Disability and Its Everyday Use Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Inability and Its Everyday Use - Dissertation Example Inability is considered as a revile or a quality of destitution in some underdeveloped nations, yet it is treated as an ordinary ailment in some First the World nations. Bangladesh is additionally another creating nation with genuine instances of inability and neediness. The nation records probably the most significant level of inability rates on the planet. 16% of the country’s populace has inabilities (Mitra et al, 2011). The most noteworthy level of individuals with incapacities in Bangladesh is comprised of ladies (23% contrasted with 10% for men). Handicap predominance is higher in poor nations than in rich nations. Individuals with inabilities in Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and Burkina Faso likewise have a lower level of instructive achievement and low work rates (Eide and Ingstad, 2011). Inability is viewed as a revile or an attribute of neediness in some underdeveloped nations, yet it is treated as a typical ailment in some First World nations. Bangladesh is likewise another creating nation with genuine instances of incapacity and neediness. The nation records perhaps the most elevated level of inability rates on the planet. 16% of the country’s populace has inabilities (Mitra et al, 2011). The most noteworthy level of individuals with inabilities in Bangladesh is comprised of ladies (23% contrasted with 10% for men). Inability pervasiveness is higher in poor nations than in rich nations. Individuals with incapacities in Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and Burkina Faso additionally have a lower level of instructive accomplishment and low business rates (Eide and Ingstad, 2011). Incapacity influences a large number of families in underdeveloped nations. Around 650 million individuals around the globe as of now live with the handicap, adding up to around 10% of the world’s complete populace (Mitra et al, 2011). Around 80 percent of the complete number of individuals with an incapacity lives in underdeveloped nations. Incapacity is more typical in poor networks than rich networks (Eide and Ingstad, 2011). While the complete populace of individuals with incapacity is just 10 percent of the world’s all out populace, the rate is 20 percent among the world’s most unfortunate networks. Created or industrialized nations have received laws and practices to ensure the privileges of individuals with incapacity. For instance, U.S.A. has hostile to separation laws which permit individuals with handicaps to approach work. The U.S.A. likewise has countless individuals with incapacities who own private companies. A few organizations in the United States and other created nations additionally have inability the executives programs in the work environment. Moreover, incapacity advantages and protection programs are given by businesses in U.S.A as required by the law. Be that as it may, U.S.A. still records countless individuals with incapacities without work. Bosses contend that individuals with inabilities can't play out the necess ary undertakings successfully.

Mock-heroic features of Pope’s “The Rape of the Lock” Essay

Mock-epic, otherwise called mock-chivalrous verse is a juxtaposition of unimportant topic and glory epic style. From the crucial perspective, mock-epic is only the most well known neo-old style vaudeville utilized as a twofold edged sarcastic weapon. Batrachomyomachia, an unknown satire, ascribed to Homer, is most likely the soonest case of fake epic type. Alexander Pope was the focal figure of Augustan Age, for his best fake brave verse The Rape of the Lock, composed dependent on a contemporary embarrassment. It manages the excursion from an irrelevant occasion of trimming hair lock of a beauty, to a Trojan war. Pope’s The Rape of the Lock, distributed in 1712(revised form in 1714 with five cantos), resembles an abstract heterogeneous design that offers a multi-dimensional progression of wonders. This sonnet supports the each circle of feelings. The sonnet is simply to draw out a genuine hostility between two Catholic land ruler families-the Petres and the Fermors got from a ‘dire’ offense by the youthful master Petre. He renders retribution by trimming the lock of hair of Arabella Fermor, a woman from Fermor family, as his amourous proposition was firmly shunted aside by the woman. The whole sonnet is embellished with super-regular characters like fairies, little persons and their otherworldly exercises. From the earliest starting point, Pope made a wry climate with the extravagant, inert ways of life of ruler families. Finally yet not the least, this fake brave verse, written in predictable rhyming, likewise leaves an incredible artistic incentive with its enhanced talk and prosodic highlights. The highlights of a fake epic would be practically same as the epic however it ought to be unmistakably recognized by its disparity among subject and style. The highlights of The Rape of the Lock as a false epic, are portrayed underneath: The Title: A false gallant verse must be enhanced with a stupendous title. Assault is a genuine good infringement which implies the seizure of a woman against his assent. For this situation, Pope carried such very word to depict the ownership of Belinda’s hair-lock by Baron, just to create a counterfeit heroicâ sensation. Variety of Style and Subject: Mock-epic is a genuine case of ‘high-burlesque’. This implies, the rhyme-plan of a false epic would be stupendous however the subject would be ludicrous. In this sonnet, Pope’s topic is irrelevant however the style is exceptionally high like an epic adventure. The assault of the lock isn't so wealthy in substance to fit with the epic-musicality. Auxiliary Form: Like an epic, this sonnet is additionally separated in a few Cantos and scenes that channels The Rape of the Lock as a fake courageous epic. Pope additionally started this sonnet with a conjuring in first refrain, that fits the style fittingly. Otherworldly Activities: Being an epic, The Rape of the Lock is given extraordinary exercises. As an epic element, an unequivocal contrast among paradise and damnation is appeared in this sonnet. Belinda assumes the job of a perfect metal from the divine virtue of fairies. In other hand, Baron is the representative of dwarves like Milton’s ‘Satan’. Pope’s The Rape of the Lock, a tribute to companion Caryll, is a standout bit of counterfeit epic that conveys charms from the outset with its intrinsic scholarly deceives at its fullest, as Pope portrays in his own specific manner â€Å"Charms strike the sight, But merit wins the soul† (in â€Å"The Rape of the Lock†). Book index Principle content: Page-56, â€Å"An Anthology: Poems, Plays and Prose† by Board Of Editors. The University Of Burdwan, Burdwan, June2013 Albert Edward. History of English Literature. City: New Delhi, Oxford University Press, 2014 www.britannica.com. The Rape of the Lock. 24 November 2014 www.writework.com. Talk about Alexander Pope’s ‘The Rape Of The Lock’ as a ‘Mock Heroic Poem’ By Kellee. April 2005 http://instruction portal.com/institute/exercise/mock-courageous verse definition-models style.html#lesson www.en.wikipedia.org. Mock-Heroic www.goodreads.com www.scribd.com. Pope Rape of the Lock-Mock Heroic Features www.crossref-it.info. Mock Heroic http://www.sparknotes.com. THE RAPE OF THE LOCK

Chemical Detection Technologies- Operational Considerations Of First

Chemical Detection Technologies- Operational Considerations Of First Chemical Detection Technologies- Operational Considerations Of First Responders Unit â€" Essay Example > Chemical Detection Technologies- Operational Considerations of First Responders UnitThere are constant threats of terrorists’ attacks in the world today, and thus the need to identify some ways to detect the chemicals. Hernandez-Rivera (2007) stated that the government and other involved bodies could counter the all the different terrorist attacks by use of diversified forms of chemical detection capability in those particular areas. Additionally, the food and water are highly exposed to chemical warfare agents (CWAs) that are mostly targeting the military personnel and other installations. Hakonen et al. (2016) also observed that currently there are other CWAs known as nerve gases that are increasingly used during the terrorist attacks. Unlike the other CWAs, the nerve gases are difficult to detect with the conventional procedures. As a result, there is the necessity to undertake any possible analytical methods to identify the wide varieties of CWAs as well as their reactions s uch as hydrolysis and degradation within the chemical environments. Past research gives various techniques of determining the CWAs such as the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) that detects this nerve gases among others Past research provide different techniques of identifying the CWAs such as the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) that detects this nerve gases (Hakonen et al. , 2015). This research identifies the first responders’ chemical detection technologies during operations. With the ongoing threats of terrorist attacks, the military and other armed forces need to know the different methods to deal with threats of CWAs. When a terrorist attack that includes the chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) materials occur, it means that it is likely explosive. Moriarty (2017) observed that such bombs occur to disseminate the additional materials which end up causing a lot of the people in danger of due to the CBRNs. As a result, such incidences requi re immediate emergencies to mitigate the hazards. Notably, it is highly challenging to participate in CBRN terrorism especially if there are high threats scenarios and therefore it requires the common and dynamic approach to finding solutions. It is necessary to have on-site monitoring and detection during warfare to be able to manage the wars and counter war that involves CWAs. Seto (2014) stated that the CWAs were first discovered in the World Wars I and II and also Cold War period. Surprisingly, their production has continued henceforth after the conflicts were resolved. For instance, during the 1980s, the country of Iraq utilized the sarin (GB) and mustard gas (HD) during their war with Iran. As a result, in 1992, there was a treaty that prohibited the use development, stockpiling, and production of CWAs. Later in 1997, the agreement mandated the destruction of any stockpile of these harmful gases. Other cases where these [poisonous gases have been used are such as a Japanese c ult Aum Shinrikyo utilized GB in 1994 Matsumoto attacks and Tokyo subway in 1995. These two incidents killed and poisoned a lot of vulnerable individuals, in fact, 113, 120, which is a substantial evidence of chemical world terrorism (Seto, 2014). Further Silvestri et al. (2017) stated that in the USA, after the September 11, 2001, terrorist detraction, there were instances of biological terrorism when the five people were killed using anthrax spores sent in the form of letters. Consequently, there were CWAs attacks witnessed in the Japanese military facilities that were leaked to the Samukawa containers leakages. Additionally, the Japanese governments had health issues such as neurological disorders caused by intake of the Kamisu water. Such symptoms are believed to be due to the arsenic vomiting agents (Seto, 2014). Hence, there is a universal need to create a safe and secure environment by allowing the authorities to establish protocols and techniques of identifying the appropri ate ways of handling CWAs.

AIDS-Infected Orphans Essay - 1651 Words

The epidemic of HIV has affected another epidemic, Orphans. The UN says that in 2010 there will be about 53.1million orphans and more than 15 million will be because their one or both parents died from HIV/AIDS (orphans in Africa project). In 2008, around 430,000 children under the age of 14 were infected with HIV (Queiroz, Africa a continent of orphans). Children that are abandoned by their parents become are emotionally traumatized. (AIDS orphans) This creates a problem with their psychological state. (AIDS orphans) Another reason why children has psychological problems after the death of their parent is because in school kids might taunt or harass them (Children orphaned from AIDS) Why a psychological can effect orphans lives is that†¦show more content†¦Lastly children should be either given up for adoption or sent to orphanage. A reasonable way to try to solve the problem of orphans affected by AIDS is to stay with the status quo, what the world is try to do right now. There are international organizations such as UNICEF and Save the Children Fund, to help AIDS-affected orphans. In Uganda, there is an organization called Uweso that gives emergency material support and vocational training for orphans (Children orphaned from AIDS). In Cà ´te dIvoire, the International Catholic Child Bureau helps orphans in foster homes and gives training and assistance (Children orphaned from AIDS). Also in Kenya and Tanzania, the African Development Foundation funds farm projects and secondary education, and housing for AIDS-affects families. With so many projects it would seem that AIDS-affected orphans would not be a problem. But with such projects are not carried out on the scale that is needed (Children orphaned from AIDS). Most programs only help less than a hundred children at one time. In countries like Thailand, Uganda and Zambia where there are hundreds of thousands of children that are affected. There is also an organization called SOS children’s villages. 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HIV is an ongoing battle in many different parts of the world, but it has not affected any other country as strongly and perniciously than in Africa. Out of the 3 million AIDS deaths worldwide, 2.2 million deaths have occurred in Africa. Although the condom is an effective way to prevent the infection of HIV, in many African societies, women are expected and taught to subordinate their own interest to those of their partnersRead MoreHuman Immune Deficiency Virus ( Hiv )1608 Words   |  7 Pagesthe lives of infected individuals and their families1. The region of sub-Saharan Africa, which constitutes 11% of the world’s population, is reported to be disproportionately affected by HIV and the disease known as acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)2. HIV is a sexually transmitted infection that can spread by contact with infected blood, or from mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth, or breast-feeding. Sometimes, individuals with HIV infection will develop AIDS3. 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AIDS is caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), which weakens a person s immune system causing them to be more susceptible to infectious diseases such as meningitis, pneumonia, the flu, and many other diseases. Though AIDS does notRead MoreHiv / Aids And Aids1472 Words   |  6 PagesHIV/AIDS is the major ongoing issue attacking sub-Saharan Africa. The damage caused by HIV/AIDS strips families, communities, and increases poverty. In Kenya, the plague has mainly targeted those in the fertile and reproductive age groups. 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It sought to investigate the relationship between parental loss, a trusting relationship with caregivers, and the psychosocial adjustment of HIV-stricken children in China. The researchers gathered cross-sectional data from 755 AIDS orphans 296 doubleRead More HIV/AIDS Testing: A Wake Up Call Essay1215 Words   |  5 PagesThirty years ago, the AIDS, â€Å"Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome†, was not a well-known disease and infected people by that disease were not quarantined, because of lack of information about the disease. The medical scholars explained that AIDS is the culmination of the virus onset, HIV, â€Å"human immunodeficiency virus†. Currently, the infected people with complications, emaciation, diarrhea, tuberculosis, cancer, fever, vomiting, cannot meet togeth er what ever the occasion, birthday party, first communion

Special Education Or Remedial Education Is A Program Designed

Special Education or Remedial Education is a program designed to help children who have learning disabilities and mental challenges. Special Education can be very beneficial for certain students; however, because of the diversity within a Special Education classroom students are rarely getting the correct level of education that they need. Most students do not end up not getting the specialized help they need and eventually fall through the cracks. This, along with many other problems, need to fixed. If these very serious issues within the system are not handled, then the Special Education system will fail. An example of problems within a Remedial Education class is evident in just about every school statewide. There are students in†¦show more content†¦Often times teachers will put things of IEP’s that are not one hundred percent accurate and makes the parents believe that their child is doing better than they actually are. They do this because IEP’s can refl ect back on how well the teacher is doing, for example, if a student has been reading at a kindergarten level all through elementary school and shown no improvement obviously something is wrong. The blame, however, cannot all be placed on the teachers; it is also on the lack of funding. In fact, teachers often times have a harder time than they should acquiring a students IEP report. They are kept not with the teachers, but in the office and even so they are rarely brought at to look through. They are merely a file filler just to have them so they do not get in trouble for not having them. Most of the time the only different from student to student involving their IEP is their name and cognitive ability. For the most part the same goals are set for each student. If the one thing that is supposed to help teachers educate their students is not getting used, how can there be any hope? Funding for Special Education has always been exceptionally low. 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These assessments generally fall into to types, formative (present at each stage of learning) and summative (evaluation designed speicfically for end of lesson/project in accordance with learning goals). Formative assessments are focused on the sharing of information and teacher-student communication; teachers model how they wish the lesson outcome to appear, students use

Southeast Asia Free Essays

2. What are some of the ways in which power manifests itself in Southeast Asia? Illustrate your answer with at least 3 examples. The concept of power is one that has existed in Southeast Asia for a long period of time. We will write a custom essay sample on Southeast Asia or any similar topic only for you Order Now Unlike that of the Western regions, where power is more of a concept and is intangible, power in Southeast Asia is more concrete and real. Power is defined as the possession of control or command over others (Dictionary. com, n. d. In the context of Southeast Asia, power is gained through control of powerful items or valuable resources, as this would usually translate to wealth, a higher position within the social hierarchy, and hence more command over other people. In Southeast Asia, the focus is on accumulating more command and control, instead of just exercising it. Due to the long history of trade and migration within Southeast Asia itself, these concepts have inevitably become a coherent and homogenous one. My essay will seek to show the various ways that power is manifested, particularly in three different levels within a nation state. Firstly, power exists on a national level via certain nation state political models. Secondly, within a nation state, power manifests in different groups of religions, as religious beliefs have influenced how they attempt to both acquire and accumulate power. Thirdly, power exists among individuals, in the idea of merit and social mobility throughout one’s social hierarchy. Firstly, the most evident way that power is manifested in Southeast Asia is on a national level, through nation states’ political systems. One such political system is the mandala system, where power is centralized and drawn towards the sacred core. One might imagine this visually as a series of concentric ever widening circles, with state authority fading as the circles widen. What mattered was the sacred centre, not the borders (Tambiah, 1970). This political system was typically found in Pre-colonial nation states in Southeast Asia. For example, in the 13th Century, King Suryavarman II spread its Mandala polity throughout the state of Angkor by building the renowned ‘Angkor Wat’ among many monasteries and temples in the centre of the state (Dellios, 2003). Thereafter, advantaged by its location on the northwest shore, Angkor relied successfully on trade of its wet-rice agriculture to produce great amounts of wealth, enough to support a population of a million people (Dellios, 2003) In this aspect, power is recognised in the form of wealth, as many people saw ‘Angkor Wat’ and its surrounding temples as the sacred centre that drew the wealth towards the core of its nation. Because Angkor Wat was built by King Suryavarman II, many people also acknowledged him as a manifestation of god, someone with immense power. In a mandala polity where power diffuses further away from the centre, these people tried to get closer to the centre, hence giving King Suryavarman II even more command and power over them. A more recent example of a region following the mandala system can be found along the Thai-Burmese border, where the Akha, a tribal upland ethnic minority, reside (Tooker, 1996). Under Thai law, the lands which the Akha and other upland groups occupy are owned by instead owned by the state. This insinuates that power is directed towards the centre, in the lowlands where the state resides. On the other hand, the Akha, who reside by the highlands and are thus further away from the centre, have much lesser power. For instance, the Akhas suffered from occasional forced labour, extortion by government officials and forced migration (Tooker, 1996) by the state. In this context, the state has command over the Akha tribe and this allowed them to control the Arkas’ resources, such as human labour, and wealth in the form of money. This is thus consistent with the mandala model, whereby the centre is most crucial and the borders are less important because power is drawn to the core. Furthermore, villages surrounding this state tend to be aligned such that their hierarchically highest individual, the ‘founder-chief’ is centrally located within their village (Tooker, 1996) . They believed this would usher in prosperity because it was aligned with that of the cosmos, which in this case was associated to the central core of the state itself. This reinforces another characteristic of the mandala political model, the patchwork construction; where smaller centres surrounding the core could preserve a greater deal of autonomy for acknowledging the potency of the central state. Secondly, looking within a state itself, power is also manifested among different religions in Southeast Asia, as religious beliefs have continually influenced the way southeast Asians try to both acquire and accumulate command and control. One way is through the acquisition of sacred or mythical objects, which they believed were associated with power. An example of such an object is the kris, a unique ancestral dagger with a wavy blade, which was considered the paramount prestige weapon across many religions in pre-independence Indonesia, particularly in the Binamese culture (Hitchcock, 1987). Here, the kris was seen to contain magical and sacred powers, believed to be bestowed by the gods, making it a sacred object that is coveted because of its devine connection. Hitchcock also noted that it was crucial for the personality of the kris to mesh positively with the personality of its owner, which i feel is important because of their aim to accumulate more power from the kris. Furthermore, in the Binamese culture, where imperial status was often inherited, the royal kris was a prized heirloom that visually depicted a genetic relationship to the former ruler (Hitchcock, 1987). In this aspect, the kris can be seen as a symbol of a ruler’s mandate to the rule. Hence, the kris can be considered as a powerful object because possessing it granted a ruler with overwhelming command and control over the people. The power of the kris is further exemplified when you consider the social status of its manufacturer, usually known as a smith, in traditional times. For instance, let us examine Java, where in the past, a smith had a very high social status, considered to be just below the government of princes and having an honoured position in court (Wrassers, 1940). Wrassers (1940) even goes a step further to examine the ancient times, where the roles of a smith and prince more or less coincided, to the point that their relationship was sometimes likened to that of brothers. Hence, we can see that a kris was considered so sacred and powerful in Java that the manufacturers association with it vaulted his social status to the very top of the hierarchy, indirectly giving him more power in the Javanese society. Another way in which religious beliefs have influenced the acquisition and accumulation of power is through certain religious practices, such as those of the Mien people of Thailand. For example, in their Mien wedding ceremonies, a medium, together with the groom and his father, are required to offer spirit-money to the ancestors by kneeling in front of a bed of corn and burning the spirit-money on it (Jonsson, 2004). These spirit-money, often made of paper, is burned and thus considered transformed into the realms of spirits. In this case, power is manifested in the form of money and wealth, as these exchanges with ancestor spirits brought honour and wealth into the spirit world and in return, urged blessings and wealth for the Mien household. The idea being that having more money and wealth would vault one higher up the social hierarchy, hence giving them more authority and control over those of a lower social status in the hierarchy. I feel that this depicts a patron-client relationship between the spiritual ancestors and the descendants of the Mien household. The spiritual ancestors, who reside in the spiritual realm, are the patrons as they possess spiritual and divine power because of their ability to bestow a household with wealth. The descendents are then the clients who benefit from this wealth bestowed upon their household, but the amount of benefits received will depend on how much resources, in this case the spirit money, they can offer these ancestors. Thirdly, power is also evident when we focus on individuals within a state itself. It exists in the idea of merit and social mobility, because merit traditionally denotes the position and degree of mobility one has within the social hierarchy (Adams Gillogy, 2011, p. 5) One is in a disadvantageous social position if he or she lacks merit, but the more merit one accumulated, the greater ability he had to move up the social hierarchy and gain power and control over those below this social hierarchy. In Thailand, merit is directly linked to the amount of resources that one owns. Thus the two ways to move up the social hierarchy is either through accumulating more resources independently, or forming a patron-client relationship with another possessing greater resources than yourself (Adams Gillogy, 2011, p. 2). It is a patron-client relationship because the leader has to reciprocate the benefits he accepted from the client. Forming this patron-client relationship is usually preferred as it is much easier. When many such relationships are formed with the same patron, the resources of the group increase and they grow in size and stability, hence denoting more merit and power within the social hierarchy. Adams and Gillogy (2001) also noted that the resources are first distributed to those close to the leader, and diminishes down the scale. Hence, we can see that social mobility is prevalent as individuals can ascend from the bottom of the Thai social hierarchy as long as he could find the correct patron and accumulate sufficient merit in the form of resources. This idea of merit and social mobility also exists in Laos, where merit is linked directly to wealth, and the most effective way of obtaining merit is through doing virtuous and moral deeds. This is because Laotians believe that wealth can beget to wealth via the mechanism of merit. One example would be religious offerings, such as daily offering of food to the monks or grand donations to sponsor temple buildings (Adams Gillogy, 2011, p. 41) . They hope that their donations will increase their merit, thus bringing them wealth and other positive outcomes, in this and the next life. This possibly explains why large donations are rarely anonymous, as the donor wants to be recognised for his contribution and eventually accumulate as much merit as possible. Hence, we can see that in this context, obtaining merit is important for Laotians because it increases their wealth and ultimately gives them an opportunity to move up the social hierarchy, thus gaining control over those now below them. This is also consistent with the idea of social mobility, in that it is not difficult to move up the social hierarchy in Laos as long as one accumulates sufficient merit. In retrospect, looking at modern Southeast Asia, while some new ideas of power have been introduced, such as those in the form of nuclear weapons and fear, some of these traditional ideas are still very relevant today. For example, elements of a sacred centre and religious beliefs exist till this day in Thailand. Sitting in the middle of the grand palace of Bangkok is the Emerald Buddha of Thailand. This key relic was captured from a Lao king by a Thai king in the 18th century and has since served as a marker of the Thai monarchy (Adams Gillogy, 2011). It is a sacred relic with a history that both represents and embodies the king of Thailand’s power because the Buddha is seen as divine and sacred in Buddhism, Thailand’s main religion. In conclusion, power manifests differently across the three different levels of a nation state. Firstly through political models of a nation state itself, secondly through religious influences of a religion within the nation state, and lastly in the idea of merit and social mobility among individuals of the nation state. However, even though they manifest in different ways, ultimately the aim of accumulating more command and control is still unanimous throughout Southeast Asia. Total Word Count: 1996 Words ? Bibliography Adams, Gillogy. (2011). Everyday life in Southeast Asia. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press. Dellios, R. (2003). Mandala: From Sacred Origins to Soereign affairs in traditional Southeast Asia. Gold Coast, Australia: Bond University : School of Humanities and Social Sciences : Centre for East-West Cultural and Economic Studies. Dictionary. com. (n. d. ). Power. Retrieved Retrieved September 13 2012, from http://dictionary. reference. com/browse/power Hitchcock, M. (1987). The Binamese Kris: Aesthetics and Social Value. Bijdragen tot de Taal-,Land-en Volkenkunde , 125-140. Jonsson, H. (2004). Mien Alter-Natives in Thai Modernity. Anthropological Quaterly Vol 77, No. 4 , 673-704. Tambiah, S. (1970). Buddhism and the spirit cults in North-east Thailand. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Tooker, D. E. (1996). Putting the Mandala in its Place: A Practice-based Approach to the Spatialization of Power on the Southeast Asian ‘Periphery’ — The Case of Akha. The Journal of Asian Studies Vol. 55, No. 2 , 328-358. Wrassers, W. H. (1940). On the Javanese Kris. Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde van Nederlandsch-Indie Deel 99, 4de Afl , 501-582. How to cite Southeast Asia, Essay examples

Mona Lisa Smile free essay sample

We can identify functionalist and feminist approaches in movie ‘Mona Lisa Smile. ’ To begin with, functionalism defends that gender differences, which are biologically inherited, between male and female contribute to social harmony and maintenance of family in terms of division of labour. Men and women must carry out such tasks which are corresponded to their sexuality. According to this, women should concentrate on home and family relationships while men perform outside as a â€Å"breadwinner†. In movie, we can see that girls are grown to provide great comfort, care and security to their husbands and children. Despite their well-education and brightness, they also believe that the systematical functionalist idea: â€Å"the roles you were born to fill. † The fact that â€Å"no woman chooses to live without home† is general sight of these girls, especially the best advocator of this: Betty Warren. Betty, her mother and many conservative women called women’s tasks as a wife and mother: ‘to work for Lady Liberty’. We will write a custom essay sample on Mona Lisa Smile or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page They believe that ‘it is their duty and obligation to make good enough their place in the home and have an influence on children that will carry their traditions into the future’ which is the greatest reflection of functionalism approach. Also, Betty Warren is opponent of free way of thinking. For example, she always discusses with her friend Giselle and blames her because of her lax moral and she leads to fire of Amanda with her article in school newspaper by revealing Amanda’s contraceptive supply to students as a school nurse. According to her, these kinds of behaviors are not conformable to a woman’s nature and future expectation. In contrast; feminism advocates that there should not be discrimination between male and female and their division of labour that is resulted from their sexual characteristics. It also opposes to dependence of women to their husbands’ life. According to this approach, women should not accept the men’s exploitation on their free domestic labour in the home. Katherine Watson, the instructor of art history, is defender of feminism in movie. Although all faculties criticize her way of life and perception of independency of women, she continues to live as she believes. She also encourages the students to see their potential to be independent women. According to her, women’s life should not be shaped around marriage because women can form their family and business life at the same time. With her strong belief and slide show that reveals some newspaper advertisements which are related to the role of women in society, she affected many of her students, even Betty. In summary, both approaches can be identified with their representatives in movie.

WordPress Website Examples From Celebrities, Media, Gov, Beyoncé

WordPress was originally conceived by Matt Mullenweg as  a personal publishing platform. However, if you peek into the WordPress website examples in this post, youll see that WordPress is actually a full-fledged Content Management System. Its capable of handling content for some of the most visited websites around:broadcasting stations,celebrities,international corporations,music bands,magazines,fashion houses,software companies.Its easy to create a website  with WordPress and its not too heavy on the pocket too. This list of WordPress website examples portrays the possibilities with WordPress:WordPress Website ExamplesEntertainment NetworksAMC Network EntertainmentBreaking Bad, The Walking Dead, Madmen and more a subscriber can watch the entire seasons of these TV shows on the website of AMC Network Entertainment. Each show is displayed in full width horizontal sections that  occupy the entire length of the homepage. However, some space is reserved for a broad footer which ho lds the menu. The menu also holds a link to watch Live TV.BBC AmericaIf youve missed an episode of popular TV shows like Top Gear or Doctor Who, you can catch it here on BBC America. This website uses an off-page menu that you can call  up by clicking a hamburger icon. A signed in viewer can watch both previous episodes and live TV on this website.Automobiles CompaniesMercedes-BenzThe international corporate website of the luxury car manufacturer, Mercedes-Benz uses a custom built theme. The website makes generous use of images and videos to show off its range of cars. This display, coupled with  the design of the menu  gets it a slot in this list of WordPress website examples.RenaultWordPress is also home to the international website of the Renault Group. Its easy for visitors to access relevant content on the website. They can choose their function  from the narrow bar above the header. The website uses a pleasing yellow and black combination of colors against a mostly whi te background. The fonts on the site are also quite distinctive.Newspapers / MagazinesWiredWired is a technology magazine that covers present and future trends in technology. The tidy display of post titles on the homepage gives it a distinctive look. These titles are contained in individual boxes having prominent horizontal borders at the top.TIMEWordPress is the platform for Time, an established American magazine. This website retains abundant white spaces and uses clean fonts for easy readability. Readers of the offline version will see the familiar red borders at many places on the website as well.Fashion HousesBataBata, a well-known shoe company dispenses with the header to make place for full screen images. A sticky header appears as a visitor scrolls down. Small arrows appear at appropriate places on the screen to guide visitors to move to the section they want. This stylish website is a must-include in this list of WordPress website examples.Van HeusenVan Heusen, a well know n clothing retail brand, uses WordPress to display its various lines of clothing. The website is a good mix of information and crisp images. The homepage is fairly minimal, with most of the details being taken to the inside pages.Music Bands / ArtistsRolling StonesYes, music bands too have structured their websites on WordPress. The website of Rolling Stones  mostly uses shades of blue. Fans and music lovers can access the menu both from the header and from the footer area. While on the website, they can listen to some of the bands singles, as well as to the teasers of yet-to-be-released songs.Beyoncà ©Youll hardly find any text on the website of popular singer Beyoncà ©. The singers name in the plain white header is almost the only visible text on the site. Full width images, some of them from her performances, load continuously as you scroll.UniversitiesGeorgia State UniversityIn general, university websites are content heavy, and its the same with the website of Georgia State University. But students and faculty can access the relevant pages from the bar above the header. The predominant colors on the website are white and blue. Admissions, testimonials and university news are all placed in their own sliders.The University of WashingtonEven a first time visitor will find it easy to navigate the website of The University of Washington. The visitor can browse the site as a student, parent or faculty right from the header. The Quick Links section that pulls out a slide-in list of helpful links, and the Search option also help in navigating the site.Blogs / News AgenciesTED BlogTED is the central for the most interesting talks and presentations on the web. The blog structure and design itself is very clean, with good background-to-font contrast and clear content presentation. You could say that TEDs using a rather standard blog look, but it does so in a very effective way.PlayStation BlogThe Official PlayStation Blog is the forum where the game creators mee t the gaming community. The site features a broad header and a boxed layout. Feedback is important for the blog, and so theres a sticky label that the user can click to submit feedback.Movie WebsitesJames BondFor a James Bond fan, this official website of the fictional British secret agent 007 is a delight. It carries vast amounts of interesting tit-bits about the movies and the cast. The slider images stack up visibly at either end of the screen and you can click to pull them out for viewing. These images are styled to appear like a movie screen.Government SitesThis Is FinlandWordPress is the choice of the Department of Communication to convey official information on Finland. This Is Finland packs a great deal of news about business, culture, lifestyle and more in the available space. I particularly liked the emoji box which gives you a fun overview of Finland in one screenshot.CelebritiesUsain BoltYoud expect to see a load of photographs of celebrities on their websites. And so, i ts no surprise that the pictures of Usain Bolt occupy a great deal of space on his website. Fans of the sports icon can keep track of the latest news and events concerning Bolt. The website sports a dark skin throughout.Entertainment CompaniesThe Walt Disney CompanyThe home of fun and entertainment has its online home on WordPress. The well known logo of The Walt Disney Company occupies the central spot in the header. You can access each menu item from that header, or from the individual boxes in the horizontal sections on the homepage. You can also keep track of the companys stock price on the website.Broadcasting StationsWGN TV, ChicagoWGN TV is the broadcasting arm of the Tribune, Chicago. It caters to a broad range of interests. Weather watchers will like the detailed section on weather it features an interactive radar. Commuters can look up the site for live traffic updates. And as for casual or regular visitors, they can quickly navigate to the TV Schedule or Live News using the bar at the top.Software CompaniesNGINXNGINX is a software company that showcases its products, capabilities and resources on WordPress. The animation on the homepage is designed to reinforce the companys network related expertise. Not only can you access content from the drop-down menu in the header, you can also access the detailed menu from the broad footer.That rounds off my list of WordPress website examples. Have you found any websites using WordPress in an interesting way? If yes, please share in the comments below.

Calcium In A Plant Based Diet Essays - Calcium, Diets, Osteoporosis

Calcium In A Plant Based Diet Essays - Calcium, Diets, Osteoporosis Calcium In A Plant Based Diet Many people choose to avoid milk and other dairy products because they contain fat, cholesterol, allergenic proteins, lactose, and frequently traces of contamination. Milk is also linked to juvenile-onset diabetes, and other serious conditions. Happily, there are plenty of other, safer and more reliable sources of calcium. Keeping your bones strong depends more on preventing the loss of calcium from your body than on boosting your calcium intake. Some cultures consume no dairy products and typically ingest only 175 to 475 milligrams of calcium per day. However, these people generally have low rates of osteoporosis. Many scientists believe that exercise and other factors have more to do with osteoporosis than calcium intake does. Calcium in the Body. Almost all the calcium in the body is in the bones. There is a tiny amount in the bloodstream which is responsible for important functions such as muscle contractions, maintenance of the heartbeat, and transmission of nerve impulses. We constantly lose calcium from our bloodstream through sweat and other excretions. It is renewed with calcium from the bones. In this process, bones continually lose calcium. This bone calcium must be replaced from food. Calcium needs change throughout life. Up to the age of 30 or so, we consume more calcium than we lose. Adequate calcium intake during childhood and adolescence is especially important. Later, the body begins to slip into negative calcium balance and the bones start to lose more calcium than they take up. The loss of too much calcium can lead to soft bones or osteoporosis. How rapidly calcium is lost depends, in part, on the kind and amount of protein you eat as well as other diet and life-style choices. Reducing Calcium Loss. A number of factors affect calcium loss from the body: Diets that are high in protein cause more calcium to be lost through the urine. Pro tein from animal products is much more likely to cause calcium loss than protein from plant foods. This may be one reason that vegetarians tend to have stronger bones than meat eaters. Caffeine increases the rate at which calcium is lose through urine. Alcohol inhibits calcium absorption. The mineral boron may slow the loss of calcium from bones. Exercise slows bone loss and is one of the most important factors in maintaining bone health. Sources of Calcium: Exercise and a diet moderate in protein will help to protect your bones. People who eat plant-based diets and who lead an active life-style probably have lower calcium needs. However, calcium is an essential nutrient for everyone. It is important to eat calcium-rich foods every day. The following chart will tell you the calcium content of many foods. Legumes Calcium (mg) Chickpeas, 1 cup, canned....................78 Great Northern beans, 1 cup boiled.........121 Green beans, 1 cup boiled....................58 Green peas, 1 cup boiled......................44 Kidney beans, 1 cup boiled.................50 Lentils, 1 cup boiled..............................37 Lima beans, 1 cup boiled......................52 Navy beans, 1 cup boiled...................128 Pinto beans, 1 cup boiled.....................82 Soybeans, 1 cup boiled......................175 Tofu, raw, firm - 1/2 cup......................258 Vegetarian baked beans, 1 cup..........128 Wax beans, 1 cup canned................. 174 White beans, 1 cup boiled.................161 If using Calcium Fortified products, check the source of the calcium. Bibliography Vegetarian Journal Future Link The Internet

Journal opinion article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Journal opinion article - Essay Example In this interplay of a basic economic concept pertaining to supply and demand, many individuals on a smaller scale are gaining from the benefits of affordable oil. Nevertheless, this might as well be a temporary condition because of its more encompassing implications. The instability of prices for this major commodity caused the creation of the Organization Of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to control production and prices. The oil prices seem good on an individual level but this indicates an even bigger economic and political issue that entails the OPEC’s involvement. Yergin states that the decision not to reduce production greatly affects less affluent OPEC members compared to their more financially stable counterparts. Venezuela and Iran are among those countries suffering from the blow of plummeting oil prices. Member nations classified as developed countries are more resilient and have steady reserves to cushion the fall. â€Å"The OPEC members in big trouble are the â€Å"have-nots†Ã¢â‚¬â€those with small financial reserves and high government budgets† (Yergin para.9). Another equally prevailing factor in this issue is the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Notable is the fact that Russia is not a member of the OPEC and yet is the biggest producer of petroleum in the world. Almost majority of its budget comes from its oil revenue and in a country largely reliant on imported consumer goods, this spells trouble. Russia’s falling currency equates to the fact that it has to pay more to get the goods it needs. Together with other sanctions imposed on the country due to the on-going conflict, Russia is experiencing major economic woes (Yergin para.11). On a microeconomic level, the affordable prices of oil mean an increase in the purchasing power of individuals and other enterprises. Fuel at a lower cost means value for consumers felt prominently by vehicle owners who purchase it on a regular basis and manufacturers who use it

Mean Streets Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Mean Streets - Movie Review Example Charlie is involved with the local New York Mafia and is tries to move up the command chain. His efforts are frustrated as he takes responsibility of his friend Johnny Boy, who is a reckless and minor gambler, a habit that gets Johnny into a huge amount of debt from many local loan sharks. Charlie who collects debts from individuals who owe his uncle money is an inwardly conflicted man. He does not know whether to follow his Mafia ambitions or to devout himself to the church. After failing to receive liberation in church, Charlie excessively becomes reproachful and disrespectful, but gets it by forfeiting himself on Johnny’s behalf. The movie ends when a debtor, Michael demands his money from Johnny who insults him and draws out a gun. Michael leaves but pursues Charlie, Johnny and Charlie’s girlfriend Teresa (an epileptic woman), who have decided to escape town for a little while. Michaels gunmen fires shots that land on Johnny’s neck and Charlie’s hand. An ambulance and the police come to the scene and take them away as the movie ends (Iamb, 2012). Critique There are a number of pros in the film, firstly are the characters. Mean Streets characters are excellently cast as their roles are well executed and nicely edited. The acting is incredibly original, and the director has directed his actors to near- sound acts. Moreover, the characters have given the film a thoroughly, beautiful, spellbinding and memorable feel. The characters demonstrate the Italian- American experience in a groundbreaking way, as they are passionate and mature. The characters in Mean Streets film have portrayed extreme talent in demonstrating male amity in Little Italy in New York. With Charlie’s character the producer, Martin Scorsese picks two conflicting issues common with young men in New York, religion, and gangster life. The second pro in the film is the cast themselves who are skilled, thus make the film believable. Martin has appropriately cast the actors in Mean Streets. Since the film is based on real life experiences, the producer, Martin Scorsese, puts the pieces quickly. These pieces are well executed by the actors who have in the past, coincidentally, lived in little Italy and have had the same experiences. De Niro grew up in ‘Bleecker Street, the northern frontier of Little Italy’. The third pro in the film is in the use of camera. Martin Scorsese employs the use of camera, lightning, and space in a much-refined way, thereby showing the viewer only what he feels the viewer should see. In the opening scenes of the film, the key characters have scenes of their own, which introduces the viewer to the main characters (IMDb, 2012). Furthermore, the filtered camera angles usage continues with the director having scenes shot from above and sometimes from below. A hand held camera is used for dynamic scenes compared to the movable long shot cameras. The lighting creates balance and the intelligent editing ensur es the full capacity of the impact to the viewer. The fourth pro in Mean Street is the director’s, Martin Scorsese utility of color. The color used gives the picture an intense tone, which is incredibly striking. The light in the bars are red and outside have an over-exposed and monochrome color (IMDb, 2012). The director chooses to use popular music as the soundtrack in Mean Streets. In addition, the music is functional as it sets the mood for the film. The theme of the film

The Strategic Group Mapping Model Marketing Essay

The Strategic Group Mapping Model Marketing Essay For the purpose of this report, the industry of choice was the cereal industry. The cereal industry is highly competitive with numerous businesses competing for an increased market share. The cereal industry is influenced by customer spending and customer lifestyle. In recent years, consumer behaviour has altered with customers becoming more health conscious. As a result of this, business within the cereal industry have introduced new products and modified existing products to appeal to health conscious customers. Based on research conduct, the following trends were identified within the cereal industry: Consumer behaviour changes Health conscious customers The main businesses within the cereal industry are Kelloggs, Nestlà ©, Weetabix, Flahavans and Odlums. Breakfast apart from being a necessity for breaking the fast, it is also seen as a social ritual amongst the majority of cultures around the world.  [1]   Three main trends emerge from an analysis of the industry: Acquisitions, Automation and Consolidation. The nature of the cereal industry is oligopoly as there are just a few firms dominating the industry. The key players were identified as Kelloggs, Origin Enterprises (Odlums), Nestle, Weetabix and Finegrove Holdings Ltd. (Flahavans).The breakfast cereal industry can be divided into two categories; hot breakfast cereals and Ready to Eat (RTE). The key drivers to operate in this industry were identified as: Reformulation of nutritional ingredient, Product differentiation, Contracts for raw materials, Economies of Scale and Creative advertising. The industry as a whole has an abundance external macro environment factors which are clearly seen in the PESTLE. Porters five forces identified medium barriers to entry, threat of substitutions and supplier power, but highlighted high buyer power and competitive rivalry. From using strategic mapping it was emphasised that players in the industry modernised /changed their strategies to respond to key trends in the industry. From analysing the five key players in the industry, it is clear that all have similar product diversification, product development (Ansoff growth matrix) Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats(SWOT Framework). Industry Landscape There were three key trends found from the players in the cereal industry. Kelloggs have consolidated 42 business websites into one website in order to give a clearer brand identity and to enhance the customer experience. In relation to automation, these players currently use technological advanced machinery to aid them in production and packaging. Finally in May 2012, 60% of shares from the Weetabix Food Company have been acquired by Chinas Bright Food Group while the remaining 40% is owned by Lion Capital. From these trends, there are issues that affect these players, in terms of market saturation and fluctuating prices for wheat and oats. These are potential threats for this industry as reported by Business Insights which states; cereal products have reached a level of saturation in many Western markets, so adding value and following consumer desires will be key to successful product lines. In order to combat this market saturation, businesses need to research, understand and acknowledge consumers requirements. The fluctuating prices of oats and wheat could affect each business within the cereal industry. The price fluctuations are a result of difficulties experienced during the growing seasonal period. Rising prices due to increasing costs for logistics and ingredients are primarily going to affect the breakfast cereal industry and its key players in the future. Cereal products could be sourced globally; however, there is a decline in international cereal production due to weather conditions  [2]  . If this continues, it could lead to cereal prices escalating and increases being passed down the distribution channel. There is increasing pressure for new product development amongst the industries key players. This could potentially increase market share and enhance revenue for the niche players such as Flahavans and Odlums, while allowing market leaders such as Kelloggs the opportunity to prevent smaller businesses from obtaining market growth. There is an increase in health conscious customers and in the future, this may define the product lines produced by the key players. From the acquisition of Weetabix, Bright Food Group has vowed to globally expand the Weetabix business by entering the growing breakfast cereal market within Asia. Changes to food consumption patterns within Asia have resulted in businesses entering Asian regions and selling food and beverages to consumers. Nationally, the cereal industry is worth à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬200 million per year with a profit between 40 45%. In relation to the current market position of these players, Kelloggs would be classed as the leader due to a 44% market share. With Nestle and Weetabix as the market followers, these businesses have a sizeable market share and remain competitive within this industry. The niche players, Flahavans and Odlums, are not as profitable as competitors, particularly Odlums who do not provide an extensive range of products. Competitive rivalries could arise between these industry players, as all competitors have similar products aiming at similar target markets. The threat of substitutes is also an issue for these players; as there is a rise in own brand products, such as Dunnes Stores and Tesco. These products are being introduced into the market due to the changing consumer spending habits. As this industry could be seen as oligopolistic, the power over suppliers and buyer could potentially increase, however for the niche players, the competition could intensify. Generally the cereal industry targets family oriented markets. In relation to Kelloggs and Nestle, they could be seen to target children, as these players introduce characters to their brands in order for the children to be attracted to these products. Weetabix, Flahavans and Odlums target mature audiences which can be seen to be under the family orientated market. For each key player, they must hold competitive advantage in order to sustain the market. The threshold resources that any player should have to operate within this industry include; finance, customer loyalty, brand awareness and a wide product range. Unique resources, such as Flahavans and Odlums, are particularly focused on the Irish aspects of the product. This involves the methods of producing the product and jobs that are created within the country. Irish consumers are value driven, however Irish products are important to these consumers. In previous years, Kelloggss held a very dominant position within the industry, however this has changed substantially as more competitors have entered the market and have impacted the profit obtained by Kelloggs. In 2010, there was a net income rise of Kelloggss, which has since fallen from $1.2 billion to $961 million and emphasises a dramatic decrease. In 2012, the share price of the business was volatile as it declined to $46.33 in July, however increased to an acceptable price of approximately $60 in December. The size of Kelloggs reduces the threat of a takeover occurring and exiting the market would not be foreseeable for Kelloggs. Kelloggs use of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is at the forefront when communicating with customers. This is highly evident in Give a child a breakfast campaign launched in October 2011 as this campaign highlighted the benefits of children eating breakfast. By highlighting this campaign, it improved the public perception of the company. Financial reports released for 2012, illustrated that the Nestle group as a whole had a successful financial year. It shows an increase in profit for the year by $1.8 billion. The cereal range of the business is represented in this figure which displays a positive financial performance for Nestle. Previously, Nestle has experienced a negative public image; Nestlà © attempts to divert criticism of its baby food marketing activities  [3]  . Nestle continuously attempt to improve their CSR identity within the eyes of the public. Bright Food Group generated revenues of approximately  £7.5 billion last year which indicates it has a large resource base to expand the Weetabix brand into more foreign markets. The acquisition of Weetabix would indicate that there is a high demand for cereal products globally as well as within its existing markets. The Weetabix brand has a long association with the British and Irish markets and has successfully reflected a positive brand image. However, the recent acquisition could have a positive and negative impact as it could be viewed as the loss of another indigenous company to a foreign multinational and may dilute the brand value. As Flahavans is a privately owned family operated business and similar to Weetabix, is not listed on any stock exchange. Flahavans is an established brand and retains the majority of the market share in relation to hot cereal breakfast in Ireland. This brand has a positive image among Irish customers and assisted the expansion into markets such as the UK and US. Flahavans is associated with Bord Bia and outlines the nutritional value of eating porridge as part of a healthy balanced diet. As the business is proud of its heritage and is a small player within the industry, the possibility of an acquisition may be unattractive to an established player. Odlums is part of the Origin Enterprise Group, which is listed on the Irish Stock Exchange and experienced an increased share price within the last year. The Odlums brand is well known within Ireland, primarily for their baking products. It could be perceived that the public have less recognition for the porridge range. The brand image is viewed positively and is also associated with Bord Bia. Within the cereal industry, there are certain aspects which could affect key players in the future. In terms of Kelloggs, they have primarily grown through merger and acquisitions. If all the key players follow this trend and grow like Kelloggs, they could possibly maintain market share growth. Further brand building of key players, could allow for growth in new divisions, for example Weetabix introducing a new range of biscuits. The majority of dominating businesses have a strong portfolio of products with great brand identity amongst its market share. If the key players continue to invest and grow their brand portfolio, it would be expected to have a positive long-term effect on those businesses. There is a possibility of a new pecking order in terms of the hot breakfast cereal market segment. At present, Flahavans is the market leader in this category. However, Kelloggs have developed a product, Kelloggs Corn Flake Porridge  [4]  , to compete against Flahavans porridge. This product has not been launched in Ireland, but could potentially dominate the market in the future. Currently, the key players are extending the life of their consumer recognisable products rather than removing them from the market place.  [5]  Customers would be willing to purchase familiar products and be more inclined to purchase new products launched by a trusted brand. The key players have adopted an extension strategy of their products. From analysis of the Ansoff Matrix  [6]  on the key players, it was evident that they had the same strategy which included the retention of existing customers and attraction of new customers by means of product development and product diversification. The key players are currently adopting marketing strategies to ensure that their brands are in the evoked set of their target markets while going through the decision making process and the customer chooses their product. HRM Strategies Nestles mergers and acquisitions provides the business with a wider selection of employees which can be used strategically to further develop the companys competitive advantage. However, this method may not be feasible as employees may feel their opinions to be underappreciated and lack participation with front line decisions. In the case of Weetabix, their use of motivational goals drives their use of HRM, which furthers their competitive advantage by providing a recognised and admirable work environment, which could be then used strategically to attract additional talented candidates. In comparison to its competitors, Flavaghans is a considerably smaller company, mainly because of its family ethos. These sorts of companies generally limit new additions of staffing in order to reduce costs. However with the utilisation of their flat hierarchy which enables all departments to work together closely, this allows for a competitive advantage, which does not directly affect necessary recruitment and selection. In a sense Flavaghans has used their limit of recruiting for a more quality staffing experience which then follows through to competitive advantage. Odlums have used their HRM strategies competitively in order to gain talented managerial staff in the company. This can be seen in their quality staff members, who have all had quality previous employment and education. This is a clear competitive advantage for odlums, and has formed them as an elite group of staff. Kelloggs, although they use extensive research and development which effectively provides solid results and provides a clear competitive advantage. It has been recognised that although management positions are favourable, their staff motivation and drives are low, therefore we can indicate that HRM strategies are not of concern to Kelloggs.  · Are the Strategic HRM policies of the key players in alignment with its overall strategy? In essence Nestles vision of good food, good life is very much in alligment with its strategic HRM policies. Through the use of mergers and acquistions, Nestle has managed to collect different types of talent, in order to provide quality behind its overall strategy of good life, good food in its product. External Environmental Analysis Strategic Group Mapping Model Strategic Group Mapping Analysis Nestle is identified with having a high variety of products coupled with a high average price of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬3.53per 500g Kelloggs is on par with Nestle however Kelloggs have a larger variety of products and slightly higher average price of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 3.54per 500g. Both breakfast cereal companies are positioned as having a large variety of products with a high retail price targeting the same market segments. Kelloggs target families with products such as cornflakes, rice crispies , frosties , all bran, crunchy nut and coco pops as well as the health conscious adult woman with their special k range  [7]  . Nestle target families with products such as nestle cornflakes, cheerios. Target kids and teens with nesquick, cookie crisp,cocoa puffs products and their adult with their fitness range.  [8]   Weetabix is more differentiated from Nestle and Kelloggs. Weetabix primarily targets the health conscience consumer market segment whereas Nestle and Kelloggs target a proportion of that segment. Weetabix is identified with having a low variety of products combined with a high average price à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬3.49per 500g. Weetabix is a market leader with a 12% market share  [9]  (just behind Kellogg which leads brand sales with a 42% value share)  [10]   Flahavans is a market leader in the hot breakfast market segment with a 65% share of the hot breakfast cereal market  [11]  and a 7 % share of the overall breakfast market  [12]  .they have undertaken a hybrid strategy since 2008 by extending their product range and making their product more convenient to the consumer i.e quick oats. flahavans is identified with having a low variety of products (i.e hot oats) coupled with a low average price à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1.25 per 500g.flahavans solely targets the health conscience individual/families. Odlums holds a relatively small proportion of the hot breakfast cereal market and is identified with having a low variety of products combined with a low average price of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1.15 per 500g. Kelloggs and Nestle are the most expensive of the companies, their higher price is justified by their larger variety of product offered. Weetabix, Flahavans and Odlums are the least expensive of the companies with is due to their low product range however their prices may increase in the further due to the perceived customer benefits of their products. Internal Strategic Capability Analysis Kelloggs Company Background The Kelloggs Company was established in 1906 by W.K. Kellogg. By continuing to use the same technique in producing the product since this time, the Kelloggs brand has grown successfully over the last 100 years with products reaching 180 countries worldwide. Kelloggs primarily produce breakfast cereal products, along with toaster pastries and snacks, such as, cereal bars and winders. In 1922, the Kelloggs company arrived in Ireland with products being sold throughout the country. As Kelloggs now is the leading brand in the breakfast cereal industry in Ireland and the UK, the business was one of the first to introduce nutritional labelling on their packaging, back in the 1930s. With their successful launch in the 1950s of the cereal products Frosties and Special K, in the 1980s new products, such as Crunchy Nut Corn Flakes, was launched into the Irish market. The W.K. Kellogg Institute for Food and Nutrition Research was opened in 1997. This is where the engineers, nutritionists and food scientists would investigate the quality of the produce used. This facility also catered for the alternation in the reduction of salt used in breakfast cereals in 2010, along with vitamin D been added for children in 2011. The Kelloggs Company have various locations worldwide including North America, Europe Middle East, Asia, Africa, Oceania and Latin South America. The Headquarters for Kelloggs is located in Michigan. Kelloggs Cultural Web Model Kelloggs Ansoff Product / Market Growth Matrix Market Penetration By utilising this strategy, this would benefit Kelloggs in terms of continuing to remain competitive within the market and stabilising their position as a market leader within Ireland and UK. Over the years Kelloggs have dramatically increased their product range to cater for a wider customer base. Kelloggs provides cereals for children and adults to accommodate for their different lifestyle requirements. By continuing to penetration this market at a relatively low risk for the business, Kelloggs would need to implement a strategy in order to maintain their market share by using their existing products while retaining their current customers. This strategy would need to be developed by increasing brand awareness of their products, for example charity events or competitions, in order to remind customer their products. Product re-launch could be another penetration for Kelloggs in terms of retaining their existing customers. Through customer involvement and push marketing strategies, these methods could help Kelloggs to secure their market share or have the possibility of increasing their customer base. New Products and Services As the cereal industry is a competitive market and developing the ability to be distinctive from the existing competitors could be a challenge for Kelloggs. In order to increase the customer base, Kelloggs developed products in the areas if toaster pastries and snacks. These developments allowed the business to explore new products while retaining their existing customers. Market development Market development is an important aspect for Kelloggs to grow within the cereal market. Currently Kelloggs offer a porridge product which is available in South Africa however are not obtainable within Ireland and the UK. Gluten free products from the US are also not available within these countries. These products could have a dramatic effect if Kelloggs introduced these products into the Irish and UK market, as it could heighten the competition amongst competitors and attract new customers to their products. Conglomerate Diversification In order for Kelloggs to diversify into an unrelated market would be a difficult challenge for the business. A market that Kelloggs have diversified into is the snack food market. This is evident from the acquisition of Pringles in early 2012. This market could be seen to be difficult to operate as it does not relate to the cereal industry and the business may not have the necessary knowledge of the snack food industry. Nestle Nestle Company Background Nestle was founded in 1866. As the company began to grow, it merged with another established company, Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company in 1905. From this merger, Nestle acquired Rowntrees of York in 1988. Within Ireland and UK, Nestle is one of the key players in the food industry with 19 locations employing over 7000 staff. Nestle is also one of the key exporters for these two countries, with exporting products over  £300 million worth to 50 countries worldwide every year. With the mergers and acquisitions previously mentioned, this gave Nestle the ability to diversify their product portfolio to cater to a wider target audience. Nestle Ireland and UK expanded to sister companies such as Nestle Professional, Nestle Waters, Nestle Nutrition, Nestle Purina Petcare, Lactalis Nestle Chilled Dairy Company Ltd, Cereal Partners UK, Nespresso and Jenny Craig. With these sister companies, Nestle was able to produce popular brands such as, breakfast cereals Shreddies and Cheerios, Go Cat pet food, Nescafe, Kit Kat and beverages Nestle water and Nesquik. Nestle have Headquarters in Ireland and UK, with their factories primarily in the UK. Globally, Nestle are located in Africa, Oceania, Europe, and Asia and North and South America. Nestle Cultural Web Model Nestle Cultural Web Analysis Paradigm Nestles ethos Good food, good life is a clear indicator of where nestles drive originates. This can be clearly defined as Nestles collective experience which is applied to situations in order to make sense of strategy. For example nestles acquisition of Alcon Laboratories Inc. provided an increase of food technology competencies behind their foods thus confirming their initial ethos of good food, good life. Stories: Nestlà ©s is regarded as the largest food business company in the world; this has been experienced through the use of mergers and acquisitions and primary food nutrition values. Nestle acquired Crosse Blackwell in 1950 and Rowntree Mackintosh in 1988 to name a few. It operates in 86 countries and is the largest shareholder of LOreal. It has also been ranked at 1 in the fortune global 500. However, Nestle cereals received bad press in 2011, with the accusations of incorrect nutritional information on their cereal products. This apposed their believes of nutritional value in good food. Symbols: Nestle is a Swiss made multinational country which strives in power and direction. It is a professional company, which has used mergers and acquisitions to its advantage in its early years and continues in this fashion today. Nestle receives great admiration publicly. Power: Nestles power structure is very hierarchical, many field employees feel like progression is limited and not balanced for all employees. However when we consider their previous paths to this power (mergers and acquisitions) we can interpret their power drive as continuous and dedicated. Also another interesting fact is that Nestle is primarily a Male dominated organisation, which creates the concerns of the glass ceiling effect for women, which can be regarded as discouraging and an imbalance on gender equality. Organisational structure: Nestles Organisational structure is revolved around innovation and expansion. Innovation through their ethos of good food, good life, this can also be seen in their portfolio of innovating products such as baby formula and instant coffee. Their constant collaboration makes their company quiet segmented, however this approach has proven to be successful. In addition to this organisational structure, employees felt that quick decision making is not a competency of Nestles senior managers. This could potentially bring up the issue of potential lose in employee involvement, which can in most circumstances be valuable. Control systems: Nestle offer attractive pension plans in order to control employee systems. This is a lot more attractive for long term employees who are in the office. However, a majority of employees expressed that there is no work life balance plans to keep employees motivated and balanced in home and work activities. In contrast to their attractive pension plans, it can be assumed that Nestle is clearly monitory focused with employees. In addition we found that Nestle do not micro manage their employees, although this is more enjoyable for the employee, it can be interpreted that nestle need to grasp control systems in order to keep employee focus in activities. Routines Rituals: On a day to day basis, Nestle offer flexible working schedules for their staff. This communicates a laid back working environment, however due such hierarchical stances, strategy and direction is driven from headquarters. This tells us that on field employees are not driven on performance, as that type of belief is left to the senior managers in the company. It can be widely assumed of how advantageous it is for all employees to have access to Nestlà ©s international training centre in Switzerland. This can be seen as a prestigious opportunity for all Nestles employees to excel in. Creating Shared Value and meeting our commitments is Nestlà ©s view on expansion into different countries and reaching further customer segments globally. Nestle Ansoff Product / Market Growth Matrix Market Penetration: Like all cereal brands, Nestle is no different in wanting to expand further within markets such as the UK and Ireland. In order to do this they face a major obstacle in that they are the second largest behind Kelloggs who have a 45% market share of the breakfast cereal market. However, as revealed late last year, the company is looking to expand its brand further within the region of Northern Ireland and in order to help achieve its objectives they have enlisted the services of GM marketing to help expand the brand through the use of online technologies and refined marketing strategies. The first phase within the marketing strategy will see the core brands used to help identify the Nestle brand as well as using pre priced cereal boxes which may be cheaper or the same price as their competitors. Even though this is a low risk strategy the level of success of such a strategy can also be miniscule. If this strategy vastly increases the market share of Nestle it will have an impact on the market share of their competitors but at the same time it may not increase the market share of Nestle sufficiently to have a major impact on their competitors. It may take a considerable amount of time and may cause an impact within other areas that Nestle focus time and resources on. This strategy should be taken with a prudent approach in mind so as not to harm other categories that Nestle positions its brand. New Product Services: Research and development is an integral part within the Nestle company as they look to introduce product development within all of the categories that it positions its brand. This is clearly evident within the company as they employ 4,500 people globally within its RD departments as well as using external research provided by scientists, doctors who work within world renowned universities. This aspect of building bridges externally allows the company to further innovate within the area such of nutritional and healthy foods as well as numerous other categories. A core belief that exists within the Nestle group is to think global act local. When looking for new ways in which to introduce new products within existing markets they place the customer at the core of the product. This is recognisable in the way that they cater to various customer groups with breakfast cereal brands such as Nestle Multi Grain Cheerios focusing on all members of the family, Nesquik for teenagers and children and Nestle Fitness for people who place a high importance on keeping in shape. Nutrition is a vital element within the Nestle core beliefs and values but they also put a lot of effort into ensuring that good quality taste is never sacrificed in the cereals that they provide. Product development is a strategy that Nestle have continuously looked to improve upon since it identified that nutrition, health and wellness was to be the core strategy that it developed its products upon. Although it is a costly strategy the financial benefits on a global scale seem to outweigh the costs for Nestle. Market Development: Organisations would ideally like to operate as if the world were one large market, ignoring superficial regional and national differences but still making sure that marketing activities fit to the practices and cultural characteristics of genuinely different markets (Lee and Carter, 2008) The Nestle brand is recognised on a global scale and has a vast portfolio as it does not primarily focus on cereals which can be identified due to its large divergence into similar but also unrelated areas such as baby food, chocolate bars, beverages and many other various categories. However, they do not focus each of these categories on a global scale as not all of their products would be successful within each of the segmented markets. Even though each of the categories are not launched on a global scale it does not mean that they would not be successful within different markets as alterations could be made in relation to; How the product is packaged and designed The type of market

Profit Maximization

Firms are in business for a simple reason: To make money. Traditional economic theory suggests that firms make their decisions on supply and output on the basis of profit maximisation. However many Economists and managerial Scientists in our days question that the sole aim of a firm is the maximisation of profits. The most serious critique on the theory of the firm comes from those who question whether firms even make an effort to maximise their profits. A firm (especially a large corporation) is not a single decision-maker but a collection of people within it. This implies that in order to understand the decision-making process within firms, we have to analyse who controls the firm and what their interests are. The fact that most large companies are not run by the their owners is often brought forward to support this claim. A large corporation typically is owned by thousands of shareholders, most of whom have nothing to do with the business decisions. Those decisions are made by a professional management team, appointed by a salaried board of directors. In most cases these managers will not own stock in the company which may lead to strongly differing goals of owners and managers. Since ownership gives a person a claim on the profit of the firm, the greater the firm's profit, the higher the owners† income. Hence the owners goal will be profit maximisation. When managers† salary stays unaffected by higher profits they may pursue other goals to raise their personal utility. This behaviour strikes the critical observer regularly when for example reading or watching the financial media. Managers there often rather mention the rises in sales or the growth of their company rather then the profits. Some economists like Begg (1996) argued that managers have an incentive to promote growth as managers of larger companies usually get higher salaries. Others like Williamson (1964) suggested that managers derive further utility from perquisites such as big offices, many subordinate workers, company cars etc. Fanning (1990) gives a rather bizarre example: When WPP Group PLC took over the J. Walter Thompson Company, they found that the firm was spending $80,000 p. . to have a butler deliver a peeled orange every morning to one of their executives. An unnecessary cost clearly from the perspective of the company owners. But often it becomes difficult to identify and separate this amenity maximisation from profit maximisation. A corporate jet for example could be either justified as a profit maximising response to the high opportunity cost of a top executive or an expensive and costly executive status symbol. Baumol (1967) hypothesised that managers often attach their personal prestige to the company†s revenue or sales. A prestige maximising manager therefore would rather attempt to maximise the firms† total revenue then their profits. Figure 1 illustrates how the output choices of revenue- and profit maximising managers differ. The figure plots the marginal revenue and marginal cost curves. Total Revenue peaks at x r , which is the quantity at which the marginal revenue curve crosses the horizontal axis. Any quantity below x r , marginal revenue will be positive and the total revenue curve will rise as output goes up. Hence a revenue-maximising manager would continue to produce additional output regardless of its effects on cost. Given this information one might ask why the owners don†t intervene when their appointed managers don†t direct their actions in the interest of the owners, by maximising profits. First of all, the owners will not have the same access to information as the managers do. Where Information relates to professional skills of Business administration as well as those of the firms inner structure and its market enviroment. Furthermore, when confronted with the owners demands for profit maximising policies, a clever manager can always argue that her engagement in activities, like a damaging price war or an expensive advertising campaign serve the long-run prospect of high profits. This excuse is very difficult to challenge until it is too late. Another aspect is that managers aiming to maximise growth of their company (expecting higher salaries, power, prestige, etc. ) often operate with a profit constraint. A profit constraint is the minimum level of profit needed to keep the shareholders happy. The effects of such a profit constraint are illustrated in Figure2. Figure2 shows a total profit curve (T? ). T? is derived from the difference between TR and TC at each output level. If the minimum acceptable level of profit is ? , any output greater then Q3 will result in a profit below ?. Thus a sales-maximising manager will opt for Q3 which gives the highest level of sales at the minimum possible profit. This however would not be the profit maximising option. In order to maximise profits the manager would have to chose an output level that creates Q2, where profits are highest but sales lower then in Q3. So given this conflict of interests between the owners and the managers of a firm? What are the possible solutions available to the owners, to make their agents work in their interest? It is often suggested that an effective way to control the managers behaviour and bring it in line with the owners interests, is to make the managers owners themselves by giving them a share in the company. However, research by De Meza & Lockwood (1998) suggests that even with the managers owning assets, their performance does not necessarily become more profit raising. Rajan & Zingales (1998) assessed the impact of power and access to it on the behaviour and performance of managers. Their findings suggest that the power gained by access to critical resources is more contingent than ownership on managers or agents to make the right investment and decisions then ownership. They also report adverse effects of ownership on the incentive to specialise. Other ways to control managers include performance based pay, which can prove to be effective in the short-run but again, the long-run perspective of the firm may suffer, when managers neglect crucial Long-run investments into Research and Development, restructuring, equipment or advertising to raise short-run profits and hence their own salaries. In conclusion it is important to note that profit maximisation fails to demonstrate a general validity when applied as a theory of firm-behaviour. The real world businesses often operate on a multi-dimensional basis with many confronting interests and aims. As well as differing short-run and long run aims. Therefore profit-maximisation should be regarded as one possible goal of a firm but not necessarily its sole one. There is also a difference to be noted between the size of firms. A small family-run business for instance can easily adopt a pure profit-maximising approach, since the utility of its owners equals that of the labour-force and the management. In this setting, the income will equal profit. Therefore it is imperative to assess and develop a theory of firm behaviour on the different classes of firms with a perspective to their individual differences in management, ownership and market enviroment.

Government Intervention in the Housing Market and Is It Ethical?

Government Intervention in the Housing Market and is it Ethical? Intermediate Microeconomics Two schools of thought encompass the intervention of government into the national economy. On the one hand there are those who believe that state intervention is not only beneficial but also essential for the creation of a stable economy. However, there too are those who contend that government intervention sub-optimises the economy and the free market should be left to its own devices. The current state of the domestic housing market helps to build a foundation for those who advocate for greater government intervention in the economy.Owning your own home is for many a life-long goal; government intervention has the ability to bring this dream to fruition for those in lower socioeconomic circumstances. A combination of taxation, subsidised mortgage rates and government incentive schemes are the most commonly used tools of intervention into the housing market that are available to intervention ist national governments. Opponents of this theory believe that letting the free market regulate the housing sector is the fairest and most effective means of reducing or eliminating government intervention all together.There are, however, ethical issues intertwined with government intervention within the housing market and these issues must be weighed up against the economic and social benefits. Without regulation many would find homeownership to be unaffordable and unattainable. Microeconomic theory states that lower rates of owner-occupied homeownership would affect the supply and demand for housing within the residential market. Therefore forcing the price of rentable property well above what many lower socioeconomic families are able to afford.This subsequently has a flow-on effect, rates of home ownership tend to be in lower in areas of low socioeconomic standing, where unemployment is high, income is low and consumer confidence is down. A desire to increase the rates of homeo wnership is the catalyst for government intervention in the market. For this reason governments seek to regulate the housing market as a means of making it an attractive and ultimately more affordable investment for the average family. Homeownership is central to a state’s economic growth and overall financial stability. Residential investment constitutes a large portion of national capital formation.Poterba writes; â€Å"In the United States, real estate itself accounts for more than 1/3 of all fixed capital stock and a similar fraction of real assets in other developed countries† (Poterba, 1989). Economic policy usually provides favorable income tax incentives to homeowners; government incentives, for example first time buyers tax credits and subsidised mortgages. These policies are usually the only reason prospective homeowners are able to enter the market. Economics teaches people to respond to incentives; therefore homeowner’s entrance into the owner-occupi ed sector creates economic responsibility by means of servicing a mortgage.This action forces homeowners into stable employment, relative income and creates consumer confidence all factors of microeconomic stimulation within the economy. Government intervention within the housing market is both ethical and unethical. Some would say that government intervention within any market is unethical. Ethically is it right for a government to intervene in the economy, as what was once used as a market mechanism can in turn become a market norm. Government intervention is see by many as the government initiating force and imposing on ones right to liberty. Morally and ethically that would be an injustice upon ones self.But with that in mind governments introduce economic policy because they have a moral obligation to help those who are less able. Morally the government has the duty to ensure that those who are disadvantaged are given equal opportunities to succeed. According to social contract theory and those who would subscribe to the Hobbesian state of nature; one ethical stream of thought would say that governments should not exist in the market place at all. If and only when it is essential then they are only in place to offer retaliation of force in order to preserve individuals rights. In turn preserving free markets.It is well documented that the United States regulation within the housing market is unethical. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac whom of which are both government backed and subsidised mortgage lenders, were seen as too big to fail. Until they did, the way government policy was constructed around these two giants of the housing market was so ethically and morally corrupt that it poisoned the entire economy. Economic policies put in place would allow almost anyone homeownership, policies that allow no deposit, no proof of employment and no proof of income are themselves morally corrupt.This type of regulation would construe to a gross ethical breach. Policy that allowed individuals to set themselves up for failure is obviously morally corrupted. The principal alternative to government intervention in the housing market is to end all government regulation and state-mandated economic policy from the market, effectively creating a truly free market. Common consensus on free markets are that inherently people will choose to better themselves without the need for government regulation and naturally people will choose to improve their situation.In an article published by the Brookings Institute, former chairman of the United States Federal Reserve, Alan Greenspan, hypothesized that this alternative to government intervention would result in â€Å"interest rates and mortgage rates would clearly be higher and the size housing market would be significantly smaller† (Greenspan, 2011). This limits the access to affordable housing, a lack of government intervention would essentially eradicate achievable ownership; house prices would soar ne gatively affecting demand while the size of the market would shrink simultaneously, severely limiting a markets housing supply for both purchase and rent.Hennessy explains under these economic conditions, â€Å"High mortgage interest rates and high down payment requirements might prove that the opportunity cost of owning is too high† (Hennessey, 2001). Therefore as previously mentioned unattainable homeowner ship would lead to a downturn in the economy, raising unemployment, decreasing the supply of rental property, decreasing the demand for property both for home owners and investors as well as leading to a downturn in consumer confidence all of which create a large negative effect on the economy and decrease economic growth.In conclusion the economic case for government intervention is strong. Governments are in place to help those less fortunate, this type of economic policy not only helps stimulate the economy in a multitude of ways but it also enables homeowners to enter the market, creating economic growth and long term financial stability. The argument, government intervention in the housing market is systemically flawed, due to sub-optimisation of the economy and erosion of free markets is incorrect.There is however a lesson to be learnt from what has happened with government intervention within the housing market, namely the global economic crisis. This was not entirely due to government regulation but in some ways the opposite, not enough regulation. Ethically there are strong views around government intervention and some do have merits. Namely market mechanisms used to guide economic policy, they can then become seen as market norms.When this happens you erode the moral value of what you are trying to accomplish in the first place. References Greenspan, A. (2011). Imagining a Housing Market Without Government Intervention. Retrieved 25-09-2012, 2012 Poterba, J. M. (1989). Residential Real Estate and Capital Formations. Regional Science and Ec onomics. Hennessey, S. M. (2001). The Impact of the Tenure Choice Decision on Future Household Wealth.