Generation Gaps Essay

In our generation we have gone through numerous economical, social, and political changes. Some of which our parents would never have dreamed of. Things such as the cell phone, Wi-Fi, 9/11, and various mass shootings have permanently changed the way our generation lives and has forced our parents’ to adapt to a new way of life. Growing up I remember how different life was from the way it is now. Gas was $0.99 and everyone had dial-up internet service. Airport rules were much more forgiving. For example, If you wanted to travel you had the option of bringing food with you to avoid eating tasteless airplane meals. You were hardly frisked and didn’t have to go through a full body scanner before you departed to your gate. In my mother’s time the rules were even more lax. In the 1960’s there was little concern over terrorism and airport safety. There were almost no security procedures in place and because of this all a passenger had to do was to stroll over to the ticket counter, purchase their ticket, show identification, and board the plane. In addition to this smoking was permitted in all areas of the airplane and sometimes cigarettes were even provided to the flyers. Another aspect of our culture that has changed drastically is technology. A prime example of how technology has changed radically is the creation of the World Wide Web. The World Wide Web or the Internet as it is more commonly known catalyzed the birth of what is now known as the Digital Age. An age filled with constantly changing machinery that have ultimately changed how we go about our lives. Because of the Internet we are now able to buy and send things online. We can also pay bills, communicate with relatives, and share pictures—something our parents’ generation never dreamed of doing. Unfortunately less pleasant things such as the Columbine shootings and the more recent Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting have shattered the once widely perceived view of safe public schools and government buildings. Ironically, these places were never really safe to begin with. These tragic events have forced our government to implement laws to protect our safety. Back then, there wasn’t as much controversy over guns as there is today. Partly due to the fact that there was not as much violence in that time period. Thus, the general public felt safer and therefore, felt no need to carry around firearms or other types of weapons. All in all, one of the main reasons our society has changed so much is due to things like the Great Depression and the recent Recession as well as other less sinister events such as the inauguration of Barack Obama and technological advances such as WiFi, electric cars, and smart phones. These changes have altered how we live our lives in the 21st Century. Some have been improvements while others are mostly viewed as a decline from what life used to be like.

Engage In Personal Development Essay

1.1 Describe the duties and responsibilities of own work role. As a Teaching Assistant my main responsibility is to create a safe, happy, positive, stimulating and multicultural learning environment in which children can be cared for. My main duties are listed below: To work as an integral member of the team, creating a safe, constructive and stimulating environment for the children. To meet the children’s individual needs, appropriate to their stage and level of development. To be involved in the setting up and clearing away at the start and end of each session as required. To be involved with the planning of activities. To support literacy and numeracy activities in the classroom. To foster children’s growth of development and self reliance, and to be involved in children’s activities with a view to supporting and extending these activities appropriately. To ensure that toys and equipment are maintained, clean and safe to play with or use. To understand and comply with the Fire Drill Practise. To attend and take part in staff and other relevant meetings. To keep a daily register, first aid box and other relevant records as required. To communicate with parents and carers in a positive, constructive manner. To make time available on a regular basis to discuss the day to day running of the setting with other members of staff. Observing pupil performance and reporting on observations to the teacher Listening to pupils read, reading to them, and telling them stories. I also feel that as an individual I am able to communicate well with children and adults and actually enjoy doing this and hopefully inject a bit of humour into work. Often I am left to decide how or what to do with children as the teacher is tied up doing other things. This means I must use my own initiative and get on with the task in hand. I am able to do this without a  problem. I realise I must always be busy and if this means straightening the books in the book corner or sharpening pencils then this is what I do. I am aware I am expected to follow all the schools policies and procedures and so I have a copy of them all and have read them all. An important policy is of course confidentiality. Everything that happens in the school must remain there – I am not to discuss children school records and background with any outsiders. I am a good listener too and feel I have a sympathetic nature however I also realise I need to be firm but fair. Boundaries are important to chil dren and must be made clear. 1.2 Explain expectation about own work role as expresses in relevant standards. Each work role has its own set of standards the expectations I was given by my class teacher included being reliable and able to build good relationships with children and parent carers, encouraging play whilst learning, and by having children’s best interests e.g. physical activities, outings, this would help them to enjoy their growth in knowledge and assist in enhancing their development as a whole. Also I was expected to work as a team with other staff members and parent/carers in order to support the children to promote the children’s initial learning so that the children could feel confident and would be able to boost up their self-esteem. I was also expected to supervise the children which meant following the Child Protection Act and health and safety policy. Children must always be watched closely to prevent and reduce the severity of injury to children. Children often challenge their own abilities but are not always able to recognise the risks involved. As a Teaching Assistant I need to supervise children and identify any risks and minimise injury. The National Occupational Standards for Teaching Assistant offers guidance on the wider aspects of competent performance. It also forms the basis for the NAPTA (National Association of Professional Teaching Assistants) Profiles, which many schools now expect their Teaching Assistants to complete. The Support Work in Schools qualifications at levels 2 and 3 are also based on the National Occupational Standards. Dfe and Ofsted are examples of other models of performance which are accessible to assistants. 2.1 Explain the importance of reflective practice in continuously improving the quality of service provided. Reflective practice is one of the tools which can be used by Early Years Professionals to fulfill their role as ‘change agent’, which is at the heart of the Early Years Professional Status (CWDC, 2008). By structured reflection on current practice the EYP can identify what change is valuable, worthwhile and improving. As part of our job role it is important to carry out reflective practice especially because we work with children/young people and our effectiveness will have an impact on them and their learning. Reflective practice means thinking about and evaluating what you do and discussing any changes which could be made. This means focusing on how we interact with colleagues, children and the environment. It means thinking about how we could have done something differently, what we did well, what we could have done better. How we can improve what we have done. It also means reflecting our own values, beliefs and experiences which shape our thoughts and ideas. This will allow us to obtain a clearer picture of our own behaviour and a better understanding of our strengths and weaknesses- so that we can learn from our own mistakes and take appropriate future actions. I am always trying to improve the quality of my performance and by using reflective practice it allows me to look objectively at my work and figure out how I can improve on it. Reflective practice allows me to support the children better and better- if I have any concerns about how the session went I can look back and work out what more I could have done. I may have used one resource and found it useful and then choose it again with another child. It helps to have something to aim for, it helps with job satisfaction. 2.2 Demonstrate the ability to reflect on practice. From experience reflection on my own practice has given me opportunities to improve greatly on the task next time. It doesn’t mean that I was â€Å"wrong† to begin with it just means that the good parts of the task can be made even better. It really is about striving to improve on what was done. I am in the fortunate position to have a mentor who is excellent at tweaking my tasks and highlighting how I could improve on them. The first day I worked as a TA I was placed in a Reception class where I was to split children into  three groups. One group went to play in the sandpit, another outside on the tricycles and the last group were sent to paint. All the children were happy and content however the painting group became bored very quickly. I soon realised I hadn’t guided the children in any way. When I suggested painting a family member suddenly their interest came back and they were intent on finishing their family portrait before venturing into the sandpit. I realised on reflection that such young children needed direction and instruction in order to maintain their attention on something. I should have done this at the outset but didn’t. This is an example of reflective practice from my very first day in a classroom. This is just one example and as a TA I can honestly say that there is more than one example a day which reinforces what an important thing reflective practice is. I fortunately work in a school that are big into reflective practice and so it isn’t difficult to approach staff if a method of teaching isn’t working well. Very often learning methods need to be tweaked for the individual also. I have often worked with a group who all but one found the task manageable. For that particular child I had to change part of my instruction in order to help with the way they were able to learn. For example one of my children finds that by moving about and learning by touching things helps him to understand concepts being taught to him. I recently changed a counting task to suit him whereby I asked him to count chair legs round a table. The others were happy working with units and an abacus. I now realise that I have developed all my learning strategies through reflective practice. 2.3 Describe how own values, belief systems and experiences may affect working practice. Reflection can be difficult when your own attitudes and beliefs may differ from others. It is important to not let your own attitudes and beliefs affect your work role and to maintain your professionalism at all times. I have tried to look at what I value and consider and how my own beliefs / experiences could affect the way I work below: Background My family structure, its culture and origin will differ from others. I have parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. I can’t imagine life as an only child. My parenting techniques and parenting I  received will differ from those around me. I may not agree with how children are punished at home however I am in no way expected to pass judgement to the children. Moral influences Two children in the class I assist in are not able to be involved in Christmas activities of any sort due to their religious beliefs. At Christmas they were unable to decorate stars and make tree decorations or join in with the nativity and Christmas meal. I sat and made different things with them and kept them entertained during rehearsals however I did feel sorry for them as both wanted to join in with their friends. It was important that I didn’t show my feelings to them though as this would of been very wrong. Other people may struggle with those who have different diet and lifestyles e.g. veganism, vegetarianism. Marriage, war, immigration and emigration are other areas people may have opinions on along with trafficking, smacking, smoking, drinking, unemployment and employment. 3.1 Evaluate own knowledge, performance and understanding against relevant standards. This is about reflecting on and evaluating honestly my own performance, and discovering ways to improve it through skills development. This requires me to identify my strengths and weaknesses and to try to find out what information and support is available to help me develop a plan covering my own personal and professional aspirations, and then put those plans into action. As I mentioned earlier, I monitor my performance regularly to make sure that it is as effective as possible. I luckily get regular and useful feedback on my performance from my class teacher. I usually log where I need to make any improvements so it is clear next time I come to do the task where to make the relevant changes. Recently due to new recommendations the school has needed to change the marking system. We now put a circle not a cross next to incorrect work. Any changes I need to be aware of for my teaching practice.

Ap European History Renaissance Education Dbq Exercise Essay

During the Renaissance, scholars became more interested in the humanistic features of society, and humanistic educators based their teaching models on Greek and Latin classics. Renaissance education was One apparent purpose of a Renaissance education was to praise the value of useful education, through the teaching of the classics, mainly Greek literature that was written by Greek philosophers, mathematicians and other important figures. Some criticised the Renaissance education, however, because they felt as if it was absurd, as it didn’t teach true values of learning, and didn’t teach one how to behave, but rather how to dictate Latin. Despite these criticisms, other humanists believed Renaissance learning brought great profits, higher positions, and more honors later in life, and was successful in the task of teaching young people to fear god, have good virtue, and to be disciplined. One apparent purpose of a Renaissance education was to praise the value of useful education, through the teaching of the classics, mainly Greek literature that was written by Greek philosophers, mathematicians and other important figures. Aeneas Sylvius Piccolomini, stated on his book, On the Education of Free Men, 1450, that the study of the Philosophy and of Letters was the guide to the meaning of the past, present, and even future. There may be some bias to this statement, for Piccolomini was an Italian humanist who later became pope, and may have been using his knowledge of the classics, being a humanist, to justify his religious and political power. Battista Guarino, an Italian humanist educator, also supports the classics, by simply explaining that mankind must learn and train in Virtue, or as the ancients called the â€Å"Humanities. † There is also a bit of point of view, however, because being an Italian humanist educator, Guarino would value the teaching of the classics to his students and would want to influence his opinion on others. Baldassare Castiglione, Italian diplomat and author, said that a courtier, or a king’s assistant or servant, should be educated in the humanities, and the Latin poets, orators, and historians, because women value that knowledge in a man, and he will be able to judge the writing of others. Erasmus also stated that the student must delve into the literatures of ancient Greece and Rome, to gain the knowledge in the classics. Erasmus has a particular point of view, because he practiced a humble religion, and tried to live the way Jesus lived, which would make him value things the ancients valued. Some criticised the Renaissance education, however, because they felt as if it was absurd, as it didn’t teach true values of learning, and didn’t teach one how to behave, but rather how to dictate Latin. Juan Luis Vives, a Spanish humanist, supported the idea that women should not learn much, but rather just enough to teach her good manners and literature from biblical scholars. There is a great deal of bias in this idea, because being Spanish, Christian, and male, Vives would not agree with women being educated, due to the fact that Spain was very conservative, especially after the Reconquista. Michel de Montaigne argued that the â€Å"absurd† educational system taught students the wrong values, by teaching them that writing the best Greek and Latin was more important the which books contain the best opinions. Montaigne’s point of view comes from the fact that he is a skeptic and criticizes numerous things, so it is likely that he would criticize the educational system. John Brinsley, an English schoolmaster objected that scholars at fifteen or sixteen years of age due not understand true knowledge, but instead the can only wrote Latin that means little. Brinsley had an interesting perspective, because he was a schoolmaster himself and saw these actions firsthand, from his young scholars. Another criticism of the school system was that such study weakens the body, and prevents people from obtaining jobs necessary to society, such as farming jobs, soldiers, and merchants. John Amos Comenius, and educational reformer, also said supported the idea that learning did not assist people enough in life, because students learned much grammar, rhetoric, and logic, instead of things that would prepare them for action later in life. Despite these criticisms, other humanists believed Renaissance learning brought great profits, higher positions, and more honors later in life, and was successful in the task of teaching young people to fear god, have good virtue, and to be disciplined. Francesco Guicciardini stated that things that seem more decorative than substantial to man, such as skills like the arts, led to a good reputation of men and open the way to favor a princess. These skills also led to great profits and honors. The perspective in this statement comes from the fact that he was a politician, and witnessed how his education in these arts helped him to improve his rank in society, gain a larger profit, and other benefits. Some also supported the Renaissance education from a religious side by explaining that children who go to school learned virtue, discipline, and to fear God, which were important Christian values. In an analysis of the percentage of justices of the Peace who attended university, around 1562, in Kent, only two percent of justices had attended university. This number increased dramatically in 1636, when an astonishing sixty eight percent of justices had attended university. This clearly demonstrated the value of a Renaissance education, and how it led to higher ranks, for instance, justices.

Research Method Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Research Method - Essay Example With improvements in computing technology, information stored in online databases are accessible from distant locations when there is connection between the sources. The method used is keyword and subject headings describe the content of every item in the database. The keyword searching is how you typically search web search engines.   Searching by subject headings is the most accurate way to search literature in the databases. It is not normally easy to presume which subject headings or keywords to use in a particular database. The process is as follows: Combine your keyword to yield results that matches what you are searching by using word such as AND or OR. You can also apply dates to filter search and the time span with which the articles was published. Specify the database that you are going search and use keyword that can be accessed easily via that database. This stage allows you to establish the credibility of your search by considering factors such as the geographical area it covers, credibility and whether it is up-to-date. Other factors to consider include language used and whether it is consistent with the prevailing situation. Using web-based  service by creating a database of references, which will help in recognizing the sources the next time you visit the database. Also, create a list of references (bibliography), save and other website services that can help you trace the

Analyse the industry structure of the 'civil aerospace market' in the Essay

Analyse the industry structure of the 'civil aerospace market' in the aircraft construction industry - Essay Example In the particular case, Pestel analysis is considered to be the most appropriate scheme for the examination and the evaluation of external environment of civil aerospace market not in relation with a particular country but in the context of the international community. Civil aerospace industry is critical for the performance of aircraft construction industry. Under these terms possible failures in the former may lead to severe political consequences for the country where the latter is related. It is for this reason that governments around the world pay significant attention to the particular industry taking all measures (at the highest possible level) that ensure the profitable and effective operation of the firms that belong in the specific industry. Possible financial support of the relevant firms by the state is also a common phenomenon. Currently, financial markets around the world are characterized by severe turbulences. In this context, exchange rates and interests tend to change almost daily. As a result, the design and the application of a long term strategy for the firms operating in the civil aerospace industry is a challenging task. In this context, appropriate measures should be taken by governments around the world towards the stabilization of rates at least for a specific period. Moreover, alterations in the value of currencies within all countries should be avoided at the highest possible level trying to keep the balance among economies in the global marketplace. Only in this way civil aerospace industry could be effectively developed in the long term. A major characteristic of modern era is the trend for creation of common social and cultural patterns. However, this ‘globalization’ in cultural and social traditions cannot be considered as having only positive aspects. In fact, firms operating in the civil airspace industry should take into consideration that culture still remains the major factor that influences

Sickle Cell Trait Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sickle Cell Trait - Research Paper Example Clark has been declared unfit for the game because of a blood disorder called sickle cell trait. Sickle cell trait is a sub-type of sickle cell anemia in which the person has one normal gene and the other abnormal sickle cell gene. Thus, although he does not manifest with the serious blood disorder symptoms but his previous medical history points out that he is at risk of developing serious organ complications. The coach Mike Tomlin explained that Clark had experienced spleen and gall bladder problems in the 2007 game and eventually had to end his game. He had suffered from a serious sickle cell crisis because of the hypoxic conditions caused by the demanding game. Thus they have decided in light of the data to limit him from the upcoming game (Moisse 2012). Dr. Jasmine Zain describing the condition stated that sickle cell trait individuals live a normal life and are sometimes not even aware of their hematological pathology. However, under circumstances of severe hypoxia like high-al titude or strenuous exercises, the hemoglobin forms crystals in the red blood cells and they lose their functional and structural capacity. This leads to sluggish blood flow and blockage of blood vessels. The final outcome is loss of function of organs, stroke, intense joint pain or even cardiac problems. For professional athletes oxygen demand is crucial during the exercise. On the other hand, people with full-blown sickle cell anemia, both the genes are abnormal and they do not have normal hemoglobin at all. This type is associated with serious symptoms and complications and is sometimes also fatal. With new advancements in therapeutic strategies, the life expectancy of sickle cell disease has increased up to 40, 50 and even 60. With these treatment methods, the concentrations of abnormal hemoglobin levels in the blood can be reduced to manage the blood disorder. The permanent cure for sickle cell disease is only bone marrow transplant from preferably a healthy sibling (Moisse 201 2). Clark has stated in the article that sitting back in the benches during the game is indeed discouraging and he hopes that things would get better so that he gets a chance to be a part of the team again (Moisse 2012). Sickle cell trait is a blood disorder which might be neglected or ignored because of its less obvious clinical presentation. But, sickle cell trait individuals have to take certain precautionary measures in order to avoid the associated complications as mentioned earlier. They have to avoid extreme exercise regimens or visiting high altitude areas as this would ultimately increase their blood’s oxygen demand. Although, they are safe from the major signs and symptoms which are associated with sickle cell disease, sickle cell trait individuals still have to face some restrictions and limitations in their everyday life. If we reflect in our everyday life and sickle cell trait implications, outdoor sports and exercise are significantly affected. Children, who are interested in sports which require strenuous physical activity like cricket, soccer, rugby, basketball, tennis and other such games, will have to restrict themselves because of their condition. Some children might show more severe symptoms in reaction to hypoxia as compared to others. However, every sickle cell trait individual is at risk of organ-failure complications and sickle cell crisis in response

Developing & Managing the Enterprise Case Study

Developing & Managing the Enterprise - Case Study Example in order to run the business, Steve would need to increase his technical skills with a computer, while for raising the finance for the business he has the option for selling off his current business and taking on a small business loan for financing establishment expenses and operations of the business in the lunch phase. Entrepreneur is a person who takes risk to exploit opportunities and generate high revenues from such ventures through the creative use of innovation. "Entrepreneurship is the dynamic process of creating incremental wealth. The wealth is created by individuals who assume the major risks in terms of equity, time and/or career commitment or provide value for some product or service" ('Definition of Entrepreneurship Today') Small business are usually established by people to generate a steady income and support themselves and their families, however an entrepreneurial business is one in which the entrepreneur takes risk to exploit the opportunities in the market and use innovation in a creative manner to make his business succeed. The type of business which is going to be run by Steve is going to be an entrepreneurial business as he would be providing e-books as well as hardcopy books both new and used as well as a trading facility through the online internet medium to the customers in the market. Venture Ideas/ Opportunities Through the analysis of the industry where is Steve was previously operating in, it has been observed that he has the following options pertaining to starting a new business venture. 1. Shut down the retail bookselling business and launch and online retail option for new and used books. 2. Start a business in another field 3. Sell his business to the large retailers and competitors in the market and invest the money in buying shares of the other successful companies Of the above mentioned business options available to Steve, the first option pertaining to the commencement of an online bookstore business by Steve is the most profitable in the long term as it if strategy invested in, the business can compete with the large scale book retailers in the market while over coming the barriers of entry presented by the likes of Angus & Robertson and Dymocks. Another reason as to why this option has been chosen is because of the experience that Steve has in the book retail market and the contacts that he has established over the period which can facilitate his establishment and operation of the online book retail business. Competitive Strategy The different types of competitive strategies that are normally used by entrepreneurs pertain to being a defender, prospector, analyzer and reactor. The defender strives to maintain a prominent position in the market with centralized and traditionally hierarchical organization. The prospector on the other hand brings new products and services in to the market and focuses on being innovative. The analyzer copies successful innovations and builds on them to create a position while a reactor tends to have strategies which are well defined but obsolete. (Allen, 1999). The strategy which is going to be used by Steve for his new business would be analyzer strategy whereby he would be building on present innovations

Data Analysis for a business making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Data Analysis for a business making - Essay Example c. The model will be solved through the help of the objective function applied, in which the decisions variables will be used in terms of controlling the operations and also avoiding the constraints to get the maximized productivity. d. One of the main constraints in the functional operations was limiting the machine’s productivity due to the depreciation. Another main constraint was time management. The constraint that was not problematic was the labor issue, i.e. they worked properly. e. The reduction in the profit means either the low pricing or the higher material or labor costs. The value of the objective function will change because of the productivity concerns. Because as the material cost has increased, so a limitation will be applied on the working of the machine and the lesser productivity will be the case. f. The value of additional value of additional minute of time per week for the devices numbered 1 to 4 will be respectively as follows: 600, 390, 330, and 204. Th e company must add more test device time on 4th and 3rd device as they have experienced to be consuming lesser time. g. The management of the company should make the corrective measures in terms of the cost reduction techniques and profit maximizing mechanisms. The officials must hire firstly the trained engineers who must know everything about the functions of the machines and how the constraints can be avoided. The company needs maximum productivity and for that it is imperative to train the engineers or flour managers so that they already know what types of constraints can be there and must avoid them to keep the productivity maximized. Also the management must also make sure that the decision variables are only those that can really be controlled and they should be working for the interest of the company for taking the profits to maximized level, and also keeping the costs to the minimum level as that will be the key for the maximum profits. The company must also make sure that the objective functions are properly executed as they will be the important indicators for the success of the maximum productivity. Task 2: a. Mathematical expression for the linear programming function can be written as: Â   The constraints are as follows: These constraints actually mean that the productivity will be low if the resources are not applied efficiently, and the one reason might be the inefficiency of the labor. b. The optimal solution will require the client to follow a specific diet each day which will maximize the chances and objectives which he intends to achieve. The chocolate of 50 grams and sugar of 100 grams might be the best diet for him through which he can meet his aims. This will also incur him the minimum cost, as his problem is more intense but it’s the job of his doctor to suggest the prescriptions that can cost him less but offer him more. c. The creation of the objective function required the programming for which the matlab and java are best pr ograms. The data can be included there along with some calculations and programming. d. Yes, the resources are fully utilized and the materials before being utilized were in stable form and that is why the product quality will also be fine. The only source that was not utilized properly was related to the labor. The management experience of lesser labor doing more work that cannot be handled by them might be the one problem that caused the lack of the productivity that was

Two creation story Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Two creation story - Essay Example Having read through Genesis 1-2, I came with the idea that there are two different creation stories in the bible. The above table gives us some of the ideas that can clearly show us that there are two different stories regarding creation. If you read biblical stories expecting them to tell you exactly what happened, be prepared for a shock as you won’t find the reality less you dig deeper in chapter one of the book of genesis. People are often surprised to realize that God is given two different names in Genesis 1 and 2: God and Lord God. This is not due to some conspiracy by those that translate the Bible into English. â€Å"God† in the first story and the â€Å"lord God†, in the second are used consistently in Hebrew. The different story tellers are just but people. Looking at the way these stories are told, the first story is rather orderly. In that account, God speaks and something comes into existence or being, God sees that it is good, and there is evening and morning respectively: day one ( or two, three, e.t.c) I like to picture God in Genesis 1standing offstage with microphone, booming the lines, â€Å"let there be†¦..† In speaking things into being, instead of being right in our midst, God comes across as somewhat removed. Theologians describe this representation of God as being transcendent. In the second story of creation according to me, Lord God creates things in a slightly different order than what we see in Genesis chapter 1. There are no days that delineated in this account , and God Lord does not speak things into being. This account could almost start with, â€Å"Once upon a time†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬  Here Lord God seems to be right in the middle of things,. Even using hands but the question is, â€Å" does God really and really have physical

Drug Abuse Essay Example for Free

Drug Abuse Essay 1.0 Topic and Chosen aspect Drug abuse among teenagers is the chosen aspect for this report. Drug abuse is defined as the excessive use of drugs without medicine justification. It is reported that 50% of teenagers have abused a drug of some kind (Teendrugrehabs n.d.). 1.1 Critical evaluation of findings One of the main factors of drug abuse among teenagers is due to peer pressure. Based on statistics 80% of teenagers are affected by peer pressure (Wallace 2011). Wanting to be accepted by their peers, they are willing to do anything. Their desire to be socially accepted will cause them to be influence by their peers. Thus, this will lead them to the abuse of drugs to make things more exciting and not left out. Besides that, it is very hard to say â€Å"NO!† to their peers. Furthermore, another reason for teenagers to be easily involved in drug abuse is due to the easy access to drugs. 54% of the students of private high schools reported that drugs are accessible in their schools while 61% of the public high school students state that their schools are â€Å"drug-infested† (Pahuriray 2012). As drugs can be easily obtained everywhere. 2.0 Processes Various steps were undertaken to attain the sources needed for the report. However, a lot of the sources from the internet is too vague and the statistics are already outdated.

Nature And Extent Of Globalisation Economics Essay

Nature And Extent Of Globalisation Economics Essay Globalisation in layman term, is commonly understood as the spread and connectedness of production, communication and technologies across the world. The International Monetary Fund defines globalisation as the growing economic interdependence of countries worldwide through increasing volume and variety of cross-border transactions in goods and services, freer international capital flows, and more rapid and widespread diffusion of technology. Globalisation involves the exchange of culture, practices and technologies. It is more than internationalisation, thus has powerful economic, political, cultural and social dimensions. There are three main indicators of globalisation. These are international trade, the transfer of money capital and the movement of people between countries. Retail is the sale of goods and services from individuals or business to the end-user. Retailers are part of the supply chain. There are different types of retailers, such as department stores, discount stores, warehouse stores, convenience stores, hypermarkets, supermarket, malls and e-tailers. The retail industry can be divided into several strategic groups from small to super scale. Among all these strategic groups, Tesco, Carrefour, Wal Mart, Metro AG and Kroger are global top five retailers that have similar business models or similar combination of strategies. The aerospace industry includes authorities and companies involved in the manufacturing, operating and maintenance of aircraft, engines and aircraft equipments. There are different civil aviation stake holders, such as governments (Federal Aviation Administration, United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority, Civil Aviation Administration of China), airlines (British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, United Airlines), maintenance repair organisations (Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company, Singapore Aircraft Engineering Company), manufacturers (Boeing, Airbus, Rolls Royce), and private aircraft owners. The aviation industry can also be divided into several strategic groups which cover a large scope of business. Among all these strategic groups, Pratt Whitney, General Electric, CFM International and Rolls Royce are global top four civil aero engine manufacturers that have similar business models or similar combination of strategies. PESTEL analysis stands for Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal (Appendix Table 1). It is a tool to conduct a strategic analysis and provide an overview of the different macro environmental factors that the company has to take into consideration to formulate the company strategy. In this portfolio we will focus on China Political, Economic, Technological in the areas of retail business and civil aviation. China with a population of over 1.3 billion is the worlds most populous country. China is the second largest county in the world by land area. Its total area is around 9,600.000 square kilometer. Since the economic reforms in 1978, China has become the worlds fastest-growing major economy. In 2012, China becomes the worlds second-largest economy, after the United States. It is also the worlds largest exporter and second-largest importer of goods. China is a single party state governed by the Communist Party. In 2011, Chinas GDP is around RMB47.2 trillion (1GBP=9.86RMB) , GDP growth rate 9.5%, income per capita RMB33,777, labour force 815.3 million, unemployment rate 6.1% and inflation 3.2%. The official language of China is Mandarin. English is popular among the younger. The literacy rate is 92.8%. The number of internet users reaches 500 million. Tianhe-1A worlds fastest supercomputer was developed in 2011. China has been the one of the states capable of sending human to the space. In 2009 the total sales in Chinas top 100 supermarkets is RMB575.6 billion, with CAGR of 15.6% from 2006 to 2009. The total number of supermarket outlets is 23,814. The Foreign-funded supermarket enterprise entered into China market in 2004 after the Chinese government lifted the restrictions on foreign capitals entry into Chinas retail industry. In 2009, the eight foreign-funded supermarkets including Carrefour, Wal-Mart and RT-Mart recorded total sales of RMB175.71 billions, with a total of 785 stores (Appendix 1, Table 2). The 31 domestic supermarkets (Better-Life, New Huadu, Wu Mart and Lianhua) recorded total sales of RMB391.3 billions, with a total of 23,004 stores. In the civil aviation sector, according to the forecast of Aviation Industry Corporation of China, China will have an increase of 4,583 civilian aeroplanes in the next 20 years. Chinese commercial aeroplane market will undoubtedly grow rapidly. To the year 2030, Chinas share of global aircraft fleet will increase from 9% to 15%. In addition, the business jet market has a huge growing capacity in the global industry. In the near future, China is still unable to produce its own commercial aero engine for its jets. All the civil aero engines are imported from overseas. The major players are Pratt Whitney, General Electric, CFM International and Rolls Royce. To help our clients understand the difference between United Kingdom and China Market in order to formalising their strategies, we apply the Ghemawats CAGE Distance Framework indentifying Cultural, Administrative, Geographic and Economic difference or distance between United Kingdom and China. Socio-cultural difference such as Religion and Values are important factors affecting the companies enter into China Market. Chinas traditional religions are Buddhism and Taoism while Christianity and Catholicism are two major religions in United Kingdom. Western and Chinese companies conduct business in a very different way. In traditional Chinese societies, personal contacts and relationship are built around kinship and local network especially in retail industry. English is United Kingdoms national language where in China Mandarin is the most spoken language. This difference affects more on high end civil aviation industry than the retail industry. Ghemawat says Political barriers will remain a part of the picture for those globalizing their operations. China adopted a closed door policies until the mid-1970, the liberalisation of China after 1978 has resulted in the political climate being less restrictive than before. China accession into World Trade Organisation (WTO) in 2001 is an important milestone for the countrys economy. After entering into WTO, China started the reform to liberalise trading rights, eliminate no tariff barriers, improve market access to goods and services, reduce traffic rates and protect intellectual property rights. Although Chinese government try the best efforts to promote rule of law, systemic and endemic corruption, lack of transparency, inconsistently enforced laws and regulations, an unreliable legal system and weak intellectual property protection remain to be the barriers to business profitability in China. The level of state involvement in the economy through large number of state owned ente rprise remain high creating distortions in the market and protectionist measures for local and state enterprises continue to impede fair trade and competition. After the 2008 financial crises, there is a phenomenon that many private owned business were acquired by the state owned enterprise due to lack of liquidity. Chinas time zone is eight hours ahead of London and the flying time between two capitals is around ten hours. Ongoing structural reforms in China, export growth and investment has resulted in annually real GDP growth rates of around 10% over the past 4 years. Sustained high growth has reduced poverty and creating huge demand on consumer goods and air travel which generate business opportunity in both retail and aviation industry.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the Mauritius

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the Mauritius CSR is not so new in the history of Mauritius. A Mauritian companys engagement in CSR initiatives dates back to 20 years ago, which took place at varying points in time.  Some 25% of companies had recently engaged in CSR activities since less than 4 years only, thus confirming the belief that CSR is an emerging trend in Mauritius. Legal Requirements for CSR The Minister of Finance has established a legal policy in its 2007 financial budget that all registered companies would have to contribute a certain percentage of their book profit towards programmes, as approved by the Government of Mauritius, that contribute to the social and environmental development of the country. However, not all the firms were fully adhering to adopt this good corporate citizenship where one of the reasons for such non-compliance was that charitable donations were no longer tax deductible, thus, discouraging philanthropy by businesses and individuals. Also, there was a relatively low level of sophistication of Mauritian society in terms of demanding such good corporate practice. Seemingly, recognising the poor level of corporate citizenship in Mauritius, in July 2009, the Ministry of Finance introduced the CSR Fund whereby companies need to mandatorily contribute 2% of their PAT (Profit after Tax) to the mentioned fund. All companies need necessarily report their CSR contribution to the Mauritius Revenue Authority (MRA) at the time of submitting their Tax Returns. The companies have one year after the close of their financial accounts to fulfil this legal obligation pursuant to Section 50K and 50L of Income Tax Act. Companies, which fail to abide by this obligation, are required to remit any amount unspent to the MRA.   In compliance with prevailing legislation, the CSR Fund is used to finance CSR activities such as: An overwhelming majority of organisations indulge in philanthropy by engaging in 3 major areas, namely, health and safety, education and community (including sports) whilst other companies prefer to sponsor educational and sports activities. Reasons behind CSR The specific objectives for firms to engage in CSR activities are: Interestingly, it is noted that nearly 50% of firms in Mauritius partner up with other organisations, such as NGOs in their CSR activities on a long-term or short-term basis while the others indulge in one-off partnerships. It is also noticed that almost all companies that partner with NGOs have reported satisfaction with such partnerships. Initially, engagement in CSR activities by most organisations was mainly image building vis-à  -vis their internal and external community. Increasingly, internal and external stakeholders all expect business organisations to do more than making profit. Nowadays, Society expects organisations to go beyond mere compliance with law and regulations. Business is expected to recognise and respect new or evolving ethical norms being institutionalised in society (Carroll, 1999). Thus, this is why multinationals engage in CSR not only to enhance their image but also because they have to abide by their global policy. Hence, the minister stressed that the levies should not be perceived as a tax on efficiency. They are instead a gesture of compassion and solidarity with those who cannot help themselves and with those who will have no means of livelihood if they lose their jobs. CSR and Corporate Governance CSR and Corporate Governance are collectively shaping the identity of organisations and are thus increasingly integrated into the business strategy of successful corporations. Subsequently, the field of responsible business strategy and practice is becoming one of the most dynamic and challenging subjects corporate leaders are facing today and possibly one of the most important ones for shaping the future of our world. Firms in the private sector in Mauritius as well as across the world do acknowledge that they have to balance, if not reconcile, their obligations to shareholders with explicit contributions to the external community. However, the way they contribute can differ considerably. Different firms reveal their contents of their strategy according to the different stages of awareness of and work on CSR they are. While some may agree on a minimum necessary stance to CSR involvement, others may adopt strategic ventures into particular areas to show their contribution to the investment and social communities. To maintain uniformity, the way the companies should disclose their CSR involvement and compliance to law is laid out in the codes of ethics, codes of conduct and codes of corporate governance of the companies corporate ethics. These codes essentially and principally establish and put forward clear norms for corporate behaviour to be observed by each director and employee; set the rules for outlining the responsibilities of or proper practices for all in the organisation; and shape organisational behaviour towards employees and society at large. Corporate governance hence mainstreams social and environment responsibility of corporations and brings awareness that firms off balance sheet environmental and social impacts can have tangible financial consequences. According to the economist and noble laureate Milton Friedman, Corporate Governance is to conduct the business in accordance with owner or shareholders desires, which generally will be to make as much money as possible, while conforming to the basic rules of the society embodied in law and local customs. Nevertheless, nowadays this definition has been extended to include the interests of not only the shareholders but also of many stakeholders. There are many regulatory efforts put to identify and codify good governance practices to map out the social and environmental, non-financial boundaries among the different participants in the corporation itself and other stakeholders. To promote corporate fairness, transparency and accountability, the law of Mauritius has provided for the Code of Corporate Governance under Section VII of the Integrated Sustainability Reporting to converge the interests of individuals, corporations and society as nearly as possible through maintaining a balance between economic and social goals as pursued by Sir Adrian Cadburys definition of Corporate Governance. Also, Section 75 of the Financial Reporting Act (2004)  [1]  requires listed companies to present a corporate governance section in the annual report. While CSR aims at extending the legal requirements promoting ethics, philanthropy and social reporting to satisfy stakeholder concerns, Corporate Governance sets the legal framework to protect a companys shareholders, management, board and other stakeholders; the relative emphasis being dependent on national approaches. Effective corporate governance practices are essential to achieving and maintaining high levels of public trust and confidence in the company. Recent surveys concerning CSR in Mauritius have revealed that the large organisations have a fair code of conduct/ethics/corporate governance showing their positive attitude and acceptance of the existing codes of adopting good CSR practices. Though some firms do not hold a formal approach to CSR, they do derive significant benefits in some way by, for instance, adopting good people management practices in terms of staff morale, productivity and employee retention. According to the report reviewing CSR in Mauritius by Deloitte (2008), despite the fact that Mauritian organisations have been involved in one way or the other in CSR undertakings, Mauritius still lags behind the western countries when it comes to CSR being integrated in organisational strategy, structure and operations. Issues like as lack of information on CSR areas, absence of proper partnership, lack of audit after implementation and lack of coordination are deemed to hinder the organisations in their CSR actions. Nonetheless, there is always room for improvement to settle this practice among the local and multinational companies in Mauritius.

The Evolution of Sex Essay -- Teenagers Media Relationships Papers

The Evolution of Sex Take the 1960s notion of free love, combine with today's sexually active teenagers who expect no emotional commitment, and you have the modern definition for â€Å"hook up.† The term evolved just as many ideas about sex have in this last century. Hooking up is no longer just kissing, it involves oral sex and also intercourse, it is all about the casual sex. The practice of casual sex is more popular among American teenagers; however, the feelings of independence and empowerment obtained by it are not the only consequences. Having multiple random partners can result in sexually transmitted diseases (STD), HIV, unwanted pregnancies and other physical risks. Moreover, depression and intimacy problems can bear psychological problems and harm a practitioner more than believed. â€Å"(Casual sex) does make me feel empowered...and it can be quite a lot of fun. But you have to go into it with your head fully wrapped around the idea that nothing will result from it, that it doesn’t mean anything besides two people giving into their physical desires,† said 19-year-old, Boston student, Danielle. Like Danielle, many young adults, and teenagers, have sex without attachment. For example, more than half of 11th-graders surveyed by the Bowling Green State University, in Ohio, said they have had intercourse, and of them a 60 percent did it with an acquaintance, they survey said. That number may have been higher if the survey had included oral sex, said the university. For many teenagers having sex with acquaintances it is their first experience. The reasons why they rush into sex may vary, but include peer pressure and a desire to live the experience at once. A recent SexSmarts survey, by the Kaiser Family Foundation and... ...ill one’s sexual desires while hindering sentiments, said the SexEtc Web site. Teenagers and young adults need to be taught that having sex is not just another fact of life and that it has a meaning, and it has consequences. Whether a young person decides to have sex or wait until marriage, parents or guardians need to respect their decisions and keep an open door policy so that they can feel safe to ask questions and make thought out, balanced, decisions. "When you reach a certain age of maturity you can decide if you’re emotionally capable of handling the consequences," said Danielle. "My parents gave us a lot of freedom and I am very thankful it because we were able to talk like adults when I was a teenager and they answered my questions head-on, that’s the only way to make sure that your children don’t turn elsewhere for their personal sexual education." The Evolution of Sex Essay -- Teenagers Media Relationships Papers The Evolution of Sex Take the 1960s notion of free love, combine with today's sexually active teenagers who expect no emotional commitment, and you have the modern definition for â€Å"hook up.† The term evolved just as many ideas about sex have in this last century. Hooking up is no longer just kissing, it involves oral sex and also intercourse, it is all about the casual sex. The practice of casual sex is more popular among American teenagers; however, the feelings of independence and empowerment obtained by it are not the only consequences. Having multiple random partners can result in sexually transmitted diseases (STD), HIV, unwanted pregnancies and other physical risks. Moreover, depression and intimacy problems can bear psychological problems and harm a practitioner more than believed. â€Å"(Casual sex) does make me feel empowered...and it can be quite a lot of fun. But you have to go into it with your head fully wrapped around the idea that nothing will result from it, that it doesn’t mean anything besides two people giving into their physical desires,† said 19-year-old, Boston student, Danielle. Like Danielle, many young adults, and teenagers, have sex without attachment. For example, more than half of 11th-graders surveyed by the Bowling Green State University, in Ohio, said they have had intercourse, and of them a 60 percent did it with an acquaintance, they survey said. That number may have been higher if the survey had included oral sex, said the university. For many teenagers having sex with acquaintances it is their first experience. The reasons why they rush into sex may vary, but include peer pressure and a desire to live the experience at once. A recent SexSmarts survey, by the Kaiser Family Foundation and... ...ill one’s sexual desires while hindering sentiments, said the SexEtc Web site. Teenagers and young adults need to be taught that having sex is not just another fact of life and that it has a meaning, and it has consequences. Whether a young person decides to have sex or wait until marriage, parents or guardians need to respect their decisions and keep an open door policy so that they can feel safe to ask questions and make thought out, balanced, decisions. "When you reach a certain age of maturity you can decide if you’re emotionally capable of handling the consequences," said Danielle. "My parents gave us a lot of freedom and I am very thankful it because we were able to talk like adults when I was a teenager and they answered my questions head-on, that’s the only way to make sure that your children don’t turn elsewhere for their personal sexual education."

Use of Math in Auto Racing Essay -- mathematics math car racing

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mathematics is found everywhere in life and work and auto racing is no exception. There are many applications of math in racing. The purpose of racing is to win and in order to do that there must be a lot of math involved. If you don’t use math and use it correctly then you will not win. Mathematics is involved in racing in two ways, the car setup and scoring an measurements. The car setup involves tire pressure, down force, wedge, aerodynamic Drag, camber, track bar and valance. The scoring system also uses math. In addition to scoring math is also used to measure different racing related subjects such as car weight, gas mileage time interval, qualifying, and the track characteristics.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tire pressure is used as a setup tool that is akin to adjusting spring rates in the vehicles suspension. Increasing the air pressure in the tires raises the spring rate in the tire itself and changes the vehicles handling characteristics. In order for optimal performance the teams must know the proper p.s.i ( Pressure per square inch) for a certain tire on a certain track for a certain air temperature.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Math is also used in measuring the â€Å"downforce.† Downforce is the air pressure traveling over the surface of the car. This air pushes the car downwards which creates the term downforce. The greater the psi the greater the downforce which creates better tire grip for higher speeds through turns.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Wedge is another racing term that relies on math. Wedge refers to the relationship from corner to corner of the weight of the car. The weight on any corner of the vehicle affects the weight of the other three corners in direct proportion. The wedge determines how the car handles by either stiffening the wedge or loosening it up.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aerodynamic drag is another math related racing factor. A number that is a coefficient of several factors indicates how well a car will travel through the air is the aerodynamic drag. Teams use specific tests to determine how to achieve the least amount of drag on the car in order to obtain the fastest speed possible.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Math is involved in the camber of a tire which is also very critical in creating the fastest car possible. Camber is the angle at which a tire makes contact with the track surface. The camber varies from tire to tire dep... ... degree of the angle of the track, usually the banking is the steepest in the turns. The banking can range from 0 degrees to 34 degrees which is significant to the team when preparing for a race.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Math is very important in the world of racing. In order to be the most competitive teams must know how to use math and use it correctly. Incorrect calculations can cause dismal performance, fines and be dangerous to the driver. Due to these reasons race teams accept no error in calculations and always make sure to use the math to their advantage. Math is used in different ways in racing. Math is used to determine the proper setup of a car and is used to determine the scoring and measurements of racing subjects. The car setup involves math in the tire pressure, downforce, wedge, aerodynamic drag, camber, track bar and the valance. Math is used in the scoring to determine how many points a driver receives each race and is used in measuring the car weight, gas mileage, time interval, qualifying and the track specifications. All of these are just some of the many examples of how math is relevant in all areas of life including auto racing.

Listless Universities

â€Å"Look at a nation’s school and you will see what society it represents.†-Jose Rizal The introduction of liberalism may seem to have vastly modified what social structures were implemented before. As we go about our daily lives, we are already separated from what the â€Å"supposed† to be agenda of existence is all about. Such a case has driven more and more people to take directions which are no longer of significant use. Everything that has come up to the minds of the younger generations is a bland philosophy. And even though it may seem that people have the taste to achieve living without borders, there is not really a single aspect of intuition where we they are really going. According to All About Philosophy, worthless perception of everything is coined to be nihilism. And it is very possible societies are going this path. It is very true that universities nowadays do not really care more about their social responsibilities. They somehow care less than the previous generation of education institutions. And this is not evident among just any schools out there but actually very obvious even with the supposedly top performing institutions or at least those respectable ones. Apparently, the generations following after the mid 20th century social structure do not need anymore that of what schools can really contribute. But even though this problem is very evident, universities do not count itself as the role model in maintaining the sole purpose of its existence. It has abandoned its children and has neglected the society to structure itself without any care. Universities nowadays are becoming more and more just a â€Å"setting† where the youth can increase their respective social lives. The schools are no longer upholding its power to engage with students as to how education should be treated. The institutions themselves are to blame since they did not really become strong enough to face the changes in the society. They go with the way of the social structure even though they know that they are losing power each day a neglected student enters its corridors. As a clear example, the main objective of today’s universities is to sustain its existence. Of course, no man made institution can survive this capitalist driven world without concerning itself to raising funds. So in effect, schools have become more and more commercialized and providing fewer opportunities for it to interact with the students. Even though the schools have their own shortcomings, it cannot be denied that the society itself is the proponent of such absence of direction. It is very rare that you will find a person talking about the good stuff about nature, very sentiment, and holds his ideal dream of becoming a part of this vast universe. It is very tricky to find such people since each of us interacting with one another are â€Å"supposedly† engaged on our own ideals. So how can we ever distinguish an individual with a direction in life? Philosophically speaking, it is very true that schools reflect only that of society’s character. However, because of such notion, they have tied themselves up to the backdoor of philosophical stability by not meddling with what the external society wishes to track. Universities just accepted the fact that they as mere instruments rather than thinkers which can actually inflict change. They remain silent and just become mirrors which only serve to bounce back what they have been given. Each one of us has his own opinion, own direction in life. But just because we are blessed with such power it does not necessarily mean that everything we are dealing with is in accordance to our principles. One should think first if actions and mindsets represent that of a true thinking human. Otherwise, we will tend to just blame our teaching institutions again and again whereas they only give back what they receive. Works Cited All About Philosophy. Nihilism – Abandoning Values and Knowledge. 2002. .

Kant and Euthanasia Essay

According to the Human Society of the United States, 2. 7 million animals are euthanized each year, yet human assisted euthanasia is not even legal in 46 states. Not only do animals not have to give consent to their deaths but it is legal in every single state. Even though the basis of Kantian ethics and Catholicism lie hundreds of years apart, they are almost identical when it comes to their views on some moral issues. In regards to euthanasia, Kant and Catholicism have different reasons, yet their views are the same in that they say euthanasia is wrong. To find whether or not Kant and Catholics agree or disagree, there must first be a consensus on whether euthanasia is the same as killing someone. As defined by Webster’s dictionary, to kill is to cause the death. Voluntary euthanasia, which is the only type that is present in the United States, must fit five characteristics in order for it to be legal. First, the patient must be suffering from a deadly illness. Second, the disease must be so developed that a cure for the said disease would not increase the chance of life. Furthermore, if the deathly ill person has unparalleled pain and even if saved, he or she would need life support for the remaining time. Moreover, and probably most importantly the person must wish and want to die. Finally, the person must not have the strength to kill themselves on their own. When these questions are cleared, the doctor may then give a series of drugs that first but the patient in a coma and then a painless death. The doctor is clearly causing the death of the patient; therefore, no matter how society looks at it, by definition, euthanasia is indeed an act of killing. No matter the circumstances surrounding the action, in the eyes of the Catholic Church, killing is always wrong. This matter can be settled with a literal translation and reading of the Bible. In Exodus Chapter 21 verse 23 it states, â€Å"You are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. † As anyone can see, the Catholics during the time that the bible was written agree that killing is wrong and has the gravest of consequences. Still today, Catholics share the same beliefs as it states in the Catechism â€Å"Whatever its motives and means, direct euthanasia consists in putting an end to the lives of handicapped, sick, or dying persons. It is morally unacceptable. † This is morally unacceptable because an act such as this goes against, â€Å"the dignity of the human person and to the respect due to the living God, his Creator† (CCC 2277). From these citations of the Catechism, Catholics can see that God does not give permission to use euthanasia not only because human dignity is lost, but also because it is a vice against the being who created the life itself. Kant, like Catholics would agree that no one should ever be killed strictly because killing is wrong. Kant would refer to the categorical imperatives when making his decision. â€Å"His first formulation of categorical imperative talks about man being a rational being; since he is a rational being, he has no right to formulate such a maxim like â€Å"if I am in a terrible condition, I have the right to take my life or reserve the right to the doctor or my family members†Ã¢â‚¬  (Odianosen 9). When talking about Kant, Odianosen clearly agrees and supports that the categorical imperatives point in the direction away from any sort of euthanasia. In this quote that Odianosen uses, he is stating that the rational part of humans shall not call for something as ridicules as euthanasia. Of course Catholics and Kant believe in stopping human euthanasia, but Kant’s peculiar reasoning behind this is quite different from a Catholic’s thought of not disrespecting God’s holy creations. In An Introduction to Catholic Ethics by Longtin and Peach, thoroughly explain that in Kantian ethics, one must follow the moral law for the sake of the moral law itself. This means that one must not use euthanasia not because it may be considered murder and not because it might disrespect God, but because euthanasia in itself is unethical. Since murder is also a universal law, people cannot simply use someone as a means to an end meaning that is euthanasia is wanted mainly because insurance money is given out more quickly. Indeed, although their reasoning may be different, overall Catholics and Kant would agree. During the Age of Enlightenment, Kant walked the earth and thought of what is right, and what is truly wrong. The first Catholics were born over one thousand years prior, and they created a doctrine of ethics in which some are still agreed upon today. Both agree, no matter how different their backgrounds were, that taking a life even if that life is suffering is never okay; however between the categorical imperative and God’s will, their reasons for doing so are worlds apart. In extensively researching this topic, and having my own opinions, I would have to disagree with both of them. I think that taking a life in these situations is the humane option for several reasons. Firstly, if a human being is undergoing large amounts of pain and will clearly end in imminent death, there is no use for him or her to go through such a stressful time if there is a quick and painless option. In addition, euthanasia may be the more economically sound option. Often, medical bill can be extremely expensive if great medical insurance is not possessed, and keeping that person alive for a small amount of time would put the entire family in a deep and maybe never ending economic plunder. Finally, and usually most importantly, it gives the family a sense of closer. No one wants to worry if their best friend, or favorite family will die today, tomorrow, next Friday, or in two months from now. Euthanasia provides the entire family to list all of their final goodbyes, stories, and regrets. Without a doubt, euthanasia is a clearly morally right in my mind even though many such as Kant and Catholics would argue otherwise. Works Cited â€Å"Common Questions about Animal Shelters : The Humane Society of the United States. † RSS. Humane Society of the United States, 3 May 2013. Web. 03 Dec. 2013. Longtin, Lucien F. , and Andrew J. Peach. An Introduction to Catholic Ethics. Washington, D. C.: National Catholic Educational Association, 2003. Print. New American Bible. New York: American Bible Society, 2010. Print. Odianosen, Peter. Immanuel Kant’s Moral Theory as a Response to Euthanasia. N. p. : University of Ibadan, n. d. Academia. edu. Web. 1 Dec. 2013. Patterson, R. F. New Webster’s Dictionary. Plantation, FL: Paradise, 1997. Print. Paul II, Pope John. Catechism of the Catholic Church. Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2000. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Web. 2 Dec. 2013. Young, Robert. â€Å"Voluntary Euthanasia. † Stanford University. Stanford University, 18 Apr. 1996. Web. 03 Dec. 2013.

Having a busy life Essay

It’s funny how everyone is constantly going, getting stuff done. You go from the beginning of freshman year to sophomore year in the blink of an eye, where does the time go? When does the time matter? It feels as though once I get one task accomplished I’m expected to fulfill the next; it’s a never-ending cycle. With busy schedules that consist of wake up, get ready, go to school, go to work, eat, homework, clean, and so on, how could we have the time to simply just stop and think. By the time we have completed the lengthy list of daily tasks we are simply too exhausted or tired to sit down and reflect over our day. Some days I go home and honestly I couldn’t tell you what I had for lunch. On top of my classes I also participate in Dance, Robotics, and a full time job. One of my close friends has FFA, FCCLA, volleyball, Basketball, Track, and all A’s. We busy ourselves with daily schoolwork and extracurricular activities to the point that we are simply just trying to climb out of the mounds of papers and piles of athletic shoes just to crawl into bed out of pure exhaustion. What happened to the days where we had playtime? Would we even know what to do with it? If you sat our grade together in a room and took away our phones, homework, worries, sport practices, and all other distractions, what would we do? Honestly the last time I had absolutely nothing to do I just took a nap. That’s almost pathetic when I was little I was creative with my time I had a big imagination and was loaded with curiosity and energy, now I just nap. I remember the blankets draped over chairs to make forts and drawings cluttering the fridge. It’s sad to see that napping is the way I prefer to spend my small amount of unscheduled time. I’ve somewhat out grown hanging out with my friends ever since they got their cell phones we are together, but we aren’t, they text all the people they aren’t with; you get little time in between the pattern of ringers going off. Secrets are no longer kept they are sent through text to anyone willing to give them time. I am not just saying my friends do this I find myself guilty of this too but honestly I really wish it would just stop. I miss the time of late night sleepovers; giggling over boys and gossiping. In the midst of a society centered on technology how could we possibly just step away from it? The little things in life are a blessing and a curse at the same time. They can either make or break your day and there really is not an in between. In 5 seconds you could have a new inside joke with your best friend or you could trip and see half the school laugh at you. Some of the little things that happen throughout the day can make a big impact and only take a small amount of time. We need to reflect on these bits of time I don’t mean to fret over them, but just smile over them. It’s the small things that happen in a day that make our lives good, When you help a friend work out a problem or are there just to let them vent. When you smile and wave at all the familiar faces you see throughout the day. Simply reminiscing with a family member or friend, is one of those moments that you will remember a lot better than the busy daily routine you do have. If we could cut back on the extracurricular activities and put away our phones for a few minutes wouldn’t it make us better people? Stepping away from the glare of cell phone screens and pressures of school and just enjoy our last bits of time before being adults sounds wonderful. We just need a small amount of time to enjoy the smaller moments in life. Our time is cluttered with activities and social networking crammed into every waking moment, when does it ever end?

World Wide Web and E-commerce Winter

Introduction to E-Commerce Revenue Models Objectives In this chapter, you will learn about: Revenue models How some companies move from one revenue model to another to achieve success Revenue strategy issues that companies face when selling on the Web An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 2 1 Objectives (continued) Creating an effective business presence on the Web Web site usability Communicating effectively with customers on the Web An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 3 Revenue Models Mail order or catalog model Proven to be successful for a wide variety of consumer items Web catalog revenue model Taking the catalog model to the WebAn Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 4 2 Computers and Consumer Electronics Apple, Dell, Gateway, and Sun Microsystems have had great success selling on the Web Dell created value by designing its entire business around offering a high degree of configuration flexibility to its customers An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 5 Books, Music , and Videos Retailers use the Web catalog model to sell books, music, and videos Among the most visible examples of electronic commerce Jeff Bezos Formed Amazon. com Jason and Matthew Olim Formed an online music store they called CDnow Used the Web catalog revenue model An Introduction to E-CommerceWinter 85, 6 3 Luxury Goods People are still reluctant to buy luxury goods through a Web site Web sites of Vera Wang and Versace Constructed to provide information to shoppers, not to generate revenue Web site of Evian Designed for a select, affluent group of customers An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 7 Clothing Retailers Lands’ End Pioneered the idea of online Web shopping assistance with its Lands’ End Live feature in 1999 Personal shopper Intelligent agent program that learns customer’s preferences and makes suggestions Virtual model Graphic image built from customer measurements An Introduction to E-CommerceWinter 85, 8 4 Flowers and Gifts 1-800-Flowers C reated an online extension to its telephone order business Chocolatier Godiva Offers business gift plans on its site An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 9 Digital Content Revenue Models Firms that own intellectual property have embraced the Web as a new and highly efficient distribution mechanism Lexis. com Provides full-text search of court cases, laws, patent databases, and tax regulations ProQuest Sells digital copies of published documents An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 10 5 Advertising-Supported Revenue Models Broadcasters provide free programming to an udience along with advertising messages Success of Web advertising is hampered by No consensus on how to measure and charge for site visitor views Stickiness of a Web site: the ability to keep visitors and attract repeat visitors Very few Web sites have sufficient visitors to interest large advertisers An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 11 Web Portals Web directory A listing of hyperlinks to Web pages Portal or Web portal Site used as a launching point to enter the Web Almost always includes a Web directory and search engine Examples: Yahoo! , AOL, AltaVista An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 12 6 Advertising-SubscriptionMixed Revenue Models Subscribers Pay a fee and accept some level of advertising Typically are subjected to much less advertising Used by The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 13 Advertising-Subscription Mixed Revenue Models (continued) Business Week Offers some free content at its Business Week online site Requires visitors to buy a subscription to the Business Week print magazine An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 14 7 Fee-for-Transaction Revenue Models Businesses offer services and charge a fee based on the number or size of transactions processed DisintermediationRemoval of an intermediary from a value chain Reintermediation Introduction of a new intermediary An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 15 Fe e-for-Service Revenue Models Fee based on the value of a service provided Services range from games and entertainment to financial advice Online games Growing number of sites include premium games in their offerings Site visitors must pay to play these premium games An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 16 8 Fee-for-Service Revenue Models (continued) Concerts and films As more households obtain broadband access to the Internet, companies are providing streaming video of concerts and films to paying ubscribers Professional Services State laws are one of the main forces preventing U. S. professionals from extending their practices to the Web An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 17 Revenue Models in Transition Subscription to advertising-supported model Microsoft founded its Slate magazine Web site An upscale news and current events publication Charged an annual subscription fee after a limited free introductory period Was unable to draw sufficient number of paid subscribers Now operated as an advertising-supported site An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 18 9 Advertising-Supported to AdvertisingSubscription Mixed Model Salon. om Operated for several years as an advertisingsupported site Now offers an optional subscription version of its site Subscription offering was motivated by the company’s inability to raise additional money from investors An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 19 Advertising-Supported to Feefor-Services Model Xdrive Technologies Opened its original advertising-supported Web site in 1999 Offered free disk storage space online to users After two years, it was unable to pay the costs of providing the service with the advertising revenue generated Later switched to a subscription-supported model An Introduction to E-CommerceWinter 85, 20 10 Advertising-Supported to Subscription Model Northern Light Founded in August 1997 as a search engine with a twist Revenue model Combination of advertising-supported model plus a fee-base d information access service January 2002 Converted to a new revenue model that was primarily subscription supported An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 21 Multiple Transitions Encyclop? dia Britannica Original offerings The Britannica Internet Guide Free Web navigation aid Encyclop? dia Britannica Online Available for a subscription fee or as part of a CD package 1999 Converted to a free, advertiser-supported site 001 Returned to a mixed model An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 22 11 Revenue Strategy Issues Channel conflict Occurs whenever sales activities on a company’s Web site interfere with existing sales outlets Also called cannibalization Channel cooperation Giving customers access to the company’s products through a coordinated presence in all distribution channels An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 23 Strategic Alliances and Channel Distribution Management Strategic alliance When two or more companies join forces to undertake an activity over a long period of time Account aggregation servicesIncrease the propensity of customers to return to the site Channel distribution managers Companies that take over the responsibility for a particular product line within a retail store An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 24 12 Creating an Effective Web Presence An organization’s presence The public image it conveys to its stakeholders Stakeholders of a firm Include its customers, suppliers, employees, stockholders, neighbors, and the general public An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 25 Achieving Web Presence Goals Objectives of the business Attracting visitors to the Web site Making the site interesting enough that visitors tay and explore Convincing visitors to follow the site’s links to obtain information An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 26 13 Achieving Web Presence Goals (continued) Objectives of the business Creating an impression consistent with the organization’s desired image Building a trusting relationship with visitors Reinforcing positive images that the visitor might already have about the organization Encouraging visitors to return to the site An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 27 Profit-Driven Organizations Toyota site A good example of an effective Web presence Provides links to Detailed information about each vehicle modelA dealer locator page Information about the company and the financing services it offers An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 28 14 Toyota U. S. Home page An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 29 Profit-Driven Organizations (continued) Quaker Oats Web site does not offer a particularly strong sense of corporate presence Site is a straightforward presentation of links to information about the firm Redesigned site is essentially the same as the previous version An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 30 15 Quaker Oats Old Home Page An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 31 Quaker Oats Home Page: 1999 RedesignAn Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 32 16 Not-for-Profit Organizations Key goal for the Web sites Information dissemination Key element on any successful electronic commerce Web site Combination of information dissemination and a two-way contact channel An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 33 Web Site Usability Motivations of Web site visitors Learning about products or services that the company offers Buying products or services that the company offers Obtaining information about warranty, service, or repair policies for products they purchased Obtaining general information about the company or organizationAn Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 34 17 Web Site Usability (continued) Motivations of Web site visitors Obtaining financial information for making an investment or credit granting decision Identifying the people who manage the company or organization Obtaining contact information for a person or department in the organization An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 35 Making Web Sites Accessible One of the best ways to accommodate a broad range of visitor needs is to build flexibility into the Web site’s interface Good site design lets visitors choose among information attributes Web sites can offer visitors multiple nformation formats by including links to files in those formats An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 36 18 Making Web Sites Accessible (continued) Goals that should be met when constructing Web sites Offer easily accessible facts about the organization Allow visitors to experience the site in different ways and at different levels Sustain visitor attention and encourage return visits Offer easily accessible information An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 37 Trust and Loyalty A 5 percent increase in customer loyalty can yield profit increases between 25% and 80% Repetition of satisfactory service can build ustomer loyalty Customer service is a problem for many electronic commerce sites An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 38 19 Usability Testing Companies that have done usability tests Conduct focus groups Watch how different customers navigate through a series of Web site test designs Cost of usability testing is low compared to the total cost of a Web site design or overhaul to E-Commerce An Introduction Winter 85, 39 Customer-Centric Web Site Design Putting the customer at the center of all site designs Guidelines Design the site around how visitors will navigate the links Allow visitors to access information quicklyAvoid using inflated marketing statements An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 40 20 Customer-Centric Web Site Design (continued) Guidelines Avoid using business jargon and terms that visitors might not understand Be consistent in use of design features and colors Make sure navigation controls are clearly labeled Test text visibility on smaller monitors Conduct usability tests An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 41 Connecting With Customers Personal contact model Firm’s e mployees individually search for, qualify, and contact potential customers Prospecting Personal contact approach to identifying and reaching customersMass media approach Firms prepare advertising and promotional materials about the firm and its products An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 42 21 Connecting With Customers (continued) Addressable media Advertising efforts directed to a known addressee Also called mass media One-to-many communication model Communication flows from one advertiser to many potential buyers One-to-one communication model Both buyer and seller participate in information exchange An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 43 Business Communication Modes An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 44 22 Summary Models used to generate revenue on the WebWeb catalog Digital content sales Advertising-supported Advertising-subscription mixed Fee-for-transaction and fee-for-service Companies undertaking electronic commerce initiatives sometimes Form strategic allia nces Contract with channel distribution managers An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 45 Summary (continued) Firms must understand how the Web differs from other media Enlisting the help of users when building test versions of the Web site is a good way to create a site that represents the organization well Firms must also understand the nature of communication on the Web An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 46 23

Essentials of Public Speaking Fifth Edition Cheryl Hamilton Tarrant Essay

Essentials of Public Speaking Fifth Edition Cheryl Hamilton Tarrant country collage-NE Campus - Essay Example This is because sometimes the government relies on certain citizens for contribution; chances to present a speech are almost unlimited. Not only does learning to present speeches is an advantage to the society, but also it helps to improve our careers, many companies have their speaker bureau of which they use them to release their message to the public (Hamilton 6). An example of public speaking includes announcements. When analyzing an audience, first, I conduct a poll that will determine if the audience is familiar with the topic of discussion. I have learnt that I should get to know the audience beliefs, morals, values, sex and age. Moreover, I have learnt to make sure to know what type of audience I have, and plan on how to make them listen to me and still remember. In addition, while researching, I make sure that I do it thoroughly and take notes. In addition, I have learnt to include names of author and page numbers where necessary (Hamilton 71). The best way to improve active listening as described in chapter two and three is by involving my audience (giving them an emotional stake) in what one is saying there are likely to listen attentively to your speech (Hamilton 57). Practice reduces speech anxiety because when one practices they feel more prepared. Speaker anxiety is a feeling of nervousness and uncomfortable while speaking before an audience. Most speakers that undergo speaker anxiety feel that it is almost awkward to get rid of, but the experienced speakers know how to overcome speaker anxiety. One can use negative emotions for example fear, guilt, shame or anger, but one can still use positive emotions such as joy, relief, hope or compassion. One must also make the audience feel there is something in our speech that will benefit them. If a speaker needs his or her audience to trust and understand the hummer and the information in their speech, they need to do the following; they

Understanding of virtue Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Understanding of virtue - Assignment Example , n.d.) If this is correct, the virtue of a dressmaker is what enables her to sew beautiful dresses, or the virtue of a gardener is what enables him to produce a bountiful harvest, or etc.. In this aspect, virtue is different from person to person, but this does not give us a general description of a virtue. Mackenzie (1985), in her discussions of moral theories, said that Plato has a naturalist approach to evaluative qualities, and to relations which causes complexities. It is Plato’s reasoning that an object has a particular value to different persons at a different time and in a different relation, it is opposite. As digressed By Mackenzie, Plato values of an object vary subjectively, so that to be able to understand it, one must be able to assess and understand it, and that sometimes, these assessments are contradictory, since they are cognitively unreliable. Plato has made a conclusion, as Mackenzie pointed out, that â€Å"over and above sensible things, there exists ent ities that give absolute understanding of values, and these are the Forms which are cognitively reliable, pure instantiations, or absolutes, of value that provide us with the knowledge of what is best†. Plato’s representation is hard to follow, as in when he said that when we use a value term twice, it should have the same meaning, in mind. Plato has a view that for any given term, there should only be one Form that represents it all. (Mackenzie) There should be a universal term, but this thing is not possible because of complexity of meaning. Take the word beautiful or noble for example. This means, as I gathered from Plato’s discourse, a term may have different evaluative meaning like the words useful, fine and pleasant The first discourse In Plato’s dialogue about virtue and the question that lies beneath is whether or not virtue can be taught. His understanding of virtue in the book is that virtue is not a form of knowledge and that it has no clear definition. I cannot simply

Is History an art, a science or a craft Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Is History an art, a science or a craft - Essay Example Cosmic, organic history and geologic developments are some of the events that are considered part of (human) history1. Meaning of art An art on the other hand is a study of creative skill or the study of a collection of disciplines which produce artworks which are driven by personal drive, in order to convey mood, a message or symbolism, for the viewer to analyse and interpret. Arts stimulate an individual’s emotions, thoughts, ideas and beliefs through the senses2. Meaning of science The phrase science derives its origin from the Latin phrase, scentia, meaning knowledge. As such, the phrase denotes science as a study of a systematic field of study which compiles and organises knowledge in the form of verifiable explanations and predictions concerning the universe and the life forms therein. Derry3 explains how classical qualifications such as the one passed by Aristotle conversely makes science the study of the body of reliable knowledge, or the study of knowledge which are r ationally and logically explainable. ... This may also involve the collection and transmission of knowledge about a craft. Because of this, guilds are inclusive of skilled amateurs, professional artisans and even beginners who may harbour specific interests in a given craft. There are series of tests to evaluate skills and provide frameworks for training new crafters. There has been a lack of consensus regarding the classification of crafts, with some academicians placing crafts as a hybrid between art and science, given that art relies on technique and talent, and science, knowledge4. How history ties in with the definitions above Interestingly enough, it is a matter of striking uniqueness that history ties with the definitions that have been advanced above. For one, one can see history as being tied to art since art is the study of creative skill or the study of a collection of disciplines which produce artworks which are driven by personal drive. The applicability of this standpoint to history is underscored by the fact that the creative skill mentioned above is critical for a historian to imagine a hypothetical problem, before he goes ahead to solve that specific problem by testing it. For instance, if a historian wants to establish the applicability and future of state competitiveness in international relations (as is envisioned in the theory of realism), then that academician my have to revisit the era between 1787 and 1990. This is because, it is in 1787 that the French Revolution took place, and thereby sparking the need for the Concert of Europe. The politics of Europe in turn triggered the World War I and II, before catalyasing the emergence of the Cold War. The definition of science partly qualifies history, given that science

Management in context Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Management in context - Essay Example e union density is an expression of the proportion of eligible workforce which can be used as an indicator of the degree to which workers or employees are organized. Trade union density differ from geographical areas by the fact that it lays emphasis on level of organization of workers and not how they are distributed all over the world. Female are more likely to join trade unions because they have unique challenges that need to be address contrary to those facing the male employees. Such include maternity offs. Therefore they need such issue to be handled generally by trade unions. In servicing strategy, the members are like third parties to the trade union and they do not play active roles in them while in organizing strategy, the members are the union themselves by playing a very active role in it. Public sector employees are more likely to engage in industrial actions because they enjoy a lot of job security compared to those in the private sector. They are not under any risk of job loss even when they go on strike or other industrial

IT in Businesses. Week Six Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

IT in Businesses. Week Six - Essay Example It began with the Harvard Mark I electromechanical calculator in World War Two weighing five tons and 50 feet long. It was then replaced by the 30 ton Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer, having 18,000 vacuum tubes and occupying a large space. The invention of the transistor in 1947 gave way for the development of smaller, powerful and more resourceful computers. Input-output tools changed to magnetic tape from punch cards, and new computer languages were developed to interact with the new technology (Laudon & Laudon, 2010). The second stage started in the 1970s when processors on chips and magnetic discs were built. They decentralized computing power from bulky data centers to smaller offices. Steve Jobs and Steve Wosniak sold Apple II machines and Bill Gates founded Microsoft. IBM launched the Personal Computer in 1981 (O’Brien, 1999). The third stage involved embedding microprocessors in electronic products. As the complexity of technology grew and the costs reduced, the need for information sharing within enterprises also increased, giving rise to client/server era in which networked computers could access shared information on a server (O’Brien, 1999). The fourth stage of IT evolution originated from the US Department of Defense. It enabled high speed networks and coupled portions of the business enterprise together giving information access encircling the entire management structure. Universities linked up to this system and used it to deliver messages. The US National Science Foundation and several universities set up their own networks, leading to the onset of the popular World Wide Web and broadband (Laudon & Laudon, 2010). The fifth, which is the latest stage, is the wireless one and includes cloud computing. It incorporates the use of cell phones and wifi networks. It gives rise to high levels of mobility independent of location, configuration and nature of the hardware. This phase began with the invention of the mobile phone. It