The Directive for the American Dream

Robert Frost is one of the most popular poets in America. He was known as the favorite poet of the country’s citizens (Hollander). In â€Å"Directive†, one of his popular works, Frost became controversial as the interpretation of the poem actually suggested that in order to find one’s self; one has to get lost first. This may be true as there is no necessity to find something which is not lost. However, by claiming this in his poem, it has been said that Frost has presented to his audience the modern version of the American dream. The American DreamThe concept, American Dream, began from the writer James Truslow Adams. He used it in his book, â€Å"Epic of America†, which was published in 1931. The concept referred to that dream or vision of a land in which life is better, richer, and fuller for all people. The opportunities in this land are according to each person’s ability and accomplishments. It is not merely a dream of people to have high-end p roperties and earn high salaries; instead it is a vision of a social order in which all men and women may be able to achieve the fullest stature that their innate capability may bring them.This is regardless of concepts that are relative to fate or destiny, like circumstances of birth or position (â€Å"What is the American Dream†). During the 30’s, the century in which this work was published, the American dream actually started to become vague. Although there were people who believed strongly in the American dream, there were also those who slowly lost faith. America was then under the great depression and its economy was at a very low status; thus, the vision of the American dream seemed rather obscure (Sutton). However, as the time passed, the cloudiness of the vision started to clear up.America slowly got to its feet again and the dreamers, who woke up during the great depression, began to dream again. Today the dream is still on-going and the dreamers have now gr own to multitudes. From Americans who believed their founding fathers, the dream has already spread to other countries (Sutton). Foreigners who continued to enter America were said to have been armed with their American dream. They come into the country, with the desire to earn for themselves and their families and to achieve greater. This is then current generation’s view of the American dream (Bohan).This may be what Frost was referring to in his poem. It may be remembered that the poem, â€Å"Directive† was about a speaker telling someone that he can accompany him around, direct him somewhere. But there is a huge probability that he may only take the person to the wrong destination as indicated by this line, â€Å"if you'll let a guide direct you/ Who only has at heart your getting lost† (Frost). This may point that Frost was trying to tell his audience that in order for a person to find his true destination, he must first get lost.In the earlier part of the poem the speaker described the places that the person he will be accompanying may go through. It is an old town, where everything is dilapidated and destroyed. The roads were once walked on yet no longer visited and patronized. It is a place that people has deserted (Frost). This may be comparable to the fact that when foreign migrants start to envision something great for themselves and decides to transfer to America, he leaves behind the home he once knew. The deserted place may refer to the life the migrants once had. It was tattered, of not the best quality, and very poor.Now the journey that the poem is referring to may be the travel in order to achieve the American dream. This may refer to the part of the migrant’s life where he enacts the dream and tries to fulfill it. In the poem, this is the line that says, ‘Make yourself up a/cheering song of how /Someone's road home from work this once was, /Who may be just ahead of you on foot† (Frost). It indicates th at many have done the same things and many have dreamed the same dream and have embarked on the journey. They left their home, their old lives, and even their identities.The way that the migrants left their identities behind is the notion of ‘lost’ that was being referred to by Frost in his work. Paralleling this to the American dream, it should be noted that foreign people enter the country to work and the citizens have the tendency to discriminate. These immigrants are not only viewed unequally by the citizens; they are also treated unequally by those who employ them. One common instance is the case of the Mexican laborers who are paid with lower wages but given bigger and more difficult jobs than American laborers.People seem to have this notion that when the work is done by Mexicans, it can be as good and efficient but not as costly. This notion is directly related to their racial affiliations (La Botz). The fact that when they are seen this way denotes that they ha ve already lost their dignity and themselves. There seems to be no hope if this kind of situation is examined, however, as the poem indicates, â€Å"And if you're lost enough to find yourself/ By now, pull in your ladder road behind you/ And put a sign up CLOSED to all but me./Then make yourself at home† (Frost), the drawback is not without a price. After being lost, the person finally finds his destination. Relative to the immigrant workers, the destination is the fulfillment of their American dream. Given this, it may then be concluded that using various symbolic words such as destinations, lost, and home in the poem â€Å"Directive†, Robert Frost was able to present to the public his idea on modern American Dream. He was able to expose to his readers that the modern American dream involves getting lost and finding one’s self again as narrated in his poem.He was also able to pinpoint that this generation’s American dream is no longer limited to the citi zens of the country but also to foreigners who are willing to get lost in order to find themselves finally. Works Cited Bohan, RT. 2008. â€Å"Immigrants and the American Dream†. Liberty in America. 30 April 2009 . Frost, Robert. 2009. â€Å"Directive†. Poets. org. 30 April 2009 < http://www. poets. org/viewmedia. php/prmMID/20521 >. Hollander, John. 2009. â€Å"A Close Look at Robert Frost†.Poets. org. 30 April 2009 < http://www. poets. org/viewmedia. php/prmMID/15894 >. La Botz, Dan. 1992. â€Å"Labor in Mexico†. multinationalmonitor. org. 30 April 2009 < http://multinationalmonitor. org/hyper/issues/1992/11/mm1192_13. html >. Sutton, Bettye. 2008. â€Å"American Cultural History†. Lonestar College Kingwood. 30 April 2009 < http://kclibrary. lonestar. edu/decade30. html >. â€Å"What is the American Dream. † 2002 The Library of Congress. 30 April 2009 < http://lcweb2. loc. gov/learn/lessons/97/dream/thedream. html >.

Marginal Costs and Benefits

Marginal analysis is a technique used in microeconomics by which very small changes in specific variables are studied in terms of the effect on related variables and the system as a whole. Marginal costs and benefits are a vital part of economics because they help to provide the relevant measurement of costs and benefits at a specific level of production and consumption (McCain, 2008). This is the reason why I’ve chosen this topic for my paper. We use economics in our daily lives without knowing it. It would be nice to have an unlimited source of income, where one doesn’t have to worry on how they spend. Of course to most cases, we don’t have that luxury so we must live on a budget. Analyzing the marginal costs will benefit us in the long run because when we live on a budget, we spend most of our lives trying to find the most out of our spending. Let’s say that one person who lives on a tight budget, but they would like to have a nice vacation in one point of their lives. They would work toward that point and find out how much they would need for the costs of the trip. Every dollar now becomes crucial to their spending because we must know how much we can afford and have to be wise about it. We cannot go out there and start spending like mad because in the end we’ll ask ourselves, â€Å"Now how are we going to pay this off? † So calculating within the budget is necessary, but keeping in mind that we should be able to actually enjoy the vacation without being tedious of every single cent that is coming out of our pocket. Let’s say that we have a budget of $2000 total to go on this trip. Looking at the prices of the airfare, transportation, food, lodging etc. , we have to see much this would all cost us so therefore we can know how much money is left to us to spend on certain material items we may come across to when we are on vacation. There’s always something that one could find that raises the question, â€Å"I should buy this because I wouldn’t be able to find it where I am currently living. † When we calculate all the costs, we will see how much it would benefit us in the long run. The benefits of this situation is that if we find deals and discount for the necessary factors of our trip, we have more spending money to enjoy our vacation, buying things without that guilt factor because we know it’s within our budget.

Key challenges and pitfall to virtual team performance Essay

Key challenges and pitfall to virtual team performance - Essay Example Companies also face the challenge of training and updating the technology used by the virtual team members. Defining the best task technology fit is another challenge that influences virtual team performance. Organizations face the challenge of scheduling meetings since the virtual team members live in different geographical areas with distinct time zones (Kirkman, Rosen, Gibson, Tesluk, & McPherson, 2002). Companies/individuals require complex technological applications to enhance virtual team performance (Ebrahim, Ahmed, & Taha, 2009). Moreover, virtual team performance experiences decreased control of activities since it involves virtual members. Mistrust and communication barriers also depict pitfalls in virtual team performance. Virtual team members develop divergent thoughts subject to cultural and functional diversity experienced in virtual activities Ebrahim, Ahmed, & Taha, 2009). Moreover, effective virtual team performance requires special training and motivation of virtual team members. The members are invisible and virtual meetings are seemingly ineffective since they do not involve physical interactions and personal feelings (Robb, 2014). Virtual environments do not offer detailed analysis of salient issues (Robb, 2014). Moreover, the members face the problem of working in different time zones that is very confusing. Kirkman, B., Rosen, B., Gibson, C., Tesluk, P., & McPherson, S. (2002). The Seven Challenges to Virtual Team Performance: Lessons from Sabre, Inc. Retrieved from:

The Idiosyncratic Volatility Anomaly Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Idiosyncratic Volatility Anomaly - Essay Example Investors look to these corporate-level indicators when determining the most viable security purchase that will facilitate effective returns and minimize risk of volatility. The IVOL comes into play when a specific security does not conform to known economic models that illustrate either inverse relationships to tangible corporate level characteristics or direct relationships to known securities in a comparable category. Various factor-model equations have been developed to establish the expected rate of return of a security, utilising complex variables such as known excess stock returns, known sensitivities to volatility risk, and certain conditional market means (averages). Consider the complexity of one such factor-model calculation to determine expected security return: Exhibit 1: Factor-Model Calculation to Determine Expected Aggregate Returns Source: Ang, et al. (2006). The cross-section of volatility and expected returns. The interchangeable variables within similar equation m odelling dictate no elongated explanation of the complexity of this scientific approach to aggregate security returns. However, such models that determine not only future stock returns, but also volatility risk with a specific security or basket of securities in comparable industries, are designed to facilitate more effective and profitable security investment. The idiosyncratic volatility anomaly is an acknowledgement that not all common stock securities will produce returns that follow a logical model of analysis and computation based on known historical patterns of return and volatility. Various models for determining aggregate returns, based on corporate-level dynamics or market risks (among other criteria), should produce consistent stock returns that are in-line with mathematical expectations. The tangible market returns of a security will, at times, illustrate a direct relationship with such modelling that serves to justify these scientific methods of analyses. During other m arket conditions, such returns conflict these models designed to facilitate a more shrewd investment with no legitimate explanation as to why low returns occurred with the security. These are the dynamics of the idiosyncratic volatility anomaly: predictable corporate level characteristics and valuations of a firm, the known statistical significance of the model used to identify expected aggregate returns, and linear examination of historical stock trends should all serve to justify the long-term return of a security. What actually occurs in the stock market is a confliction of these predictive models, often with no concrete explanation for why the security became exposed to higher volatility, price shock, or variable returns. The IVOL is highly pervasive in domestic and global stock markets with many researchers seeking solutions for the recurring prevalence of this anomaly in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Eurasian nations (Chen, et al. 2012; Savickas and Zhao, 2012; Be rrada and Hugonnier, 2009; Jiang, et al. 2007). Berrada and Hugonnier (2009) identify this routine irregularity citing disparities between the idiosyncratic volatility factor with a direct relationship to stock returns in the U.S., and Ang, et.al (2006) confirming this factor tends to hold true in other nations. The dynamics of what genuinely causes the IVOL prevalence is uncertain, as no singular method of determining its catalysts has yet been determined. However, there is speculation that it can be related to

How leadership communication differs from conventional management Essay

How leadership communication differs from conventional management communication - Essay Example Many leaders believe that they have communicated once they say something; if the person being directed to do something does not do it unintentionally, it means there was no communication because the receiver did not get the message. Communication is complete only if the receiver understood the message (Daft and Lane 261). In communication, what you hear is equally important to what you say, so communication is a two-way process. A leader is somebody who guides, directs, and motivates people. Leaders should have powers to motivate employees is an organization or people in a community to work together to achieve desired goals. Leadership and management are similar, and they differ in some ways: they both involve working with people, concern about effective management, and other related characteristics. In leadership communication, a leader must communicate effectively. Leaders spend most of their time communicating with the employees; it has been found that communication takes over 70 percent of leaders’ time per day (Daft and Lane 261). Leadership communication to employees or people he/she is in charge of is always transparent, trustful, and open while conventional management communication is normally a directive to the subjects about what needs to be done. This is because leaders are innovators, and they always want to further their innovation while managers are employed to administer the directives that will see the organization grow. A leader should do things he/she believes will help the organization progress. Leaders focus on employees while managers focus on both the customers and employees. Management communication is more consistent than leadership communication. This is because the management in an organization is always in touch with employees since they are in charge of running day-to-day functions and ensuring that the staff performs to the required limit; hence, they are giving directions all the time, unlike leadership, which is not always in touch with employees: they always offer policy decision and they are responsible for overall performance of the organization and its future (Daft and Lane 261). Conventional management communication is informative while leadership communication is not informative. Informative communication only informs the subject of what needs to be done while non-informative communication influences the thoughts, feelings, and actions of the subject, which is what is required from a leader. Leadership communication should be spelled out courageously; if communication is open and honest, it might contain some mistakes, but the mistakes will be better than uninspiring communications. If as a leader you do not have an answer to a question or a problem, admit that you cannot respond, and the employees will respect you believing that you are honest. Management communication should be specific while leadership communication can be changed. Specific communication is simple and concise and not confusin g. Managers should always be at the point and should avoid going around. With brevity and clarity, it will make employees obey time and become disciplined. In leadership communication, the message can be changed; this strategy will prevent the message from going bad. Since leadership is meant to spearhead the organization into the future, the leader’s message should be acceptable to everybody in order to push the

Critical Review Literature Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Critical - Literature review Example Thus there is no room for religion in the study and understanding of human behaviour and the natural science in today’s academic world and in particular in psychology. Nelson (2006) argues that these developments are unfortunate since, since science is not capable of explaining every human or worldly phenomenon. Science leaves a number of knowledge gaps that not only renders science as much a statement of ideas as religion does. Therefore religion has value in terms of understanding the natural world and human behaviour and thus is valuable to psychology (Nelson, 2006). Nelson’s (2006) argument that religion has value in terms of providing an understanding of the natural world and human behaviour is decidedly logical. Certainly, science is based on natural world realities, but it does not explain everything and thus leaves open the possibility of supernatural forces which can be explained by religion just as logically as any other untested or unverified scientific theor y. Summary Nelson (2006) argues that during the Middle Ages, there was an integration of science and religion in the formation of a â€Å"body of knowledge† (p. 205). ... Nelson (2006) starts out by defining integration as the combining of at least two disciplines for forming a consensus on the same issue. However, integrating religion and science has become increasingly difficult. The difficulties can be traced back to philosophical thinking prior to Socrates in which materialism influenced philosophical conceptualization of the world as a purely physical entity (Nelson, 2006). In other words, the world as a physical entity was only capable of explanation via physical evidence of facts and its nature. This is known as materialism (Nelson, 2006). The materialism approach is at odds with the naturalism approach which obviously accepts religion because naturalism holds that certain things about the world are natural facts and do not require physical proof. Naturalism also adheres to the concept that much of the world can be explained by reference to physical evidence (Nelson, 2006). It therefore follows that from the naturalist perspective, religion is relevant for explaining the supernatural while science is relevant for proven that which can be physically observed, tested and measured (Nelson, 2006). During the 1500s, Sir Francis Bacon, while supporting the value of religion, advocated for the separation of science and religion on that grounds that integration was an obstacle to learning (Nelson, 2006). By the 1800s, during the Enlightenment, positivism grew out of â€Å"anti-religious† agendas â€Å"shaped by centuries of state-church repression† and â€Å"the effects of religious wars and intolerance† (Nelson, 2006, p. 210). Science emerged as based on hard facts and physical proof of the existence of those facts. Psychologists such as Sigmund Freud were determined to establish

Information Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Information Systems - Essay Example System Interface is a candidate for extreme programming while databases and database integration is a candidate for agile modeling and agile data methodologies. Using extreme programming in the case of developing an application that will allow patients to easily enter electronic data for safe uploading is convenient and relevant. Given that the practice serves a wide variety of clientele with different needs and capabilities to operate the devices they use to enter data, continuous and rapid releases experimented on users will allow refinement of the product to the desired levels of functionality and usability. Varied groups of users have varying levels of needs in terms of a user-friendly interface (either computer or mobile). Coupled with disabilities such as vision and level of comprehension, a fit-all product developed using traditional SDLC cannot be usable. The continuous integration and test-driven model acquired by combining extreme programming and agile methodologies would e nsure that the final product is both usable but and friendly. Agile data is applied on the data aspects of the application. Since the functional requirements of the system require the entering and uploading of patient information in a secure manner, agile data techniques are applied on the data aspects of the software system. Agile database development processes and integration include database refactoring, DB regression testing, agile data modeling and continuous database integration (Scott W. Ambler).

An Analysis of the Woolcock Street Investments Case Assignment

An Analysis of the Woolcock Street Investments Case - Assignment Example This case began in 1987 when the Eagle Star Nominees, Inc., designated as trustees for the BSL Growth Trust Company, engaged a company doing engineering work to design foundations for a warehouse and offices in Townsville. When the building’s construction had been finished, the trustee Eagle Star then decided to sell the property to the plaintiff. In the contract of sale, there was no warranty indicating that the building had no defects. Likewise, the buyer did not conduct any building inspection, survey before purchase, or any sort of appraisal to determine whether or not the building had been constructed in an optimal manner. Also, there was no assignment in contract by the vendor of the rights to proceed against others in case of defects. Just more than a year after the property had been turned over, the defects become apparent. The building had unmistakable structural distress and this was because of how the foundations were arranged, as well as the material below the foundations. The buyer filed a case against the engineering company and its employee, stating that the company owed a duty of reasonable care in designing the foundations of the building and ensuring the safety of the premises. In response, the company said that they owed no such duty of care to the buyer and that they were not at fault, because they in fact had asked the trustee to allow them to do soil tests, however they were told that such soil tests were not necessary and to simply use structural footing sizes. A lawsuit for damages was then filed, and the main question that the courts were tasked to respond to was: â€Å"Whether or not a subsequent buyer of commercial property had the right to sue the builder for design malfunctions?† The court ruled against the buyer and ruled that the duty of care owed to a subsequent or remote purchaser by the engineer that built the foundation of the building in question does not hold when the defective building is used for commercial purposes. This means that there is no case that can be filed against the engineer by the subsequent buyer because the building was not used as a dwelling, but rather as a commercial establishment. Previous Jurisprudence It is difficult to talk about Woolcock without talking about the progenitor case, Bryan v. Maloney. [(1995) 182 CLR 609, 616–17, 623 (Mason CJ, Deane and Gaudron  JJ) (‘Bryan’)]. In that case, the plaintiff was able to successfully claim damages against the builder, despite the fact that she was a subsequent buyer of a residential property and the sale was concluded seven years after the property had been built. The plaintiff had inspected the house many times before purchasing it, with no observations made that there were any defects. However, after six months, it was discovered that there were cracks on the wall and this was because the builder had constructed footings that were inadequate to withstand the changes in the

Sports Exercise Science Paper Essay Example for Free

Sports Exercise Science Paper Essay AussieFit offers two inexpensive membership options starting at basic Fit which is $4.95 a week. Includes Full-club access includes strength, cardio and free weights. Each is designed to fit your schedule and budget. BasicFit plus Includes all â€Å"BasicFit privileges† â€Å"PLUS Aussie-style world-class Group Fitness† including: BodyPump, Cycling, Zumba, and more! From $6.89 a week and for just $5 extra per week, you can add on your choice of the â€Å"Little Nippers Kids’ Club† or â€Å"Unlimited Touch less Tanning.† There are several weights that are available mostly all the basic equipment, the site does not reveal too much information regarding weights. There are also several programs like: â€Å"Zumba Fitness† a Latin-inspired dance-fitness that blends international music, created by Grammy Award-winning producers. â€Å"Body Attack† which is a sports inspired cardio workout that builds strength and stamina. Its a high-intensity program is designed to a wide range of fitness levels and ages. The possibility of using low-impact and low-intensity options throughout the class allows new participants to enjoy the class alongside very fit individual. Also â€Å"Body Combat† which is a unique, Martial Arts-based workout that’s designed for people looking to boost cardio fitness and benefit from total body conditioning. Primarily for fun, this workout is particularly for youthful, sociable individuals who are likely to attend classes with friends. â€Å"Body flow† a workout which combines Yoga, Tai Chi and Pilates and is designed for those looking to improve general fitness, relax and reduce stress, increase mental clearness and to get a sense of well-being. It requires low-level coordination and is particularly popular with the more mature market. There is also â€Å"Body Jam† which puts together the latest dance moves and the hottest new sounds and is designed for the young and young at heart it’s perfect for confident, social people who like to listen to the latest music and try out all the latest trends. Another one is â€Å"Body pump† which is the original barbell class that is for of all ages and fitness levels, and is perfect for anyone looking to get the best possible results in the shortest time. It is favored by those who are bored by an individual weights program and by group fitness people who recognize the need to add some weight training to their workout. Another one is â€Å"Body Step† an energizing step-based cardio workout that uses a height-adjustable step and simple movements on, over and around the step. Including cardio blocks that push fat burning into high gear followed by muscle-conditioning tracks that shape and tone the body, it’s perfect for anyone looking for a fun way to increase fitness. The Website however does not reveal the following; color schemes, music, atmosphere and uniforms. Also absent recreational leagues, clinics, types of sport instruction offered, due to the fact the gym does not have any gymnasiums. The number of employees capacity, number of administrators capacity, is also confidential information. In conclusion, I felt the gym website did a fairly below average job with their website. I felt the website was not well rounded and focused too much on one specific key area being their programs and did not cover all the areas equally. The club website also lacked a lot of information and was really too basic and general to the point of boredom, so I do not think I would attend AusssieFit due to the fact the website lacked creativity, in depth information and diversity with what they have to offer.

The Speckled Band Essay Example for Free

The Speckled Band Essay Our task involves doing an essay on the similarities and differences of three detective fiction stories: The Speckled Band, A Scandal In Bohemia and The Dancing Men all written by the magnificent Arthur Conan Doyle. The genre of these particular stories is all based on Crime/detective. All three stories have the same type of structure although the contents are different. Even though the contents are different, the way they are organised is similar because they are detective stories we should expect similarities between them. Despite the different characters the crime and action in all three is similar. In all three stories there is the same central character Sherlock Holmes-the detective and his great friend Dr John Watson-the first narrator. Helen Stoner approaches Sherlock Holmes about the murder of her sister the night before she was duo to get married. Holmes investigates the cause of death. A Scandal In Bohemia The king of Bohemia comes to see Holmes about a valuable photo, which he needs to get hold of before it ruins his life. The Dancing Men Hilton Cubitt approaches Holmes with a problem; him and his wife are being sent childish drawings of dancing men. Holmes investigates further. The exposition in all three stories has many similarities and differences. There are many similarities I notified in the exposition of these stories, one of which was the dates e. g. in The Speckled Band -Early April in the year 83 Scandal In Bohemia-one night-20th March, 1888. Although the dates are given in two of the stories, I have realised that in The Dancing Men no specific dates are given. This emphasizing a difference in the exposition. In all three stories Dr John Watson is the first (person) narrator and Holmes is always introduced by him. For example in The Speckled Band-In glancing over my notes over the seventy odd cases in which I have during the last eight years studied the methods of my dear friend Sherlock Holmes. The Dancing Men-Holmes had been seated for some hours in silence with his long, thin back curved over a chemical vessel in which he was brewing a particularly malodorous product. A Scandal In Bohemia To Sherlock Holmes she is always the woman.

Encouraging Leadership over Management

Encouraging Leadership over Management As defined by Stephen Covey, Effective leadership is putting first things first while effective management is discipline, carrying it out. This offers a brief glimpse on how leadership is different from management. We try to define a leader on the basis of a plethora of qualities such as; a leader should have the charisma, is a motivator, a good listener, a visionary and should be responsible. Leaders can motivate as well as direct people towards the goals and also find out ways for achieving them. Leaders also have the willingness to accept responsibility not only for their own decisions, but also for the decisions of their subordinates. Thus, an effective leader would refrain from passing the buck when it comes to taking the onus for the executed work. Management or managers, on the other hand, have their focus set on the present and the immediate goals. While the managers have the blue print of each task in hand and do not encourage deviations from it, the leaders have a keen eye towards possible innovations or better ways of doing things which may be divergent from the norms already set. This is the reason why a leader can start something new while a manager may be roped in to execute the task in a particular way. To put it into a nutshell, although the concept of leaders might be confused with that of managers, and vice versa, in practice, leaders are the real game changers, whilst managers are ones who have the responsibility of executing the tasks as envisioned by a leader. The world is changing rapidly and with it the ways and means of executing work is going through irreversible change. Earlier, the tasks would be well within the scope of each role, but now, each task is multiple layered and further embedded with many other tasks, demanding more from each role. At this juncture, a manager is bogged down by the how and when. The pressure is deafening, and following a set procedure, while sticking to guidelines, may not always be the solution. It becomes imperative to innovate and find simpler and easier ways of doing things and excelling at them. The reason is quite simple. Competition is stiff, and unless you are doing outdoing your competitor, you may as well quit. Thus, its time that we emphasise on the emergence of leaders from amongst us, who would not only have the required knowledge base, but also have the courage to envision a new path. There are many theories that try to capture the essence of a leader. Some believe that a leader is born and that the leadership qualities cannot be acquired, while some believe that a leader acquires the qualities over the years with experience. There are few who believe that the birth of a leader is situational and they will arise when the occasion demands. The inspiring role of Sir Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of Britain in World War II, is an excellent example of a leader rising up to the occasion. He led Britain to victory and believed in the philosophy that success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. His words in his speeches motivated the British people and encouraged them during the troubled times and paved the way to victory. A leader would always try and create a new path where none existed before. To accomplish that, sometimes, the leaders have to fight resistance and indifference. It is the common attitude to feel secure in mediocrity and predictability, not wanting to change or challenge the present. The thought behind that is the level of comfort that predictability brings. A leader will twist the shackles to break that state of affairs and bring in new light, focusing on things hitherto untouched. Sir Richard Branson, an English businessman, investor and philanthropist is another example of a good business leader. He is the founder and owner of the Virgin group which consists of around 400 companies. He started quite young and showed signs of becoming an entrepreneur at the age of sixteen. With his distinctive leadership, using himself as the personification of the Virgin brand, he created the entire group from scratch and has reached great heights today. A leader like him can always see the bigger picture hiding in the clutter. As per Kurt Lewin, leadership is of three types. This definition is based on the behaviour of the leaders Autocratic leaders Mussolini and Hitler are pretty good examples of autocratic leaders. For them, their own decisions were the most important and they definitely did not encourage the concept of discussion with the subordinates. Autocratic leaders assume that they are superior to others in every capacity and hence the decisions in day to day affairs as well as long term strategic decisions should be taken by them. Democratic leaders -These leaders involve their subordinates in decision making. The team has to agree on a decision and unless that happens, the final decision is not taken. This helps to bring new perspectives and insight into the matter as a lot of people are involved in the ideation. Laissez-faire leaders These leaders have a completely non-interfering style of leadership and allow the subordinates to come up with solutions as well as take final decisions. Though on the surface it seems pretty righteous, in reality it sometimes makes the team seem rudderless as the leader leaves everything on the subordinates. A manager is responsible for the proper and timely execution of a task in hand. For achieving this, they sets rules and norms that they themselves have been following and implementing. The focus of a manger is always on the procedure, or in other words, a manager is always process oriented. They are responsible for getting things done in a preconceived way. For a manager it is very important that all the organisational level activities are carried out in a smooth way and they do not encourage waywardness. For this reason, it is important for a manager to implement control and authority over the affairs through which they get the job done. A manager would always look up to a leader for solutions and answers. This is because the world of business is highly dynamic and the problems keep getting tougher, demanding innovative solutions. As the older methods become redundant, newer technologies and techniques take over. The situation demands immediate countermeasures that can sometimes spell survival. A leader is a visionary who focuses on matters that may encourage or hinder the growth of his business. A leader will ask questions and look for answers. They will be a risk taker. Such risks can sometimes be based on calculations and sometimes on pure intuition. But the success that may follow the risk would not only increase the stature of the leader; it would also make the organisation trust him more. A managers scope is limited to executing the task at hand through various subordinates, that too within a stipulated time period. Major decisions which can affect the very survival of the organisation with respect to policy formulation, strategy designing, etc., is most definitely taken by the leadership of the company. Thus, it is important that the managers try to look above the scope of the fixed norms and broaden their horizon for organisational level decision making. A manager may have a limited scope or a myopic vision towards the emerging future but a real leader will not be swayed by immediate tasks. They will put organisational perspective first and think way ahead of their subordinates. Visionary business leaders like Lakshmi Niwas Mittal of Arcelor Mittal and Martin Sorrell of WPP have achieved great success owing to their belief in their vision and their hard work towards it. For a technology-driven, fast-paced world, the scope for ambiguous decision making is nil. Its important that the organisation not only survives this race, but also gives strong competition to its peers. For this, it is important that managers are encouraged to become leaders and the paradigm of responsibility shifts on the shoulders of the managers as well. A managers role should not be limited to executing the tasks but they should also think as a leader and get involved in the bigger picture. This will help in streamlining the process as well as create future leaders who can step in, if and when the organisation requires them. Thus, the organisation has the responsibility to create leaders instead of just managers who will not only envision the future course of the organisation but also help in achieving it. Encouraging the emergence of leadership over management is the need of the hour if the organisation wants to achieve fairly impossible targets and goals that todays business world puts forth. Just managing the day to day affairs and carrying on the usual course of business is definitely not enough. Innovation and experimentation is important. Carving out a niche out of a crowd of hundreds is important and making a mark is important. A leaders role encompasses all these and more. Although there is an ongoing debate over the differentiation between a leader and a manager, what we need perhaps is an amalgamation of both where the leadership qualities are given their due importance over managerial qualities. Leaders can create a difference with their charisma and inspiring words. The motivation which is piqued through effective leadership is the one through which even impossible targets can be easily achieved by the employees. An effective leader is thus someone who can definitely make a difference in the lives of his employees as well as the organisation as a whole. References Bass, B.M. Stogdill, R.M., 1990. Bass Stogdills Handbook of Leadership-Theory, Research and Managerial Applications. Simon and Schuster. Covey, S.R., 1992. Principle Centered Leadership. Simon and Schuster. Kotter, J.P., 2008. Force For Change: How Leadership Differs from Management. Simon and Schuster. Lewin, K., LIippit, R. White, R.K., 1939. Patterns of aggressive behavior in experimentally created social climates. Journal of Social Psychology, 10, pp.271-301. Srivastava, A., Bartol, M.K. Locke, E.A., 2006. Empowering Leadership in Management Teams: Effects on Knowledge Sharing, Efficacy, and Performance. Academy of Management Journal, 49(6), pp.1239-51.

Venezuela :: essays research papers

Since the 1970s, Venezuela has gone from being South America’s richest nation into a nouveau-poor society in search of an identity. Once known as the Saudis of the West, Venezuelans have seen their economic fortunes decline in exact proportion to the general fall in world oil prices. Even so, Venezuela’s many problems were hidden from view until relatively recently, when severity measures heralded the sort of economic crises so painfully familiar to other Latin American countries. Runaway inflation, currency devaluations and even food riots have marked this new phase in Venezuelan history, to which the country is still trying to adjust.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The projected population for 2010 is estimated at approximately 28,809 million, with a birth rate of 29.9 per thousand and a low mortality rate of 4.7 per thousand. Today the estimated population is 23,542,649 with a growth rate of 1.6%. Caracas, the capital, and the state of Miranda, which are the areas with the greatest commercial and financial activity, have a population of 7.7 million people. The industrial and agricultural centers, which are the states of Aragua, Carabobo, and Lara, have a population total of about 5 million people. The state of Zulia, which is the major cattle rising and oil producing state, has a population of over 3 million people. Guyana, which is in the state of Bolivar, has the most important mineral reserves, has a population of 1,300,000. The mortality rate is at 26.17 per thousand and a birth rate of 21.09 per thousand. In spite of its growth, there is still a low population density. With only nine inhabitants per square kilometer, V enezuela is one of the least densely populated countries in the Western Hemisphere. The Venezuelan population is very young. About 70% is under the age of 40. 33% of the population is between the ages of 0-14. Followed by 63% being between the ages of 15-64 and only 4% of the population is 65 years and over. There is a male domination over female with a total population ratio 1.02 male(s)/female. Venezuela has a total area of 912,050 square kilometers, 882,050 square kilometers being land and 30,000 square kilometers water. It is slightly more than twice the size of California. Venezuela is the most urbanized country in Latin America. The urban population is about 87% of the total, but is unevenly distributed throughout the country. The migration ratio as of July of 2000 was -0.

The Book That Really Did Change My Life Essay -- How Education Has Chan

Periodically while surfing the internet I encounter a page entitled "Books That Changed My Life", with a list of books that purportedly changed the life of the author. I am always irritated by these pages, because I never see any evidence that the books had actually changed the life of the author. In fact, for most of these pages a more appropriate title would have been "Books that I really, really liked a lot." Occasionally, it might have been called "Books that influenced my thinking," but I'm reluctant to refer to that as having changed one's life. I suppose I am irritated because I have my own list of books, and each one of them had effected a concrete, specific change in my life. It's not very long--maybe three books--but even that fact is interesting, since it shows how difficult it is for a book to change a reader, and consequently when it happens it is something worth pondering. How to Read a Book, by Mortimer Adler and Charles ... ...you how valuable those sessions were to me. They gave me the opportunity to apply his techniques diligently, enough for them to become habits, and to writings that were good enough to stand up under that kind of scrutiny. Nowadays I don't always apply the techniques; most books simply aren't worth the effort. But when I stumble onto something worthwhile, a pencil will magically appear in my hand and I will begin analyzing it before I'm aware of what I'm doing.

Bmg Case Study

CASE STUDY IV. 3 BMG(A) 2824309 Which geographic market areas should be chosen for closer analysis? Introduction Bertelsmann Music Group, (BMG), is the global music division of Bertelsmann AG, a transnational media corporation founded in 1835, based in Gutersloh, Germany. Its headquarters are located in New York. BMG, established in 1987, is now one of the world’s biggest music companies with more than 200 record labels in 42 countries. It is also home to one of the industry’s foremost music distribution companies and one of the world’s largest music publishing companies. According to Table 1 BMG is the world’s second record company in terms of global market share. Moreover Chart 1 shows that most of BMG revenues come from Europe and North America. Table 1: Global market shares of major players 2001 Vivendi Polygram Sony AOL Time Warner EMI BMG Market value % % % % % $ billion Australia 13 27 18 18 6 0. 7 Canada 20 13 24 10 8 1. 1 US 13 14 22 10 12 11. 2 Japan 13 18 7 14 8 7. 0 Germany 23 12 13 22 15 3. 0 UK 22 13 11 22 9 2. 4 France 32 25 13 19 11 2. 3 Netherlands 23 14 8 15 13 0. 7 Italy 19 16 17 15 24 0. 6 Korea 10 5 4 5 5 0. 5 Sweden 20 19 13 26 22 0. 3 Taiwan 17 5 14 6 5 0. 3 Other countries – – – – – 5. 4 World 13 13 14 16 14 35. 5 {draw:frame} * {draw:frame} {draw:frame} {draw:frame} * {draw:frame} {draw:frame} {draw:frame} {draw:frame} {draw:frame} {draw:frame} Global Music Market Analysis {draw:frame} Table 2 – Recorded Music Sales 2008 (trade value) Chart 3 – Global digital revenue {draw:frame} Record companies are gradually changing their approach to do business as a response of a dramatic change in the way music is distributed and consumed. Nowadays digital platforms account for around 20% of recorded music sales, up from 15% in 2007. Recorded music is facing the so called online and mobile revolution, generating more revenue in percentage terms through digital platforms than newspaper, magazine and film industries combined. Assessment of potential market After this brief analysis of the global music market it is now time to decide which geographic areas, and specifically countries, would be right to expand BMG’s business. I will therefore analyze these three countries: Brazil, China and India. BRAZIL PEST ANALYSIS {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} CHINA PEST ANALYSIS {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} INDIA PEST ANALYSIS Economic Factors: The GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) is estimated at 2. 965 trillion U. S. dollars in the year 2007. The GDP per capita (PPP) was 2700 U. S. dollars as estimated in 2007. The GDP real growth rate in 2007 was 8. 7%. India has the third highest GDP in terms of purchasing power parity just ahead of Japan and behind U. S. and China. Foreign direct investment rose in the fiscal year ended March 31 2007 to about $16 billion from just $5. 5 billion a year earlier. There is a continuous growth in per capita income; India’s per capita income is expected to reach 1000 dollars by the end of 2007-08 from 797 dollars in 2006-07. This will lead to higher buying power in the hands of Indian consumers. Social Factors: India is the second most populous nation in the world with an approximate population of over 1. 1billion people. This population is divided in the following age structure: 0-14 years – 31. %, 15-64 years – 63. 1% and 65 years and above – 5. 1%. Technological Factors: Internet adoption continues to grow in India as well as the telecom market. According to the Internet & Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), the low cost of broadband has helped increase Internet usage (3. 7% of the population in 2007). E-commerce and high demand for . in domain registrations are also factors for the in crease in online users. Moreover sweeping reforms introduced by successive Indian governments over the last decade have dramatically changed the nature of telecommunications in the country. The mobile sector has grown more than tenfold from 2001 to around 60 million subscribers by mid-2005. Music market characteristic Brazil: Sales tax 15% / 18%; import tax 16%. 75% of the market share is made by domestic repertoire. The market is characterized by many small independent record companies. Commercial piracy is still a huge problem in South America, reaching levels above 50% in every country. India: Sales tax 4% /12. 5%; import tax 17. 3%. Size of the music industry estimate at USD 149 million. On a conservative basis, the music industry has been pegged to grow at 3% over the next five years. Till 1990, the music industry was completely dominated by film and devotional music. With the advent of satellite television and increasing consumer exposure to non-film albums and remixes have gained popularity recently. In the non-film category devotional music produced by smaller and local companies is the most popular. The Indian music industry is quite unique compared to those in other countries as it is virtually dependent on new Hindi (Bollywood) films for the lion’s share (40%) of its revenues. In the film centric Indian Music industry, there is virtually no loyalty for labels among the segment that buys only film music. China: Sales tax 17%; import tax 17%. It is characterized by an undeveloped piracy-dominated physical market and a rapidly-developing wireless environment. Mobile music is already far advanced. For the international record companies operating in China, sales of music via mobile phones already accounts for about 15% of industry revenues. There are five legitimate digital music services in China and we forecast there will be many more setting up in the next few years. In the past two years the volume of music made available online has increased more than six-fold to more than two million songs. Illegal sales of music are China is valued by IFPI at around US$400 million. Market Attractiveness Scaling Grid Relative Competitive Strength Scaling Grid C = China B = Brazil I = India Market Attractiveness/Competitive Strength Matrix {draw:frame} Word Counter 2. 104 References http://www. indianmi. org/ http://www. ifpi. org/ Hollensen, S. (2007), Global Marketing 4th Edition. UK: Pearson Education Limited

Junk Food Essay

Hello, my name is Daniela and I am here today to share my opinion about banning junk food, and hopefully I change your opinion, if you disagree with me. Well, junk food is food that’s very high in fat, sugar, and calories. It hardly has protein, vitamins, or minerals. I know it may be very tasty and good, but it’s not so good for your body. Eating junk food can cause your brain to get addicted to it in a way like drugs do. You’ll constantly think you need it, when you don’t. If you go a couple weeks without junk food and you’re use to eating it, you’ll want it even more, which is bad. Poor eating habits as a kid, become worse when you’re an adult. Eating it for years can cause obesity. Over 31. 8% of children in America are obese or overweight. This all leads to heart problems, diabetes, and other health problems. It can also cause cavities and other dental problems. Junk food also has a lack of oxygen, which is what feeds the brain and the rest of the body. Lack of oxygen causes fatigue and lack of concentration. A lot of studies also show that kid’s grades are sliding down very fast, due to being tired and lack of concentration. They can’t keep all the information they’re learning in their head. Parents should monitor their kid’s diet, but at school they can’t. Therefore the school should help the students in deciding what’s better for their nutrition. Kids do what they see other people do no matter if it’s bad or good. They see us eating a lot of junk food; they’ll eat a lot of junk food. They see us being healthy; they’ll want to become healthy. So why teach them that eating a lot of junk food is healthy? At home, maybe some parents may not care what their kid eats; therefore they should at least have one healthy meal provided by the school. Many students like to go and socialize with their friends during lunch since they can’t really talk or see each other any other times during school. Therefore, they’ll want to just grab a quick snack, like a type of junk food, and just leave to go talk with their friends. They aren’t eating a good meal and are just putting junk in their body. It’s much better if the school bans it and replaces the junk food with a healthy snack so at least the person can be eating something good for them. What if the school makes you take P. E. more than you’re required to since they decided to keep junk food? I know many of you hate it. So I don’t know about you, but I rather be eating healthy, than be trying to lose those calories I got from the junk food. I rather not even be taking P. E. another year just because they decided to keep that junk. Also, students are taught in health classes about healthy eating, and if the schools promotes and sells junk food, then the school contradicts its purpose of teaching this. The money you waste on junk food funds most of the cool and new stuff we get for our school. The school board should be paying for this stuff. They’re basically making money off your poor health choices. I hope you see things my way now and think about supporting the idea of banning junk food in school. Thank you for your listening!

Flipping Burgers

Five days out of the week, I walk into work. I put on my employee shirt, my apron, my visor, and I get to work. I have the pleasure of making a ton of pizzas for 8 hours straight, no I am not necessarily ‘fond’ of it, but I do it because it gets me by and pays my bills. Sure I would love to be in some upscale restaurant, but I a least have a job, and I do not take it for granted. Many people would prefer to not have my job; it’s a minimum wage, fast pace, difficult customer environment. But it is an opportunity that is not beneath my dignity, so to that, I quote Charles J.Sykes, in his article called ‘Life rules for Teenagers, â€Å"Flipping Burgers in not beneath your dignity†. I could not agree more with him. Millions of United States workers are employed at a fast food restaurant. Many Americans are probably working in two or more of them at one time, just to get by. They also realize that flipping burgers isn’t below their dignity, having n o job and living off of others should be below ones dignity. Every day I see people on the streets, begging for money. Yes, everyone has their reasons, but everyone is capable or picking their selves up and applying for jobs.You can always advance in the job you have, you gain experience, and once you have enough experience you can apply for higher jobs and get further up the chain. It just takes a bit of hard work in some low paying jobs. For many people, their first jobs are in a fast food place, and it is just a stepping stone. Many work their way through school and then once they graduate, they are able to find jobs in their degree. Others find that they love working in fast food and end up owning them or managing more than just one store.A lot of fast food restaurants offer benefits and are always giving the opportunity for raises, only good things come from hard work. You never know where you will go when you first start a minimum wage job, but you know it will all be worth it in the end. You are getting yourself somewhere, and can be proud of that. One of my first jobs was working at a Quizno’s, there I also had to wear an apron and visor, I was 16 when I first got that job and might I say it was one of the easiest jobs I have ever had.Back when I did not have any responsibilities and whatever money I earned, I just got to pocket it. All I had to do every day, was make sandwiches and run register. Half way through my shift I always got a free sandwich and at the end of the day we always got to take home cookies or left over bread. How could anyone take that for granted? I did. I hated working there, thought it was so hard and embarrassing making sandwiches for other people, but now I realize how crazy I was for thinking that way.The other day I was talking with some friends and telling them about the paper I had to write. I told them the rule I chose, and one of them piped up saying â€Å"it is definitely below my dignity! †; She lives at home with her parents, pays no bills, and doesn’t work. She is naive and obviously doesn’t have a clue of what it means to have an opportunity. There are so many other people who also think that way. They also do not appreciate what is just kind fully handed to them. Others work so hard to just have half of what they have.I wish there was a way to imprint into every ones minds, to appreciate what they have. So tomorrow, I shall go into work and put on my uniform and work hard, because I personally know that making pizzas is not all that I have in store for my life, I am working and paying my way through school and although I dread heading to work every day I know that I am helping my future and preparing myself for other difficult, low paying jobs further in life. No one should ever take a job for granted or be embarrassed for what they do; they should always look at it as an opportunity.

How Harry Potter Changed the World

Communication paper Harry Potter When I was young, I went to school waiting all day to get back to my Super Nintendo and play Ken Griffey Jr baseball. I grew up in a world of technology and awesome gadgets and toys that left me no time to even think about reading. When I was in the 4th grade a book came out that changed my generations view on reading; this book made it cool and fun for kids to read. This book was Harry Potter and twelve years later it is more popular than ever before. Harry Potter is the worlds most popular book series, and some people that it has saved reading (Sperling,1).Harry Potter is also the most successful film series of all time, surpassing Star Wars and the James Bond series (Miller, 1). Harry Potter has had an incredible impact, not only on the younger generations, but on all the generations in our society. In this paper I will argue that Harry Potter is the novel of a generation and sparked social change. The first Harry Potter book came out in 1997 in Eu rope and 1998 in the United States. And since then it has become a multi-billion dollar brand (Watson and Keller, 1). Potter was instantly a hit and our culture caught the Harry Potter craze.People fell in love with the first book; parents claimed that it saved reading(Sperling,1). Harry Potter changed the priority of millions of children; instead of rushing home to play video games or watch TV, kids were sitting on the steps of their schools reading Harry Potter. All one needs to do is look at the numbers, and you will see the amount of impact that Harry Potter has had on the world let alone Americas culture. The Harry Potter series has sold more than 325 million copies worldwide in more than 90 countries (BBC,1).The Harry Potter movie’s have continuously grossed more than 500 million dollars. Popularity is not everything, but people love Harry Potter and there is a lot more to the books than just a terrific story. Many people look into the stories and see how these books co uld shape our culture. Many parents and religious leaders wanted Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone banned because they said that the book opened up children’ s minds to the occult and other thing that would push them away from God (Barbra, 1). The first Harry Potter book opened people up power that had not been seen since Huckleberry Fin.The book had turned into something bigger than just another children’s book, the book had started a cultural debate. Harry Potter is literary genius and brought countless of kids to reading, and still people felt that it was from the Devil and was actually harming kids. These debates made it to the news, and they were discussed among many parents. This book started off with a cultural bang, and laid the landscape for what would become the great debate of Harry Potter. The Harry Potter phenomenon sparked a conversation that not many books have sparked.How much power should a novel have on the choices that children make (O‘ Brie n, 1)? There are many people who believe that Harry Potter is having a persuasive negative effect on our younger generation. These people believe that Harry Potter is clouding our younger generations ability to decipher between good and evil (O’ Brien, 1). Some of the accusations that have been brought against Harry Potter seem pretty ridiculous to me, but you have to respect the fact that many people in this world feel that Harry Potter is a bad influence. Harry Potter has sparked a debate over if the book is good or bad for our culture.Most of these groups that believe that Harry Potter has a negative effect on our society are religious groups. Religious groups have a fear that the youth of this generation will look at the Harry Potter books instead of the Bible. This is the perfect example to show that Harry Potter is culturally relevant and changing the way people view books and their impact on society. There are many groups that have taken a more positive light on the Ha rry Potter books. These groups take the Harry Potter message just as seriously as the religious groups but they see these books as a spark to positive social change.The Harry Potter Alliance is one of the names of the groups that seek to bring positive change in the name of Potter. Don’t let the name fool you, these groups are serious about bringing change. The vision statement of the Harry Potter Alliance is: â€Å"Just as Dumbledore’s Army wakes the world up to Voldemort’s return, works for equal rights of house elves and werewolves, and empowers its members, we: Work with partner NGO’s to alerting the world to the dangers of global warming, poverty, and genocide. Work with our partners for equal rights regardless, of race, gender and sexuality.Encourage our members to hone the magic of their creativity in endeavoring to make the word a better place. Join our army to make the world a safer, more magical place, and let your voice be heard. (Belser, 1)â €  This quote gives you a glimpse into the seriousness of the Harry Potter Alliance. This group is putting their mission statement into action. When Haiti was struck by the awful earthquake in January the HPA raised 123,000 dollars in two weeks (Belser, 1). The HPA has also donated more than 55,000 books since 2009 (Belser, 1).This organization is striving for change, and this group was founded on principles that were learned from the Harry Potter books. A novel has changed the way people look at the world. JK Rowling may not have meant to follow in the footsteps of Charles Dickens and his story A Christmas Carol, but she has. She has opened the minds of many different cultures and sparked social change. The Harry Potter Alliance is an extreme example of how Harry Potter has opened the minds of its readers, but there are many more subtle ways on how Harry Potter has changed its readers.Harry Potter teaches its readers about true friendship, loyalty, hope, and standing up for what you believe in. Those are qualities that most parents want for their children and those are the qualities that Harry Potter is teaching our younger generation. Harry Potter has changed American culture. One might argue that Harry Potter is just a book and books cannot change the culture it is the people who read the book that change the culture. That would demean the power that the novel has.There is a power that Harry Potter has and it is hard to deny it. Harry Potter is a phenomenon because it was able to catch the attention of a generation that many people feared were straying away from literature. Potter reached a culture that was all about the media for entertainment, there was a fear that novels were a dying breed. The Power of Potter proved that kids of the 21st century could still be moved by literature. That’s why Harry Potter is the book of a generation. Harry Potter has sparked a social change and brought a love for literature

Analyzing Aristotle Essay Example for Free

Analyzing Aristotle Essay The soul and the body are different forms. While the body is visible and mortal, the soul is invisible and immortal. He suggests that although the body dies and decays, the soul continues to exist. I do believe there is life after death, everyone must eventually die, and it cannot be avoided. However, even though death is a fact of life, it is a topic that many people prefer not to talk about. This avoidance of discussion is usually due to the denial of one’s own death and the denial is usually due to fear. The fear is, for many people, a fear of the unknown. In my opinion i believe that when humans die, the body and the brain dies, but the mind still exists and it creates our afterlife according to our own beliefs and expectations. If a person believes there in nothing after death then there will not be a dream, it will be as if the person is asleep forever without dreaming. 2) Yes, I agree that the universe is purposeful. The purpose of the creation, every though you have is creating your tomorrow. The universe has mysterious ways of revolving what we do day by day. For example Karma: The sum of a person’s actions in this and previous states of existence, viewed as deciding their fate in life. – Aristotle said: â€Å"Yet there is God, though not perhaps the simple and human god conceived by the forgivable anthropomorphism of the adolescent mind. † Aristotle represents God as self-conscious spirit. A rather mysterious spirit; for Aristotle God’s never does anything; he has no desires, no will, no purpose; he is activity so pure that he never acts. He is absolutely perfect; therefore cannot desire anything; therefore He does nothing. His only occupation is to contemplate the essence of things; and since He himself is the essence of all things, the form of all forms, his sole employment is the contemplation of himself. Analyzing Aristotle. (2018, Nov 04).

Japan's Postwar Foreign Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Japan's Postwar Foreign Policy - Essay Example Given that there are facts to support this argument, this paper will identify three ways in which Dower sees Japan’s postwar foreign policy shaped by the experience of defeat and occupation. The paper will also include insights into the ways of embracing defeat just as set herein by John Dower then summarize all the main points.  Analytical review of embracing defeat shows that occupation and defeat of Japan played a major role in shaping this country’s postwar foreign policy. This is because Dower explains absorbingly that after the American forces imposed democracy, the people of Japan experienced an atmosphere of uncertainty and flux. Effective archival, as well as Japanese academic sources, captured that the atmosphere came along with suicidal despair accompanied by surrender. It is of paramount importance to note that Japan and the United States share a mutual and long-lasting international relationship. Additionally, the presence of the GIs drew a huge spectrum of gratitude towards its generosity. Based on this observation, Dower set forth that defeat and occupation shaped Japan’s postwar foreign policy as democracy unleashed things like creative energy, black market entrepreneurship, and prostitution (79). Therefore, it is agreeable that America’s imposition of the revolution that led to six years of occupation and the undeniable transformation of Japan into a democratic country is indeed one of the major ways in which Dower sees Japans postwar foreign policy shaped by its experience of defeat and occupation.  For quite a long time, Japan has continued to struggle to attain favorable relations with her neighboring Asian countries. Ideally, this has been so because of the foreign policy set in place by the American occupation. Indeed, the other way in which Dower finds Japans postwar foreign policy shaped by the experience of defeat and occupation. Obviously, this goes with the pragmatic change in politics in this country. Having introduced the aspect of

Orignial topic - adopting a positive or negative viewpoint Essay - 2

Orignial topic - adopting a positive or negative viewpoint - Essay Example auses major health problems, is more dangerous for the non-smoker than smoking is for the smoker, is most dangerous for children and is an infringement on rights, the right to live. The definition of secondhand smoke is smoke that a person inhales due to someone else’s who is smoking close to them. While some disagree and say that the hazard from second-hand smoke is negligible, others have identified numerous properties of secondhand smoke that make it more than obvious this type of smoke is even more powerful and therefore more harmful than the smoke the smoker themselves is inhaling into their own lungs. When a smoker inhales through a cigarette filter they are getting only about half of the poisons tar and nicotine that are found in a comparable sized amount of secondhand smoke according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Despite the fact they are non-smokers, this same report states that roughly â€Å"3,000 non-smokers a year die from lung cancer caused by secondhand smoke† and another â€Å"37,000 non-smokers a year die from heart disease attributed to secondhand smoke† (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1992). These figures are verified by other data of the detrimental effects of secondhand smoke, for example, a study demonstrated that women who did not smoke that were married to heavy smoking men suffered twice the risk of developing lung cancer as compared to women married to non-smoking men. Another study performed on workers such as waitresses and bartenders who are repeatedly exposed for an extended period of time to secondhand smoke experienced a 25-75 percent greater possibility of contracting lung cancer, with the odds becoming proportionately higher with the time employed in these types of places. These are studies on adult lungs. Imagine the damage done to smaller, weaker and less developed more susceptible lungs. â€Å"Children exposed to high levels of secondhand smoke are susceptible to greater instances of bronchitis, pneumonia

THE RISE OF ISLAM Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

THE RISE OF ISLAM - Term Paper Example 14 Introduction Islam and Christianity are two of the largest and independent religions in the world. They both use technology and modern means of communication in order to preach and propagate. Members of these religious groups are surrounded with all the temptations of material things: technology, gadgets, the internet, fast-paced communication, transportation faster than the speed of sound, and above all money. These things are not evil per se but they should be able to detect temptation because they can be tools of the devil to entice man to sin. Where were these things some centuries ago? Islam was born and grew out of the polytheism practices at the time the prophet Muhammad was beginning to ponder upon his existence. It was also during those times when the prophet was bored of the technology and materialism of the time. Will there emerge another religion in the midst of all these? There are signs of evil hold over the things we take for granted. Is it true that Islam is a sham of Christianity? Let us take a brief history of Islam before we hear the apologist’s responses. This essay is about Islam and Christianity. First of all, Christianity came ahead of Islam and in fact many of the beliefs and principles preached by the prophet Muhammad were taken from the Bible and Christian teachings. ... The explanations that the apologists offered were that Islam was a Christian heretical doctrine, God Judge Islam because of the inadequacy of the church, and Islam was not real but was a wicked sham of Christianity. Background The beginning and growth of Islam is one of the most remarkable religious phenomena in the history of man’s quest to believe in a Supreme Being and to know the meaning of life and religion. It is still considered a young religion with about 1.2 billion followers. Islam is the religion of countries that stretch from North Africa to Southeast Asia and to smaller Muslim communities across the globe.1 At the time before the birth of Islam, Arabia was cut off from neighbouring civilizations. The peninsula was characterized by diverse landscapes and mountain ranges which created different ecosystems. During the birth of Muhammad, much of Arabia was subjected to foreign influences such as political, economic and cultural. Christianity was one of these influence s.2 Muhammad whose official name in the Muslim world is Prophet Muhammad ibn Abd Allah was born in 570AD in Mecca or what is called Saudi Arabia today. He was orphaned at an early age but at a young age he was already searching for the truth of his own existence. He married a rich widow at the age of 25 and it was also at this age that he started to search for God and the meaning of life. He got some answers through dreams. He found solitude as an escape from the demands of city life. He did not like the practice of polytheism at that time, so he would often find refuge in caves. It was believed that the angel Gabriel appeared to him in a dream while he was seeking refuge at Mt. Hira. The angel Gabriel asked him to

Wastewater management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Wastewater management - Research Paper Example In an era where people in the communities are gaining more knowledge about issues of the environment and their impact on the globe, it is everyone’s responsibility to use, establish and put into practice inventive ways of managing wastes and resources (World Resources Institute, 1996). Wastewater refers to water that has been hugely affected in condition by the influence of anthropogenic. These constitute liquid waste produced by industry, domestic properties, agriculture and/or commercial properties and can take in an extensive variety of probable concentrations and contaminants. Moreover, municipal wastewater is frequently treated in an effluent sewer, sanitary sewer, septic tank or combined sewer. It is likely to establish an association between contaminants of waste in a wastewater watercourse, but such a correlation cannot be simplified for operation with any additional wastewater course or waste impurities. This is because the constitution of any wastewater course is dissimilar (World Resources Institute, 1996). Many of the country’s sewer and water infrastructures were devised and constructed in the early days. These systems were made with a short life period in mind. Currently, as a result of this, there is a shortage in communal facility spending. This imposes heavy costs of repair for the future generations. The present water and sewer infrastructure cannot sustain the growing human population or exist for a long time without the need for thorough rehabilitation. Aging infrastructure and increasing amounts of waste water are increasing the cost of obtaining clean water. In addition, the environment is increasingly being affected negatively by these factors (World Resources Institute, 1996). It is not healthy for wildlife, domesticated animals, and human beings to get into contact with ground or surface water that is contaminated with waste or drink it. Wastewater management is an essential function in upholding

Dental office network design Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Dental office network design - Case Study Example Considering that the dentists are mobile and involved in offering services in different locations, the network solution will contain better communication equipment in order to make provision of services efficient. The network should contain proper connection of persons from different five offices situated in different locations. There should be a link between the receptionists in all offices such that they communicate and respond to calls from all areas (White, 2012). The network should be able to allow access of information by all dentists offering services to patients regardless of their location. This means that the network will contain several computers linked to a server that will enable access of information or data for patients. The design of the network solution will require careful attention in order to develop effective computer systems for fostering operations by dentists in different locations (Plant & Murrell, 2007). The network should have proper systems of communicatio ns, for example, telephone and internet linked in a systematic manner. This will allow proper communication between the dentists, their assistants and receptionists. The network solution will contain an installation of a VPN server linked to computers from different offices. The network shall contain Metropolitan Area Network components integrated in manner that it supports the Local area Network (Stair & Reynolds, 2010). ... Identify the information that is to be protected and the related security requirements Although the network is to allow flow and access of information between the five offices and other locations that the dentists will perform their services, there must be protection of information from patients (White, 2012). The design of the network solution will ensure that there is a restriction of information access to individuals. This will ensure confidentiality of patient’s information. Protection of information is a requirement of Health Insurance and Accountability Act (HPAA). The organization requires the formation of appropriate national standards for electronic healthcare operations (Stair & Reynolds, 2010). The design of the network will allow information access for authorized persons. For example, there will be security measures, for example, use of passwords and security codes to ensure access by required persons. This will ensure information for patients is not accessed by un authorized individuals. The information to be protected includes electronic and that contained in the papers. In order to ensure safeguard of information, the network requires administrative, technical and physical protection (Plant & Murrell, 2007). Maintenance of security will be possible through implementation of documented security controls. Administrative protocols will have to indicate persons who will have access to protected data. The protocol will consider aspects of data access alteration and termination. Plans should exist for the purpose of tackling emergencies emanating from the network (White, 2012). In order to adhere to the rules of HPAA, the administration will ensure performance of

Being educated is not about certificates Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Being educated is not about certificates - Essay Example He is against the traditional way of imparting education because it falls miserably short of what the "actual" aim of education should be. Kohn is of the firm view that being educated has no co-relation with having and/or acquiring certificates/degrees. He contends that the present cirriculum and the standardized system of testing in vogue today in the United States, should be abolished and a "progressive" system be put in its place. This is so because he wants the students to be no only well trained and literate in their chosen fields but also be well rounded personalities who on the one hand are intellectually sound and on the other hand are loving, caring and lovable individuals. The author has experience of people who have many certificates, but according to him they can in no way be considered educated because they lack the essential hands on experience to deal with many expected and unexpected situations/experiences that the real world affords them. They lack the qualities to face such situations because they (the students) have been brought up in a cloistered environment of the class room/school. To give an example, consider what would happen to a plant that has been grown in a controlled environment inside a laboratory, once the said plant/sapling, is exposed to the natural (uncontrolled) environment, it will wilt and die. 3. Both Kohn and the writer are in agreement that a great barrier in improving the standard of education in the United States is the out dated stance of the conservative politicians, the policy makers/ bureaucrats and the heads of big corporations who are in league that favors the traditional system because it serves their purposes. This traditional system provides an inexhaustible line of clone like individuals to the big corporations, who act according to their commands/orders without question and help run their mills and factories smoothly without

The Positives of Gaming and Addiction Term Paper

The Positives of Gaming and Addiction - Term Paper Example One of the things that have worried many people and especially sociologist is the fact that computers have made people be less social. With computers being interconnected through networks such as the internet, a lot of people have realized that they can do much of the things they need to do from the comfort of the their homes without having to go out to the world. These days, people can take their education online, buy things online and have them delivered to their doorsteps, even socialize online using social media such as facebook.com and Twitter. Because of this, people have less face-to-face communication with each other and this is feared to be a negative impact of the information technology of today. As more people continue to disappear behind their computers and have fewer social interactions as they use the computers and computer networks to interact with the rest of the world, they are going to be less social and the social fabric will be ripped apart, leading to the end of civilization as it is known today (Hjorth, 2008). However, with regard to this, there is a debate with regard to whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. On the one side of this debate are the people who believe that just because people are spending more time with their computers does not necessarily mean that the social fabric has lost its structure, but that this is just one more phase of the evolution of the society with regard to how people relate with each other. Others, on the other hand, feel that this is a risk that must be avoided as much as possible. The fear of technology and especially computer technology has been seen for some time now and in the USA, it even attracted some kind of fanatics with the rationalist who believed that everything must be done to prevent further development o such technology. In the 1970s, there were some terrorist actions carried out by an American who was determined to make sure that technology could not grow further.

Fashion for a cause Essay Example for Free

Fashion for a cause Essay Having a ribbon on your outfit to support a cause is a thing of past. Today a brand needs to be more deeply involved with different social causes as well as provide us with fashionable clothes. But what is the primary motivation for a buyer in this scenario? Does he buy such products because he wants to support the social cause behind it or because of the product itself and the brand name it carries? Is it just a onetime buy? Is the consumer completely aware about the social concern the product is working for? Are the Indian customers ready to adopt such brands? Objectives 1. To understand if there is a direct relationship between the social concern factor and the brand equity of the product. 2. To know the primary motivation of the buyer of such brands. 3. To check the brand loyalty of these consumers for such brands. 4. To check if the consumers are aware of the social concern around which the product is being promoted. 5. To check if the consumers in India are ready to adopt such social brands. 2 CHAPTER 2 3 Review of Literature (Fernandez, 2013) ‘It is not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving,’ wise words by Mother Teresa. In today’s world that is fuelled by money, it is endearing to find people who try to fuel the world with love and so, it is in this nature that companies have started to verge toward campaigns themed with more ‘selfless giving‘. In the past few years there have been a trend towards various noble causes: charity events, concerts, and other philanthropic endeavours brought about by various companies in a number of industries. There are also a wide a number of advocacies that include: AIDS, HIV, cancer, global warming, gay rights, and many others, in need of charitable donations. And while the whole idea of fashion-brands-going-the-extra-mile-for-a-better-cause may give us the warm feeling and a restored faith in humanity, there is still that quiet looming reminder that in the world of business, nothing comes free. (Times of India, 2013) Fashion may be used to promote a cause, for example, to promote healthy behaviour, to raise money for a cancer cure, to raise money for local charities, for example a Juvenile Protective Association, (Martin, 2013) or to raise donations for a childrens hospitals. (Sultan, 2011) â€Å"Most people do not take the time to donate to the charities yet a small donation can make a very big difference in another persons life. The most important aspect of donating to charity is the fact that you will be helping out a needy person get basic human necessities improving a life in the process. † In today’s busy life not many people take out time to make donations and do charity work but everyone has time to buy new clothes and if buying these clothes can help someone in need wouldn’t that be worth it? (Singh, 2013) â€Å"The global appeal and charitable nature of stores like Being Human not only gives a unique shopping experience to the customers, but also gives them satisfaction of doing good. † The idea of following a film star always appeals to the masses. (Khan, 2013) â€Å"All fashion labels are about looking good, Being Human is also about doing good. † (Beig, 2013) â€Å"Wearing Being Human means you ‘look good, do good’ because you help people by the simple act of slipping on your clothes every day. † (Mandhana, 2013) â€Å"The ‘Being Human’ line is designed to offer comfort, quality and style while supporting an endeavour of good cause. † (Chase, 2009) In a study of how a clothing brands affiliation with a social cause would affect buyers spending habits the research team conducted a survey of Generation Y college students to find out how their support of an existing line of apparel, 7 For All Mankind, might change should the brand begin campaigning with, say, Breast Cancer Awareness. The study reported that both college men and women would hold such brands to a higher esteem in general, and 89% would likely switch from Brand A to Brand B if Brand B was associated with a socially/environmentally focused cause (assuming price and quality are held constant). Additionally, 72. 4% stated they had intentionally purchased a brand name product due to the fact that the brand was affiliated with a cause they agreed with. 4 (Markson, 2012) Purpose is being integrated into marketing efforts in more concerted ways and with favourable consumer response. According to Markson, the marketing world is coming to an understanding that purpose must carry as much weight in crafting an effective ad campaign as the traditional Four Ps of Marketing: Price, Placement, Product and Promotion. In the United States, after quality and price, social purpose (at 47 percent) ranks higher as a purchase motivator than brand loyalty (27 percent) and design and innovation (26 percent). In addition, if a brand of similar quality supports a good cause, 75 percent of consumers claim they would buy it and 76 percent claim they would recommend and share positive experiences about such a brand. Sixty-two percent of U. S. consumers say they would also switch brands if a brand of similar quality supported a good cause. Finally, U. S. consumers willingness to actually promote a brand that supports a good cause jumped 19 percent from 2008 (47 percent) to 2010 (66 percent). (Barkley Cause Survey, 2010) A full 88 percent of American men say it is important for a brand to support a cause. Such a finding points to a new masculine ideal taking hold, an evolution beyond the bad-boy tough guy ideal. American men are comfortable with having a good heart. Maybe they dont want to wear it on their sleeve. But they do want to contribute through their purchases, and in fact a majority demands it, 55 percent of men said they would switch brands from a company that did not support a cause to one that did. (Storm, 2013) Fashion is fun, but sometimes it’s more than that. Certain brands answer to a higher calling than simply making shoppers look fabulous and consumers seem willing to pay extra for it. According to Nielsen’s Global Corporate Citizenship Survey, 46 percent of consumers are willing to pay more for products and services from companies that give back to society. (Nielsen, 2012) New findings from a Nielsen survey of more than 28,000 online respondents from 56 countries around the world provide fresh insights to help businesses better understand the right audience for cause marketers, which programs resonate most strongly with this audience, and what marketing methods may be most effective in reaching these consumers. In the study, respondents were asked if they prefer to buy products and services from companies that implement programs that give back to society. Anticipating a positive response bias, respondents were also asked whether they would be willing to pay extra for those services. For the purposes of this study, Nielsen defines the â€Å"socially conscious consumer† as those who say they would be willing to pay the extra. Two thirds (66%) of consumers around the world say they prefer to buy products and services from companies that have implemented programs to give back to society. That preference extends to other matters, too: they prefer to work for these companies (62%), and invest in these companies (59%). A smaller share, but still nearly half (46%) say they are willing to pay extra for products and services from these companies. These are the â€Å"socially conscious consumers,† as defined by and focused upon in this report. Sixty three percent of global, socially-conscious consumers are under age 40, they consult social media when making purchase decisions and are most concerned about environmental, educational and hunger causes, according to a new study from Nielsen, a leading global provider of information and insights into what consumers watch and buy. 5 6 Few of the brands I came across during my research: 2. 1 Sseko Designs Mission and Impact on Sseko Designs official webpage: Sseko Designs uses fashion to provide employment and scholarship opportunities to women pursuing their dreams and overcoming poverty. To date, theyve enabled 33 to continue on to University. They provide employment (along with access to a comprehensive social impact program) to their team of 45 women in Uganda. And they do it all through a financially selfsustaining model. Issue 1: Female students, due to a lack of economic opportunity, are not able to continue on to university and pursue leadership positions in society. Solution 1: Sseko Designs provides employment during the 9 month gap between high school and university where high potential young women are able to earn and save enough money to pay for college tuition. 50% of their salary each month goes into a savings account that is not accessible until tuition is due. This ensures that their income goes towards education. This also protects the women in the program from the social pressure they often feel from their families to give away the money they are earning which can perpetuate the cycle of poverty. At the end of each term, Sseko Designs grants university scholarships that match up to 100% of the savings each woman has made during her 9 month session with Sseko. Issue 2: In a patriarchal and male dominated society, women are not afforded the same employment and economic opportunities as their male counterparts. Although 66% of the worlds labour is done by women, they own less than 1% of the worlds assets. As long as women are not afforded educational and professional equality, extreme poverty will continue to exist. Solution 2: For every dollar a women in a developing economy earn, she will reinvest 90% of it into her family. Empower a woman and you empower an entire community. In addition to providing employment to women working their way towards university, Sseko partners with women from all walks of life. Sseko employs university graduates who comprise the upper level management team. These are women that use their education, experience and voice to help shape their company. Sseko also works to provide employment for women who have aged out of the education system and have no other form of income generation. They partner with a local non-profit in Uganda that works with young women who have recently come out of the commercial sex industry. Providing stable, dignifying and fair wage employment is a key component to keeping women from entering back into prostitution. They believe that every woman has the capacity to end the cycle of poverty and that it can be done in a way that is fair, dignifying, honouring and life-giving. Issue 3: Although charities and non-profits play a vital and necessary role in all societies, sometimes charity and aid can play a negative role by enabling dependencies and damaging the local economies. Like any of us, our African friends need and desire opportunity, dignity, job creation and empowerment. Solution 3: Instead of treating the symptoms, they aim to address the deeper, underlying issues of extreme poverty. Although Sseko Designs has been built for the purpose of impacting a 7 specific social sector, they have chosen very intentionally to use a sustainable, self-sufficient business model to do this. Their hope is to help create industry and fair-trade with the belief that a large component of economic development lies in the business sector. They believe in the power of responsible consumerism. Instead of competing for limited donor dollars, they hope consumers will think about the story behind their stuff. If they considered the impact that each product they consume has on the lives of those who produced that product and chose to see consumerism as a force and opportunity for positive social change, they believe the world would be filled with beautiful products with even more beautiful stories. 2. 2 World Clothes Line Everyone loves the smell of a clean t-shirt. Or the feeling of a new sweatshirt, soft. Or the look of a brand new outfit, confident and ready to conquer the day. Yet every day, millions of people around the world do not have a clean change of clothes. No options. No choice. World Clothes Line is dedicated to helping them. World Clothes Line will match every item sold with a new item for someone in need. Therefore, when customers purchase merchandise for themselves, they also provide clothing for others. In January 2010, World Clothes Line was born. 2. 2. 1 Their Vision As given in their name, their vision is to clothe the world. At World Clothes Line, they give clothes to people who need them. Through the generosity of their customers and dedication of their team, they hope to spread their message and continually help others. Their shoot for the stars goal is to create an active clothing collection for every country of the world. 2. 2. 2 Their Clothes Their styles are basic: t-shirts, sweatshirts, pants. Their main concerns are functionality, protection, and comfort. The designs are unique. They find that most people are inspired by the world. Every World Clothes Line collection is designed specifically to reflect its countrys people and culture. World Clothes Line is a socially conscious brand. All items are manufactured sweatshop-free at fair wages with environmentally-friendly practices. 8 2. 2. 3 Why Clothes? Clothing is one of our most basic needs. It ranks among air, food, water, and shelter. Clothing provides protection from the elements, reducing the effects of sun exposure, wind rash, and frostbite. It also provides defence against diseases, many of which are spread through mosquitoes and other insect bites. Proper clothing contributes to cleanliness, comfort, ease of movement and overall health. The simple act of changing and washing clothes can prevent infection, chafing, skin disorders and the spreading of viruses. However, in cases of extreme poverty, clothing is often one of the first needs to be ignored. Statistically, more than one billion people in the world live on less than one dollar a day. Almost 2. 7 billion people (thats 40% of our population) survive on less than two dollars per day. In such circumstances, daily necessities like food and water take top priority. Clothing, which can be reworn, therefore is reworn. Day after day. After day At World Clothes Line, they make clothes their number one priority. 2. 3 No One Without N. O. W: One At A Time No One Without water is their non-stop mission. Every product in a purchase provides clean water to one person for 25 years through a concrete Bio-sand filtration system and their partnership with Thirst Relief International. Studies have proven that these filters effectively remove more than 90% of bacteria and 100% of the parasites found in untreated water. Nearly one billion people lack access to clean water and each year 2. 5 million people die from contaminated water, 90% are under 5 years old. The World Health Organization has declared a worldwide water crisis among the worlds poorest people. Society has conditioned us to be overwhelmed with statistics and the quantity of need in the world. The easy thought process is to say theres too much and Im only one person. By taking one step at a time, one day at a time, one person at a time, theyre breaking down numbers and they believe in the power of one. 9 No One Without has aligned themselves with the Thirst Relief mission: To overcome death and disease resulting from the consumption of contaminated water by providing safe, clean water to those in need around the world. 2. 3. 1 Why Water? The solution to the clean drinking water need is found in the concrete Bio-sand filter. The Biosand filter has the ability to produce safe, clean drinking water from both contaminated surface water, and ground water sources. As a result, the simple yet affective technology provides a long-term, sustainable and economical drinking water solution to those in poverty stricken areas around the world. Thirst Relief International currently has Bio-sand filter placements in Brazil, Cameroon, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. No One Without will follow Thirst Relief International around the globe on the quest for clean water. 10 2. 4 TOMS In 2006, American traveller Blake Mycoskie befriended children in a village in Argentina and found they had no shoes to protect their feet. Wanting to help, he created TOMS, a company that would match every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes given to a child in need. One for One. Realizing this movement could serve other basic needs, TOMS Eyewear was launched. With every pair purchased, TOMS will help give sight to a person in need. One for One. Over the past seven years, theyve listened and learned with every pair of new shoes given. With the support of their amazing network of Giving Partners and the continued support of their community, theyve reached this major milestone and proven that business can fuel good and sustain giving. They have seen remarkable results with shoe giving. Shoes are helping improve school attendance and enrolment. Theyre combined with screenings to combat malnutrition. Theyre given in conjunction with medication to fight hookworm. Further, their model is one that can work beyond shoes. Since they launched TOMS Eyewear, theyve helped restore sight to more than 150,000 individuals around the world. And they look forward to finding new ways to help others. They currently make Giving Pairs in Ethiopia, Kenya, Argentina and China. Within two years, they will produce one third of their Giving Shoes in the regions where they give them. By producing more shoes locally they will create and support jobs in places where they are needed. They are testing production in India and are looking to expand manufacturing in Africa and other regions. In Haiti, they are in the early stages of getting production off the ground. Theyve also partnered with local artists to create a line of hand-painted shoes for their customers helping create and support jobs in a place where they also give. And theyre looking to offer more styles that feature locally produced textiles. Their sight giving empowers communities and supports sustainable eye-care organizations in the developing world. They work with locally based organizations that train residents to provide professional care. So its an investment in clinics, people and even local jobs. 11 2. 5 Common Threadz Common Threadz is a non-profit organization helping orphans vulnerable children in developing nations to reach their full potential through the empowerment of the children, their caretakers the local grass roots community organizations that support them. 2. 5. 1 School Uniforms for Orphans Vulnerable Children This was the first initiative that Common Threadz created in 2008. For every t-shirt or bracelet that they sell from their Shop to Help Store, they give a school uniform to an orphan or vulnerable child (OVC) so they can go to, or stay in school. Some of the children they care for had been refused schooling for not being able to afford a uniform. Uniforms are a requirement in most schools in Africa and they want to make sure that all these children have the chance to go to school, make friends and learn so that they can reach their full potential. Since the inception of this program, hundreds of uniforms have been handed over to OVC’s. Typically a uniform will last a year and so there is an ongoing need for uniforms. As the caregivers they continuously work to identify the OVC’s in need and as support for this program grows, they plan to hand over many more uniforms in the future. 2. 5. 2 Orphan and Vulnerable Children (OVC) Mentor Program They currently operate a mentor program in Obanjeni, South Africa. This program teams responsible and employed adults from the local community with orphans and vulnerable children (OVC’s) as role models on a one-to-one basis. Each of their mentors supports many children, meeting with each child for at least one hour per week. The mentors spend time helping with homework, chatting about personal hygiene, advising on healthy lifestyles and most of all, listening to the child. In some cases these mentors have come back to them to report abuse and a child has had to be moved to a place of safety and the police and social workers are called in. The mentors are their ears and eyes in the community. The program has rolled out with many young children and teenagers benefiting greatly. Still in its infancy, this program has been a great success and will be replicated and expanded moving forward. 2. 5. 3 The Feeding Program Common Threadz provides the funding and nutritional guidance for grassroots non-profit organizations in rural South Africa, such as Siyathuthuka Obanjeni, to provide daily meals to over 200 orphans and vulnerable children (OVC’s) that they have identified in the area. Proper nutrition is a fundamental need for the children to grow and learn and although the government says that it’s a child’s right not to go hungry, this is far from the reality for many thousands of children in South Africa. This program has grown from its inception last year when caregivers began to cook three meals a week for children after school. Now an employed cook prepares a cooked meal every day for the children to eat after school and in April 2010 they started to provide high protein porridge for the children to eat on their way to school, as the teachers have indicated that it is very difficult for the children to concentrate when they are hungry. 12 Once again this program has much room to expand and reach many more needy OVC’s but it would not be possible without the support of their customers. 2. 5. 4 Shoes for Kids This program complements the School Uniforms Programme by providing new school shoes to barefoot children in need, namely orphans and vulnerable children (OVC’s). School uniforms might give these children entrance to school, however many of them walk for up to four hours a day to go to school barefoot. A new pair of school shoes is usually the only new pair of shoes most of these children will ever receive and for most of them it will be the only pair of shoes they will own. All it takes is $10 to provide an OVC with a new pair of shoes so that they can go to school with confidence. 2. 6 Threads for Thought What began as a small business manufacturing and marketing graphic tee shirts that were made exclusively from organic cotton, gave back to charity, and promoted a cleaner environment, or advocated for peace, has grown into a complete lifestyle brand. They have never deviated from their primary mission, to promote a sense of responsibility for those who share this world with us, but rather than simply broadcasting that message on the front of tee shirts, the company has incorporated those principles into their very existence. 2. 6. 1 How their threads are sustainable Threads 4 Thought fabrics are made using the most sustainable materials possible such as organically grown cotton and polyester derived from recycled water bottles. Their fabrics are dyed using low impact dyes whenever possible often the water used in the dye process is purified and then reused rather than being discarded. 13 2. 6. 2 Organic Cotton vs. Conventional Cotton ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Organic cotton is 90% less toxic than conventional cotton. Conventional cotton crops use more than 25% of all the insecticides in the world and 12% of all the pesticides while growing on only 2. 5 % of cultivated lands in the world. Organic cotton uses untreated seeds that are never genetically modified while conventional cotton uses genetically modified seeds, hurting the crops soil over time. Organic Cotton plants stay strong through crop rotation and retain water efficiently due to increased organic matter in the soil. Conventional cotton plants use synthetic fertilizers. Organic Cotton fields use seasonal freezes and water management for defoliation. Conventional cotton does this through the use of toxic chemicals. Weeds are physically removed by hand hoeing and cultivation. Farmers use beneficial insects and trap crops to control pests. Conventional cotton uses a toxic aerial spraying technique. 2. 6. 3 Turning Plastic into fashion 1. The plastics are sorted according to colour and SNV plastics. 2. Next, the plastic goes through a sterilization process. Then, it is dried and crushed into chips. Next, liquefaction occurs under high temperatures, as a mixture of the recycled chips and some new plastic from petroleum derivatives are melted together to form a smooth, syrup-like material. 3. The first threads are formed when the liquefied material is forced through holes and exposed to air. The hardened threads, called tow, then go through a strengthening process. 4. The drawing process strengthens the molecular bonds of the tow; the tow is pulled to double their size and then shrunken. 5. The threads then go through a dryer where they develop a woolly texture. The texture is inspected for strength and thickness, and then spun into a finer yarn that is then ready to be dyed and knit into fabric. 14 2. 7 147 Million Orphans Profits from 147 Million Orphans are directed to the 147 Million Orphans Foundation, where they are given to Love+ 1 Projects and feeding programs. The 147 Million Orphans Foundation was created to impact the lives of children through the provision of food, water, and medicine. They invest directly in projects that help provide these basic needs to those who desperately need it, and most of their projects occur in Haiti, Honduras, and Uganda. As with any good foundation you must lay one brick at a time. Whether that is a medical clinic in Haiti, homes in Honduras, Water Wells in Sudan, or a store house full of food for Uganda, they want to show the love of Christ. The rebuilding of the wall in Nehemiah was accomplished by people just doing their part and helping others to do theirs. The Love+ 1 projects are steps in rebuilding, and they would love for us to be a part of the rebuilding. 2. 7. 1 During 2012 and 2013, the Love+ 1 Projects Included: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Provided funding for over 100,000 meals for children in Uganda, Haiti, and Honduras Helped to build clean water wells in Sudan and Honduras Provided funding for HIV education and medicine in Uganda and Haiti Provided funding for a vehicle, appliances and kitchen construction for an orphanage in Haiti Funded the construction costs of 27 homes in Mt. Olivos, Honduras for displaced families. These 2 bedroom, concrete homes with running water are allowing families to remain intact and raise their children in a healthy environment. They are building a strong community, including a school and a weekly worship service. Provided over 150 cans of formula to an infant feeding nutrition program in Haiti Raised $200,000 of the $250,000 needed for construction of the Love+ 1 Medical Centre in Gressier, Haiti where there are currently no medical or dental facilities available to the 35,000 residents. This centre will include a doctor’s office with a pharmacy, a dental office, an urgent care clinic, and an operating room. This clinic will be located on land adjoining a school that currently serves over 400 children. Raising the final $50,000 and beginning construction of the Love+ 1 Medical Centre in Haiti – a 5,000 square foot facility with medical and dental facilities for a community of 35,000 people with no medical care. The medical facility is expected to open in October 2013 with ongoing funding needs for supplies and equipment. Construction of a tilapia pond for the community of Mt. Olivos, Honduras. Completion of the construction of all homes in Mt. Olivos, Honduras. Formula for an infant feeding and nutrition program in Haiti Food and medicine to children in Uganda, Haiti, and Honduras Bedding and supply needs for an orphanage in Uganda Food to children in Tennessee through a weekly backpack program 15 2. 8 I Am A Star I AM A STAR is built on a solid foundation of trust and collaboration. It is rooted in the Somali diaspora communities leadership, and it makes room for the solidarity and creativity of motivated people everywhere. Together, theyre providing relief in Somalia, and shining a light on a culture of poets, artists, mothers and fathers, children, innovators, farmers, businesspeople. Each one, a star in his or her own right. Perched on the very tip of the Horn of Africa, Somalia has suffered two decades of hardship, violence and displacement. Its estimated that 25% of the countrys population have fled their homes, traveling to Kenya and Ethiopia or to other parts of Somalia. Since the summer of 2011, the country has faced a crippling food crisis. Between 50,000 to 100,000 Somalis have died as a result. US Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton called it the most severe humanitarian emergency in the world today-and the worst East Africa has seen in decades. Thanks to the spirit and efforts of the worldwide Somali Diaspora and other compassionate individuals, organizations and governments, relief is getting to people who need it. Donors have looked past the negative imagery of Somalia in the media and sent their support. That support has saved the lives of mothers and fathers, children, poets, artists, innovators, farmers, businesspeople, human beings. But there is still so much that needs to be done in Somalia. The famine has ended, but 1 in 5 Somali children are still malnourished. 2. 5 million people are still dependent on food aid in order to survive. It will take an investment of time and great effort to shake off the legacy of 20 years of war and unrest in Somalia. The country has the worlds lowest rates of school enrolment, and experts estimate that 18% of children born in Somalia will not live to age 5. 2. 8. 1 With Support from: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? KNAAN 4Real IDEO Pivotal Labs Heroku Music for Relief Mataano Chef Roble Co. Faarrow Mosaic 16 2. 9 Soles 4 Souls Soles4Souls is a global not-for-profit institution dedicated to fighting the devastating impact and perpetuation of poverty. The organization advances its anti-poverty mission by collecting new and used shoes and clothes from individuals, schools, faith-based institutions, civic organizations and corporate partners, then distributing those shoes and clothes both via direct donations to people in need and by provisioning qualified micro-enterprise programs designed to create jobs in poor and disadvantaged communities. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Soles4Souls is committed to the highest standards of operating and governance, and holds a four-star rating with Charity Navigator. Founded in 2004, Soles4Souls is a global not-for-profit institution dedicated to fighting the devastating impact and perpetuation of poverty through the distribution of shoes and clothing. Soles4Souls distributes shoes and clothing in two ways. Most new items collected primarily from corporations and retailers are given directly to people in need, both in the U. S. and overseas. The organization has relationships with several of the world’s leading apparel brands, which provides Soles4Souls with new but non-marketable overstocks, returns, discontinued models and other shoes or clothing items. At the same time, Soles4Souls receives millions of articles of used shoes and clothing that have been collected by individuals, schools, faith-based institutions, civic organizations and corporate partners. After sorting items in its national warehouse system, Soles4Souls typically sells the used shoes and clothing, as well as some new items allocated by manufacturers, to carefully selected micro-enterprise organizations. These both private and non-profit companies are contracted to provide shipping, financing, inventory, training and other support to ultrasmall businesses in countries like Haiti where there are virtually no jobs to generate personal income. Through the collection and sale of used (and new) clothing and shoes, Soles4Souls helps create self-sustaining jobs that generate desperately needed revenues throughout those communities. The sale of footwear and apparel to support micro-jobs also provides the majority of funding to sustain Soles4Souls operations and further expand its donations of new shoes and clothing. 17 2. 10 FEED FEED Projects mission is to create good products that help FEED the world. They do this through the sale of FEED bags, be