Health Economics - 1683 Words

HSA 500 Health Services Organization Janeen Whiteside-Harris Professor: Dr. Maryjane Granoff October 24, 2012 United States (U.S.) Health Care System (HCS) Requirements are to write a three to four page paper covering the following: 1. Identify and evaluate at least three forces that have affected the development of the health care system in the U.S. 2. Speculate whether or not these forces will continue to affect the health care system in the U.S. over the next decade. (Include a force that was not mentioned that you believe will impact the health care system of the nation. 3. Evaluate the importance of technology in health care. HSA 500 Health Services Organization Janeen Whiteside-Harris†¦show more content†¦I personally feel the affect economics have on healthcare or the lack there of, can never be explained any clearer; unless you are experiencing it yourself. * Labor force trends in the U.S. 3. In the 1960’s the U.S. labor force grow at the rate of 1 .7 percent annually and continue to grow into the 70’s as the baby boomer (those born between 1946-1964 generation continued to reach adulthood and enter the workforce. During this same period women began to enter the workforce as never seen before causing the labor force to grow at a rate of 2.6 percent annually. One might not see this as a health issue, but with women joining the workforce men began to feel the pressure, causing health complication. Women on the other hand who at one time lived the life of a care free house wife, but now working in corporate America; has started to feel stress now heart attacks are the number one killer of the American female species. I know there was nothing glamorous about being a slave, but slaves lived with just about no illnesses or life threatening diseases, know blacks have the highest numbers when it comes to diabetes, HIV, and high blood pressure than any other ethnic group (but we are free), freedom should make us take life more serious and take care of ourselves as well as our children. During the 1980’s and 90’s fewer people enteredShow MoreRelatedEconomics and Health Care1520 Words   |  7 Pagesturn leads to market failure. * Third-party payers is another reason because inefficiencies arise as a result of consumers not spending their own money. The majority of the expenses are paid by third parties, primarily health insurance companies and the government since health costs are usually too expensive for the middle to lower class who are usually more likely to become ill. 1B. In the real world, a perfectly competitive market rarely exists. One or more assumptions are violated in mostRead MoreEssay Health Economics2827 Words   |  12 Pagesforms of economic evaluation which are useful in health economics for comparing costs and allocating resources. Health economics is widely relevant to governments and the health sector in implementation of new policy, as it concerns the allocation of resources in the context of a limited budget, or scarcity. Economic evaluation is a potential tool for setting priorities in health, though it is only one of many potential criteria, including overall budget and public attitudes and wants. Economic evaluationRead MoreHealth Economics1189 Words   |  5 PagesHISTORY OF HEALTH INSURNCE I stopped for a moment to imagine an average Americana’s world without a health insurance, what will become of such individual when the need for healthcare beckons? How will such individual offset the outrageous bill of healthcare? Health insurance is used in America to describe any program that helps pay for medical bills through the following: privately purchased and social insurance or a social welfare program usually powered by the government. Simply put, health insuranceRead MoreStatement Of Scholarship In Health Economics823 Words   |  4 Pagesto express my interest in the PhD scholarship in Health Economics at Monash University which was advertised in seek career website on 14th September 2017. I am a graduate from Curtin University who completed Master of Health Administration. While I was doing my postgraduate studies, I decided to do my dissertation in the field of Economics, focusing on Health Economics. The topic of my postgraduate dissertation was â€Å"Trends in income-related health inequalities in Australia†. The source of the dataRead MoreEssay about Health Economics741 Words   |  3 PagesFebruary 10, 2015 This memorandum will use Grossman’s model of production of health to evaluate how New York City’s new sick leave law will affect emergency room use. Grossman’s model states that a person utility is based on health (H) and other non-health related goods (Z) that the person consumes. The production possibility frontier for Grossman model shows the tradeoff between home good production (Z) and health (H). Unlike usual production possibility frontiers, an individual needs an optimalRead MoreEconomics : The Financing Of Health Care1379 Words   |  6 Pages Thomas Gordon Healthcare Economic History ECONOMICS: THE FINANCING OF HEALTH CARE March 2, 2016 Lena Watson Health Care History The United States HealthCare System is pushing and getting ready to have a huge reformation. It is evolving on a major substantial evolution from its organization, management structure, and payment structure. The economic component of healthcare is equally important to better understanding the order to structure stature and is very successful. InRead MoreImplications Of Health Economics Concepts For Healthcare1712 Words   |  7 PagesImplications of Health Economics Concepts for Healthcare Chandra Chisholm Strayer University HAS 510 Dr. David Tataw May 3, 2015 Value of Healthcare Professionals Healthcare is getting gradually complex around the world. The need for technological development, economic support, demographics changes and the study of diseases are shifting at a fast speed. There had been numerous labors in describing collective capabilities and values within the healthcare organizations. It is necessaryRead MoreSocio Economic Class And Health Inequality1174 Words   |  5 PagesSocio-economic class has been linked to health inequality ever since the mid-19 century, when reported the living condition of the poor. Chadwick, E.1842 reported that the average life expectancy in Bethnal Green was 45 for professional but only 16 for labourers. Concern about inequality within the population in the early 20th century was offered as one major justification for the setting up of National Health Service (NHS) based on the recommendation of the Beverage report (1942). The health inequalityRead MoreUnderstanding The Value Of Health Economics811 Words   |  4 PagesUnderstan ding the value of health economics is very important during this rapidly changing environment. Health economics is the study of how transactions or connections between health and the resources needed are made and of the bottom line results (Getzen, 2013). Resources include money but also people, materials and time that could have been used in other ways. Our healthcare needs may be unlimited but the resources we have to satisfy them are not. We must make careful choices about which needsRead MoreHealth Economics And Policy Questions2412 Words   |  10 Pages Health Economics and Policy Coursework Question 2 SN: 13026885 a) w=  £62,500 U= √w 50% chance of medical problem Costs of  £4,900 We can derive this individual’s expected wealth if we multiply the probability of each outcome with the associated costs. E(w) = 0.5 *  £62,500 + 0.5 * ( £62,500 -  £4,900) E(w) = 0.5 *  £62,500 + 0.5 *  £57,600 E(w) =  £60,050 To find out what level of utility will this individual’s expected wealth yield, we simply have to put the value of the E(w) in the utility

The How to Write a High School Research Paper Pitfall

The How to Write a High School Research Paper Pitfall After you truly feel certain you have identified something on which to write on, you might have to to determine clearly what's it that you would like to tell your readers. There's no need to learn more about the topic which is not interesting to the reader. Generally, it should take no more than 10% of your entire paper and supply a reader with the overall idea about what a text will be about. A great paper topic ought to be interesting and ought to incorporate an original idea or position try to prevent cliche topics which will likely bore your reader. Choosing Good How to Write a High School Research Paper The success of a research paper mostly is contingent on the topic, which is why a number of time is spent searching for the best research paper topics for college students. For some students, a choice of topic is the easiest part. Your high school research topics have to be focused and concise, together with interesti ng, but in addition broad in their very own way so you can come across enough data to strengthen your thesis. For this reason, you may need to look for good topics for high school research papers on the net. What Has to be Done About How to Write a High School Research Paper Leading quality for a moderate price is getting a reality now! Possessing a terrific idea is the critical ingredient one should compose a research paper that has impact in the academic sphere as well concerning the society. If more a fantastic solution exists. Whatever They Told You About How to Write a High School Research Paper Is Dead Wrong...And Here's Why To be able to compose a paper, you must compose a research question. The whole thesis should appear early in the paper in order for your reader knows where you're going. It is not too simple to opt for a suitable topic for your research paper. If you become stuck on the stage of selecting the subject of your research paper, we can completely und erstand you. You wish to translate that feeling in your paper. Wait to compose that if your paper is completed and you're able to see what you're introducing. Therefore, in the event the paper should be ten pages, the author might need to open the topic up merely a bit to permit for more research materials. If you would like to compose a fantastic research paper, always do what you can to explore the views that are opposite to yours to create your own statement and research position clear. Conclusion The decision of the customized research papers have turned into the most valuable single portion of it. In the event, if a topic isn't given by means of a teacher you must find one on your own. So, the event of findings is quite easy, but it doesn't indicate it is not important. Just as you couldn't expect to write five essays in 1 day, so you maynot hope to develop more than 1 section of a lengthier paper at a moment. To approach the paper with at least anxiety, you should choose a topic t hat you're feeling comfortable writing about, and one which you're confident you could grasp the appropriate scholarship on. In case the topic is too narrow, you might find it difficult to get the appropriate literature. Not all research paper topics are made equal, and you would like to make certain you select a good topic before you commence writing. The Truth About How to Write a High School Research Paper Submission of the applications needs to occur in time. If you still feel you need help, even if you've managed to decide on a topic, you may always employ a custom writing service to assist you produce a fabulous research paper of which you'll be proud and will guarantee you a nice mark. Professional writing service will solve issues with homework at any level with no delays. Research paper writing can be challenging if you presently have a topic, but truly feel unsure it has been done in an appropriate way. So finish your research paper writing assignments with the as sistance of Students Assignment Help Experts. Writing a research paper about bullying is quite critical as it helps you and other people to comprehend why it occurs, how to manage it, and the way to keep it in the very first spot. Writing research papers is a wearying procedure, and even more so if you don't have a predetermined topic. How to Write a High School Research Paper - Is it a Scam? It is an impossible task to compose an abstract research paper since this kind of article always touches on a particular topic and supplies a true search for optimal methods of solving a specific issue. You can both utilize personal experience and cover new nuances for you, depending on the research of different authors and drawing your own personal conclusions. Without a suitable content, great research paper topics won't make sense. Research papers are trying, but in addition they have the capacity to be somewhat rewarding. The Battle Over How to Write a High School Research Paper an d How to Win It Starting with the option of an acute and up-to-date subject, you ensure the standard of research paper. Now you have a great idea of the way to hunt for college research paper topics, you are prepared for some suggestions. In high school, you're supposed to decide on the sort of topic you're going to be in a position to dig into that is, you need to make sure to can discover enough info on the discipline. There are many means of arriving at an acceptable topic. The Dirty Facts on How to Write a High School Research Paper In case the topic is too locally confined, it is going to be difficult to research. When it is chosen, it would be good to create an outline so that you could see whether you have enough information for good-structured research paper. An individual may choose between argumentative and controversial research topics, but whatever you select, the topic ought to be interesting for yourself in the very first case. Do research to select a particu lar topic. The How to Write a High School Research Paper Chronicles Writing essays can be very challenging on a student who is simply completing high school. To begin with, you need to be aware of the sort of paper writing style and format accepted by the institution you're studying at. The author should consider vocabulary and concepts which are going to be appropriate to the audience. If you're a visual learner, it could be very helpful to create a visual analogy for what it is you're building with your writing. The Argument About How to Write a High School Research Paper There are many things to think about. Add how people should show respect and attention for such individuals. Provided that a chosen topic looks interesting with you, and you'd love to handle it for the upcoming few hours, you will succeed. Even if a specific research paper topic is getting a great deal of buzz at the moment or other men and women seem interested in writing about it, don't feel tempted to make it your topic if you don't genuinely have some kind of interest in it also.

Narcissistic Personality Essay Example For Students

Narcissistic Personality Essay The essential feature of narcissistic personality disorder is a persuasive pattern of grandiosity-that is an inflated since of how important one is-along with a need for admiration and lack of empathy for other people. The disorder typically begins by early adulthood, although some causes may be rooted in childhood experiences. Sigmund Freud started the psychological discussion of the disorder with his 1914 paper on narcissism. The disorder takes its name from narcissus, who in greek mythology was the son of a river god and a nymph. As a young man he was known for his beauty. However, when narcissus rejected the love of the nymph echo, the gods grew angry with him. They caused him to fall in love with his own reflection in the waters of a pool. Gazing at his beautiful and inaccessible image, narcissus drowned when he fell into the water. The flower that bears his name sprung up when narcissus died. Narcissistic people tend to exagerate and accomplishments, often appearing boastful or pretentious. They tend to talk endlessly about themselves and become annoyed if the topic of conversation turns to anyone else. Fantasies of unlimited power, beauty, wealth, or achievement may consume them.Narcissistic disturbance can be found in everyone. An individuals existence would be in jeopardy if some narcissistic traits were not present. The development of problems occur when narcissistic traits become exaggerated in an individuals personality. During the first eighteen months of life an infant is provided with narcissistic defenses. The infant is able to experience being the center of their mothers world and a oneness with the mother develops. Being the center of the mothers world makes the child feel powerful and omnipotent and they know no limits to their world. However, a psychological transformation near the end of the eighteen-month period causes the disintegration of the childs oneness with the mother to take place. When this separation period begins the experiences of the child determines the development of the ego and the onset of NPD. These experiences encompass the mothers ability to be responsive and sensitive to the needs of the child during the first eighteen months. Also, important in the develop of the ego is the limits and consequences the parents provide between two and ten and the amount of abuse or trauma the child receives during the first seven years of life. This abuse does not necessarily have to com e from trauma induced by parents. Authority figures or peers can also be the culprits. A pattern of grandiosity, excessive need for admiration, entitlement, and lack of empathy are the chief components in the diagnosis of NPD. These behaviors begin in early adulthood. A narcissistic individual is unable to trust, relies on others, and thus develops numerous, shallow relationships to extract tributes from others. Because a narcissistic individual has a shifting moralityalways ready to shift values to gain favorany relationship with a narcissist has difficulty. Their tendency is to form friendships or romantic relationships with only those that can enhance their self-esteem or advance their purposes. A narcissistic individual has a basic sense of inferiority. Under this inferiority is a preoccupation with fantasies of outstanding achievement and an aimless orientation toward superficial interests. The narcissist uses others to aid them in any tasks they undertake and will frequently take credit for work which others have done. The narcissistic individual may be more successful at their chosen field of work than some of the other personality disorders because their narcissism is advantageous in their employment especially if their work provides narcissistic supply. However, usually they are never able to direct their interests long enough to completely develop any long-term projects and if these projects are completed they may not be of the highest quality. .ub468e32ef61311e859d48ba6314121bd , .ub468e32ef61311e859d48ba6314121bd .postImageUrl , .ub468e32ef61311e859d48ba6314121bd .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ub468e32ef61311e859d48ba6314121bd , .ub468e32ef61311e859d48ba6314121bd:hover , .ub468e32ef61311e859d48ba6314121bd:visited , .ub468e32ef61311e859d48ba6314121bd:active { border:0!important; } .ub468e32ef61311e859d48ba6314121bd .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ub468e32ef61311e859d48ba6314121bd { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ub468e32ef61311e859d48ba6314121bd:active , .ub468e32ef61311e859d48ba6314121bd:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ub468e32ef61311e859d48ba6314121bd .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ub468e32ef61311e859d48ba6314121bd .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ub468e32ef61311e859d48ba6314121bd .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ub468e32ef61311e859d48ba6314121bd .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ub468e32ef61311e859d48ba6314121bd:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ub468e32ef61311e859d48ba6314121bd .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ub468e32ef61311e859d48ba6314121bd .ub468e32ef61311e859d48ba6314121bd-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ub468e32ef61311e859d48ba6314121bd:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Micheal Jackson EssayNarcissists will over inflate their own accomplishments, are boastful, and pretentious. Although he or she may impress others with knowledge and decisiveness, a narcissistic persons information base is often limited to trivia. Lying is an integal part of the narcissists behavior and all their self-reports are unreliable. Their cognition is impaired to the extent that they frequently misinterpret others speech and actions. They may actually believe that someone respects or loves them although this is a fantasy which exists only in the mind of the narcissist. Their

Use or Misuse of Medicines in Western Society

Bradburd, Danell. Being There: Necessity of Fieldwork. Smithsonian Institution Press, 1998. A medicine is generally defined as a chemical component that helps the person taking it in overcoming some unwanted feelings one may be experiencing in the body. A good example is the normal painkiller that people buy over-the-counter. Such over the counter medications can however be abused due to their availability, thus one may end up becoming an addict or a slave to them. There have been reports of people who are addicts of over-the-counter medication and they have to undergo some form of rehabilitation in a bid to quit this unbecoming habit.Advertising We will write a custom annotated bibliography sample on Use or Misuse of Medicines in Western Society specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Ellen, Roy F. Ethnographic Research: A Guide to General Conduct.  Academic Press, 1998. When people take drugs over and over again, they tend to become used to the effects and cannot seem to function without the drugs in their bodies. They end up adapting to the presence of the toxic chemicals in them, which is described as developing tolerance.  They end up increasing the dosage in a bid to keep up the flame of feeling high. People who regularly use alcohol, tobacco, coffee and tea will have developed tolerance to them. They may feel unwell when they stop taking the drug. Ferraro, Gary and Susan Andreatta. Cultural Anthropology.  Wadsworth Publishers, 2008. Back then, the term drugs was used to describe the hard drugs like heroin, marijuana and cocaine among others. But this is not the case anymore.  People in the medical field now often use the phrase ‘substance dependence’ to refer to psychological dependence where there may be no withdrawal patterns or lenience and physical reliance. Most of these illegal drugs help in stimulating the brain receptors. Most of them block the inactivation of the dopamine thus r eleasing chemicals in the endings of the nerves. There have been studies conducted in a bid to understand how the addictive drugs affect the human brain and the consequences thereof. Flick, Uwe. An Introduction to Qualitative Research. SAGE, 1995. It is therefore is not a major shock that most young adults like trying most of these drugs in a bid to feel the effects on a first hand basis instead of just hearing of the effects from other people.  According to most of the conducted researches, there happens to be no form of relationship between academic performance and drugs or trying to be received socially. However, these studies were limited to only specific drugs discussion. Geest, Sjaak van der and Susan Reynolds Whyte. The Context of Medicines in Developing Countries. Kliwer Academic Publishers, 1988. There have been tremendous changes in the fight against the use of these illegal substances in the western societies. The drugs that were once considered to be safe and fit for h uman consumption soon became a pandemic that was threatening to take down the current generations. Some of the drug addicts have often given excuses for their indecent behaviors by saying that they do it in a bid to escape from the harsh reality of life while others say they do it as a form of stress relief mechanism.Advertising Looking for annotated bibliography on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Hanson, Glen, et al. Drugs and Society. Jones and Bartlett, 2009. Withdrawal from these drugs in an ill fashioned manner is often regarded as dangerous. This is because the body has already adapted to the addictive substances and thus just stopping usage in a bid to clean oneself may actually cause death. It is advisable to seek the services of a qualified medical doctor in a bid to kick out this unbecoming behavior, become drug-free again and stop being a slave of these drugs. Hatch, Amos. Doing Qualitative Researc h in Education Settings. State U of New York P, 2002. In an attempt to try and arrest the drug abusing situation in the westernized societies, the government started establishing federal control centers and polices.  These policies comprised of information on drug use and also determined which drugs were to be classified as controlled substances or those which had been declared illegal and unacceptable for any form of use. Similar agencies were set up in other states in a bid to curb the rising use of illegal substances. Regulating bodies made it even more difficult to buy drugs over the counter in pharmacies except for a few drugs. Marks, David and Brian Evans. Health Psychology.  SAGE, 2000. Among the numerous studies conducted in a bid to figure out the most affected groups, it was discovered that university undergraduate students and the young adults were the people who were abusing drugs most, for no apparent reason but to just try and pleasure themselves. This was as early as in the nineteen seventies. In the late nineteen seventies, use of cocaine and heroin became rampant in the United States and especially among the youth. The law enforcement agencies had no information about this and this was also enhanced by the fact that there were corrupt law enforcement officers, especially in the state of New York. Maykut, Pamela and Richard Morehouse. Beginning Qualitative Research. Falmer Press Taylor Francis, 1994. Since mankind started discovering himself, drugs have been used to change how people feel or perceive the world. It is amazing how different cultures have come up with different ways of developing and controlling the drugs that they use, be it for medication purposes or for other different uses. In the many different cultures, drugs have different uses in that some may be used as pain relievers in some cultures. The same may be banned substances in others cultures or they may be viewed as controlled substances. Drug abuse has become an unwante d norm in our society.Advertising We will write a custom annotated bibliography sample on Use or Misuse of Medicines in Western Society specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It has led to severe health effects and exacerbated instances of crime. Laws have been passed that all addicts should be classified as criminals and they should face consequences once they are arrested and prosecuted in a court of law for their hideous crimes against themselves. This has however not done much in deterring the habit of substance abuse from going on. Numerous campaigns and public awareness seminars have also not really offered much of solutions in the quest to let the public know about the dangers of drug abuse and self medication. Marshall, Catherine and Gretchen Rossman. Designing Qualitative Research Records. SAGE, 1946. In the Western society, drug addiction and abuse is generally viewed as a form of sickness that affects the person abusing the drugs. This is said to have created an illusion to the society that the affected people have no ability or control of their ways thus making them be sidelined by the society. It is now evident that in the Western world, societies have evolved to become addicted to anything that eases the day-to-day living in terms of sex, food and even work. This however also comes with addictives that are not good enough for us thus, creating some form of tussle which is said to attract great suffering. McKay, John P., et al. A History of Western Society since 1300 for Advanced Placement. Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2008. Parents and the society at large should not assume that this is the government’s sole responsibility to eradicate drugs off our streets and schools, but they ought to help in stemming out this social evil. If parents ignore their responsibility, it will be very hard for the government to handle the issue of drug abuse alone. The morals should stem right from the family poi nt and when enhanced in every family, the entire society will generally assume a responsible attitude. Strict regulations by the government will however be effective in reducing presence and abuse of drugs in the society. McKay, John, et al. A History of Western Society, Volume B: From Renaissance to 1815. Bedford/St Martin’s, 2007. This caused the establishment of the Drug Enforcement Agency which is normally known as the DEA. Strict and harsh penalties were imposed on offenders and even worse penalties were imposed on law enforcement officers who were caught colluding with these uncouth drug barons.Advertising Looking for annotated bibliography on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This helped in reducing the spread and usage of these narcotic substances. The police were also trained on how to effectively handle these matters. They were also rewarded handsomely in a bid to prevent them from engaging in the drug business. Schensul, Stephen L. and Jean J. Schensul. Essential Ethnographic Methods: Observation, Interviews and Questionnaires. Rowman Littlefield Publishers, 1999. The newspapers in the New York state started narrating these drug stories and this brought about a lot of awareness and the few good cops decided that it was time to act.  By the time they were getting rid of this hideous activity in the state of New York, they had arrested almost three quarters of the entire police force. This also was coupled with arrests in the judicial system because the drug barons had bought their freedom all the way to the top. Sulton, Mark Q. and Eugene Newton Anderson. Introduction to Cultural Ecology. Altamira Press, 2010. In an attempt to arrest the situation, the American government put some comprehensive drug control policies. Public education was reintroduced and this time was brought in schools in the affected states. This was intended to teach the young generation the dangers of drug abuse and the consequences one was likely to face in life and also if one got caught by the government. Schools were encouraged to take strict multi-disciplinary actions against any student who was caught engaging in drug trafficking or using any of the illegal substances. Vincanne, Adams, et al. Medicine between Science and Religion. Berghahn Books, 2011. The misuse of medicine in the western society clearly came with dire repercussions and it has made some people lose lives and also lose out on being loyal citizens.  It is a shame that even amidst all the education efforts being conducted in an effort to educate the youth and eradicate this social evil, there still are a good number of people who end up getting drawn into this behavior of drug abuse . Bibliography Bradburd, Danell. Being There: Necessity of Fieldwork. Smithsonian Institution Press, 1998. Ellen, Roy F. Ethnographic Research: A Guide to General Conduct. Academic Press, 1998. Ferraro, Gary and Andreatta Susan. Cultural Anthropology. Wadsworth Publishers, 2008. Flick, Uwe. An Introduction to Qualitative Research. SAGE, 1995. Geest, Sjaak van der and Susan Reynolds Whyte. The Context of Medicines in Developing Countries. Kliwer Academic Publishers, 1988. Hanson, Glen, et al. Drugs and Society. Jones and Bartlett, 2009. Hatch, Amos. Doing Qualitative Research in Education Settings. State U of New York P, 2002. Marks, David and Brian Evans. Health Psychology. SAGE, 2000. Marshall, Catherine and Gretchen Rossman. Designing Qualitative Research Records. SAGE, 1946. Maykut, Pamela and Richard Morehouse. Beginning Qualitative Research. Falmer Press Taylor Francis, 1994. McKay, John P., et al. A History of Western Society since 1300 for Advanced Placement. Bedford/St. Mar tin’s, 2008. McKay, John, et al. A History of Western Society, Volume B: From Renaissance to 1815. Bedford/St Martin’s, 2007. Schensul, Stephen L. and Jean J. Schensul. Essential Ethnographic Methods: Observation, Interviews and Questionnaires. Rowman Littlefield Publishers, 1999. Sulton, Mark Q. and Eugene Newton Anderson. Introduction to Cultural Ecology. Altamira Press, 2010. Vincanne, Adams, et al. Medicine between Science and Religion. Berghahn Books, 2011. This annotated bibliography on Use or Misuse of Medicines in Western Society was written and submitted by user Alfonso Burch to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Free Essays on The Mafia

The Mafia, also known as organized crime or the mob, began as early as the 9th century. By the early 1900’s every large state in the United States had its own Mafia sanction. They concentrated on protection rackets. Soon they expanded by racketeering in other areas such as gambling, prostitution, and bootlegging. But it wasn’t until Prohibition in the 1920’s that organized crime gained almost complete control of illegal bootlegging, narcotic trafficking, gambling, and many other illegal activities. â€Å"A clear line divided the underworld from the upperworld. Members of the Mafia spent most of their times in occasional spates of killing and stealing, as well as in all the mundane activities of any conventional life† (Fox 11). Somewhere between the killing, stealing, and conventional life, the gangsters made their own world. â€Å" It was a middle-earth of smoky nightclubs, the flash of chorus girls in a spotlight, a sprinkling of trumpet and saxophone, and time seemed to stop in a boozy moment of romance and glamour† (Fox 77). In the milieus the men of the underworld met to loaf and plot. Here too the people of the upperworld came to stand and gawk, to partake briefly of what they wanted only in small safe doses. â€Å"Because nightclubs, boxing matches, and racetracks had all been illegal or at least Curran 2 improper, they offered a natural habitat for these notorious gangsters. â€Å"The gangster’s presence made them all the more enticing to the upperworld, with a glistening edge of mystery and danger† (Fox 77). The Mafia participated in many illegal activities, but drug trafficking was one they seemed to flourish in. Their drug related activities posed a threat not only to the adult population who used drugs but also to the children involved as their agents. The trafficking of narcotics often led to many murders, which the Mafia never hesitated to partake in. Many gang wars took place throughout this period.... Free Essays on The Mafia Free Essays on The Mafia The Mafia, also known as organized crime or the mob, began as early as the 9th century. By the early 1900’s every large state in the United States had its own Mafia sanction. They concentrated on protection rackets. Soon they expanded by racketeering in other areas such as gambling, prostitution, and bootlegging. But it wasn’t until Prohibition in the 1920’s that organized crime gained almost complete control of illegal bootlegging, narcotic trafficking, gambling, and many other illegal activities. â€Å"A clear line divided the underworld from the upperworld. Members of the Mafia spent most of their times in occasional spates of killing and stealing, as well as in all the mundane activities of any conventional life† (Fox 11). Somewhere between the killing, stealing, and conventional life, the gangsters made their own world. â€Å" It was a middle-earth of smoky nightclubs, the flash of chorus girls in a spotlight, a sprinkling of trumpet and saxophone, and time seemed to stop in a boozy moment of romance and glamour† (Fox 77). In the milieus the men of the underworld met to loaf and plot. Here too the people of the upperworld came to stand and gawk, to partake briefly of what they wanted only in small safe doses. â€Å"Because nightclubs, boxing matches, and racetracks had all been illegal or at least Curran 2 improper, they offered a natural habitat for these notorious gangsters. â€Å"The gangster’s presence made them all the more enticing to the upperworld, with a glistening edge of mystery and danger† (Fox 77). The Mafia participated in many illegal activities, but drug trafficking was one they seemed to flourish in. Their drug related activities posed a threat not only to the adult population who used drugs but also to the children involved as their agents. The trafficking of narcotics often led to many murders, which the Mafia never hesitated to partake in. Many gang wars took place throughout this period....

9th Grade Science Fair Projects

9th Grade Science Fair Projects 9th grade is the first year of high school, so 9th graders might be competing against older students in a science fair. Even so, they stand every bit as good a chance of excelling and winning. The key to success is choosing an interesting project that doesnt necessarily take a lot of time to complete. 9th graders have a lot going on, so seek an idea that can be developed and completed over the space of a few weeks or less. The quality of the presentation is very important  since high school students are expected to be familiar with word processing programs and printers. Give some attention to the quality of the poster. Be sure to cite any references used in developing the experiment. 9th Grade Science Fair Project Ideas tooth whiteners s of chemicals to try would include hydrogen peroxide solution, dilute hydrochloric acid solution, dilute isopropyl alcohol solution, fruit juice. Some of these agents are thought to be able to loosen the seed coat surrounding the plant embryo.hair conditioner - Use a microscope to determine whether hair conditioner affects the condition of hair (either comparing brands or comparing with conditioner to without-conditioner). Try to get empirical data, such as a diameter measurement of each hair strand and the distance a strand can stretch before it breaks.What is the best way to store bread to keep it fresh the longest time? What things can you do to improve the efficiency or effectiveness of your clothes dryer or water heater or any device? For example, can you take actions or make changes that will decrease the length of time it takes your dryer to get a load of towels dry?Does listening to music while you study affect your ability to memorize facts?Does the presence of smoke in the air affect plant transpiration?Does eye color affect peripheral vision? Supposedly people with darker eyes tend to have wider pupils for a given amount of light than people with light-colored irises. If you have a more open pupil, does it give you measurably better peripheral vision? Another idea to test would be to see if you have the same peripheral vision in bright light as compared with dim light.acid snow? - You know about acid rain, but do you know the pH range of snow? If you live in an area with snow, test its pH. How does the pH of snow compare with the pH of rain from the same region?What methods of preventing soi l erosion work best? For example, what is effective at preventing erosion in your yard? What can you do to reduce noise pollution in a room? What factors contribute to noise pollution inside a residence?seed viability - Is there a test you can perform to predict whether or not a seed will germinate? What factors can you measure that might be used to construct a test?Does an external magnetic field have any noticeable effect on animals such as brine shrimp, cockroaches, or fruit flies? You could use a strip magnet and containers of sample organisms and make observations to address this question.Is the brightness of glow-in-the-dark (phosphorescent) materials affected by the light source (spectrum) used to make them glow or only by the intensity (brightness) of the light? Does the light source affect the length of time a phosphorescent material will glow?Can you affect vitamin C (or another measurable vitamin) levels in juice (or another food) by adding a preservative to the juice?What is the best thickness of insulation for preventing heat loss?Is light bulb lifespan aff ected by whether the bulb is run at full power? In other words, do dim bulbs last longer/shorter than bulbs run at their power rating? What type of box material gives you the best sound for your speaker?When comparing different brands of batteries, is the battery that lasts the longest at a high temperature the same brand that lasts the longest at a cold temperature.

Law Client Letter of Advice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Law Client Letter of Advice - Essay Example Accordingly, we have examined various pros and cons of a legal case that you are possibly contemplating to launch against the parties responsible for causing this fiasco. We are pleased to offer our views and advice on the further course of action as under: As we see it, the basic issues emerging from the episode include the following - (1) Your promotional day show at West End Juicy Bones store ended in an embarrassing finale, causing loss of reputation and damage to your business interests. (2) The situation stemmed from the fact that two unsolicited electronic mails from viagra.com and bitem.com.au suddenly popped up on your work computer and interrupted your promotional PowerPoint slide show, which annoyed and turned away your customers. (3) During the PowerPoint show, you also arranged for playing of Snazza music in the background by using P2P (peer-to-peer) software that enables download and sharing of music. Peer-to-Peer (P2P) refers to the sharing of music, audio, and video files by two computers that have similar access privileges on the network without the support of servers1. Governments across the world have woken up to the dangers posed by the increasing use of P2P by criminals for peddling of pornography, luring of children, and such other cyber crimes.

Short essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 7

Short - Essay Example The most commonly renowned African arts are figurines, vessels and statuettes. Sacred arts and ritual arts were adversely linked to elaborate and intricate beadwork of many African communities. An all-inclusive orality and musical performances, divinatory art, body art and style were additional ritual performances in African tradition. This paper describes sacred arts and ritual performances in African religion. Cherokee ritual ceremony was one of the African ceremonies, which were well organized and undertaken regularly. Cherokee ritual ceremony traces its roots from Algeria in the North America. Cherokee ceremonies were held with the cycles of mother earth. During the ceremony, positive attitudes were to be held to the later. It, therefore, emerged as a ceremony offering worshipping opportunities, socialization and bonding for the entire clan. Ceremonial instruments were used during these occasions such as drums, tuttle shells rattles and guard shell rattles. A sacred fire was an additional symbol for god’s existence during these ceremonies. Sacred rattles were a shambolic and symbolic representation of holiness. Currently, this ceremony is carried out by Afro-American based immigrants as well as the North African communities. Priesthood was a noble profession in the ancient African societies; in order to become a priest in the traditional African societies, the individuals had to be respectful, godly and an oratory individual who was able to convince the people to follow the gods were worshipping. Priests had to know all the social and cultural ways of his community. Priests had to woo a larger mass of their communities to become believers (Olupona 84). Lastly, priesthood was determined by faith of individuals. Those who were capable of strongly standing by the communities during times of dire need were automatically awarded priesthood positions. Being priestess in the African traditions was directly linked by the societal norms; women in most African

The Issue of Internet Addiction Syndrome Essay Example for Free

The Issue of Internet Addiction Syndrome Essay The phenomena of Internet Addiction Disorder/Syndrome (IAD/IAS) are not new phenomena that are really not new when one stops to think about the underlying aspects of it. It is simply a new variant on traditional Obsessive Compulsive Behavior (OCD) and addictive personalities. For those unfamiliar with the term IAD, it refers to an obsessive compulsive behavior approach to the internet where one invests significant amount of time â€Å"socializing† online or even performing academic pursuits or isolated leisure pursuits such as reading online to such a degree that other aspects of interaction – personal or interpersonal – are completely excluded. This behavior becomes so absorbing that the person can not pull him or herself way from the computer despite the fact that there are negative consequences that can result. Hence, the continuation of a particular behavior despite the fact that there are negative repercussions that may result is a textbook definition of the term addiction and, to a certain extent, I, myself, have suffered certain IAD type behavior patterns.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In general, an article written by Lisanne Carothers effectively describes the behavioral patterns of individuals who embody the traits of this condition:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"A recent study of [a multitude of] participants conducted revealed obsessing over   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   e-mail and the Internet [has the potential to severely damage common] daily   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   relationships and work performance. Those suffering from IAD most often have     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   [lacking relationships in the real world] and†¦develop a new persona, play out   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   sexual fantasies or have instant access to [new people, places and experiences].   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   For myself, my own compulsive behavior manifested in the form of message boards that dealt with personal interests of mine. This may not seem like a â€Å"big deal† to some, but the reason I eventually curtailed my own personal ‘time-wasting’ in this pursuit was because it was getting to be, well, addictive and compulsive. For example, for a period of time in my life I developed a passing interest in videogames. In an attempt to learn more about videogames I would frequent message boards for more information. Eventually, this led to me writing questions on message boards and then reading the answers that were provided. This may seem benign and, to a great degree, it was. My Own Experience   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In time, I began to interact more and more with people in the message boards and this became somewhat of a social function. This social interaction started to become somewhat repetitive on my part and, honestly, started to become frequent enough that the patterns bordered on compulsive. At this point, I became somewhat uneasy about my own behavior and simply stopped spending the amount of time that I previously spent on the project. This never manifested itself in me into any sort of serious problem. For others, however, the addiction to this new world of the internet becomes so severe that they lose perspective and do not pull themselves out of it. As such, their compulsions become debilitating. The Potential Damage   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Is there anything wrong with all this? Is it really such a bad thing to have to deal with? To a great extent, the answer is yes although most people do not realize this. The reason they do not realize it is because: The joy that they receive from the internet clouds their judgment. They do not realize how much damage is occurring do by their time commitment   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Issue of Internet Addiction Syndrome – Page 3 Obsessing over fantasy personas and their online experiences keeps them out of the real world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Consider the following notion in regards to this:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   [The real world ceases to be important for them. even common everyday things    such as] food, personal cleanliness, relationships, even [something as critically   Ã‚   important for health such as] sleep are forgotten in the world of †¦the Internet.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   More and more of their conversations, social activities and even personal   Ã‚  Ã‚   relationships [develop through the origination point of electronic mediums    rather             then anything] face to face. (Watkins) Clearly, this is not the best way to go about life. This is something that I realized early and quickly divested myself of the problem. I have, however, noticed the prevalence of this problem in other people and it is not a good path that they are on. The reason for this is that when people opt to create a life for themselves that is one of â€Å"virtual reality† as opposed to absolute reality, there will be an instance where they must confront absolute reality sooner or later. Often, if they invest too much time in their online interactions, they will be at a severe disadvantage in the proverbial real world. Public Opinion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Also, I find it troubling that many do not even believe a condition such as Internet Addition Syndrome even exists. Like many issues of mental health and stability, the public will often take a dismissive attitude towards the subject matter and instead label the problem a character flaw or weakness. This is unfortunate because it does not allow the person to receive the proper counseling, treatment or advice they need. This causes the condition to perpetuate and, possible, get worse. Hopefully, as the awareness level of this condition continued to expand more and more people will take the condition serious and those in need of help will receive the help they need before the condition becomes overwhelming.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As noted by Robert Purdy in his essay â€Å"Internet Addiction,† the best way to treat this condition is to slowly and gradually reduce one’s time on the internet. I, myself, however, was more abrupt in my discontinuation of the vast majority of my internet time, but this is due in great part to the fact that I was not as obsessive as others are. For those who are struggling with more severe forms of Internet Addiction Syndrome, a gradual reduction would be well advised. Bibliography Carothers, L. â€Å"Internet Addiction.† 1 December 1997 Retrieved 24 September 2007 From     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.bcmag.com/features/9609net.html. Stonecypher, L. Are You Addicted to the Internet? 2004 Retrieved 25 September 2007   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   From http://www.kudzumonthly.com/kudzu/jul01/addiction.html Purdy, R. â€Å"Internet Addiction.† Date Unknown Retrieved 24 September 2007 from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/students/purdy/addiction.htm Purdy, R. â€Å"The Internet: Boon or Detriment to Society?† Date Unknown Retrieved 24   Ã‚   September 2007 from http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/students/purdy/index.htm Watkins, R. â€Å"Geek Speak.† 1998 Retrieved 25 September 2007 From   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/geekspeak/Addict.htm

Compare And Contrast The Kngiht And The Squire Essay -- essays researc

Geoffrey Chaucer portrayed a cross section of medieval society though The Canterbury Tales. "The Prologue" or foreword of this work serves as an introduction to each of the thirty one characters involved in the tales. Two of these characters are the Kght and the Squire, who share a father and son relation. These individuals depart on a religious pilgrimage to a cathedral in Canterbury. The Squire, opposed to the Knight, goes for a vacation instead of religious purposes. His intent is not as genuinand pure as his father's. Though the Knight and the Squire are from the same feudal class and vocation, they differ in the fact that the Knight represents how society should have been; and the Squire depicts an accurate portrayal of how it actually was.Chivalry, heroism, and modesty delineate the Knight, whose upright standards and principles illustrate a true gentleman; these characteristics are not evident in the Squire. Even though the Knight has won many wars, he is careful not to brag about his ctories. The most recurrent point in the description of the Knight is the abundance and importance of his conquests; however, the Squire's battles are barely mentioned. While the entirety of the Squire's battles are summed up in two lines ("he had se some service with the cavalry / In Flanders and Artois and Picardy"), the list of the Knight's battles dominates his description (Chaucer 120). The Squire's battles are not fought in the interest of his chivalry. On the...

E-Marketing Essay

Considering the current volume of internet marketing business, it’s hard to believe how young the internet marketplace is. While the timeline of internet marketing has been short, the cumulative events leading up to where we are now have impacted the entire globe faster than any marketing revolution in history. Today, it’s hard to believe in having an organization which doesn’t have some kind of online presence. When the internet was first introduced in the early 90s, the internet was treated as a tool for exchanging emails and digital information, but wasn’t yet considered valuable for reaching customers. Soon, companies which had been spending huge chunks of their marketing budget on offline list building, begin to realize that they could accomplish the same thing via email and for much less. Whatever the case may be, Nepal is still in the early phase of e-marketing and e-commerce. Only few people have access to internet, among those, very few use internet for business purpose. Most of the people who have web access are keeping themselves busy on social networking sites. But the positive aspect is that the number of people realizing and using internet as an e-commerce are continuously increasing. Human behavior and natures are so dynamic. We constantly want to change and our likes and preferences changes with time, trend and technology. Realizing this nature of human being and large increment in the number of internet users in Nepal, the founder of hamrobazar.com saw an opportunity and founded hamrobazar.com seven years ago. Hamrobazar.com is free online site which enables individuals as well as companies to sell wide variety of new or used product online. Hamrobazar.com is a site that has created a platform where both seller and buyers can interact with each other to buy and sell products and services. Hamrobazar.com is an e-commerce company based in Kathmandu, Nepal. Hamrobazar is one of the popular sites in Nepal for free selling and purchasing of variety of new or used products. It offers its users an easy and trendy way to purchase wide variety of new or used goods online. A buyer can choose a suitable product from the list of a large product variety and can purchase from the seller. People buy new products everyday or every week. All of us are buying new things every week. It can be a car, a book, a music CD, a DVD, mobile set, mobile accessories, services, toy and many more. But as time and technology changes, the products we purchase may get outdated or we may wish to buy a different product. The reason to buy a new product or buy a different products could be several, change in technology, age of the product, malfunctioning of the product, wish to get updated with new product in the market, bought a product earlier that is not suitable and the list for reasons can continue. For all those who wish to sell their product and for all those who wish to purchase a new or a used product hamrobazar.com is the perfect answer. The best thing above all, it is for free. Hamrobazar member can login and sell their products for free. Hamrobazar.com is free online classified which enables individuals as well as companies to sell wide variety of new or used product online. Hamrobazar is visited by around 50,000 unique visitors who use the site for buying and selling purpose. Compared to newspaper classifieds, hamrobazar.com will provide more comprehensive detail and pictures thus enabling consumer to choose better. Hamrobazar.com has created such platform where both seller and buyers can interact with each other Mission Statement and stated goals of hamrobazar.com Hamrobazar.com does not appear to have a predetermined mission statement, nevertheless, the basic mission and goals of the Company is to provide a perfect solution for selling the products for free. It also believes that internet is a great promotional vehicle as well as communication channel for connecting buyers and sellers. In general, hamrobazar.com has communicated that its mission is to influence technology and potential to provide the best buying experience on the Internet for free. Business Philosophy of hamrobazar.com Despite its increasing popularity, hamrobazar.com remains unremittingly focused on the costumers. Since, the main philosophy of hamrobazar.com is to help the web users to sell their products for free. It is constantly focusing on the customer friendly interface so that customers can enjoy their purchase on a trendy and an easy way.

Financial Analysis of McDonalds Company

PART 1, COMPANY OVERVIEW:a. McDonald’s is an American fast food chain that sells a variety of fast food alternatives, but most notably has earned its reputation and success for the hamburger. It is the largest fast food chain in the world, with globally recognized â€Å"golden arches† symbolizing a reliable meal can be had in over 119 countries. McDonald’s has continued to develop their menu to reflect the desire/demands of their customers. The current CEO of McDonald’s is Mr. Don Thompson. b. McDonald’s was started in the 1940s as a BBQ restaurant owned and operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald’s in California, U.S.A.The McDonald’s franchise was not established until 1955, when man by the name of Ray Kroc opened the ninth McDonald’s restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois. By 1961, McDonald’s filed trademark for the company name and â€Å"drive-thru† service. Ray Kroc eventually forced the McDonald’s brother s out of the business and successfully spread the company throughout the world. Today, McDonald’s is an international sign of globalization. c. McDonald’s invests in properties, operates restaurants, and is a franchiser of the McDonald’s chain, in order to make money. McDonald’s operates differently than most franchise companies. Most franchised companies make their money by claiming a percentage of the income made at each chain; however, often times McDonald’s Corporation will purchase the property the franchise is on and charge rent.d. Arguably, the main thing McDonald’s sells is uniformity and expectations. This is to say, when you order from McDonald’s you know what you will get every single time; no surprises. McDonald’s makes money doing this by selling the food for significantly more  than what they purchased it for. McDonald’s also makes money by participating in the strategy discussed above investing in proper ties and charging franchise owners rent, franchise markups of 40%, operating restaurants, etc. e. McDonald’s has over 33,000 locations in over 119 countries across the globe to include places like Israel, Brazil, Scotland, Russia, the U.S., India, and China. Within each of those countries McDonald’s can be found in a variety of places in a variety of forms; such as, coffee stands in Paris, drive-thru only restaurants in Germany, airport vendors, or even connected to gas stations.f. In recent years McDonald’s has taken criticism on the unhealthy food choices on their menu, so much to where at some restaurants they have listed the total caloric intake per meal. That said, McDonald’s was the official food sponsor of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England, where they built their largest restaurant to date to support the massive crowds.PART 2, FINANCIAL OVERVIEW:a. Sales and Income Record:————- Fiscal Years ——â₠¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€-2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Sales 22.79 23.52 22.74 24.07 27.01 Percent Change in Sales Each Year3% -3% 6% 12% Net Income 2.34 4.31 4.55 4.95 5.5 Percent Change in Net Income Each Year84% 6% 9% 11%GRAPH OF SALES & NET INCOME, FY 2007 ‑ 2011COMMENTS: Aside from 2009, the company has seen growth in both sales and net income every year. The decrease in sales for 2009 could possibly be a result of the economic times, where many of McDonald’s customers may have reduced their spending and become more conservative with their expenses. The growth percentages since 2010 are increasing, which indicates a positive trend in the company moving forward. It would be unrealistic to assume that the company can continue doubling its growth percentages, but a continued growth of 12% to 15% is possible.b. Expense Distribution:FY 2011 Major Expenses: COGS 16.3 SG&A 2.2 Interest 0.49 Taxes 2.5PIE CHART OF EXPENSES, FY 2011COMMENTS: As depicted in the chart, the companies’ largest expense is Cost of Goods Sold (COGS). In order to increase their profit margin, McDonald’s must continue to try and find ways to reduce COGS. This is because many of the other expenses are much harder to influence. Selling General and Administrative (SG&A) expenses have most likely already been trimmed to the minimum over the company’s life, taxes are required by the Government, and interest expense makes up only a small portion of expenses. The company may need to do a cost-benefit analysis to determine what may be done to reduce COGS. One idea may to better vertically integrate the company, or to remove menu items which are unpopular and/or seasonal.c. Assets Distribution:Year-end FY 2011 Assets: Cash 2.3 Accounts Receivable 1.3 Inventory 0.12 Fixed Assets (PP&E) 22.8 Other Assets 1.67PIE CHART OF ASSETS, Year-end FY 2011COMMENTS: As depicted in the chart, the companies’ assets are largely fixed. This comes as no surprise since the company consists of over 33,000 restaurant locations worldwide. The percentage of fixed assets as compared to current assets does mean though that the company is not liquid, which means it cannot quickly convert its assets to cash. The low inventory which actually makes up just 0.4% of the asset distribution is normal due to the fact that the company is a restaurant chain, and much of the product has a quick shelf life.c. Capital Structure: Year-end FY 2011 Capital Structure:Current Liabilities 3.5 Long-term & Other Liabilities 13.73 Common Equity 14.4CAPITAL STRUCTURE PIE CHART, Year-end FY 2011COMMENTS: As depicted in the chart, the companies’ capital structure is made up largely of common equity and long-term liabilities. The compa ny has been extremely successful, and has gained equity over the years as it became the world’s largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants. Additionally, in order to continue their growth, the company has expanded its locations, which required long-term debt financing. Because of these characteristics,  the percentages of each of these categories are expected. Furthermore, the company has low current liabilities, which is normal for yearly operations in this sector.PART 3, RATIO ANALYSIS:(1) LIQUIDITY:Comments On McDonalds Liquidity:McDonald’s has a good current ratio. It is above 1, which means that it has enough current assets to cover current liabilities. Also, since the number is not too high, we know that the company is utilizing its assets efficiently. The quick ratio is also good because it is above 1, meaning McDonald’s does not rely on their inventory. Comparing the numbers to Wendy’s, McDonald’s has room for improvement.(2) ASSET MANAGEMENTComments On McDonalds Asset Management:McDonald’s has great Total Asset Turnover when compared with Wendy’s. They are making over $0.75 for every dollar of assets. Also, their Average Collection Period is very good, taking on average 18 days to collect on receivables.(3) DEBT MANAGEMENT:Comments On McDonalds Debt Management: Both companies’ debt ratios are similar, and are not alarming for the industry. However, McDonald’s Times Interest Earned is much higher than Wendy’s. This shows possibly lenders that McDonald’s can easily meet their interest owed (17x).(4) PROFITABILITY:Comments On McDonalds Profitability:For the industry, McDonalds has good profitability. Wendy’s seems to be struggling in this area, and it may be best to compare the company against another peer to determine how they are doing.(5) MARKET VALUE RATIOS:Comments On McDonalds Market Value Ratios:McDonald’s market value is good compared to both indust ry numbers, as well as against Wendy’s market value ratios. McDonald’s ratios prove the company is economically strong. Part 4, Summary and ConclusionThe McDonald’s Company is continuing to grow, both physically and monetarily, as seen in the increase in locations and sales per year. This is a good sign, especially during the current economic times. The company also has standard asset, expense, and capital distribution for companies within the fast food industry. This is good because there are no glaring issues that would inhibit investing in the company. Additionally, the company has great ratios when compared with The Wendy’s Company, as well as the rest of the fast food industry. One can fully understand how well the McDonald’s company is doing in comparison to the industry.Looking forward, the McDonald’s Company can try to get better by finding efficiencies where possible. One way the company could do this is by reducing its Cost of Good s Sold. Through eliminating some specialty items, this may be possible. Also, the company may want to look at a way to increase their return on assets and equity as any increase, large or small, will always help a company. Again, the company is doing extremely well already, but great companies should always continuously look for efficiencies and improvements in these areas.Overall, the McDonald’s Company has postured itself to become a large and extremely successful company within the fast food industry. It has grown from a small upstart in the 1940’s, to a symbol of globalization today  because of the multiplicity of restaurant locations around the world. I believe The McDonald’s Company is a great investment opportunity as it seems to continually improve, develop, and grow to serve its consumers around the world.

Daguerre and Talbots Understanding Of Photography †Essay

Daguerre and Talbots Understanding Of Photography – Essay Free Online Research Papers Daguerre and Talbots Understanding Of Photography Essay The metaphors used by Daguerre and Talbot (â€Å"the pencil of nature† etc) reveal an understanding of photography as a tool for the areas of art and science, rather than an artistic medium in its own right. When Talbot writes, â€Å"let Nature substitute her own inimitable pencil†, we see an idea that while the hand of man makes this process possible, it is the hand of nature that actually creates the image, and as such it could never be seen as creative or artistic in terms of a painting – man merely triggers the process, and is not a creative contributor to the finished photograph. So the photo is not seen as a window to the world but as a remove, a process of Nature drawing herself, giving its own impression of itself. As such, the scientific and the artistic uses for photography are given fairly equal footing. We can see in William Talbot’s â€Å"The breakfast table† 1840 this convergence. While demonstrating to the viewer the detail that can be gained by the camera, the photo clearly echoes the still life painting genre in its composition and subject, but also anticipates scientific survey and collection work, especially of the colonialists. Research Papers on Daguerre and Talbot's Understanding Of Photography - EssayComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andWhere Wild and West MeetIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalMind TravelMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductThree Concepts of PsychodynamicRiordan Manufacturing Production PlanUnreasonable Searches and SeizuresGenetic Engineering

Braving the Middle School Book Talk

Braving the Middle School Book Talk When we writers began our quest in the literary world, we held several fantasies.â€Å"My book will sell more than Harry Potter†, â€Å"Johnny Depp will call and beg me to let him produce my book into a movie†, â€Å"Stephen King and I will be on a first name basis† (come on, I can’t be the ONLY one thinking of this!). But then we write, and lo and behold, that status doesn’t come, the fame and money dont come but other things come. Maybe you receive local recognition, an invite to do a book talk at a local book club, or school, or library. After a local newspaper mentioend my locally-published middle grade book, I was approached This is my fourth year of doing book talks to middle grade students, and I have come across some interesting tidbits I thought might help my fellow literary artists out there. Public speaking is a common fear. I used to be the lead singer in a band, and I had to talk, and I was scared to death of it. That was years ago. Of course since then stage fright has multiplied – and then to think, â€Å"You have to talk to kids! They have the attention span of†¦ a gnat!† Well that’s what teachers kept telling me anyway, but†¦ I approached my very first book talk in pretty much the same way I approach my writing. â€Å"Don’t think about it, keep a short outline in your head, step up, do it ignore the outline.† Truly, some people are better off at winging it, but for those of you who aren’t, here’s some advice from someone who has had to stand in front of ‘tweens’ for three years running. 1. Don’t be afraid. These are kids, they don’t work for the I.R.S. 2. You are their entertainment. You being there means they don’t have to do class work. They want you there! 3. Exude the joy of writing to them. They need to see it, feel it, hear it in your presentation or you’re just another grown up, talking. 4. Be prepared. Have samples, teasers, book marks. They love taking that stuff. True it may never make it home, but some of it will. 5. Plan entertaining answers for common question like: a. Are you rich and/or famous? My challenge to this is to let them know that though we can eventually gain a mass of riches, we write for the love of writing. One question I always ask is â€Å"How many of you here like to write?† and it never fails, I get one or two hands go up in a classroom, and they aren’t excited to let their friends know this. So my response is â€Å"That’s great. How many love to read?† More hands go up. â€Å"Well there ya go, you can’t read unless someone is writing, so you couple of writers will be fueling their reading hunger, get started.† b. â€Å"Miss Jones says that when we write, we have to do re-writes. How many times do you have to re-write the same story?† Answer? â€Å"Do you have a favorite song? Do you know it c. â€Å"I can never get ideas, all my ideas come from books I already know.† Answer:   â€Å"Ideas are all around you, just look for them. Writing to me is like a puzzle. It comes in pieces then as you write it puts itself together.† An example I give in every class is this one : â€Å"You know when you go to the grocery store with your mom and the cashier has a name tag ‘My name is Brian, ask me about my dog’. What about Brian’s dog? Well Fluffy died two weeks ago, but Brian has it in his freezer because he loves that dog and just can’t let go – and yes that’s dead dog hair on your Lucky Charms.† It always gets a laugh. Ideas are everywhere, a good exercise is to ask someone what they did over the weekend, and expand from there – and even make it a quick game. â€Å"We went to the zoo.† â€Å"Ahh, ok, so suppose you were at the zoo, and as you walked Basically, the audience wants you to sway them. They need to see the fire to write in you, and you will inspire. I love to share the fact that when I was in middle school I spent almost all of my time drawing comic books – or graphic novels as they like to call them these days – and that I credit my high school English teacher in lighting the fire in me to write. She pulled me aside one day and said â€Å"Why don’t you try writing a short story, I think you could do it.† I did. She liked it, and the rest is history. If you are an author of YA or Middle Grade books, contact the media specialist or lead teacher at your local schools and ask for a chance to speak with the kids. A good time for this is either during the month of November which is NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), or during your local schools National Literacy Week. Either way you can wow them with your literary artistic skill and craft. Make us proud.

Womans Suffrage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Womans Suffrage - Essay Example In America both groups originated in the ideals of American democracy and Protestant individualism. But these ideals when applied to women were everywhere met with contradictory economic and social institutions which subjected women to traditional male authority or questioned their capacity for independence and initiative. â€Å"With the flood of post-civil war suffragist rhetoric came an equally full and passionate cry from the anti-suffragists, or antis as the suffragists called them. Threatened by the suffragists new conception of modern government†(Oates 1991) Religion profoundly helped to legitimize woman’s quest for equality. Of the five women who planned the Seneca Falls convention in the summer of 1848, four were Quakers. Historian Margaret Bacon has asked why the tiny Religious Society of Friends contributed such a disproportionate number of leaders to the feminist cause. It turns out that Quakerism was a veritable seedbed for the new feminism. As early as the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Quaker women had served as traveling ministers, on occasion leaving behind husbands and children, so strongly did they feel called to the Lord’s work. Well before the Revolution the American Friends had also established a tradition of separate women’s business meetings of the monthly meeting. In addition, Quaker women who felt moved by the Holy Spirit to speak in meetings were expected to do so.

Descartes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Descartes - Essay Example The wax has been used for the purposes of making comparisons and discussing the human mind. On the other hand, it is also important to note that the mind is quite complex and it is difficult to describe its nature using simple terms. The paper is therefore an analysis of the human mind in relation to the comparison with the wax as outlined in the article. According to the article, wax has different properties that can be used for different purpose. When wax is not burnt, it takes a different shape and it also has a different smell. However, when it is burnt, it changes colour and it also turns into liquid. The wax is therefore capable of innumerable changes when it is burnt. All the scent is also lost and it takes a complexity new form and shape. However, it is difficult to imagine that was may end up turning this way by just looking at it. According to the article, the mind is prone to a lot of errors and hence the difficulties in terms of describing its nature just like the wax (Ariew & Cress, 17). A false assumption may be made when analyzing the nature of the mind just like the wax. The discussion also indicates that some of the complex issues such as the human mind cannot be described through touch alone. It also requires a lot of understanding. The use of the wax and the many forms that it takes under different condition can be compared to the nature of the human mind. It is important to note that the human mind can also change depending on the condition. However, the changes in the human mind are in terms of its intellectual nature as compared to the physical changes that occurs when the wax is heated. The aspect of common sense has also been highlighted in the article. This is through the example of how it changes when it undergoes heating. According to the article, common sense may be misleading when it comes to the issues of the wax. When one sees the wax in its external form, common

No topic Discussion Question Mgt 380 Dissertation

No topic Discussion Question Mgt 380 - Dissertation Example There are times when the wrong decisions are made and the question of accountability comes into the equation. This is when leaders have to explain how and why they were made, and what recourse has to be made to recuperate losses as well as corporate images. Circumstances that pose immediate danger to life, property, sales revenues however, may lead to other leaders arising from lower level in the ranks to take charge. A building on fire or a company vehicle tied up in an accident traffic accidents and workers are indecisive as top what to do, are also typical examples of situations where participants will be require to make quick decisions. However, in the design of a product, choosing the most economical distribution routes, the location of the best manufacturing sites, as well as who to employ to fill certain positions, require considering alternatives, as well as others, and has to be done by trained and experienced executives. Leaders may also from time reject suggestions that do not conform to their expectations, but may suffer from a lack of cooperation when time comes for execution of the strategic decision that was un-democratically made. Decision making according to Drucker, should rest always with executives or leaders who should strive to maximize the inputs of their respective teams as much as possible. During such process they should make it known that the final responsibility for the decision rests with them, but they value the contribution of every participant, and will consider all options before deciding (Drucker 1974). Question Q 2 Power according to Etzioni, can be either coercive, utilitarian or normative (Tichy & Candwell 2002). The first type of leader uses force to get the job done, while the second uses incentives, especially in a working environment to achieve the same objective. Normative Power occurs when values are employed to appeal to the inner constitution of people to generate commitment and a sense of purpose. The kind of power that I can identify is the normative one, where people are treated with respect, and their opinions valued in any business or social operation. By constantly communicating those attributes people who are so treated, will feel a part of my team and will go the extra mile to help achieve the mutually established goals and objectives. In addition, at times I will employ the utilitarian source of power along with the normative to help my teams motivated. This is because although they will feel important, at times rewards will serve to reinforce those values that have been communicated to them. Having these two sources at my disposal will always lead to people become loyal, committed, disciplined and very flexible in a knowledge base economy that is subjected to changing conditions at times. These are the values that I may be able upon in times of crisis, when team support and innovations becomes extremely important to the maintenance of competitive edge. Discussion Q 3 My favorite and l east favorite bosses were on opposite ends of a continuum, due to the leadership traits that they portrayed. The relationship between my most favored boss and me was an excellent one, and it made the work flow easy, even though at time some of the tasks were challenging. The fact that he was approachable, had an open door policy and

Audience Studies in Media

Audience Studies in Media The study of the audience has been very important in the media studies, since the power of the media in relation to the media audience could form how the society would work, what the public opinion would be and what political ideals would dominate. That is why the relationship of the audience and the media has been studies by scholars and academics since a very long time ago, leading to many theories about the subject to be developed and to a certain debate between the conceptualizations of the media audience. This essays aims to give a brief explanation of what the audience is, why it should be studied and then critically compare two conceptualisations of the media audience, the passive and the active one. The comparing will be done by presenting each theory’s main thesis and comparing them by analysing specific studies and approaches that were conducted to support each theory. Any group of people who are gathered in the same place and act as observers or spectators of something are considered an audience (Media and Communications course, Lecture 6: Media Audiences/lecture slides). Audience has existed since ancient times, particularly in Ancient Greece where people gathered in town centres to discuss about community problems. What we nowadays refer to as a media audience has been developed through the years as a result of industrialization, technological developments and several changes in people’s everyday lives. When people started to massively move from villages to industrialised cities, a mass society began to develop so it also became important that this new form of audience had to be studied in relation to the media of its time. What influence the media had on the audience, how the audience used the media in their everyday lives and how the media industry could attract more audience for their own profit (Williams,2003, McCullagh,2002) The main views on the mass society or mass audience research, that first appeared in the 1920s-1930s (McCullagh, 2002) were that the audience was consisted of a large public of consumers of mainstream media texts who were influenced by the rapid changes in society, the unstable family ties due to urbanization and the anonymity of the crowds (McCullagh, 2002), thus they became a vulnerable mass of ‘isolated and defenceless individuals’ (Williams, 2003). This situation positioned the media in a place where it could easily manipulate the unsuspected audience. That is why the media were used by authoritarian governments, like Hitler’s Nazi Party, for propaganda purposes. They would pass on their ideologies, usually political ones, and the audience would believe them without questioning. People were so passive that they would easily believe anything they would hear on the radio or read in a newspaper. Probably the most famous incident that proves this was the public pa nic that occurred in Los Angeles, when a radio broadcast of a science-fiction book called War of the Worlds was aired in 1938 (McCullagh, 2002). When people heard the broadcast they actually believed that a Martian invasion was happening and some of them tried to escape and save themselves. This incident is a great example of the Hypodermic Needle Theory that existed at the time. This theory parallelises the media as a needle that injects a message straight into the passive audience, which is immediately affected by it (Croteu, Hoynes,1997) and like drug-users lose their control and judgement once they are injected with drugs, so does the audience lose its critical judgement when injected with ideas and beliefs by the media (McCullagh, 2002). As the years passed by though and even more technological developments were invented, like film and television, researchers started to question the traditional effects research of the mass society. New studies and experiments on how the audience interprets media texts resulted to several researchers to conclude that the audience is not passive and vulnerable but instead is an active and differentiated audience consisted of groups or individuals and not masses. This new theory, the Active Audience theory concentrated on how audience interprets and makes meaning of media texts based on several factors, such as gender, age, social background, education, ideals, beliefs or family position (Williams, 2003, McCullagh, 2002). As McCullagh put it ‘media audiences are consisted of different individuals who turn to the media to gratify their needs’ (2002). Gradually new theories were developed that replaced the Hypodermic Needle theory and made it antiquated. Stuart Hall developed the Encoding/Decoding theory in 1973, with which he questioned the traditional effects theory and concentrated more on how ‘the content of media texts is encoded ideologically by the audience’ (Williams, 2003). He suggested that media producers encoded what appeared to be a ‘preferred meaning’ in media messages and then the audience was supposed to understand and decode it (Williams, 2003), thus making the relationship between media and audience more like a collaboration or an interplay. As it was obvious though a media text could not be decoded the same way by everyone, due to people’s differences in several aspects, so he concluded that there were three kinds of decoding a media message: the dominant, the negotiated and the oppositional (Williams, 2003, McCullagh, 2002, Deveraux, 2003). As Williams puts it ‘this model emphasises the interaction between the audience and texts as well as the social context within which such interaction happens ’ (2003). The development of the new theories, not surprisingly, led to debates between the active audience theorists and the traditional effects theorists. The new theory of Uses and Gratifications was an approach to understand how and why people use the media to satisfy certain needs (McCullagh, 2002). In comparison with the Hypodermic Needle theory, the Uses and Gratifications not only does not ignore people’s free will, personality and cultural background (The New Audience Research in Media Studies, http://www.le.ac.uk/oerresources/media/ms7500/mod1unit6/page_02.htm, 05/01/2015), it considers them to be active with the power to choose what media they consume. The audience ‘use programme content for purposes other than what might be predicted from their content’ (McCullagh, 2002), which leads to media producers or industries to compete with each other over who will offer the best way for the users’ needs to be gratified. In that way the audience is definitely not considered a passive one which completely accepts the media’s intended message, as the Hypodermic Needle theory suggested. Nevertheless, the debate between the active audience and the traditional effects theorists still goes on, with some of the researchers arguing that the new active audience approaches are ‘too behaviourist and functionalist’ (McQuail, 2010) and that their conclusions lead to an elimination of media power, which was considered essential for ‘shaping the knowledge, understandings and beliefs of the audience’ (Williams, 2003). Also, Kitzinger(1999) wondered whether the audience’s resistance on media messages, as a form of resistance to the status quo, should be praised, since that way people would also easily reject good messages provided by the media, such as safe sex advertisements or campaigns against violence. Even though audience is not considered a mass of ‘couch potatoes’ (Williams, 2003) anymore, whether we are aware of it or not, we all have some certain beliefs and ideals that have been somehow shaped by different types of media, such as the idea of the perfect body that is being advertised today by several model agencies or women magazines. But that does not mean that people do not have the intelligence to make decisions for themselves about what to believe (Williams, 2003). Despite the on-going criticism by the traditional effects theorists, the new audience researchers developed new methods of studying the audience, which focused more on the qualitative rather than the quantitative approach (Williams, 2003). These methods, referred to as the ethnographic turn in media studies, concentrated more on how people were involved with the media and the research was done mostly with participant observation techniques. Unlike the traditional effects research that used surveys o r questionnaires, researchers spent time with the people they were investigating observing their experiences with the media (Williams, 2003). However, there has been criticism on this approach too. Ruddock (2001), for example noted that ‘ethnography requires participants to make personal feelings public. As a result there is a considerable tendency towards self-censorship’, implying that the conclusions resulting from ethnographic research could not possibly present the real truth from the audiences’ perspective. He also questioned how the research questions could be generated in a way that they would respect the natural world of the audience and be appropriate with the field of study in general (Ruddock, 2001). Even though there are many theories that support each thesis, the debate between the traditional effects studies and the active audience theory has been intense and is still on-going (McCullagh, 2002, Williams, 2003). If we were to think about which conceptualisation would best represent today’s society and people, I would say that the active theories concerning this study, including the Uses and Gratifications and the Encoding/Decoding model, position the audience in an active place, where not only it is not exploited by the media, it can even have power over it. Media producers take people’s preferences into consideration so they can produce what would satisfy their audience more (Williams, 2003, McCullagh, 2002, Deveraux, 2003, McQuail, 2010). And since there are arguments that suppose that media takes over people’s lives thus making them ‘couch potatoes’ in another sense of the term (Williams, 2003) the rebuttal would be that nowadays the audienc e knows what it wants in a way that the different types of media work as e ‘menu’ for them to choose from, in order to satisfy their needs to escape their daily routines, educate themselves or even interact socially (Williams, 2003, McCullagh, 2002). Always based on their individual needs and preferences, which is closer to our modern and liberal society. To sum things up, it is now obvious that the study of the audience has been a big chapter in the book of media studies, with many scholars and academics finding themselves engaging with this study. That explains all the experiments, studies and research that have been conducted on the subject, since it concentrates on two different types of audience, which in relation to the media could easily shape the way our society would work. Whether the media would dominate over the audience or the other way around. Since the debate of the subject is still on-going and the opinions diverge, the answer of which model would be the best cannot be absolute. Maybe a combination of the two could function well in the future, but until then the active audience theory seems to be the one closest to our society’s standards nowadays.

Sophies Heart/By Lori Wick :: essays research papers

Sophie's Heart, by Lori Wick, is the story of Sophie, an educated young woman who moves from her homeland, Czechoslovakia, to America where she becomes a housekeeper for a loneyly young widower and his three children. This book takes place mainly in Wisconsin in the 1990's. Sophie moved from Czechoslovakia to American and became employed as a housekeeper for Alec Riley. She grew to love his three children and gradually her love extended to Alec himself, who returned her love with his own. Near the end of this novel, Sophie and Alec get married. Sophie Velikonja, a twenty-year old young woman, moved to America when her name was called on the request list to leave Czechoslovakia. She had not wanted to leaver her beloved grandmother, but her grandmother insisted upon staying behind. Sophie moved to Chicago where she acquired a job as a waitress in a city restaurannt. A devout Christian, Sophie began attending church as soon as she could and met a friendly woman named Janet Ring. Janet's brother, Alec Riley had recently become a widower when his young wife, Venessa, died in a tragic car accident. She suggested to him that he employ a housekeeper. After having met Sophie, Janet recommended the quiet, hard-working young woman to Alec. Alec, after some hesitation and tought, interviewed Sophie and hired her. Sophie lived in a small apartment over Riley's garage and cooked and cleaned for Alec and his three children, Rita (age 17), Craig (age 13), and Tory ( age10). Sophie and the children ended up becoming very close. At first, the children looked down on her with her accent, but when they eventurally learned that Sophie had mastered five other languages and had worked as a translator in her native land, they changed their opinion. Life was not without hardship for Sophie. She desperately missed her beloved grandmother and she also faced problems with Vanessa's mother, who seemed to resent the fact that someone had come to do the same duties her daughter had done. As she and the Riley children grew closer, Sophie began to notice their handsome father, Alec. At first, she didn't admit to herself that she was interested in him, but when Alec began to show an interest in her, Sophie began to seriously look at him. At first, she was concerned that she would be merely a replacement for Vanessa, but as she and Alec grew closer, he made it very clear to her that he loved her for who she was.

Analysis for Costa Coffee Essay

A well-recognized and wide-accepted brand image is one of the most valuable assets of the company. (Aaker, 1991). Costa Coffee has a welcoming and comforting brand image; however, the promotion of this brand image is at a disadvantage compared with its biggest rival Starbucks. In order to reverse the weakness into its strength, Costa Coffee needs to keep improving its brand image and brand awareness. Costa Coffee founded Costa Foundation, which is a charity aiming to offer long-term support especially in education for the coffee-growing farmers and their communities. Thus, Costa Coffee could strengthen its publicity of its efforts in sustaining the vulnerable group. By continue to maintain its social responsibility which could have  reflected its â€Å"responsible† image to the whole public, it would help Costa Coffee gain more reputation and build a better brand image. Launch new products One of the weaknesses of Costa Coffee is its fixed menu and the blank page of new product webpage. Compared to Starbucks and other cafà © shops, having limited choices on the menu would pose a disadvantage to Costa Coffee. The new products might not always attracted to all customers; however, those new products could draw people’s attention and encourage them to come into store and purchase which could be a way of promoting the brand to the public. Create new products and presenting it regular would help Costa Coffee appeal to more potential customers.In the same time, it would also help to create an image that Costa Coffee are trying their best to satisfy their consumers. Cooperate with universities – Costa campus stores or Bring Costa express into campus Costa Express machines have won the hearts of the purchasers as the self-serve coffee machines. As the success of launching Costa Express, Costa Coffee should grab the chance and continue exploiting this opportunity making it to its advantage. Cooperating with other organizations and co-operations would add its consumer base and in the same time it is a lower-risk approach for its further growing. Building campus-based Costa Coffee shops or introducing Costa express into teaching and living areas is a convenient way for students and teaching staff getting their coffee. Besides, it also could increase the probability for more customers to familiar with the Costa Coffee brand itself. Partner with universities allows Costa Coffee better targeting student customers who have the greatest potential to become Costa’s loyal customers in the long run. Reference Aaker, D.A. (1991, Managing Brand Equity: Capitalizing on the Value of a Brand Name, The Free Press,New York, NY.

Bhakti Yoga

There are four goals in the traditional Hinduism. These four goals cover life viewed as good and life seen as bad. Three of these goals appeal to the positive things in life, such as, Dharma or righteousness, Artha or achievement, and Kama or gratification. The fourth goal which is the Moksha or liberation is aimed at the negative things. The three affirmation goals can all be sought at the same time or one at a time, as each may be appropriate at certain periods in one’s life. Hinduism prescribes four paths towards the Divine destiny.These paths may lead to a good life, oneness with the divine, liberation from life, or the fulfillment of any or all of the four goals. The paths are called Yoga. Yoga is a set of disciplines that must be carried out by followers who wished to take these paths. Yoga is like a yoke or a load around the neck or shoulders which is heavy but necessary to reach the destiny or the realization of goals. The different paths or yoga are, Inana or the way towards the ultimate knowledge, Bhakti or the path to loving or devotion to God, Karma or the way to undo the reaction to deeds in life, and the Raja or the royal path to meditation.The Inana, Bhakti and Karma are contained in Bhagavad-Gita while Raja is in Yoga Sutra. Both the Bhagavad-Gita and the Yoga Sutra are spiritual teachings that help explain the divine world. The Bhakti Yoga is the path to the immaculate devotion to and absolute loving of God. In Sanskrit it means the overpowering, generous and joyful love for God. The follower is focused on God by expressions of love and actions of worship. The devotion is strong and faithful like a lover to the beloved, a parent to his child.The Bhakti-Rasamrita-Sindhu of Rupa Gosvami enumerates the nine forms of the path, which are: chant, praise, reflection, service, prayers, preaching, relationship, and surrender. Keeping them all or even one is enough for a devotee to experience the love of God. The objective of this love and devotio n is to get close to God. Depending on their attitudes, Bhakti is taken differently by its followers. For some, it is the initial step leading to Inana. On the contrary, others believe it to be higher than Inana.Others think all of them are equal. Bhagavad Gita is considered the pillar as well as the foundation of Hindu Bhakti theism particularly in Vaishnavism. It has a long list of religious and philosophical affiliations but is partial to Krishna devotees. According to Krishna love, pure intention and utmost devotion is the most powerful driving force in the spiritual life of a devotee. Most Bhakti movements worship only one God, Vishnu or Shiva. They came after the three Vedanta systems were put in place.These Bhakti movements reinvigorated Hinduism because they filled in the emotional and philosophical void of India. The intensity of expression of Bharatanatyam had the most influence in the great changes in Hindu prayers and rituals since the time of Adi Shankaracharya. There h ad been other noted contributions of Bhakti movements in Indian history. Their schools of Philosophy have changed the beliefs of people. Bhakti taught the people to channel their emotions to the direction of God in the process of self-actualization.The Hindus from the orthodox Brahaminical systems denounced the caste system. Bhakti’s call for tolerance and love were not listened to by those deeply-rooted in the caste structure of society. Bhakti was responsible for the mass production of devotional materials in literature, art, music and dance that has enriched the culture not only of India but also of the entire world. This gave spiritual renewal by giving up insignificant rituals and social demarcation, to India References SanatanSociety. org (2008). Bhakti Yoga. Retrieved June 14, 2008 fromhttp://www. sanatansociety. org/yoga_and_meditation/bhakti_yoga. htm ISKCON Educational Services (2004). The Heart of Hinduism. Introduction to the Four Main Parts. Retrived June 14, 200 8 from http://hinduism. iskcon. com/practice/index. htm Hinduism: Living the Religious Life. Retrieved June 14, 2008 from http://uwacadweb. uwyo. edu/Religionet/er/hinduism/HRLIFE. HTM The Yoga Centre Glasgow (2007). Bhakti Yoga. Yogi Nirmalendu. Kundalini Shakti Page. Retrieved June 14, 2008 from http://www. yoginirmalendu. com/Types_Of_Yoga/Bhakti_Yoga/Bhakti_Yoga. html