Fashion Channel Market Segmentation Essay

One of TFC’s glaring strengths is that it specializes in fashion-oriented programming. The company is dedicated to fashion programming 24/7, meaning it is in a position to influence the market. Secondly, TFC appeals mostly to women between 35 and 54. The company’s viewership in the segment is 45% compared to 42% and 40% for Lifetime and CNN respectively. This category has the largest number of viewers and at the same time, one of those segments that is able to attract premium pricing. In addition, the company operates under the basic cable package. The package has more than 80 million subscribers in the U.S meaning that a large number of people have access to the channel. Conversely, TFC faces several weaknesses. Firstly, the company has not fully diversified its operations; it only specializes in fashion related programming. This could spell doom for the company, especially if the current trend is an indication of the future. Moreover, there is a section of the top management that is reluctant to accept change in the organization. The implication is that Dana’s recommendations may fail to get ratified for fear of the unknown. Thirdly, the satisfaction level of TFC’s customers is on the decline. The company is quickly losing customers to the two major competitors, and there are fears that the trend is sustainable. The other major weakness is that the organization has not segmented its market. The company ought to segment its market in order to benefit from the premium fee charged for the highly valued demographics. There are a number of opportunities available for TFC in its external environment. To begin, advertisers are ready to pay a premium for higher rating as well as defined demographic programming. Channels with higher rating are able to charge more for advertising meaning that TFC can gain additional revenue if appropriate strategies are developed to help increase its overall market rating. Secondly, there is a more room for the company to increase its market size. Fashion specific programming is continually gaining prominence among viewers in the U.S. market. In addition, viewer’s demand on network content and ad is directly related to the cost of advertisement. The company can thus increase its ad revenue through marketing strategies aimed at increasing viewership. One of TFC’s predominant threats is its two chief competitors: CNN and Lifetime. The two are constantly eating into the TFC’s major revenue base, and may even force the company out of the market. The second threat is that TFC is only entitled to $1 per subscriber. This is quite a small portion that cannot fully sustain the company’s operations. Besides, there is a threat that TFC may get dropped from the basic cable platform if subscribers satisfaction fails to improve. This may mean total loss for business. TFC’s Central Strategic Issue The company appears to lack a clearly defined business strategy. The  company’s product-market focus is vague. For instance, TFC has not segmented its market into different segments. Alternative Strategic Promotional Courses of Action Alternative 1 There are a number of marketing courses of action at TFC’s disposal. The first one, and perhaps most important, is market segmentation. The company should divide its market into different segments and concentrate on maximizing the revenue for the segment of choice. According to the data provided in the case, a combination of Fashionistas (scored 23.1M) and Shoppers/Planners (scored 42.35M) segments appears the most economical alternative for TFC. The two categories of customers are highly involved in matters related to fashion and are thus a suitable target for the company. There is also economic benefit involved if the company opts to back the strategy. Firstly, an admixture of the two segments yields a high profit margin (39%) in comparison to any other alternative. Besides, the alternative will trigger an increase in overall rating by 20%. There is a potential rise in the company’s rating from 1.0 to 1.2 consequently leading to increased revenue. In addition, this segmentation has the highest percentage of viewers 50% (=35% + 15%). The large number of viewers in two segments is thus suitable for the company, especially given that it entirely specialize in fashion programs. The problem with this alternative is that there is an increment in programming expenditure by $20 million. Alternative 2 The second alternative is broad-based marketing. This involves treating the entire market as a single group typified by customers with shared needs. The advantage of this strategy is that it is quite profitable at least in the short-run. Its adoption is likely to earn the company a net profit of more than $40 million (=$94.9 – 54.6). In addition, the approach does not attract incremental programming expenditure. On the other hand, the broad-based alternative will deny TFC the opportunity to earn premium CPM (Cost per thousand). Alternatively, TFC can opt for Fashionista segmentation. Using 2007 as a  base year, the alternative may rake for the company at least a net income of $100 million (=151.4 – 54.6). In addition, the approach is likely to boost the company’s overall rating from 1.1 to 1.2. The company will also be in a position to increase its charges from $2 to $3.5. Conversely, the Fashionista alternative will lead to an incremental expenditure of $15 million. Decision and Implementation Plan The new promotional plan should be positioned towards a combination of Fashionistas and Shoppers/Planners segment. Although there are a number of risks involved in this strategy, the returns are investing in the strategy. One of the greatest challenges for the company is maintaining the loyal customers while at the same time wooing new planners/shoppers and fashionistas. The company must come up with ways of ensuring that they do not lose some customers. This is achievable through evaluating the programs popular among the loyal customers and ensuring they are not disrupted by the new alternative. The company can also benchmark with its customers to learn how they are able to attract a huge number of fashionistas. The fact that the alternative may lead to incremental $20 million expenditure presupposes that its implementation is quite expensive. Benchmarking with Lifetime and CNN can help reduce the cost. Finally, the company should devise ways to foster awareness, perceived value, and interest of its products among consumers. This can be achieved through online marketing and ensuring there is appropriate social media policy in place to avoid misuse of the marketing platform.

Healthy Grief Essay

Grieving is a natural part of life. Everyone grieves at some point in their lives, whether it’s the loss of a beloved 1st pet fish or a loss of a loved one’s life, everyone grieves differently and everyone requires different approaches during the grieving process. This paper will describe the various stages of grief and what to expect with each stage. This paper will also compare and contrast the grieving process as defined by Kubler-Ross, the story of Job while incorporating the Catholic religion. The interaction between joy and the Kubler-Ross model will also be described. In the book of Job, Job is presented as a wealthy, righteous man living somewhere between 2000-1000 B.C. Job suddenly experiences the loss of his family, his possessions, and his health. Job relies on his friends to provide him with comfort. Each stage of grief according to Kubler-Ross is seen within the story of Job. The first stage, denial, is noticed when Job denies the severity of his medical condition. Job’s anger, which is the second stage of grief, is expressed in 7:11-15 â€Å"Therefore I will not keep silent; I will speak out in the anguish of my spirit, I will complain in the bitterness of my soul†. When Job had learned of the death of his 10 children, he tore his clothes and shaved his head in anger. The third stage of grief, which is also known as the bargaining stage, is expressed when Job starts to bargain with God in 9:33-34 â€Å"If only there were someone to arbitrate between us, to lay his hand upon us both, someone to remove God’s rod from me, so that his terror would frighten me no more†. Depression, which is the fourth stage of grief is apparent in 10:18 â€Å"Why then did you bring me out of the womb? I wish I had died before any eye saw me†. Job wishes that he had never have been born so he wouldn’t have to endure the grief and loss which he is experiencing. Acceptance, which is the final stage of grief, is reached after Job stated in (13:15) â€Å"Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.† This versus is a very powerful versus as it is a reminder to be kind and helpful to others although others may not  demonstrate these actions. The Kulber-Ross theory of grief, designed in 1969 by Elisabeth Kubler is most commonly known as the five stages of grief. The five stages of grief represent the stages that on experiences while undergoing grief or similar life events. Ross created this model is describe the stages of grief for people undergoing terminal illness; however, this model can be used for various forms of significant loss such as divorce, loss of job, natural disaster, or loss of a loved one. The first stage describes a temporary state of disbelief called denial. During the denial stage, an individual shuts out actuality and denies anything bad is really happening. The second stage of grief is called bargaining. Bargaining is when an individual realizes that the denial cannot continue and begins to come to terms with reality. The person may become anger and question why is this happening. People may become angry with themselves, loved one, or others. The third stage is of grief is the bargaining stage. During this stage, patients tend to wish that they can postpone or delay their illness or death. People display their spirituality in great detail during this phase. They beg for a higher power to undo their loss and make things better again. It’s during the fourth stage that patients tend to feel depressed about their impending situation. The person begins to disconnect himself/herself of life, love, and affection. Most grieving occurs during this stage after the person realizes that their demise is becoming more inevitable. The last and final stage of grief is known as the acceptance stage. It is during this stage that the person has come to terms with their prognosis and feel as if they can reengage in their daily lives again. People of the Catholic religion, much like most people incorporate the five stages of grief into their lives unnoticeably in times of tragedy. Catholics also experience the most painful form of life, which is losing a loved one. Catholics deny the event, they become angry, they attempt to bargain, they feel depressed, and over time, they learn to accept. Much like Job is thousands and thousands of years ago. My own personal way to grieving is probably much different than the average person. When a loved one dies, I feel sad, but I do not display sadness nor do I cry. Instead, I celebrate them. I celebrate their life and encourage others to do the same. You would have never of guessed I had just lost my Mom when she passed away a few years ago. Instead of enduring the five stages of grief, I bypass the first four stages and fell into the acceptance stage. I accepted that she was too sick to be here on Earth and her passing was actually a beautiful moment at which I no longer saw the pain and struggle in her eyes. I am confident that she felt a sense of relief as well. After researching the stages of grief, the writer of this paper is more aware of the process that is needed to people to spirituality be able to heal after a significant event. During the grief process, people experience many emotions, which is clearly defined in the five stages of grief. To acknowledge that Job encountered grief many, many years ago in the exact same way people do now in modern age is reassuring and comforting. Upon completing research of grief, the information learned has not changed by view of grief; however it has made me more aware of the various ways that people react to grief.

Has Globalization Transformed International Politics?

Has Globalization transformed International Politics? Introduction A wide debate on how globalization affects global governance has taken place during the last years. Globalists and sceptics have argued about the transformations going on, their nature and importance. As Chanda notes, throughout history, interconnections between states and people have been growing (Chanda, 2008). However, globalization seems to have pushed these changes to a point in which a new global order arises, threatening to transform the essence of international politics. This essay will explore the ideas that have raised around the issue of globalization within international politics, trying to give a response on whether they have suffered a transformation or not. With this purpose, I will first try to give a proper and widely accepted definition of globalization. On a second section, I will look at the different perspectives defended by globalists and sceptics, as the theories proposed by both are quite relevant to understand the reach of the current circumstances. In order to give a response to the question of the title, in a third section I will focus on different areas of global governance, analysing how globalization is supposed to have transformed politics. I will refer to issues of cooperation, sovereignty, welfare, economy and security, considering the arguments of both globalists and sceptics as means to find a conclusive answer. In every section, I will try to give a personal response to every enquiry previously raised. Finally, I will end with a conclusion in which I will try give a general answer to the question on whether globalization has transformed international politics or not. Defining some concepts Defining globalization and its nature seems necessary in order to understand the issues that it has raised. Reaching a consensus on the definition of globalization is quite complicated. As Kiras, (in Baylis, 2005, p. 480) notes, it is a phenomena open to subjective interpretation and, consequently, definitions differ widely. However, it is possible to find some basic characteristics that most theorists have pointed about globalization. As a very simple explanation, Scholte (cited by Mingst, in Vayvr , p. 89) defines globalization as â€Å"the emergence and spread of a supraterritorial dimension of social relations†. Meanwhile, Thomas (cited in Clark, 1998, p. 481) defined it as â€Å"the process whereby power is located in global social formations and expressed through global networks rather than through territorially-based states†. These two general descriptions suggest that globalization is about a vast growth of interconnections between societies, governments and trade actors around the world. Summing both definitions, it can be argued that globalization is as a process that involves a shift in the spatial scale of the human social organization of our world, linking distant communities and expanding the reach of power relations through all the continents. Held (1997, p. 253) that this shift that characterizes globalization involves that day-to-day activities become progressively influenced by events taking place in other places around the planet, even those on the other side. In addition, globalization implies that actions and decisions adopted by local minority groups can have an important impact on the global issues. Thus, globalization is a multidimensional condition. It involves mostly every aspect of life. Social, technological, cultural, economic and political spheres are affected by and take part in the process of globalization. Increasing flows of power, capital, labour force, information and ideas is another of its basic characteristics. Globalization has been usually defined as a matter taking place out of the human control. However, Mingst (1999, p. 9) clarifies that this process is not inexorable and argues that â€Å"what is critical in globalization theory is the recognition that people perceive that this process is actually taking place, although not all are similarly affected†. The reach of globalization Although some consensus can be reached when defining the basic characteristics of globalization and the transformations that it ca uses, the problem comes when trying to specify the reach of its consequences and its real importance. As Rosenberg points the globalization debate is not about the reality of the change. It is about the significance and the nature of these changes that are taking place, and about the driving forces behind them (Rosenberg, 2005, p. 43). There has traditionally been a great division between globalists and sceptics. Globalists maintain that there are important transformations taking place in the world which are leading to a radically different new order. On the other hand, sceptics sustain that these changes are not that significant (Weis, 1999, p. 59). It can be argued that globalists see globalization as a threat for the current order. They think that international politics, global economy and social relations around the world will suffer a huge transformation due to globalization. Meanwhile, sceptics suggest that, although it is true that some changes are taking place, none of them will modify the essence of power and economy relations. There are two basic points in which globalists and sceptics disagree. The first one refers to the dilemma of whether globalization has led to transcendence of territory, meaning that cross border and open-border relations have been substituted by trans-border relations. Sceptics believe that transcendence of territorial space is not possible, as all transactions take place inside national defined borders and are subject to the laws of the state in which they operate (Weis, 2000, p. 61). The second divergence refers to the weight of these new transnational networks within the national and international panorama. Globalists see that there is an increasing influence in all fields, while sceptics state that globalization is mainly a financial phenomenon that affects some capital markets. When referring to international politics, the divergence between globalist and sceptic authors is also notable. Globalists believe that globalization implies a drastic power shift that restricts the capacities or national organisms, institutions and policies and favours the emergence of non-national actors. Even some sceptics have agreed with this theory, suggesting that globalization within international politics is about actors winning or losing power. Furthermore, there is a popular belief which suggests that if global networks exist, national ones are in danger, and thus globalization would cause the erosion of the power of the state (Weis, 2000, p. 4). However, it is not clear whether this theory overemphasises the changes in power without indentifying its sources. Thus, when discussing if globalization has affected International Politics, the main objective is trying to define if states have been more or less affected by the issues that globalization has raised. Of course there is always the trouble of the difficulty that it implies trying to give substance to the notions of ‘moreà ¢â‚¬â„¢ or ‘less’. However, what we can do is looking at different issues within nternational politics and analyzed the way in which globalization has transformed them –consequently changing the way in which states and international actors address these problems. That will be the task for the next section. How has globalization affected international politics? In a wide context, globalization has increased the demand for new policies aiming to address global problems that have appeared, showing certain limitations of current international organizations and states. Globalization has raised the problem of transborder networks becoming more relevant than local, regional and international ones. Together with it, theories on how the authority of states has been eroded have flourished. Governments acting within the power network of international relations seem to have overshadowed their own policy preferences in order to support others and avoid incurring high costs. Thus, economic integration and political interdepence appear to be keys of understanding the changes that globalization is pushing within international politics. Now, I will focus on the main areas in which globalization is sought to have exerted an important influence on the issues of governance. International cooperation Krahmann (2003, p. 29) remarked that many authors emphasize the fact that, through the years, global governance has been concentrated in specific regions, mainly in the developed countries, due to the concentration on power and trade networks in this areas. However, he points that this situation has been gradually shifting into a new panorama. Especially since the end of the Cold War, globaliza tion has been seen as force of change. As Weis also notes, â€Å"an unprecedented widening and deepening of international cooperation has led some to maintain that the nature of the state and of world politics are being fundamentally transformed† (Weis, 1999, p. 6). Globalization is one of the causes of states cooperating over more areas and not monopolizing the control over internal issues when they could have international consequences. International institutions and treaties have multiplied in the last years. Their expanding web has come to regulate all the problems of interstate activities. States have recognized the limitations of their capacities when addressing global problems and, as Krahman states, globalization has contributed to the creation of new networks among governments, implying international organizations, NGOs and even smaller community groups. States have continued to play a central role on international politics. However, there is little doubt that this kind of organizations, together with multinational corporations, are increasingly participating in the regulation and formulation of international policies, promoting cooperation between international actors. The absence of a global authority within international governance is also one of the reasons for the rise in cooperation (Vayrynen, 1999). However, some doubts arise contrary to these evidences. There is not real prove that globalization has been the main cause for this expansion of international organizations. Moreover, it is not clear proliferation of these new entities is really pushing forward a relevant transformation on international politics. In fact, Rosenberg (2005, p. 43) points that rather than states decision-making being undermined by the rise of international organizations, a â€Å"vigorous re-assertion of great power national interests† has taken place. Nevertheless, if globalists were true and globalization is actually transforming cooperation within International Politics, I would argue that this transformation is positive, rather than negative. If that is true, it could be argued that globalization of technologies and information has revealed to the whole world certain issues that were hushed up. It has made governments and people more conscious of problems taking place in countries that they have never thought about. The fast international mobilization after 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean is a good example of how cooperation has improved. Sovereignty Mingst (in Vayrynen, 1999, p. 90) defends that globalization of information and economy has challenged the state, as it sees â€Å"its sovereignty undermined and constrained and its structures unable to provide the necessary public goods†. Focusing the issues of sovereignty, Mingst and others have noted that the ability of states to initiate actions has been reduced and its sovereignty has been circumscribed. Krahman (2003, p. 333) pointed that this loss of sovereignty leads to a fragmentation of authority which benefits three entities that become increasingly powerful: subnational groups, upranational organizations and private or voluntary actors –such as NGOs or Transnational Corporations (TNCs). Thus, decision-making capacities which were traditionally taken by national states are increasingly being devolved to specific actors. Globalists have described a picture in which globalized system and people are divided, as citizens are still determined by the st ructure of the state even when their confidence in national sovereignty has been eroded. That would lead to the renaissance of national links and the reaffirmation of cultural, religious or ethnic identities (Castells, 1997, p. 74). Globalists continue of affirm that this situation would lead to the end of the current state-centric world defined by both realists and liberalists (Mingst, in Vayrynen, 1999, p. 90). From a more sceptic position, the threat on sovereignty does not seem so disturbing. â€Å"The danger is not that states will end up as marginal institutions, but that meaner, more repressive ways of organizing the state’s role will be accepted as the only way of avoiding the collapse of public institutions†, says Evans (1997, p. 64). The fact that economic or other kind of gains can be pursued without help of sovereignty does not imply that the sovereignty of the state is compromised. Thus, it seems more likely to think of globalization as a tool to reconstitute the capacity of the state, rather than eroding it. Nor even civil society does not seem a likely substitute –as some globalists have pointed (Falk, 2005, p. 222)– for public institutions of government. In fact, the growth of these kinds of new actors requires solid state powers in order to develop properly. Both international and local actors need vigorous capable organizational counterparts in the state. As Evans pointed, â€Å"a move toward less capable and involved states will make it more difficult for civic associations to achieve their goals† (Evans, 1997, p. 82). Rather than globalization challenging the power and the integrity of the state, certain authors see a picture in which both engage in everlasting reciprocal regulation that ends up redefining the state itself (Clark, 1998). Clark remarks that one of the main issues within globalization is its challenge to the realization of democracy. Globalization requires a new way of behaving in the international sphere that cannot consist on merely extending domestic practices to international activities. As he argues, it is not possible to maintain that â€Å"aggregation of democratic states produces democratic multirateralism†. In this context, the theory of the ideological pendulum proposed by Evans (Evans, 1997, p. 83) looks like the better explanation for all this changes. We are witnessing the end of an era in which the states tried to handle with more issues than what they really could. Now the new tendency is the contrary, as there is an excessive pessimism on the capacities of states (Rodrik, 1997a, p. 413). The excessive optimism on the states capabilities is turning into a situation in which it sees necessary ceding part of its sovereignty to other entities. However, this does not mean that sovereignty is in danger, nor even that states will lose their central role. As Chanda suggests, throughout history states have been able to give response to wide or global problems without surrendering or compromising its sovereignty (Chanda, 1998). The dismantling of the welfare state? Taking again in consideration Mingst definition of the challenges of globalization for the state, we see that the second one referred to the guarantees of social welfare that governments can provide. He asserted that in an era of globalization states structures are â€Å"unable to provide the necessary public goods† (Mingst, in Vayrynen, 1999, p. 90). Many globalists blame globalization for the dismantling of the welfare state and the expansion of the division between rich and poor in more developed states. In the global era, national economies are exposed to fluctuations that they cannot control and that affect their capacities to provide traditional welfare conditions (Hirst and Thompson, 1999, p. 164). Rieger (in Held and McGrew, 2000) states that there is a real globalization pressure which seeks to minimize welfare state –mainly from private enterprises, especially TNCs. The power of trade unions has been apparently eroded and democracies seem to become more restrictive. Firms that operate in globalized and integrated markets suffer major cost differentials in social benefits and, thus, globalization seems to threaten the welfare state. In addition, in a period of globalization, the number of citizens depending on the welfare states increases –as a consequence of migration and movement of labour force– and governments become unable to afford welfare. Moreover, the integration of markets on global levels leaves no space for welfare states in which the rates of labour productivity and production quality are similar. Thus, globalist authors suggest that the only way for avoiding that globalization ends up with the welfare state is by signing new international social contracts (Castells, 1997, p. 253). If we take in consideration this theory, it would be quite clear that globalization has transformed the way in which governments have to deal with welfare states issues. Moreover, it would mean that the global order is pushing for a renewal of the international policies within this field. However, sceptics have a totally different vision of the problem. Rieger, for instance, admits that although it is possible to see a pressure of globalization on welfare state, this pressure is not unsustainable (in Held and McGrew, 2000). Sceptics argue that globalization has not brought any drastic dismantling of the welfare state. In fact, it seems even more difficult to change the status quo of the welfare state as the pressure of globalization becomes stronger. In fact, studies have demonstrated that globalization does not affect wages, employment or income inequality; especially in countries were the welfare state is strong (Slaughter and Swagel 1997). Consequently, it would be possible to conclude that globalization is not transforming international policies related to the welfare state in a crucial way. Governments are, in fact, renewing their policies constantly, but there is no real evidence that the new global order has reduced states’ capability to provide welfare to its citizens. Political economy Globalization of economy and trade has traditionally been seen as the main responsible for the loss of authority of the states within international politics. Globalists state that prosperity and power are increasingly a consequence of private business between private actors across the boundaries of countries. Transactions taking place inside national borders have lost weight, and thus globalists assert that, within global economy, â€Å"it has become harder to sustain the image of states as the preeminent actors at the global level† (Nettl, cited in Evans, 1997, p. 65). Globalists believe that nowadays private actors make the decisions on which territory is included in the global markets or excluded from the global production networks. Thus, states are seen merely as mediators, which just can try to make their nations attractive for investors, but they cannot run the global economy system. In fact, it has been mentioned that states engaging in policies contraries to the interests of financial actors would be punished with measures such as a decline of their currencies or its access to capital (Evans, 1997, p. 67). Furthermore, globalists state that even the own market can react against hostile decisions of states. â€Å"Capital has long demonstrated willingness and ability to react to what it perceives as unfavourable policies† says Weis (1999, p. 8). Taking these arguments in consideration, it could be argued that globalization has undermined the power of states within political economy, thus radically transforming this aspect of international politics. However, some sceptic authors, such as Rodrik (in Nye, 2000, p. 349) state that economic globalization is far away from being extended as it seems. He think s that â€Å"international economic integration remains remarkably limited†. In fact, some arguments support this theory. There are still great obstacles for the global market, such as tariff barriers or linguistic and cultural differences. National borders have not disappeared, contrary to what most globalist theorists argue, and their restrictions and rules are still relevant in most international transactions. Moreover, the levels of investments in national assets are still higher that internationals. There are still strict restrictions for the mobility of labour around the world. Thus, Rodrik suggests that â€Å"while formal barriers to trade and capital flows have been substantially reduced over the past three decades, international markets for goods, services, and capital are not nearly as thick as they would be under complete integration†. It is possible to argue, as Evans does, that the role of states within international political economy is not undermined by the fact of its becoming increasingly dependent on private actors and global trade. In fact, it has been proved that the bigger is the reliance on trade, the more important is the role of the state (Evans, 1997, p. 68). Thus, powerful and involved states are more likely to participate actively within global markets. Then, the role of the state is not really undermined, and even â€Å"high stateness† can be a competitive advantage. It can be argued that globalization is not responsible for the growth of the multilateral economic order; neither is it a cause of undermining the power of states as international actors. Then, if some crucial transformations have taken place during the last years within international political economy, it would be unfair to blame globalization. Globalization of crime As a final point, I will briefly refer to one of the issues that has been more present within international politics in the last years. National security is one of the main problems pointed to have emerged as a big challenge of globalization. As Kiras (in Baylis, 2005, p. 482) pointed, globalization of technologies and information has improved the capabilities of terrorists. Communication and mobility of people across the borders is increasing, and this gives more facilities for criminals to act. Apart from terrorism, a new global organized crime seems to have emerged, conditioning certain economic and political aspects of international politics and, moreover, destabilizing national governments (Castells, 1997). In fact, there is a growing importance of economic flows with criminal origin –such as those coming from the illegal weapons or drugs markets. Whether globalization can be blamed for these circumstances or not is a difficult question to be answered. However, it is clear that this is one of the issues that have transformed international politics in a more crucial way. Governments are not able to fight with this new global crime by themselves, so they are moving towards multilateralism in foreign policy and defence (Castells, 1997). Whether this multilateralism is something that erodes the autonomy of the states or just a positive cooperative measure is a question that still needs to be answered. Conclusion The debate between globalists and sceptics is still continuing nowadays. However, recent events have come to support the theories of the latter ones. As Rosenberg points, globalization has not transformed the essence of international politics. The new global and radically distinct order that globalists had announced is not a reality. Little essential changes have taken place (Rosenberg, 2005, p. 3). While examining the issues of sovereignty, welfare or trade that globalization has raised, it is possible to perceive that it has pushed some transformations. However, most of them are not significant. Moreover, it is not quite clear in what grade globalization is responsible for them. Nevertheless, it can be argued that the global order is not undermining the power of the state. Instead, states that are strong and participative seem to be more powerful and play a more important role within the issues of globalization. As Clark stated, instead of globalization eroding the capacities of states, it is more appropriate to sustain that globalization in a process parallel to an apparent reconstruction of the state (Clark, 1998, p. 491). International politics are suffering a shift on the policies that they need to apply in fields like welfare and finance. Although this shift does not affect the nature of international politics, it seems necessary to preserve the predominant position of traditional states. New private and public powers are arising, and governments need to learn to deal with them in order to keep their status. There are also new threats that states cannot fight for themselves. Thus a growing cooperation is necessary to resolve the problems of the world. Bibliography Aas, K. F. (2007), Globalization and Crime, SAGE Publications, London Baylis, J. And Smith, S. (2005, 3rd edition), The Globalization of World Politics: An Introduction to International Relations, Oxford University Press Castells, M. (1997), The Power of Identity, Blackwell Publishers Clark, I. (1998), Beyond the Great Divide: globalization and the theory of international relations, Review of International Studies, 24, pp. 479-498 Chanda, N. (2008), Runaway globalization without governance, Global Governance, 14 (2) Evans P. (1997), The Eclipse of the State? , World Politics, n. 50 Falk, R. (2005), Reimagining the Governance of Globalization, in Appelbaum, R. and Robinson, W. Critical Globalization Studies, Routledge Held, D. (1997), Democracy and Globalization, Global Governance, 3, pp. 251-267 Held, D. and McGrew A. (2000), The Global Transformations Reader: An Introduction to the Globalization Debate, Polity Press Hirst, P. and Thompson, G. (1999, 2nd edition), Globalization in question, Polity Press Krahmann E. (2003), National, Regional and Global Governance : One Phenomenon or Many, Global Governance, 9 Mingst, K. A. (1999), Global Governance: The American Perspective, in Vayrinen, R. , Globalization and Global Governance, Rowman and Littlefield Publishers Nye, J. S. and Donahue, J. D. (2000), Governance in a Globalizing World, Brookings Institution Press Rieger, E. and Leibfried, S. (2000), Welfare State Limits to Globalization, in Held, D. and McGrew A. , The Global Transformations Reader: An Introduction to the Globalization Debate, Polity Press Rodrik, D. (1997a), The Paradoxes of the Successful State, European Economic Review, Volume 41, Issues 3-5, April Rodrik, D. (1997b), Sense and Nonsense in the Globalization Debate, Foreign Policy Rodrik, D. (2000), Governance of Economic Globalization, in Nye, J. S. and Donahue, J. D. Governance in a Globalizing World, Brookings Institution Press Rosenberg, J. (2005), Globalisation Theory: A Post Mortem, International Politics Sassen, S. (1996), Losing Control? Sovereignty in an Age of Globalization, New York Slaughter, M. J. and Swagel, P. (1997) Does Globalization Lower Wages and Export Jobs? , International Monetary Fund available at http://www. imf. org/external/pubs/ft/issues11 (accessed 7 Dec ember 2009) Vayrynen, R. (1999), Globalization and Global Governance, Rowman and Littlefield Publishers Weis, L. (1999), Globalization and National Governance, Review of International Politics

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

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

Marketing Management Case Analysis Metabical Coursework

Marketing Management Case Analysis Metabical - Coursework Example Prior to putting together the dynamics of the marketing plan, all the alternatives of positioning and setting up the USP of the brand will be discussed in detail and analyzed and the best alternative will be selected around which, the marketing plan will be created. The marketing plan would include the Marketing Objective, target market analysis and demand forecast, and the communication plan (the Marketing Mix: 4 P’s) will be set for Metabical. Keeping the external and internal factors in mind, a Contingency Plan will be set which will include all the possible hindrances and unforeseen events which the business could face. The end of the report will have control and procedures which will explain how the marketing activities will be monitored and measured. Situational Analysis Internal Analysis: Metabical has Food and Drug Administration’s approval as being an effective weight-loss drug amongst its competitors. It is claimed by the company’s Chief Marketing Offic er Bernard Long that Metabical is a new and improved version of all the other drugs for weight-loss in the market with dramatically reduced side effects. ... This way, the drug even controls the diet of the consumers. External Analysis: The market for drugs like Metabical is a lucrative one. Nearly 65% of the adult population of the United States is considered as overweight. Out of this 65%, the segments of those who are in between the BMI of 25 and 30 is a virgin market which is not targeted by any drug. Even in this market, there was only one drug called Alli which was approved as an Over-the-Counter (OTC) for weight-loss by the Food and Drug Administration. However, this drug was only a lighter version of a heavier drug called Xenical and also had strong side-effects. Because of these concerns, the drug industry went through perusal by the FDA and a dietary supplement ephedra was banned owing to reported cases of sudden cardiac arrests and other life threatening dangers of the side-effects caused by these drugs. Metabical on the other hand, is FDA approved and is also tested for its effects with the conclusion that Metabical has light side-effects as compared to its competitors. Besides the drugs in the market, there were also herbal dietary solutions available which needed no regulations. However, these were less effective and required strict diet control whereas, Metabical being a drug itself, could produce better results in 12 weeks time. With a green signal from the FDA, Metabical therefore is ready to enter the market and launch a fully fledged campaign for not only the consumers, but for businesses and doctors as well as it is a prescription drug. This channel available to market Metabical presents a strong opportunity to itself and an edge amongst the competitors which impose high risk side-effects. Research shows that the market of Metabical lies aound 12% of the total

Will the dental college survive or collapse Essay

Will the dental college survive or collapse - Essay Example In one part of the book, when the alpha dog stands in a forest surrounded by tall pine trees, it comes to a moment of truth. His primitive instincts beckon it to the wild. In a similar way, human beings are facing their moment of truth. Standing on the very land that sustains them, they are being faced by a call from earth (McFadden, 2011). In his book, Jared Diamond talks about how the earth is showing signs and warning of a catastrophe in the making. Diamond is of the perspective that environmental degradation is one of the major reasons for the collapse of societies. The annals of history are rife with such examples. They show that successful societies were able to effectively address environmental concerns. Diamond believes that environmental concerns hold equal importance, if not more, than other factors that contribute to the success of a society. Taking care of the environment before it is too late makes the difference between a failed and a successful society. Diamond devised a formula for explaining how societies collapsed: environmental crisis + failure of a society to address = collapse of society (McFadden, 2011). Taking these factors into consideration, this essay will analyze the various attributes of the corporation that I work in- a dental college. The various aspects of the dental college will be evaluated and it will be discusses whether they are contributing to its success or collapse. Profile The dental college under consideration is a proprietary vocational college. A vocational college is defined as an institution where individuals are taught the skills necessary to become a professional in a certain job. Vocational colleges can operate on non-profit basis or can be proprietary. Since the dental college is proprietary, it does not have key affiliations with any of the popular universities of the country. Since it is private, it has a commercial nature and operates for the benefits of the people who own it. Students are charged fees, which is used to run the college. It was established in 1961. Starting from 42 students and with a faculty of 11 teachers, the building was located in the heart of the city. Over the time the college has expanded the education being offered, with programs being provided for postgraduates now. Training is offered to both students who are pursuing doctoral programs and who have completed their doctoral degree. In the past, the college has produced influential dentists that are practicing in various parts of the country. Along with the education being provided to the students, the college also invests in research (Dim & Cricco, 2001). Analyzing the dental college: failing or succeeding? Daniel Wren is of the perspective that management extends beyond military and politics- a concept that was appreciated by the Greeks hundreds of years ago. The Greeks increasingly considered the importance of management in social reform and patterns of social relations (Chiu, 2010). This entails that manageme nt plays an important role in the routine working of businesses. Most, if not all, of the successful organizations in the US are admired and their wide-ranging managerial skills imitated by businesses all over the world. According to Normand (2004), there are two main traits that distinguish these organizations from other struggling businesses in the world. These two traits are the eagerness for the future and the ability to change. Successful corporations look forward to the future and aim to improve things. They also are willing and keen to change in order to achieve their aims. A general rule that guarantees the success of a business is management. Successful corporations have been associated with the use of effective management skills. Management entails the effective supervision and regulation of the

Child Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Child Law - Essay Example As such, the school is dissatisfied with their parenting, and they are desirous of ascertaining, whether it is an issue pertaining to education or parental care. The UK government is committed to provide free entitlement of childcare to all children in the country. It has provided comprehensive information to parents about their child’s entitlement to free early education and childcare provisions. The Childcare Act requires local authorities to provide information, advice, and assistance to parents, whose offspring are below the age of 20 years (Department for Education, 2012). In addition, they have to ensure that prospective parents are aware of the childcare provision in their areas. Moreover, childcare social work is a function of the public law. This is carried out on behalf of the State and denotes acceptance of the responsibility for supporting the needy children and protecting them from danger, by the State. The functions of local authorities in the area of social work relating to children, are executive functions of the State (Williams, 2008, p. 59). It is very important to realise that social work in a local authority, is to apply proper managerial and social work skills, while carrying out the functions enjoined by statute (Williams, 2008, p. 60). In addition, there are a number of governmental policies that are concerned with the wellbeing of children and families. A majority of these polices provide protection to them irrespective of the financial status or income levels of the families. Family policy is one among a plethora of social policies. It employs a holistic approach to protect children (Kamerman, 2009, p. 115). The government has to provide protection to individuals who are vulnerable and disadvantaged. The Children Act 1989 and the Children Act 2004, provide the statutory system for the fundamental protection of children in England and Wales. The local authorities are placed under a duty, by the Children act 1989, to

Analyse Hitlers speech Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analyse Hitlers speech - Essay Example Correctly estimating the Western Power’s reluctance to face another war, Hitler combined a series of brilliant and opportunistic strategic alliances with bold territorial acquisitions to further his aims. In 1935, Hitler began the remilitarization of Germany. This was endorsed by Great Britain, which entered into the Anglo-German Naval agreement of 1936. In the same year, Hitler formed the Axis with Italy and Japan. He exploited the resentment of the German public towards what they considered to be the unfair terms of the Treaty of Versailles to carry them along with him. A long series of provocative measures, such as Germany’s annexation of the Rhineland in March 1936, the takeover of Austria in the Anschluss of March 1938 and the annexation of the Sudetenland in September 1938, culminated in the invasion of Czechoslovakia in March 1939 (History World web site, n.d.). In the course of all these rapidly unfolding developments, Poland remained a crucial factor in Hitlerà ¢â‚¬â„¢s calculations. The document under study is an extract from the text of the speech given by Adolf Hitler to the Reichstag, or German Parliament, on 28 April 1939. Hitler’s tone regarding German-Polish relations is belligerent in the extreme. He begins by invoking the German perception of the unfairness of the Treaty of Versailles which ended World War I. According to the terms of this treaty, the German Army and Navy were limited to a token force and her Air Force was completely disbanded. Germany’s colonies were appropriated by the victorious Allies as the spoils of war. War reparations of 33 billion dollars were imposed on Germany. These terms rankled in the German psyche and were exploited by Hitler to drum up public support for his aggressive policies. A very contentious issue was the establishment of a Polish Corridor which provided Poland with access to the Baltic Sea, by linking Poland to

Public Relation Strategy Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Public Relation Strategy - Term Paper Example The company’s business line is the provision of greetings cards to the market, specifically traditional, Arabic, and Islamic cards. This business is based on the importance of celebrating traditional, social, economic, and political occasions. Most importantly, traditional celebrations are prioritized due to the fact that they constitute the majority of social celebrations that occur at different times of every year. A public relation strategy comes in handy for the operations of the company, due to the high-level publicity and exposure that the company needs in order to market and sell its products (Wilcox & Cameron, 2011). These products include greetings cards, musical greetings cards, gift boxes, musical gift boxes, and gift wrapping papers. On the same note, all the aforementioned products can be customized or non-customized. In order to facilitate efficient and effective information flow from the company to the public, the company has to understand the nature of the environment within which it operates. This has to consider the target market, competition level, consumer tastes and preferences, public notion on the company’s products, and the most appropriate approach to use towards the public and all other stakeholders factored in the public relation concept. The idea is to create a company image and brand that the public wants to associate with. The public relation strategy for the company is made up of five components, all of which are central to the business operations undertaken by the company. These are: knowing the market, using technology, media relations, social awareness, and monitoring the web (Wilcox & Cameron, 2011). Knowing the market entails identifying the target market. Product definition by the company identifies the target market. All persons who engage in traditional celebrations constitute the target market.  

The Battle for Stirling Bridge Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The Battle for Stirling Bridge - Case Study Example Employees are the superior stakeholders of the company. Employees work towards the objective of the company. The skilled metal workers of the Stirling Bridge Company manufacture power tools including the Braveheart tools and other light and heavy industrial machinery and thus they exert their sphere of influence in maximizing the profit. Employees are the superior stakeholders of the company. Employees work towards the objective of the company. The skilled metal workers of the Stirling Bridge Company manufacture power tools including the Braveheart tools and other light and heavy industrial machinery and thus they exert their sphere of influence in maximizing the profit. Customers: Customers play a major role in the development of the organization as they are the consumers of the product produced by the company. The customers influence the company by giving feedback about the quality of the product. Suppliers: Raw materials are the main resources of an organization. Suppliers provide the necessary raw materials and influence the continuous production of the tools. Government: The organization should get the approval of the government before commencing its productions. The concern should abide by the rules and the standard acts imposed by the Government. The Government has full authority to take legal action against the company if any of its activities harm society.   Thus each of the stakeholders exercises their own influence in different areas of interest in the company thereby promulgating the production to a profitable extent.2. How might the actions of Stirling Bridge, with respect to its Braveheart line of tools, be regarded more as a stakeholder approach as opposed to a strict shareholder approach and which of Lantos’ types of Corporate Social Responsibility might be demonstrated by each of the actions taken?

Child and Family and their Social, Cultural and Relationship Problems Essay

Child and Family and their Social, Cultural and Relationship Problems - Essay Example A family assessment should contain discussions regarding the type of family, family finance, safety, health, emotional support within the family and outside the family and family roles. (Pillittery, 2007). This will be the guide that this paper will use in order to gain the necessary information it needs in order to create an appropriate conclusion. This will also help in the goal of the paper, which is to provide recommendations on nursing recommendations for a six(6) week period. This papers main discussion points are; The case we are presented with provides us with a multitude of variables, facts, ideas and sources. Most, if not all of these things are things that will have some sort of effect on the child, either for short-term or in the long run. We were provided with a short family background, relationship descriptions, summaries of actions and histories, and these are the points of the case that our paper will focus on and use in order to get the needed results. We will also be relating these facts to current literature in order to get a bearing on the correct path to take for the assessment and nursing care plan. Aside from the family influence, cultural, religious and environmental influences also play an important role in this case, as, according to a paper by oregonstate.edu, these social influences will have a resounding effect a persons attitude or outlook. Aside from the factors stated above, the case had also described some issues such as the child's difficulty in adjusting to life in a foreign place, being diagnosed with Post-traumatic stress disorder, suffering from a form of Dyslexia, being diagnosed with Epstein-Barr virus, having been teased at school due to his racial background, and being unable to be with the people he is comfortable  with for one reason or another. On their own, these issues may be minor, but combined, they create a massive impact on the child and his wee-being. We will take all of these factors into consideration for the entire duration of the case.

Challenges that working women face today Essay Example for Free

Challenges that working women face today Essay Introduction In today’s culture where individualism is emphasized and especially that women are encouraged to assume equal roles as men would normally take, two or three decades ago, it is very difficult to see eye to eye with how women are during biblical times. â€Å"Girl power† or women empowerment is the rule of the day for women nowadays. Although, of course, all women as all men have the right to lead in the sense that they have the same intrinsic capacity to influence, the role of leadership has been blown out of proportion by feminist groups as they apply it to women. The result of this over blown leadership role of women has been the constant battle between members of opposite sexes in many significant areas within society. It has affected the homes, government and non-government institutions, down to the smallest entity that has within its membership men and women. The Challenges Today, despite the liberty afforded to women since their right to suffrage had been granted, myriads of problems assails them as they exercise many of their freedoms. These include sexual harassment and abuse, balancing family life and, still being debated to a degree is the issue on an equitable salary or pay. Generally, the women today have double jobs not to mention the close attention they pay towards their children’s schooling. This is usually true in urbanized and highly educated centers in the mainland USA. Despite these changes of traditional roles of women in the cities, there are yet rural areas where women assume roles that are still traditional. Women in these areas are still known to be subservient to their men; oftentimes abuses are the rule not the exception. Abuses come in the form of incest, rape, lure of prostitution, cybernet prostitution, abortion, domestic violence, sex tourism, and mail order brides among others. However, without exception, more less educated women are abused than their more educated counterparts who also have more access to social services. In other words, the abuses mentioned characterized women, though the incidence and degree are comparatively higher in the less educated and misplaced/marginalized areas (Malveuax et al., 2002). ~ Salary Equity Despite the provision by law that there should be equal remuneration standards for men and women, many firms and workplaces continue to abuse women of this right (Equal Employment Opportunity Act). This law precisely was originally intended for women to receive equal pay and be protected against anomalous employers who make whimsical decisions regarding their women employees. It provides against employers who may lower wages from either sex or labor organizations that will attempt to influence employers against employees’ wages (Taber, 2008). The question is how prevalent is the discrimination or abuse on employee salaries? Basically, most occupations still show discrepancy with women versus men wages, although various explanations are put forth. However the factors may be explained, the fact still remains that women lose around 20 to 30 percent to that of men’s income (77cents to one dollar for men) as reported by The Washington Post (2007 July). ~Balancing Work and family (Work-Life Initiatives) Work-life initiatives are strategies implemented by firms to reduce turnover and increase productivity and overall firm performance. Studies were made to examine the influence and effects of work-life initiatives on employees and the organization in general. Workplace diversity which incorporates the concepts of work-life initiatives does indicate that it is inevitable that when a company introduces work-life initiatives, there is a resulting increase in diversity. Substantial evidence point to the effectiveness of workplace diversity hence, many institutions encourage and promote this in their particular milieu (http://www.cmdronline.com/workshops.htm). It is inevitable that juggling work and family life will be one of a person’s demanding experiences. The rationale for having a job is not only to have a livelihood, achieve personal satisfaction in the expression of his abilities and trainings, and receive his remuneration and perks on the side. Preparation for family stability to be able to provide and thus create an atmosphere of care, for bachelors/maidens, is also the foremost and logical reason for having a job. However, the thin thread that separates between the two polarities becomes blurred, and there lies the tension that pulls a person in different directions. The Center for Mediation and Dispute Resolution opens its website with the following quote: â€Å"Our life is one giant balancing act (http://www.cmdronline.com/workshops.htm).† Perhaps, no person will ever disagree with that statement. The goal then is to know how to do the balancing act, to gain competencies in achieving a rewarding, flourishing kind of life that holds work in one hand, while maintaining a well-nurtured and healthy family on the other hand. ~Sex Harassment What is perhaps most important to women’s well-being is their security against abuse of any form from employers, fellow employees and other people as they conduct their day-to-day affairs. Sex harassment is defined by the Women’s Justice Network as â€Å"Sexual harassment is any unwelcome sexual advance, request for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. Whether sexual harassment is from a supervisor, co-workers or customers, it is an attempt to assert power over another person. The harassment may take place in your work setting, outside of your work setting, in your home, while traveling on business or at business functions† (20002). Conclusion While at the moment, the common cry of women is equality to both genders as it is reflected in women’s roles in the family, in public places, and the obliteration of the stereotyped designation of females in past decades which until now has its bearing in the minds of the general public the consequent outcome of this campaign is prevalent in almost every area where function is concerned. In the late 1960s, women’s movement began to blossom. It was stirred by the then sentiment of repulsion to the tasks being typecasted among women. Women’s movement of the 60s aimed to question the menial duties relegated to women such as getting married, becoming a housewife and afterwards attending to household chores (including raising children), and when outside opportunity comes for them to work, they’re consigned to answering phones, photocopying, etc (Encarta, 2006). The scenery has been changed and is no longer the same as in the past 30 or 40 years. The typical woman today is one that is among the working class – no longer confined to house premises, but working and providing as much as her male counterparts. She can be the manager or an executive of an established firm where most of the male employees are under her command. Equality in roles has now been achieved. Whereas this status and depiction of women in itself is not outright negative, the undercurrent force that it has created is the programming of the minds of today’s women to be resistant to the biblical description of their role as they are teamed with men. Instead of seeing male and female partnership as complimentary to both sexes, the danger of too much emphasis on equality especially when it is defined merely in domestic and public functions is the threat that masculinity poses to womanhood. It is good for women to fight for their basic equal rights with men as members of this global community, but if it results in certain imbalances because the aim has become the dethronement of the opposite gender, then the battle for equality has now turned into fight for superiority of the female sex. Reference: 1. Encarta Dictionary 2006. (DVD). 2. Malveaux, Julianne, Deborah Perry, Deborah L. Perry. 2002. Unfinished Business: A Democrat and a Republican Take on the 10 Most Important Issues Women Face. Penguin Group USA. 3. Halonen, JS and JW Santrock, 1996. Psychology: Contexts of Behavior, Dubuque, IA: Brown and Benchmark, p.810. 4. __________ â€Å"Values: what are they?†2007. Family Works : University of Illinois extension. Accessed November 10. 2007. http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/familyworks/values-01.html 5. _________Centre for Mediation Dispute Resolution, accessed in http://www.cmdronline.com/workshops.htm 6. Taber, Loren. The Law in the Workplace. Accessed February 28, 2008. http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:2K4rLBDHP90J:www.cbi-cc.org/PowerPoints/The%2520Law%2520in%2520the%2520Workplace.ppt+women+issues+on+discrimination+in+salary/wageshl=enct=clnkcd=1 7. _________ â€Å"Men vs Women: Asking for more Money. The Washington Post. July 30, 2007. Accessed February 28, 2008 http://ocouha.com/weblog/tags/earnings-income-salary-wages-wealth/ 8. _________ â€Å"Sexual Harassment in the Workplace. Toronto Harassment support Group. Retrieved February 28, 2008. http://www.owjn.org/issues/s-harass/work.htm

Analysis of Physician Views Towards End-of-Life Care

Analysis of Physician Views Towards End-of-Life Care Introduction: It has been estimated that more than 15 million people will suffer cancer worldwide by 2020(1). According to the report by Ministry of Health, over 30000 people die because of cancer annually and about 70000 new cases occur every year(2). Therefore cancer is the third most common cause of death in Iran following coronary heart disease and accidents (3, 4). There are considerable evidences that most of patients who encounter a life-threatening condition such as cancer are growing rapidly in Iran in the last few decades (1, 5, 6). Unfortunately, most of these patients are diagnosed in the late stages of disease, therefore they reach a stage that surgery, chemotherapy and other curative interventions are unable to improve their quality of life. They often suffer severe distress, in physical, psychological, spiritual, social and financial dimensions (7)Hence, the relief from such a suffering is considered as a basic and universal human right (8) and a basic action in achieving Universal Health Coverage(UHC) which has been introduced by World Health Organization in recent years (9). Universal health coverage is defined as access to key promotive, preventive, curative , rehabilitative, and palliative care for all at an affordable cost(8). Palliative or hospice care is an interdisciplinary, comprehensive, patient-centered approach in response to these needs. In other word hospice is a model for end-of-life care based on a team approach to control symptoms, manage pain, and provide emotional and spiritual support for terminally ill patients and their families (10). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), palliative care is ‘an approach to improve the quality of life of for threatening illness situations (11). The hospice care is not to cure disease but alleviate symptoms and improve quality of life at the end of life are the main objectives. Furthermore the mission of hospice care is to enable the end of life patients to die at home, with their beloved people around them (12). Despite the fact that cancer is a leading cause of mortality with rapidly growing rate and late stage diagnoses in Iran, very little is known about the physicians’ beliefs, attitudes and experiences about of end-of-life care. This study surveyed Iranian physicians’ attitudes and practices on end-of-life care for the first time. Materials Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among all doctors who participated in the biggest regional annually conducted educational seminar in the Tabriz city and end of year medical students in September 2012. This Physicians came from East-Azerbaijan and some provinces in north-east of Iran. Generally seminar is conducted annually and consists of clinician-specialists in different specialty groups. The seminar presented the opportunity to obtain current information on End of life care training, knowledge and attitudes, demographic and organizational characteristics, and personal experience with end of life patients. The population consisted of 560 medical students, general physicians, specialist and sub-specialists. The sample size was determined based on the WHO recommendation on 400 sample and results of a pilot study consisting of 30 physicians which resulted in an Odds Ratio of 1.8. Considering 95% confidence and 95% power, two tailed test, and utilizing G-Power software, 161 cases were computed and regarding a dropout rate of 45% the total sample size increased to at least 234 cases. Data were collected using a voluntary self-administered, anonymous questionnaire that originally developed by John Mastrojohn and Agnes Csikos in 2010 (13) and we confirmed and retained its validity and reliability after translation to Farsi in this survey. A translation – back translation process was used to translate the measure; two English language specialists and two native English speaking persons respectively involved in the translation and back translation processes. In addition to apply the translated questionnaire in the study population on 15 persons, a linguistic edit of the measure was done. The content validity of the questionnaire was evaluated based on opinions of an expert panel consisted of eight specialists in the fields of Health service research. After conducting some modifications and corrections the content validity was approved. In addition, we assessed the reliability of questionnaire totally using Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient. The Cronbach†™s Alpha values were calculated for all 22 items (0.92.) and showed reasonable reliability (internal consistency). Questionnaires were distributed prior to the sessions and internship workshops. A total of 38.3% (215 of 560) of participants completed the survey. Participation was voluntary and no incentives were offered. Completion of the anonymous questionnaire was taken as consent to participate in the study. Questionnaire includes a letter explaining its general purpose and providing assurances of the confidentiality of individual answers. Questionnaire contains 22 questions about care of terminally ill patients, 2 questions about personal (age and sex) and 5 questions in relation to organizational characteristics. All returned questionnaires were checked manually for completeness before they were forwarded to electronic data computer. Frequencies and percentages were calculated to compare results and Cross-tabulations using Kendall’s tau-b to test for significance were conducted to compare within-sample bivariate associations between demographic and practice variables with belief and attitudinal variables. Most of these tests were not statistically significant, with the exception of those reported here. All study data were analyzed using SPSS version 16.0.Only quantitative results are discussed in this article. Ethical consideration for this study and the study protocol were approved by the Ethics Committee of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), which was in compliance with Helsinki Declaration. Results: In this study, 215 questionnaires were completed from 560 (overall response rate of 38.3%). Of all participants, 60% were males. In terms of their graduated universities, (76.2%) of the respondents were graduated students of Tabriz medical university. Every physician had visited 24.63 (16.57) patients every day and the average length of service was 5.23 (4.53) years. The physicians identified their degrees as 60.7% generalist and 39.3% specialist. Socio-demographic and organizational characteristics of participations are shown in table 1. According to the table 1 more than eighty percent of physicians have had at last 1-3 EOL patients. It is considerable that 72% of mentioned patients received medical care in the hospital, 23% at home and 4.7% in other settings. Further investigation did not show any statically significant differences between gender groups, specialty or generalists in the number of their daily visiting patients, however differences about their terminal illness patients were statically meaningful (p Physicians’ believes about the most appropriate type of care for end of life patients illustrated in Table2 The responses of physicians about opinion on current cares for end of life patients in our country were as following: 1.9 percent indicated the best, 15.8 percent sufficient with deficiencies, 59.5 percent insufficient, and finally 22.8 percent there is not any care. In other words nearly all of the physicians evaluated these services as insufficient. Furthermore their response to :In your opinion, the best setting for care of terminally ill patients is usually approximately were:20 percent hospital, 62 percent the patients home, 18 percent a nursing home, that obviously is in contrast with their practices that indicate more than 72.4 percent of end of life patients were cared in hospital. Furthermore the differences among two groups of physicians about Best Setting for care of terminally ill patients were statically significant (p Physicians beliefs about the ability of end of life patients to maintain dignity until death showed in the Table 3: Further investigation about mentioned differences in last table didn’t show any significant relationship among specialty, age, gender, work place and graduating groups of physicians. Nearly one percent of physicians stated that they were quite knowledgeable about hospice care and 57.1 percent did not posses any familiarity with this type of care. In other way, 97.2 percent of physicians indicated that they would not participate in educational course about hospice care. Hence 82.2 percent of them were interested in participating in educational course on hospice care. Table 4 shows familiarity of physicians with hospice care and their interest in participating in educational course. Table 4: physicians’ familiarity, behavioral with hospice care and educational course Investigation on significant relationship between physicians’ knowledge about hospice and demographic characteristics were meaningful only in Age groups, where differences in physicians on searching workshop in different groups were significant only in work place (p=0.025). DISCUSSION: There are numbers of important implications of this study. First, the study demonstrates that familiarity of Iranian physicians with end of life cares was low in spite of frequent contact with those patients. Second, there isnt any kind of structured or organized system to deliver services for end of life patients. Third, there isnt any developed educational plan neither in medical school curriculums nor continuity medical education programs. In this study the participation rate was 38.3% which was lower than that of similar studies in Hungary (54%) , United States (48%) and Pakistan (63.6%)(13, 14). This differences could be attributed to methods of sampling and low level of Iranian physicians’ knowledge about end of life cares . Most of the Iranian physicians (72%) in the current study claim that they didnt have any knowledge about hospice care, which is similar to Pakistani doctors (57.1%) who stated that they had heard about a hospice (14). In contrast to the most of U.S. physicians who were quite knowledgeable most of the Hungarian physicians had only a basic knowledge (13). However there is a high level of interest in the physicians of U.S., Hungary, Iran (82%), and Pakistan to participate in continuing medical education to learn more about hospice care. These findings are consistent with previous studies that indicate physicians’ common interest in continuing medical education for end-of-life care(7, 13-17). In this study 72% of EOL patients received medical care in the hospital and 23% at home, whereas other studies are focusing to physicians’ awareness of patients’ preferred place for dyeing(18, 19). However 27% of Iranian physicians mentioned that the preferred place of providing terminal care is hospital, the reasons for this obvious conflict are related to lack of delivering any end of life care in health system in hospital or home. Furthermore 82% of physicians demonstrated that level of present end of life care in Iran is insufficient and 22% believed that there is not any structured service for end of life patients. This finding is in accordance with other study results and reports, thereforeIran was categorized in second group on Palliative Care Development in the world (20). Iranian physicians believed that combination of curative and palliative care is most appropriate approach for terminally ill patients (61.7%) which matches with U.S. physicians and contrasts with most of Hungarian physicians that supported a palliative care only approach for terminally ill patients (13). This may be attributed to the current practice of aggressive curative treatment until the last day s of life in Iran and Hungary. Iranian Physicians’ beliefs about the ability of End of life patient to maintain personal dignity were differed from those of other countries(13, 19) especially for this opinion Most or all end of life patients are not able to maintain personal dignity it was 18% in our study but in the mentioned countries it was 9% and 5 %. These differences could be attributed to difference of social contexts and family structures in these three countries. Most of the Iranian physicians in the current study claim that they would not participate in educational course about hospice care neither would they do in collage curriculums nor in continuity medical education programs. These results are in contrast to most of the U.S. and Hungarian physicians (13) but are in accordance with previous studies on Iranian nurses (8). Intense interest of Iranian physicians to participate in continuing medical education for end-of-life care is clear evidence for this finding. Conclusions: A growing trend of chronic, non-communicable diseases especially cancers in Iran, has led to new condition of needs for providing care to EOL patients. Furthermore our findings clearly indicate unacceptable level of knowledge and attitudes of physicians about delivering services for EOL patients. Physicians of our study were interested in participating in continuing education programs about EOL patient. In response to these realities, designing the specific care for EOL patients, is inevitable and should be starting as soon as possible. Furthermore the education of physicians about EOL care should be included in the formal curriculums of medical schools and continuous medical education programs.

self mutilation Essay -- essays research papers

Self Mutilation It is estimated that one out of every 50 teens between the ages of 13 and 19 regularly practice self-abusive behavior with a reported 2 million cases in the US alone in 2004. Self-mutilation is defined as the direct and deliberate destructive alteration of one’s own body tissue, without conscious suicidal intent. It is considered a clinical disorder. Self mutilation is not a suicide attempt. It is an attempt for one to gain control over their life and cope with stress, pain, fear, and anxiety. Self mutilatory behaviors are cries for help. Self-abusive teens tend to internalize any conflicts with friends, school or parents as they do not want to â€Å"cause trouble† for anyone. Typical self mutilators are middle to upper class, intelligent, women. Self harm usually begins in adolescence and continues for 5to 10 years into the mid twenties. Although self harm more frequently affects females, 11 thousand males are known to suffer from it every year in the United States alone.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are several types of self-abusive and mutilative behaviors. The most common are cutting and burning. Self harm, however, is not limited to these types. There are also banging, binge eating, biting, branding, breaking of bones, bruising, carving, carving words or symbols into flesh, drinking, hitting, ingesting sharp objects, ingesting toxic substances, marking, picking, piercing, pulling hair, punching walls, scalding, scraping, scratching, scrubbing, self ind...

A Story About Wwf :: essays research papers

"Welcome everybody to 'Raw IS War'! Tonight's main event is Sting verses Shawn Michaels for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. Before we begin, here is a little information on the challenger, Sting," announced Vince McCann."He hails from Death Valley, California. At 7 feet tall and over 300 pounds, he is the biggest wrestler in the WWF. He is the 'Man from the dark side'," Jim Ross stated."Ladies and Gentlemen..... here is your challenger........ Sting!"The crowd cheers as Sting walks down the ramp. He is stopped at the bottom of the ramp to be interviewed by Gene Oakerland. "Sting, if I can ask you one question. Why do you want the title so badly?" " Well Gene, ever since I was a child, the championship belt has been held by disrespecting degenerates. I feel it's time for a real champion get the belt. That is why I'm here, I'm the people's cham....." Before sting could finish his sentence he is attacked by HHH. HHH's partner distracted the referee long enough for him to deliver the devastating 'Piledriver'. With Sting's head exposed, HHH drops to the ground and drives Sting's exposed head on the cement floor. The force was enough to break his neck. Sting was knocked out from the force of the impact. When he awoke, he was in an ambulance."Where am I? Somebody please tell me where I am," Sting pleaded. The paramedic treated him to calm down. "I can't move! I can't move" he would say.It took about half an hour to Sharp Hospital. Two doctors were waiting for him when he arrived. The immediately took him to the operating room. It was here that Sting found out that he had suffered a broken spine. The doctor ordered an experimental operation. It was a highly dangerous operation. One mess up could kill the superstar. It took five hours to complete the difficult operation. Sting was wheeled into his private room.To make him feel more at home, the room was decorated with WWF merchandise. When Sting woke up, he had a sharp pain in his neck. The doctor gave him some medicine to help. It worked a little bit. About three hours after he woke up, a doctor came in and told him that he probably never be able to wrestle again. Sting heart sunk. He didn't want to hear that. It was about seven in the morning when Sting went to sleep.

Background of the Kashmir Conflict Essay -- Pandits and Muslims in Kas

Describe the condition of Pandits and Muslims in Kashmir before the Treaty of Amritsar and the changes that took place after the Treaty was implemented. In what ways have forces external to Kashmir contributed to the conflict in the region during the colonial and post-colonial periods? The argument can be sustained that external forces have significantly contributed to Kashmir conflict for hundreds of years, within which the post-Treaty of Amritsar period is a relatively small potion. From the rise of the Islamist tyrant to the Kashmir throne in 1349, the region has been locked in various, seemingly indeterminate conflicts where the regional political players may change, but underlying, fundamental and irreconcilable religious tension is the single unifying historical thread (Zutshi, 2004). The Pandits and Muslim interplays both prior and post Treaty are explored against this backdrop. Given the long Kashmir past has marked the region as a place where conflict is the norm, there is no surprise that the Kashmir continues to be a lightning rod for the entire region. It is the proposition that contributes to the examination of how external forces have exerted significant, and largely negative influences over the Kashmir to the present day. 1. Pandits and Muslims The Pandits are the inheritors of the most ancient Hindu Brahmin traditions. The Pandits recognize the vedas, ancient Sanskrit sources of Hindu wisdom, as their core religious authority (Bose,1997). There is little wonder at why the Pandits and Muslim people might be natural antagonists. Each faith believes its followers to be part of a true world religion, where the message is eternal and sustaining. Where Islam professes its rigid adherence to All... ...ontline Account of Life, Love, and War in His Homeland. New York: Scribner Bose, Sumantra. (2005). Kashmir: Roots of Conflict, Paths to Peace. Harvard University Press Savarkar, V D (2009) Hindu. Hindu Nationalism; A reader, Christophe Jaffrelot, ed. Princeton University Press Singh, Sadu. (1946). The Sikhs demand their Homeland. Lahore Singh, Gurharpal (2000). Ethnic Conflict in India: A Case-Study of Punjab. Houndmills: Macmillan Press Tariq Ali, et. al.(2011). Kashmir: The Case for Freedom, New York: Verso UN Special Rappaorteur (2013). (A/HRC/23/47/Add.1 of 26 April 2013). [Online] Available: accessed 5 May 2014 Zutshi, Chitralekha. (2004). Languages of Belonging: Islam, Regional Identity, and the Making of Kashmir. New York: Oxford University Press

Brief Summary of Daniel Willingham †Why Don’t Student Like School Essay

The answer to the question ‘why don’t students like school’ was explained very clearly on the first chapter. It was made clear that our brains are slow and unrealiable. Our brains tend to avoid thinking, which makes it unlikely for us to like thinking. But apparently our brains release some amount of dopamine when there are cases of ‘successful thinking’. So the trick is to give students problems that are challenging but also solvable. There are 3 types of memory stated in the book; the ‘environment’ memory, working memory and also long-term memory. For us to remember things better, we can trick our working memory with techniques such as ‘chunking’ since things can only get to the long-term memory through working memory. Emotion and interest also play a part in the remembering process. Things that grab our interest would trigger our mind to think, and memory is believed as the residue of thought while emotional events will be better remembered–unrelated to repetition–such as weddings, 9/11 tragedy or birthday parties. Sometimes we go on ‘auto-pilot’ on stuff that we regularly do, this is caused by repetition or practice, it can help us focus on other important things while still doing our regular activities such as chewing food, driving, reading and etc. The working memory has a very limited capacity, our brain can’t take too much information, if we do, it could lose track of what we’re doing and thinking fails. As an example, that’s what actually happened to me when I was reading the book, the first chapters really crowded my brain and it was actually hurting. Putting the material in a story form can also help students remember because stories are easy to comprehend, interesting and somehow easy to remember. Background knowledge is crucial during learning process as it helps new information to stay in our memory as it was stated that ‘Understanding new ideas is mostly a matter of getting the right old ideas into working memory and then rearranging them–making comparisons we hadn’t made before’ (Willingham, 2009). As I get to the 4th chapter, reading the book was much more easier to understand as I already have the background knowledge. The author explained how important it is to practi ce or drilling. The bad image of how practice is tiring and hard has made students often avoid practicing. However, it is not necessary to learn for a few hours in a row, in fact, doing so with ‘space’ will make  learning more effective, I believe this method wouldn’t feel so tiring and hard. In the 6th chapter, Willingham explained how experts have extensive organized experience, which makes them think in deep structure. Experts work on their subject for several hours a day, to get students to think like experts, learning should be done for several hours. There is a perception that experts would solve puzzles faster, however experts often take more time to think as they dig into more depth than novices. I personally agree with all the content in the book. I think the book basically covered all the aspects that could help students learn cognitive subjects efficiently. Proving Willingham’s theory on background knowledge and remembering, I read the book while relating to y our teachings and found that the content of the book was much easier to understand since some of them were also taught in your lessons. I guess you’re the living proof that the book is effective. I can see clearly how the writer actually performs his theory on chapter on through the book such as how he chose a question instead of a statement for the book’s title to grab attention. Often repetitions of definitions come up in different chapters of the book, which I believe is to help readers remember things. Some theories that are in the book are actually from our daily life that I haven’t noticed before. Stories have been used to help me learn, unconsciously, by teachers before but I did not really acknowledge how using stories for effective learning is actually a thing. The same with the emotional and interest theory on forgetting. What I did not expect was how we actually get satisfaction from learning, my perception towards learning has always been about something that is tiring and that it is important but wouldn’t give you any pleasure. Although I would add some things that might have been left behind by Willingham from his point of view. I would deli berate over a few things from a student’s perspective. It’s the ‘whom’ that I think he might’ve left out. Teachers aren’t all the same and each has their different styles of teaching. One teacher might have been basing his teaching on your book but the other doesn’t. I think this might affect how the students study at home. The materials–such as books or presentation slides–might just be insufficient or students might have got used to the ‘Willingham style’, students might not be able to keep up with the other subjects. If Willingham would add another chapter on changing student’s learning style permanently or something. That would be perfect. He  actually did mention how to treat the students in chapter 8 but I don’t think showing that the teacher has confidence in the student would change how the student thinks permanently. Another thing is just a method that I often use in memorizing process. I try to ‘act’ the theory in order for me to remember the matter. This is just an additional method that I think could have a space in the book. After reading the book, I realized that having read the book had somehow changed my perspective about some few things such as practice can be done in a more effective–less tiring–way, how to grab atte ntion–in case I have to teach–and few other things. Well, I guess that is all. I really think this is an outstanding book by how I actually enjoyed reading it. I really hope that teachers would use this book as their basis. But afterall a student’s performance does not only depend on the teachers but also the student. I think the book itself is applicable for students with some change of perspective and behavior.

The Media’s Effect on Women’s Body Image

The Media's Effect on Women's Body Image September 1, 2010 While women have made significant strides in the past decades, the culture at large continues to place a great emphasis on how women look. These beauty standards, largely proliferated through the media, have drastic impacts on young women and their body images. Arielle Cutler ’11, through a Levitt grant, spent the summer evaluating the efficacy of media literacy programs as a remedy to this vicious cycle. Put simply, the beauty ideal in American culture is: thin. Large populations of ‘average’ girls do not demonstrate clinically diagnosable eating disorders—pathologies that the culture marks as extreme and unhealthy—but rather an entirely normative obsession with body shape and size,† Cutler said. â€Å"This ongoing concern is accepted as a completely normal and even inevitable part of being a modern girl. I think we need to change that. † Anyone who is familiar with American cul ture knows that many of these cultural standards are established in the media. â€Å"We are constantly surrounded by all sorts of media and we construct our identities in part through media images we see,† Cutler remarked.And the more girls are exposed to thin-ideal kinds of media, the more they are dissatisfied with their bodies and with themselves overall. The correlation between media image and body image has been proven; in one study, among European American and African American girls ages 7 – 12, greater overall television exposure predicted both a thinner ideal adult body shape and a higher level of disordered eating one year later. Adolescent girls are the most strongly affected demographic; â€Å"More and more 12-year-old girls are going on diets because they believe what you weigh determines your worth,† Cutler observed. When all you see is a body type that only two percent of the population has, it’s difficult to remember what’s real and what’s reasonable to expect of yourself and everyone else. † As women have become increasingly aware of the effect of media on their body images, they have started media literacy programs to make women and girls more aware of the messages they are inadvertently consuming. â€Å"Media literacy programs promote an understanding of the effect media has on individual consumers and society at large.These programs aim to reveal the ideologies and messages embedded in the media images that we encounter on a daily basis,† Cutler said. Advertising, she asserts, draws on people’s insecurities to convince them to buy a product, and few populations are as insecure overall as adolescent girls—which is why media literacy programs are so important for them. In programs such as that designed by national organization Girls, Inc. , girls learn how to look behind the scenes and messages that advertisements are producing in order to reconcile their own bodies with the view of â€Å"perfection† presented by the media.The programs already in place have been found to be very effective; â€Å"College-age women have been the main focus, but 10-11 year-old girls are the most important target so that they can have these [critical] processes going on before internalizations of messages have really started,† Cutler explained. But what sorts of standards do the media portray for women who are not white and not upper class, and how does this affect the body images of women in these groups? This question, Cutler has found, is one that is not always well addressed in the scholarly material she has read. I realized at some point in my research that I had been universalizing the experience of a particular set of girls privileged by their race and, even more so, socioeconomic background. It did not help that this blind-spot was reflected back to me in some of my research,† Cutler said. While she asserts that certain standards of beauty are un iversal throughout the country and across all demographics, Cutler believes that media literacy programs should take racial and socioeconomic backgrounds more into consideration.Different groups have different issues and concerns, she said. For example, overeating is a real issue as an eating disorder, especially for lower-class women. How does this fact change the women’s relationship to the beauty ideal? Cutler is reading studies about the body image problem among women in the U. S. as well as evaluations of media literacy programs. She recommends greater sensitivity to the concerns of non-white, non-upper-class groups in order to increase the effectiveness of media literacy programs.