Mandatory Marriage Counseling

America is continuously plagued by divorce at an alarming rate destroying the basic structure of our society, which is the family. The trend is ever increasing and a growing problem in American culture. Divorce rate kept rising since 1920s with 13.4 per 100 marriages to 32.8 per 100 marriages in 1988. Today, studies have shown that 50% of first marriages in the United States fail. In 1940, the National Center for Health Statistics recorded 264,000 divorces and annulments and reached 1,182,000 in 1990.On the other hand, the National Survey of Families and Household cited that 84 percent of separated women would seek divorce after three years of marriage and 91 percent after five years of marriage. Some studies find the divorce rate for second marriages is as much as 10 percent higher than for first-timers. The chance of getting divorced remains so high that it makes sense for all married couples – including those who are currently satisfied with their relationship – to p ut extra effort into their marriages to keep them strong. (Gottman & Silver 4).The effects of divorce are most severe among women and especially to children who may develop psychological problems leading to juvenile delinquency. Economically dependent to their husbands and fathers, these women and children are forced to live on welfare and practically left homeless.Realizing this serious problem, state governments are now initiating measures to save marriages from deteriorating and protect families from breaking apart by enacting laws of mandatory marriage counseling prior to getting a marriage license in hope of preventing more divorces. I favor such law that would educate couples about the seriousness of marriage and the necessity to lifelong commitment. Critics oppose this early intervention because it is just a waste of time and money or that counseling does not work.More often in marriage expectations are in contrast with realities resulting to various conflicts. It is extremel y important therefore that would be married couples completely comprehend what they are up against, know the challenges that they may encounter, and learn how to deal with uncertainties. When Louisiana passed the law in 1997, Steven L. Nock conducted a five-year empirical study about the consequences of premarital counseling. In the report entitled Can Louisiana’s Covenant Marriage Law Solve America’s Divorce Problem?, 81% of the 521 married couples believed that mandatory counseling was very important.Their overall marital quality was better compared to those who did not take premarital counseling. In addition, their levels of commitment and agreement were higher. They experienced fewer worries and have greater sharing of household chores.The Evil of Divorce. To clearly discuss the merits of mandatory marriage counseling, I feel the urge to talk about the evils of divorce so that one can truly appreciate the benefits of counseling in the preservation of marriage. Each year, some 1.2 million children become products of divorced parents. Their normal childhood experiences are disrupted and filled with all sorts of stress. Many of them carry physical and emotional pain throughout their adulthood and may commit the same mistakes as their parents did. It is a chain reaction that affects family and our society.Children raised in single-parent families are more likely to drop out of high school, have lower grades and attendance while in school, and are less likely to attend and graduate from college than children raised in two-parent families. They are more likely to be out of school and unemployed and are also more likely to become single parents themselves, than children raised in two-parent families. Studies have found that, compared to children in two-parent families, children of divorce score lower on measures of self-concept, social competence, conduct, psychological adjustment and long-term health. (Bramlett & Mosher 4).Furthermore, they commit crimes, exhibit suicidal tendency, hook in illegal drugs, and become victims of abuse. They have turned into unproductive members of American society. The government spends almost $150 billion annually trying to subsidize single-parent families. However, only $150 million a year is devoted to programs that strengthen marriages. Most marriages end in divorce because of poor communications, financial problems, lack of commitment, infidelity, failed expectations, and physical, emotional or sexual abuse.As an institution, the government has the obligation to protect and restore the integrity of marriage. Thus mandatory marriage counseling is one of the best ways to teach couples the importance and true meaning of lifelong commitment. To rebuild the traditions of family life, the government in all levels must have the will to act to safeguard the sanctity of marriage.The Benefits of Marriage Counseling. The principal aim of marital counseling is to help couples stay together. Marital edu cation â€Å"immunizes couples against disappointment and despair†¦it also prevents the development of problems that are costly to children and all of society. Mismanaged conflict†¦ predicts both marital distress and negative effects on children's physical and mental health†. (Leslie par. 21). Preparation before marriage is critical to the success of family life. Mandatory counseling will help couples strengthen their relationship, love, intimacy, and commitment. It will enhance their communication skills and manage conflicts with the right attitude.This process will also evaluate the views and determination of the couples whether they are ready and compatible for marriage at the same time identify possible setbacks and weaknesses to better equip themselves in overcoming future challenges. Having a better view of marriage with its legal and natural obligations, couples will have a better chance to live a healthier marriage.Through counseling, couples will have infor med decisions to enrich their married life. A well-planned marriage is the key to combat divorce. More often people get married only to discover the true character of their partner and it is already too late to retreat. With mandatory counseling, couples will have the opportunity to know each other sincerely and have the chance to confront and resolve their problems and apprehensions before living together for a very long time. I suggest that couples seek premarital counseling so that they would fully understand and value the meaning of marriage and family.Conclusion. In our modern culture many Americans no longer see the importance of marriage. They look at marriage as a private contract rather than a lifelong commitment. One can easily obtain divorce by simply writing â€Å"irreconcilable differences†. They forget that marriage has special obligations: 1) to love and respect each other; (2) to live together; (3) to make decisions relating to family life in the best interest of the family; (4) to maintain and teach their children â€Å"in accordance with their capacities, natural inclinations, and aspirations†; and (5) the right and duty of each spouse to manage the household. (Spaht 469).Marriage is a social institution and the foundation of every family. As a moral fiber of American society, families must be protected by all means. It is the duty of all citizens. However, the government must take steps to enact laws in preserving family values as well as formulate and invest in social programs that strengthen marriages.Counseling is a helpful tool in rescuing marriages. That is why I advocate for the passage of bills that would require couples to attend mandatory marriage counseling before they can obtain their license so that they be educated on the responsibilities and commitment they have to render to society and their families. Should it be necessary, the rules on divorce must be strict and that â€Å"no-fault† divorce must end.The government must set goals to reduce divorce and campaign on its risks. Community-based marriage programs are advantageous to assist couples in getting married and monitor those marriages that are endangered. In this way, any problem would be resolved immediately. By saving marriages, we save our families.ReferencesGottman, John and Silver, Nan. â€Å"The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work: A Practical Guide from the Country's Foremost Relationship Expert†. Three Rivers Press, New York. 16 May 2000.Bramlett, Matthew D. Ph.D. and Mosher, William D. Ph.D. Cohabitation, Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage in the United States. Vital and Health Statistics, Series 23, No. 22. Department of Health and Human Services. July 2002. 10 April 2007 http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_23/sr23_022.pdfLeslie, Mark A. Legislative Efforts to Strengthen Marriage. Public Law Research Institute. University of California Hastings College of Law. 2004. 10 April 2007 http://sierra.uchastings. edu/plri/spring98/marriage.htmlSpaht, Katherine Shaw. Covenant Marriage: An Achievable Legal Response to the Inherent Nature of Marriage and its Various Goods. Ave Maria Law Review. Vol. 4:2. 2006. 10 April 2007 http://www.avemarialaw.edu/publications/lawReview/articles/AMLR.v4i2.spaht.final2.pdf

Columbine Shooting

Most people woke up to a day like any other except two teenagers, Dylan Keyhole and Eric Harris. They took guns with them to their school, Columbine High School, stood at the west entrance ready to shoot students. Thirteen people where killed by this incident and twenty were hurt. Then Dylan and Eric killed themselves, leaving us with the mystery of why they had done what they did. Dylan Keyhole and Eric Harris were teenagers who worked In a pizza parlor together.They were involved In sports In middle school but not In high school. Dylan and Eric were part of a group of kids that dressed Goth. Other kids considered them â€Å"uncoil†. They had been planning the Columbine shooting for almost a year. We sometimes try to look for someone to blame. In this case more than one person could have contributed to these actions. Dylan and Erie's parents could have paved more attention to how they were acting, looked In their room, or sat down and talked to them. There were probably kids that would make fun of Dylan and Eric.Also the searchers could have noticed something such as if they were not getting good grades. Any one of these could have preventing this massacre from happening. What many people don't understand is why this happened. But we may never know this because the answer disappeared when Dylan and Eric killed themselves. Professionals have studied the situation. What some people think happened was Eric killed out of anger and a wish to live alone and Dylan killed out of depression and did not feel loved. They also might have done it for revenge of being judged and treated badly by other students.There are a lot of movies, books, television shows, and video games that show violence with guns and people dying. The amount of violence in the media makes some people act more violent towards others. The more violence they see, the more they may feel like it is all right to hurt others. People should limit the amount of time they spend on games and shows with violent content so that they do not get violent urges to hurt others. There is an old saying that it takes a village to raise a child. Not only should the parents raise a child, but also other members of society should help influence kids in positive manner.Teachers should have stepped in if they saw bad behavior from these boys or from other kids picking on these kids. If other students noticed negative things going on with these boys then they should have reported It. We all have to help to make our world a better place. The Columbine Shooting had a very big Impact on society. It changed the school security forever. Dylan Keyhole and Eric Harris may have had different views on society and different motives but they had the same desire to do something self- satisfying and die that same day. Fifteen year later people are still trying to find answers.Columbine Shooting By gazillion At 1 1 on April 20, 1999 one of the worst tragedies involving kids occurred in Dylan Keyhole and Eric Harris were teenagers who worked in a pizza parlor together. They were involved in sports in middle school but not in high school. Dylan attention to how they were acting, looked in their room, or sat down and talked to not feel loved. They also might have done it for revenge of being Judged and treated negative things going on with these boys then they should have reported it. We all The Columbine Shooting had a very big impact on society.

Opinion and analysis essay on movie “Merchants of Cool” Essay

The movie, â€Å"The Merchants of Cool†, presented an in-depth look at the relationship between marketing giants and the individuality and â€Å"coolness† of teens today. I was surprised by some of the things shown in the movie; not that I was ignorant of the fierce marketing tactics used by companies to sell their product, but I was unaware of the extent that some are willing to go to. Sprite for instance, paid teenagers $50 each to come, dance, and have a good time at the launch party for its website. This party was filmed by MTV, and broadcast to millions of teens who were accordingly influenced by this new trend. To me, it seems that by attempting to discover cool trends before they flourish, with â€Å"cool hunting†, companies themselves eventually kill whatever trends they find. They are encouraging trends that may have never surfaced without intervention, and repressing others that they deemed unmarketable. The results of this craving for foreknowledge of the next trend are frequently unsavory, as is seen in the case of MTV’s ethnographic study, where researchers visited teens at their homes and attempted to analyze them as if their individuality could be synthesized and then marketed. From these studies, arose what â€Å"The Merchants of Cool† call the mook and the midriff. The mook is an extremely rude and immature character who completely disregards what others think of him and his actions. This character is portrayed by actors such as Tom Green and is seen in the show â€Å"Jackass†. The midriff is the character that media says a teenage girl should be; comfortable and extremely open with her sexuality. These â€Å"standards† that the media creates are obviously flawed. The movie also opened my eyes to a few astonishing facts, such as the fact that teens see 3,000 ads per day, 10 million by the time they’re 18. This mass exposure is obviously not beneficial, and in my opinion these media conglomerates, including companies such as Viacom and AOL Time Warner have, in a sense, taken over many teen’s lives, becoming dictators of every day in a teen’s life. These ads tell one how to dress to be cool, what kind of shampoo to use, and even what soda to drink to achieve the ultimate â€Å"cool factor†.

BUS305, Competitive Analysis and Business Cycles Mod 3 Case Assignment Essay

BUS305, Competitive Analysis and Business Cycles Mod 3 Case Assignment - Essay Example mage advertising or institutional advertising designed to create public awareness of the citrus industry and to improve its reputation in the marketplace. Because this task is being undertaken by the Department from a tax paid by citrus growers on each box of citrus that moves through commercial channels, there is no need for individual citrus growers and merchants to advertise independently. According to the website, over 80 percent of the Departments annual budget of approximately 58 million dollars is spent on advertising and promotional activities for Florida citrus in the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia. In this sense, then the Department acts as if it were a single corporate entity with numerous divisions or subsidiaries providing homogeneous products. In terms of demand and supply, the purpose of the Department is to regulate and apply standards of production and quality to meet domestic and international demand for Florida grapefruit. It also serves to promote the product through promotions and advertising, as well as to manage issues that arise. The citrus industry of state acts as if it were one single corporate entity managed by the executives of FDOC. In so doing it will seek to gain the best market share possible and endeavor to improve it over the long haul. By competing in the market for the product with other suppliers, the Florida citrus industry through the FDOC seeks to provide the quantity and quality of the agricultural product in the market at competitive prices. According to the Economics Dictionary, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries is an organization of about a dozen nations that sell oil to other nations. It was formed in the early 1960s but had little impact until the oil crisis in 1973. The goal or purpose of OPEC, an international cartel, is to control the production of oil and to establish favorable oil prices for the member nations. Most OPEC countries, such as Libya and Saudi Arabia, are in the Middle

EXPANDING THE LEARNING COMMUNITY Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

EXPANDING THE LEARNING COMMUNITY - Assignment Example The programs deal with the problems or goals that the schools focus on. The engagement plan describes how to manage childhood obesity in Fort Wayne community schools. Fort Wayne is a region with high rates of childhood obesity of about 27%. Childhood obesity is especially a nuisance because of both its long term and immediate effects. Obesity leads to low self esteem among children, and depression. It also causes other diseases such as diabetes, sleep apnea, bone and joint problems, and high blood pressure among other diseases. Obese children are also likely to be obese when they get old and may suffer from other complications related to the disease such as stroke, heart disease, osteoarthritis, diabetes type two, and several types of cancers. They are likely to suffer from cancer of the Gall bladder, thyroid, pancreas, ovary, Prostrate, colon, breast, kidney, cervix, esophagus, and endometrium. It is imperative for the community to work together in dealing with this problem; prevention and management. Community school is a learning institution that uses a different framework in ensuring development in various areas. Community school is, therefore, a school that collaborates with community resources to achieve its social services, academic, and health, community engagement, and youth and community development goals. It has an integrated approach to these features, and these have been found to improve student learning, make communities healthier, and families stronger. Community schools have a different curriculum which emphasizes community problem solving and real-world learning. Melaville, Berg and Blank (n.d) indicate that community schools promote a different kind of learning environment; that which goes beyond the classroom walls. The schools nurture the natural engagement of being able to deal with real life problems. The link between the community and the school influences the curriculum that incorporates issues from the real world. It is a

Company Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 8

Company Law - Essay Example Scholars denote that because a business organization is incorporated, then the assets of these people are protected from seizures by creditors of the company. That is, the owners of the business under consideration are not liable for the liabilities of the company2. It is also easy for the owners of the company to raise capital through the stock market; it is simple to transfer the ownership of this company to another individual, the tax charged on a company is lower as compared to a personal income, and finally, a company that is incorporated is able to achieve a lenient tax restriction, on losses that are carried forward. The Company’s Act of 2006 provides for the issuance of an article of incorporation once a company is incorporated. This article of incorporation is responsible for identifying the main purpose of the company, the location of the company, the number of shares issued by the company, etc. This article of incorporation will also contain the specific date of the company’s registration, and the fees paid for the incorporation. It is important to understand that majority of companies are created for the main purpose of doing business. This is an aspect that the British parliament wants to encourage, and this is because the existence of many companies in Britain will lead to an improvement in the economy of the country, and creation of jobs. However, it is important to understand that doing business is a risky affair, and a business organization might fail, or it may acquire some profits3. This acquisition of profits is the major incentive that makes people to engage in a business initiative. It is important to understand that the common law principle denotes that an individual who provides capital for a business operation, and is responsible for sharing the profits that the business makes, is also liable for any debts that the business under

Market, industry and company analysis for (Qatarcinemas.com) over the Term Paper

Market, industry and company analysis for (Qatarcinemas.com) over the last five years - Term Paper Example The company’s competitive theory statement is divided into five parts: vertical integration, strategic alliances, creative content, international agency and corporate diversifications. Conglomeration: Qatar Cinemas Company operates in two different fields, such as Consumer Products and studio entertainment. Horizontal integration: Qatar Cinemas Company owns many studio entertainment and consumer product franchise. This becomes horizontal integrated industry as all stake-holders act together in increasing efficiency since they act in the same business line. Globalization: Qatar Cinemas Company Services and Products are found in Arab Media and all over the world in different forms. Vertical integration:Â   Qatar Cinemas Company is made up of different sub-companies and business line, allowing the whole organization to produce, plan, distribute, and advertise all of its products on its own. Seller and Buyer Concentration: Qatar Cinemas Company is in an Oligopoly Seller Concentra tion, it is evident that there are few producers in the market and products can be either differentiated or homogenous. There are many buyers for the company’s products, ranging from different cultures, ages groups, sexuality, preferences and interests. Media synergy: Qatar Cinemas Company bought many film studios that allow making more advanced movies which are then distributed through renowned marketers. Barriers to Entry: Qatar Cinemas Company offers different barriers to entry for competitors in the market place. Qatar Cinemas Company enjoys privileges from trademarks, copyrights, and patents that prevent other entertainment companies from imitating their ideas and productions. For new companies it is difficult to compete with this established and well-known organization because of its long development period in winning known customers and protection legal barriers. Production Costs: Qatar Cinemas Company has high first copy (production) costs and low reproduction (subseq uent) costs of most of its products. Product Differentiation: Qatar Cinemas Company has a wide variety of heterogeneous products; its shows, and movies for different tastes, ages and cultures. Its products are differentiated within the company and from products from its competitors. B. INDUSTRY ANALYSIS Qatar Cinemas Company has developed services and products for different audiences, teens, children and adults of all ages. Median age: 28 (70% between 17 and 34) Men: 90% | Single: 40% Literate: 90 % Employed Full Time: 90% Average HHI: QAR. 7,200. Qatar Cinemas’ Primary Competitors Qatar Cinemas Company competition consists of diversified players that capture media networks, TV content producers, and film producers. Competition is greatest at film production and network service; premium networks like Sonymax have an advantage over film halls because of their subscriptions fees. Presence of competition between services and brands creates an environment of price wars. Market Sh are Controlled by Qatar Cinemas Company Qatar Cinemas’ Total Revenue is approximately QAR 361 million (as for 2012). In order to obtain the market share, revenues from the three major competitors in the entertainment industry are considered. Total Industry Revenue: QAR. 262.9 Millions Qatar Cinemas’ Total Revenue: QAR. 36.1 Million Qatar Cinemas’ Market Share: 13.7% of Total Revenue Industry (inclusive of major competitors share) In the studio entertainment ind

Personal Activity Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Personal Activity Plan - Essay Example Health care policies had been introduced and implemented by the US government to apparently lessen the cost of health care cost and insurance. However, these policies had not been successful in its goals. There were also attempts on health reforms but were found to be more risky such that new policies will have to be created and implemented. Various issues in the health care system had arisen affecting the health care system, thus increasing the dilemma in managing individual spending on health care. The Six Dimensions of Health has been one among the various promotions that the government had been trying to endorse profoundly such that this program may aid individuals in attaining a practically healthy condition. Physical, social, spiritual, environmental, emotional and intellectual health, are regarded as the main factors affecting wellness. Being fully aware of each dimension contribute to an individual's overall wellness. As a health care consumer, one should be aware of the different ways in which one could obtain an optimum health care in return of the high expenditures tied up with it. On the other hand, one must also be responsible in taking an utmost care of his own physical being as opposed to leaving everything to health care professionals. Physical health involves a person's ability to take care of the minor illnesses as well as knowing the time in which there is already a need to seek the help of a health care professional such as physicians. The need to personally monitor one's own vital signs such as temperature, respiration, and others, contribute to ones attainment of an assured physical health ("Six Dimensions," para 1) In the past, self-care was limited to monitoring ones temperature alone. But as the demand for a healthy condition increases which tags along extremely high cost, several self-care kits and machines are available in the market. These materials had been able to help indiv iduals manage their health conditions personally at a lower cost with similar accuracy as those that were facilitated by the physicians. Moreover, these materials free individuals from worries concerning their condition whenever they feel something unusual. At the same time, self-help groups had sprung in order to help individuals change the aspect of health care. Considering these facts, personal physical health care had extremely developed from that of visiting health care clinics for check-ups and testing to that of being personally responsible through self-care and self-help tools and groups which may range from understanding the relationship that exist between the individual and the environment, nutrition and the body's functions. An individual's responsibility on physical wellness does not simply involve self-prescription of medicines as deemed necessary but basically knowing the appropriate preventive measures against certain diseases. In the long run, physical wellness may i mprove not only the individual's health condition but the ability to be fully responsible in ones health acquiring a particular discipline towards health that may be passed on the next generation. Man, being a social animal has a need to become socially healthy as well. An individual must achieve a harmonious relationship with the environment that

Analysis of Operation Situation and Competition of UK Insurance Essay

Analysis of Operation Situation and Competition of UK Insurance Industry - Essay Example These companies are Aviva Plc., Prudential Plc. and Royal and Sun Alliance Insurance Group. The first part of the paper includes PEST and Porter Five Forces analysis, while keeping in view the industry trends and environment. In addition to this, analysis of financial performance of the selected three insurance companies in UK has also been performed. This activity has been carried out with the help of ratio analysis; comparison of key financial indicators against closes competitors and industry standards. The next part of the paper consists of strategic analysis of the selected insurance businesses by utilizing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threat (SWOT) model. The SWOT model is considered to be helpful in determining what are the external factors and future prospects that might have an influence on the direction of the business. Additionally, the model also identifies the role of internal factors of a business that might result in effecting the performance of the busines s on strategic and financial grounds. After presenting these analyses, a discussion based on the findings from analysis has been presented, which provides the ratings for selected companies on the basis of their financial performance and SWOT analysis. The insurance industry has been chosen for this project looking at the importance of this industry in terms of its contribution to the economy of UK. The insurance industry has played a vital a vital role in covering the customers from the risks of investment, health and education, etc. This industry have been satisfied the customers in terms of their requirements of general insurance as well as life insurance. Due to the demand of these products in the market, the industry has registered a strong trend of sales and revenue earnings. According to Global Business Browser (2012), the value of UK insurance market increased by 2.6% to $319.7 billion in 2011, which makes

Reading reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Reading reflection - Essay Example According to McLean, ethics and morality is a key ingredient of not only article editing but also the acquisition of information for the same (182). These critical aspects serve to establish and maintain not only the reputation of an individual journalist but also his /her employer. Persuasion of these modalities establishes a strong sense of trust from the audience to the reporter. Newspaper articles readers are aspiring to reading news from credible sources; those made by individual journalists or stations that practice and or embrace workplace ethical codes of conduct. The justification of the conclusion so made draws from the rationale of establishing a strong ethical perspective in journalism work. It is beyond reasonable doubt that any story that is aired live or written as a newspaper article should exhibit high levels of accuracy in factual data; journalist should not merely write stories. Besides, precision is critical for any piece of report; it means directly pinpointing the issue under discussion. Journalists must also establish a balance between justifiable and unjustifiable stories before

Retail Industry Comparison of China and United States Essay

Retail Industry Comparison of China and United States - Essay Example Retailing has advanced with technology and now we have what we call online retailing as well. There are different types of retail outlets. They are classified according to the products they sell and by marketing strategies. There are the types that do not fall in the two and are classified as others. Retailers of products are food products retailers, hard goods retailers and soft goods retailers. Retailers classified by marketing strategies are the most. They include, department stores, discount store, warehouse stores, variety stores, demographic retailers, Mom-And-Pop retailers, specialty stores, boutiques, general store, hypermarkets, supermarkets, malls, Category specialist, e-tailers, and vending machines. Automated retail stores and big box stores fall in the others category (Pradhan & Pradhan, 2009). Retail Industry in China China’s retail industry is now ranked as the second largest in the world after the USA. The chain stores and Chain supermarkets serving the daily n eeds of the people appeared in china in around a decade ago and they rapidly grew to the extent of being the second largest retail market worldwide. However, there is no dominant player in the retail industry despite its rapid growth, unlike the USA that has dominant players like Wal-Mart and others. Its rapid growth can be owed to the government of China in 1992. The government launched a series of policies to promote fast, orderly and healthy growth of the industry. One of the policies was permitting foreign investment in retailing. The government of China, by 1997, had approved about twenty-four foreign-invested stores. Hundreds of foreign-invested retailing, however, had been established before then after seeking approval from the provincial and municipal authorities (Zhen, 2007). The retailing sector of China is highly fragmented accommodating both medium sized and small retailers. This is different with the United States that have a dominating presence of big retailers. This i s because of the barriers local market access. China does however brag of a wide range of retail formats. Department stores are one of the earliest formats of retail outlets. They were very popular before but they are now facing competition and fighting to stay ahead. Examples of department stores in China are Parkson, Beijing Cuiwei, Golden Eagle, and Shenzhen Suibao. Another retail outlet format is the hypermarkets whose development are owed to the international retailers. Wal-Mart, Mart Shanghai, Trust-Mart, Tesco, and Carrefour are examples of hypermarkets. Supermarkets are another retail outlet that is facing competition. Domestic players dominate this highly fragmented market. Examples of supermarkets in china are Baijia Supermarket and A-Best Supermarket. Convenience stores are not fully developed retailers but are already facing competition from especially from domestic chains. Quick of LianHua is an example of convenience store in China. Specialty stores are retail outlets dominated by domestic players with foreign investment being very limited. Examples are GOME and Suning. Discount stores are still evolving and the first one was introduced in 2003 by Carrefour. Franchising retailing constitutes for around three percent of the total retail market of china with a huge potential for growth in the future. Examples are Pizza Hut, MacDonald’s, KFC, and 7-eleven. Direct selling is another retailing format of china. Its potential for future growth is large. Examples of direct selling retailers are AMWAY, Avon,

Oprah Winfrey Essay Example for Free

Oprah Winfrey Essay Oprah Winfrey, born on a farm in Mississippi to a teenage mother in 1954 came from nothing yet again is the world’s most successful lady who is a role model to many and has made it on her own. She is a success story, some one who has made history on American television by producing and hosting her own TV show, â€Å"The Oprah Winfrey Show† the show has won her countless awards and praises since its start in the year 1987. It is the top ranked show on television till this day (Oprah Winfrey Biography, 2006). She runs her own company. She has been the richest African American lady and the only Black billionaire in the world at one time and the most highly paid television host today. Success and Oprah have been together from the longest time. She has managed to win the hearts of all the Americans today with her hard work, determination, and dedication and confidence and has become the most watched television celebrity. She has been ranked the most influential lady of the 20th century from the past five years by the Time magazine (Oprah Winfrey Biography, 2006). She is considered as someone who can bring an enormous change because her popularity is beyond the pop culture and she has the capability and credibility to influence others. She has left a mark on everyone. Leadership is the ability to influence others by gaining the trust and support of the followers and Oprah has been able to do that. She is a born leader. She has all the attributes to become a successful leader and she has proved it to the world. It is her leadership qualities only that she has been able to maintain the standard of her show and live up to the expectations of her viewers. She runs a show, is an owner of a magazine, she’s into movie production, is a successful actress and all of these are her profitable businesses. She has become a brand name. She has set an example of being a superior and effective leader. She is intelligent and an educated lady, she is self confident she knows what she’s talking about. She has spoken on all kinds of issues on her show and brought the facts and figures in front of the world (Oprah Winfrey Biography, 2006). She is a stable lady, and flexible and honest and has an internal locus of control. She had the luck and believes in herself. She has the ability to understand others therefore she has created social awareness such as her effort to increase the awareness of child abuse where she was honest and bold enough to share her own child hood incident in front of the world. She has the communication skills to convince others and leave an impact and create a connection with the masses. During the time of Hurricane Katrina she made an appeal to everyone to openly donate and everybody did. Oprah runs her own charity too. She is a woman of high energy; she is running the show from the past sixteen years. Her role as the leader has been goal oriented and focused. She campaigned for Barack Obama last year. Only an effective leader can do so many things at one time. She takes timely decisions. She has adequate effort and talent and she knows how to spend it wisely. That is what leadership is all about. The queen of day time television has been an effective leader. She went through rough times during her childhood but she was a pessimistic and never lost hope. A positive attitude is an effective leader’s quality. Only when you yourself are positive you can motivate your subordinates. She was alert she wanted to create a change. She planned, organized, controlled and led while success followed her. She is good at what she is doing. Though she had all the fame and fortune this did not stop her from helping the under privileged. Oprah contributes millions of dollars every year for charities. She runs her own charity too. Good leaders make successful nations therefore the world needs more people like Oprah Winfrey.

O. Henrys Surprise Endings

O. Henrys Surprise Endings A theme would have to be his surprise endings of O.Henry. He uses this in a large amount of his stories. Many adults who read O.Henrys works are eagerly waiting for a surprise ending. (Rollins 155) O.Henrys works basically all contain a surprise ending. They lead you on it the beginning with a thought that everything is going according to plan. He lets the reader think that they have it figured out by we dont. He has something waiting for us at the end of the book. Something that would seem like it came out of no where. Hyder E. Rollins said â€Å"The conclusion is an enigma.†(155) He has the reader under suspense until the last sentence. This is shown in O.Henrys story The Gift of the Magi. Where a husband sells his watch to buy his wife some combs she worshiped, and the wife cut and sold her hair to buy her husband a chain for his watch. This was such a surprise because you never expected this in the beginning. Also O.Henry had an idea that life is a surprise that the unexpe cted continually happens. (157) Rollins spoke about O.Henry saying that â€Å"He is then, a pure romanticist who strives earnestly for realistic effects.† (157) A romanticist is a person who acts on impulse. They hate conformity they dislike following the rules. They prefer to make there own rules, and they are also in touch with nature. They love the outdoors. Rollins is saying that O.Henry is a romanticist because of his idea. His idea about how life happens unexpectedly. Its spontaneous so therefore you never know what kind of turn your life will take one for the better or worse. Eugene Current-Garcia said that â€Å"the most obvious technical manifestation of O.Henrys delight in the unexpected is in his famous surprise endings.†(Current-Garcia 137) O.Henrys way of using these surprise ending really played a big part in most of his stories. Another theme would of O.Henrys his most commonly used theme when he reverses everything on you. This means when he gives you a story and as soon as you think you have it figured out he changes it completely. He lets you think you know what kind of person the main character is while he has a plan to complete make that person plan a completely different role. Its not like surprise ending, but more like a reversal of the character completely from the way they act to the way they dress, talk, and walk. O.Henry liked to leave the reader guessing not only on the ending, but on what the characters would do next. For example in â€Å"The Princess and the Puma† the princess is portrayed in the beginning of the book as a princess one who lives highly. While she is really a pistol wearing, roping, riding cowgirl who has to fight off a mountain lion when she is suppose to be rescued. Technique was something that O.Henry was good at using. He used many different techniques and different styles in his writing one of the techniques his like using was local color. O.Henrys writings take the speech patterns and rhythms of the common folk and adds â€Å"vivacity, variety, and interest of his stories† said Eugene Current-Garcia. (Current-Garcia 142) He came directly from a southern background being born in North Carolina. The cultural tradition he inherited brought out a deep influence on his literary career. About thirty of his stories were placed in the old south setting or had to do with activities and attitudes of southern characters. When he writes he puts out a realistic dialogue from his childhood, his own history, and first hand observations of the various classes of people he knew and lived with.(Current-Garcia 12) O.Henry was born in the south so most of his stories talk about the lifestyles of the people in the south. His characters models are people w ho were around O.Henry. His narrative methods came from him dealing with Texas outlaws also from his childhood in the south. (Current-Garcia 4) There is a story where he talks about life with the outlaws in Texas. That is because he was there and witnessed it first hand. So he takes them and puts them into his story so that they can become major characters based on the way they were around him. O.Henry moved from the south to Texas and was later in jail all of these things were reason that were put into his stories. Since he was in jail some of his characters are based on people he met in jail or some of them are based on how the jail life was. In 1894 cash was found to have gone missing from the First National Bank in Austin, where Porter had worked as a bank teller. When he was called back to Austin to stand trial, Porter fled to Honduras to avoid trial. Little is known about Porters stay in Central America. It is said, that he met one Al Jennings, and rambled in South America and Mexico on the proceeds of Jenningss robbery. After hearing news that his wife was dying, he returned in 1897 to Austin. In 1897 he was convicted of embezzling money, although there has been much debate over his actual guilt. Porter entered in 1898 a penitentiary at Columbus, Ohio. All of this things helped O.Henry by being in his local color. They each played a significant part in his life and in his stories. O.Henry either wrote like a humorist like A.B. Longstreet and J.J. Hooper or he wrote with local color. Both ways you can tell that the characters had southern attitudes, manners, and speech. (Current-Garcia 4) Another technique would be O.Henrys ability to use allusions. An example of O.Henrys artistry with words can be seen in his many literary allusions, especially toward Shakespearean plays and the ancient classics. (Current-Garcia 146) O.Henrys â€Å"The Poet and the Peasant,† puts together a lot of literary devices. The story starts off first person narrative and follows a detailed description. At each turn of the story the irony gets further complicating. (Current-Garcia 152-153) This is just one example of how O.Henry uses many different literary devices. A writer said that in the many allusions to Shakespeare found in O.Henrys stories â€Å"how shows a tendency to word-play or to an unexpected turn similar to that manifest of the plots of his stories.†(Current-Garcia 146) The light touch of O.Henry â€Å"his mastery of the vernacular, his insight into the life of the disinherited, makes it needless for him to resort to such inventions.†(Forman 152) When O.Henry writes he has a touch that is unbelievable the way he makes everything fall together. Each line is unique in a way because he writes like he talks, but in some cases he is able to use academic terms in his writings. He just builds up a picture for us. Forman said â€Å"The piquant and picturesque phrasing, the dash of the slang. The genial and winning fancy seems to carry the most fantastic situations.†(Forman 152) This quote describes exactly what I mean he is able to paint a picture for us. His stories have the â€Å"harmony of tone so essential to the short story writer,† said Rollins. (Rollins 158) Even though O.Henrys ridiculous use of modern slang, he still is a master of felicitous expressions and strange verbal flavors. (Current-Garcia 136) O.Henry had a â€Å"malt reatment of words.† O.Henrys stories were either based in Texas or in New York City. Both of these places he spent a significant amount of time in during his life. He was in Texas working in a drug story. Then he was put into jail and some how found his way to New York City. These places made the setting of his stories simple and easy because every one has heard of New York City. While in prison O. Henry started to write short stories to earn money to support his daughter Margaret. His first work, Whistling Dicks Christmas Stocking (1899), appeared in McClures Magazine. After doing three years of the five years sentence, Porter emerged from the prison in 1901 and changed his name to O. Henry. He moved to New York City in 1902 and from December 1903 to January 1906 he wrote a story a week for the New York World, also publishing in other magazines. Henrys first collection, Cabbages and Kings appeared in 1904. The second, The Four Million, was published two years later and included his well-known stories T he Gift of the Magi and The Furnished Room. The Trimmed Lamp (1907) included The Last Leaf. After his death in 1920s his rep dwindled and critics wonder how he was ever taken seriously new fiction gained much more respect in 20s and 30s went against moral standards, taboos and conventions of older generation nd reliance on plot structure. Critics consider all of O.Henry work jokes because he was humorous and he used slang he didnt take it seriously. While other said it is fair to compare him woth anybody. He was just amazing like Henry James Forman said â€Å"No talent could be more original or more delightful. The combination of technical excellence with whimsical,sparkling wit, abundant humor and fertile invention is so rae that the reader is content without comparisons.† This is true on many levels about O.Henry the way in which he wrote so many stories was amazing. Towards the end of his life things started to fall out. O. Henrys last years were shadowed by alcoholism, ill health, and financial problems. He married Sara Lindsay Coleman in 1907, but the marriage w as not happy, and they separated a year later. O. Henry died of cirrhosis of the liver on June 5, 1910, in New York.

Clinical Practicum Reflection Essay

Clinical Practicum Reflection Essay During my first day of clinical practicum in MMW AQH, the register nurse made a medication error and did not report it, she instead she tried to cover it. I would like to reflect on the incident and what I have learned from that situation as a nurse. Elaborate This incident happened during- my first clinical day in MMW AQH around 1pm while administering drugs by a register nurse, I was observing her practice in drug administration. She started to prepare the drugs on advance she asked me to collect the drug charts from patient bedside and nursing station .While she was distributing drugs for patient she was attending their needs and answering doctors order by the time goes she become distracted and lost her concentration this situation made me confused and not knowing which patient is next. The nurse had many task to do at the same time. She continued in drug administration but this time with improper way of patient identification, when we reach to the room where incident happen patient requested to take his drugs later as he still having his lunch she kept the drug near to him and left .After we finished three more patient she went back to him as remembered something she was looks stressed and panic, I asked her what happened she did not reply instead she asked the patient to give her back the tablet. Patient handed the tablet back to her then she gave him another tablet, I realized this was a drug error it was her luck that patient did not take the medicine, she start to explain to him what happen and asked for apology, the patient was so angry yet feeling sorry for her. He questioned her if he had the drug who will take the responsibility? She did not answer. He was not willing to cause a trouble for her so he kept quiet. She proceeded with her work like nothing happen, I was expecting her to report but she did not, when I asked the reason, she reply as long as no harm happen there is no need to report beside that there is no time to report. This left me thinking how many medication errors left un-reported? Analyze This experience left me disappointed it was hard for me to accept what happen because I have fixed believe that patient safety is first regardless how busy the nurses are. Since then so many question gushed to my head, why this incident happen? What are the causes? Was the staff nurse afraid? Is the nursing negligence acceptable? To answer these questions I have to recall the situation .It was obvious that the circumstances the staff nurse was in made her prone to such incident, her lack of concentration and her unprofessionalism in administering medication made her close to put patient health in danger. However this should not excuse her from responsibility. I can understand that she was in panic and in a stressful situation but she is accountable for her action since she decides to become a nurse and deal with human life. I believe that increased work load made her go for short cuts and malpractice just to finish the care .on the other hand she failed to identify the patient becaus e of distraction. But the main reason why she did not report is maybe she thinks about her colleagues reaction and she may be punished for that. From what I experienced drug error could be preventable if the staff nurses adhere strictly to hospital polices no matter what. Revise There is no exact definition for drug error but, the National Patient Safety Agency and the US National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention define it as an any preventable event that may lead or cause inappropriate medication use or patient harm while the medication is in the control of health professional (smith, 2004). According to the latest researches which conducted by Food and drug administration association and the National Patient Safety Agency drug errors always left unreported for many reasons, some of these reasons are related to fear and work overload. These two factors were considered the most dominating factors when it comes to drug errors. Excessive work always leaves the staff fatigued and preoccupied with many task to do and less time to finish it (Mayo, Duncan Chloe, 2004). Work over load lead the staff to go for the shortest and easiest ways which result in poor nursing practice. Failed patient identification is also another result of work overload, health care professional are not able to counter check and verify patient identity correctly with other staff because of excessive work. On the other hand Fear from consequences and the colleagues reaction are always the reason why health care professional tend to hide drug errors and not reporting it. Their self esteem will be badly affected in that moment because of that, they will loose the ability to judge and they will comet more vital mistakes. However not reporting drug error is worse and harmful to the patient life. Professionalism is the only way to develop the nursing practice in administering drugs. Right patient identification, Right dose, Right drug, Right time, Right route and Right documentation are the safest bath to follow(ClaytonStock, 1997). New approach Drug errors are a common problem in health care facilities which always associated with serious events so reporting about errors becoming a must to improve the system and patient safety .Most of the international accredited hospitals such as Alwasl Hospitel are now blame free culture, encouraging staffs to report the errors and not to become intimidated by it. Also they deal with reports in confidential manner so the access to such documentation is restricted to authorize person. Their policy stat that all incident report should be written in narrative description which should be comprehensive description of facts containing no personal judgments or opinion and no implication or accusations (AWH. PP,2004). These hospitals are providing educational session about errors reporting which is important to increase the awareness among the staffs in order to become a positive link in the hospital. These hospitals are maintaining yearly competences in medication management and use for all hea lth care professional. One goal that all health care facilities are trying to achieve is minimizing work load on the health care professional. Most of these hospitals are controlling patient numbers and trying not to go beyond their capacity, they also trying hard to solve the staff shortage in way that will not affect patients and staffs. Other ways in improving medication administration system is by computerize the drug charts for more clarity and using unit dose system. This system helps the health care professional to minimize drug error, it include single unit package with generic and brand name, manufacture, lot number and expiration date. Following this system has many advantages. First it reduces the time spent by nurses in preparing drugs. The pharmacist will have a clear vision about patient situation regarding adverse reaction and contraindication. Patient identification will be easier as each single package has patient name and number so double à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬check m ay not needed in emergency cases(ClaytonStock,1997).

Identity :: Technology, SNS Profiles

Some young people create profiles as their friends have, they desire to join in their peer group and to share a common experience with their friends. Joining like-minded peers appeals to their collective self-esteem, which eventually, gives them the unexpected pleasure in expressing themselves on SNS profiles. Often, young people provide specific information (e.g., name, birthdate, relationship status) on SNS, although such disclosure is often considered as personalized. Profile generation is an explicit act of writing oneself into being a digital environment (Boyd D., 2008) and participants must determine how they want to present themselves to those who may view their self-representation or those they wish might. With the ability to post, share and tag photos on SNS represents an important advancement in the ability to communicate. Before, if one wanted to share digital photos, one had to email everyone to let them know. With SNS and News Feeds, when one post new photos on Facebook, the friends get automatically notified in their News Feed. People will see the photos on the wall when they visit the profile page. Apart from being a place for self-presentations, profiles are a place where people gather to converse and share. Conversations happen on profiles and a person's profile reflects their engagements. Consequently, young people do not have complete control over their identities. Users are asked to invite their friends to the SNS once they have create their profiles. When relationship is confirmed, the two become Friends in SNS and their relationship is included in the public ‘News Feed’ wall. These four features – profiles, photos, friends and news feed - differentiate Facebook from other types of computer-mediated communication. Many young people join SNS to maintain connections with their friends. While viewing profiles, they are given links to their friends’ friends and so they can spend hours surfing the network, clicking from ‘Friend’ to ‘Friend’. By looking at others’ profiles, young people often get a sense of what types of presentations are socially appropriate; others’ profiles provide critical cues about what to present on their own profile. (Boyd D., 2008) Many young people also manipulate the profiles to express themselves with the choice of pictures and the answers to questions. As Manuel Castells (1997) points out, identity is people’s source of meaning and experience. From a sociological perspective, humans come into the world with an identity based on qualities such as their gender, race, family’s economic status, etc.

A Close Reading of Ragged Dick :: Ragged Dick Essays

A Close Reading of Ragged Dick There were no houses of good appearance near it, buildings being limited mainly to rude temporary huts used by workmen who were employed in improving it. The time will undoubtedly come when the Park will be surrounded by elegant residences, and compare favorably in this respect with the most attractive city in the world. But at the time when Frank and Dick visited it, not much could be said in favor of either the Park or its neighborhood. "If this is Central Park," said Frank, who naturally felt disappointed, "I don't think much of it. My father's got a large pasture that is much nicer." "It'll look better some time," said Dick. "There ain't much to see now but rocks. We will take a walk over it if you want to." "No," said Frank, "I've seen as much of it as I want to. Besides, I feel tired." (p. 48) In this passage from Ragged Dick, Horatio Alger employs the ongoing construction of Central Park as a metaphor for the transformation of Ragged Dick into the esteemed Richard Hunter, Esquire. The narrator informs the reader at the outset of this passage that when Dick and Frank are visiting the Park during its construction, there are "no houses of good appearance near it"; significantly, the buildings that are there are only "temporary." Central Park, like Ragged Dick, is simply a work-in-progress. Although externally it may appear rough and unpolished, as both the Park and Dick do to Frank, this situation is only transitory. Through diligent and honest work for Dick and "workmen" for the Park, a revolution will be completed, culminating in a respectable and elegant final product. The fact that Alger utilizes the word "undoubtedly" informs the reader that for both Dick and Central Park, self-improvement will assuredly be achieved through demanding effort, and this is designed to provide incentives and hope for the young reader. The passage also illuminates a dichotomy in Dick's and Frank's perception of the world.

Business process reengineering Essay

This article is about business process reengineering. business processes we can say is the core tasks that are carried out in departments in an organization for the ultimate goal of delivering a product and a high quality one at that and services to the satisfaction of the customer. Business process reengineering is the modeling of the existing processed to steer the organization towards better performance. This is not considered to be done over a long period of time but rather it is something which is done at once so in a way there is a change of the way things are done but the aim is to come up with a better way for a better benefit. Examples of business processes is the manner in which information flows in an organization,management, departmental tasks,, that is the sales and marketing, production, as well as operational and technical support. Business process reengineering strategy is to improve the business competitive advantage. In discussion is its scope and strength. In consideration is the size of the business alongside the composition of the market. Its main aim is improving the existing business processes and sees how they make a business much better than it was before. We can also call it business transformation whereby the existing organization transforms the way work is done with a way of improving the services as well reducing the costs. It is also aimed at adding value to the existing business; processes and maintain the ones which are relevant as they are while at the same time minimizing or getting rid of those that do not add value to the organization. The article also speaks about organizational culture. An organization is a work setting which comprises of employees. These may be in different departments e. g. sales and marketing, production, and transport department. These departments are interdependent and they support one another in their functions. Their main aim is for the organization to achieve its goals and objectives. It comprises of employees who are the human resources. Culture in itself is beliefs, norms, attitudes, values and experiences of an organization and the people who work there. Organizational culture is the way things are done there. There is a trend of the way the management operates and the way people behave and the manner in which they work. An example of an organization culture is the role culture where emphasis is laid on the concentration on the task carried out. Teamwork is also is a type of culture where tasks are accomplished by a group of people working together with a common goal. They however work as a tea m but this they do in order to achieve the organization goals and objectives as a whole. This is the analysis of the existing business processes in which case is the way tasks are carried out in an organization and working towards transforming them and implementing the new process with the aim improving products and services that the organization offers. A group of processes are observed whereby individual tasks are allocated to a team with a wide range of expertise to accomplish with the main aim of achieving the organization goals and objectives. It is also aimed at improving the organization efficiency and effectiveness. The main aim of BPR is to increase an organization competitive advantage and a new competitive edge. An organization can achieve its goals a fresh through business process reengineering since it is as good as new. Cost is the price at which the end product is sold for. In cost strategy the consideration is to penetrate the market with a low price while at the same time offering the standard quality product and even better than that of the competitor but a lower cost. This will be seen to give an organization the competitive edge. The key issue is to maintain the quality of the product while liasing with all the department s in order to ensure that at all costs the cost is reduced from the marketing department to the production department. Cost reduction should be considered in all aspects of the organization and in the whole business process as a whole . this will enable the organisation to reach the consumer with a high quality product and a t a favourable price. Another organization process is production. This is the conversion of the raw materials into a product. The organization has a plant in which there is manual machinery which is used in the production process. Human effort is considered in loading the materials some of them onto the machinery for production. Efficiency is required in order to ensure that the product at the end of the day is prepared on time and also should be of the standard quality. At all times the organization should seek ways to ensure that the costs of production are kept at the minimum in order to ensure that the product reaches the market at a low price, in order to enjoy a competitive advantage. This is the computerized use of machinery. The machinery in the organization is controlled using computers and all the production processes are computer controlled. This will ensure that the product is of high quality, speed will be increased since the machines work much faster than human beings. Efficiency is enhanced where there is continuity of the work being done as well as the uniformity since the machines do not take days off. This will ensure that the supply of products in the market is constant and availability is enhanced. Supplies also can be made even on orders which have been made over a short period of time since the machinery can be able to meet the production to be done with the minimum time possible. This can also ensure that there is a reduction in the cost of production where there are no many human resources required together with the expenses that go with them like medical cover, housing allowances, as well as pension funds. Cost reduction is effective, and it ensures that the product at the end of the day penetrates the market at a very low cost which will enable the organization to build a large customer base, and also expand its market share. This is a combination of beliefs, attitudes, norms adopted by people in an organization and the manner in which they work. It is best described as a collection of norms and values by people and groups working in an organization. This is a type of culture where efforts are directed towards a product or a service being delivered. it brings human resources together and also pulling resources together for the benefit of coming up with the best possible product or service. It is a team culture whereby a team is built and it is assigned a certain project with an aim of achieving a certain goal and objective. In this culture the team is composed of people qualified in different fields of expertise and is marked by sessions of brainstorming where ideas are formed on how to accomplish the set task. There is also an element of friendliness, as the members all the employees working in a team have to combine efforts and hence each one of them is as important and hence they have got to form alliances. It is from expertise that power is derived. Team members have a scope of ideas which they bring on board and contribute towards accomplishment of the set tasks. The main aim is to reduce costs in all aspects of the organization from sales and marketing and other departments to production. This will ensure that the end consumer will enjoy a lower price of the product than that of the competitor. Cutting costs should be considered in all the organization processes. When the cost is reduced the product is able to penetrate the market at a relatively lower price than that of the competitor products. This will increase the market share as well as the profits. When there is an increase in the profits the organization will also be able to run efficiently and be able to meet its consumer needs as well as enjoy growth in terms of better service and product delivery. This can be achieved through mass s production and distribution, reduction of waste and also a reduction of the market force while also maintaining a goal oriented team. This is the time for business process reengineering. It should be considered since it is for the better of the organization where it gets rid of obsolete business processes and introducing and bringing fresh ideas and ways of working in an organization in order to come up with fresh ideas as well as improve the organization efficiency in delivery of products and services. Organization culture plays an important role in the way an organization operates. It is very important that an organization adopts a culture that favours its goals and objectives and enhances the growth of the organization as well as ensure that it encourages the employees to work towards achieving the organization goals.

Statistics Summary Essay

Statistics is commonly known as a tool used to make decisions, but the official definition of statistics, according to the textbook, is â€Å"The science of collecting, organizing, presenting, analyzing, and interpreting data to assist in making more effective decisions.† (Lind, Marchal, & Wathen, 2011) There are two types of statistics, descriptive, and inferential. Descriptive statistics provide information that can be used to show changes such as growth or decline in the area of study. Inferential statistics provide information about a specific topic of study by gathering information from samples. The science of statistics is also divided into levels, depending on certain characteristics of the information being analyzed. The first level is called nominal and contains data that is simply counted by category, such as the number of red cars on a car lot, or how many boys or girls are in a classroom. Another level is called ordinal. Ordinal data includes data that can be ranked in a certain order such as satisfactory ratings and championship rankings. The next level in statistics is called interval. Interval level not only ranks the data, but reflects a measurable difference between values. An example of this could be average inches of rainfall. The final level of statistics is called ratio. Ratio level includes data that is ranked, reflects a measurable difference between values, and also assigns a meaningful value to zero. An example of ratio data could be the number of positions filled in a company. Statistics is used for everything from estimating highway/bridge traffic to determine structural safety, to percentage of growth in population to determine adequate classroom space in schools, to the average units of water used per household to establish monthly water rates. Statistics, used formally and informally, affects nearly every aspect of our lives. Reference Lind, D. A., Marchal, W. G., & Wathen, S. A. (2011). Basic Statistics for Business and Economics (7th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

Comparing the French Poets

Antony Bush said: to me poetry is an expression of self thought. It would seem then that poetry a personal journey that a poet shares with a willing audience. This journey through the poet’s ego or consciousness is what allows poetry to be dynamic, enigmatic, and provocative. Poetry then isn’t a way in which a poet can complain about a broken heart or a broken family but a way in which they can more vividly and truthfully express their surrounding circumstance and place metaphor in the place of cliche.For instance, instead of saying ‘my heart is broken’ a poet can say ‘my heart splinters into a thousand galaxies’ thereby relating their personal pain into a more worldly occurrence and thus making the poem accessible to their audience. The aim of poetry then is to make readers feel more human when they read lines like â€Å"We flit each other, fluid affectionate, chaste, matured. You grew up with me, were a boy with me or a girl with me† i n which Walt Whitman expresses to his reader how he knows them – and in knowing them he transcends time, gender, and space thereby making the reader a little less lonely.That is the goal of poetry, to make people feel less lonely, to have them feel as if someone else has felt their love, joy, pain and grief and made it through these human emotions – it gives the reader hope that they too will make it through life. In Baudelaire’s poem One O’clock in the Morning he expresses enthusiasm for being alone. Except, in his third sentence he says ‘ours’ meaning that he is not alone, his desire was to be alone with someone – to be left by the world so that he can exist in a world of two. This is a common theme among poets.However, this ‘ours’ is rather ambiguous and the reader is left with the impression that Baudelaire is indeed alone. He states, â€Å"tyranny of the human face† meaning he attributes almost everything wrong in the world to humanity and not to simply one person but all people. Is he then an exception? The poem does not say. The poem is however definitely pointing out how sick humanity is. The poet expresses rather masochistic tendencies in wanting to be alone (the turn of the key in the lock) and how he wants to be bathed in darkness.With such metaphors and imagery the poet succeeds in delivering his desire to be alone. In Rimbaud’s poem Barbarian the poet speaks of distant – distant from humanity (again). This is shown with his allusions to humanity being a â€Å"banner of bleeding meat† and how being far from such barbarism, one can be at peace again. He perhaps has had his vision of heroism denied or proven false as this banner (a banner which is carried in battle) is what drives the narrator quite mad with barbaric thoughts.Perhaps Rimbaud is talking about death. His reverie in stating â€Å"Oh World† is a cry of a dying man, and the â€Å"eyes floating † confirms this argument. Rimbaud’s poem goes on to state something about the world and the treasures of that world that he will miss – this statement is given in parenthesis, â€Å"(Far from the old retreats and the old flames, that are known, that are felt)† (Rimbaud line 11-12). He is making a comparison between life and this new place and how both perhaps have their positive and negatives.Rimbaud however leaves the reader in an ambiguous state as he does not seem to favor one state of being over the other (unlike Baudelaire) but merely makes exhalations about either place and his feeling toward both. In the end, perhaps it is not death he is explaining in his poem, but heartbreak – a love over a woman. He states he that he sees the eyes and hair and the floating form before him – so in the end, the poem is perhaps more about how being out of favor or out of someone’s love affects him.

Word of Thanks

Ambitions could not be fulfilled without determination; goals cannot be achieved without sacrifices, and success could not be acquired without rising above Intrigues. Our honored guest and speaker, distinguished visitors, our respected school administrator, Madam Mercy L. Sales, beloved teachers, dear parents, fellow graduates, friends, ladies and gentlemen, good morning. As students, we often complained about our difficulties and adversities. However, you all would agree with me that this difficulties and challenges made us better individuals ready to face whatever disappointments in the future.Thus, we are all here today, standing before everyone else, able to proclaim to the world that we have survived the battles we have fought for all the years we have stayed in this institution. But we would never be here today, without the help and support of the people who In one way or another are part of what we are now. This Is the right moment and occasion we can express our gratitude and give them honor. First of all, we are very much grateful to ours Almighty God, the ultimate source of our strength and courage to face life.Everything we are now and everything we will be, we offer to the honor and glory of God. Our heartfelt gratitude goes to our dearly beloved parents, who consoled us, sweated for us and guided us like a kite gliding higher into the skies. Especially, I would like to acknowledge my parents, Mr.. Remnant Mobil and Ms. Angelina Appellation whose efforts and sacrifices have nourished me colorful and beautifully. Ma, Pa, even though we don't live under the same roof, I know and I believe that you've done your part to me as my guardians.Maybe not perfectly but In a way everyone would be proud of. For me, you're the best parents in the world. To my beloved Lass, loss, uncles, mommies and daddies, thank you for the time and efforts you've given In order to help me fulfill my ambitions In life. You are all so special to me. Our sincerest thanks also go t o our wonderful teachers, who patiently taught us not only the concepts of different subjects but most especially the values of life. Teachers, thank you for helping us discover what we are able to become. Truly, you've done great help in bringing out the best in us.And of course, our profound gratitude and appreciation to our respected school principal, Madam Mercy L. Sales, for making Mulligan National High School our friendly and conducive second home. Our triumphs would not be completed without the guidance and support of our beloved Alma Matter, Mulligan National High School who nourished, built and armored us to become worthy individuals dressed In Impregnable armor of knowledge to face the more complicated, spiritual, social and political confrontations of the future. My fellow graduates, graduation carries with it the marks of success in our s not everything.We must remember that this day is not the end our struggles. Rather, it is the beginning of a serious and responsible life ahead. As we separate our ways to another chapter of our lives, let us always be reminded that we should have deep and abiding commitment to participate and dedicate ourselves to the task of building a community equals under an environment of shared community. We bring change where it is needed, expertise where it is missing and leadership where it is wanting. As Mulligan Nationalists, this is our commitment. Thank you and again, good morning.

Internet Censorship Research Paper Essay

Imagine a place where you had access to any information you needed, at any time. Some might say that this place may not exist, but others could say that this defines the Internet. The Internet gives you access to all sorts of wonderful knowledge and other content, but with good comes some bad. Countries throughout the world have begun, or are trying to begin, censoring the Internet of these bad things. Many countries in the Middle East and North African States have taken to filtering entire websites on religious grounds (Dobby) and just last year, several bills, such as SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and Protect IP (Prevent Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property act) proposed shutting down â€Å"rogue† websites that contained copyrighted property, but Internet censorship walks the fine line between protecting the public and preventing free speech. The problem with censorship is that once it starts, there may be no stopping it, and would violate the First Amendment, freedom of speech. Mariam Adas, a Facebook campaign organizer for Jordanians against censorship, believes that there’s no way to do it right. Government will use blocking offensive/copyrighted/pornographic material as a precedent and then further block and filter other political, social and media websites (Ghazal). The aforementioned American bills, SOPA and Protect IP, where so carelessly written, that they would have the power to entirely shut down full websites, such as Facebook, Wikipedia and YouTube for content submitted by users (Hitzik). To pass censorship laws like these would totally contravene our own Amendments. Free speech is the right to speak you opinion in public without censorship. To take away that right would be unconstitutional, and un-American. For example, the British Matthew Woods, 19 years old, was sentenced to 12 weeks in jail for simply posting drunken, distasteful jokes about a recent abduction of two girls. While the remarks where horribly offensive, no one should be prosecuted for using their voice, and that voice should not be censored. Doing such will lead our culture into believing it has a right not to be offended (Chu). One of the main reasons for supporting Internet censorship is to protect children from seeing indecent materials, such as pornography. This is understandable, but it is unfair to hinder adults from viewing adult materials, and for this reason there are many ways that parents and guardians can protect their children from such things, says Adas. One may contact their internet provider, or download applications to filter out inappropriate websites (Ghazal). Filters are also placed on moral and religious standing. The dilemma is that there are many different moral and religious standings, and attempting to filter the Internet to a point that pleases every group would be impossible. People should be afforded the right to use their own discretion and self-adjudicate on what they would like digest. In the end, the issue of Internet censorship is always controversial. Nevertheless, America is a society based on freedom, and the right to free speech does not belong only to the press, but to each individual person. This freedom of should be extended to the Internet, no exceptions. A quote, by Robert A. Heinlein comes to mind: â€Å"The whole principle is wrong [censorship]; it’s like demanding that grown men live on skim milk because the baby can’t eat steak. † Works Cited Chu, Henry. â€Å"Britain Wrestles with Free Speech on Web. † Los Angeles Times. 09 Nov 2012: A. 1 SIRS Issues Researcher. Web 05 Mar 2013 Dobby, Christine. â€Å"Muslim Countries Filter Web on Faith Grounds, Report Says. † National Post. 04 Aug 2011: FP. 12. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 05 Mar 2013. Ghazal, Mohammed. â€Å"Internet Freedom Activists See Bad Precedent in Drive to Censor Porn Sites. † Jordan Times. 02 May 2012. N. P. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 27 Feb 2013. Hitzik, Michael. â€Å"Big Guns Take Aim at Internet Piracy. † Los Angeles Times. 11 Dec 2011: p. B. 1. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web 25 Mar 2013.

Information Systems Project Management Term Paper

Information Systems Project Management - Term Paper Example The benefits of project management are only achievable through effective project management. This is only obtained through a project manager with the following characteristics: performance, knowledge and personal ego. Through these qualities of an effective project manager, project management will deliver counter fold benefits. The manager, client, production team will derive satisfaction from the project. The benefits are but not limited to;†¢ Enhanced delivery of services: Similar strategies used to complete a project are used for other projects. The organization has the opportunity to look at situations.†¢ Positive Team development: The team that successfully manages a project command respect and motivation. Teamwork developed assists in the process of goal setting and as result lead to increased production and customer satisfaction. Smaller goals developed become stepping stones towards fulfillment of the larger goal. This results to the growth of organizational structu re.†¢ Be competitive: A successful project management team gets equal opportunities for other projects.†¢ Flexibility: Project management creates room for mapping out a strategy. Through this option, a manager is in a position to implement a viable strategy for the project. It also offers many ways of solving problems, a process instrumental in mitigating risks. Availability of many formulas and mathematical methods assist teams in deriving at solutions. As a result, the organization team saves time, resources and energy.... Teamwork developed assists in the process of goal setting and as result lead to increased production and customer satisfaction. Smaller goals developed become stepping stones towards fulfillment of the larger goal. This results to the growth of organizational structure. Be competitive: A successful project management team gets equal opportunities for other projects. Flexibility: Project management creates room for mapping out a strategy. Through this option, a manager is in a position to implement a viable strategy for the project. It also offers many ways of solving problems, a process instrumental in mitigating risks. Availability of many formulas and mathematical methods assist teams in deriving at solutions. As a result, the organization team saves time, resources and energy. Risk assessment: Project management ensures that resources are well mobilized as the strategy outlines potential risks and the possible ways of mitigation. Forecasting is simplified so that problems are cons idered before they develop. The problem solving process identifies the problems, weighs viable options, and seeks for viable solutions. Assurance of quality: Through efficiency, quality is increased. Organizational leaders are in a position to display simple to understand and analyze information easily (Kerzner 2013). Example of Projects that would utilize benefit from a project manager and a project information system Organizations have strategic plans that initiate projects. As a result, projects are initiated by either of the following strategic goals: Market demand for a particular product like a car company initiating a project of building fuel efficient vehicles due to shortages in gasoline. Customer request resulting from the needs of a society like

Housing Market in U.S Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Housing Market in U.S - Essay Example The bubble finally bursts. In housing bubble, very low interest rates and a consequent loosening of credit underwriting standards attract many borrowers in the market. In this case, a decline in demand due to high interest rates and a tightening of credit standards leads to bursting of the bubble. This paper discusses in depth about the rise and fall of the housing market in U.S. and its impact in the society. Scholarly research depicts that an economic bubble is difficult to identify with the exception of in hindsight. However, a number of cultural and economic factors have led to justification of the argument of several economists that a housing bubble existed in the U.S. As an economic bubble, the United States housing bubble grew up alongside the stock bubble in the mid-90s. Usually, low interest always motivates firms to borrow more and invest more. In this case, assets that are more productive match greater indebtedness (Shiller, 2006). However, the U.S housing market interest rates greatly differed with the investment. Although the country’s economy grew, many American families had to borrow more debt to refinance their mortgages and spend some of the proceeds. As long as the housing prices rose due to lower interest rates, the Americans ignored the growing indebtedness. An increase in demand in the supply of housing led to an ultimate increase in price. An incredible increase in price incorporated most affected areas into expectations that made homebuyers pay more than they would have otherwise thus making the expectations self-fulfilling. To attract many people in borrowing more money, credit standards were lowered thus fueling growth in the so-called subprime mortgages. Additionally, new products were invented lowering upfront payments and making it easier for individuals to take bigger mortgages. The biggest problem that arose from these mortgages was that some had negative amortization (Baker, 2002). This is because payments made by some of t he borrowers did not even meet the interest due thus making the debt grow more. By 2002, the housing prices had shoot to nearly 30 percent even after adjusting for inflation. Statistical analysis evidences an impact of housing prices to the housing market upon a speculative bubble rather than the fundamentals. To fuel the housing market, Federal Reserve Board chairperson Alan Greenspan suggested that it was much better for homebuyers to procure houses on flexible rates rather than set rates since this would enable them pay for the house at ease. In 2003, homebuyers had the opportunity to afford larger mortgages due to the adjustable rates that were available at that moment. The lower interest rates hastened the run-up in house prices hence increasing at a supplementary 31.6 percent. On the other hand, the run-ups had predictable effect on savings and consumption. Consumption increased thus lowering the savings rate by 1 percent (Hardaway, 2011). Several factors contributed to the ri se of the housing bubble. One major factor encompasses the desire of people to own too many houses. Many of the Americans despite their incapability of managing many houses went ahead and purchased them rather than renting houses, which is alternatively cheaper. Buying the houses for speculation rather than shelter was another insight to housing bubble. Due to the wealth possessed by most of the Americans, they decided to

The Traditional Media Industries in Transition Essay

The Traditional Media Industries in Transition - Essay Example In addition, digital era has led to the emergence of the Internet, which has made it possible for people to shop online without necessarily travelling to the shop. These are just but a few things that digital convergence has brought in the world today. This paper will explore the impacts of digital convergence and new media on the traditional NBC television network company. The paper will also analyze how NBC is changing the way it produces, distribute and exhibit its media products and re-inventing themselves to the media audience. Certainly, the rise of digital media platform in the recent past has put the traditional media industries in turmoil. This is because of the impacts that digital convergence and new media have had on the traditional media industry. The changes brought about by the digital convergence have caused a lot of unrest within the media sector, which has had to change their strategies in order to remain relevant in the industry. The major competing media sectors i nclude newspaper publishers, radio, and TV broadcast, film, and video industries (Miralles, 2009). Traditional television broadcast companies are among the worst affected in this digital era (Dandawate, 2010). This is because digital convergence has changed a lot in the television sectors. ... This is because digital signals portray quality pictures that can be seen with clarity, unlike the analogue signals that are not very clear (Zerdick et al., 2000). As a result, NBC had to change to the digital signal in order to attract more audiences to the channel. Digital signals also eliminated the use of external aerials, which were being used to tap signals, something that many audiences have lauded about the digital signal. One of the major contributions of the digital convergence that affects traditional television industries is the emergence of Digital Video Recorders (DVR). Reports indicate that the DVR usage in the U.S. is growing very fast. In this regard, a study shows that about 38.1% of U.S. home currently has the DVR (von Rimscha, 2007). However, its impact on the Television industries has been worrying. This is because traditional television companies like NBC used to depend heavily on TV advertising as a source of revenue (von Rimscha, 2007). Nevertheless, with the emergence of DVR kit, a majority of DVR users are skipping TV commercials. This is because the garget allows them users to follow commercial adverts on the garget. The reduction in the number of commercial viewers is thus reducing the value of TV commercials thereby reducing revenue. For instance, NBC reports that many of its commercial TV advertisers have reduced significantly since the emergence of DVR kit. The digital revolution has also contributed to the emergence of the Internet, which is today been used by many as a communication channel (Dandawate, 2010). In fact, report indicates that many Americans today have access to the interment either through their Internet-enabled phones

Sharing your Results Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sharing your Results - Assignment Example The methodology used in the research entailed a practical approach whereby raw results were used to formulate the hypothesis. In addition, evaluation of the companies’ profits in view of their production capacity indicated the need for companies to develop an effective marketing plan that will be able to capture either the entire market or a specific niche of customers. The research indicated that the two companies used marketing as a means to capture the target population for their products and services. It was also established that initial market research would provide the best alternative for the companies to obtain an in depth understanding of the market and buying trends. Another important aspect in controlling consumer behavior included the need to attract new customers and to retain them. Given that the companies sell similar products such as coffee, it is important for them to have an effective marketing plan that will create a diversified customer base. Starbucks is a coffeehouse chain and a global coffee company located in Seattle, Washington. The company was started in 1971 as a coffee bean roster and retailer and has grown rapidly over the time. It is one of the largest coffee companies in the world, with 13,049 in the USA while in other countries as China, Canada, Japan and the UK there are 1,909, 1,555, 1,089, and 927 stores respectively. Overseas stores constitute up to one third of the entire company indicating its wider geographical range to potential customers (Michelli, 2007). The company serves both hot and cold beverages including Whole-bean coffee, full-leaf teas, micro-ground instant coffee, pastries and snacks. Also, their evening locations offer a wide variety of beers, appetizers and wines after 4 pm. On the other hand, Costa Coffee is a multinational coffeehouse company based in Dunstable, United Kingdom. It is also a worldwide

Memoirs of a Geisha Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Memoirs of a Geisha - Essay Example In the latter part of the novel, the setting describes the dawning of the 20th century. Overall, Golden echoed the cultural, social, and political historical events in the East Asia through the memoirs of a typical entertainer. This essay functions as a review of Arthur Golden’s Memoir of a Geisha through an in-depth analysis of the novel’s literary elements and historical explorations on Japanese culture. Around 1600, until the late period of 1700s, geishas were men who used to perform and sang theatrical and artistic presentations.1 They were known then as professional entertainers and disciples of the visual arts. Later on, women entered into the world of geisha and became more prominent entertainers than men. Female geisha apply distinctive make up, wear elaborate hairstyles and fine-looking silk kimonos, and abide by the doctrines of obis and rules of propriety. They live in the abode of whoever bought them and finance their education. Their education and artistic training includes performing tea ceremonies, serving food and beverages, playing music and singing, conversation, and dancing. A geisha community has staffs who manage booking appearances and performances of geishas on private gatherings. In the advent of modernism, geisha has been becoming a remnant of Japan’s old society. Most female Japanese are now interested to and preoccupied by emerging career opportunitie s than becoming heirs of and perpetuating cultural traditions. In writing the Memoirs of a Geisha, beside from his academic studies on Japan’s cultural traditions and arts, Golden crucially used the information he elicited from a legendary geisha. He gathered such personal and historical details to bring a fictional novel into birth. That novel is now considered as a historical fiction because it tells a story of a fictional person from a far flung era, which is entirely

Accounting ds Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Accounting ds - Coursework Example A number of businesses use computerized systems to handle each step in their process of accounting. Companies usually improve their AISs to remain competitive in the industry and comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (Simkin, 2014). There are three types of Accounting Information Systems, namely manual systems, legacy systems and modern, integrated IT systems. An organization’s choice of the system to use depends on its size, business needs, and types of business and how sophisticated the business is (Simkin, 2014). A well and carefully designed AIS usually makes a business to run smoothly on daily basis, however, a poorly-designed one hampers its operations. Just like in the cases of Lehman brothers and WorldCom, the data in AIS can be used in uncovering the story of what actually went wrong. A successful business normally has an efficient and accurate accounting information system that is well maintained. Q2 A company purchased a cash register on January 1 for $5,400. This register has a useful life of 10 years and a salvage value of $400. What would be the depreciation expense for the second year of its useful life using the double-declining-balance method? Firstly, we record the ending balances from the bank statement. Secondly, prepare a detailed list of all the deposits in transit. Then we sum the two items. Thirdly, we prepare a detailed list of all the outstanding checks, checks written or sent but not cleared. We then correct any errors before getting the difference between the ending balance and the total outstanding to get adjusted bank balance. Fourthly, we adjust the general ledger balance by adding any interest received, subtracting NSF checks, correcting any errors and subtracting any service charges to get the adjusted general ledger balance. Finally, we compare the adjusted general ledger balance to the adjusted bank balance and the two items should agree. Q4 A company

Public Service Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Public Service Management - Essay Example After giving a brief picture f the values I shall go into detail about each element so as to give a broader view f the topic. An important question, which has to be addressed before moving on, is whether there is so much need for a public service. We are in an era where most f the services offered by government through its public service are already being offered too by the private sector. May I say, most f the times the private sector supplies these services in a more efficient way. People who follow the laissez-faire ideology argue that governments have been involved in activities which are inappropriate and that the size and role f government needs to be drastically cut back. The role f the government and the way it intervenes has always been highly debatable by the various ideologies and surely will remain highly debatable also in the future. (Parsons 1995) As we have mentioned before, most f the activities carried out by government can be allowed to occur through the market system without the need f government intervention. There are a series f circumstances where this does not apply. Such situations include government regulations securing free entry to producers in the market, securing that the consumer is given all the product information, controlling competition, and protecting and regulating all the contractual arrangement set up within the market. The market system does not necessarily bring high employment, price stability and the socially desired rate f economic growth. Public policy from the government is needed to deal with these factors. Adjustments in the social values due to redistribution f wealth through the market system have to be catered for too. The same thing applies also when speaking f market failures resulting from public goods, externalities and situations f natural monopolies or where there is imperfect informa tion. Thus we have seen that a certain level f government intervention is always desirable. The degree f this intervention also depends on the political and social ideologies f the environment where this occurs. If for example we take Malta, there has always been a paternalistic approach to government. The way in which government acts, reflects also in the size f the public sector. In order to deal with education, health care, national defense, environment, public transport, law and order, welfare services etc governments need to have an efficient public service which in turn inevitably becomes f large proportions. Even if nowadays with Malta's future entry in the European Union, government is moving towards a direction where it seeks to reduce the size f the public service in order to operate in the most efficient ways by means f privatization. If we start looking at the values f the public service, the first thing that comes to mind is the bureaucratic way in which it operates. Bureaucracy most f the times is mistakenly associated with a bad image. Bureaucracy is a system f administration in which the horizontal divisions between various elements or departments are complemented by vertical divisions f authority, and filled by professional career specialists. The bureaucracy can be considered as being the