Wednesday, December 25, 2019

The One Thing to Do for World History Argumentative Essay Topics

The One Thing to Do for World History Argumentative Essay Topics How to Choose World History Argumentative Essay Topics When the writer gets familiar with the topic they can piece together their findings which best represent the intention of the paper. Afterwards, the greatest action to do is to narrow the subject down according to the guidelines offered by your professor. You may start with an introductory paragraph. If you wish to compose the essay yourself, we believe it would be best to pick a universal subject or issue. Think of the subject of the history essay you've already written before. If you would like to compose a superior history essay you'd better pick a topic that is familiar to you. The topic ought to be quite controversial once you are writing an argumentative write up. It is the most important thing for an essay. Now you can get genuine college essay online, one that is going to fit your financial plan and get your work done also. Following that, writers would need to have the ability to take a very clear stand on what they think is right regarding the issue till they begin writing their arguments. Once you receive a task done from us you will return again if you need assistance with another one of your essays. Every time you demand quick assistance by means of your task, contact on-line expert writing service which could prepare an argumentative essay on the subject you prefer. If you are feeling unsure at any time, you should go for low-cost essay writing services readily available online as opposed to risking for any error. There are a lot of reasons why you must prefer our services. The actual individuals highly praise our essay help site. The Appeal of World History Argumentative Essay Topics There are lots of assortments of topics based on the subject you would decide to compose a paper. You need to be quite sure in regards to the notion that you would like to expand on. Your topic idea ought to be something you'll be able to complete in a timely matter and offer interesting information for readers. Your very first idea is nearly always very likely to be too large. Perhaps you still must understand more about the way to compose a history paper. It is an impossible task to write a fantastic history paper if you write about something you find boring and don't care about in any way. From time to time, however, it can be a bit difficult to locate a topic and even more interesting sub-topic to investigate and compose a whole paper on. If you are searching for some controversial topics for research paper, you've reached the appropriate page. New Ideas Into World History Argumentative Essay Topics Never Before Revealed The function of the USA has been integral in the evolution of the digitally advanced connected world. Some say that it's Germany due to their invasion of Belgium. Some historians feel that Japan was on the brink of surrender even though others argue an invasion of Japan would have been an inevitable bloodbath. World History Research Papers involve an amazing quantity of information. World History Argumentative Essay Topics - Dead or Alive? Your language selection will be contingent on this issue. In case it means doing a couple of revisions, don't hesitate to achieve that. Below, it is possible to also locate a list of good topics that you are able to use if you like them. Write a list of ideas you've got or a list of things you're interested in. You may easily buy unique college essays and don't neglect to tell friends and family about it. While it's true that there are a few excellent writers in college some find it extremely tough to write. Doing sports in college ought to be mandatory. You might need to search on the internet or check out magazines that announce such contests from time to time.

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Deal Book Essay - 1524 Words

Deal Book Critique Liberty University Summary This book gives single parents an ideal of what to expect when dating. When a person has children sometimes it difficult to find a date, even to find time to date someone. Ron L. Deal has come up with different guidelines to help a single person find love in all the right places. Getting Past Butterflies and Warm Fuzzies God made people to be loved. Some people have the longing desire to be loved and married one day while others do not have the desire to have a marriage. When a parent wants again to find love many questions go threw there head according to Deal. How do I introduce my children to a new friend How is dating or a marriage going to affect my children How do I know if my†¦show more content†¦It is not important to move on fast, but to examine how the past has made an impact on you and your children. A person that has been divorce should see if the relationship with spouse could be reconciled. Deal recommends tha t you should prep yourself and the kids for dating. The family should conquer fears of what they have. Adult fears can consist of losing kid connection, causing kid pain, not blending, choosing a mate poorly, ex-spouse fear, fearing spiritual judgment. The person should rate their fear between 1-10. Single parents should pray to God and ask him to help you overcome your fears and help you have successful dating relationship. Parents should commit to each other fully to love one another. Help children overcome their fears by telling them that you will always love them no matter what. Children are very smart and they want to know what is going on. Have conversations with them about how things might change with you dating. Remain patient with your children and do not force them to love your partner like you love them. This will take time and do not give up. Gone Fishing Not every relationship is going to work and it is important to notice certain signs that the relationship will not work. The first and most important sign is not sharing the same spiritual beliefs. IF he is pressuring you to get married with a relationship with God, then a person should rethink theirShow MoreRelated Homosexuality, Suicide and Feminism in Cunninghams, The Hours611 Words   |  3 PagesPeople magazine, Michael Cunningham describes The Hours as essentially an optimistic book that deals with the terrible things that happen to people(105). More precisely, the book is about three women living in different eras and addresses several issues, among them homosexuality, suicide, and feminism. Much Cunninghams portrayal of Virginia, who is working on her famous novel Mrs. Dalloway as the story opens, deals with her feelings about life in the suburbs, a life in which her husband dictatesRead MoreThe Pros And Cons Of Books976 Words   |  4 PagesThe books that are banned are the ones that define our past. Book censorship is when the government or a school bans a book because of its depiction to the reader. Book banning is becoming more prevalent as the years have gone by because there are more parents that want to protect their children. Book banning is an extremely important topic because it is shielding young people’s knowledge of what the world truly is. This is a problem because when kids are finally on their own they might not be readyRead MoreAnalyble Themes In The Calculus Diaries By Jennifer Ouellette978 Words   |  4 Pagesviewpoint can change the entire meaning of the story. Finally, the most interesting point made in the book was the brachistochrone, wh ich is the problem of finding the fastest way to travel between two fixed points where one is higher than the other. The answer is a cycloid, â€Å"which is the curve created by a point on the rim of a wheel along a straight line† (Ouellette,212). Next, the main challenge this book covers is the idea that calculus is impossible, and that people don’t understand how useful itRead MoreWhat Makes A Book Great?1446 Words   |  6 PagesWhat makes a book great? Is it the book’s ability to relate to your past, to impress you with its dynamic characters, or another reason that may be only understood by the reader? There are many things that factor into the greatness of a novel. The characteristics which define a novel as being â€Å"great† can differ depending on the person, organization, or other collective which has chosen to read that selected literature. In 2015, the Vermont College of Fine Arts devised a competition that would pitRead More barnes and noble Essay1006 Words   |  5 Pagesbusiness -- by the book. As the #1 bookseller in the US, it operates about 650 superstores throughout 49 states and the District of Columbia under the banners Barnes amp; Noble, Bookstop, and Bookstar, as well as about 200 mall stores using the names B. Dalton, Doubleday, and Scribners. The companys GameStop subsidiary is the #1 US video game retailer with about 1,500 stores under the names Babbages Etc., GameStop, and FuncoLand. Barnes amp; Noble owned about 75% of online book seller barnesandnobleRead MoreIts Time to STOP Banning Books Essay1383 Words   |  6 Pagesto make it easier for people to talk about sex in a more mature manner. Banning books that contain sexual content, vulgarity, and violence give children and young adults a reason to snicker about these topics when discussed in class because we are taught that these topics are not appropriate to talk about publicly. There are many factors that play a major role in how an individual perceives certain topics in books. If taught at an earlier age that these topics are suitable for mature discussionRead MoreSuccessful College Writing And Writing Arguments1322 Words   |  6 Pagesmy writings, I would like to explore the two books from c over to end and take a look at the table of contents along with preface, chapter layouts, colors, fonts and images/graphics/charts used within the books comparing them against each other and musing on why things may have been done the way they were. The English 101 book is titled Successful College Writing by Kathleen T. McWhorter and I own the fourth edition. The English 102 book is titled Writing Arguments: A Rhetoric With ReadingsRead MoreUnconstitutional Book Banning Essay633 Words   |  3 PagesUnconstitutional Book Banning Imagine you’re in graduate school and you’re doing your doctorate on a controversial issue. You’ve done most of the research however there’s one book that has specific information that you need, and you can only find it in that particular book. You’ve looked on the online database and find out that the book is in your universities library. You go to the library and ask for some help finding the book you need, however the librarian informs you that the book was recentlyRead MoreThe Renaissance: the Invention of the Printing Press and Its Effects1614 Words   |  7 Pagesso that even peasants found themselves a good deal richer. Since the textile industry was the most developed industry in Western Europe at that time, it should come as no surprise that people spent their money largely on new clothes. However, clothes wear out, leaving rags. As a result, fourteenth century Europe had plenty of rags to make into rag paper, which was much cheaper than the parchment (sheepskin) and vellum (calfskin) used to make books until then. Even by 1300, paper was only one-sixthRead MoreIndustry Description Of Book Retailing1106 Words   |  5 PagesIndustry Description Book Retailing Book retailing is a retail industry companies in this industry, sell mainly books and other reading media including audio books, e-books and e-readers. Some sell other products such as DVDs, stationery, toys and gifts. According to PwC s Global Entertainment sixty billion in sales of consumer books globally, including e-books. (Hoovers Inc, 2016). Book retailers mainly operate from storefronts, although some also operate online. Barnes Noble US, Fnac France

Monday, December 9, 2019

Public Enforcement Institutional Investors - Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Public Enforcement Institutional Investors? Answer: Introduction: The impairment reviewing of goodwill by organization is done at level of cash generating unit and the impairment testing of goodwill as per the IAS 136 are performed at level that does not exceed operating segments. Allocation of goodwill acquired in business combination is done at cash generating unit. It is essential for organization to alter the composition of one or more acquired cash generating unit to which the allocation of goodwill as been done. One of the basic principles of impairment as per IAS 136 is that the carrying value of assets should not be more than their recoverable amount that is higher of value in use and fair value of assets less costs. In this regard, it is required by entities to tests all the assets that are in the scope for potential impairment for goodwill and intangible assets having indefinite useful lives. It is required by the standard that recognition of any impairment loss should be done as an expense in profit or loss that are carried out at costs. Impairment loss is first recorded against revaluation gains that are recognized previously if the revaluations of affected assets are done in accordance to IAS 16 property, plant and equipment (Avallone and Quagli 2015). For the assets other than goodwill, recognition of impairment loss in prior period is required to be reversed. This reversal should be done when there are any alterations in the estimates for determining recoverable amount of assets. Th ere should be extensive disclosures regarding the recognition of impairment loss and carrying out impairment testing. Discussion: Recognition of loss related to impairment is done to the extent that assets recoverable amount is less than their carrying amount. Losses resulting from impairment for the assets that are carried historical costs are recognized immediately as an expense in the statement of profit and loss. If under IAS 16 or 38, recognition of impairment loss is done as a decrease in revaluation if the revalued assets are impaired assets. Such decrease in revaluation is immediately recognized in the comprehensive income. This has the impact in terms of declining value that reduces revaluation surplus of assets. Recognition of impairment loss is done immediately in the statement of profit and loss as an expense and this is done to the extent that revaluation surplus is less than impairment loss. Impaired assets carrying amount after the recognition of impairment loss will never be decreased to below the higher of recoverable amount of individual assets an zero (Chen et al. 2014). When the group of cash generating unit (CGU) or a CGU where the allocation of goodwill done is tested for the purpose of impairment, then firstly allocation of loss arising from impairment is performed to reduce the carrying amount of goodwill. Allocation of any existed remaining loss is attributed on pro rata to the other assets of CGU based on carrying amount each asset in CGU. Nonetheless, assets carrying value in this regard is never reduced to below of higher of recoverable amount of individual assets and zero. Allocation of impairment loss for a group of CGU will have the identical process as that of single CGU (Knauer and Whrmann 2016). Recognition of impairment loss for an asset other than goodwill is done by gathering information from external and internal sources and such loss have decreased or they no longer exist. Some internal indicators indicating recognition of impairment loss incorporates favorable and positive changes in the performance and use of assets. Market conditions and considerable favorable changes in the value of assets are some of the external indicators indicating impairment loss (Johansson et al. 2016). Consequently, reversal of assets other than goodwill is completed if there is improvement in estimates for determining recoverable amount of CGU and assets. It was done since the last recognition of impairment loss. However, change or improvement in general market scenario and passing of time cannot form the basis of recognition of impairment reversal. Assets carrying amount should not be less than their adjusted carrying amount when impairment reversal has been recognized, as it would have det ermined there are no impairment losses. However, even if there is no reversal of impairment loss and there is no indication of impairment existence, organizations are required to adjust or review the residual value, depreciation methods and remaining useful life of assets. Reversal of impairment losses for goodwill is specifically prohibited by IAS 136 (Glaum et al. 2017). Any losses arising from impairment at the date of transition are recorded by adjusting retained earnings. Goodwill that is acquired in business combinations is allocated to CGU acquirer. Impairment testing of goodwill under IAS 136, Impairment of Assets is performed at level that should not be more than operating segments. Recoverable amount of individual assets are same as that of CGU. Assets carrying amount involves assets that are exclusively and directly attributable to the CGU and assets allocation that are not directly attributable on consistent and reasonable to CGU (Glaum et al. 2015). When computing disposal of profit and loss, goodwill that are incorporated in the carrying amount of operations and are attributable to disposition. Assets carrying amount within CGU s required to be reduced below the highest of value in use, fair value minus cost to sell and zero when impairment loss is allocated to CGU (Bepari et al. 2017). Impairment that has not be allocated should be reall ocated to other assets of CGU and it is subjected to same limits (accaglobal.com 2018). Until, there is full allocation of impairment loss, this process would continue. Impairment loss recognition should not lead to liability recognition unless the definition of liability is met under reporting standard. Conclusion: Impairment loss allocation as per IFRS 3, Business combinations brings in new opportunities when dealing with goodwill. Goodwill that involves CGU is tested annually for the impairment purpose. Impairment is calculated by comparing recoverable amount of CGU with the grossed up amount. Only, the share of impairment loss of holing company is recognized in the statement of profit and loss. Entities electing the employment of fair value method and using the full goodwill method, impairment loss that is charged to loss and profit is higher. Under the standard IAS 136, losses arising from impairment are allocated to goodwill in first stage and subsequently it is done to identifiable assets using pro rata basis. References list: Avallone, F. and Quagli, A., 2015. Insight into the variables used to manage the goodwill impairment test under IAS 36.Advances in Accounting,31(1), pp.107-114. Bepari, M.K., Bepari, M.K., Mollik, A.T. and Mollik, A.T., 2017. Regime change in the accounting for goodwill: Goodwill write-offs and the value relevance of older goodwill.International Journal of Accounting Information Management,25(1), pp.43-69. Chen, W., Shroff, P.K. and Zhang, I., 2014. Fair Value Accounting: Consequences of Booking Market-driven Goodwill Impairment. Glaum, M., Landsman, W. and Wyrwa, S., 2017. Goodwill Impairment: The Effects of Public Enforcement and Monitoring by Institutional Investors. Glaum, M., Landsman, W.R. and Wyrwa, S., 2015. Determinants of Goodwill Impairment: International Evidence. Glaum, M., Landsman, W.R. and Wyrwa, S., 2015.Determinants of Goodwill Impairment under IFRS: International Evidence. Working Paper, available at: https://ssrn. com/abstract= 2608425. Johansson, S.E., Hjelstrm, T. and Hellman, N., 2016. Accounting for goodwill under IFRS: A critical analysis.Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation,27, pp.13-25. Knauer, T. and Whrmann, A., 2016. Market reaction to goodwill impairments.European Accounting Review,25(3), pp.421-449. www.accaglobal.com, A. (2018).Impairment of goodwill and CGUs | ACCA Global. [online] Accaglobal.com. Available at: https://www.accaglobal.com/in/en/member/discover/cpd-articles/corporate-reporting/goodwill-cgus.html [Accessed 17 Jan. 2018].

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Sleepy Time Gal Essay Example

Sleepy Time Gal Essay The stories Sleepy Time Gal by Gary Gildner and Happy Endings by Margaret Atwood have an array of interesting characters that are portrayed using many devices such as actions, words, reputation, other characters and direct comment. The first story Sleepy Time Gal by Gary Gildner is about a man named Phil, his girlfriend and how they did not end up together. Two characters will be discussed from this story due to their relevance in the portrayal of the other. They are the narrator’s mother and father. The narrator’s father was is a practical person. This was first made known by the narrator to the readers when he described his father â€Å"gentle, but practical†[1] to forewarn the readers of the type of observations his father will contribute to the story. This direct comment helped in emphasizing this characteristic which, without it, will not be easily be noticeable. Moreover, while the claim that his father is gentle and practical comes from the narrator alone, it may be claimed that such comment is the general reputation of the father based on the way it was written. The text reads, â€Å"I have to break in here and say that my father, a gentle but practical man†¦Ã¢â‚¬ [2]. The description was stated as a matter of fact, and not of a personal opinion, as if people around them will not disagree to the fact of such description. We will write a custom essay sample on Sleepy Time Gal specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Sleepy Time Gal specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Sleepy Time Gal specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer However, the portrayal of the father’s characteristic did not stop here. It further used words by the father and comparison with other characters to prove and highlight the fact of such characteristics. As regards words, the narrator emphasized the fact that the father tend to focus more of facts and practical matters such as the great Depression. This fact was shown further later on in the story. While the story the father was telling his son is about his friend’s life and love, an account that is supposed to be emotional to some extent, the focus of his observations are not the emotions, but the events. This point will be made clearer with the discussion of how the character of the father is portrayed through other characters. At this point, it will be necessary to introduce the second character from the story. She is the mother of the narrator. It is her through her contributions in the story that she portrayed. She is also portrayed through her use of words and narration. She uses words that are more poetic such as â€Å"got tears in her eyes† instead of crying and â€Å"see it in their eyes†[3]. Even the narrator seems to find his father incapable of such words that when the words â€Å"see it in their eyes† were used in the story, he found it important to note that such was not â€Å"in [his] father’s telling†[4]. Contrary to what the father is, the mother is less practical and is rather more romantic and emotional. She sees the emotional parts of the story that the father tends to skip. Therefore, while the father is remarking on how â€Å"Phil spent his week’s pay on a new shirt and tie, the first one he ever owned†¦.† the night before Philâ€℠¢s girlfriend left for college, his mother is talking about how â€Å"[t]he women got tears in their eyes when Phil played her song†¦Ã¢â‚¬ [5]   Oftentimes, their statements come one after the others’, thus making the difference between their perspectives more marked and noticeable, making each of them a perfect tool to portray the other. This brings us to the second story Happy Endings, which is about happy endings that are not endings because they turn sour again for the characters in the story until they die. In this story, the most interesting character to discuss is the narrator. There are many characters used in the story. There are John, Mary, Madge, John, James and Fred. However, they are not portrayed in the story in the sense that they are not relevant as characters. They are merely tools to portray the narrator. Again, they were just â€Å"used†. They were only used to portray the narrator’s view about happy endings. There is no happy ending. Just when the characters finally have a happy ending of their own, the narrator will twist it to make it sour, sad and complicated. This change may still end in another happy ending, but that second happy ending will again be made sour, sad and complicated. This cycle continues until the character dies. Such belief shows cynicism on the part of the narrator and portrays him to be an unhappy person. He is one who believes that what happy ending he may have will not last because he does not believe in happy endings. The only true ending is death and all the others are fakes. For him, happy endings are j ust fake endings â€Å"either deliberately fake, with malicious intent to deceive, or just motivated by excessive optimism if not by downright sentimentality†[6]. Her character is also portrayed by the words he used in telling John, Mary, Madge, John, James and Fred. Their stories were told through a series of events as if these events ordinarily happen in everyone’s lives, devoid of any emotion and sentimentality. They are just facts about certain people’s lives. Each story ends with a happy ending, at least before they turn sour again, but these happy endings are not told in a happy way unlike how other happy endings would be told.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Marketing and Lego Essays

Marketing and Lego Essays Marketing and Lego Essay Marketing and Lego Essay Executive Summary Since LEGO Group’s (LEGO) inception in 1932, the world-famous toy maker overcame numerous challenging obstacles to become the leader in the building toy segment. By 2010, LEGO had witnessed all-time high annual sales of over US$3. 7 billion to become the fourth-largest toy manufacturer in the world. Upon analysis of LEGO’s strengths through Resource-Based View, LEGO holds few key competitive advantages attributed to their success: strong brand name and innovative culture. These traits are not imitable or easily substitutable. However, the competitive landscape has drastically increased in the building toy industry as analyzed with Porter’s Five Forces. Essentially, the deteriorating barriers to entry from loss of trademark protection, Disney’s acquisition of Marvel for greater control of entertainment licensing, and increased rivalry among existing firms from little product differentiation are the main drivers of high competition in the observed market. Therefore, in order to uphold the market leader position in the building toy market and ensure financial success in the years ahead, it is strongly believed that the combination of differentiation and first-mover strategy will best allow LEGO to capitalize on the opportunities available in this growing industry while mitigating the threats from the changes in the market. Although several viable alternatives are present in order to address the mentioned concerns, expanding to the adult market with specialized LEGO sets for hobby and professional purposes is the most suitable. By tapping into this huge demographic consisting of many previous LEGO users, LEGO will diversify its product lines, gain a new channel for revenue generation, protect its brand from competitors’ similar products and maintain high brand recognition from wider targets. Problem Statement The LEGO Group (LEGO) is facing new threats emerging in the toy industry from company acquisitions, intensifying competition in the building blocks segment and risk of brand dilution. Representing one of the fastest growing categories in the global toy sales of US$83. billion in 2010, building sets hold a great opportunity despite uncertainty if LEGO is to successfully develop a product expansion strategy that can maintain LEGO’s current market dominance, high brand value and achieve a financial success. Porter’s Five Forces (Appendix A) The threat of the existing toy companies expanding into the building blocks segment is fairly high due to the similar cost structure and operation requirements. LEGO’s biggest competitor MEGA Bloks proved that other companies could carve out a percentage of the building toy market. LEGO is dealing with two kinds of buyers: small retailers and larger chains. With more than two-thirds of LEGO’s revenue coming from the 200 large retailers, these buyers have fairly high bargaining power. The small stores do not have such bargaining power with LEGO considering their order sizes and revenue contribution. The bargaining power of the suppliers is assumed to be weak as the companies in this industry can freely select their suppliers. For instance, LEGO reduced 80% of its suppliers, showing the flexibility of choosing from wide range of suppliers and significant control over supply-related costs. On the other hand, the rivalry level in the industry and the building sets segment is high. The acquisition of Marvel by Disney placed a large amount of entertainment licensing under the control of Disney which indicates that licensing agreements that LEGO relies on to add values to its products will become more difficult to obtain. Lastly, the threat of substitutes for both toys and building blocks products is assumed to be high as parents will often encourage other activities for their children such as playing sports, exercising, or reading books instead of having them play inside. To conclude, it is strongly believed that the combination of differentiation and first-mover strategy will best allow LEGO to capitalize on the opportunities available in the growing industry while mitigating the threats from the changes in the market environment. SWOT Analysis (Appendix B) LEGO is a globally recognized brand with long history of producing creative and educational toys and has established significantly positive image to the consumers. Thus, LEGO can embrace its reputation and knowledge in the industry to further diversify its product offerings. LEGO has many loyal parent customers buying LEGO products for their children. It is important to understand that the consumers are not the buyers of the products. Once the active consumers of LEGO, the parents trust its products and LEGO is deeply rooted in their personal experience. However, new product lines that reflect the current popular children’s culture face the challenge of appealing to the children and answering strict demands of parents. Nonetheless, LEGO has weaknesses as well. Digital Design Program offering customized product offering with delivery can be assumed to be incurring extra costs since LEGO cannot leverage its economies of scale. LEGO’s loss of patent protection is also the weaknesses that other competitors exploit. As competitors introduce plastic brick products that are compatible with the LEGO brick designs, the consumers are misled into buying the products thinking that they are LEGO. As competition and licensing control intensify to threaten LEGO, the organization should avoid expensive/additional marketing and legal campaigns in the building blocks segment, and divert such resources to take advantage of the unexplored segments in the market. Value Chain Resource-Based View Analysis (Appendix C) While LEGO’s business activities create value and competitive advantages for the firm and its customers, they do so with varying degrees. First, among the primary activities, inbound and outbound logistics are assumed to be standard practices across the industry, contributing little towards competitive advantage. The operation systems offer LEGO a high level of competitiveness since LEGO’s corporate governance is rare and difficult for competitors to imitate. Lastly, marketing and sales strategy for LEGO are unique due to the exclusive nature of licensing agreement, its history and long-term effort of brand building. LEGO’s general and human capital management contribute to its competitive advantage by applying the expertise and knowledge accumulated over the decades, making it extremely difficult to imitate. Technology development and procurement activities at LEGO are assumed to be similar to the general and human capital management and they are relatively unique to LEGO due to its organizational culture history. In conclusion, LEGO’s management should continue creating added values in their products through the above activities, with significant focus on marketing and sales to further synergize with their strengths as indicated in SWOT analysis and operations systems, which include product designs, to expand their product lines into new market segments. Alternative 1: Expand product lines targeting girls As indicated in the SWOT analysis, the market coverage for girls in the building blocks is assumed to be fairly low at this point. LEGO can expand its product designs by obtaining the licensing agreements with entertainment companies that girls favor, as well as adopting new product designs for girls. For example, diversifying its Duplo product lines with themes, such as princesses from Disney cartoons that girls will prefer over boys, will allow LEGO to capture the potentially under-served market segment. By increasing their product lines with minimal design expansion, LEGO is effectively ‘creating’ a sub-segment within the industry and challenging other competitors, which are trying to compete in the traditional building sets segment. Essentially, LEGO is positioning itself as a segment leader once again and capturing a large portion of the end-users and customers. Nevertheless, there are several risks associated with the alternative: first is the market uncertainty. In other words, young girls may not be as interested as boys in building blocks products even with appealing themes. Therefore, thorough target segment research involving focus groups and interviews is recommended to mitigate this risk. Secondly, there is low barrier to entry in this sub category of end-users. The competitors are easily able to compete in this market segment, by designing similar products with themes that will be targeting girls instead of boys. This is possible because re-tooling of the equipment is not costly, as the machines are manufactured to be able to handle multiple designs. Lastly, the increased control over licensing agreement is another major concern: with the themes involving Disney characters, it will be very competitive to acquire licensing agreements, given the previous relationship Disney has with Mattel and Hasbro. Fortunately, this risk can be mitigated by creating themes that do not use the characters’ names or key features, thus avoiding any misjudgment or legal conflicts. Alternative 2: Expand product lines targeting adults/previous LEGO users Given LEGO’s long history of being in the toy business, it is correct to assume that the older generation, who are the parents of the children that LEGO targets, have had experience playing LEGO sets. This fact brings up two unique and strong bases for an inimitable business strategy: 1). By targeting the adults LEGO will increase the size of its potential market. Re-attracting the once loyal customers will not involve complicated new marketing strategies as they can be easily connected based on nostalgic elements. While the threat comes from commoditization of LEGO sets due to similar products being produced by LEGO’s competitors, the past user experience of playing with LEGO sets will never be able to be copied. 2). Furthermore, the distinction between children as consumers and parents as customers made it difficult for LEGO to align the interests and expectations of its two stakeholders. Product expansion into the adult market enables LEGO to focus only on the product development as adults will not necessarily look for traditional values (i. e. educational factors) that LEGO toys have. Fortunately, LEGO for adults will not be a pioneer project. Around the world, many LEGO fans have uploaded pictures of items creatively made by the fans themselves with LEGO pieces (APPENDIX D). LEGO for adults will reflect this on-going global trend and design specialized LEGO pieces for adult users. LEGO for adult users will be used for professional and hobby-related purposes. Engineers can use LEGO to design new bridges, buildings and landmarks while general hobbyists can build a new computer case, frame for pictures and small stools. While LEGO sets for children was considered a toy, LEGO for adults will be a whole new category allowing its users to create art, functional items and highly creative masterpieces to attach unique personal experience and irreplaceable values. Recommendation (Appendix D) Ultimately, it is recommended for LEGO management to undertake the second alternative, to redesign the existing LEGO pieces to be more functional and target the adults. Although other strategy is a viable option, in order to address the concern of competition from absence of patents, lack of product differentiation, and higher dependency on popular licensors, the aforementioned solution is the most suitable. By tapping into this huge demographic consisting of many previous LEGO users, LEGO will diversify its product lines, gain a new channel for revenue generation, protect its brand from competitors’ similar products and maintain high brand recognition from wider targets. LEGO building sets for adults will protect LEGO with a new patent and decades of established loyalty. The LEGO sets for adults will be sold online for two main reasons: 1). This new product line is in an unique product category that does not belong in either the traditional toy stores r the home hardware department. 2). Adults have the mean to purchase (i. e. credit cards) things sold online. Furthermore, the unclear future due to Disney’s purchase of Marvel will be neutralized with the concept of the LEGO sets for adults. While the association of popular pop culture in LEGO theme is important to appeal to children, adults will be more concerned with what they can make with the pieces. Therefore, these new LEGO pieces will be bigger, come in greater variety in shapes and allow more complicated technical flexibility and aesthetic brevity. Upon a glance, completed sets made with such pieces will fit well with other furniture and items in a typical household. LEGO can effectively leverage the current usage of LEGO sets by the professionals and hobbyists like the University of Cambridge and Nathan Sawaya to showcase how they use LEGO. Finally, it is highly likely that once the adults start purchasing and manipulating LEGO sets for their own use, they will opt to buy toys and the traditional LEGO sets from LEGO for their own children, establishing stronger and wider customer retention for many years to come.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Majoring in General Management in Business School

Majoring in General Management in Business School What Is a General Manager? General managers organize workers, other managers, projects, customers, and the direction of an organization. Every type of business needs managers. Without a manager, there wouldnt be anyone to oversee operations, supervise employees, or perform the essential tasks that managers take care of on a daily bases.   Why Major in  General Management? There are plenty of good reasons to major in general management. It is an old field, which means that curriculum has had an opportunity to evolve over the years. There are now lots of good schools that offer excellent preparation in the management field - so it shouldnt be a struggle to find a respected program that can give you the  kind of education you need to pursue a career and secure a position in your field after graduation.   Business majors who want to have a variety of career opportunities available to them upon graduation almost cant go wrong with a  specialization in general management.As stated earlier - nearly every business needs management personnel. A general degree in management may also be attractive to business majors who are unsure of what specialization they wish to pursue. Management is a broad discipline that can transfer to a lot of different types of careers and business areas, including accounting, finance, entrepreneurship, and more.   General Management Coursework Business majors who specialize in general management usually take courses that will help them develop a foundation of business skills that can be applied in almost any organization. Specific courses may cover topics like accounting, marketing, economics, business law, and personnel management. Educational Requirements Educational requirements for business majors who want to work as a general manager vary depending on the type of organization and industry the student is interested in working in upon graduation. To get an idea of what may be expected from you in different degree programs, and what kind of job and salary you are likely to obtain after earning a degree, follow these links: Associate ProgramsBachelor ProgramsMBA Programs General Management Programs for Business Majors There are literally thousands of colleges, universities, and vocational schools offering programs in general management. Finding a program should be very easy. Finding a good program, however, can be difficult. Before choosing to enroll in any general management program, it pays for business majors to do as much research as possible. Working in General Management After graduating from a general management program, business majors should have no problems securing employment in a private or public organization. Positions are available in a variety of industries. Potential for career and salary advancement is also prevalent in this occupation. Additional Career Information To learn more about working as a general manager, see the job profile for General Business Managers​jnY ¿

Thursday, November 21, 2019

CASE STUDY THree stories by Edgar Allen Poe Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

THree stories by Edgar Allen Poe - Case Study Example In the story, the relationship existing between the old man and the narrator is unclear whether the old man is a father or the narrator is a servant to the old man. The story is, therefore, a short time documented life experience story, which the author uses to portray the personifying characters. In as much as the story, tell tale heart does not make use of pronouns and other necessary English devices; it sparks symbolical ideologies and themes in people. The story starts with a conversation where an alleged man is confessing to an unknown person. It is not clear whether it is a prison guard, doctor, news reporter or a psychiatrist. In the process of giving a confession, memory of terror prevail in the story where the man admits the state of guilt. This grabs the attention of readers as the narrator take responsibility for murder, but does not accept insanity (Poe 23). The narrator attempts to prove his guiltiness while at the same time denying insanity in confessing. It is, therefo re, a story, which involves a tag of war between two forces, one confessing a murder while the other defends sanity, hence the name tell tale.The narrator, while lamenting, tries to defend himself from any idea, which might portray him as insane. At the same time he says, â€Å"I heard many things in hell. ... From a reader’s perspective, this might be one of the causes of misunderstanding in the story, which makes the narrator plan for the old man’s murder. In addition, the story penetrates a veil of secrecy in the final night regardless of the incidental relationship existing. (Poe, 45). To ascertain the death of the old man, he cuts his body parts and hides the remains under the floor. The dissimilation to protect his conscience gets centered in the old man’s vulture eyes. Subsequently, the quest to know more remains in readers having the anxiety to understand the motives behind the killings. The heart is symbolic of emotions of the individual. It shows the guilt of the narrator when the investigation proceeds. It seems the narrator is speaking to the heart. The old man’s bedroom is symbolic in the story. The manner of narrator’s intrusion into the room is symbolic of the violation of the violation of honor that the man had. In the story, the watch is symbolic of time. Notable aspect imagery in the story is that of the lantern displayed as beautiful and decent. In conclusion, the story, tell tale heart is more of similar to Roderick Usher’s book, the fall of the house of usher. Both reveal uncontrolled imagination among characters, which gets linked to psychological and emotional instabilities. The story is a representation in the struggle between imagination and science. The old man in the story represents scientific, rational mind in allegorical sequence portraying high degree of intelligence. The black Cat The short story of Poe was published in 1843. It closely relates other works by Poe since it portrays the notion psychological guilt. In this case, the

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Compare the moral theories of Kant and Aristotle. Argue for the Essay

Compare the moral theories of Kant and Aristotle. Argue for the superiority of one or the other. Qualify your position however y - Essay Example There are similarities in their views on the role and nature of knowledge and morality in the lives of human beings, while there are differences in the tenets that make up their philosophy. Aristotle, in his philosophy, maintains the importance of the soul in the acquisition of moral virtue. It is only by fulfilling the dictates of this soul, which is guided by reason that one would be able to achieve happiness. This happiness could be achieved by man, who was at the highest position in Aristotle’s teleological view of things. Man was at the highest position in his scala naturae, which means the Great Chain of Being, as a result of the possession of rationality and reason, unique to man, who maintains his superiority as a result of this rationality. The rational human person, the creature at the top of the biological ladder, would have a good character that arose out of the creation of moral virtue. To create this character, he would need the fortune to be tutored by somebody higher than him like a teacher, something that would be available only to the elite sections of the society. Aristotle himself was tutored by people like Plato and he was tutor to Alexander the Great. Contemporary Greek ideas and practices were thus, a great factor in the development of the theories of Aristotle.

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Source based questions on the Vietnam war 1960 Essay Example for Free

Source based questions on the Vietnam war 1960 Essay According to source G, results of opinion polls in the USA in the 1960s Vietnam was one of the most important problems facing the USA. This also shows in source F because 64% of people said television coverage made them want to back the boys in Vietnam while 26% felt moved to oppose the war. The safer film made peoples opinions change because through television they could see what was really going on out there so peoples interests about the war increased. Increasing exposure to the war may have changed opinions about the war because like safers film it showed what was really going on because in safers film soldiers were shot by their own men and they were killing innocent Vietnamese people for no reason. Source H shows a letter written by a U. S soldier fighting in Vietnam in 1969 and he is saying about how fed up he is with the war and having to go to sleep and listen to rockets and mortars and artillery then having to wake up to fight and see soldiers at the age of 18 and 19 being killed and having their lives cut off. His attitude to the war is that he is sick of it all and when people hear about this back in the USA their opinions probably changed. I think this soldiers views are probably shared by a lot of other soldiers when they are writing home. The soldiers families probably felt scared for the soldier and worrying if he will survive and this will probably change their opinions about the war. Source I is about American troops going in and killing innocent Vietnamese people in My Lai. The event occurred in March 1968 but was not published until January 1970. There might have been a delay in publishing details of this event because if the article was published then Americans would have questioned the soldiers tactics and it probably would have changed a lot of American opinions. The authorities delayed the publication of the article because it would have reflected badly on the soldiers and Americans would have started to question American involvement in the war. Source J is a picture from the My Lai Massacre and it shows a thirteen-year-old girl hanging on to her mother after a soldier stripped her. The picture creates a disgraceful impression on the American army and people probably wonder why the soldier done it. I dont think this picture was likely to appear in an American newspaper or magazine because people would have been horrified and ashamed of the soldier. If it were published it would have changed peoples opinions of the war. Source K is an anti-war song written by Country Joe Mc Donald in 1967. Anti-war songs were popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s. I think anti-war songs were popular at this time, particularly among young people because they wanted the war to stop because there were so many people getting killed in Vietnam and it was the young people who were being called up to fight for the war and they didnt want to. Anti-war songs were heard by large numbers of people on radio stations, cassettes or at concerts so it might have influenced people to think more about the war. Source K is a bit like Source H because Source H reached large numbers of people like Source K, they both express attitudes of opposition towards the war and they both might have made people change their views about the war. Source L is a political cartoon published in the USA in 1969. The cartoonist is making a serious point but is trying to make the point in a funny way. People usually remember funny things so the cartoonist wants people to remember this point. In the cartoon you see a salesman wearing an American suit and trying to sell it to a Vietnamese man by telling him all about it but the Vietnamese man says it doesnt fit. The cartoonist is making points like Americans want the Vietnamese to be like them, Americans and Vietnamese are different from each other and America is a big rich country but Vietnam is a small poor country. I have now examined a variety of sources, G, H, I, J, K and L. All these sources give reasons why opinions changed during the war. I think the most important reason for peoples opinions changing during the war were television and things like safers film.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

How the Pill Affects Your Body :: Birth Control Contraception Pregnancy Essays

How the Pill Affects Your Body Every night at 11 p.m., the alarm clock in 21-year-old Natacha’s* one-bedroom apartment goes off. It isn’t a signal to wake her up from a quick nap to write a paper or do some reading, but a reminder that it is time to take her birth control. As soon as it goes off her live-in boyfriend of three years, Julian, brings her a pill and a glass of water. â€Å"In the beginning Julian used to call me at 11 to remind me to take my pill,† said Natacha, who had a long distance relationship with him during the first two years they were dating. â€Å"Now he just brings it to me.† Natacha is just one of the many female students at Northeastern University who is currently taking the birth control pill. In a survey of 30 students, 56 percent indicated that they take the pill. â€Å"Oral contraception is the most common [contraceptive] among students,† said Leah McKinnon-Howe, a health care practitioner at Lane Health Center. â€Å"I write more prescriptions for the pill.† The birth control pill, which is used by over 16 million women nationwide, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1960 and is available in 41 brands on the market. The pill comes in two different forms, combination pills and progestin-only pills. Although both are made form hormones that are naturally found in women’s bodies, the combination pill also contains estrogen, which is not found in the progestin-only pills. Combination pills prevent ovulation and thicken the cervical mucus that surrounds the egg, preventing the fusion of the egg and the sperm. Progestin-only pill also thicken the cervical mucus but usually don’t prevent ovulation. Estrogen and progestin are both steroids that are produced in the female body. Estrogen, the female sex hormone, is created by the ovaries, corpus luteum, and the placenta. It is responsible for the development of breasts and also controls the menstrual cycle. Progestin is also involved in the menstrual cycle. Produced f rom granulose cells, it is secreted during the second half of the menstrual cycle and assists in developing embryos if pregnancy occurs. According to McKinnon-Howe, there are many reasons why students choose to take the pill. â€Å"They usually take it for contraception, but some are not sexually active. They take it for dysmenorrheal, some for cycle regulation, or the improvement of acne† said McKinnon-Howe. The advantages that are linked to taking the birth control pill are numerous.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Fruit and vegetable consumption among young adults Essay

The World Health Organisation is predicting that chronic disease will account for over sixty per cent of deaths; with 41 million deaths by 2015.1 Up to 80% chronic disease could be prevented by eliminating tobacco use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and the harmful use of alcohol.2 Chronic disease and obesity in Australia are continuing to contribute to premature death and burden of disease.3 Cardiovascular disease and cancer remain the main causes of disease burden and type 2 diabetes prevalence has trebled in the last ten years and is expected to be the leading cause of disability and death by 2023.4 The rapid rise in diabetes incidence and prevalence is thought to be due to the rising rate of obesity.5 61% of Australian adults, using measured BMI are currently either overweight or obese6 , with younger age groups gaining weight more quickly than previous generations.7 Approximately 32% of Australia’s total burden of disease can be attributed to modifiable risk factors. 4 Considerable reductions in morbidity and mortality from diet-related diseases could be achieved if the population increases healthy eating behaviours including increasing the consumption of fruit and vegetables (FV).8 Fruit and vegetable consumption is strongly linked to the prevention of chronic disease and to achieving better overall health.9 Internationally up to 2.6 million deaths and 1.8 % of global burden of disease is attributable to low FV consumption. Inadequate FV intake in Australia is thought to be responsible for 2.1% of the overall burden of disease.10 Increasing individual FV intake could reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease by 31%.11 In particular reviews of studies have indicated that FVs reduce the risk of developing cancer12; cardiovascular disease13 and obesity.14,15 A meta-analysis of studies investigating FV intake and the incidence of type 2 diabetes indicated no significant benefits for increasing FVs but an increase in green leafy vegetables could sign ificantly reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes.16 The mechanism of action is thought to be related to their micronutrient, antioxidant, phytochemical and fibre content.17 Current recommendations for fruit and vegetable consumption Based on  available evidence the World Cancer Research Fund recommends eating at least 400g of non-starchy vegetables and fruits per day (2007).12 The Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend that Australians consume a minimum of two serves of fruit and five serves of vegetable daily.9 Current consumption patterns are well below these figures. Data on FV consumption in Australia is collected predominantly via validated short questions as part of the National Health Survey. This self reporting of FV consumption does incorporate a number of errors related to the ability of individuals to determine serve sizes18 and the validity and reliability of the short questions. Alternative measures of FVs, predominantly food frequency questionnaires have been determined for different age groups19, 20. For adults the most recent determination of FV intake indicates that only 56% of females and 46% of males over the age of 15 are eating t he recommended serves of fruit and 10% of females and 7% of males over the age of 15, are eating the recommended serves of vegetable daily. 15 The 2007 national children’s nutrition and physical activity survey used a combination of multipass 24 hour food recalls and food frequency and indicated that only 1-2% of older children were consuming three serves of fruit and only 1-11% of older children met the guideline for vegetable consumption21. In another survey specifically looking at young adults 34-43% of those aged 19-24 year olds met the daily fruit consumption guidelines of two serves a day but only 8-10% of young adults ate the recommended five serves per day of vegetable.3, 22 Low consumption of FVs is, therefore, an issue across the spectrum of age groups. While young adults do not necessarily have FV intakes any worse than older adults and children, the lack of overt medical problems has meant that the 18-24 year old age group have received little attention.23 Given that fewer young adults consume the recommended serves of vegetable, strategies that focus solely on vegetables would appear to be appropriate . Young adulthood is a critical age for weight gain24; and in the United States the transition from high school to college is a potential period of rapid weight gain increasing the risk of obesity in later adulthood.25 Chronic conditions are a significant challenge for Australia’s young people because these conditions can affect normal growth and development, quality of life,  long-term health and wellbeing, and successful participation in society, education and employment.3 Studies predominantly undertaken in the United States and Europe are contradictory with respect to whether food habits are positively or negatively affected in the transition to independence. In one study students living independently were more likely to consume a healthy diet than their counterparts living at home. Independent living may increase responsibility of various food-related activities such as budgeting, purchase, preparation and cooking which young adults living at home have not yet developed.26 Other research however indicates that dependent students consume more FVs – independent students may take more responsibility for their food choices while dependent students may be controlled by the primary care-givers.27 It should be noted that the transition from highschool to university in Australia is not necessarily marked by a move out of the family home as it does in the United States, Canada and parts of Europe. Living on campus or in university-provided accommodati on is only undertaken by a small percentage of students in Australia. In 2008, there were almost 3 million young people aged 15–24 years in Australia, accounting for 14% of the total population.3 In addition the majority of Australians who start a course at a higher education institution are aged between 15 and 34 years of age and in 2009 more than 45% of young adults aged 18-24 years were enrolled in a course of study leading to a degree or diploma qualification.28 Universities and other higher education institutions would therefore be an appropriate setting to target individuals in this age group. Determinants of fruit and vegetable consumption The National Public Health Partnership identified the primary determinants of FV consumption to inform the development of strategies.29, 30 These are outlined in the table below. Table 1 Identification of determinants of fruit and vegetable consumption Determinant Objectives Food supply Increase and sustain access to high quality, safe, affordable FVs Awareness Increase the proportion of the population aware of the need to increase consumption of FVs Attitude/Perceptions Increase the proportion of the population who perceive the benefits of FVs in terms of taste, convenience, low relative cost, safety and health. Knowledge Increase the proportion of the population with the knowledge of the recommended minimum intakes of FVs Skills to purchase and prepare Increase the proportion of the population with the knowledge, skills and confidence to select and prepare convenient low cost, tasty FV dishes For children, adolescents and adults, previous consumption or exposure to FVs, knowledge, awareness, preparation skills and involvement in food preparation, lack of time and taste preference have all been implicated in the consumption of FVs .31,32,33 From an environmental perspective, availability of FVs within home, school and community settings plays a significant role in promoting FV consumption.32, 34 Those who report eating home grown produce have significantly higher intakes of FVs while poor accessibility to shops and high FV prices have been shown to have a negative impact on FV consumption.35, 36 The presence of a major food retailer in an area has been associated with improved FV consumption.37 In Australia, the evidence is less clear-cut with those living in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas having similar opportunities to purchase FVs when compared to those in levels of higher advantage.38 Recent work has indicated that price and availability in disadvantaged areas are similar to those in more advantaged areas but that quality could be seriously compromised, which could impact purchasing behaviour.39 FV prices have been identified as a significant barrier in FV consumption with intakes among those of lower and middle socioeconomic positions more price responsive than their higher socioeconomic position counterparts (Powell et al 2009).40 The national public health partnership identified the lack of recognition of the low relative cost of FVs as a barrier to consumption.29 However, given the recent rapid increase in FV prices identified by the Australian Bureau of Stati stics (15.5% increase for  fruit and 11.4% increase for vegetables in the December 2010 quarter) the perception of cost now may be a reality and a significant barrier to consumption.41 For young adults at university many of the determinants described above are applicable. In addition, access to cooking facilities and equipment, increased availability of unhealthy and convenience foods choices, lack of access to transport, cost of food, lack of time to prepare and to shop, lack of knowledge and of cooking skills were all identified as barriers to FV consumption.42, 43 Given the increased mobility of young adults a focus on home or school may not be sufficient. Recent research indicates that 40% of eating occasions for young adults were on average 6.7 miles (10.5 km) away from their primary place of residence regardless of whether they were living with care-givers or independently.44 This being the case proximity may play a relatively minor role in an individual’s food choices. Instead decisions may be based on a complex web including food quality, pricing, variety, availability, travel patterns, social or cultural influences and various other factors.44 Strategies Based on the determinants and using the Ottawa Charter as a framework, strategies can be divided into two primary categories those that build personal skills and those that create supportive environments. The majority of interventions have not been undertaken with the target group but rather with children (primarily in school settings) and adults. Work with the young adult age group however has highlighted that there is a general lack of understanding about motivators25 but that negative health outcomes are not particularly relevant and the focus should be more on taste.45 Social and environmental cues, on the other hand, could be especially significant.46 In Australia, the broadest population campaign has been Go for 2 and 5. This media campaign began in Western Australia and has since been implemented nationally and in each individual state. The campaign primarily aimed to increase FV consumption through the increased awareness and knowledge of the benefits of FVs, ways to cook FVs and serve size awareness. Evaluation has indicated that the campaign was successful in reaching the target audience and achieving increased awareness of recommended serves of FVs. The Western Australian campaign achieved an average increase of 0.5 of a serve.28 Primary target groups have been children and adults, adolescents and young adults have not been a focus. Education strategies have included embedding curricula in primary and secondary schools and providing regular newsletters to increase knowledge.47 For children and adolescents other successful strategies focus on creating supportive environments combined with elements of education including the provision of free or subsidised fruit either directly or through the provision of tasting programs, snacks, gardening or cooking. 47,48, 49, 50 Within more community settings, interventions have included point of purchase information, reduced pricing, promotion and advertising and increased availability and variety.51 However, there is little evaluation of the effectiveness of these strategies for improving fruit and vegetable consumption in the wider community. Very few of these interventions have been trialled with young adults as the target group. For the few programs that have focussed on young adults the strategies have centred on the development of personal skills through the provision of education either as on-line individualised programs25; tailored individualised counselling52; newsletters promoting FV intake23; and via a general nutrition course to enable students to move from knowledge to application.53 All of these showed modest short term increases in FV intake, a lack of data means that long term establishment of behaviour has not been determined. Based on the available evidence there is a need to focus on increasing fruit and vegetable consumption among young adults. Given the large numbers of young adults at tertiary institutions – universities are an appropriate setting. There are few strategies that particularly focus on young adults in the Australian context. However, based on the underlying determinants, strategies should focus on improving knowledge, awareness and preparation skills, changing taste preferences, increasing availability of FVs within local settings, reducing the cost of FVs in selected settings. The development of a comprehensive, multi-strategy program specifically addressing increased fruit and vegetable consumption is required in order to  improve general health outcomes and specifically reduce the risk of chronic disease. References 1. World Health Organisation. (2005). Preventing Chronic Diseases: A Vital Investment. World Health Organisation Geneva. 2. World Health Organisation. (2008). 2008-2013 Action Plan for the Global Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases. World Health Organisation: Geneva. 3. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2010). Australia’s Health 2010. Canberra, AIHW. Australia’s Health Series no. 12. Cat. no. AUS 122. 4. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Australia’s Health 2008. (2008). Australian Institute of Health and Welfare: Canberra. Available from: http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/index.cfm/title/10585. 5. Colagiuri, R., Colagiuri, S., Yach, D. and Pramming S. (2006). The answer to diabetes prevention: science, surgery, service delivery, or social policy? American Journal of Public Health 96.9:1562–9. 6. Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2009). Summary of Results National Health Survey 2007-2008. Cat #: 4364.0 h ttp://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/4364.0Main%20Features42007-2008%20(Reissue)?opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=4364.0&issue=2007-2008%20(Reissue)&num=&view= Accessed February 24th 2011 7. Allman-Farinelli, M.A., Chey, T., Bauman, A.E., Gill, T., and James, W. P. T. (2007). Age, period and birth cohort effects on prevalence of overweight and obesity in Australian adults from 1990 to 2000. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 62: 898-907. 8. McCullough, M. L., Feskanich, D., Stampfer, M. J., Giovannucci, E. L., Rimm, E. B., Hu, F. B., Spiegelman, D., Hunter, D.J., Colditz, G. A., Willett, W.C. (2002). Diet quality and major chronic disease risk in men and women: moving toward improved dietary guidance. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 76(6): 1261-1271. 9. Department of Health and Ageing. (1998). Australian Guide to Healthy Eating. Canberra: DHA. 10. Begg S, Vos T, Barker B, Stevenson C, Stanley L & Lopez AD 2007. The burden of disease and injury in Australia 2003. AIHW cat. no. PHE 82. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. 11. Lock, K., Pomerleau, J., Causer, L., Altmann, D.R., McKee, M. (2005). The global burden of disease attributable to low consumption of fruit and vegetables: implications for the global strategy on diet. Bulletin of the World Health Organization

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Philosophy of Raja Yoga Essay

For many in the West, yoga is simply just a part of your workout plan, a means of strengthening the body, curing body ailments, and improving flexibility. As we review the philosophy of yoga we’ll find that it is â€Å"much more than a system of physical exercise for health, Yoga is . . . an ancient path to spiritual growth. † (Raphael) The word yoga is related to the English word yoke. A yoke is a wooden plank custom fitted on cattle to help them pull the load. The same way the yoke is unifying the cattle to the beam, yoga is the union of body, mind and spirit. (Chopra ix) We first find traces of yoga in ancient texts dating back to 500 B.  C where they speak of uniting â€Å"the light within you with the light of Brahman†. There are four main forms of yoga Gyan, Bhakti, Karma, and Raja, all which we have covered in class, but I will only go into detail about Raja yoga. It wasn’t until the work of Maharishi Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras that we come to see the main philosophy of Raja yoga as it stands now. (Chopra 23) Legend has it that Patanjali’s mother, Gonnika, was praying to Lord Vishnu and that he was so moved by her devotion that Vishnu asked the cosmic serpent, Ananta, to prepare for human incarnation. A speck of Ananta’s cosmic seed fell into Gonnika’s hand, she nurtured this cosmic seed, which then soon developed into a baby boy. Quite similar to the Christian story of the Virgin Mary and the birth of Jesus, Gonnika named her child Patanjali from the root word pat meaning â€Å"descended from heaven† and Anjali the word for praying posture. Patanjali set up a system of eight branches of Raja each meant to get you closer to unification with Brahman, they are: Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi. (Chapra 47) I will briefly discuss all eight branches and how it compares to some catholic beliefs. The first branch of yoga, Yama, deals with how you interact with others. These social rules include practicing nonviolence, speaking truthfully, exercising proper sexual control, and being generous. Like Christianity and all other religious traditions they encourage people to live ethical lives. The essence of Yama is to achieve, in Sanskrit, ahimsa. Mahatma Ghandi advocated this principle during the independence movement in India. Ahimsa means your whole body is in peace, your thoughts are nonviolent, and your actions are nonviolent. Ghandi was quoted on saying, â€Å" If you express your love in such a manner that impresses itself indelibly pon your so called enemy, he must return that love†¦and that requires far greater courage than delivering of blows. † (Chapra 33) The second branch, Niyama, are the rules of personal behavior. How does one live when no one is watching? What choices do you make when you’re the only witness? Niyama yoga encourages a surrender to the divine, discipline, purity and contentment. Asana is the main branch of yoga that has grown in popularity in the western world. It is the third branch of yoga and it deals with physical flexibility and tone. At the deepest level of asana you will achieve full mind-body integration. The different postures offer great benefits in balance, and strength, and when preformed continuously it can also be a great aerobic exercise, but if not done properly it may cause serious damage. Pranyama is the fourth branch of yoga, which is similar to the Christian belief of the Holy Spirit. Prana means life force. Like the Holy Spirit, prana is the deciding factor between a living being and a cadaver. It is your soul. Modern day meditation derives from the fifth branch of yoga, Pratyahara. This is the process of ignoring the senses from the outer world and recognizing those in your inner world. The concept is similar to when you stay away from food for a while; usually your next meal is going to taste better than normal. When you withdraw from your senses you are able to experience them again with more vibrancy. Monks walking on hot coals seeming to feel nothing are practicing pratyahara. Dharana, the sixth branch, is the mastery of attention. This has grown in popularity by modern day quantum physics and in the book â€Å"The Secret† which tries to prove the law of attraction. Once you activate your attention on something, your intentions have a powerful magnetic influence to attract those same thoughts. Basically, if you set your mind to it you can achieve it. Very similar to Dharana, Dhyana, the seventh branch of yoga, is achieving complete awareness. You develop this skill in meditation, something I believe everyone should practice no matter your religious affiliation. Meditation teaches you to stay centered and awake to all possibilities, in order to be able to choose the best course of action for any obstacle. (Chapra 47) The eighth and final branch of yoga is called Samadhi. This is the belief that we are forever infinite, that although our bodies are temporarily on this planet our spirit is forever flowing in the cosmic world. Samadhi’s main goal is to know yourself as a spiritual being disguised as a human being. These teachings clash heavily with western philosophy of the afterlife. Christians believe that if we live good moral, ethical lives then we will be granted permission into the gates of heaven and therefore be in eternal peace. This belief, in my opinion, has been misinterpreted causing a materialistic movement. We tend to believe that since we are only here on this earth once, that we are forced to make as much money as possible and to have as many things as we can while it lasts. It has also led to carelessness in our environment. When western civilization begins to realize that the earth is in fact a living organism and we share the same breath of air with everyone, then we can begin to treat the Earth as our Mother Nature not just a temporary medium to the afterlife. Raised into a Roman Catholic family I still hold all the same values and beliefs I grew up with. But I believe no one religion is right, and it is naive to think that Christianity is the only way of life. Christianity, being one of the youngest religions, was derived from many beliefs of many different religions. Similarities are everywhere, but over time, power, greed and many other factors have changed the customs and traditions to their favor. I no longer see myself as Catholic, but I am still highly spiritual. I took this course hoping to find some answers and I’ve come to the realization that I don’t have to be a devout follower of any particular religion. I can take bits and pieces from various teachings to establish my own beliefs in a way that’s going to help me live a morally righteous life. Namaste.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Essay Sample on Healthcare Governance Strategic Management Systems

Essay Sample on Healthcare Governance Strategic Management Systems Operation and managing of a medical practice requires multiple functions coordinated towards working the same goal and that is to give satisfaction to the patients by hiring trusted and highly qualified professionals to handle different medical services with a loving touch. System influences regulatory issues such as Medicare/HIPAA compliance, coding even handling reviews and audit. They must also effectively analyze fee schedules and overhead production analysis to prevent improper budgeting. Cost accounting services is also part of this revenue enhancement. Part of the system strategic planning consultation is practicing valuation, conducting negotiations and contract review. Organizations can harvest several benefits from appropriately practicing strategic management. Thompson (1992) noted that strategic management provides better direction to the entire organization on the vital point of   what it is we are trying to do and achieve?. The second benefit is seen financially as effective strategic management system increases productivity according to (Certo Peter, 1988, p. 7) since it provides managers with a basis to evaluate competing budget request for investing capital and new staff. Governance is manifested by a group of individuals who have the authority and the strategic intent to make things happen. In this paper, several relevant constituencies are discussed. Components parts of an organization were composed mainly of the governing boards which are responsible for making policies or establishing direction under which the organization will operate. There are different types of governing boards in health care. The Philanthropic governing boards w hich service are more oriented and concerned primarily with spanning the boundary between the health care organization and the community. These boards are larger and more diverse to add on the exposure of the broadest community as possible. The appointed committee’s major duty is to prepare the plan in accordance with the hospital’s general mission, policies and corporate requirements set by the board. The board also advises the committee of what is expected of it in terms of its duties, the basic philosophy underlying its activities, any set timetable to report back to the board, and the support of its authority to make any special arrangements necessary to carry out the required tasks. And the one responsible for all the information and support the implementation of the board’s decisions is the CEO. The CEO coordinates the hospital’s resources in order to fulfill the institution’s medical care mission in the most efficient and effective way.   Then he or she tries to manage the hospital’s funds, personnel, material and equipment in a business-like manner. He or she is responsible for all the other functions such as the medical staff functions, nursing services, technical activities, and the general services activities. Successful implementation of clinical governance may also be facilitated by taking advantage of quality improvement approaches which may have a long standing role in different localities such as local audit groups. Many interviewees were seeking to develop values rather than set specific priorities and to develop an environment in which practice staff viewed active engagement with clinical governance activities .Meetings with practice clinical governance leads (invariably doctors) were common tools in opening channels of communication with practices. Some participants argued that this strategy will be undermined unless a perceived blame culture which is seen by many health practitioners to pass throu gh the health sector that is replaced by a non-judgmental open and participative culture. Most of the senior managers in the sample were aware that many practitioners associate clinical governance with quality assurance and that it perpetuates a blame culture associated with monitoring performance rather than quality improvement. Some interviewees stated that the governments main agenda for clinical governance was policing orientated quality assurance; this generated suspicion among health professionals. Indeed, several managers stressed that they saw their role as a buffer between government and practices. Most interviewees especially clinical governance leads consequently felt that the successful implementation of clinical governance depends on getting the culture right, with all practices becoming involved in quality improvement activities. This applies particularly to general practitioners who are also being asked to buy into a corporate philosophy alien to their independent con tractor status. Few doctors were felt to be against quality improvement, but many were thought to be cautious of how it would be implemented and some were thought to be scared of the current focus on revalidation and review. While core staff composed of general practitioners, practice nurses, and practice managers which are increasingly supportive of clinical governance. Scally and Donaldson (1998) suggested that a number of factors can impact on the healthcare governance agenda. Current policies on pay transformation and role re design are creating significantly more work for staff and these pressures them by additional challenging deadlines. Some of the barriers to have successful implementation of clinical governance are lack of support from other staff or from the management, problems in funding, lack of time to address all challenging agenda, few staff to implement clinical services and continued disengagement by some staff. These barriers can be divided into structural, resour ce, and cultural barriers. Structural barriers include weak line management or contractual levers to influence general medical services practices, rather than personal medical services practices. Resource barriers include a perceived lack of staff, skills, or information to implement clinical governance. Doubt by practice staff of the aim of clinical governance or problems overcoming the perceived blame culture associated with quality assessment, are cultural barriers which will take longer to address. The vision, mission and goals of an organization have a direct impact on the strategy ultimately adopted. The vision is a view of the future taking today decisions that will affect tomorrow’s issues. It is â€Å"a blueprint of a desired state, a mental image, a picture of a preferred condition that organizations work to achieve in the future† (Johnston, 1994, p. 24). To define a vision for a hospital is rather a challenge especially if its leaders are unable to see beyond today’s mission to a vision for tomorrow. According to Rathwell (1987, pp. 156-63), the strategic vision is commonly regarded to be the corporate philosophy or statement of basic principles that govern the direction in which an organization seeks to develop. The development of one commonly shared vision necessitates the collaboration of the Trustees who should all agree on a set of values, views, and principles. These accepted standards form the basis for the formation of a genuinely shared valu e statement. Hospital’s pro-activity necessitates the expression and revision of the vision statement on an annual basis in consideration of the environment and known trends. The mission conversely represents the harmony and articulation of the organization’s perceptive of the external opportunities, pressures and the internal strengths and weaknesses. We must always remember that strategic management systems provide consistency of actions, and clear objectives and direction for employees thus, boosting their commitment for the sake of the sacred objective of achieving corporate synergy. Recognizing that the successful implementation of clinical governance in general practice will require cultural as well as organizational changes and the compliance if not enthusiasm of practices, system must focus on   their energies on supporting practices and by getting   involved in multi-professional and corporate clinical governance activities such as facilitative non-policing approaches. Such approaches adhere to a quiet word system of networking. Lessons learnt from the introduction of clinical guidelines also stress out the importance of constant implementation strategies and a sense of ownership by those involved. This is a sample essay on Healthcare written from scratch by one of our academic writers. If you need a custom written essay, research paper, term paper, dissertation, thesis feel free to contact our company now to get professional academic writing help.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Basic Tenets of Animal Rights

Basic Tenets of Animal Rights Animal rights refers to the belief that animals have an intrinsic value separate from any value they have to humans  and are worthy of moral consideration. They have a right to be free from oppression, confinement, use and abuse by humans. The idea of animal rights may be difficult for some people to fully accept. This is because, throughout the world, animals are abused and killed for a wide variety of socially acceptable purposes, though what is socially acceptable is, of course, culturally relative. For example, while eating dogs may be morally offensive to some, many would react similarly to the practice of eating cows.   At the heart of the animal rights movement are two basic principles: the rejection of speciesism, and the knowledge that animals are sentient beings. Speciesism Speciesism is the disparate treatment of individual beings, based solely on their species. It is frequently compared to racism or sexism. Whats Wrong With Speciesism? Animal rights is based on the belief that treating a non-human animal differently just because the animal belongs to a different species is arbitrary and morally wrong. Of course, there are differences between human and non-human animals, but the animal rights community believes that those differences are not morally relevant. For example, many believe that humans have some cognitive abilities that are different from or higher than other animals, but, for the animal rights community, cognitive ability is not morally relevant. If it were, the smartest humans would have more moral and legal rights than other humans who were deemed intellectually inferior. Even if this difference were morally relevant, this trait does not apply to all humans. A person who is profoundly mentally retarded does not have the reasoning capabilities of an adult dog, so cognitive ability cannot be used to defend speciesism. Arent Humans Unique? The traits that were once believed to be unique to humans have now been observed in non-human animals. Until other primates were observed making and using tools, it was believed that only humans could do so. It was also once believed that only humans could use language, but we now see that other species communicate verbally in their own languages and even use human-taught languages. In addition, we  now know that animals have self-awareness, as demonstrated by the animal mirror test. However, even if these or other traits were unique to humans, they are not considered morally relevant by the animal rights community. If we cannot use species to decide which beings or objects in our universe deserve our moral consideration, what trait can we use? For many animal rights activists, that trait is sentience. Sentience Sentience is the ability to suffer. As philosopher Jeremy Bentham wrote, â€Å"the question is not, Can they reason? nor, Can they talk? but, Can they suffer?† Because a dog is capable of suffering, a dog is worthy of our moral consideration. A table, on the other hand, is incapable of suffering, and is therefore not worthy of our moral consideration. Although harming the table may be morally objectionable if it compromises the economic, esthetic or utilitarian value of the table to the person who owns or uses it, we have no moral duty to the table itself. Why is Sentience Important? Most people recognize that we should not engage in activities that cause pain and suffering to other people. Inherent in that recognition is the knowledge that other people are capable of pain and suffering. If an activity causes undue suffering to someone, the activity is morally unacceptable. If we accept that animals are capable of suffering, it is therefore morally unacceptable to cause them undue suffering. To treat animal suffering differently from human suffering would be speciesist. What is Undue Suffering? When is suffering justified? Many animal activists would argue that since humans are capable of living without animal-based foods, living without animal entertainment and living without cosmetics tested on animals, these forms of animal suffering have no moral justification. What about medical research? Non-animal medical research is available, although there is quite a bit of debate over the scientific value of animal research versus non-animal research. Some argue that results from animal experimentation are not applicable to humans, and we should conduct research on human cell and tissue cultures, as well as human subjects who provide voluntary and informed consent. Others argue that a cell or tissue culture cannot simulate a whole animal, and animals are the best available scientific models. All would probably agree that there are certain experiments that cannot be done on humans, regardless of informed consent. From a pure animal rights standpoint, animals should not be treated differently from humans. Since involuntary human experimentation is universally condemned regardless of its scientific value and animals are incapable of giving voluntary consent to an experiment, animal experimentation should also be condemned. Maybe Animals Dont Suffer? Some might argue that animals do not suffer. A 17th century philosopher, Rene Descartes, argued that animals operated like clocks- intricate machines that have instincts, but do not suffer or feel pain. Most people who have lived with a companion animal would probably disagree with Descartes’ assertion, having observed the animal first-hand and watched how the animal reacts to hunger, pain, and fear. Animal trainers are also aware that beating an animal will often produce the desired results, because the animal quickly learns what needs to be done in order to avoid suffering. Isnt the Use of Animals Justified? Some may believe that animals suffer, but argue that animal suffering is justified in certain instances. For example, they may argue that slaughtering a cow is justified because that slaughter serves a purpose and the cow will be eaten. However, unless that same argument applies equally to the slaughter and consumption of humans, the argument is based in speciesism.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Ethic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ethic - Essay Example For instance, space can create racism through residential and school isolation, discriminative policies on taxation and transport, bigotry mortgage and cover redlining and biased relocation of environmental facilities and noxious hazards. The relationship between race and space is real because human beings do not exist in a vacuum. Human beings exist in space so do racism. The white identity in the US is place and space bound. It exists due to segregation of neighborhoods and schools. This practice distort down the opportunities along racial prejudice. The practices represent space racism and spatial race, consequently learning and legitimization of whiteness is perceived as natural and unavoidable. The whites enjoy access to privileged opportunities for social enclosure and vertical mobility (George, 28). This trend imposes discriminative and unjust forms of mistreatment and segregation on less advantaged communities based on color. Racialized space defines all facets of urban life. This study evidences that, the dynamics of understanding race and racism are directly correlated to the racialized space and spatialized race (Caroline and Pedersen, 186). The racial thoughts, which consign people from diverse races and backgrounds to diverse spaces creates unequal access to employment opportunities, education, transportation service and shelter. Conversely this space exposes the less advantages races to environmental vulnerability and other numerous social nuisances. On the other hand, the whites, who are more advantaged benefit from accessing superior social facilities, economic chances and fundamental individual connections (George, 32). This occurs on the understanding that, lived experience occurs in actual spaces while the lived experience of place is determinately and logically defined from both explicit and clandestine knowledge of race. However, this study reveals that the purported benefits attributed to the whites from the spatial links, damages the long term interests. On the other hand, the marginalized races such as Africans create ways of imagining and continuing a more decent and dignified social associations for each one (Caroline and Pedersen, 189). The racialized space imagination that often used by the whites to prejudice other races especially the Africans should be lowly regarded because diverse races inhabit different places by chance and not by choice (George, 54). For instance, when considering the outcomes of race and racism on housing and lending, and other injustices, makes places synonymous with races. The American whiteness is one of the most steadily subsidized identities in the globe, ensuing from the racial implication of places. This identity enables the whites to acquire and own homes, which adds value and create wealthy that is passed down to other successive generations. On the other hand, the racially discriminated group confronts a falsely constricted housing market, which compels them to live in rented houses forever due to inaccessibility to home owner’s tax code subsidies. Conversely, the segregation based on schools purposes to direct the children from less advantaged races into poorly equipped schools with inexperienced tutors (George, 62). On the other hand, the children of the whites enjoy well verse education system in well equipped schools

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Contemporary Europe and the world Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Contemporary Europe and the world - Essay Example In this context Rebecca West, once famously remarked, â€Å"‘I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is. I only know that people call me feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat or a prostitute.’† (West ; Walters, 2005, p. 1) It is clear from her statement that though feminism contains certain basic structure but since last two centuries it has encompassed such a wide range of activism that both perception and approach of common people towards it has changed to a great extent. Apart from its basic elements, feminism as a theory also includes different approaches and outlook of common people towards life. Barbara Smith, in the year 1979, tried to define Feminism as, â€Å"†¦the political theory and practice to free all women; women of color, working-class women, physically challenged women, lesbians, old women, as well as white economically privileged women.† On the one hand, feminism includes racism, sexism, cast differentiation and color discrimination and on the other it encompasses social, political and cultural approaches. Thus, it can be concisely said that racism is a particular philosophical approach, which conveys the theme of women liberty from any forms of social oppression. Different people have separate approaches towards feminism and they also feel in different ways about treatment of women in the society. The European feminist intellectuals may be largely accredited with the realization of the goals of feminism in the twentieth century in Europe. Their standpoint certainly helped the European women to fight to a great extent, against all forms of social oppressions biased towards their sex. Historically, emergence of feminist ideas in Europe occurred quite a long time back. During the French revolution first wave of feminist movement can be perceived as the idea that

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Power markets Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Power markets - Coursework Example This one-hour-in-advance arrangement for the provision of electricity functions as cut-off as after that time, no arrangement can be contracted to supply electricity; it is called as Gate Closure. Generators produce electricity as per the demanded capacity during the contracted half-hour for usage by the suppliers (ELEXON, 2012). Nevertheless, in the real-time of half-hour, possibility exists for suppliers estimating their electricity needs wrongly or failure on the part of generator to generate the settled electricity or a glitch could emerge in the transportation of electricity. It necessitates the actual time management for smooth functioning of the arrangement, which is played by the System Operator, the National Grid (ELEXON, 2012). Those generators having capacity to generate extra electricity other than the half-hour demand of the supplier can do so by making available the additional volume to the System Operator and fix a price they expect for the extra volume. Likewise, a Generator can decrease the volume of electricity generated and can fix a price for decreasing it. Likewise, suppliers not having any shortage of electricity can offer to decrease their demand to facilitate availability of extra electricity to the System Operator and can fix the price they expect for that. On the same length, suppliers can convey to the System Operator their demand for a pre-determined price. Such conversations between the stakeholders in technical terms are called Bids and Offers. An Offer is made to increase electricity generation or decrease demand for it while a Bid is made to decrease generation or increase demand (ELEXON, 2009). The System Operator manages supply and demand in each half an hour in real-time by accepting Bids or Offers conditional to an increase or decrease in electricity generation to fulfil demand. Later, metered volumes are measured for the half hour from Generators

Sunday, October 27, 2019

New Zealand Healthcare Organisations

New Zealand Healthcare Organisations Introduction Health care in New Zealand is affected by a number of factors that determine the trends and demands in terms of health. How the health workers plan for, implement and evaluate health interventions greatly depends on some environmental factors, attitudinal factors, international health policy and New Zealand campaigns and policy. In this paper, these determinants and their impact, whether direct or indirect, positive or negative, on the New Zealand healthcare will be thoroughly discussed. This paper also aims to tackle the role that organisations take part in promoting health care services and each of them playing different roles in determining the supply and demand of health care services. We will also compare the obstacles that exist in the New Zealand healthcare system to that of the United States of America’s. This will be done by assessing these countries in terms of safety issues, geographical, cultural, socioeconomic and organizational barriers. 1. Environmental determinants: 1.1 Demographic distribution of populations Presently, New Zealand became a multi diverse and more culturally nation. According to Statistics New Zealand, Population Statistics Units, the number of migrants coming into the country is increasing. The study conducted last 2006 focused on five (5) major ethnicity group with the estimation of total number of individual/ group living in the country. These were the European people including the New Zealander (67%), Maori (15%), Pacific people (7%), Asian (9%) and Middle Eastern/Latin American/African (1%). (Population Estimates at 30 June 1996, 2001 and 2006, 2014). New Zealand has an ageing population. This pattern shows a decline in fertility rate (birth control is properly utilised and easily available) and increase in length of life (on-going research and new technologies used in treating diseases). Moreover, there is also a projection in increase number of aged people on the year 2031. People on 65 years and above mostly suffer from a chronic diseases that result decline on the quality of their life. As a result of this, demand for disability and health care services will also rise. (An Ageing Population, 2014). Maori and Pacific people have a younger age group as compare to European people because they have increase number of birth and death rates. The latter group prefer to have lesser number of children. Asian people also have young structure population because most of them settled in New Zealand with their family at early age. (An Ageing Population, 2014). In China, there is a law known as â€Å"one child policy† to control the increasing population of the country which can result in increased sustainability of every family. 1.2 Social Generally, population of New Zealand have been experiencing increase in living standards. Factors contributed on this were increase in employment status, high educational attainment, safe living and working environment and awareness of the healthcare services available in the community. (Dew Davis, 2005). Poor household income is the top reason of being susceptible to poor health. Among all the groups residing in New Zealand, Maori and Pacific communities usually live in a small and crowded housing environment because of lower costs and the culture of extended families. As an outcome, there will be an increase cases of communicable diseases and mental health illnesses. (Dew Davis, 2005). Moreover, these group of people have the highest number of cases of cardiovascular problems, respiratory diseases and Cancer which is associated with poor eating habit (commercialised food), insufficient physical activities, heavy alcohol intake and smoking practice (roll-your-own cigarette). (The Health of New Zealand Adult 2011/12, 2012). 1.3 Cultural New Zealand is mainly a bicultural country which consists of white-skin settlers â€Å"Pakeha† and native people, the Maori. The relationship of these two groups started upon signing of Treaty of Waitangi between Queen Victoria and indigenous Maori people. (Shaw Deed, Health Environment in Aotearoa/ New Zeland, 2010). This became the foundation of Maori health acknowledging the principles of Partnership, Participation and Protection. (The Treaty of Waitangi , 2005). In providing healthcare services to Maori people, it is important to involve their whanau in formulating plan of care and refer them specifically to the Maori health team to address the language barrier which proved to be one of the reasons why they are hesitant to consult their health concerns to the a non-Maori health practitioner. Maori and Pacific group practise bed sharing room when raising their children because they believe that it is a way of building strong relationship and protecting their child on emergency situation such as SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). In contrast, Western people do not agree on this belief and for them independence and autonomy are the best outcome of having an individualised room. 1.4 Political In New Zealand, the healthcare delivery system is made up of numbers of policies and legislations that promotes quality care for all its population. Its government provides strategies to have a better health status for Maori and Non-Maori people living in the country. These includes New Zealand Health Strategy (NZHS) and New Zealand Disability Strategy (NZDS). The aims of these organizations are to decrease inequalities among its residents and communities and to improve coordination in both public and private sectors. (Statutory Framework, 2011) The New Zealand Health and Disability Strategy focuses on the primary health care which covers both promotion and prevention of the occurrence of diseases. For instance, Ministry of Health conducted campaign regarding smoking cessation and the government projected that by the year 2025, there will be no cases of smoking in the country. Preventive measures are also given to the public by means of providing support groups, counselling and reading materials. Furthermore, during the 1990, the government promulgated the Smoke-free Environments Act in New Zealand. (Smoke-free Environments Act, 2005). 1.5 Religious Maori view of good health is associated with their spiritual beliefs (wairuataga). When someone is ill, they conduct a ritual performed by tohunga also known as shamans or priests. (Shaw Deed, Health Environment in Aotearoa/ New Zeland, 2010). Same with Muslim people, they also believe that â€Å"Allah† is the one who decide on their health condition and the great healer of their sickness. Catholic group believe that genital mutilation is essential for male individual just like what Jesus Christ did in the past. In United States of America, 6 to 7 out of 10 new born babies are circumcised defending on the spiritual and cultural orientation of the family. According to this group, this procedure can lower the cases of diseases like meatitis (inflammation of the opening of the penis), urinary tract infection and sexually transmitted illness. (Circumcision: Medical Pros and Cons, 2012). On the other hand, European people generally do not engage themselves on circumcision because they believe of it is of no significance, scientifically and spiritually. Jehovah’s Witness people refuse blood transfusion because they believe that receiving blood is prohibited since it was scripted in the bible. 1.6 Values and Ethics According to Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 25, everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and his family including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old-age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control. Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same protection. (Preamble, 2013). In view of the above, there are numbers of legislations that support the right of each individual in the access of healthcare services available in New Zealand. For example, the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act 2000 (PHDA) provides a clear framework in improving, promoting and protecting health and well-being of its people. This law is further supported by the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 and Human Rights Act 1993 that deals with the discrimination of both public and private sectors. (Human Rights Legislation, 2008). Ethical values of these rights pertain to the individual equality that makes every people of New Zealand satisfied in regards to the healthcare services. There are studies of health that gender may contribute to the understanding of the factors and outcomes of inequalities. For instance, there are special needs for both men and women during treatment and rehabilitation after surgery or disability. (Shaw, White, Deed, Health, Wellbeing Environment in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2013). 1.7 Traditions Maori people believe on a traditional way of maintaining a good health and preventing illness. This holistic approach is called Te Whara Tapa Wha which ensures balance of four (4) important aspects of their health; the Te taha wairau (spiritual), Tet aha hinengaro (mind), Te taha tinana (physical) and Tet aha whanau (family). (Shaw Deed, Health Environment in Aotearoa/ New Zeland, 2010). This native people also practise the traditional way of healing through massage (Mirimiri) and herbal treatment (Rongoa). These group also believe that natural environment like forest has a therapeutic effect on their well-being. In addition, Asian countries like China and Philippines also believe in traditional healers and use medicinal plants in treating sickness. 2. Attitudinal determinants: Public attitudes 2.1 Concepts of health Public health refers to systematic measures to prevent disease, promotion of health, and prolonging life among the entire population. The public concept of what illness is the way people perceive their symptom is largely influenced by his or her cultural background which in turn influence how the person reacts. According to World Health Organisation, health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well- being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. (WHO definition of Health , 2003). As defined by Oxford English Dictionary, it is the state of being free from sickness, injury, disease, bodily conditions; indicating good bodily condition. (Definition and concepts of health, n.d.). In the view of Rene Dubos, health is the state of health or disease are the expressions of the success or failure experienced by the organism in its efforts to respond adaptively to environmental changes. (Health , 2004). 2.2 Concepts of illness The Public Concept of Illness There are two factors that determine the attitude of public towards illness; socio economic factor and cultural factor, these factors play an integral role in how a certain person reacts to his health condition. According to the World Health Organization socio economic status can greatly affect the quality of life, people living in a low socio economic quality leads to poor health practices of the people and access to quality health services is limited. Cultural beliefs are believed to be vital for peoples well-being and dignity and cultural beliefs dictate the vast majority of our effort to maintain our state of total well-being. According to Susser, illness is a subjective sense of feeling unwell; illness does not define a specific pathology but refers to person’s subjective experience of it such as discomfort, tiredness and/or general malaise. (Illness, Sickness and Disease, n.d.). As described by Kozier, it is a highly personal state in which the person’s physical, emotional, intellectual, social, developmental and spiritual functioning is thought to be diminished. (Kozier, Erb, Glenora, Berman, Snyder, 2004). 2.3 The importance the public put on health Most people think that promoting health and wellness is better than curing disease. In achieving the quality of life, most New Zealanders choose to live a healthy lifestyle by eating nutritious food, adequate exercise and a work-life balance. Through this, the impact of the media and technology has influenced the importance of maintaining a better life. (Shaw Deed, Health Environment in Aotearoa/ New Zeland, 2010). Presently, people do not encourage artificial way of food consumption such as microwavable, processed and commercialised food because they are now into natural and organic process. Although, organic food is more expensive than ordinary food but the nutritional value is more likely. In addition, people engage themselves on active campaigns such as marathon, walkathon, swimming and cycling that help them to remain fit and healthy. 2.4 Public attitudes towards health and medical professionals Generally, medical professionals are treated with respect and regarded highly by the public. They are looked up to and considered lifesavers. With the Ministry of Health’s goal to extend and improve the New Zealander’s quality of life, awareness on health and health care delivery system is increased, causing the people (Maori and Pakeha alike) to demand more of the health care services. However, there are still disparities in the attitudes of the Maori and Non-Maori, as well as in their health. This represent the fact that Maori health rights are not being protected as guaranteed under the treaty and that the social, cultural, economic and political factors indicate a widening gap between Maori and non-Maori (Ellison-Loschmann, 2006). Maori still have apprehensions in getting medical consultation or health care services because of their culture and traditions and health illiteracy. They still view health problems in the spiritual realm as punishments for their sins. Some of them don’t understand that these are consequences of bad health habits. They are also adamant to get health care services from Maori health workers. However, as the importance of health is promoted by the government, the gap between the attitudes of the Maori and non-Maori may be closed soon. 3. The influence of International health policy on healthcare of New Zealand Globally the demand for attention in certain areas in health care necessitates the formulation of international health policy; the creation of Millennium Development Goals (MDG) primarily aims for logical global health policy. Global decision makers can greatly influence and shape how New Zealand prioritizes the needs of reform or how to address particular health problem of the community. (UNDP, 2013). Millennium Development Goals has been created to create has eight key areas 1. Eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, 2. Achieve universal primary education, 3. Promote gender equality and empower women, 4. Reduce child mortality, 5. Improve maternal health, 6. Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases, 7. Ensure environmental sustainability, 8. Develop a global partnership for development. The influence of international health policy to New Zealand health sector is evident through its policy prescriptions on the above mentioned eight (8) key areas. Goal number 8 sets objectives to the developed countries like New Zealand to extend relief to underdeveloped countries. (Parliament, 2011). According to New Zealand Parliament over half of New Zealand’s official development assistance (ODA) goes to the pacific region, approximately 71% of the 2011/2012 country programme expenditure is allocated to eight countries: Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Vanuatu, Tonga, Cook Islands, Tokelau and Samoa. The participation of New Zealand in achieving MDG number 8 by extending aide to the Pacific region illustrate that New Zealand has contributed in achieving best possible health to its neighbouring countries.