Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Osteopetrosis and its Effects on the Elbow Essay

Osteopetrosis and its Effects on the Elbow - Essay Example In disease diagnosis, radiographic images are taken. The radiographic findings in the case of osteopetrosis show symmetrical increase in the mass of bone in the affected region e.g. the elbow (p. 399). This accumulation of bone mass in the affected region leads to disturbance of bone formation processes which include bone growth, bone modelling and bone remodeling. Using radiographic images, the elbow and joint will show accumulated mass of bone and hence joint movement will be hampered (Arun, Rysavy, & Wozniak, 2007). Laboratory tests are also applied to clear and explain the findings after the radiographic analysis. In most cases hypocalcemia is evident due to low levels of calcium in the body culminating from the disease. Rachitic changes in growth plates is seen in cases where hypocalcemia is severe (p. 400). Treatment is complex and may involve bone marrow transplant from human leukocyte antigen identical donors. This is used to avert the situation as the disease could be hereditary. Hormonal and dietary therapy using calcium deficient diet has also been used in treatment of the

Monday, October 28, 2019

Too easy to get a gun in the U.S Essay Example for Free

Too easy to get a gun in the U.S Essay Like vehicle owners in the U.S.A most people in the U.S believe that gun owners should be subjected to at least some safety regulations â€Å"there should be a parallel set of regulations for guns†, (Harvy Lipman, 1997 pg 1). People have differing value attachment to guns from the positive to the negative ones. However about three quarters of the American majority believe that imposing a total ban on gun ownership is not the way. It is estimated that nearly half of American populace think that if they own a gun then they are much safer within their homes. The biggest issue for America, becomes not how to ensure a total ban but then how to put some minimum regulations for every American citizen to own a gun and thereby control their number..   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Majority of some Americans believe that the contemporary laws are so different from one state to another; the message is that the citizens want reasonable gun laws that are not so strict and as such can reasonably be reinforced. One of the possible reasons that have been proposed includes; Attending a gun course: most people within the united states of America believe that if anyone who wants to own a gun was to be subjected to a mandatory gun clinic on how to operate and handle the weapon without endangering themselves or the rest of the society, then the number of people wanting to own a gun would find it cumbersome to attend such clinics. In fact the federal Brady law that requires citizens who wish to buy and own guns to wait for at least five days before that gun is sold to them is supported by nearly 90 percent of Americans (Harvin L, 1997). This they believe would ensure that these individuals who intend to buy the guns have their backgrounds assessed by law enforcers so that when they are issued with the guns they are given a clean bill of health. This according to them would limit the number of guns ending up in the wrong hands. In effect criminals would not find it easy to access guns and as such many problems such as robbery, deaths would be minimized. It al so has the effect of limiting the number of people possessing firearms. Barring Felons and drug users: the theory under this perspective is that, if access to guns for criminals is denied then the number of crimes that would have been committed by these fellows would certainly come down (Kurt F. 1981,pg6, Col. 4). Having uniform gun law across the states: the current gun control law varies from one state to another and some of them are just merely about registration of the original purchase and to the extent of licensing. However with the persistent gun issues, there needs to be an enactment to ensure that the interstate gun flow is controlled. For instance, a state such as New York that has enacted various laws that is restrictive to gun control faces the problem inflow of numerous guns from other states, with less restriction. The numbers of guns that are illegally owned by most Americans even complicates the situation further. These weapons are increasingly being stolen and as such restrictive laws are not enacted and with a major cooperation from gun owners and the rest of the public then not much progress will be done. Guns unlike other consumer products are quite durable. However, the federal law only requires the initial retail sale to be documented. Subsequently, the after sales are not usually monitored, as there is no documentation required by law. This makes it easier for people to sell their guns and criminals and other dangerous people easily obtaining guns. The initial gun owners unwittingly sell guns or giving them away to second parties. The federal government should also put a limit on the number of guns an individual is allowed to own. In effect this would bring down the number of guns that are owned by the public, as it would require those who have more than the maximum number required by the law to surrender the excess. Right now it is possible for a citizen to own as many as ten firearms. Empirical evidence suggests that most oft the countries that have successful gun regulations have very strict laws that punish offenders. It is argued that criminals usually find it hard to commit a crime if it poses a greater risk to them. Criminals would be hesitant to use guns if it would make the kind of crime they are intent on committing more severe. Thus if strict laws are passed to punish offenders most criminals would not engaged in the activities using guns. Gun owners should have their firearms registered with the federal government. This would make them more accountable to the use of the weapons. Within their homes and the society as whole the adults who posses the guns would make it their business to keep track of their firearms so that no one else uses the weapons. This in effect would also isolate criminals as their moves and actions with the guns would be monitored. . Even the ordinary citizens would find it hard to purchase the weapons, since there is the possibility that the gun might end up in the wrong hands making them liable to prosecution. Even though it might be seen to be going against the law and to some extent it might also prove to be costly in implementation, the police should be allowed to finger print every person and record the obtained data in a file. This would make it easier to monitor most criminals. Works Cited Harvy Lipman Rights and regulations; Americans want firearms and federal restrictions, poll finds.   Albany Times Union, 1997 Kurt F. Kluin, Gun Control: Is it a Legal and Effective Means of Controlling Firearms in the United States. 1. N.Y. Times, Mar. 31, 198 1,  § A, at 6, col. 4. Philip J. Cook and Jens Ludwig, guns in America: National survey on private ownership and use of firearms, USA Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Children of the Mission :: Babysitting Descriptive Personal Narrative Essays

Children of the Mission A few teenagers are sitting on the ground under a network of slides. There are a few younger children there with them, doing the various things children do at five years old. The mottled sunlight creates exotic patterns across the faces of those under the network of slides, and it plays with the features of the smaller children on their laps. A slight breeze picks up every now and then, but for the first time in a week it's a warm breeze that brings cheer, rather than rain. One toddler finds the camera stowed under a teenager's knee. This is an object of mystery. Another child grabs the hand of an older girl, showing her the round, convex mirror in the shade that shows a distorted image of the entire playground. For some reason, that mirror is the principal image I remember from our day of babysitting. It measured about two feet in diameter, and in its metallic reflection, every one appeared as a colorful blob, or, if a person was lucky, he had eyes and a wide-open mouth. Everything looked backwards and uniform in that mirror, and it fascinated me. The irony in my attraction to it is that just as when I looked into the mirror, when I looked at the playground around me that afternoon, I was blind to what was actually there. The sun, the breeze, and the delightful children all combined in my perception to look like something I thought I knew. It is only now, three and a half months later, that I realize I was not able to comprehend much of anything I saw that day. Our rooftop daycare is located about a half mile from the intersection of Wilson and Wilson in Uptown Chicago. It occupies the roof of the Uptown Mission and Homeless Shelter. The Shelter crouches on a wide, deceptively clean street where the shadows have eyes and the sharp stench of urine permeates the air. Last summer, our youth group came here as missionaries to try to "help" the homeless people. On this particular sunny afternoon, we were to baby-sit their children. However, since there were more babysitters than children, I wonder how effective our effort actually was. As I sat watching the kids run in and out, my mind flooded with memories of my own childhood. I noticed that despite the difference between the adults who'd grown up in upper-middle-class Topeka and those who were homeless in Chicago, there existed many similar characteristics between the children in both conditions.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Youth Gang Prevention

Youth Gang Prevention EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Gang prevention, intervention and suppression for youth at risk and gang members are strategies for addressing the recent increases in youth and gang related problems in the city of Norfolk, Virginia. State and local policymakers as well as citizens are concerned about public safety and want to avoid a continued increase in gang activity and membership. An effective response to the problems of youth must be built on a thorough understanding of the problem. There is an important role for Norfolk State University (NSU) to assist the City of Norfolk in addressing the problem and designing an effective program built on the strategies of prevention, intervention and suppression. This white paper outlines such a program and related strategies, which we believe will be a successful response to youth at risk and gang members. This program is focused in the six communities adjacent and next to the Norfolk State Campus, and is designed to support and enhance community organizations and families in their effort to address youth at risk and reduce violence. The program includes the strategies of prevention, intervention and suppression, and is highlighted by a five point component structure. These five points are as follows: 1)} build a solid community social network of community organizations, churches, government agencies, police units, local businesses, schools, and so forth,. 2) a range of services/workshops/training and educational opportunities offered and available to the residents of the communities identified by key street workers, clergy, parents, police, and other youth. ) the utilization of key family and ex gang members in working directly with youth and gang members with experience in addressing such problems. 4) the creation of an educational ladder designed to provide alternative patterns of behavior and provide opportunities for the youth and the parents. 5) an evaluation plan focused on determining which aspects of the program are most effective and cost beneficial. ADDRESSING THE PROBLEM This program expands on the di scussions held on campus. It builds on the range of services and workshops provided by NSU and other groups working in this area and directly with NSU. This program is intended to include what is currently available and expands the capability of folks within NSU so as to support and strengthen families and youth in their development. It is very much intended to assist in diverting youth into alternative patterns of behavior and to reduce the need and/or preference for violence. FIRST COMPONENT The proposed project has five components. The first is to build a network of social, economic and religious organizations in the six communities adjacent to Norfolk State University. Such a network is critical so that information, brochures and direct contact can be made with community residents and organizational leaders. We will most likely need to meet with them most likely in their habitat so as to explain the intent of the program and what we would have them to contribute to the overall effort. Most important would be for them to help distribute the information we prepare, be able to answer basic questions or connect residents with key personnel in the project. We would very much like for some to consider holding workshops and/or educational programs in their facilities. The type of locales that we are considering would be the public and private schools, the cChurches, recreation and community centers, hair salons and barbershops, and any other places where people gather. The work on our part would be to meet face to face with the managers/ workers/ owners and discuss our effort. We would show them our brochures and other information and leave them with the names of two or three people to call in case they need to contact us, as well as maintaining consistent contact over a period of time so that they will understand the need to address the youth related problems. SECOND COMPONENT The second component would be the somewhat detailed and clearly spelled out range of services/workshops/training/and educational opportunities available through our project. The set of services we intend to use have been provided for several years by the Virginia Gang Prevention Program, which includes God’s X Gangsters. They are familiar with and have provided some services in the areas we intend to serve. NSU has been partnering with them for a little over three years, have been the site of a couple of conferences, and it is where many meetings of the group have been held all within the School of Social Work and NSU’s Brambleton Center of late. more lately its Brambleton Center. In this context we envision developing a peer mentoring program in the community, such as gang prevention for youth, gang intervention for youth, intensive gang intervention services, group/6-week certificate, gang awareness for parentsparents’ in-home/group, intensive in-home services, train the trainers, and certificate training for trainers. These workshops and training programs have already been provided, but we will need to do it in a consistent, systematic and developmental manner, and make certain that we cover a community. Family Systems Inc is another community based agency which serves the youth and their families. It has some interesting programs already being provided to youth such as an entrepenurialentrepreneurial group and a youth skills group. It has a staff well connected to youth, families, courts and police, and would significantly provide additional services to this program. There are also other treatment opportunities for parents and youth when such services are indicated. We are looking at the risk factors that God’s X Gangsters haves learned are associated with gang involved and youth at risk. These risk factors are failure in school, family problems, substance abuse, pattern behaviors and â€Å"conduct† problems, gang membership and gun possession, and incidents of violence. These are important indicators to make others aware of what the program will address and to make certain that these youngsters need special attention. THIRD COMPONENT One of the most important new services we will embrace is the creation of an educational ladder. This ladder would form the basis of creating opportunities and provide a source of hope for parents, teachers, and youth. In this context, we would work with the youth to determine their needs, whether it be learning to read and write, reading comprehension and literacy, assisting in obtaining a GED, moving into learning a trade, going to community college, or coming to NSU. This opportunity ladder would assist providers of service with a chance for growth in addition to the suppression model and the reinforcement of our treatment model so prevalent in addressing such problems. We envision that this type of service would also be made available to family members, so they can be a source of encouragement for the youth and others. The full range of services we are capable of providing include, anger management/conflict resolution, one-on-one social mentoring, social skills training, goal setting, attitude formation, empathy development, problem solving skills, bully prevention/violence reduction and substance abuse awareness and reduction. These courses/workshops would be addressed in weekly modules in addition to the initial six week training module where the overall program is introduced and discussed. FOURTH COMPONENT In this component we want to make it easy and possible for people to sign up for these services and/or workshops. This will likely be accomplished when the information is distributed in the community organizations and commercial operations. There will be a checklist which we will use to contact those who complete them and indicate what they would like us to addressed. It is likely that we might see several services or courses checked off and we would maintain a list of needed service as well as a mailing list of folks for us to contact for over time. We would also have a blank where one would like for the services to be held, and we would go to those locations. It may be that we would hold some classes in barbershops, which would be an excellent resource because we want to address people in their own back yard and then encourage them to go to other locations when they feel comfortable. It is very likely that we will incorporate the interns in social work and in the Psy. D. programs, under supervision of professional faculty and other treatment professionals. The interns would assist in organizing after school educational and recreational programs as well as assisting in the development and implementation of service learning efforts. They would help in distributing the program information and when indicated would co-lead groups. In other situations, they would help with short- term intervention, make referrals and bring attention to youth at potential for trouble. In another context, we have worked with and used Liberty Counseling services and we would likely use them as a case permits. We intend to use the NSU Counseling Center when appropriate and on a case-by-case basis. The services that NSU uses would be based at the Brambleton Center, where it is envisioned that the project would be housed. It will be necessary and important for the NSU security personnel to work closely with the City of Norfolk Police Department in order to coordinate activities. This collaborative effort is key as we are addressing the six communities surrounding NSU. One important feature of this coordinated effort would be to identify youth at risk and gang members for our own work force to make either the first or follow up contact as we seek to reduce violence, rather than seek arrest and adjudication. In these contacts where an assessment of the problem would be made, it is critical that our work force have the service possibilities and the educational opportunities readily available. FIFTH COMPONENT The fifth component would be evaluation. Such an evaluation would be based on a developmental model where we would constantly usinguse the data to enhance the specific courses, etc. We would work with our Assessment unit to develop evaluative feedback information for the programs provided so that we can make well-informed decisions about our overall effort. We would be particularly interested in determining what works, what is most cost-effective, whatere are the favorable locations, and so forth. This information is critical if we are to show success. use money wisely. One last but not least point is that while a very effective project can be developed and implemented we would need a source of funds. This is not easy to note particularly when the economy is so poor and our University and City are in economic turmoil;, however, we will need to explore funding for the project. To date, Prof. Banks has agreed to work with Prof. S. Lowe and Prof. J. Robinson on developing the educational ladder, Interim Director D. Sanderlin and Mr. Turan Smith from the Brambleton Center is are working on identifying key community resources for the network, and Pastor B. Emory is coordinating the service component of the project. These folks have agreed to work as part of a team to design an effective project associated and driven via NSU. Chief Walker, Dr. Coleman and I will work together to coordinate the overall project. CONCLUSION This project incorporates the strategies of prevention, intervention and suppression in a program designed to deal effectively with youth at risk and gang members in the six communities surrounding Norfolk State University. The program is built on a five point component system which is well integrated so that each contributes to and strengthens the others. It is also community based relying on the strengths and resources of these communities, in addition to the resources of NSU and its educational thrust and extensive community and outreach effort. The evaluation effort is intended to provide continuous feedback to the leadership of NSU, the leadership of the City of Norfolk, and others within the communities, as well as contributing to the understanding of addressing the problems of youth at risk.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Organizational Structure Presentation Communication Methods Essay

As the manager of Lakeview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, we are now going to propose a new addition to our facility, we would like to propose a new addition of long term care services as well as the short term care services that we are providing know on the inpatient and outpatient basis. The future of the growth of this company, deeply on this new addition to our facility. We will be in need of new experienced workers for areas like therapy, doctors, nurses and counselors that will work with the patients and their families. Communication, will have to be our number one factor to finding the right persons for the jobs, and the growth within the community as well. Our communication should be easy to understand and accurate. Effective communication is important and we should all be on the same page. Leadership should involve good communication, and they should be walking around talking to employees, this way you will see what their skills are in this field and will improve the gro wth internally and externally. Effective internal communication should start with having good listening skills, questioning skills as well as feedback. Sharing information with the staff is a good effective communication.   When it comes to internal relationship in the health care setting, the most important person is the patient the one who has the needs that we need to make sure they get. The main reason behind this is because acquisition integration has led to more rigorous examination of support services. There is also a higher expectation of customer service that we will experience as consumers. The external relationships that must be considered in the creation of this long term care are: state, local and the federal  government. Each of these have their own regulations that we need to know and follow. You should also be aware of the consumer advocacy program as well, to make sure that the consumer is getting the best care possible. We also need to make sure that the proper training and hiring is done as well, with all this being said this is my proposal of the new addition to the facility.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

The Farmers Market

The Farmers Market The farmers markets, which are often organized as non-commercial organizations, play an important role in the emerging of the alternative food network. The impact of these organizations on the development of the food network partially can be explained by the processes of the regional clustering1.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Farmers Market specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The farmers market in this particular case fulfils the function of the food distribution from the agricultural to the urban environment. With the rapid growth of the urban population, the need for the food supply is constantly increasing. At the same time, many products are produced in the suburban areas. Together they form the chain that plays an important role in the food supply. â€Å"Allegedly the tradition of direct agricultural markets was brought to North America from Europe and spread across the continent with European settlementâ₠¬  2 The first reported case of the farmers market appearance in America took place in the seventeenth century. However, the real boom of the farmers markets was observed beginning from the 1970. The existing popularity of this AFN may be explained by many factors. These are not only the producers wish for the attaining benefits and the consumers interest in the fresh foods, but also the specific friendly atmosphere on the farmers market. The importance of this sphere for the American food system can hardly be overestimated. The benefits of the farmers market are obvious as for the consumers as well as for the farmers. The consumers are attracted by the fresh and healthy products, and by the great variety of them, as compared with the supermarket chain.Advertising Looking for essay on agriculture? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Consumers patronize farmers markets first and foremost because of the superior quality o f the produce relative to that which may be found at regular large-scale supermarkets. 3 Low prices are another benefit of the farmers markets. It goes without saying, that the quality of the products is better than in the supermarket. For the farmers the benefit lies in the cost saving of the production transportation and in the ability of the wholesale with the large grocery companies. Moreover, sometimes the farmers are attracted by the simplicity of the trade process and the absence of the bureaucratic acrimony, as it often happens with the large companies. Not only the freshness of the products, but also the direct contact of the consumer with the farmers were the main factors, which guaranteed the farmers markets popularity. Moreover, this AFN profited the development of the local agricultural sector and for the development of the local economy. Qazi and Selfa in their research found out that the major part of the customers were attracted by the freshness of the products and b y the great possibility of choice, rather than money economy. 4 At the same time, it must be admitted that there are several definite problems with which the producers of the agricultural products face. Industrialization is one of them. Historically the structure of agriculture in America was organized on the basis of the hereditary system which was â€Å"a powerful and effective form of economic organization†5. Such a structure was not only the basis of the economic wealth, but also the â€Å"important social and political value to the development of our nation†.6Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Farmers Market specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Last time, there is a tendency for changing of this agricultural structure. In the present time, the circumstances force farmers to increase the output of the production. It leads to the industrialization and the commercialization of the agricultural structur e. According to the statistic research the amount of farms are constantly decreasing. Such a tendency constitutes a menace to the existing of the farmers markets. The problem is not only in reducing the amount of farms. At the present day, a great deal of farmers in order to be competitive use the modern technologies. The industrialization of the agricultural sector often leads to the usage of the genetic engineering in farming. Many researches state that the industrialization possesses a definite threat to farming. In spite the fact that the influence of it on the global economy of the country is doubtful, Hamilton proposes several ways to sustain it at least in the agricultural sphere. First, it is necessary to reignite the debate over the industrialization7 in order the society to understand all its consequences. Secondly, it is necessary to regulate some economic relations, such as the use of the contract production in the cattle breeding. Moreover, there must be implemented a c ertain regulatory environment for the farmers protection. In spite all these negative factors, it is necessary to mention some positive events in the sphere of the farming. Not so long ago, there appeared several farming independent organizations such as the American Farm Bureau Federation, or the National Corn Growers Association.Advertising Looking for essay on agriculture? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Though the tendency for the industrialization of the agricultural field is still high, the consumers’ interest for the fresh agrarian products does not subside. With the development of the industrialization, the price for the natural products becomes a less significant factor for the consumer. The interest to this AFN will promote the appearance of the new markets. Bibliography Hamilton, Neil. Agriculture Without Farmers? Is Industrialization Restructuring American Food Production and Threatening the Future of Sustainable Agriculture?. Northern Illinois University Law preview 14. (1994): 613-657 Porter, Michael. Location, Competition, and Economic Development: Local Clusters in a Global Economy. Economic Development Quarterly 14, no. 15. (2000): 15-34. Taylor, Davis and Chad Mille. Rethinking local business clusters: the case of food clusters for promoting community development. Community Development 41, no.1. (2010): 108-120. Spitzer, Thomas and Henry Baum. â€Å"Public Mar kets and Community Revitalization†. The Urban Land Institute and Project for Public Spaces 10. (1995):29-69. Qazi, Joan and Theresa Selfa. â€Å"The Politics of Building Alternative Agro-food Networks in the Belly of Agro-industry†. University of Exeter in Cornwall, and Utah State University 14. (2004):46-71. Footnotes 1 Davis Taylor and Chad Mille, Rethinking local business clusters: the case of food clusters for promoting community development, Community Development 41, no.1, (2010): 114. 2 Thomas Spitzer and Henry Baum, â€Å"Public Markets and Community Revitalization†, The Urban Land Institute and Project for Public Spaces 10, (1995):41 3 Michael Porter, Location, Competition, and Economic Development: Local Clusters in a Global Economy, Economic Development Quarterly 14, no. 15, (2000): 16. 4 Joan Quazi and Theresa Selfa, â€Å"The Politics of Building Alternative Agro-food Networks in the Belly of Agro-industry†, University of Exeter in Cornwall, an d Utah State University 14, (2004):52. 5 Neil Hamilton, Agriculture Without Farmers? Is Industrialization Restructuring American Food Production and Threatening the Future of Sustainable Agriculture?, Northern Illinois University Law preview 14, (1994): 614 6 Ibid., 614. 7 Ibid., 648

Monday, October 21, 2019

Health of Australias Indigenous People Essay Example

Health of Australias Indigenous People Essay Example Health of Australias Indigenous People Paper Health of Australias Indigenous People Paper Essay Topic: The Healers The health of Australia’s Indigenous peoples is documented to be of third world standard. This paper identifies and highlights the factors that influence Aboriginal health and wellbeing. It explores and analyses how Aboriginal health, as a reflection of the broader social, economic, political and environmental factors, is influenced by colonialism, not just historically but as a living legacy. It discusses the continuing influence of colonialism in Aboriginal health policy and practice and how this has been an obstacle to Aboriginal health improvement. Strategies for health improvement, guided by the principle of self-determination and primary health care are discussed. Consideration is given to the voices of Aboriginal Health Workers on Aboriginal health issues and the importance of those voices as an expression of self-determination. The negative influences of colonialism still exist today. Broome (1994 pg 23) states; â€Å"the meeting of two people from different cultures is bound to be marked by misunderstanding†. The nature of exchanges and responses of Europeans and Indigenous Australians happened as a gradual process throughout the early 1800’s. The processes of colonisation had such an impact on those already here. It is only now, that non-indigenous Australians are starting to understand the breadth and magnitude of this process. The notion of Terra Nullius was created and the great Southland was considered wasteland, unoccupied and belonging to no one. Reynolds (1987 pg 167) says, ‘Some settlers resolved the contradictions concerning the place of the Aborigines in European society by assuming that Australia had been before 1788, ‘waste and uncultivated’, a terra nullius or land without owners’. Despite this common belief, there was immediate resistance by Aboriginal people. Where former history was once of passive agreement and welcoming to the foreshores, history records the violent confrontations between Indigenous people and the colonialists with the overwhelming brutality of all but few of the new arrivals. It is not possible to comprehend the current status of Aboriginal Health and wellbeing without first acknowledging the legacies and treatment of Aboriginal people in this country since European invasion. There are many arguments for and against the notion that Aboriginal Australia was never invaded and that it was only a process of colonisation. Some argue that European colonisation was an act of genocide and was in fact an invasion with the intention to take over and repopulate Aboriginal Australia. Reynolds (cited in Reed and Trompt, 1991 page 5) says that ‘in addition to killing ‘twenty thousand blacks before federation’ and many more in the twentieth century as the frontier moved north and west in the Northern Territory and Western Australia), the conquerors launched three pronged attack on the health and welfare of Aborigines’. The first fleet brought with it, a cargo of disease that Aboriginal people had not experienced and diseases such as scurvy, mumps and typhus killed large numbers of Aboriginal people. Reed and Trompt (1991 page 5) suggest that Europeans ‘introduced new diseases, some immediately fatal, others fatal in the long term’. Further, ‘taking away ancestral land, thus causing psychological illness and spiritual despair’; and ‘by herding Aborigines into small reserves and settlements, destroying their healthy lifestyle and substituting conditions and diet poorer that those of the poorest newcomers’. To understand the impact on ones health, it’s important to conceptualise the meaning of health and what it means to have a ‘healthy lifestyle’. The Macquarie Dictionary (1993 pg 189) defines the meaning of health as (1. ‘ Soundness of body; Freedom from disease or ailment’) or (2. ‘The general condition of the body or mind’). Western medicine tends to use a disease model for treating patients with more activity centred on a particular illness or focus on a part of a body that is abnormal. The World Health Organisation defines health as; â€Å"Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity†. In other words, it is not just the absence of sickness and disease, but a complete state of physical, mental, social wellbeing’. One could argue that this definition does not cover the aspect of spiritual wellbeing. Spiritual wellbeing or ‘traditional healing’ plays an integral role in Aboriginal health today and is only now recognised and practiced by health professions across the state. Certain members of an Aboriginal community are often referred to as traditional healers. In many Aboriginal communities across Australia there are people who are seen to have magical powers. They have the ability to ‘sing’ someone, causing serious illness and even death. On the other hand, it can also be used to heal and bring someone out of sickness and infirmity. ‘More recently, greater understanding of the sociomedical theories of the Aboriginal healing system illuminate better the role of the traditional healer. In Aboriginal communities, healers are individuals who possess healing and divination powers which can be used for the benefit of the community’. (Reed and Trompt, 1991, page 313) The social and cultural dislocation experienced by Aboriginal people has indefinably had a profound effected on Aboriginal peoples mental well being. The word powerlessness and hopelessness comes to ones mind when consideration is given to the destruction that came from ‘European invasion’. The rippling effects of ‘European invasion’ can be seen today. One would only have to read the newspapers and textbooks to see such effects. These effects however, could be viewed as stresses that lead to mental ill health. Most stresses that lead to mental health are also economic. Most mental disorders have their highest prevalence in the lowest socioeconomic class. Research gives evidence that high proportions of Aboriginal population live in low socioeconomic or marginalised regions. Reed and Trompt (1991, page 249) says ‘The stress experienced by Aboriginal communities has been attributed to factors such as the marginal social and economic status of most Aboriginal communities’. It could then be argued that Aboriginal people as a whole experience a much lower standard of living than other Australians. Economic stress can lead to psychological stress. For instance, high unemployment, or rather, a lack of significant experience, extreme poverty, severe housing shortages, family violence, high crime rates, sexually transmitted diseases, alcoholism and malnutrition are all contributing factors to ones ill-health. As mentioned earlier, it is important to recognise Aboriginal health from social view. A social view of health is embedded within the Primary Health Care philosophy. It alters its focus to recognise the environment in which a person lives. The social view of health recognises that if people are poor, are living in an unhealthy environment or have no power over their lives, they will continue to get sick, no matter how many hospitals are built. While Aboriginal people in Australia have been setting a benchmark in Aboriginal medical services, other people throughout the world have been looking at different ways to provide health care. They have been realising that health services were only providing adequate care for those people who had power and money. Millions of poor, homeless or powerless people throughout the world were sick or dying because their needs were not being met. In 1978, the World Health Organisation held a conference on health in Alma-Ata in the USSR. People from 134 nations, including Australia, met to talk about their experiences and ways to make people healthier. They decided to call this new approach ‘Primary Health Care’. Out of this conference came a document called the ‘Declaration of Alma-Ata’. The Alama-Ata declaration talked about what Primary Health Care is and how changes could be made to health services around the world to improve health. The delegates at the Alama-Ata conference stated that ‘health is a basic human right’. The declaration called for a different approach to health and for health care to give equal share of health resources to all people. In 1989 the National Aboriginal Health Strategy was released and endorsed by all health and Aboriginal Affairs ministers. It was the biggest and most comprehensive report into Aboriginal health that had ever been undertaken. Its overall aim was to work towards increasing the access of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People to health services by the year 2000. It strongly supported the role of Aboriginal Health Workers and the development of Primary Health care services in Aboriginal communities. The report recognised that the most successful services are those that are controlled by the community rather than by government departments. Another policy response was the Royal Commission into Black Deaths in Custody, (1991, AGPS, Canberra) This â€Å"Royal Commission† was set up to investigate why so many Aboriginal people die in jail and police stations. In doing so it collected much information on the physical and mental health and living conditions of Aboriginal people. Several recommendations were aimed at improving the current health services and acknowledging the importance of Aboriginal Health Professionals. Both the National Aboriginal Health Strategy and The Royal Commission into Black Deaths in Custody reports have been criticised, for although they identify many problems, few changes have occurred. It is one thing to come up with recommendations; it’s how you implement them that really counts. It takes more than Government policies to affect change, community attitude and commitment are fundamental to social change. One could ask, who determines whether or not a recommendation has been implemented Successfully, and how is it reviewed to keep its status in a western dominant culture. Money does not change the way people relate to one another nor does it rule out hidden racism. One might implement all the recommendations in the Black Deaths in Custody report, but it still doesn’t change peoples negative opinions and attitudes toward Aboriginal people. Aboriginal people have been fighting for Social Justice for years and it’s still a major priority for the community as well as other human service workers. Human service workers can play a key role in bringing about change. The secret often lays in the principles of community development. Taking community action is a way that empowers a community. Community development is a tool that can be used to bring social change. Aboriginal people have had decades of change (â€Å"injustices†) being forced upon them. The only real way for change to be constructive today is for it to come from and involve Aboriginal people. Consensus building, empowerment, participation and social movement are all community development principles that are important in creating positive social change and addressing social justice issues. Self-determination and empowerment means having power over resources, decision making, relationships, and information. It is with this power, Aboriginal people are only now, starting to carve out a pathway for the next generation. My findings show that early history and views of Aboriginal people have influenced the way in which Aboriginal people are viewed and treated today. Decisions made in life are based on what is known or perceived as being the correct answer. Thus many decisions and views of Aboriginal people today are learned through education and information from past history. These views and decisions have disadvantaged Aboriginal people over the years, but they are also key factors in unlocking the answer to addressing past injustices. Prejudices and racial discrimination issues are often seen as issues that compound on the social wellbeing of Aboriginal people, thus making it harder to access services and maintain positive self-esteem and image. There are so many myths and beliefs about Aboriginal people that influence our service delivery today in both government and non-government sectors. Views and perceptions of early history linger in our society today because of ignorance. The status of Aboriginal health and wellbeing among Aboriginal people today can be looked at in terms of Aboriginal history and European invasion. The continuous effects of European invasion inevitably affected the lives of hundreds and thousands of Aboriginal people. These effects are evident in our society today. The National Inquiry into Black Deaths in Custody highlights a series of recommendations that refer to the betterment of Aboriginal health, with most still needing to be implemented. The health of Indigenous Australians is of third world standard in this country, and its not just an Aboriginal issue, it’s a political one. Allan Sumner Reference: Reed and Trompt, 1991, The Health Of Aboriginal Australia, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Group (Australia) Pty Ltd. Reynolds, Henry 1987 (Frontier) page 167, Allen Unwin Australia Pty Ltd. The Royal Commission into Black Deaths in Custody, 1991, AGPS, Canberra Three Years On, Implementation of Commonwealth Government Responses to the Recommendations of the Royal Commission into Black Deaths in Custody, Vol 2, pages 491 – 534. World Health Organisation, 1978, Primary Health Care: Report of the International conference of primary health care, Alma-Ata, USSR 6-12 September, WHO.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Famous Christmas Poems in German and English

Famous Christmas Poems in German and English Many German poems celebrate the Christmas holiday. Among the best are three well-known and short verses by the great poets Rainer Marie Rilke, Anne Ritter, and Wilhelm Busch. Though they were written over a century ago, they remain favorites today. Here you will find the original poems in German as well as the English translations. These are not necessarily  literal translations as some poetic liberty was taken in a few places to retain the voice and style of the poets. "Advent" by Rainer Marie Rilke Rainer Marie Rilke (1875–1926) was destined for the military, but an insightful uncle pulled the Prague-born student from a military academy and set him up for a literary career. Before entering Charles University in Prague, Rilke had published his first volume of poetry entitled Leben and Lieder (Life and Songs). Rilke spent years traveling around Europe, had met Tolstoy in Russia, and found lyrical poetry while in Paris. Among his best-known works  were Das Stunden Buch (The Book of Hours, 1905) and  Sonnets of Orpheus (1923). The prolific poet was admired by fellow artists but otherwise generally unrecognized by the public.   Advent was one of Rilkes earliest poems, written in 1898. Es treibt der Wind im Winterwaldedie Flockenherde wie ein Hirt,und manche Tanne ahnt, wie baldesie fromm und lichterheilig wird,und lauscht hinaus. Den weißen Wegenstreckt sie die Zweige hin - bereit,und wehrt dem Wind und wchst entgegender einen Nacht der Herrlichkeit. English Translation of Advent The wind in the winter white foresturges the snowflakes along like a shepherd,and many a fir tree senseshow soon she holy and sacredly lighted will be,and so listens carefully. She extends her branchestowards the white paths – ever ready,resisting the wind and growing towardsthat great night of glory. "Vom Christkind" by Anne Ritter Anne Ritter (1865–1921) was born Anne Nuhn in Coburg, Bavaria. Her family moved to New York City while she was still young, but she returned to Europe to attend boarding schools. Married to Rudolf Ritter in 1884, Ritter settled in Germany. Ritter is known for her lyrical poetry and Vom Christkind is one of her best-known works. It is often referenced using the first line as the title, commonly translated as I think I saw the Christ Child. It is a very popular German poem thats often recited at Christmas time. Denkt euch, ich habe das Christkind gesehen!Es kam aus dem Walde, das Mà ¼tzchen voll Schnee, mit rotgefrorenem Nschen.Die kleinen Hnde taten ihm weh,denn es trug einen Sack, der war gar schwer,schleppte und polterte hinter ihm her.Was drin war, mà ¶chtet ihr wissen?Ihr Naseweise, ihr Schelmenpack-denkt ihr, er wre offen, der Sack?Zugebunden, bis oben hin!Doch war gewiss etwas Schà ¶nes drin!Es roch so nach Äpfeln und Nà ¼ssen! English Translation of From the Christ Child Can you believe it! I have seen the Christ child.He came out of the forest, his hat full of snow,With a red frosted nose.His little hands were sore,Because he carried a heavy sack,That he dragged and lugged behind him,What was inside, you want to know?So you think the sack was openyou cheeky, mischievous bunch?It was bound, tied at the topBut there was surely something good insideIt smelled so much like apples and nuts. "Der Stern" by Wilhelm Busch Wilhelm Busch (1832–1908) was born in Widensahl, Hanover in Germany. Better known for his drawings, he was also a poet and combining the two led to his most famous work. Busch is considered the godfather of German comics. His success came after developing short and humorous drawings adorned with comedic lyrics. The famous childrens series, Max and Moritz, was his  debut and is said to be the precursor to the modern comic strip. He is honored today with the Wilhelm Busch German Museum of Caricature   Drawing Art in Hanover. The poem Der Stern remains a favorite recitation during the holiday season and has a wonderful rhythm in its original German. Htt einer auch fast mehr Verstandals wie die drei Weisen aus dem Morgenlandund ließe sich dà ¼nken, er wre wohl niedem Sternlein nachgereist, wie sie;dennoch, wenn nun das Weihnachtsfestseine Lichtlein wonniglich scheinen lßt,fllt auch auf sein verstndig Gesicht,er mag es merken oder nicht,ein freundlicher Strahldes Wundersternes von dazumal. English Translation: The Star If someone had almost more understandingthan the three Wise Men from the OrientAnd actually thought that he would never have followed the star like them,Nevertheless when the Christmas SpiritLets its light blissfully shine,Thus illuminating his intelligent face,He may notice it or not -A friendly beamFrom the miracle star of long ago.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Designing and Developing an e-Learning Course Research Paper

Designing and Developing an e-Learning Course - Research Paper Example Since the world is becoming a global community, a new world order has forced educational institutions to focus the curricula to meet the expectations of a heightened educational system. Based on these pressures, wise and thoughtful leadership is crucial to ensure curriculum decisions made are responsive to the changing demands of the education sector. Educators need a wide knowledge base regarding curriculum theory, inquiry, and development. Educators also need to understand the change processes that are set to meet the high requirements of education. Therefore, this course is designed to develop a foundation of decision making that blends the origins of education and curriculum with the currents needs and expectations in education. EDU 577 is designed to help students view, analyze and interpret the curriculum and related instructions of education institutions and develop relevant skills that may help bring change in society. EDU 577 is an e-learning course that will be taught fully online. Learners will be expected to complete assigned text readings from the main text and other online readings related to the course sequence of the selected curriculum topics. The course will be very participatory in nature. Teaching of the course will be in the form of curriculum topics in which the students will complete assigned activities under each topic. Students will conduct independent research and write paper or report at the end of the course. Students should interact, participate and contribute towards the success of the course. I. This course aims at helping the students explore the writings and arguments of various scholars and theorists in education. Such understanding will help examine the curricula from various perspectives III. The course aims at ensuring that the students refine their knowledge and analytical skills in understanding how the various components of instruction - curriculum, teacher, students

Friday, October 18, 2019

Organizational strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Organizational strategy - Essay Example Strategic information technology outlines a company’s mission objectives and goals. On the other hand, it implies that information technology changes how a company competes in the industry. Competent organizational strategy facilitates a company to create an organization efficient of delivering its oversight. Charlesmore Partners International (2008) asserts that it needs a combination of analyzing and thinking by comparing the state at which the company is at the moment, to a desired state and analyzes the gap, and capabilities to execute which make the changes to happen. Key purposes include: The prorogated structure of the company which shows the reach extensions, re configurations and strategic correlation that are required to deliver the adopted strategy. The new skills and potentials needed, knowing how they will influence workforce combination, talent possession and advancement needs; which serviceable capability advancement will be all-important. The necessary talent management practice to form a high achievable workforce. It shows the adjustments needed to design a climate that enlivens and retains the whole organization for peak execution. The business operating culture which shows how it might require changing the value program and performing style needed. The work results required and a way of attaining them. The decided combination and fit of all operating actions to give an assurance of total enterprise adjustment to the purpose of attaining it.

Critical Discussion of Two Urban Dark Tourism Sites Based On Death and Essay

Critical Discussion of Two Urban Dark Tourism Sites Based On Death and Disaster - Essay Example Memories about war, disasters, and battle sites have produced interests, curiosity, and adventurism among many tourists. Urban dark tourism therefore constitutes a field that is emerging powerfully, involving people around the world traveling towards sites, attractions, and events that have association in one way or the other with death, suffering, violence, or disaster (Stone, 2005). Wight (2006) notes that interpretation, marketing, and production of dark tourism products in the modern world is huge. However, inevitability of debate concerning political and ethical issues of the concept remains live and unavoidable (Sharpley, 2009, p.5). Due to this observation, this research paper aims to critically discuss ethical and political issues of two urban dark tourism products/sites that emerge as a result of interpreting, marketing, and producing the two dark tourism products or sites. ... Examples of key areas explored by authors that can be categorized as dark tourist sites include; cemeteries, battlegrounds, sites of deaths of celebrities, places disasters have taken place, prisons, chambers where torture has taken place, genocide sites, and memorials (Bigley, Lee, Chon, and Yoon, 2010). Dark tourism has grown and its implications exhibit interplay between various structures of; political, social, and cultural conditions of the society (Stone and Sharpley, 2008) and today bountiful potential exists in dark tourism as a result of media and communication technologies (Sharpley, 2009). Emergence of dark tourism is associated with emergence of post-modernism concept, together with its elements of communication and globalization (Huggan, 2009). What this means is that, dark tourism is regarded to be a product of post-modern culture that has been conceived and reared by global communications networks, anxieties about modernity and the general emphasis on commoditization. Presence of global communication technologies has been effective in creating the basic interest among tourist to visit these areas (Lennon and Foley, 2000). Apart from the role communication technologies play, it also appears that dark tourism sites possess ability to introduce anxiety and doubt about the project of modernity (Smith, MacLeod, and Robertson, 2009). Lastly, in consuming dark tourism products, post-modernism culture combines education with elements of commoditization and commercial ethic where visiting dark sites is perceived to constitute an opportunity to achieve mediated goals of tourism consumption. Dark tourism does not enjoy rosy ride, rather, there has been tendency among some

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Urban studies- Theories of Poverty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Urban studies- Theories of Poverty - Essay Example The principle cause of this is the lack of proper socioeconomic structures that should be set up by leaders. Supporters of the fact that poverty is a consequence of structures argue that it is built in the political and economic structure in the capitalist society in the U.S. It is the political and economic structures that bring about poverty and not individual problems or the temporary weakness of the economy. As such, Linn (par 1-3) indicates that the issue of poverty in numerous cities in America has remained a stubborn element in spite of the prescription of varied public policies. Also, the situation has remained constant for a long time regardless of the many efforts that have been put to reduce the problem. Instead of helping to deal with the poverty problem, the economic, political and social factors have elevated the position instead. This paper will reveal how the poor have remained poor as a result of the political and economic structures, which are the main causes of pov erty as opposed to its linkage to pathology or accidents. The issue of urban poverty in the contemporary economic environment has been highlighted through the use of various media. It is widely portrayed as an element in the ghetto or barrio areas in the towns and has been connected with a number of causes and consequences in large-scale socioeconomic perspectives. In the US, the causes of urban poverty include inadequate human capital, discrimination in relation to race, and gender. However, the main cause lies in the economic and political structure such as the Federal Reserve. Slight changes can either elevate or prevent poverty such as change in oil prices that came as a shock between 1974 and 1994 in the U.S (Ni and Kresl 37). Within the economic field, the main reasons for the shift and increase in poverty levels include changes in technology and the organization within most manufacturing companies. In addition, there has been a relative growth in the

Problems Faced by a Fictional Organization in which the Solutions are Term Paper

Problems Faced by a Fictional Organization in which the Solutions are Presented by Knowledge of the Core Learning Outcomes - Term Paper Example Efficiency means to achieve the best results using the minimum amount of resources. Effectiveness implies being able to perform a work task good and in a timely manner. Recycling is a practice that increases the efficiency of the company by processing the recycled material and subsequently using it as raw material for production. Recycling is one if the hottest green practices throughout the world because it is safeguarding our natural resources by reducing the consumption in the limited reserves of certain important commodities such as petroleum. A second example of efficiency is after a downsizing strategy being able to produce the same output with a lower amount of workers. A third example of efficiency could be changing the inventory acquisition strategy of the company to a just-in-time mechanism. Another example of efficiency is performing inventory audits to determine the presence of expired or obsolete merchandise would should disposed off and written off the accounting books. A person is effective when they select to purchase at the same store instead of shopping at three or more places because the customer achieves time and gasoline. Effectiveness can be achieved in the workplace by sharing the work tasks in an equal manner without forcing one employee of doing too much. â€Å"The four functions of management are plan, organize, direct, and control† (Rue & Byars, 2011). Planning involves creating objectives, goals, and action plans for the future. In finance the use of pro-forma financial statements is an example of planning because it provides forecasts of financial statements for future period of time. Pro forma financial statements are typically prepared up to three years in the future. Planning can also be used to estimate the resource the company is going to need in the future. When an organization visits college campus to recruit students they are planning for their future human resource needs. Budgets are prepared to determine what purcha ses a company must perform during a fiscal year. The second function of management is organizing. The resources of the company must be well organized in order to optimize its use (Buzzle, 2011). An example of an organization practice dealing with human resources is separating employees in work groups. Managers that are organized a better able to deal with the pressures and stress the profession causes. The third managerial function is directing. Managers direct their employees through motivation. Direction also means overseen the work performed by the workers in the company. Direction works best when the employees are able to provide feedback and can contradict the manager without any repercussion for expressing their opinion. The fourth managerial function is control. Control can be achieved by providing specific guideless and processes to perform at work. Control involves evaluating the employees work and taking corrective actions to fix the problems. Controls mechanism can be use d to safe guard the assets of the company to put cameras at point of sale terminals and in the warehouse where the inventory is located. Leadership and management are two completely different concepts, but they are often interconnected. â€Å"Leadership can define as a special case of interpersonal influence that gets an individual or group to do what the dealer wants

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Urban studies- Theories of Poverty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Urban studies- Theories of Poverty - Essay Example The principle cause of this is the lack of proper socioeconomic structures that should be set up by leaders. Supporters of the fact that poverty is a consequence of structures argue that it is built in the political and economic structure in the capitalist society in the U.S. It is the political and economic structures that bring about poverty and not individual problems or the temporary weakness of the economy. As such, Linn (par 1-3) indicates that the issue of poverty in numerous cities in America has remained a stubborn element in spite of the prescription of varied public policies. Also, the situation has remained constant for a long time regardless of the many efforts that have been put to reduce the problem. Instead of helping to deal with the poverty problem, the economic, political and social factors have elevated the position instead. This paper will reveal how the poor have remained poor as a result of the political and economic structures, which are the main causes of pov erty as opposed to its linkage to pathology or accidents. The issue of urban poverty in the contemporary economic environment has been highlighted through the use of various media. It is widely portrayed as an element in the ghetto or barrio areas in the towns and has been connected with a number of causes and consequences in large-scale socioeconomic perspectives. In the US, the causes of urban poverty include inadequate human capital, discrimination in relation to race, and gender. However, the main cause lies in the economic and political structure such as the Federal Reserve. Slight changes can either elevate or prevent poverty such as change in oil prices that came as a shock between 1974 and 1994 in the U.S (Ni and Kresl 37). Within the economic field, the main reasons for the shift and increase in poverty levels include changes in technology and the organization within most manufacturing companies. In addition, there has been a relative growth in the

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Movement of substances across the cell membrane Assignment

Movement of substances across the cell membrane - Assignment Example In the hypertonic and hypotonic solutions, more water molecules repeatedly strike the cell membrane from the side with a high solute concentration, meaning that more water molecules will be forced to pass through the pores of the semi-permeable membrane (Sperelakis, 2001). As a result of this, the water molecules move from the side with high water concentration to the side with a low water concentration until the two sides are equally concentrated. The final solution is called an isotonic solution. Looking at the cell membrane itself, it can be seen that its composition allows for the selective movement of only certain substances. The osmotic pressure in the different cells ensures that the process of osmosis is continued until all the cells in the organism are of equal concentrations. As already mentioned, the semi permeability of the cell membrane allows only for the passage of certain particles, and in the case of the organism, it only allows for the passage of water molecules. Th is means that the process of osmosis is used to equalize the concentration of solutions in the body cells and their environment.   b.  Phagocytosis One of the other process by which cell movement is achieved is through phagocytosis, which is the process by which cells engulf foreign particles and ingest them by virtue of their power of amoeboid movement (Sperelakis, 2001). The movement due to phagocytosis is two way, from the point at which the cell moves towards the invading organism to the point when the organism is engulfed into the cell. In most organisms, this process was used for nutrition, but higher organisms have developed it to be used for other functions like fighting disease in the body. In the process, the cell is attracted towards the microbe that needs to be ingested through a process of chemotaxia, which means that the microbe is identified through a chemical signature that attracts the cell. This process is called activation of

Monday, October 14, 2019

Monopoly and American values Essay Example for Free

Monopoly and American values Essay In societies all over the world the board game Monopoly is played by children and adults. The Parker Brother’s game has been sold in 37 different languages; over 200 million copies have been sold, is claimed to be the most popular game, and has also been sold in 103 countries. In America millions have played and is a normal and acceptable â€Å"American Past Time. † From a functionalist perspective the board game teaches and expresses many of the American values such as; equal opportunity, personal achievement and success, obtaining material comfort, progress, and the idea of democracy and free enterprise. The functionalist perspective represents society as system containing various parts that all work together to achieve social solidarity. In a post-industrial society, how does the game of Monopoly socialize people to the American Values? Society sure does function together and is well structured for the benefit of citizens, government, and entrepreneurs. The board game Monopoly has many rules and norms. There have even been Monopoly Etiquette Guides written for the serious players as well as tournament players. The recommended age for play is eight years of age and older and a minimum of two players. In America most of those with siblings of children understand how wrong a game of Monopoly can turn into a big fight. The rules of the game are pretty easy to follow. The object of the game is to become the wealthiest player through buying, renting and selling property. Each player is given $1500 to begin the game. A player must be elected to be the banker and sell property, houses, hotels, and pay the $200 salary that is collected each time a player passes go. The banker is also responsible for collecting fines and taxes owed. The spaces on the board are all labeled and include; GO, Jail, Chance, Community Chest, Taxes, Free Parking, and pay rent when landing on an opponent’s improved property. Each player is represented by a token which is a symbol of the game. These include; a wheel barrow, a car, an iron, a thimble, a cowboy on a horse, a dog , a pot of gold, a top hat, a ship, a boot, or a cannon. Each player is subject to going bankrupt, therefore increasing the other player’s chance of finding wealth. American society is very similar to the game of Monopoly. Players are socialized to these ideas which represent the values of America. Equal opportunity is taught by everyone beginning with the same amount of money, $1500, as well as $200 salary collected with each rotation around the board. Personal achievement and success is demonstrated on becoming the wealthiest player and to own the most property. Striving and working for material comfort is taught through collecting a salary and improving your owned properties, as well as collecting rent. Progress is a value in America that is evaluated by members of society on a daily basis. Progress in the game Monopoly is measured by wealth and property owned and creating a monopoly on resources, buildings, and property. The last important American value taught to players is democracy and free enterprise. The consensus of Monopoly is that it is a fun game to play. The manifest function of Monopoly is to entertain a group of players whether they are children, adolescents, or adults. The latent function is teaching players to think solely of themselves and not their neighbor who they should help. Greed is taught due to the emphasis of becoming the wealthiest player. The most witnessed latent function of Monopoly being causing dishonesty, anger, and even fighting between competitors. Although there are some negatives against the game the most important role is promoting social solidarity by encouraging a better community effort. Progress takes everyone’s help not just a few. Two options were given for a research assignment at the beginning of the course. Option one was to choose a category from; film, sports, or advertising. The second option was to read a book outside of class that focuses on Wal-Mart, minimum wage jobs for women, or how fast food has created a â€Å"now† demand for all of America’s services. The option selected for a personal interest was sports. More specifically how gender plays a role in the racing world. How are women and men treated differently? A major focus will be on drag racing and how times have changed as far as who can and cannot race as demonstrated by NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) Drag Racing. In conclusion Monopoly helps teach and spread the ideas of American culture. Players are to become the wealthiest and may have a higher social status as they can win Monopoly. A study in 2005 found that American’s value self expression more than survival. (Macionis pg. 49) This is even taught through Monopoly by being able to select how you build your property and by picking your game piece to represent yourself. A comparative study found that in 1969 the goal of first year college students was to â€Å"Develop a meaningful philosophy of life† in contrast to 2005 first year college students are wanting â€Å"to be very well off financially†. (Macionis pg. 56) Today in America having wealth is sought by all citizens but few find extreme wealth. According to the values of American’s material comfort should be worked for and can be more important than survival. With the ideas of democracy and free enterprise being key concepts of the game it is not surprising to find that globally approximately 46% of the worlds countries are â€Å"politically free†. (Macionis pg. 44) Although the game has been published in 37 different languages, English is a very common first language as well as a common second language across the globe. (Macionius pg. 47) Following the same thought nearly all of the United States speaks English or Spanish in the home. (Macionius pg. 56)This allows for the further acknowledgement of the American Values to many societies. Overall the game of Monopoly socializes people of many cultures to the American values. All of the American values encourage a person to think personally rather than globally.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Bernard Williams Analysis Of A Thought Experiment Philosophy Essay

Bernard Williams Analysis Of A Thought Experiment Philosophy Essay The thought experiment that Bernard Williams mentioned in his work A Critique of Utilitarianism to establish that utilitarianism is an incoherent and unintelligible theory of morality and does not hold much ground, especially when it comes to decision making under pressure and in high risk situations. But it crumbles altogether when once integrity and moral compass is at stake. This paper will explore some arguments related to the thought experiment that Bernard Williams has illustrated highlighting both the scenarios of George accepting and rejecting the job offer and how it affects his morality. It will also compare the utilitarian view point in the light of this thought experiment with other moral view points to establish that all theories do not fulfill all the criteria of a complete moral theory and does not fulfill our psychological and emotional needs. Suppose if George accepts the job offer. By accepting the offer at the chemical and biological warfare lab, George will certainly provide economic prosperity to his family (as he going through tough time), additionally he will also once get the job will be able to better influence the work of the lab, by either slowing down the process and/or building up support at the lab to deliberately protract the process. All these actions of George will lead to a greater utility as he will become an instrument in increasing utility and decreasing harm by slowing down the process. He will also be able to provide a better future for his family thereby reducing suffering which could have been caused to him and his family should he not have accepted the job offer. It seems like that from a utilitarian point of view this is an ideal situation. However, Bernard Williams argues against this position. He says that even though it seems that everyone is benefiting from Georges decision, for him it is not a good choice as it will alienate him from his projects that define him. In other words, as George is opposed to biological and chemical weapon, as he has to forsake his integrity in order to take a decision to accept the job offer. Bernard Williams call this as ones projects and argues that one must not forsake ones integrity and values which define us. George in this case has a deep rooted belief against biological and chemical weapons (their production and use) and should not forsake this. He sates: It is absurd to demand of such a man, when the sums come in from the utility network which the projects of others have in part determined, that he should just step aside from his own project and decision and acknowledge the decision which utilitarian calculation requires. It is to alienate him in a real sense from his actions and the source of his action in his own convictions. It is to make him into a channel between the input of everyones projects, including his own, and an output of optimific decision; but this is to neglect the extent to which his actions and his decisions have to be seen as the actions and decisions which flow from the projects and attitudes with which he is most closely identified. It is thus, in the most literal sense, and attack on his integrity. It is prudent at this stage to state a few points about the thought experiment itself, as a utilitarian could argue against their need. Thought experiments are a good way to provide us with a way of producing knowledge by stepping out of the domain of the real and day to day affairs. They can be seen as an instrument of judgment of possibility as well as consideration of conceivability. However, they are constrictive in nature, and arbitrarily cut off and restrict the range of choices available to decide on a course of action. This thought experiment, is reflective of all the constraints related to thought experiments in general but in particular it distances us from the consequences making it remote to the action that he will take, thereby it is difficult to assess from a practical point of view whether the thought experiment is of significance or not. The author has intentionally given little background as to how George has landed into this situation and thus has opened a wide arra y of generalization and universal applicability inhibiting the use of imagination and intuition. Martin Bunzl provides an interesting viewpoint regarding thought experiments related to ethics and especially to consequentialist theories in general, require a level of detail usually lacking in thought experiments. And it is the attempt to provide the missing detail (both consequentialist facts and the weightings on those facts) that yields the paradigm of a thought experiment that is out of control  [1]   This is an interesting take as the whole idea of providing missing information is to make us see a different paradigm not apparent in the thought experiment itself. Now lets see the scenario from a different vintage point. Suppose George does not accept the job offer as he is an ardent believer in safeguarding the world from biological and chemical weapons. In this case he has listened to his moral voice. However, even in this case (when George is not taking an action by not accepting the position) he is responsible for action through the doctrine of negative responsibility. Consequentialism will not recognize the difference between George not taking the job offer and safeguarding his integrity on one hand but has allowed someone else to take up the job (who is for the use of biological and chemical weapons) thereby is equally responsible for the harm that may cause. It doesnt make any difference if the action is taken by George or the other person as he is the one who let it happen. Looking at the broader picture keeping this thought experiment in perspective, John Rawls gives another viewpoint. The main concepts of ethics are those of right and the good. The structure of an ethical theory is, and then is largely determined by how it defines and connects these two basic notions.  [2]   From a utilitarian perspective, the right and the good is of no importance to the decision making process. But from an deontological perspective it is not the badness or the goodness of the consequence that makes it wrong but the act itself is wrong. George is not permitted to act and take any decision if it violates the deontological constraint (certain things that we must not do, even if doing it produces overall better consequences, in this case George may slow the process of weapon production and/or make a substantial effort is convincing other people to support his viewpoint). If George thinks of his act as a right act then it has to derive from its motive and as per Kant the motive is to be found in the act of duty rather than the inclination (Georges sense of duty will emerge from his strong belief against production of these weapons). Even though the action George will take will devoid him of pain and will give him pleasure but it will not be a free action and will be subject to the laws of cause and effect. If he does not take the job and if he doesnt on the idea that because he respects the moral law of so many people dying he will be the one who will eventually be the participant in it. By following a utilitarian viewpoint George has retracted his autonomy to take action, as he is bounded by the effects of what will happen, and his own will be shattered. Thereby he is not being true to himself and is losing true freedom. George may go ahead with not accepting the job offer but his contemporary will; thereby it will not be a universal principle. George should not act only because he has a duty towards others, to act and safeguard their interest; self interest is not the reason why he should do the right thing. One may also consider Georges action not to be seen in the future consequences that it will bring, but in the past as well, how he landed in this situation, what are he motives which led to him being against the development of chemical and biological weapons. There are other considerations that need to be brought in than the consequences of the action in determining what he should do. These considerations other than the value of the consequence of the action that needs to be considered in determining what he should do. A consequentialist will say to George to let the idea go as it will prevent greater harm or will do greater good. Ross  [3]  suggests that there is no universal law in this. For him one value can be overriding by another value provided it relives the distress. George action of taking up the job will be an unethical kind of expediency and will put undue pressure on George to take up the burden of morality for the whole human kind on his shoulders. Alternatively, George can see the whole issue from a different perspective altogether. He should not see the whole situation as being what is right or wrong but should focus on what is just, humane and generous. By doing this, he will not only see the moral dilemma as a focus but will be able to see his life as whole and his position in it. It will help him in acquiring a kind of a virtue and will take the stress of the moral burden of duty towards the whole mankind that he is trying to safeguard. On the other hand this approach to decision making will be more introvert with the focus on fulfilling the demands of the I rather than the combined good of all. Furthermore, it abandons the moral universal principles and gives power to the individual (in this case George) to make his own judgement. It dodges the important moral issues without assuming a definite position. Looking at this thought experiment and its conclusion, we reach a point where our approach to morality needs to be somewhere between this completely impartial and integrity-sacrificing mode and the danger of a completely subjective/relativist mode. The whole argument above clearly states that thought experiments can provide us with a way of thinking on issues but are limited in scope and should be used with caution. Thought experiments are profitably compared to compasses. A compass is a simple but useful device for determining direction. Nevertheless, it systematically errs in the presence of magnets it becomes unreliable near the North Pole, in mine shafts, when vibrated, in the presence of metal experts will wish to use the compass as one element in a wider portfolio of navigational techniques. Analogously, thought experiments are simple but useful devices for determining the status of propositions. Sadly, they systematically err under certain conditions and so are best used with sensitivity to their foibles and limited scope  [4]  

Saturday, October 12, 2019

The Daily Collegian of University Park :: Persuasive Presidential Political Politics Essays

The Daily Collegian of University Park Dear students, professors, and residents of the State College area, The 2004 presidential election is right around the corner, only several days away. This election is one of the closest races in American history. It is very hard to tell which candidate is going to win the election. Of the two presidential election candidates, John Kerry of the Democratic Party and George Bush of the Republican Party, they have totally different styles and policies. Their policies will significantly affect our future in various aspects. I will analyze each candidate and evaluate their political opinions on different issues so that everyone will have a better understanding of the two candidates. This is the election you want to participate, since your future will depend on the two candidates. Job opportunities, incomes, taxes, foreign relationships, government spending, and education will be at stake. This editorial will provide insights and information that will help voters to cast their important votes that may alter the result of this election. Let us look at John Kerry’s plan for recovering the poor American economy. John Kerry has a detailed plan for helping America to create jobs instead of enduring the high unemployment rate during the office of George W. Bush as the 43rd president of the United States. When students graduate from college, the first thing they want is job security and income. They would preferably want jobs with good wages. John Kerry will create good-paying jobs in America. According to John Kerry’s campaign website http://www.johnkerry.com, he will end tax breaks to the companies that create jobs overseas. John Kerry will create a New Job Tax Credit to encourage firms to hire the US local citizens. Also, he will increase the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.00 by 2007. With an increase of the minimum wage, the average wage is likely to go up. This will ensure that people can still make a living from working full-time in those minimum-paying jobs. His plan will reverse the current trend of job losses overseas and bring job opportunities back to America. Employment and wag es will increase under John Kerry's plan for economic recovery. In the area of education, John Kerry's plan will improve school quality and allow students to obtain higher education. He will offer schools the resources and reforms they need to give everyone, regardless of one's income, race, or family background, a great education.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Eating †Food Essay

We live in a world where there are some people that live to eat. And we live in a world where there are some people who eat to live. Also, we live in a world where people are struggling to eat in order to live. We reside in a world where there are many societies that eat different foods based on their cultures and the region of the world where they live. As humans, the majority of us eats and places our food in our mouths. In this biological process, the food is chewed and goes down into our esophagus channeling into our stomachs. This whole process affects our blood, tissues, muscles, bones, synapses and brain function. In addition, the largest organ of our bodies which is our skin is also affected with this food process by the choices of the kinds of food we eat. What is so relevant about this information? First of all, what does it matter what kind of foods we eat? Who cares? Do you think our bodies respond to the food we choose to eat knowing that this is harmful for us? Is it a habit to eat foods we were taught to eat? Have we become so accustomed to this habit that we do not venture to explore the tastes of other foods from other cultures? In America, we reside in a culture where our Western values appear to be more concerned about the taste of manufactured and processed foods. We need to explore how our ancestors nurtured the earth with natural foods to instill into our bodies. We do have a choice. We can continue to destroy our bodies with artificial ingredients or we can live healthy lives with the natural and refreshing tastes of food from our ancestor’s heritages: African, European, Asian, Latino, Mexican, Hispanic, and Middle Eastern etc. Why are these food thoughts and words necessary? Because ’Food’ weaves in and out of our novels from Shange’, Morrison, Bailey, Naylor, Marshall, Dash etc. Therefore, due to this food consciousness, the following explains how I claimed a new food journey. I have adopted the foods of the Geechee Gullah (excluding the pork) to include in my diet. As my tissues and my flesh continue to change, I am very careful what I store into my physical system. I realize how essential it is to share a food reality with young people to inform them what they eat now and continue to eat into their 30?s, 40? s and 50? s will affect not only their bodies, this will affect their spirits as well. It is not enough to come to the table in the kitchen or the dining room or the Maidah spread on the floor, relishing all the colorful and delicious foods while sharing it with family. What if food choices while eating with family, cause an illness? What if we eat too much food? Is it possible to lose our sense of connection when not eating healthy? We have to understand ‘who’ our bodies are first, in order to understand the spiritual aspects of how good food is filled with healing powers! All of this creates where we come from, who we are and where we are going. Can you, as the reader of this article explain what this writer did not include in the following questions in reference to central themes (see words in parenthesis) in our novels? Are we those that can (fly? ) Are we those that can (sing? ) Are we those that can (dance? ) Are we those that can (cook? ) Do we (connect) with our heritage? Are we those women that speak and voice the truth to our bodies and protect our flesh, knowing we are more than just flesh that embodies our blood, bones, tissues and muscles? This writer believes and says, we are a result of our ancestor’s wherever they came from†¦we are warrior women protecting our continuing journey in this world to do the right thing. We do not just live to eat. We eat food to live a life filled with â€Å"natural simple foods† as sister Bailey believes, when she shares her food ‘wisdom’ on Sapelo Island.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Nestle Case Study

NESTLE CASE STUDY With reference to the Nestle case study, provide one example which clearly illustrates a link between topics or concepts drawn from at least two pre-requisite modules. The Nestle case study provides a number of examples which illustrate links between Strategic management, Methods of Enquiry and Accounting for decision making concepts. Nestle is one of the oldest of all multinational business. Nowadays, Nestle is one of the biggest food and nutrition companies in 86 countries in the world. Hill, 2009 pp). Nestle was involved with a range of acquisitions in the last years in order to extend its line of products and try to expand on a geographical scale. Since its sales are reducing in developed markets, Nestle has the opportunity to expand business in up and coming countries, which is going to generate more profit for the company. Up and coming countries is one sector that Nestle is going to invest money in because it has the potential to be a strong and attractive ma rket.Nestle feels confident in doing so because in such countries population economy and technology has experienced a rapid growth. (Datamonitor, 2006). Nestles long-term strategy is to identify the quickly expanding countries first and get into the market as soon as possible in order to take advantage of other competitors. However, it first has to hold the leading position in the developed markets where it is currently placed. Also Nestle has to hire local managers and staff in the developing markets that understand the local market dynamic and culture.As explained above there is a link between Nestle’s strategy and the Strategic management, because companies employ managers from respective countries in the local companies due to the fact that they understand the local market dynamics. By hiring local manager they can take advantage of the local knowledge and own culture of the country. FIGURE 1 Figure 1 Source: Own diagram It is a huge advantage that Nestle works with local managers in fast rising emerging countries. As a result, Nestle will have quick results which lead to quick profits.As we can see in FIGURE 1 above, Nestle is closely related to the Strategic management module because companies will have a range of research(reports) on fast growing countries. Therefore, they will have the ability to balance the services they are able to provide (food, cereals, coffee, chocolate, drinks, ice cream, etc) (Nestle 2011), with the price that customers are willing to pay. For example, if people cannot afford the Nestle products then they will not expand in such countries but focus their attention and invest in countries where people are able to buy their products.Also, Nestle is connected with methods of enquiry with Emerging markets. Companies will have less space to roam around and make decision considering that much of their movements are controlled by the market reaction. This means that emerging markets are countries with social or business activiti es in the process of rapid growth and industrialization. The Nestle case study as clearly explained above illustrates a good link with the Strategic Management/Methods of Enquiry and the Market dynamic/Emerging markets respectively. Does it make sense for Nestle to focus its growth efforts on emerging markets? Why?The recent financial crisis that reverberated throughout the globe was a clear indicator of the interdependence and the codependence that globalization has created while simultaneously making it clear to everyone that the emerging economies, especially those that make up BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) are more resilient than western economies, thus making them engines of growth that have helped the recovery effort in the last few years. Therefore from that point of view alone it can be stated that yes, Nestle’s strategy to focus its growth efforts in developing or emerging markets is indeed a sound one.However this does not mean that the ability of these mar kets to recover faster than the western economies should bebe sole reason for such a decision. Rather there are many more and varying reasons that need to be taken into consideration. The onset of globalization for one thing has helped uplift the living standards of many in China and India and millions of families have climbed out of poverty and are able to aspire to better life styles and a better standard of living, thus creating new markets companies like Nestle (Latshaw and Choi, 2002, pp. 7). Next as has been stated in the case study, the number of individuals who can be considered as middle class in these two economies alone will exceed 700 million in the coming decade, which is more than the entire population of 500 million in the European region or the 300 million in the United States, thus making this a very lucrative market for Nestle and one that needs to be exploited with immediate effect (Crook, Bratton, Street & Ketchen, 2006, pp. 09 – 412). Besides the above Ne stle as a multi national company has a decentralised structure and has often emphasised the need for attracting, recruiting and selecting host country nationals to be employed in its’ manufacturing plants across the world and this again is a very strategic and wise decision (Cesnovar, 2006, pp. 227 – 229).By decreasing unemployment rates, being socially responsible corporate citizen and helping to uplift the standard of living in these regions of the world, the company is earning the respect of the population, which can soon be converted to public relations win, thus it can be stated that this strategy makes immense sense at the present time (Mclean, 2006, pp. 36).Last but not least it should also be stated that by gaining ‘first mover advantage’ of providing basic food stuffs through which brand loyalty is created the company stands to gain much as most consumers will not switch to other brands but rather decide to stick with the trusted brand even when t hey are ready to move to the more upscale and upmarket products that are provided by the company (Gratton, Hailey, Stiles & Truss, 1999).Therefore it can be stated that from every point of view, whether it is as a consumer products manufacturer or an employer, Nestle stands to gain much through this growth strategy of focusing on emerging markets. What is the company's strategy with regard to business development in emerging markets- Does this strategy make sense- From an organizational perspective, what is required for this strategy to work effectively?As is clear from the information that has been provided in the case study, Nestle uses a variety of different strategies to develop its business activities and markets in the emerging markets. While many maybe of the opinion that only one or two strategies should be used in order to ensure that synergies of scale are gained and that there is consistency across the operations, such a customization of strategy to meet the specific need s of an economy is highly commendable (Marshall, Smith & Buxton, 2009, pp. 4 – 18). For instance in countries like India and China, Nestle has entered the market by providing low cost brand name basic food stuff like condensed milk and infant formula, in doing so the company has also located its manufacturing plants within the countries and the regions, employed host country nationals and helped uplift their living standards.Thus not only has the company provided them with a livelihood by employing them and purchasing local produce from local farmers and businessman, but in doing so has also created loyalty to its brand, which is something priceless (Karake-Shalhoub, 1999). As the living standards and the income levels of these individuals and entrepreneurs increase, they will no doubt continue to be loyal to the Nestle brand and purchase the more upscale and products that are sold by the company, when they are ready to move from basic food stuffs to more branded and upscale foods stuffs like cookies and chocolate.Likewise another strategy that is being used by the company is to enter markets like Nigeria and China and invest in basic infrastructure to ensure smooth distribution channels, while many may see this as a waste, in the long run, the company has gained a strong foothold in the marketplace, created job opportunities and further increased the visibility of its brand nd thus increased entry barriers for the competition (Sims, 2003), thus it can be stated that this is indeed a very good business development strategy that is being followed by the company at the present time. From an organisational perspective for an a strategy to work effectively it is necessary to ensure that the strategy is developed in such a manner that it would fit the market needs and help the company to gain a comparative advantage (Oladunjoye & Onyeaso, 2007, pp. 92 – 598). Based on everything that has been stated above and the manner in which Nestle’s is cur rently operating in China, India, Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe, it is clear that the company has adopted many different successful strategies that are helping it to gain a competitive edge in these markets while continuing to benefit from the ‘first mover’ advantage that it has created for itself. Through research on NESTLE, identify appropriate performance indicators.Once you have gathered relevant data on these, undertake a performance analysis of the company over the last five years. What does the analysis tell you about the success or otherwise of the strategy adopted by the company? An analysis of Nestle’s performance indicates that the Company has been able to improve its performance over the years. The sales of the Company reached a record of US $73 billion, and growth in profits was 20. 7% in 2005. In 2005, Europe amounted to 30% of sales, Americas 34%, and Asia, Oceania and Africa 17% of the sales.Nestle is aware that it need to adjust its offering if it is to reach its target of 5-6% growth per year. (Country Monitor, 2006). Public Image – In a world that is becoming increasingly complex, consumer needs and wants continue to become more sophisticated on a daily basis. Unlike in the past when companies could simply mass produce and sell products to the end user, today, consumers are demanding more not only in terms of pricing and quality but also in terms of corporate social responsibility.Therefore it is necessary for Nestle to continuously monitor and manage its public image and it is also very important from a strategic perspective that the company is seen as a socially responsible corporate citizen (Niederhut-Bollmann & Theuvsen, 2008, 63 – 68). Compared to many other multi national companies, Nestle’s has not earned the public ire for being irresponsible socially, however as the global slave trade for chocolate manufacturers comes to light it is essential that Nestle’s looks at ways an d means to ensure that it is not ensnared in such a public relations nightmare.Sales Growth – This is a very important performance indicators and should give the company a sense of its successes and failures in terms of strategy. Currently the company has been doing very well on this front and should carefully monitor the external and the internal environments for any factors that may pose a threat to its continued success in this area (Roberts, 2001, pp, 25 – 28). Following a growth strategy in emerging markets is actually a very good strategy that has paid off and continues to pay off, however this does not mean that the company can afford to be laid back on this score.Market Share – By gaining ‘first mover advantage’ the company has been able to gain and retain its market share through the years, however it is also necessary that the company continues to learn from its past mistakes in Japan and other countries, where it did not take the competit ion seriously and therefore has lost much in terms of market share that it could otherwise have gained (Odagiri, 1992).Blue Ocean Strategies – As markets continue to mature and other markets continue to develop it is imperative that the company focuses its attention on research and development and creates ‘blue oceans’ in order to find new markets (Gubman, 2004, pp. 13). This is something that Nestle is currently lagging at and needs to pay particular attention to with immediate effect.Based on everything that has been stated above it is therefore clear that while the company does excel in areas such as managing its public image and sales growth, there is much more improvement needed to be made in the search for innovative market strategies that will help force it to success in the future. How would you describe Nestle's strategic posture at the corporate level; is it pursuing a global strategy, a multidomestic strategy an international strategy or a transnationa l strategy? Figure 2 – Which Structure to Choose? Source: http://www. wiziq. com/tutorial/380-International-StrategyIllustrated above is a depiction of the different corporate level strategies that can be adopted by multi national companies the world over. Such strategy is often chosen on the degree of need for global integration and local market responsiveness (Kaplan and Norton, 2001, pp. 87). Based on the information that has been provided in the case study it is clear that Nestle is a company that need to gain a high level of local market responsiveness due to the variety of different business development related strategies that is pursuing in different parts of the world.For instance while in the Middle East it has entered the markets by building five different lines of products that it hopes will be distributed across the region as trade barriers fall, in countries like China and India, it is pursuing a different strategy of meeting the basic food needs of the populatio n with items such as infant formula and condensed milk. It is the intention of the company in these markets that once standards of living increase, they can leave these Niche markets and provide consumers with more upscale and upmarket products like chocolates and cookies.Further it can also be stated that as a company with only 1% of its revenue being earned in the home country and 8000 different brands, global integration is a must (Lowson, 2002). Therefore it is the opinion of the writer that Nestle need to choose between the multi domestic strategy and a transnational strategy and not swing from one to another, because doing so would only result in the company loosing focus of its final aim, which is to be a global consumer food products leader (George, 2007, pp. 6 – 71). Based on the information that has been provided in the case study it is the opinion of the writer that Nestle’s should choose a transnational strategy because it balances both the global integrati on needs of the company and the local market responsiveness that is necessary to ensure that the company’s products will be competitive and continue to meet the needs of the local population in the emerging markets that it is operating in (Marks, 2005, pp. 1).While many maybe of the opinion that the company should continue to pursue its multi domestic strategy as it has worked well for it in the past, the changing needs of the global environment and the development taking place in the emerging markets make it necessary to gain synergies of scale and global integration for the many brands that it has under its belt and therefore a transnational strategy is the best option for Nestle’s in the future (Barney and Hesterly, 2008).Does this overall strategic posture make sense given the markets and countries that Nestle participates in? Why? The overall strategic posture of Nestle makes a lot of sense given the fact that it is operating in virtually every country in the worl d, with a huge presence in the emerging markets. According to Hill (2006), that multidomestic strategy is appropriate in a market where the pressures for local responsiveness is very high and as a results the pressures for the cost reduction is low.Especially, pressures for local responsiveness can be very high in some productions, such as food, chocolates, dairy nutrition and etc. From the time when consumers have many national differences in tastes and preferences, distribution channels, competitive conditions, business practices, culture and government policies in the markets in which Nestle operates, therefore following a multidomestic strategy is beneficial for the Company.The difference in cultures and purchasing power (Prahalad et al, 1998) in the middle class population in emerging markets imply that in order for a first mover to gain advantage, it must be willing to adapt its product and offer in accordance with the needs of the local market. Figure 3 Source: http://www. do cstoc. com/docs/5632428/Ethnocentric-Polycentric-Geocentric-Diagr ams As stated in the previous section the overall strategy that is currently being followed by Nestle’s is one that focuses on local market responsiveness over global integration, which in effect results in a multi domestic strategy (Shackman, 2007, pp. 79 – 488). It is no doubt however that such a strategy has indeed helped the company to gain the level of success that it currently enjoys in emerging markets, and therefore can be considered as good. However we should always remember that strategies should promise equal or more success in the future as they do for the company today (Cabrera and Cabrera, 2003, pp. 41) and therefore reviewing the strategy from such an angle would work to the benefit of the company in the long run.The company currently follows a regiocentric attitude as is clear from the illustrations above, while it can be reiterated that this type of structure and strategy works to the ad vantage of the company, in the long run as the emerging markets being to mature and the company continues on its mergers and acquisitions strategies to enter new markets in Eastern Europe, it will become essential that the company gains some level of global synergy and integration (Mcwilliams, Van Fleet, & Wright, 2001, pp. 1).Therefore it is the recommendation of the writer that the company begins to embark on a transnational strategy with a Geocentric attitude, which will eventually help it to have a more global view with flexibility to make necessary changes at local level whenever and as frequently as needed (Donaldson & O'Toole, 2002). Therefore in conclusion it can be stated that even though the current strategic posture makes sense, it needs to be reviewed and modified if the company is to continue to penetrate, gain and retain market share in the emerging economies as well as the developed economies the world over (Mockler, 1999).Is Nestle's management structure and philosop hy aligned with its overall strategic posture? The overall structure and the strategy of the company as stated previously and has been made clear to the reader throughout the case study, is that the company pursues a multi domestic strategy, due to the need to have a high responsiveness to the local market needs (Drejer, 2002).While this is impressive, the company goes further to also ensure that it is staffed by local nationals in the host countries and that power and authority is decentralised as much as possible, again indicating that the management structure is indeed very much aligned to its philosophy of local autonomy and its multi domestic strategy (Silverman, 2002).However instead of relying on the local managers alone, the company also has a pool of at least 700 expatriate managers who travel from one country to another ensuring that the local and regional strategies of the company are upheld and global integration is a possibility (Mintzberg & Rose, 2003, pp. 70 – 277), while this may sound like a sound and often a wise move on the part of the company, the fact that none of the regional international managers get involved in local level stratey design and the fact that none of the local level managers are involved in the global strategy design and development leaves a disconnect that can cost the company dearly in the long run and therefore it is necessary to take a close look at the integration of both and make changes wherever necessary (Betz, 2001).Based on everything that has been stated above, it is therefore the opinion of the writer that greater global integration is necessary as the company moves forward and hopes to retain its place as a market leader by gaining large shares of the market in emerging economies, which it has strived hard to build over the last few decades. In effect it is therefore necessary to ensure that there is high levels of global integration and simultaneously ensure that there is high levels of local market re sponsiveness as well (Lefkowith, 2001, pp. 20).As stated previously this is only possible if the company follows a transnational strategy and this strategy and philosophy should be made a possibility by changing the current management structure within the company to one that allows for regional managers to gain an understanding of local issues and challenges and vice versa. This will help the company to align its goals and objectives both on an international local level and thus be more integrated in both spheres. Read more: http://www. ukessays. com/essays/marketing/nestle-case-study-assinemnt-marketin Nestle Case Study NESTLE CASE STUDY With reference to the Nestle case study, provide one example which clearly illustrates a link between topics or concepts drawn from at least two pre-requisite modules. The Nestle case study provides a number of examples which illustrate links between Strategic management, Methods of Enquiry and Accounting for decision making concepts. Nestle is one of the oldest of all multinational business. Nowadays, Nestle is one of the biggest food and nutrition companies in 86 countries in the world. Hill, 2009 pp). Nestle was involved with a range of acquisitions in the last years in order to extend its line of products and try to expand on a geographical scale. Since its sales are reducing in developed markets, Nestle has the opportunity to expand business in up and coming countries, which is going to generate more profit for the company. Up and coming countries is one sector that Nestle is going to invest money in because it has the potential to be a strong and attractive ma rket.Nestle feels confident in doing so because in such countries population economy and technology has experienced a rapid growth. (Datamonitor, 2006). Nestles long-term strategy is to identify the quickly expanding countries first and get into the market as soon as possible in order to take advantage of other competitors. However, it first has to hold the leading position in the developed markets where it is currently placed. Also Nestle has to hire local managers and staff in the developing markets that understand the local market dynamic and culture.As explained above there is a link between Nestle’s strategy and the Strategic management, because companies employ managers from respective countries in the local companies due to the fact that they understand the local market dynamics. By hiring local manager they can take advantage of the local knowledge and own culture of the country. FIGURE 1 Figure 1 Source: Own diagram It is a huge advantage that Nestle works with local managers in fast rising emerging countries. As a result, Nestle will have quick results which lead to quick profits.As we can see in FIGURE 1 above, Nestle is closely related to the Strategic management module because companies will have a range of research(reports) on fast growing countries. Therefore, they will have the ability to balance the services they are able to provide (food, cereals, coffee, chocolate, drinks, ice cream, etc) (Nestle 2011), with the price that customers are willing to pay. For example, if people cannot afford the Nestle products then they will not expand in such countries but focus their attention and invest in countries where people are able to buy their products.Also, Nestle is connected with methods of enquiry with Emerging markets. Companies will have less space to roam around and make decision considering that much of their movements are controlled by the market reaction. This means that emerging markets are countries with social or business activiti es in the process of rapid growth and industrialization. The Nestle case study as clearly explained above illustrates a good link with the Strategic Management/Methods of Enquiry and the Market dynamic/Emerging markets respectively. Does it make sense for Nestle to focus its growth efforts on emerging markets? Why?The recent financial crisis that reverberated throughout the globe was a clear indicator of the interdependence and the codependence that globalization has created while simultaneously making it clear to everyone that the emerging economies, especially those that make up BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) are more resilient than western economies, thus making them engines of growth that have helped the recovery effort in the last few years. Therefore from that point of view alone it can be stated that yes, Nestle’s strategy to focus its growth efforts in developing or emerging markets is indeed a sound one.However this does not mean that the ability of these mar kets to recover faster than the western economies should bebe sole reason for such a decision. Rather there are many more and varying reasons that need to be taken into consideration. The onset of globalization for one thing has helped uplift the living standards of many in China and India and millions of families have climbed out of poverty and are able to aspire to better life styles and a better standard of living, thus creating new markets companies like Nestle (Latshaw and Choi, 2002, pp. 7). Next as has been stated in the case study, the number of individuals who can be considered as middle class in these two economies alone will exceed 700 million in the coming decade, which is more than the entire population of 500 million in the European region or the 300 million in the United States, thus making this a very lucrative market for Nestle and one that needs to be exploited with immediate effect (Crook, Bratton, Street & Ketchen, 2006, pp. 09 – 412). Besides the above Ne stle as a multi national company has a decentralised structure and has often emphasised the need for attracting, recruiting and selecting host country nationals to be employed in its’ manufacturing plants across the world and this again is a very strategic and wise decision (Cesnovar, 2006, pp. 227 – 229).By decreasing unemployment rates, being socially responsible corporate citizen and helping to uplift the standard of living in these regions of the world, the company is earning the respect of the population, which can soon be converted to public relations win, thus it can be stated that this strategy makes immense sense at the present time (Mclean, 2006, pp. 36).Last but not least it should also be stated that by gaining ‘first mover advantage’ of providing basic food stuffs through which brand loyalty is created the company stands to gain much as most consumers will not switch to other brands but rather decide to stick with the trusted brand even when t hey are ready to move to the more upscale and upmarket products that are provided by the company (Gratton, Hailey, Stiles & Truss, 1999).Therefore it can be stated that from every point of view, whether it is as a consumer products manufacturer or an employer, Nestle stands to gain much through this growth strategy of focusing on emerging markets. What is the company's strategy with regard to business development in emerging markets- Does this strategy make sense- From an organizational perspective, what is required for this strategy to work effectively?As is clear from the information that has been provided in the case study, Nestle uses a variety of different strategies to develop its business activities and markets in the emerging markets. While many maybe of the opinion that only one or two strategies should be used in order to ensure that synergies of scale are gained and that there is consistency across the operations, such a customization of strategy to meet the specific need s of an economy is highly commendable (Marshall, Smith & Buxton, 2009, pp. 4 – 18). For instance in countries like India and China, Nestle has entered the market by providing low cost brand name basic food stuff like condensed milk and infant formula, in doing so the company has also located its manufacturing plants within the countries and the regions, employed host country nationals and helped uplift their living standards.Thus not only has the company provided them with a livelihood by employing them and purchasing local produce from local farmers and businessman, but in doing so has also created loyalty to its brand, which is something priceless (Karake-Shalhoub, 1999). As the living standards and the income levels of these individuals and entrepreneurs increase, they will no doubt continue to be loyal to the Nestle brand and purchase the more upscale and products that are sold by the company, when they are ready to move from basic food stuffs to more branded and upscale foods stuffs like cookies and chocolate.Likewise another strategy that is being used by the company is to enter markets like Nigeria and China and invest in basic infrastructure to ensure smooth distribution channels, while many may see this as a waste, in the long run, the company has gained a strong foothold in the marketplace, created job opportunities and further increased the visibility of its brand nd thus increased entry barriers for the competition (Sims, 2003), thus it can be stated that this is indeed a very good business development strategy that is being followed by the company at the present time. From an organisational perspective for an a strategy to work effectively it is necessary to ensure that the strategy is developed in such a manner that it would fit the market needs and help the company to gain a comparative advantage (Oladunjoye & Onyeaso, 2007, pp. 92 – 598). Based on everything that has been stated above and the manner in which Nestle’s is cur rently operating in China, India, Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe, it is clear that the company has adopted many different successful strategies that are helping it to gain a competitive edge in these markets while continuing to benefit from the ‘first mover’ advantage that it has created for itself. Through research on NESTLE, identify appropriate performance indicators.Once you have gathered relevant data on these, undertake a performance analysis of the company over the last five years. What does the analysis tell you about the success or otherwise of the strategy adopted by the company? An analysis of Nestle’s performance indicates that the Company has been able to improve its performance over the years. The sales of the Company reached a record of US $73 billion, and growth in profits was 20. 7% in 2005. In 2005, Europe amounted to 30% of sales, Americas 34%, and Asia, Oceania and Africa 17% of the sales.Nestle is aware that it need to adjust its offering if it is to reach its target of 5-6% growth per year. (Country Monitor, 2006). Public Image – In a world that is becoming increasingly complex, consumer needs and wants continue to become more sophisticated on a daily basis. Unlike in the past when companies could simply mass produce and sell products to the end user, today, consumers are demanding more not only in terms of pricing and quality but also in terms of corporate social responsibility.Therefore it is necessary for Nestle to continuously monitor and manage its public image and it is also very important from a strategic perspective that the company is seen as a socially responsible corporate citizen (Niederhut-Bollmann & Theuvsen, 2008, 63 – 68). Compared to many other multi national companies, Nestle’s has not earned the public ire for being irresponsible socially, however as the global slave trade for chocolate manufacturers comes to light it is essential that Nestle’s looks at ways an d means to ensure that it is not ensnared in such a public relations nightmare.Sales Growth – This is a very important performance indicators and should give the company a sense of its successes and failures in terms of strategy. Currently the company has been doing very well on this front and should carefully monitor the external and the internal environments for any factors that may pose a threat to its continued success in this area (Roberts, 2001, pp, 25 – 28). Following a growth strategy in emerging markets is actually a very good strategy that has paid off and continues to pay off, however this does not mean that the company can afford to be laid back on this score.Market Share – By gaining ‘first mover advantage’ the company has been able to gain and retain its market share through the years, however it is also necessary that the company continues to learn from its past mistakes in Japan and other countries, where it did not take the competit ion seriously and therefore has lost much in terms of market share that it could otherwise have gained (Odagiri, 1992).Blue Ocean Strategies – As markets continue to mature and other markets continue to develop it is imperative that the company focuses its attention on research and development and creates ‘blue oceans’ in order to find new markets (Gubman, 2004, pp. 13). This is something that Nestle is currently lagging at and needs to pay particular attention to with immediate effect.Based on everything that has been stated above it is therefore clear that while the company does excel in areas such as managing its public image and sales growth, there is much more improvement needed to be made in the search for innovative market strategies that will help force it to success in the future. How would you describe Nestle's strategic posture at the corporate level; is it pursuing a global strategy, a multidomestic strategy an international strategy or a transnationa l strategy? Figure 2 – Which Structure to Choose? Source: http://www. wiziq. com/tutorial/380-International-StrategyIllustrated above is a depiction of the different corporate level strategies that can be adopted by multi national companies the world over. Such strategy is often chosen on the degree of need for global integration and local market responsiveness (Kaplan and Norton, 2001, pp. 87). Based on the information that has been provided in the case study it is clear that Nestle is a company that need to gain a high level of local market responsiveness due to the variety of different business development related strategies that is pursuing in different parts of the world.For instance while in the Middle East it has entered the markets by building five different lines of products that it hopes will be distributed across the region as trade barriers fall, in countries like China and India, it is pursuing a different strategy of meeting the basic food needs of the populatio n with items such as infant formula and condensed milk. It is the intention of the company in these markets that once standards of living increase, they can leave these Niche markets and provide consumers with more upscale and upmarket products like chocolates and cookies.Further it can also be stated that as a company with only 1% of its revenue being earned in the home country and 8000 different brands, global integration is a must (Lowson, 2002). Therefore it is the opinion of the writer that Nestle need to choose between the multi domestic strategy and a transnational strategy and not swing from one to another, because doing so would only result in the company loosing focus of its final aim, which is to be a global consumer food products leader (George, 2007, pp. 6 – 71). Based on the information that has been provided in the case study it is the opinion of the writer that Nestle’s should choose a transnational strategy because it balances both the global integrati on needs of the company and the local market responsiveness that is necessary to ensure that the company’s products will be competitive and continue to meet the needs of the local population in the emerging markets that it is operating in (Marks, 2005, pp. 1).While many maybe of the opinion that the company should continue to pursue its multi domestic strategy as it has worked well for it in the past, the changing needs of the global environment and the development taking place in the emerging markets make it necessary to gain synergies of scale and global integration for the many brands that it has under its belt and therefore a transnational strategy is the best option for Nestle’s in the future (Barney and Hesterly, 2008).Does this overall strategic posture make sense given the markets and countries that Nestle participates in? Why? The overall strategic posture of Nestle makes a lot of sense given the fact that it is operating in virtually every country in the worl d, with a huge presence in the emerging markets. According to Hill (2006), that multidomestic strategy is appropriate in a market where the pressures for local responsiveness is very high and as a results the pressures for the cost reduction is low.Especially, pressures for local responsiveness can be very high in some productions, such as food, chocolates, dairy nutrition and etc. From the time when consumers have many national differences in tastes and preferences, distribution channels, competitive conditions, business practices, culture and government policies in the markets in which Nestle operates, therefore following a multidomestic strategy is beneficial for the Company.The difference in cultures and purchasing power (Prahalad et al, 1998) in the middle class population in emerging markets imply that in order for a first mover to gain advantage, it must be willing to adapt its product and offer in accordance with the needs of the local market. Figure 3 Source: http://www. do cstoc. com/docs/5632428/Ethnocentric-Polycentric-Geocentric-Diagr ams As stated in the previous section the overall strategy that is currently being followed by Nestle’s is one that focuses on local market responsiveness over global integration, which in effect results in a multi domestic strategy (Shackman, 2007, pp. 79 – 488). It is no doubt however that such a strategy has indeed helped the company to gain the level of success that it currently enjoys in emerging markets, and therefore can be considered as good. However we should always remember that strategies should promise equal or more success in the future as they do for the company today (Cabrera and Cabrera, 2003, pp. 41) and therefore reviewing the strategy from such an angle would work to the benefit of the company in the long run.The company currently follows a regiocentric attitude as is clear from the illustrations above, while it can be reiterated that this type of structure and strategy works to the ad vantage of the company, in the long run as the emerging markets being to mature and the company continues on its mergers and acquisitions strategies to enter new markets in Eastern Europe, it will become essential that the company gains some level of global synergy and integration (Mcwilliams, Van Fleet, & Wright, 2001, pp. 1).Therefore it is the recommendation of the writer that the company begins to embark on a transnational strategy with a Geocentric attitude, which will eventually help it to have a more global view with flexibility to make necessary changes at local level whenever and as frequently as needed (Donaldson & O'Toole, 2002). Therefore in conclusion it can be stated that even though the current strategic posture makes sense, it needs to be reviewed and modified if the company is to continue to penetrate, gain and retain market share in the emerging economies as well as the developed economies the world over (Mockler, 1999).Is Nestle's management structure and philosop hy aligned with its overall strategic posture? The overall structure and the strategy of the company as stated previously and has been made clear to the reader throughout the case study, is that the company pursues a multi domestic strategy, due to the need to have a high responsiveness to the local market needs (Drejer, 2002).While this is impressive, the company goes further to also ensure that it is staffed by local nationals in the host countries and that power and authority is decentralised as much as possible, again indicating that the management structure is indeed very much aligned to its philosophy of local autonomy and its multi domestic strategy (Silverman, 2002).However instead of relying on the local managers alone, the company also has a pool of at least 700 expatriate managers who travel from one country to another ensuring that the local and regional strategies of the company are upheld and global integration is a possibility (Mintzberg & Rose, 2003, pp. 70 – 277), while this may sound like a sound and often a wise move on the part of the company, the fact that none of the regional international managers get involved in local level stratey design and the fact that none of the local level managers are involved in the global strategy design and development leaves a disconnect that can cost the company dearly in the long run and therefore it is necessary to take a close look at the integration of both and make changes wherever necessary (Betz, 2001).Based on everything that has been stated above, it is therefore the opinion of the writer that greater global integration is necessary as the company moves forward and hopes to retain its place as a market leader by gaining large shares of the market in emerging economies, which it has strived hard to build over the last few decades. In effect it is therefore necessary to ensure that there is high levels of global integration and simultaneously ensure that there is high levels of local market re sponsiveness as well (Lefkowith, 2001, pp. 20).As stated previously this is only possible if the company follows a transnational strategy and this strategy and philosophy should be made a possibility by changing the current management structure within the company to one that allows for regional managers to gain an understanding of local issues and challenges and vice versa. This will help the company to align its goals and objectives both on an international local level and thus be more integrated in both spheres. Read more: http://www. ukessays. com/essays/marketing/nestle-case-study-assinemnt-marketin