations have identified brand-new markets among the poor. The use of tier pricing has allowed them to provide life-changing technologies at cost, while increasing the cost to those who can afford to pay more. For example, Vodafone bought a stake in Kenyan Cell Phone Company, thinking that the m... ...eally is a positive force for change, and as such it becomes beneficial to engage in these positive activities to increase employee dedication and loyalty. Ultimately, it is easier to hire and retain employees when they feel invested in the company’s goals (Gates, 2008). It is on this note that it would be wise to consider what the implications are for companies that engage in such Creative capitalism with regards to their performance, employees, and profitability. Not all employees are equally dedication to company goals and this is a positive way to gain their support. Profitability can be gained through the use of creative capitalism, finding a niche and exploring it to the benefit of all involved. The increase of performance and exposure does not necessarily obviate the need to advertise and build the brand, it would be a tool to use during these campaigns.

My Personal Goals And Expectation As A Student Essay

It has been 20 years since I have been in school and I want to be here at The University of Phoenix to finally get the degree that I have put off for so many years. I realize there may be road blocks ahead of me that I am not aware of at this time, but I am making a commitment to myself to be successful. The road I have chosen is long overdue, but I believe it is the right choice and something I strongly desire. I selected the U of P due the accelerated program offered, the high caliber of educators, and recommendations by friends. After just one class, I’m very excited about my choice and look forward to the challenges ahead. At the U of P, I hope to obtain the knowledge and tools to help me be successful and to finally make things â€Å"right† with myself and my employer. I say this as, in the past, I have misled my former and current employers that I have an education beyond high school. Through hard work and dedication, I have been able to produce and prosper in my professional life, even without an education beyond high school. But I feel with a â€Å"real† degree in hand, I’ll be more confident and proud of myself for the hard work and dedication it will take to accomplish this goal. Also, the dark cloud of my misrepresentation will finally be lifted. I believe I will finally be proud of myself and gain the honor and integrity I desire. My personal goal is to obtain a Bachelors degree in Business Management. As I pursue my goal at U of P, I must dedicate myself. To achieve this goal, there must be commitment, discipline, desire and expectations. There will be many challenges that lie ahead of me as I steadily make my journey to achieving a degree. But I feel I can overcome any obstacles and face any challenge, due to my maturity level and positive outlook. Twenty years ago, I did not feel the need or have the desire as I do now. Other than the obvious goal of obtaining a degree, I hope to finally have the skills, knowledge and tools to obtain further success in my professional life. I also feel a degree will give me more confidence in myself both personally and professionally. The education that I will receive will help me tremendously in my professional career. I feel I will be much more marketable to my present employer as well as future employers. Advancement  opportunities will come to fruition as I go through the educational improvement process. Throughout this new learning process, I hope to develop the skills to be a better communicator, both orally and in written communications. I’ve always somewhat lacked confidence in writing and I hope to gain the skills to write effective letters and reports. I hope to develop leadership skills and have confidence in myself and in the decisions I make. I hope to learn how to set priorities and manage my time better both at home and at work. Just making the decision and taking the steps to further my education feels liberating and eases the anxiety I’ve always felt about not furthering my education. I feel my fears about â€Å"not measuring up† will subside and a sense of camaraderie will develop with my associates at work. Since beginning classes, I hope the stimulation I feel now will continue to grow and ease the fears I’ve always had about â€Å"learning† again. I expect my confidence level to rise and as I get more confidence, my mind will open up to new ideas and better ways of doing things. I hope this stimulating environment will foster new ideas that I can use in my professional life. Above all, I believe this journey will bring to me a sense of accomplishment, pride, and confidence. In my personal life, I realize I must make many sacrifices. The time I must invest in obtaining a degree will require I give up the very little free time I currently enjoy with my family. My work schedule is extremely full now and leaves very little time with my family. Taking classes will totally eliminate any time I had to spend with them, but they are very supportive and understand the rewards we will all reap from this undertaking. I’m doing this for all of us, as I know the personal and professional growth and successes will be invaluable for our future.

History of Life on Earth

Chapter 25: History of Life on Earth Synthesis of Organic Compounds on Early Earth * The Earth probably formed about 4. 6 billion years ago, and was bombarded with rocks and other material until about 3. 9 billion years ago. * The Earth then cooled, allowing for the formation of oceans. Scientists hypothesize the general atmosphere, or at least some regions, were naturally reducing environments, meaning that they added electrons to compounds. * Activation energy provided by lightening or UV radiation may have been able to create organic compounds and amino acids, as demonstrated by a number of modern experiments.Abiotic Synthesis of Macromolecules * Experiments have been done in which amino acid solutions in hot sand have formed polymers, but not true proteins. These polymers may have functioned as basic catalysts of some kind, however. Protobionts * Cells have genetic material in the form of DNA and RNA, which they are also capable of replicating. Nothing like this has been generate d spontaneously in lab experiments. * However, early structures called  protobionts  have had some of the capabilities associated with life.Experiments have spontaneously create protobionts, which are simple sphere of membrane that can perform simple metabolic and reproductive functions. * Note: phospholipids spontaneously form a bilayer, like the membrane that surrounds cells, so that part of the puzzle is easy to solve. Self-Replicating RNA and the Dawn of Natural Selection * Simple RNA structures called  ribozymes  can carry out basic chemical reactions and are even capable of replicating themselves. * As ribozymes replicated themselves (with errors) protobionts could have developed internal collections of slightly different enzymes that formed a rudimentary metabolic system.The RNA in these early â€Å"cells† may have served as a template for the eventual creation of a DNA genome, which would have reduced the number of errors made during replication. The Fossil Re cord * The fossil record gives a glimpse of life on Earth during different time periods and provides clues for evolutionary research. However, the fossil record also has significant gaps, but some are being filled by new discoveries. How Rocks and Fossils are Dated * Fossils appear in individual sediment layers, which tell us the order that they were formed in but not an actual age in years.Scientists use  radiometric dating  to determine absolute ages. * Radiometric dating is based on the fact that some radioactive elements have predictable  half-lives, or periods in which half of the substance will decay. If you know how much of a certain radioactive element an organism has when it died, such as carbon-14, you can determine its age by measuring the amount of carbon-14 remaining today. * Older fossils are harder to date, but you can at least guess based on the age of fossils in the surrounding layers. The Origin of New Groups of Organisms The presence of certain bones, differ ent kinds of teeth and other characteristics can help researchers make inferences about what an animal may been like while it was alive. Changes between similar fossils of different time periods also show the pace of evolutionary change. The First Single-Celled Organisms * Scientists have found fossilized  stromolites  that are thought to have lived 3. 5 billion years ago – the earliest organisms discovered to date. Stromolites are mounds of prokaryotes that bind to their kin and other inorganic material. Photosynthesis and the Oxygen Revolution 2. 7 billion years ago, there were probably cynobacteria in the ocean that used  photosynthesis  for energy and released oxygen in the process.The oxygen that these bacteria released would have eventually begun reacting with iron, and finally escaped into the atmosphere as a gas. * This buildup of oxygen actually killed many prokaryotes, and provided a strong selective force in favor of cells that could use oxygen in their met abolism. The cells that survived the â€Å"oxygen revolution† are probably the ancestors of today’s  aerobic  organisms. The First Eukaryotes The earliest eukaryotes are thought to have lived around 2. 1 billion years ago. These early eukaryotes probably formed through  endosymbiosis, in which they engulfed small, living, cells and developed a mutualistic (mutually beneficial) relationship with them. * The  mitochondria, for example, may have been â€Å"formed† in this way. The mitochondria has a double membrane, maintains and replicates its own DNA and reproduce independently of the rest of the cell. The Origin of Multicellularity * As cells became more complex, they also came to exhibit greater diversity.Multicellular structures also began to form. The Earliest Multicellular Eukaryotes The earliest multicellular eukaryotes probably lived around 1. 5 billion years ago. Earth had a few ice ages between 750-580 million years ago. Eukaryote diversity incre ased after the end of this period. The Cambrian Explosion * Scientists have found a whole bunch of animal fossils from the Cambrian Period (535-525 million years ago). While previous animals seem to have mostly been herbivores or filter-feeders, the animals that arose during the  Cambrian Explosion  had claws and armor. Recent evidence, however, suggests that some of these animals were living before the Cambrian Period, so maybe â€Å"explosion† isn’t the best term.The Colonization of Land * Prokaryotes lived on land as long as 1 billion years ago, but larger organisms wouldn’t get there until around 500 million years ago. Plants, which often had mutually beneficial relationships with fungi, colonized the land and began developing specialized structures suited to life out of water. Arthropods, such as insects, also spread on to the land. Continental Drift Here’s something weird: the continents move. They might move really slowly, when you’re ta lking about millions of years, those tiny movements add up. This process, called  continental drift, involves the movement of the Earth’s plates. The collision of two plates can form mountain ranges, cause earthquakes, and so forth. Consequences of Continental Drift * Around 250 million years ago, most of the Earth’s land was concentrated into once massive continent called  Pangaea. As the plates moved, climates changed (sometimes dramatically) and many species went extinct.The separation of plates, in contrast, promotes  allopatric speciation. * These changes in the Earth’s geography help explain similarities between distant organisms, for example. Mass Extinctions * Species go extinct all the time, but there are also major events that are particularly important in evolutionary history –  mass extinctions. The â€Å"Big Five† Mass Extinction Events * Here are a few stats involving fives for you: * Over the past 500 million years * Weâ€⠄¢ve had 5 mass extinctions Each of which caused the deaths of more than 50% of the world’s species * In the  Permian mass extinction, massive volcanic activity spewed lava over 1. 6 million square kilometers and released a huge amount of carbon dioxide, which may have warmed the planet and indirectly caused the deaths of many aquatic organisms. * In the  Cretaceous mass extinction, which killed many of the dinosaurs, an asteroid probably struck the Earth. This would have created a huge cloud of debris that could block the sun and alter the planet’s climate rather significantly.Such an impact may have created the Chicxulub crater in Mexico. Is a Sixth Mass Extinction Under Way? * Humans haven’t killed as many species as the other mass extinctions did, but we’re killing them between 100-1,000 times faster than they normally die. And that could be a big problem. Consequences of Mass Extinctions * It generally takes a few million years for the number of species on the Earth to rebound after a mass extinction. These events also generally wipe out species without regard to their fitness or environmental adaptations.Adaptive Radiations * The diversity of organisms has increased in the last 250 million years, as populations adapt to new environmental conditions and undergo speciation. These  adaptive radiations  generally occur on a large scale after mass extinctions, which leave many ecological niches open. Worldwide Adaptive Radiations * After the dinosaurs went extinct around 65. 5 million years ago, mammals underwent significant adaptive radiation, filling the roles that now-extinct species had occupied in individual ecosystems. Regional Adaptive Radiations Hawaii, which is far from any other continent, is a particularly stark example of adaptive radiation. There are hundreds of species on Hawaii that don’t exist anywhere else in the world. Evolutionary Effects of Developmental Genes * Developmental patterns have also ch anged over time.* Changes in Rate and Timing * One common developmental change is  heterochrony, in which different parts of the body grow at different rates or at different times. Some organisms can undergo  phetomorphosis, in which the adult form of the organism retains traits that previously had been confined to children. Basically, if human adults started looking like babies, we would have a phetomorphosis situation on our hands. Changes in Spatial Pattern * Changes in the  homeotic genes, which control how and where individual body structures develop, could have led to the development of vertebrates and other organisms. The Evolution of Development * There are a few different ways that mutations can significantly influence body structure. Changes in Genes * Many organisms have similar genes that are nevertheless different enough to produce very different outcomes.By identifying and testing each difference between the two genes, researchers can pinpoint the precise changes that alter the gene’s function. Changes in Gene Regulation * Sometimes changes in gene regulation, and thus gene expression, can alter an organism’s body structure. These changes can be localized to specific types of cells, and thus are less potentially dangerous than changes to the genome itself. Evolutionary Novelties * Evolution doesn’t proceed with a final goal in mind, and just involves slight changes from one generation to the next. Over time, simpler structures can become more complex and useful.Structures can also develop into something that serves a totally different purpose than their original function. Evolutionary Trends * The problem with looking at evolutionary trends (such as â€Å"horses are getting bigger†), you’re examining a linear succession of different horse ancestors but rather a branched tree of ancestors that diverged in all different directions. * However, natural selection also works on entire species. If speciation is t he birth of a species and extinction is its death, natural selection could guide the development of these successive â€Å"generations† and thus create a trend.