Effect of video games on children Essay

Technology had evolved very fast from generation to generation. Young and adults are both into what we call video games and techie gadgets. Nowadays, we can normally see computers, gaming consoles and etc. at home and in schools. Video games are entertaining and effective motivation for children. They engage them to skillful play depending on the game design. There have even been studies with adults showing that experience with video games is related to better surgical skills. Research also suggests that people can learn iconic, spatial, and visual attention skills from video games. Although this fad benefits to all but on the other hand, it also give negative effects especially to those children who are getting addicted to it. Studies show that children’s video game habits are contributing to the risk factors for health, behavior and poor academic performance. It was also reported that girls and boys play for an average of about 5-13 hrs/ week. Some children spend more hours that what is reported. There were negative effects of video games on children’s physical health, including obesity, video-induced seizures. and postural, muscular and skeletal disorders, such as nerve compression, and carpal tunnel syndrome that were documented by the research. However, these effects are not likely to occur for most children. Parents should be most concerned about two things: the amount of time that children play, and the content of the games that they play. The amount of time that the children play lessens the amount of time and focus allotted for his academics. The content of the games that he/she plays leads to increased physiological arousal, increased aggressive thoughts, increased aggressive feelings, increased aggressive behaviors, and decreased pro-social helping. Children must not spend more than one to two hours per day in front of all electronic screens, including TV, DVDs, videos, video games, and computers (The American Academy of Pediatrics, 2004). Regarding content, educational games are likely to have positive effects and violent games are likely to have negative effects. We must limit them from violent games and introduce to them educational games, consoles and etc. The conclusion that Gentile (2004) drew from the accumulated research is that the question of whether video games are â€Å"good† or â€Å"bad† for children is oversimplified. Playing a violent game for hours every day could decrease school performance, increase aggressive behaviors, and improve visual attention skills. Instead, parents should recognize that video games can have powerful effects on children, and should therefore set limits on the amount and content of games their children play. In this way, we can realize the potential benefits while minimizing the potential harms. Source: http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_m0816/is_6_21/ai_n9772319/ Article by: Dr. Douglas Gentile is a developmental psychologist, and is assistant professor of psychology at Iowa State University and the director of research for the National Institute on Media and the Family where he conducts research with children and adults. COPYRIGHT 2004 Pediatrics for Parents, Inc. COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group.

Expalnation of Father Returning Home Essay

ldad return home! My father travels on the late evening train Standing among silent commuters in the yellow light Suburbs slide past his unseeing eyes His shirt and pants are soggy and his black raincoat Stained with mud and his bag stuffed with books Is falling apart. His eyes dimmed by age fade homeward through the humid monsoon night. Now I can see him getting off the train Like a word dropped from a long sentence. He hurries across the length of the grey platform, Crosses the railway line, enters the lane, His chappals are sticky with mud, but he hurries onward. Home again, I see him drinking weak tea, Eating a stale chapati, reading a book. He goes into the toilet to contemplate Man’s estrangement from a man-made world. Coming out he trembles at the sink, The cold water running over his brown hands, A few droplets cling to the greying hairs on his wrists. His sullen children have often refused to share Jokes and secrets with him. He will now go to sleep Listening to the static on the radio, dreaming Of his ancestors and grandchildren, thinking Of nomads entering a subcontinent through a narrow pass. The poem speaks about the inner loneliness of the poet’s father, the utter alienation he is experiencing in the twilight years (man’s estrangement from a man-made world) as he ceases to matter to his children who no longer share anything with him. All the while he is trying to evoke, through the racial conscious, the invisible connection with his ancestors who had entered the sub-continent through the Khyber Pass in the Himalayas in some distant past (the allusion is perhaps to the migration of the Aryans to the Indian subcontinent from Central Asia). The poet uses some fine imagery to describe the pain and misery lurking in the old man’s soul as he travels in the local train . His bag stuffed with books is falling apart refers to the state of the old man’s mind which has turned senile after all that knowledge it has acquired through years of dedicated study. A wonderful image is used to describe his getting down from the train: Like a word dropped from a long sentence . The uniqueness of the image lies in the highly evocative visual picture of an old man dropping off from the train as though he is no longer relevant to the train which will now move forward with other people to their destinations. The old man is just a word in the syntax of life. The sentence that is long enough to carry several words forward each contributing to its overall meaning now drops off one stray word, which is no longer required. The other interesting image is the eyes and vision, which occurs in the poem again and again. The suburbs slide past his unseeing eyes is a pretty image. The second one is his eyes dimmed by age fade homeward. Above all we may look at the dexterous use of words to convey the â€Å"twilight† atmosphere in the poem : evening train, yellow light, unseeing eyes , his eyes dimmed by age fade homeward ,gray platform. Meaning of the poem is also a part of â€Å"to know, how to live in the society†. Other meaning is It’s all about the severe problem of generation gap. The widening crisis due to the explosion of rational. Father Returning Home is a poem written by Dilip Chitre. The main idea of this poem is ‘Man’s estrangement from a man-made world’. Here the father comes home late tired with his pants are soggy and his black raincoat is stained with mud and his bag is falling apart-He never cares the scenes of the outer world when he travels. Because he is always musing about his family. He is so true about his family, yet no one in his family realizes his care for them. He gets only the weak tea and stale chapati. (Look, he is the only one who works hard for his family yet he does not get even good food.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The lines like ‘The cold water running over his brown hands, A few droplets cling to the greying hairs on his wrists’ are used to add to the effect of the life and the world of poor father. His children are not ready to share jokes with him-their sullenness shows the unspoken resentment. And finally, even when he goes to bed the story is not different. There he receives only noi sed receiving, not even a good program from the radio. In short the father has no joy in his life; there is no closeness between the father and the children. The only thing that changes the mood of the poem is when he thinks about his dead yesterdays (ancestors) and unborn tomorrows (grand-children and nomads) -Here one thing must be noted that he dreams about these people not about his own children. Patel wanted to convey the idea of unseen sincerity of millions of fathers who strive hard for their family and their people. Dilip Chitre’s poem â€Å"Father Returning Home† is selected from â€Å"Travelling in A Cage†. It speaks about the dull and exhausting daily routine of a commuter. Delinked from his family he is left with himself to talk. Dreaming about his ancestors and grand children he communicates with the dead ‘yesterdays and unborn tomorrows. ‘ His alienation is complete and irreversible. Sleep and dream come as sweet relief from a world that is alien to him. The theme of the poem is â€Å"Man’s estrangement from a man-made world. † Dilip Purushottam Chitre (Marathi: ) was one of the foremost Indian writers and critics to emerge in the post Independence India. Apart from being a very important bilingual writer, writing in Marathi and English, he was also a painter and filmmaker. Biography He was born in Baroda on 17 September 1938. His father Purushottam Chitre used to publish a periodical named Abhiruchi which was highly treasured for its high, uncompromising quality. Dilip Chitre’s family moved to Mumbai in 1951 and he published his first collection of poems in 1960. He was one of the earliest and the most important influences behind the famous â€Å"little magazine movement† of the sixties in Marathi. He started Shabda with Arun Kolatkar and Ramesh Samarth. In 1975, he was awarded a visiting fellowship by the International Writing Programme of the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa in the United States. He has also worked as a director of the Indian Poetry Library, archive, and translation centre at Bharat Bhavan, a multi arts foundation, Bhopal. He also convened a world poetry festival in New Delhi followed by an international symposium of poets in Bhopal. His Ekun Kavita or Collected Poems were published in the nineteen nineties in three volumes. As Is,Where Is selected English poems (1964-2007) and â€Å"Shesha† English translation of selected Marathi poems both published by Poetrywala are among his last books published in 2007. He has also edited An Anthology of Marathi Poetry (1945–1965). He is also an accomplished translator and has prolifically translated prose and poetry. His most famous translation is of the celebrated 17th century Marathi bhakti poet Tukaram (published as Says Tuka). He has also translated Anubhavamrut by the twelfth century bhakti poet Dnyaneshwar. Film Career He started his professional film career in 1969 and has since made one feature film, about a dozen documentary films, several short films in the cinema format, and about twenty video documentary features. He wrote the scripts of most of his films as well as directed or co-directed them. He also scored the music for some of them. Awards and Honors He worked as an honorary editor of the quarterly New Quest, a journal of participative inquiry, Mumbai. Among Chitre’s honours and awards are several l Maharashtra State Awards, the Prix Special du Jury for his film Godam at the Festival des Trois Continents at Nantes in France in 1984, the Ministry of Human Resource Development’s Emeritua Fellowship, the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program Fellowship, the Indira Gandhi Fellowship, the Villa Waldberta Fellowship for residence given by the city of Munich, Bavaria, Germany and so forth. He was D. A. A. D. German Academic Exchange) Fellow and Writer-in-Residence at the Universities of Heidelberg and Bamberg in Germany in 1991–92. He was Director of Vagarth, Bharat Bhavan Bhopal and the convenor-director of Valmiki World Poetry Festival ( New Delhi,1985) and International Symposium of Poets ( Bhopal, 1985), a Keynote Speaker at the World Poetry Congress in Maebashi, Japan (1996 ) and at the Ninth International Conference on Maharashtra at Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA in 2001 and Member of the International Jury at the recent Literature festival Berlin, 2001. He was member of a three-writer delegation ( along with Nirmal Verma and U. R. Ananthamurthy) to the Soviet Union (Russia, Ukraine, and Georgia), Hungary, the Federal Republic of Germany and France in the spring and summer of 1980 and to the Frankfurter Buchmesse in Frankfurt, Germany in 1986; he has given readings, lectures, talks, participated in seminars and symposia, and conducted workshops in creative writing and literary translation in Iowa City, Chicago, Tempe, Paris, London, Weimar, Saint Petersburg, Berlin, Frankfurt, Konstanz, Heidelberg, Bamberg, Tubingen, Northfield, Saint-Paul/Minneapolis, New Delhi, Bhopal, Mumbai, Kochi, Vadodara, Kolhapur, Aurangabad, Pune, Maebashi, and Dhule among other places. He travelled widely in Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America as well as in the interiors of India; been on the visiting faculty of many universities and institutions, a consultant to projects. He was the Honorary President of the Sonthhheimer Cultural Association, of which he was also a Founder-Trustee. Death After a long bout with cancer, Dilip Chitre died at his residence in Pune on 10 December 2009. Dilip Chitre: Portrait of an artist At the ripe young age of 16, Dilip Purushottam Chitre made a decision that would change his life forever. He decided he wanted to live as a poet and artist. It could not have been an easy choice. He admits to vague premonitions of it being difficult, and admits it proved hard at times. And yet, after over fifty years of living that life of poet and artist, he stands by it, refusing to have it any other way. One can’t blame him either. After all, his has been a life gifted with all sorts of revelations. It has been a colourful life, one spent whole-heartedly in the service of art and literature. His achievements, when strung together casually, boggle the mind. Chitre has — since publishing his first collection of poems, Kavita, in Marathi in 1960 — published a lot in English (Travelling in the Cage, 1980), has had his work translated into Hindi (Pisati ka Burz, 1987), Gujarati (Milton-na Mahaakaavyo, 1970), German (Worte des Tukaram) and Spanish. He has exhibited his own paintings (First One Man Show of Oil Paintings, 1969); written and directed an award-winning film (Godam, 1984); made a dozen documentary films and scored music for some of them; taken on the mantle of editor for literary magazines (Shabda, 1954-1960); written for India’s most respected publications; influenced a literary movement (the little magazine of the sixties in Marathi); convened poetry festivals; won all kinds of honours; travelled widely across India and abroad; and taught at universities worldwide. So, when he describes his interests on his blog thus — ‘I am a poet and a writer. I paint. I make films. I travel. I make friends. I read. I listen to music. I reflect. I contemplate. ‘ — it’s hard not to believe him. Born in Baroda in 1938, Chitre soon moved with his family to Mumbai, where he published his first collection of poems. Possibly the most famous of his translations is Says Tuka, a rendition of the work of seventeenth century Marathi bhakti poet Tukaram. It is a translation of abhangs, a form of devotional poetry sung in praise of Vitthal. Chitre’s translation continues to find new readers, surprising and moving them with its simplicity: ‘There is a whole tree within a seed/ And a seed at the end of each tree/ That is how it is between you and me/ One contains the Other. I envy Dilip Chitre for the life he has lead, for his unwavering faith in all he holds dear. He now lives in Pune with his wife, Viju, to whom he has been married for over 45 years. ‘Even in the most civilized societies of the world, poets receive ambivalent treatment,’ he writes. ‘The economic value of what poets do is considered extremely dubious†¦ The most they can hope for during a lifetime is niche audiences scattered far and wide and small publishers crazy enough to publish poetry without any regard to sales. ‘

Cash Flow Essay

Cash Flow A statement of cash flows is required by generally accepted accounting principles to be included in a complete set of financial statement. www.wiley.com Companies are required to prepare a statement of cash flow because it contains information for lenders and investors (external users). When a company uses the statement of cash flow it contains their annual reports that help to make decisions about the companies. The basis for cash flow analysis is presented in the statement of cash flow. It contains the actual cash a company generated and it shows how the company is able to operate and perform in the future. There are three ways a company shows the way they consume and produce cash. The cash flow statement has three sections. The three ways are cash flows from operations, investing and financing. How the company gets its cash is the operations and financing. The investing section shows the way the company spends its cash. Ratios would be used in the decision making process. One of the examples of the ratios is the operating cash flow ratio. This measures how current liabilities are covered by the cash flow generated by a company operation. A ratio that falls below 1.00 shows the company is not generating enough cash to meet current commitments. When a company falls below 1.00, it will have to find ways to fund its operations or slow their rate of spending in its cash. If the company has an existing cash balance that can meet the needs, they would have to consider if the company will be able to continue to operate without additional funds, because the existing cash may not last. The cash current debt coverage ratio is another important ratio. This ratio measures the ability of a company to repay its current debts. Ratios less than 1.00 in the cash current debt coverage, means the company is not  generating cash to repay its current debt obligations. On a company balance sheet it is better to have a higher multiple calculated by this ratio. With the trend analysis, which is also called the horizontal analysis, typically over years, financial ratios are compared. Doing a year to year comparison will highlight trends, which will be useful in showing improvement in the organization financial performance or it will show deterioration. The most important information from analyzing statement cash flow is the relationship of two or more variables. This is the cash flow from operation activities to total cash flows. RUNNING HEAD: CASH FLOW The major difference between indirect and direct method is the information that it shows. The indirect method focuses on net income and cash flow of operations. It adds depreciation back and calculates changes in items in balance sheet. The most important line of the statement is the net cash from financing activities to show if a company continually needs to borrow or add other investors to survive. The direct method reports the classes of operating receipts of cash and payment. www.inc.com This would be money received and spent to calculate net cash. There is no depreciation included because it is not money received or spent.

What will be the hot jobs in the next decade Research Paper

What will be the hot jobs in the next decade - Research Paper Example Consider the typesetter: the printing press has been around since the mid-1400s, and the people who knew how to work these types of machines enjoyed steady employment until the 1990s when desktop publishing came around. Thus the concept of â€Å"hot jobs†, which is used to describe the best selling jobs in the near future, is not only misleading but also difficult to define. Indeed, predicting the jobs or skills that will be in demand in the future is as tricky as is challenging. Fortunately, information abounds on the internet, literature and from career counselors that enable one to make a good-to-excellent choice. The richest source of job information is the United States Labor Department's 10-year forecast for demand, pay and competition for more than 300 jobs in 45 categories (Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Department of Labor). The department's latest biannual compilation, published last month as the "Occupational Outlook Handbook," is great for sizing up the long-term outlook for most fields. The forecasts have often been prescient—accurately predicting this decade's fast growth in special-education teaching jobs and the widening range of hot health-care careers (Farr and Shatkin, Best Jobs for Your Personality 1; Farr and Shatkin, Best Jobs Without a Four-Year Degree 7; Farr and Shatkin 3). As helpful as the information in these sources may be, predicting the hot jobs for the next decade is still as daunting task. This is more so given that unquantifiable factors such as location, the people you are work with, work condition, and opportunities for growth are very important in job selection. In fact a recent survey by Nature in determining the factors that influence job satisfaction among scientist shows that money is not all that matter (Russo 1106). Indeed, the survey reveals that the â€Å"Degree of independence† at the place of work matters to scientist more than salary. Thus the concept of hot jobs based strictly on quantifiab le parameters such as pay, employment outlook, and job openings may not work for all people (Smaglik 131). However, there is still room for generality. So the question is: generally speaking, what are the hot jobs of the next decade? Are these jobs really â€Å"hot†? This article is an attempt to answer this question. Discussion As unpredictable as the labor market is, figures from the United States Department of Labor can guide us in predicting the hot jobs of the next decade. In the coming decade, engineering, already known for paying college graduates some of the highest starting salaries, is expected to offer the fastest-growing area: biomedical engineering (Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Department of Labor). A job in this field, which centers on developing and testing health-care innovations such as artificial organs or imaging systems, are expected to grow by 72% and offers an annual median salary of $115,270 (Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Department of Labor). Th is is closely followed by network systems and data communications analysts with a projected growth rate of 53.36% and an annual median salary of $112, 000. In fact, Farr and Shatkin (2010) ranked network systems and data communication analytes higher than biomedical engineering given that the network systems and data communication analytes has more annual job openings than biomedical engineering (Farr and Shatkin). Network systems and data analytes perform a number of tasks in relation to data communications systems, like the Internet, including designing, analyzing, testing, and assessing systems and their performance. Analysts might also supervise computer programmers and work as specialists who handle the interfacing of computers and communications

Film Analyse, Analyse Mise-en-scene, in The Red Shoes (1948 film)and Essay

Film Analyse, Analyse Mise-en-scene, in The Red Shoes (1948 film)and do Ten shots analyse of it - Essay Example Central to the plot is the clash between Miss Victoria Page’s (played by Moira Shearer) artistic ambition and her love life. Tragedy looms large in this type of plot set up and inevitably Miss Page is ruined by this conflict. In this way the plot and the simple straightforward narrative do not match the creative and exuberant visual imagery. Despite the said flaws, the film is worth studying purely its picturization and visual aesthetics. This essay will is an endeavour to study the mise-en-scene of a handful of scenes from the film. To be able to understand the principles being applied for constructing various shots, one has to keep in mind Michael Powell’s philosophy in filmmaking. Powell believed in the notion of the ‘composed film’, in which, â€Å"music, emotion and acting made a complete whole, of which the music was the master†. (Mayer, 2008, p.48) This philosophy is writ large in The Red Shoes, as well as Powell’s other notable films B lack Narcissus (1947) and The Tales of Hoffmann (1951). As a matter of fact, in The Red Shoes, Lermontov says to Miss Page on more than one occasion that â€Å"music is everything†. This is perhaps a reflection of Powell’s own understanding of composing a film. ... riest (danced by Ivan Boleslawsky/Robert Helpmann), to an infernal, red-lit space that is inhabited by the ballet's demonic shoemaker (danced by Ljubov/Leonid Massine).† (Grist, 2012, p.28) These sequences of events are synchronized to the tempo and prompt of the instrumental music. Just as the musical composition by Brian Easdale carries symmetry and repetitive structures within it, the performance of The Ballet of the Red Shoes display a similar arrangement. There is a conscious attempt on part of the directors to unite the strands of various media of art into one dramatic output. It is this accentuation of dramatic effect thus produced which accounts for the continuing remembrance of this film and its ballet performances by generations of film audiences. (Mclean, 2008, p. 135) As a treatise on cinematic art, the film reveals its exceptional ability to exploit the medium and alter accepted boundaries. In its own implicit way, The Red Shoes goes on to shatter the myths surroun ding fairytales, the world of classical ballet and the myths surrounding cinema itself. The notion that fairytales all end on a happy note is refuted in the film. Instead, the comforting aspects of Christen Anderson’s fairy tale (upon which the film is based) are disillusioned and the underlying horror is revealed. For example, the earlier part of the film has the audience believe that Vicky and Julian will live happily ever after. But as events unfold and take a dire turn, the aspirations of the couple are frustrated. In Anderson’s fairytale, a young girl, similar in age and disposition to Vicky Page, wishes to wear the red shoes. But upon wearing them, she cannot stop herself from dancing. This eventually leads to unbearable exhaustion she even resorts to ask the executioner to have mercy

Glob Issues In Business (Barn N Noble going to Ireland) Essay

Glob Issues In Business (Barn N Noble going to Ireland) - Essay Example The largest online and offline bookstore chain in Ireland, Eason and Sons, carries a wide range of books for a wide range of readers and uses. The largest bookseller in Ireland carries college school books, new releases, popular Irish titles, popular titles of American authors, many well known classic British authors, such as Yeats and even the newest Harry Potter novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Eason and Sons has nearly 60 retail locations throughout the four major regions in Ireland. Barnes and Noble would likely become a formidable competitor to Eason and Sons with similarly locates stores. Books appear reasonably price, with the Harry Potter novel at 13.41 pounds, which converts to 18.09 U.S. dollars. Barnes and Noble sells the same title in the U.S. for 20.99. Competitive pricing is feasible with fewer chain stores in Ireland. Barnes and Noble has more competition in the US from both similar bookstores such as Borders and online booksellers such as USAbooks.com. Ire land has many single location booksellers that also offering most of their titles online. Although selections are not as extensive with booksellers such as The Book Nest, located in Sligo, they are limited sources of competition for Barnes and Noble. Competition in Ireland also comes from Amazon.com and booksunlimited.ie, known for selling books at reduced cost.

Business Law and ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Business Law and ethics - Essay Example Yet, conflict itself is only one part of a much larger equation. Conflict, regardless of the organization or entity in question, is very much a real and measurable part of the way in which interaction between individuals takes place. However, at the moment in which an ethical conflict is determined to exist, the level and extent to which an individual is required to become not only part of the issue but work towards a solution is immediately denoted. As such, the conflict of interests and key pressures that exist within the business world oftentimes coincide to create a situation in which a possible â€Å"solution† to the conflict involves an unethical approach. Ultimately, even though these situations seem to be somewhat clear and readily understood, the level and extent to which an ethical issue or conflict exists is not only as black and white as it may appear. Oftentimes, both sides of a particular conflict are willing and able to utilize an unethical approach as a means o f solving the issue. ... ethical dilemma although a great litany of different questions should spring to mind when an individual faces an ethical dilemma, some of the first and most effective questions are contingent not upon who to blame; rather, the researcher/participant should instead focus upon seeking to understand what stakeholders are involved, understand what issues have prompted the disagreement, and seeks to promote a level of cooperation in achieving a mutually beneficial and ethically sound resolution. Moreover, when approaching a question that is links to an ethical dilemma, the individual should also seeks to divorce themselves from the level of bias. This includes, but is not limited to, attempting to understand the situation not from the standpoint of the stakeholders entirely but also from an ethical delineation of what is morally appropriate and how the different stakeholders involved in the situation would be affected within any particular course of action that is chosen to be taken. 3) D emonstrate the ability to identify and take into account others' interests Although the previous section has been concentric upon understanding the various roles that different interests/stakeholders have with regards to key issues of ethical nature, and ability to intensify, empathize, and take into account the interests of these individuals, beyond merely the ethical ramifications of the actions, is another component necessity that an individual seeking to provide a positive benefit within an ethical dilemma must engage. Ultimately, as was denoted within the first section of this analysis, the conflict that develops between groups of people, or individuals for that matter, is invariably part of everyday life. Ultimately, the interests that constrain these conflicts are the causal factors

The Rainy Side of Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Rainy Side of Life - Essay Example He is a man defined by the public. In a world where others assign your identity, the challenge is to define yourself ways that surpasses people's version of you, rise above their expectations. Can an individual discard the identity conferred by the public and replace it with his own, a new identity that reveals the real human being inside It is possible for a person to mark his own identity provided the circumstances and opportunities arise and the manner of reaching his goal is done right. This is the challenge facing Nicholas Cage's character David Spritz in the movie. Spritz is a weather announcer for a Chicago TV channel. Outwardly successful with a large annual salary, his job requires no real skill other than reading off a teleprompter the information supplied by meteorologists and point at a blue screen. As he himself says, "I receive a large reward for pretty much zero effort and contribution." He acknowledges the fact that his job demands very little of him and is thus unfulfilling, yet he retains the guilt for the handsome salary he earns for doing almost nothing. He can almost understand why he's attacked with restaurant food. He's quite adept with his job and is on the verge of taking a position on "Hello America" in New York a job that pays five times his present pay. Though he's on the cusp of a life changing event, inwardly however he feels his personal life coming apart at the seams. His father, Robert has a health issue to deal with. Robert is a Pulitzer prize winning writer and the only person Dave relates to but curiously feels intimidated about being the son of a high status celebrity. Then there are David's own children who are themselves troubled souls. Whereas David doesn't expect them to understand his problems, he is very conscious of theirs and attempts to solve them, often appearing to be conscientious, to show that he cares, but in doing so exaggerates unnecessarily in situations that only require patient understanding. Dave's ex-wife is another family member he tries to reconcile with, but his wall of defensive anxieties is high and hard to break down. In his quest for self identity, David tries to assert himself as more than just an announcer of good or bad weather while trying to live up to expectations - some defined unclearly by himself, others by those around him. His attempts to find a balance between his responsibilities to his father, children, ex-wife and his career cause him great concern. Other social pressures also exist. He realizes his public image is not the greatest. At one point he says, "Did anyone ever throw a pie at Thomas Jefferson Or Buzz Aldrin I doubt it. But this is like the ninth time I got," he pauses then says "Clowns get hit with pies." This insight about public perception of him weighs heavily on his mind. It's an image he'd rather lose and re-invent himself as someone accepted and adored by all. This need to meet expectations of those around is part and parcel of everyday life, yet it is a necessary emotional process to assure people that they mean something to us and we to them. To belong to a larger group in society is a trait almost every human possesses in varying degrees and in David Spritz we see ourselves as many share his qualms and insecurities. Spritz feels too trapped with the negatives that his job entails

The New Leadership Challenge , Creating The Future of Nursing Essay

The New Leadership Challenge , Creating The Future of Nursing - Essay Example The managerial leadership of the firm promotes flexible approach to the changing dynamics of the organizational management. The myriad aspects of leaders and leadership facilitate and influence human behavior for greater achievement of mutually negotiated targets with greater enthusiasm. Indeed, the many challenges of good leadership takes into account the changing environmental factors and translate them into opportunities of growth. The paper would be looking at the various facets of leadership and how it impacts the role of nurse managers. Nature of leadership Organizational leadership assumes special meaning because it motivates and encourages others to strive towards common goals with renewed enthusiasm. It tends to empower people with knowledge and influence their behaviour, attitude and feelings towards important issues so that they are better prepared for changes and become more accommodating in their approach. The traits and styles of leaders within organizations therefore b ecome hugely crucial elements that inherently help exploit new situations and inculcate a sense of stability amongst the followers or workforce especially in adverse situations. The various leadership theories support the varying perspectives of leaders and how they impact the behaviour and attitude of others. The leadership traits and styles become integral part of leaders within organizations. Leadership traits. The four most important traits of effective leaders are: honesty; forward looking; inspiring; and competency (Kouzes and Posner, 2007). These are critical paradigms of that help the leaders to gain the trust of the followers who willingly follow them. Honesty is one of the most desirable traits of leaders that inspires committed following. They set high standard of ethics and moral integrity which inculcates trust and gives them a distinct credibility in the eyes of their followers but also gives credence to their ideological perspectives of issues. Leaders are also forwar d looking because their vision ensures that followers are well equipped to handle changes. With strong communication skills, they are able to communicate with their followers and inspire them towards visionary goals. They have the ability to’ read emotions in one’s self and in others, and to be able to use this information to guide decision-making’ (Ashkanasy et al., 2002: 317). Indeed, their capacity to look forward to the future is highly pertinent issue as it is able to anticipate and exploit new avenues of opportunities. In the current environment of globalization and changing format of society, they help provide intangible stability among the diverse workforce through cross cultural understanding and facilitate their integration with the system. With strong ideals, indomitable will and highly creative disposition, leaders are hugely inspiring. They challenge the status quo and explore new dimensions to overcome tough situations. Hence, followers tend to imi tate and imbibe qualities to move forward. An effective leader therefore empowers followers and motivates them to make decisions based on informed choices. The leaders are very competent individuals which is reflected in ‘leader’s track record and ability to get things done’ (Kouzes and Posner; 35). The leadership competency relies on experience that provides the leaders with necessary knowledge to act aptly under different situations. They understand the hidden

Recation paper 8 9 and 16 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Recation paper 8 9 and 16 - Essay Example However, in the social sphere (i.e., in civil society), women are accorded an important status which is not ordinarily contemplated for them in the political sphere. The piece insightfully notes that there is a dualistic nature to women’s citizenship, that aside from women’s inclusion in the application of general legal precepts, there are likewise special statutes which pertain in particular to women, alluding to a specific ideological gender construct, whether favourable or discriminatory to women. While this differentiates women’s legal rights, provisions for benefits such as maternity leaves and similar privileges in labour legislation are not so much the state’s imposition on women, as the result of women’s initiative to fight for considerations that would enable them to exercise the same rights as men (e.g. the opportunity to have a career) as well as continue to perform their biological and social functions (such as bearing and raising childr en). Radhakrishnan (1992) has a slightly different concept of the interface between nationalism and sexuality. The author regards separately the politics of nationalism and the politics of women, and that an emphasis on one will normally overwhelm the impact of the other. A duality similar to that of Yuval-Davis is conceived by Radhakrishnan; the duality this time is not in regard to women in the legal system, but rather the polarities existing in state politics. These insights were drawn in the context of the Indian state which itself is caught in the duality of East and West, modern and traditional, the mystical and the progressive. While the author discusses this duality in relation to India specifically, it is undeniable that the constructs created may easily apply to nearly any developing country with a colonial past and on the threshold of accelerated growth. The discussion by Radhakrishnan began strongly with the premise of gender relations in the state; however, somewhere in the course of the discussion the topic veered exclusively into the realm of Indian politics and relegated the issue of sexuality and gender relations to the background. What one may deduce from this is that gender is but one of the details subsumed into the greater issue of nationality and statehood. Towards the end, the author concentrated on insights by Nehru and Gandhi, which, while valuable to the discussion on India, does not quite square with the discussion of nationalism and gender. It seems as if the treatment of gender is but incidental to the broader issue of the duality of a post-colonial state. Exploring the topic of duality and taking it further, the article by Kandiyoti (1991) comments on the outright contradictions that exist in former colonial societies. In this case, society’s control over women becomes the manifestation of a nation’s identity and cultural distinctiveness. In the emergent nation, as the people gain their status as individual citizens endowed with rights, their traditional regard for women will have to evolve in order to accommodate the extension of the benefits of citizenship to women. Women’s emergence as citizens is â€Å"predicated upon the transformation of institutions and customs† (Kandiyoti, 1991, 429) that had formerly bound the social

Rhetorical analysis. Tips of Lowering Medical Bills by Alice Park Essay

Rhetorical analysis. Tips of Lowering Medical Bills by Alice Park - Essay Example As such, Park emphasizes on the importance of managing medical bills and more so, conveys possible tips to enable Americans lower their medical bills. In fact, Park adopts a sentimental tone in order to advice her readers on the need to adopt these tips and save more. In addition, statistics, testimony, appeal and comparison are other notable techniques that park has employed in the essay. This paper explores a brief rhetorical analysis of an article, Tips of Lowering Medical Bills written by Alice Park. Notably, Park proposes several tips both at the emergency room and after receiving the bill. At the emergency room, request to be attended to by a doctor who participates in your insurance plan, again, ask for all lab tests that the hospital is sending outside to be sent to facilities that operates under your insurance plan. Similarly, ask about the tests ordered by doctor or nurse and if they are expensive, refer the tests to a facility that operates under your insurance plan (Park Web). After receiving the bill, ask for itemized bill that clearly show all the charges. Secondly, ask for an explanation from the hospital’s billing department for any disputed charges. In addition, make sure that the room charges starts from the day of your admission and are charged by its level (Park Web), and lastly, be keen on other additional charges. People also have the right to consult Medical-billing advocates if they don’t understand the bill presented to them by the hospital. The essays starts with a sensitive statistic retrieved from a research done by Medical Billing Advocates of America clearly indicates that â€Å"Americans spend nearly $7,000 per capita on health care every year†(Park Web). This is a good proof that most Americans experience a lot of challenges when it comes to settling down their medical bill. Park’s main subject in the essay was to address the issues affecting Americans health and trying to come up with possible solutio ns to the problems like employing certain ways to save more and lower their medical bills. The use of statistics above is one of the techniques Park has used to capture the attention of the readers. It lays a foundation of the essay since the reader will be interested in knowing why such huge amount of money is spend in healthcare services only. Park has also used testimony as one of the techniques to make her ideas more understandable. She has brought in the statement raised by one Kevin Flynn, the president of Medical Associations, who argues that while in the hospital, the patient should only worry about getting better first then financial issues, settling the medical bill to come last. Again, at the end of the essay, Park refers to the statements made by Palmer â€Å"But there are things that a patient is going to know that an advocate†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Park Web).To enable her convince the readers that their participation in lowering their medical bill is required. This is a good example to conclude that park acknowledged other people’s ideas when writing the essay. Another technique that Park uses very sentimental tone in her quest of convincing American patients that high medical bill they are experiencing can be reduced if they adopt certain tips and with the help of interested parties like Medical-billing Advocates of America. Medical billing Advocates, being the health care world’s equivalent of tax-refund specialists(Park Web), has saved most of the Americans by establishing various ways that Americans can use to enable them manipulate their huge spending on their medication. The tone used overall in the entire essay is appealing, persuasive and appealing. Appeal is also another

Analyzing Suicide Bombing Essay Example for Free

Analyzing Suicide Bombing Essay According to Robert Pape there have been 188 recorded suicide bombings all over the world from the period of 1980 to 2001. For almost two decades now he believed that it proliferated because it was effective. The perceived connection between suicide terrorism and Islamic fundamentalism also has been somewhat uncertain and also likely to worsen America’s situation. Instead what he observed was that nearly all suicide terrorist campaigns have one specific and strategic goal and that is to compel liberal democratic countries to withdraw military forces from their territorial boundaries. Religion as commonly know was not the sole cause, although it is often used as a tool by terrorist organizations in recruiting members and in other efforts in service of the broader strategic objectives. (Pape, 2003 ) Three patterns summarized his conclusions on the strategic and coercive logic of suicide terrorism. First is timing. Almost all suicide attacks occur in organized manner. Second is nationalist goal. Their campaigns are directed to gain control of their national homeland territory. And thirdly target selection. Suicide terrorist campaigns are directed toward liberal democracies. Suicide terrorist for example were successful to compel American and French forces to abandon Lebanon in 1983. (Pape, 2003) Suicide terrorist learned that the strategy is effective. It is coercive enough to compel a target government to change policy. Suicide terrorist often views democratic countries like United States, France, Israel and India as â€Å"soft† or vulnerable to coercion than authoritarian regimes that is why they are being targeted. (Pape, 2003) Analyzing Suicide Bombing Suicide bombing became one of the prominent strategies of contemporary terrorism. It has been one of the most difficult to understand since it’s difficult to explain how a person could risk his or her life in doing such a crime. It has led some to believe that those willing to sacrifice their own life are â€Å"religious fanatics†. (Pape, 2003)To understand suicide bombers one should also consider different incidences and real motives. One should not be limited on single specific terrorist group and religion. Suicide bombing as defined is any violent, politically motivated attacks, carried out in deliberate state of awareness of a person. (Bloom, 2004 ) Terrorist organizations overwhelmingly claim that violence is a tool of last resort and a sign of desperation. Suicide attacks in some contexts inspire a self perpetuating subculture of â€Å"martyrdom†. (Bloom, 2004) Possible candidate individuals to become suicides bombers are those people produced by the organization or educated outsiders who flock to the organization to volunteer because of personal reasons. (Bloom, 2004) Religious fanaticism cannot answer completely why the world leader in suicide terrorism is the Tamil tigers in Sri Lanka, a group that believes in Marxist/Leninist ideologies. Existing explanations have been also questioned by the widening range of socio-economic backgrounds of suicide terrorist. Terrorism has evolved dramatically over the years which are motivated either with religious ideologies or political convictions. Like other anti-colonialist predecessors of the immediate post-war era, many of the terrorist groups of this period promptly valued and adopted methods that would allow them to publicize their goals and accomplishments locally and internationally. Forerunners in this were the Palestinian groups who pioneered â€Å"hijacking† the modern generation suicide terrorist attack. (Burgess, 2003) Terrorists claim that they are using terror as their last resort. Ehud Sprinzak for example provided the organizational logic of using suicide terrorism. Because the enemy possesses the most sophisticated weapons in the world and its army is trained to very high standards they have nothing which to repel killing and crime against them except the weapon of martyrdom. It is easier and cost only their lives. For the terrorist, human bombs cannot be defeated, not even by nuclear bombs. (Bloom, 2004) Analyzing His Policy Prescription He has some policy prescriptions for containing suicide terrorism. According to Pape offensive military action or concession alone will not benefit for long. It will tend to encourage the terrorist leaders to further their coercive efforts. Homeland security and defensive efforts should be the main part of the solution. Identifying the best method to stop suicide terrorism is a complex task. Most ethnic civil wars can often be resolved by demographic separation because it reduces both means and incentives for both sides to attack. (Pape, 2003) The United States should emphasize instead in improving its domestic security. United States should adopt stronger border controls to make it more difficult for suicide attackers to enter the territory. The United States should also work towards energy independence and thus reduce the need for American troops in the Persian Gulf where their presence has caused greater agitation to their enemies. When one considers the strategic logic of suicide terrorism it becomes clear that America’s war on terrorism is heading in the wrong path. How should a democratic nation like America have responded in the past? They had to react by having heavy military offensives which only provoke more terrorist attacks. Offensive military action or concessions alone will not work for long. Advocates of concessions should also recognize that even if they are successful in disrupting their operations it will encourage terrorist to further their tactics. By limiting of offensive actions and concessions, homeland security and defensive efforts must now be strengthened. What is ironic in his prescription was that he suggests that the US troops in the Persian Gulf and Iraq should leave the territory but also see the move a bad idea to stop suicide terror because it tends to encourage terrorist more to use the tactic. Bloom vs. Pape’s Argument Professor Robert Pape earlier argued that suicide terror is a coercive strategy directed externally or against a more powerful enemy to coerce democratic governments to change policies and evacuate the territory that they control. (Bloom, 2004)Pape argues that liberal democracies can be coerced through the use of sufficient violence. Bloom believes that although Papes explanation is useful for understanding how suicide bombing is directed against the external enemy, it overlook the domestic political dynamics and organizational motivations for â€Å"outbidding†. The outbidding is due to the competition between the rival terrorist organizations. Greater violence will give them recognition from the crowd. Papes model correctly identifies the motivations of nationalist inspired suicide terrorist; however it does not fully explain why the religious groups with goals beyond territorial demands might use it. Papes focus on democratic countries should is debatable. He argues that suicide bombings work best against democratic regimes because of access to the media, freedom of movement and the â€Å"shock value†; however his theory cannot be adequately tested or verified at this point. Lastly Papes model cannot explain why those who share the same ethnicity as the terrorist are targeted. This approach regards the opposite engaged in suicide terror and cannot give an explanation for the competitive environment that emerges in some case and not in others. All of which requires an analysis of domestic and local level study and observation. (Bloom, 2004) Work Cited Pape, Robert â€Å"The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism† August 2003 American Political Science Review, The University Of Chicago 14 October 2008 http://danieldrezner. com/research/guest/Pape1. pdf. Bloom, Mia â€Å"Devising A Theory of Suicide Terror† February 2004 Center For Global Security and Democracy, Rutgers University 14 October 2008

IKEA: The Worlds Largest Furniture Retailer

IKEA: The Worlds Largest Furniture Retailer Introduction According to KeyNote, 2008, IKEA is the worlds largest furniture retailer. IKEA sells a lifestyle to its middle-class global consumers through cheap contemporary flat-packed designs. The Swedish based company has 237 stores around the world and it is the world leader in home furnishings (Mintel, 2006). IKEA is responsible for a global strategy that concentrates on cost management, efficiency and quality. However, there is much more to IKEA than just its cheap stylish furniture. As Eberhard-Harribey (2006) states, regardless of its openly aggressive focus on cutting costs, IKEA is a leading company when it comes to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) matters (see more on Appendix 1). IKEA has managed to combine a cost focus strategy with CSR issues as opposed to companies such as Starbucks and The Body Shop, which is considered to be high CSR-oriented but that charge a premium-price for its sustainable products. IKEA has respectable policies on child labour and has strong partnerships with UNICEF, and the WWF. Moreover, IKEA has a transnational strategy. The business maximise its global strategy of product standardisation whilst responding to, consumer local needs. Globalisation, factors like economic growth, deregulation, more disposable income and rising housing market have created many opportunities for growth in which IKEA have continuously taken advantage of in many countries. In spite of its global presence, it is worthy to point out two facts. First fact is that Europe accounts for 82% of IKEAs total revenues and North America accounts for 15% (Datamonitor, 2009). Second fact is that in both Europe and North America regions, as a result of the economic downturn the furniture retail industry is under a lot of competition. In order to reduce the political-economical and social-demographical risks inherent with such regions, IKEA needs to concentrate on diversifying its operations into other markets promptly and efficiently. Moreover, by expanding into other markets, IKEA can also take advantages of opportunities that these new markets offer that current markets no longer do. For example, in the past when China opened-up its policy to FDI, it eventually led to the Chinese economic improvement, the rise in the housing market and subsequently the demand for home furnishings in China. These events have unmistakable allowed IKEA to successfully enter this market. The current strategy mode that IKEA undertakes when entering a new market is International Franchising whereby products, limited rights, operating systems and the use of IKEAs brand name are sold to the foreign franchisee for a sum fee and share in the profits. It seems sensible therefore that IKEA continue on expanding into new markets. Nevertheless, before IKEA chooses another market to enter, IKEA needs to follow some steps: (1) Assess potential markets, (20 Evaluate the respective risks and benefits, (3) Choose the most appropriate market that not only match the Furniture Industry but ultimately complement IKEAs vision and Corporate Social Responsibility. In this work IKEAs plan will be to further its global expansion into the South American Market, having Brazil as a target. Brazil is the largest country in South America and according to Datamonitor (2009), it is characterises the most attractive country for the Furnishing Industry. The following analyses have as an aim to critically determine whether or not IKEA can successfully enter the Brazilian Market and how it should best endeavour such move Industry Overview: Global Home Furnishing Retail The home furnishings retail sector includes furniture, floor coverings and household textiles. Furniture sales dominate the global home furnishing retail sector, with 63.9% of the sectors value. IKEA has the largest share in the global home furnishing market. Its share accounts for 2.3% (MarketLine, 2009). Europe accounts for 43.1% of the retail sectors value and the compound annual growth rate of the sector in the period 2004-2008 was 2.6%. Moreover, according to Datamonitor, 2009, sectors value reached a value of $663.4 billion in 2008 and it is forecasted to grow by 24.9% in 2013 (MarketLine, 2009). Moreover, according to Mintel (2008) the UK is IKEAs most successful market. However is being held back by the difficulty of getting new stores, low consumer confidence due to the economic slowdown. The UK housing market has slowed dramatically and with house prices and the number of transactions forecast to fall this year, this must be bad news for furniture retailers. Already in 2008 there have been a number of casualties, including Sleep Depot and New Heights, and most recently Ilva and ScS. At the same time furniture retailers are facing unprecedented levels of competition from outside of the specialist market from the likes of Tesco, Asda, Woolworths, Argos, Homebase, BQ, and even Next and MS. Is it all doom and gloom for the furniture specialist? more  » The UK housing market has slowed dramatically and with house prices and the number of transactions forecast to fall, furniture retailers are facing exceptional amount of competition from outside of the specialist market from the likes of Asda, Argos, not to mention MS and Next. Five Forces Analysis Retailers of furniture, floor coverings and household textiles are the players of the home furnishing retail sector and the main buyers are taken as end-users, and manufacturers of furniture, floor coverings and household textiles as the key suppliers. (Table bellow adapted from Datamonitor, 2009) IKEA Swot Analysis IKEAs Corporate Social Responsibility According to Maon, Swaen and Lindgreen (2007) IKEA receives pressure from various external stakeholders. This pressure mainly exists because IKEAs business is modeled on cost leadership the majority of its raw materials are originated from developing countries. Since the end of the 1980s, IKEAs policies have been under constant scrutiny, particularly from NGOs. For example, IKEA was under the public eye over child labour in Asia, working conditions in Eastern Europe and Asia, and wood from questionable forests in Indonesia and Russia. Some critics argue that IKEAs sustainable practices took too long to be implemented and others question why the company do not place social and environmental labels on its products, even though the products meet criteria for products made of tropical wood materials. However, for IKEA, the brand itself should be a guarantee of environmental consideration and social responsibility Moreover, as a result of such pressures, the company is more actively involved in its CSR than ever. See next for examples of IKEAs current practices: (Source: IKEA Group, Panda.org, UNICEF and SaveTheChildren.com, 2009). Identification of a New Market Whereas the North American furniture and floor coverings market is currently going through difficult times, South American has kept strong growth in value, a trend that according to Marketline, 2009 is meant to carry on rising. As for 2010 IKEA will enter the South American market. The first IKEA store will be allocated in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (Reference?). However, as it is shown bellow there are other countries within South America in which IKEA could be successful. Furniture Floor Coverings in South America Industry Profile The South American furniture floor coverings market generated total revenues of $19,801.3 million in 2008, representing a compound annual growth rate (Datamonitor, 2009) of 7.5% for the period 2004-2008. Market Segmentation Living room furniture sales has proved the most lucrative for the South American furniture floor coverings market in 2008, generating total revenues of $7,420.1 million, equivalent to 37.5% of the markets overall value. Brazil (Marketline, 2009) however, Brazil leads the South American furniture and floor coverings market, accounting for 63.3% of the markets value. Factors Influencing the Likelihood of New Entrants and New Entrants in the Furniture Market in South America As shown above, there is a lack of brand strength in the Latin American furnishing market. This is turn shows that somewhat easy for new businesses to enter the market. Examples of such business however, are those well established diversified retailers, such as supermarkets and department stores entering the market. Advantages for retailers occur within the market on a small scale with either one or several outlets, for which fixed costs and entrance barriers are fairly low. However, the impact of the current global economic recession on the retail environment can discourage the entrance of new furniture businesses into the high-street in the medium term. There is however little government regulation which only concentrates on health and safety of the products. Overall, Datamonitor (2009) sees that the threat of new entrants to the furniture market in South America is considered to be strong. It is therefore important that establishes its presence in the region before other multinational companies decide to enter the South American. By being a entering such region, IKEA can be as successful as Telefonica has been since 1990 (Griffin and Pustay, 2009). It can generate more sources of revenue as well as establishing new customer base before competitors. There are a large number of different retailers of different sizes from small independent retailers to large chain-stores operating within the furniture and floor coverings retail market. Many players within the market are diversified retailers, such as department stores, supermarkets and DIY stores, which are not critically reliant upon furniture sales, which in turn ease rivalry. However, there are many small specialist stores, where the sale of furniture and floor coverings products is critical to success. These companies need to compete intensely with the supermarkets, which is becoming increasingly difficult in terms of price without compromising product quality; as the supermarkets can afford to make smaller margins over a wide range of products. The current economic downturn is adversely affecting retail sales, reducing growth potential and increasing exit barriers, which enhances rivalry. Overall, rivalry with respect to the furniture and floor coverings retail market is moderate. (Please refer to Appendix 2 for further analyses). Brazil The Brazilian economy was not affected by the global financial crisis as the countrys economy is tightly regulated with orthodox macroeconomic policies. The countrys growth rate increased in 2008 to reach 5.9%. Moreover, Brazil is the founder member of Mercosul regional integration which for instance, are responsible for 75% of South Americas GDP and it is the worlds fourth-biggest integrated market. The economic reforms, liberalized foreign investment to most sectors have been considered to be responsible for the current economic. The market of furniture in Brazil has three main segments: home (60%), office (25%) and institutional organisations (15%). Analyses show that (reference) this last segment is on the growth and imports should increase. This change in demand for foreign designs can certainly benefit IKEA in Brazil. The market is also restrained by high interest rates (18.3% per year in 2001) which prevent people from demanding bank loans, and thus maintain their purchasing power at lower levels than if they could borrow money easier. It then has a bad impact on house purchasing and in series, lowers the buying of house furnishings too. However, despite its high profile, Brazil still suffers from corruption. According to Transparency Internationals Corruption Perceptions Index for 2008, Brazil is ranked in the 80th place out of 179 countries. Because corruption is perceived to be very strong in Brazil, the majority of businesses are expected to encounter corruption when proposing contracts to governments. Moreover, deforestation caused by multi-nationals is making serious harms to the Brazilian rainforests. As the demand for environmentally friendly companies in Brazil and around the world continues to rise, companies such as IKEA can certainly expect to have its CSR scrutinised before receiving any license for operation. PESTLE Analysis of IKEA in Brazil Brazil has come out to be of the best market to invest (Griffin and Pustay, 2009) the economic reforms implemented after 2003 led to increases in real per capita income, and an improved income distribution. Real per capita income increased 14% from 2004 to 2007 and the inequality in the distribution of income, measured by the Gini coefficient (which ranges from 0, which reflects equality, to 1, which indicates inequality), diminished from 0.6 in 2000 to 0.5 in 2007. Although the political stability in Brazil does not have the same standard of security as other OECDs, the political stability in Brazil is improving steadily. Brazils president is considered to be more sensible than other South American leftist leaders. And Although Lula obviously seeks to protect national companies, He is also aware that many Brazilian businesses are not very efficient. After being re-elected, Lula has welcomed FDI in Brazil with open arms (Reference) Additionally, as the poverty situation in Brazil is still high, the Brazilian government and its population are in turn very active when it comes to social programs. There are major government programs that aim to tackle the problems of income inequality and access to credit. Programmes such as Zero Hunger (Projeto Fome Zero) provides low-income families conditional cash transfer bases reach nearly one quarter of Brazils population (MDS). Such programs can be seen as an opportunity for IKEA. Since IKEA has such renounced CSR programs in place, it can certainly work with partnership with the Brazilian government. Also, as more people are acquiring houses, the demand for furniture will eventually increase. With emerging markets capturing investors attention, many are turning their focus towards South American markets. Strong exports, high commodity prices and increased investments have been contributing factors to growth within many of the Latin American markets (Fleming, 2007). Amongst its neighbours, Brazil is the country that provides its population the highest average purchasing power (IMF, 2006) Thus, Brazil seem a very attractive market for IKEA, especially since the its furniture imports have experienced a growth of 16.27% during the third quarter of 2006. The imports of furniture in Brazil are controlled by the United States with 39% of the share, followed by Germany with 36% and Italy with 10% (ABIMOVEL, 2008). Because Brazils income gap between the rich people and the poor people is very high, The 10% richest people earn 50% of the totally income and the 10% poorest people only get less than 1% (source?) social status are very meaningful, especial for the middle-classes. As IKEA has been very proficient in selling lifestyles to its customers (KeyNote, 2008) the status importance amongst Brazilians could turn out to be advantageous for IKEA. Nevertheless, credit option is extremely limited among most consumers who are expected to pay for their goods in instalments. Very ofte, consumers opt for a certain product not because if its quality, but because of the payment facilities. Consumers can pay for a TV of the equivalent of  £300 in 10 instalments and without any added interest. IKEA should certainly be aware of consumers buying behaviour in order of to have problems with its liquidity ratios. As the telecommunication penetration rate in Brazil remains low, IKEA would not be able to rely in online sales in Brazil in the middle future and its online advertising should be very efficient . Laws requiring pre-sale disclosure by a franchisor are in place in Brazil Brazil shelters dense forests in northern regions including Amazon Basin that can be use for wooden furniture: half of the country is covered by forests. However, over the past couple of years, the government has been very cautious about global warming caused by MNCs deforestation. So IKEA would need to ensure the Brazilian government that its practices are very sustainable to be able to use Brazils endowments. IKEA in Brazil From the analysed above, it can be deducted that there are several attractive aspects for IKEA to invest in the area of furniture industry in the Brazilian market. First of all, the furniture market in Brazil is attractive due to a big value of imported furniture. Additionally, the labour cost is cheaper compared to Europe and America. Mode of Entry All IKEAs stores in foreign countries are managed under international franchising (IKEA, 2009). Franchising is a special form of licensing where the licensor authorises the licensee to utilize its operating systems, logos, brand names and trademarks in return for a loyalty payment (Griffin and Pustay, 2009). The franchisee needs also to supply capital, personnel, personal involvement and local market knowledge (Jeannet Hennessy, 2004, pp.296). As IKEA has so much experience in setting up franchise contracts, it seems sensible to apply the same when coming to Brazil for the following reasons: However, International Franchising has its drawbacks as well: Although the drawbacks of setting up Franchising in Brazil are not too high and IKEA could still be very successful in such a market. Based on the information gathered in this work, a relatively more complex but even more successful mode of entry can be recommended. Due to Brazils endowment factors and government economic stimulus package to attract new investments, IKEA can greater benefit from entering the market through Foreign Direct Investment via than from International Franchising. Moreover, by using FDI as a Strategy, IKEA can acquire national resources and access other South American markets. According to Dunnings Ecletic Theory (Griffin and Pustay, 2009), FDI will occur when three conditions Ownership, Location and Internalisation are satisfied. By matching IKEAs Swot analysis and all the other information gathered in this work, it is possible to observe that IKEA enjoys all three advantages in competing in Brazil against local firms. 1. Ownership: Whereas most of Brazilian furniture retails hold low brand image and average technology systems, IKEA has unique competitive advantages such as strong brand name globally, advanced technology and the benefits of economies of scale in other markets. 2. Location Advantage: IKEA can enjoy lower labour costs, avoid tariff walls on goods exported from Brazil to other South American countries and save money on product transportation instead of importing products from China, Russia and India, the majority of products can be manufactured in Brazil due to its vast resource endowments. 3. Internalisation Advantage: Because of growing concerns related to management of intellectual property rights, deforestation and corruption in Brazil, IKEA will benefit more from controlling its operations in Brazil than from hiring independent local companies to provide such services. FDI via Greenfield Strategy and Strategic Alliance As Brazilian Furniture Retailers are relatively small, the possibility to acquire an existing company with the intention of obtaining control over employees, technology and stores is very low. Therefore, IKEA would have to start its operations from scratch. According to Griffin and Pustay, 2010, when companies buy or build new facilities, hires in managers and employees to launch its brand new operations, they do so through Greenfield Strategy. Given all the facts that influence FDI in Brazil, the Greenfield Strategy can certainly benefit IKEAs entry to the Brazilian Market for the following reasons: IKEA can the location that best meets its needs It can build up-to-date facilities Brazils local and national government gives economic development incentives to attract companies facilities IKEA would not have to adapt its production systems to any Joint-ventures IKEA would not have to deal with problems associates with Property Rights that could arise from potential Franchisees/Licensees/ or Joint Venture partners. However, the Greenfield Strategy also has its disadvantages: The process of building a new site, hiring new staff and negotiating with government is relatively long and expensive In order to promote certain regions development, Brazilian government might require IKEA to build its site in a determined place that is not IKEAs desired location. Grant to use natural resources might be given under very restrict regulations due to global and national demand for sustainable products Furthermore, by using Brazils endowment resources, particularly in the Forestry sector, IKEAs CSR would be put under further scrutiny. However, as IKEA has so many projects that have been benefiting the forestry and the cotton sector (refer to IKEAs CSR) in so many countries IKEA can combine its current CSR practice and form a strategic alliance with the Brazilian government involving the production aspect of the business. According to Griffin and Pustay 2010, a strategic alliance involving public and private partners can benefit a company if negotiation is handled properly and if the government is relatively stable, by easing market entry, reducing risks, enhancing knowledge and expertise and giving competitive advantage. Appendix 1 Detailed Five Forces Analysis for the Global Retail Furniture Market (Adapted from Datamonitor, 2009). Appendix 2 Continuation of Five Forces Analysis on the South American Retail Furniture (Source: Datamonitor, 2009) Appendix 3

HIV Screening for Pregnant Mothers | Research

HIV Screening for Pregnant Mothers | Research INTRODUCTION â€Å"There is such a special sweetness in being able to participate in creation† Pamela S.Nadev â€Å"Passing the disease to a new born is a human rights violation. This should stop and all of us must try to make this a success,† Oscar Fernandes (Head of Forum of parliamentarians on HIV/AIDS) reportedly said when asked about HIV screening among pregnant women. Pregnancy is what make our life on earth keeps going. Making a healthy progeny, would help the existence of our species in our natural GOD given form. If the progeny is not good, who knows, man might again turn to be monkeys as by Darwin’s theory. But that’s not what we are going to discuss here. As Oscar Fernandes says, giving a disease is a serious human rights violation, which I would call a great sin. India has a low HIV prevalence of 0.34 percent while in terms of individuals infected, India is home to the third largest number of people living with HIV in the world. Nearly 5% of infection are attributable to parent to child transmission. National AIDS Control Organisation estimated that 2.39 million people live with HIV/AIDS in India in 2008 – 2009, a more recent investigation by the Million Death Study Collaborators in the British Medical Journal (2010) estimates the population to be between 1.4 – 1.6 million people. In the last ten years 50% decline has been seen in the number of new HIV infections. (British Medical journal 2009) Pandey et al., (2008-2009) updated the adult HIV prevalence and number of people living with HIV in India for the year 2008-2009. It revealed that the estimated number of people living with HIV is 2.4 million (1.93 – 3.04 million) in 2009, of which, 39% are women, children under 15yrs of age account for 4.4% of all infections. NACO had estimated that there was 0.31% of HIV prevalence among adults (15yrs above). According to UNICEF, it is estimated that there are between 22,000 and 61,000 HIV pregnant women living with HIV in India. Although the percentage of pregnant women tested for HIV increased from 2% in 2005 to 23% in 2010, testing coverage is still low. The more recent National AIDS Control Organisation data, India has demonstrated a reduction of 57 % in estimated annual new infections from 0.274 million in 2000 to 0.116 million in 2011, and the estimated number of people living with HIV was 2.08 million in 2011. A study to determine seroprevalence of HIV in pregnant women in a tertiary care hospital (Kurnool Medical College) India was conducted in 2011. Out of 11,671 pregnant women, 53 were found to be positive for HIV (0.45%). (Devi R.A., Shyamala R. (2011) Alvarez-Uria G., Midde M., Naik K.P. et al., (2011) suggested that the HIV prevalence in young pregnant women reduced from 1.22% in 2007 to 0.35% in 2011. A reduction in HIV prevalence was seen in all subgroups except in women from forward castes. Women whose job was not related to agriculture and women who had only completed primary education were more likely to be HIV- infected. According to NFHS-II figures, overall HIV prevalence was higher among urban than rural populations. However some states had a slightly higher HIV prevalence among rural populations than urban populations namely Punjab, Tamilnadu and Uttar Pradesh. In 2006, HIV prevalence among mothers attending antenatal clinics is more than 1% in 118 districts. 81 districts have an HIV prevalence of >5% in one or more of the high risk groups. In Tamilnadu, NFH survey II found, HIV prevalence at antenatal clinics was 0.88% in 2002 and 0.5% in 2005, though several districts still have rates above 1%. The general population survey of 2005-2006 found a rate of 0.34% across the state. According to recent National AIDS Control Organisation data, there was 0.25% of antenatal clinic HIV prevalence 2007. Infochange India. Dash M., Mohanty I., Sahu S., Narasimham M., Padhi S., Panda P. (2012)reported that among 18,905 pregnant women counselled, 15,853 (83.85%) were accepted for HIV testing. From the total 15,853 testing in 61/2 years, 0.66% women were found to be HIV seropositive. The mean age of HIV positive women was 24.31 years (SD  ± 3.9yrs). The HIV seroprevalence rates showed a declining trend from1.53% in 2006 to 0.34% in 2012. Among seropositive women majority (43.8%) were in the age group of 25-29years. UNAIDS found that mother to child transmission is the largest source of HIV infection in children below the age of 15yrs and the estimates of children living with HIV in 2012 was 3.3 million. The joint technical mission on PPTCT (2006) found that out of 27 million annual pregnancies in India, 1,89,000 occur in HIV positive pregnant women. If not intervened timely, an estimate of 56,700 infected babies will be born annually. (NACO) Kaushal A., Udadhyay Y. (2007) stated that children of today are the youth of tomorrow. Human immunodeficiency virus affects this very precious generation and bear grave consequences to our future, our nation, the continent and the world at large. It will adversely impact the health statistics, economic growth and above all the morale of nations. The main thrust areas include the newborn component of prevention of parent to child transmission (PPTCT), follow up of the HIV exposed infant, counselling mothers to decide the right infant feeding choices and appropriate diagnosis of infected children Nanavati R., Mondkar J., Kabra N.(2006) found that in the pandemic of HIV infection, mother to child transmission accounts for over 90% of HIV infections in children below the age of 15yrs. With approximately 27 million babies born in our country every year and given 0.7% prevalence rate of HIV infections in pregnancy, the estimates are about 1,89,000 HIV infected women deliver in India and as per the NACO 2005 estimates, approximately 60,000 HIV infected infants are added to the existing load each year. Almost 10% of world’s burden of vertical transmission of HIV infection comes from India. Unfortunately, less than 4% of pregnancies avail – prevention of PTC transmission services, less than 7% of such exposed mother- baby couples are put in prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT)- regimen of single dose of NVP and less than 3.5% of such babies are actually prevented from getting infected from their mothers. This is far less than United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) goals of 20% reduction in MTCT, which was to be achieved by 2005. It is equally important to provide support to those, who are infected inspite of best efforts. This is huge task for a country like India. (National Neonatology Forum) NEED FOR THE STUDY Screening for HIV has been imposed mandatory in India because of the increased threat of child being born with HIV. Thousands of babies are born with HIV positive status as they acquire the virus while in their mother’s womb. So now our government of India has imposed mandatory HIV testing for all pregnant women. Though there is much of advancement in knowledge, people still widen their eyes on sound of the word ‘HIV’ itself. People just don’t want to acquaint with HIV in any way, even for testing. And some who have this doubt, about the possibility of acquiring HIV are worried about confidentiality. â€Å"India must produce a generation without HIV. This is possible if we go for detecting the virus in every single pregnant women before delivery.† –(UNAIDS executive director)Michel Sidibe said. This decision of the government was not very much welcomed because of the lack of awareness among the primi mothers. According to USPSTF (U.S. Preventive Services Task Force) 2013, the goal of bringing end to AIDS starts with diagnosis of individual people. Current treatment has made HIV infection a chronic disease by prolonging survival and preventing further transmission. Bringing the epidemic to end will be very tough and only effective screening can make it possible. For any screening guideline and protocol to be effective, awareness about its seriousness must be known to people. (Das,M., Volberding,P. (2013). In September 2013 BBC Health NEWS, said that researchers at Keeleuniversity found HIV was still widely seen as a disease of young people. They said older women, in particular, fear they will be seen as undignified or sexually irresponsible. Many in the study also expressed fears over the uncertain impact of the disease as they moved into old age. Dr.Dana Rosenfeld, who led the project used focus groups, surveys and life history interviews with 76 older people in the London area living with the virus. She says there was an â€Å"immense knowledge gap† in this field. She continued that it has revealed a sense of anxiety about how they may be perceived.(Brimelow,A. (2013) Addo,N.V.(2005) conducted a descriptive study to assess the knowledge about HIV/AIDS and attitudes to VCT among 334 antenatal attendants at KomfoAnokye Teaching Hospital (KATH). The study summarizes that about 50% of respondents said a HIV positive woman could transmit HIV to her baby before birth but had no idea of any means to prevent this. He,N., et al. (2009) conducted a descriptive study on knowledge, attitudes and practices of voluntary HIV counselling and testing among rural migrants in Shangai, China. A questionnaire was administered face to face. Among 2,690 participants, 78% had lifetime sexual intercourse with 41.3% of singles, 9.2% had multiple sex partners in the past year, only 19% had always used condoms and only 2.3% had ever had HIV testing. As far as this report is concerned, effort should be made to improve the awareness among public so as to increase usage of voluntary counselling and testing centres. Ekabua J.E., Oyo-ha A.E., Oquji D.S., Omuemu V.O. (2005) conducted a descriptive multi-centric study of 400 antenatal attendees in Calabar, using pre-tested, semi- structured and interviewer – administered questionnaire for data collection. The study states that out of 96.7% women with knowledge of HIV infection, 41.2% were assessed to have excellent knowledge of the mode of transmission. Awareness of antenatal HIV screening was observed in 96.2% women; while 93.7% approved of antenatal HIV screening. Awareness and approval of antenatal HIV screening was significantly related to age and educational status. In a developing country like India, where HIV screening is made mandatory for all antenatal mothers, there is a foreseen risk of developing negligence in imparting awareness to the public. A test like this can also be done without much emphasize on knowledge regarding HIV, its screening, prevention and treatment availability. In situations like this, we find it important to evaluate or assess the knowledge and attitude aspect of the Indian antenatal women regarding HIV screening. The goal of reaching a HIV free generation will not be possible unless everyone of our nation cooperate and participate. There arise the need to know the awareness among primi mothers and their attitude regarding routine HIV screening. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM A study to assess knowledge and attitude regarding HIV screening among primigravida mothers in selected Maternity centres, Coimbatore OBJECTIVES: To assess the knowledge regarding HIV screening among primigravida mothers. To assess the attitude regarding HIV screening among Primigravida mothers. To associate demographic variable with knowledge and attitude scores towards HIV screening. To associate knowledge and attitude regarding HIV screening among primigravida mothers. OPERATIONAL DEFINITION ASSESS This term refers to evaluate or estimate the knowledge and attitude regarding HIV screening among primigravida mothers. KNOWLEDGE Refers to the familiarity and awareness of primigravida mother to the transmission of HIV, purpose of its screening and its importance ATTITUDE Refers to the expression of favour or disfavour feeling towards HIV screening among primigravida mothers HIV SCREENING Refers to the Anti HIV1 and 2 (rapid) done for Primigravida mother to detect human immunodeficiency virus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. PRIMIGRAVIDA MOTHER This refers to a woman who is first time pregnant and is in her first trimester and have not had an abortion previously. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK Conceptual framework of the study had been developed from Nola J.Pender, Health Promotion Model (revised). The Health Promotion Model (revised) deals how the individuals are motivated to engage in behaviors directed towards the enhancement of health. The components of the HPM (revised) include, Individual characteristics and experiences Behavior – specific cognitions and affect Behavior outcome Health promotion is defined as â€Å"behavior motivated by the desire to increase well-being and actualize human health potential. Predicting factors are prior related behavior, personal factor, biological, psychological and sociocultural factors. Influencing factors are perceived benefits of action, perceived barriers to action, perceived self-efficacy, activity related affect, interpersonal influences and situational influences. Competing factors are immediate competing demand and preferences. Factor favoring action is commitment to a plan of action which ultimately leading to health promoting behavior. This model is useful in assessing knowledge and attitude, which favours the health promoting action- the HIV screening. In our nation, HIV screening is made mandatory, but the willingness to take up the action among the pregnant women is what assessed using this conceptual framework. Health teaching could be initiated in order to remove ignorance and misconceptions about HIV screening. The first component dealt is individual characteristics and experiences. This component is very unique to each person and is divided into prior related behavior and personal factors. Prior related behavior is more of predictive of future action or behavior and is linked to gathered information about HIV screening, taken HIV screening prior to marriage, Initiated HIV screening of the partner before marriage. Personal factors are those that are unique and would influence behavior or action. It includes Age, Religion, Education. Biological factor is linked to sickness of the past. Psychological factor includes fear of HIV, while sociocultural factor include stigma. In this study, the second component behavior specific cognitions and affect is influenced by perceived benefits of action such as early medical approach and early intervention to prevent mother to child transmission of HIV; Perceived barriers to action such as perceived no risk, social stigma and poor attitude regarding HIV screening. Perceived self-efficacy includes ability to take up HIV screening; Activity related affect includes result- oriented ambiguous feelings of uncertainity. Interpersonal influences include learning from others; situational influences such as public motivation to HIV screening and access to health care; Immediate competing demands include fear of needles and preferences include postponding HIV screening; commitment to a plan of action include initiation to take HIV screening by approaching health services at specific time and place. In this study, the third component health promoting behavior is influenced by asking for HIV screening related information, taking up HIV screening, convincing spouse to take up HIV screening and propagating information regarding HIV screening to others. 1

Cathedral of Marble Strands :: Creative Writing Examples

   Cathedral of Marble Strands    Richard Stewart lay stretched out on the cool stone. His handsome, youthful face was relaxed into a slight smile, eyes closed lazily. Richard's hand played unconsciously with his long black hair lying on the reddish surface . . . "Four slices of lemon . . . four cubes of sugar. . . and a straw," thought Richard, and pictured the glass in his mind. Without opening his eyes, he reached out and felt it in his hand. It was cool, and the droplets that condensed from the morning mist made it slippery. He raised his head off the ground and brought the straw to his lips. He took a long, slow draft, letting the taste settle in. It was slightly too sour to be perfect, but Richard didn't mind. One day he would discover the ultimate lemonade, but he was in no hurry. He lay there drinking it for a long time. Lemonade doesn't have to run out in heaven. Richard lay on a narrow ledge about five hundred feet up the face of a cliff. Above him, just under the low hanging clouds, a pair of eagles circled, wings motionless. Beneath, a green valley lay shrouded in the morning fog. The clouds concealed the sun and gave the valley the cool gray feel Richard wanted. Near the foot of the cliff, the valley was grassy, with an occasional shrub clinging to the rocky soil here and there. Blue flowers growing in sparse islands shone dimly where the easy wind blew away patches of fog. A wide stream slid from around the base of the cliff. It began somewhere in the mountains behind Richard and disappeared in the denser fog at the deeper part of the valley. There, where not even the tops of the trees were visible, an airy structure of white marble stretched its spires almost as high as the cliff Richard lay on. Four great arches rose, flanked a spiderweb of smaller ones, and met in a cluster of domes, towers and spires. Richard liked to call it the Cat hedral. Beyond, the valley lost itself where the whiteness of the sky met the fog on the ground. Richard stretched the hand that held the glass of lemonade over the edge and let it slip away. He listened for it's fall, but it went too far down to hear. He relaxed his mind, waiting for some idea to come to him.

Eagles :: essays research papers

Eagle, common name for a number of diurnal birds of prey, some of which are the largest members of their family which also includes kites, hawks, buzzards, and certain vultures. The name eagle is somewhat loosely applied, as several of the groups are not particularly closely related to one another, and some birds called hawks are larger than some called eagles. IIGOLDEN AND RELATED EAGLES The golden eagle is distributed through most of the northern hemisphere. This is the eagle that has been regarded from ancient times as a symbol of courage and power because of its large size, superb aerial skills, and the inaccessibility of many of its nest sites, in wild and mountainous country. In Roman myths this eagle is associated with the principal deity, Jupiter. It was the emblem of certain Roman legions, of France under the Bonapartes, of Germany, and of the Russian and Austro-Hungarian empires. In North America the golden eagle occurs as far south as Mexico, but it is most common in the mountainous areas of the western United States and Canada; east of the Mississippi it is relatively rare. Females attain a length of about 1 m (about 3 ft) from the tip of the beak to the tip of the tail, and have a wingspread of about 2 m (about 7 ft). Males are smaller, as is true for most of the birds of prey. A characteristic of the genus is the feathering of the legs down to the toes; in other eagles the lower part of the leg is bare and scaled, as in most birds. The body plumage is dark brown, with a distinct golden wash over the back of the head and neck, giving the species its name. The tail of adults is brown with several indistinct pale bands; that of immature birds is white with a dark brown terminal band. Most golden eagle nests are placed on cliff ledges, but in some areas large trees are preferred. The nest is large and coarse, built of sticks and twigs. The same nest is used from year to year, and the birds add more sticks, so that the nest may eventually be as much as 1.8 m (6 ft) in diameter and 1.5 m (5 ft) high. The usual number of eggs is two, often only one, and occasionally three. They are heavily marked with blotches and spots of various shades of brown.

High school essay on Robbery and burglary Essay

Developing conclusions based upon current trends with Robberies and Burglaries is a very difficult task. For many cases, many robberies and burglaries go unsolved. Unless the perpetrator is caught at the scene of the crime, these types of crimes are very difficult to be solved. Robberies and Burglaries are usually quick, sometimes planned out, and are over and done with before anyone knows anything is missing. The typical scenario of a crime today usually consists of the following. Masked and armed individuals, more times males than females. Forced entry, while the criminal uses fear as there main controlling factor. In and out kind of deal where they break in, steal the stuff and leave. However, more today than ever before, there are more high tech planned out, skilled criminals, rather than your average break in, get out criminals. Unfortunately, trends also show that many of these crimes end up getting ugly. When a person is involved, such as a break in when people are home, the perpetrator is usually armed with a weapon of some kind. Many times the robbery does not go as planned and robbery plus murder or attempted murder is committed. Trends also show that robberies and burglaries are also committed against certain kinds of people. These people are the ones that are the most vulnerable or naà ¯ve. Leaving your garage door open and unattended and walking around with large amounts of cash on you are two examples of things not too do, or someone might take advantage of you. Another thing the articles have proven is that criminals can be very tricky. For instance, the Spanish couple that robbed the Spanish speaking woman. That robbery was well planned out so that the woman trusted two strangers into her home, not knowing what would soon occur. In order to prevent these types of crimes from occurring, there are many logical things which the average citizen can do: a) Keep everything under lock and key. This means that everyone should make sure that there house, car, and other valuables are kept protected with a  good security system. b) Make sure everyone knows you are well protected. Everyone should know that if a burglar sees two identical houses, one of which has a sign showing which security system they use and one has nothing, the house with nothing is in for some trouble. Also find out if your neighborhood has a neighborhood watch program. If not, it isn’t a bad idea to create one. Criminals will always choose the easier target over a more protected one. c) Be alert. If an unknown individual comes to your door, make sure they show you an official badge or something which proves they are who they say they are. Anyone could carry some mail or a box and say they have a delivery for you. d) Never under-estimate the mind of a criminal. Criminals can be very tricky if they need to be. If a situation is beginning to look suspicious, don’t hang around to see what’s up. Leave the area, and make a phone call to the police.

HR Employee Resourcing Essay

Talent management is defined as a sub-set of hr functions. . There are a lot of definitions to what talent management is for some it is similar to succession planning and to others it is incorporated attempts to develop attract and keep hold of the best people. A lot of companies select different ways of human resources guidelines to fit into their talent management structure although most consist of performance management, succession, recruiting and development. Krueger,2007 : Rothwell & Kazanas 2003 suggest that managers need to come up with a definition for talent management that meets their own organizations unique needs. Talent management does not automatically indicate poignant talented individuals upwards in the place of work. It is the opposite organizations have to make sure talents are placed at the best place that suites their talent. The purpose of this assignment is to research issues related to talent management this report will also concentrate on one big question which is â€Å"will the HR department be replaced by the talent management department†. The talent management process emerged in the early 90’s it has adopted in organizations continuously as several industries have come to the realization that their employees skills and talent are what makes the business capital. It has been put into practice to unravel employee retention. It is said that the main concern today is that organizations put a lot of energy in drawing workers in their companies that they spend a smaller amount of time into preserving and expanding talent. In order to understand talent management one must first look at how it was revolutionized. stage1 – personal development, this business function was to hire, pay and make sure employees had essential benefits. Stage 2 – strategic HR involves recruiting the right candidates, educating employees, bonuses and communication of a worker’s health and happiness. At this stage businesses become conscious that strategic hr role was indeed large and very important. At this point hr became more than a business function. Stage 3 – As new problems started arising a new process and systems was required this is where talent management comes in. strategic topics that organizations face now are * How to make recruiting extra efficient  * How can leaders and managers be develop ed in supporting culture introducing value This diagram is an example of a roadmap to effective talent management. (A Successful Start with your Performance management System This roadmap to performance management can help you navigate your company’s path to adopting, implementing and succeeding with performance management. Along the way, you will bolster internal communication, inspire enthusiastic, long-term, productive employees, and greatly reduce the administrative burden of annual employee performance and salary reviews. Issues related to talent management Perfomance management Fully realised, performance management is a holistic process bringing together many of the elements that make up the successful practice of people management including, in particular, learning and development. But for this very reason, it is complex and capable of being misunderstood. In their CIPD textbook, Armstrong and Baron define performance management as ‘a process which contributes to the effective management of individuals and teams in order to achieve high levels of organisational performance. As such, it establishes shared understanding about what is to be achieved and an approach to leading and developing people which will ensure that it is achieved.’ They stress that performance management is ‘a strategy which relates to every activity of the organisation set in the context of its human resource policies, culture, style and communications systems. The nature of the strategy depends on the organisational context and can vary from organisation to organisation.’ Conclusion The facts are that employees who don’t know what they are doing get left redundant whilst employees that can adopt, work fats and bring in money get looked after by the company. Different organizations whether small large or medium will only attain the best results and aim by drawing in and holding on to the best talent. So after thorough research I have come to the conclusion that yes, talent management is going to take over the HR department