Concepts of epidemiology (HIV) Essay

Communicable diseases are global health issues nowadays as the world become globalized by increasing international travel and business. Among many of communicable diseases, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection is considered to be one of the most severe communicable diseases worldwide. It has spread rapidly throughout the whole world from the continent of Africa since it was first reported in 1981(Maurer & Smith, 2009). By 1987, it had spread to 100 countries, by 2001, HIV became the leading infectious cause of death in the world. Scientists believe a similar virus to HIV first found in animals such as chimps and monkeys in Africa, where Africans are hunted for food. While they contact with an infected animal’s blood during butchering or cooking, the virus might cross into humans and become HIV (Mayo Clinic, n.d.). HIV causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome(AIDS). Having HIV does not always mean having AIDS. To develop AIDS, it take many years for people with HIV. The epidemic of HIV/AIDS in Africa is devastating because it disrupts family life, leaving many children without parents’ support. Reduced workforces in African society impact socioeconomic issues as well. These days, HIV/AIDS are not only problems in the African continent, but they are now also seen in every continent in the entire world. As of 2008, United Nations (UN) general assembly special session on HIV/AIDS estimated that there were roughly 33-4 million people living with HIV, 2.7 million new infections of HIV, and 2 million deaths from AIDS. According to the Center of Disease Control(CDC), about 1.1 million people in the U.S. had been diagnosed with AIDS since the disease diagnosed in 1981(Maurer & Smith, 2009). A person gets HIV when an infected person’s body fluids such as  blood, semen, fluids from vagina or breast milk get into his or her bloodstream. This virus can enter the bloodstream through linings in the mouth, anus, or sex organs through broken skin. HIV attacks and destroys CD4 cells which is same as T-cells in white blood cells (Moss, 2013). When a person has lower number of CD4 cells in the blood than normal, he or she is susceptible to illnesses because the person lost ability to fight infection. Unsafe sexual activity, transfusion of HIV infected blood, sharing needles and syringes with people with HIV, HIV infected mothers’ pregnancy, delivery, and breast-feeding are all risk factors for HIV infection. World Health Organization(WHO) found that 80% of cases of HIV/AIDS infections happened by unsafe sexual contact with an HIV-infected person. Stigma, discrimination, misconception, local social and cultural taboos also contribute to increasing number of HIV infections in developing countries where people do not talk about them or people are not educated about them. Early symptoms of HIV infection are fever, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, diarrhea, weight loss, cough, headache, blurred and distorted vision, skin rashes or bumps, and shortness of breath(Moss, 2013). People infected with HIV progress to AIDS when their CD4 cell count falls down below 200 or when they develop complications such astuberculosis, salmonellosis, cytomegalovirus, candidiasis, cryptococcal meningitis, toxoplasmosis, cryptosiporidiosis, and cancers including Kaposi’s sarcoma and lymphomas. Other complications can include wasting syndrome, neurological complications, and kidney disease(Moss, 2013).AIDS is the last stage of HIV infection and life threatening. If a person with HIV does not receive treatment, the disease progresses to AIDS in about 10 years (Mayo Clinic, n.d.). Good news is that there is a treatment with antiviral medication for HIV infection even though there is no complete cure for HIV/AIDS. As soon as a person is diagnosed as HIV-positive, a variety of drugs can be used in combination to control this virus. The Department of Health and Human Services recommend that everyone with HIV infection must be offered antiviral medications regardless of T-cells count in order to restrict replication and duplication of the virus. HIV medications are more widely available than ever. They expand the lifespan of people with HIV. Not only drug regimen, but healthy life style such as eating healthy foods including fish oil and whey protein, avoiding certain foods including unpasteurized  dairy products, raw eggs, and raw seafood, getting vaccine, obtaining coping skills contribute to reducing further complication of HIV/AIDS (Mayo Clinic, n.d.). Prevention is the most important through education on safe sexual activity, safe care of blood transfusion, protective care of pregnancy, delivery, and breast-feeding among mothers with HIV/AIDS, etc. The epidemiologic triangle is composed of agent, host, and environment. These three are interrelated to spread the communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS. For example, the agent factor is the presence or absence of human immunodeficiency virus that is transmitted directly through infected blood transfusion, sharing infected needles and syringes, and breast feeding from infected mother or indirectly through broken skin by unsafe and unprotected sexual contact. The host factors are people. They can be either HIV-positive or HIV-negative. People who are diagnosed as HIV-negative are susceptible hosts who can be infected by people who are diagnosed HIV-positive if they have unsafe sexual activity or receive unsafe health care. The environmental factors can be social and economic conditions such as poverty, crowding, and frequent mobility of people that carry agents easily to other environments. If the environment is less habitable, the host susceptibility is reduced, and the agent source is also reduced or eliminated as well. All three factors may be altered to improve community resistance to HIV infection (Maurer & Smith, 2009) Host AgentEnvironment Figure 1 HIV Epidemiologic Triangle The community and public health nurses play an important role through their tasks such as case finding, reporting, data collection and analysis, and follow-up. 1. Responsibility of primary prevention; Community and public health nurses are in the front line to assess a person, family, and communities for epidemiologic agents, susceptible hosts, and favorable environments. Nurses are responsible for educating people in the community about the causes and spread of the virus. Since 80% of HIV infection occurs by sexual contact with an HIV infected person, abstinence or advocacy of the use of condoms and other protective measures during sexual activity must be taught to people of all ages at risk, young or old, male or female. Safe  administration of blood, safe use of needles and syringes, safe breast-feeding, and protective health care of mothers with HIV during pregnancy or delivery must also be taught and performed as well for primary prevention. 2. Responsibility of secondary prev ention: Despite education and prevention efforts, reducing HIV infection is challenging. In 2009, CDC reported, youth, ages 13-29, accounted for 39% of all new HIV infections in the U.S.(Albright & Gavigan, 2014). Nurses are responsible for secondary prevention through effective intervention. There is no cure for HIV/AIDS , yet medication regimen help improve life expectancy by preventing HIV-related complications. Combination of medications at least three of antiretroviral can be used to control the virus(Moss, 2013). Nurses should encourage people who receive antiretroviral therapy of 3 to5 combination pills to be compliant with prescribed medications as scheduled. However, combination of antiretroviral cost a lot and are not available in poor countries. WHO support these countries that drug companies provide medications at low cost. Community health care providers suggest voluntary counseling and testing for HIV treatment programs as good strategies. By the help of trained counselors, patients in the community can learn their HIV status and register for treatment as needed. In South Carolina, since the number of young adults with new HIV infection is increased, a new intervention program is designed for young adults that is called HIV/AIDS information vaccine, using graphic novels(Albright & Gavigan, 2014). 3. Responsibility of tertiary prevention; Since HIV/AIDS is incurable and at risk in progression gradually, community and public health nurses can focus on enhancing or optimizing their quality of life. HIV is not only a physiological stressor, but also a significant psychological stressor. Many of HIV positive patient suffer with depression and suicidal ideation. According to the study, these psychological symptoms among HIV-positive people are associated with a decline in CD4 cell count (Dalmida, 2006). By evidence of research, depressive mood affects neuropeptide receptor on lymphocytes and lead to decreased CD4 cell count(Dalmida, 2006). Spiritual practice and mental care for HIV-positive people are beneficial to relax sympathetic nervous system and enhance immune function (Rabin 1999). According to the holistic view of human being, an awareness of one’s spiritual self is very important to extend life span with optimal wellness  increasing greater satisfaction with life. (Rabin, 1999). Community and public health nurses have a role in such responsibilities in order to make a person, family and community different and healthier by providing coping skills with spiritual activities for people who are infected by HIV and who are suffering with AIDS. AIDS United is an organization that carries its mission in the U.S. to end the epidemic of AIDS since 1987. This organization has funded to local communities for syringe access, access to care, capacity building, HIV prevention and advocacy. AIDS United supports community-driven to HIV epidemic around the nation that reach populations with HIV/AIDS including gay and bisexual men and women, adolescents in school. References Albright, K.S., Gavigan, K. (2014) Information Vaccine: using Graphic Novels as an HIV/AIDS prevention resource for young adults. Journal of Education for Library & Information Science; Spring 2014, Vol.55 Issue 2, p178-185. Retrieved from GCU library. Coleman, C.L., Holzemer, W.L. (1999). Spirituality, psychological well-being and the quality of life. In L.A. peplau & D.Perlman (Eds), Loneliness: A sourcebook of current theory, research, and therapy (pp.224-237). New York: Wiley-Inter-science. Retrieved from Grand Canyon University(GCU) Library. Dalmida, S.G. (2006). Spirituality, Mental Health, Physical Health, and Health-related quality of life among women with HIV/AIDS: Integrating spirituality into mental health care. Issues in Mental health nursing. Vol. 27. Retrieved from GCU library. Maurer, F.A., Smith, C.M. (2009) Community/Public Health Nursing Practice: Health for families and populations (4th ed.)[Saunders Version] Retrieved on June 5, 2014 from http://evolve.elsevier.co m Moss, J.A. (2013) HIV/AIDS Review. Journal of Radiologic Technology, 2013 Jan 1; 84(3) pp. 247-270. Retrieved on June 5, 2014 from GCU library. MayoClinic (n.d.). Retrieved on June 5, 2014 from http://www.mayoclinic.org/disease-conditions/hiv-aids/basics/causes/con-20013732 U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) http://www.cdc.org/cough/index.htm World Health Organization(WHO) http://www.who.int

Organizational Behavior Issues in Aussieco Essay

Aussieco, an Australian company established as a small manufacturing and service operation company in 1962 is now a fully expanded company with 600 employees. The company built its reputation on a single product holding 90 per cent of the Australian market in the 1980. Over the years the market holding has gone down by 30 percent in spite of the product being unique and company facing little competition in the market (Jones,Gal, n. d) The downturn in Aussieco’s performance is mainly due to issues with the company’s management and organizational behavior. Organizational Behavior refers to ‘the understanding, prediction and management of human behavior in organizations’ (Luthans,2010). It is the study of individuals and their behavior in a work place. A company’s performance and outcome largely depends on its organizational behavior as it is an interdisciplinary field that includes sociology, psychology, communication and management. Aussieco’s organizational behavior issues can be explained through Henri Fayol’s 14 management principles. Henri Fayol’s theory of administration and organizational behavior focuses on the personal duties of management and managerial effectiveness which aussieco lacked. (Fayol,1971). The company has inexperienced staff and no specialization as major high authority staff is friends and family without skilled knowledge. The executive managing director is the owner’s nephew with no practical or industrial experience. The production supervisor is the production manager’s best friend who has little knowledge of the daily production tasks as he is a carpet fitter by qualification. Employees at the operative level are migrant labor mostly lacking formal qualification. On diversification, management failed to understand the changing market needs. Aussieco follows the power culture where control is centralized. The major motivational or driving force is fear (Luthans,2011). Suggestions and personal preferences are not welcomed. The owner-chairman reacts in a strong negative way if any manager’s opinion differentiates from his. This lack of consultation leads to staff feeling de motivated and undervalued. Though there has been division of labor and departmentalization in the company but the managers lack authority and responsibility. On the instance of owner accepting order from a bad debt customer without consulting the general manager shows lack of authority for the manager. Owner’s dictatorial attitude and ignorance of modern trends hold back the dedicated managers to improve and bring changes in the company’s working, as they are either fired from the job or become his instant enemies. The company lacks discipline and employee commitment. Lack of loyalty, no willingness to put high levels of effort, no belief in the company’s goals and vales and lack of faith in the management all together leads to all the issues of Aussieco. During lunch hours the senior management and sales staff have access to unlimited alcohol in the workplace. Assembly line workers underperform and hold back production with vague excuses. Subordination of individual interest over the company’s interest and goal is one of the major problems of Aussieco Employees overtime to get paid extra and not for productive outcomes. Also the senior programmer in spite of completing his work order uses his work holiday for personal matters. There is lack of equity and justice among the employees. The rule being everyone must vacate office during lunch break but exceptions for the senior management and sales staff that eat in the work place, operatives and other staff are allowed no food or drinks in the workplace. The migrant staff is treated well and better than its own internal staff. There are less internal promotions. High employee turnover, no stability of tenure of personnel is another major issue with Aussieco. To attain maximum productivity of personnel it is essential to have a stable workforce, which Aussieco lacks. There are frequent mass resignations in the company. No production manager lasts for more than 3 years in the company. The post of personnel manager is vacant since 2 months. Employees have no job security and thus are not fully committed to their work. This further increases the company’s costs of recruitment,selection and training. There is lack of motivation and initiative by the management for the welfare of the employees. There is lack of rewards, appraisal and bonus. The workshop roofs are without insulation and leak during heavy rain, no doors and filthy windows point toward bad and unhealthy working conditions. This even gave a loss of $AUS 500,000 when water leakage blew a computerized robot. No parking area provided for the employees, who reach frustrated to the office,which in turn shows in their slow performance. Lack of structured work, irregularity in work and no proper accounts and records maintained by the managers is another organizational issue for Aussieco. Though the record showed a stock of 4700 resistors but none could be located. A welder forgotten by the company after fitting of new automat is idle and has no contribution in the company. Reasons why these problems occur. One of the major reason for the organizational issues of aussieco is the employee attitude. Job satisfaction focuses on employee attitude and organizational commitment focuses on their attitude towards the organization. Job satisfaction is determined by how well the expectations of employees are met in return of their output (Luthans,2011). The aspects of job satisfication are not met by Aussieco. Employees of Aussieco are unsatisfied with the kind of work they get, the job provides less opportunities for learning and less responsibility. There is lack of remuneration and pay, less promotional opportunities, bad working conditions. This high level of job dissatisfaction of employees reflects in their low performance, company’s low profits, high employee turnover, high absenteeism and low level of commitment towards the company. The attitude of employees in an organization is largely influenced by the kind of environment the organization posses and further the attitude of employees affects their efficiency and performance at the organizational level. The environment of aussieco is not employee friendly thus employees have a negative attitude. Employee traits can be best explained by the Five factor model. Job performance is highly dependent on an individual’s conscientiousness (i. e dutifulness, persistence, industriousness) and emotional stability (i. anxiety, security, suspiciousness). In Aussieco employees had low conscientiousness and low emotional stability which affected their overall task performance and contextual performance. Organizational commitment is an important attitude toward the employers and the company. It is the extent to which we identify with them. Most of the employees, posses’ continuance organizational commitment, which is a calculative approach, where they chose to continue working in the company because they ‘have to’ rather than their want or obligation. This attitude is influenced by perceived costs of leaving the company, lack of opportunities, age, peer pressure, society expectations etc. Employees of Aussieco developed this attitude because of the mechanistic treatment they receive and lack of empathy from management. Autocracy is the concentration of power and authority in hands of one person. The management of Aussieco has an autocratic structure with the owner having unlimited power and absolute authority. There is a strict hierarchical structure; orders are sent from top level to bottom level. Ideas, personal opinions and suggestions are unwelcomed. In this management style managers believe workers must be controlled to ensure maximum productivity (Luthans,2011). Aussieco’s structure can be best explained by Douglas McGregor’s theory X. This theory represents an assumption of conflicting and negative working attitudes. The managers assume an average person dislikes work and will avoid it if possible, thus must be forced with threat of punishment to achieve organizational goals. An average person prefers to be directed and avoids responsibility. This approach encourages deadline and ultimatums, arrogant and demanding managers, mechanistic approach, no concern toward staff and one way communication (Jeremiah,2009). In Aussieco this approach resulted in a negative attitude by the employees, made them insecure and unhappy. Lack of Taylor’s scientific management. Frederik winslow taylor’s key idea was to improve industrial efficiency scientifically. He encouraged scientifically selecting and training workers and regularly monitoring their work to improve efficiency which also improves work man happiness and positivity (Lynch,1984). Aussieco lacked scientific selection, training and development of workmen and passively left them to train themselves. Managers did not supervise and provide instructions to the employees and there was no division of work between managers and workers. There was lack of specialization, standardized and systematic approach. The company continuously changed its suppliers for cheapest material available, a supplier providing 99. 5% quality level charging $20 per unit was replaced with a supplier charging $12per unit. The quality of the product suffered, increasing customer complaints and affecting the goodwill of the company negatively. There is lack of communication between departments, department managers and workers and senior management and managers. The senior management is unapproachable and not interested in the issues of the company and workers. Though Taylorism has faced criticism of exploitation, mechanistic approach etc but in relation to Aussieco, the company needs to adapt certain principles of Taylorism for a better organizational working. To conclude Ausseico’s major issue is organizational and management structure. The company should have a more humanistic and realistic approach with a right balance of authority and responsibility.

Audit Evidence

Evidence – information used by the auditor to draw conclusions on the fair presentation of the financial statements. Audit objectives suggest the types of evidence to accumulate. II. Decisions on evidence accumulation A. Which audit procedures to use. General Objectives: Six TRAOs Eight BRAOs Four PDAOs Accounting Cycles: Five Management Assertions Specific Objectives: At least: Six TRAOs Eight BRAOs Four PDAOs Audit Procedures: At least one and likely more for each specific TRAO, BRAO, PDAOs Audit procedures frequently â€Å"cover† more than one audit objective! Select a sample of sales invoices and trace to the shipping document agreeing name and quantity. Preparation Question: What is an audit procedure? B. What sample size to select for a given procedure. C. Which items to select from the population. D. When to perform the procedures (timing). III. Audit Program Preparation Question: What is an audit program? IV. Persuasiveness of evidence Which audit procedures: A. Appropriateness 1. Relevance Example: Trace from sales invoices in the Sales Journal to shipping documents. B. Reliability 1. Independence of provider – 2. Effectiveness of client’s internal control structure (strong vs. weak) 3. Auditor’s direct knowledge 4. Qualifications of provider 5. Objectivity What sample size and which items: C. Sufficient 1. Likelihood of misstatements 2. Quality of internal control When to perform D. Timeliness Other factors: E. Combined effect F. Cost 2 V. Type of Evidence Preparation question: Enter key words that define each of the types of evidence listed. Type Definition Grade 1. Physical examination 2. Confirmation 3. Documentation: External Internal – good Internal – bad 4. Analytical procedures: Tailored Broad 5. Inquiries of the client 6. Recalculation 7. Reperformance 8. Observation In-class exercise: Audit Procedure 1. Examine supporting documents for cash disbursements several days before and after year-end. 2. Examine the acquisitions and cash disbursements journals for the last few days of the current period and first few days of the succeeding period, looking for large or unusual transactions. 3. Trace from the general ledger trail balance and supporting documentation to determine whether accounts payable, related parties, and other related assets and liabilities are properly included on the financial statements. 4. For liabilities that are payable in a foreign currency, determine the exchange rate and check calculations. 5. Discuss with the bookkeeper whether any amounts included on the accounts payable list are due to related parties, debit balances, or notes payable. 6. Obtain vendors’ statements from the controller and reconcile to the listing of accounts payable. 7. Obtain vendors’ statements directly from vendors and reconcile to the listing of account payable. 8. Obtain a list of accounts payable. Re-add and compare with the general ledger. Type of Evidence BRAOs 3 Example of writing/creating audit procedures: Situation: The following depicts the document flow for sales for a typical company. Customer/ Sales Order Bill of Lading Sales Invoice Sales Journal General Ledger Financial Statements General Objective TRAO – Occurrence Specific Objective Audit Procedures TRAO – Completeness See Table 7-6 (p. 187) for good â€Å"buzz† words to use when constructing an audit procedure.

Evaluation of a Wellness Centre in the Community Essay

Evaluation of a Wellness Centre in the Community - Essay Example The clinic is run by Anthony R. Di Francesco, Ph.D., who is the Director and Christopher T. Haley, Psy.D., the Co-Director; along with their highly qualified staff that include Clinical Psychologists Kate Strand, Ph.D.  Ã‚  Jason Epstein, Psy.D.  Ã‚  Matthew Broudy PhD, Ayonda L., PhD Alicia Batts, PhD, Fields, Ph.D. Also on the staff are Donna Price and  Sandra K. Molle, who are Licensed Professional Counselor (L.P.C.’s) and Michael Schell-Smith and Sandy Mansfield, who are Licensed Clinical Social Workers (L.C.S.W.’s). Between them, the staff is trained in a plethora of therapeutic techniques ranging from the structured individual therapy sessions to the more dynamic training and group activity sessions that include alternate treatment disciplines like the use of Imagery, Tai Chi and Meditation. The services provided include Individual Psychotherapy for all ages, a variety of techniques under Play Therapy,  Family Psychotherapy and Couples Psychotherapy for a wide range of situations. The clinic also conducts group Psychotherapy sessions for Mind-Body co-ordination,   Bio-Feedback Training which is recommended for individuals suffering from stress related conditions,   Life Coaching,   Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) as well as Psychological Testing for learning disabilities like Dyslexia, for ADHD, behavioral and clinical conditions like depression, anxiety and others.

Statement of Purpose Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

Statement of Purpose - Essay Example Serving the people of Boston and the whole of America along with the students from other nations for more than one hundred and ten years now, Northeastern University has been a global name and one of the most vibrant and exciting place to learn and live. The university has a wide mix of various educational programs like students’ research, global learning and service learning that as a whole comprises the cooperative education program. The various educational programs of this university of repute provide the learners with the much required confidence and the connections that help them to transform their lives. In order to avail the best of the education and knowledge to enhance my skills of accounting and finance, it would be my pleasure to get an opportunity to join Northeastern University. I possess wide industry experience in the field of accounting of more than sixteen years. I have the experience of serving various verticals of the accounting division at various levels of the companies. The post held by me from time to time includes that of ‘accounting supervisor’, ‘staff accountant’ ‘senior accountant / controller’ and even that of ‘chief financial officer’. It was in the year 1993, when fresh with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Accounting from the Ashford University of Iowa, I joined Edmire New York Lather Company. The job profile with which I was bestowed upon by my first employer was very enriching as I got the opportunity to learn all of the aspects of industrial accounting with Edmire New York Lather Company. As an accounting supervisor, I was designated to manage all of the accounting functions that encapsulated the domestic distributors of lather. I was responsible for preparation of monthly statements and implementations of financial procedures. Other works included maintaining fixed assets and depreciation schedules, completing financial audit,

Public Policy - Resources assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Public Policy - Resources - Assignment Example mated population of 25 million, the state must deliberate on water usage and storage to quench a population that is estimated to reach 46 million by 2060 (Artz 8A). The magnitude of water problem in Texas was manifested by the 2011 drought. Most of the cities in Texas could not afford to keep the homes taps flowing without a huge expense, for example, in Spicewood Beach, the water ran out completely and the town had to bring in water using trucks. Consequently, the city of Wichita Falls has resorted to conservation by banning unnecessary usage of water. The shortage has also affected agricultural activities such as irrigation in order to divert water to domestic use. According to water experts, the water problem in Texas can have varied solutions. First, the state can adopt an expansive water conservation agenda in which any unnecessary usage of water is prohibited. The ordinances need to be set in order to deter people from wasting water at the expense of other citizens. Watering of private lawns, refilling of swimming pools and regular car washing should be banned in the state. Conservation of water is an expensive sacrifice that has to be made by the civilians. Although it is inconveniencing, it is the cheapest way of ensuring availability of water for basic needs (Texas Water Development Board). Second, the state can embark on water storage. Several states in the United States have the projects where water is stored in underground aquifers (ASR). The water in the aquifers can be then used in times of scarcity. The idea of constructing water aquifers is ideal since it reduces water loss through evaporation. An example of how aquifer storage and recovery is beneficial is depicted by the importance of the Twin Oaks aquifer that has the ability to supply 20% of water needs in the city of San Antonio. Broadening the sources of water is another concept that can be used in Texas. The state government can embark on alternative measures such as recycling

Assignment 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Assignment 5 - Essay Example They appear different from another angle as the question based on qualitative research design focuses on multiple realities that can be constructed from different sources, unlike the other question that targets valid statistics. The news outlet shares the results of a study where two groups of teenagers are measured against two variables; tendency to carry weapons and tendency to carry none based on the amount of soft drinks drunk. The study focuses on the effects of nutrition on behavior. The outlet points out that the study does not establish whether soft drinks cause violence. The news outlet does well to focus on the facts realized from the study. It interprets the information right without signs of the misconception. I am conducting a research to examine females’ attitude towards engineering and the popular stereotype that engineering is a male career. I am concerned about the career choices made by learners based on gender. I plan to conduct interviews that will involve teachers, students, parents and other members of the society. If you agree to participate, I will ask you to fill out a questionnaire form regarding your dream. Moreover, I would need to know why you chose such careers, how your cultures affect such choices and your opinion on who fits in engineering as a career. If you do not want to contribute, there will be no consequence involved and your results will not be pretentious. Participation is voluntarily. You can withdraw midway if you want to. Your inconspicuousness will be secured. The author is concerned with the need to enhance spelling in young elementary children. Spalding instruction is based on a language art strategy that has a number of positive outcomes for the elementary students. It does provide sequential, multisensory guidance in spelling phonics and handwriting. Learners can diligently put points across in

Emerging Technology in Solar Energy Research Paper

Emerging Technology in Solar Energy - Research Paper Example Solar energy has been used towards providing heat and light in different parts of the world by using many techniques. These technologies are ever-emerging and are used in variety of methods from producing electricity, thermal energy, architecture, artificial photosynthesis, solar photovoltaic and heating. All these technologies are further divided into the passive or active solar technologies depending on their utilization of sunlight from capturing it to distributing it in certain ways. Active solar procedures incorporate the utilization of photovoltaic boards and thermalcollecting methods to contain the solar energy. Passive solar procedures include turning a structure to the Sun, selecting materials with good warm mass or light scattering properties, and outlining spaces that characteristically circle air. Emerging Technologies in Active Solar Energy By the very essence of the word, Solar, the utilization of Sunlight towards producing electricity through concentrated solar power (CSP) or photovoltaic (PV) is amongst the rapidly growing technology of the time. Both of the technologies use a separate method towards the accumulation of electricity. In Concentrated Solar Power system, the sun beams are collected towards a small or a large area and then focused towards one area where the sunlight is converted into electric current through photovoltaic effect.

Rocky movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Rocky - Movie Review Example He collects loans for a certain shark and also fights in the towns shady clubs where he is lowly paid. His success begins when a heavyweight champion Creed, selects him to be his opponent in a fight where Balboa gets a chance to prove that he is not worthless (Didinger, Glen & Gene 14-16). This is because he gets mocked a lot when he fights at the clubs. He loses the match but this does not deter him from trying more. Thus, he is not successful in job searching, which makes him decide to stick to boxing. While training under Mickey he improves his skills to a better boxer. Meanwhile, his opponent at the first match Creed is criticised by his fans. He is pressured to overcome his fight with Balboa which makes him taunt Rocky publicly. During their fifteenth round, Balboa knocks Creed and this makes him get declared heavyweight champion for the first time (Didinger, Glen & Gene 16). This makes Rocky famous and he appears in a number of television advertisements as well as programs. After the fight what follows is a stream of wins making him more famous than his earlier opponent. While preparing to retire from boxing, he is publicly challenged by the number one contender James â€Å"Clubber† Lang. This time round Rocky is not fit to fight as his trainer dies of heart attack during their second round where he loses to Lang. Surprisingly, Rocky’s old rival Creed becomes his trainer and during the third round, he knocks Lang out. Another contender Ivan Drago from USSR challenges him to an exhibition match which does not take place. Instead, they fight on Christmas day where rocky knocks him out some seconds to final round. After this fight, Balboa gets diagnosed with brain damage which makes him retire from fights. To add on this, he is bankrupt due to poor accounting of his fortune. This forces his family to return to their earlier neighbourhood. His son follows his footsteps in the ring

The secret police Propaganda and the cult of personality Essay Example for Free

The secret police Propaganda and the cult of personality Essay The following were equally important reasons why Stalin was able to hold on to power in the Soviet Union: The purges and show trials The secret police Propaganda and the cult of personality Stalins economic policies Explain how far you agree with this statement There are a number of reasons why I partially agree with this statement, however, I do not believe it would be correct to say that it is totally correct. The fact that Stalin was extremely politically cunning enabled him to combine the above techniques, in order to minimise opposition, and maximise support and production in the soviet state. Stalins techniques can be classed into two main methods of winning support: the use of fear, and the use of propaganda and success in order to persuade. After Stalin achieved power in 1928, he became increasingly paranoid of any opposition. His initial aim was to ensure that his position in power was totally secure, and risk free. In order to achieve this, Stalin used two of the methods mentioned above: the purges and show trials, and the secret police. These two methods were very closely linked and intertwined. From around 1930 onwards, Stalin gave the Secret Police (NKVD) the right to arrest anyone suspected of opposing, or having the potential to oppose Stalin. However, this did not simply include party members who had previously opposed Stalin, for the police would arrest scientists, doctors, actors, teachers, artist and any ordinary people or workers whom Stalin felt threatened by. Naturally, this was an enormous task, and could not be managed by Stalin alone. Instead, a vast army of informers were released into society, to tip off the NKVD of any opposition. Such was the extent of the spying that went on in the 1930s, and Stalins terror of opposition, that children were even encouraged to inform on their own parents, and neighbours would condemn each other, in order to deflect blame from themselves. The situation became extremely similar to that of the Nazi police state, with the Gestapo, in which Hitler used to spy on the public. In addition to this, Stalin even took the extreme measures of executing any members of the NKVD, who were either inefficient at rooting out counter-revolutionaries, or who he suspected of knowing too much about his plans, and posing a potential threat to his position. A number of show trials were also held under Stalins command. These were court cases of predetermined verdict, which were greatly publicised in order to boost support for Stalin. By doing this, Stalin aimed to ward off criticism for having killed millions of Russians as a result of the purges. In 1934 Kirov, a popular leading communist was assassinated. Historians today are quite convinced that Stalin was at least partially responsible for the murder. However, on 13th march, 1936, sixteen old Bolsheviks, including Zinoviev and Kamenev were faced with charges of having been responsible for the death of Kirov, and having plotted against Stalin. Whilst historians today believe that it is extremely unlikely that the two loyal Bolsheviks had anything to do with the assassination of Kirov, all sixteen of the accused were sentenced to be executed on 24 August. This shows how Stalin was able to carefully twist purges and show trials into a form of propaganda, in which he could present himsel f as a great leader, and make it impossible for people to oppose him. In the following years, up to 1938, many more show trials were held. Stalin was extremely quick with dealing with the army, executing over 90 percent (some 25 000) of all Soviet generals in order to make it totally incapable of leading a putsch against Stalin. The Communist party had been purged of anyone likely to face up to Stalin, and all of the old Bolsheviks of the 1917 revolution were gone. History books were rewritten in order to erase any memory of these counter-revolutionaries. By 1939, Peoples lives were crippled with fear of the NKVD, as over 20 million Russians were now in labour camps, 12 million of them dead. To prove this, in 1989, a mass burial pit was discovered, containing the bodies of over 80 000 people who had been executed under Stalins command. However, in the meantime all knowledge of Stalins purges was being erased, and the myth of his greatness being created. Stalin had finally achieved what he wanted, and his position in power was totally safe, with the army incapable of opposing him, and all opposition amongst the communist party, and throughout the Soviet Union removed. This was an extremely important step taken by Stalin, in order to preserve his leadership, however due to the huge cost of these actions, Stalin found the economy under a great deal of stress. It is my belief that Stalin used his economic policies for two main reasons. Firstly a successful economy would cause him to look good, and help him tighten his grip on power. Secondly, the international situation was becoming fairly gloomy for Russia, it was seriously threatened by famine, and it could not compete with other industrial countries, increasingly towards 1938, after Stalins costly purges and show trials. Stalin said in a speech to the first conference of workers, we are fifty to a hundred years behind the advanced countries. We must make up this gap in ten years. Either we do this or they crush us. We can therefore conclude that it was becoming vital for Stalin to introduce a change in the system in order for Russias economy to survive. After realising that Lenins idea of trying to persuade the Peasants to join collective farms was not working fast enough, Stalin decided that a far more ruthless process was required, in order to produce enough food to support an increasing amount of workers in industry. To begin with, Stalin tried Lenins tactic of persuading peasants, however after they heavily resisted, Stalin became far more brutal. Over 5 million kulak families are thought to have died in labour camps, along with anyone who tried to defend them. Eventually, Stalin achieved the results he wanted, and by 1935, 94 percent of agricultural land had been collectivised, and the kulak class eliminated, however the brutal way in which this process was carried out meant that it was greatly resented by many. On the industrial front, Stalin set about introducing the first Five-year Plan, from 1928 until 1932. This was a regime intended to last for five years, in which GOSPLAN, the State planning Commission constructed a list of ambitious targets to develop industry, power supply, and transport. The basic aim of the plan was to shift Russia away from agriculture slightly, and move more into industry. After having successfully swayed Russia from being an agricultural country, to an agricultural-industrial country, Stalin introduced the second Five-Year plan. This plan involved increasing the production of machinery, such as tractors to keep up with the collectivisation of farming, water supplies and transport. In little time at all, Russia had become the worlds third biggest industrial power, which was an enormous success. These five-year plans were an extremely important method of keeping Stalin in power, as people would become proud of their country and leader, and be reluctant to change. However, this boost in industrial strength came at a heavy price, and the importance of these plans is shown in the tight discipline exercised by Stalin. Managers could be prosecuted, and arrested by the NKVD for failing to reach targets, as it was actually made to be a crime. Every worker was required to have a permit in order to change jobs, and was instantly sacked if absent for more than a couple of days. Alternatively they could be briefly sent to prison! Anyone leaving school had no choice of where they worked, and they were simply allocated to jobs where employees were needed. By the time the third five-year plan was introduced in 1938, Stalin was able to start producing consumer goods, such as radios, bicycles and household goods. In my opinion, these consumer goods were a clever trick played by Stalin, to convince the public that their standard of living was improving, in order to win support. In reality, it was quite the opposite, and living standards generally declined. People were regimented, lost their personal freedom, and were very closely supervised and intimidated by the NKVD. In general, this economic revolution was a fairly important step for Stalin to remain in power. Firstly, although they may have resented the way in which the economy was boosted, it would have triggered a large amount of support from the Russian people, who felt unstable in their economy, and surrounded by hostile neighbours. Many people also shared his view that rapid industrialisation was the only way for Russia to survive, and so would have been extremely impressed after Stalin caused Russia to become second to only the USA in industrial production. Stalin was also extremely aware of the importance of his image, and how the impression he made on people affected the way in which he could govern. He realised that in order to maintain his domination of Russian people, he would be required strictly monitor and regulate all aspects of the media, and promote his qualities which won him respect, so he set up a tight propaganda program, which eventually brainwashed the minds of Russian people. Stalin ensured that all arts, films and books were carefully controlled by the state. Artists were forced to adapt their work so that it glorified the state, and positively projected its policies. Through the careful control of films, Stalin was able to promote himself as running the state as a haven of the good-life for all workers, showing workers having free holidays and happy lives. Films also promoted hard work, by glorifying workers such as Stakhanov, who exceeded his factory quota. Authors were also kept under strict regulation, being forced to promote the state and Stalins policies, and those who wrote anything critical of these thins were arrested by the KGB ( ) and thrown into prison, or disappeared into labour camps. Another way Stalin promoted himself was by presenting himself as the Father and protector of the Soviet Union. Stalin tricked the public into believing that he had been close to Lenin, when in fact, Lenin left a list of complaints of how he disliked Stalin in his testament. In general, I feel that this is a moderately important step towards keeping power in the Soviet Union, as it reduced opposition to his policies, however it would have provoked aggravation amongst people involved in the production of films, books and arts. Stalin a Drawing to a conclusion, I believe that the way in which Stalin sustained his grip on power was extremely complex, and it is therefore very difficult to put a finger on one particular technique and say that it is most important. Realistically, the four main methods used by Stalin; the purges and show trials, the secret police, propaganda and the cult of personality, and Stalins economic policies were all carefully intertwined. For example, Stalin used the show trials, in which he had many counter-revolutionaries falsely accused of murder, as a means of propaganda, to deflect criticism from himself. The secret police were also heavily involved in the three other methods of maintaining power. They ensured that Stalins propaganda campaign ran smoothly, arrested anyone failing to keep up with the pace of Stalins economic policies, and were actively involved in the purges and show trials, to such an extent that some became victims and were exiled or executed. I also believe that Stalins economic polices were partially due to the stress placed on the economy by the costly purges. It is therefore possible to see how all of the reasons why Stalin was able to hold onto power in the Soviet Union were very much dependant on each other. However, I do believe that propaganda was a rather unimportant contribution to Stalins success, after he had achieved power in 1924. Whilst Stalin did a good job of controlling the media and presenting himself well to the Russian people and the rest of the world, many Russians were not really given a choice in the first place. Therefore I believe that even without propaganda, it could have been possible for Stalin to maintain power, due to the way people were strictly monitored and intimidated by the secret police.

Living A Guilt Free Life Philosophy Essay

Living A Guilt Free Life Philosophy Essay There are millions of people who are constantly living with feelings of guilt. Some feel guilty if they eat a rich dessert. Some feel guilty whenever something goes wrong, thinking they should have tried to prevent it. Some feel guilty because they recovered from some accident while others did not. Some feel guilty about their past behavior. Some just feel guilty about anything and everything. It is crucial that you dig deep inside you and find out what it is that you truly feel. You need to realize that abusers will abuse no matter what you say or do and that you are not responsible for their behavior. Do not let your guilt mislead you into believing that it is you who did something wrong. You need to accept that you are the one being wronged and you need to speak out or seek help. Survivors Guilt is best described as a mental condition. It occurs when someone believes that he or she must have done wrong by being a survivor or a tragic or traumatic event. You may feel guilty that you survived a car accident that killed a family member. You may thing that you did not deserve to live through a war. You probably feel that you should have died instead of your mother. Survivors guilt can be very destructive. It can lead you to condemn or punish yourself for being alive. You can become debilitated by depression. The best way to deal with survivors guilt is to talk about what happened. It will help you accept the fact that there are others who feel such feelings and that you are not alone. You need to let grief take it full course. Allow yourself to grieve. Try to find a support group or network. Seek help from professional counselors. They can guide you through the recovery process. Break The Guilt Cycle Guilt often turns into a cycle that is self-perpetuating. What happens is you do something, you feel guilty, you condemn or punish yourself, and you repeat the behavior whenever the opportunity presents itself. The cycle keeps repeating itself because you are unable to take responsibility of what you do or for changing yourself. How do you begin to take responsibility? You must try to be honest. You need to honestly consider what part you play in the situation and accept it. If you are in an abusive relationship, you need to honestly look deep inside and accept that you did not do anything wrong. how to let go of guilt If you are feeling guilty for having done something wrong (healthy guilt), you need to take action to fix the situation. There are so many people who are just mega-gluttons for self-punishment; guilt is like a huge anchor weighing us down. It is easy to say Im sorry-it wont kill you. If you have offended someone by saying something offensive, apologize. You may find that it is not only more challenging to recognize that your busy work schedule is putting your marriage at risk, but also to actually make changes in your schedule. Healthy guilt keeps us in line. It tells us that we need to do something different from what we are currently doing so that we can fix relationships that are valuable to us. The sooner we make amends for what we have done wrong, the sooner the guilt will leave us alone. Accept that you did something wrong, make amends and move on. Learn from your behavior The purpose of guilt is not to make us miserable. Guilt is trying to tell us that there is something we can learn from what has happened. If we learn, it will be less likely that we will make the very same mistake again. Let us say that you have made a hurtful comment to someone, your guilt is telling you that (a) you should apologize and (b) take time to think about what you are going to say before you say it. If the guilt that you are feeling is not trying to correct an actual wrong behavior (unhealthy guilt), then there is not much for you to learn. So instead of wracking your brains on how to change the behavior, you need to understand why such a behavior is making you feel so guilty. Let us say that you feel guilty about not being a good mother because you are not with your kids 247. Since you are a single parent, you need to work so you can provide a good future for your kids. There is no need for you to feel guilty. You are working for your kids sake. Being their shadow and staying glued to them 247 wont put food on the table for them to eat. No human being anywhere on this earth, or elsewhere, is perfect. Even the person you look up to as a hero has some flaws. Striving to be 100% in control all the time and making sure every tiny thing is perfect is a recipe for disaster. All of us make mistakes and there are so many of us who take a path that can make us feel so guilty later in our lives. All we need to do is realize that we made a mistake and accept that we are not perfect. Spending every waking moment regretting something is not going to change anything. All it will do is disable you from moving on in your life. You are not perfect, neither is the rest of humanity.

Cell Phones: Evolution Or Revolution? :: communication technology

Cell Phones: Evolution Or Revolution? Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, the world has become a smaller and faster place. The time used to travel to far distances has decreased. The growth of new technologies, traveling and communicating has become simple daily tasks for many people. Through the growth of global communication, people have become closer to others across the globe, and business has gone world wide. One invention that came along with the technological revolution is the Cell Phone. Cell phones allow us to be reachable anywhere at anytime, letting us communicate even while traveling. As time becomes more valuable for people, the importance of accessibility to communication also increases. As with many things, new technology brings some bad consequences. This paper will briefly discuss the development of cell phone and its uses along with the negative impact it can have on our health. The idea of cellular phone goes back to the 1940s. The vacuum tube and the transistor made possible the early telephone network, but wireless revolution began only after the low cost micro processors and digital switching became available (Farley 1). Dr. Martin Cooper, a former general manager for the systems division at Motorola, is considered the inventor of the first modern portable handset. Cooper made the first call on a portable cell phone in April 1973. He made the call to his rival, Joel Engel, Bell Labs head of research. Bell Laboratories introduced the idea of cellular communications in 1947 with the police car technology. However, Motorola was the first to incorporate the technology into portable device that was designed for outside of an automobile use. The cell phone got its cellular name because the system uses many based stations to divide a service area into multiple cells. Cellular calls are transferred from base station to base station as the user travels from cell to cell. Have you ever wonder why other countries are further advanced in their telephone technology. Have you noticed that Japan is always coming out with smaller and better phones? The reason for this is the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC governs the airwaves of the United States. When concept of cell phones started, AT&T recognized the need for more radio spectrum frequencies. They proposed the FCC allocated more airwaves so that widespread cellular service would be feasible (Corr 121). This would give AT&T the drive to research the new technology.

Aristophanes the Comic Writer Essay -- essays research papers

Aristophanes Aristophanes was a comic writer who lived between 450 and 385 BC and composed about forty plays in his lifetime. His plays were all comedies, which usually addressed very serious political and social issues in a direct and crude manner, which, like much of today's comedy, is what made them funny for the audience to watch and appreciate. Many of the comedies would even go as far as mocking members of the audience or making personal attacks upon contemporary political personalities. Aristophanes’ â€Å"Lysistrata† is no exception to this crude comedy, ridiculing what he thinks is the absurdity of the Peloponnesian War. The comedy is a brilliantly constructed piece with an extremely profound underlying message encouraging a Panhellenic society. He does not see the point of the battles within the country and wishes a unification of the city-states. Therefore through his work he wishes to enlighten the people of Greece. In order to understand the meaning behind Aristophanes’ play, some background history of the events leading up to the war is needed. There are three important occurrences, which ultimately led to the outbreak. It all started when Epidamnus (a colony of Corcyra) became involved in a political struggle. Democratic factions had taken control of the colony’s government and forced the aristocrats out of power. In retaliation for this action the aristocrats joined with barbaric forces and attacked the city and its surrounding areas. Seeking help, the colony sent a request to Corcyra, its motherland, for military intervention. Corcyra however refused to help the Epidamnians in their political struggle, and so the colony went to the city-state of Corinth for assistance. Being itself distantly related to the people of this colony, the Corinthians sent ships to suppress the violence. This move greatly displeased the Corcyraeans who saw the Corinthians as interfering with their af fairs. So in turn, they sent their own ships to intercept the Corinthians. To counter the Corinthian action, the Corcyraeans made an alliance with Athens (who had a very bitter relationship with Corinth). Acting according to a duty to protect the Epidamnians and possibly just to stand up to the Athenians, the Corinthian fleet attacked the Corcyraeans anyway. The resulting engagement was won decisively by Corcyraeans because of the Athenian support. This act further embitte... ...hough some of the women were weakened, it was the support of others that helped them overcome their cravings. This gives us a reference to the good that comes out of a united group.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aristophanes using more comical examples putting light on the stupidities of this war. In a scene involving Myrrhine and her husband, Myrrhine puts her husband through torture†¦ â€Å"I’m dead: the woman’s worn me all away. She’s gone and left me with an anguished pulse. What shall I put thee in (O woe!) Since into something thou must go, Poor little lad†¦ he pines and peeks. Our lovely girl has proved a curse.† (Lysistrata, P. 319) This is all a comical twist, which appeals to the audience. Whether they realize it or not, they are being exposed to the faults of the war. Aristophanes is able to get his message across to a lot of people and in turn the word is spread.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aristophanes’ play serves a greater purpose than a mere comical work. He addresses his views on the Peloponnesian War. He expresses his resentment of the war and pokes fun at how illogical it truly is. Through this comedy he is able to reach the public crowd and spread his views.

In the Skin of a Lion Essay -- essays papers

In the Skin of a Lion Historical Obliviousness in Michael Ondaatje's In the Skin of a Lion Michael Ondaatje's In the Skin of a Lion narrates the forgotten stories of those who contributed to the building of the city Toronto, particularly immigrants and marginal individuals. In the very first page of the novel, Ondaatje stresses the concern with personal narratives and the act of storytelling: "This is the story a young girl gathers in a car during the early hours of the morning [...] She listens to the man as he picks up and brings together various corners of the story..." (4). Similar to Crossing the River, there is a framework story, that of a man telling a story to a girl, that opens and ends the novel and gives coherence to the many personal narratives. Patrick has an audience at two narrative levels, namely, Hanna at the textual level and the reader at the extra textual one. The reader is the recipient of the macro story, which is Patrick's act of storytelling, as well as of the micro stories contained in it. Like Phillips' novel, Ondaatje's has a circular quality that makes stories transcend time and space; In the Skin of the Lion ends where it starts. The structure of the novel resembles a Chinese box since a series of interrelated stories form concentric circles, all of which converge in Patrick's act of telling a story to Hanna. He saw himself gazing at so many stories [...] He saw the interactions, saw how each one of them was carried by the strength of something more than themselves [...] His own life was no longer a single story but part of a mural, which was a falling together of accomplices. Patrick saw the wondrous night web --all these fragments of a human order... (145) Simil... ...y. In the Skin of a Lion creates an intimate space where the silenced, marginal and ex-centric author and tell their own stories. Ondaatje's characters comprise a polyphony of voices; even if not all the characters are narrators of their own stories, the reader gets to know their perspectives. He/she has access to the psychic and spiritual life of most of them mainly through Patrick Lewe's story and through a third person narrator. The stories are fragmented and somehow indeterminate. There are many silences and absences that call for an active participation on the part of the reader who tries to put the pieces of the puzzle together. As in Phillips' novel, the privileging of fragmented plural perspectives is an effort to avoid the closure and totalisation that characterise master narratives and celebrate the openness and heterogeneity of human experience.

Mcdonald’s: Ansoff’s Matrix

The Ansoff’s matrix enables businesses to look at their products and markets and to think of appropriate strategies for their business. It offers strategic choices facing managers in order to achieve their objectives. McDonald’s Corp. , a leading global fast food chain, which offers sandwiches and sides (cookies/chips) and drinks (juice, water, soda) like its competitor Subway, is the company to be analyzed with the matrix in this paper. In each of the four situations there are strategic choices presented below as suggestions on which McDonald’s can take action. Existing Product/Existing Market. In this situation McDonald’s can choose to consolidate its current market position by focusing attention and initiating marketing activities in the area where it has competitive advantage, which is its powerful formula of increasing efficiency and quality. Revenues could be increased by promoting the product or the brand. McDonald's makes substantial investments in advertising and promotions to improve its brand image, and it is a strong recommendation that this be continued, judging from the revenue figures that are always on top of the industry. This can benefit the corporation in that strong brand keeps loyal customers coming back to the restaurants of the company and provides it maintenance of leadership in penetrated markets. New Product/Existing Market. The emphasis on quality in terms of very detailed operations manuals and tight cultural rules made it very difficult for McDonald’s to develop flexibility in meeting customers' changing needs. This quality trap forced McDonald’s to stick narrowly to ‘hamburgers' until growing complaints from McDonald’s franchisees about the limited product range forced it to develop new menu items such as the Egg McMuffin, Chicken McNuggets, the McBarbecue, and the salad bar. As can be derived from this experience, McDonald’s would do well to generate menus more apposite to local tastes. In this situation, the company has to invest in introducing new products to its existing markets, which will be well-suited for the taste of the local market, for instance, rice burger in Asia where rice is a diet staple. Existing Product/New Market. Here the company has to market its existing product in a new market. This is the strategy of market development. Market development can be achieved through identifying potential user groups in the current market areas. McDonald’s, in this instance, has adopted a market development strategy through franchising in many parts of the world. The McDonald’s franchise is a classical contract of the most elaborate kind. Not only does it impose extensive requirements on the franchisee, it reads in the McDonald’s manual which defines how much beef is to be found in a bun and for how long french fries must be french fried. The result is an extraordinary uniformity in the McDonald’s product around the world and from year to year. McDonald’s branches can be virtually seen in all parts of the world, save for a very few countries, which means that new market opportunities in these unexplored territories are not so many. Thus, it would be best if McDonald’s focus on seeking additional distribution channels in the present geographical locations. New Product/New Market. In this situation the company has to pursue diversification strategy. Through a limited menu and a high set of standard operating procedures, it will be able to provide outstanding quality and superior price performance across its whole organization around the globe. The saturation of its existing market, fierce competition from chains offering wider variety with competitive prices like Subway, and changing customer tastes requires McDonald’s to increase its product offerings to more than just burgers, sandwiches and drinks and should have menus emphasizing chicken, salads, and other fresh foods. Purchase of other restaurant or smaller fast-food chains would also help, not only in increasing their market base, but also the range of products that they have to offer. They can even expand to more daring ventures, like purchase of a toy manufacturer for its exclusive toy giveaways included in McDonald’s promotional products.

How Does Same Sex Marriage Affects in Decreasing Population Growth Essay

First, what is MARRIAGE? Marriage is a socially or ritually recognized union or legal contract between spouses that establishes rights and obligations between them, between them and their children. (From that statement, the word children are the most important thing in marriage, WHY? Because we all know having same sex marriage CANNOT produce a child) What is SAME SEX MARRIAGE? ————– Decrease of population growth caused by SAME SEX MARRIAGE Extending the benefits and status of â€Å"marriage† to couples who are intrinsically incapable of natural procreation (two men or two women) would dramatically change the social meaning of the institution. It would become impossible to argue that â€Å"marriage† is about encouraging the formation of life-long, potentially procreative (opposite-sex) relationships. The likely long-term result would be that fewer such relationships would be formed, fewer such couples would choose to procreate, and fewer babies would be born. Long term consequences are not worth the risk. The first and most obvious consequence to allowing gay marriage would be the drastic decrease in population. What if everyone decided that they were a homosexual? It may sound a little extreme, but if that happen the human race as we know it would cease to exist. Facts of decreasing population growth caused by same sex marriage: The effect on the population would be that there would be no children born of that union. Since it takes a male and a female to produce offspring, and since, by definition, a same-sex marriage would contain 2 persons of the same sex, they would contribute 0% to the population growth. Disadvantage of legalizing same sex marriage: 1. The negative side of same-sex marriage is that some see it as godless. 2. It is not acceptable by some religious orders. 3. Some societies ostracise those involved. 4. They can’t have kids w/o outside help. 5. Many countries do not recognise it and any rights associated with ‘normal’ marriage are not given. 6. TOP 10 HARM EFFECTS OF LEGALIZING SAME SEX MARRIAGE: 1. Taxpayers, consumers, and businesses would be forced to subsidize homosexual relationships. If same-sex marriage were legalized, all employers, public and private, large or small, would be required to offer spousal benefits to homosexual couples. You, as a taxpayer, consumer, or small business owner, would be forced to bear the expense of subsidizing homosexual relationships-including their higher health care costs. 2. Schools would teach that homosexual relationships are identical to heterosexual ones. A lesbian who teaches 8th grade sex education in Massachusetts told NPR that she teaches her children how lesbians use â€Å"a sex toy† to have intercourse. If anyone objects, she says, â€Å"Give me a break. It’s legal now.† One father was jailed after protesting because his son-a kindergarten student-was given a book about same-sex couples. 3. Freedom of conscience and religious liberty would be threatened. Churches and non-profit organizations could be stripped of their tax exemptions and religious psychologists, social workers, and marriage counselors could be denied licensing if they â€Å"discriminate† against homosexuals. Individual believers who disapprove of homosexual relationships may face a choice at work between forfeiting their freedom of speech and being fired. 4. Fewer people would marry. In Massachusetts, where same-sex â€Å"marriages† began in May 2004, only 52% of same-sex couples who live together had even bothered to â€Å"marry† by the end of 2006. Among opposite-sex couples, the comparable figure is 91%. In the Netherlands, the figures are even lower, with only 12% of homosexual couples having entered legal civil â€Å"marriages.† Giving the option of same-sex â€Å"marriage† would tell society that marriage in general is â€Å"optional,† not normative, and fewer people would marry. 5. Fewer people would remain monogamous and sexually faithful. Among homosexual men, sex with multiple partners is tolerated and often expected. One study in the Netherlands showed that homosexual men with a steady partner had an average of eight sexual partners per year. If these behaviours are incorporated into what society affirms as â€Å"marriage,† then  fidelity among heterosexuals would likely decline as well. 6. Fewer people would remain married for a lifetime. Even a homosexual psychologist has acknowledged that â€Å"gay and lesbian couples dissolve their relationships more frequently than heterosexual couples.† The same Dutch study that showed the high rate of homosexual promiscuity also showed that the average homosexual male â€Å"partnership† lasts only 1.5 years. As the transience of homosexual relationships is incorporated in society’s image of â€Å"marriage,† we can expect that fewer heterosexuals would maintain a lifelong commitment. 7. Fewer children would be raised by a married mother and father. Social science has clearly proven clearly that children do best when raised by their own married biological mother and father. Yet legalizing same-sex â€Å"marriage† would put an official stamp of approval on the deliberate creation of permanently motherless or fatherless families. As scholar Stanley Kurtz says, this â€Å"would likely speed us on the way towards more frequent out-of-wedlock birth, and skyrocketing family dissolution.† 8. More children would grow up fatherless. Most children who live with only one biological parent will live with their mothers, and lesbian couples are more likely to be raising children than homosexual male couples. Therefore, with same-sex â€Å"marriage,† more children would suffer the specific negative consequences of fatherlessness, which include higher rates of youth incarceration among males and adolescent pregnancy among females. Research also shows negative outcomes for the children of sperm donors, who are used by some lesbian couples. 9. Birth rates would fall. Same-sex â€Å"marriage† would eliminate the incentive for procreation that is implicit in defining marriage as a male-female union. There is already evidence of at least a correlation between same-sex â€Å"marriage† and low birth and fertility rates, both in the U.S. and abroad. While some people still harbour outdated fears about â€Å"over-population,† demographers now understand that declining birth rates harm society. 10. Demands for legalization of  polygamy would grow. If a person’s choice of spouse cannot be limited based on the sex of one’s partner, it is hard to see how it could be limited based on the number of spouses either. This argument is already being pressed in the courts. ADDITIONAL IDEA About same sex marriage The first laws in modern times enabling same-sex marriage were enacted during the first decade of the 21st century. As of 19 August 2013, fifteen countries (Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, Uruguay), and several sub-national jurisdictions (parts of Mexico and the United States), allow same-sex couples to marry. A law has been passed by the United Kingdom, effective in England and Wales, which is expected to be fully in force in 2014. Polls in various countries show that there is rising support for legally recognizing same-sex marriage across race, ethnicity, age, religion, political affiliation, and socioeconomic status. Introduction of same-sex marriage laws has varied by jurisdiction, being variously accomplished through a legislative change to marriage laws, a court ruling based on constitutional guarantees of equality, or by direct popular vote (via a ballot initiative or a refer endum). The recognition of same-sex marriage is a political, social, human rights and civil rights issue, as well as a religious issue in many nations and around the world, and debates continue to arise over whether same-sex couples should be allowed marriage, be required to hold a different status (a civil union), or be denied recognition of such rights. Some analysts state that financial, psychological and physical well-being are enhanced by marriage, and that children of same-sex couples benefit from being raised by two parents within a legally recognized union supported by society’s institutions. Court documents filed by American scientific associations also state that singling out gay men and women as ineligible for marriage both stigmatizes and invites public discrimination against them. The American Anthropological Association avers that social science research does not support the view

My First Day Of Middle School Essay

My first day of middle school I met one of my best friends in the front of the school she had a funny look on her face, not the usual big smile accompanied with her big brown eyes, but with she looked as though she was scared. When I have her a hug she just stood there and didn’t move and pointed at her throat, she fell right in front of me and laid there gasping looking at the ceiling. Everyone including me panicked and out of nowhere this big tall guy in a black uniform got down and grabbed her and put his head in her chest to listen to breathing According to the career assessment I am enterprising, realistic, and social. I was matched with several different kinds of careers including chef, professional athlete, and a skincare specialist. However, most appealing of all of the suggested careers in my eyes would be to become a law enforcement officer and one day a sheriff/ police chief. Growing up being one of the oldest in my family has forced me to become very protective watching over two younger sisters and countless younger cousins. The sports I have played and excelled in including football, track and wrestling will help me advance in that career, being that law enforcement is a very stressful job I will have to be physically and mentally fit to keep up and strive in that field. In Georgia there is an abundance of variation in police officer salaries. The variation is caused by many different factors from population, to the general crime rate in that area. In Atlanta, Georgia the annual salary for a police officer can range from $35,733 to $70, 547 with a median of around $52, 498. I plan to be a police officer for at least ten years and earn a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, while learning as much as I can about street criminals and how they operate. Once established enough I plan to become a sheriff/police chief whose annual salaries can range from $89,729 to $112,081 with a median of around $100, 437. Salaries for police chiefs vary for the same reason as police officers. Police officers right now are most needed in areas of high crime and areas where the number of civilians heavily outweigh the number of law enforcement officers. This mean most urban areas and big cities such as Atlanta, Los Angeles, or Chicago. This is Beneficial to me because I already live near Atlanta so I can pursue this career right at home. In this career choice  there are more men than women. Today women make up about twelve percent of the law enforcement jobs. I believe this is because the physical tests are based on a male ability. The physical exams are more difficult for the women. The average working hours of the police are 40 hours per week but the officer can do overtime if necessary. The benefits of having this career can vary from a raise in salary, medical, dental, or even college tuition benefits, and also retirement and pension options. The way to become a police officer is that you have to be a high school graduate and must complete a police academy training program. Some agencies require an associate’s degree in criminology or criminal justice. Also when trying to be a police officer you have to have good credit because that is part of your background check. It’s also great to have a good work experience so that it can prepare you for the long hours that you will spend on the job. Being physically fit is another major part of securing my career because you have to be healthy and willing to run and jump over objects. To sustain my career and make myself marketable I will always come forth with a positive attitude and get the job done. I will make sure to strive for the highest of expectations and make sure I am best represented for helping the community and keeping everyone self. I want to do what all law enforcement officers are here for which is to stop crime and help people. I also want to be known for having a kind heart and helping anyone in need. Another thing I want to do is start a charity to help those who are in need and also to get young men and women off the streets and headed to a better future.

Politics in Modern Film (V for Vendetta)

The film I focused on for this essay, V for Vendetta, was filmed and produced in 2006 by Warner Brothers. The plot of the film circulates around a mysterious and charismatic masked freedom fighter being hunted down by the totalitarian British government in the near future. Although his full identity is kept a mystery throughout the film, audiences learn he was a victim of a cruel scientific experiment involving â€Å"unwanted† British citizens and hormonal drugs.He spends decades planning out his revenge on those involved. While making preparations for both his revenge and a nation-wide revolution, the character known only as V has a run-in with a young woman working for the broadcasting station he later taking hostage. The day he takes the station hostage, the woman named Evey recognizes him as the same man who rescued her one night from crooked British patrolmen prowling the streets. Evey comes to his aid as V is almost caught and she is knocked unconscious in the process.Th e rest of the film leads audiences into the ever-thickening plot as a detective investigates and attempts to track down the â€Å"terrorist† only to discover an even more sinister power behind the deaths of thousands of British citizens: their own government. Putting this film into a category based on its intended audience was a challenge. The film expresses values both of the mass and subgroup categories. The values shown are ones that indirectly praise American government for its constitutional rights of religion, press and speech, but it also promotes ideas of anarchy.Although both views have their strong arguing points in the film, I believe this film expressed more mass values. This is because the criteria for subgroup values demands that the public must be largely portrayed as being stupid and counter-active to the goal at hand. However, in this film, V must rely solely on the public‘s participation in order to carry through his vision of freedom. In a televised s peech to the populace, V makes claims that have resounding similarities to our Constitution and Declaration of Independence. Fairness, justice and freedom are more than words. They are prospectives. † He says. This is, in my mind, one of the most profound quotes in the film, behind his other statement that †people should not be afraid of their governments; governments should be afraid of their people. † The timing of the film and its statements on war point directly to America’s involvement in the war on terror and to President George Bush. The movie was filmed in 2005, only two years after the official war in Iraq was launched.The High Chancellor in the film, Adam Suttler, is described as being an ultra-conservative man with no understanding of political process. This parallel seems to encourage a commonly debated political theme pointed out in the White House by Americans opposed to the invasion and the war overseas. The film even makes a blatant statement about America being in an on-going war that deprived it of its wealth and resources. A line reads: â€Å"They were a country who had everything, absolutely everything; and now, 20 years later is what?The world’s biggest leaper colony. † There are still many Americans today who have strong aversion to the presence of American military forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. â€Å"The Voice of England†, the a man revered as the biggest spokesperson in the English broadcasting sector, delivers a line in the film as he goes down the list of people unwanted and banished from the country’s boarders. This list, in addition to teens with sexually transmitted diseases and homosexuals, names Muslims specifically.In 2005, there was still unease in America about Muslim-Americans and risks they might pose to national security, much like the unrest about American-Japanese citizens that marked the time after the onset of World War II. Detective Finch, the detective working the V case to track him down before the revolutionary date, has a discussion with his partner after unearthing facts about the government. â€Å"If your government was responsible for the deaths of almost a hundred thousand people, would you really want to know? This observation has striking similarity to theories voiced by a small portion of society who claim the attacks on the World Trade Center were carried out by our own government. The number 5 is a common theme in the film: the number of V’s cell in the concentration camp, the fifth of November being the date of the revolution, and the number of branches to the British government [they call the branches the nose, eyes, finger, ear and mouth]. This is also the number of branches of our military: The Army, the Marine Corps, the Navy, the Air force and Homeland Security Coast Guard.Whether or not this parallel is intentional, it is one I noticed. A blacklist is also mentioned in the film after Chancellor Suttler demands the 1812 Overture, which played during the Old Bailey Statue’s explosion, be added to the back list so he may â€Å"never hear it again. † This is the only Cold War reference in the film which tells me is was intended to be a more general statement about government censorship and control of information made available to the public.One political, or even social, statement made in the film that I agree with is Finch’s statement about how this †terrorist† still has human emotions, shown by his taking and protection of Evey after she rescues him. I believe one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter and people will always be at odds with each other. It is important to remember that even the most violent people do have passions and concerns. When one fights that hard for something, it obviously means a great deal to them. People are quick to forget about the humanity element in wars.During the investigation, Finch and his partner watch V on a video monitor as he stands over Evey’s unconscious body. Finch’s partner says, â€Å"He’s a terrorist. You can’t expect him to act like you or me. † Finch, who sees that V took the girl to protect her out of compassion, responds with â€Å"some part of him is human†. Another statement made that I agreed with was one that also amused me. Detective Finch is searching for records of the concentration camp that supposedly imprisoned V years ago, but has little luck finding any.He says, â€Å"One thing is true of all governments; the most reliable records are tax records. † Isn’t that true? This movie used many effective avenues of media to reach its audience. It included and alluded to several other pieces of literature and music within the film itself, which was a very clever device used to influence audience members to explore those hints individually. Literature seen in the film like â€Å"The Count of Mote Cristo† and the theatrical play â€Å"Faust† may also hold clues to political statements made even more subliminally in the film if evaluated within the context.

Week 3#202 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Week 3#202 - Assignment Example It is important in making the young adults to understand the different stages of development (Gibbs, 45). Moreover, this theory is crucial in ensuring that the individuals develop a sense of both intellectual as well as moral development. This is very necessary for students in a learning environment. The theory of moral development is also very important in imparting the students with the principles of justice, universal liberty as well as imparts a sense of order in the society (Gibbs, 57). The video depicts some of the social rots that face the current society. It is sad that corruption has taken its roots into our society to an extent that it manifests in the policing system. It is the police who should be actively engaged in combating the cases of corruption and impunity yet they seem to take the front line in promoting corruption. This movie paints a very bad picture on the police and the society. It makes ne have very bad feelings towards the police sector. From my feelings about this video, it is very important that all the police should undergo thorough vetting before being employed to curb the cases of corruption. In addition, investigations should be done by independent bodies on these cases and those found guilty should be charged before a court of

Whistleblowing policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Whistleblowing policy - Essay Example In both public and private organizations, incidents of unethical and unprofessional conduct by the employees are common occurrences. The actions of such employees can take different forms, including sabotage, misappropriation of funds, espionage among other deeds against the professional ethics and conduct of an organization (PwC, 2011). The effects of such actions in an organization can be severe to both the company as well as the public, depending on the magnitude of the action. However, Boyle (1990) noted that any action that goes against the code of ethics of a particular organization, regardless of how small causes irreparable damage, which could herald greater economic and public image of the company. Adler and Daniels (1992) defined whistleblowing as â€Å"the public interest disclosure whereby a fellow worker reports a concern about the misconduct or omissions of the fellow colleague(s) and or employers that may cause danger to other people or the organization.† Most a ctions of misconduct involve theft and compromising on the safety of fellow workers and the public. The importance of whistleblowing in an organization cannot be overemphasized especially in the current competitive world market, which exposes organization to insecurity in order to undermine the competitive edge in business. In this regard, many corporations are increasingly formulating whistleblowing policies as a measure of preempting such attacks. Voluntarily instigated whistle blowing policy is one of such measures and according to Lewis (2001), the disclosure should be made in good faith, meaning that the confession should made out of real concern about a wrong action. In this regard, making maliciously motivated disclosures based on false accusations does not amount to whistle blowing. For whistleblowing to perform in the best interests of the company, Lewis (2001) notes that the whistleblower should have reasonable conviction that the information in his or her knowledge is sig nificantly correct even if it could turn to be untrue later. Raising grievances or complaining does not amount to whistle blowing because such talk in an organization is usually personalized, where employees could complain of being mistreated or sabotaged. In this case, a whistle blower should not be a person who has direct personal interests on the result of any given exploration or investigation to their concerns that they might have raised. A whistleblower should raise real concerns so that other in authority can address the problem (Jesse, 2010). Organizations have different areas of concern and they include but not limited to the incidents where an employee defrauds the organization, physical or emotional abuse of patients such as the elderly and vulnerable groups in medical setting. Moreover, faulty machines or equipment that expose operators and clients to risk in addition to situations where employees are bribed to award grants tenders and other approved monetary transaction s in an organization(Jesse, 2010). Whistleblowing could serve in an organization’s interest by enhancing better risk management practices (Adler and Daniels, 1992). However, employees should be empowered so that they can have enough confidence to report matters of concern without suffering from any form of physical, psychological and financial consequence. It is important for organizations to have effective risk management practices to prevent incidents of costly litigations, higher insurance premiums, damaged reputation of the organization in addition to loss of lives, jobs and even being subjected to stringent investigations (Adler and Daniels, 1992). In this regard, instigated voluntary whistle blowing can help in triggering early warning systems for employers. This could enable organizations to enforce effective policies that provide clear framework for taking action against culpable employees and employers. If employees voluntarily voice their concerns in an organization without being forced to approach an external authority, employers would often have the

Paper on changes on the land Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Paper on changes on the land - Essay Example This is where Cronon starts to heavily contrast Indians and settlers. The Indians made it a point to move from location to location as a form of survival. Cronon says, â€Å"To take advantage of their land’s diversity, Indian villages had to be mobile† (54). Colonists disagreed with this practice because it constituted change, one that they were unfamiliar with and it led to criticism. They wished to mirror their settlements from the old world in New England by remaining in one place and only traveling village-to-village if need-be. Although, the Indians did not suffer from hunger, the settlers disapproved of their lifestyle as it reminded them of the poor people in England: â€Å"To those who compared Massachusetts Indians to English beggars, Morton replied, ‘If our beggars of England should, with so much easy as they, furnish themselves with foode at all seasons, there would not be so many starved in the streets’† (55). They saw Indians as starving people despite the truth. Cronon describes settlers as saying, â€Å"Indian poverty was the result of Indian waste: underused land, underused natural abundance, underused human labor† (56). Since the Indians â€Å"failed† to utilize all of the land, the colonists considered it to be wasteful. This is ironic because the settlers’ practice of hoarding every thing affected the ecological system most negatively because once they took it all, they did not give back; or at least not in the proper way. The settler’s political agenda in remaining bound to the land imposed an imbalance of nature and the land. Instead of taking just a little here and there, moving on, then returning later once the land has been replenished like the Indians, the colonists robbed the land of its resources. They cut down trees, uprooted plant-life and later, introduced agriculture without the means to accurately replenish the soil. It also brought up the question of property lines. T his was a concept that the Indian’s did not enforce because they did not need to when moving as often as they did. Land boundaries reinforced the need for property rights given to individuals in a New England colony. This also affected social wealth and trade. The act of taking a forest and what that meant in relation to the settlers and the land was important because it characterized the difference between ownership and items free-for-the-taking. For example, trees as they are rooted in the forest, untouched by man, are considered lacking ownership. The actual act of ownership came into play when the trees were sawed down and made to form ships and homes. Property as defined as â€Å"†¦to represent boundaries between people; equally, it is to articulate at least one set of conscious ecological boundaries between people and things† (58). English settlers believed in possession rather than a community pool of property. Where the Indians differ is how they attribute d ownership. Cronon says, â€Å"What the Indians owned - or, more precisely, what their villages gave them claim to - was not the land but the things that were on the land during the various seasons of the year† (65). The Indians had to abide by this over what the settlers believed because they frequently moved across the land as an act of continued existence. The colonists, on the other hand, prone to mimic British society, desired to remain in one spot on the land: â€Å"

Nothing in Much Ado About Nothing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Nothing in Much Ado About Nothing - Essay Example This is why his plays have made it into college classrooms and their popularity has endured through the centuries. He was a master at making almost universal commentaries about human organization and behavior in a way that also served to entertain. It's important to remember, though, that the original context for Shakespeare’s plays was the same context in which plays are performed today. They were originally intended to provide a simple evening's worth of entertainment for the price of a ticket with the hope that the audience would continue to come back for more. â€Å"Shakespeare’s plays were written to be performed to an audience from different social classes and of varying levels of intellect. Thus they contain down-to-earth characters who appeal to the working classes, side-by-side with complexities of plot which would satisfy the appetites of the aristocrats among the audience† (Geraghty). One of his more popular romantic comedies is the play Much Ado About Nothing in which the word 'nothing' takes on numerous meanings and has an effect on characters actions throughout the play. The play takes place at the home of Leonato, a nobleman of Messina and centers around the stories of two young couples. The female half of these couples are residents of Leonato's house, his daughter Hero and his niece Beatrice. The action begins with the expected arrival of the prince Don Pedro and his party including the male halves of these romantic couples. Claudio is a young nobleman and Benedick is a clever man who has proven himself valuable. An unwelcome part of the crowd is Don John, Don Pedro's illegitimate brother who expresses all the typical bitterness and resentment expressed in characters placed in this life role. Benedick and Beatrice are already acquainted with each other and quickly resume their years long banter back and forth. As they compete with each other over which one can get the most words in, Claudio and Hero are quietly falling in l ove with each other. They decide to marry with the wedding planned in a week. To help pass the time until the wedding day, Hero and Claudio agree with the others to play a game on Beatrice and Benedick designed to force them to finally admit their love for each other. The trick works, but it isn't the only one in the works. Don John, jealous and anxious to cause trouble, convinces one of his men to make love to Hero's maid Margaret at Hero's window one night. As Borachio is busy doing this, Don John brings Don Pedro and Claudio to the garden outside Hero's window where they believe they are seeing Hero being unfaithful to her betrothed. Naturally filled with rage, Claudio calls off the wedding, but does so in a very humiliating way at the ceremony in front of the gathering. The family, finally convinced she might be telling the truth that it wasn't her, decide to pretend she died of her shock and grief in the hope that the truth would come out. It nearly comes to a fight between Cla udio and almost everyone else until the night watchman hears Borachio talking about what he'd done. Claudio, in his grief and to amend for his error, agrees to marry another one of Hero's cousins. It isn't until they are before the altar that Claudio finally realizes the veiled woman standing with him is really Hero. The play ends with Beatrice and Benedick getting married and everyone joining in a celebratory dance. One of the major motifs that runs through this play, giving it

Economic liberals argue that ecomonic exchange is a positive-sun game Essay

Economic liberals argue that ecomonic exchange is a positive-sun game - Essay Example These two explain the prevailing capitalistic economic exchange in opposing light. The former upholds the capitalistic ideal while the latter criticize it based on the argument that it such exchange is a breeding ground of exploitation and inequality. Although both of these schools have valid arguments, this paper will argue that the liberal point of view holds more legitimate positions than Marxism in explaining the economic exchange in the capitalist system. Free Market The fundamental features of a capitalist economy are right to private property, profit-motive, freedom of choice, market forces, and minimal role of government. It promotes individualism and is consisted of individual units like workers, people, capitalists, consumers and firms and that social forces determine the formation of a capitalist economy. A critical aspect of capitalism that is relevant to the subject of this investigation is the labor market. In this case, individuals play an important role in the exchang e of goods. First, they are incapable to produce what they need and what they consume. This is the reason why a highly specialized division of labor emerged so that people rely on others, particularly, the producers, in order to survive. Callero explained that when someone is looking for a job in a capitalist economy, that individual is engaging in a capitalistic exchange using his skill and abilities as a commodity to be traded for wage, which is necessary in the procurement of food, shelter, clothing and other goods (25). The labor market also collectively demonstrates the flow of goods in capitalism and depicts several capitalistic principles. If there is excess in the labor force, unemployment and low wage emerge as a result. The implication of this situation demonstrates two important points. First is that the unemployed or the labor force in general will be engaged in fierce competition for the scarce work and this is often characterized by enhancing competitive advantage (Tod orova 31). Finally, there is the profit motive characteristic wherein people engaging in the economic exchange, especially the producers, operate with profit and self-interest as their primary concern. Each individual, grouping and organization relegate concern for others or the society secondary to their own interests. At first glance, this appears cruel and unjust but economists argue that emphasizing profit is a driving force behind free market economies. It functions as a reward for people, entrepreneurs, and organizations who work hard, invest time and money, take risks and innovate. According to Mink, profit, which critics such as those coming from the Marxist school assails, is behind efficiency in production because it is behind – through competition – the efforts of economic actors to constantly innovate (125). The Marxist Criticism Karl Marx’s investigation of the late twentieth-century capitalism resulted in several important criticisms to the economi c system. But these criticisms are based on an important Marxist theory, the theory of exploitation and inequality. Here, an unequal exchange develops between workers and capitalists. Solimano explains: While the workers’ only asset is labor (in flow terms, â€Å"labor power†), capitalists are in advantageous position due to ownership of the productive capital that allows them to organize