An Organizational Ethical Dilemma Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

An Organizational Ethical Dilemma - Coursework Example A class action lawsuit was brought against Rite Aid by its employees because of the incurred losses in shareholdings and income due to the bookkeeping and accounting fraud ("Rite aid faces," 2003) The company’s reputation was severely hurt by this scandal and lost nearly a billion dollars in legal fees and in the shareholding settlement reached for the class action lawsuit. The company lost its good reputation and fell behind similar stores such as CVS and Walgreens ("Rite aid faces," 2003) The Ethical Issues There are several ethical issues that are illustrated in this particular incidence. The biggest issue is the breach of fairness. According to the book entitled â€Å"Managing Business Ethics,† a major aspect of ethics for most employees in an organization is the â€Å"climate of fairness† (Trevino, & Nelson, 2010). A climate of fairness involves all aspects of employee treatment such as â€Å"outcomes, processes, and interactions (Trevino, & Nelson, 2010). In order to be considered ethical, this climate of fairness cannot be breached. In this case, Rite Aid did not provide a fair work environment as employees were harmed in the all three of these key areas because of the fraudulent actions of several men. Instead, the company promoted a self-interest climate which is where â€Å"people protect their own interests above all and everyone is essentially out for themselves† (Trevino, & Nelson, 2010). Martin Grass and his accomplices placed their own greed above the good of the other employees and shareholders and ended up defrauding many of these people out of the money that they were entitled to ("Rite aid faces," 2003) Who is affected by the dilemma? The employees and shareholders were the individuals that were initially impacted by this ethical scandal due to the fact that they were the ones who lost out on the money they were owed. In order to rectify this situation, a class action lawsuit was filed and eventually the company h ad to pay out. The company was also affected by this dilemma as their reputation was ruined and they lost a lot of money because of the legal fees and profit loss. Finally, the customers are also affected because such a breach of ethics is going to change the perception of the organization. Customers likely felt that this was not a company they should trust. The fact that profit was impacted suggests that customers did not want to be associated with the store and its negative reputation. What are the possible consequences of specific and alternative actions (responses)? The company really did not have any other choice when it came to how they responded to this ethical dilemma. In order to save face in the long-term, they had to pay back the money to shareholders and employees. The only way to ensure that they were not ruined was to accept the short term consequences and respond appropriately. Had the company not responded appropriately, they might have been forced to go out of busin ess. Even with an appropriate reaction, Rite Aid lost billions and their stock plummeted to just a few dollars per stock in 2003("Company news; rite," 2003) What are the relevant obligations from your analysis of the dilemma? According to â€Å"Managing Business Ethics,† the obligations for a company â€Å"vary depending on the people involved and the roles they play (Trevino, & Nelson, 2010). For Rite Aid, the main obligation that they had was

Cause and Effect Essay Example for Free

Cause and Effect Essay Many people in the world struggle to achieve their goals in life. And the word â€Å"struggle† differs for each individual. Some have to sacrifice their personal property whereas some have to live away from their family and home. It is tough to adjust a new lifestyle in a completely different place and that too all alone. One has to be very strong and have to start taking care of everything on his own. And the effects of living in a foreign country would prove to be on a positive note. It makes an individual independent. Living away from your country can be a really interesting and unforgettable experience, but at the same time it has very important effects on ones life. There are people who like to have privacy and like to be in their own world, but there are also people who dislike living alone and they always want someone with them. So these kind of people may find it very difficult to adjust and enjoy their own company. The major effect, and also a very common one, is that once you start a regular life away from home, you miss everything. This fact doesnt mean that you are unhappy but that you are aware of being on your own. Missing your family and the attention they all paid to you is a very usual thing to do. Little details like sitting on a Sunday morning watching TV alone instead of helping your dad organizing his things or having a nice chat with your mom makes you realize how valuable your family really is. It is also completely acceptable to miss all the facilities you used to have back at home, like your house, your car, your bed, and your bathroom. Its obvious then that you have started to appreciate everything you had back where you belong. The second main effect would be learning how to accept another type of society and culture into your daily life. Since you are living in a place with different customs and traditions from yours, you have to be able to develop yourself in unknown conditions. This means making new friends, learning other points of view, accepting different opinions and values, and seizing every opportunity you have to go to new places. Therefore, youll be able to achieve true knowledge. Suggesting to change your mind totally or to be square minded would be foolish; the best thing to do would be to stick to your most important values and, according to them, change those that you believe could be improved. The most significant effect of living away from home is the independent behavior that grows inside of you. Living on your own far from your family gives you a lot of experiences toward organizing your life. Since it is up to you and no one else to go to school, clean your room, wash your clothes, and organize your expenses, it is predictable that you will have a good and strong meaning of responsibility. Being independent and responsible will help you get through life every goal you want to achieve. Living far from home, even for a short period of time, can be really hard at the beginning. We have to remember that all changes are difficult, but they are necessary to go through them to build character. Most important of all, it helps us appreciate everything we have. Not realizing how lucky we are can be a really bad mistake because things dont last forever and we have to make the best out of them. References Words of Wisdom, LLC, English Composition, Editorial Board, 2011, Edition 1.

A critical evaluation on two theories of aggression

A critical evaluation on two theories of aggression Aggression is as a form of anti social behaviour, showing a lack of emotional concern for the welfare of others, as described by Baron and Richardson (1994). It is a cultural, cognitive process as well as a biological response, affecting every human being. Furthermore, it appears in many forms, verbal, physical, symbolic or injurious with the environment, personal beliefs and individuals society mediating its nature. In society, you will find some people more aggressive compared to others, with the levels varying when in different social situations. Some environments provoke aggression in people much more regularly, than others do. Yet such situations do not give rise to the same degree of aggressive behaviour in every person. There are two main social psychological theories that proposed to explain the nature and application of aggression, the Social Learning Theory and the Deindividuation Theory. The social learning theory of Bandura emphasizes the importance of observing and modelling the behaviours, attitudes, and emotional reactions of others. The theory suggests that for an individual to learn new behaviours this can only occur through direct experience. In the book, Social Learning Theory, Bandura (1977) states: Learning would be exceedingly laborious, not to mention hazardous, if people had to rely solely on the effects of their own actions to inform them what to do. Fortunately, most human behaviour is learned observationally through modelling: from observing others, one forms an idea of how new behaviours are performed, and on later occasions this coded information serves as a guide for action. Bandura argued that individuals, most likely children, learn aggressive responses from observing others in different social influences, i.e. role models in real life situations, their surroundings and the media. He also mentioned, individuals believing aggression produces reinforcements. Siegel (1992) who suggested that these reinforcements could be gaining financial rewards, a rise in self-esteem or receiving praise from other people supports this. Skinner (1953) proposed that learning occurs through reinforcement. Vicarious reinforcement occurs when an individual observes the consequences of aggressive behaviour as being rewarding, for example a person achieving what they want through aggressive behaviour. If a child is to see this happening in a school playground, whereby a bully gets their way for instance, the child may become to think of such behaviour as appropriate and therefore worth repeating. Bandura (1986) went on to suggest that for social learning to take place, the child had to form mental representations of certain events from their social environment to see possible rewards or punishments for the aggressive behaviour, alongside observational learning. The Bobo doll studies by Bandura, demonstrated how children learn and imitate aggressive behaviours they have witnessed in other people. The young participants observed an adult acting violently towards a Bobo doll and when the children received permission to play in a room with the Bobo doll, they began to imitate the aggression they had previously observed. Bandura identified three basic models of observational learning. The first model involves an actual individual demonstrating a particular behaviour. The second model includes descriptions and explanations of any certain behaviour. The third model involves real or fake role models acting out behaviours in books, films, TV programs or web media. Observational learning, also known as modelling consists of four phases, influenced by the observers behaviour (Bandura, 1977). The first is where the individual pays attention and perceives the most important aspects of the models behaviour by observation. Therefore, a child would need to attend to the role models actions or sayings (Allen Santrock, 1993). For example, children exposed to aggressive behaviour within the home and by watching the consequences, slowly associate such behaviour as effective conduct. Hence, children learn aggressive responses largely through observation. The second stage of observational learning is the coding of this behaviour into memory, also known as retention, for the information to be retrievable when an appropriate situation arises. This is where mental representations form, including events from the individuals social environment. The child must be able to distinguish possible rewards or punishments expected in future outcomes, which is vital in observational learning. In the Bobo doll experiment, the children aggressively beat the doll because this information was stored in their memory. The third process is rehearsing this acquired modelled behaviour, in conjunction with possessing the physical capabilities of the behaviour observed. If a child gains rewards i.e. appraisal, for their aggressive behaviour, they are more likely to repeat that same behaviour regularly. This is direct reinforcement and allows for the improvement of the behaviour. Moreover, individuals are more likely to repeat a modelled behaviour if the model is a role model or similar to them. Examples include parents or people of the same age group or race. Bandura (1976) proposed that members of the family were most influential in reinforcing aggressive behaviour in children, as they are likely to imitate them when they are older. The final stage involves the individual being motivated to successfully repeat and reinforce this modelled behaviour with the expectation of receiving rewards. Additionally, the individual will gradually gain confidence in their will to carry out aggressive behaviours, thu s self -efficacy expectancies are developed. The second theory of deindividuation, originates from Gustave Le Bons crowd theory (1895). In the book The Crowd, he describes how an individual within the crowd is psychologically altered. He state, Within the crowd, the collective mind of the group takes possession of the individual. As a result, a member of the crowd then becomes irrational. The individual submerged in the crowd loses self-control and becomes a mindless puppet, sometimes controlled by the crowds leader. Hence, they are capable of performing any impulsive and emotionally charged act, however undesirable or regressive to society. Festinger, Pepitone and Newcomb (1952) defined deindividuation as a state of affairs in a group where members do not pay attention to other individuals qua individuals and, correspondingly, the members do not feel they are being singled out by others. Festinger believed that when one becomes deindividuated, he or she merges their identity with that of the group and therefore becomes anonymo us. As a result of being unidentifiable in a large group, this has the psychological outcome of reducing individuals inner restraints, and increasing deviant behaviour that is normally avoided. The causes of deindividuation were extended from anonymity in groups to other factors, such as reduction in responsibility, arousal and altered consciousness influenced by drugs or alcohol (Zimbardo, 1969). In todays society especially, this is evident, as aggression seems to be the result of reduced inhibitions amongst individuals due to binge drinking, with excessive alcohol intake arousing aggressive acts such as fighting in a nightclub. Later versions of the theory focus on the psychological process of reduced private self-awareness as the key element of deindividuation, i.e. the individuals attitudes and norms (Prentice-Dunn and Rogers, 1982). In their study, they induced a sense of reduced self-awareness by continuously instructing participants to focus their attention outwards. Conditions for external attention cues included sitting in a dimly lit room with loud music playing, verbal interaction and stimulating video games to play, to increase deindividuation amongst the participants. In the controlled condition, participants were required to focus on internal attention, through no interaction and sitting in silence. The findings showed that when required to administer electric shocks to confederates, deindividuated participants that focused on external attention cues, produced higher aggressive behaviour by delivering shocks that were more painful, than the control group. This is because the experimental group w as made to ignore their own beliefs and self-identity, when their attention focussed on other aspects such as loud music and video games. In turn, this supports the idea that becoming less self aware, rather than just anonymity in a group, leads to deindividuation having the effect of producing aggression. Empirical support for the deindividuation theory is minimal. Zimbardo (1969) conducted a study to demonstrate the effects of deindividuation on aggression. Some of the female participants used wore oversized lab coats and hoods, and sat in a dimly lit room; increasing anonymity. In contrast, those in the control group wore normal clothes, nametags and were placed in a bright room, making them easily identifiable. The participants task was to shock a confederate and findings suggested that anonymous participants shocked longer and therefore more painfully than identifiable participants did. This gives support to the theory, as the study suggests that deindividuation or anonymity played a huge role, because when one is appearing as anonymous, they are likely to act in an aggressive approach than they would if their identity was easily available. Other research to support the deindividuation theory (Deiner et al., 1976) showed that American children who wore halloween costumes that hid their identities stole more sweets and money than those who wore costumes where they remained identifiable. The Stanford Prison Experiment by Haney et al. (1973) illustrated how college students assigned to act out the role of guards in a mock prison, behaved very aggressively in the cruelty they showed towards those assigned to the role of prisoners. This is largely due to the guards wearing mirrored glasses, thus rendering them anonymous, as their eyes were not visible to the prisoners. The brutality posed by the guards can be explained in terms of social norms. The guards only did what they thought was expected of them, although the state of deindividuation did cause them to ignore personal beliefs and perform the expected aggressive behaviour. This is one criticism of the study, as it did not show how real guards actually behave. Hence, the findings may have no real-life validity with the possibility of demand characteristics coming into play. In contrast, Bandura et al., (1961) were successful in showing that children learn aggressive behaviour through observation, which is reinforced by rewards and avoided by punishment (1962). A major strength of the Bobo doll studies is high control achieved by the use of laboratories, which produced sufficient applicable results. However, a problem with this is that the studies hold no ecological validity because of where and the manner in which they were carried out. In addition, it is possible to argue that the children also reacted aggressively to the Bobo doll as they were responding to demand characteristics. The children may have known what they had to do for the experiment. Another limitation is that the Bobo doll is fictional as was unable to fight back which a real person would have done; hence, this could also have influenced the childrens behaviour. Although the Bobo doll experiment shows that for an individual to express aggressive behaviours, observational learning has to take place, individuals may not always display such behaviour due to social constraints, or fear of receiving punishment. This means that even if an individual has learnt of an aggressive behaviour, he or she will not necessarily act it out, especially if perceived to be socially undesirable. Nonetheless, if the opportunity arises where they can demonstrate the behaviour without being punished for it, such as when they are deindividuated, then it is possible that they will behave aggressively. The social learning theory places great emphasis on individuals, especially children, imitating observed behaviour from watching others individually, the environment, and the mass media. However, the biological approach would argue that a persons state of biology is not taken into account within the Social Learning Theory. Moreover, it ignores individual genetic differences (Jeffery, 1985). For example, if an individual were to observe a brutal killing, they will respond differently when compared to someone else. Biological theorists would suggest that, heart rate and blood pressure would possibly rise, as a response made by the autonomic nervous system when in this particular circumstance. Hence, the response or behaviour acquired is genetically inherited to some extent. In addition, other research has shown increased aggressive behaviour to be associated with testosterone (Kalat, 1998). This hormone is higher in males, which may explain higher aggression in males than in females. There is still some doubt in establishing the effects of violent television on childrens aggression. Although, some studies have reported that there is no link between the two, and that aggression viewed on television is not always related to aggressive behaviour. For instance, one study had findings to suggest that juvenile boys, who regularly watched non-violent television shows, were more likely to express aggressive behaviour than those who witnessed the violent programs. This is because watching violent shows enabled the viewer to use the media as a way of relieving their own inner inhibitions or aggressive thoughts and ideas (Feshback Singer, 1971). As a result, the individual is less likely to be aggressive than if they had watched non-violent television. In addition to this, there is a theory that suggests; a way to reduce aggressive behaviour is by viewing violent television programs, known as the Catharsis effect (Gerbner.G, Gross.L, and Melody.W.H). As television is highl y influential, then positive and non-aggressive programs can aid in reducing aggression among viewers. Cooke (1993) believed that positive and kind-hearted television shows should encourage viewers to be more courteous to one another, if aggression in people is triggered by violent television. Therefore, the media can serve as a prevention method if individuals focus solely on the positive aspects, or use violent media to channel their own personal aggressive inhibitions. In comparison, one likely reason for the minimal support for the deindividuation concept is that the theory, which is based on Le Bons analysis of the crowd, is too simplified. According to Le Bon, collective behaviour is always irrational i.e. the individual in the crowd loses cognitive control. Researchers argue that deindividuation settings do not account for a loss of self-identity. Instead, they alter a person from an individual identity to a collective identity as a member of the group. Therefore, deindividuation leads to individuals conforming to the group norms. A meta-analysis of sixty studies on deindividuation conducted gave no results suggesting that deindividuation is the cause for increased anti-normative and disinhibited behaviour. Instead, individuals under anonymity complied more rather than less strongly with situational norms (Postmes and Spears, 1998). Overall, aggression is extremely difficult to define as well as investigate as not one theory can be used to explain it fully, even though it affects our every day-to-day life, either personally or through observation. The difficulty is when trying to measure and control this behaviour because it is quite impossible to reproduce aggression in a laboratory to bring about results and findings that fully apply to real life situations. However, these two theories by Bandura and Zimbardo have tried in their attempt to explain aggression. One advantage with the Social learning theory is that not only can it be applied to explaining childrens behaviour, adults too. Philips (1896) found that the daily rate of homicide in the US usually rose a week after a major boxing match. This suggests that the culprits may have been viewers imitating the aggressive behaviour they watched. Hence, social learning is evident in adults. In contrast, the deindividuation theory does not clearly state whether deindividuation occurs amongst young children as well. Instead, it focuses on mainly adults, which maybe another reason for the minimal empirical research to support the theory. Although the social learning theory was initially an explanation for aggression, it has recently been extended to explain other behaviours such as anorexia. Furthermore, the theory can explain differences between and within individuals, in terms of cultural v ariation, with one study showing the US to be highly violent compared to societies in Central Africa, which manage to live in harmony (Aronson, 1999). Differences within individuals are due to selective reinforcement; with people reacting differently as each individual will observe that aggression is rewarded in some cases and not others. Hence, people learn about behaviours differently along with the circumstances in which they are applicable, and so these differences should be a result of social learning. However, Banduras theory has its limitations because it does not suggest what leads people to aggress once they have witnessed aggressive behaviour. Thus, it does not explain the possibility of acting out a modelled behaviour for example, if an individual has been angered. Nevertheless, Dollard et al. (1939) who proposed the frustration -aggression theory, explored this. The theory suggests that frustration always leads to aggression and aggression is only a cause of frustration. When looking at the deindividuation theory, one study that both supports as well as criticises the theory, suggests that anonymity increases the possibility of an individual conforming to the social group norms. Participants were made anonymous by either wearing overalls and hoods similar to those of the racist Ku Klux Klan, or wearing nurses uniforms. Results showed that participants to deliver more shocks when dressed as the racist group, and fewer, as nurses (Johnson and Downing, 1979). Hence, this also showed that anonymity does not always lead to aggressive behaviour, instead individuals may simply be responding to the norms of the group and doing what is expected. One realistic approach to aggression is one that covers a number of explanations, from neuro-physiological and evolutionary ones to social-psychological theories. In conclusion, the social learning theory supported by extensive research compared to the deindividuation theory, has shown to conclusively illustrate that the acquisition and behavioural expression of aggression is socially influenced, and is therefore more successful in explaining this behaviour.

Essay examples --

To what extent did the Carter Doctrine impact 9/11? This investigation evaluates the Carter Doctrine and the impact it had on 9/11. In order to successfully investigate the Carter Doctrine and its impact, one would have to evaluate its role in events leading to the tragedy of 9/11. The Carter Doctrine will be analyzed from the different perspectives such as different countries in the Middle East specifically the countries the terrorists of 9/11 were from. Those terrorists and those they worked will be analyzed for their philosophies on the US’s participation in the Persian Gulf. However, this particular investigation will not investigate the different forms of government of the Persian Gulf and the US. Summary of Evidence †¢ The Carter Doctrine was first introduced during the State of Union Address January 1980 by President Jimmy Carter. †¢ This doctrine stated that the US would use military force when deemed necessary to protect its interest in the Persian Gulf. †¢ President Carter turned his attention to the Middle East after all the political issues and conflicts with countries such as the Soviet Union and Vietnam. †¢ When President Jimmy Carter said, â€Å"an attempt by any outside force to gain control of the Persian Gulf region will be regarded as an assault on the vital interests of the United States,† to be â€Å"repelled by any means necessary,† his intention was to caution the Kremlin against any thoughts about declaring Soviet territory over the world’s energy heartland. †¢ The various interpretations of the Carter Doctrine made by Presidents are a key factor in its multiple consequences. †¢ To help implement his doctrine, President Carter formed the Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force and launched a chain of U.S. basing arrang... ... the natural resources of the region was successful. However, this success came with its own consequences. The process of securing the states’ interest was complicated. As the Carter Doctrine was used to justify the actions of the United States in the region, the residents of the region were not okay with this. The level of detest grew, and actions began to take place that hinted at the United States need to bring to a halt the influence they had on the region. Groups began to form and the mission of Al-Qaeda began. The influence and the constant policies the United States had in the Middle East resulted in hatred. The attack of 9/11 is clearly a consequence of the Carter Doctrine, and there is no way around it. Isolationism ended, and the Carter Doctrine was written to justify all actions done in the Persian Gulf leading to opposition and the tragic event of 9/11.

Black People in Usa Essay

I have chosen this course because in my opinion Afro-American People’s history is very interesting. It reveals both how cruel human beings can be and how a discriminated â€Å"population† can all the same produce wonderful things. I. The discrimination that Black People have suffered and continue suffering in the USA. 1 °/ In the Past A.The Slavery. I don’t think one can discuss the suffering of this population without talking about Slavery. This abomination has lasted several centuries and has consisted of kidnapping innocent African and bringing them in a far country. They were deprived of their names, languages, religion, cultures †¦ As a result; one may say that they weren’t considered as human beings. They have had to do a hard work in the cotton fields, and their living conditions got closer to animals way of life. Actually, there were even some men who were called and used as reproductive. For the women, rapes weren’t punished. B.The Segregation After the Slavery was abolished, Black People even if they were free, have faced an other terrible discrimination: the Segregation. It took place in the Southern States, where the Black community was very important. Perhaps, it came from a fear of White people. It was written in the Law and as a consequence for instance Black people haven’t the right to sit or eat in the same places than White people. In the Northern States, even if it wasn’t written in the law there was a tacit rule. 2 °/ Nowadays A.Not really equal in front of Law Actually, it is said that a Black men has seven more chance to condemn to death penalty than a White men. So even today they are prejudiced. Moreover, the media reveals regularly some police atrocities against Black people. So even today, the law is double faced and it’s better to be White if one has any problem with the justice. B.Not the same Education Black pupils are concerned by the discrimination too. They are often sent to school in very poor areas. Thus, they don’t benefit from the same education’s level than the White pupils. Their chance to access to a good university is seriously reduced. There, it’s again a piece of evidence of discrimination. Until today, there is no significant action from the USA government to solve this problem, this unfair phenomenon. II. Some good things emerged from a catastrophic history 1 °/ A culture A. Music Today, nobody can deny the influence of Black community on the music. Several famous kinds of music as Rap, Jazz, R’n’B for instance are the direct product of this community. It all begins with the work songs by the Slave, the Negro Spiritual and the Gospel by the victims of segregation. Their music is spread all over the world and paradoxically without the terrible history which is behind I don’t think they would have done such wonderful music. It entails a artistic creativity in this community. B.Fashion Afro-American people also contributed to the fashion. In fact, in Harlem particularly in the nineties, the people’s clothes have been taken as model by some garment firms. Nowadays, one can notice that the Rappers’ or R’n’B singers’ way of being dressed is imitated all over the world. A huge part of them are developing their own clothes’ lines; 2 °/ Last but not least: the Individuals A. Rosa Parks In the sixties this courageous woman contrasted against the Segregation. In a bus, she has refused to leave her place to a White man. This act which can be perceived as common today is the origin of a huge movement’s success. She has showed the way to several Black-American and emphasized an injustice. B.Martin Luther King Jr. He was a Reverend who has leaded the Civil Right’s Movement in the sixties and died, murdered, in 1968. He started to have a great success after the bus story. He has supported Mrs. Rosa Parks. He also has fought against the discrimination without any violence. He has defended the equality between Black and White People and inspired people who were discriminated against all over the world. His most famous speech named â€Å"I have a dream† is known by everyone within it he advocated the brotherhood. Even after his death, some people remained animated by his struggle. As a conclusion, I think that the terrible history of the USA entails some very good things but the price for benefiting from them has been very important.   The question is how and when the USA’s authorities will admit that they have to do something. We know that the Affirmative Action measure hasn’t really been efficient so which measures can be enforced to help Black-American people. In my opinion, compelling firms to hire Black people is not a good idea and the better is to educate younger generations by teaching them to be more tolerant.

The Five Doctrines of Islamic Faith

Axia college The standard beliefs of Islam are identified as theFive Doctrines of Islamic Faith. They are documented as such, the unquestioned unity of God, the belief in the prophets, the recognition of angels, belief in scripture or koran, and belief in the coming of Final Judgment. Islam is built on the five pillars or acts of worship. These FivePillars describe the expected obligations performed by a Muslim follower. These are described as the basic framework for worship in a Muslim life. The five are as follows declaration of faith, prayer, having concern for the needy, self-purification, and pilgrimage to Mecca. Pillar number one is Al-Shahadaor the declaration of faith. The pillar outlines that all followers must announce their faith to enter into Islam in the presence of witnesses. A kep point of this is knowing that Allah is the only one worthy of your worship. Pillar number two is Salat or prayer, which is required of all Muslims once adulthood is established. Prayer is a daily occurance to be exact five timesper day. Prayer lasts five to ten minutes each time. Pillar number three is Zakat or charity. The islam belief is that all prosperity and wealth is only worthy of God, and God’s desire is for Muslims to express generocity in life. Zakat requires the giving of a piece of a persons financial wealth to charity at the conclusion of the year. Pillar number four is Sawm or fasting. Every Muslim is required to fast for Ramadan which falls at month number nine of the muslim calendar. The muslim reasoning for fasting is to cleanse you spiritually and physically as well as focus your attention on spiritual aspects rather than on physical ones. Fasting for Muslims includes refraining from eating or drinking anything as well as having sexual intercourse from dawn to dusk. The last Pillar is Hajj or the pilgrimage to Mecca. Every Muslim outside of those who are physically or financially unable, must makethe pilgrimage to Mecca at least once during the course of life. My thought is that the declaration of faith would be the easiest because its a one time pillar that takes a short time. The most challenging would be the fast from dusk to dawn because I would find it difficult to focus all day with no food for 12 hours or so.

censorship in schools essays

censorship in schools essays Imagine for one moment that you are not yourself any longer. Visualize instead that you are a young girl; old enough to know right from wrong yet still young enough to be terrified by the dark shadows in your room. It is a cool autumn night and your parents have opted to attend a party which you are not allowed at. It will be fine, they say. Although you already know what is to come. Your uncle comes over to watch you for the evening, and your parents are so pleased by the fact that they do not have to find a sitter. As soon as he arrives, your mother kisses you on the cheek and scurries out the door to join your father already waiting in the car outside. The nightmare begins. His slimy hands casually slide an ebony cartridge into the VCR as he smiles at you seductively. You can feel his eyes worming their gaze through your clothes every time that he looks at you. You feel dirty and violated every time you think about what he does to you when you are alone. He walks over to the couch and sits down next to you. His hand slithers it way onto your knee and you cringe in revulsion. Dont be afraid, I wont hurt you, he chides. Your mind feels panicky as you feel his touch in more intimate places and you scream involuntarily. His grip tightens as he places his hand over your mouth. Well have to do this the hard way! comes his intense whisper. You flail your arms at him, but it doesnt help. His writhing massive body is on top of yours, and you feel so powerless. Eventually, you sink into a sobbing heap and simply wait for his passions to stop. You wait for the nightmare to end. When he is done, you limp to the laundry room and try fruitlessly to get the blood stains out of your clothes. It is all your fault... Abuse: The violation or defilement of; What you have just experienced is one type of abuse that occurs millions of times every year across America. Estimates of abuse rang...

Dogs And Cats Essays - Cats, Cat, Animal Communication, Dog, Claw

Dogs And Cats Essays - Cats, Cat, Animal Communication, Dog, Claw Dogs and Cats I am going to compare and contrast the similarities and differences between dogs and cats. The similarities are innumerable, yet this holds true with the differences as well. First, we shall discuss the similarities that these two creatures share. One of the most obvious similarities between these two animals is that they both have hair. When a creature has hair, it belongs to the mammal kingdom. This means that they give birth to their young. They also drink milk when they are babies. Another similarity that these animals share is that they are domesticated animals kept as pets. They also require love and affection from their owner. If you show love and affection toward these animals, they will show it back. Another thing that is the same in both of them is that when you pet them, not only does it relieve stress, it gets dog or cat hair every where. They both give birth to multiple offspring at one time, which must be very hard on the mother. Now that I am finished with my explanation of ;the similarities between dogs and cats, I will now discuss with you the differences between these two majestic animals. One of the main differences is that of their species. The cats belong to the family of felines. Dogs, on the other hand, are canines. Another difference is that dogs are pack animals, which means you should spend lots of time with your dog so that it doesn?t get lonely. Cats are loners, meaning they can spend allot of time alone without getting lonely. Another big difference is the sounds that they make. A dog goes woof, bark, growl, or howl. A cat, on the other hand, goes meow and purr. Another difference is their social status, and how they determine their ranks. Cats don?t have any. The determining factor in dogs is the tail. When a cat holds it?s tail up, it means it is happy, but in dogs, how high they hold their tail is how they determine ranks. If one dog meets another dog, and one holds it tail up, it is the one of the higher social class. Another difference is that cats are nocturnal, meaning they go out at night. Dogs, however, are day animals. Another very obvious difference between dogs and cats is that dogs are usually bigger than cats. Cats are usually scared of dogs, and the dogs usually chase the cats. Dogs are also somewhat smarter than cats in the area of verbal command. For example, you can call your dog by name and usually it will come to you, unlike a cat. Also, you can train dogs to do tricks when commanded. Some of the most commonly seen tricks in dogs are role over, fetch, shake hands, sit down, lay down, and play dead. I have never seen a cat do any of these things, and I doubt that I ever will get an opportunity to see a cat preform even one of these tricks. Another difference between cats and dogs is that cats hunt mice, birds, rabbits, and many other types of rodents. A dog will maybe catch a bird, but I have never seen a dog catch a rodent. Here is the reason most people have cats, other than the reason that they are cute, is to catch mice and other rodents. Cats and dogs also hunt in different ways. A dog hunt directly, and when it catches its prey, it kills it immediately. A cat, on the other hand, likes to play with its food, tease it is another way someone described a cat hunting. For example, when a cat sees a mouse, it will pounce on it, then usually claw or bite it, then let it go. It will then pounce on it again, and let it go. Cats will do this for about a half hour before it finally eats its prey. Another difference is their paws and claws. While both of their paws are padded, cats are padded so that they can be stealthy. Their claws are different in the are of sharpness, among other things. Another difference in claws is th at a cats are retractable, while a dog?s aren?t. For

Retail management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Retail management - Research Paper Example This enterprise would deal in alcoholic and non alcoholic wines, and also offers wine testing. It is to be located in the Souk Al Bahaar, an Arabesque shopping mall and entertainment destination located at the epicenter of Downtown Dubai, on The Old Town Island. Reasons for having chosen Souk Al Bahaar (which opened its doors in December 2007), as our most preferred business site is because of it is rapidly coming up and would soon become Dubai’s most vibrant and a must-see destination for tourists, shopping and entertainment center, and waterside dining. All these characteristics of the site would be positive towards our business expansion and ensured reach to quite a large number of customers whom we wish to serve diligently and to their levels of satisfaction. Souk Al Bahaar, meaning market of the sailor, is a name derived from the traditional souk architecture of natural stone corridors, unique sea-side location on the Burj Lake, and the subdue lighting. This cultural them e flows throughout the mall and into our business point, showcasing the Arabian heritage through mixed authentic handcrafts, accessories, traditional drinks (alcoholic and non alcoholic), and fashion. Thus, a place that everyone would ever wish to be. 1.2. Customer analysis Our customer analysis/profile techniques play very critical roles in aiding the development of our business and marketing plans. Through our target market analysis, we are effectively in a position to identify target clients, ascertain their needs, and set benchmarks on how our products and services will best satisfy their needs. Through our customer analysis tools, we will have advanced understanding of the marketing terminologies in Dubai, our current and potential customers, an aid in developing working target marketing plans and ensuring that our products and services do meet the needs of our intended audience. Hence, we will have a full demographic profile (a breakdown of our clients into age, income, cultur e, and geographical categories) and behavior analysis (identification of the main reasons why our clients make choices in buying one product instead of the other). The behavior analysis of the purchase processes and patterns of our customers entails the actual and in-depth understanding of the whole concept of decision-making during our customers’ purchase. In this regard, we will check in to the steps involved in their decision making process, types of information (alcoholic or non alcoholic) they seek before purchase, timelines for their purchases, occasions and reasons for purchases, and how frequently they are able to buy the products. Age, gender, geography, income and ethnicity are considered are the market-segmenting criteria upon which to base the customer demographics. 1.3. Strategic Retail Planning Process Cool-Bar is a retail business that is built on the strategy aimed at successful strategic planning, monitoring, implementation and evaluation of the ultimately av ailable data for consistency in the current and future planning and implementation efforts. This step is essential in the development of a result-based accountability system for this retail enterprise. Our strategic retail planning process will assist our enterprise in addressing the questions of where we are presently, the write types of tools we have to use to achieve the pre-set

ZAPPOS.COM Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

ZAPPOS.COM - Assignment Example Customers are treated as humans and taken utmost care. Customer service and Culture are the biggest lessons that organizations and other leading people should pick up from Zappos and its CEO. Almost two-third of the sales for Zappos is from repeated customers which underlines the customer service provided by them. With the growing market and the ever increasing competition in the market, Zappos grew from selling shoes to the selling clothes, bedding, toys, cookware, electronics, and more. Though this has been emulated from Amazon, Zappos policy of customer satisfaction with free shipment has only contributed to its success. The company’s core values define its diversity. To encourage the employees to be in sync with the company’s culture of being open-minded, humble and encouraging to learn all the time all point towards endorsing diversity. Such an environment gives all the employees to be themselves and be professional following the corporate culture all the time. Yes I agree with this assertion. Zappos is mainly focused on customer relationship. Zappos just does not focus on lowering the prices as a part of its customer service; it takes care of each customer. They have set the tone for other companies to follow. Most companies spend lots on advertising and attracting customers but fail to deliver what they promised. Zappos does not spend more on advertising but retains most of its clients with its excellent service to the customer. It increases business impressing clients with its service. The advertising comes in place through the clients who are impressed with the service that they recommend their friends to go with Zappos. Zappos policy of being Simple, committed to customer service and being oneself are the main aspects other organizations should emulate. Friendly and humble CEO who bothers more about chasing vision of satisfying the customers and not charts and graphs of

Detailed Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Detailed - Research Proposal Example These definitions underpin the reason why it tends to wield strong influence on the behavior of teenagers. There are many reasons behind peer pressure but foremost of these is the desire of teenagers to follow people whom they idolize and wish to follow and also to belong and be identified with a group. This is, fundamentally, human nature. Therefore, it is inevitable. Humans are willing to adhere to social mores because it is a requisite in being a member of the community. The dynamics is the same in the case of peer pressure. The school and the social environment of children and adolescents is a microcosm of our society where membership, belongingness and recognition are very important aspects of growing up. The potency of influence of peers has also been attributed to the power of the crowd over its members. It has been said that it â€Å"provides a means of transition from unisexual to heterosexual social relationships by facilitating interclicque activities (Tierney et al., 52) .† Negative peer pressure adversely impacts the psyche of young people and adolescents. The pressure from a group that an adolescent belongs to is very effective because minors are still not capable of completely comprehending the consequences of their actions. Drug abuse, smoking, sex, violence etc. are just few of the activities that teenagers are being forced to do just they could be part of a group (Phelan, Davidson and Thanh 1991). The most extreme outcome of peer pressure is the deviation from established social norms (Berten and Van Rossem 2011). The undesirable behaviors could include drug offences, street violence, theft and burglary, among other crimes. Additionally, several social problems could also result in the process such as teenage pregnancy and bullying. Peer pressure, hence, is an important public issue that needs to be defined, understood and addressed as a problem. By doing so, it is expected that several pressing public concerns can also be dealt with. Fo r instance, it can contribute to solving the problem of juvenile delinquency. This study seeks to contribute to the body of literature on this theme and in the process enrich the extant resources that could ultimately help solve the negative effects of peer pressure. The topic of the research is how to reduce the impact of negative peer pressure on children. Research Hypothesis Peer pressure is an important social phenomenon that intrinsically links human behavior to a cause. Construction of social identities become critical paradigms that are influenced by group representation, ideologies, inter-cultural compulsions etc. and motivate people to adopt specific behavior or activities that would represent their group characteristics. Indeed, Evans & Rilling, (2000) believe that in order to feel secure and connected, individuals adapt themselves to particular situation, setting or people thus, changing their behavior to experience inclusion and consistency. Teenagers especially tend to follow peer group so that they can become part of that particular group and be accepted by the members. Children get attracted by peer groups because they are still trying to find their position in society and assert themselves as individuals. Thus, it is important that adolescents and teenagers must be carefully guided to understand the difference between what is good for them

Presidental Powers and Limitations Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Presidental Powers and Limitations - Term Paper Example Under section 1 of the article II, the executive power is vested in a President for his or her term in the office that is set for four years. Appointment and Removal Power The enactment of civil service laws directs the federal government to appoint 90 percent of executive branch positions through merit systems; however, the president still has powers to appoint senior officers to set direction to his governance. C Q Press (2012) describes the various power of the President in that he can appoint ambassadors, judges of the Supreme Court, ministers and consuls and other officers of the US for which no provision has been made. The President also has powers to fill up any vacancy during the recess of the Senate through special rights called commissions. Similarly, the President can also enter into treaties with other countries under the advice and consent of Senate. C Q Press (2012) speaks about the discerning powers of the president which can be listed as per the following. Clemency Se ction 2 of the article II specifies the President as ‘Commander-in-Chief’ of the military with necessary powers to grant pardons for offences against the country except impeachment. The glaring example of the clemency right rested with the President can be given as the pardon granted to Richard Nixon by his successor Gerald Ford for offenses committed by the former during the Watergate episode. Bill Clinton granted 140 pardons on the last day of his term as President. Law Enforcement The President being the chief executive officer of the nation can even deploy the armed forces to enforce the law within the country. All these years Congress has been instrumental in enhancing the law enforcement duties of the president. The incident during John F. Kennedy' time is worth noting when he directed army troops to quell riots following a court order directing the University of Mississippi to admit a black student, James Meredith in its student body. Budgeting Section 3 of Artic le II of the Constitution provides powers to the President to undertake fiscal policies and budgetary procedures as one of the important prerogative. Over last few decades, the Presidents of US have increasingly used their powers in outlining federal spending. Legislative Proposals The Constitution of the US authorizes the President to recommend necessary legislation which he feels necessary and expedient. The past history shows how President has used legislative powers to give a direction to the nation. Franklin D. Roosevelt using his powers as President recommended several important legislative proposals to overcome the crisis that country faced during the time of the Great Depression in ‘30s. Convene or Adjourn Houses Under Section 3 of the article II, the President has right to convene and adjourn either single or both the houses as he may feel necessary and recommend the measures in the best interest of the nation. Veto The constitution has provided the President with vet o powers that can be used against any piece of legislation to become law against their wishes; however, Congress still can convert it into a law by passing it with two-thirds majority in both houses. The U.S constitution provides a variety of special powers to the President that can be described as per the following. Emergency Powers Schmidt et al. (2011) argues that the Us President may exercise certain

The Power of the Fourteenth Amendment Research Paper

The Power of the Fourteenth Amendment - Research Paper Example The fourteenth amendment granted equal civil and legal rights as well as citizenship to the African Americans and the slaves of the American civil war. They were thus included in the phrase all persons born or naturalized in the United States had the right to be given American citizenship. The power of the fourteenth amendment is well expressed in its five sections: The section one argues that all individuals born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are United States citizens and citizens they live in according to Wagner (2000). It forbids the state from exercising a law that abridges the United States citizens’ privileges and immunities. According to this section, the state has no right to deprive individuals their property, life or liberty without following the legal process. It also ensures that any person within a state’s jurisdiction is equally protected. Since the ratification of the Bill of Rights in 1971, the fourteenth amendment remains the most important amendment in protecting the rights of the individuals. The amendment was driven by the incidence of civil wars in the United States. Initially, this section only defined citizenship and offered protection to the civil and political rights of the individual hence less powerful. Its limitation was that the Africans could not possess United States citizenship and could not enjoy any citizenship privileges and immunities. ... Under the initial constitution anyone regarded as a United States citizen was first to become a citizen of a certain state in the country. This could not apply to the emancipated citizens, the need of the clause to define citizenship. It meant that a United States’ citizen was also a citizen of a state he/she resided in. The power of the clause has been subjected to different interpretations. It author argued that it had similar content with the original one and it only varied in wording. According to Bosniak (2008), the meaning of this clause was tested in 1884 to establish whether a person born in the United States was automatically granted national citizenship. It was held by the Supreme Court that the Native Americans who left their tribes voluntarily could not automatically acquire national citizenship. The court also claimed that under this clause, a person born in the American soil to a Chinese citizen permanently leaving in US on business and not under official or dipl omatic employment were guaranteed American citizenship. The same was also meant to apply to children who belonged to foreign national but not of Chinese descent. The power of this clause also maintains it that, children neither of United States citizens nor foreign diplomats, but born there were guaranteed citizenship after birth. However it was argued under this clause that, Children belonging to ambassadors as well as foreign ministers were excluded from citizenship. Loss of citizenship is another powerful clause section one of the fourteenth amendment. This clause gives two conditions under which individual can lose their citizenship. These conditions are Fraud in the process of naturalization

Business plan for a restaurant Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Business plan for a restaurant - Assignment Example This group of eight family run restaurants operating in northern California has been undergoing difficulties dealing with human resource issues. The operations manager doubles up as the human resource manager and embarks on a tedious process of physical inspection of the human resource requirements and problems of all the eight restaurants. Not only is this a time consuming and tiring process, the operations manager has also realized that it is costly and very inefficient. Therefore this plan presents a possible solution to the problem in the form of the implementation of an information system which will effectively aid the human resource manager with his operations thus allowing for efficiency and company growth. The restaurant industry is quite competitive with northern California being a haven for great restaurants. It is essential for one to cut a niche in the market and this can only be done if the various organizational resources are effectively managed. The replacement of the current manual system with an automated one will enable the company to manage its employees effectively allowing for good record handling, proper and easy scheduling, and effective communication within the organization. This will see an improvement in business processes which will culminate in the growth of the business reflected as higher profits. Introduction The implementation of an Information system is a vital part of business process transformation. For a business to succeed various steps must be taken to ensure that business process support and improvement is achieved. The use of a Human resource information system is a sure way of attaining this. A human resource information system will ensure that human resource functions are effectively managed by information technology hence creating an environment for profit making and business growth through efficient service provision and management. The human resource department is charged with the responsibility of payroll processing , employee recruitment and employee appraisals. These functions are increasingly becoming complex and thus require sufficient support. Automation of such a department, through the use of information technology, will ensure that the workload is sufficiently reduced and access to information is easy and quick. This business plan examines the effective role of implementing a human resource information system by performing a business analysis that will present the inefficiency of a manual system, and presenting a possible solution in the form of a human resource information system that can be implemented. Company Review The Castle Family Restaurants, a group of eight restaurants in northern California run by the Castle family, is a big employer of both part time and full time employees. It has employed more than 300 employees most of whom are on a part time basis as only 30% of these employees work on a full time basis. The operations manager usually has her hands full as she makes seve ral visits to all the restaurants managed by the group to perform human resource administrative duties such as employee recruitment, appraisals, payroll processing among other functions. This manual process of performing human resource functions is quite costly and very inefficient. Therefore there is a great need for improvement in order to eliminate the

Presidental Powers and Limitations Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Presidental Powers and Limitations - Term Paper Example Under section 1 of the article II, the executive power is vested in a President for his or her term in the office that is set for four years. Appointment and Removal Power The enactment of civil service laws directs the federal government to appoint 90 percent of executive branch positions through merit systems; however, the president still has powers to appoint senior officers to set direction to his governance. C Q Press (2012) describes the various power of the President in that he can appoint ambassadors, judges of the Supreme Court, ministers and consuls and other officers of the US for which no provision has been made. The President also has powers to fill up any vacancy during the recess of the Senate through special rights called commissions. Similarly, the President can also enter into treaties with other countries under the advice and consent of Senate. C Q Press (2012) speaks about the discerning powers of the president which can be listed as per the following. Clemency Se ction 2 of the article II specifies the President as ‘Commander-in-Chief’ of the military with necessary powers to grant pardons for offences against the country except impeachment. The glaring example of the clemency right rested with the President can be given as the pardon granted to Richard Nixon by his successor Gerald Ford for offenses committed by the former during the Watergate episode. Bill Clinton granted 140 pardons on the last day of his term as President. Law Enforcement The President being the chief executive officer of the nation can even deploy the armed forces to enforce the law within the country. All these years Congress has been instrumental in enhancing the law enforcement duties of the president. The incident during John F. Kennedy' time is worth noting when he directed army troops to quell riots following a court order directing the University of Mississippi to admit a black student, James Meredith in its student body. Budgeting Section 3 of Artic le II of the Constitution provides powers to the President to undertake fiscal policies and budgetary procedures as one of the important prerogative. Over last few decades, the Presidents of US have increasingly used their powers in outlining federal spending. Legislative Proposals The Constitution of the US authorizes the President to recommend necessary legislation which he feels necessary and expedient. The past history shows how President has used legislative powers to give a direction to the nation. Franklin D. Roosevelt using his powers as President recommended several important legislative proposals to overcome the crisis that country faced during the time of the Great Depression in ‘30s. Convene or Adjourn Houses Under Section 3 of the article II, the President has right to convene and adjourn either single or both the houses as he may feel necessary and recommend the measures in the best interest of the nation. Veto The constitution has provided the President with vet o powers that can be used against any piece of legislation to become law against their wishes; however, Congress still can convert it into a law by passing it with two-thirds majority in both houses. The U.S constitution provides a variety of special powers to the President that can be described as per the following. Emergency Powers Schmidt et al. (2011) argues that the Us President may exercise certain

Business plan for a restaurant Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Business plan for a restaurant - Assignment Example This group of eight family run restaurants operating in northern California has been undergoing difficulties dealing with human resource issues. The operations manager doubles up as the human resource manager and embarks on a tedious process of physical inspection of the human resource requirements and problems of all the eight restaurants. Not only is this a time consuming and tiring process, the operations manager has also realized that it is costly and very inefficient. Therefore this plan presents a possible solution to the problem in the form of the implementation of an information system which will effectively aid the human resource manager with his operations thus allowing for efficiency and company growth. The restaurant industry is quite competitive with northern California being a haven for great restaurants. It is essential for one to cut a niche in the market and this can only be done if the various organizational resources are effectively managed. The replacement of the current manual system with an automated one will enable the company to manage its employees effectively allowing for good record handling, proper and easy scheduling, and effective communication within the organization. This will see an improvement in business processes which will culminate in the growth of the business reflected as higher profits. Introduction The implementation of an Information system is a vital part of business process transformation. For a business to succeed various steps must be taken to ensure that business process support and improvement is achieved. The use of a Human resource information system is a sure way of attaining this. A human resource information system will ensure that human resource functions are effectively managed by information technology hence creating an environment for profit making and business growth through efficient service provision and management. The human resource department is charged with the responsibility of payroll processing , employee recruitment and employee appraisals. These functions are increasingly becoming complex and thus require sufficient support. Automation of such a department, through the use of information technology, will ensure that the workload is sufficiently reduced and access to information is easy and quick. This business plan examines the effective role of implementing a human resource information system by performing a business analysis that will present the inefficiency of a manual system, and presenting a possible solution in the form of a human resource information system that can be implemented. Company Review The Castle Family Restaurants, a group of eight restaurants in northern California run by the Castle family, is a big employer of both part time and full time employees. It has employed more than 300 employees most of whom are on a part time basis as only 30% of these employees work on a full time basis. The operations manager usually has her hands full as she makes seve ral visits to all the restaurants managed by the group to perform human resource administrative duties such as employee recruitment, appraisals, payroll processing among other functions. This manual process of performing human resource functions is quite costly and very inefficient. Therefore there is a great need for improvement in order to eliminate the

Let’s analyze the gaming console industry Essay Example for Free

Let’s analyze the gaming console industry Essay We can define two types of supplier: the hardware supplier and the software supplier. The hardware suppliers providing the elements needed to build the consoles have a low bargaining power because there have very low switching costs and there are a lot of them. On the other hand, the software suppliers (developers) have a high bargaining power because they choose and set the conditions to work with each console. Entry Barriers Entry barriers are high because of high RD costs and the high capital investment needed to start a business in the console industry. Internal Rivalry There is high internal rivalry among competitors because the core player market is growing slowly, competitors have high exit barriers and the products developed turn obsoletes in less than 5 years due to the fast progress of technology. The players in the industry are: Sony, XBOX and Nintendo. Buyer Power The bargaining power of buyers is high because there are many options with very low switching costs. Substitutes Low substitute power because they are not very similar (like TV or other entertainment device) and don’t fulfill the same exact purpose. Sony has few competitors due to high barriers-to-entry and startup costs but buyers and suppliers (game developers) have high bargaining power and low switching costs. Sony should target a new market as Nintendo did. We could call this market the casual players market. In order to get in this new segment, Sony will have to develop a more interactive way of using their console without dropping the numerous features to avoid losing their core player market share. The key of success for Sony is to adapt a new technology such as Nintendo did with Wii that will enable the company to target a broader market and not only the males from 16-36 years old. The advantage of entering those two markets with one console is that Sony will enter a bigger market with bigger returns and consequently bigger economies of scales. Also, entering the casual player market is important for the company to avoid falling behind its competitors in both markets since this new segment will enhance the brand exposure and recognition. The risk associated to this option is to turn this high performing console in a low performing console (as Nintendo did) and lose the core players customers that are very important to Sony financial stability and growth. A big challenge for this new console will be to cut costs in order to make it more accessible to customers, since the casual players market will definitely be â€Å"guided† by price. Vis-a-vis the Five Forces, if Sony were to pursue this option, the company will be competing in the core player market and on the casual player market. On the casual player market the substitutes will have more power. Sony will compete with other activities such as watching TV, watching a movie and others living room activities. The main â€Å"purpose† of this market is entertainment in general while the core player market is about playing video games. Update: Sony and Microsoft had already implemented advanced interactive technologies. Nowadays, Microsoft has the most advanced software and hardware that don’t need controllers anymore, just your body.

Factors Affecting Empathy: Theories Analysis

Factors Affecting Empathy: Theories Analysis Empathy can be described as â€Å"taking the role of the other and seeing the other from his or her internal frame of reference† (Eagle Wolitzky, 2004, p. 217). In recent years, it has been one of the most popular topics in the field of psychology. Empathy is considered to be one of the most important skills in communication, connection and trusting others. To gain better understanding new studies concerning neuroscientific, developmental and social side of empathy were conducted. Empirical evidence showed that empathy is rather a multidimensional construct and can be divided into two concepts: cognitive empathy and affective (emotional) empathy. Cognitive empathy can be subdivided into perspective taking and fantasy as well as affective empathy can be subdivided into empathic concern and personal distress (Davis, 1983). However, as empathy is a quite complex process it has not been fully agreed whether cognitive and affective systems exist at all and if they do whether they interact or work as two separate systems. Despite all the contradictory and confusion concerning empathy it would be impossible to understand what regions of brain are active in the process of empathy, what is the mirror neurons purpose in this, how parenting and personal characteristics affect the development of empathy and how loneliness or personal distress influence empathy if the discipline of psychology didn’t pay so much attention to this crucial process. As it was mentioned before, in the development of empathy parenting and attachment style can be crucial factors which determine how empathic a child will be in later life. Taylor et al. (Taylor, Eisenberg, Spinrad, Eggum, Sulik, 2013) conducted a study to examine how ego-resiliency, parental support of emotional expression and sensitivity to children needs affect development of empathy in children aged 18-84 months. Moreover, it was expected that increased empathy would have an impact on prosocial behaviour in later childhood. Sample of 242 children were used and it was found that encouragement to express emotions as well as ego-resiliency at 18 months predicts increased empathy at 24 months. Furthermore, researchers found that growth in empathy also increased prosocial behaviour at the 72/84 months. Nevertheless, it is important to mention that only reports were used in the study which makes it less accurate. Also, it is possible that genes have an impact on development of empathy and mother might transfer it to a child. That could explain why mothers who are more empathic, more sensitive and encourages expressing emotions have children who score higher results in empathy tests. Another study partly supporting the previous one was conducted in Netherlands and consisted only of 16-22 months old girls. Researchers examined parental sensitivity, attachment style and its’ impact on empathic concern both at home and in the laboratory (Mark, IJzendoorn, Bakermans-Kranenburg, 2002). Van der Mark et al. (2002) found that empathy towards a mother increased from 16 to 22 months, however, empathic concern towards strangers decreased. Fearfully and insecurely attached girls found to be less empathic later on. Furthermore, this research found that sensitive parenting has no effect upon empathy. It contradicts the study mentioned above as well as a few other investigations which found that parenting is an important part of the development of empathy (Robinson et al ., 1994). The confusion might have appeared because of a sensitive development of empathy in this age group. It is important to remember that the study involved only girls and used quite narrow age group which prevents this research to be applied for a wider population. Taylor et al. (2013) in the previous study found that initially boys are less empathic; however, it increases with time and stabilizes in toddlerhood. Inconsistent finding and specific research sometimes can confuse and rise more questions rather than give answers. For this reason it is possible to find more articles supporting or disproving hypotheses. For instance, another study consisting 678 adolescents and their both parents were conducted in Belgium. Even though this research took a step further and examined older participants, it also took another perspective and looked at how perceived both parents need supportive parenting impacted emotional and cognitive empathy systems (Soenens, Miklikowska, Duriez, 2011) . Soenens et al. (2011) found that father’s need support with time affected perspective taking or in other words cognitive empathy in both, boys and girls. On the other hand, it was found that only girls’ empathic concern (emotional empathy) were affected by mother’s need support. The research shows that supportive parenting is important for development of empathy. Furthermore, Soenens et al. (2011) emphasizes the importance to divide empathy into emotional and cognitive in order to understand better the origins of empathy. Yet, this study didn’t include how parents perceived their own parenting style or what people, who know the adolescents, think about their emphatic skills. After all, evidence suggests that sensitive, need supportive parenting, secure attachment and individual characteristics are of great importance to the development of empathy. Even though some finding are inconsistent and contradict the other ones it was proved more than once that p arenting has a huge impact on both, cognitive and emotional empathy. However, it is useful to consider neuroscientific part of empathy and how genes or brain injuries can affect development as well as different systems working in the process of empathy. The field of developmental psychology helped us to understand how important maternal and paternal authority can be but it is not the only area of psychology which improved our understanding of empathy. Another field, which must be introduced when it is talked about empathy, is neuropsychology. Different areas of brain, mirror neuron system are known to be activated in the process of empathy and have been studied by neuroscientists for quite a long time. Now we can tell why autistic people or those who are diagnosed with schizophrenia have difficulty understanding how another person feels. One study tried to examine what regions of brain are activated in self-orientation and orientation to others and how direct gaze affects empathy (Schulte-Rà ¼ther, Markowitsch, Fink, Piefke, 2007). It was hypothesized that in the task of assigning emotions to yourself and to others Theory of Mind (ToM) mechanism would be activated as well as human Mirror Neuron System (hMNS), however they expected that different parts would be activated on different occasions (attributing emotions to yourself and attributing emotions to another person). Schulte-Rà ¼ther et al. (2007) also assumed that direct ga ze into a person would trigger empathy. 26 subjects looked at pictures with other people either looking directly to them or looking away and had to tell what they think a person is feeling and what they think they are feeling. Schulte-Rà ¼ther et al. (2007) using fMRI found that telling what you feel and what another feels activate brain regions related to emotional processing, hMNS and ToM mechanisms. Furthermore, researchers found that in both tasks Broca’s area is activated which is extremely close to mirror neurons. However, human brain is very complex organ and several different areas can be responsible for the same function, so it is still unclear which areas are responsible for cognitive and which for affective empathy as well as how they communicate to each other. On the other hand, it is not the only research which tries to uncover neurological side of empathy. For instance, Shamay-Tsoory et al. (Shamay-Tsoory, Aharon-Peretz, Perry, 2009) carried out a research to determine whether emotional and cognitive empathy are two independent systems controlled by different neurological bases. 64 subjects with brain damage in two different brain regions participated in the study. Researchers found that inferior frontal gyrus cortice is responsible for emotional empathy and ventromedial prefrontal cortice, for cognitive empathy. Study results support the research mentioned before on the importance of Broca’s area and. It was found that this area is most significant in emotional empathy and it also is essential element of hMNS. Shamay-Tsoory et al. (2009) also found Brodman area 10 (anterior prefrontal cortex) and 11(orbitofrontal area) to be the most crucial in cognitive empathy. Thus, emotional and cognitive empathy are two distinct systems controlled by different brain regions. Nevertheless, it is not clear if those two systems overlap in our brain. Both studies hold strong evidence of mirror neuron system’s impact on emotional empathy. However, we cannot forget that there are neural networks and temporal poles involved into the process of empathy. Financial Ratio Calculations | Profitability Calculations Financial Ratio Calculations | Profitability Calculations Financial ratios are useful indicators of a firms performance and financial situation. Most ratios can be calculated from information provided by the financial statements. Financial ratios can be used to analyse trends and to compare the firms financials to those of other firms. Sometimes, ratio analysis can predict future bankruptcy of a business. As we can see the performance of Systems Integrated PLC is related to the areas of profitability, efficiency and liquidity. First of all, the profitability of a company is clearly shown through the Return on Capital Employed ratio (R.O.C.E) and the gross profit percentage, the second one is reduced from 2009 to 2010 but about the first we can say that is getting higher. Moreover, we have the gross profit margin ratio and we can see that year by year is getting lower and this is not good for our business .Profitability depends on the obsolescence/damage/theft, or even the under/overvaluation of stock. Also, it depends on the general fall or increase in selling price. Utility companies tend to have low R.O.C.E ratios because of the high investments in fixed assets. For example, a high R.O.C.E may be due to the fact that some firms are using old-aged assets which are almost fully depreciated. Liquidity 4) Acid Test = (Current Assets Inventors) / Current Liabilities = (1822 935) / 1313 = 0.67:1 5) Inventory Holding Period = (Average Inventory / Cost of Sales) * 365 = [(850 + 935) / 2] / 7540 = 43 days 6) Customer Collection Period = (Debtors / Sales) * 365 = (842 / 11178) * 365 = 27 days 7) Current Ratio = Current Assets / Current Liabilities = 1822 / 1313 = 1.4:1 8) Suppliers Payment Period = (Suppliers / Purchases) * 365 = (1313 / 7625) * 365 = 63 days 9) Interest Cover = EBIT / Interest Expense = 1366 / 105 = 13 times Secondly, liquidity is mostly shown by the current ratio and the acid test ratio. A current ratio of 2.5:1 is considered to be adequate. In addition to this, a high current ratio indicates that the firm is tying up its resources in unproductive assets. Also, indicates slow moving stock and slow paying customers. The sufficiency of a current ratio depends on the composition of the current assets and how soon the short/long term obligations have to be settled. Also an acid test ratio of 1.1:1 is considered to be sufficient, too. The numerator of a liquidity ratio is part or all of current assets. Possibly the most common liquidity ratio is the current ratio . The problem with the current ratio as a liquidity ratio is that inventories, a current asset, may not be converted to cash for several months, while many current liabilities must be paid within 90 days. Thus a more conservative liquidity ratio is the acid test ratio. Efficiency 10) Fixed Assets usage = Net Sales / Fixed Assets = 11178 / 2832 = 3.9 times 11) Total Assets usage = Net Sales / Total Assets = 11178 / 4653.5 = 2.4 times Lastly, efficiency is another important fact in a company. It is combined in three periods: the customers collection period, the suppliers payment period and the inventory holding period. We can see that at the fixed assets usage ratio of System Integrated plc has increased from the 2.9 of the industry to 3.9 times. In the second ratio, the total asset usage, System Integrated plc has almost the same percentage with the industry and this is good news for our company because is a very good percentage. The fact that some firms holding period is obsolete and that they have a slow moving stock is completely because of the high inventory holding specific period. Although, these firms aim at reducing this ratio so they could be more efficient and productive. Accounting is the language of business and its numbers are pertinent convey financial information. A lot of people are confused with the accounting numbers. The importance is high to know and to learn how to find meaning in those numbers because it helps you to understand where your business is going. Measuring accounting numbers and business transactions need a context to be significant. A list of numbers doesnt mean much without knowing what you are looking at. You can find meaning about the accounting numbers by looking at the description labels, such as customers names, account names or vendor names. Moreover accounting numbers are usually used for analysis and to answer questions. For example if you want to know how much rent expenses you have left in your budget, you need to look at accounting numbers. They can provide you prà ©cis information about how much rent you have spent and how much you have left cover. Accounting quantifies operations and gives people the aptitude to see a situation from a different viewpoint. You can make important decisions if you look your sales numbers for the year and when you mix that with expenses, you can gain many issues, such as if the expenses are too high for sales or if payroll its usually low. Furthermore, accounting numbers help us in many ways. For instance by looking at accounting numbers you can easily recognise old accounts receivable that you have to collect and also with the accounts you know who owes you and for how long. These numbers and accounts are helpful and valuable to any organization or a business. On the other hand, accounting number have their weaknesses too. We consider many reasons and factors for weaknesses in numbers in financial statements. Some factors are: the creative accounting, the off balance sheet financing, bias, the managerial pressures and objectivity. Creative accounting it is a firm of misrepresenting the performance and position of a business. This means that accountants apply particular accounting methods to a transaction to make statements look the way they want them to look. Companies are free to choose which policies to apply, so there is a space in regulations to perform creative accounting. One of the most important things is that some planned attempts to materially misstate accounting figures are illegal. The most common examples include tax evasion schemes. Besides that, some Off-balance sheet financing issues occur when the accountant does not put everything on the balance sheet. Usually Off-balance sheet financing aims in making the business to seem more valuable by inflating the value of assets and does not include some liabilities. Additionally we have Bias who is causing the nepotism of the preferences or partial. Bias influences with an unfair way users of accounting information. Bias is also broken up in categories of Disclosure bias, Estimation bias, Attributional bias, Judgement bias. Inventors are usually influenced by disclosure bias and estimation bias lead auditors to verify false information. Bias does not affect only numerically but it also affects narrative reporting which represents the image and icon of a business management. Judgement bias affects the financial reporting subliminally, inaccuracies might also occur from unconscious bias. Accounting decisions require professional judgement. Ambiguity builds upon concept of representation and occurs of the representation of accrual accounting and cash flow. The problem that is made by ambiguity is that ambiguity surrounds accounting numbers and so numbers does not actually exist but are estimated. If you are looking to make your own financial ratio calculations then take a look at our Financial Ratio Calculator Environment Essay: Climate Change Disease Environment Essay: Climate Change Disease The Effects of Global Warming and Climate Change on Infectious Disease Patterns Climate Change The earth’s atmosphere was first equated to that of a greenhouse in 1827 by Jean Baptiste Fourier (Khasnis Nettleman, 2005). The ‘greenhouse effect’ describes the natural ability of the earth’s atmosphere and associated gases to retain heat radiated from the sun (Khasnis Nettleman, 2005). Upon arrival in the earth’s atmosphere, the sun’s radiation is absorbed providing a warming effect to the earth’s climate (Khasnis Nettleman, 2005). A large portion of the absorbed radiation is reemitted back into the earth’s atmosphere for release (Khasnis Nettleman, 2005). Earth’s ‘greenhouse gases’, namely methane, nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide, hydrofluorocarbons, sulfur hexafluoride, and perfluorocarbons serve as a barrier to the release of much of the reemitted radiation from the earth’s surface (Khasnis Nettleman, 2005). Although the ‘greenhouse effect’ and the associated ‘greenhouse gase s’ allow for the sustainability of life on earth, an overabundance of these gases has caused the emergence of global warming (Khasnis Nettleman, 2005). Since the turn of the twentieth century, global temperatures have increased by 0.6 °C as depicted in Figure I (NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, 2002). Future Figure I. Increases in the average global temperature from 1880 to 2002. Source: NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies predictions surrounding global temperature increases during the next century allude to a 2 °C to 6 °C increase (Climate Action Network Canada, n.d.). Because of its northern geography, the effects of global warming in Canada are expected to be more severe than other parts of the world with temperature increases forecasted between 6 °C and 10 °C (Climate Action Network Canada, n.d.). In northern Canada, birds foreign to the region, such as robins, are becoming more prevalent (Climate Action Network Canada, n.d.). Polar bears and other artic creatures are losing their habits to global warming due to the excessive melting of ice (Climate Action Network Canada, n.d.). As a result of the warming of the earth’s atmosphere, other climatic events have become more prevalent, hence the concept of climate change (Nugent, 2004). Specifically, extreme weather events and precipitation levels have risen and are expected to continue in an upward trend (Nugent, 2004). In the past decade, extreme weather events in Canada have drastically increased from less than 20 at the turn of the twentieth century to nearly 140 in 1999 (refer to Figure II) (Environment Canada, 2005). To compound on the increased prevalence of extreme weather events, by 2070, precipitation levels in Canada are expected to rise between 5 Figure II. Increases in extreme weather events over the past century as a result of global warming. Source: Environmental Canada and 25 percent as illustrated in Figure III (Natural Resources Canada, 2007). As a result of global warming and the subsequent increases in extreme weather events and precipitation levels, Figure IIII. Future predictions reveal substantial increases in precipitation amounts in Canada. Source: Natural Resources Canada alterations in infectious disease patterns are also anticipated (Landrigan Garg, 2002). Because the scope and consequences of global warming are complex and expand far beyond the increases in global temperatures, extreme weather events, and precipitation amounts, the remainder of this paper will focus on the interaction between climate change and infectious disease patterns in North America, especially Canada. Infectious Diseases To fully understand the connection between climate change and infectious disease patterns, a basic understanding of infectious diseases is needed. By definition, â€Å"infectious diseases are caused by invading organisms called pathogens [†¦such as†¦] bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi, and molds† (Merrill Timmreck, 2006). For a pathogen to produce disease, it requires the presence of three elements: host, environment, and time (Merrill Timmreck, 2006). This relationship is beautifully depicted in the epidemiologic triangle as seen in Figure IV (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d.). Because the interaction between pathogens Time Figure IV. The epidemiologic triangle illustrates the connectedness and dependency of the host (disease-causing pathogen) on its environment and host. Source: Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the environment is integral to the development, sustainability, and virulence of infectious diseases, climatic changes caused by global warming will alter the disease patterns of infectious pathogens (WHO, 2003). Specifically, increases in atmospheric temperatures, precipitation, humidity, and extreme weather events due to global warming will significantly change the environments in which infectious disease pathogens survive therefore altering their disease patterns (WHO, 2003). Infectious diseases can be grouped into four main categories based on their preferred environment and mode of transmission (Merrill Timmreck, 2006). Waterborne, foodborne, vector-borne, and rodent-borne infectious diseases are all caused by pathogens with varying environmental preferences (Merrill Timmreck, 2006). The prevalence and distribution of each of the four categories of infectious diseases has currently changed or is predicted to change as a result of global warming and climate change (Nugent, 2004). The next section of this paper will briefly discuss waterborne, foodborne, vector-borne, and rodent-borne infectious diseases respectively in relation to geographic spread, severity, and incidence rates. Waterborne Diseases Waterborne diseases are transmitted by pathogens that thrive in wet environments (Nugent, 2004). These pathogens are extremely sensitive to climate changes, namely water and temperature variations (Nugent, 2004). The climatic changes caused by global warming, specifically increases in precipitation and global temperatures will provide an ideal environment for waterborne disease pathogens to thrive (Khasnis Nettleman, 2005). Therefore, the prevalence of waterborne diseases is predicted to rise due to the increase in the associated disease-causing pathogens and excessive levels of precipitation (Nugent, 2004). Among the effects of global warming, larger quantities of precipitation will increase the chance of contamination in surface runoff water and groundwater (Nugent, 2004). Because of deforestation and the subsequent urbanization of many regions in North America, the amount of surface runoff water has increased (Landrigan Garg, 2002). Traveling long distances over urbanized surfaces, such as concrete, asphalt, and tar, increases the likelihood of water contamination from chemicals present at the surface (Landrigan Garg, 2002). Groundwater contamination is primarily a result of pesticide and herbicide use and the increased seepage into the soil due to excessive precipitation (Landrigan Garg, 2002). Substantial amounts of contaminated surface runoff water and groundwater may cause water treatment facilities to overflow, allowing a source of tainted water to enter into a region’s drinking and recreational water supplies (Nugent, 2004). Recent Canadian outbreaks of waterborne dise ases include â€Å"[†¦] E.coli in Walkerton, Ontario; Cryptosporidium in Collingwood, Ontario; and Toxoplasma in the greater Victoria area, British Columbia† (Natural Resources of Canada, 2007). The causes of these outbreaks can be traced back to surface water and groundwater contamination (Natural Resources of Canada, 2007). To quantify the risk posed by contaminated surface water and groundwater, the American Journal of Public Health published an alarming report, stating that â€Å"of the 548 waterborne disease outbreaks reported between 1948 and 1994 [in the United States], 133 were known to be from surface water contamination, 197 were known to be form groundwater contamination, and 218 had an unknown water contamination source† (Curriero, Patz, Rose, Lele, 2001). As precipitation levels continue to escalate as a result of global warming, the prevalence of waterborne diseases and their associated pathogens will subsequently rise. Foodborne Diseases Foodborne diseases can originate from two possible sources: (1) the exposure of food products to contaminated water and (2) the growth of disease-causing pathogens within various food products (Nugent, 2004). Increased amounts of tainted water combined with warmer temperatures provide an ideal breeding ground for algae (Landrigan Garg, 2002). Oceans and lakes contaminated with algae pose a threat to the surrounding aquatic wildlife and the creatures in the upper hierarchy of the food chain. Among other marine wildlife, fish and mussels are most at-risk for algae contamination (Nugent, 2004). Human consumption of algal contaminated fish and mussels can result in waterborne disease transmission (Nugent, 2004). Such an incident occurred 21 years ago in Prince Edward Island when â€Å"[†¦] 107 people were hospitalized and four died as a result of eating contaminated mussels† (Nugent, 2004). Other foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables are also prone to contamination from tainted water used for cleaning and irrigation purposes (Nugent, 2004). An example occurred â€Å"in 1997, [when†¦] 150 Michigan students and teachers contracted the foodborne disease Hepatitis A after eating imported strawberries† (Nugent, 2004). In addition to water contamination, foodborne diseases can originate from the development of disease-causing pathogens within the food itself (Nugent, 2004). Warmer temperatures caused by global warming may entice people to remain outdoors for greater periods, potentially putting themselves at-risk of consuming food that has been left without refrigeration (Nugent, 2004). Vector-Borne Diseases Disease-causing pathogens transmitted from insects to humans are referred to as vector-borne diseases (Merrill Timmreck, 2006). Vector-borne disease patterns will feel the effects of global warming more than any other type of infectious disease since â€Å"the most common vectors, arthropods, are cold-blooded, meaning that their internal temperature is greatly affected by the temperature of their environment† (Khasnis Nettleman, 2005). Climatic consequences of global warming will directly impact the vectors’ breeding and growth rates as well as the length of biting season and exposure to humans (Natural Resources Canada, 2007). Furthermore, increases in global temperatures and precipitation will stimulate the production, growth and transmission of the pathogens that vectors transmit (WHO, 2003). Therefore, vectors and the pathogens they carry are predicted to increase in prevalence in climates that have experienced or are predicted to experience an increase in average seasonal temperatures as a result of global warming (Natural Resources Canada, 2007). To further the effect of warmer temperatures on the production and growth rates of various vectors, floods and heavy rainfall produced by global warming can leave behind standing pools of water which make ideal habitats for breeding and growth (Landrigan Garg, 2002). The effects of global warming and climate change on vector-borne disease patterns have already become evident in Canada. Currently, the Canadian environment can sustain a variety of vector-borne diseases including West Nile virus, encephalitis, Lyme disease, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever (Natural Resources Canada, 2007). Between 2002 and 2006, Canada reported and identified approximately 2,300 human cases of West Nile Virus (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2007). Warmer Canadian winters allow mosquitoes that carry West Nile virus and encephalitis to survive through the winter months increasing their reproductive season and subsequent growth and biting rates (Natural Resources Canada, 2007). Lyme disease, carried by ticks is already present in much of the United States with sporadic occurrences in Canada (Natural Resources Canada, 2007). If the warming trends associated with global warming continue, the migration of ticks and their associated diseases to Canada will occur in the ne ar future (Natural Resources Canada, 2007). Vector-borne diseases not present in epidemic proportions in North America, such as malaria, the plague, and yellow fever have the potential for reemergence if current global warming patterns do not subside (Nugent, 2004). Rodent-Borne Diseases Rodent-borne diseases are transmitted to humans by rats, chipmunks, and squirrels (Nugent, 2004). The primary effect of global warming on disease-carrying rodents is a disruption or alteration to their food supply (Nugent, 2004). Food may become scare in regions experiencing droughts forcing rodents to relocate to other regions with a greater abundance of food (Nugent, 2004). In areas experiencing increased amounts of precipitation, such as Canada, the potential for survival, reproduction, and growth will increase for rodents inhabiting the region (Nugent, 2004). A shift in geographical location of disease-carrying rodents will disrupt the natural rodent-borne disease patterns associated with an area. In Canada, a shift in the geographical range of deer mice has caused the Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome to spread to regions in the Yukon, where its presence has never been experienced (Natural Resources Canada, 2007). Shift in Disease Prevalence Over the past century, the western culture has seen a tremendous shift in prevalence from infectious diseases to chronic diseases. At the turn of the nineteenth century, tuberculosis, pneumonia, and influenza attributed to nearly 30 percent of all deaths in the United States (Merrill Timmreck, 2006). Currently, cancer and heart disease cause almost 74 percent of all deaths in the United States (Merrill Timmreck, 2006). The effects of global warming on infectious diseases patterns could cause a reversal in disease prevalence, from chronic diseases back to infectious diseases (Longstreth Wiseman, 1989). Warmer temperatures and wetter climates create ideal breeding grounds for waterborne, foodborne, vector-borne, and rodent-borne disease pathogens (Nugent, 2004). Increasing the quantity of the disease-causing pathogens and the medium in which they survive could cause a reemergence of selected infected diseases, such as malaria, yellow fever, and the plague in regions experiencing dra matic temperature shifts (Longstreth Wiseman, 1989). Effects on the Canadian Health Care System Because global warming involves a complex array of environmental processes and consequences, its future trends and resulting climatic effects are difficult to predict (Khasnis Nettleman, 2005). The subsequent changes in infectious disease patterns caused by global warming will be just as difficult to predict as global warming itself (Khasnis Nettleman, 2005). Therefore, the efforts of health officials and environmental specialists to predict and prepare for the effects of global warming on the environment and on human health will be primarily based on predictions. To best predict and prepare for the future outcomes of global warming, a wide array of specialists must be involved (Shope, 1991). Environmental specialists, such as meteorologists, biologists, and ecologists are required to predict the future climatic outcomes of global warming (Shope, 1991). Once predictions have been made by the environmental specialists, a wide array of health officials can attempt to forecast the res ulting disease patterns. Epidemiologists will be involved in identifying the distribution and determinants of infectious diseases as well as the control and prevention process (Bartfay, 2008). In conjunction with the epidemiologists, public health officials can communicate the predictions and findings of the epidemiologists, various health researchers, and environmental specialists to the public and other national and internal authorities (Bartfay, 2008). This process has currently been utilized in Canada in response to the emergence of West Nile virus (Landrigan Garg, 2002). Subsequent to the predictions of various environmental specialists and health officials regarding the changes in climatic conditions and infectious disease patterns, clinicians and hospital officials can prepare treatments and vaccines to counteract the shift in infectious diseases. Since most of the infectious diseases that have the potential for reemergence in North America have been previous eradicated from the continent, current vaccines are nonexistent (Longstreth Wiseman, 1989). Due to the lack of vaccines and subsequent immunity, the North American culture is at risk for contracting and transmitting a wide array of infectious diseases such as malaria, cholera, and the plague (Longstreth Wiseman, 1989). Developing and implementing vaccines is a crucial step in protecting the public from a widespread, fatal epidemic (Longstreth Wiseman, 1989). In the occurrence of an infectious disease outbreak, hospital personnel and health officials need to have the proper treatments and pr ocedures available to the public to avoid widespread morbidity and mortality. In short, the North American health care systems can expect to see a shift in disease prevalence. As a result of global warming, infectious diseases have the potential to become more prevalent. To effectively respond, infectious disease treatments and facilities need to be devised and implemented into health care systems across the continent. Furthermore, medical schools need to revise their curriculum to incorporate additional training for infectious disease treatment and prevention. Conclusion Global warming and the resulting climatic conditions is an issue that should have been attended to ‘yesterday’. Since consequences directly affect human health and associated ecosystems, global warming has become a worldwide crisis. Increases in temperature, extreme weather events, and precipitation create ideal breeding and growth habitats for many infectious disease-causing pathogens (Nugent, 2004). Among other diseases, infectious diseases transmitted through water, food, vector, and rodent sources are most at risk for being disrupted and altered (Nugent, 2004). Due to current and predicted global warming trends, northern climates could see a reemergence of a variety of infectious diseases including malaria, yellow fever, and West Nile virus (Nugent, 2004). In response to the shift, North American health care systems need to devise and implement associated vaccines, treatments, and facilities to effectively manage the newly reemerged infectious diseases. Because many infectious diseases have been eradicated from North America, the lack of immunity in the western culture could cause a continental or global epidemic with fatal outcomes (Longstreth Wiseman, 1989). To avoid the spread of infectious diseases, a collaboration of efforts between environmental specialists, health officials, and the public is necessary. Without the combined efforts from the global population, global warming and its subsequent health and climatic effects will eventually destroy mankind. As put in the words of Al Gore, â€Å"we are entering a period of consequences† (Gore, 2005). References Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.) Understanding the Epidemiologic Trianglethrough Infectious Disease. 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GISS Surface Temperature Analysis –Global Temperature Trends: 2002 Summation. Retrieved March 15, 2008, fromhttp://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/2002/. Natural Resources Canada. (October, 2007). Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation: ACanadian Perspective – Health Effects of Climate Change and Climate Variability.Retrieved March 15, 2008, from http://www.adaptation.rncan.gc.ca/perspective/health_3_e.php. Natural Resources Canada. (October, 2007). Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation: ACanadian Perspective – Looking to the Future. Retrieved March 15, 2008, fromhttp://adaptation.nrcan.gc.ca/perspective/intro_2_e.php. Nugent, Olivia. (April, 2004). Climate Change and Human Health. In Primer On ClimateChange and Human Health (chapter 2). Retrieved February 27, 2008, fromhttp://www.pollutionprobe.org/Reports/climatechangeprimer.pdf. Public Health Agency of Canada. (November 30, 2007). Current Report Week and Year-to-DateTotal West Nile Virus Cases: 2007. West Nile Virus Monitor. Retrieved March 6, 2008,from http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/wnv-vwn/mon-hmnsurv_e.html. Shope, R. (1991). Global Climate Change and Infectious Diseases. Environmental HealthPerspectives, 96. Retrieved March 2, 2008, from http://www.ciesin.org/docs/001-366/001-366.html. World Health Organization. (2003). Climate Change and Infectious Diseases. In Climate Changeand Human Health – Risks and Responses (chapter 6). Retrieved February 25, 2008, fromhttp://www.euro.who.int/document/gch/climchsum0903e.pdf.