The Role of the Individual in Matthew Arnold’s “Culture and Anarchy”

The Role of the Individual in Matthew Arnold’s â€Å"Culture and Anarchy† Culture, as defined by Matthew Arnold in his essay â€Å"Culture and Anarchy,† is the drive to attain perfection through development and growth bolstered by knowledge and appreciation of the beauty of humanity. Granted, this is an oversimplification of Arnold’s complex musings on what culture is, but this broad concept of culture, here, is useful in the discussion of the role of the individual in society.Ideally, for Arnold, those that perpetuate this idea of culture are the same people who ought to comprise a kind of rational control within the State. Arnold works to define the three classes of 19th century England (Barbarians, Philistines, and Populace), and makes it clear, following his conditions for culture, that none of the classes have the appropriate means to govern properly. Arnold says, â€Å"It seeks to do away with classes; to make the best that has been thought and know n in the world current everywhere. Ostensibly, it is up to the individual to transcend their class, and nurture the State in a utilitarian fashion. However, the chasm between the maturation of the individual and the ultimate betterment of the community seems daunting. Arnold’s ideal culture originates with the individual, as it is â€Å"a study of perfection,† which is â€Å"an inward condition of the mind and spirit. † Yet, â€Å"Perfection, as culture conceives it, is not possible while the individual remains isolated,† because, it is necessary, in order to obtain a collective perfection, that there be a ready exchange of ideas and sense of commonality.How can the potential danger of isolation via individualism be curbed? Additionally, Arnold is aware that a weighty facet of individualism is that people are concerned with, and believe in, having their personal freedoms—the â€Å"right to do what [one] likes. † This assumption of personal f reedom can, according to Arnold, lead to anarchy. It looks, then, as if there must be a balance between the individual’s duty to himself, and duty to others.Indeed, Arnold contends, â€Å"the men of culture are the true apostles of equality,† at once extolling the potential of the individual, while maintaining the importance of a level society. However, these individuals cannot be ordinary, but must exemplify Arnold’s idea of the â€Å"best self,† or, the individual who is united, rather than at odds, with others. The people that can become their best self are â€Å"persons who are mainly led, not by their class spirit, but by a general humane spirit, by the love of human perfection. Here, the concept of the individual and the community can be reconciled, although the ability of one to completely transcend societal structures is idealistic. This idealism, for Arnold, is transferred to the art of his contemporaries. Regarding 19th century England, Arnold states, â€Å"Each section of the public has its own literary organ, and the mass of the public is without any suspicion that the value of these organs is relative to their being nearer a certain ideal centre of correct information, taste, and intelligence, or farther away from it. As Arnold depicts England’s current situation, it is clear that he believes that literature, like individuals—or as the product of individuals—should embody an ideal cultural universality. In looking at the literature of Victorian England, is it possible that there are any works, which would satisfy Arnold’s criteria for cultural harmony?

Advantages and Disadvantages of Air Travelling

When we are on holiday or intend to travel abroad as a tourist, we should firstly choose the means of traveling. In my view, traveling by air is both advantages as well as disadvantages. Advantages of traveling by air plane. The biggest advantage of flying is that it is often the fastest way to get from one place to another, especially when long distances are involved. It helps us save a lot of time, so we can do more things. Secondly, I think the comfort of air traveling makes people satisfactory. When traveling by air, we can sit comfortably in an arm- chair, reading magazines or watching a free film on television. The process of making arrangements to fly can be quite convenient. A plane ticket can be purchased by telephone or on the Internet. We don’s have to cope with crowed at air port as other stations for buying tickets. Disadvantages of traveling by air plane. Apart from these advantages, however, traveling by air has its disadvantages, too. First of all, Flying is often the most expensive form of transportation, especially if reservations are not made well in advance. Some people might not be able to afford to fly on the budget airline. Then air travels have the reputation of being dangerous and even hardened travelers are intimidated by them. There are plane crashes in which the crew and passengers have died to a man. Finally, traveling by air, we can’t stop wherever we want to enjoy beautiful landscapes on our way as we do in a trip by car or boat. Sceneries seen from plane are merely vague sights. Topic 40: Forest preservation

Request for funding memo Essay

In the near future, our company will be launching its first global site. It is substantial that a business has the manpower it needs to not only operate on a global level but also be able to write on a global level. Business writing techniques are critical to an organizations survival in a global market. For this, I am requesting sponsorship for a Business Writing course at University of Houston Downtown. The cost of the course is $700.00. It is 6 weeks long. Completing this course will allow me to write more creatively. Also, the conclusion of this course will enable me to reach those whose secondary language is English more successfully. Adequate writing skills are an important part of communication. This course will help me to understand what it takes to write and market effectively in a global position. I will also gain the knowledge needed to write in simple form so that those who speak English as a second language can better understand what our organization is trying to convey. It is my opinion that this marketing tool is needed so that we are able to function properly and competitively with our overseas opponents. I am convinced that your return on investment will increase once I have the knowledge and skill needed to effectively aid the organization in creating, evaluating, and planning future business writings. To my knowledge, no one in the company has taken a formal Business Writing course. Sponsoring me will give me the writing credentials necessary to help my fellow co-workers. One factor that I believe separates business people from  competitors is the ability to immediately distinguish themselves impressively by way of their communication skills. The importance of effective business writing can hardly be overstated. Learning and honing effective business writing skills can have a positive impact on the company. When channels of communication are effective, so is the business. Thank you for your time and attention regarding this memo. Should need anything further, I can be reached at Gwendolyn.Chenault@gmail.com. You can reach me at my desk at the following number: 713.222.2144

Case Study--Canyon Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

--Canyon - Case Study Example Though being highly staffed to serve its purpose, it was not well integrated with the other departments. This explains why, despite indicating the fastest growth, it accounted for the lowest contribution to profitability. All the three departments are interdependent as Michael Tompkins, assistant general manager at Lenox), said. Some recommendations in one department required an elevated level of service in another department. The spa clubs lacked a strong health and healing component and the synergy between the spa clubs was still a little tenuous. The Canyon Ranch would serve better in the place of a personalization strategy. The ranch should engage in real time personalization. It should customize every customer’s experience at the place. Having what the client need, when it is needed, would engage them in a personalized interaction in real time. Clients tend to tune out anything that is not relevant to them. By integrating the three departments, the services offered will be much easier to access which means that the general operations will improve. A strong customer base, in addition to a satisfactory service, is vital to ensuring a client’s second visit at the ranch. Another personalization strategy is to build long term relationships. This can be implemented by maintaining the records of every client and ensuring constant communication. This will make the client feel appreciated and actually warrant multiple visits. By the actual personalization of the systems, a client would not only know Canyon Ranch as a spa club, but as a wellness centre. Upgrading its website for the sake of those who search for the place online would ensure that a prospective client would have the complete idea of the ranch (Uehlein, p

What if anything, can the study of family law gain from an Essay

What if anything, can the study of family law gain from an understanding of theoretical approaches towards the relationship between law and families - Essay Example or alternative non-marriage arrangements as well as frequent divorce are making the once-solidly-defined English nuclear family resemble something else entirely, something else that is thus-far undefined, vague and nebulous. In this changing atmosphere, family law will be of increasing importance in managing conflict, creating harmony and resolving issues before they arise, creating amicable arrangements when disasters do occur, and organizing society. Major theoretical approaches like feminist theory, the public-private divide and functionalist theory deserve analysis, but the most salient for modern circumstances is feminist theory, at least insofar as it recognizes gender differences and difficulties. The changing nature of the British family deserves special comment and analysis. â€Å"Earlier this year, women became the majority of the workforce for the first time in U.S. history. Most managers are now women too. And for every two men who get a college degree this year, three women will do the same. For years, women’s progress has been cast as a struggle for equality. But what if equality isn’t the end point? What if modern, postindustrial society is simply better suited to women?† (Rosin, 2010). Rosins question is obviously somewhat hyperbolic, but there is an underlying fear and anxiety there. Girls are being preferred over boys for in vitro fertilisation in America, and similar phenomena are occurring in Britain. The delocation and loss of jobs caused by the recent economic meltdown have only exacerbated this phenomenon. â€Å"He writes on the board: $85,000. â€Å"This is her salary.† Then: $12,000. â€Å"This is your salary. Who’s the d amn man? Who’s the man now?† A murmur rises. â€Å"That’s right. She’s the man† (Rosin, 2010). This basic conflict between men and women in terms of new gender norms will cause major issues for family law. Add in the other factors such as cohabitation, gay marriage and civil unions, other changing sexual orientation

Management of Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Management of Technology - Essay Example The company has a slew of innovations, most in different stages of patenting. It assiduously protects its intellectual property. Its business model relies on license fees accruing from the deployment of its technology in the Wave Energy Projects. Apart from license fees, the company participates in equity of the Special Purpose Companies that implement the projects. Being an innovation driven company in the frontiers of technology, technology management is its area of special emphasis. Carnegie Corp. acquired CETO technologies from REH. CETO, named after a Greek god, is the only technology that enables pumping high pressure sea water ashore. This method is the most efficient method to desalinate sea water (PESWiki.com). The acquisition was in return for REH taking 35% stake in Carnegie. In addition to the intellectual property, Carnegie acquired REH’s commercial site pipeline. REH’s agreements with EDF EN also devolved upon Carnegie. Consequent to the agreement with REH, Carnegie would Build, Own and Operate CETO wave forms in the southern hemisphere, which was the domain of REH (CETO over View). The relationship with EDF EN is a joint venture license relationship to own and operate CETO Wave Power Projects in the northern hemisphere and Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean. While Carnegie will have the right, it is not bound by any obligation to participate in any CETO wave power project developed by EDF EN in the Territory of Exclusivity. In the event REH does not exercise its right to participate in any such project, EDF EN can exercise the right in developing such project with a partner of its choice. Carnegie’s project with EDF EN, will be implemented by a Special Purpose Company (SPC). In this SPC, Carnegie receives an equity interest between 25% and 49% related to the scale of the project. The financing of the project will be through equity and debt instruments. The equity

The Story of an Hour vs A Rose for Emily Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Story of an Hour vs A Rose for Emily - Essay Example Jefferson stands to embrace a more commercial and contemporary future although it is remains perched on past events and circumstances. The past is especially reflected in the faded glory of the Grierson home and town cemetery where unknown soldiers who participated in the Civil War were long buried. Emily is deeply rooted in tradition remaining in the same position for many years despite the explicit changes in the community she is living in. Emily as a character is both a blessing and curse to her community. She is a blessing in that she represents the traditions of the people she wishes to honor and respect. On the other hand, she is a burden and cut from the rest of the world and nurses peculiarities that other people cannot understand as she acts outside common expectation. She lives in her own world that is timeless; she refuses the affixation of the metallic numbers to the side of her house when her town receives modern mail service. Jefferson highly regards the traditional notions of reputation and honor although the narrator criticizes the old men who gather for her funeral. Death is very eminent in the story; the narrator mentions the death of Emily at the beginning of the story (Faulkner 1). There is a clear description of Emily’s death and haunted life even as the community traditions are expressed in the wake of modern changes. The Emily fixture in the community paves way for slow death. She is compared to a drowned woman and she is referred to as having a small spare skeleton. Her charm and respectability declines over the years much like the Griersons’ outdated sensibilities. Emily’s point of view regarding death and changes in life is quite different from what the other members of the society believe. Emily attempts to deny the facts of death; her weird relationship to the dead bodies of the men she loved is exposed when her father dies. She does not admit the death of her father and she lives in denial of the truth. Her reaction to the

Journal 10 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Journal 10 - Essay Example However, Berniece had her reasons for opposing this sale, as the piano is the only piece of heirloom, which they both inherited. Piano was close to her heart because her great grandparents engraved their history on it, they were traded for it and also their father died over it (74-75, Bogumil). She declines Willie’s idea to sell it because piano was a reminder of their ancestors and especially of their father. And selling it would mean they would be selling their identity and heritage; this time by them self. Wilson weaved death and suffering with the piano and the siblings inherited both. Piano reminded them of their loss and deficient identity, but also was the only heirloom (though painful) left of the family. Boy Willie and Berniece’s great grandparents (slaves) engraved their history on it, but since it was not their property (Sutter’s) they were traded over it. Their father died after taking it from Sutter’s residence and piano was the last thing Berniece could relate to. However, she never played on it since it used to make her sad and Willie wanted to sell this heritage because it existed on the life (sacrifice) of his family and has been a reminder of slavery. Wilson has depicted music worth dying for and this is evident in the play. I would like to hire Will Smith as Boy Willie and Halle Berry as Berniece because both actors can convincingly transform them self into the assigned characters and can do justice with their characters. If it’s a theatrical play I would like to transform the stage into 1930 era, when the transition (from slavery to a free nation) was taking place for African Americans. My characters will dress up according to the 1930’s dressing criteria and the Piano will be staged in the front corner so its existence can be noticed. From time to time, I would like the piano to be played by the good

Foreign Policy of China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Foreign Policy of China - Essay Example China's total fertility rate is 1.7, which means that, on average, each woman gives birth to 1.7 children throughout her life, nonetheless, China's population is expected to grow over the next few decades.4 (PGR) This can be attributed to immigration and a decrease in both infant mortality and death rate as national health standards improve. By the late 2010s, China's population is expected to reach 1.4 billion. Around 2030, its population is anticipated to peak and then slowly start dropping. However, one of the demographic consequences of the "one child" policy has been that China is now one of the most rapidly aging countries in the world. 5 Ethnic and religious groups China has numerous ethnic groups (56) as constituents of its population. (Appendix ). The Han Chinese is the most numerous. Many of the ethnic minorities have their own culture and language, but many are becoming more like the Han who dominates the whole of China except Tibet and Xianjiang where the Han is still a minority. In the absence of an 'equal opportunity law', one is free to advertise for a preferred ethnic group for employment. However, most government bodies are required to employ at least one member of an ethnic minority. China was established in 1949 as an officially atheist state, and organized religion was banned and religious belief and practice were discouraged. During the Cultural Revolution, religion was condemned as feudalistic and thousands of religious buildings were looted and destroyed. The 1978 the Chinese Constitution reversed the atheist stance of the government and guaranteed freedom of religion. Many Chinese actually continue to practice a wide variety of religions. One source gives about 100 million religious worshippers in China: Buddhists 72%;... Trade has been growing rapidly during the reform period. In 1952 exports and imports were each running at a miserable US$1 billion. By 1970 they were just over double that, though world trade had expanded many times since 1952. The limited opening up that occurred in the late Mao period brought exports and imports each to about US$7.5billion, only slightly better. Then under Deng Xiaoping, two-way trade shot up: from less than US$15billion in 1975, it grew to $38billion in 1980, nearly $70billion in 1985, and $115billion by 1990. The rapid growth continued in the 1990s, especially after Deng's southern tour in January 1992, and by 1999 two-way trade was worth US$360bn. Imports were balanced with exports when the two were too small to be worth worrying about, then in the 1980s imports exceed exports, and in most years in the 1990s there was a substantial trade surplus. China's foreign trade figures were US $1150 billion in 2004, more than double that of 2001. At the end of 2004, China became the world's third largest trading nation behind the United States and Germany. China’s trade surplus has been positive over many years. In 2005, her exports were valued at $762.0 billion and imports at $ 660.12 billion, giving a BOT surplus of US$ 102. China's principal trading partners are US, Japan, Germany, Singapore, South Korea, Russia, and Australia. With the US, China had a trade surplus of $170 billion in 2004, more than double of the 1999 figure. China has become an integral part of the world’s trading system.

Effects of Terrorist Attack Essay Example for Free

Effects of Terrorist Attack Essay Although often caused by nature, disasters can have human origins. Often it is the unpredictability of such disasters that causes fear, confusion and stress that have a lasting effect on the affected community. In recent history, the Sept 11th terrorist attack is one such example. This paper will examine the terrorists’ motivation towards committing the attack and the effect it had on the American society. According to Pedahzur (2006), terrorist groups exist for the purpose of planning and executing attacks to accomplish their mission. Included among the objectives of terrorism are demonstrating the group’s power over population and government, exact revenge for perceived persecution and satisfy the group’s vengeance while at the same time gaining publicity for their actions. Accordingly, the September 11 attacks can be interpreted both as a direct signal to the United States to behave in a certain way and as an indirect signal to potential sympathizers that the united states is not invulnerable. Looking at it from this point of view, it can be debated that the most important cause of the terrorist attack was to diminish US prestige in the Arab world by sending the message that the symbols of UC economic, military and political power could be attacked (Pedahzur, 2006). Terrorism can cause cascading effects that can have global effects. As the term alludes, terrorism is designed to evoke fear in its victims. This can lead to psychological as well as social effects, such as suspicion and exclusion of certain religious or ethnic groups even though they may have no association with the terrorist or terrorist organization. Fear for the unknown can cause people to react in an unpredictable manner. Before the attack, of September 11th 2001, Americans did not worry much about terrorism; after the attack, they were extremely worried. This Psychological effect of terrorism brought about hate and racial prejudice in a society that had tolerated diversity (Pedahzur, 2006). Considering the economic effect of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack can be depressing at times. The U.  S monetary loss as a result of the September 11 attack is estimated at $ 500 billion (Butler, Allison, Panzer Goldfrank, 2003). Besides the loss of a huge number of jobs, the economy of lower Manhattan, which by itself is the third largest business district in the United States, was devastated in the immediate aftermath of the attack. Butler et al (2003), approximate that 30% of lower Manhattan office space was either damaged or destroyed. It is also worthwhile to remember that NASDAQ and the New York Stock Exchange did not open on September 11th till September 17th. This closure of the market was the longest since the great Depression of 1929. In conclusion, Since September 11th 2001, things have not been the same in the United States of America. Thanks to premeditated hate actions by an extremist jihadist group, a lot of lives were lost, people were hurt and property worth billions destroyed in just a few hours. The effect of such actions cannot be overemphasized, and the only protection that innocent citizens have is to hope that such disasters will not occur again.

Marketing Analysis of Netflix

Marketing Analysis of Netflix Netflix is an online company with corporate headquarters in Los Gatos, California. Netflix was founded by Hastings who is also the CEO of the company. Netflixs key business is online rental services in the software industry. Netflixs software business services span various software products and services. Among these are DVD movies and several other software products. Despite disappointing results on its performance at the beginning, the innovative entrepreneur continued to tailor the company while identifying and exploiting new opportunities that presented themselves. That was when the company designed and developed a website that saw it host millions of subscribers making it rake in huge profits. That was in 2006. Netflix was founded at a time when the video industry was largely populated by small retail outlets which were characterized by long product delivery time. The market was dominated by the then giant Blockbuster Inc. Blockbuster had no real marketing strategy and customer royalty was based on impulsive buying. It enjoyed booming sales with almost 100 percent success when Netflix joined the market. Upon its entry into the market in 1997, Netflix realized that the market that was dominated by the brick and motor marketing methods. The launch of this company was at the time of the beginning of internet retailing. Online selling was gaining an upper hand to brick and motor methods. This compelled Netflixs to launch its own website in 1998 that specialized in the use of cross platform technologies in service delivery. At this time, different pricing models were tested to increase sales volume. Netflix was also adept at countering new entrants and developments in the market. One of this was the development of a video provision services on line. Porters Generic Strategy According to Porter (1974), successful business organizations incorporate one or more of the generic strategy options to propel it to success. Among these strategies are cost leadership, focus, and group differentiation. A critical analysis and evaluation of the cases study reveals that Netflix had to various extents incorporated these strategies in its business pursuits with each generic strategy contributing to the success or failure of the company in its pursuits. Netflix emphasized on the focus strategy with the other strategies playing a minor role in the firms pursuits. The differentiation strategy is where a company concentrates its efforts in developing a single product then invests in identifying and incorporating unique attributes that meet customer needs (Porter, 1974). Porter (1975) asserts that by adding value to a product and creating uniqueness in product to attract customers, customers are likely to purchase the product at a higher price. That was the case with Netflix. Netflix original move into the market targeted the renting of videos in the movie industry. That strategy could be achieved by the use of recently developed and upcoming internet marketing technology which other companies had not incorporated in their business pursuits. The case study reveals that Netflixs newly launched website integrated a search engine that enabled each customer to search and access products of ones choice. Netflixs management showed such talent and ingenuity in marketing their products by employing already available and established supply chain infrastr ucture and technology. One of the infrastructure tools included the USs postal services. The firm incurred slight expenses in delivering the DVDs to the customers as they were light in weight. In creating value and uniqueness to its products using the group differentiation strategy, Netflix endeavored to characterize its products with value, user friendliness and convenience, and unique selections. That was evident when Hastings coined a term for their customers that Amazon used to refer to its customers, eBay. According to Porter (1975), a company that invests in this approach should be led by a well skilled and dedicated team. That was the case with Netflix. Netflixs management was led by Hastings, an entrepreneur at heart. In addition to that, Porter affirms that a company organized around pursuing excellence and aiming at gaining a greater advantage in the market should have a good reputation should revolve around high product quality and innovation. The case with Netflix is outstanding here. Netflix did not only focus on DVD sales, they had other serious considerations in product innovation. Among these were a focus on video-on-demand and alternatives to VOD. Porter (1974) argues that a company may not necessarily integrate all the generic characteristics depending on the nature of its business. An analysis of the case study indicates that Netflix did not pay much attention to cost leadership. Some of the pricing models did not work for Netflix. One such model involved a situation where the firm spent several thousands of dollars in adverts only to gain a paltry income from such an endeavor. Netflix at times charged high rental fees for their online videos which at times drove its customers away. However, technology seems to have paced Netflix at an upper hand compared to other companies involved I the same business pursuits. However to a large extent, Netflix incorporated the generic aspect of focus strategy. The focus strategy is where a firm concentrates on one firm and later on attempts to manipulate product prices to achieve an advantage over competitors (Porter, 1975). Netflix did not succeed with this strategy to a desirable extent but seems to have lost some customers due to that. Porters Five Forces Netflix entered a market that Porter (1974) affirms is driven by five forces. These include the bargaining power of customers, threat of new entrants, bargaining power of buyers, threat of substitute products, and rivalry among competing firms. At Netflix, the bargaining buyer of customers was realized when despite intensive marketing activities, the firm earned paltry sums far below their target. Instead of earning the company more customers, thus increasing the revenue, the company was facing a loss. Customers had driven sense into the companys executives that they could determine a companys profitability and the model they use in pricing their products. This pricing element was evident when some customers felt dissatisfied by the pricing system compelling Netflix to rethink and introduce a new pricing mechanism. Netflix could counter new entrants by its relentless pursuits to adopt new technologies and integrate them to the service sit was offering. That was the case when it entered the field of video-on-demand. Despite the huge investments it had made, Netflix did not realize quick returns as there were no technologies in the form of hardware platforms to support such services. Netflix is noted to have lost a chunk of revenue in advertising these service customers were not willing to pay for. The case study however reveals that later innovations saw Netflix succeed in this field. One other case was the entry of VOD services and the fierce completion Netflix had to fight off before they could get a foothold in this widely dominated market by Netflix. Netflix swung into action by exploiting new technology platforms that were not characterized by her competitors in gaining a firm foothold. Another force experience in this industry was the bargaining power of buyers. As discussed above, Netflix had to succumb to buyers buying behavior as in some instances; new innovations could not be priced as per Netflixs dreams. That was the case with investments and intense marketing campaigns conducted by Netflix for the newly launched services, VOD. Porter (1975) asserts that companies can endeavor to enter a market by offering substitute products that may serve the needs of current products offered in the market. The case with Netflix is a striking one. The case study reveals that substitute products were too below bar in competing with those offered by Netflix and the company was now enjoying an undisrupted share of the market. Netflix carefully blended these generic forces to its advantage. Rivalry among competing firms saw Netflix to be a runaway case. Arguments demonstrate how competitors went to the extent of accusing Netflix of infringing upon copy right laws in offering these videos online. This line of attack was shaken off by Netflixs executives who argued that Netflix was offering these services just like any retail outlet could buy and sell a product, except Netflix was using the new internet technology that these other firms had not put to full use. Value Chain Netflixs management was keen at exploiting information technology in incorporating value chain activities in its service. A striking example was when the companys turnaround time for product deliveries was drastically enhanced by the use of appropriate technology. Each customer who opted to stay or leave the company could be requested to leave an answered questionnaire about their decisions. These could be used to identify the weaknesses inherent in the system and determine new methods of fulfilling customer needs and wants. One such revelation was identified with the companys ever changing rental fees. Other value chain addition activities spanned the infrastructure the company was using and its implementation of new technologies to enhance value for its customers. Netflixs system product acquisition was also automated, with automated searches using an integrated search engine. Implementation of Information Technology in Netflix To stay afloat in the already large market and maintain the customer base, Netflix will have to implement an IT infrastructure that could offer reliable support for its business transactions (Smith, Short, 2001). One of these could be a data mining application. The data mining application could be integrated in the organizations information system to assists in decision making. Netflix is a highly customer focused organization. Data mining could help enhance communication, help the company compare its prices with other companies evaluate customer satisfaction, evaluate supplier relationships, enhance staff skills, and provide an overview of company progress and performance. On the other hand decision support system could be incorporated into the company to help improve decision making from the companys data warehouse, provide real time sales compressions, and model decision making context (Shermis, Stemmer, Berger, Anderson, 1991). The outputs from this system could significantly depend on the inputs from the companys data warehouse and the decisions made could reflect the actual potion of the company. In addition to that, a customer relationships management should be incorporated as it helps the management to sustain its old and new customers, meet customer needs, and establish a good working relationship with other companies and customers. According to Silverman (1993), a supply chain management system if well incorporated into this company could help create competitive advantage for the firm by enabling it to optimize all factors relevant to customer satisfaction and company benefits. This system could help the company identify key factors central to its success and enable management optimize all aspects of controls in its marketing strategies and supply and acquisition logistics (Smith, Short, 2001). Recommendations Based on the above discussion, Netflix should continuously adapt to changing technological dynamism and new market opportunities in reaching various markets. Netflixs management should hire experts on cross culture management to ensure a cross culture component is incorporated in its pursuits. This could be the case since newer opportunities lie outside Netflixs current market that is characterized by a fairly uniform culture. In addition to that, the firm should incorporate user friendly software products that are cross platform and compatible with other software products to enhance usability. To maintain a large market share, the company should always incorporate faire business practices in its pursuits. In addition to that, Netflix should endeavor to develop software that can bar piracies on its products in addition to patenting its products. The company should invest in software technologies that bar any could be illegal downloading of files or unauthorized access or copying of i ts products. That could bar illegal usage of its video products since it denies the company legitimate profits that could accrue from those sales. The company should continuously evaluate the role played by information technology in propelling it to its position, the ever changing trends in the industry I terms of provision of services and other related services. It should continuously revise its plans to make them current and relevant to the identified changes and endeavor to incorporate new technologies in its pursuits.

Perception Of Homosexual In Society

Perception Of Homosexual In Society We had know that the homosexual simply mean a person who is sexually attracted to people of the same sex. Nowadays, homosexuality had influenced in society but it is still in discussing, the society either accepts this behavior or not. Some of the society said that homosexuality is unhealthy and immoral behaviour which will give negative impact towards individuals, families and societies. Therefore, some argument had been made to the homosexuality. Arguments against homosexuality Most of the society had argued that homosexuality is harmful towards societies. This argument seems to be common, but has no clear meaning. Most of the society just knows that homosexuality is referring to the sexual orientation but it may also not. If homosexuality is referring to sexual orientation, then its harmfulness is depends on the act performance in homosexuality. Homosexuality itself does not have any harmful in any sense, but if the performance of act which is harmful is included in homosexuality, then it is. But there is still a contradiction, the statement above had claimed that harmful towards society but the act in homosexuality is just harmful for individuals or small group of people. Therefore, this statement shows that society had argued about homosexuality without fully understanding. A unique argument against homosexuality, Homosexuals do not reproduce and this lead to a threat to the survival of society, also said among the societies. This statement has clearly showed that homosexuality is not good in society, but it may be a good way. First, keep in mind that the serious overpopulation problem of the earth nowadays in some of the countries and homosexuality can overcome this problem. Second, someone had asked that why all the people must have children even if there is no problem of overpopulation. Homosexual is just existed in a small population on all the culture, thus this has minor or no effect towards the population of people. For addition, homosexuality can fulfill the desire of sexual relationship of the following people: people who do not want children and people who inability to have children. This show that the argument above seems to be used, and sounds like homosexuality can be good. Third, on the other hands, if we read through the history of homose xuality, there are many information about homosexuals do have children. Due to the social disapprobation, many homosexuals had married with person of the opposite sex and had children. This show that the persons who claimed about homosexuality pose a threat toward the society is because of they do not fully understand about homosexuality. And lastly, will human species become extinct if all of the people were homosexuals? This is not true because homosexual can reproduce children via insemination. Society also claimed that homosexuality will posed a threat to children. This is not true because most of the people had misunderstanding that if a homosexual do molestation on children, then that children will also become homosexual. A research about this fact had been carried out and the result is molestation cannot determine children become homosexual or heterosexual. For addition, the molestation of children mostly done by heterosexual compared with homosexual. Besides that, by teaching children about homosexual can help children to feel attracted towards the children with same sex, and also to make children feel better about whom they are because of the loneliness and fear about society reaction among the homosexual. If there is a good teaching, this can help the children to grow up in healthy and self-confident. Furthermore, homosexuals are also human beings, who have the feeling of love and care of the children, which same with heterosexuals. An argument, Homosexuality is a sad lifestyle and very depressing, also been said in the society. First, we must know that the actual reason of a homosexual become sad or depress because a homosexual life will not cause any negative emotion towards any people. So, the society cannot argue that the depression of homosexuality without any basis knowledge. Most of the people sad and depress for another reason, and also there is no evidence shows that the homosexual is sadder. Homosexuals are desire to have sex with different partners, this thought seems to be common in some of the society. This is true, but somewhat bias. To tell the truth, heterosexuals are more desire for sex with different partners than homosexuals. The society cannot just point all the negative argument towards homosexuals. First, the degree of desire is differences between male and female (not between homosexuals and heterosexual). Males have higher degree of desire than female. However, even if someone argued that homosexuals are more promiscuous than heterosexual, this will be fine if both partners agreed with. Therefore, the statement above is just a wrong concept in the society since everyone has different degree of desire and not only for homosexuals. Someone had argued that homosexuality has higher rate to cause AIDS, and other diseases. According to the UNAIDS, there is only five to ten percent of HIV infections caused by male homosexuals, but there is seventy to seventy-five percent of HIV infections caused by heterosexuals. We also cannot conclude that heterosexuals has higher rate to cause disease since the sex-related disease is caused by unsafe sex and this hold for all of the people. Same with other diseases, they are just caused by the negative behavior of the patients. On the same way, the low rate of causing disease among the homosexuals has low or no threat towards the society. To conclude, there is no clear evidence shows that homosexuals has higher rate to cause diseases but in opposite way. Lastly, is homosexuality undermining religious and stability in society? Most of the society agreed with this but it is also a wrong statement. First, it is incorrect to say that religious can bring stability to society. The stability of society is created through a well-functioning society with caring individuals without any religion at all. Second, homosexuals themselves also have their own religions. For example, the conservative people thought that homosexuals are negative towards Christianity (mostly in Western countries), but actually homosexuals are also Christians who having a good behavior. In conclusion, the argument of homosexual is less religious than others is totally wrong in the society. In conclusion, the modern society had not fully understanding about homosexuality and give out only the negative impact of homosexuality. Psychologists and psychoanalysts view against homosexuality Homosexuality is not universally viewed as pathology. In the modern time, the society had set the homosexuality as unnatural act among the people. Therefore, several psychologists and psychoanalysts had pointed out their own view against homosexual. Richard von Krafft-Ebing had defined homosexuality as a degenerative sickness in his Psychopathia Sexualis. He had argued that homosexual behavior is not useful to the society but rather creates a harmless Criminal Class. He noticed that male homosexuals are not more likely to be child molestation. Later, both Sigmund Freud and Havelock Ellis had adopted better and more acceptable views. Havelock Ellis argued that homosexuality was natural and not immoral, thus it is not a disease. He also states that homosexuals made a outstanding contributions to the society. On the other hand, Sigmund Freud, a well known psychologist, had stated the basic theory of human sexuality which was different with Elliss theory. He believed that all human beings were bisexual when born, and when grows up, they will became either heterosexual or homosexual depends on their own experiences in their life with anyone they contact or communicate. On the same way, Freud agreed with Ellis that homosexuality should not be looked as a form of pathology. His view against homosexual also clearly stated in a well known letter to an American mother in 1935. In the letter, he stated that although homosexuality has no advantages, but it is also nothing to be ashamed of, no guilty, no degradation, cannot classified as unnatural disease. He also said that people should considered homosexuality as a sexual development in a human beings. For addition, many highly respectable people are homosexuals include Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. Although Sigmund Freuds theories were accepted by most of the society, but later on, some of the psychoanalysts did not follow his view. Sandor Rado (1940 and 1949) had rejected Freuds concepts of inherent bisexuality. He argued that heterosexuality is natural while homosexuality is just a behavior to fulfill the sexual pleasure. Bieber (1962) argued that homosexuality is a result of the relationship within pathological family during the oedipal periods. Charles Socarides (1968), on the same way, though about the causes of the homosexuality and the result was pre-oedipal, even more pathological than earlier analysis. The arguments above seem to be theoretical but it is just based on their own views and may bias. First, the researchers should not pre-expect the result of several experiments to avoid the bias but such procedures have not been used in the studies of homosexuality. Second, psychoanalysts had only examined homosexuals who already under psychiatric care. Therefore the patients views cannot be assumed to represent all of the general population. On the same token, psychoanalysts just draw conclusion about all heterosexuals based on only a few data collected from heterosexual psychiatric patients. Alfred Kinsey, a more tolerant researcher towards homosexuality had conducted a research on the sexual behavior among American adults. His research had revealed that the participants who having the homosexual behavior is because of the point of orgasm after 16 years old. Furthermore, Kinsey and his colleagues reported that only a minority of male and female had homosexuality for at least three years between 16 to 55 years old. This gives a more acceptable concept about the homosexuality in the society An innovative study had been carried out by Hooker (1957). She had given out the question of the difference in psychological adjustment between homosexuals and heterosexuals rather than simply accepting the concepts of homosexuality as pathology. She also recruited a sample of normal behavior, homosexual men in society for research rather than studying psychiatric patients. On the same way, she employed some experts to rate the adaptation of men without any earlier knowledge of their sexual orientation. After that, she conducted three projects tests which are the Rorschach, Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), and Make-A-Picture-Story (MAPS) to groups of homosexual males and heterosexual males, which consists of 30 participants each. All of the participants were not in therapy and matched for age, IQ and education. In her projects, she concluded that homosexuality is not inherently connected with psychopathology. Freedman (1971) used Hookers projects to study homosexuality and heterosex uality within women and the result was same with Hooker. Gonsiorek (1982) had conducted various psychological tests of comparing homosexual and heterosexual on he found that both groups regularly graded within a normal range although there is some difference between two groups. He concluded that homosexuality is unrelated to psychological interference. In conclusion, some of the psychologists and psychoanalysts still have negative personal thinking towards the homosexuality. However, most of projects and tests had supported the idea of homosexuality is a form of mental illness nowadays.

Racism In Animated Films Essay -- Movies Film Disney

Racism in Animated Films While Disney animated films are the ideal family movies, it is undisclosed to many that such racism is being portrayed. "Rarely do we ask about the origins and intentions of the messages we encounter through mass media; sometimes we forget that [producers] have origins or intentions at all" (Lipsitz 5). The social inequality found in such popular culture can be due to several reasons. According to David Croteau and William Hoynes in Racial Crossroads, media content can be the reflection of producers, audience preference, or society in general (Croteau and Hoynes 352). In their films or other such media, producers often reflect on personal experiences. In other words, they may "draw on their own family lives for story inspiration" (Croteau and Hoynes 352). With the majority of producers being White males, especially when films were first being made and even up to this day, films reflect how they view life. "The creators of popular cultureÂ… see themselves merely creating sig ns and symbols appropriate to their audiences and to themselves" (Lipsitz 13). Disney producers simply reflect their own views on life in some manner or the views of the majority which so happens to be the White race. The white supremacy we find in the media is not reality, nor is the portrayal of various races. For the bulk of Disney's animated films, if minorities are not the villains or those of lower class and perhaps less importance, there are none being represented in the movie at all. It is classic for the hero to be a white male whereas other characters such as evil villains are of a minority race. In the happy ever after movies where the princess in distress is rescued by the handsome strong prince or male figure... ... In so saying, it is very possible for animated films to contribute to the racism lingering still in the world today. The segregation of people is never going to end completely when film producers find it necessary to separate races instead of treating all as equals. When producers depict reality, the idea of White supremacy and race separation, I assume, will diminish greatly. Works Cited Cox, Starr. "Deconstructing the Mouse: Disney and Racism." . 19 November 2005. Croteau, David, and William Hoynes. "Social Inequality and Media Representation." Racial Crossroads. Ed. Yolanda Flores Niemann. Dubuque: Prentice Hall, 2005: 349-379. Lipsitz, George. "Popular Culture: This Ain't No Sideshow." Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press: 3-20. Maio, Kathy. "Women, Race & Culture in Disney's movies." The New Internationalist. . 19 June 1999.

Stem Cells Should Not Be Used Therapeutically Essay -- Science Health

Stem Cells Should Not Be Used Therapeutically A stem cell is a cell in the body that can differentiate into almost any other type of cell in the body. Stem cells come from sites in the bone marrow, as well as the tissues of developing fetuses. The most controversial issue in stem cell therapy is the use of fetuses for their stem cells. Scientists want to clone human embryos, and use the stem cells long before the embryo matures (when it is only about 36 cells). This causes a large amount of unease in society, because people fear that stem cells and therapeutic cloning will lead us into disgusting and horrible experimental practices, as well as therapies. Most people in America do not want this horrible vision of the future to come true, so they want all stem cell technology and research banned. People do not want horrible freaks of nature running around, so they want to completely ban stem cell research. There are many stories surrounding the research being done with stem cells. In his article â€Å"Who but a Fiend Would Cross Pigs With Men?,† Ian Hunter shows his discontent for the stem cell research methods (Hunter, 2002). He covers a procedure where doctors implanted the stem cells of a human into the egg cells of a pig, and they started to divide within the pig. The scientists terminated the embryos before they could grow very large, but this â€Å"study† is way over the line. For no reason should we try to defy the course of nature beyond what is necessary to aid humans survival, such as using antibiotics, and other remedies, but we should not try to create men from animals. His is one reason why stem cells should be at least regulated if not banned. Experiments like this if unchecked could lead to horrible creations from... ...be a group against the use of fetuses, cloned or not. The ethical issues behind the method in which stem cells are obtained out weigh the benefits of stem cell therapy. We should not try to play God, in the aspect of creation of living beings just to be sacrificed for the â€Å"betterment of mankind†. Many egregious acts have been committed under the guise of â€Å"the greater good†. This is one instance in which the ends do not justify the means. References 1. How Far to Go? (2003, January 4). The Economist. p 11. 2. Hunter, I. (2002, November). Who but a fiend would cross pigs with men? Report/ Newsmagazine, Vol. 29, issue 22, p 24. 3. Spotts, P. N. (1998, November 6). Embryo- Based Research: Advances and Argument. Christian Science Monitor, Vol. 90, issue 241, p. 3. 4. Science and Fiction. (2002, February 22). The Commonweal. Vol.129, issue 4 p. 7

Bad Debts and Uncollectible Accounts Receivable

When we own a business, we hope that all the customers who get goods or service from us will pay in full. But in fact, a certain percentage of customers will default on their obligations. We need to consider this part of money to balance sheet, so that we report them as writing off bad debts.Account Receivable We recognize Account Receivable from two different parts. 1) Service Organization, we record a receivable when it provides service on account. 2) Merchandiser, we records receivable at the point of sale of merchandise on account.Bad Debt Expense Under GAAP, when we sale goods or offer service to customers, we recognize the revenue as â€Å"Sales Revenue† on Income Statement- even the customers don’t pay immediately. When we can’t collect the receivable money, we have to report an expense to offset the revenue which we reported at the beginning of sale or service. This is the so called Bad Debt Expense. In other words, seller records losses that result from extending credit as Bad Debts Expense.Methods of Accounting for Uncollectible Accounts There are two methods to record the uncollectible accounts. 1) Direct Write-Off. But it is theoretically undesirable. 2) Allowance Method. It is much better. Companies estimate uncollectible accounts receivable. Then debit Bad Debts Expense and credit Allowance for Doubtful Accounts. Companies debit Allowance for Doubtful Accounts and credit Accounts Receivable at the time the specific account is written off as uncollectible.Write-offs First of all, we need to decide a specific amount for the uncollectible account. For instance, we decide $1000 debt is uncollectible. Secondary, we decrease the Account Receivable by $1000. We also decrease the allowance for doubtful account by $1000. So, at the beginning we have $20000 for the account receivable and $2000 for allowance, then it falls down to $19000 and the allowance would drop to $1000. Then the net account receivable is still $18000 the same as be ginning. Eg: Bed Debts Expense 1000Allowance for doubtful accounts 1000Balance Sheet Approach Under the percentage of receivables basis, management establishes a percentage relationship between the amount of receivables and expected losses from uncollectible accounts.

Media and Body Image

â€Å"Media and Body Image† The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), an organization led by Ingrid Newkirk, fghts for the rights of animals all over the world. According to PETA (n. d. ), its main goal is to give â€Å"attention on the four areas in which the largest numbers of animals suffer the most intensely for the longest periods of time: on factory farms, in the clothing trade, in laboratories, and in the entertainment industry'. However in the year 2009, the animal rights organization produced a billboard campaign that went beyond its mission statement. It can be said that PETA's billboard campaign is npleasant to most people.It is evident in the campaign that it depicted an oversized woman wearing a swimsuit, with the caption: â€Å"Save the Whales; Lose the Blubber: Go Vegetarian†. Literally thinking, there is no connection between saving whales, and going vegetarian to lose weight. Clearly, PETA through the campaign is attempting to draw the co nnection between the ad's target market and the whales that need to be saved. Is there certainty that PETA intended to create an offensive billboard campaign for people who are overweight? According to PETA's writer, Liz Graffeo 2009), she and her team specifically launched the advertisement for the residents of Jacksonville.She added that the reason why PETA launched the advertisement is to help people of Jacksonville, â€Å"lose the blubber†, by becoming vegetarians. The real reason why PETA launched an advertisement is to persuade people to live a healthy lifestyle and not to promote whales' wellbeing. In my opinion, as an animal rights organization, PETA does not have the right to compare fat people to whales. PETA has to realize that those people who showcase their bodies in different swimsuits are confident enough about their size. The human being should never be depicted as endangered like whales.To add, the poster is not only disrespectful to the obese but to the huma n race as a whole. If PETA wants to create an advertisement beyond its mission statement, it should be sensitive enough to the target audience of its campaign. Reference List PETA (n. d). Our Mission Statement. Retrieved from http://www. peta. org/about/ default. aspx Liz Graffeo. (2009, Aug 8). Lose the blubber: Go Vegetarian [Article]. Retrieved from http://www. peta. org/b/thepetafiles/archive/2009/08/17/10se-the- blubber-go-vegetarian. aspx Media and Body Image By vmsl

Two Restaurants

Food That Tastes Wonderful Is it Olive Garden’s friendly and hospitable service or is it the appetizing and blazing not entrees ll Foranio’s that reminds me of the Italian heritage? Before deciding which restaurant leaves my mouth watering for more, I compare and contrast between taste, service and cost must be considered. For me, choosing which restaurant to recommend to family members is as hard as cutting the perfect pink rose for a floral arrangement. The whole world would be a better place if you could choose a restaurant that always had food that tasted wonderful.At ll Fornaio’s, I feel like a chef in Italy has just prepared my meal. Their pasta melts in your mouth and is always accompanied by hearty and rich sauce. My eyes pop out of head when I see the delectable dessert tray. Then both carry a wide selection of freshly prepared desserts like creamy tiramisu. On the contrary, at Olive Garden, your dinner always comes with all you can eat salad and piping hot breadsticks. Yet, ll Fornaio’s you must order a salad separate from your entree.On the other hand, ll Fornaio’s offers its customers staple sourdough bread served with olive oil and balsamic vinegar spiced with herbs. Similarly, the salad at both restaurants are always fresh and is dressed with a tangy and light vinaigrette. In the same way, both restaurants offer their ravished customers a wide selection of beverages including sodas, teas and coffee to wet their whistles. Delicious, freshly prepared food is a must when I am spending a night out with friends or family. Service is something that I value highly when spending my hard earned money on a night out.The service at Olive Garden is a snail trying to win the mile run race. However, when I arrive at ll Fornaio’s I am seated almost immediately, whereas at Olive Garden, I have to sign a waiting list and they hand me a flashing disk. The servers at Olive Garden, in contrast, seem sometimes annoyed when I a sk for something like more water or an extra plate to share an item. Equally, both restaurants bring my meal in a timely manner. They both give me service with a smile like a sun shinning in the morning sky.Similarly, both places of business are more willing to trade my order if it is not to my satisfaction. If am not going to receive the service I deserve, I might as well walk right out of the establishment and not look back. Do you like throwing your money down the drain? If not, the maybe ll Fornaio’s is not the most cost effective restaurant for you. I often feel that money is flying out of my purse the minute I sit down at my table. On the other hand, ll Fornaio’s does offer more food for the price.An average bill at Olive Garden is about forty dollars, whereas at ll Fornaio’s the final bill can range from fifty to one hundred dollars based on your choice of entrees, appetizers, drinks and desserts. Unlike Fornaio’s, Olive Garden does offer specials on certain dishes at specific times of the year. In the same way, both restaurants offer drinks that are similar in price and that prices included refills. Also, Olive Garden and ll Fornaio’s both have appetizers that are around the same price for the same generous helping.Value is a huge factor in deciding which restaurant I would choose to refer a friend or family member. Yes, Olive Garden offers more food for the money, but the aroma and taste from ll Fornaio’s entrees are by far superior, not to mention the provide better service for the customer. Based on my evaluation of the two restaurants, I would have to choose ll Fornaio’s. Next time you are in the mood for true Italian cuisine, try Olive Garden and ll Fornaio’s, and then make the choice for yourself! ‘

Does Prejudice Still Exist Today? Essay

Does racism and prejudice still exist today? Officially there is no racism in the United States in the sense that all kinds of racial discriminations are prohibited by law. But racism still exists to some extent in the hearts of the people. In general, there is a reduction in the prejudices people have about others based on their race or other similar social background. But these prejudices have not completely died down. A large portion of US citizens still appear to have racial prejudices to different degrees. Although the public commentary describes the United States as post racial, racism and prejudice continues to exert a very real and persuasive influence on institutional policies and processes, interpersonal interactions, neighborhood infrastructure, socioeconomic opportunities, and media imagery in the world today. Racism The core of racism is the belief among people or a position taken by them that people of some races are essentially inferior to people of some other races. â€Å"When people of different races believing in or supporting such racist views come in contact with each other, they are likely to engage in racist behavior† (Davis, 2012). Racist Behavior Racist behavior can influence discrimination among people of different races, with an intention to put the people of other races at a disadvantage, or to avoid interaction with them, or both. Such discriminatory behavior can be explicit and performed without any attempt to hide. This behavior can also be subtle, that cannot be detected or pinpointed easily. Racist behavior may include many kinds of activities carried out secretly. â€Å"In spite of the laws against racist behavior, people do continue to behave in racist ways to some extent. Frequently this behavior is unintentional and difficult to pinpoint. In other cases the behavior is intentional but cannot be detected and punished by law for various reasons† (Garry, 2011). Stereotypes Stereotypes evolve out of fear of people from a minority group. Stereotypes are generally developed by a series of isolated behaviors by a member of a group that was unfairly generalized to be viewed as a character of all members of that group which in turn formed prejudice and racism. â€Å"When we judge people and groups based on our own prejudices and stereotypes and treat them differently, we are engaging in discrimination† (Thomas, 2013). Conclusion All of us face peer pressure when confronted with a joke which puts down a certain minority. It takes courage to raise objections to these jokes and belittling names and to actively fight the prejudice and bigotry which they foster. It is important to stand up against injustice, and fight the discrimination, stereotypes, and racism which have served as the precursors to persecution and violence. References Garry, K. (2011, March 11). [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://kgarry. wordpress. com/2011/03/11/prejudice-in-the-united-states-today-a-problem-that-we-may-never-resolve/ Davis, S. (2012, January 4). [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://blog. ctnews. com/mixingitup/2012/01/04/does-racism-still-exist/ Thomas, J. (2013). Teaching race and racism in the 21st century. Retrieved from http://www. ehow. com/way_5192208_teaching-race-racism-21st-century. html.

Is there anything we can do to save the environment Essay

Is there anything we can do to save the environment - Essay Example Various aspects of going green can be used in such an initiative. To begin with, the world should start by the initiative of planting trees. Over the last decade, the world has experienced massive deforestation, where many trees are used as a source of energy, raw materials, and other uses. This has had a dire effect on the climate change, especially when looking at the ratio of gases in the air. With massive deforestation, the numbers of trees that purify the air are reduced. As such, there will be excessive carbon in the air. This will pose a danger to environmental conservation, as the initiatives will not be optimized. To rectify such a situation, there is a need to reflect on the positivity of planting trees on large scale (Cook 140). For example, the late Professor Wangari Maathai initiated the Greenbelt movement. This was an initiative to help in conserving the environment from the forecasted climate change. Through the initiative, she was awarded a Nobel Prize. This shows tha t the world is appreciating such initiatives in ensuring the world is conserved to the highest limits. Secondly, there is a need to stop deforestation. Many countries across the globe have initiated strict penalties on deforestation, as it is a threat to the world’s ecosystems. Therefore, this initiative should be enhanced in the whole world, as it will be a prudent approach in conserving the environment. According to research, the population of trees in the world has been drastically reducing.

Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Management - Assignment Example The other stakeholders include Feeding America, the National Network of Food Banks apart from volunteers who give their support for the cause (SPFB, ‘About Us’). Primary beneficiaries of SPFB are the person in need of food which is channeled through other NGOs and churches working towards the benefit of the society. It is evident from the mission and vision of SPFB that is not for profit organization and is primarily Business to Business (B2B) organization as it provides services through other stakeholders, not directly to the needy (SPFB, ‘About Us’). The SPFB implements marketing mix strategy successfully. The 4Ps of marketing mix strategy is strategically employed by the organization where product is their service i.e. providing free food to hungry where the waste food is collected from restaurants, hotels and other places; provides service in 25 county areas of West Texas where food is distributed its division’s i.e. Food Bank Operations and Farm Orchard & GRUB which is further channeled through various NGOs and encourages promotion through various programmes like food drives at school, local communities, and U Can Share (SPFB, ‘Programs & Services’). As most of the programmes are done through volunteering, donations are accepted for providing food voluntarily for which effective pricing strategy is used depending on the number of meals. Similarly, funds are raised through donations through fundraising from different sectors of the society (SPFB,

The Fashioned Body Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The Fashioned Body - Essay Example The essay "The Fashioned Body" discusses the topic of Gender Identity and Social Norms. These include biological factors such as genetic constitution. Social factors also influence gender identity. This paper discusses how one set of social factors, namely social norms, influences a person's perception of being a man or a woman. In order to accomplish this task, backgrounds on gender identity and social norms will be discussed. Thereafter, specific aspects of social norms and how they affect gender identity will be examined. Sigmund Freud is largely held as the father of modern psychoanalysis. In 1905, Freud presented their theory of psychological development in a publication titled Tree Essays on the Theory of Sexuality. Freud claimed and purported to prove that prior to birth, infants do not distinguish between the sexes(Elgstrom, 2000). To them, both the father and the mother have the same reproductive organs and abilities. Based on this, Freud inferred that that originally, a per son is wired to be bisexual. They added that heterosexuality was the result of repression during infancy when gender identity becomes embedded in the infant. According to Freud, at this stage, the child experiences sexual fantasies for the parent of the opposite sex while developing hatred for the parent of the same sex. The problem with Freud is that they tried to explain everything in terms of sex and sexuality. For instance, they are on record for claiming that the reason a farmer engages in crop farming.

Marketing Plan (Project about product) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Marketing Plan (Project about product) - Essay Example This would be done by live demos as well as online advertisement. Besides, this, we are including a depreciation cost of $5000 which includes depreciation of equipment as well as that of patents and copyrights. We also need to provide after-sales support to our clients to help them use the software and troubleshoot any bugs that arise. To start the business, we are aiming to acquire funding of $500,000. As shown in the balance sheet, apart from the usual assets in the business, the major assets of the business shall be patents and copyrights on our software and the software in the inventory. It is assumed that we shall keep a ready stock of 20 ready-to-deploy software copies in our stock. Also, we are assuming that 20% of the sales will be on credit as well as 20% of the expenses will be payable by us. At the first stage, we need to define the marketing goals for our business. For our software product, we have defined specific goals that we plan to achieve from our marketing program. Since we are just starting the business, as an overall marketing goal, we want to become the pioneers of producing and selling social CRM software for manufacturers of outdoor gears. Specifically, we would like to achieve the sales figure mentioned in the financial projection in terms of both sales amount and sales units. Further, since we are launching a unique product, we do not have any existing competition. However, we can set a target for ourselves to convince at least 10% of the existing outdoor gear manufacturers in using our software. If we achieve this target, we shall be able to meet our sales projection goals. As a further step for product awareness and publicity, we would want that at least 60% of our target market is aware of our product. Once we have established these goals, we need to define measures to evaluate our performance and identify the gaps. As a further step, we need to find out the causes of these gaps. To evaluate our

Evaluating Cost Variances Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Evaluating Cost Variances - Essay Example an ideal plan difference for incomes will be examined to figure out if it was the aftereffect of higher than arranged offering costs, more noteworthy amounts, or an excellent blend of things sold. In addition, a good plan fluctuation for costs will be dissected to distinguish the reason for the lower costs. An unfavorable fluctuation is experienced when an association is contrasting its genuine results with a financial plan or standard. The difference can apply to either incomes or costs, and is characterized as adverse income fluctuation. At the point when the measure of actual income is short of what the standard or planned sum. In this manner, genuine incomes of $400,000 versus a funding of $450,000 equivalents an unfavorable income change of $50,000. Unfavorable cost fluctuation. At the point when the measure of genuine cost is more prominent than the standard or planned sum. In this manner, actual costs of $250,000 versus a funding of $200,000 equivalents an unfavorable cost change of $50,000. Overall, the plan of an unfavorable difference is to highlight a potential problem, which is then remedied. Honestly, the idea does not work that well. The issue is that there is just an adverse fluctuation in connection to a standard or planned amount and that benchmark sum may be unthinkable or in any event exceptionally hard to achieve. On the off chance that an unfavorable difference surpasses the base, then it is accounted for to supervisors, who then make a move to rectify whatever the underlying issue may be. At the point when the real cost is brought about is more than the standard expense, there is fluctuation is known adverse or antagonistic change. Unfavorable fluctuation alludes to deviation to the loss of

Gay Marriage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Gay Marriage - Essay Example Connecticut in reality began permitting same-sex marriages in the fall of 2009. In April 2009, Iowa's Supreme Court ruled in favor of permitting same-sex couples to marry, also giving advocates an important first victory in the nation's heartland and thwarting the notion that only the Northeast will permit it. 7 April 2009 the Vermont Legislature made the difference. Jim Douglas's veto of a bill permitting gay couples to marry, mustering precisely enough votes to conserve the measure. This step made Vermont the first state to actually permit same-sex marriage through legislative action instead of the ruling of court. Two more states--New Hampshire and New Jersey--recognize civil unions for same-sex couples; an intermediate step that supporters say has made same-sex marriage seem less scary. New England remains pivotal in same-sex marriage movement, with a campaign under way that will extend marriage rights to gay men and lesbians in all six of the region's states by 2012. The meaning of marriage gets completely redefined when two men marry each other and the same has become an issue that has come to the limelight. Gay marriage is a serious threat and it challenges the nature too and this is because two men can never reproduce and take their generation forward. They can adopt a child but they can never fulfill the gap left, that gap can only be fulfilled by a mother. The divorce rates are extremely high when two men or women marry each other and research goes to prove it. Heterosexual divorces are much less than homosexual divorces and this is another reason why people oppose gay marriages. Gay marriages have also come under intense scrutiny with regard to the tradition that the world has been following for many years. When it comes to mental health, it has been found that Gays are much less healthier than normal people and this is because of their genetic makeup, their way of walking, the way they talk differs from normal people and they are differen t from normal people. The Spread of Immorality The holy Bible is read in almost all the countries and according to the Bible "So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." (Gods Plan for Sexuality). If the Bible is closely read it is clearly found that gay marriages are completely prohibited and against the law of nature. Bible is considered as the holy book for all those who believe in Christianity and homosexuality is ironically spreading predominantly in Europe where Christians are in abundance. This is completely unacceptable and unjust, people have become hypo crates these days, and they say a different thing but practice a completely different thing. It is high time for self reflection, such people must realize that what they are practicing is completely wrong and they must correct their actions. Bible completely rejects the concept of Gay marriage and this should be understood by the people. "If God had intended the human race to be fulfilled through both heterosexual and homosexual marriage, He would have designed our bodies to allow reproduction through both means and made both means of sexual intercourse healthy and natural. Homosexual anal

H.W Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

H.W - Essay Example He further oversees the training and creating of awareness to other employees. 3. The control perimeters and the isolation zones need to well aerated and spacious to enable the affected victims gain fresh air as well as enough space to rest before they are taken for further medical check-up. 4. The process used by my department in the establishment of initial command and operations at a hazmat incident include on-scene response by the hazmat management officers through provision of technical help and advice on further treatment of the situation. The officers are able to conduct offensive-control actions such as hot-zone entry for stabilization and confinement of the products. 5. The shape of the container defines the type of risk that is associated with a given product. Different ranges of chemicals are contained in different types of container so as to avoid any form of confusion that may arise thus minimizing the risks that may arise careless handling of the product. Silhouetting exposes the characteristics of the material and not its contents. 7. The department has devised several means of handling unknown substances which include proper identification of the nature of the substances as well as handling them with necessary precautions. Factors that will assist in accurate determination is to consider substance qualities such as density, color smell and the melting and boiling points. The density, color and smell of the unknown substance can then be compared with other known substance. 8. The hazard and risk assessment is performed by first of all assuming that any mixture of chemicals is more toxic in comparison to other chemicals. All new components and unknown substances need to be considered as toxic before they are subjected to any form of tests. The manner in which the chemical is put into use must also be taken into consideration. 9. The department’s respiratory

What is Android Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

What is Android - Research Paper Example phones and gadgets. In This way many forces have emerged that introduced open source softwares and operating systems that gave a total new shape to the world of communications and hand held devices. One of them in this field was Android .Android is an open source operating system that is widely in use in smart phones and portable computers in form of laptops and tablets. Android came into existence in the early years of first decade of current century when number of proponents sat together and decided on introducing a platform that would compete the existing players . Andy Rubin and Nick Sears are considered as the founders of this innovation. According to them, their aim was to create that would meet the customers’ requirements in a better and more efficient way. Their initial logo at that time can be termed as â€Å"smarter mobile devices that are more aware of its owner’s location and preferences â€Å".... Different versions are available in the market. Various versions exist in the market and number of updates and new applications have been introduced over the period of time each aiming to bring about more advancements and improvement and user friendly features into the setup. Few of the recent releases include 2.3 Gingerbread, 3.0 Honeycomb, and 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich .3.0 honey Comb was focused on Tablet while the 4.0 version brought more advancements to the smart phone platform. Salient features of the operating system include connectivity of almost all sorts ranging from GSM TO WIMAX; In case of media support it supports large number of video and audio formats ranging from H.264 to MPEG-4,MP3,MIDI.other features include multi touch support, multi-tasking, Global Positioning System . Although the previous year (2010) saw Android as the most dominant force in the market of smart phones and tablets, it cannot be termed as a perfectly smooth sail and Android does face certain problems in form of vulnerabilities, competition, improvements. The updates are termed are tedious and when compared to other platforms they are belived to give the customers a tough time while upgrading to any latest version.To some people Android doesn’t invest into the customer awareness in case of the new releases and hence awareness and customer guidance is found missing in case of new versions being released . The issue of Malware poses a serious threat to the integrity of Android as the best platform for the smart phones and tablets, and recently Google had to withdraw couple of Applications from market due to the reason of malware induced .Google in this regard has setup security teams that look into the matters and make sure

Business Strategy Essay Example for Free

Business Strategy Essay In 2006, Starbucks’, the ubiquitous coffee retailer, closed a decade of astounding financial performance. Sales had increased from $697 million to $7.8 billion and net profits from $36 million to $540 million. In 2006, Starbucks’ was earning a return on invested capital of 25.5%, which was impressive by any measure, and the company was forecasted to continue growing earnings and maintain high profits through to the end of the decade. How did this come about? Thirty years ago Starbucks was a single store in Seattle’s Pike Place Market selling premium roasted coffee. Today it is a global roaster and retailer of coffee with more than 12,000 retail stores, some 3,000 of which are to be found in 40 countries outside the United States. Starbucks Corporation set out on its current course in the 1980s when the company’s director of marketing, Howard Schultz, came back from a trip to Italy enchanted with the Italian coffeehouse experience. Schultz, who later became CEO, persuaded the company’s owners to experiment with the coffeehouse format—and the Starbucks experience was born. Schultz’s basic insight was that people lacked a â€Å"third place† between home and work where they could have their own personal time out, meet with friends, relax, and have a sense of gathering. The business model that evolved out of this was to sell the company’s own premium roasted coffee, along with freshly brewed espresso-style coffee beverages, a variety of pastries, coffee accessories, teas, and other products, in a coffeehouse setting. The company devoted, and continues to devote, considerable attention to the design of its stores, so as to create a relaxed, informal and comfortable atmosphere. Underlying this approach was a belief that Starbucks was selling far more than coffee – it was selling an experience. The premium price that Starbucks charged for its coffee reflected this fact. From the outset, Schultz also focused on providing superior customer service in stores. Reasoning that motivated employees provide the best customer service, Starbucks executives developed employee hiring and training programs that were the best in the restaurant industry. Today, all Starbucks employees are required to attend training classes that teach them not only how to make a good cup of coffee, but also the service oriented values of the company. Beyond this, Starbucks provided progressive compensation policies that gave even part-time employees stock option grants and medical benefits – a very innovative approach in an industry where most employees are part time, earn minimum wage and have no benefits. Unlike many restaurant chains, which expanded very rapidly through franchising arrangement once they have established a basic formula that appears to work, Schultz believed that Starbucks needed to own its stores. Although it has experimented with franchising arrangements in some countries, and some situations in the United States such as at airports, the company still prefers to own its own stores whenever possible. This formula met with spectacular success in the United States, where Starbucks went from obscurity to one of the best known brands in the country in a decade. As it grew, Starbucks found that it was generating an enormous volume of repeat business. Today the average customer comes into a Starbucks’ store around 20 times a month. The customers themselves are a fairly well healed group – their average income is about $80,000. As the company grew, it started to develop a very sophisticated location strategy. Detailed demographic analysis was used to identify the best locations for Starbuck’s stores. The company expanded rapidly to capture as many premium locations as possible before imitators. Astounding many observers, Starbucks would even sometimes locate stores on opposite corners of the same busy street – so that it could capture traffic going different directions down the street. By 1995 with almost 700 stores across the United States, Starbucks began exploring foreign opportunities. First stop was Japan, where Starbucks proved that the basic value proposition could be applied to a different cultural setting (there are now 600 stores in Japan). Next, Starbucks embarked upon a rapid development strategy in Asia and Europe. By 2001, the magazine Brandchannel named Starbucks’ one the ten most impactful global brands, a position it has held ever since. But this is only the beginning. In late 2006, with 12,000 stores in operation, the company announced that its long term goal was to have 40,000 stores worldwide. Looking forward, it expects 50% of all new store openings to be outside of the United.i Case Discussion Questions 1. What functional strategies at Starbucks’ help the company to achieve superior financial performance? 2. Identify the resources, capabilities and distinctive competencies of Starbucks? 3. How do Starbucks’ resources, capabilities and distinctive competencies translate into superior financial performance? 4. Why do you think Starbucks’ prefers to own its own stores whenever possible? 5. How secure is Starbucks’ competitive advantage?What are the barriers to imitation here? !Sources: Starbucks 10K, various years; C. McLean, â€Å"Starbucks Set to Invade Coffee-Loving Continent,† Seattle Times, October 4, 2000, p. E1; J. Ordonez, â€Å"Starbucks to Start Major Expansion in Overseas Market,† Wall Street Journal, October 27, 2000, p. B10; S. Homes and D. Bennett, â€Å"Planet Starbucks,† Business Week, September 9, 2002, pp 99–110; J. Batsell, â€Å"A Bean Counters Dream,† Seattle Times, March 28th, 2004, page E1; Staff Reporter, â€Å"Boss Talk: it’s a Grande Latte World†, Wall Street Journal, December 15, 2003, page B1. States. C. Harris, â€Å"Starbucks beats estimates, outlines expansion plans†, Seattle Post Intelligencer, October 5th, 2006, page C1

Benefits Of Technology Contribution To Developing Countries

Benefits Of Technology Contribution To Developing Countries In such fast growing economies, multinational companies are relying heavily on technology to maintain their competitive position in the global platform. To do so, multinational companies constantly expand into new markets and hence their success is partly determined by their ability to transfer technology to local companies (Chen (1996), Chung (2001)). Transfer of technology is a foremost strategy initiated by the multinational companies during their international expansion. Technology transfer is defined as the transmission of know-how to suit local environments, with effective absorption and diffusion both within and across countries (CHung (2001) and Tihanyi Roath (2002). Transfer of technology is not as simple as it looks it involves a series of complex procedures starting from the multinational companies capability of teaching, the local companies capacity of learning and the complex integration between the two companies (Griffith, Kiessling and Dabic, 2005). Technology gives c ompanies the competitive edge to strive and compete in the global world. It is integrated with every value adding activity of the company and helps in achieving these activities (Porter, 1980). Technology helps in improving and maintaining quality levels and competitive edge of the products. It also helps in reducing the productions cost and increase manufacturing productivity by improving efficiency (Gisselquist Grether, 2000). Every country (developing and developed) spends large amount of funds to attract foreign investments. This investment can be in terms of foreign direct investments in stocks of local companies or in terms of investing in the countrys properties real estate or opening up a manufacturing plant in the country. The reasons noted for such behavior by the governments of developing and developed country is to strengthen their economy and technology sophistication and upgradation. When a multinational company is operating in foreign (developing) country, it happens to brings in new technologies and ways of working to the local country. Thus helping the country to upgrade its technological know-how. In this paper, the author will first highlight the importance of technology contribution by multinationals and later evaluates the factors that will determine the whether or not the transferred technology provides benefits or is a disadvantage to the host country. The role of multinational companies as an agent of technology transfer for economic development of less developed countries is potential and very important (Bruce Peters, 1979). FOR MNCS: Keeping aside few instances that have taken place and the points noted against the multinational companies in less developing countries. We cannot ignore the fact that these multinational companies have played a vital role in technological and overall development of developing countries. Starting from transfer of technology to bringing new ways of managing business to improving productivity to making local business competitive in comparison to the world. The contribution of the multinational companies in less developed countries is noteworthy (Aswathappa, 2008). Multinational companies and developing countries have different goals, hence they should try to come together and find mutual goals and benefits. This could be in terms of resource identification, technology selection and advancement. It is known that the world is dependent on each other for few or more things. It is the developing countries that are dependent on multinational companies from developed countries for help in te rm of technological development and stronger economies. Similarly, the multinational companies are dependent on these developing countries for cheap labor and land. Their goal is mutual and hence by working together can realize benefits for each other. Against MNCS: There are many cases and instances which show that the multinationals technology contribution to developing countries is hardly suitable. Multinational companies develop technologies that are highly capital intensive whereas the technologies needed by the developing countries are labor intensive. Thus this makes the technology contribution as less suitable, also multinational companies charge heavily in the forms of fees, duties and royalties for the usage of their technology. Thus making the technology very expensive for the developing countries. On several occasions it has been noted that that multinational companies or foreign companies operating in developing countries are dumping technologies by using obsolete technology with the help of turnkey projects. It is also noted that multinational companies try to make local companies dependent on their technology and expertise and thus making revenues by contributing obsolete technologies. For example: Indian government did its best t o attract foreign companies and investment with a hope that these multinational companies would help reach its goal of having best technology around the globe and strong export hub. This goal of India is not yet been realized with the exports falling and the global financial crisis still showing some of its effect in India. Likewise, other developing countries have been disappointed at many occasions. Today the word green is associated with the global warming; many companies have gone green meaning they have taken the initiative to use eco friendly methods to minimize their impact on the environments. Developing countries attracted multinational companies with the hope of setting up Greenfield projects which would in turn help to maximize their manufacturing capacity. The goal is yet to be achieved. government of developing countries attract foreign companies in order to bring new technologies to country but these foreign companies in turn either acquire local companies or merge wi th them, thus keeping the country away from new technology and manufacturing abilities. Many less developed countries have now kept environment on their first priority. Countries are now becoming more concerned about the impact that multinationals create on the environment due to certain technologies that they use (Aswathappa, 2008). POTENTIAL FACTORS: It is also very important to note the factors that will determine whether the technology transferred will be of benefit to the developing country or not. Griffith et al., (2006) uses an environment strategy performance framework to identify the role of market (i.e. competitive intensity and market dynamics) and cultural environmental (national cultural distance and organizational cultural distance) factors on international technology transfer to developing countries. During a survey conducted to find out the direct efforts of market and cultural environmental factors on transfer of technology with 131 managers working in a subsidiary of multinational company. It was found that market dynamism factors were more influential market environmental factor than competitive intensity. Whereas national cultural distance was less influential cultural environment factor than organizational cultural distance. The report also highlighted a very important and pivotal relationship between transfe r of technology and subsidiary performance (Griffith et al., 2006) Summary Multinational companies are businesses that carry out operations across globe. They are the most active players in the world of international business they have been often charged on several grounds like taking advantage of poor countries, their interests override the interests of developing nations and they have a tendency to bribe the less developed country government to make policies and regulations favorable to them. It is widely known that each coin have two sides, there are pros and then there are cons, there is opportunity and then there is risk. multinational companies are very important in terms of technology contribution but then there are risks of obsolete technology, technology dumping, impact on environment etc. thus developing countryà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s government should list few factors that would help them to determine whether the technology contribution by multinationals is benefit to the host country or not. A research conducted by Gibson and Smilor suggests that there are four variables i.e. communication interactivity, cultural and geographical distance, technology equivocally and personal motivation play very important role in technology transfer within and between companies (Gibson and Smilor, 1991). In another research conducted by Rebentisch and Ferretti (1995), they found that four categories, Transfer Scope, Transfer Method, Knowledge Architecture, and Organizational Adaptive Ability, describe important elements of the transfer process. Transfer Scope describes the extent of embodied information being transferred. Transfer Method describes the approaches used to transfer the technology. Knowledge Architecture describes the structure and the interdependencies between the firms knowledge assets. Organizational Adaptive Ability describes an organizations ability to change its knowledge architecture over time.

Book Review: Understanding Dying, Death, and Bereavement

Book Review: Understanding Dying, Death, and Bereavement Antonia Wadell Abstract The research was based on interdisciplinary subject of social thanatology to further explain the process of dying, death and bereavement. The main objectives are to sensitize people to the subject of dying, death and bereavement, to aid those who have experienced loss of a love one to help individuals examine their own feelings and reactions to death and grieving, to make readers aware of different cultural groups’ death and bereavement. The topics cover cross-cultural examples of traditions, customs and burial rites through end of life issues. The different theories are introduced from Piaget cognitive stages of development, Durkheim’s four type of suicide, and Erickson’s developmental stages through suggested readings from latent functions of a funeral. Current issues of death and dying are covered in the research and the legal issues of death in today’s society. The scholarly and academically is practical for students because it addresses personal issue s relating to an individual ability to cope with psychological and the social processes of dying, death and bereavement. Summary The text was written to inform students in different fields how to go through end of life issues. The authors, Drs. Leming Dickinson, wanted to prepare informative, practical, words of wisdom to be understood by understanding the emotional and psychological experience to the process of dying, death and bereavement. The textbook begins with the current interest in death from different academic perspective to the through the grieving process through the life cycle. The American public has suffered great losses due to mass killings of the innocence bystanders so it has become a mystery to understand the loss of life and the lingering deaths of the chronic illness of love ones who come to the end of their lives. Thanatology has become a social interest in learning to deal with death emotionally and psychologically. Leming Dickinson desire to prepare medical and theological students for work related death. Death rate is based on gender, race, chronic disease and infant mortality that track the number of deaths for the year. The authors explains the different academia approaches to the topic of death by first understanding the biological approach, the psychological approach, anthropological approach and sociological approach through analysis of these approaches the student should acquire that this is a part of the end cycle of life. We must learn to cope with death because it will not diminish over time but continuing to be a part of life. In our society, we tend to know more about death based on causes and conditions but we haven’t learned to cope with it. Society must learn to talk about death with our young people and explain it to those who are children need to understand their emotions and the concept of death. The more we age the less frighten we become to accept death and we began to depend on intellectual, educational and social skills because our physical prowess will diminish. Our religious beliefs and practices are related to the preparation that Christ gave to the church that we would be transformed physical into a spiritual being. Many different societies believe in a supernatural force due to less complexity of their society however; societies which are more advance tend to rely more on scientific and advance technology to explain the causes of the situation. Religion tends to help people cope with the loss of a love one. The thought of dying is stressful but we must learn to be aware of dying and death through the understanding the emotional and psychological especially dealing with children and siblings of children because this not the natural of life but it is apparent that the effect of the loss will impact the family. The stages of grief developed by Kubler-Ross would benefit a family experiencing grief. The American way of life has progressed and accepted change to the way the dying has chosen to end life being surrounded by family and friends. No longer is the setting to death is at the home of the love one but now the settings can be at hospice care, nursing home and hospital. Hospice allows the younger child to be near the terminally ill and it allows the dying person to have all members there. The dying person may have the option to die where they chose which not an option of the past was. The changes of today’s care of the dying is to give them palliative care which focuses on the whole care of the person ranging from physical,social,psychological and spiritual attributes. Technology has changed the way death is determined because scientific breakthrough can allow the body live without brain activity. An individual can have life sustained for years with life support machines. Patients have the choice to donate their organs to give the hope of life to others who suffering from chronic ailments and diseases. The rise in suicide has been a road of debate does one have the right to take his/her life or rather die on his/her terms instead suffering through the chronic pain of an illness. Dr. Kevorkian begins to assist the terminally ill with the suicide or rather euthanasia procedure to end the cycle of life. The sociological perspective is that suicide occurs based on the feelings, thinking and doing by the person. The most important thing about the effect of suicide is that the love ones may be left with the feelings of shame and guilt. The people who are left to grieve may have a long road to find closure due to the perception of ‘no social support’ among others who are grieving too. The average person who attempt suicide is either adolescent, elderly male and not married. Males, more than females are likely to commit suicide because the males will use deadly weapons to complete the task. The death experience is more than a biological process because it connected to social structure and correct behavior related is shared, symboled and situated by those who are relative to the dying person. In the United States, funerals are the expression of one’s grief and bereavement period for the mourner. The development of insurance policies, cemeteries and funerals are part of the contemporary American life styles and regulation of funeral homes. The process of end of life issues by giving advance directives to dispose of personal property, living will and legal healthcare of power attorney. In the United States, the cost of a funeral expenses may run anywhere from $2500.00 to $9000.00 however; that is only one part of the expenses to death because all the deceased personal and hospital bills need to be paid. The legal system handles a person life from beginning to end. The process of grieving, bereavement roles, normal acceptance to the loss, four tasks of mourning and coping with a violent death are the methods to start the healing process. The grief process is not automatic because those who are grieving really need to do grief work to find closure. The stages of grief developed by Kavenaugh began with the shock and denial, disorganization, volatile reactions, guilt, loss and loneliness, relief and reestablishment. The behaviors and Kubler- Ross five stages of the dying process are: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. The five stages are described in detail of the behaviors associated to the dying process. The transformative process within grief includes three components that can be understood by three questions: 1.What have I lost? 2.What do have left? 3. What may be possible for me? The process of transformation takes time and each question should be given the work to understand and to accept the loss. The mourner needs to have social support and assistance in the bereavement process. The most important deed that can be given to the mourner is to give of yourself time to listen and comfort them in their loss. The life cycle will be experienced by all and it will not be easy but those who are left behind have to learn to make adjustments to their lives. The loss of a love one does promote a growth experience with those who are left behind because it teaches those to meet the challenges of life without their love one. In conclusion, the textbook begins with the current interest in death from different academic perspective to the through the grieving process through the life cycle. The ability to understand the cycle of normal and abnormal grief by the symptoms identified through the text. To use the text to understand the stages of grief and apply them to the lives those who are suffering from depression and withdrawal from society. The authors give important steps to having a healthy recovery from grief. This is basically a map to begin the road of recovery from the need to understand the supernatural, the secular or the spiritual side of death. Concrete Response Upon reading this textbook of dealing with the subject of death and dying there were two topics that captured my attention. The first topic discussed those individuals who are in older adulthood. The authors talk about how the older adults are treated within the death and dying process. The elderly seem to be placed in nursing homes where they are expected to live until they die quietly. The older adults seem to be forgotten and tossed aside as if they were old news. This topic reminded me of my maternal grandmother and how she went through her dying process. I was stationed in Fort Bragg, North Carolina when she died. The immediate family, which included siblings, and grandchildren, were called to the hospital to make an important family decision about her arrangements after leaving the hospital. The decisions that needed to be made were where were we going to place her? Would she be institutionalized or would she die at home? The other decision was if the family wanted her to be sustained by life support systems until death. The factors that we had to consider were her age, would her body be strong enough to undergo any surgical procedures if necessary and what type of quality of life would she be able to maintain? First of all, my grandmother was 102 years old at the time of her death. Secondly, her body was so fragile that we were afraid for the doctors to do anything else to her. The doctors let us know that they had done all they could do f or her. Finally, the doctors made us aware of her condition and that her quality of life would not be a good one as her time to live was limited. The family made the decision to let her die at home in peace, and there would not be any life support equipment given to her. I noticed that my mother was not in agreement with the decision and made it known to me after leaving the hospital. My mother wanted to do whatever was necessary to keep my grandmother alive. Needless to say I felt as if I had betrayed my mother and my grandmother due to the decision that was made. The other event that came to mind was the death of a premature baby that belonged to a friend of mine and her husband in the military. I was disturbed by the picture of a family on page 14 posing for a family photo with the dead child in the mother’s arms. I understand that this is their way of keeping record of the living as well as the deceased but I felt that the picture was so impersonal. Not only did the family seem sad but there seemed to be coldness in the picture with the deceased child. My friend and I were stationed in Germany but we were both from the state of Georgia. My friend and her husband had not been married long but they were looking forward to becoming parents. She had to be taken to the hospital early due to some complications with the pregnancy. She had tried to have a baby before but unfortunately she miscarried. My friend had asked me to come to the hospital for moral support sense her family was not present at that time and I agreed to be there. Her husband was fortunate enough to have his younger sister stationed at the same base. When the baby was delivered the doctor told them that the baby was premature and alive but he was not sure for how long. After an hour the doctor came into her room an informed her and her husband that the baby had passed away due to being premature. The nurse came in and asked the couple if they wanted to see the baby and they of course replied yes. The nursing staff brought them their baby, placed the baby in the motherà ¢â‚¬â„¢s arms, and then took a photograph with the couple holding the baby. The father broke down in tears and my friend touched the baby for the last time. I asked the nurse was that a common procedure and why was it necessary. The nurse explained that taking the picture was a common procedure as some parents want to remember their first child whether they are alive or not. In my heart I did not agree with the procedure because of the agony I witnessed in that room but I was in no position to protest. Reflections The textbook help me to truly understand the grief process and I would like to work further on the process for myself because of the loss I have had in my life. I have suffered a great loss within the last nine years. I agree with the author about the experience with grief and losing a child and a parent has given me the ability to finish working through my issues. The scriptures of Lazarus allows me to look at death as an end of growth in natural rim but a new beginning in the spiritual. The key points of story are the time and the end of the story that we overcome through death. Being able to give someone the closure of losing a love one is the greatest gift that a person can give. I had to realize that I had to go on after the greatest loss of my life but God gave me the courage to keep living. I was riding home by myself and I heard the voice of God speak to me with the deepest of conviction: Now, you understand my feelings about my son whom I sacrificed for the world from that moment on I found strength in those words to help those who were suffering from a loss. The content of the book answered a lot of questions for me because I was given a method to actually go through the process and definitely face some the things I didn’t want to face with death. The textbook was a process of healing for me because I suffered loss during my last class and now I know that I am healing from the course. The course and content showed me if I had done the grief work and I honestly say at points I had not work through all of the stages of grief. Application The information from this book will influence how I will continue my own personal and professional growth process by aiding me to provide informative knowledge facts about death and dying to family, friends and clients. For example, there is a wealth of information concerning the â€Å"The Business of Dying in which I can provide help with the task of planning for funerals. I would aide my clients in researching the best options for life insurance so that they will be prepared if death does occur. I had a pastor express to me that one of the most common problems in the African American community is the lack of life insurance needed in order to provide the deceased family member a proper burial. He stated that at the last funeral he held in his church he had to take up an offering in order to assist the family with funeral expenses. I would like to offer grief support groups for parents who have lost their children. The increasing unrest happening in the different cities of our socie ty is being plagued with the deaths of African American children. There seems to be more of a need for grief support groups. While grieving for my son I was recommended to an organization called â€Å"The Bereaved Parents of the USA†. The organization was instrumental in guiding me as well as other bereaved parents through the bereavement process. The actions or changes that I plan to make in my career and personal life as a result of my learning are first to search out training programs that will train me to become an effective crisis response person. This book has demonstrated that death needs to be studied more in depth and that we should not be afraid of the unknown. I would like to volunteer in a church organization that provides trained individuals that are qualified to demonstrate the procedures that need to be used to in a crisis situation. I have an interest in researching what certifications will be needed to qualify to become a crisis response person. This book has furthered my commitment to become a bereavement counselor because I have had the experience and understand the pain which will allow me to help those who have begun this journey and I can walk with them to recovery. If given the chance, I would work with death and dying patients because I believe that they will see the love of God in me and I will offer a listening ear, a very open heart and the gift of laughter to those who need to be comforted in their time of sorrow. Reference Leming, M. R. Dickinson, G. E. (2011).Understanding dying, death, and bereavement (7th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.