Monday, September 30, 2019

Religious Persecution

Religious Persecution Religious persecution is a complex situation in the world. Many countries have this situation. In the country of Whitia, a large group of Whitians is being persecuted for its religious beliefs by a larger religious group. They are not allowed to worship or display their religious beliefs in any way. They’re being stoned and imprisoned, and their religious leader has been burned at the stake. It is not easy to solve this problem by its own government.The United States should get involved in this situation. The United States could get involved in this situation by several ways, such as giving food and medicine to the Whitians who are being persecuted, and talking to Whitian government. People in Whitia who are being persecuted need food and medicine. But they can’t get those things from their own government because the larger religious group controls the government.The larger religious group regards them as enemies because of their different religiou s beliefs, so they won’t give anything to them. A lot of Whitians die by hunger and disease. This situation aggravates the  conflict between the two different religious groups. With the United States’ help, food and medicine will save a lot of people’s life. Intervention Action is good for reducing the conflict between the two groups. The United States can also talk to the Whitian government about the importance of people’s life and freedom.It could make the government realize that everyone should be able to choose their beliefs, and they should  stop  the violence  between the two different religious groups. The Unites States has already helped a lot of countries, such as Jordan, Sudan and Egypt. The help is helpful to solve the religious persecution and have saved a lot of people’s life in those countries. Assistance will be effective in Whitia, too. One of my friends, Gavin, has different opinion. He thinks that the UnitedStates should n ot get involved in this situation because of its huge financial cost. What I want to say is that it will actually cost a lot of money to buy the food and medicine, but it is truly worth because the money is to save people’s life. Money is made by people. The value of money  cannot be  compared  with the  life. So the United States should get involved in this situation no matter how much money it will cost. Religious persecution in Whitia is a problem which is not easy to solve, and the United States should get involved to help Whitians solve it.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Analysis Between Dutch Baroque and French Realism

Analysis Between Dutch Baroque and French Realism BY Kayaking Analysis Between Dutch Baroque and French Realism Johannes Vermeer The Milkmaid Circa 1657-1658 45. Xx CM Jean-Franà §ois Millet Woman Baking Bread 1854 55 x 46 CM Rasmussen, Amsterdam, Netherlands Rasmussen, Otter, Netherlands Oil Painting Oil Painting Dutch Baroque vs.. French Realism Throughout the ages, art has been one of many ways to communicate with our history. Every painting, drawing, sculpture, etc. Tells us a story of that time period and if we look hard enough, we can even feel what the people of that time may have been lining.In this essay, two pieces of art will be introduced and interpreted: The Milkmaid (circa 1657-1658) by Johannes Vermeer which is a Dutch Baroque oil painting that's 45. 5 x 41 CM located in Rasmussen, Amsterdam, Netherlands and Woman Baking Bread (1854) by Jean-Franà §ois Millet which is a French Realism oil painting that's 55 x 46 CM located in Rasmussen Kerr ¶leer-MÃ'Ëœleer, Otter, Netherlands. The agenda of this comparison is to understand different styles between the Dutch Baroque and French Realism, and to show how Vermeer andMillet deal with the same every day domestic theme in a different way. During the 17th century, artists were focusing more on emotion and drama, also known as the Baroque time period. The overall style of Baroque art in paintings is â€Å"detailed realism in portraits, expansive landscapes, and a focus on the dramatic including the contrast between light and shadow and the use of rich, deep colors. † (Minded, 2. 05) Vermeer worked mainly in the Dutch Baroque style and does a magnificent Job in portraying and bringing to life an everyday task in the life of a servant girl in The Milkmaid.On the other hand, Woman Baking Bread was painted in the Realist style during the 19th century. More specifically, this piece of art was painted in the French Realist style, which came about after the Revolution of 1848. Millet's â€Å"use of a simple, natural style with warmer colors and heavy application of paint† (Minded, 3. 15) are characteristic traits in a Realist painting. Both works of art magnificently depicts the everyday domestic life. True to both styles, they both realistically depict a woman doing an every day task. Vermeer's is that of a milkmaid oaring milk and Millet's is that of a woman baking bread.However, both were painted in very different ways. Whereas Vermeer's work is a prime example of a Dutch Baroque painting with its realistic way of portraying an everyday task, the use of bold colors, the detail, and the deep contrast between light and dark, Millet's work is a prime example of a French Realist painting where the colors are warmer and much more simple. Vermeer was well known for his painstaking attention to detail. For example, â€Å"the Jug and hands of the servant in The Milkmaid reveals a number of enticements, created as the artist struggled to depict them convincingly. (Frantic, 7)

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Finance accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Finance accounting - Essay Example Some of the bodies include; financial accounting standards board (FASB), American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), Public Companies Oversight Board (PCOB), International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) and Association Chartered Certified Accountants among other governing bodies globally. Financial regulations have been common phenomena in the current world. For example in the recent Euro crisis the countries involved had to take measures to ensure that their financial systems are not curtailed. Policies were reviewed at this time to ensure currency stability in the market. Another instance which has seen financial reviewing is in the US during the 2008 financial panic. The country finance department reviewed its policies to ensure that the government did not transcend into a state of jeopardy. Although policies are continuously reviewed they must fall within the stipulations of internationally accepted principles. The whole sequence of formulation is governed by the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAPS); failure to comply with these rules will lead to confusion in the sector. This paper tries to analyze the financial implications of Ryanair plc. Ryanair is an international company with huge market base; it operates low cost passenger airlines which ply the routes between UK, Europe continent and the Moroccan airspaces. Besides the company is listed on a stock exchange in the country, with a huge base of shareholders the company needs to frequently assess its financial statements to convey the right message to the shareholders and stay within the law. It is the financial obligations of the companies which on most occasions oblige management to address or review the financial statements of the company. Shareholders and the authorities will on most occasions want reports on the operations of the company. In

Friday, September 27, 2019

Can we still refer to the public sphere Use examples to suggest how Essay

Can we still refer to the public sphere Use examples to suggest how realistic or idealistic this notion is with regards to jour - Essay Example It becomes a focal point of our yearning for the good society, the institutional sites where popular political will should take form and citizens should be able to comprise themselves as active agents in the political process. democratic character and consequently in a sense the most instantly visible indicator of our admittedly flawed democracies (Hallin, Daniel C, 1994). The notion of the public sphere can be used in a very general as well as common-sense manner, as, for instance, a synonym for the processes of public view or for the news media themselves. In its more ambitious appearance, however, as it was developed by Jurgen Habermas (1993), the public sphere ought to be understood as an analytic class, a conceptual device which, while pointing to a definite social occurrence can also help us in analyzing and researching the experience. For Habermas, the idea of the bourgeois public sphere indicates a specific social space, which arose under the development of capitalism in West ern Europe. As an analytic category, the bourgeois public sphere comprises a vibrant nexus which links various actors, factors as well as contexts together in a consistent theoretic framework. So why should we listen to a philosopher, even one so distinguished as Richard Rorty, who still believes in a democratic role for journalism— at least, why should we listen in any frame of mind other than one of ironic knowingness about the fate of philosophy in the real world? (Hall, 1982) â€Å"I think that contemporary liberal society already contains the institutions for its own improvement,† Rorty wrote in Contingency, Irony, and Solidarity. â€Å"Indeed, my hunch is that Western social and political thought may have had the last conceptual revolution it needs. s private lives alone and preventing suffering† while â€Å"discoveries about who is being made to suffer can be left to the workings of a free press, free universities, and enlightened public opinion. t we di smiss in an especially derisive tone of ironic knowingness any such vision of intellectual history at its end? Rorty, it turns out, has anticipated and subverted our irony with irony of his own. An ultimate ironist, according to Rorty, knows that even if liberal democracy has had the last conceptual revolution it needs, it has not had the last revolution possible. That is because a world in which democracy is fully realized is a world constituted and maintained by a particular language—a language that enables its citizens to articulate their loathing of injustice as well as their love of liberty. The ultimate ironist also knows that such a world can never be entirely secure because its language is a contingent rather than necessary development in human history. Anything, including both suffering and freedom, can be â€Å"made to look good or bad, important or unimportant, useful or useless, by being re-described.† Thus the ultimate ironist lives with the terrible reali zation that, whenever language hostile to justice or liberty is spoken by the adversaries of democratic values, no ultimate philosophical weapon—no knowledge of what is fundamentally real and no vision of what is truly human—is available to the defenders of democratic values. The defenders can only exercise, and strive to enhance, the descriptive and persuasive powers of their moral language (Glasser, 1998). S position on the

Thursday, September 26, 2019

PR plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

PR plan - Assignment Example Such people have to conduct many helpful public relations strategies for efficient interactions with the public in order to succeed their viewpoints. Rob Ford is currently the mayor of Toronto, but has also served as Canadian politician for three years. Meanwhile, the mayor has many personal controversies which usually threatened his political career. He faced the charges of drug abuse in the year 2013 (Sussman and Susan142). He denied all allegations, but after serious investigations by the police, his videos were discovered involving drug syndicates. Later, Rob accepted the allegations of smoking cocaine, driving while drunk and use of illegal drug abuse. The council cannot be able to dismiss him from the office of the mayor according to law, as a result of, such scandals. Rob has to serve as mayor with a negative reputation thus requiring an image overhaul. Rob must, therefore, interact with people of Toronto to create a good image despite the scandal about drug abuse. The audiences commonly targeted are those who consume alcohol, use anabolic steroids, cannabis, cocaine, hallucinogens, inhalants, nicotine and opiates. Students in secondary schools, colleges and universities are also included. The appropriate ways of reaching the audience is by using the social media to reach the people, conduct public rallies and seminars and visiting education institutions. Rob will be accompanied by other ten members who will assist in taking minutes and other activities. The ten members will conduct public campaigns against drug abuse during Rob’s official hours. The will use transit with by speakers to campaign in the villages and towns. The whole project will take a whole month to access the targeted audience. Rob will hold public meetings in urban and towns to address the efforts he made to stop using drugs. Some of the groups will uphold in posting the good image about Rob, as a result of, quitting from

E-Commerce and Information Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

E-Commerce and Information Technology - Essay Example IT implementation, therefore, requires evaluation measures that are effective in order to be successful in implementing the new technologies intended for the organization. Theories have been evolving in recent years that are able to give guidance to an organization in implementing innovations. Technology Acceptance Model Technology acceptance model theory specifies the casual relationship present in system design features, the behaviour of usage and how the toll is easy for usage. TAM predicts the acceptability of a specific tool and any modifications that should be put in place for the tool, to be acceptable by the end users. For an information to be accepted the users will analyse its usefulness and how easy it will be for them to use it. Behaviour intention affects the usage of information systems including the perception of how it is going to be utilised. An individual’s attitude and the impact the tool to be used has on the performance greatly affects the usage of a syste m. It is true to say that if an individual does not welcome the use of information system in the workplace but has perceptions that it will improve work performance; the individual will eventually use the information systems at the end of it all. With TAM, there is a link between what an employee at the work place perceives and the usefulness of the tool to be implemented. The extent to which technology will be used in an organization is mainly caused by technology diffusion;1 moreover, an employee’s ease of use attitude at the workplace will be influenced by a self-efficacy mechanism and his instrumentality. The behaviour and intentions a person creates towards a system will influence the person’s perception about the said system. In some cases, an individual may form a behavioural intention of a system and not necessarily have an attitude towards it. This creates a strong relation between a system that is the self-reported usage and has a perceived usefulness and it affects an individual’s intention. On the contrary, perceived ease of use has a significant effect on the behaviour intention of and individual and it later subsides over a period. Behaviour intention of a person towards a system, therefore, is greatly influenced by its perceived usefulness and the perception of ease of use. DHL Express Finland, in a case study carried out by Kuula and Annu, adopted an IntraShip application in order to improve on their B2B customers who make orders at DHL.2 The orders that were made to DHL gave the customers a number one experience. Shipping orders, being an important part of a company’s daily operations, made the consumers have a high level of usability and the experience they had been varied within a period of 6 months to 7 years. Majority of the users had been using the applications for a period not more than two years and later changed to other service providers other than DHL Express. The customers were satisfied with the changed situation at DHL Express, and it was problematic, but it is also smooth using IntraShip application. The main issue with the customers was the fact that there were issues relating to the ability to learn of IntraShip, and this was regarding facilitating conditions such as training. Even though, the application had certain features that were harder to learn, most customers thought the application was simple and in a matter of time, they would get used to it. Having internet and technology

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

External trade in cyprus during late bronze age Essay

External trade in cyprus during late bronze age - Essay Example External trade of Cyprus included export and import to and from its neighbouring countries, such as; Egypt, Anatolia, Syria, Levant and Palestine. These trading ties caused the island to have a substantial influence in the region. Foreign trades and resulting ties with the neighbouring countries made Cypriot economy quite significant during the Late Bronze Age. Development of these external relations at different phases will be investigated in a brief manner. This investigation includes the effect of migration and subsequently the transfer of Mycenaean skills, pottery making with the variety of styles and industry of ship manufacturing. Exported potteries and the underlying low quality limited its use to only ointment and oil containers. The paper discusses foreign trade of Cyprus, resulting relations with the trading partners, and its economic, social, and cultural impacts on Cyprus. Cyprus Role in Trading during the Late Bronze Age During the Late Bronze Age, Cyprus had been one of the most significant locations in the Mediterranean trade route; however, it couldn’t compete in popularity with its adjacent wealthier countries. There are several reasons for lacking importance, such as, insufficient information about Cyprus due to the fact that it was not mentioned enough in the written records about Late Bronze Age, and that it was geographically separated from other important nations. Major way of learning about the condition of Cyprus in late Bronze Age is to investigate its foreign relations through the archaeological remains and written texts from that era. Archaeological and textual evidence provide great insight when it comes to investigate and comprehend about the foreign trade in Cyprus during late Bronze Age.1Knapp explains and demonstrates the existence of politico-economic elites in Cyprus during Middle and Late Bronze Age through evidence (qtd. in Knapp 151). Amarna letters of Alashiya suggest that Cyprus had become an influential and affluen t kingdom at least by the 14th century BC. Ruler of the time considered himself on an equal level with Egyptian Pharaoh. This perception may link to the use of salutation, ‘my brother’.2 Cypriot rulers used state agents (called tamkar) in order to carry out foreign trade on massive level. Cyprus Exports Due to disintegration in the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean, Cypriot economy started to become recognized throughout the eastern Mediterranean and export of goods started. Particularly, this recognition boosted the copper production and trade. On Cyprus, ethnic elements of Aegean and Levantine were combined with Cypriot population. Moreover, the capabilities of industrial work started mounting.3 Copper According to the information from textual evidences from Late Bronze Age Cyprus, copper was the central and most exported item from the island during 13th and 14th century B.C. One of the countries that imported the Cypriot copper was Egypt. Moreover, referring to the be liefs in Egyptian texts, such as Amarna letters, Karageorghis (1975) highlights the presence of several mining areas in Cyprus, such as, Troodos foothills in Enkomi. Copper was exported as a major item to mould into weapons during battles while most weapons were made in Aegean. In addition, Cyprus (Enkomi) had huge supply of

Monday, September 23, 2019

Google in China Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Google in China - Case Study Example Due to the speedy growth of the Chinese economy, the government encourages investment in communication and communication infrastructure. This was a major advantage for Google and other internet companies operating in the Chinese market. Introducing a Chinese version of Google is also a major problem depicted in the case study (Hill, 2009). Google was not the first American company to enter into the Chinese market since other American internet company such as yahoo had already rolled out their Chinese version of browsers and other internet utilities. Legal issue China has its own version of human rights that are not common in the international platform. The entry of Google in the Chinese search engines industry was hampered by the diversity of constraints that characterize the Chinese market. After launching the Chinese version of Google, Chinese human viewed it as a new platform that they would use to push for human rights reforms across the country. The case study illustrates ethica l conflicts between the company and Chinese ethics and culture. In addition, the company was developed according to American culture and therefore it was facing challenges of integrating into the Chinese culture and ethics. 2. Determine the various roles that host governments played in this particular global business operation According to the case study, the Chinese government played a vital role in the development of Google China. The role of the host government can be summarized into provision of supportive policies and legislation set by the government to promote Google business. The Chinese government has policies that facilitates or encourages development of businesses and infrastructures in the communication sector. This was the main factor that facilitated entry of Google into the Chinese market. Secondly, the Chinese government prohibits hacking and other cyber related crimes that affect technology businesses. The ant-hacking law imposed by the Chinese government has helped to protect Google customers from cyber criminals and hence promoted its growth. The Chinese government is also cautious about the role of technology in economic development. Thus, the government has a keen interest in promoting investments in the communication and information sector. Promoting international internet enterprises is among the factors that promoted the establishment of the Google business. 3) Summarize the strategic and operational challenges facing global managers illustrated in the "Google in China" case study By the end of 2004, Google considered China as a strategic market and investment. However, Google managers realized that they needed to have their own computer savers and a Chinese home page. Establishing a Google computer savers and a Chinese home page was the first strategic and operational challenged that the company encountered. Secondly, the companies had to serve its Chinese users from its American base. This posed a major challenge to the company that w as reflected as increased costs of doing business. In addition serving Chinese customer from the Google America posed a major operational challenged for Google China. The dilemma resulting from â€Å"don’t be evil† mantra posed major challenge Google’s operations in China (Hill, 2009). Unlike the American markets, the Chinese market had major constraints to information censorship. This required the company’s senior managers to asses the suitability of operating the business from their American base

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Health Systems Administration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Health Systems Administration - Essay Example St. Louis-based BJC HealthCare, a $2.1 billion, 13-hospital system. In BJC's business model, the hospitals openly compete with each other on a wide range of fronts. There is not a combined medical staff, so referrals and revenue are fair game to all. BJC's marketing aim is to increase total revenue by gaining market share. By using a unique organizational model, it appears to be achieving both. BJC's model advocates local autonomy. Individual operating units set their targets and strategies to build their respective books of business. The corporate marketing department provides key resources in marketing consulting, market research, database management, and a call center for business development. On behalf of its facilities, the corporate office fields 425,000 calls to the call center a year and manages 2.5 million records in a master customer database, euphemistically referred to as its corporate memory. In comparison with other multihospital system models, BJC's corporate marketing supports rather than dictates strategy. "We are essentially a consulting resource to our facilities," said Tess Niehaus, director of corporate marketing for BJC. ... key term for organizations pursuing competitive strategy--is strategically appropriate and beneficial in one or more service lines for most organizations. Monitoring capabilities will be present and external benchmarks will be accessed, but leaders are not acting on the information they receive. Some of the other warning signs typical of organizations with pending distress include board and senior management acceptance of poor financial performance, poor physician relations, lack of middle management depth, lack of accountability or illogical reporting relationships involving managers/ supervisors, erosion of a profitable payer mix, and steadily declining operating margins or increasing losses. Another company, Bain & Company is a global business-consulting firm. Its main business is to assist the organizations to become more profitable through the use of various strategic techniques and leadership qualities. Bain is working to help companies find the next wave of profitable growth in turbulent economic times. Growth strategy is a core product of Bain & Company, and work with growth businesses around the world. Bain focuses on growth in terms of revenue, cash flow and shareholder value, all of which are needed for sustainable, profitable performance. Bain focus on the fact that to grow successfully, a company must first properly define and focus on its profitable core. An organization can pursue business adjacencies that substantiate its core, that reinforced the capability to contemplate and quickly react to the competition, and that develop processes to eliminate or circumvent the inherent organizational inhibitors to growth. And when the core formula has run its course, or faces industry upheaval, it times to renew your strategy and capabilities. They help managers

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Report on Feasibility Study to Start a Restaurant Essay Example for Free

Report on Feasibility Study to Start a Restaurant Essay Hotel industry is one of the essential industries. This industry serves the different customer in different aspects like taste, preference, price, quality etc. In Chennai, many varieties and range of hotels are available. As Chennai is the manufacturing hub of India, different class of people make business meetings and dealings in different hotels which provides these facilities. Wide range of people travel to Chennai to earn their living and the thriving population has mostly increased in the past few years. Apart from hotels, restaurants are the highly targeted places in Chennai. In this fast moving world, people do not have time to cook their own food and take it to their work place and even get ready with their breakfast. So, restaurants with different traditions of the south as well as north are started in and around Chennai. Considering this aspect, an idea to do research on the feasibility of starting a restaurant in Tambaram was taken up. Near Tambaram many manufacturing industries have rose up and the places in and around Tambaram have become residential areas but the number of restaurants is limited. So there is a niche market to be captured by opening a restaurant in that area. Thus the aim of this study is to know the customer preferences about the varieties of food and other aspects which will bring up the restaurant as a successful one. Chapter The focus group is a qualitative research method designed to ascertain the opinions, attitudes, and behavior of target audiences. Typically, 8-10 persons meet to discuss topics selected and presented by a moderator, who afterwards prepares an analysis. For the feasibility study of starting a restaurant in Chennai, two focus group interviews were conducted with 10 participants who were native of Chennai and participants who were related to the hotel industry. In a controlled environment for duration of 90 minutes, the focus group interview was conducted in the presence of a moderator. Different ideas related to the customer involvement and expectations in the different food recipes and the external and internal environment of the hotel were discussed.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Business Issues: Samsung In China

Business Issues: Samsung In China To identify and understand the international business issues recently faced by Samsung in China and how do they react as well as to remain competitive against its competitors over the years through the use of international marketing strategies based on different factors which would influence the movement throughout the globe. Design/methodology/approach: The approach is used to study and illustrate the real world situation where organizations being in the electronics industry face high intensity and problems as it impacts the market as a whole. Findings: The main findings are based on the various tools to identify and evaluate the different strategies, factors, and conditions for going abroad in order to capture a larger market scale and segmentations. Practical implications: The tools used have different characteristics that explain into different forms which can be used to study the strategic movement and what gives Samsung a competitive advantage. Originality/value: The paper is specifically focused on the evaluation of business strategies based on the different tools for long-term growth and sustainability. Keywords: Globalisation, competitive advantage, innovation. Paper type: Research paper. 2.0 SUMMARY Samsung Electronics Company is a company operating in the electronics industry for consumers goods, one of which is mobile devices. Furthermore, they have made successful comebacks in terms of their mobile devices where it accounted a high percentage of users that uses Samsung brand that comes with many different models. In the past, Samsung may not be the best-selling brands for mobile devices unlike the Nokia, and Sony Ericsson because they were not as competitive in terms of quality, product innovation, and features that able to meet the needs of consumers. Apart from that, China has been a large market for electronics and Samsung is able to capture a wide market scale in China by investing into research and developments to enhance in electronic products such as LCDs and other home appliances, moving away from being just a mere manufacturers for OEM or in other words, producing products out from component parts bought from other companies. On top of that, information technology changes rapidly and they would need to follow the pace based on consumers preferences to achieve long-term goals and sustainability. However, there are international business issues which recently faced by Samsung in China due to the allegations that child labour were used and Samsung have been accused for exploiting younger workers. Therefore, this would affect its reputable image and brand yet along being sued recently by Apple for infringement of its patent. 3.0 INTRODUCTION Samsung Electronics Company has one of the best-selling phones in the world amongst other electronic hardware where it has made its way globally throughout various markets by having an established supply chain and manufacturing plants in China and many other countries. Furthermore, Samsung has made its effort by marketing its product with the initiatives to capture a larger market share. However, countries that have different political regulations and stability, cultures, factors and conditions, and so forth would affect the strategic movement for Samsung, for instance in China which were accused for using child labour and violating human rights. Based on the issues as per above mentioned, China market can be analysed through the use of these management tools that comprises of the Michael Porters PESTEL Analysis and Porters Diamond to determine the external environment, the Five Forces for the industry, Competitor Analysis, Marketing Analysis, as well as Internal Analysis through the use of SWOT and Hofstedes Dimensions. These tools were essential to understand the environment from all aspects in another market as well to identify its competitive edge against its competitors and other markets globally. On top of that, Samsung has applied its innovation into its technology and the human capital would be a major aspect in terms of potential capabilities to perform (Anwar, 2007). This is to enhance its brand recognition in terms of product development and innovation for sustainability. 4.0 COMPANY BACKGROUND Today, Samsung Electronics Company manufactures electronic products which include mobile devices whereby Samsung was first founded by Lee Byung-chul back in year 1938 in Taegu, Korea. Samsung was first started out as trading company which exports groceries products to China and has become a multinational corporation today. In 1958, Samsung expanded into industries such as ship building, chemicals and so on throughout the 1970s before moving on through the decades to year 1969 whereby Samsung Electronics was formed to create business opportunities by acquiring business establishments such as the insurance company, hospital, department stores as well by producing electronics which includes mobile devices which what Samsung is famous for (Murat, n.d.). Next, the successes Samsung had from its technological aspects in the DRAM industry for computing experience throughout Samsung Electronics has made a higher growth and sales in terms of product development and by marketing them out in massive quantities to other countries which made way for expanding abroad. On top of that, Samsung has an excellent method of quality and product development which controls and innovate new products whereby Samsung also hires the finest workers that holds a PhD and thats no surprise because Samsungs company assets is accounted about $300 billion (Lero, 2008). Up to today, Samsung retains the status of worlds best technology that provides constant improvement to contribute to the society as qualified workers would also play a major role for excellence in their respective fields (Murat, n.d.). However, there are problems which Asian economic crisis and how do they survive as well as the recent lawsuits for the infringement of intellectual property and the allegations of child labour used whereby the current chief executive officer (CEO) of Samsung, Shin Jong-kyun embattled with its competitors. 5.0 EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT ANALYSIS 5.1 Michael Porters PESTEL analysis 5.1.1 Political In political factor, Samsung have to take cognizance of policies regulated in different countries. For instance, some governments may protect their local brands in the electronics industry and therefore impose a higher tariff or restricted quota for importing abroad. This is because some competitors may have government contracts and Samsung has to distinguish its products to compete with competitors. However in China, the China Labor Watch is taking initiatives towards the allegations of child labour below 16 years of age and exploiting younger workers seriously whereby it would affect Samsungs image and branding as well of its suppliers which were accused as well (Arthur, 2012). 5.1.2 Economic Next in economic, Samsung have suffered from the Asian economic crisis back in year 1997 which resulted in a negative net profit even though Samsung made $16 billion out from sales and the dismissal of 29,000 employees (Quelch Harrington, 2008). Therefore, consumers spending was affected as well due to a lower disposable income which resulted from a high unemployment rate in some countries. On top of that, the economy recession in countries such as in the U.K. has made an impact on Samsung being in the electronic industry as U.K. is one of the modest countries that follow the up-trend technology. Apart from that, the market in China is huge whereby the Asian economic crisis have made a high impact towards Samsung. 5.1.3 Society In society, more people which includes the younger generation even demand for a smartphone thereby increasing the sales. Thus, people in developing countries would have a higher demand and Samsung would have to segment certain groups of consumers based on the applications available through the product. Therefore, Samsung have to take this advantage to continuously innovate and develop its product to remain in the competitive market. However, there are allegations in China that younger generation were also being exploited to work more 100 hours overtime in a month and that would violate human rights and it could result in consumers boycotting on Samsung products (Arthur, 2012). 5.1.4 Technological This is one of the most important factors in the electronics industry as it demands for new features and specifications that meet consumers needs. For instance, Japan being one of the most advanced country would seek technological improvements for convenience and thus able to make their lifestyle into perfection. Besides that, wireless networks and data transfers improvement are one of the most basic needs for consumers which Samsung could take advantage in countries that has a high bandwidth wireless connection. 5.1.5 Environment Next in environment, Samsung would need to foresee its weather in certain countries because it may affect its manufacturing plants. Furthermore, Samsung would need to take the society and natural environment into consideration due to the pollution and the emission of fumes from factories. In China, the weather and pollution index is bad which would result in society protesting towards more manufacturing plant in China that would be detrimental to their health. 5.1.6 Legal In legal, more and more companies are seeking to protect their intellectual property rights such as Apple Inc. that recently sued Samsung for infringing its design and other features. On top of that, human rights have to be protected whereby a woman in China has brain cancer due to the fact that she was exposed to toxic chemicals for half a decade in her employment. Therefore, it could tarnish Samsungs image for profit rather than peoples concern as allegations has been made towards Samsung in China for exploiting workers (Globalization Monitor, 2012). 5.2 Michael Porters Diamond 5.2.1 Firm Strategy, Structure and Rivalry Taking China as an example for expanding abroad, Samsung is able to capture a large market in China as China is well populated thus its cost-efficient due to shipping costs and close proximity. In the other hand, Samsung joint ventures with Corning in regards to the new Chinese LCD facility so that Samsung can understand the Chinese cultures and compete with its competitors (Matt, 2012). 5.2.2 Demand Conditions In the demand conditions, consumers disposable income has to be monitored and the Chinese may have a higher disposable income due to the growing economy in China. On top of that, Samsung have to forecast consumers preferences based on their cultures to fit into the products, for instance home appliances that fits into their homes which are used to be much smaller in size unlike in the western homes. 5.2.3 Factor Conditions Samsung have accounted a huge percentage of consumers based in China and it gives an advantage in terms of logistics and human capital. For instance, South Korea ports would give cost efficient for shipping products and have the policies to trade with China. In the other hand, Samsung is able to safe cost through cheap labour and the hiring of knowledgeable candidates from universities from a larger market in China (Dilipnaidu, n.d.). 5.2.4 Related and Supporting Industry The supporting industry such as Tesco has given share partnership to Samsung as they are mutually beneficial in the retailing industry. On top of that, Samsung has lots of OEMs in Asia and infrastructure support in China which is at an advantage in terms of resources and logistically in specific geographical locations. 6.0 INDUSTRY ANALYSIS 6.1 Michael Porters Five Forces 6.1.1 Buyers The bargaining powers of buyers are high due to the fact that consumers can easily change to other competitors products. Therefore, Samsung strive to keep cost low at bay as much as possible and by doing so, they are able to capture a larger market share as China is well populated. However, switching cost can be high because some consumers may want to change to a newer phone whereby the old ones are still under contract. Thus, people in China would tend to always have the latest gadget due to high disposable income which would also result them a high switching cost unlike the home appliances where people have a longer time frame of using them but there are many other competitors producing them as well. 6.1.2 Suppliers The suppliers have a low bargaining power in the sense that Samsung itself is the suppliers for component parts such as DRAM computer chips and so forth. Therefore, they have a cost advantage and able to retain its originality. However in the electronics industry as a whole, the bargaining powers of suppliers are high due to other parts required to produce its other electronic hardware (Huvard et al, 2011, p.8). 6.1.3 Threat of Substitutes The threat of substitutes is high as there are many other smartphones available that could perform the same features and applications. For instance, Apple and Nokia smartphones could perform as similar to Samsungs and they are competing in terms of quality and innovation, thereby they would look like the same. However for older generation users, the threat of substitutes would be much higher because most of them are not IT literate and would spend less to get cheaper phones which would be a threat to Samsung as well. In the other hands, substitute products for home appliances amongst others are high as well. Not to mention about China phones whereby China used to imitate products into a different brand thus resulting to a higher threat of substitutes. 6.1.4 Intensity of Rivalry The intensity of rivalry is high because there are many other competitors in the market such as Apple Inc. in the smartphones industry as well as Sony in the home appliances products (Huvard et al, 2011, p.9). On top of that, the market structure of Samsung is monopolistic competition whereby they do not compete in price with the competitors, but compete in terms of innovation, product development, and which performs better with one another because consumers tend to get the one that performs best for them. Thus, the rivalry is strong in China because its a large market whereby all competitors have expanded there. 6.1.5 Threats of New Entrants The threats of new entrants are very low because a very high initial investment is required for research and development to compete with the existing competitors. Today, Samsung have made a great achievement in product development and its very difficult for new entrants to keep up with the pace as well of issues for protected intellectual property. Furthermore, consumers loyalty would form a stronger barrier of entry and thus difficult for new entrants to compete (Chan et al, 2011, p. 12). 7.0 COMPETITOR ANALYSIS In order to compete in a large market such as in China, Samsung have to analyse its competitors in order to understand their objectives, strategies, assumptions, as well as the resources and capabilities to perform in China and other countries (NetMBA, 2012). Thereby, competitors in the mobile industry one of which is Apple Inc. and Sony for other electronic appliances has created a high intensity for Samsung to keep pace with the moving technologies before they are left behind. 7.1 Competitors Strategy Thus, its important to understand their strategies and to keep track with latest updates. For instance, competitors tend to advertise to promote its products and Samsung has to understand its strategies out from it. However, Samsung has made good strategy in terms of advertisement whereby they use Korean pop singers and dancers in music videos to advertise its products. Furthermore, China is keen to Korean stars and therefore would be influenced to Samsung smartphones which would be a competitive advantage as well. 7.2 Competitors Objectives All competitors have different objectives in which to capture a larger market share particularly in China. For instance, Apple Inc. has an objective to develop the best computers and software to meet the needs of consumers even in future as well to align with the rapid change of technology (Apple, 2012). Therefore, Samsung have to take initiative to plan and develop its product for distinguishing itself than its competitors. 7.3 Competitors Assumptions Its important to assume certain movement on competitors to keep pace with the market. For instance, Apple Inc. have recently marketed its new iPhone 5 that comes in with better specifications for four cores processors due to the fact that the previous model has only two cores and the rumours for Samsungs smartphones have a slightly wide screen. Therefore, Samsung would be able to foresee the coming strategies for Apple Inc. in terms of product development in which Samsung could develop a much better smartphone. However for Sony in terms of other electronic appliances, Samsung have to determine the household needs for consumers to market its products. 7.4 Competitors Resources and Capabilities In terms of competitors resources and capabilities, Sony for instance may have resources by venturing into China market and the capabilities to produce highly technological products for developments because Sony is originated from Japan which is known as an advanced technology country. Therefore, Samsung has to compete in terms of its capabilities and to understand the extent they would pursue. 8.0 MARKETING ANALYSIS 8.1 Market Segmentation 8.1.1 Geographic Segmentation Samsung have segmented its market geographically in China particularly in urban areas due to the population density and the need for consumers to use smartphones for their daily routine. Therefore, there would be high demand for smartphones and other electronic products which would result of Samsung exploiting workers to work more than 100 hours per month over time to meet the higher demand of consumers (Arthur, 2012). However, Samsung do not really segment markets in rural areas due to the fact that most people are not IT literate and therefore do not need smartphones, except for home appliances that may be useful. 8.1.2 Demographic Segmentation In demographics, Samsung targeted young generations in particular and working adults for smartphones as well as housewives for home appliances. This is because the younger generations regardless of its gender, and occupation, there are likely to get themselves a smartphone for some reasons. Furthermore, Samsung also segment its market based on an average or high income level because its products are priced at a certain level whereby some groups may only able to afford them. 8.1.3 Psychographic Segmentation Based on the consumers activities and interest in China, they are active in their daily lifestyle and the smartphone would works best for them that made tasks easier and convenient for them to organize plans. Hence, their lifestyles are turning into one of the advanced country as well as the economy of China is growing which more people are moving forward towards information technology. 8.1.4 Behavioralistic Segmentation This is referring to consumers behaviour in China based on the design, pattern, outlook, as well as the features available from the electronic products of Samsung. Thereby, Samsung would have to take this matter into consideration to gain a larger market share in China and other countries. On top of that, brand loyalty is indeed important as part of its competitive advantage over its competitors if they are able to distinguish its product and to meet consumers needs. However, the allegations made to Samsung regarding the use of child labour and the exploitation of Chinese employees in Samsung would create a bad image amongst the Chinese and would be detrimental in the long run if this matter persists. 8.2 Marketing Mix Gap analysis 8.2.1 Product Samsung has many different products and models based on the different categories such as smartphones, home appliances, televisions and so forth. These products were designed specifically to meet the needs of consumers but however the products target a wide range of market as a whole and may not focus on certain market niches. This is to avoid additional costs in terms of operations but Samsung have to keep pace with the competitors as IT is a trend that grows rapidly. Next, one of the best-selling products in Samsung was the smartphones whereby the recent news has reported that it has sold about 20 million Galaxy S III smartphones over months of marketing it globally (TheStar, 2012). Hence, this may cause the result for allegations made against Samsung by China Watch Labor for using child labour as well of exploiting employees in China for producing products in a higher capacity to meet the high demand for consumers. 8.2.2 Price In price, Samsung tend to lower its cost as well as prices of consumers goods to remain competitive in the market. This is because consumers tend to look for products and features available in smartphones or other electronic appliances but they are likely to be similar to the competitors. Therefore, Samsung have to take advantage in terms of price regardless of the physiological fact that higher price constitute better product unless the quality can proof for a better product. On top of that, Samsung is able to take advantage of its price by collaborating with service providers based on the contracts whereby consumers are able to apply for a phone line while having the product for a cheaper price. 8.2.3 Place Samsung has its manufacturing plants and suppliers within the supply chain all over the world in many different countries in order to go global. By doing so, they have an efficient flow in terms of resources and logistically. In China, Samsung has many suppliers to adapt to the broad geographical locations and to meet the high demand of consumers. On top of that, countries that have a growing economy would in turn beneficial to Samsung for home appliances due to the fact that property prices would increase and there will be a higher demand for home appliances as well. Thus, Samsung is able to capture a higher market share due to the growing economy such as Australia and particularly in China. 8.2.4 Promotion In promotion, the Samsung had invested about billions of dollars into advertisement to promote its brand and products. For instance, Samsung used the Korean pop stars through music videos to promote its product due to the fact that Korean pop music videos are one of the most viewed on Internet due to its popularity regardless viewers being in Asia, Europe, and the Western countries. Thus, this would influence the consumers for the products based on the advertising strategy and on top of that, Samsung also had made great effort into corporate social responsibility to promote a better welfare of the society, apart from the allegations being made against Samsung recently in China. 8.2.5 People The people are referring to the staff and employees Samsung has throughout the globe and particularly in China. In China, Samsung is able to hire the skilled employee, for instance PhD holders from universities and on top of that hire cheap labour into manufacturing plants which able to save costs. Furthermore, there are many suppliers as they established a stable supply chain in the market. 8.2.6 Gap Analysis Based on the marketing mixes as per above mentioned, there are gaps in between its marketing strategy. One amongst others is the product and prices strategy whereby Samsung does not focus on low to no income level whereby young students were not targeted. This is basically important because they are influenced by the up-trend and they are likely to get its product. Thus, Samsung may be able to produce smartphones that may have the similar but less features and functions at a lower price for low to no income level in which their parents may afford one for their children. This is to capture a larger market scale and to establish consumers loyalty as well to strengthen its brand. Next, its promotional strategy whereby advertisements were meant to capture young to working adults market groups but however elderly groups may not be influenced by these promotional strategy. Therefore, Samsung should have mixes of advertisement to show concerns for the older generation as they are part of the market group whereby they start using smartphones regardless of knowing how to use them or otherwise. This is because they are following the up-trend from their children in terms of communication and the features available that make their life convenient. 9.0 INTERNAL ANALYSIS 9.1 SWOT analysis 9.1.1 Strengths In strengths, one of which is the brand whereby Samsung have a strong brand recognition throughout the globe. Hence, almost everyone knows what Samsung is and what do they produce. Furthermore, the brand they had can be reinforced through the use of its quality and product innovation such as smartphones, and electronic appliances. On top of that, by venturing in China, there is a growing market in demand for smartphones in particular as well as other electronic products produced by Samsung. Therefore, Samsung is able to capture a larger market scale. Hence, not to forget about the diplomatic relationship China had with the capital city of Korea, Seoul which could be at an advantage at political regime (Anon., 2009). 9.1.2 Weaknesses There are several weaknesses for Samsung such as the increased cost for investment into research and development which reduce the net profits for Samsung. Thereby, this could result in Samsung in hiring child labour as well to exploit employees in production facility based on the allegations made against Samsung recently. On top of that, Samsung may not be able to protect its product because China have imitated and produced its similar products with a different brand name in China, yet along market them out globally as well although the quality may not be as strong as Samsungs. Furthermore, Samsung basically focuses on the whole market rather than market niches and may not fit its products with certain market groups. 9.1.3 Opportunities There are opportunities in China whereby it accounted a large market for consumers goods and electronic products. Thereby, Samsung is able to gain its competitive advantage by venturing into China due to geographic location and the use of cheap and skilled labour. In geographic location, Korea is located near to China and therefore would give shipping and port advantage which would result in cost efficient which would be profitable due to the fact that China is a huge market and its well populated. In the other hand, the use of cheap and skilled labour enable Samsung to save cost although they are allegations made towards the use of child labour against Samsung. Furthermore, skilled and knowledgeable employees can be hired through universities in China for their convenience. 9.1.4 Threats There are several threats in the industry one of which is the existence of its competitors. Samsungs rival such as Apple Inc. and Sony would be the biggest threat to capture a larger market in China. Therefore, in order to remain competitive, these parties would try to save cost so that they could have a larger investment into research and development to produce better products in terms of quality and innovation. Thus, this resulted in Samsung exploiting workers to meet demands of the market and was accused for using child labour and it will definitely affect Samsungs image and branding which would give an advantage for its competitors. On top of that, Samsung being the late mover in the industry would be a threat as well due to the high intensity in the market inclusive of the Chinese competitors which accounted of a huge percentage of the market. 9.2 Hofstedes Dimensions Hofstedes Dimensions were used to determine the cultural differences between two countries based on the 5 forces such as the power distance, the individualism versus collectivism, the masculinity versus femininity, the uncertainty avoidance, and the time orientation. Hence, the forces as per above mentioned can be determined by using the BRIC Geert Hofstede Scores to study the different cultures before going abroad. Thereby, this report is to study the cultural differences between Korea, and China for competitive edge. 9.2.1 Power Distance In power distance, the Chinese in China have a higher power distance compared to the Koreans BRIC Geert Hofstede Scores and this shows that the Chinese are aware of the higher authorities that make decisions knowingly that the higher positions have more experience and knowledge. Thus, their organizational structures would seem to be bureaucratic and the lower level employees may not make any decisions. Thereby, Samsung being a Korean company have a small gap between the scores in relations to the power distance and they are able to joint ventures with Corning in China. 9.2.2 Individualism versus Collectivism Next on individualism versus collectivism, both scores for China and Korea are relatively low and have the slightest gap between one and another BRIC Geert Hofstede Scores. Therefore, it can be seen that both countries are collectivism whereby they used to make decisions collectively in a group. Thus, Samsung would be able to adapt with the Chinese culture to make decisions in a group without taking risks for making decisions individually. 9.2.3 Masculinity versus Femininity In masculinity versus femininity, the Chinese would be referred as masculinity whereas the Koreans are referred to femininity based on the BRIC Geert Hofstede Scores. This indicated that the Chinese would like to have more recognition in terms of respect as well to dominate its decision-making in the organization for higher income. Therefore, the subordinates are expected to follow their superior orders whereas the Koreas are less emphasized to the importance of its status but are relationship oriented in terms of social norms. 9.2.4 Uncertainty Avoidance BRIC Geert Hofstede Scores, there is a huge difference between the Chinese and Koreans whereby the Chinese can be identified as risk taker whereas for the Koreans, are much likely a risk adverse. The huge gap in between indicated that the Koreans would take due diligence and care in decision-making before taking initiatives. However, if Samsung is venturing into China, there would not be a problem because the decision-maker lies with Samsung and therefore could make its decisions diligently before going into any agreement to joint ventures with Chinese companies whereby China are likely to take risk in this case as long profits could be made regardless of being in a short or a longer-term. 9.2.5 Time Orientation In time orientation, the Chinese would be taking a longer-term for decision-making unlike the Koreans that would take a shorter time based on BRIC Geert Hofstede Scores. Furthermore, this is because of the time needed to make decisions collectively but however Koreans are would take a shorter time even though they make decisions collectively as well. Thus, the Koreans are likely to gain opport

Thursday, September 19, 2019

The Reign Of Edward Vi :: essays research papers fc

The Reign of Edward VI The reign of Edward VI saw great religious upheaval from a Protestant religion that was Catholic in nature to a more clearly defined and radical quasi-Calvinism. In that sense religious policy hardened. But the policies and ideal never became deeply entrenched and accepted throughout the country and often only existed to serve the interests of those who enacted them, and not the future stance of the church. Under Somerset the changes involved merely creating a Protestant facelift, and only under Northumberland did sweeping radical changes emerge. However, policy never hardened enough, or became accepted enough, to prevent it being disintegrated when Mary came to power in 1553.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The religious situation was highly unstable at the time of Edward's ascendance. Although Henry had allowed Protestant leaning clerics to predominate in the later year of his reign, most religious statutes remained orthodox, and conservative. But under Somerset Protestants who had previously fled to Europe after the six articles, such as Hooper, Becon, and Turner, all returned. Many were writers banned under Henry VIII, along with Luther and other European Protestants. Guy points out that 159 out of 394 new books printed during the Protectorate were written by Protestant reformers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Reformers predominated the Privy council under Somerset, and reform was popular amongst the gentry of the time. But outside London and East Anglia Protestantism was not a major force. In terms of religious hardening, it is unlikely that the surge of Protestantism had any particular long term impact outside these areas. It was only in these areas that violent iconoclasm took place. Elsewhere far more moderate reforms such as vernacular Bibles and services were introduced.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The legislation of the Somerset era also did little to aid a definite hardening of religious policy. The Privy council remained reluctant to make any radical moves. The Council, parliament, and the convocation all wanted reform, but not of the type that would firmly thrust the country into radical Protestantism. Moderate leanings were all that was desired, and this was reflected in the two major pieces of legislation, the Chantries Act and the Treason Act, which both did little to resolve doctrinal uncertainties. The new book of common prayer also trod a careful path between Protestantism and Catholicism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jordan states that â€Å"These years ... were characterised by patience with the bishops, almost half of whom were conservative in their views and Catholic in their doctrinal sympathies, though all, trained as they were in the reign of Henry VIII, lent complete support to the Act Supremacy in all its constitutional and political implications ... the lesser clergy and the laity were with few

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Social Norms :: Sociology

Lately the concept of social norms, common rules of behaviors, has engaged the interest of a numerous philosophers, who are concerned with understanding the rational actors’ behavior. Kennedy and Brown addresses the concern from different aspects, they are mutually disturbed by the same social norm questions, specifically in the theory of human behavior development that is significant to the construction of legal institutions. In their endeavor to account for social norms they both argue that Human Rights pose challenges for politics. This is far from absolute, Human Rights in a way, present difficulties to politics but it is in fact social norms which pose the most critical problem for politics. At the same time social norms seem to decipher the complications of human rights; they construct a particular problem for politics because they appear to manipulate laws that govern social norms for their own personal use. Theorist challenge the thinking of these such norm compliances to explain a principle that people always act in their own self-interest, to maximize the greediness of their social power. Moreover, Human Rights in this situation are described at presents as a mutual exploited problem. Such as â€Å"institutional practice of human rights promotion propagates an unduly abstract idea about people, politics and society (Kennedy p111).† Because of these general expectations, politics can simply construct this space of lawlessness to circumvent and established social norm traditions. The avoiding of certain taboo like deploying nuclear weapons or tripping the waiters falls into this complicity that society follows. This brings up the rational choice of individualâ €™s actions. Which is why social norms would sanction governments or people for violating this paradigm of â€Å"language may well establish our legitimacy within a legal framework (Butler p25)† and the â€Å"particular vocabulary (Kennedy p111),† something we know occurs regularly in Human Rights language to be used to create this lawlessness that pose problems for politics. The eruption of criticism to politics that violation Human Rights language is rapidly eclipsed by potential threats of counsel to â€Å"problems of intellectual dishonesty (Brown p461)† which invokes norms instinctively to questions that transpires. In this context of challenging the expectations of rational political institution’s choice bring forth how social norm constrict and occasionally govern or deceive individuals. For example in the War on Terrorism and Guantanamo Bay, President Bush pushes for a preemptive strike as a legitimize sanction of Human Rights and social norms reactions for security.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Abortion: Women Must Be Given A Choice Essay -- Freedom of Choice, Pro-

This is paper is about the issue of Abortion. I think the discussion of this issue is important because, I think women should have the choice whether to continue with a pregnancy or not. There are a lot of reasons why women have abortions. Here are a few reasons why, rape, or physically not able to carry the pregnancy to full term, or genetic defects. Abortion is a tough decision in its self, women should not have to deal with the worry of the being convicted or condemned because of her choice. There also have been studies done involving â€Å"unwanted children† they end up suffering from physical and psychological damage done by the parent. There is also the issue of the relationship between a husband and wife, especially if the woman was raped, the husband has a hard time dealing with the pregnancy itself and once the child is born the husband does not treat the child as if it was his. Then you have the psychological damage to the woman after being raped, itself. Some may argue that it is morally wrong to have an abortion and a crime. It is considered to be murder. A few years back, it was considered a crime for a woman to have an abortion. Since this was considered a crime many women would seek out â€Å"back alley† doctors to perform an abortion. These were done in unsanitary conditions, sometimes the â€Å"back alley† doctor would mess up the procedure and the woman would either die from this or be unable to conceive later in life. Some would even consider drinking a mixture that would induce a miscarriage, and would end up dying from the mixture. Some women would even cause injury to themselves to induce a miscarriage of the unwanted pregnancy, with metal and wooden objects. Then there is the argument of the church it is... ...rious physical defects. B. Women should have abortions when they want to terminate an unwanted pregnancy and the fetus has serious physical defects. A rule utilitarian would try to answer the same question, which rule will produce more total well-being? In conclusion, a choice needs to be available to prevent the birth of unwanted children, to avoid damage to the child as well as the well-being of women. Preservation of life seems to be a slogan for anti-abortionists. If we turn our backs on women now, it would bring more deaths and illegal and self-induced abortions. Anti-abortionists do not know what it is like to have to make the decision of having an abortion; they have not experienced the situation that some women had to go through. There are arguments on both sides and judgment against people needs to be stopped. Abortion should remain legal,

Language Learning Strategies Essay

Japanese designed site meant for starters in English language. In it are so many great links that are not only useful but also interesting to kids and other ESL learners. The reason for making it interesting is that kids may get bored if the material is not appealing to them. This site is maintained by TESL, the internet journal and the input is from teachers across the globe. This gives a lot of credibility to the site. Several books also have information meant for ESL learners and teachers. One of them is Oxford’s (1990) Language Learning Strategies outlines what a teacher should know in his/her quest to make learners be competent in English as a second language. It gives all the strategies, their pros and cons, the appropriate level of learners’ cognitive abilities that are in tandem with each strategy and the methods of evaluation of the learners’ understanding after a new concept is initiated. The book cannot be said to fully cover all the participants in the learning environment. Teachers and what they should know have been heavily outlined but the learner has been considerably left out. The ESL competence of the learner will by and large depend on what the teacher has to offer and not what the learner can do to improve his/her ESL competence. Mayer, in Weinstein (1988), Learning and Study Strategies: Issues in Assessment, Instruction and Evaluation tackles issues pertinent to holistic ESL learning namely assessing, instruction and evaluation. The learner needs to be instructed, assessed and evaluated on the much that a teacher has taught him/her. The book is therefore a masterpiece in enabling a well structured acquisition of ESL competence by a learner. The focus here is on the learner and has he teacher as guide, an assessor and evaluator of the progress the learner has made after a given time. The kindergarten kids have been catered for those teaching them will gain the skills to lead them in becoming competent. Elly (`1991), in his book Acquiring Literacy in a Second Language maintains that other than using structured audio-lingual programs , children should be exposed to a variety of story books and motivated to read and share what they get with other children. This way, they are able to acquire the second language easily. Their grasping of vocabularies becomes easy since they find them in the books they read as opposed to teaching them vocabularies non-contextually. The implication in Elly’s book is that practical as opposed to theoretical approach to ESL teaching and learning should be adopted. In terms therefore it content value, this book is invaluable. Boyle and Suzanne (1990) in Literary Scaffolds outline the strategies for firs and second language leaders and writers. It provides scaffolding activities which enhance successful intercourse with the print works and shows children how to read and write. Scaffolding is discussed and how it enhances writing and reading. Teachers and students of ESL can find invaluable information in this book. Genishi (1989) in Observing the Second Language Learner: An example of Teachers Learning illustrates how a kindergarten teacher recorded her observation of some ESL learners thus making critical points on effective language teaching and learning. She observed, according to this book, that each learner followed his/her own timetable and a unique path in learning a second language. It also states that it is important to enhance the activities and situations that provide an opportunity of talking by learners. Lastly, it emphasizes the central part the teacher plays in the language learning environment. This way, they are able to practice what they already know via exchanging with others. This book borrows from the Psychological aspect of behavioral learning whereby children learn from the environment and thus cutting a niche in being one of the best books for use by both teachers and college or University students learning or preparing to teach ESL. In conclusion, the books used are generally relevant based on their individual assistance to learners and teachers of ESL although they most of them are a decade old. The sites too provide the necessary information for those teachers of ESL wishing to help kindergarten kids acquire ESL competence. Students of ESL in colleges and Universities will find these sites vital. References Starters in English language, (2005), available at http://www. aitech. ac. jp/~iteslj/ESL. html: retrieved on 12 Feb 2009. Strategies for learning English as a second language, (2007), available at theenglishweb. com, retrieved on 13 Feb 2009. English as a second language, (2008), available at http://cla. univ-fcomte. fr/english/index_s. htm: retrieved on 14 Feb 2009. ESL for Kindergarten kids, (2006), available at http://home. earthlink. net/~mediadesigns/Calendar. html, retrieved on 12 Feb 2009 ESL teaching strategies, (2007), available at http://iteslj. org/Articles/Lessard-Clouston-Strategy. html retrieved on 10 Feb 2009. Oxford, R. (1990): Language Learning Strategies. New York, Newbury House Mayer, R. (1988): Learning Strategies: An Overview, in Weinstein, C et. al (Eds. ) New York, Academic Press. Genishi, C. (1989) Observing the Second Language Learner: An Example of Teacher’s Learning New York, Prentice Hall Elly, W. B (1991): Acquiring Literacy in a Second Language, Baltimore. Collins Publishers Boyle, O. F & Suzanne, F. P. (1990): Literacy Scaffolds† Strategies for First and Second Language Readers and Writers. New York, McGraw Hill

Monday, September 16, 2019

Sociology and Correct Answer

Question 1 0 out of 10 points Which of the following is an example of an application of midrange theory? Answer Selected Answer: analyzing how a shopkeeper interacts with customers Correct  Answer: exploring the role of churches in rural areas Response Feedback: Feedback:   Recall that midrange theory attempts to predict how certain social institutions tend to function. ? Question 2 10 out of 10 points Justin decides to conduct research for a class project by recording and assessing how people choose where to sit on a public bus. Which type of sociology is this? Answer Selected Answer: microsociology Correct  Answer: microsociology Response Feedback: Feedback:   Recall that microsociology seeks to understand local interactional contexts and focuses on face-to-face encounters ? Question 3 10 out of 10 points Which of the following is an example of a social institution? Answer Selected Answer: all of the above Correct  Answer: all of the above| Response Feedback: Feedback:   Social institutions do not have to be established by any particular organization or group and do not necessarily have physical locations. ? Question 4 0 out of 10 points Which of the â€Å"founding fathers† of sociology put forth the idea that sociologists should examine social behavior from the perspective of those engaging in the behavior? Answer Selected Answer: Emile Durkheim Correct  Answer: Max Weber ? Question 5 0 out of 10 points Sociology is the study of _____. Feature Article –  Sociology Test Answer Selected Answer: human society Correct  Answer: all of the above ? Question 6 10 out of 10 points Which of the following describes a difference between sociology and psychology? Answer Selected Answer: Sociology focuses on social structures and group interactions, while psychology focuses on the urges, instincts, and mind of the individual. Correct  Answer: Sociology focuses on social structures and group interactions, while psychology focuses on the urges, instincts, and mind of the individual. ? Question 7 10 out of 10 points Sociology is distinct from other academic disciplines in its attempt to _____. Answer Selected Answer: detect patterns in how different societies handle or respond to similar phenomena Correct  Answer: detect patterns in how different societies handle or respond to similar phenomena ? Question 8 10 out of 10 points Examining the interactions between people with a focus on how the people talk, dress, and use body language is an example of which theory? Answer Selected Answer: symbolic interactionism Correct  Answer: symbolic interactionism Response Feedback: Feedback:   Symbolic interactionism is a micro-level approach that focuses on how face-to-face interactions create the social world. ? Question 9 10 out of 10 points The examination of everyday human social interactions on a small scale describes _____. Answer Selected Answer: microsociology Correct  Answer: microsociology ? Question 10 10 out of 10 points Social identity is _____. Answer Selected Answer: a way that individuals define themselves in relation to groups they are a part of or groups they choose not to be a part of Correct  Answer: a way that individuals define themselves in relation to groups they are a part of or groups they choose not to be a part of ? Question 11 0 out of 10 points Paradoxically, using our sociological imagination helps us _____. Answer Selected Answer: create an image of how people in other societies live Correct  Answer: make the familiar strange ? Question 12 10 out of 10 points Which of the following contributors to the development of sociology argued for the importance of identifying scientific laws that govern human behavior? Answer Selected Answer: Auguste Comte Correct  Answer: Auguste Comte ? Question 13 0 out of 10 points Which of the following is an example of using one’s sociological imagination? Answer Selected Answer: creating different hypotheses to explain an individual’s behavior Correct  Answer: being puzzled by how people in another country greet one another and then thinking about how people in your own country greet one another and why they do it the way they do Response Feedback: Feedback:   Using your sociological imagination allows you to recognize how the social world works and why. ? Question 14 10 out of 10 points Justin enters a clothing store and a security guard immediately notices him and follows Justin’s actions on a security monitor. Justin is aware of the security guard's actions and adjusts his own behavior to avoid potential confrontation with the security guard. This is an example of which sociological concept? Answer Selected Answer: double consciousness Correct  Answer: double consciousness Response Feedback: Feedback:   Recall that having a double consciousness takes the external opinions of an often racially prejudiced onlooker into consideration. ? Question 15 10 out of 10 points A social institution can be described as _____. Answer Selected Answer: a group of social positions, connected by social relations, that perform a social role Correct  Answer: a group of social positions, connected by social relations, that perform a social role ? Question 16 0 out of 10 points Your friend Allison is concerned with the messages that young girls and boys receive about careers that are suitable for them from their elementary school teachers. Based on Allison's position, it is likely that she is a(n) _____. Answer Selected Answer: functionalist| Correct  Answer: feminist Response Feedback: Feedback:   Feminist research focuses on inequalities based on gender categories and researchers study women's experiences at home and in the workplace. ? Question 17 10 out of 10 points The Chicago School of American Sociology emphasized the importance of _____. Answer Selected Answer: the environment in shaping people’s behavior and personalities. Correct  Answer: the environment in shaping people’s behavior and personalities. ? Question 18 10 out of 10 points According to Karl Marx, throughout history social change has been sparked by _____. Answer Selected Answer: class conflict Correct  Answer: class conflict ? Question 19 10 out of 10 points Which of the following American sociologists applied Durkheim’s theory of anomie to explain African American crime rates? Answer Selected Answer: W. E. B. DuBois Correct  Answer: W. E. B. DuBois ? Question 20 10 out of 10 points Questioning the reasons why people choose to attend college and the importance of a college degree is an example of _____. Answer Selected Answer: using the sociological imagination Correct  Answer: using the sociological imagination Response Feedback: Feedback:   Using your sociological imagination allows you to recognize how the social world works and why. ? Question 21 0 out of 10 points Postmodern theorists argue that _____. Answer Selected Answer: people cannot agree on how to define basic terms Correct  Answer: all phenomena have multiple meanings and no one meaning can be more valid than another

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Othello & Racism Essay

In Shakespeare’s play Othello the main character is Iago, although the play’s protagonist, at least during some points of the play is Othello. This paper will seek to examine the roles of Victorian stereotypes in the destruction of Othello’s character especially in the hoodwinking qualities of Iago in splitting up Desdemona and Othello The first scene of the play is set in the streets of Venice where Roderigo and Iago are in deep disagreement with what is later revealed to be a plot to destroy Othello’s marriage to Desdemona. Othello is the object of hatred of both Roderigo and Iago, as Iago states, â€Å"Your heart is burst, you have lost half your soul; Even now, now, very now, an old black ram Is topping your white ewe. † (Shakespeare I, I 97-9) Roderigo is especially racist toward Othello in the company of Iago, as Orkin states, â€Å"Roderigo too is proficient at racist insult†¦and falling upon the racist stereotype of lust-ridden black man when he calls to Brabantino that his daughter has given himself to the ‘gross clasps of a lascivious Moor’ (Shakespeare I. i. 126, Orkin 168). The evil scheme is two-fold; one, to break up the marriage of Othello and Desdemona so that Roderigo can woo Desdemona and eventually make her fall in love with him, two, that Iago can finally have his revenge on Othello. Iago suspects that Othello has slept with his wife Emilia and he detests Othello for passing him over for a promotion that he felt he deserved more than the less experienced soldier Michael Cassio. In the first few scenes of the play, Othello’s name is never mentioned, emphasizing the secrecy in Roderigo and Iago’s dealings. Instead, Othello is referred to as â€Å" the Moor† and descriptive phrases such as â€Å" thick lips†, â€Å" a Barbary horse† are used to refer to Othello’s person, which emphasizes Victorian stereotypes of the African race. While alone with Othello, Iago implies the possibility that Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio. Iago manages to persuade Othello to doubt Desdemona’s loyalty and love for him. He tells Othello to closely examine his wife’s actions when she is with Cassio, as Othello states, â€Å"She loved me for the dangers I had pass’d, And I loved her that she did pity them. This only is the witchcraft I have used: Here comes the lady; let her witness it.. (Shakespeare I, iii193-6). Othello’s first gift to Desdemona was a handkerchief, which is a very Victorian gift to give to a lady. This supposedly trivial object later becomes the piece of evidence that Iago uses to destroy Othello’s marriage, and as Othello laments at the close of the play, â€Å"I had been happy, if the general camp, Pioners and all, had tasted her sweet body, So I had nothing known. O, now, for ever Farewell the tranquil mind! farewell content! Farewell the plumed troop, and the big wars, That make ambition virtue! O, farewell! Farewell the neighing steed, and the shrill trump, The spirit-stirring drum, the ear-piercing fife, The royal banner, and all quality, Pride, pomp and circumstance of glorious war! And, O you mortal engines, whose rude throats The immortal Jove’s dead clamours counterfeit, Farewell! Othello’s occupation’s gone!. (Shakespeare III, iii, 397-409). One evening, as Desdemona and Emilia inform Othello that dinner is ready, Othello complains of a headache. Desdemona promptly offers her handkerchief to bind his head to relieve the pain. Othello comments that the handkerchief is too small and pushes it away. Desdemona unknowingly loses grip of the handkerchief as she and Othello walk out of the room. Emilia picks up the handkerchief, remembering that Iago had asked her a number of times to steal it, she is delighted at the prospect of surprising her husband. At the same time as Iago was to plant Desdemona’s handkerchief in Cassio’s room, Othello who discovers his plot is infuriated and exclaims that he’d rather witness deception first hand than assume infidelity without conclusive evidence. At this point, Iago, ever the manipulator, manages to get his way again by fabricating another story that Cassio once called out Desdemona’s name in his sleep and that Cassio acted as if he were kissing Desdemona. Iago reinforced his claim by claiming to have seen Cassio wipe his beard with the handkerchief. This enrages Othello and he vows to seek revenge on Cassio and Desdemona for the alleged infidelity. Once again, Iago succeeds and even manages to get promoted to lieutenant. In the play, Desdemona’s handkerchief is the symbol of faithfulness and later in the play the symbol of truth. It is the handkerchief which symbolizes Othello’s internalization of Victorian mores into his character which allow him to believe Iago’s tripe about Desdemona’s infedelity, and which ultimately leads to his downfall, his loss of love, and his shame. Work Cited Greenblatt, Stephen, et al. , eds. The Norton Shakespeare. New York: W. W. Norton, 1997. Orkin, Martin. Othello and the ‘Plain Face’ of Racism. Shakespeare Quarterly. Vol. 38, No. 2. (Summer 1987). Pp. 166-188.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Facebook vs. Twitter Essay

Of all the many social media outlets out there today, Facebook and twitter are the most popular in my opinion. These two social media phenomenas have several comparisons and differences in various ways. Facebook ranked number one in most used social network world wide, twitter isn’t to far behind on the list. This two social networks are appealing to billions of people all over the world because it helps you get connected with friends and you are able to communicate with them as well through tweets or Facebook chats. Which social network is better? That is for you to answer, however the social network is more beneficial to you may influence which network you prefer to use. First of all, the majority of people seem to think Facebook to be more popular than twitter. The main reason Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook was for people to connect with friends, current friends or friends from high school that you wish to get back in touch with. You can potentially connect with new friends through Facebook as well and meet different people from all of the country. The installed user base for Facebook hit one billion users at the end of september which considered by many to be a milestone that no other social network will surpass anytime soon. The reason users may not be a fan of Facebook or like twitter more is due to the fact that navigation and updates to Facebook or rather difficult and you invest more time into it. When you message somebody on Facebook it’s unlikely that you will get an immediate response from that person unless they are currently on and get notified they have a new message. On the other hand, Twitter’s popularity comes from how easily you can interact with people and you receive rapid response. People like the simplicity of twitter’s navigation and being able to send tweets whenever, if you tweet at someone and that person has the mobile app they will be notified immediately with the ability to respond quickly. Twitter’s similarities with texting are popular with the young crowd such as myself and other students all over the world. Unlike Facebooks large user base that attracts people, unfortunately twitter can’t compete with that, they are known for a much smaller user base. When sending tweets you are limited to only 140 characters, so you must be to the point when sending a tweet. Among these two social networks differences there are also several similarities. You can download both of the networks mobile app to your smart phone and access the network from your phone. Facebook and twitter both allow you to upload pictures on your profile for people and friends to view. Tweets and statuses are similar in the sense users can see what you posted on the news feed, and the popularity and growth of both networks are the biggest similarity the two have in common. Which one do you pick? I have both Facebook and twitter, I enjoy both of them and they are beneficial to my life. In the end I tend to like Facebook just a little bit more due to the interactiveness the network offers. Each network has its pros, cons and attracts people depending on the type of person you are. One person may like twitter better than Facebook, that’s fine and dandy as well, the user has there personal preference based on who they are. At the end of the day both social networks; Facebook and Twitter succeed to curb my enthusiasm.

Friday, September 13, 2019

The Mise-en-Scne of a Film Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

The Mise-en-Scne of a Film - Essay Example Bazin believed that a film should represent a director's personal vision. His writings focused on a new emphasis, with attention to more than just the usual exploration of story-performance-theme that discussion of films routinely limited itself to or focused on. His criticisms were deep and focused on the entire message, including such things as the role of the set and props, camera movement, and the use of deep focus to depict the personality of a character. He was keen to notice how Chaplin's Tramp kicks backward instead of forward. Bazin ushered in new dimensions to film discourse. His explanation in cinema discourse was understandable by the ordinary folks at the time. These views on montage or editing and deep focus were embodied in a chapter titled "Montage Interdit" in his collection of writings, where he prefers longer takes, explaining it, and "questioned the suitability of montage as a cinematic attempt to mimic literary simile." Because of its relationship to shot blocking, mise en scene is also a term sometimes used to indicate descriptive (action) paragraphs between the dialogues. The concentration on objective reality, deep focus, and lack of montage are linked to Bazin's belief that the interpretation of a film or scene should be left to the spectator. (2) What does the term Iconography mean in relation to film, and in particular, film genres Cinema appeals to the general public and tends to depend on familiar styles and structures, what people feel or idolize, and what is the trend. Tradition and culture also play a key role in the kind of genre that is in vogue, what is popular, and appeal to a larger audience. Box office appeals are influenced by idols of the masses, and this particular type of iconography maybe on the actors, the roles they play, the setting, the plot, what they wear, and the way the film is being shot. There are many ways to present iconography in films. Actors are idolized according to the role they play in movies. Sometimes typecasting is one. Teenage stars are seen on movies sometimes not because of the role they play but because they are simply teenage idols. But various factors influence the formation of a genre. Sometimes a genre just happens or evolve out of people's continuing viewing of almost similar kind of film setting or plot, with the same kind of actors. Variations occur only on how the director or filmmaker presents the films.

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Victims Rights and Vengeance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Victims Rights and Vengeance - Essay Example After the colonial and the revolutionary periods the focus on the criminal law shifted making every crime an individual committed as a social harm. In the year 1982 president Ronald Reagan’s task force on crime victims who were released in the final report that reiterated the concerns of victims of crime have been overlooked, where most of their pleas just passed unheeded and their personal, emotional, financial wounds unattended. This led to a recommendation of amendment to the US constitution which found support from victims’ rights organization. Additionally, the congress passed the first piece of federal crime victims’ rights legislation called the witness protection act. Nevertheless more need to be done as more victims of crime are left behind either due to fear of coming out for privacy sake or failure of their pleas to be attended to (Boland and Butler, 2009). In 2004, an important landmark called crime victim’s rights act was passed which provided crime victims with eight particular rights. Legal guidance and support together with future legal professional on issues related to victims’ rights have been taught by victims’ rights organisations at the ground level advocacy which has helped to cement more dependability of the system under criminal justice. More organisation are being formed which provide direct service to victims this calls for foe education and awareness campaigns. The Crime Victims Rights Act (CRVA) has helped much especially the federal criminal cases by providing a venue for victims to choose what they want to do after they become victims of a crime, where they may decide to, or not to consult with an attorney or protect themselves from the accused. When one has the right to do and act as they will it given them the freedom to life a personal life without being interrupted. No one is above the law. The law states that no one should take matters on his

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Corporate Social responsibility assignment Essay

Corporate Social responsibility assignment - Essay Example Triple Bottom Line Triple bottom line is a system that operates to ensure that corporate social responsibility is seen as a formal and an essential aspect of business entities. This is because it formalises the process of corporate social responsibilities and ensures that social responsibilities is included in an organisation at the strategic level. Triple bottom line is â€Å"... the necessity for a corporation to disclose information about its social and environmental performance in growing† (Sridhar and Jones, 2013 p92). This is because triple bottom line creates a situation where the environmental and social aspects of a business is carried out in a way that is appropriate and leads to the best interest for all entities. And more importantly, environmental and social matters are audited and accounted for through the triple bottom line system. This is because it integrates these two aspects into the business and the firm will not have to only care about profitability and ma king money for the shareholders but also, other stakeholders and provide valid evidence of how they are seeking and working towards the attainment of stakeholder interests. Triple bottom line involves the identification of sustainable corporate performance by integrating systems to attain and account for three aspects of a business: 1. Financial 2. Social and 3. Environmental (Fauzi et al, 2010). This is because triple bottom line provides a system to get an organisation to look beyond just financial reporting and financial targets. This is because it integrates the elements of sustainability into corporate reporting. In order to attain the standards of triple bottom line, a firm would have to set up a system for corporate financial, social and environmental strategy and reports (Jamali, 2006). This will ensure that an organisation will be able to integrate other important pointers of corporate social responsibility and report it and monitor it for a year-on-year improvement. Carol and Buchholtz (2012) identify that triple bottom line is a requirement for corporate control and corporate governance that focuses on stakeholders and other entities. This is because it involves setting goals in areas and aspects that affects other stakeholders and make it imperative for corporate entities to work towards the attainment of results over a broader scope than the traditional method. In the opening discussions of Carol and Buchholtz, they spell out that from the period of modern business after the Industrial Revolution in the early 1800s, firms and businesses focused excessively on the profit motive and sought to provide the best interests of the owners of the business only (2012). However, the growth of the Post-Second World War global order has sought to preserve the rights of individuals and other third parties and prevent the attainment of profits at the expense of other people who are connected to or affected by the business. Hence, the triple bottom line approach integrates the needs of stakeholders by ensuring that the needs of the society and the wider environment is integrated into the organisation and the organisation must demonstrate a strong tendency to protect the wider environment through sustainable practices and targets and also protect the environment. This is meant to promote the needs and expectations of other stakeholders, not just shareholders. Jackson et al

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

The relationship between atherosclerosis and stress Essay

The relationship between atherosclerosis and stress - Essay Example This fatty build-up would later thicken and then harden or form calcium deposits in the arteries, consequently blocking the arteries. Because of the build-up, the hardened deposits may block the flow of blood along the arteries (Dugdale, 2009). In instances when the coronary artery becomes narrowed by plaque deposits, then blood flow to the heart itself can either slow down or be stopped. The patient can experience chest pain, shortness of breath, and other symptoms when this happens (Dugdale, 2009). These fatty deposits may also break off (as embolus) and flow with the blood in the arteries and veins; they may eventually get lodged in the smaller blood vessels causing heart attacks or strokes (Dugdale, 2009). The causes for atherosclerosis have not been fully determined; however there are traits and conditions which have been considered as risk factors for this disease. It is a condition which slowly and gradually develops over time and may be worsened by factors which induce plaque formation or blood coagulation. These factors may include the following factors or causes: inflammation or infection, hypertension, smoking, and elevated LDL and VLDL (DeBruyne, 2003, p. 603). Other factors like high-fat diet, obesity, high-sodium diet, cigarette smoking, family history, and lack of exercise may also cause atherosclerosis (McConnell, 2007, p. 278). Stress is also being considered as a possible cause of atherosclerosis; however, no firm support has been set forth for this theory as yet. Nevertheless, Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association cites a study which correlates the â€Å"degree of carotid arterial atherosclerosis with exaggerated response to mental stress in men under the age of 55† (as cited by Diagnose Me, 2009). Their study further established that strong blood pressure responses to stressful situations were seen in those with more advanced atherosclerosis in the carotid arteries as compared to