American Government Essay

The Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia (1967) resulted in the striking down of state laws that prohibited whites and African Americans from marrying. Mildred Loving, one of the parties in the case, issued a statement on the fortieth-anniversary of her case in which she urged that same-sex couples be allowed to marry. Q. Are the two issues—laws prohibiting interracial marriage and laws prohibiting same-sex marriage—similar? Why or why not? I believe laws prohibiting interracial marriage and laws prohibiting same-sex marriage are similar. Marriage is a unique bond between a man and a woman, who agree to live together and fulfill each others moral and physical demands. However, such a bondage between a woman and a woman or a man and a man would be against nature. This is a widely accepted notion. In the Loving v. Virginia case, the judge believed when God created different races and placed them on separate continents. Men should not interfere with His arrangements and should not pursue interracial relationships. However, the ACLU filed a motion on behalf of the Lovings that Racial Integrity Act 1924 and Statutes preventing marriages solely on the basis of classification violates The Equal Protection and Due Process clauses of the 14th amendment. This case holds its significance as it redefined what constituted a marriage. Some proponents of gay rights have cited this case in support of a right to marriage. Although opponents argue that this is not viable as the ‘Loving’ marriage was still between a man and a woman. In the United States, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, Americans considered the freedom to choose a marriage partner a fundamental right. The idea that government could interfere with that choice is unthinkable. The case is also significant because it is about how the United States defined marriage. Before 1967, a legal marriage could not be contracted in states with anti-miscegenation laws if the partners were of different races. Thus the case redefined what constituted a marriage. Some proponents of gay rights have cited this case in support of a right to marriage, although opponents argue that this is not viable as the ‘Loving’ marriage was still between a man and a woman. Randall Kennedy’s â€Å"Interracial Intimacies,† saw that opponents’ arguments against interracial relationships mirrored those of gay  righ ts opponents. In Loving, Virginia’s Supreme Court justified a ban on interracial marriages by citing religious beliefs. Others argued against it on the grounds that it violated natural order, same is the case with same-sex marriages. the American Psychiatric Association considered homosexuality a psychological disorder until 1973. Marriages are sought majorly as a foundation for having children, the relation to procreation is different in gay relationships. The live-and-let-live phenomenon practiced by most Americans doesn’t apply to this spectrum, as it didn’t apply to interracial marriages before 1967. Majority of the Americans are against it from both the political spheres. President Clinton, during his reign signed the defense of marriage act, which refuses to recognize gay marriages, despite his election platform for gay rights. Also, the lynching of Matthew Shepard in 1998 revealed that homosexuality triggered the same kind of violence and fear that was generated in the past by black-white sexual relations. Plus, a similar inversion of family values appears in opponents’ arguments against gay marriage and in the historical argument against interracial sex. Casual sex is more tolerable than sex that involved meaning, this stood true for interracial non-marriage relationships and again the same holds true for gays today. However, according to Colin Powell, the analogy of gays to race is wrong, explaining that race is a status and sexual orientation is a behavior. Similar arguments against same-sex and interracial relationships appear in regards to children. There was once total opposition to couples adopting children of different races, and there is still weight placed against allowing a white couple to adopt a black child, he said, because of societal pressures. The National Association for Black Social Workers has said such cases may result in black children having â€Å"white minds.† Similarly, fears abound that adopted children whose parents are gay will be more subject to prejudice, or the child will â€Å"have confusion over their sexual orientation†¦or worse, they’ll end up being gay.†

Pulchara Negotiation

IntroductionThis is paper seeks to analyze and discuss the results of a simulated negotiation between two nations which are Pulchara and Veritas. This researcher represented Pulchara as Deputy Foreign Minister of Economic Affairs to negotiate with the Diego, as the First Secretary for International Legal Affairs from Veritas on issues of compensation caused by damaged to Pulcharas’ farmers crops caused by a chemical pesticide DS-30 leakage from a chemical plant in Veritas that had adversely affected large tracts of Pulchran farmland.After the negotiation, there is a good ground to now have analysis whether there is basis to sustain of the application of tools that this researcher has learned in class to a deeper understanding of the negotiation. The analysis therefore basically as ask reason for the working of negotiation tactics employed in the case and wells as the finding the reasons for the partner having been able to set the frame more effectively than me.Using evidence o f what really happened in the negotiation as well valid references; this paper will try to revisit what happened in the preparatory phrase including the sort of preparation and what strategy did developed.   Included also are the applications of the concept of BATNA, target point, resistance point, position, interest and positions, anchors   during   entry phrase. In addition, discussion extend to framing preferred and applied by the parties, shaping the end game after the first agreements and whether special topics on culture, gender power, personality, communication, or other thematic issues did play in the negotiation.  Ã‚   A conclusion on the analysis made will form to end the paper.The preparatory phaseAt the preparatory phase, I needed to know what I wanted to have for my country and that is to compensated by Veritas within an amount I believed that is fair enough within a certain predetermined range of figures.   As the representative of Pulchra I approached this n egotiation with a Calculus-based trust. I depended on a history of cordial relationship with the Veritas and hoped they will reciprocate. I felt as if I did not have a great BATNA, because winning the election was main concern, and it can only happen if Diego of Veritas spills out the money. I went in with my Resistance Point at 50 million and Optimal point at 100 million.I found my negotiation with Diego very peaceful and respectful. I ran into a trouble when I could not explain why we cannot export the damage crops in a time of emergency. I have explained to him that the crops were destroyed by the farmers according to our legislation. He argued that they could have been exported to other part of the parts of the world, and our policy states no import over 4ppm.Diego stated that he can only compensate for the 300,000 mt because it went over 12ppm. I could not get him to come to 800,000mt. I became a little forceful and expressed signs of disrespect when he offered 300,000mt for 12 5/mt which comes at 37.5 million. Showing signs of a salesman, he offered 500000mt for 125/mt expressing that the farmers are interested in their inflated price of 125/mt, and agreeing to this agreement will make all of us happy. He explained deal comes out at 62.5 million and knowing that congress will reimburse them will 50 million which will come out as 112.5 million, this being over their original demand of 100 million.   I guess Diego knew that I do not have a good BATNA and that he knew that what is important to me is that I got the farmers compensatedThe use of BATNAMy BATNA (Spangler, 2003) was to walk out of the negotiation is to bring the complaint of the farmers to the international courts and have Veritas pay the higher or actual amount if the Diego will not agree within my Resistance Point at 50 million and Optimal point at 100 million USD. Veritas’ BATNA was clear as Diego was able to parlay on the table ways to expand the pie when he has sensed that I was los ing respect when he started his offer to paying 300 mt at about 37.5 million USD.   Veritas’ side was able to anchor on his belief that my government would be ready enough to give 50 million USD from the act of legislature.The use of framingAs to the use of framing by either side it may be stated that the other side’s preferred frame is the further expanding the pie as Diego saw my limited options. With his knowledge that I am interested to have that $100M   as compensation of the damage for $800M, he as was brave to say that I could get the part of the amount the from my government. I know that knowing the interest behind my position (Fisher and Ury, 1981) taken is more important in negotiation.This I came to know after I have revealed the experience of a country who found it difficult to pay after they found the effort was not made to have the commitment of the responsible country to have at least promised some compensation.   I realized telling Diego a part of my BATNA world worse than it should have been. This happened because Diego perceived that my BATNA is worse than I thought. He used power in the conflicts (Coleman, 2000).Between the two of the negotiator I feel Diego was more persuasive since he seemed to have prepared more for the negotiation up to what level I would be anchoring the negotiation. He seemed to know my asking price. Since his country is basically admitting responsibility he was in a sense to be finding the best criteria to base this country’s liability.   I found that I basically told him what is my interest and he seemed to have read it easily and thus the negotiation was not as difficult as I had expected.The main negotiationAs to the main negotiation, it may be asked: What tactics were used by both sides? Was it more collaborative or competitive (or did it switch over the course of the negotiation, and how)? Why were these tactics effective or not?In response to the questions, I guess both of us applied the collaborative approach (Weber, and Khandemian, 1997; Meiners and Miller, 2004) as I started with the negotiation by approaching this negotiation with a Calculus-based trust. Having depended on a history of cordial relationship with the Veritas and with my big hope that they will reciprocate, I actually set the stage for a very collaborative instead of competitive one.This researcher believes that the tactics employed were effective enough because we chose to expand the pie instead of taking a hard-line position in the negotiation. I was looking forward to the election of the President of my country and who continued stay will also keep my long-term in office as government official and a representative of my country on issues of international dealings like the negotiations I had.As to endgame stage of the negotiation, the following questions   may be asked:   Once we had some agreement on the main points, or a `first agreement`, how did the remaining points shape up, and wha t brought us the negotiators to the final deal? Did we try any `nibbles` or other tactics in this phase? How well did they work?What has kept the negotiation proceeding well, I believe, is based on our giving much importance to our relationships is friends and this has led the negotiation proceeding almost very smoothly. With Diego understanding the destruction of the farmers would be important to my country and his country’s readiness to respond to the need by ad admission of the result of the damage, the issue was more the amount of the compensation.We conducted the negotiation in a relatively peaceful and friendly environment where we feel we could just make thing free flowing.   Diego as I said has the marking of salesman since from his offer of compensating only 300,000 metric tons of the crops which had effectively raised by blood pressure because the amount of compensation would be below my walk away price of 50 million, he was magnanimous and friendly enough to brin g it into 500,000 and thereby sending the amount of 62.5 million USD.He capped it by saying that 50 million could be coming from my country’s legislature and that would exceed the 100 million being demanded by the farmers.  I guess, there is wisdom in what Diego did in jumping from 300,000 metric tons to 500,000 tons as a sign of building greater business relationship   with the offer of buying the my country’s farmer’s products for the next five years.   Diego again I suppose know my BATNA and he sensed that my country’s farmers have limited options where to sell the products.Although a bit satisfied, I felt I should fish for more damaged crops. I insisted that he should compensate for the damage of at least 600,000 mt for the market price of 115/mt. I tried to cajole him into our friendship in the past and that I have to explain the farmers why I cannot compensate for more of damaged crops. They complied according to our law and damaged crops is 8 00,000 mt not 500,000 mt, which you party is culpable of. He was resolute about his offer, but did bend a little by offering to buy more crops from us in the future, which came about 5 years agreement. I could not set the price of future crops with him due to shortage of timeThe relevance of culture, gender power, personality, communication, or other thematic issues in negotiationAs to whether culture, gender power, personality, communication, or other thematic issues play in this negotiation, I believe they have played a part to the extent how one negotiator feels about the other.   Diego’s personality was that of sales man and so was I. We felt there was better reason to agree on many things despite the conflict than walking out of the negotiation.ConclusionTo conclude, it may be stated that I felt if I was a little aggressive in the beginning and showed more of a concern about the election, and Verities has no option but to help us out with 100million. By expressing that it is in both Presidents’ interest that we win the election and dictating that there will be no compromise in the 800000mt damaged, especially from a friendly nation. Most likely my deal would have closed with much higher offer than 62.5 million. I still would not have a threat approach, by challenging them to the Nuclear charge. I feel cooperative approach is the only way to go.This experience has also proved to this researcher the importance of frame, the significant role played by having BATAN, anchoring one’s argument of what may deemed fair that could further expand the pie as well the greater benefit in collaborative negotiation rather a competitive one.References:Coleman. P (2000) â€Å"Power and Conflict.† Morton Deutsch and Peter T. Coleman, eds., The Handbook of Conflict Resolution: Theory and Practice San Francisco: Jossey-Bas Publishers, 2000, pp. 108-130. Fisher and Ury (1981) Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In. (New York: Peng uin Books, 1981), 104. Meiners and Miller (2004) The Effect of Formality and Relational Tone on Supervisor/subordinate Negotiation Episodes; Western Journal of Communication, Vol. 68 Spangler, (2003) Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA), {www document} URL, http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/batna/, Accessed December 14, 2007 Weber, and Khandemian   (1997) From Agitation to Collaboration: Clearing the Air through Negotiation; Public Administration Review, Vol. 57, 1997

Explanatory essay of gambling addiction Essay

It’s a rush, putting money to the felt and threatening the cards to obey. Gambling is quickly becoming one of the favorite activities for many Americans. Where else could you have this kind of excitement with the potential to make money instead of lose it? Only amidst the flashing and heat of the casino lights can a person really let their money turn their brain into an emotional feeding frenzy. This rush, like any other high, has psychological and chemical impacts to a person. You could link gambling to any other drug that equates to the violent excitement. This is exactly what the brain does, represents an action with a feeling, and for many people these feelings become an addiction. Compulsive gambling is a serious affliction that affects many people. While it may seem perverse to consider this a serious disease, realize that the consequences of compulsive gambling can dwarf that of any other addiction. For these people, once they start they just cannot stop, and like any addiction they build up a tolerance and experience symptoms of withdrawal when trying to abstain from gambling. For most people we can abide by certain guidelines, quell the whispers of our brain telling us to go for it and bet it all on this hand. What causes compulsive gamblers to lose control? There is no one reason to satisfy this question. However, with study patterns emerge, and we can recognize the psychological and chemical reasons for this handicap. So why the rush when instead of betting five dollars this hand you bet twenty? It has to do with drugs; specifically those produced naturally by your brain, which affect mood, emotions, etc. A recent study found that â€Å"Hemodynamic responses in the sublenticular extended amygdala (SLEA) and orbital gyrus tracked the expected values of the prospects, and responses to the highest value set of outcomes increased monotonically with monetary value in the nucleus accumbens, SLEA, and hypothalamus. † (Breiter et al. ) In this study, people were given $50 dollars and allowed to gamble with it while their responses were tracked. What the results basically said is that as the people’s expectancy of monetary gains went up, so did the chemical reactions in their bloods. This chemical imbalance when gambling is possibly the reason why many people are unable to quit gambling. It is true that the symptoms of many compulsive gamblers are â€Å"equivalent to a drug-induced high. † (â€Å"Addictive Gambling†). Like addicts of any drug, compulsive gamblers show signs of withdrawal and tolerance. After you’ve been betting the same amount for some time on a simple wager without making much money, you will start to look for ways to increase the betting pleasure. A simple strategy to do this is simply to bet more! When more is on the line there is more risk involved and more excitement. Another way these people can increase the risk involved is by lowering the stakes. There’s nothing more exciting than hitting a long shot. Compulsive gamblers would rather get bigger odds by trying to win a 10% shot than win a small amount with a 90% chance of winning. So as we have seen, the chemical attributes accompanying gambling can create an addiction, but the more interesting and relevant I think are the psychological impacts of gambling. By psychological impacts I mean how gambling affects the mind and actions of the compulsive gambler. This handicap is really defined as a â€Å"disorder of impulse control. † (Something 1). When most people go to gamble they bring with them rationality, and with rationality comes this innate ability to know when you’ve hit a limit. The disorder is the compulsive gambler’s inability to set a limit and stick to it. So you have to ask yourself where is the line drawn? When does fun gambling become a â€Å"maladaptive behavior? † The Washington State Council on Problem Gambling sees it as this: â€Å"A. Persistent and recurrent maladaptive gambling behavior as indicated by five (or more) of the following: (1) Is preoccupied with gambling (e. g. , preoccupied with reliving past gambling experiences, handicapping or planning the next venture, or thinking of ways to get money with which to gamble) (2) Needs to gamble with increasing amounts of money in order to achieve the desired excitement (3) Has repeated unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back, or stop gambling (4) Is restless or irritable when attempting to cut down or stop gambling. (5) Gambles as a way of escaping from problems or of relieving a dysphoric mood (e. g. , feelings of helplessness, guilt, anxiety, depression) (6) After losing money gambling, often returns another day to get even (â€Å"chasing† one’s losses) (7) Lies to family members, therapist, or others to conceal the extent of involvement with gambling (8) Has committed illegal acts such as forgery, fraud, theft, or embezzlement to finance gambling (9) Has jeopardized or lost a significant relationship, job, or educational or career opportunity because of gambling] (10) Relies on others to provide money to relieve a desperate financial situation caused by gambling. † This list seems to be a slippery slope of symptoms. You might realize that this gambling can cause devastating effects to the life of a person. Committing crimes and trying to chase loses will cast a person into trenches of insurmountable debt and grief. There are so many people who do go to casinos and don’t fall into debt. It makes you wonder what is different about these people that made them weak? Perhaps the answer is that â€Å"Addiction is a way to escape from reality, from something that is either too full of sadness (such as living in a violent family) or too devoid of joy (an emotionally hollow life). Emotional trauma in early life may be at the source of many addictions. † (â€Å"Addictive Gambling†). The reality of the world is overbearing sometimes, and thinking about spending millions of dollars in winnings in a fantasy life can help people escape. Whatever the reason it must be understood. Gambling will only continue to grow, and as fun as it is it must also come shackled with precaution.

Should Nevada legalize the possession of marijuana Research Paper

Should Nevada legalize the possession of marijuana - Research Paper Example Nevada should not legalize the possession of Marijuana. First, possession of marijuana would lead to more serious drug additions since the drug will be easily accessible than it previously was. These drugs could pose a higher risk than that caused by Marijuana. Marijuana intake makes a person to be violent to anyone who tries to go his way and also makes parents neglect their children. If Nevada legalizes marijuana, this would make it easily available, and more new users would get to the vice. Roads carnage is likely to be on the rise since drivers would be driving under the influence of the drug (Jorge 4). The addicts of hard drugs were once consumers of marijuana; therefore, legalization it would open doors for consumers to get into the same trend (Jorge 5). Those advocating for the legalization of marijuana in Nevada cite the medicinal value, which is extremely hypothetical and is yet to be proved scientifically. In fact, the drug is called second schedule, which means that it is yet to pass to the first class schedule. It would seem irresponsible when the laws passed to protect the citizens are the same ones used to destroy their health. Those advocating for the legalization of Marijuana are merely concerned with the economic growth, and not the welfare of its people. Since the sales of tobacco have gone down, they believe Marijuana sales will boost the economy. Thus, the legalization of Marijuana in Nevada is for political and economic gains, which are likely to be disadvantageous in the long run (Mitchell 21). Nevada should not legalize the possession of Marijuana since this would stimulate the trade in drugs. Legalization of Marijuana will consequently lead to more cases of drug trafficking than when the drug is not legalized. As a result, crimes and lack of security in Nevada would increase. Drug dealers would take advantage of the law and possess other drugs such as Cocaine and Heroin (Goldberg 252). Some patients

Explaining a Concept Research Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Explaining a Concept Research Paper - Essay Example †). THESIS STATEMENT With due consideration to this aspect, the essay intends to explain the concept of viral marketing. The objective of the essay is to inform the marketers regarding the significance of viral marketing in the present era. Furthermore, the essay also discusses certain real life experiences of viral marketing. EXPLANATION OF VIRAL MARKETING The word ‘viral’ is used in order to define such a marketing practice where the messages regarding a particular brand are spread through the word-of-mouth method from one computer system to the other. An important component of viral marketing is that people spread the marketing messages, developed by the marketers. An effective viral marketing is characterized by controversy, community involvement and exclusive celebrity engagement. In viral marketing, a message needs to be unique and must feature a vital concept which encourages the audiences to share the message with their friends. Viral marketing at times is also deemed as a marketing program that acts as a virus, capable to replicate itself and spread from one person to the other. In viral marketing, the messages can reach the target audience in quite a less amount of time and at a low cost (National Media Museum, â€Å"What is Viral Marketing?†). ... In this way, viral marketing establishes a word-of-mouth thrill. The messages in viral marketing can arrive in different formats such as in the form of videos, pictures and applications or games among others. These digital formats can easily be shared by people who are connected through social networks (National Media Museum, â€Å"What is Viral Marketing?†). The effectiveness of viral marketing depends on the number of audiences who are viewing and spreading the brand messages developed by the marketers. People play a vital role in the notion of viral marketing, because they actually perform on behalf of the brand. Thus, in order to become successful, marketers need to understand the motivational aspects of people for spreading viral messages. On the basis of a study conducted by Milward Brown, it is observed that there is a strong relationship between inducing the enjoyment of brand messages and ensuring the possibility of forwarding them to the people. However, enjoyment al one is not sufficient to inspire individuals to share the messages. The massages must have certain additional scopes such as being pleasant, humorous or funny among others which are most likely to be spread by the viewing individuals (Hollis, â€Å"Millward Brown’s Pov†). SIGNIFICANCE OF VIRAL MARKETING FOR MODERN MARKETERS Viral marketing has created a strong sense of excitement for modern marketers and often it appears as an important marketing strategy. It is possible for marketers to be benefitted from the perceptions of viral marketing, due to an increased level of usage of social networking. According to a study of Miller and Lammas, in the year 2009, about 142.1 million Americans, 46.6 million Japanese and 31 million Brazilian people accessed the social networks. Popular

Islam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 8

Islam - Essay Example to a religious and cultural challenge since the two parts were constantly challenging each other giving rise to a conflict laden relationship between the two religious groups. There were different courses that were taken by each group and with the European taking a different approach they considered the Muslims as â€Å"others† who were not to be regarded in the same light as the Europeans did. It is therefore important to understand the patterns that came out in the middle-ages and the different discourses that had been established in order to understand the different beliefs and assertions by the European Christians towards Islam. This paper looks at the anti-Islam discourse of Medieval Europe that fueled the crusades to 19th century Orientalism that generated European colonialism. In 1798 the French led by Napoleon Bonaparte took over Egypt a fete that had not been managed before in the medieval age since they had taken one of the Islam controlled regions that drew a lot of power from the Islamic religion and beliefs. The French troops that took the city believed that they were liberating the people from the rule and taking and helping them gain enlightenment. The Europeans were in the era of enlightenment and although some of the philosophers took the beliefs of Islam and conceptualized their meanings in accordance to what is true others used the religion beliefs to prove their distaste with Christianity and the European beliefs (Harlow Barbara and Mia 58). There was also the paradigm of the superiority of European Civilization that became dominant among the academicians and Europeans. The rise of Europe seemed inevitable and Europe became the most dominant model due to its changes and rise of academic superiority over the other models thereby labeling Islam as â€Å"others†. The Muslims that were in this case being labeled as the Orient were associated with stagnation and immobility meaning that the Europeans considered Christianity and the European culture to

Marketing of the islamic finance(we want to market the islAMIC Thesis Proposal

Marketing of the islamic finance(we want to market the islAMIC FINANCE) - Thesis Proposal Example Hence the topic of this research proposal is â€Å"an assessment of service quality dimensions of Islamic and conventional banks and its impact on customer satisfaction: A case study in Jordan. The SERVQUAL model which addresses five dimensions of service quality would be utilised in the research study to help in assessing the gap between perceptions and expectations of the customers who are offered services by the banks. In order to achieve the aims and objectives of the study, a questionnaire survey would be conducted and the respondents would include customers of five Islamic banks at Jordan and five other conventional banks. Various statistical tools and techniques would be used to analyse the data obtained through the questionnaire surveys to get accurate results. The total budget allocated for conducting this research study has been estimated to be $16,000 and three years’ timeline has been set to successfully complete this research study. The research plan and the time line associated with various activities that are needed to be done to conduct this study have been presented with the help of Gantt chart. Table of Contents Table of Contents 3 Introduction 4 Literature Review 7 Research Gap and Aim 10 Research Concept 11 Research Method 13 Questionnaire Survey 14 Data Sources and its Analysis 14 Budget and Timeline 15 References 17 Introduction The Islamic finance and banking sector is found to have experienced global acceptance at a rapid rate since 1975, when the first commercial Islamic bank was established (John, 2012). Charging of interest and its payment on financial transactions is prohibited in Islam. Moreover equality and social justice with the help of wealth distribution within the society are advocated by Islam. These Islamic principles are believed to have been institutional to promote Islamic financing worldwide on a large scale. The assets corresponding to the Islamic finance sector is experiencing a growth rate of around 15 to 20 pe r cent and it is expected that by the end of the year 2015 the assets would increase to around US$2 trillion (John, 2012). The Islamic financial institutions were also observed to have performed strongly during the recent global financial crisis (GFC) and it has further increased the reputation of Islamic finance sector as an alternative to the financing system followed conventionally. However, the Islamic finance sector faces various challenges in its way to global expansion as well. Some of these challenges include the dearth of knowledge about the Islamic financing system amongst the consumers and the regulatory environment that is prevalent in some of the countries of the world which imposes restrictions on Islamic financial institutions to offer certain types financing products. This research proposal will try to present a comparative study about the service quality dimensions related to conventional and Islamic financial institutions and banks with special reference to Jordan. A comparative study of the Islamic and conventional banks in Jordan suggested that the Islamic banks were more stable in their performance than the conventional banks during the recent global financial crisis (GFC) (Al-ali, and Yousfi, 2012). The Islamic banks at Jordan are found to be more profitable than the convent

Work and how it has changed in the past 100 years and what effect it Essay

Work and how it has changed in the past 100 years and what effect it has had on resource managers - Essay Example There is email that promises communication without delay, facebook that shows the current status of friends, colleagues and peers, and skype that allows the people to interact with one another without having to visit one another or spend money on calling one another. In the contemporary age, people do not need to pay a dime in order to communicate with one another live 24 / 7 if they pay their internet and electricity bills in time. Skype plays the role of videoconferencing in both the e-businesses as well as the brick and mortar businesses. As the name implies, the human resource department has approach to many candidates who want to be part of the firm. Human resource department is a department that supplies humans to an organization for work just like a mineral resource provides us with minerals. From time to time, as per the need of the hour, human resource department keeps hiring new employees. The employees are hired according to the gaps identified in the existing organization structure, so that it becomes stronger and more effective when the gaps thus identified are filled in. The difference between the work culture that existed 100 years ago and that which exists today is fundamentally that of the difference between a brick and mortar business and an e-business. In the conventional brick and mortar business, candidates are necessarily interviewed before their selection into the organization.

Organisational Deveplopment and Human Resource Development Essay

Organisational Deveplopment and Human Resource Development - Essay Example r from outside the organization should be weighed before such a decision is made and if the organization is stable enough, then there is really no need for not picking a leader from within its ranks. In this paper, we shall analyze the advantages of getting the leader of an organization from outside the organization, and those of getting one from within the ranks of the organization. There are many reasons why the new leader of the organization can be brought from outside the organization. One of this is the fact that this will be a new face for the organization especially, during the time when the organization is going through some tough times (Bohn and Grafton, 2002). Not only will this newcomer inspire confidence among the employees of the organization probably more than the previous leadership, but this new leader will also bring about a sense of renewal within the organization. This sense of renewal will ensure that all those who work within the organization are inspired to work even harder so that its goals can be achieved. A leader from outside the organization will most likely bring new ideas with him and these ideas will be found to be useful within it. These new ideas might be used to compete better with other organizations with similar objectives and in fact, they may even make it do better than the others may. The experience, which this leader will bring with him from working in other organizations, will be invaluable especially when it comes to predicting how the competition is going to respond to a move from the organization (Avolio, Zhu, Koh and Bhatia, 2004). Not only will the organization be able to preempt any action from its competitors that may hurt it in the market, it will also be able to counter these actions with even better ones and this will ensure its continued dominance in the market. The external leader will have to work very hard to prove that he is the right person for the job and this will ensure that there is more productivity,

Propaganda Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Propaganda - Essay Example Propaganda The word ‘propaganda’ was defined by Linebarger (1954) as consisting of â€Å"the planned use of any form of public or mass-produced communication designed to affect the minds and emotions of a given group for a specific purpose, whether military, economic, or political" (p. 39). With the definition, one could effectively present an analysis of an advertisement that has been recognized as one of the best viewed ads of 2011: â€Å"Volkswagen’s â€Å"The Force†, in which a young Star Wars fan tries to use â€Å"The Force† on his father’s new Passat† (Holmes, 2011, par. 2). The advertisment definitely falls under the definition of a propaganda in terms of using mass-produced communication through the television and posting online with the purpose of eliciting emotion from the audience regarding the launching of 2012 Passat. In this regard, the paper aims to proffer issues pertinent to an analysis of the ad according to the foll owing categories: context, ideology, visual appeals, language, identification and otherness. The main message of the ad would be discussed as well as its effectiveness in eliciting emotional appeal from a wide range of audience. Context The ad was created by Interpublic Group's Deutsch Inc.'s Los Angeles office and was released online on February 2, 2011 (Hall, 2011). It was created for the Super Bowl, but, according to Holmes (2011), â€Å"VW had posted the clip online two weeks before the sporting event — allowing the clip to rack up 10 million views before it ever aired on TV† (par. 2). It was reportedly posted in YouTube and has topped the most viewed and shared branded video totalling â€Å"4.71 million social media shares and 46.05 million views since its online release† (Hall, 2011, par. 1). Description of the Ad? The advertisement began with the famous Star Wars music at the background and a boy in a Darth Vader suit walking along the hall of their home trying his supposed telekinesis powers on different objects: the stationary bike, the dog, the washing machine, a doll seated on a bed, and even a plate of sandwich that was reluctantly pushed over to him by his mother – all to his dismay and disappointment. When he heard his father’s car coming through the driveway, he immediately tried his power on the new Passat. Without his knowledge, and as observed by his parents over the kitchen window, his father used the remote control to start on the ignition of the Passat to coincide with his prodding for ‘the force’ - in total amazement and surprise of the boy. ?Message The message of the ad was that the vehicle responds to the needs of the family, including an unsuspecting boy – who wanted to test if he has any powers on objects. By responding to his efforts, the new Passat would be emotionally appealing to the boy and to the whole family. As reported by Pathak (2011), its creator, Mike Sheldon, CEO of Deutsch LA, the West-Coast arm of Deutsch Inc., disclosed that the main message of the ad was to focus on tapping â€Å"into humanity rather than sheet metal. "We've got every element, from John Williams’ music to a cute six year old," he said. "The Passat is a family car, it's new this year and we have to reach those people"† (Pathak, 2011, pars. 11 & 12). Ideology The basic ideology that framed the worldview in this ad is the human appeal provided by the new Passat by being packaged as a family car – more than seeing it as a piece of steel parts and for its functionality. By using a boy and the appeal of the Star Wars character, Darth

Proposal on The DREAM Act Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Proposal on The DREAM Act - Essay Example This innovative legislation would render immigration benefits to several young individuals who are presently considered as illegal migrants in the country. And this is the very reason that why several lawmakers and analysts oppose this bill. For example, reputed immigration policy analyst Krikorian has asserted that â€Å"all amnesties have at least three harmful consequences, and the DREAM Act ignores all three. The first of these is massive fraud. Perhaps one-fourth of those legalized under the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act received amnesty fraudulently, including Mahmud Abouhalima, a leader of the first World Trade Center attack.† Hence, review of immigration enforcement is a precondition to the enactment of the proposed DREAM Act. Thesis Statement: The DREAM Act can benefit both the US economy and the young immigrants in the country provided that immigration enforcement within the provisions of the proposed Act is properly implemented and fraudulent practices are prevented. Benefits: The DREAM Act seeks to legalize the undocumented youth and young adults in the country if they fulfill certain educational criteria and effort to obtain college graduation. From an economic viewpoint, legalization of unauthorized students can be an important incentive for them to work hard and graduate from a high school. This will improve their chances of obtaining higher education. Ultimately, the overall number of college graduates in the country will increase. College graduates obtain higher salaries and hence they will yield higher tax revenues as well. The increased financial contribution of the legalized educated immigrants will repay the necessary educational investments within a few years.

Understanding Your Role As A Teacher Essay Example for Free

Understanding Your Role As A Teacher Essay I have been asked to critically examine and discuss the work of three selected authors and to compare and contrast their views. I will link this theory to my experience of working with children, and give my own views and how this has developed my understanding in my role as a trainee teacher. The readings I have chosen to discuss and compare are: An Introduction to Children’s Learning (Ray Potter), The Significance of Young Children’s Personal, Social and Emotional Development (Dowling M) and How Children Learn (Curtis A, O’Hagan M). Potter discusses how behaviourism and cognitive development are the two most widely regarded theories in the approaches to learning and how these theories have implications for teaching. ‘Behaviourism is a theory of learning focusing on observable behaviours and discounting any mental activity.’ (Pritchard 2008:6). He discusses several theorists and how their theories help children learn, and how teachers manage learning more effectively in the classroom. He talks about behaviourism and how children learn from life experiences. ‘Behaviourist claims that we are what we are, not because of innate intelligence or genetic factors, but solely due to our life experiences’. Potter (cited in Jacques et al 2004:63). Skinner, a pioneer in behaviourism, believed that behaviour could be controlled through ‘conditioning’, the act of rewarding desired behaviour (positive reinforcement) and ignoring undesired behaviour (negative reinforcement). Many of Skinner’s theories branch from his animal experiments, whereby he would reward with food and punish when saw unacceptable behaviour. This is highlighted in An Introduction to Children’s Learning (Potter), as to how this theory has been adapted in today’s schools. â€Å"Conditioning occurs in many schools in the morning when the children first arrive in the playground. They will be playing and talking to each other when they see their teacher come into the playground. The children will immediately line up in front of their teacher ready to go in to school†. This I observe everyday in my school setting. In the Introduction to Children’s Learning (Ray Potter) it states that children achieve well through the â€Å"behaviourist psychology which goes back many years to Pavlov and Skinner, thus children learn by listening carefully to get the correct stimulus and through the repeated reinforcement of correct responses†. This is evident in schools today, whereby teachers encourage children to chant and repeat facts across the curriculum. This is in the hope that repetition will result in the information becoming innate, consequently allowing the children to regurgitate at the drop of a hat, but it could argued do the children lose the meaning. One has to ask however, how successful is this for all children? Biggs (cited in Leask 2009:89) ‘A pupil’s motivation influences the learning strategies they adopt. A pupil with an instrumental motivation is likely to adopt reproducing or rote learning strategies.’ Do children retain this knowledge? We know now after many years of research that not all children benefit from the dated ‘talk and chalk’ style of teaching. The philosopher Confucius cited in Ray Potter’s In the Introduction to Children’s Learning, pondered the theory â€Å"I do and I understand†, this was later developed by Piaget who based his cognitive theories and ‘emphasis on doing, activity and experience children learn through interaction with their environment’. (Kitsen et al 1997:2) ‘Piaget was actually keenly aware of the importance of social factors in children’s learning.’ Bruner believed that children think through three modes, enactive (actions), iconic (pictures), and symbolic (words and numbers). Providing the information is presented in an appropriate way and the information is appropriate to the child’s age, then the child will be able to understand and learn from it. Bruner’s theory is that children’s learning is active and they base concepts on their previous knowledge. The past knowledge helps the learner to process the new information to support decisions in the form of cognitive development. This allows the child to build on past experience and develop further the information given. Like, Vygotsky, Bruner also believed that social interaction and culture played a big role in cognitive development. ‘Bruner felt that children were organised according to their experiences and that they are active in their learning’ (Tassoni, 2005:197). Potter also discusses cognitive theories and how the next generation theorist such as Piaget, Vygostsky and Bruner believe that memory, understanding and thinking are vital in children’s learning. ‘But these are the very stuff of the next generation of theorists, the cognitivists.’ Potter, (cited in Jacques et al 2004:66). The role of social interaction is based on theories from Vygotsky and Bruner. To put the role of social interaction into place at school the pupil and teacher need to work together by the teacher helping to create meaning, rather than dictating what is to be learned. Learning through social interaction does not always occur in school. Children also learn through social interaction with their peers, parents and other adults. A prime example of this social impact that is used in many schools today is the use of the school council. Children regardless of age, economical background, race and gender can voice their views and have their views challenged in a safe environment. ‘Social interaction (particularly those which take place between themselves) may facilitate the course of development by exposing a child to other points of view and to conflicting ideas which may encourage him to re-think or review his ideas’ (Wood 1998:17). Piaget’s theory maintains that children need to overcome a sequence of stages in development. These stages are complex and appear in four main categories. The sensory-motor stage begins from birth to two years, the child learns through sensory experiences and movement. The pre-operational stage from approximately two to seven years of age, when the child begins to develop the skill of using symbols and how things look, yet they are unable to direct logical thinking. By the age of seven to eleven or twelve children have begun to make connections by thinking logically and associating their thoughts to concrete situations, Piaget describes this as the concrete-operational stage. At approximately eleven or twelve the formal operational stage falls into place, by this age to adulthood we begin to use more sophisticated levels of abstract and logical thinking. He believes the development of stages from childhood to adulthood is a consequence of the individual’s experience with the environment around them. They are learnt through assimilation, accommodation and adaptation. ‘Every living thing must adapt to its environment if it is to survive.’ Vygotsky focused on language and communication as a support to a child’s cognitive development. He looked at how children interact with their peers and adults and how it influences their communication and language on a social level. This form of social interaction does not always have to be verbal, gesture and body language is communication learned though peers or adults. Another aspect of Vygotsky’s theory is the zone of proximal development. This is when development is gained through social behaviour. The skills of social interaction can be developed further with guidance from adults and peers. We as facilitators can support learners by scaffolding, gradually reducing support so the child becomes capable of independently completing a task. ‘The ‘zone of proximal development’ seems a vital idea for teachers to have in mind when talking to individual children. Could it be applied to pairs? Or to small groups? Or to a whole class?’ (Kitson et al, 1997:154). Dowling discusses how children’s personal, social and emotional development has a significant factor in children’s learning. Dowling explains that three themes often occur in any debate about early childhood issues, which are -context, continuity and controversy. An ideal example of this in practise is a well managed Foundation Stage classroom. Being an unqualified Reception teacher for the past two years, I have observed and experienced this environmental situation of context, continuity and controversy. For example role play areas are set in line with the topic e.g. Healthy Eating- setting up a restaurant. However the theory of constructivism being the idea that things are the way they are, is socially constructed e.g., boys play with cars, girls play with dolls. This is an integral part of everyday life. Toys are being marketed gender specifically. Children often arrive in a school setting with premeditated views coming from the way they have been brought up and through media advertisement. This can counteract the good practise that is trying to be initiated in foundation Stage settings of today. Cultural assumptions, according to Richardson, the ‘nature’ of girls’ and boys’ behaviour reproduce rather than expose inequality and work against young women in schools while supporting gendered stereotypes in society.’ (1997:25). When the children immerse themselves in the theme, their personal, social and emotional development thrives and their creativity blossoms. The current way the Foundation Stage is run nationally has been very successful in that funding has been given to early year’s education to allow schools to be successful in their early years teaching and development. However the new government has controversially pulled all of this funding and at present we are unsure as educators of which directive we will be undertaking. In contrast Dowling explains that in China children who attend Kindergartens receive homework in literacy and numeracy. The focus is on academic achievement rather than personal, social and emotional development. Therefore it has been found that these children rarely gain these skills in later life. Dowling (2000:17) ‘Asian education methods have valued academic development while damaging other aspects of children’s growth, which help them to live and achieve in society.’ It is similar to the theories of Piaget, Bruner and Skinner but I believe the actual concept that is being modelled is wrong if we are to educate young people to live successfully in today’s society. Similarly Curtis and O’Hagan discuss how factors can affect learning. They introduce the chapter by focusing on ‘What is learning? They discuss several ways children learn and factors which can affect this. These are development, environmental factors, and periods of learning, memory, concentration, cognitive styles, and intelligence. They believe children construct their knowledge and understanding through their experience with the environment, and that learning is active and experience based. They agree that children are not less knowledgeable than adults, that children just see the world differently at their level. In my classroom adults often celebrate when they have learnt something new, especially when the learning has been imparted from the child to an adult. The child just prioritises their learning differently from the adult. Children need this scaffolding in order to develop in many ways. This lending itself to Vygotsky’s theory. (Pollard 1994:13) ‘’they are thus seen as intelligent social actors who, although their knowledge base may be limited in absolute terms, are capable in many ways.’ In conclusion to the theories looked at, are all based around children’s learning and similar in view.. It is possible to learn from each of them and use the theory in practice in a classroom. As a teacher I would be more inclined towards Vygotsky’s theory. This is mainly due to the fact that we can challenge children to go beyond what they already know in our school environment. (Curtis et al 2005:36) ‘Educators began to realise that a stimulating environment could increase intelligence.’ For children to experience a broad and balanced curriculum we as facilitators need to be able to challenge and help children develop further. In order to help them do this we need to scaffold their learning by gradually withdrawing support and guidance so that the child can perform the task independently. I feel scaffolding is a skill that will develop overtime with experience promoting desired behaviour. (Corrie, 2002:174) ‘Teachers scaffold children’s learn ing when they help them to achieve something that they, could not do without the teachers assistance.’ The ability to judge how much and how little support is a difficult notion and varies from child to child. From Piaget, I have learned that for children to work independently and solve problems they need to build on their past experiences. Despite this I believe that with the guidance of a more knowledgeable peer or adult the child can learn through social interaction. Through social interaction a child might learn today what might take them weeks to learn if left to explore individually. I would suggest that if we can help and challenge children to go beyond what they know, they would continuously be learning new knowledge. I am also aware from working in inner city school; social factors have a huge influence in children’s learning. I understand how important it is to promote positive role modelling and give children first hand experiences in order to learn. ‘The context of the school can make a significant difference to children’s behaviour, self concept and self esteem as these accounts testify.’ (Rogers, 2009:13). Bibliography Jacques, K. Hyland, R. (2004) Professional Studies: Primary Phase, London: Learning Matters Ltd. Kitson, N. Merry, R. (1997)Teaching in the Primary School, London: Routledge. Leask, M (2009) Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools. Oxon: Routledge. Llleris, K. (2007) How We Learn: learning and non learning in school and beyond. London: Routledge Pollard, A. Bourne, J. (1994) Teaching and Learning in the Primary School. London: Sage. Prichard, A. (2008) Ways of Learning: Learning theories and Learning Styles in the Classroom. Oxon: Routledge. Richardson, V (1997) Constructivist Teacher Education: Building New Understandings. Great Britain: Biddles Ltd Rogers, B (2009) Manage Children’s Challenging Behaviour London: Sage Tassoni, P. (2005) Diploma in Child Care and Education. Oxford: Reed Educational Professional Publishing Ltd. Thornton, S. (2008) Understanding Human Development. London: Pelgrave Macmillan Wood , D. (1998) How Children Think and Learn, 2nd ed. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.

Understanding If The Iraq Wars Justified Politics Essay

Understanding If The Iraq Wars Justified Politics Essay The American war campaign against the military troops of Iraq began on 20th March 2003 with the invasion of Iraq by international troops led by United States of America and the United Kingdom. Then, the governments of the United States and United Kingdom and other European countries claimed that the possession of weapons of mass destruction by Iraq posed a threat to the international security. This assertion informed the invasion of Saddam Husseins Iraq by the United States and its allies. This invasion has proven to be an unjustified act after it was confirmed that the regime of Saddam Hussein had no weapons of mass destruction. In fact it was alleged that Saddam Hussein only bragged of possessing weapons of mass destruction so he could prevent the neighbouring Iran from ever considering invading his country. Why would the United States invade Saddam Husseins Iraq instead of going after the Taliban and the Al Qaeda terrorists groups? After the 2001 September 11 terrorist attacks, the Al Qaeda extremists admitted to being responsible for the bombings and Osama Bin Laden himself admitted to giving the directive for the bombing. It was only logical that the United States of America would pursue the extremists groups directly and swiftly. However, President Bushs advisers were wrong in going after Saddam Hussein instead of Osama Bin Laden. By then, Osama was still at large and offering more threats and so it would have been easier to find him and bring him to book for atrocious mass killing, than going against Saddam Hussein. Saddam Hussein in fact had no direct ties to the Al Qaeda or Taliban. The war in Iraq was pushed by the general objective of making the world a better place. The objective of the war was to convey a warning to other axis of evil nations to stop their uranium enrichment programs. The United States feared that if the Islamic Republic of Iraq enriched itself with uranium, this would spark a nuclear arms race. President George W Bush coined the term axis of evil, in January 2002 State of the Union Address in an apparent reference to nations that were sympathetic to the Al Qaeda terrorist group and other international terrorist organizations. After that address, the United States embarked on a war campaign that as at 22 August this year has cost the administration 743 billion dollars  [1]  . The cost of the war has been especially difficult to manage given the existent global economic climate. The effect of the Iraq war on the economy needs no advertising. The United States spends at least 200 million dollars on the Iraq war daily. In 2002, when President George W. Bushs economic adviser Larry Lindsey inferred that the war would cost approximately 200 billion dollars in the long run, people thought he had overestimated the costs. It is now clear that his estimation was a gross underestimation. The Iraq war has costs the United States taxpayer a whooping 730 billion dollars as at August 2010. President Bushs economical advisers anticipated a quick and reasonably inexpensive war, but instead the war dragged on and resulted in the deployment of more than 125,000 American soldiers. These American soldiers need food, shelter and at time entertainment and the only place they can derive these human wants is from Iraq. These soldiers have therefore been supplied by products made in Iraq and this has only helped build the Iraq economy while the United States economy continues to la nguish in budget deficits. Sustaining the large troop base in Iraq has meant the United States spent more and thereby accruing more debts. The major casualties of the Iraq war have been the innocent civilians caught in the cross fire between American forces and its allies against the insurgent. Data available indicating the death toll from the invasion is varied, but critically indicting of the war. Different groups have given different information regarding the actual or even projected figure of Iraqi casualties. The Associated Press gave its figure of civilian casualties at approximately 110, 500 deaths as at April of last year. Another organization called the Iraq Body Count, which collects a database of Iraqi civilian casualties, released a report in April this year indicating that around 105, 000 innocent residents lost their lives from the American offensive  [2]  . War, if absolutely necessary, is meant to deliver humans from suffering and not create suffering instead. The staggering number of civilian casualties makes the war in Iraq more harmful than helpful. This war has ravaged family units, displaced per sons from their homes and left millions living in perpetual fear of imminent death. In the aftermath of the war, America attempted to assist Iraq in managing their country and fighting insurgents, but this caused more harm than good to the general stability of the United States. There are growing doubts in the mainstream America about the administrations capability of winning the war. It is clearly known that the United States of America miserably failed in the Vietnam War three decades ago, and that severely affected the confidence the Americans had on their government ability to successfully complete an overseas mission. The Iraq war is having similar effects on the American psyche. Vietnam made Americans to doubt the governments stand on issues of foreign policy. This confidence by the citizens is further is crushed by realization that their government could wage war on a country based on false intelligence reports  [3]  . When the environmental or ecological effects of the war are assessed, more harm can be seen. The weapons used excreted chemical substances that polluted air, soil and water. These substances contained toxic materials such as hydrochloric acid, asbestos, dioxins and other harmful metals. This polluted the soil as the uranium released by combat troops killed some plant species. During the shock and awe, in the initial launch of attacks, there was thermal radiation excreted by heavy artillery. This thermal radiation caused death by ionising the body of Iraq civilians and American soldiers. In the course of the protracted war, many innocent civilians and soldiers suffered mechanical injuries that left them without limbs. A lot of complications arose due to the mechanical and ionising radiation such as infertility, blood disorders like blood cancer, and cataracts formation. It caused adverse effects on body organs and tissues formation i.e. radiation poisoning. It also caused genetic effe cts and birth defects that might subsequently be passed from current Iraq generation to the next generations. Pressure from heavy artillery employed in the war meant Iraqi civilians chances of survival depended on buildings they were staying in as the buildings can survive 0.8 bar of the heavy blasts, while a human can only withstand 2.0 bar of blast. The increased pressure caused by the blast caused burns of different types to the innocent casualties of the war. Examples are thermal burns from infrared radiation, beta burns from beta radiation and gamma burns from gamma radiation. Radiation also caused hair loss, other effects on the skin like ulceration, itching, flaking, inflammation and blistering. The war in Iraq is associated with other grave ills in the society. There has been significant movement of refugee populations from Iraq to its neighbouring countries of Syria and Jordan. The war has intensified terrorism across the borders of Syria-Iraq and Jordan-Iraq instead of curtailing it. The overthrowing of Saddam Hussein from the Iraqi presidency has intensified separatism in the country and propelled sectarian violence pitting the Sunni and Shiite Muslims to another level. Prior to invasion of Iraq, Saddam had managed to keep the two factions in harmonious coexistence. With the withdrawal of the allied forces from Iraq, it will be interesting to see whether the sectarian violence, transnational criminal activities in the Middle East and the cross-border terrorism will subside or intensify. A safe bet would be on deterioration of stability and security standards. The seven year war in Iraq has damaged the overall credibility of the United States as a world leader. Images of roadside civilian bombings, video footages of American soldiers torturing suspected terrorists and shipment of the suspected terrorist to Guantanamo bay has compounded the already bad image of the United States abroad. It can be recalled that the United States made a unilateral Iraqi invasion decision, in total disregard of the United Security Council opposition to the war and this has installed the perception of arrogance from the Americans in dealing with diplomatic issues  [4]  . These and other reasons make the United States Iraq war completely unjustified.

Costing methods, variance analysis and continuous improvement

Costing methods, variance analysis and continuous improvement Costing Methods Assignment 1 – Cost Accounting DBSM703 – Business Financial Principles and Techniques 13 November 2014 Marginal Costing and Absorption Costing (Questions 12) Definition.Marginal Costing is a method for computing costs which takes into account only the varying costs involved in the manufacturing process. Absorption costing is a costing method which considers all costs involved in the production regardless of its nature whether it is variable or fixed cost. (Averkamp H. , 2014) Differences. The two methods can be distinguished from each other through several notable differences. First is through its cost concentration. Marginal costing is mainly concerned about variable costs while absorption costing considers all fixed and variable costs incurred by the organization through all its activities. Second, is through its use. Marginal costing is used by organizations to aid them in decision making and business planning. Through its detailed presentation of costs or expenses, companies will be able to carefully study its processes to help them identify areas for improvement and for total quality management. Absorption costing is used mainly for external financial and income tax reporting. It is also a tool for the organization in presenting the actual valuation concerning its overall operation (involves inventory, fixed and variable costs, etc.) to their investors. (Averkamp H. , 2014) Similarities. Both accounting system are effective in presenting the actual valuation of an organization with regards to its operation by avoiding manipulation and misdeclaration of profit or loss by the company. The two system are also similar through its treatment of manufacturing and non-manufacturing costs. 3. Three Major Influences in Pricing Decision Customer Demand. Demand is very important in all the major business activities of the company from the sourcing of raw materials, product design and manufacturing. For example, there is a very high demand from customers for high quality performance cars. For car manufacturing companies, this demand would entail sourcing high quality materials, and more comprehensive production and testing process to ensure product quality which would also lead to higher prices. However, it is very important that despite of the rise in production expenses, companies should work their best not to price their product above the market for them to remain competitive. To be able to do that, companies need to regularly conduct market research, surveys, marketing and advance business planning to help the company design its manufacturing process that will enable them to provide quality products at a reasonable price. (Hilton) Costs. In most cases, companies price their product based on its production costs. For example, in the manufacturing of high-quality performance cars, the main determinant of price would be the amount of cost incurred in its production per unit. Again, to remain competitive and ensure profitability, the company should determine how much markup they are going to charge on top of the production cost and in consideration of other indirect costs involved (holding costs, marketing and other expenses). (Hilton) Actions of Competitors. To remain competitive, the company should always be on the lookout on its competitors activities. In the example given above, if a competitor lowers down the price of its high-quality performance car, it is very important that the company do the same to avoid the risk of losing its share in the market. However, the company should exercise caution in following the actions initiated by its competitors. In this aspect, it is very important for the company to define its product and highlight its strong points (technology and materials used, technical specifications, safety features, etc.) to distinguish their product from that of their competitors thus providing them certain leverage to justify their pricing. (Hilton) Political, legal and reputation. Legal factor affect the pricing of commodities because of the need for companies to submit to the requirements of the law. Some business laws were crafted to prevent companies from colluding among themselves to manipulate prices and take advantage of consumers. Examples are the Oil Deregulation Law to prevent forming of cartels by petroleum companies and the Anti-trust Law to regulate competition and prevent monopoly. Political landscape in a country where the business operates also directly affects the pricing of goods and services. For example, in New Zealand due to the pressure brought by the extensive lobbying of rights group, environmental and health activists the government was forced to legislate and pass a bill that would impose higher taxes on tobacco and alcohol products resulting to steeper prices of the said commodities. Reputation also affect product pricing especially to those companies who have already established a solid reputation for producing quality and high performance products. Companies like Apple normally set a higher price whenever they launch a new product to the market regardless of competition. (Hilton) 4. Cost Object Cost object is an accounting term used to refer to any item or product that has a cost of its own. The term may be used for items whose cost can be calculated through estimates, direct measurement or market valuation. (Schmidt, 2014) Examples of cost object includes: Services – Car maintenance or repair service that has a specific cost for every service done. Product – A bicycle. The cost for its development, design and production can be measured directly. Projects – A construction project with a specified cost for infrastructure design and implementation. Departments – Marketing Department for which the cost of all its activities like promos and advertisement is specified. (Schmidt, 2014) 5. Direct and Indirect Cost Definition. Direct Cost are costs that can be easily linked to a cost object. Indirect Cost are costs that are related but cannot be easily and accurately linked to the cost object eventhough the cost is incurred in producing the product. (Jan, 2013) There are several factors affecting the classification of costs. They are Materiality, Function and Information Gathering Technology. Materiality. The classification of costs as direct or indirect depends on the contribution, relevance, impact and actual value of the cost to the end product. The greater the cost, the easier it is to establish the link to the final product. (eFinanceManagement.com, 2014) Function. Another factor that affects the classification of costs is on how the cost was used in relation to the major business activities of the company like in research and development, production, distribution, selling and administration. (Vivekanand, 2014) Information gathering technology. The continuous advancement in information technology paved the way for the development of software application that helps company easily trace costs. Nowadays, big companies emphasize the importance of information management and reporting system as an effective method that enables them to properly trace the smallest of costs. (eFinanceManagement.com, 2014) Opportunity Cost Opportunity cost is the income or value that a company or person gives up in favor of one particular decision. (InvestingAnswers.com, 2014) For example, in the morning you have two choices to help you kickstart your day. One is to drink cup of coffee or to eat an apple. For you both has its benefits, coffee for your caffeine needs and apple as a healthy alternative. You choose coffee over apple. By choosing coffee, the benefit to your health that you can get by eating the apple becomes your opportunity cost. To avoid what economists says as â€Å"decision making pitfalls†, it is very important for managers to take into consideration opportunity cost or do a simple cost-benefit analysis in order for them to arrive at an intelligent decision. (UKEssays.com, 2014) Opportunity cost is also very important in helping companies evaluate their decisions for future considerations especially when the alternative decision they give up turns out to be the better option. (InvestingAnswers.com, 2014) Management By Exception And Variance Analysis Management by exception is a management style that focuses on the areas of the organization whose plans are not working according to expectation. The goal is to provide immediate attention to the problem by concentrating company resources like time, money and effort to help them strategically address the issue or problem. (BusinessDictionary.com) Most companies were able to identify specific areas in their business that are not working according to plan with the help of variance analysis. Variance analysis is a method used by organizations in determining the difference between the standard cost and the actual cost. The higher the variance between the standard and actual cost means that an area in an organization is not performing as planned. (Ahmed, 2014) Standard Costing and Its Importance in Planning and Control Standard Cost refers to the cost determined by the management based on available information concerning direct labor, materials and manufacturing overhead. This cost would serve as the benchmark for the company’s spending in relation to its actual business operation. Standard costing is very important because it helps management in setting their budget, better understand the expenses that would concern their operation, and most of all for determining its projected income. During actual operation, standard costing provides an avenue for feedback to the management in cases where variances arise between the standard and actual cost. It allows them to immediately focus their attention in areas where there are large deviations in actual cost against the standard cost to help keep the operation on track and as planned. (Averkamp H. , 2014) Variance Analysis and Continuous Improvement Variance analysis provides information that helps management measure the actual performance of different areas in their organization against expectation. (AC >SC = Unfavorable Variance; AC Job Costing vs. Process Costing Job Costing is a costing method being used by companies producing unique products where the cost is measured depending on the production requirements (Materials, Labor, etc.) of each product or unit produced. Process Costing is an accounting method used by companies involved in mass production of identical products and using an established or fixed manufacturing process where unit cost can be calculated by dividing the total cost with the total quantity produced. (Heisinger Hoyle, 2014) The following are the differences between process costing and job costing: Application. Process costing determines the cost of the total number of units produced by batch. Job costing is used to determine the cost of every product or unit produced. Product Cost. In process costing costs are assigned to the process while in job costing costs are assigned to jobs. Time Frame. Process costing has a period for which costs are accumulated while job costing has no time frame. In job costing, costs are computed after each job is completed. Unit Cost Information. In process costing, units cost is derived based on the production cost report (Total Cost (VariableFixed)/ Total No. of Units Produced = Unit Cost). In job costing, unit cost is determined based on the total cost of the job per unit. (Accountlearning.blogspot.co.nz, 2014) (Heisinger Hoyle, 2014) Job Cost Sheet *$978.00/200 Units = $4.89 per unit Process Costing 40,000/5000bottles = $8.00 / bottle SMK Pharmaceutical production cost for April 13. Responsibility Centre A responsibility centre is a unit in an organization tasked with a specific set of duties to help the organization effectively exercise control over their business and to help them achieve both their long term and short term goal. Usually there are four responsibility center in every organization (Cost Center, Profit Center, Revenue Center and Investment Center). Each center is headed by a manager. (Barnat, 2014) Cost Center. A cost centre is responsible for managing costs. There are two type of cost under cost centre. They are Engineered Cost and Discretionary Cost Centre. Engineered costs are those cost that can easily be linked with the cost centre (direct labor, direct materials and manufacturing overhead). Discretionary costs are costs that are allocated by the management on a discretionary basis (administrative cost, research and development, allowances, etc.). (Barnat, 2014) Profit Centre. The profit centres are like independent businesses within the organization. They are given autonomy in managing their own affairs from the strategic balancing of sales and expenses up to performing a more detailed management function like helping maintain quality, measuring employee’s productivity against wage, managing overhead expenses and everything that they can control within their unit. (Barnat, 2014) Revenue Centre. The sole responsibility of revenue centre is to generate revenue for the company through sales of goods or services. Most organizations set periodic sales target (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.) that whether surpassed or missed serve as an indicator of the performance of the unit manager or the revenue centre. An example of revenue centres are the outlet shops by manufacturing companies. The main focus of these shops is to sell company products with little or no consideration at all on costs and marketing. (Wikipedia.org, 2014) Investment Centre. The responsibility of Investment centre is to generate returns of investment through effective asset management, increased sales performance and the proper management of cost and expenses. Bibliography Accountlearning.blogspot.co.nz. (2014). Retrieved November 12, 2014, from Accountlearning.blogspot.co.nz: http://accountlearning.blogspot.co.nz/2010/10/differences-between-process-costing-and.html eFinanceManagement.com. (2014). Retrieved November 9, 2014, from eFinanceManagement.com: http://www.efinancemanagement.com/costing/costing-terms/211-direct-and-indirect-costs InvestingAnswers.com. (2014). Retrieved November 9, 2014, from InvestingAnswers.com: http://www.investinganswers.com/financial-dictionary/stock-market/opportunity-co

Antibiotics :: essays research papers fc

Antibiotics An antibiotic, is defined to be a drug produced by certain microbes. Most doctors use antibiotics to help fight the germs in a patient. Antibiotics are obtained from plants, fungi, air, water, soil, just about anything on earth. Antibiotics kill and attack the germ or virus in the body, but do not hurt the human cells, ordinarily. The antibiotics are used to treat many various types of diseases, such as tuberculosis, syphilis, and several kinds of infections. People have been using antibiotics for more than 2,500 years. They used molds to help cure some skin infections and rashes. It was in the late 1800's that the real study of medicine began. Louis Pasteur discovered that bacterium was the cause of disease, and proved wrong the theory of spontaneous generation. After him there was Robert Koch, who developed a method of isolating and growing bacteria. Scientists tried developing drugs that could kill microbes, but they proved to be either dangerous or ineffective. In 1928 there was a discovery by Alexander Fleming. He detected that a substance he called "penicillin" destroyed bacteria. Then in the late 1930's, two British scientists invented a method of extracting penicillin from the mold. This was the start of developing new drugs to treat diseases and bacteria. Over the years, numerous thousands of antibiotic material have been found in nature as well as produced chemically but, there are few that are safe and useful. However the ones that are safe and effective have saved many lives and have helped extend life expectancy. Right now, there is more than 70 different kinds of antibiotics in use. Most antibiotics are used to treat infections, some for fungi and protozoa, but antibiotics are not usually effective against viruses. So they have developed other methods such as vaccines against viruses. Antibiotics work by one of three ways, they can one, prevent the cell wall from growing; two, obstruct the cell membrane; or three disrupt the chemical processes. When the antibiotic prevents the cell wall from forming, the antitoxin surrounds the bacteria's membrane, and then it forms a rigid wall that stops the cell wall from splitting open, which would produce another cell. The humans' cells are not hurt by this because human cells do not have cell walls. If the antibiotic obstructs the cell membrane, which controls the flow of items in and out of the cell, then essential nourishment can escape the cell. Then a toxic substance could enter the cell killing it. Human cells are not effected by this method because the antitoxin only effects the microbial cells. If the antitoxin disrupted the chemical process, then the microbe cannot

Trifles Essay -- essays research papers

Trifles, written by Susan Glaspell, is a real life murder case that uses symbolism to help solve a mystery. Glaspell's use of dialect, set on a midwestern farm, emphasizes the town's gender-separated society. Isolationism, a quilt, and incomplete house work are the three key symbols in the play the help the reader figure out who murdered Mrs. Wright's husband. First of all, isolationism is an important clue in the murder case. Mrs. Wright's farmhouse is located in a hollow, down in the woods, which puts her in a secluded place. Mr. Hale, a friend, came to talk to Mr. Wright about a party telephone, but he said, "He put me off, saying folks talked too much anyway . . . " (59). This is an example of how Mr. Wright did not want himself and his wife to have contact with anyone in t...

National Integration Essay

National Integration Indian civilization has survived-through the ages despite temporary setbacks. Since the earliest times, Indian civilization has marched with common objectives of culture and society. In early days, great emperors like Ashoka unified the country and its civilization and knit ft round a common culture from one end of the country to the other. During and after the Hindu period and later by the spread of Buddhism in whole of Asia, Indian culture and civilization got a further impetus. It brought about integration among different classes of people and common ideological and political thinking. The spiritual content of Buddhism spread through the country and brought a strange renaissance in the Indian social set-up. After the 14th century, the impact of the Muslim culture penetrated into the Indian civilization and created a plural social structure without, however, impairing the units of the country. The Mughals when they came to power also tried to bring the whole country under one array . The arrival of the British in India started a new chapter in India’s history. Always aiming at dividing the people so as to rule themselves, they launched a number of disintegrating measures to litter away the common points among various religions, communities and classes in the country. The British rule, however, provided one common economic system to the country although the British did their best to divide the people socially and economically in order to retain their supremacy. The most important single factor which brought unity in the Indian fabric was political struggle for independence from the British rule. The great personages who founded the Indian National Congress to fight out the British and to attain political independence for the country brought to one platform varying interests, communities and sections of society. The national image came to prominence with the national movement which provided a focus for the developed feeling of patriotism. The English language, although alien to the spirit of the country, brought educated classes of various communities to one platform and made them fight shoulder to shoulder against the mighty British. By the end of the 19th century, the feeling of the Indian unity became rooted in the minds of all Indians. The arrival of Mahatma Gandhi on the Indian scene started yet another chapter in Indian history. Mahatma Gandhi brought the gift of a non-violent movement as a new weapon to the  national struggle of India. Under the circumstances of the times, this method proved highly efficacious and brought the British under political and moral pressure of the times and made them to bow At the eleventh hour, however, certain reactionary elements in the country exploited the situation created by the British policy of ‘divide and rule’ and demanded the partition of the country, according to the communal ratios and majorities prevailing in various parts of the country. In order to avoid too much bloodshed, Mahatma Gandhi and other national leaders agreed to the partition, even though it was based on the ever-condemned two-nation theory. Ever since independence, India has adopted a secular constitution and given birth to a nation based on the principles of equal rights to all its citizens, irrespective of caste, creed religion or sex.The Constitution has provided fullest freedom to all religions in matters of worship, customs, etc., and protected them in every way. As a secular democracy, India is marching on the path of progress in all spheres—economic, political, social and cultural. In order to provide and encourage national integration in India, the Government office India has taken numerous steps which are worth mentioning. It has provided a national programme of education on secular lines and encouraged the development of national institution and policies. Through various media of education like the radio, the cinema and the T.V., it ha s provided for emotional integration of the people as one nation and encouraged them to think as one people. Equality of rights in various spheres has provided the people with common interests and enabled them to work and progress side by side without thinking of the narrow interests. The five-year plans of economic development have contributed to the raising of standards of people without regard to community, caste and creed. The class distinctions of the people have broadened out to economic distinctions from those of religion, community or caste. The art and culture of the country is also being developed on nationalistic lines. There is also due effort to develop a national language, although its imposition is being avoided for the time being in order to avoid conflicts of regional linguistic interests. The cinema, which is one of the most important means of recreation for the common man in India, is providing a uniform all-India pattern of art and culture to the whole country, thus contributing to emotional integration. Let us hope the movement of national integration now in motion goes faster  and achieves the desired object of binding various communities and sections of the Indian society to a common way of thinking, without impairing the local and the reg ional arts and cultures, which should be allowed to flourish within the overall pattern of national art and culture.

Vermont Teddy Bear Brief

Vermont Teddy Bear Company From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Vermont Teddy Bear Company Type Privately held company IndustryManufacturing, retail Founded1981 HeadquartersShelburne, Vermont ProductsTeddy bears Owner(s)The Mustang Group Subsidiaries Calyx & Corolla Gift Bag Boutique PajamaGram TastyGram WebsiteVermont Teddy Bear Company The Vermont Teddy Bear Company is one of the largest producers of teddy bears and the largest seller of teddy bears by mail order and Internet. The company handcrafts each of its teddy bears and produces almost 500,000 teddy bears each year.The company was formerly traded on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the ticker symbol BEAR, but was taken private by The Mustang Group, a Boston-based private equity firm, on September 30, 2005, partially to avoid the reporting requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The company was founded in 1981 by John Sortino, who sold handcrafted teddy bears in an open-air market in Burlington, Ve rmont. Sortino happened upon the idea of packaging and selling bears through the mail when a tourist visiting Burlington wanted a bear mailed to her home.The concept was called the â€Å"Bear-Gram†, which features the customized teddy bear placed in a box (complete with an â€Å"air hole†) and stuffed with other goodies. By 1995, the company moved into its new headquarters in Vermont's Champlain Valley. The company has two factories: one in Shelburne and one in Newport. The Shelburne factory is an especially popular tourist destination, and also served as a concert site for the annual Vermont Mozart Festival. The company also maintained two retail locations in Vermont – Shelburne and on the main road between Waterbury and Stowe.VTB acquired Calyx & Corolla, an upscale flower company headquartered in Vero Beach, Florida in 2003. Ironically, one of Vermont Teddy Bear's marketing slogans claimed that sending a teddy bear is â€Å"a creative alternative to sending flowers. † In 2005, the company launched a new sister company, Gift Bag Boutique, which offered handbags and purses along with many make-up accessories. Along with PajamaGram, which sold gift pajamas, and TastyGram, which offered gourmet food gifts, the creation of this sister company brought the total number of companies under the Vermont Teddy Bear umbrella to five.Gift Bag Boutique and TastyGram stopped accepting orders as of June 26, 2008. [1] â€Å"Crazy† Controversy For Valentine's Day of 2005, Vermont Teddy Bear caused widespread controversy by offering a â€Å"Crazy for You† Bear. The bear was offered dressed in a white strait jacket with a red heart embroidered onto the front of the jacket. A tag entitled â€Å"Commitment Papers† came with the bear. The tag read â€Å"Can't eat, can't sleep, my heart's racing. Diagnosis – crazy for you. â€Å"[2] Mental health groups from all over the U. S. sked for the bear to be pulled out of production and removed from VTB's website. Many groups called for a boycott of the company. They claimed that the bear made light of the suffering caused by severe mental illness and contributed to the stigma that people with mental illness often encounter. The company's response was that there was no offense intended and it was merely a play on the phrase â€Å"I'm crazy about you. † The company claimed that the bear was intended to be a light-hearted depiction of the sentiment of love.When asked to remove the bear from their inventory, VTB responded by keeping their existing stock up for sale although they stated that they would not make any more in the future. The price of the bears from VTB was US$69. 95. After the company sold out, which happened within just a few days of the story hitting the news, the eBay bids reached several hundred dollars. Elizabeth Robert, the CEO and CFO of VTB was serving as a member of Vermont's largest hospital, Fletcher Allen Health Care, at the time o f this incident.In response to the significant controversy she resigned from the board. [3] Advertising VTB was listed amongst â€Å"‘a broad range of direct marketers' pitched by the show’s hosts themselves† who were taking out more ads on talk radio in 2010, according to Dan Metter, director of talk-radio sales of Premiere Radio Networks. Conservative radio hosts were seeing an uptick in listener numbers and advertising in the lead-up to the year's midterm elections. Premiere is the syndicator of the top three talk-radio shows — hosted respectively by Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck. [4]

Fast Food and the Risk of Childhood Obesity Essay

The fast food industry promotes childhood obesity by manipulating the young mind, putting them at risk for health complications such as hypertension and diabetes. The super-sizing of America is been a frequently talked about subject lately. Especially since it is seem to have negative effects on the health of children and adults alike through massive consumption of fast food. Health providers and other authority figures are now concerned about children’s obesity rates shown during the past 3-4 decades. They have now drawn a close connection between fast food and obesity and identified a childhood obesity epidemic with increased negative health factors. According to the American journal of public health, 2005 September issue, fast food retail sales in the United States have increased 900% from $16. 1 billion in 1975 to a projected $153. 1 billion in 2004, during the past 3 decades. The numbers of fast food restaurants targeting child and adolescent customers are found to be clustered around schools. With the addicting flavors and affordability of fast food has contributed to adjusting the young minds gradually to grab the quick lunch without second thought. Apart from the many types of fast food offered inside the school cafeteria, Studies have shown the fast food restaurant outlets are multiplying around the school grounds and neighborhood. The American Journal of Public Health estimated that there are 3 to 4 times as many fast-food restaurants within 1. km from schools than would be expected if the restaurants were located around the city in a way unrelated to schools. They also reveals that the median distance between any school to the nearest fast food restaurant is only 0. 5km, which means, there is only a walk of little more than 5 mints for any kid to grab that delicious treat. Some schools in the nation have already begun the fight against the fast food epidemic, although they’re a much less percentage of the whole. The marketing strategies used by fast food brand s mostly target children and adolescents. In his book Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser describes the history of child marketing explaining the concept of ‘kid kustomers’ McDonalds was the first fast food chain to direct their marketing towards kids. Schlosser explains how McDonalds took on the certain strategy from Disney, who by the time had understood the way to success is approaching the kids and who intern will attract a third party to the equation. They understood that the best way to make sales with adults was to lure the children who would keep whining until they got what they want. The ast food industry does not stop until it would possibly attract every single kid kustomer possible. Beginning with famous cartoon characters, the fast food industry started giving away free toys to children as compliment. They promoted unique collections of the current child attractions of super heroes and other toys such as stuffed animals and army troops. The constant advertising of such collector’s editions, scra tch and wins, party hosting ides with fun activities and also, the building of personal play grounds with structures was and still is a major attraction strategy used by the fast food industry. They know how to manipulate a young mind in to thinking that love and care is about giving you food that tastes so good, and giving away free toys. The sole problem is not in just the types of fast food that is served in fast food restaurants-which are obviously fatty, oily and high in sugar content-but also in the portions. The portion size was drastically increased over the past couple of decades, bringing the once ‘Large’ size portion as the now ‘small’ size and having 5 categories as small, medium, large, supersize and combo meals in the ascending order. The trick is, every time you go for the next bigger portion, the customers are made believe that they get more for less price, in turn making the sale a worthwhile exchange. Since it is all about the visual of it, the customers tend to over look that whether it is more for less, it is all too much than what anybody needs to consume per meal. Fast food tastes best when they are fresh out of the restaurant. No matter how big the portion is, fast food can be hardly eaten as leftovers. So children have gradually trained their stomachs-adults likewise-to hold fattier, oily, sugary foods that come in super sizes. The initial issue seemed to be just being overweight and obese, as these children who consume more fatty foods than necessary grew up to be a fat generation of adults. But now, the fast food monster has grown bigger and wilder that it brings children critical health issues at much younger ages. Children in the United States are currently considered to be facing an obesity epidemic. Overweight and obese children are diagnosed with a number of health issues such as Type 2 diabetes, Hypertension, Cholesterol and Lipid abnormalities, Hyperinsulinemia and obstructive Sleep Apnea. In her book, Underage and Overweight, Frances M. Berg, a licensed nutritionist and adjunct professor at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine stated that during the 1990s, cases of diagnostic diabetes for all ages rose 33% nationwide. She also explains by 2004 diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death in the United States and is the main contributor to health problems like heart disease, stroke, blindness, high blood pressure, kidney disease and amputation which occurs with increased frequency in overweight children and adolescents. Although many fast food restaurant businesses argue that they do not serve unhealthy food to their customers, the fact remains that since the rise of fast food restaurants, the obesity epidemic has only grown alarmingly. And as mentioned before, the portion size has massively increased, contributing to this epidemic every step of the way. This is now not just a concern of individual willpower but also a fight to save the nation as a whole. Studies show that children can be brain washed to believe in anything with little incentives. With the fast food industry being the top manipulators of children’s mind, they keep stuffing themselves with the mouth watering hamburgers, fries and shakes. Apart from these critical health problems, obesity brings in other issues to a child’s life. David Ludwig, an associate professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School has dedicated his life to researching and contributing to overweight reduction in children. He is the director of the Optimal Weight for Life (OWL) program at Children’s Hospital Boston, one of the largest clinics for overweight children and their parents. In his book, Ending the Food Fight, Lundwig explains the Vicious Cycle of poor diet and inactive life style which fosters many other negative factors in between. He lays out a great picture of poor diet that resembles over eating, that lowers metabolism, resulting in sluggishness and low motivation leading to an inactive lifestyle. Once this life style is acquired, the amount of calories stored in the body increases, causes fatigue and boredom, results in low self esteem that succumbs to temptation for ‘comfort food’ which contributes again to the poor diet that started out the cycle. He also explains in detail how obesity due to high-glycemic food intake-the type of food available at fast food restaurants-result in complications in a child in his/her Brain, Heart and blood vessels, lungs, digestive tract, hormones and also mental health. Obesity is also a key factor in most children’s self esteem and performance levels. Dr. Sylvia Rimm, a Child Psychologist and clinical professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine describes in detail the contribution of Obesity in depression and quality of life of children. She mentions â€Å"In a nationally representative survey conducted in 1996-1998, researchers reported that more than 60% of kids ate 5 servings of food fruits and vegetables a day. Unfortunately these results were based on a broad range of vegetables that included potatoes. † In illuminating potatoes from the vegetable group, Sylvia states, â€Å"children who consumed five servings of fruits and vegetables a day dropped to 30%. † This means the consumption of fast food is quite often as the most popular method of potato intake is through fries and fries are often not consumed by itself. The 30% that actually dropped was consuming 5 portions of potatoes a day. Rimm shows a wide range of analysis and research done on over weight/obese children on Self Description of Intelligence, Self-Description of Grades in School, Self-perception of Intelligence, self-deception of work ethic, Self-description of Athletic etc, of all which with ought a failure represented the obese and overweight children in the more negative side of the chart. When childhood innocence takes a turn in emotional fields like this, it is high time that there is even greater attention be given to the issue of fast food that make unhealthy little human beings who are not only physically but also emotionally malfunctioning. To bring back attention to the facts and analysis made on the fast food industry and childhood obesity; obesity is currently exposing an unfortunate epidemic in children who consume the wrong types of food, in wrong amounts. The fast food industry promotes sales by manipulating the children’s mind with toys and other prize promotions, luring them in the friendly caring restaurants. Children not only get to have happy meals, but they get rewarded with toys and more importantly critical health issues such as diabetes, hypertension and other heart and mental illnesses. The emotional lives of young children which is critical to having healthy physical and mental conditions in future is also subjected to being obese/overweight resulted in too much unsuitable food intake. Being from a South Asian country, I myself have faced the discomfort of fast food addiction as I grew up. I preferred less activity and ate out more times a week than necessary and ended up with low self esteem during my high school years. I was bullied; I did not have guys who were at all interested in me or even good grades. I am just one person who went through this painful process of growing up with too much ‘tasty food. ’ But I know there are many more who are entangled in the same web. It is not easy to wake up one day and say to yourself, I’m not going to be discouraged. We need help. And if as a whole world people need to stand up for the root of the problem, fast food, then isn’t it worth the try?