Character description of Elizabeth from the novel book Pride and Essay

Character description of Elizabeth from the novel book Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - Essay Example At a ball, Lizzy Bennet is insulted by Mr.Darcy, when he refuses Mr.Bingely's offer of an introduction to her. But Lizzy reports this slight to her friends in jest. Her playful and easy going nature are revealed by this incident. When Lizzy and Jane are discussing Mr.Bingely's sisters, Lizzy shows herself to be very observant. Also according to the author, her judgment is not troubled by any self absorption and her temper is also not as pliant as her sister's. Lizzy's physical appearance is described as being light and pleasing by Mr.Darcy. Though he initially remarks that there is not one pleasing feature in her face, he admits that the intelligence in her dark eyes have a charm all their own which renders her face intelligent. Her manners are also said to be playful if not exactly fashionable. After his initial dislike, Mr.Darcy reverses his opinion and tries to get to know her better. But Lizzy sticks to her initial opinion of him and refuses to give him a chance. She is sarcastic in conversation with him and assumes that he is continuing to judge her poorly, not being aware of the reversal in his opinion. Sometime later an invitation arrives, asking Miss Jane to come to tea at Netherfield, the residence of Mr.Bingely. Due to a mishap she falls ill and is forced to stay the night.

Wangari Maathai Essay Example for Free

Wangari Maathai Essay Wangari Maathai’s Green Belt Movement has planted over 40 million trees all over Africa. Wangari Maathai was the first African women to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for her contributions to sustainable development, democracy, and peace and founded of the Green Belt Movement offers a refreshingly unique perspective on the challenges facing Africa. Wangari is loved by the people and she gain respect from them all. She helped and put forth the end to environment degradation. Forest’s need to used more sustainably and the government and individuals can reduce tropical deforestation. Wangari’s Green Belt Movement was the one that bought everyone together so that they can work as a team. Wangari became very important to the people of Kenya, Africa and the international community. There were some issues that Maathai felt strongly about that will affect other’s lives on a daily basis. One of the issues that Maathai is very active on the issue of environmental conservation. Due to her role in the environment and the Green Belt Movement there were more than 20 or 40 million trees that have been planted which lead to other countries to start a tree planting program that help people to care and learn to [plant trees. Women all over the world was helped by the examples that Maathai sets. Maathai has served as an inspiration for many in the fight for democratic rights and has especially encourage women to better their situations. The Green Belt Movement organizes rural women in Kenya to plant trees because some of the people there didn’t really take good care of the trees so they put effort that combats deforestation while they generate income for the community and promoting empowerment for women. Since Maathai founded the GBM over millions of trees have been planted and nearly over 30,000 women have been trained in forestry, food processing, beekeeping, and other sustainable and last is income generating activities. The GBM do have some challenges that they had to face until Maathai stepped in to do what she can do to help Kenya with the GBM and other problems that they have. Lydria Gathii is one of the Green Belt Movement volunteer helper that help the women form groups and show them how to form tree nurseries which do a very good job at helping others. With the poverty that’s going on in Kenya Maathai reducing poverty by opening a Women for change Facility to help young women in Kenya Africa face their sexual and reproductive health problems such as preventing AIDS and HIV. The income that the group of Kenyans have help with the organization by selling their seedlings and being educated about the environment and how to progressively save it. Maathai continuing to reduce poverty in Kenya one day at a time so that they won’t have to worry about anything. After everything that Maathai did for her country she died on September 25, 2011 at the age of 71 after a battle of ovarian cancer all her memories will live on. To use forests in a more sustainable way, humans must make use of quick return woods such as some pines and bamboo. Woodland gardening techniques, reusing wood products and finding wood substitute. Three ways in which governments and individuals can reduce tropical deforestation are supporting Eco- forestry where only the minimal needed trees are cut, recycling papers to reduce the need to cut down trees and using alternative products to wood, such as bamboo, which is a quickly self- replenishing resource with multiple uses. Another thing is to help sustain tropical forests of the world must be united to discourage deforestation and degradation. The effort of slow population growth, decrease/ eliminate world poverty and provide environmentally supportive government that subsidies and reduce the debts owed by the developing countries which place a monetary value on ecological services provided by tropical forests.

Othello’s Sinister Side Essay -- Othello essays

Othello’s Sinister Side  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   Shakespeare’s Othello, with its prolonged exposure to the evil mind of Iago, is difficult for some in the audience. Let’s consider the play’s evil aspect.    In the Introduction to The Folger Library General Reader’s Shakespeare, Louis B. Wright and Virginia A. LaMar explain the single, evil focus of the drama – the arch-villainy of the ancient:    Othello has been described as Shakespeare’s most perfect play. Critics of dramatic structure have praised it for its attention to the main theme without irrelevant distractions. Many Elizabethan plays had rambling subplots and much extraneous detail to amuse the groundlings. Othello avoids all irrelevancies and the action moves swiftly from the first scene to the denouement. We never get lost in a multiplicity of incidents or a multitude of characters. Our attention remains centered on the arch villainy of Iago and his plot to plant in Othello’s mind a corroding belief in his wife’s faithlessness. (viii)    Even the imagery in the drama has its evil aspect. Kenneth Muir, in the Introduction to William Shakespeare: Othello,   explains the instances of diabolic imagery in the play as they relate to the infecting of the Moor by the ancient:    The same transference from Iago to Othello may be observed in what S. L. Bethell called diabolic imagery. He estimated that of the 64 images relating to hell and damnation – many of them are allusions rather than strict images – Iago has 18 and Othello 26. But 14 of Iago’s are used in the first two Acts, and 25 of Othello's in the last three. The theme of hell originates with Iago and is transferred to Othello only when Iago has succeeded in infecting the Moor with his jealousy. (22) .. ...rsity. 1996. http://www.eiu.edu/~multilit/studyabroad/othello/othello_all.html No line nos.    Wayne, Valerie. â€Å"Historical Differences: Misogyny and Othello.† The Matter of Difference: Materialist Feminist Criticism of Shakespeare. Ed Valerie Wayne. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1991.    Wilson, H. S. On the Design of Shakespearean Tragedy. Canada: University of Toronto Press, 1957.    Wright, Louis B. and Virginia A. LaMar. â€Å"The Engaging Qualities of Othello.† Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Reprint from Introduction to The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice by William Shakespeare. N. p.: Simon and Schuster, Inc., 1957.    -- -- --. Introduction. The Folger Library General Reader’s Shakespeare: The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice. New York: Washington Square Press, 1957.

Consideration of Using a Linux Operating System

Organization will face an Infrastructure upgrade which will encompass an operating system as well a workstations upgrade. Because this occurrence requires a comprehensive survey of all options of new Operating Systems as well as workstations, it is necessary to consider whether a Linux Based system is appropriate for our organizational needs at this point. Introduction The purpose of this paper is to investigate the pros and cons of using Linux in both a server and workstation environment. During this investigation several Linux distributions will be scrutinized.This examination will disclose what is really accessory to convert to a true Linux environment and will also verify the feasibility of such action. All appropriate subject matter will be enclosed, Inclusive of, product reliability, total cost of ownership, training requirements, available support, as well as existing infrastructure. Each Linux distribution will be weighted based on their pros and cons to come to a final deter mination of which Linux distribution would best fit the needs of our organization. When all criterion have been measured there will be a final recommendation made for the final consideration of management.Table of Contents l. The consideration of using a Linux based system In our business A. The pros and cons to using Linux In the commercial environment B. How does Linux compare to other popular alternatives C. Other issues to consider before switching II. Bunt The pros and cons of using this system A. 1. Subunit 14. 04 LETS 2. Cost 3. Training 4. Ovenware B. Comparison of this distribution with others C. Final assessment for management Ill. Cents A. The pros and cons of using this system . Cents Linux Training ‘V. Use 1. USE Linux Enterprise Server 11 V. Final comprehensive assessment for management based on research

Missing White Woman Syndrome Essay

Missing white woman syndrome, also known as missing pretty girl syndrome, is a tongue-in-cheek term coined by some media critics to reference a form of media hype in which excessive news coverage is devoted to a specific missing or murdered white women and girls, while virtually ignoring missing men, non-white women, or other news stories. According to these critics, reporting of these stories often lasts for several days or weeks, sometimes even months, and displaces reporting on other current events that some people consider more newsworthy, such as economics and politics. This syndrome appears to be most prevalent in U. S. media, but famous examples can also be found elsewhere in the world, e. g. the United Kingdom. The essential features of a missing person said to give rise to Missing White Woman Syndrome are sex, her race, (relative) prettiness, and age. These features are said to provoke positive discrimination in the reporting as news of the disappearance of a young white woman, and so to increase public interest in her disappearance. Missing people claims that cases which generate greatest publicity are those where missing persons are white, middle-class, female and from stable two-parent families, and where is no indication that such a missing person ran away from home. A working-class boy or an older woman is less likely to receive news coverage. Even in cases where foul play is suspected, if the victim is male, is of Afro-Caribbean or Asian descent, is a prostitute, has drug problems, is a persistent runaway, or has been in foster care, reporters are said to decide that their readership is less likely to relate to or empathize with the victim, and they reduce their coverage accordingly. The typical profile that must be fit: blonde, attractive, if possible blue-eyed, young, petite, vivacious and of a middle class or higher economic background creates the cases of MPWW which involve every local or national news to provide regular daily coverage of any and all developments, accompanied by lengthy discussions about the meaning of such developments. Speculations about evidence, suspects, motives that caused the disappearance rise and family members are called in order to offer more information and to show pictures of the victim. As the story gains momentum and begins to pick up steam like a runaway locomotive more talk shows and news media search details and turn the event into a national issue. The typical case lasts for days, weeks, months, forever and ever resulting in some families creating a website about the case, or a reward is posted, flyers and leaflets are posted all over and cover all neighborhoods. However, if we take a look at the Doe Network, which is one of the resources that handles missing adult cases, we find out that: a) there are more missing black women in the US than women of all other races combined, b) there are more missing men than women, and c) there are far, far more missing long-term missing persons than most people even dream about. Moreover, from the news you would never know that most missing Americans are men, not women, that nearly a third of the missing are black, and that even ugliness will not save a woman from becoming missing and turning up dead. [pic] Missing People Chart. [pic]http://abagond. wordpress. com/2007/12/27/the-missing-white-woman-syndrome/ The Missing White Woman Syndrome should be taken into account and treated as a huge problem, but at times some cases are emphasize more than others and thus discrimination appears. What is more, â€Å"Missing White Woman Syndrome† seems to be interjecting racism into a situation that is much more complex than simple racism, as very often the disappearance of black women is neglected or if at the same time a white woman and a black one are reported missing it is only the white one that catches the media attention and soon becomes national news. Some critics say that pretty, white damsels in distress draw viewers, whereas missing women who are black, Latino, Asian, old, fat or ugly do not. For example, in May 2004, a young black woman was missing. It was not until 14 months later that they found her body. Her aunt worked in public relations but the press was not all that interested. Yet during all those months, when she went missing cable news went on and on about other missing women who were white. So, it could be the media’s fault for not covering every subject properly, and at times this does not resume just to Missing White Woman Syndrome, but to other news as well. It is a matter of interpretation of every situation and the media tends to draw the attention upon a certain area of a subject so that it should turn the whole thing into a business as it is often considered. For example, an automobile accident that kills five people is â€Å"newsworthy†, but five separate fatalities are not. A coal mine accident that kills a dozen is covered by every media outlet, but scores of miners who die from black lung every year are ignored. It is the shocking news that get the attention, as a means of manipulating the audience. Some claim that the media offers its viewers what they want, as it is like any other market driven much the same way that demand for certain automobiles drives production. It is said that is not just pretty white women, because people are drawn to stories about â€Å"pretty† people in general. Good looking actors get more face time than not so goof looking ones. Overweight people are now the majority in the U. S. , yet â€Å"full figured† models don’t turn up in Victoria Secret magazines. A plump homely missing child will likely not draw the attention that a good looking child would. Maybe people are drawn to â€Å"attractive†, because it is what we want to be. Then when bad things happen to attractive people we feel bad because something happened to the concept of what we’d like to see ourselves as – attractive. Attractive is pleasing to the eye and to the mind, and we are drawn to the things that please us†¦ Government intervention could be the only solution, if it subsidized the news media to insure the reporting of certain events even though they may not be in demand. However, there are opponents who claim that this is a social matter and not an economic one, mainly focused on racism and the way it is still perceived in America. Missing White Woman Syndrome is spread not only in the United States, but in other countries as well and it apparently attract millions of viewers. During the last year in Romania there ahs been a continuous debate on a similar case of a missing white woman, a lawyer, whose case has been analyzed from every angle and it is still discussed. Some even say that it became a brand, as there was a TV-show that kept up with all the details of the case. In the meanwhile many other teenagers or children have gone missing but the attention is still drawn to this never-ending case that some even consider not to be true. There is also the cult of true womanhood which teaches that white women are to be rescued, therefore they are helpless and in need of protection, while black women are assumed as being â€Å"in control† of the situation. It is a matter of perception upon the entire world, thus including prejudices and mentalities that grow into racism and into different forms of seeing others of a different race or sex or social status as capable of certain things. Here we could mention the view of people on a missing black woman who is later found dead, as either a drug addict or an easy woman. The questions â€Å"How do you save a black man from drowning? You take off your foot of his head. † and â€Å"What do you get if a white man falls of a skyscraper? Who cares. † best summon the idea that it is spread worldwide not just on the Missing White Woman Syndrome, but in other cases of discrimination and also national opinion upon a certain topic. The abagond. wordpress. com refers to the missing white woman syndrome as â€Å"missing pretty girls syndrome† or â€Å"damsel in distress syndrome† and it also makes references of TV episodes where the syndrome was clearly present. That is in â€Å"Without a Trace† episode â€Å"White Balance† in which the agents investigate two cases: that of a white teenage girl and that of a black teenage boy. They must cope with the white girl’s case getting constant attention and the black boy’s getting none. The episode concludes with a No Ending, as we are told that one lives and one dies, but not which is which. In one episode of â€Å"Law and Order Criminal Intent†, the disappearance of a white girl on a school trip becomes the subject of a media frenzy, and is eventually tied to the disappearance of a local black girl. The mother of the black girl accuses the authorities of coming to her only when her daughter’s disappearance was tied up with the white girl’s. The msnbc. msn. com refers to unconscious bias stating that â€Å"Quoting those FBI statistics – its like saying ‘99percent of the nations in the world are not at war, so why are focusing on the war? ’ But Iraq is an extraordinary event involving Americans† said Mark Effron, vice president of news at MSNBC TV. â€Å"What makes news is the unexpected. † Also, ironically the site gives another quote which refers to the Missing White Woman Syndrome, that is â€Å"If you are missing, it helps to be young, white, female. † Maybe this statement should raise a question mark that can make everyone see the real meaning of this â€Å"syndrome† that does not occur only among white women, but among black or Asian women as well, thus making all of them equal in front of the world and in the media articles. CNN has often been accused of not taking into account all missing cases and of observing and broadcasting only those of white pretty women, ignoring missing black women. The news media does not only entertain viewers, but also sells newspapers and you rarely, if ever, see in the news a woman â€Å"of color† who has gone missing. The Missing White Woman Syndrome is another embodiment of racism that makes you concentrate only on a small part of the problem and thus ignore the rest as if it never exists. There are thousands of people who go missing every day, but who, for not fitting the profile do not make it to the front page or the news. Those attractive women who are reported try to create that perfect image of the world where everyone seeks the beauty and the perfection and these cases of disappearances or deaths often ruin or at least shake the confidence in these stereotypes. But it is very clear that one does not have to be young, blonde and blue-eyed in order to be abducted and moreover breaking the news does not necessarily help bring back the missing person. Here is a matter of police involvement as well and the way in which authorities do everything in their power to find whoever has gone missing. Nevertheless, it is somehow ironical how statistics show that there are more males missing than women, and yet rarely are these cases reported. The percentage of missing white women is not higher than that of black women, but we only speak about a Missing White Woman Syndrome and not about a Missing Black Woman Syndrome. There are also a lot of children gone missing and most of them are not blond, blue-eyed and yet they are those who everyone talks about and even become icons of the â€Å"syndrome†. It is a creation of a fake world where we only focus on what we want to see and not on what there really is out there. Bibliography: www. msnbc. msn. com www. tvtropes. org www. abagond. wordpress. com Monica Radu, 1st year student of American Studies.

IKEA Marketing Case Study Essay Example

IKEA Marketing Case Study Essay Example IKEA Marketing Case Study Paper IKEA Marketing Case Study Paper Burke Case Analysis weaknesses (positioning, weak online sales, etc. ) in the U. S market into a great opportunities. Define the Problem: Adapting to an ever-aging U. S market where the only thing constant, is change. KEA must develop ways to change and position themselves in a way that they are ahead of the power- curve. With companies that have many more locations and convenient one-stop- shopping such as Target and Walter; KEA must develop a competitive market advantage (that spans beyond simply cost and modern product). Furthermore, KEA must overcome the stigma of being a do-it-yourself retailer in order to compete with companies with whom have reputations and a long history of success such as Home Depot. Background of the Situation: KEA has multiple strengths including: A modern image. A green image. A highly efficient operation that is 51 percent self-sufficient. A 7 percent annual growth rate An anti-bureaucratic image that is promulgated by upper management working in hands on Jobs (cashiers, loaders, etc. ) Ahead of the game with a daycare and restaurants to keep customers in the store longer KEA also has several weaknesses: Marketing in primary countries that is not conducive to the U. Gs conservative ways. Average U. S consumer not being the best target for the do-it-yourself approach. Their ways as far as how they market (word of mouth) Kikes sub-par website forces consumers to shop at the nearest location. Not a well trusted name for products such as mattresses Opportunities: Although there are many elderly individuals who do not like the DID approach there are a vast number of young adults, who can be targeted to become lifelong customers. Threats: Losing market-share to larger retailers. More trusted companies following Kikes trend and stealing from the market share Metric to Test Success: KEA targets market segments based on the following: age, lifestyle, the benefit the buyer is seeking, and the income level. For my solution, I believe the metric for success is simply; do over 66% of my college aged students return every 2 to 4 years. Furthermore, does this happen at least twice? An example is when a young adult completes his or her undergrad, do they return to purchase starter furniture(for a first rented apartment or first purchased home) ? Key Issues: High cost of simply adding more brick and mortar locations Even with 9500 different products, customization is still important Solution 1 . ) Simply adding several brick and mortar locations on top of the existing 38 current U. S locations is both costly and a long fix to a problem that may hold a quicker solution. Positives: More locations to operate means larger market to serve (potentially) Would be easier to ship to more places Negatives: High cost of building Time spent is money spent All orders would be shipped from on central distribution center in the Midwest (cost would be the deciding factor of the final location. More focus on countries with a larger market. Easy distribution from a single point Giving away potential buyers and potential customers. Furthermore, some customers you have already acquired and could be life long customers. Solution 3. ) Creating electronic kiosks supplemented by a rep that can travel to large college campuses within a sixty mile radius of college campuses. These Kiosks can feature the same AD benefits of the existing app, such as dimensions and multiple angles. This furniture would be customizable with University specific covers that would not effect that packaging of Kikes already well efficiently cadged, shipped, stored, and distributed products. Orders of a certain cost would then be delivered and assembled free of charge. Can test to see how much customization would really impact U. S consumers. Much more cost effective than building new locations. Targeting customers that may otherwise not purchase furniture due to the extraneous amount of travel Shifting away from the do it yourself stigma by having products assembled on site Potentially creating lifelong customers. Cost of delivery and assembly Liability of delivery and assembly Additional cost of University specific colors and covers may not outweigh the

Artical Summary on Critical Thinking

Artical Summary on Critical Thinking PAGE 1 Article Summary PAGE PAGE 1 Article SummaryArticle Summary on Critical ThinkingSarah Julie HarrisUniversity Of PhoenixMGT 350Carolyn DrahosNovember 5, 2003Article Summary on Critical ThinkingKeys to critical ThinkingMaking the right decision over senior executive appointment can be very difficult. Leadership skills and critical decision making ability are arguably the two core competencies which distinguish the truly successful business leaders. Some may state that this potent nexus of innate attributes, one of which is intellectual and the other emotional have always been present in the make up of great business leaders. Managers or business leaders who continue to learn and accept change in external/internal elements has the ability to increase business performance. The achieving results come from the internal drive and less from a commitment. The future leaders create a culture of empowerment. Most business managers see critical decision making skills as essential to a com pany's success.Rethink Mental IllnessExcept in times of stress, personal problem, mental illness business leaders should beware while assessing issues (Helliwell, 2000, text).Rick Helliwell's argument was "making the right recruitment decision over a critical senior executive appointment can be very difficult" (para .1). Wrong decision can result in loss in business sales or no values in company culture. The author made assumption the successful business leaders are notice by possessing quality leadership skills with critical decision making ability. The high connection of natural abilities associates with intellectual and emotional are personalities in successful business leaders relates to the logic. The author has a perception that in today's business requires talented, leaders who continue to learn with motivation for quality performances. Based on emotion, Rick Helliwell (2000) said, "Achieving results comes from the executive internal drive" (para. 6) or personal motivation. H e also used exceptions or fallacy that...

How Close to the ACT Should You Take a Practice Test

How Close to the ACT Should You Take a Practice Test SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips It’s extremely important to take full-length practice tests under realistic conditions when studying for the ACT. However, you need to make sure you’re getting the full benefit by spacing out the practice tests correctly. In this article, we'll discuss both the earliest and the latest you should consider taking full ACT practice tests. feature image credit: Smell!/used under CC BY 2.0/Cropped from original How Early Should You Take A Practice Test? There really isn’t any harm that can come out of taking a practice test long before the ACT as long as you’re planning on taking additional practice tests or studying more afterwards. In fact, taking a practice test at the very beginning of your studying is a good idea because it’ll give you an idea of what your current score would be if you took the ACT and what your weak spots are. Ideally, you’ll also take other practice tests over the course of your studying to assess your progress and determine if your studying is making a difference. If you’re only planning on taking one practice test before the real test, just to familiarize yourself with the format and instructions, then the earliest we recommend taking it is seven to eight days before your test; any earlier and you’ll start to forget things, cancelling out any value taking the practice test might have had for you. Again, this seven to eight day recommendation is assuming you’re only taking one practice test without any further studying; if you are planning on studying after taking your first practice test and taking more practice tests, then the next section of this article is more relevant for you. How Late Can You Take an ACT Practice Test? While taking realistic practice tests is an important part of ACT preparation, you don’t want to take a practice test too close to the test or it might have a bad effect on your morale (and, consequently, on your test score). If you do well on the practice test, it might artificially boost your self-confidence and cause you to make careless errors on the real test if you think you can just coast through. On the other hand, if you do poorly, it will just make you more stressed and anxious without giving you time to address those anxieties through studying, which in turn might cause you to second guess yourself and run out off time on the real test. 020/Used under CC BY 2.0/Cropped from original. Don't let this be you on test day! The latest that you take a practice test, therefore, should be the amount of time before the test that still allows you time to review your wrong answers and do some practice drills of questions you struggle with. When exactly this is will vary from student to student, but in general, we recommend taking your last practice test no fewer than two to three days before your scheduled test date. That means that if you’re taking a test on Saturday, the last full-length realistic practice test you take should be on Wednesday or Thursday of that week. It's important to keep in mind, however, that taking a full-length practice test with realistic timing is difficult on a schoolnight; plus, you don’t get the benefits of taking the test in the morning (and getting a realistic idea of what it’ll feel like to take the test early in the day). The Saturday or Sunday before the test, then, is the last chance you have to take a fully realistic practice test. Monday-Thursday before the test, you can try taking a full test or taking it section by section with a few sections grouped together, but be wary of unrealistic conditions because you're taking it in the evening and not all at once. An hour or so of practice is helpful the day before the test, as is(for non-anxious test-takers) doing a couple of practice questions before the test. What’s Next? Now that you know when to take ACT practice tests, where can you find them? Try our massive collection of online ACT practice tests, or just go straight to our collection of free printable ACT Practice Test PDFs. Looking to invest in a book for ACT prep? Read through our rundown of the best ACT prep books here. Want to complement your collection of ACT practice tests with some sample ACT questions? We have a list of great alternative sources of ACT prep material. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes your prep program to your strengths and weaknesses. We also have expert instructors who can grade every one of your practice ACT essays, giving feedback on how to improve your score. Check out our 5-day free trial:

If assisted suicide is to be permitted, it is essential that Essay

If assisted suicide is to be permitted, it is essential that parliament decides on legislation which, apart from the permission - Essay Example Passive euthanasia on the other hand is not by performing the act itself, but allowing someone to commit suicide. Passive euthanasia therefore is much easily accepted as compared to active euthanasia. Euthanasia by omission is the act wherein a person intentionally hastens the death of someone by not providing normal needs like food and water, and other needs that could prolong life. There also different classifications of euthanasia, there is voluntary, involuntary and non-voluntary. Euthanasia is voluntary if the patient made the request to die. If a patient for example made no actual request due to the incapability to express it, either by the severity of illness or unfit mental state, then it will be non-voluntary. The third classification is when a patient expresses a desire to live but is killed or allowed to die anyway; it is then called involuntary euthanasia. However, there are opposing views on passive euthanasia. Many claims that this type does not intend to take life and is therefore cannot be classified as such. Failure to treat a patient due to the knowledge that it will not help the patient and stopping treatments that are not effective and is not wanted or just proves to be a burden to the patient are in this category, 1 as well as giving fatal doses of pain-killers due to the patient’s need for it to alleviate pain. These practices are in fact considered as good medical practices by the law when done right. England is probably one of the latest to tackle the ethical issues regarding assisted suicide. A number of nations in Europe such as Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg have legalized different forms of physician-assisted suicide in the past few years. In the U.S., the state of Oregon has also legalized this practice, by permitting doctors to prescribe fatal doses of medicine to mentally capable but fatally ill patients. The current law in England pertaining to assisted suicide, under the 961 Suicide Act, entails that encouraging or a ssisting in a suicide can face up 14 years of imprisonment. Unfortunately, it has been found that more than a hundred United Kingdom citizens opted to travel to other places in order to end their lives.2 Recently Debbie Purdy, a patient with multiple sclerosis appealed to the House of Lords which ruled after the hearing, that there is a need for greater clarity. Purdy wanted to know if her husband will be prosecuted if he will help her to go abroad to die. Draft guidance was published by Keir Starmer, the director of public prosecutions, soon after, acting out of his own free will and despite his lack of authority to change the law. The draft though has been taken into effect right away. Starmer laid down factors that could possibly influence the possible prosecution of a person which has now been updated after a consultation that received approximately 5000 submissions. Factors that are to be considered before prosecution includes whether the patient made a voluntary decision, if i s well-informed and if he is settled with the action to be undertaken. The motivation and agenda of the accused must also be emphasized, acting entirely out of compassion and not for any financial purposes or gain of it. The set of guides are intended to make individuals with a death wish dwell on whether the person they are asking help from will need to face prosecution or not. However, this guide offers no guarantees

The Amish Way of Life and Culture Research Paper

The Amish Way of Life and Culture - Research Paper Example The first is the pity on a person who would not take advantage of technological advancements to ease the burden of his life and will lack the distinctiveness of individuality and modernization to decide his own way towards progress. The other view is the honesty, integrity and qualities of the saint hood in the Amish culture and traditions that portray them as the only true Christians remained on earth. The stagnant nature of Amish society has turned it into a tourist attraction but by no means neither are an archaeological discovery nor are the relics of a forgotten world. The only thing is that they have evolved their own perspective about the modernization of the other large cultures and have learned their own way to life in homogeneity with the larger society. They exhibit a deviating strategy of modernization than others (Kraybill, 2001). So called civilized ways have as always been in disagreement with Amish ways of life and culture as decades ago. The argument that Amish impos e greater fatigue and stress on themselves and their generations by denying use of modern technology to ease life or that they really want a more simple life needs validation. Survival, increase in life expectancy and transformation of tribes into rural and urban societies has been taught by the developments in the civilizations. However, Amish ways have taught us the cost of human life, when children leave their parents to old homage, people estrange from neighbors and spiritual and traditional life is cast away in paced forward life style (Hostetler, 1993). The purpose of this report is to communicate the Amish way of life and culture to equip reader with the comprehensive knowledge and place him in a position where he can develop an understanding of diversity in human cultures. The reports focuses on the formulation of Amish believes, development of communal life, ability to avoid rapid modernization, and consequences of a slow changing society. The Amish History Hostetler (1993) is of the view that most of the followers of the European history are well aware of religious movement Protestant Reformations in 16th century led by Martin Luther with aim to counter the imprudent and lavish expenses of the church. However, in the same time another significant movement was in place to reform the church based on religious teachings of Christianity in around 1525 originated at Zurich led by Ulrich Zwingli. This group was formally named as Brethren, also known as Anabaptists meaning rebaptizers. The major principle of this group was to baptized volunteer adults rather than children and distance from the worldly desires. The aim of Brethren was to form a church free from any state and political influences. Soon after its formation, the movement grew rapidly and its members were persecuted both by Roman church and by the faction of Martin Luther, who felt threatened by their ideology and radicalism. The consequences of these persecutions were prayers at night and meeti ngs at secret places. This is often viewed as a strong reason of their withdrawal from society. In the beginning there were indeed no influential leaders, thus the movement remained divided among different factions each with their own agenda and path to achieve it. One of the most renowned Anabaptist leaders was Menno Simons, who joined the movement in 1536. He made many efforts to unite all the factions of the Anabaptist movement under one umbrella. His followers are now known as Mennonites (Hostetler,

Profile of the origins and appeal of pilgrimages today Coursework

Profile of the origins and appeal of pilgrimages today - Coursework Example Up to the 4th century, when there was a paradigm shift and Christianity became legal, pilgrimage was considered as a purely pagan practice. Christianity in the 4th was controlled in its premature stage by the Constantine the â€Å"Great and the First Council of Nicaea of 325†. This was a contemplative practice since it made Christianity the national church in the Roman Empire. However, on the contrary to the widespread knowledge, the origin of the pilgrimage tradition in Christianity can be traced back to the initial years of the Church. The Christians wanted to visit the places where Jesus was born and resurrected such as Jerusalem and Bethlehem. In the 7th century, the holy lands were taken by Muslim Caliphates, making the pilgrimage a dangerous undertaking for Christians. The Crusaders successfully secured Christian access to the areas during the 12th century. Nonetheless, in the 13th century the area was retaken by the Ayubiddis, maintaining the status quo that had existed before the crusaders came. Hajj is perhaps the most famous pilgrimage tradition of our time. Various research articles point to the fact that the Mecca pilgrimage rituals trace way back to the days of Abraham. These days are considered as the once that generated the spiritual journey that every Muslim faithful is expected to undertake, at least once in his/her lifetime. Nevertheless, the patterns of this ritual that are being witnessed today were established by their prophet Muhammad. A pilgrimage journey is one that is motivated by internal contemplative needs. The objectives of conducting these missions may vary, but all of them are motivated by spiritual anticipations. For instance, when the early Christians went to Rome and Jerusalem, this was a way of showing penitence. This act was essentially to match the spiritual objectives by the Christians. Mother Teresa of Avilla also augmented this argument when she reckoned that the internal spiritual journey was a

Contemporary Trust Law Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Contemporary Trust Law - Assignment Example If there are no beneficiaries with equitable interests in the trust assets, there is in theory no one "in whose favour the court can decree specific performance": Morice v Bishop of Durham (1804) 9 Ves.399. The complexity, of course, with this approach is that it frustrates the requirements of a settler or testator, who may want to profit a legitimate public object or useful social experiment which does not fall stringently within the definition of charity. A trust, for example, for the promotion of a particular sport (such as angling or yacht racing) is not charitable unless linked to education: Re Nottage [1895] 2 Ch. 649 and Re Clifford [1912] 1 Ch. 29. Similarly, a trust to be relevant income for the purposes of research into a proposed new alphabet also falls outside the description of charity: Re Shaw [1957] 1 W.L.R. 729. To what extent, however, is it legitimate to use the mechanism of a trust for the haulage out of mere purposes where there are no beneficiaries vested with equitable ownership in the trust property The law that a valid trust "must be for the benefit of individuals" (Bowman v Secular Society Ltd [1917] A.C. 406, 441, per Lord Parker) is not complete. A trust for charitable purposes is valid even with the absence of an equitable beneficial owner to put into effect the trust. Here, of course, it is the Crown (acting through the Attorney-General or the Charity Commissioners) who takes on the role of parens patriae on behalf of the public at large. Apart from this, there are several well-known "inconsistent" exceptions, classified by Lord Evershed M.R. in Re Endacott [1960] Ch. 232, where the trustee may perform the terms of the trust if he so wishes, but the court will not compel him to do so. These so-called "trusts of imperfect obligation" comprise (1) trusts for the creation of monuments and graves; (2) trusts for the saying of masses; and (3) trusts for the maintenance of particular animals. They will be valid (though unenforceable) provided they do not offend the rule against continuous trusts. Presumably, in the dearth of a beneficiary, the trustee is mutually the legal and beneficial owner of the trust property so that, if he fails or refuses to carry out the trust, the property will relapse back to the testator's residuary estate upon a resulting trust as to both the legal and equitable title. In reality, there is no trust here at all, rather a meagre power to apply for the stated purposes, with a contribution over or a resulting trust in evasion of exercise of the power. There are, of course, other cases where there may be a conviction despite the lack of an equitable owner. The understandable example is that of a discretionary trust in favour of a large class which is too large to list but, nevertheless, theoretically certain in definition. In the same way, there is no equitable title to the estate of a deceased person until such time as the administration is completed. The personal representatives are simply the legal owners during the administration

Causes of the Global Financial Crisis and its impacts Assignment

Causes of the Global Financial Crisis and its impacts - Assignment Example At present, we still face the effects caused by this financial crisis, and much like the previous Great Depression which became a matter of educational importance for students to analyze; a great amount of thought has been dedicated to understanding the factors that eventually led to this economic breakdown. While analyst like Wendell Cox  have distinguished the cause into two broad categories, one being the Profligate lending that led to losses, (Macro-Economics) and the other being the excessive land use regulation exacerbated losses, (Micro-Economics). However, the entire process of the economic meltdown is a series of chain reactions, each policy directly or indirectly leading to the other and causing the system to collapse like a set of dominos. (Report, 2008) If we start at beginning of one of these chains, we find out that the period between 2000 and 2007 saw a marked increase in savings, all of which were available to be invested somewhere. At one point in 2007, the Global Pool of fixed securities increased from $36trillion to $70trillion. (Labonte, 2008) . Investors started searching for new alternatives around the globe where they could apply these savings. This caused a bridge to emerge between these investors and the policy controlling and regulating mechanisms established around the globe. This unauthentication and absence of transparency caused bubble after bubble to be created, each one waiting to burst at any moment. One such target became the housing sector as well, where extensive amount of investments were made and the housing bubble was created, particularly in the US which was soon to meet the expected fate of any economic bubble. To add to this was the fact that mortgage funding was made very easily available for everyone, at low interest rates and with reduction in the standards of regulation previously considered before approving a mortgage loan. This meant that even people who did not previously qualify for these loans (subprime) coul d now afford the expensive houses. The mortgage broker also extracted his benefit from this process. While he is awarded a fee for every mortgage that he passes, these brokers began to push their guidelines limit and award loans to even those who did not meet the qualification to pay them back. The â€Å"prime† borrowers were also able to extract advantage by taking larger loans than they could previously. So when these people were unable to pay back their loans, the mortgage market faced an unaccounted crisis and the series of failure of firms began. (Murphy, n.d.). House prices were skyrocketing, people investing in the housing sector were increasing exponentially, and it was only a matter of time till the bubble burst and this is exactly what happened. The interest rates began to increase, homeowners were unable to pay their mortgage installments, the default on the mortgages grew, and the house prices began to fall. The collapse of the US housing market went on to impact the global financial sectors. The â€Å"Credit Crunch† as it is called, was the loss of confidence by the US investors in the value of sub-prime mortgages and this led to a liquidity crisis. (Referencing). A bailout package was needed. The US Federal Bank invested a grand amount of capital into the financial markets. But nothing could help avoid the crash of the stock markets and the banking sector. The government proposed a $700billion rescue plan, but

Management of Information and Operations Flow Essay

Management of Information and Operations Flow - Essay Example British Airways has adopted Astute Solutions to improve its flow of operations. While Astute ensures delivery of excellent responsiveness across BA’s global area network, Lean can be used to optimize the process. The focus should be on customers’ satisfaction through high-quality service provision. Carlzon (1987, p. 59) observes that the only true assets of the airline are its customers. The airline information and process flow should be focused on the customer. A smooth flow of the process cannot be achieved without an efficient and reliable operations process. British Airways is the leading United Kingdom International scheduled airline flying over 36 million passengers in over 216 destinations annually (British Airways 2014, p. 1). BA operates a fleet of 240 aircraft (Airbus and Boeing). Effective management of information and operations flow has propelled British Airways to the status of one of the most profitable airlines in the world. At one time, British Airways was the leading airline in terms of profitability. In 1996, British Airways overtook Singapore International Airways to become the global leader in profitability. However, towards the end of the millennium BA’s profits slackened, and it recorded the worst financial results in 18 years. BA Operational Research group that is considered to be the largest private sector research group in the UK played a great role in directing a change that helped BA to rise in terms of operations and profitability. Changes in operations included operations planning and delivery, flight and services, and crew resources. During the same challenging period (2000-2003), BA adopted Lean in order to avoid being pushed out of business. However, since its implementation, a loss of focus on the model of the management has been witnessed.

Causes of the Global Financial Crisis and its impacts Assignment

Causes of the Global Financial Crisis and its impacts - Assignment Example At present, we still face the effects caused by this financial crisis, and much like the previous Great Depression which became a matter of educational importance for students to analyze; a great amount of thought has been dedicated to understanding the factors that eventually led to this economic breakdown. While analyst like Wendell Cox  have distinguished the cause into two broad categories, one being the Profligate lending that led to losses, (Macro-Economics) and the other being the excessive land use regulation exacerbated losses, (Micro-Economics). However, the entire process of the economic meltdown is a series of chain reactions, each policy directly or indirectly leading to the other and causing the system to collapse like a set of dominos. (Report, 2008) If we start at beginning of one of these chains, we find out that the period between 2000 and 2007 saw a marked increase in savings, all of which were available to be invested somewhere. At one point in 2007, the Global Pool of fixed securities increased from $36trillion to $70trillion. (Labonte, 2008) . Investors started searching for new alternatives around the globe where they could apply these savings. This caused a bridge to emerge between these investors and the policy controlling and regulating mechanisms established around the globe. This unauthentication and absence of transparency caused bubble after bubble to be created, each one waiting to burst at any moment. One such target became the housing sector as well, where extensive amount of investments were made and the housing bubble was created, particularly in the US which was soon to meet the expected fate of any economic bubble. To add to this was the fact that mortgage funding was made very easily available for everyone, at low interest rates and with reduction in the standards of regulation previously considered before approving a mortgage loan. This meant that even people who did not previously qualify for these loans (subprime) coul d now afford the expensive houses. The mortgage broker also extracted his benefit from this process. While he is awarded a fee for every mortgage that he passes, these brokers began to push their guidelines limit and award loans to even those who did not meet the qualification to pay them back. The â€Å"prime† borrowers were also able to extract advantage by taking larger loans than they could previously. So when these people were unable to pay back their loans, the mortgage market faced an unaccounted crisis and the series of failure of firms began. (Murphy, n.d.). House prices were skyrocketing, people investing in the housing sector were increasing exponentially, and it was only a matter of time till the bubble burst and this is exactly what happened. The interest rates began to increase, homeowners were unable to pay their mortgage installments, the default on the mortgages grew, and the house prices began to fall. The collapse of the US housing market went on to impact the global financial sectors. The â€Å"Credit Crunch† as it is called, was the loss of confidence by the US investors in the value of sub-prime mortgages and this led to a liquidity crisis. (Referencing). A bailout package was needed. The US Federal Bank invested a grand amount of capital into the financial markets. But nothing could help avoid the crash of the stock markets and the banking sector. The government proposed a $700billion rescue plan, but

Land law coursework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Land law coursework - Essay Example The law in general can take various forms like land law, property law, criminal law, constitutional law and administrative law among others. The rule of law, as is has been perceived, is always better for the society compared to the law of any individual. It is observed in the case that Teresa has won a huge sum in the lottery. She decides to make certain investment with the amount that she has own. With that intention, she purchases a Splendour House at the middle of the town. The house that Teresa has purchased was in the sole name of James. As it is said in the case that house was duly transferred to Teresa’s name in the month of August of 2009 and was also registered in her name. Therefore, as it applies from the course of events that it is a mere straight forward case in favour of the new owner, Teresa. But that is not the case. There are three different parties involved those have interest with the Splendour House and they claim to have certain rights upon the house. Roberta is the step mother of James. Though step mother, it seems from the case that she has stable relationship with James, the previous owner of the Splendour House. Roberta has been an independent and wealthy lady by herself. Her relationship with the house is that she often comes to the house to stay as and when she feels that she needs a break from her husband, Edward, as they are not having the best of the relations. Her interest of the house is also guided by the fact that she had contributed almost 25 % of the purchase price at the time of the purchase of the house by James. Also, it is clarified that an express trust was drawn up for her interest. Now the question is that whether Roberta still holds her right even after the house is sold to Teresa. Though, Roberta helped James while the purchase of the house but the fact is that the house was in the sole name of James. There is no legal document

The Odyssey Essay Example for Free

The Odyssey Essay The passage that Homer exquisitely wrote in The Odyssey was in Book 5, lines 309-323. Homers techniques established an image that could never be forgotten. In this passage, Odysseus was being dragged down to the sea by Poseidon. The sea god was furious that all the other gods were in his favor. Odysseus talked to himself and wondered out loud, Rag of man that I am, is this the end of me? (V, 309) Irony was a method Homer utilized to convey the message of helplessness. Odysseus has used trickery and deception during his Journey. The sneaky hero went under disguise as a beggar with rags. The great, humble man categorized himself to the lowest position. Its intriguing when Odysseus seems to regret and reflect about the past- lucky those Danaans were who perished should have had a soldiers burial and praise from the Akhaians-not this choking waiting for me at sea, unmarked and lonely. (V, 316-323) Odysseus doesnt seem to be afraid of death. He does not ask for Poseidons forgiveness. The only thing he regrets the most is being unable to be recognized for his accomplishments. Usually, Odysseus is the victor of his odyssey. Now, he has lost control to the waters. To exemplify the mood, Homer inserted caesuras. The section Would God l, too, had died there-met my end (V, 317) is heart-wrenching. When I read this sentence, I had to hold my breath for the long pause. Odysseus sounded as if he was reflecting what could have been in a different scenario. Another event that was potentially touching was in Book 23, lines 258-264. The passage wasnt sappy. Penelope was filled with suspense after dealing with the foolish suitors in the past. She said, mfou make my stiff heart know that I am yours. (XXIII, 258) It wasnt her fault she could not trust Odysseus at first. When she had an epiphany and trusted Odysseus, they melted into each others arms. Their longing for each other had been quenched at last. Homer provided a brief recap of Odysseus adventures preceding his arrival in Ithaka- a swimmer spent in rough water where his ship went down under Poseidons blows, gale winds and tons of sea. (XXIII, 263-266) Although this passage was relieving, the passage where Odysseus was in a errifying situation had more zest. This piece had Odysseus at his weakest. He was on his own, worried about not being found. While Odysseus contemplated, there were no gods present to assist him yet; he would have to use his clever abilities to think of a way to survive. Although its common to find instances where Odysseus is the supreme leader and in control, its rare to see Odysseus break down. Odysseus broke away from his impassive armor in both passages. However, when Odysseus is alone, the reader truly understands Odysseus true self. Odysseus reflection (V, 309-323) included a major theme of The Odyssey- loneliness. Each character had a need for others and a home. Penelope cried over her missing husband, Telemakhos has only heard of the great legends of his father, and Odysseus mother died because of her son. Mortals are not the only group that can feel forsaken or alone. Gods/immortals can feel that way, too. Calypso, the sea nymph, was furious at the gods for taking away Odysseus from her. She claimed it not to be fair- Oh you vile gods, in Jealous sepernal! You nate It wnen we cnoose to Ile wltn men ( 24-125) It seems as IT Odysseus is the missing piece to everyones problems. The theme of loneliness extracts another major matter-endurance. Odysseus proved himself to be a brave warrior of surviving his loneliness. Penelope endured the suitors aggravating stay. Telemakhos had not faced any major hardships, but he did survive without a father. Odysseus has iron determination. Odysseus perseverance that came after a near- death experience of chilling loneliness helped him return to Ithaka and reunite with his loved ones.

Audit of Injuries in Cricket

Audit of Injuries in Cricket An Audit of Injuries in Cricket in Scotland in the 2008 Season Abstract Cricket is a popular sport played and followed by millions around the globe. It is a relatively non contact sport with a low to moderate risk of injury. However, in the last decade, the incidence of injury has been shown to be on the rise. This is possibly due to increase in workload for the modern cricketer. Aim of the study The aim of the study was to audit the prevalence and patterns of injuries in cricket in Scotland over a complete season. A study of this nature has never been undertaken in Scotland. This study will act as pilot study for a long term injury surveillance program in Scottish cricket. Cricket researchers have long been in favour of a ‘world cricket injury surveillance report. This study, we reckon, will contribute to such a report when undertaken. Methods A questionnaire was sent to Cricket Scotland who in turn engaged 150 professional cricket players from the Scottish international team, SNCL Premier League, SNCL division I and division II. Involvement of the team coaches through the initiative of Cricket Scotland was sought to increase the compliance for return of the questionnaire. Results We received feedback from 26 of the 150 players that we approached. The numbers of injuries reported throughout the season were 18. An increased prevalence of injuries was apparent at the start of the season with 27% of all injuries occurring in April. Of all the players, 42% suffered injuries at some point of time during the season. Most of the injuries (66%) occurred in match situations. Acute injuries accounted for 60% of the. As expected, bowling was responsible for 36.84% of injuries while fielding caused 52.36% of injuries. Upper limb injuries contributed to 57.89% of the injuries. Finger injuries in the form of fractures or contusions had a prevalence rate of 15.29%. Lower limb injuries accounted for 31.58% of all injuries with knee and shin stress fracture being more common. Hamstring injuries having prevalence rate 16.67%. During the entire season, there was not a single case of head, neck or face injury. Midsection injuries accounted for 10.53 % of injuries with 5.26% prevalence rate for side or abdominal muscle strain. 35.29% of injuries took more than 6 weeks to heal enough for the player to participate in a match again, while almost half of the injured players took more than 4 weeks to recover from injury. Only 8.33% of international cricketers had access to a medical support team while 75% of players did not have injury advice at all. At the domestic level, medical support as well as provision of sports injury advice was lacking for 100% of players. Likewise, none of the clubs we came across had implemented injury data collection or monitoring program. Discussion The injury patterns and prevalence rates identified showed similarities to previous studies, especially for lower limb and fingers injuries. Bowling and fielding were recognised as major contributors for injury. The time lost due to injury as shown in the study is a concern. It is interesting to note that none of the domestic players had access to medical back up in the form of a doctor or a physiotherapist. Even at the international level only one player had a sports doctor to attend to his injuries. In summary, we identified a need for the provision of medical support to players for helping them to realise their full potential. A national database for cricket injuries within the confines of the Scottish government similar to the ACC or the SMAGG should be implemented. The ICC should look to help full as well as associate members in setting up injury prevention programs. It should allocate funds and provide expertise in the form trained personnel for the same. Appointment of injury statisticians for recording of injury data in every first class, one day or twenty 20 match should be looked at. At the end of every match an injury report should be sent to the team management, the SNCL which in turn will pass it on to the ICC. This collection of data should be anonymised as much as possible to help safeguard players interests. 1. Introduction Cricket is a popular sport played and followed by millions around the globe. It is a relatively non contact sport with a low to moderate risk of injury as compared to sports like hockey or football.1;2 However, in the last decade, the incidence of injury has been shown to be on the rise.3 This is possibly due to increase in workload for the modern cricketer. Intense competition, higher levels of fitness and skills required and increase in the number of matches played throughout the season has resulted in this trend. Furthermore, pressures of international travel and acclimitisation to foreign playing conditions in a matter of days have added to the stress. Although the popularity of cricket is on the rise, worldwide research into injuries has been dismal. The International Cricket Council (ICC), which governs the game, boasts a membership of 104 countries including 10 full, 34 associate and 60 affiliate members. However, most of the statistical data on incidence and prevalence of injuries comes from just four countries, namely, Australia, South Africa, England and the West Indies. Australia was the first country to introduce long term injury surveillance in professional cricket in the summer of 1998-99.2 The Sports Science Medicine Advisory Group (SSMAG) set up by Cricket Australia is responsible for the collection and maintenance of a long term injury database.3 Recently, the English and the South African Boards have set up their own injury surveillance programs. In New Zealand, the Accident Compensation Corporation is responsible for recording all sporting injuries. The rest of the test playing nations, however, along with the associate members of the ICC do not have programs implemented to record cricketing injuries. Although cricket has a vast following in the subcontinent, availability of statistical data regarding injuries is lacking. Similarly, a study of the nature and prevalence of injuries in cricket has never been undertaken in Scotland. In the backdrop of researchers pushing for a ‘world cricket injury report, all test playing and associate member countries should set up injury surveillance programs to identify patterns along with prevalence and incidence of injuries. This would enable comparisons of data across varying sets of playing conditions prevailing in different countries. 2. Injuries in Cricket Although cricket is a non contact sport, injuries are quite common, especially in fast bowlers.4-7 Some instances of death due to cricket have also been documented in literature.8 Importance of Injury Surveillance Long term injury surveillance in sport is the basis for prevention of injuries. Identification of causes with subsequent designing and implementation of interventions forms the ‘sequence of prevention of injuries.9 Surveillance of injuries across nations has however proved to be more difficult than previously thought. Over the years, different studies have sought to define injury in cricket and devise methods for injury surveillance.10-14 However, disparity in the definitions used by different researchers has been a problem in comparing injury rates from across the world. 3;12;15 Orchard et al. defined injury in cricket as â€Å"any injury or medical condition that either (a) prevents a player from being fully available for selection for a major match or (b) during a major match, causes a player to be unable to bat, bowl or keep wickets when required by either the rules or the teams captain† 3;12.whereas,Leary et al. defined injury in cricket as an event which caused a player to seek medical attention.10 Overall Incidence of Injuries Different studies report injury incidence in cricket varying from 2.6 to 333/ 10,000 player hours.1;2;16;17 Of all the Accident and Emergency department presentations in Australia, 8% cases were cricket related injuries, making cricket the 5th commonest injury prone sport in Australia.2 In South Africa, Stretch found that there was an injury incidence per player of 1.6 to 1.91 per season; also 49% of all players get injured sometime throughout a season.13 Leary et. al. in their 10 year study of professional English county cricketers found the acute injury incidence to be 57.4 per 1000 days of cricket.10 Injuries by anatomical site Lower limb injuries are the most common with an incidence of 45% to 49.8% where as trunk (20-32.6%) and upper limb (18.9 to 29 %) were the other sites commonly involved.7;10;13 The tissues mostly involved are muscles and other soft tissues (41.0%), joints (22.2%), tendons (13.2%), and ligaments (6.2%).7 Muscle strains were found to be most common. Of the lower limb injuries, hamstring injuries were reported to be most common by Orchard et al (11% of all injuries).2 Most of these were in the form of muscle strains and tears especially in bowlers and fielders.18 Knee injuries, usually comprise of joint sprains (27.6%), tendonitis (26.5%) and contusions (16.3%).10 Orchard et al reported that knee ligament injuries were uncommon in cricket. An interesting observation was that cricketers were more likely to suffer from knee ligament injuries during the game of football that cricketers play as a form of pre-match warming up or cross training. Groin injuries in bowlers (8% of all injuries in bowlers) and batsmen (9% of all injuries in batsmen) had an overall incidence of 7%. 2 Stress fractures of the tibia, fibula and foot, and ankle sprains occurred mostly in fast bowlers and had a combined incidence of 6% in the study conducted by Orchard et al.2 Upper limb injuries make up 19.8% to 34.1% of all injuries in cricket.2;17;18 Most of these are finger injuries due to ball impact occurring during fielding or batting.1;7;18;19 Contusions account for a major share of finger injuries (40%) while fractures/dislocations (28.9%) and joint sprains (23%) are the other finger injuries commonly encountered.10 Although, most of the finger injuries in cricket have a satisfactory treatment outcome, cricketers report a residual component of occasional pain or minor swelling and / or deformity.19 Most of the wicket keepers have been known to carry finger injuries but rarely report them for the fear of being made to miss the match. Shoulder injuries usually occur in fielders and bowlers while batsmen and wicket keepers are characteristically spared.10;18 Shoulder tendon injuries were reported to comprise of 6% of all injuries by Orchard et al. 2, Supraspinatus tendon was seen to be mostly affected. Incidence of shoulder dislocation or subluxation was shown to be low 1%. Upper limb lacerations or fractures were reported to have a low incidence and occurred mostly in batsmen.2 Side strain occurring on the non dominant arm in bowlers is quite notorious to heal.2 Incidence of side or abdominal muscle strain is 9% of all injuries; 1% of all cricket injuries are side strains due to a stress or traumatic fracture of the rib.2 The overall incidence of back and trunk injuries accounted was 18% to 33% of all injuries.7;16-18 Fast bowlers were found to be at particular risk of developing lower back injury.4;20-24 So much so that Foster et al. and Bell have likened the injuries in fast bowlers to en epidemic.4;25 The incidence for head, neck and face injuries vary from 5% to 25 % usually resulting from impact of the cricket ball causing lacerations or contusions and rarely concussions.1;2;13;16-18 Weightman and Brown reported a quarter of cricket injuries to be concussions due to a ball impact on the head.1 This was probably due to the fact that use of helmets in cricket was not in fashion when the study was conducted. Of the cervical spine injuries, 63.6% were in the form of sprains or strains resulting from batting for long periods of time.7 Jones and Tullo reported an incidence of 9% for eye injuries in sports in the UK.26 Although, eye injuries in cricket are rare, some studies have reported a few cases associated with cricket.27;28 These are usually more severe. Seasonal Variation of injuries Injuries in cricket are shown to occur more at the start of the season and then at the end of the season.7;10 The highest incidence number of injuries mostly muscle, tendon and ligament injuries occur at the start of the season (April-27.3%).10 While injuries like fractures or dislocations occur with the same frequency throughout the season. Stretch reported a similar incidence of higher injuries at the start of the season (32.3%) compared to than mid-season (21.7%) or towards the end (12.5%) or offseason (12.5%).18 Role performed in the team Stretch reported an injury incidence according to activity as follows: bowling (41.3%), fielding and wicket keeping (28.6%), and batting (17.1%).18 A study by Orchard et al, however reports that wicketkeepers had the lowest injury incidence (2%) probably because of minimal sprinting, throwing or bowling.2 Bowlers usually sustained lower limb or back injuries while fielders and wicket keepers usually suffered upper limb (42.9%) or lower limb injuries (40.6%). Batsman on the other hand suffered mainly lower limb injuries (54.4%). Delivery and follow through of the fast bowler (25.6%), overuse (18.3%), and fielding (21.4%) were the main mechanisms of injury.18 Age Incidence Young fast bowlers tend to get injured more often.7;13;14;18 Also the incidence of overuse injuries in cricketers in the age group of 19-24 years tends to be higher than their older counterparts.7 An important observation in a study by Stretch is that all 14 stress fractures occurred in young cricketers with 13 of them due to bowling.7 Chronicity of injury Acute injuries account for 64.8% of all injuries while 16.6% are chronic and 25.4% of the injuries are of acute on chronic nature. Majority of injuries are first time injuries (64.5%) while recurrent injuries from the previous season account for 22.8% of injuries.13 Recovery time of injuries In a study by Stretch, 47.8% of injured players were able to return to play within a week while 28.4% took 3 week. However, 23.8% of the players were not able to train or play matches even more than 3 weeks after the incidence.7 3.0 Methodolgy 3.1 Aim of the Study The aim of the study was to audit the prevalence and patterns of injuries occurring in cricket in Scotland over a complete season. A study of this nature has never been undertaken in Scotland. This study will act as pilot study for a long term injury surveillance program in Scottish cricket. Cricket researchers have long been in favour of a ‘world cricket injury surveillance report. This study, we reckon, will contribute to such a report, if and when it is undertaken. 3.2 Study design The study was a retrospective, questionnaire based study carried out online with the support of Cricket Scotland. The involvement of Cricket Scotland, the national governing body for the sport in Scotland, we hoped, would increase the response rate for the questionnaires and thus the reliability of the audit. We feared that compliance would be an issue. However, we were hopeful that involvement of the club coaches via the governing body for cricket in Scotland would maximise the return rate. The first class structure for cricket in Scotland, Scottish National Cricket League (SNCL) is divided into three levels, the SNCL Premiere League, the SNCL division I and the SNCL division II. Each of these levels consists of 10 teams, playing each other home and away. In addition, there is an under 19s Scottish cricket team. Each of the first class teams plays an extra game with the under 19s, making a total of 19 matches over the season for each team. Cricket Scotland distributed the questionnaire to 150 elite cricketers from the international team as well as those in the three divisions of the SNCL. The audit assessed areas such as nature of injury, body part affected, mechanism of injury, recovery time, etc as well as the provision of medical support at the club (see attached questionnaire). Data was recorded from the feedback received from the questionnaire. Data analysis was done on a prevalence percentage basis and comparisons made with the limited existing studies. 3.3 Ethical Approval Ethical approval for undertaking this study was sought from and granted by the Faculty of Medicine Ethics Committee for Non Clinical Research involving Human Subjects, University of Glasgow, Scotland. 3.4 Subjects The subjects involved in the study were 150 elite cricket players from the Scottish national team and clubs in the top 3 divisions of the Scottish National Cricket league (SNCL). 3.5 Data Analysis Minitab 15.1 was used to carry out statistical analysis whereas Microsoft Excel 2007 was used to provide graphical analysis of the data. Also, for comparison with the existing data, literature searches were carried out using Reference Manager Professional Network Edition 12.0. The databases used were Pubmed and ISI Web of Knowledge for the period of 1970 to 2009 with key words for search being cricket, injury, surveillance, patterns, incidence, and prevalence. The review considered all papers up to May 2009 relevant to definition, incidence, prevalence, causes and prevention of injuries in cricket. 4.0 Results During the study, Cricket Scotland distributed the questionnaires to 150 cricket players from the international team and the three divisions of the SNCL. To improve the response rate, the coaches were instructed get the players to fill in the questionnaires. We received feedback from 26 of the 150 players that we approached. Of these, almost 77% were of current international status with 85% having represented Scotland at some point in their careers. In the SNCL, 73.08% of all players represent the premier division, 19.23% division 1 while only one player each featured in division 2 and domestic matches outside the SNCL. 73% of the players that responded were in the age group of 19-25 while 15.38% were in the under 19 age group of and 12% in the over 24 age group. Batsmen comprised of 35% of players while bowlers and all-rounders formed a major share of 64%. Only one wicketkeeper featured in the study. The percentage of players who appeared in more than 30 matches over the season was 46% while 23% played between 11-30 matches. The numbers of injuries reported throughout the season were 18. An increased prevalence of injuries was apparent at the start of the season with 27% of all injuries occurring in April. This then leveled off as the season progressed. Of all the players, 42% suffered injuries at some point of time during the season. Most of the injuries (66%) occurred in match situations. Acute injuries accounted for 60% of the injuries while acute or gradual recurrence of a previous injury was responsible for 35% of the cases. As expected, bowling was responsible for 36.84% of injuries while fielding (along with catching and throwing) caused 52.36% of injuries with throwing alone was responsible for 10% of all injuries. Regional Distribution of injuries Upper limb injuries contributed to 57.89% of the injuries, with shoulder tendon injury accounting for 27.27% of all upper limb and 15.79% of all injuries. Injuries to the fingers in the form of fractures or contusions had a prevalence rate of 15.29% for all injuries and 27.27% of all upper limb injuries. Lower limb injuries accounted for 31.58% of all injuries with knee and shin stress fracture being more common. Hamstring injuries having prevalence rate 16.67%. During the entire season, there was not a single case of head, neck or face injury. Midsection injuries accounted for 10.53 % of injuries with 5.26% prevalence rate for side or abdominal muscle strain. 35.29% of injuries took more than 6 weeks to heal enough for the player to participate in a match again, while almost half of the injured players took more than 4 weeks to recover from injury. Injury Advice and Surveillance In our analysis we found that only 8.33% of international cricketers had any access to a medical support team in the form of a physiotherapist while 75% of players at did not have injury advice at all. Also, of all the players, only 7.69% had some sort of injury prevention advice at their club. At the domestic level, provision of sports injury advice as well as medical support was lacking for 100% of players. Likewise, none of the clubs have implemented injury data collection or monitoring program. Table I. Type of injuries in the 2008 season Type of Injury International SNCL (domestic) Head / Face Fractures Eyes Other Neck Sprains Other Shoulder Tendon / muscle Dislocation / subluxation Arm / Elbow / Forearm Fracture Other Wrist / Palm Dislocation/Fracture Split webbing Other Fingers Fractures Other Trunk Abd/Side strain Other Back Lumbar stress fracture Other Groin/Hip Ham / Quad Knee Ligament Other Shin /Ankle / Foot Stress fracture Sprains Other 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 2 1 0 0 0 3 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 Total 13 5 5.0 Discussion The prevalence of injuries in Scottish cricket players both international and domestic over a season was ascertained in this study. Players in Scotland do not feature in as many matches over a season as players from places like Australia or India. As such, injury rates have not reached alarming proportions but the injury patterns and prevalence rates do show some similarities. The distribution of injuries according to anatomical site is similar to other studies, especially prevalence rate for lower limb fingers injuries. Bowling and fielding were recognised as major contributors for injury. Seasonal variations are also similar to a previous English study.10 The time lost due to injury as shown in the study is a concern. Proper injury prevention advice can help in avoiding injuries (most notable being those due to bowling). It is interesting to note that none of the domestic players had access to medical back up in the form of a doctor or a physiotherapist. Even at the international level only one player had a sports doctor to attend to his injuries. In summary, we identified a need for the provision of medical support to players for helping them to realise their full potential. An injury free player is more likely to perform to the best of his ability ensuring good performance of the team. A successful team in turn can attract sponsors thereby further enhancing the injury aspect of the game. A national database for cricket injuries within the confines of the Scottish government similar to the ACC or the SMAGG should be implemented. The ICC should look to help full as well as associate members in setting up injury prevention programs. The ICC should allocate funds and provide expertise in the form trained personnel for the same. Appointment of injury statisticians for recording of injury data in every first class, one day or twenty 20 match should be looked at. At the end of every match an injury report should be sent to the team management, the SNCL which in turn will pass it on to the ICC. This collection of data should be anonymised as much as possible to help safeguard players interests. 6.0 Methodological Limitations 6.1 Subjects The response we got for the questionnaire was not as good as expected. Unforeseen logistics and strategic problems due to prior commitment of the Scottish international team due to the World twenty 20 Cup and the domestic teams in the being busy in the final stages of the season hampered the feedback from the players. The selection of players from the elite level did serve the purpose of determining injury prevalence at the highest level. However, patterns of injury at the school and junior level need to be identified as well. 6.2 Procedural Since it was a retrospective study, the authenticity of injuries reported form memory by the players can be questioned. Injuries should ideally have been diagnosed and recorded by professional medical personnel like a physiotherapist or a sports doctor. Furthermore, this study looked into injuries over just one season. Having said so, this study can prove to be a pilot project on which future research can be based. 6.3 Statistical and Analytical We calculated prevalence of the different types of injuries. However, the study did not look into the incidence rates of different injuries. The incidence rates along with prevalence rates as done by some previous studies would have been a better reflection of injuries affecting professional cricketers in Scotland. 7.0 Future Research In the future, researchers should ideally look to conduct a prospective study over a number of years to identify the consistent injury patterns. Also, diagnosis and recording of injuries by professional medical staff with maintainence of an nationwide epidemiological injury database should be aimed at. Also, impact of provision medical support staff on improved performance of the players and the team as a whole needs to be looked into. 8.0 Reference List (1) Weightman D, Browne RC. Injuries in Eleven Selected Sports. Br J Sports Med 1975; 9(3):136-141. (2) Orchard J, James T, Alcott E, Carter S, Farhart P. Injuries in Australian cricket at first class level 1995/1996 to 2000/2001. Br J Sports Med 2002; 36(4):270-274. (3) Orchard JW, James T, Portus MR. Injuries to elite male cricketers in Australia over a 10-year period. J Sci Med Sport 2006; 9(6):459-467. (4) Foster D, John D, Elliott B, Ackland T, Fitch K. Back injuries to fast bowlers in cricket: a prospective study. Br J Sports Med 1989; 23(3):150-154. (5) Hardcastle P, Annear P, Foster DH, Chakera TM, McCormick C, Khangure M et al. Spinal abnormalities in young fast bowlers. J Bone Joint Surg Br 1992; 74(3):421-425. (6) Hardcastle PH. Repair of spondylolysis in young fast bowlers. J Bone Joint Surg Br 1993; 75(3):398-402. (7) Stretch RA. Cricket injuries: a longitudinal study of the nature of injuries to South African cricketers. Br J Sports Med 2003; 37(3):250-253. (8) Brasch R. How did sports begin? Sydney: Camberwell: Longman; 1971. (9) Van MW, Hlobil H, Kemper HCG. Incidence Severity Aetiology and Prevention of Sports Injuries A Review of Concepts. Sports Medicine 1992; 14(2):82-99. (10) Leary T, White JA. Acute injury incidence in professional county club cricket players (1985-1995). Br J Sports Med 2000; 34(2):145-147. (11) Mitchell R, Hayen A. Defining a cricket injury. J Sci Med Sport 2005; 8(3):357-358. (12) Orchard J, Newman D, Stretch R, Frost W, Mansingh A, Leipus A. Methods for injury surveillance in international cricket. J Sci Med Sport 2005; 8(1):1-14. (13) Stretch RA. The incidence and nature of injuries in first-league and provincial cricketers. S Afr Med J 1993; 83(5):339-342. (14) Stretch RA. The seasonal incidence and nature of injuries in schoolboy cricketers. S Afr Med J 1995; 85(11):1182-1184. (15) Finch CF, Elliott BC, McGrath AC. Measures to prevent cricket injuries: an overview. Sports Med 1999; 28(4):263-272. (16) Corrigan AB. Cricket injuries. Aust Fam Physician 1984; 13(8):558-9, 562. (17) Crisp T. Cricket: fast bowlers back and throwers shoulder. Practitioner 1989; 233(1469):790-792. (18) Stretch RA. Incidence and nature of epidemiological injuries to elite South African cricket players. S Afr Med J 2001; 91(4):336-339. (19) Belliappa PP, Barton NJ. Hand injuries in cricketers. J Hand Surg Br 1991; 16(2):212-214. (20) Bartlett RM, Stockill NP, Elliott BC, Burnett AF. The biomechanics of fast bowling in mens cricket: a review. J Sports Sci 1996; 14(5):403-424. (21) Bell PA. Spondylolysis in fast bowlers: principles of prevention and a survey of awareness among cricket coaches. Br J Sports Med 1992; 26(4):273-275. (22) Dennis R, Farhart P, Goumas C, Orchard J. Bowling workload and the risk of injury in elite cricket fast bowlers. J Sci Med Sport 2003; 6(3):359-367. (23) Dennis R, Farhart P, Clements M, Ledwidge H. The relationship between fast bowling workload and injury in first-class cricketers: a pilot study. J Sci Med Sport 2004; 7(2):232-236. (24) Engstrom CM, Walker DG. Pars interarticularis stress lesions in the lumbar spine of cricket fast bowlers. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2007; 39(1):28-33. (25) Bell P. Cricket: injury in long trousers. Br J Sports Med 1999; 33(3):151-152. (26) Jones NP, Tullo AB. Severe eye injuries in cricket. Br J Sports Med 1986; 20(4):178-179. (27) Abedin A, Chen HC. An uncommonly serious case of an uncommon sport injury. Br J Sports Med 2005; 39(8):e33. (28) Aburn N. Eye injuries in indoor cricket at Wellington Hospital: a survey January 1987 to June 1989. N Z Med J 1990; 103(898):454-456. Cover Letter for the Questionnaire An Audit of Injuries in Cricket in Scotland in the 2008 Season. With increased participation in cricket in Scotland, sports doctors and physiotherapists have become aware of a corresponding increase in cricket related injuries. Also, researchers worldwide have felt the need for a global injury incidence report to identify risk factors for subsequent designing and implementation of interventions for prevention of injuries. Some data regarding injuries in cricket is available from Australia, South Africa, England and the West Indies. However, epidemiological collection of data of injuries from the rest of the world is dismal, to say the least. In Scotland as well, there has never been any audit of injuries in cricket, time lost due to injuries, implementation of injury prevention program and provision of medical support to players. This audit aims to look at the type and prevalence of injuries that occurred over the 2008 season in cricket in Scotland, allowing an insight into the mechanisms of injury in cricket. We hope that this will assist the development of medical support and injury prevention programmes. This study would also contribute to a ‘World Injury Incidence Report to be undertaken in the near future. This audit is being conducted by the Department of Sport Exercise Medicine, University of Glasgow with the support of Cricket Scotland. We are grateful for your valuable time spent in answering the questionnaire. If you have any questions regarding the study or the questionnaire please do not hesitate to contact either: Questionnaire Do you play international cricket? Yes, Currently Previously No Please indicate the level of domestic cricket that you play in. SNCL Premier SNCL Div 1 SNCL Div 2 Other Does your club provide access to sports injury advice and treatment? Yes No

Abortion Essay -- essays research papers

Abortion, termination of pregnancy before the foetus is capable of independent life. When the expulsion from the uterus occurs after the foetus becomes viable (capable of independent life), usually at the end of six months of pregnancy, it is technically a premature birth. In the United Kingdom, when the foetus is not born alive after 24 weeks of pregnancy it is termed a still birth. II. Types of AbortionPrint section Abortion may be spontaneous or induced. Expelled foetuses weighing less than 0.5 kg (18 oz) or of less than 20 weeks' gestation are usually considered abortions. A. Spontaneous AbortionPrint section It is estimated that some 25 per cent of all human pregnancies terminate spontaneously in abortion, with three out of four abortions occurring during the first three months of pregnancy. Some women apparently have a tendency to abort, and recurrent abortion decreases the probability of subsequent successful childbirth. The causes of spontaneous abortions, or miscarriages, are not clearly established. Abnormal development of the embryo or placental tissue, or both, is found in about half the cases; these abnormalities may be due to inherent faults in the germ cells or may be secondary to faulty implantation of the developing ovum or to other characteristics of the maternal environment. Severe vitamin deficiencies have been shown to play a role in abortions in experimental animals. Hormone deficiencies have also been found in women who are subject to recurrent abortions. Spontaneous abortions may also be caused by such maternal abnormalities as acute infectious diseases, systemic diseases such as nephritis and diabetes, and severe trauma. Uterine malformations, including tumours, are responsible in some instances. The most common symptom of threatened abortion is vaginal bleeding, with or without intermittent pain. About a quarter of all pregnant women bleed at some time during early pregnancy, however, and up to 50 per cent of these women carry the foetus to full term. Treatment for threatened abortion usually consists of bed rest. Almost continuous bed rest throughout pregnancy is required in some cases of repeated abortion; vitamin and hormone therapy may also be given. Surgical correction of uterine abnormalities may be indicated in certain of these cases. Spontaneous abortion may result in expulsion of all or part of the contents of t... ...here abortion was permitted only to save a woman's life contained about 20 per cent of the world's population. Countries with moderately restrictive laws—abortions permitted to protect a woman's health, to end pregnancies resulting from rape or incest, to avoid genetic or congenital defects, or in response to social problems such as unmarried status or low income—contained some 40 per cent of the world's population. Abortions at the woman's request, usually with limits based on physical conditions such as duration of pregnancy, were allowed in countries with nearly 40 per cent of the world's population. In the United States, legislation followed the world trend. Abortion is illegal in many Roman Catholic and Islamic countries, although it may be carried out in cases where the mother's life is immediately at risk. It is legal in France and Italy, but illegal throughout Ireland. In England, Wales, and Scotland abortion has, since the 1967 Abortion Act, been free on demand and is available on the National Health Service. A woman seeking an abortion has to secure the agreement of two doctors rather than just one—the only medical procedure in the United Kingdom where this is required.

Harvard Case Study McDonald’s

Question 1: Which company orientation (product, production, selling or market) can best describe McDonald’s activities? What makes you think so? In the case of McDonald’s activities the company orientation is selling and I will explain why. In first I’ll explain what is the selling orientation, and in second why it’s the McDonald orientation. If we look at the definition in the book â€Å"Marketing Management† the selling philosophy or orientation is â€Å"a focus on making sales rather than understanding the customers† and it’s based on an â€Å"aggressive selling and promotion effort†.So we can understand that the selling philosophy is to sell, sell and sell and make money. Now that you know the definition, take a look on McDonald. Before to talk directly about McDonald let’s see the history of Ray Kroc and his dream. The dream of Ray Kroc was to become rich and make money, like we can read in the case he starts to sell milkshakes and the most than he could sell. The way of life and the wishes of Ray Kroc has been transmitted in his firm. When he created McDonald with the brothers they tried to impose McDonald all over the world with a lot of restaurants and to avoid the potential competitors.It worked during a long time but today it’s not the case because the customer’s needs change and McDonald has some difficulties to continue in this way. So we can see that McDonald uses the selling philosophy. Question 2: To date, McDonald’s has avoided diversification into unrelated food retailing operations as well as non-food options. Discuss the desirability of such diversification efforts. McDonald’s has avoided diversification into unrelated food retailing operations as well as non food options cause of different things.The image of McDonald in consumer’s minds is related to food and especially fast food, maybe McDonald didn’t have the skills to manage new produ cts unrelated to food and to finish it’s more easier for McDonald to focus the resources on one way and the best way for them it’s simplify the system. Let’s talk about more generally about the diversification and especially about the advantages and disadvantages. The advantages are different by activity’s sector but let’s see some example.The diversification can make a growth relay (after specialization) (Ex: Club Med in Club Med World or Club Med Gym in the past and now in a real estate program). It could reduce risk (Fram and hotels Framissima). It also could stabilize a seasonal activity. The disadvantages are a management more complex, news environments and competitors, it could make a dilution of the identity and image in consumer’s mind and workers and a dispersion of company’s resources. Question 3: How do you explain the reluctance of competitors to imitate the successful efforts of another firm in their industry?Under which circumstances is imitation likely to be considered? Generally companies are reluctant to emulate the successful efforts of a company in their industry because it requires significant investment that does not necessarily guarantee a positive result. Moreover, it does not let the consumer realizes the imitation so as not to pass an imitator in consumer’s mind. But it’s possible to imitate in this way when there is a monopole on a sector to put some competition. In this case the company who imitates if she has a competitive advantage regarding the other firm can take a place in market.In the case of high technology like in mobile phone market (imitations of the I phone). In the case the competitors comes in the market cause of the weaknesses of McDonald and the need of consumers. Question 4: What do you think is McDonald’s short-term and long-term potential? What makes you think so? McDonald is a really important brand all around the world and everyone knows it. It ’s the second most important in term of number of restaurant all around the world behind Subway. Even if some persons criticized this firm I think it’s impossible for it to disappear even on long time.The fact is in short term if McDonald doesn’t react to the consumer’s needs and the needs of the franchisees the firm will continue to loose money. They were too much time the number one and they have ignored the consumer’s needs. Now competitors appear on the market and win some market share. We can notice that McDonald was the first real fast food in consumer’s mind and that’s also why McDonald is the target of consumer’s associations and movies like â€Å"Super size me†. But every time McDonald reacts and is still alive. So in long term McDonald should be more attentive to the consumer’s need and it will be ok.

Barriers of Effective Communication

Describe the barriers of effective communication. Introduction: If an individual (Sender) sends a message and the receiver interprets it in the same way as the sender had intended to express,the process of communication is said to be complete. But it is not always so. Certain barriers in communication affect the clarity, accuracy and effectiveness of the message. The barriers could be related to the communication system, mechanical devices being used, language or symbols being used for encoding, the sender and the receiver himself. There exist many barriers to communication and these may occur at any stage in the communication process.Barriers may lead to your message becoming distorted and you therefore risk wasting both time and money by causing confusion and misunderstanding. Effective communication involves overcoming these barriers and conveying a clear and concise message. Below are some common barriers to effective communication include: †¢ Physical Barriers: this has to do with poor or outdated equipment used during communications. Physical barriers are often due to the nature of the environment like background noise, poor lighting, temperatures that are too hot or too cold which in turn interfere with effective communication. Organizational Barriers: System design faults refer to problems with the structures or systems in place in an organization. This happens due to the physical distance between the sender and the receiver due to their task, power, and authority and status relationship. examples could be inefficient or inappropriate information systems, a lack of supervision or training, and a lack of clarity in roles and responsibilities which can lead to staff being uncertain about what is expected of them. †¢ Ambiguity of words/phrases or Semantic Barriers:Different people assign different meanings to one specific message. Hence the communicator must ensure that the receiver receives the same meaning. It is better if such words are avoide d by using alternatives whenever possible. †¢ Attitudes or Interpersonal Barriers: Another main barrier is the fear and mistrust that form the roots of our emotional barrier which stop us from communicating effectively with our co-workers. These are based upon relationships, values held and attitudes of the members involved.Shortage of time for subordinates, lack of trust, can be a major hurdle in effective communication. emotions like anger or sadness can taint objectivity. Also being extremely nervous,having a personal agenda can make communications less than effective. †¢ Cross cultural/ Geographical Barriers: This barrier arises due to time, geographic locations and the effect of time upon reception of the message. Social relationships, words, colors, symbols concepts of time and space and perception are barriers peculiar to different cultures. Language Barriers: this can seem like an easy one, but even people speaking the same language can have difficulty understandin g each other if they are from different generations or from different regions of the same country. Slang, professional jargon and regional colloquialisms can even hurt communicators with the best intentions. †¢ Information Overload: it takes time to process a lot of information and too many details can overwhelm and distract the audience from the important topics. Keep it Simple and short. Insufficient Knowledge of the Subject: If the sender lacks specific information about something, the receiver will likely receive an unclear or mixed message. For example: Have you shopped for an item such as a computer, and experienced how some salespeople can explain complicated terms and ideas in a simple way ? Others cannot. †¢ Lack of Basic Communication Skills: The receiver is less likely to understand the message if the sender has trouble choosing the precise words needed and arranging those words in a grammatically-correct sentence. Lack of Sensitivity to Receiver: A breakdown in communication may result when a message is not adapted to its receiver. Recognizing the receiver’s needs, status, knowledge of the subject, and language skills assists the sender in preparing a successful message. one can improve effective organizational communication is by changing one’s thoughts and feelings with one’s colleague. In this way, we don’t just break down communication barriers, but also build relationships that work successfully for long.