Empowerment of the Girl Child Essay

I. Introduction In a seminal article in 1990, Amartya Sen suggested that worldwide, particularly in Asia, millions of women were missing from the population totals of many countries. He also noted the alarming fact that the sex ratio for female children in China, India and South Korea is actually deteriorating while the overall sex ratio for females in those countries has marginally improved. Sen argued that the number of women missing in any population could be estimated by calculating the numbers of extra women who would have survived in that society. This would have been so if it had the same ratio of women to men as in other regions of the world where both sexes receive similar care. Given the low ratio of 0.94 women to men in South Asia, West Asia and China indicating a deficit of 6 percent, he surmised that since in countries where women and men receive similar care the ratio is about 1.05, the real deficit is about 11percent of their women. These numbers tell, †quietly a terrible story of inequality and neglect leading to excess mortality of women† (Sen, 1990). In India, the widening gap in the ratio of girls to boys is clearly brought to light in the Census of 2001, confirming a trend that has been in place since 1901. This is most pronounced in the youngest age group, 0-6, thus indicating the scale of injustice as well as the long-term social and economic consequences implied. Ansley Coale (1991) also drew attention to unusually high sex ratios at birth and high female mortality rates relative to males, especially in the early years of life and for daughters with elder sisters. To give a rough approximation of the numerical impact of excessive female mortality, he also estimated the ratio of males to females in selected populations that would exist in the absence of discriminatory treatment of females, and thus the total number of ’missing’ females. For the populations of China, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, West Asia, and Egypt, he calculated the total number of missing females to be about 60 million, a figure lower than.

Descriptive Essay House on Fire

descriptive essay house on fire The House on Fire That cold night of December 2004 had left behind a memory which will stay in my mind for a never ending period of time. That night was not the same as the rest of the days in my life. Instead of going to bed, that night I was standing in the middle of the road, in complete terror. My heartbeat was accelerating with fear and tears were rolling down my cheeks as I saw Emily taken away by the ambulance. The house, which I was standing in front of, was burning as fire engulfed it from all sides. There was fire everywhere.The roof was on fire, the doors and the windows were on fire, fire was even coming out of the house through various openings, looking like a fire-breathing dragon was inside the house, puffing fire. The flames burned deep red and amber, almost livid purple as I saw various firefighters trying to put out the fire. Nothing inside was likely to survive the fire. Flames were licking up in the air with the wind, trying to catc h something else on fire, and finding nothing but air, disappearing into the windy night, like disappointed flutters. Everything was happening too fast.During a minute or less, fire had spread across the entire landing. I was petrified by the sight of the fire, which crawled lizard like up the house. The house was exploding in yellow blue flames that quickly turned orange. I was trembling and whimpering softly as I saw Emily’s mother sitting on the ground, helplessly. She was crying out of despair. Her reaction had made me even more scared. I wanted someone to console me by telling me that nothing will happen to Emily. She was my best friend. We had spent seven years of our childhood together and I did not want to lose her.I was praying silently while Emily’s mother had lost all the hope of her survival. I had never felt so alone before. Even the thought of losing her, frightened me. I felt as if I was living through the worst nightmare. Grief is the worst feeling in t he world. You feel hopeless, scared, angry, frustrated, alone and afraid. Going through a phase in life when you have a feeling of losing someone is hard to accept and it is much harder for an eight years old child. You feel as if the world had stopped and you could never move on in life.It is very painful to accept that you will no longer be able to see someone who was very close to the heart. I was crying while looking at the crowd of people that had clustered around the house by that time. The voices of the people echoed in my ear hauntingly. Their screams and shouts gave rise to my fear. I was horrified by the siren of the ambulance, the police car and the firefighters, the ringing of the phones of the crowd, the yelling, the cries, the increasing roar of the fire; everything added chaos to that place and frightened me even more.Ghosts of smoke were drifting across the street. I smelled smoke. It was not heavy, but it had a pungent smell. I started to cough as the smoke enfolded me. The air surrounding me was becoming less breathable by the second. My mouth was filled with the bitter taste of the smoke. I wanted a draught of clean air to rinse out my polluted lungs. The cough had aggravated pain in my head. My eyes were becoming swollen and watery. Soon after, the fire got quite out of control as the whole house was on fire. The firefighters evacuated the street and told everyone to go inside their houses.I had no choice but to retreat to my room where I could see, feel, and hear Emily’s house burn down. In a few minutes, the house had been reduced to a pile of rubble, ashes, and smouldering wood and items. There was a rotting smell that took over the whole neighbourhood, like a bad barbeque party gone horribly wrong. The smell was so overpowering that it took almost a week to get it out of my nose. That horrifying night of December still reminds me how valuable a person is in our life. If the firefighters were even one minute late in rescuing Emily , I would have lost my best friend that day.

Identify and explain the main causes of economic growth. b) Look at Coursework

Identify and explain the main causes of economic growth. b) Look at the country rankings of the UK, South Korea, Qatar and Equat - Coursework Example In the recent past years, the initiative of sustainable development intensification has led to development of additional factors such as environmentally sound process, which ought to be considered in the growth of an economy (Erikson & Stimson, 2002. p. 56). A factor that leads to an increase in total demand is one of the key causes of economic growth in any country. This can occur due various sources. However, an increase in total demand is a short-term cause. This is because whenever an economy of any country is at its full capacity, that country cannot produce any additional products or services to improve her economy. However, improvements or advancements in the labor forces, and quantity and quality of products and services will give room for the long-term economic growth through a heightening in productivity (Nordhaus, 2001, p. 23). Progression or advancement in technology has been one of indicators of economic growth in various states. Technological advancements in any country lead to a high and more productive economy of that given country, and this will accelerate economic growth. Every developing country and developed states have invested heavily in the technology industry in order to see their country economy grows quickly. According to Erikson and Stimson, advanced technology has improved service delivery and encouraged both local and foreign investments (Erikson & Stimson, 2002, P.56). There are few cases of unemployment in all countries with improved technology. This is because technological improvements have led to creation of job opportunities that see their citizens securing jobs and improving their living standards. Consequently, these local and foreign investments will accelerate economic growth despite the fact that the fresh capital goods or assets for example, machines, will be the exact source of the growth (Friedman, 2005). Deepening and widening capital is one of the causes of economic growth of a country. Capital widening takes place w hen investment rises and increases with the strengthening of the labor force. On the other hand, Capital Deepening takes place when capital increases while the labor force remains constant. Economists usually say that capital deepening is one of the most significant and necessary forms of investment (Nordhaus, 2001, p.23). Uses of land and mineral resources are the major causes of economic growth in both developed and developing countries. Proper utilization of mineral resources of a country depends heavily on government policies and regulations. Most of citizens in countries that have implemented strict policies have utilized their resources well, including land. Countries with double-digit economic growth have recorded proper utilization of their resources. In the economic growth globally, various countries have different situation and circumstances that are facilitating economic growth. For instance, the UK has a robust economy (Nordhaus, 2001, p.23). In the end, economic growth can take place due to increased capital, raised investment in new infrastructure, factories, increased labor productivity, and augment the working population or the discovery of fresh raw materials. Technological improvements can also facilitate or hinder economic growth (Friedman, 2005). Economic growth relies on investment and productivity, using available resources more efficiently and

Quantitative Methods for Social Health Research Essay - 2

Quantitative Methods for Social Health Research - Essay Example As the essay declares  cigarette smoking has negative implication on the health of a person. Nevertheless, despite being aware of the effects of smoking, finds it hard to quit the habit. Governments have devised mechanisms of minimizing the amount of cigarette smoked with several measures including plain packaging of cigarette. Plain packaging of tobacco is a packaging that requires removal of all branding and only requires the manufacturer to print a brand name in mandated size in addition to a health warning to help in drawing the smokers’ attention more to the health warning. In relation to the 2010 statistical figures by Australian institute of health and welfare 2010, there is a significant reduction in daily smoking by 15% since 2007. However, it is still necessary to understand the impact of plain packaging of cigarette on the smoking habits to specific groups like the international students.This paper stresses that  the influence of plain cigarette packaging depend s on the smoking level of a person. For an addict, plain packaging has a little impact while, for a starter, the packaging would draw attention to the health warning.  A randomized controlled trials experimental study found that branding has a significant influence on the development of a smoking habit.  The smokers avoided all health warnings, while occasional smokers paid more attention to plain packs than those on the branded ones. The findings indicate that plain packaging of cigarette attracts more attention to the health warning than those of the branded ones, thus can influence the smoking habit.

Personal Philosophy paper Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Philosophy paper - Personal Statement Example However, sadly, the knowledge and the education that is being imparted in schools today is nothing but ‘ignorance’, because rather than making the students wise and happy, it is making them into robots who are hungry for ‘achievement’, ‘success’ and ‘power’. In today’s fast paced life and in hurry to reach the top, teachers have forgotten the real essence of education. Life is not about ‘power’ or ‘achievement’ but is about finding the unique purpose in life and in being happy and content. In psychologist Abraham Maslow’s words, life is about being a ‘self-actualized’ human being, i.e. achieving the highest potential that one is capable of achieving (Malsow, 1971, p.169). Today’s education system thinks that its job is complete by making students ‘qualified’ and ‘intellectuals’. However, the fact is that although educational qualification does help in achieving professional success, it is not enough to attain the complete potential in life. Hence, in my opinion, the purpose of education should be to mold the children into being wise, mature and intelligent human beings, rather than just making them ‘intellectual’ and ‘qualified’ human beings. The purpose of life has been a matter of interest for experts from different fields like psychology, philosophy, religion and spirituality. Different philosophical theories and ideas came into existence with the aim of making this world a better place to live and to help human beings attain happiness and bliss. However, as human being is not just an individual but is a part of the society, the attainment of satisfaction and happiness has become difficult for him. His actions and his behavior depend on people around him. Before taking any action, he spends a lot of time thinking about what others will say if he does it. Hence, human beings have lost touch with spontaneity and natural behavior. In an attempt to

John Stuart Mills Theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5250 words

John Stuart Mills Theories - Essay Example The essay concludes that Mill's proposed limitations on legitimate interference with the individual has limited sustainability, and can only be applied in a system which has already liberated its citizens through education and cultural revolution. John Stuart Mill, the nineteenth century philosopher, is an icon for liberal ideals. Noted as "An extraordinarily nice, warm-hearted and intellectually generous man, as well as an extraordinarily gifted one" (Marquand, 2007), whom it is impossible to dislike, Mill set the standard for ideas on the nature of individual Liberty in a functioning society. Unlike many philosophers of his age, Mill put the need for Individual freedom above the need of the state for social order and control. Mill was not alone in theorizing about liberty, and the constraints on government. A century before his writing, two nations had risen up and overthrown what had been legitimate government. The American Revolution argued that there can be no taxation without representation, and the French Revolution succeeded in toppling a monarchy; within Mill's lifetime, the latter revolution had still been battling to come to terms with these events, the monarchy having been recreated and overthrown for a second time. During the first French Revolution, intellectuals had rushed to view the action, and intellectual society was still shaken by what it had seen. Questions and worries about what these events meant for society were therefore not far from the minds of philosophers and creative thinkers in JS Mill's social circle. This paper attempts to examine Mill's proposal on limitations on state interference in light of his intellectual influences and events of the time. By examining some of the ideas which Mill discussed in On Liberty, both about government interference with individual will, and how his own constraints on Liberty serve to protect individuals from harm by others, this paper will attempt to analyze the limitations which Mill proposed be placed upon legitimate government. Interpretations and discussion of Mill's most famous work center on the connection between Mill's theories of freedom, and the school of Utilitarianism in which he was brought up. According to Isaiah Berlin, his intellectual achievement, after a "Terrifying education at the hands of a rigid and dogmatic father" (Marquand, 2007), remains that he managed to develop his own need for freedom and happiness into a set of principles which remain at the centre of debates into the freedom of the individual (Berlin, 1991). Berlin also suggests that Mill hung on to his Utilitarian upbringing, which has been criticized more recently by, amongst others, John Gray. In the introduction to On Liberty in Focus, Gray and his co-editor G Smith consider the idea that Mill had given up Utilitarianism, and instead "It is rather the celebrated 'one very simple principle' of the first chapter of On Liberty" (Gray and Smith, 1991) which was Mill's motivation, and suggest other alternatives to Berlin's interp retation.

Money,banking and the federal reserve system Essay

Money,banking and the federal reserve system - Essay Example In order to ensure a balance of the bank reserves and to control the monetary base, the Federal Reserve was established. For efficient use of money in the United States, the Banks and the Federal Reserve work together. Money is the most widely used liquid asset in the world today. Cash is the liquid form of money that is applicable and usable in many of the small and medium business ventures. However, there are other forms of money acceptable in many places. These include traveler’s checks, and checkable bank deposits. Money has the capability of generating gains from trading activities since its nature allows indirect exchange. It also provides a uniform way of transacting given that every product or service can be exchanged with money. It contradicts the barter system of trade (Krugman 412). Money plays three main functions in the United States economy. Firstly, it the sole medium of exchange across the country, it is possible to obtain any goods and services in exchange of money. This medium of exchange lacks the capability to be consumed hence it has to be applied in obtaining consumable goods and pay fro services. Hard economic times have called for use of different monetary forms. This has been evident in some Latin American countries that have resulted into the use of the American dollar, a situation also seen in Eastern Europe where they have used Euros. Secondly, it is used as a store of value, meaning money has the ability to purchase power over a given period. Other assets complement money as a store of value but its uniqueness is that its value appreciates in most cases. Lastly, money is a unit of account. In accounting, money is widely accepted as the medium of setting prices and calculating the value of other assets 413-414. The concept of money has continued to change with time. In historical times, silver and gold were considered as the medium of exchange, this was facilitated by their valuable nature in making of making of ornaments and jewellery. Around independence time in 1776, paper money was getting used to complement the gold and the silver coins. The transition saw the introduction of commodity-backed money that whose value was dependent on the promise that it could be possible to turn it into value on demand. (Krugman 414).To further enhance the monetary form, the United States Dollar was adopted as a generally acceptable mode of transacting in exchange of goods and services. This introduced the so-called fiat money that derives its value from the official status it adopts. This type of money has advantages over the former types in that it does not use other resources apart from the material used in its making and secondly, its supply can be regulated to take care of specific economic needs. However, the challenge remains in production of fake currency (Krugman 415). There are two types of monetary aggregates, denoted by the Federal Reserve as M1 and M2. M1 entails the cash, traveller’s checks and ch eckable bank deposits. Other near-moneys are inclusive in M2. In the United States, year 2011 September, M1 was equivalent to $2,136.9 billions while M2 was $9,603.6 billions of dollars (Krugman 416). Near-moneys are accompanied by interests that the cash dos not, this is the reason why they pay higher interests than checkable bank deposits. Banks plays a critical role in the money industry in the United States and all over the world. It is evident that banks play a role in linking the Federal Reser

Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and Assignment

Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children - Assignment Example Conducted to an average mean age of six, the children underwent gastrointestinal, developmental tests and neurological testing. The results show that all the children had gastrointestinal disease and poor development. The poor development is associated with the change of environment from their homes to the pediatric facility (A J Walkfield, 1998). The method of testing includes the clinical investigation, laboratory investigation and histology. Developmental testing is conducted with the help of the parents. Ileocolonoscopy is then conducted after bowel preparation. Biopsy samples of the mucosa are then taken for testing from the terminal ileum. Urine is also tested to measure the amount of urinary methylmalonic acid. Magnetic imaging resonance is conducted to check the cerebral response. Stem auditory and sensory together with lumbar puncture is also done. None of the 12 children showed neurological abnormalities according to the clinical tests. Child number eight-showed slow development because of an earlier operation on her aorta. Eight of the children showed poor development due to infection of measles, mumps or rubella vaccination. All the children tested negative for antiendomyseal test. Eight children were reported to have mucosal and rectal abnormalities. Terminal lymphoid hyperplasia was also reported in nine children. Parasites and organisms were not present in the intestines of the 12 children. The goblet cells were not also depleted. The developmental regression results from of loss of coordination in the bladder or bowel function. The increased permeability into the intestinal walls is as a result of deficiency of the phenyl-sulphur transferase enzyme. Strains of measles vaccine have been traced to children suffering from autoimmune hepatitis hence playing a major role in the developmental regression. Vitamin B12 was deficient in the children since there was an increase in the methylmalonic acid concentrations. Vitamin B12

Martha Stewart Lost Reputation Essay Example for Free

Martha Stewart Lost Reputation Essay Martha Stewart places her name on her products. She becomes the face of her company and the voice of her brand. When her personal misconduct occurred, she made her company vulnerable and risky as well. This case study examines how Martha Stewart managed her corporate communication when her public image and reputation were tarnished on trial for alleged insider trading scandal. The trial not only led her to prison but also hurt her brand equity. The study shows that Stewart’s early response to her crisis demonstrated lack of situation awareness. In the beginning of her investigation, she kept her public persona intact, ignoring or downplaying her role in it. As a result, what Stewart called â€Å"a small personal matter† later became a full -blown crisis. If she had managed her communication in a more timely manner, the magnitude of her crisis might have been minimized. This article also provides detailed insights for organizations to learn from her crisis response strategies. Keywords: Organizational crisis, Crisis communication, Image restoration 1. Introduction The personalities of strong business leaders can help shape and enhance their corporate image. In some cases, the leaders become the virtual icon of the corporate brand, lendi ng their personal prestige to the brand and personifying the company. They can also threaten the company when they are involved in a scandal. In this situation, the consequences for the company can be critical as in the Martha Stewart’s insider trading crisis in the United States. The crisis management scholar, Roux-Dufort (2000) points out that corporate crises as â€Å"a privileged moment during which to understand things differently† (p. 26). As such, there is a growing body of literature on organizational learning in the wake of corporate crisis (Mitroff, 2002; Shrivastava, 1998). The Stewart case, in particular, drew the attention of media for years. The crisis of Martha Stewart’s insider trading raised the issue about the Martha Stewart’s multiplatform franchise; that is, the media world and homemaking business are intricately interwoven with her persona. Stewart’s empire has an impressive business synergy as shown by her TV programs that promote her magazines, her website which sells her products, and her p roducts which are a link to her TV programs. She is the face, voice and personality behind the brand and, thus, the two – Stewart and the brand – are inseparable. After Stewart’s personal misconduct, the interlocking nature of her business proved to be vulnerable and risky. Moreover, Stewart’s crisis had both legal and public relations components (Jerome, Moffitt, Knudsen, 2007). Allegations of insider trading against Martha Stewart led to her imprisonment. Her strategic plan in response to the insider trading accusations and the media attention su rrounding this crisis left Stewart trying to take action to restore her image. In a sense, it is important to understand how Stewart herself and her company managed their corporate communication when her public image and reputation were tarnished under the investigation of the insider trading scandal. This article explores how the high profile iconic Martha Stewart responded when confronted with an organizational crisis that threatened existence. It also provides detailed insights for organizations to learn from her crisis response strategies. 2. Background of Martha Stewart’s Insider Trading Beginning with the 1982 publication of her book Entertaining, Martha Stewart made a name for herself as a homemaking diva. In September 1997, Stewart became chairperson, president, and CEO of her new company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol MSO since 1999. As the chief of MSO, Stewart used her name and face to make connections with various businesses including a line of housewares, television shows, radio channels, magazines and a series of books on entertaining. On December 27, 2001, Stewart sold 3,928 shares of her ImClone stock worth US$228,000 the day before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rejected approval of Erbitux, ImClone’s anti -cancer drug. By selling ahead of the FDA rejection, Stewart received about US$45,000 more than if she had sold the stocks later. Compared to her wealth, it was certainly an insignificant sum and in fact, during her Larry King Live interview, she said it was â€Å"miniscule, really, about 0.006 percent of my net worth† (Four nier, 2004). Stewart had denied any wrongdoing, insisting she did not receive any advance knowledge from Sam Waksal, the founder and CEO of ImClone about the decision on Erbitux (Pollack, 2002). Instead, her sale of ImClone stock was part of a predetermined plan to sell if shares fell below US$60. Later, Stewart was officially indicted on charges of securities fraud and obstructing justice related to her sale of ImClone stock on March 5, 2004. Judge Cedarbaum dismissed the securities fraud charge against S tewart, saying prosecutors had failed to present enough evidence on the issue (Masters White, 2004). However, obstruction of justice, charges of conspiracy, and making false statements remained. Stewart served a five-month prison sentence between October 8, 2004 and March 4, 2005 for these charges. On August 7, 2006, Martha Stewart reached an agreement with the securities’ regulators over the insider-trading civil charges and agreed to pay US$195,000 to settle a five-year legal battle. 3. Literature Review Crisis events can and do strike organizations of all types. Every kind of organization, from larger organizations to small family owned businesses, have the potential of being a victim of crisis (Seeger, Sellnow, Ulmer, 2003). In many circumstances, crisis immediately raises questions from an organization’s many different publics (Marra, 1998). In this view, for an organization to manage the effects of a crisis it must communicate to both internal and external stakeholders. Ulmer, Sellnow, and Seeger (2007) suggest all crises involve the general communication strategies of reducing uncertainty, responding to the crisis, resolving it, and learning from it. The ability to communicate quickly and effectively is clearly an important component of successfu l crisis management. Effective crisis communication can not only defuse or eliminate crisis, but it can sometimes bring an organization a more positive reputation than before the crisis occurred (Kauffman, 2005). On the other hand, Marra (1998) argues if an organization fails to respond to a crisis in the correct manner, a bad situation can be made worse. Hence, crisis communication strategies can substantially diminish the harm caused by a crisis or magnify the harm if mismanaged. In this study, the stream of crisis response models from communication scholars and public relations professionals (Benoit, 1995; Coombs, 1999, 2007) are utilized as the theoretical framework to interpret the crisis response strategies that Martha Stewart employed in her insider trading crisis. According to Benoit (1995), firms or individuals may take preventative and restorative approaches to image problems. Five strategies (i.e., denial, evasion of responsibility, reduction of the offensiveness of the act , corrective action, and mortification) make up the rhetoric or image repair discourse. Each of these strategies has a set of tactics within them. Denial is the strategy employed when the rhetor simply chooses to deny the actions he is being accused of or shift the blame from the organization to outside individuals or agencies. The second strategy is evasion of responsibility is the strategy that the rhetor can blame circumstances beyond his control. It consists of four possible tactics: provocation, defeasibility, accident and good intentions. Benoit’s third major image restoration strategy, occurs when the rhetor attempts to reduce the degree of offensiveness experienced by the accuser. To this end, Benoit includes six tactics: bolstering, minimization, differentiation, transcendence, attacking the accuser, and compensation. The fourth category of the typology is corrective action, which attempts to correct the situation rather than counterbalance it. The final image restoration strategy, mortification, requires the rhetor to take responsibility for the action and to issue an apology. Benoit and colleagues have applied the model to a variety of different crisis situations. For instance, Benoit and Brinson (1994) analyzed ATT’s defense following an interruption of its long-distance service in New York in September of 1991. Initially, ATT tried to shift blame to low-level workers. As the complete story emerged, however, ATT apologized for the interruption (mortification) and began to bolster its image by stressing its commitment to excellence, the billions of dollars invested in service, and the quality of its employees. Finally, ATT promised corrective action and introduced a comprehensive review of its operations to anticipate and prevent further problems. It also stressed its commitment to providing excellent service and its willingness to spend billions of dollars to do so. Given these corrective action strategies, ATT’s finally restored its image. Benoit (1995) also examined Union Carbide’s response to the Bhopal, India, gas leak that kille d thousands and injured hundreds of thousands. Union Carbide’s primary strategies, bolstering and corrective action, were focused on four specific actions: a relief fund, an orphanage, medical supplies, and medical personnel. Although these strategies were appropriate and timely, Benoit claimed that Union Carbide failed to address the most important question: What were they doing to prevent another tragedy? Coombs (1999, 2007) develops situational crisis communication theory, creating 10 categories of basic organizational crisis communication strategies. These strategies are further grouped into four posture: 1) â€Å"denial posture† including attack the accuser (confronting person claiming a crisis occurred), denial ( asserting no crisis), and scapegoat (shifting the blame to others outside the organization), with an attempt to eliminate the crisis by denying its existence or the organization’s responsibility for the crisis; 2) â€Å"diminishment posture† which takes the forms of excuse (denying intend to do harm or claiming inability to control) and justification (minimizing severity of damage) with the purpose of weakening the link between the crisis and the organization by claiming the crisis is not the organization’s fault; 3) â€Å"rebuilding posture† of compensation (providing money or other gifts to the victims) and apology (taking full responsibility), which strives to restore legitimacy by seeking public approval and forgiveness; and 4) â€Å"bolstering posture† which includes reminder (telling stakeholders about its past good works), ingratiation (praising stakeholders and/or reminds them of past good works) and victimage (reminding stakeholders that the organization is a victim of the crisis, too). Using Coombs’s typology of crisis response strategies, Wilcox and Cameron (2006) examined the case of Intel. In 1993, Intel initially denied there was a problem with its Pentium 586 chip. As the crisis was covered in the mainstream press, Intel used the justification strategy by assuring that the problem was not serious enough to warrant replacing the chips. It minimized the concerns of consumers. In fact, Intel mismanaged the handling of its crisis communication. First, it did not disclose to the public the information about the Pentium flaw when they initially realized there was a problem. Then when the problem finally did come out into the open, they downplayed it instead of helping the users who had purchased the flawed chips. After considerable damage had been done to Intel’s reputation and IBM had suspended orders for the chip, Intel took corrective action to replace the chips. Subsequently, Andy Grove, Intel’s president, issued a full apology. Based on Benoit’s image repair theory and Coombs’s typology of crisis response st rategies, the following research questions are posited: RQ 1. What strategies did Martha Stewart use to manage her insider trading crisis? RQ 2. Were these strategies effective or ineffective? RQ 3. What can we learn from Martha Stewart case? 4. Methodology The case study is employed in this study, as it is effective in illustrating public relations management in real situations (Hendrix, 2004). According to Yin (1994), the six sources of evidence that are typically associated with the case study include documents, archival records, interviews, direct observation, participant -observation, and physical artifacts. In this study, texts documenting Stewart’s discourse in response to incidents that threatened her image were collected from multiple sources. Specifically, this study used predominantly two types of data: documents and archival records. It began with gathering data and finding facts related to cases and defining the specific tasks. The actions and communication strategies used by Martha Stewart wer e reviewed with information from her corporate websites, press releases and media coverage. MSO is a publicly traded company. A look at the organizational archival records (e.g., stock prices, sales and annual reports) and official government records (e.g. , court records and commission reports) contributed to understand the impact of corporate scandals have had on the companies’ financial performance and their stakeholders. The media coverage on the Martha Stewart case was found through Lexis Nexis Academi c keyword search of â€Å"Martha Stewart insider trading† in The New York Times and The Washington Post. These newspapers were selected because of their large circulation, prominence and influence on public opinion. For the purpose of the valance of news narration in this study, the period of analysis covered two time frames (during the crisis and post crisis). The first time frame started from the trading day to the verdict, beginning in December, 2001 and running through March, 2004. The second time frame started from the day of sentencing to her release from prison, beginning on July 16, 2004 and running t hrough March 2005. Since the research questions of this study were related to crisis communication strategies, the unit of analysis of this case study was Martha Stewart’s response to stakeholders during and post crisis. Thus, the strategies were apparent through the types of evide nce. 14 By examining corporate communication employed by Martha Stewart during the crisis and post -crisis period, the procedures for analysis involved three steps. First, after the data were collected from multiple sources, a detailed timeline of relevant events leading up to the crisis itself, and the post-crisis process was created. For example, the chronological order of the Martha Stewart case was constructed in the following manner: 1) the investigation (January, 2002 June, 2003); 2) indictment (June – December, 2003); 3) verdict (January May, 2004); 4) sentencing (June – July, 2004); 5) in prison (October, 2004); and 6) release from prison (March, 2005). Second, after the chronological order of actual events was refined, a narrative description and process analysis of each event was thus constructed. A worksheet served as an organizing tool for evaluating each event. All data collected were analyzed using the typology of crisis response strategy. Finally, a thick descript ion and analysis of the findings of each research question was conducted. 5. Analysis of Martha Stewart’s Crisis Response Strategies 5. 1 Investigation The story about Martha Stewart’s ImClone stock sale was broken to the public in the Wall Street Journal on June 7, 2002 (Adams Anand, 2002). In the article, her lawyer, John Savarese, indicated that Stewart had set the price at US$60 for selling the stock but in fact, as of June 7, 2002, the stock price of ImClone sank to a low US$8.45 a share. Using the strategy of differentiation, Savarese further was trying to put distance between Stewart and Sam Waksal. There is absolutely no evidence whatsoever that she spoke to Sam, or had any information from anybody from ImClone during that week †¦ I am absolutely sure that there was no communication of any kind between her and Sam, no passing of any information from him to her. (Adams Anand, 2002, p. B2) On June 12, 2002, Waksal was arrested for insider trading and soon after, the stock price of MSO plunged 12 percent, closing at US$15. From June 6, 2002, when congressional investigators started looking into Stewart’s sale of ImClone shares, the stock price of MSO had dropped 22 percent. Stewart immediately denied any insider trading or wrongdoing and, in a public statement, she said she knew nothing about the pending FDA announcement. She claimed that when the share price dropped below US$60 – the level at which she had agreed with her broker – she returned a call from her broker and sold the s hares on December 27, 2001. She acknowledged that after the trade, she immediately called Waksal but could not reach him, and he did not call her back. The message she left read: â€Å"Martha Stewart called. Something is going on with ImClone and she wants to know what† (Hays, 2002a, p. C1). She proclaimed her innocence in her statement: â€Å"In placing my trade, I had no improper information. My transaction was entirely lawful† (White, 2002, p. E1). However, the congressional investigator questioned Stewart’s sale, noting that ImClone dropped below $60 at least once before while Stewart owned it (White, 2002). On June 18, 2002, Stewart tried to resolve concerns about her sale of ImClone shares and hired a new lawyer, James F. Fitzpatrick, who submitted several documents to congressional investigators. This was the first time Stewart used a strategy of corrective action as a response to the inquiries. On June 19, 2002, MSO stock rebounded sharply, climbing from US$2.05, to US$14.4 and then to US$16.45, suggesting that her corrective action was working. However, Ken Johnson, a spokesman for the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said the documents would help answer some questions but â€Å"we still don’t have an answer to the most nagging one: was Ms. Stewart’s pre-existing agreement to sell reached in late November, as she says, or in mid-December as some reports have indicated?† (Hays, 2002b, p. C7). On June 25, 2002, she appeared on CBS’s The Early Show, and when asked by the host, Jane Clayson, about the ImClone shares during a cooking segment, she replied while slicing a cabbage with a big knife. I’m involved in an investigation that has very serious implications. I have nothing to say on the matter. I’m really not at liberty to say. And as I said, I think this will be resolved in the very near future and I will be exonerated of any ridiculousness. And I just want to focus on my salad because that is why we’re here. (Clayson, 2002) Apparently, Stewart had no idea how to handle the situation and was unwilling to respond to the questions. She continued to dodge public inquiries and ignored the increasing outcry for answers about her role in the insider trading scandal.

Juvenile Court Characteristics Essay Example for Free

Juvenile Court Characteristics Essay

Post Bureaucracy And Network Society

Post Bureaucracy And Network Society Organisations around the world have changed their structures, the internal managerial strategies in order to survive within a competitive market and hence evolved to best suit the external environment they operate in. Every organisation in todays time has to be profitable in order to be in business and therefore it must organise its structure, (Grahame .F. Thompson 2003 Oxford University Press). In the 21st century a revolution of globalisation, Information technology and cultural change has made corporate organisations to re-think and re-structure themselves to better suit the needs of workers, employers, consumers and the future of the company as a whole. There has been a social change in the division of labour and concepts of Post Fordism and flexible specialisation has come up in the last quarter of a century, (Tony J. Watson 2003 Routledge). In this essay we will see the shift from factory type bureaucracy towards a network society and the emergence of post bureaucratic organisa tions in todays economy which is based on knowledge and innovation. But this leaves us with an argument that is a post bureaucratic organisational form predominant in the network society/knowledge based economy? In the latter part of this essay we see some evidence of bureaucracy and its elements still present in Network Organisations. To understand this and come to a reasonable conclusion we must know what are bureaucratic organisation, post bureaucratic organisations and network organisations. As we know that bureaucracy is a highly structured system of administration it was seen in the late 1920s as being highly successful in the era of capitalist and mass production and administrative complexity. Thus, due to its nature of being machine like it ignored moral, ethical and emotional values and was efficient. The control and co-ordination of work task through a hierarchy of appropriately qualified office holders, whose authority derives from their expertise and who rationally, devise a system of rules and procedures are calculated to provide the most appropriate means of achieving specified ends. (Tony J. Watson, 2003, Routledge, sociology, work and industry fourth edition, pg-86). Bureaucracy had a hierarchy and decision making which flowed from top level managers to low level skilled and unskilled workers. In Weber ideal model Weber argued that without a proper filing system the bureaucratic organisation would fail and many organisations followed that and had highly secre tive filing systems. Managers and workers were allocated task according to technical expertise. There was a framework of rules to be followed for the production and functions to be carried out. Decisions made were not affected by emotions or personal preferences but defined by system of rules and under the official jurisdictional area. But the ideal form is for us to understand that it is unachievable but through which reality can be compared. (Tony J. Watson, 2003, Routledge). Bureaucracy is a concept of sociology and political science and can be seen in many government agencies, large manufacturing firms, hospitals, and many academic institutions, (Reference). As the government of states grew larger during the modern period, modern bureaucracies arose and especially following the Industrial Revolution, (Osborne David and Gaebler Ted, 1993, Plume). The major changes which gave rise to the factory system was that the workforce of labour shifted from hand production such as working i n the fields to a power driven machinery system. This revolution made division of labour more complicated, hierarchy gave managers more control, superior supervision and coercive authority, enabled capitalist to take greater reward, moral machinery was introduced to break the resistance from employees, and reduction of skill on which workers relied caused a reduced labour cost, (Paul Thompson and David McHugh, 2009, Palgrave Macmillan). (Give Examples of British companies as well as worldwide) Bureaucracy was at its height with the rise of the factory system. It was transforming organisations into technically superior system of administration and production. Coordination between man and the machine and with the introduction of the assembly line everything changed. Organised and detailed planning were the key features of Technical superiority. Rationality helped large firms achieve more out of the workers by allowing them to do simplified work in a formalised manner to achieve efficiency and limit the decision making power to the top down hierarchy. Limiting workers decision making and increasing efficiency by ground rules clearly defined without personal prejudice and emotional values. Control was achieved by reducing and restricting vital information and knowledge lead to more direct control from the management. Organisations used bureaucratic structures not only to retain the most earning but many of its features benefited the workers, there was job security, grievances procedures and demarcation, etc. This wave caused the workers something to look forward to and see the organisation in a positive manner, (Paul Thompson and David McHugh, 2009, Palgrave Macmillan). Taylorism and Fordism Taylors principles were based on bureaucracy and the phenomena were called scientific management. This was a typical example where an organisation was successful at the time when bureaucracy was at its heights. This was not an ideal type Webers model but it saw social aspects of the organisation where employees were also benefited but the big chunk of profit was taken by organisation. Employees were given specialised routine tasks and which being mechanised with proper coordination of human work effort led to Scientific management. It had a success with organised labour; in which manager had a concept of soldiering on the employee because Taylor thought that it is a tendency for men to take it easy without proper supervision. He had one best way of organising work. In counties like France and Britain experiments on Taylors scientific management started taking place, his ideas of time study and piece rate working gave rise to Taylorism, (Thompson and McHugh, 2009, Palgrave Macmillan). One of the models of Taylorism states that an official can work his way up the career hierarchy within a few years from being a simple worker to a middle level manager and even in some cases as high as the top management. This was the minimum interaction model describe by littler (1982), (Tony J. Watson, 2003, Routledge). In many parts of Britain and Europe Bedeaux system came through and Sweden and Germany followed districting paths but were influenced by Taylorism, (Thompson and McHugh, 2009, Palgrave Macmillan). Henry ford was Fordism became popular after the assembly line was introduced in factory working which increased efficiency many folds. This was the era of mass production were the employees were consumers and part of the market. What made the car factories a success were his detailed supervision, planning management strategies and close supervision. Ford gave his employees something to look forward to in terms of material benefits such as incentives, high wages, and could have a ford car of their own in a number of years. This made them loyal and a sense of trust emerged, (Tony J. Watson, 2003, Routledge). Post Bureaucracy and Network Society Post Bureaucratic organisations emerged when organisations found it difficult to cope up with strict rules and defined boundaries of the bureaucratic structure. With the introduction of advance technology being used in the modern age the organisational structure has changed in many large-scale industries. The age of mass production seemed to be over and highly specialised customer need analysis had to be done. During the time of Henry ford cars were produced in bulk which was standard in its appearance, style and technology. Nowadays we have entered the 21st century where cars are customised according to the needs of a specific customer. We have shifted from a factory type mass production to a customer oriented knowledge based economy where many authors believe bureaucracy is of the past. The ideal type of post bureaucratic structure has more of a dialog based and discussion rather than commands given where individual expertise is given credit. Here we see flat hierarchy which was ne eded in network society to work efficiently on project based process and group tasks, (Heckscher .C, Donnellon .A, 1994, Sage Publications). The changes that are prominent in the network form of organisation are that there are workers and groups with flat hierarchy who take decisions based on their knowledge and expertise. There are team based group doing projects and working together either from the office or from other sites. Networks have proved a useful alternative conception in analysing how a range social activity is organised and governed at a number of levels, (Graham .F. Thompson, 2003, Oxford university press). In modern organisations the concept of flat organisational structure has been introduced and work has been divided into many groups and teams of professional workers, where a set of employees take decisions at various levels of the work process. This also contributes to the innovation where employees have the freedom to make decisions and exercise their expertise. M ost of the employees are treated with formal equality and joint membership in the network organisation, (Graham .F. Thompson, 2003, Oxford university press). Basically what the author is trying to say is that network organisations gave more freedom to work and a sense of equality amongst the workers and employees. This can be seen in highly value added services, like education, medicine, law firms etc. The Network organisations are based on a high trust culture; it has low level of formal division of labour. Networks developed as business shifted from bureaucratic system to a more flexible system because organisations had to survive in the age of technology, innovation and globalisation. The rise of post bureaucratic structure was thought to be due to three major factors such as globalisation, information technology and cultural change. Globalisation caused high degree of competition as the markets to expand and overstretch national boundaries. Many organisations opened branches in other countries and corporate culture was born. This was the era of professionals where knowledge and networking were given importance. Because bureaucratic structures could not cope up with change and adaptability Post bureaucratic organisations had more flexible control process and were more proactive towards its environment. Making connections and providing service was part of almost every organisation regardless of its size and nature. Another major change that gave rise to Post bureaucracy was the change of technology and innovation. Information technology is required for an organisation to stay in business without communication and innovation a business cannot survive in long term. Some people suggest that culture also influenced Post bureaucratic rise in the network organisation. Consumers are given importance in the network society is based on consumerism, relativism and individualism, unlike in the bureaucratic structure, (Manuel Castells, 2000, Blackwell Publishers). Evidence of Post Bureaucratic Forms in Network Organizations (Castells, Journals) Many authors such as Castells suggest that post bureaucratic systems are the only way of the future of the knowledge based economy. This is a very hardcore and too optimistic approach yet we see that a pure bureaucratic organisational structure has failed to adapt into a network society. We know that due to change in administration in knowledge based economy bureaucracy has been replaced by a more flexible and adaptable organisational structure. Social, technological and economic change, multi-tasking work and the need for analysing data at different levels has shifted network society to engage the workers with high trust, empowerment, de-centralised decision making in knowledge economy, (Give Examples).Many organisations stared de-bureaucratizing because Webers concept of control was seen as an exercise of control on the basis of knowledge but in network organisations there had to a freedom to exercise indirect control where employees would practise self discipline and very less s upervision was needed. They had to exchange information and knowledge to be innovative which meant being proactive towards the environment for a long-term survival for the organisation. The concept of disagree to agree is used as friendly constructive discussion for decision making. We know that through empowerment high performance work systems are possible which has shifted from a factory type system where one could not act out of the official jurisdiction of their job description. In many value added organisations empowerment given to employees can lead to success of the firm/company (give example). (Paul Du Gay, 2005, Oxford University Press). Total quality management and customer satisfaction are relatively new methods of the Post-Bureaucratic structure which are used by organisations in the network society and knowledge based service industry. The famous legend in automobile industry Henry Ford ideas of mass production have shifted to some extent to a customised vehicle for a s pecific customer. An article by John Ovretiveit showed that TQM was applied to many hospitals and clinics across Europe became widespread since the 1990s. This method helps organisations deliver better quality control and customer satisfaction essential in knowledge based economy, (John Ovretiveit, 13/2 [200] 74-79, International Journal of health care quality assurance). TQM has been seen as a useful tool but many experts believe that it is difficult to evaluate and is difficult to implement. Whereas we see that in bureaucracy implementation and supervision were regarded highly and Taylors scientific management made it easy for firms to implement policies and evaluate them according to tasks specified to workers according to their official jurisdiction. As Richard Sennett says that there are three deficits of structural change are loyalty, informal trust and adaptive information faced by firms trying to de-bureaucratise, (Richard Sennett, 2004, Yale University Press). Evidence of Bureaucratic elements still present in Network Organizations (Reed M, Journals) Many Organisations have started to re-bureaucratize because there is a problem with the high trust, empowerment, shared responsibility and personal treatment. The concept of re-bureaucratizing has been discussed by many authors that instead of organisations shifting from bureaucracy they simply clean up the bureaucracy in their organisation (Heckscher .C, Donnellon .A, 1994, Sage Publications). Webers Ideal model of bureaucracy can be re-theorized to include any non-contradictory attributes. His ideal type thus cannot yield a clear distinction between bureaucratic and post-bureaucratic organizations, unless bureaucracy is flattened into hierarchy, and post-bureaucratic into non-hierarchical. But hierarchy cannot be eliminated from complex organizations, and bureaucracy can be re-theorized to include any non-contradictory attributes. (Harro M. Hoopfl, Journal of Organizational Change Management, Vol. 19 No. 1, 2006, 8-21, Emerald Group Publishing Limited). Charles Heckscher, the author of The Post-Bureaucratic Organisation talks about the theory of contingency, which is clearly not bureaucratic in nature. The best form of organisational structure should be that which suits the environmental complexities and uncertainty when organisations shift to knowledge based economy. If organisations work under the highly bureaucratised system they would not be able to work effectively, but it is argued that bureaucratic forms have a greater capacity mobilising human energy and cooperation. The author of Lost in translation Simon Norton suggests that Anglo-American approaches of new public management may not be suitable and elements of bureaucracy are still present in public sectors in Japan. The finding of the research is that such systems are popular and work for countries like USA and UK. The findings also suggest that Japanese organisations give priority to the long term survival of firms and its group rather than thinking for individual perfor mance and benefit, for example through reward mechanisms for innovation and demonstration of personal initiative, are at odds with the Japanese tradition of amae and Confucianism; instead, reformers should evolve reform policy around the concept of groupism (Koh, 1989). (Simon Norton, 2007, Emerald Group Publishing Limited). This research shows us that Although Japan being technologically advance it still values its culture and traditions indicates elements of bureaucracy which means that even after entering a knowledge based environment flat hierarchy may not be so suitable as perceived by many authors. In some organisations in network society direct control is being observed in which employees are monitored and supervised. Another finding by Rachel Parker and Lisa Bradley suggests that bureaucratic values within public sector organisations are prominent although there is an evidence of changing economic trend and new public management is emerging. The control and hierarchy in publ ic sectors show a reverse of what post bureaucratic values impose in an organisation. The employees viewed the monitoring and quality management systems as bureaucratic. Public sector organisations have been motivated less by financial considerations than by political considerations, including the public interest, (Perry Rainey 1988). (Rachel Parker and Lisa Bradley, The Asia Pacific Journal of Public Administration, Vol 26, No 2 (December, 2004) 197-215). The transition towards a post-bureaucratic society is evident but the process is slow and cannot leave behind elements of bureaucracy as we have not entered a fully knowledge based economy. This is not a claim by me but, in my opinion it is like two sides of the same coin where elements of both bureaucracy and post bureaucracy are present in the modern knowledge based economy and a hybrid form emerges.

Handspring SWOT Analysis :: Business

Handspring SWOT Analysis Strengths 1. Strong Board of Directors. Jeff Harkins, Donna Dubinsky, and Ed Colligan are considered industry leaders. In fact they had been credited with reviving the handheld computing industry. The Palm Pilot which they developed was the most successful product launch in computing history. 2. Good brand identity, strong reputation. By the summer of 2000, Handspring had a 40% market share. There was a four month backlog in orders when Handspring first entered market. 3. Integration of hardware and software for ease of use. Handspring had a license for the Palm operating system. Hawkins created what he called a â€Å"virtual company† to bring hardware design and manufacturing companies together to bring the product to market. Also unlike Palm, Handspring had their hardware and software developer working together to develop a communicator that addressed how people actually use their wireless devices. In developing the Treo, Handspring employed ethnographer who observed how people used their cell phones and PDAs. 4. A company with focused products. The Visor line was continued to have a large market share in the PDA user market. The Treo line was to focus on the increasing functionality by combine PDAs with Cell phone technology to become a communicator. 5. Convenience seen in all in one Treo product. Phone + organizer + e-mail + Web Weaknesses 1. Inability to differentiate from competitors. The Palm OS had been licensed to many companies and made up the lion’s share of the PDA business. All of the major competitors have the same OS. 2. Low expertise in other areas and functionality. A Strand Consulting report stated that handspring would have difficulty surviving the smart phone market because the lack experience in the mobile phone market. 3. Profit margins are shrinking despite an 18% increase in sales. This was a result of downward pricing pressures from an increasing amount of competitors. 4. Divided focus of Harkins. Harkins had recently formed the non-profit Redwood Neuroscience Institute to pursue his lifelong passion for brain research. This of course meant that he no longer 100% focus on Handspring. Opportunities 1. The handheld industry is still changing and currently no company is standing on stable ground. Handspring SWOT Analysis :: Business Handspring SWOT Analysis Strengths 1. Strong Board of Directors. Jeff Harkins, Donna Dubinsky, and Ed Colligan are considered industry leaders. In fact they had been credited with reviving the handheld computing industry. The Palm Pilot which they developed was the most successful product launch in computing history. 2. Good brand identity, strong reputation. By the summer of 2000, Handspring had a 40% market share. There was a four month backlog in orders when Handspring first entered market. 3. Integration of hardware and software for ease of use. Handspring had a license for the Palm operating system. Hawkins created what he called a â€Å"virtual company† to bring hardware design and manufacturing companies together to bring the product to market. Also unlike Palm, Handspring had their hardware and software developer working together to develop a communicator that addressed how people actually use their wireless devices. In developing the Treo, Handspring employed ethnographer who observed how people used their cell phones and PDAs. 4. A company with focused products. The Visor line was continued to have a large market share in the PDA user market. The Treo line was to focus on the increasing functionality by combine PDAs with Cell phone technology to become a communicator. 5. Convenience seen in all in one Treo product. Phone + organizer + e-mail + Web Weaknesses 1. Inability to differentiate from competitors. The Palm OS had been licensed to many companies and made up the lion’s share of the PDA business. All of the major competitors have the same OS. 2. Low expertise in other areas and functionality. A Strand Consulting report stated that handspring would have difficulty surviving the smart phone market because the lack experience in the mobile phone market. 3. Profit margins are shrinking despite an 18% increase in sales. This was a result of downward pricing pressures from an increasing amount of competitors. 4. Divided focus of Harkins. Harkins had recently formed the non-profit Redwood Neuroscience Institute to pursue his lifelong passion for brain research. This of course meant that he no longer 100% focus on Handspring. Opportunities 1. The handheld industry is still changing and currently no company is standing on stable ground.

Creatine Monohydrate Essay -- Supplements Chemistry Creatine Essays

Creatine Monohydrate Creatine monohydrate is a body building supplement. Many athletes and trainers use it to enhance athletic performance. College athletics are an advocate for creatine when it comes to exercising and strength conditioning, But what is creatine? Creatine is a naturally occurring metabolite found in red muscle tissue. It is a powerful ergogenic aid that plays an important role in energizing muscle. Creatine increases the body's ability to do work. It is high powered and generates the muscles ultimate energy source - ATP (adenosine triphosphate)- ATP produces the contractions of a muscle's proteins. When muscles are performing work ATP is being broken down into ADP (adenosine diphosphate) and energy is given off. The ATP being used usually lasts 10 - 15 seconds. After that the muscle depends on creatine phosphate to restock the ATP. Creatine acts as a reserve for the ATP. Therefore increased amounts of creatine will allow the body to supply ATP at a faster rate. Which, in turn allows an individual to workout longer and maintain a high level of strength. With creatine as a supple)-nent the body is exposed 4 grams of creatine per kilogram. Red meats give 1 gram of creatine per large serving. These increased amounts of creatine slow the possibility of fatigue. Creatine promotes the synthesis of protein, which promotes muscle growth. The loading phase consists of 5 grams 4 - 6 times a day for the first 5 to 7 days. 'f his should be accompanied by at least I hour of exercise. The load should then be reduced after a week to no more than IO grams per day. This is what most of the stores that sell the creatine will tell vou because there aim is to sell the product. Since the product has been... ...ur best bet because it has been proved that loading is not necessary. While creatine is being taken it is necessary that the individual remains hydrated during the early cycles extra water is taken into the cells when creatine enters and this causes minor water retention- This water retention has been related to cramps and heat intolerance. The majority of the advocates for creatine didn't report any side effects. In most instances when the question was raised, the articles said, "Yes, it's safe. No negative side effects noted in research with recommended levels of supplement." All of these people were involved with sales and advertisement of the product also. An article on a review of creatine was the most effective in providing insight on creatine because it didn't have anything to do with promotions of it. Creatine is safe, it is pure and it works!

Digital Communication

Joshua Feliciano – 110445 Mr. Basile IB ITGS – 11 4. 27. 2010 Digital Communication in the 21st century Digital communication can be defined as an electronic transmission of information that has been encoded digitally. This specifically means that digital communication is data communication of information that is converted from text to code digitally. Digital communication can also be effective communication dealing with web, multimedia, video or graphics, and digital media. Some forms of digital communication can be texting, IM, e-mail, podcasting etc. Digital communication plays an important part in today's daily life in many different perspectives. In today's age, most people find digital communication a lot more easier and teachers and professors find it a bit more comprehensive. Today’s companies and organizations, use different types of media to reach and retain their audience. Digital communication helps jobs and businesses communicate a lot faster through e-mail, multimedia, texting, power point, presentations etc. As for students in any school or college, all these digital communication advantages also help and make it a lot more accessible. Throughout the decades, technology has improved drastically and gets more highly skilled as time goes on. In the past there was no such thing as digital communication. All communication was through hand written letters, phone calls, or people would just have to go visit whoever it is in person. Digital communication has made a huge change and difference in today's age. Its more comprehended and explanatory. In today's society a lot more can be accomplished with the digital communication and technology that exists today. Some of these digital communications can be text messaging, video or graphics, multimedia, podcasting, and digital media. Back then in about the 1990's, there was no such thing as any of these digital communications and advantages. Video or graphics and multimedia may have been in useable but, it definitely wasn't as advanced, updated, or even in good picture quality as today's technology and digital communication. This is significant in a couple of different ways. Not only is everything faster, and looks nicer but, all the improved technology saves every individual a lot of time in their life. With all the development and improved technology, digital communication has really made a difference for people in today's age. Digital communication contains many advantages and disadvantages. Some being good and others being bad. Advantages of digital communication can be that it is faster and easier, no paper is wasted, messages can be stored in the device for longer times without being damaged unlike paper files that easily get damages, it can be done over large distances through internet and other things, it is comparatively cheaper and the work which requires a lot of people can be done simply by one person as folders and other such facilities can be maintained, and it provides facilities like video conferencing which save a lot of time, money and effort. Digital communication also contains many disadvantages which can be that it is unreliable as the messages cannot be recognised by signatures, sometimes the quickness of digital communication is harmful as messages can be sent with the click of a mouse, it has completely ignored the human touch in which a personal touch cannot be established because all the computers will have the same font, and greater bandwidth. In conclusion, digital communication can be defined as the ability to create communications in different media, which can be its websites, video, audio, text, or animated multimedia. It's important in today's society because it's much faster and more understanding other than having to deal with letters that you can't comprehend. In today's age, digital communication can be more visible and more fun with the advancement of video or graphics, multimedia, podcasting text messaging, e-mail etc. This is significant because everything is much faster and more advanced. Overall digital communication had its advantages and disadvantages some being good and some being bad which in the end was still a very successful improvement of today's technology. Work Cited http://www. adobe. com/education/presentation/digital_communication/ http://www. macromediastudiomx. biz/uk/education/solutions/pdfs/dc_for_all_students. pdf http://www. answerbag. com/q_view/31169

Artist Statement for Sculpture

Our tape projects shows artistic investigation In that we had to look Into the aspects of this character to try and figure out how we could best represent them with what we had. We looked Into the culture of the show and his character In order to do lust that. As for the process, It was quite a long one. We first had to figure out the stance and position of the character that would best represent the character (oddly enough, in our case, it was his dead, which happens quite a lot to his character in the how, surprisingly) and what props/colors we would need to make his character known.Once we had it all planned out, we started the tape, using different parts of each person in our group. We used Drain's limbs, lower body, stomach area, and head, and then used Earache's upper body. We used the technique of wrapping the tape around the part needed with the sticky side out and building up until it was thick enough and very carefully cutting the tape off the person, without hurting the st ructure of the tape or the person. Once all our pieces were all cut out, we put them all together, using even more tape. The spray painting came next.We used the spray paint to color In the pants, shirt, hair, and shoes. One of our characters signature items Is his trench coat and tie that he Is almost always wearing. We used the actual articles of clothing for that. Since our character is also an angel, we made angel wings out of cardboard and then spray painted those as well and attached them to the tape sculpture itself. We did this project and used this character because, seeing s we both are big fans of the show and this specific character, it is sort of a nerdy representation of the both of us.The material and media influenced our artistic decisions because, using mainly tape, it forced us to think simply. We needed mostly the vague outline of a human figure through the tape which was time consuming and difficult in itself, and the props we needed had to be so associated with this character that It would be very easy to figure out who It was If the person happened to know of the show. The Intended expression or communication intended with this ice was to deep down Just accept the nerdy side of you, If you have one.And, for those who know this character, they know that he is all about being true to yourself and coming over tremendous odds, which can also hopefully be seen through our piece. I would say we were fairly successful in manifesting our vision with our sculpture. Artist Statement for Sculpture By researches Our tape projects shows artistic investigation in that we had to look into the what we had. We looked into the culture of the show and his character in order to do lust that. As for the process, it was quite a long one.We first had to figure out the paint to color in the pants, shirt, hair, and shoes. One of our characters signature items is his trench coat and tie that he is almost always wearing. We used the actual the vague outline of a hu man figure through the tape which was time consuming and character that it would be very easy to figure out who it was if the person happened to know of the show. The intended expression or communication intended with this piece was to deep down Just accept the nerdy side of you, if you have one. And, for Artist Statement for Sculpture Adrian Sage Rachel Shaw Our tape projects shows artistic investigation in that we had to look into the aspects of this character to try and figure out how we could best represent them with what we had. We looked into the culture of the show and his character in order to do just that. As for the process, it was quite a long one. We first had to figure out the stance and position of the character that would best represent the character (oddly enough, in our case, it was his dead, which happens quite a lot to his character in the how, surprisingly) and what props/colors we would need to make his character known.Once we had it all planned out, we started the tape, using different parts of each person in our group. We used Drain's limbs, lower body, stomach area, and head, and then used Earache's upper body. We used the technique of wrapping the tape around the part needed with the sticky side out and building up until it was thick enough and very carefully cutting the tape off the person , without hurting the Truckee of the tape or the person.Once all our pieces were all cut out, we put them all together, using even more tape. The spray painting came next. We used the spray paint to color in the pants, shirt, hair, and shoes. One of our characters signature items is his trench coat and tie that he is almost always wearing. We used the actual articles of clothing for that. Since our character is also an angel, we made angel wings out of cardboard and then spray painted those as well and attached them to he tape sculpture itself.We did this project and used this character because, seeing as we both are big fans of the show and this specific character, it is sort of a nerdy representation of the both of us. The material and media influenced our artistic decisions because, using mainly tape, it forced us to think simply. We needed mostly the vague outline of a human figure through the tape which was time consuming and difficult in itself, and the props we needed had to be so associated with this harasser that it would be very easy to figure out who it was if the person happened to know of the show.The intended expression or communication intended with this piece was to deep down Just accept the nerdy side of you, if you have one. And, for those who know this character, they know that he is all about being true to yourself and coming over tremendous odds, which can also hopefully be seen through our piece. I would say we were fairly successful in manifesting our vision with our sculpture. Artist Statement for Sculpture By researches

Organic Food Nutrition Essay

Most grocery stores now sell food products labeled â€Å"organic† due to the increase of demand. Organic food became popular in the 1990’s and has since remained a trend. Although there are more and more supermarkets stocking organic food products on their shelves, non-organic food products seem to outnumber the amount of organic food products. Organic food products are labeled with a green and brown sticker that says USDA ORGANIC. When most Americans see this label they think that what they are buying is better than the average product. But do they have any proof that organic is better? For some reason all a product needs is a little sticker that says organic, and people automatically believe that it is healthier. No one ever stops to ask what this sticker means. Instead they just trust that organic is healthier than the produce that is being sprayed with chemicals. The rise of organic food has created an illusion that organic food is healthier and has nutritional benefits that exceed those of conventional food products. What is organic food? To understand this illusion that the government creates, the definition of organic must be addressed. According to Robert Paarlberg, the author of Food Politics, â€Å"organic foods are produced without any human-made (i. e. , synthetic) fertilizers or pesticides† instead â€Å"organic farmers use composted animal manure and plant cover crops they can later turn into soil† (Paarlberg, 139). This definition suggests that organic farming is not necessarily free of toxic chemicals, but that the chemicals used on organic farms are natural chemicals, or in other words, chemicals that appear in nature. Another definition of organic food is that it is â€Å"produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations† (Preface, 1). Most people who grow or buy organic products link it to being green and environmentally friendly. If organic farmers are not using fertilizers or pesticides then less toxic fumes are going into the air. Therefore, by buying organic products they are doing their part in creating a better place to live. Others, however, buy organic food because they think that organic is more nutritious. Healthier or Not? There is no evidence that organic food products are healthier than conventionally grown food. According to Samuel Fromartz, the author of Organic, Inc. , â€Å"ninety percent of ‘frequent’ organic buyers think that they’re buying better ‘health and nutrition’† (Organic, 1). Ninety percent of people believe this because this is what they are told from others around them. Like most things organic food has its limitations as well. In the book Controversies in Food and Nutrition, the authors state that organic foods â€Å"are not necessarily healthful or safe. A high-fat food that is made form organic products remains high in fat† (Goldstein &ump; Goldstein, 197). Being organic does not make a difference in how much fat a product contains. Although organic might mean that there are no non-natural chemicals used in the production it does not mean that it is healthy. Goldstein quotes Galleghar, the author of a magazine article in Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine, â€Å"you can buy organic chocolate bars, ice cream and cookies-all made with ingredients that are pesticide-, chemical-, antibiotic- and hormone-free- but they’ll be laden with fat, sugar and calories† (Galleghar, 81-82). Galleghar argues a strong point, because organic defines how the ingredient was grown or produced, not the amount of fat, sugar, or calories it has. Thus, organic food is not healthier than non-organic food. Organic food does not provide any remarkable nutritional benefit when compared to non-organic food. In the opinion of Dr. Alan Dangour, a doctor interviewed by Karen McVeigh, â€Å"‘there’s no good evidence that consumption of organic food is beneficial to health based on the nutrient content’†, he also states â€Å"that while small differences were found between organic and conventionally produced food, they were ‘unlikely to be of any public health relevance’† (McVeigh, 7). These quotations suggest that although there may be a slight difference between organic and conventional food products, it is not of any importance to society, therefore the government does not publish this information. The United States Department of Agriculture claims â€Å"organic produce will contain much lower levels of agrochemical residues than conventionally produced food† (www. nal. usda. gov). Lower levels of agrochemical residue sounds like a good thing. However, how much of a difference do these lower levels make? The website also states that â€Å"measured residues on most products, both organic and non-organic, do not exceed government-defined thresholds for safe consumption† (www. nal. usda. gov). Despite the fact that the residue on organic food may be less than the residue on nonorganic food neither of them exceed government regulations. However, the USDA might be conservative in their estimates of how much is safe due to pressures from the pesticide industry. The USDA seems to say that the only important aspect about the food we eat is that it has passed government regulations, therefore, we should not worry about the issue of safety any more. Local Farms? Another effect organic food has on society is the belief that organic food comes from small, local farms. In the article Paradise Sold: What Are You Buying When You Buy Organic? published in The New Yorker, Steven Shapin a Professor of science at Harvard states that, â€Å"much of the organic produce on the market comes from large farms turning a huge profit from the organic label† (Shapin, 1). Because of the increase in demand for organic food, big farming corporations grow organic produce in order to create more capital for themselves. It is important to know that organic does not mean local, and local food does not mean organic. For example, supermarkets like Whole Foods, or Trader Joe’s are very big businesses. In order to stock the shelves of a place like Whole foods a small local farm would not be able to carry out the job, instead big organic retailers need big organic suppliers such as Earthbound Farm. Earthbound is one of the nation’s largest growers of organic produce. Their greens â€Å"are produced on giant farms in six different counties in California, two in Arizona, on in Colorado, and in three Mexican states† (Organic, 1). When a company produce comes from more than one place the piece of produce can no longer be considered local. Thus, the illusion that organic food comes from neighborhood farms is entirely false. Escherichia coli Much like conventional food, organically grown foods can carry bacteria. Author Robert Paarlberg writes, â€Å"in 2006, bagged fresh spinach from a California farm in its final year of converting to organic certification was the source of E. coli infections in the United States that killed at least three and sickened hundreds† (Paarlberg, 145). Although organic food may have a special sticker, which makes consumers think that the product is safer to eat, there are examples of organic food not being safe to consume. Myrna and Mark Goldstein, the authors of Controversies in Food and Nutrition seem to agree with the above claim because they state that, â€Å"the manure that organic farmers may use could contain bacteria. ‘The only real difference between organic and nonorganic food is in the growing- and that’s not a big enough difference to protect your health from bacteria’† (Goldstein, 198). Due to the fact that the growing process is the only difference between organic and nonorganic foods, the risk for E. coli is not any different between the two products. Knowing the truth about where our food comes from is important because the food that goes into our bodies affects our health and well-being. The illusion created by the organic sticker only creates false hope that organic food is healthier and has nutritional benefits that exceed those of conventional food products. While many people continue to assume that the organic seal means that the produce is healthier and safer, one should remember that the seal only indicates how the product was produced.

Pros and Contras About Facebook

There are a large number of people that have a Facebook page as it is a great way to get in touch with your old friends and to share information about your life with your friends all over the world. While facebook reigns as the most popular social media site out there, it does caution it’s users to limit the information they post online as it is accessible by anyone and this can lead to identity theft and many other concerns. If you are investigating facebook and trying to figure out if you should start up your own profile, here are some pros and cons to facebook that will aid in making your decision a little easier.Pros of facebook Let’s start with all of the things that make facebook a great thing to have. First of all it has the highest user percentage of all social media sites, which means there is a good chance that most of your friends, co-workers, and relatives will have a facebook page that you can interact with. Facebook is a great way to connect with your old high school and college classmates. This is the biggest selling point to facebook because it really does allow you to reconnect with a lot of old friends and to make new friends.There are a lot of people that use facebook to find dates by checking out the friends of their friends. Do you have loved ones that live far away? Facebook helps you to stay connected but it also allows you to share your pictures with them of recent family vacations and other things. For grandparents and aunts and uncles, facebook provides a great outlet where they can see their grandkids and nieces and nephews grow up. Companies and individuals use facebook to promote their companies and services.If you have a charity event, facebook is the way to get people to connect with you and hopefully support it. Facebook has a lot of opportunities for self-promotion, making it a great outlet for anyone that really needs to find clients and to get supporters. Do you have celebrities and tv shows that you follow? Face book allows you to â€Å"like† on their page and you will be able to get status updates about what episodes are airing along with other great information like access to concert tickets before the rest of the public.Having the â€Å"insider† scoop to your favorite sports teams will also allow you to hear about who is starting at quarterback this week and other great information about your favorite teams. Cons of facebook Now that you see some of the big reasons why you need to try out facebook, we will look into some of the things that make facebook annoying and also scary to your privacy. The â€Å"friend† game. Remember the old high school bully who has now changed his or her ways? Well what do you do if they want to be your Facebook friend?It seems like everyone takes the term â€Å"Friend† differently. There are some people that want to be your friend and you might have said â€Å"hello† to them once 20 years ago. The good thing is you really do n’t have to add everyone. The facebook newsfeed. This is where all the new information is posted or the profiles that have status updates with a lot of comments. The newsfeed can be nice but it can also become really annoying. This is where you will end up blocking a lot of status updates and other things because they do become simply too annoying.The newsfeed is where a lot of information is shared and you may be thinking to yourself â€Å"who cares that your neighbor’s dog barks? † There are a lot of people that just want to talk and they use Facebook as that outlet. Spam is another problem with facebook because it seems like everyone will send you invitations to games and things that they like. Farmville invitations will get old along with other invitations like â€Å"which celebrity are you like† and so on

Bahasa Indonesia Essay Example for Free

Bahasa Indonesia Essay My Educational background, academic and extra curricular and work experience are as follows. I am currently pursuing an international Baccalaureate education in Sekolah Pelita Harapan in Tangerang Indonesia that is equivalent to a 2 year diploma. The courses I have undertaken include business management (Higher Level / HL), English A2 (HL), Theatre Arts (HL), Bahasa Indonesia A1 (SL), Mathematics (SL), and Environmental Systems (SL). I hope to score a distinction on my final exam. I have been involved in extra curricular activities since primary level these include theater arts where I have participated in plays like the Sandbox by Edward Albee, Shakespearean Monologues and the Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. My key role has been in charge of costume design, setting and construction. I have been involved in painting and drawing, participated in music especially playing the piano as well as learnt Japanese language. I have participated in many sporting events during my school time and received awards such as fitness where I was awarded with gold equivalent to the international standard, hockey as goal keeper, ice-skating and become first runners-up and basketball. I also participated in the athletics where I become third winner. Apart from sports, during my leisure time I get engaged in charity work such as volunteer as English teacher in local orphanages and organize special events like in Christmas 2007. I have participated and coordinated the Indonesia’s 2007 charity walk where we raised money to help flood victims for purchase of medicine and personal effects. In addition am involved in Sunday school teaching. During my summer holidays I work in the family businesses dealing in supplying of merchandise to companies in Indonesia and in the printing firm contracted by large companies. I have learnt a lot of business skills from my family members especially dad and grand father. They have introduced me to the business world which makes me consider expanding my knowledge and skills that will make me better and productive. I am applying for consideration for admission to FIDM in the following majors’ i. e merchandise marketing, visual communication and business management. I am aware that FIDM offers all these majors. I believe I will be able to undertake these courses so that I can sharpen my skills. For instance in Merchandise marketing I would like to get knowledge and skills about planning, purchasing, promotion of merchandise, technology application, human resource development and critical thinking among others. In Visual communications am much interested in acquiring skills in visual presentation, exhibition and trade show design, retail display, store keeping, event planning, trend analysis and computer graphics. While in business management am quite excited if I get these chance to broaden my knowledge on entrepreneurship, financial management, human resource management and organization, global influence, involvement and management. I have considered this field of profession since my childhood. I have thought about it over and over again for a long time. Given the fact that I was born in business environment, my interest for really integrating fashion and business tickles me. Am persuaded this is the area of my interest and career fulfillment. The reasons for me to chose this college among all your other choices is that Fashion Institute of Design Merchandising (FIDM) is an institute that is reputed internationally in the fashion industry. It has experience of over 35 years in teaching with a unique nature by which the college delivers its curriculum such as being industry driven and practically oriented to the present development. The institute has a diverse community of students and staff from different backgrounds which gives opportunity for broader understanding of global issues. It has well equipped academic materials. This exposure will enhance my understanding of global issues and help me appreciate diversity. The other support services provided such as international student support classes, work experience, transfer offers, student resources and career development services and opportunities such as networking, graduate alumni and career placement after college are other important reasons I would like to attend FIDM than other colleges. I consider this college as a place where I can gain knowledge and skills to help me in my career goals and future plans. After I have completed my college studies I would like to pursue a career in fashion industry especially costume design, creativity and business management. I like watching fashion modeling events with a keen eye on creative design. I have intention of creating my own designs that I would like to be involved in and become one of the world fashion designers. The exposure I have gained from family businesses I have worked and knowledge I expect to gain from attending FIDM will surely enhance my entrepreneurship skills and ambition to own a fashion store business with wide collection of world fashion designs. I would like also to pursue my education to an advanced level so that I can train and nature talents in my country. I am convinced that this is where I want to go and make an impact in the fashion industry. REFERENCES Fashion Institute of Design and Management. (2008). Curriculum. Retrieved April 17, 2008 from http://www. fidm. edu/academics/majors/business-management/curriculum. html Bahasa Indonesia. (2016, Nov 16).

Compare and Contrast Rawlsian and Dworkinian account of distributive Essay

Compare and Contrast Rawlsian and Dworkinian account of distributive justice - Essay Example The focus in this methodology of viewing justice is on the outcomes and results of distributions rather than the procedural tools which connect with administrative bodies or the government established in the system. Two prominent thinkers, i.e. Ronald Dworkin and John Rawls have presented their ideas about distributive justice and an understanding of these ideas is important for any student of sociology, philosophy, law and even economics. It would be best to examine the ideas of Rawls first since he presented his ideas before Dworkin. In the simplest of terms, John Rawls distributive justice is based on the idea of alternative distributive justice in which a Difference Principle is called into action. Rawls accepts that equality and equal distribution of resources within any given system is impossible therefore he creates a difference principle under which inequality becomes perfectly acceptable. The Difference Principle allows a society to allocate resources in a way where equality is not needed, but only if the creation of this inequality makes the lower strata of society materially better off than they would have been had there been perfect equality (Rawls, 1993). As a difference to Dworkinian distributive justice, this idea is based on the fact that the level of wealth in an economy is never a fixed constant and it can be changed from one point in time to the other. Rawls suggests that the wealth of a nation can be created by technology, innovation and development and this has been clearly proven by the industrialized nations of the world. Of course this comes with the idea of capitalism and social Darwinism where the most productive people within an economy will rise to the top and create wealth for themselves as well as the economic system they are in. This may lead to the accumulation of wealth at the top of the social order but Rawls does not consider this to be a

Sport And Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Sport And Society - Essay Example The functionalist theory focuses attention on how sports assists keep the society operating easily and influences individuals to contribute to the social system. From the Governments perspective it is easy to see that access and participation are intertwined; by providing more opportunities for people at all levels in sport, a number of participants will rise. From a functionalist approach, the Governments perspective is not sufficiently discriminatory, it overlooks certain problems such as age and gender issues that do not support the equilibrium in society. A functionalist approach leads to exaggerated statements about positive effects of sport, believing that anything that lasts is good and it fails to consider that sport could distort values. Functionalist theory is based on the assumption that the needs of the individuals in society reflect the needs of the social system, it assumes homogeneity of interests and the desire to maintain harmony which is not the case, not everyone i n a society may want to play a certain sport, and functionalism cannot distinguish whether people actually want to play sport at all. The way the Government wants to promote sport is typically from a functionalist perspective and is the best sociological theory to use when promoting the sport. Different sociological theories help identify issues and problems and Coakley believe the best theories are the ones that make sense, so from the Governments point of view, a functionalist approach is ideal because it believes sport is an inspiration.... The Government aims to improve health and they identify how sport is a means of this, the approach to achieving this is predominantly a functionalist approach in that they believe sport is an inspiration and a precious contributor to health. The Government believes that if they increase opportunities and improve access to facilities for all people, then their goal of improved health will be attained. Government's use of sport From a functionalist perspective this would encourage participation from all areas of society regardless of sex, age, race, gender or class as the perspective does not discriminate against individuals. From a functionalist point of view the policy over-exaggerates the benefits of playing sport, and Coakley (2003, p.40) believes it doesn't address "the emphasis on physical power" which may show prejudice towards certain groups in society, and this is one of the reasons why women's sport has failed to be as big as men's, and one of the reasons why the Paralympic Games is not as big as the Olympics. Development of sport in the UK Although until relatively in recent times sport might have been described as a neglected subject in social analysis, the worth of sport in modern societies seems irrefutable. In financial terms sport is estimated to symbolize 3 per cent of GDP in the OECD countries. In cultural terms extra than two-thirds of the world's population saw a few part of the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games via television. In supporting terms sport has been engaged as a policy tool by country states, as for instance in the struggle against apartheid in South Africa, and in the Olympic Games' boycotts of the 1980s, or more lately in promoting the new or reviving patriotism of the post-communist Central along with Eastern