Thursday, October 31, 2019

Summery for <the contemporary global economy> Essay

Summery for - Essay Example Because of its potential benefits, governments and other stakeholders as well as advancements in technology have ensured sustainable globalization. However, critics argue that globalization is responsible for adverse socio-cultural, economic and environmental conditions in developing nations. Critically assessing chapter four, this article relates to the production of cocoa for export in Ivory Coast. The arguments in the article resonate with the story of cocoa production in Ivory Coast. In Ivory Coast, cocoa produced finds its way to foreign market, mainly the United States because of globalization. However, the cocoa is produced from small farms under forced child labor and is subject to fluctuating world market price. Farmers in Ivory Coast have no say on the prices paid for their cocoa. As such, they are compelled to seek cheap labor, which has been found on forced labor. From the article, it is apparent that globalization promotes international trade by opening up new markets for products of countries and firms. However, developed countries seem to benefit more from globalization than developing countries. As such, it would be better to implement international trade laws checking on unhealthy competition, price stability and equal benefit of all participants in international

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Leadership Behavior and Conflict Management in Small Groups Essay Example for Free

Leadership Behavior and Conflict Management in Small Groups Essay Small groups of people with common interests often come together to exchange information, collaborate and cooperate in the pursuit of a shared goal. These members have the time and space to meet and share ideas through interaction and participation. When such groups face tough and insurmountable problems it helps to have a visionary leader to help them cooperate and work together as a team (Forsyth, 2006). The study of small groups helps us to understand basic human behavior and how leaders transform groups and resolve conflicts (Hare, 1965). According to Forsyth, Donelson â€Å"Leadership is the process by which an individual guides others in their pursuits, often by organizing, directing, coordinating, supporting and motivating their efforts†. The process of leadership has evolved basically from the need to be organized. We observe similar qualities in the flock of birds that fly across the sky and among the herd of elephants deep in the jungles. But with humans, leadership processes have become as varied and complex as the many research studies that have been conducted. The leadership process is reciprocal, when it is mutually influences the leader and the follower, transactional when both the leaders and followers work together for common goals, transformational when leaders are able to inspire their followers into doing their best, cooperative when members select their leader voluntarily, adaptive when members are motivated to achieving group goals, task oriented when the leader focuses all the activities of the followers towards the achievement of group goals and relationship oriented when the focus is on the interpersonal relationship between group members. (Forsyth, 2006). While leadership processes are varied, the qualities found in leaders are also equally diverse. Though inborn personality traits are helpful in small group settings like being sociable, outgoing and expressive most leadership traits are acquired (Barrick Mount 1991). Normally leaders tend to be more intelligent than their followers in small groups. But most groups find it difficult to handle leaders with very high intellectual abilities (C. A. Gibb, 1969). On the other hand it is very helpful if a leader is endowed with emotional intelligence and the ability to be flexible to suit the demands of a particular situation (Kenny Zaccaro, 1983). Research studies have also shown that followers place undue importance to leaders who speak a lot more than necessary, as compared to leaders who are men of few words (Sorrentino Boutillier, 1975). The intriguing phenomenon of effective leadership has given rise to varying theories. Each of them has their related leadership training program as well. According to Fiedler’s Contingency Theory, a leader’s effectiveness depends on the way he relates to hi followers and in his ability to control situations. Here he specified three factors that influenced the leader’s control; the cohesiveness of the group, the concentration of power in the hands of the leader and whether group goals were structured or not. Using the Least Preferred Worker Scale (LPC), he rated people who were relationship oriented high and those who were task oriented low on the LPC score. The Octants based on this show that the task oriented leaders are effective when situations are highly favorable and unfavorable and relationship oriented leaders are effective in moderate situations (Forsyth, 2006). Fiedler has taken into consideration the good and the bad leader-member relations, the structured and unstructured goals. But groups goals are sometimes partly structured, leaders have average power and there exists fair leader- member relations. This middle range seems more possible and plausible while considering small group situations. In Robert Blake and Jane Mouton’s The Leadership Grid the focus, is again on task and relationship orientation, and they have come up with five different styles of leadership. In the ‘apathetic’ approach the leader has no interest in either achieving goals or improving group relations. The ‘country club’ approach as the name suggests adopts a friendly working atmosphere. While the ‘middle road approach’ has a leader who balances the work done and maintains the morale of the people; the ‘task master’ gets the work done and is less concerned about the feelings of the group members. The ‘team work approach’, is considered the best as its members are committed to their goal and share a feeling of mutual trust and respect (Forsyth, 2006). The style of the leadership depends on the maturity of the group members according to the Situational Leadership Theory given by Paul Hersey and Kenneth Blanchard. They emphasize that an effective leader should display four styles of leadership. An effective leader should ‘direct’ the group members when they are inexperienced, ‘coach’ them as their competence level increases, offer ‘support’ when they are moderately mature and ‘delegate’ tasks when they are committed (Forsyth, 2006). Though this approach doesn’t talk about task and relationship orientation it is feasible in small groups. The Leader Member Exchange (LMX) approach is based on how members respond to their leaders. If they value their leader there is a heightened level of efficiency, commitment and loyalty and they become a part of the privileged inner group. The others who do not respond positively form the outer group and continue to do their work. The key to the leader’s effectiveness depends on his capacity to bring all his followers within the inner group (Forsyth, 2006). The Lewin-Lippitt-White study focused on the control the leader had over his group and their level of participation. Under laboratory conditions they studied the effect of shared and unshared power in the context of small groups. Groups with an authoritarian leader reflected greater dependence and showed signs of more conflict, whereas under a democratic leader group members learnt to be more self reliant. The laissez-faire group was added later with a leader who rarely interfered and followers who learnt to make their own decisions. This group wasn’t as cohesive as the democratic style that emerged the best. The group with a democratic leader had the highest group oriented suggestions, more friendly behavior and less critical discontent (Forsyth, 2006). Since power was shared participants felt empowered to make meaningful decisions towards the achievement of a shared goal. This study in fact supports the concept of collective leadership as well. Craig L Pearce Jay Conger (2003) studied the effectiveness of ‘shared leadership’ when the group was removed from a traditional organizational approach. They found that groups with collective leadership outperformed the leader oriented groups. They were also the most effective in small group situations. Bernard Bass (1997) presented the Theory of Transformational Leadership based on the charisma of the leader to transform his followers. Under the influence of an inspirational leader, group members unite to show increased efficiency in pursuing collective goals. A transformational leader tends to questions old beliefs and leads his followers along paths that are not chartered, setting new trends (Forsyth, 2006). With more emphasis placed on interpersonal relations these leaders are effective in both small and large groups. Being eloquent, a charismatic leader initiates dialogues on issues where differences of opinion arise. Such open minded brain storming sessions would bring about several solutions and the group might end up accepting a hybrid goal where the best ideas have been incorporated. This builds cohesiveness and improves cooperation within the group (Potter, 1996). The charismatic leaders have a reputation of integrity and their followers show a tendency to emulate them. (Eagly, Johannesen- Schmidt Van Engen, 2003). But charismatic leaders are rare and even these exceptional leaders can get things wrong. Something that seems morally and ethically right for one person may not be so for another. Keeley, 1998). Another question that has fascinated researchers is whether men and women show different leadership behavior and do gender differences influence the process of leadership. Though historical evidence supports the fact that women have been underrepresented in leadership roles, research studies show that gender does not influence the effectiveness of a leader with both sexes displaying a balanced task and relationship orientation (Forsyth, 2006). Both men and women who hold similar positional and resource power show similarities in leadership behavior (Kanter, 1997). Women leaders show a tendency to be more agreeable, open, fair, responsible and increasingly involved in conflict management, whereas men are inclined towards power, influence and skill orientation (Forsyth, Schenker, Leary McCown, 1985). Thus the sexes differ in the styles of leadership with women adopting transformational and participative approaches, while men are likely to exhibit authoritarian, laissez-faire and transactional styles (Eagly, Johannesen-Schmidt Van Engen, 2003). Conflict management is a major challenge faced by leaders across the world. Conflict is a natural occurrence in competitive group situations. A disagreement over beliefs and actions can lead to a conflict if it is resisted. Through an interaction process analysis Robert Blake and his colleagues observed that group members spent one fifth of their time in making hostile comments. When task achievement became difficult, hostility increased and escalated into a conflict (Forsyth, 2006). The best method to manage conflict would be to have an open debate on the issue (Montana Charnov, 2000), instead of ignoring or brushing aside conflicts, an effective leader should confront it head on (Davies, Burke, Calbom Kindler, 1991). The current trend shows that leaders and followers are expected to be in contact 24/7 (Murphy Riggio). It has in turn given rise to virtual offices, having virtual teams working out of their homes in different parts of the globe. . This increased dependence in information technology has given way to e-leadership (Avolio, Kahai Dodge, 2000). In the future new leadership trends will be reinvented as business environments keep changing. Traditional power oriented organizations will give way to power sharing ones. Organizations will get decentralized, along with a cooperative use of resources (Forsyth, 2006). Competency then will depend on the leader’s vision of the future, intellectual capacity, strategic thinking, emotional strength and the ability to coordinate and develop human capital (Rivard, 2004). Together with team building and leadership, conflict resolution as a skill will have to be acquired by people interacting in small groups (Gregory Parry, 2006). It will help them to lead the world that’s growing flatter.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Denmarks culture: Womens rights, education and family

Denmarks culture: Womens rights, education and family Culture is one of those rare inheritances that a follower receives from his/her ancestors. It determines beliefs, perception, and morality .Those values shape a man’s identity making him dependant and loyal to those principals. Every culture has its own history and traditions, which makes the world a place with variety types of people. The cultures are represented by its followers allowing them to be strict and bias towards its constitution and moral behaviors without the followers a culture could disappear joining the anthology of the dead cultures. Denmark has a culture with recognized principles and values that specializes them over traditions. They have their own point of views and ways of dealing with traditional aspects of life such as customs, education, marriage, family life, as well as women’s rights. Denmark, being a small country in northern Europe it is rich with customs and traditions. Food, Festivals, Music, and Religion are important aspects in the customs of Denmark. The Danish people believe that meals are important for the families to be together and not just for filling their need. (Pateman 113). The main food which the Danes usually eat is bread for their breakfast and they have many different types of bread in which they eat some are crusty and some are cold toasted. (Pateman 114). Although in the summer the Danes usually go to the park to get sunshine as sometimes during the winter they never get sunshine, their meal usually are meatballs which are made of pork, this is the most common meal in Denmark. (Pateman 115). On the other hand, there are only two main drinks in Denmark which are coffee and beer; these are the main two which the Danes drink throughout the year. They also have a traditional beer for them only which is made by mainly potato which is called Snaps which is served usually served cold. (Pateman 116-117). The Danes celebrate many days during a year of which some are Religious and others which are important events. The Danes like other Christian countries celebrate Christmas and Easter. The celebration of Christmas starts from the beginning of December up to New Year, although the main part starts at December 23 which the Danes decorate their home which hearts and other religious items. The Danish families’ celebrate Christmas Eve together and they also have a special dinner which is made of rice pudding. Although the importance of Easter is no longer there in Denmark, holiday is given to them which the Danes go and visit families and friends in exchange of Easter eggs to children.(Pateman 108-110).Other important events which the Danes celebrate during the year are the Queen’s birthday, Liberation Day, Copenhagen Carnival, alongside Fastelvn. These are the main days in which the Danes celebrate throughout the year. During the queen’s birthday, it is a national holiday for the Danes from work and school which they gather outside the queen’s palace and hear its speech and ends with cheers from the crowd. Although in Liberation Day’s night the people put candles on their windows to celebrate the day in which they were liberated from Germany on world war two, which the Danes still celebrate it today because this day means a lot to the old Danes who lived during world war two. Copenhagen Carnival is a carnival day which celebrates throughout Copenhagen; people wear new customs and party on the street for the whole day. Lastly, Fastelvn is a special event which is held at the end of February were children play a game using sticks to hit a barrel which is filled up with gifts. Although it seems to be a fun event it has a history, because for a long time they used to place a cat and hit it until it dies.(Robert 106-107). The Danes enjoy nearly all types of music, but mainly pop m usic. They also have festivals each year, but the main festival they have is named Rolkside Festival, it is the hugest music festival in northern Europe. In this festival musicians from all around the world come to play on the stage. (What would Roskilde Festival be without partners? 1). Education in Denmark is compulsory for people aged seven up to people aged 16. When the teenagers reach their age to 16 they can choose to continue school or stop. There are also two types of school which are common in Denmark which are government and private schools. Government schools are free schools which they have from grade one up to grade nine. The Danes who choose to go to them are to stay with the same teacher for nine full years. The classes in government schools do not change and the students are together for the full nine years. Due to the government having up to ninth grade the people have to then go to a secondary school, being that people in ninth grade are usually 15 years old and that the compulsory age to go to school is from seven to 16. People who pass ninth grade are usually smart students who go to secondary school to continue school. Although some who are not ready are the students which do not get good grades stay for an extra year when they are 16 and then th ey are free to do what they want either go to secondary school for three years or stop. (Pateman 60-61). Similarly, most private schools have up to ninth grade only. The education in the private school is a little better than the government’s free school, although approximately 16% only of the students in Denmark go to private schools. However, government still helps private school and is not out of the equation, they subsidize them by giving them some money to help them improve their teaching facilities and have better teachers. Yet, they are not responsible for anything that happens to the student, the student’s parents are held responsible for everything according to the teaching standards or anything similar to that. (Hansen 1). Finally, the universities in Denmark are good universities which people come to study in from around the world. Although, in Denmark, there are only five main universities those universities can teach many subjects in both English and mainl y in Danish. For example the university of Copenhagen which is the first university to be built in Denmark and the second in Scandinavia which is still there standing for more than a half of a millennium, it teaches not only the main subjects such as Math, English, and Danish, it teaches subjects such as music, business, and even social studies.( Pateman 61). In Denmark, there is also adult education, which is that adults that are working can have evening lessons. This type of education is popular in Denmark as by now it can be considered as part of their culture. This type of education helps the Danes in many ways, they can possibly learn a new language which most people usually learn German or French. There are also Danes who study subjects which they might be interested in such as social science which might help them in their future in case they would want to switch jobs. Marriage in Denmark is not as popular, the average Danish man usually marries at the age of 33 and the woman usually marries at the age of 30, being that the legal age for marriage is 18.( The Ceremony 1) The reason behind this is that in Denmark it is being advised by the parents of the bride and the groom to live together for some time, to see if the relationship is going to work in a good way. However, also after the couple get to have a long relationship before marriage, the divorce rate in Denmark is high. Studies show that the divorce rate is half the marriage rate, which is really high. In Denmark there are two different types of marriage, one of them is the traditional marriage which the church marriage. This type of marriage is similar to the marriage that happens to other Christian countries the bride wears a long white dress and the groom wear a suit, and the bride is escorted by her father. The only difference is that frequently if there is a close female friend can escor t the bride, and at the end as the couple leave, the guests usually raise the Denmark flag.( Pateman 64-65) The other way which the couple can marry each other is the civil wedding which is a wedding taking place at any place that the authority in charge of the marriage allows to, it can be held in a town or even a forest. Meanwhile, Danish women who get married are allowed to change their last name, which most of them do not change their name as they are expected to divorce, and if they do want to change their last name they would have to do it before the marriage officially takes place due to a document form should be proposed first.( The Ceremony 1). Family life is an important aspect to the culture of Denmark, the Danes are unlike the other neighbouring countries when it comes to families. In neighboring countries like Germany and Belgium their social life is based around pubs and usually being outside the home. In Denmark their social life is mainly at home, the Danes take care of their home and a major amount of the income they would get usually is used to improve the facilities at their home. (Pateman 66). The Danish life is usually based around work and family for adults and school and family for the children who are being balanced equally by the people in there. The Danes usually travel or during holidays or go to a summer house. Summer house is popular in Denmark, which many Danes go to which their family friends. (Steed 1). Also due to Denmark government focus in improving family life, families get to have many benefits. The government takes control of giving the child if a family has one an allowance, the government give s extra allowance to the number of children the family has, and also the families also get to have free birth. (The Ceremony 1). Houses are not cheap in Denmark, but having a family helps because if a couple just married and are not able to afford a house, they are given an apartment by the government to use until they can manage to buy a home for themselves. (Pateman 66).The Danes usually consider their country the best country in the world not only due to the free education, but mainly due to the importance of family life which has been shown when Denmark and the Danes won the ranking of having the most amused people in the world. (Lundberg 1). Women rights are not affected as much in Denmark, and it can be said that they have nearly the same rights as the men. Studies show that women in Denmark work the same as men and have the right to vote and elect themselves. Denmark is one of the few countries which now have women at the parliament with a high rate at over 30%. Saying this, the women do not have all the rights as men, they still have to do the home work alongside men having the better jobs in society and a higher wage, but they still have as many rights as the men. The reason behind women having a lot of rights goes back to 1915 when there was a movement which made them have a huge part in the politics.(Pateman 62-63). After 1915, the women started getting rights they first had the right to vote and then right for opportunities same as the men. The women then started getting more rights after the Second World War when the economy was going down which lead to the need for women to work. This was the start of women bein g allowed to work and started the increasing rate of them working in Denmark, which at that time was mainly in labor market. (Larsen 1). Going back to working women, the Danish women have a high working rate just over 70% of them do work, which is slightly lower than the one of men which is approximately 75%, which shows that Denmark is a fair country and the women in Denmark’s rights are not affected and are close to have the same rights as the men in Denmark.(Housing-Denmark 1). Denmark has certainly earned the right to have a culture as big as it has now. The customs and traditions, education, marriage, family life, along with women rights are one of the most important aspects of culture which makes Denmark have a big culture as it is now. They celebrate many days which means to them a lot such as Christmas. The education is free in government school which is definitely which makes it one of the most intelligent countries in the world. Marriage that they have even though the divorce rate is high, what they do in marriage make them unique, as well as the family life which is important for them. Lastly, women’s rights in Denmark are not affected which is why it is a fashionable society. Work Cited 1) Pateman, Robert. Cultures of the World Denmark. Tarrytown, New York 10591: Library of Congress Cataloging, 1995. 2) â€Å"What would Roskilde Festival be without partners?.† Roskilde Festival’s collaboration partners, 3) Hansen, Thomas. â€Å"Grants.† Education, The Ministry of Education. 4-6) â€Å"The Ceremony.† Family, AngloINFO. 2014. 5) Steed, Richard. â€Å"Work/Life Balance the Danish way.† Meet the Danes, 7) Lundberg, Jan. â€Å"Denmark: Small, Happy Prosperous Families In Contrast to U.S.† Culture Change, July 27, 2012 8) Larsen, Jytte. â€Å"The women’s movement in Denmark.† All About Gender in Denmark, KVINFO. 9) â€Å"Housing-Denmark.† Denmark in Detail,

Friday, October 25, 2019

religions function in society Essay -- essays research papers

Religion has many functions within a society, both social and psychological. According to Ferraro (308) three such social functions are social control, conflict resolution, and intensifying group solidarity. Religion seems to help maintain a social order. It appears to do this by encouraging what a given society deems acceptable behavior and discouraging socially inappropriate behavior. â€Å"Every religion, regardless of the form it takes, is an ethical system that prescribes proper way of behaving.† (Ferraro 308) This social order of rewards and punishment is reinforced when backed by supernatural authority. Thus one’s neighbor may be exorcized from his or her community when a behavior is seen as socially unacceptable or inappropriate. Examples of this in the Jewish-Christian community would be the breaking of the Ten Commandments such as stealing, committing adultery, or murdering.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another social function of religion is to â€Å"enable people to express their common identity in an emotionally charged environment† ( Ferraro 308). Group solidarity is intensified for those who practice it. When members of a religious group come together to practice religious beliefs, they often bond by participating in other non-religious activities as well. (Ferraro 308) People find religion an easy way to identify with one another. Religion helps to form community, schools, and even government. People who are ‘more’ religious tend to hold more conservative attitudes on sexuality and personal honesty. They are also likely to hold more conservative attitudes about family life, being more likely, for instance, to support the use of corporal   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Vaeth 2 punishment in disciplining children. Strongly religious people also tend to be more accepting and satisfied with their lives and marriages. This is perhaps because they do not question what is unknown. It is perhaps merely accepted upon faith. (Brinkerhoff, White, Ortega 295-305)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Religion also plays the role of reducing stress and frustrations that often lead to social conflict. (Ferra... ...d in a variety of religions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Rituals are usually practiced within a group of people, many times forming a community such as a church. Going to service every Sunday is a ritual. Meeting a group of friends every Friday night after work for a drink is a ritual. Rituals are spiritual and nonspiritual, religious and magical.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The core elements of religion, belief, ritual, and myth bring people together just as much as they divide them into groups. Religion helps people find personal identity and fit into a community. Being divided into groups is not necessarily a bad thing. It is human nature. If mankind isn’t divisive over religion, it’s over politics, if not politics, then something else. In my perspective, it is not religion that creates the division; it’s the people. According to Ferraro, (322) â€Å"religion has played an important role in global social change through liberation theology (whereby Catholic priests and nuns work for social reform and justice for the poor) and religious nationalism (whereby religious beliefs are merged with government institutions).†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Thursday, October 24, 2019

History of Death Penalty in the Philippines Essay

The history of the death penalty was extensively discussed by the Supreme Court in People vs. Echegaray.[1] As early 1886, capital punishment had entered the Philippine legal system through the old Penal Code, which was a modified version of the Spanish Penal Code of 1870. The Revised Penal Code, which was enforced on 1 January 1932, provided for the death penalty in specified crimes under specific circumstances. Under the Revised Penal Code, death is the penalty for the crimes of treason, correspondence with the enemy during times of war, qualified piracy, parricide, murder, infanticide, kidnapping, rape with homicide or with the use of deadly weapon or by two or more persons resulting in insanity, robbery with homicide, and arson resulting in death. The list of capital offenses lengthened as the legislature responded to the emergencies of the times. In 1941, Commonwealth Act (C.A.) No. 616 added espionage to the list. In the 1950s, at the height of the Huk rebellion, the government enacted Republic Act (R.A.) No. 1700, otherwise known as the Anti-Subversion Law, which carried the death penalty for leaders of the rebellion. From 1971 to 1972, more capital offenses were created by more laws, among them, the Anti-Hijacking Law, the Dangerous Drugs Act, and the Anti-Carnapping Law. During martial law, Presidential Decree (P.D.) No. 1866 was enacted penalizing with death, among others, crimes involving homicide committed with an unlicensed firearm. In the aftermath of the 1986 revolution that dismantled the Marcos regime and led to the nullification of the 1973 Constitution, a new constitution was drafted and ratified. The 1987 Constitution provides in Article III, Section 19 (1) that: Excessive fines shall not be imposed, nor cruel, degrading or inhuman punishment inflicted. Neither shall death penalty be imposed, unless, for compelling reasons involving heinous crimes, the Congress hereafter provides for it. Any death penalty already imposed shall be reduced to reclusion perpetua. Congress passed Republic Act No. 7659 (entitled â€Å"An Act to Impose the Death Penalty on Certain Heinous Crimes, Amending for that Purpose the Revised Penal Code, as Amended, Other Special Penal Laws, and for Other Purposes†), which took effect on 31 December 1993. [edit] Illustrative cases As a result of the abolition of the death penalty, existing penalties for death were reduced to reclusion perpetua, within the possibility of parole. Here are illustrative cases: The case of People of the Philippines vs. Quiachon[3] involves an accused who raped his 8-year old daughter, a deaf-mute. Under Article 266-B of the Revised Penal Code, the imposable penalty should have been death. With the abolition of the Death Penalty, however, the penalty was reduced to reclusion perpetua, without the possibility of parole under the Indeterminate Sentence Law. The case of People of the Philippines vs. Santos[4] involves the rape of a 5-year old child. The accused was meted the penalty of death because rape committed against a ‘child below seven (7) years old’ is a dastardly and repulsive crime which merits no less than the imposition of capital punishment under Article 266-B of the Revised Penal Code. The sentence was also reduced to reclusion perpetua, without the possibility of parole. The case of People vs. Salome[5] involves a rape of a 13-year old girl (who got pregnant), committed in a dwelling and with the aid of a bladed weapon. The imposable penalty should have been death, but with the abolition of the Death Penalty, the Supreme Court reduced the penalty toreclusion perpetua, without the possibility of parole. The case of People of the Philippines vs. Tubongbanua[6] involves the murder of a victim who suffered 18 stab wounds which were all directed to her chest, heart and lungs. Considering the existence of the qualifying circumstance of evident premeditation and the aggravating circumstances of dwelling, and taking advantage of superior strength without any mitigating circumstance, the proper imposable penalty would have been death. However, with the abolition of the death penalty law, the penalty imposed was reclusion perpetua, without the possibility ofparole. http://phbar.org/wikilaw/index.php?title=Death_Penalty_Law (1) Excessive fines shall not be imposed, nor cruel, degrading or inhuman punishment inflicted. Neither shall death penalty be imposed, unless, for compelling reasons involving heinous crimes, the Congress hereafter provides for it. Any death penalty already imposed shall be reduced to reclusion perpetua. In mid-1987, a bill to seeking to reinstate the death penalty for 15 ‘heinous crimes’ including murder, rebellion and the import or sale of prohibited drugs was submitted in Congress. 1988 In 1988, the military started lobbying for the imposition of the death penalty. Then Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief General Fidel Ramos was prominent among those calling for the reintroduction of the death penalty for rebellion, murder and drug-trafficking. The military campaign for the restoration of the capital punishment was primarily against the CPP-NPA, whose offensives then included urban assassination campaigns. Anti-death penalty groups including Amnesty International opposed the bill, but the House of Representatives voted for restoration by 130 votes to 25. 1989 Three similar bills were put before the Senate. After a bloody 1989 coup, President Aquino certified as urgent one of these bills on the prompting of Ramos. The said bill again proposed death penalty for rebellion, as well as for sedition, subversion and insurrection. 1990 Ramos administration A series of high profile crimes during this period, including the murder of Eileen Sarmenta and Allan Gomez, created public impression that heinous crimes were on the rise. The Ramos administration succeeded in restoring death penalty. 1992 President Fidel Ramos during his first State of the Nation address declared that his administration would regard the restoration of the death penalty a legislative priority, and urged Congress to take speedy action. 1993 Republic Act No. 8177, which mandates that a death sentence shall be carried out through lethal injection, was approved on March 20, 1996. Estrada administration Seven death convicts were executed during the Estrada administration before he announced a moratorium on executions. 1999 Leo Echegaray, 38, was executed by lethal injection on February 5, 1999. He was the first to be executed after the Philippines restored death penalty. It was the Philippine’s first execution in 22 years. Six more men followed within the next 11 months. 2000 On March 24, 2000, Estrada imposed a de facto moratorium in observance of the Christian Jubilee Year. He also granted 108 Executive Clemencies to death convicts. On December 10, 2000, Human Rights Day, Estrada announced that he would commute sentences of all death convicts to life imprisonment. He expressed his desire to certify as urgent a bill seeking a repeal of the Death Penalty Law. Arroyo administration Please see Gloria Arroyo on death penalty–a timeline While the Arroyo administration has been characterized by a flip-flopping stand on death penalty, no death convict has been executed under her watch. Voting separately, the two Houses of Congress on June 6, 2006 repealed the death penalty law. Arroyo signed Republic Act 9346 on June 24, 2006. Section 1. The imposition of the penalty of death is hereby prohibited. Accordingly, Republic Act No. Eight Thousand One Hundred Seventy-Seven (R.A. No. 8177), otherwise known as the Act Designating Death by Lethal Injection is hereby repealed. Republic Act No. Seven Thousand Six Hundred Fifty-Nine (R.A. No. 7659), otherwise known as the Death Penalty Law, and all other laws, executive orders and decrees, insofar as they impose the death penalty are hereby repealed or amended accordingly. Sec. 2. In lieu of the death penalty, the following shall be imposed.(a) the penalty of reclusion perpetua, when the law violated makes use of the nomenclature of the penalties of the Revised Penal Code; or (b) the penalty of life imprisonment, when the law violated does not make use of the nomenclature of the penalties of the Revised Penal Code. Sec. 3. Person convicted of offenses punished with reclusion perpetua, or whose sentences will be reduced to reclusion perpetua, by reason of this Act, shall not be eligible for parole under Act No. 4180, otherwise known as the Indeterminate Sentence Law, as amended.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Marketing plan (simple example) Essay

1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This marketing plan consists of the whole planning for launching our new product which is Safi For Men. Safi For Men concern of the men consumers who really care about their appearance or well known as metrosexual guys. In this marketing plan, we provide the information included the company description, strategic focus and plan, SWOT analysis, industry analysis, competitor analysis, consumer analysis, product-market focus, marketing program as well as marketing budget planning. In the end of this marketing plan, we provide a few pictures of our new products as the appendices. 2.0 COMPANY DESCRIPTION Safi was founded in 2011 started to lead the Halal brand which consists of a unique and comprehensive range of skincare, personal care and toiletry products developed exclusively to meet the needs of modern Muslim women and men. Made with the finest natural ingredients that conform to Syarak requirements and certified HALAL by a stringent independent body – JABATAN KEMAJUAN ISLAM MALAYSIA (JAKIM), SAFI is firmly steeped in Muslims traditions with products that are alcohol and gluten-free. Safi is manufactured in ISO and â€Å"Good Manufacturing Practice† (GMP) certified production facilities. Safi endeavours to provide the best quality products to meet the growing needs of our consumers. To ensure product quality, consistency and flexibility of supply, Safi are manufactured 100% in factories located in Malaysia. All Safi’s products conform to international standards, including Federal Drug Authority (FDA), European Economic Community (EEC)/COLIPA, the British Pharmacopoeia (BP), Cosmetics, Toiletries & Fragrance Association (CTFA). Safi had succeeded in marketing their products include skin care and personal care such as toothpaste and fragrance. The latest one is Safi Shayla which targeted to female consumer who are wearing scarves. 3.0 STRATEGIC FOCUS AND PLAN 3.1 – MISSION A leading brand of Wipro Unza (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. No. 1 Halal Brand in Malaysia Specific focus on the Malay/Muslim consumers 3.2 – GOALS Long Term To be the leading halal skin care product in Malaysia To be the best halal skin care product To further penetrate halal skin care product both in local and global term Short Term To strengthen and enhance brand identity as well as brand awareness to achieve brand loyalty among customers ï‚ · To utilize every possible medium of mass media in advertising activities to reach awide range of audience ï‚ · To exceed sales expectation and sustain a greater growth yearly 3.3 – CORE COMPETENCY AND SUSTAINABLE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE The strategy for Safi is appeal to a target group who are looking for Halal personalcare products, and give them the best their money can buy in terms of an overall brand experience. Safi also is the market leader in Halal personal care market who’s targeting of Malay/Muslim consumer. Therefore, it depends to Safi to set the benchmark of innovation and market expansion. 4.0 SITUATION ANALYSIS 4.1 – SWOT ANALYSIS STRENGTH The first halal skin product in Malaysia 100% natural ingredients Affordable WEAKNESSES Small capital compared to the competitors Less consumer awareness and consumer adoption towards other products such as personal care (shampoo, deodorant and toothpaste) OPPORTUNITIES Emerging market in Halal cosmetics High growth market Beauty concern lifestyle THREATS A lot of competitors who offered almost the same function for each product The competitor’s price which is too high compare to Safi’s products which lead to perceived quality and product comparison 4.2 – INDUSTRY ANALYSIS: TRENDS IN SKIN CARE AND PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS IN MALE MARKET According to Barker (2013), the worldwide skin care market grew from $1577.8 million in 2007 to 2737.4 million in 2012. The market is being driven by consumers in the Asia-Pacific region, which accounted as much as $1623. 1 million in 2012. Overall the industry has more than double in size since 2007. This gives the opportunity to Safi in to enter the men’s market. Tyrimou (2014) report that the sun care collection has an average growth of 15% over past five years. This will give opportunities to Safi in producing products for sun care since the average growth is quite high for the past five years. According to Sarah (2009), the vitamins in camel’s milk is higher compare to goat milks. In contrast, goat’s milk contains higher calcium in its component. Therefore, Safi take this opportunity to enter the market by producing skin care for male consumers by offering the camel’s milk based skin care products. 4.3 – COMPETITORS IN THE INDUSTRY 4.3.1 Garnier Garnier is a mass market cosmetics brand of L’Orà ©al that produces hair care and skin care products. The company started as Laboratoires Garnier in 1904, and was acquired by L’Orà ©al in the 1970s. Current product lines include Fructis shampoos and conditioners, and Nutrisse hair colour. Garnier is sold in numerous countries worldwide, with specific product lines targeted for different skin types and cultures. In 2011, Garnier partnered with TerraCycle to promote up-cycling of product containers and the introduction of biodegradable products. Market Share: 26% Strength: Wide range of product brand Product Range: UltraLift Pro, Retinol, Pure Active, Vital Restore and others Price: RM6.00 – RM20.00 Unit of sales: Per bottles Positioning: Garnier offers a wide range of product for skin care customers Advertising Campaign: Television commercials and promotions 4.3.2 Clean & Clear Clean & Clear is a line of dermatology products owned by Johnson & Johnson. The brand was originally developed by Revlon as a line of sensitive skin personal care items in 1957. The â€Å"Clean & Clear† name was based on products that contained no fragrance or dyes, and left no residue after rinsing. In 1991, Revlon sold Clean & Clear to Johnson & Johnson. Their primary focus is on skincare for young women, but has extended their range to include products treating a wider range of conditions, recently launching a line of products â€Å"SOFT† focused on facial moisturizing. Clean & Clear is currently available in 46 countries. Market Share: 8% Strength: Wide range of product brand Product Range: Deep Action, Active Clear, Clear Fairness and others Price: RM6.00 – RM20.00 Unit of sales: Per bottles Positioning: Clean & Clear offers a wide range of product, especially for young adults Advertising Campaign: Television commercials and promotions 4.3.3 L’Oreal The L’Oreal Group is the world’s largest cosmetics and beauty company. With its registered office in Paris and head office in the Paris suburb of Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine,France, it has developed activities in the field of cosmetics. Concentrating on hair colour, skin care, sun protection, make-up, perfumes and hair care,the company is active in the dermatological, tissue engineering and pharmaceutical fields and is the top nanotechnology patent-holder in the United States. Market Share: 19% Strength: Wide range of product brand Product Range: L’Oreal Paris, L’Oreal Luxe and others Price: RM6.00 – RM20.00 Unit of sales: Per bottles Positioning: L’Oreal offers a wide range of product for female consumers Advertising Campaign: Television commercials and promotions 4.4 – CUSTOMER ANALYSIS According to Bryant (2013), more men are participating in a skin care regime. A new report on the male grooming sector from Mintel reveals that some 58% of men aged 18-24 and 63% of those 25-34 report that they use a facial moisturizing product. This is in stark contrast to the 32% of those aged 55-64 and 29% of men over 65 from other age demographics claiming to do the same thing. When it comes to personal care products, men are nothing if they’re not loyal. More than half of all men (52%) say they tend to stick to the same brands of toiletries and grooming products. In addition, 34% of men like to smell their personal care products before buying them and 20% favour 2-in-1 products to save time. Multi functionality and proof of high efficacy should be key, as these would tend to be the main characteristics that men expect from a product (Euromonitor, 2012). In another study shows that, in terms of product offerings, many companies are moving beyond basic skin care and shaving with products segmented by skin type, such as sensitive skin, anti-acne and anti aging (Kanlian, 2006). Euromonitor (2012) report that one common factor that defines category dynamics, however, is the fact that men, either urged by employment instability or greater media impetus or another, are finding the activity of looking after their appearance and adopting a beauty routine ever more appealing. This has coincided with the release of numerous new products at different price points, from male-targeted shampoos, to men’s specific eye treatments and even Blemish Balm creams and concealers, inspired from the female market. 5.0 PRODUCT-MARKET FOCUS 5.1 – Marketing and Product Objectives Our marketing objective is to successfully reach men consumer who is really concerned about their appearance or well known as metrosexual. Therefore, we applied marketing strategies as much as we can in order to achieve our objectives. Our strategies are as follows: Advertising through media such as television and radio. Advertising through website and social network such as create a page in Facebook and through Instagram. Hire Izzue Islam as the ambassador for our Safi For Men. Offer with low price at the beginning and later will increase the price as well as the demand is increasing. Bundle promotion such as buy Safi For Men, get a free Shick razor. On the other hand, our product objective is to close the gap exist between products offered to the market. By entering to male market in skin care segmentation, plus a new product development which is camel’s milk based products, we are hoping to increase our sales and larger market coverage as the Halal products offered. Safi For Men offered products that can handle such oily face, whitening, moisturizing as well as acne problem. 5.2 – Target Market Our target market is men consumer ages between 18 to 35 years old. As the best study shows that men who are concerned more about their appearance are those who are between this age. 5.3 – Customer Value Proposition Halal products for those who are concern of using halal products. 5.4 – Point of Difference Our new products, Safi For Men is a totally new product development, whereas we are using camel’s milk as the based for this product offered. Camel’s milk provides Vitamin A, B and E which is good for skin care. 6.0 MARKETING PROGRAM 6.1 – Product Strategy Product line Safi For Men offered camel’s milk based products in the form of solid soap, and facial wash 2-in-1 which is facial wash+toner. Unique Product Quality Camel’s milk provides Vitamin A, B, C, and E. Research shows that camel’s milk contains more vitamin A and E compared to cow’s milk. Vitamin A is an effective treatment towards the skin problem such as acne and psoriasis. Vitamin B provide warmth and circulates the skin and promote the immune function of the tissues which is something tired or overwhelmed skin finds difficult to maintain. Vitamin C can whiten the skin and protect from Ultra Violet rays. Meanwhile, Vitamin E provides hydrates skin, leaving it smooth and moisturized. 6.2 – Price Strategy For 40g products may costs around RM 15.00. The price might be higher than other facial wash in an existing market, but there is a significant difference in term of the effectiveness and the cost of manufacturing is a little bit higher due to import camels’ milk from foreign countries, such as Egypt. 6.3 – Promotion Strategy For ambassador, we are hiring local actor Izzue Islam. The reason is he owns the fair skin and we found that by using celebrities, it is much easier to  reach consumers. The significant advantage is whenever we are organizing events to reach the consumers; the involvement of them is relatively high. Other than that, we are using Cents-Off Coupons which customers can get for every RM 50.00 and above in a single receipt. This will attract them to make a purchase. 6.4 – Distribution Strategy SAFI distributed the products to the hypermarket and all convenient stores such as Giant, Tesco and Mydin. Other than that, consumers may also buy through online such as priceme.com. REFERENCES Barker, C. (2013). Euromonitor Analyst Identifies Key Male Skin Care Trends retrieved from http://www.cosmeticsdesign-asia.com Bryant, S. (2013). More Men Adopting Skin Care Habits retrieved from http://www.ad-ology.com Euromonitor International (2012). Men’s Changing Beauty Habits retrieved from http://blog.euromonitor.com Kanlian, S. (2006). Courting The Male Consumer retrieved from http://www.beautypackaging.com/ Sarah, M. (2009). Comparison of Camel, Cow, Goat and Buffalo Milk retrieved from http://www.sarahmelamed.com Tyrimou, N. (2014). Beauty Innovation Round-Up April 2014 retrieved from http://www.portal.euromonitor.com

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

The Battle of the Alamo

The Battle of the Alamo The Battle of the Alamo was fought on March 6, 1836, between rebellious Texans and the Mexican army. The Alamo was a fortified old mission in the center of the town of San Antonio de Bà ©xar: it was defended by about 200 rebellious Texans, chief among them Lt. Colonel William Travis, famed frontiersman Jim Bowie and former Congressman Davy Crockett. They were opposed by a massive Mexican army led by President/General Antonio Là ³pez de Santa Anna. After a two-week siege, Mexican forces attacked at dawn on March 6: the Alamo was overrun in less than two hours. The Struggle for Texas Independence Texas was originally part of the Spanish Empire in northern Mexico, but the region had been inching towards Independence for some time. English-speaking settlers from the USA had been arriving in Texas since 1821, when Mexico gained its independence from Spain. Some of these immigrants were part of approved settlement plans, like the one managed by Stephen F. Austin. Others were essentially squatters who had come to claim unoccupied lands. Cultural, political and economic differences separated these settlers from the rest of Mexico and by the early 1830s there was much support for independence (or statehood in the USA) in Texas. Texans Take the Alamo The first shots of the revolution were fired on October 2, 1835, in the town of Gonzales. In December, rebellious Texans attacked and captured San Antonio. Many of the Texan leaders, including General Sam Houston, felt that San Antonio was not worth defending: it was too far from the rebels power base in eastern Texas. Houston ordered Jim Bowie, a former resident of San Antonio, to destroy the Alamo and retreat with the remaining men. Bowie decided to remain and fortify the Alamo instead: he felt that with their accurate rifles and a handful of cannons, a small number of Texans could hold the city indefinitely against great odds. Arrival of William Travis and Conflict with Bowie Lt. Colonel William Travis arrived in February with about 40 men. He was outranked by James Neill and, at first, his arrival caused no great stir. But Neill left on family business and the 26-year-old Travis was suddenly in charge of the Texans at the Alamo. Travis problem was this: about half of the 200 or so men there were volunteers and took orders from no one: they could come and go as they wished. These men basically only answered to Bowie, their unofficial leader. Bowie didnt care for Travis and often contradicted his orders: the situation became quite tense. Arrival of Crockett On February 8, legendary frontiersman Davy Crockett arrived at the Alamo with a handful of Tennessee volunteers armed with deadly long rifles. The presence of Crockett, a former Congressman who had become very famous as a hunter, scout, and teller of tall tales, was a great boost to morale. Crockett, a skilled politician, was even able to defuse the tension between Travis and Bowie. He refused a commission, saying that he would be honored to serve as a private. He had even brought his fiddle and played for the defenders. Arrival of Santa Anna and the Siege of the Alamo On February 23, Mexican General Santa Anna arrived at the head of a massive army. He laid siege to San Antonio: the defenders retreated to the relative safety of the Alamo. Santa Anna did not secure all the exits from the city: the defenders could have crept away in the night had they wished: instead, they remained. Santa Anna ordered a red flag flown: it meant that no quarter would be given. Calls for Help and Reinforcements Travis busied himself sending out requests for help. Most of his missives were directed to James Fannin, 90 miles away in Goliad with about 300 men. Fannin did set out, but turned back after logistical problems (and perhaps the conviction that the men in the Alamo were doomed). Travis also begged for help from Sam Houston and the political delegates at Washington-on-the-Brazos, but no help was coming. On March first, 32 brave men from the town of Gonzales showed up and made their way through the enemy lines to reinforce the Alamo. On the third, James Butler Bonham, one of the volunteers, valiantly returned to the Alamo through enemy lines after bearing a message to Fannin: he would die with his comrades three days later. A Line in the Sand? According to legend, on the night of the fifth of March, Travis took his sword and drew a line in the sand. He then challenged anyone who would stay and fight to the death to cross the line. Everyone crossed except for a man named Moses Rose, who instead fled the Alamo that night. Jim Bowie, who by then was in bed with a debilitating illness, asked to be carried over the line. Did â€Å"the line in the sand† really happen? No one knows. The first account of this courageous story was printed much later, and it’s impossible to prove one way or another. Whether there was a line in the sand or not, the defenders knew that they would likely die if they remained. The Battle of the Alamo At dawn on March 6, 1836 the Mexicans attacked: Santa Anna may have attacked that day because he was afraid the defenders would surrender and he wanted to make an example of them. The Texans’ rifles and cannons were devastating as the Mexican soldiers made their way to the walls of the heavily fortified Alamo. In the end, however, there were just too many Mexican soldiers and the Alamo fell in about 90 minutes. Only a handful of prisoners were taken: Crockett may have been among them. They were executed as well, although women and children who were in the compound were spared. Legacy of the Battle of the Alamo The Battle of the Alamo was a costly win for Santa Anna: he lost about 600 soldiers that day, to some 200 rebellious Texans. Many of his own officers were appalled that he did not wait on some cannons that were being brought to the battlefield: a few days bombardment would have greatly softened up the Texan defenses. Worse than the loss of men, however, was the martyrdom of those inside. When word got out of the heroic, hopeless defense mounted by 200 outnumbered and poorly armed men, new recruits flocked to the cause, swelling the ranks of the Texan army. In less than two months, General Sam Houston would crush the Mexicans at the Battle of San Jacinto, destroying a large part of the Mexican army and capturing Santa Anna himself. As they ran into battle, those Texans shouted, Remember the Alamo as a war cry. Both sides made a statement at the Battle of the Alamo. The rebellious Texans proved that they were committed to the cause of independence and willing to die for it. The Mexicans proved that they were ready to accept the challenge and would not offer quarter or take prisoners when it came to those who took up arms against Mexico. Mexicans Supporting Independence One interesting historical note is worth mentioning. Although the Texas Revolution is generally assumed to have been stirred up by Anglo immigrants who moved to Texas in the 1820s and 1830s, this is not entirely the case. There were many native Mexican Texans, known as Tejanos, who supported independence. There were about a dozen or so Tejanos (no one is certain exactly how many) at the Alamo: they fought bravely and died with their comrades. Today, the Battle of the Alamo has achieved legendary status, particularly in Texas. The defenders are remembered as great heroes. Crockett, Bowie, Travis and Bonham all have many things named after them, including cities, counties, parks, schools and more. Even men like Bowie, who in life was a con man, brawler and slave trader, were redeemed by their heroic death at the Alamo. Several movies have been made about the Battle of the Alamo: the two most ambitious were John Waynes 1960 The Alamo and the 2004 film of the same name starring Billy Bob Thornton as Davy Crockett. Neither film is great: the first was plagued by historical inaccuracies and the second just isnt very good. Still, either one will give a rough idea of what the defense of the Alamo was like. The Alamo itself is still standing in downtown San Antonio: its a famous historical site and tourist attraction. Sources: Brands, H.W. Lone Star Nation: the Epic Story of the Battle for Texas Independence. New York: Anchor Books, 2004.Flores, Richard R. The Alamo: Myth, Public History, and the Politics of Inclusion. Radical History Review 77 (2000): 91–103. Print.-. Memory-Place, Meaning, and the Alamo. American Literary History 10.3 (1998): 428–45. Print.Fox, Anne A., Feris A. Bass, and Thomas R. Hester. The Archaeology and History of Alamo Plaza. Index of Texas Archaeology:  Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State (1976). Print.Grider, Sylvia Ann. How Texans Remember the Alamo. Usable Pasts. Ed. Tuleja, Tad. Traditions and Group Expressions in North America: University Press of Colorado, 1997. 274–90. Print.Henderson, Timothy J. A Glorious Defeat: Mexico and its War with the United States. New York: Hill and Wang, 2007.Matovina, Timothy. San Fernando Cathedral and the Alamo: Sacred Place, Public Ritual, and Construction of Meaning. Journal of Ritual Studies 12.2 (19 98): 1–13. Print.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Financial Planning for National Disaster

Financial Planning for National Disaster Abstract Whether natural or fabricated, disasters strike unexpectedly. When they occur, they can cause serious disruptions in the normal way of life of the affected communities. Aftermaths of a major disaster in a society often shatter routines, disrupt jobs, and/or destroy property and people’s lives.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Financial Planning for National Disaster specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More If it were possible, disasters would be avoided at all cost because the emotional toll, financial impacts, and disruptions that they cause are very traumatic to the affected society. In line with the realisation that it is difficult to stop some hazards that cause disasters from happening, there have been sustained efforts from the international community to focus on disaster risk reduction and disaster planning. This comparative research on Turkey and Mexico presents the financial arrangement for national catastrophes in the two countries. The goal is to shed light the key measures that the two countries have put in place towards reducing and planning for the many risks that are associated with disasters. Introduction Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Disaster Planning are efforts that are undertaken by a given community or a nation towards promoting disaster preparedness and resilience. In the event of a hazard, the losses of property, injuries, loss of lives, and disruptions to the social and economic wellbeing of the society are greatly reduced and/or eliminated altogether (Ragin, 2004). Owing to the enormous financial losses that are associated with disasters, as well as the financial resources that are required to respond and/or to lead recovery plans, financial planning has become a major tenet of the modern disaster risk reduction and disaster planning activities around the world.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get y our first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This comparative study of Turkey and Mexico discusses the financial planning for national disasters in the two countries with an aim of bringing to the fore the key measures that the two countries have undertaken towards ensuring disaster risk reduction and planning and hence reducing the impact of disasters whenever they occur. Country Profiles and Disaster Management Situations Turkey Turkey is the most disaster-prone country in Europe. It has a long history of natural disasters, majorly earthquakes, which have caused serious disruptions to the Turkish communities in the past (MCEER, n.d). The nation of approximately 80 million people is 80% mountainous. As Sengezer and Koa (2005) confirm, â€Å"Primary and secondary risk zones cover 66% of the country† (p. 173). Geologically, the nation lies at the boundary of the African and Arabian plates, which are both moving towards the north. Following the continuous movement of the plates, a large-scale fault line of more than 1000 kilometres referred to as the North Anatolian Fault (NAF) has formed from the eastern to the western side in the northern territory of Turkey. Along this fault line, many earthquakes have occurred in Turkey. Figure 1: Map of Turkey Showing the North Anatolian Fault (NAF) and other tectonic features Source: (Sengezer Koa, 2005)Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Financial Planning for National Disaster specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The history of Turkey cannot be precise without a mention of major disasters that claimed thousands of lives in the 20th century. For instance, in 1939, an earthquake struck Erzincan City that is located in the eastern part of Turkey. According to MCEER (n.d), â€Å"This earthquake devastated most of the city and caused approximately 160,000 deaths† (Para. 5). Ranguelov and Bernaerts (n.d), it killed between 30, 000-40, 000 people in addition to economic losses that almost brought the city to closure. The same city was the victim of another earthquake in 1992 where more than 700 people perished. In this last earthquake, although the figure that represented the lost lives was significantly lower than the previous earthquake of 1992, losses that were incurred through damages of property, including collapse of buildings, destruction of social amenities, and devastation of important infrastructures were enormous. In fact, Ranguelov and Bernaerts (n.d) say, â€Å"The famous Erzincan earthquake (M~8.0) on 26 December 1939 generated many effects†¦ as well as big destruction and many human deaths (more than 30-40 000)† (p. 62). The situation required massive financial resources to bring back the city to its previous state. However, the turning point in the approaches to disaster management came after 1999 following the crucial lessons that were learnt from two earthquakes, namely Izmit Earthquake a nd Duzce Earthquake. The first earthquake, Izmit, occurred in the late 1999 at a magnitude of 7.6. It caused tremendous loss of human lives and property. This earthquake caused the deaths of more than 17,000 people, especially in the hardest-hit Marmara region where over 31, 000 commercial buildings were destroyed (Bibbee et al., 2000).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It is estimated that more than 120000 houses were irreparably damaged while between 27000 and 35000 others had to be demolished due to the irretrievable dents. The cost of the earthquake was estimated to be roughly USD3billion. In November 1999, another earthquake, the Duzce, which was approximately 100km from the first earthquake, occurred again along the NAF region. It was recorded to have had a magnitude of 7.2. This earthquake led to death of approximately 1000 people. It brought about numerous injuries and destruction of property. Previously, the disaster management approaches that were used by the Turkish government were focused on disaster recovery. There was no motivation for disaster risk reduction or disaster planning at the time. However, since then, the government and the international community have increased efforts to establish elaborate disaster risk reduction and disaster planning to minimise the impact of the disasters as will be discussed later. The chart below sh ows how the Turkish government has developed an organisational chart that addresses various catastrophe management roles. Mexico Located in the â€Å"fire belt† where more than 80% of the world’s seismic activities occur, Mexico is a nation that has suffered many geological disasters. Further, because of its diverse geographical landscape and climatic conditions, Mexico is exposed to a variety of natural hydro-meteorological hazards such as earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, wildfires, volcanoes, and droughts. For instance, in the period 1970-2010, more than 60 million people in the country that has a population of 113 million people had been affected by natural disasters. These figures have placed Mexico in the top 30 nations in terms of exposure to three or more natural hazards (World Bank, 2005). Annually, it is estimated that more than 90 earthquakes of a magnitude of more than 4.0 in the Richter scale are recorded in Mexico. Almost all territories in Mexico, includ ing the Mexico City, are located in earthquake-prone zones. In addition to the earthquake risk, Alva-Valdivia et al. (2000) confirm that Mexico City lies within the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt that is well known for its nine active volcanoes that have been a major risk to natural disasters in the region. The risk of tsunami is very real in Mexico, especially along the nation’s Mexico Pacific Coast. In addition, hydro-metrological disasters frequently affect the nation where the events range from severe tropical cyclones to heavy rainfall events and high-intensity storms along the Pacific and Atlantic Coasts. The agricultural sector is also faced with the risk of droughts, which can be very disruptive to many people whose main economic activity is farming. The nation has experienced an increased risk of disasters, especially following the evident amplified economic growth and urbanisation. For instance, more than 75% of the population in Mexico lives in urban cities. Mexico Ci ty, which is the world’s fifth largest city, has seen a rapid increase in its population. With the augmented economic wellbeing and urbanisation, more assets, infrastructure, and social amenities have become essential. Consequently, they have increased the risk of loss of lives and property in the region (World Bank, 2005). Another significant risk factor in the Mexican nation is the tendency of people who have lower incomes to conglomerate in high-risk zones such as slums or mountainous areas, as well as exposure to poor quality infrastructure that is susceptible to destruction in case of a natural disaster such as earthquakes or hurricanes. In the past, Mexico had various disasters that had major impacts on the society. Such catastrophes have revolutionised how disaster management approaches and efforts are coordinated. For instance, in 1985, one of the largest earthquakes in the Mexican history occurred. The Mexican city earthquakes of September 19 and 20, 1985 with a magn itude of 8.1 and 7.3 respectively, had the highest impact. They affected millions of people. Firstly, the earthquakes led to the loss of lives of more than 6000 people. They also led to direct and indirect losses that were estimated at USD$8.3billion. They are among the costliest disasters in the history of Mexico (Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, n.d). Almost 87% of the total losses were recorded from the destruction of building and infrastructure while the remaining 13% went to the loss of productivity, increased cost of service provision, loss of income, emergency response, and temporary rehabilitation. More than 1700 schools were damaged while approximately 30% of hospital capacity in the Mexico City was destroyed. More than 250,000 people became homeless while other 900,000 citizens had their homes damaged. In fact, Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica (n.d) say, â€Å"More than 400 buildings collapsed, and thousands more were damaged† (Para. 3). Of all the major disa ster occurrences in the history of Mexico, the 1985 Mexico City earthquakes marked an awakening point where the nation of Mexico put more sustainable efforts and emphasis towards disaster risk reduction and disaster planning. Previously, the focus had been on disaster recuperation. However, the impact of these two earthquakes clearly showed that recovery was very costly and that it would cost less to have risk reduction measures to trim down the impact of disasters on the community and nation. Henceforth, Mexico has done a commendable work towards the establishment of disaster risk reduction initiatives that have greatly helped the country in terms of early warning, financial planning, and resilience of the vulnerable communities. Comparison of the Financial Planning for National Disaster in Mexico and Turkey Financial planning for national disaster refers to the efforts that a given nation puts towards disaster risk reduction and disaster preparedness to reduce the financial impact of disasters in case they occur. The financial losses that happen in large-scale disasters are highly disruptive. Sometimes, they require the intervention of the international community for the country or the affected communities to recover wholly. If disasters are not anticipated and financially planned for, the risk of delays in post-disaster response often worsens the adverse human and economic consequences. As such, disaster risk reduction efforts offer the best chance for a country to take a proactive role in preventing or drastically reducing the losses that it may suffer in the event of a disaster (Arnold, 2008). Both Turkey and Mexico face high levels of risk for disaster events. Their history is marred by major disaster events, which have marked an awakening point when the need for disaster risk reduction, including financial planning has become evident as the way to go in addressing future disaster occurrences (Stallings, 1997). With the two countries featuring in the top -ten list of nations that have a high risk for natural disasters, with Mexico at position five and Turkey at position 8, the need for disaster risk reduction and disaster preparedness can only be ignored at the peril of the two nations. In other words, it is no longer tenable for the two nations to sit and wait for a disaster to occur without initiating any recovery plans. From the two 1999 earthquakes in Turkey, where â€Å"At least 17,118 people were killed, nearly 50,000 injured, thousands missing, about 500,000 people homeless and estimated 3 to 6.5 billion U.S. dollars damage in Istanbul, Kocaeli and Sakarya Provinces† (MCEER, n.d, Para. 20), the government was put in a difficult place. Finances that were meant for other development activities and the provision of services to citizens were diverted and directed towards disaster recovery efforts. More than ever, there was a need for the government to revisit its disaster management and response strategies to ensure that s uch events and disruptions would never face the nation again. In recognition of the need to establish an elaborate disaster risk reduction and management approaches to reduce the economic impact of future disasters on the people and the government, Turkey put forward a ten-year roadmap from 1999 to achieve the goals of a well-established disaster risk reduction and management apparatus. The plan included, â€Å"the establishment of a national information centre for processing of all kinds of earthquake data, such as the preparation of earthquake catalogues and earthquake hazard maps of Turkey† (Bibbee, Gonenc, Jacobs, Konvitz, Price, 2000, p. 19). During this time, a wide consolation and involvement of experts from different organisations such as the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, the USAID, and JICA among other bodies that had an extensive experience in disaster risk reduction efforts around the world were engaged. These efforts were aimed at ensuring su ccessful formation of elaborate policies and authorities that would be in the forefront to coordinate disaster risk reduction efforts in Turkey (Cummins Mahul, 2009). Besides, the framework below was successfully adopted to address disasters in the country. At the end, the government saw that the future of disaster risk reduction lay in the establishment of a central authority that would lead in the coordination of disaster risk reduction efforts that covered preparedness, financial planning, and resilience. The first step in this process was the collapsing of the existing institutions that were focused on disaster management. They had many inadequacies that hindered their capacities to respond to disaster occurrences. The institutions that collapsed included the Directorate General of Civil Defence, Directorate General of Disaster Affairs, and Directorate General of Turkish Emergency Management. Instead, in 2009, a new umbrella body of all organisations that dealt with disaster m anagement was formed. The body became the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (IFAD in Turkey) under the Prime Minister. The IFAD was given enormous resources and authority to be the sole authority in all efforts that were geared towards disaster risk reduction, preparedness, emergency response, and recovery. However, much of the organisation’s efforts have concentrated on preparedness and risk reduction. For instance, the organisation is actively engaged in promoting insurance schemes towards disasters, which have been absent in the nation for a long time. In addition, according to Anan (2011), IFAD recognises the importance of financial planning towards disaster risk reduction. In this case, unlike in the past, the organisation has a strong financial resource base that is allocated by the central government to allow it to carry out disaster risk reduction awareness activities while at the same time responding promptly in the event of a disaster emergency in the cou ntry. The success of the organisation has already been tested and proven, especially during the Elazig Simav and Van earthquakes where the organisation intervened swiftly and responded accordingly to help victims and/or offer disaster recovery plans. Currently, 1% of the national budget of the Turkish government goes to the IFAD, which represents one of the highest percentages of money that is set aside by governments towards DRR in Europe. The situation in Mexico follows almost the same script as that of Turkey. Accordingly, for a very long time, disaster management and coordination efforts were dedicated towards disaster recovery. Very little efforts were focused on disaster risk reduction. Indeed, the 1985 Mexico City earthquake, which in its aftermath left over 6000 people dead and over USD$8billion of financial and economic losses, was the awakening point that effectively changed disaster management and coordination efforts in Mexico forever. In the aftermath of the disaster, t he Federal Government of Mexico (GoM) established a National Commission for Reconstruction in October 1985 to coordinate disaster recovery and reconstruction efforts (Arnold, 2008). After the recovery, efforts were commissioned to start the process of ensuring that future disasters would not have such devastating impacts in Mexico. In 1986, the Sistema Nacional de Protection Civil (SINAPROC) was established as an umbrella body for various government bodies, as well as non-governmental organisations whose mandate was to promote engagement between these bodies to ensure that good approaches to future disasters would be deliberated and adopted where necessary. The SINAPROC, which is now under the control of the Ministry of Interior, is charged with the coordination of disaster risk reduction efforts. Under the leadership of SINAPROC, a Natural Disaster Fund (FONDEN) was established to ensure financial preparedness in the event of a disaster in Mexico. Through this fund, the government of Mexico is now able to dedicate not less that 0.4% of the nation’s budget to disaster risk reduction efforts and recovery. The funds that are available through the kitty can be used to towards emergency response, infrastructure reconstruction, building of low-income housing, and other efforts that are geared towards cushioning the community and government from financial shocks during disasters. While a large share of the budget of FONDEN goes towards disaster recovery, a significant share goes towards disaster risk reduction efforts (Cummins Mahul, 2009). The success of the fund, especially in disaster risk reduction, has been evident through the establishment of an elaborate early warning system for major hazards in the country such as volcanic activities, hurricanes, storms, droughts, and earthquakes, which have helped communities to prepare early or to be evacuated to safety before any disasters strike. A good example is the Hurricane Dean, which did not cause any direc t death in the nation, despite its magnitude. Other success stories of the fund have been evident through the collaboration between SINAPROC, which has ensured consistent adoption of better housing codes such that buildings and infrastructure can withstand earthquakes and hurricanes and hence greatly reduce the impact of the disaster on the society (Cummins Mahul, 2009; Neuman, 2006). In addition, the increasing adoption of insurance covers towards disasters is a clear indication of SINAPROC’s efforts towards the transferring of risk to third parties by property owners to guarantee faster recovery and return to the normal state of affairs in the event of disasters. While Turkey has had better success stories in its financial planning for national disaster efforts, Mexico has also achieved considerable success. Both countries are good examples of how disaster risk reduction efforts can greatly cushion the government and society from extreme impacts of disasters. For better di saster risk reduction efforts, both countries will have to dedicate more resources to financial planning and/or establishing collaborative efforts that will allow more partnerships with other nations and organisations to achieve better results in disaster risk reduction. Discussion The impact of natural and fabricated disasters can cause serious devastations to societies and nations. In many cases, the impacts overwhelm the affected nations’ capacity to cope with the situation. As such, the approach of waiting for disasters to occur to initiate disaster response and recovery efforts is no longer tenable (Twigg, 2004). It is very costly as evidenced in the case of Turkey and Mexico. The aftermath of disasters often leaves nations in economic disasters where they have to appeal to international allies for financial support towards recovery. Therefore, in this case, financial planning and preparedness forms a central tenet of disaster risk reduction, which organisations must ado pt to ensure that they can reduce the impact of disasters while at the same time helping in recovery efforts (McEntire, 2006). The success of financial planning in Turkey and Mexico is a good example of why nations around the world must put more efforts towards disaster management instead of applying the wait-and-see attitude, which often backfires on them while leaving hundreds of people dead, billions of dollars worth of properties’ destroyed, and other devastations that have a lasting impact. Conclusion The relevance of financial planning in disaster management and coordination has been laid bare in this paper. Despite the two countries being geographically separated and distinct, they face unique disaster risks that make them susceptible to disaster events such as earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and other hazards. The path towards financial planning did not happen overnight. It followed hard lessons and bad experiences that the two countries faced from past disaster even ts. Consequently, disaster risk reduction efforts that encompass many programmes, including financial planning, play an important role in the two nations’ efforts towards disaster management and coordination. Reference List Alva-Valdivia, L., Goguitchaichvili, A., Ferrari, L., Rosas-Elguera, J., Urrutia-Fucugauchi, J. Zamorano-Orozco, J. (2000). Paleomagnetic data from the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt: implications for tectonics and volcanic stratigraphy. Retrieved from terrapub.co.jp/journals/EPS/pdf/5207/52070467.pdf Anan, K. (2011). Rural Poverty Report. Retrieved from ifad.org/rpr2011/report/e/rpr2011.pdf Arnold, M. (2008). The role of risk transfer and insurance in disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. Sweden: Swedish Commission on Climate Change and Development. Bibbee, A., Gonenc, R., Jacobs, S., Konvitz, J., Price, R. (2000). Economic Effects Of The 1999 Turkish Earthquakes: An Interim Report Economics Department Working Papers No. 247. Retrieved fro m oecd.org/turkey/1885266.pdf Cummins, D., Mahul, O. (2009). Catastrophe Risk Financing in Developing Countries: Principles for Public Intervention. Washington, DC: The World Bank. Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica (n.d). Mexico City Earthquake of 1985. Retrieved from britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1421132/Mexico-City-earthquake-of-1985 MCEER. (n.d). Major Turkish Earthquakes of the 20th Century. Retrieved from http://mceer.buffalo.edu/infoservice/reference_services/turkey-major-earthquakes.asp McEntire, D. (2006). The Importance of Multi-and Inter-disciplinary Research on Disasters and for Emergency Management. Denton: University of North Texas. Neuman, L. (2006). Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. Boston: Pearson. Ragin, C (2004). Workshop on Scientific Foundations of Qualitative Research. Arlington: National Science Foundation. Ranguelov, B., Bernaerts, A. (n.d). The Erzincan 1939 Earthquake A Sample Of The Multidisaster Event. Retrieved from b alkangeophysoc.gr/menu/congresses/oral/62-63-O8-13-Boyko-Ranguelov_2.PDF Sengezer, B., Koa, E (2005). A critical analysis of earthquakes and urban planning in Turkey. Disasters, 29(1), 171-194. Stallings, R. (1997). Introduction: Methods of Disaster Research: Unique or Not. International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters 15, 1(1), 1-29. Twigg, J. (2004). Good Practice Review: Disaster risk reduction, Mitigation and preparedness in development and emergency programming. London: Humanitarian Policy Network. World Bank. (2005). Natural Disaster Hotspots: A Global Risk Analysis†. Disaster Risk Management Series No. 5. The World Bank: Hazard Management Unit.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Our Perception of Beauty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Our Perception of Beauty - Essay Example Nehamas (2005) in his article â€Å"Beauty: Skin-Deep, in the Eye of the Beholder and Valuable?† discusses beauty where he said: â€Å"There is such a thing as the beauty that is only skin-deep.   It is the beauty of appearance, what we call "looking good."   It has little to do with personality, character, wit or morality, and that is because anything that applies to how things look is not a reliable guide to many of their other qualities.† This the kind o beauty that people attributes to contest like the Miss Universe pageant. Psychologically in our minds, we do process the information. Nehamas (2005) said: â€Å"The beauty of appearance -- what we can judge, say, by looking at a photograph of a face -- is something that psychologists have been investigating a lot recently.   In general, they show people photographs of faces and ask them to rank them in terms of their beauty.   Since these are digital photographs, it is possible to combine them into composite photographs.   What seems to be the case is (1) the larger the composite photograph (the more features of individual faces it combines) the more people are likely to consider it beautiful and (2) there is remarkable agreement, both within and between different cultures, about which faces are more beautiful than which.† Nehamas (2005) stated that several hypotheses have been offered to account for these phenomena, and it seems agreed that they have something to do with the likelihood of reproductive success.   Thus, he said that the more features a face combines, the more average it is.   In explaining further, he argued that now it is very counterintuitive to say that the average is what strikes us as beautiful (since the people or works of art we find beautiful usually stand out against their background), but it turns out that average members of groups are less likely to be subject to external evolutionary pressures and more likely to be healthy and survive in the long run (Paraphrasing made). Agreement among different groups produces beauty, that could be passed on to others and media could actually do something about it.  Ã‚  

Friday, October 18, 2019

Snap Decisions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Snap Decisions - Essay Example This was done without any conscious analysis of the benefits that I would get from the friendship. The other snap decision that I have made is the choice of courses to attempt in any semester year. The choice of courses is usually done after a careful analysis of the options before the final decision is made. However, I have usually made snap decisions concerning the best course before getting any other information on the course. My emotions at the moment of making these snap decisions can be best described as emotional and based on hunches. For example, the choice of friends is usually based on first impressions, and if a person looks to be of a different character from mine, I would immediately dislike them, and changing this attitude would be hard. This also applies to the choice of courses, where the snap decisions are based on a liking of the lecturers, teachers, or other students taking the same course. The snap decisions that I have made usually turn out to be the best decisions I have made, since they turn out to be positive. This means that I do not regret the decisions later, and given the information before I made the decisions, I would still make the same

Decriminalizing Drugs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Decriminalizing Drugs - Essay Example Illegal drug use continues in the US despite numerous and aggressive enforcement strategies and legislation aimed at illegal drug sales and use (Reuter 512). In addition to illegal drugs, the rate of prescription drug misuse and addiction continues to rise, with Oxycontin being the most common of these drugs (Grau et al. 169). Regardless of whether the drugs are legal or illegal, drug use and addiction has many direct and indirect effects on society including health costs, crime rates, incarceration, rates, and high costs of enforcement and legislation (Reuter 514). However, as evidenced by the steady increase in drug use, current attempts at drug control do not seem to have any significant effect and are apparently not effective, making decriminalization a more effective alternative. An Argument against Decriminalizing or Legalizing Drugs In the article, â€Å"Against the Legalization of Heroin,† de Marneffe presents his argument as to why the United States should not legaliz e or decriminalize illegal drugs (34-40). The first reason he presents against the decriminalization or legalization of illegal drugs in the US is that it would surely lead to an increase in their use (34). While this premise is based solely on speculation and assumption, and not based on facts or evidence, it is the argument most commonly used by individuals opposing drug decriminalization or legalization in the US. De Marneffe continues the speculation by making the prediction that if drugs (i.e. heroin) were made legal in the US, all adolescents would begin their regular use which would have a detrimental effect on their achievement in the future and general wellbeing (36). This argument is based on the premise that life is especially difficult for adolescents and heroin use is pleasurable, so adolescents would use it regularly to deal with life in general (37). However, like the previously discussed argument, there are no facts or evidence to prove this. In the article, de Marneffe also argues that current drug laws and policies make using illegal drugs (i.e. heroin) more difficult and more expensive, make the drugs less available, reinforce the social norms against using them, and predictably reduce rates of illegal drug use (36). Again, as with his other arguments, there are no facts or evidence supporting this premise; and, the argument is based on speculation and assumption like the othe r arguments presented in the article (36-7). History of US Drug Laws Throughout the 19th century, illicit drugs such as opium, morphine, cocaine and heroin, were legal in the United States (Echegaray 1217). In 1914, the US Congress passed the first antinarcotics act, the Harrison Act, which was a law controlling the sale and distribution of certain drugs; however, the Harrison Act did not prohibit drugs entirely (1222). The Narcotic Drugs Importation and Export Act dealt with importing and exporting drugs and it was passed in 1922 (1223). By the 1950s, a number of laws were passed that prohibited or restricted using, selling or distributing drugs (i.e. cocaine, heroin) (1225). For example, the Boggs Amendment to the Harrison Act was passed in 1951, establishing a mandatory two-year sentence for convictions of first-time drug offenders; and, the Narcotics Control Act increased penalties for drug

Newark Ophthalmic Centre Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Newark Ophthalmic Centre - Essay Example 179), your project will not succeed. By definition, an information system (Beynon-Davies, 1998, p. 4) is a system of communication between people, within the firm and between those in the firm and your customers, actual and potential, and involves the gathering, processing, distribution and use of information. According to several research papers (Morris and Hough, 1987; Benjamin and Levinson, 1993; Drummond, 1998; Beynon-Davies et al., 1998), information system failures are very common. Your problems are common and, based on our considerable experience in these matters, due mainly to faulty project management design. Fortunately, your experience in a much larger organisation was useful in avoiding bigger problems such as mistakes in the installation of the appropriate information systems and technology architecture. Your decision to purchase the system you had just installed was a first step in the right direction. Several failures have been marked by the installation of complex and expensive systems that brought about stakeholder resistance and integration problems due to poor strategic implementation (Beynon-Davies, 1998, p.258 and Grindley, 1991). Herewith are our specific recommendations that we attempt to explain in a straightforward manner and, by defining terms where it would be to your advantage, using language that is easy to understand by everyone in your firm. We have divided our report into five parts. In the first two parts, we propose a simple and straightforward information systems strategy and an information technology strategy you can communicate to everyone in the Centre. In the next two parts, we provide you with an outline of how you can market the information systems and technology strategies to the staff and to the Centre's owner, Dr. Harrison. In part five, we map out a project implementation plan for the next two years Part One: Information Systems

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Graduate Labour Market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Graduate Labour Market - Essay Example As the report declares in its effort to improve and modernise public services, UK government has created more job opportunities for graduates. Some of the sectors that depict an increase in the rate of employment include public administration, health and education, construction as well as business and finance. It is important to note that the UK economic and political developments have made the region to be one of the countries that have the lowest rates of unemployment in Europe. According to Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR), approximately 30% of the UK graduates are highly demanded in foreign countries including European region based on the extensive training undertaken by universities. This paper declares that the manager oversees the implementation of effective use of internet as a way of promoting and advertising of the products. Other vital duties of the manager includes evaluation and tracking of online marketing strategies, identifying new online marketing tactics as well as collaborating with personnel who are responsible for developing websites. Due to the stiff competition in the international market, companies in UK and abroad are emulating e-marketing in order to attain a competitive edge. This means that there exist more job opportunities for students who choose Online Marketing Manager as their future career. Individuals intending to become online marketing managers should posses a degree in marketing and have some experience of internet marketing. In addition, it is essential for one to have a good knowledge of English language and proper communication skills (Laermer, 2007). Communication skills are vital since the marketing managers should have adequ ate knowledge on how to address the needs of their clients. Depending with the size of an organization an Online Marketing Manager should be at least 23 years old and with an experience of 3- 4 years in a marketing department. Even though most of the marketing

Lesson 2 Student 1 DF Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Lesson 2 Student 1 DF - Essay Example It is based on focused areas that have ‘triggered’ questions about practices and requires further research and investigation into whether there are better ways of doing some type of process or providing a solution (Titler, Kleiber, Steelman, Rakel, Budrea, Evertt & Good 2001). Changes are made from such research that shows strong evidence for making changes in clinical practices. This can include innovative approaches, provides cost-reducing measures, and evidence-based solutions which benefit both the medical field and the patients it serves. In using the Iowa Model, some of the improvements it has provided are in enteral tube feeding (ETF), sedation management, bowel sounds assessment after abdominal surgeries, verifying the placement of the nasogastric tube, and double gloving in the surgery room (Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt 2011; Titler et al., 2001). The model also is useful for administration, as you have noted, to encourage an open atmosphere for inquiry as well as providing funding for further testing of medical processes to ensure that the best is made available to both staff and patients. A committee is also formed to oversee the process of discovery and to authorize the change, if deemed essential through supporting data (Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt 2011). A pilot process is created whereby the new policy is implemented and then reviewed as to its success, including the need for adjustments as found during the pilot process. This ensures that a clinic, hospital or organization fits the process to its own particular identity so that it functions at an optimal level. It is well-known that many organizations in the medical field use the Iowa Model as a basis for making change, thus supporting its efficiency. Translating research into practice (TRIP) is also a component of the process in presenting first the pilot process and recording the variables at play which give cause for

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Newark Ophthalmic Centre Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Newark Ophthalmic Centre - Essay Example 179), your project will not succeed. By definition, an information system (Beynon-Davies, 1998, p. 4) is a system of communication between people, within the firm and between those in the firm and your customers, actual and potential, and involves the gathering, processing, distribution and use of information. According to several research papers (Morris and Hough, 1987; Benjamin and Levinson, 1993; Drummond, 1998; Beynon-Davies et al., 1998), information system failures are very common. Your problems are common and, based on our considerable experience in these matters, due mainly to faulty project management design. Fortunately, your experience in a much larger organisation was useful in avoiding bigger problems such as mistakes in the installation of the appropriate information systems and technology architecture. Your decision to purchase the system you had just installed was a first step in the right direction. Several failures have been marked by the installation of complex and expensive systems that brought about stakeholder resistance and integration problems due to poor strategic implementation (Beynon-Davies, 1998, p.258 and Grindley, 1991). Herewith are our specific recommendations that we attempt to explain in a straightforward manner and, by defining terms where it would be to your advantage, using language that is easy to understand by everyone in your firm. We have divided our report into five parts. In the first two parts, we propose a simple and straightforward information systems strategy and an information technology strategy you can communicate to everyone in the Centre. In the next two parts, we provide you with an outline of how you can market the information systems and technology strategies to the staff and to the Centre's owner, Dr. Harrison. In part five, we map out a project implementation plan for the next two years Part One: Information Systems