Where do we draw the line between Business Intelligence and Industrial Research Paper

Where do we draw the line between Business Intelligence and Industrial Espionage - Research Paper Example organized by an enterprise to collect, store, access and analyze information about the market and competitors so that better business decisions are made possible (Biere, 2003; Scheps, 2008). These corporate databases (Loshin, 2003, p. 1) of information have turned raw data into valuable business information asset that has enabled the enterprise users to look at and manipulate information in a different way leading to fruitful business decisions that are in corporate benefit. Moss and Atre (2003, p. 4) have listed activities which are assisted by BI decision-support programs. These include Online Analytical Processing (OLAP), data mining, forecasting, business analysis, analytic analysis, knowledge management and so on; and, BI decision support databases include data mining databases, operational data stores, operational marts, web warehouses, and etcetera. To monitor BI activities and databases and companies organize BI groups within the organization and also hire professionals from outside who analyze the company’s performance, strengths and weaknesses, and compares the gathered information to predict where the company stands in the market. This helps increase profitability, reduce costs, improve customer relationship management, and decrease business risks (Loshin, 2003, p. 2). Research by Subramanian and IsHak (1998) also found that US companies who used advanced BI systems for competitor analysis enjoyed greater profitability than the companies which did not. Guttman (1995, p. 26) has defined Industrial Espionage (IE) as an â€Å"act of gathering proprietary data from private companies or the government for the purpose of aiding other company(ies)†. Companies may get involved in IE for their competitive advantage and governments may use IE to support other companies. Whatever, the case, the information has to be processed through computers and thus it becomes liable to threats regarding information security. The biggest threat employee sabotage, that is, the

Global economic development Essay Example for Free

Global economic development Essay If Gwlad want to achieve any economic growth and attain a strong economy as its neighbors in Western Europe it must carry out detailed SWOT analysis. Such an analysis involves determining the country’s strength, weakness, opportunities and threat. One of the major strength that Gwlad enjoys as a country is it strategic location. Being close to the most developed nation in the world then it will be easier to access and export goods abroad to a market which is willing and able to buy. The second strength is the relative peace that the country enjoys and that of the surrounding nation which means that foreign investors will be willing to set up businesses (Anderson, 2007). One of the main weaknesses in this country is low level of industrialization which will translate to low out put and therefore less export compared to other country in the surrounding. Also with a population of just 3 million people it means that the aggregate demand is very low and for multinational who want to venture into such country and market their produce, the low demand expected for their products may discourage them. Furthermore this country seems to be expecting poor infrastructure and this raises the cost of doing business which discourage foreign direct investment (root 2006). The low level of services may be another hindrance to foreign direct investment. Foreign investors Global economic development 2 values a strong financial system that is able to allocate capital efficiently, mobilizing saving, monitor firms, share and diversity risk with the low level of GDP the consumers’ purchasing power is weak and therefore this further reduces the aggregate demand and output levels in the country. Also the country relies on few sectors to support the economy and there is a need to expand on such areas (Carroll, 2006). One of the major threat that the country faces is competition form rivals who are well established and their industries have become stable such that they are able to supply goods in the global market at low cost. Secondly since the country is not a member of European Union then members may impose both tariff and non tariff barriers to trade from goods exported from Gwlad which will increase the prices of good exported on members country. High prices will discourage consumers’ consumption of such goods which will ultimately reduce export and affect the country’s balance of payment. The country should take steps to proceed with privatization of most public corporations since such move encourage foreign direct investment and also improves on transparency and good governance of such companies (ridout, 2005). Since the financial system play a pivotal role on the growth of an economy the government should implement policies designed to streamline the sector. To encourage investment in the country then it is also vital to revise its taxation policies and develop a scheme geared towards benefiting foreign business. Entry of multinationals in the domestic market have some adverse effects in that some of the domestics firm are not strong enough to compete favorably with foreign firms such that they require protection from the government. Therefore the government Global economic development 3 should develop policy geared towards protecting domestic firms and also protecting capital flight which mostly affect the balance of payment of the country if not taken into consideration. To ensure that employment level in the country rises and that multinational does not take advantage of lack of employment policies to bring in expatriate even in areas where local can work then labor policies should be drawn which includes issues of minimal wages to be paid. Regional trading blocks such as the EU and others aid international trade by reducing or eliminating both tariff and not tariff barriers to trade therefore incase Gwlad want to participate more in the global market then it should realign its foreign policies which will enable it to be accommodated in such trading blocks. Active signing of both bilateral and multilateral agreement is necessary in improving penetration to foreign market thereby improving on export which translates to a higher GDP (melchet, 2005). CASE STUDY 2 Though strategic location and the issue of wages rate are considered by a foreign investor in determining whether to invest in a certain country or not, there are other major factors which are first considered. The availability of energy and associated cost are given priority in manufacturing industries since energy cost comprises a huge percentage of manufacturing cost hence one of the main determinants in making investment decision. The level of infrastructure is also considered by business. The possibility of growth and political stability should also be an integral part of such a marketing strategy since these two factors will determine whether a business will grow in foreign market. Through most of the study conducted it has also been proved that vibrant financial system Global economic development 4 also plays a major role in encouraging FDI (zedillo, 2005). On marketing Gwlad I would include such issues as tax system which benefit inventors e. g. tax allowance on investment. To increase foreign income from tourism then issues such as beautiful scenery and variety of wildlife have to be included. Further more technology play a major role in global market and therefore a mention of the technological achievement and possible advancement in technology should be included in the countries marketing strategy as firms currently rely on technology in performing it core business. Case Study 3 Technology advancement have led countries like china and Japan to be the most industrialized and leading exporters in the global Market. Consequently their economy have grown and a country like china with a population higher than the whole of Africa have been able to support its citizen and even offer loans and grant to other nations. Though technological advancement is key to economic development it has to be matched with good governance and visionary leaders who are able to inspire their people to reach new height (Polanski, 2004). In developing the economic policy there are others sectors which should be considered. This includes, health, financial sector which includes among other banks, insurance market, and the capital market and aerospace and automotive sectors in the transport industry. Case Study 4 One of the major strength of developing domestic companies is that it protects capital Global economic development 5 freight which adversely affects the balance of payment and the exchange rate. Domestic companies mostly employ people from within the country which reduces the level of unemployment. The income generated by domestic firms is usually re invested back thereby improving in economic growth. Some of the other income which is distributed as dividend to the owner increases the level of aggregate demand and saving levels due to increase in disposable income. Where aggregate demand increases business will be forced to produce more goods which lead to their growth and expansion (McDonnell, 2003). As saving levels increase businesses will have available capital for investment and through the multiplier effect where investment increase the GDP will also increase therefore accelerating the economic growth of the country. If steps are taken to develop domestic companies then they may grow to a level of being multinationals which will generate foreign income to the country. One of the major threats in developing domestic companies is that in case of harsh economic condition they may not withstand and therefore collapse. There are also possibility of political interference in the management and operation of such firms. Due to the limited fund available it may not be possible to avail all the required capital for expansion which means that such business will be operating below capacity and there will be under utilization of resources. Further more the economy can grow at a very low rate if only the domestic business are relied upon to accelerate growth. Lack of competition will be another weakness in that business will not improve on core area of performance such as technology therefore products will be of low quality and higher Global economic development 6 price with inability o compete in global market. Where competition lack then there is low level of creativity and innovation in products and service development therefore the economy will lag behind (Coparosa, 2004). Where the country is able to attract foreign direct investment then it is able to improve on technological advancement since such investors transfer technology to the host country. Further more since the country is experiencing a capital rationing this foreign firms do not require any form of financing from government and the funds available could be used to develop other sectors where foreign companies are unwilling to invest. Furthermore this foreign firm introduces competition which forces business to produce goods effectively and efficiently. The major threat of encouraging multinationals to invest in the country is that they can kill local industries incase where such firms are not able to compete favorably. Some of the multinational which occupies a greater stake in the economy sometimes dictate or influence the policy made by government to their advantage since where e government fail to comply they threaten to withdraw. One of the main weaknesses of using FDI is the issue of capital flight. Most usually send the profit generated from its operation back to it parent company which adversely affect the economy. However such businesses are able to sustain harsh economic condition and also improve the level of infrastructure in the host country. In using combination strategy the government ensures that domestic firms grow while at the same time attracting foreign direct investment which steers the economic growth. There should be a balance between protecting domestic firms and maintaining Global economic development 7 environment which enables foreign firms to compete fairly with domestic firms (Roca, 1983) Due to shortage of funds that the country experience and other benefits that accrue from having FDI it is advisable that the country employs a combination of strategy if it aim to achieve faster economic development. Case study 5 In persuading multinationals to develop local supply chain then the country have to change policies on taxation of this foreign firms. Issues such as tax allowance on investment can encourage such multinational to set up business to take such advantages of allowance. Also policies that streamline the financing system are also important since the financial system is a factor considered by multinational before venturing into any market. To encourage multinational to undertake research and development in the country then the country should have a well designed policy concerning copyright, trade marks or use of intellectual property. Also where commercial services such as advertising, local research firms and professional service are established and well regulated then multinational can be motivated to use such services. Furthermore policies concerning regional integration are important since it assist business to supply it commodity to other international market without barriers to trade both tariff and non tariff therefore improving on it competiveness in the global market. In addition the transport system is necessary for efficient operation of any supply chain therefore policies should be designed to improve such systems. Global economic development 8 CASE STUDY 6 Where a country is a member of the EU then there is no obstacle on free movement of goods, people and capital therefore the country can easily market and export its goods to members countries thereby improving on its balance of payment. Through the European social fund then the country will be able to improve on its level of employment thereby raising the standard of living of its citizen. The creation of European investment bank will facilitate the economic expansion of the country through creation of new resources. The EU has also developed a well established system of ensuring that competition is fair in the common markets which will therefore means that weak members states such as Gwlad are not exploited or taken advantage of by other strong and developed nations. However being such a member of EU then you have to adopt a common custom tariff and common commercial policy towards non members which may therefore reduce the country aggressiveness to participate in the global market. Countries such as China, Brazil and Australia are the new fastest growing economy in the world hence they provide a ground on which new market can be found. Further more bilateral and multilateral agreement with such country can be more beneficial than joining a trading block for a country with a weak economy (godison, 1988). For a country like Gwlad which need to achieve faster economic development it need to develop free trade agreement with this growing economies as they present a better opportunity for growth than a trading block. CASE STUDY 7 Global economic development 9 One of the merit of having a cluster development policy is having a balanced economy in that you do not allow foreign firm to dominate the local market but also give chance for domestic business to grow and reach a level at which they can compete in the global market . having both local and foreign firm present multinational from influencing government policy with threat to with draw since their position will be taken up by local firms. One of the problems inherent in such a cluster development policy is development of policy which attracts foreign entity while at the same time ensuring protection to domestic firms. The best option of organizing sector development is having specific policies that take special need of each sector rather than general policies which just give a general outlay instead of specific guideline for sector development (madon, 1997). CASE STUDY 8 As the company is ready to employ 30,000 people this will be a great boost to the economy as it will reduce the level of unemployment and ultimately increase the GDP. However where foreign suppliers are contracted to supply good rather than local suppliers this will lead to loss of business and capital flight from the country. Furthermore the demand by this firm that the country liars with the host country of these suppliers to request for a tax break may be an added cost to the country as they may in return ask for other favors which may hurt the economy. The government should agree to give research and development grant but not succumb to demand of allowing foreign supplies to be contracted as this will erode most of the benefit generated. Global economic development 10 References Anderson, AT 2007, Developing m-services: lessons learned from the developers perspective, Communication of AIS, VOL. 2007, issue 20. Carroll, M 2006, An interview with Prime Minister Lee, Institutional Investors, vol. 40, issue 9. Caporaso, J 2004,Dependence, dependency, and power in the global system: a structure and behavioral analysis, International Organization, Vol. 32 Issue 1. Emerging Markets Debt Report 2000, Political risk: Thumbs up for Brazil, Stormy Clime in Vennie, Vol. 13 Issue 4. Godison, N 1988,Londons place in the global securities market, International Affairs, Vol. 64 Issue 4. Madon, S 1997,Information-Based Global Economy and Socioeconomic Development: The Case of Bangalore,’ Information Society, Vol. 13 Issue 3. Melchet, L 2005,The Age of Environmental Impasse? Globalization and Environmental Transformation of Metropolitan Cities, Development Change, Vol. 36 Issue 5. Global economic development 11 McDonnell, I Lecomte 2003, Public Opinion and the Fight against Poverty, DAC Journal, Vol. 4 Issue 2. polenske, K 2004, Competition, Collaboration and Cooperation: An Uneasy Triangle in Networks of Firms and Regions, Regional Studies, Vol. 38 Issue 9.

Graduation Speech -- Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

Isn't it strange how princes and kings And clowns who caper in sawdust rings And common folk, like you and me Are builders for eternity. For each is given a bag of tools, A shapeless mass, and a set of rules. And each of us, a life is flown, Must either build a stumbling block or stepping stone. Builders for eternity ... what an awe-inspiring thought: That you and I not would be, nor could be, but are builders for eternity. On this day, the seventh of June 2006, at our high school graduation night, the night we say goodbye to the structured life high school offers, the night we say goodbye to friends and teachers that have impacted our lives in so many ways. This night, as we bid farewell and invite the broad, new horizon ahead of us, we must ask ourselves this: What kinds of builders will we become, and what will we build? Life is filled with endless opportunities of what we can become. Not merely as a profession, but what makes us as individuals. As we, builders for eternity, fabricate our lives from here on out as high school graduates, I hope and pray for the very best for each and every one of us; that we can all build, for ourselves, and, more importantly, others, stepping-stones. In doing this, there are three words that stand out to me to keep in mind. They all start with the letter E. The first E is for Enjoy. A band named Aerosmith said: "Life is a journey not a destination." So live it accordingly. Let us enjoy being who we are, doing those activities that excite, enliven, and motivate ourselves. It is often important and necessary to do things that are not fun, but overall, be you, someone who you will enjoy being. The second E is for Effort. "A person should do his or her job ... ... in this gymnasium this evening has these three items: A bag of God given talents, a life of time to do with what we please, and a few laws to live by when applying these talents and time. So, with these thoughts in mind, what is the challenge before us? ... And each of us, a life is flown, must either build a stumbling block or a stepping-stone. On behalf of the Humphrey graduating Class of 2006, I would like to thank the School District Board of Directors, administrators, teachers along the entire path, and any more members of the Humphrey School District staff. Also, thank you parents, families, and friends for your love and support. Congratulations Class of 2006. We made it, and have made it this far together. After tonight we take separate paths to conquer what lies before us. Let's choose our battles wisely, fight a faithful fight, and win. Thank you.

Emerging Nokia Essay

1. What strategy would you recommend for Nokia going forward? Please develop a complete strategy that addresses the following issues: Choice of scope: does it make sense for Nokia to be in both emerging and developed markets, or should they choose not to play in certain markets? How integrated should it be into manufacturing, services (apps), software development, sales, etc? Answer1: Choice of scope: With dwindling sales in developed countries like USA, UK, Germany, Russia and Italy and even in emerging markets like India, Indonesia and Brazil (as per Exhibit 1) despite previously having a stronghold, Nokia now had to decide if it should continue its focus on emerging markets or attempt to salvage the sales even in the developed markets. Status in developed markets: 1. The operators usually have more power but this was changing since the emergence of iPhone. It is a replacement market with users looking for up gradation 2. Competition- Growing competition from companies like Motorola, Samsung, LG and Sony Ericsson. The RIM‘s launch of Blackberry(2002) and Apple’s iPhone (2007) was a further set back 3. New Operating System- Emergence of new user friendly operating systems such as Google‘s Android and Microsoft’s Windows mobile further put Nokia on the back foot 4. Inability to understand demand- Nokia failed to identify the growing consumer need for touch screen phones 5. Target – Nokia operated at all price points where as competitors like Apple (high-end segment) and Samsung( mid and high end segment) had a clearly drawn up strategy Slowdown in some emerging markets: 1. Reverse bundling allows the manufacturer to wield more power than the operator 2. There is lower cost of production which helps produce inspirational products at low rates 3. The growing competition from companies like Samsung that were offering the latest technology at competitive prices 4. Therefore, Nokia lost out on the middle and high segment but continued to grow in the low-end mobile segment as it had identified the gaps in emerging markets and customized services to suit the local consumers Nokia must recognize the difference in the different market  segments and take the challenges head on to be able to operate in both markets. It must clearly identify the segments it wants to operate in and also change its positioning based on the data below. Data from Exhibit 11: Percentage of phone sales by segment Emerging Markets Developed Countries Mid East AP w/o Japan Latin America E. Europe Japan W. Europe North America Basic 41% 43% 20% 34% 0% 4% 8% Enhanced 40% 44% 58% 45% 32% 29% 43% Smart Phones- E. level 10% 7% 12% 10% 6% 34% 8% Smart phone- Feature 10% 6% 9% 11% 62% 33% 41% Penetration 58% 45.50% 80.30% 127.50% 86.60% 122.90% 84.90% Nokia Market Share 61.40% 42.30% 32.80% 48% 0.30% 39.40% 7.20% In emerging markets, Nokia must focus on Basic and Enhanced phones, as that is the largest segment as the market is still evolving and low cost handsets coupled with customized services will help further grow its footprint. In developed countries, Nokia should look at development of high end- high technology driven models in the Smart Phones Entry Level and Feature segment. At the same time when it comes to Japan, Nokia should look to  divest as it is largely smartphone driven market and Nokia has very little market share and does not have the requisite technology to successfully compete in that segment yet. It is essential for Nokia to follow the innovations in developed countries especially USA and adapt them to developing markets if it wants to stand up against competition in both the markets. Mobile phone industry has followed the International Product Life Cycle but now they have reached a stage where different approach is required for innovation to take place in developed and developing markets to meet their specific needs. Another key thing that Nokia must do is to reconsider its Transnational Strategy and adopt a Multi-Domestic Strategy to be able to cater to the distinctive needs of both the developed and emerging markets and to be more locally responsive. Level of Integration: Manufacturing- It should continue to be highly integrated as that is its core competency and contributed to operating profits with a CAGR of 13%. It helps in cost control especially in price-sensitive emerging markets. Operating System- Low integration. The future of Symbian isn’t very bright as competitors like Android of Google and Apple already have a lot of applications to offer on their OS. hence, it must look to finding a partner for a better OS as has been shown by its adoption of windows OS. Service (Apps) – Low integration. This can also be outsourced since it is not a core competency of Nokia and customer Value given to third party applications is on the rise (as per Exhibit 6) Sales and Distribution- Should be highly integrated as it has already developed a vast distribution and achieved great penetration in emerging markets which has been a source of higher margins by direct selling to consumers and is also a core competency. 2. What products should it offer – smart phones, low end phones, etc? Source of advantage: what will be the distinctive competitive advantage that Nokia will offer? Choice of activities: what choices should Nokia make in all its key activities, and where will it locate those activities – for eg., HR policies, manufacturing, R&D, software development, sales and marketing, etc. What is the justification for your strategy recommendation? Answer2: Addressing the consumer needs should be the strategy for Nokia in both emerging and developed market. In the emerging markets where Nokia is already a leader, it should focus on catering to the growing bottom of the pyramid consumer. The biggest advantage that Nokia offers is its reach. It should focus on its complimentary telecom industry trend, specifically in India, telecom players are involved into price war and which gave customer a higher bargaining power to switch. In such case coming up with dual sim phone would cater to the primary need of market. The applications in the phone should be in sync with local leisure such as music, newspaper and such more. Instead charging user for Life tools, revenue generation should be from advertisers. Provide time bound high end test features in low end phone during successive OS updates; this will generate user awareness and need for high end smart phone. On the other hand, in developed markets, Nokia has lost its share to other players. Customer demands smartphones with high quality user interface experience and applications and data security (RIM’s competency), Nokia need to target it. Nokia’s target should be the esteem need of user. Developing an OVI ecosystem with third party app developers, advertisers through more free and few paid applications for users. This will give Nokia a distinct advantage in the market if acted as 1st mover. More investment and development for user data security will generate trust among the users. In the mobile phone industry, the product life cycle is very short. Every year a new product is available on the shelf. Hence responsiveness to the consumer’s need is a must. Nokia failed to do that this with the clamshell model in China. By the time it came out with the product, the trend for clamshell models had faded and Nokia lost out to competition. Key advantages of Nokia a. 3 distinct operating system platforms that can offer the base for wide range of products catering to all user segments. b. Longest and complex supply chain in the world. It has the most efficient sourcing, logistics, manufacturing, and distribution of any company in the world. c. Nokia offers the OVI Store: the second largest app store in the world which is growing 70% per month as per Tero Ojanpera, Nokia’s EVP for the Services. d. With the acquisition of Navteq Corporation, it has a strong presence in the GPS  world and provides a wide range of geographic image support covering almost more than 180+ countries. e. In India. Nokia has a strong hold of rural market with their distribution system handles by HCL Info systems. In Latin America, it has a dedicated team to manage the relationship with America Movil and Telefonica and to co-ordinate sales and services across the region. Choice of activities a. HR policies should be locally controlled by subsidiaries to keep local culture intact. b. Manufacturing should be done on a global scale to utilize cost and resource arbitrage. Core product R&D should be centralized with satellite R&D in each market to add local flavor to the product. c. Software development centers have to be installed in countries like India or Philippines to utilize local talent and expertise in software development. d. Sales and marketing should be again localized. Country specific distribution channel should be adopted.

Social promotion in NYC public schools

Today New York City district accounts approximately 1. 1 million students, what is one of the largest public school districts in USA. Just couple months ago, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Chancellor Joel Klein introduced new approach towards the social promotion in public schools in NYC. According to the Raymond Domanico, the proposed initiative will hold back around 15,000 third-graders in case if they fail English and math tests. [#1, P. 4] Of course, the issue of social promotion in public schools is a controversial one and contains numerous cons and pros which were lately widely discussed among the educators. In this essay I am going to provide detailed information regarding social promotion in NYC. The idea of social promotion was initially introduced in NYC in the beginning of 1980s. The program looks alike to the one proposed by Klein and Bloomberg not long ago. Though, 20 years ago it was called â€Å"Promotional Gates Program† and obligated students of the third and seventh grade to pass English reading test and math test before they are accepted to the upper grade. They were also proposed to study at summer schools if they fail the test and retake it at the end of August. Only if they fail this test for the second time, they will be turned back to the same grade again. The novelty of Mayor’s initiative concludes in that, that if the third-graders fail the reading and math test (will not pass level 3, where 4th level is considered to be the highest) – they will be offered another chance to take it but previously attend the summer school. The trick and the topic for the continuing discussions of educators is in that, that the passing level for the second test attempt – is level 2 (the rest of scenario of social promotion is invariable – if students fail this level, they are to repeat third grade again). Some argue that this method will provide weak students the understanding that their flabby achievements will be tolerated, and therefore these students are left with each year behind their progressing classmates. But the Chancellor Joe Klein notes, that â€Å"No one wants to hold students behind. So large numbers of students are promoted even though those students are not prepared for the next grade. The result is that many students are passed through the system from one grade to another without the necessary preparation and skills. These students typically fall further and further behind until they ultimately leave school unprepared. † [#1, p. 4] Now it becomes more understandable, why these changes raised number of accusations from the side of educators and have opponents as well. New Mayor’s approach is retrieved towards summer schools as well: those will be available for the students who are not only third graders but also second graders and who demonstrate poor results and attendance during that grade. The class size is decreased to the quantity of the small group and will account approximately 15 students in each. As to me, this point of the program is very commendable and worth of appropriate attention. Of course, the other question which is usually discussed when the program is either implemented or maintained – is its budgeting. Our case is not an exception. It is worth saying that budget of NYC is to cover these expenses and the size of this burden accounts $25 million (this number is an approximate, but the real one could be much higher). Therefore in order to deal with it, some high school principals in NYC has diverted the funds from the high school students toward the third grade program. Joe Mathew is supporting this idea as well and expresses his thought in the following way â€Å"Money spent on an extra year of schooling for retained students would be better spent on preventing low achievement†. [#2, p. 4] According to the statistical data, because of social promotion program, 25% of all ninth grade students in NYC public schools are over-aged for their class. #1, p. 4] This number brings to the conclusion, that these students most probably were detained once during there school time. In some schools also exists â€Å"unwritten policy of teachers and principals† which is aimed to minimize withholding of a weak students to the lowest quantity of years as it is possible. My opinion is, that when improving social promotion programs in NYC public schools, the attention should be paid to the identificat ion of the â€Å"risk† students or â€Å"risk† groups and work with them before it is too late. I think that it would be also more appropriate to aim these costs to the development of suchlike programs as preschool, improvement of the school in general and additional attention for the low-motivated students or the one who are behind the program. But, for myself I brought up the question for further discussion: is social promotion the result of school miscarriage or is it the sign of greater number of problems which school may face in a near future?

Free Essays on Guy Harver

â€Å"CHUMS† The art gallery where I found this painting is located in d’Iberville Mississippi. It is named the Smart Art gallery. It is very easy to find coming from I-110 N. Once you exit the interstate, take the right until you come to the first light. Then turn left onto Central Ave. The Gallery is located in the second shopping center on the right. I visited this gallery after finding the George E. Ohr museum was in between its â€Å"Riverwalk† and â€Å"Red, White and Blues† display, and the only featured artist that I seemed to have like was George Ohr. So, that is when I found this pleasant picture of these â€Å"CHUMS† at this d’Iberville gallery. The Artist of this painting is Guy Harvey, who is much more than just an artist. He is a scientist, diver, angler, adventurer, and family man. Inspire at an early age by the sea around him, Guy Harvey enjoyed many hours fishing and diving from his father’s canoe in his native Caribbean home of Jamaica. From his early inspirations, Guy’s natural gift to recreate marine life has propelled him from a Professor of Marine Biology to a full time marine wildlife artist. His constant curiosity about the sea and its occupants keep Guy busily experimenting with new ways to recreate his subject. Guy Travels the world in search of new inspiration, his dedication to his career is extraordinary. However, his family is the first and foremost consideration in juggling increased demand on his time. As a result, there is a new generation of Harverys demonstrating the same love and concern of the sea that was ingrained in their father years ago. Guy’s studio is in Kingston, Jamaica where he lives with his wife, Gillian, and their two children, Jessica and Alexander. I chose the â€Å"CHUMS† picture because I like to fish for and eat red fish and specks. Guy Harvey displayed these two fish and the one crab in their environment, and the detail of the fish caught... Free Essays on Guy Harver Free Essays on Guy Harver â€Å"CHUMS† The art gallery where I found this painting is located in d’Iberville Mississippi. It is named the Smart Art gallery. It is very easy to find coming from I-110 N. Once you exit the interstate, take the right until you come to the first light. Then turn left onto Central Ave. The Gallery is located in the second shopping center on the right. I visited this gallery after finding the George E. Ohr museum was in between its â€Å"Riverwalk† and â€Å"Red, White and Blues† display, and the only featured artist that I seemed to have like was George Ohr. So, that is when I found this pleasant picture of these â€Å"CHUMS† at this d’Iberville gallery. The Artist of this painting is Guy Harvey, who is much more than just an artist. He is a scientist, diver, angler, adventurer, and family man. Inspire at an early age by the sea around him, Guy Harvey enjoyed many hours fishing and diving from his father’s canoe in his native Caribbean home of Jamaica. From his early inspirations, Guy’s natural gift to recreate marine life has propelled him from a Professor of Marine Biology to a full time marine wildlife artist. His constant curiosity about the sea and its occupants keep Guy busily experimenting with new ways to recreate his subject. Guy Travels the world in search of new inspiration, his dedication to his career is extraordinary. However, his family is the first and foremost consideration in juggling increased demand on his time. As a result, there is a new generation of Harverys demonstrating the same love and concern of the sea that was ingrained in their father years ago. Guy’s studio is in Kingston, Jamaica where he lives with his wife, Gillian, and their two children, Jessica and Alexander. I chose the â€Å"CHUMS† picture because I like to fish for and eat red fish and specks. Guy Harvey displayed these two fish and the one crab in their environment, and the detail of the fish caught...

Shrek Lord Farquaad Essays

Shrek Lord Farquaad Essays Shrek Lord Farquaad Paper Shrek Lord Farquaad Paper In contrast to Shrek, Lord Farquaad is evil and sly. We know this because he tortured the gingerbread man by dipping him in milk and getting the truth out by threatening him by removing the buttons. This shows that he is cruel and ruthless. When he finds out that Princess Fiona is an ogre at sunset he treats her badly by calling her names and ordering his guards to lock her in the dungeons he. This clearly shows us that he never loved Princess Fiona but he only used her to become king of Duloc. He is a two- faced crook who has features of an ogre instead of a Lord. When a director is making a film it is important that he/ she uses different camera angles/ shots to create a variety of effects. There are 3 main types of angles or camera shots, high angle shot, mid- angle shot, low angle shots and close up shots. When Shrek tries to scare the story characters at the beginning of the film there is a close up shot of his mouth, this suggests that he is going to eat them up. This gives a tense moment for the viewers. The darkness causes further unease and pressure. Close up shots are used to focus the viewers attention on something. They are often used to focus attention on characters emotion. Close up shots are also used when Shrek and Fiona are smiling this gives an effect on the romance relationship between them. They took close up shots so that we can focus on their emotions and the way they move. This way we can focus on every smile and details on their faces. When lord Farquaad is introduced to Princess Fiona the camera focuses on his hands instead of his face. This is done to make Lord Farquaad look hostile and unsympathetic. When Shrek Lord Farquaad castle the camera moves from ground level to show his tower, this is a high angle shot. It is useful because it makes Lord Farquaad seem dominant and wicked and Shrek and Donkey seem vulnerable and pathetic. High angle shots are used when a character is made to seem more helpless and human type. This is an important scene because in traditional fairytales this would be the other way round. The ogre would seem wicked and the donkey and Lord Farquaad would be helpless. I think that this is the most important angle used because this reverses the whole tradition. The effect of mid-angle shots is that they make the characters seem equal. This is shown when Shrek is preparing a meal for Princess Fiona and when Shrek and Donkey are relaxing. Sometimes, a characters back is shown rather than their face. This is used to suggest seclusion and isolation from other characters. For example when Princess Fiona leaves Shrek and goes inside she turns her back on him, this is to show that Princess Fiona is hiding something and isolates herself from him. Another example is when Shrek decides to end his relationship with Donkey, to show this he turns his back on Donkey and the relationship between them. Setting another presentational device used to influence the viewer. Shrek swamp describes his character in a way. Although it looks like an ogres swamp; dirty and smelly it is still inviting and homely. This is the same with Shrek; he looks ugly and disgusting but in fact he is kind and fun to be with. The fact that other characters scheme into Shreks shows that as a character he is lively and wants to entertain people but he has always been rejected by the villagers so he has grown to be quite private and self-centered. Lord Farquaad lives in a castle which is expected to be a calm, pleasant, comfortable, friendly and its supposed to have an air of majesty and splendor. But it is quite scary, threatening and cruel. Although Shrek looks and often acts like an ogre; when he is bathing in mud and when he brushes he teeth with mud. Lord Farquaad seems like a typical lord because he lives in a castle and dresses up majestically although his character does not suggest that.

Origins of the Ancient Mesoamerican Ballgame

Origins of the Ancient Mesoamerican Ballgame The Mesoamerican Ball Game is the oldest known sport in the Americas  and originated in southern Mexico approximately 3,700 years ago. For many pre-Columbian cultures, such as the Olmec, Maya, Zapotec, and Aztec, it was a ritual, political and social activity that involved the whole community. The ball game took place in specific I-shaped buildings, recognizable in many archaeological sites, called ballcourts. There are an estimated 1,300 known ballcourts in Mesoamerica. Origins of the Mesoamerican Ball Game The earliest evidence of the practice of the ball game comes to us from ceramic figurines of ballplayers recovered from El Opeà ±o, Michoacan state in western Mexico about 1700 BC. Fourteen rubber balls were found at the shrine of El Manatà ­ in Veracruz, deposited over a long period beginning about 1600 BC. The oldest example of a ballcourt discovered to date was built about 1400 BC, at the site of Paso de la Amada, an important Formative site in the state of Chiapas in southern Mexico; and the first consistent imagery, including ball-playing costumes and paraphernalia, is known from the San Lorenzo Horizon of the Olmec civilization, ca 1400-1000 BC. Archaeologists agree that the origin of the ball game is linked with the origin of ranked society. The ball court at Paso de la Amada was constructed near the chiefs house and, later on, the famous colossal heads were carved depicting leaders wearing ballgame helmets. Even if the locational origins are not clear, archaeologists believe that the ball game represented a form of social display- whoever had the resources to organize it gained social prestige. According to Spanish historical records and indigenous codexes, we know that the Maya and Aztecs used the ball game to solve hereditary issues, wars, to foretell the future and to make important ritual and political decisions. Where the Game Was Played The ball game was played in specific open constructions called ball courts. These usually were laid out in the form of a capital I, consisting of two parallel structures that delimited a central court. These lateral structures had sloping walls and benches, where the ball bounced, and some had stone rings suspended from the top. Ball courts were usually surrounded by other buildings and facilities, most of which probably were of perishable materials; however, masonry constructions usually involved surrounding low walls, small shrines, and platforms from which people observed the game. Almost all main Mesoamerican cities had at least one ball court. Interestingly, no ball court has yet been identified at Teotihuacan, the major metropolis of Central Mexico. An image of a ball game is visible on the murals of Tepantitla, one of Teotihuacans residential compounds, but no ball court. The Terminal Classic Maya city of Chichen Itz has the largest ball court; and El Tajin, a center that flourished between the Late Classic and the Epiclassic on the Gulf Coast, had as many as 17 ball courts. How the Game Was Played Evidence suggests that a wide variety of types of games, all played with a rubber ball, existed in ancient Mesoamerica, but the most widespread was the hip game. This was played by two opposing teams, with a variable number of players. The aim of the game was to put the ball into the opponents end zone without using hands or feet: only hips could touch the ball. The game was scored using different point systems; but we have no direct accounts, either indigenous or European, that precisely describe the techniques or rules of the game. Ball games were violent and dangerous and players wore protective gear, usually made of leather, such as helmets, knee pads, arm and chest protectors and gloves. Archaeologists call the special protection constructed for the hips yokes, for their resemblance to animal yokes. A further violent aspect of the ball game involved human sacrifices, which were often an integral part of the activity. Among the Aztec, decapitation was a frequent end for the losing team. It has also been suggested that the game was a way to resolve conflicts among polities without resorting to real warfare. The Classic Maya origin story told in the Popol Vuh describes the ballgame as a contest between humans and underworld deities, with the ballcourt representing a portal to the underworld. However, ball games were also the occasion for communal events such as feasting, celebration, and gambling. The Players The entire community was differently involved in a ball game: Ballplayers: The players themselves were probably men of noble origins or aspirations. The winners gained both wealth and social prestige.Sponsors: Ball court construction, as well as game organization, required some form of sponsorship. Affirmed leaders, or people who wanted to be leaders, considered ball game sponsorship an opportunity to emerge or reaffirm their power.Ritual Specialists: Ritual specialists often performed religious ceremonies before and after the game.Audience: All sorts of people participated as spectators to the event: local commoners and people coming from other towns, nobles, sport supporters, food sellers and other vendors.Gamblers: Gambling was an integral component of ball games. Bettors were both nobles and commoners, and sources tell us that the Aztec had very strict regulations about bet payments and debts. A modern version of the Mesoamerican ballgame, called ulama, is still played in Sinaloa, Northwest Mexico. The game is played with a rubber ball hit only with the hips and resemble a net-less volleyball. Updated by K. Kris Hirst Sources Blomster JP. 2012. Early evidence of the ballgame in Oaxaca, Mexico. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition. Diehl RA. 2009. Death Gods, Smiling Faces Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies Inc: FAMSI. (accessed in November 2010)and Colossal Heads: Archaeology of the Mexican Gulf Lowlands. Hill WD, and Clark JE. 2001. Sports, Gambling, and Government: Americas First Social Compact? American Anthropologist 103(2):331-345. Hosler D, Burkett SL, and Tarkanian MJ. 1999. Prehistoric Polymers: Rubber Processing in Ancient Mesoamerica. Science 284(5422):1988-1991. Leyenaar TJJ. 1992. Ulama, the survival of the Mesoamerican ballgame Ullamaliztli. Kiva 58(2):115-153. Paulinyi Z. 2014. The butterfly bird god and his myth at Teotihuacan. Ancient Mesoamerica 25(01):29-48. Taladoire E. 2003. Could we speak of the Super Bowl at Flushing Meadows?: La pelota . Ancient Mesoamerica 14(02):319-342.mixteca, a third pre-Hispanic ballgame, and its possible architectural context

Islamic politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Islamic politics - Essay Example Through the discourse of IMAM Dr. Abdul Jalil Sajid via the written work â€Å"Islam and Ethics of War and Peace†, the political theory of Islam on justice, war, and peace is based on the core teaching of Qur’an stating â€Å"The aim of war according to the Qur’an is not to propagate or spread Islam, nor is it to expand the territory of the Islamic State or dominate, politically or militarily, non-Muslim regions.† In order to gain deeper insight on war and peace under the context of Islamic principles, it would be useful to investigate with the empirical findings of Jeff Haynes in view of religious fundamentalism, the article â€Å"Understanding Islam†, S.P. Huntington on the â€Å"clash of civilizations†, as well as the report made by Diane Sawyer. Besides the conventional notion that religious fundamentalism pertains to a religious movement whose militant characteristic is justified by stiff adherence to fundamental principles, Jeff Haynes modifies the basic definition by critiquing that contemporary religious fundamentalism emerges out of ‘the failed promise of modernity’ and necessarily refutes the negative impact of modernisation upon moral development. According to Haynes, the religious militancy in fundamentalism is chiefly brought about by the general ‘decline of the societal salience of religion’ due to rapid cultural and economic changes particularly since the World War II. Normally, religious authorities are ideally expected to intervene in state affairs when advancing political interests so that the goals set herein can be directed to coincide with the public good or applied to satisfy the needs and desires of the majority. This way, religion serves to oppose secularism and mediate between the government and the people in order to ensure that the concerns of the latter are met within the constitutional framework and may be understood the principal grounds behind the 9-11 incident of 2001. Muslims are typically found in the state of

Environmental Science IP2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Environmental Science IP2 - Essay Example High birth rates are due to lack of family planning as methods such as the use of contraceptives are discouraged or people lack information about them. The stage is further characterized by high mortality rates which normally arise from the prevalence of communicable diseases. Poor hygienic conditions which are marked by lack of clean water and improper means of waste disposal is another key factor in this stage. The second phase is marked with a decline in death rate due to improved medical care, proper sanitation and increased availability of food while birth rates still remain high. This stage is also referred to as early expanding stage. Improvement of food capacity backed up by proper storage equipment enables people to live longer until they attain adulthood. There is high fertility rate especially in rural areas where people give birth to very many children hence increased birth rates. This stage is marked by a decreasing trend in the rate of births while mortality rate tends to remain constant. The decrease in birth rate arises when people begin to take up birth control measures such as the use of contraceptives so that they can be able to cope up with the rising standards of living especially in the urban centers. This period is also termed late expanding owing to the fact that the economic status is on the rise. The phase is marked by stabilization in the population in which an equilibrium level between birth rate and death rate has been achieved. This is a typical case of developed economies that have attained low stationery economic growth. The death rates are extremely low due to proper health care while the birth rates are low due to population policies that have been set up by the government to control population. Factors that lead to decline in crude birth rates includes the acceptance of birth control measures, enactment of legislations that are aimed at controlling birth rates while those that lead to decrease in

The Efficaciousness of the Proposed Socio-Educational Student Support Research Paper

The Efficaciousness of the Proposed Socio-Educational Student Support System - Research Paper Example The distance education enterprise, or online learning system, does not deviate from the traditional learning model, although some aspects of it are redefined. As Anderson (2004) explains, within the context of online learning, the learning occurs through the same teacher-student model. The teacher delivers the information, guides and instructs the student and the learner is expected to assimilate, reflect upon and learn the information in question. The primary difference between the two models, as may be inferred from both Ally (2004) and Anderson (2004) lies in delivery strategy and environment, rather than in the general theory regarding learning and teaching. In other words, online learning is not founded on an alternate learning theory but is grounded in the same one, or the same set of theories as is traditional learning, with the primary difference being in the format of the student to student and student to instructor/tutor interaction. Both figures indicate that there are hig h levels of interaction in the e-learning system, whether between student and content, teacher and content, teacher and student and, to a lesser degree, student and student. This means that the e-learning paradigm is based on the traditional learning model although it unfolds within a different context and delivery strategy/environment. It is the difference in context and environment which gives e-learners the impression that they do not have the requisite support systems and which, accordingly, contribute to non-completion rates.

Operations Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 7

Operations Management - Essay Example What this will do is to provide Organization A the right platform as far as completing its job is concerned. First in this paper, we will discuss the problems associated with Organization A as well as the strategies that it can undertake in the anomaly that it has run under. (Cavaness, 1993) Later on within this paper, we will explore the very same for Organization B. Now starting with Organization A, we find that this manufacturing unit is meeting the needs of the customers only when the customers are pushing the manufacturing organization time and again. There is an element of ‘moving forward’ on the part of the Organization A which suggests that the proactive attitude seems to be missing from the mix. What Organization A can do in such a situation is to think on its feet and consistently make amends so that the specifications no matter how difficult are put forward by the client, are met in a timely and diligent manner by the Organization A. This requires authority of purpose and self belief holds the key for such an undertaking as this would open alternate ways in order to reach the goal – which at the end of the day is to satisfy the customers and bring them the much needed product specifications and sub-parts on a continuous basis. (Buehler, 1991) The manufacturing organization is falling short on the desired expectation s since it has not yet understood the requirements which the customers have with the organization. It is also a significant reason that the Organization A does not have enough faith in its own capabilities and capacities and for this it needs to understand its own business philosophy before it advocates the same to the customers through the meeting up of demands and product specifications and changes. There is a lot of learning on the part of the manufacturing organization since it has to consistently meet the demands,

Islamic Finance Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Islamic Finance - Case Study Example Hence, the present state of this Islamic finance is trying to upgrade and cope up with the economic, banking and finance crisis with trend and advance in technology and it seems it will still be involving from generations to generations. The view of charging interest on Islamic finance regarding riba is that their basic idea is they like money contribute to this Islamic finance used to develop mosques’ rather than other projects (Swartz, 2011). In accordance to Sharia Islamic religious law riba is considered manipulative and unlawful (Swartz, 2011). In addition, interest from the contributed money is often criticized because perspective view of these whole issues states that it is an effortless profit where the borrower is expected to pay as a form of compensation to the lender. Even in cases like where creditor has right of possession of debtor’s property if he or she is unable to settle the debt. Therefore, riba is an economic issue concerning the Muslims. In the fact, it is unlawful and discouraged in one way or another since the inception of this Islamic finance and still Islam is still withstanding this beliefs. Hence, the major concern in analysis to this monetary transaction is to evade riba des pite the reality that it is the foundation to growth in economics, banking and finance (Hart, Childs & Boyle, 2013). For Islamic finance to grow and develop a strong basis, banks have introduced use of tawarruq and inah to aid in improving Islamic economic, banking and finance with the intention of replacing the old concepts, which are prohibited in Islam. However, this has ignited controversy and criticism for many believe that the dealings are not Sharia compliant citing their argument that there is no main economic activity involved about Sharia law. Therefore, application of tawarruq and Inah banking system in Islamic finance is invalid and in effective. This is because this monetary institution will face an extensive

Operations Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 7

Operations Management - Essay Example What this will do is to provide Organization A the right platform as far as completing its job is concerned. First in this paper, we will discuss the problems associated with Organization A as well as the strategies that it can undertake in the anomaly that it has run under. (Cavaness, 1993) Later on within this paper, we will explore the very same for Organization B. Now starting with Organization A, we find that this manufacturing unit is meeting the needs of the customers only when the customers are pushing the manufacturing organization time and again. There is an element of ‘moving forward’ on the part of the Organization A which suggests that the proactive attitude seems to be missing from the mix. What Organization A can do in such a situation is to think on its feet and consistently make amends so that the specifications no matter how difficult are put forward by the client, are met in a timely and diligent manner by the Organization A. This requires authority of purpose and self belief holds the key for such an undertaking as this would open alternate ways in order to reach the goal – which at the end of the day is to satisfy the customers and bring them the much needed product specifications and sub-parts on a continuous basis. (Buehler, 1991) The manufacturing organization is falling short on the desired expectation s since it has not yet understood the requirements which the customers have with the organization. It is also a significant reason that the Organization A does not have enough faith in its own capabilities and capacities and for this it needs to understand its own business philosophy before it advocates the same to the customers through the meeting up of demands and product specifications and changes. There is a lot of learning on the part of the manufacturing organization since it has to consistently meet the demands,

Impact of recently discovered hominins on the understanding of human Research Paper

Impact of recently discovered hominins on the understanding of human phylogeny and biology - Research Paper Example Scientists have called these early hominids as australopiths which is Latin for apes. Then starting around 2.3 million years ago, something curious happened. New hominids hit the scene, species that were subsequently christened homo, which is Latin for man. With the coming of these hominids, came the flattening of the snout and the shortening of the hook-like fingers of the australopiths, an evolutionary process that is assumed to have given birth to modern man (Homo sapiens). By approximately 1.8 million years ago, a species by the name Homo ergaster, which was about as tall as living humans, with stiff feet in its long legs that were only good for walking on the ground, hit the ground. Its brain on the other hand was only a third of our brain. This is how far the australopiths reached. What followed afterwards was the discovery of a group of species that were more man-like but with slight differences in their feature, species that have since assumed the name â€Å"Homo† whic h is Latin for man. A careful analysis of this narration reveals a missing link between the Australopiths (apes) and the homo (man). The big question that evolutionary scientist

Different Generations Speak Different Languages Essay Example for Free

Different Generations Speak Different Languages Essay Different generations in the same country speak different languages? Sounds impossible, but it is indeed the case. Consider situations in which your mother does not understand what you say to your classmates, situations in which you cannot figure out what your mother refers by a simple abbreviation and situations in which your father cannot reflect your undertone of some words. Different generations speak different languages, causing conflicts and misunderstandings. According to the passage What can words do and cannot do, words have denotative meanings and connotation meanings. Denotative meanings are meanings defined by the dictionary, which cause little misunderstandings. On the other hand, connotative meanings are associated with personal experiences and are likely to cause conflicts. But in the context of communication between different generations, there are both likely to evoke misunderstandings. Some connotative meanings of words are so widely recognized by a certain generation or group of people, that they consider these meanings as denotative meanings. But these meanings are unknown to other groups and are not included in the dictionary. The word, net, for example, may mean a trap made of netting to catch fish or birds or insects in your grandfathers dictionary but means a computer network consisting of a worldwide network of computer networks that use the TCP/IP network protocols to facilitate data transmission and exchange when you talk to your friends meet on the net. From this aspect, language of different generations do differ in the conception of words. Different generations may be confused by denotative meanings, not to mention by connotative meanings. The connotative meaning of a word is the associations and overtones people bring to it. When we hear a word, the thoughts and feelings we have about that word and about the person using it determine what that word ultimately means to us. (What can words do and cannot do,Weaver, Understanding Interpersonal Communication, pp. 230-333 ) Consider the word news perceived by different generations. Your grandfather may reflect news as titles in printed newspaper or radio messages while your father form in his head the television correspondent and you, a teenager thinks of web-sites. These difference in language is brought by the development of social and technology. Words and phrases have their life cycle, there are times when certain words and expressions thrive and time when they die. It is not uncommon that older generations tend to use words, phrases and expressions that are seldom used by younger generation. Moreover, young people have the tendency to make expressions short. For example, instead of saying good morning, they say morning, instead of lots of laughs, they type LOL and so on. So next time when talking to your grandmother, use less abbreviations. Difference languages spoken by different generations giving rise to unavoidable misunderstanding, so bearing in mind that different person has varied perception of words and may not understand what you mean. Dont be bothered to interpret in detail what you mean to be fully understood by other generations.

A Health Promotion Initiative for Smoking Cessation

A Health Promotion Initiative for Smoking Cessation Many health promotion initiatives had been undertaken everywhere. However, the most important is that such initiatives should establish certain aspects of characteristics based on best practice in order to be described as successful. This means that the initiative must be consistent with health promotion values, theories, evidence and understating of the environment (Kahan Goodstadt 2005). Although the definition of health promotion practice is broadly accepted, it is not fixed to any rigorously defined discipline, and is said to be practised by individuals in diverse organizations, trained in a multiplicity of disciplines (Boutilier et al. 2000). Generally speaking, health promotion initiatives emphasize elements of empowerment, participation, multidisciplinary collaboration, capacity building, equity and sustainable development (Judd et al. 2001). The Ottawa Charter is considered to be the backbone of any health promotion practice and it is acting as the wheel that guides all heal th professionals into an ideal and best practice of health promotion related issues. In addition, the best practice is provided through effective planning and evaluation. A working guide to help in successfully achieving the goal is by an approach focusing on the following points: identifying the issue, gaining support and forming a working group, conducting a needs assessment and get to knowing your community, developing an action plan, encouraging participation, communicating with the public through the media, implementing change, monitoring, evaluation and adjustments (NLHHP 2003). In this assay, I will critically review a health promotion initiative by comparing the characteristics of this initiative against the principles of best practice. The initiative example: (Attention: the abstract is attached at the end of the assignment). Secker-Walker, Roger H ; Flynn, Brian S. ; Solomon, Laura J. ; Skelly, Joan M. ; Dorwaldt, Anne L.; Ashikaga, Takamaru (2000) Helping Women Quit Smoking: Results of a Community Intervention Program, American Public Health Association, Inc. Volume 90(6), June 2000, pp 940-946. Smoking lends to health promotion solution: Smoking is a challenging health problem world-wide and it is considered to be the second major cause of death. It is currently responsible for the death of one in ten adults (WHO 2005). It is clear that smoking cessation is a priority for preventing many diseases and reducing their burden. There is a real need to expand the implementation of strategies to reduce tobacco use such as increasing the cost of cigarettes and implementing comprehensive tobacco-useprevention and cessation programs. (CDC 2003). Consequently, promoting smoking cessation can have a great impact in reducing the burden of diseases and improving the population health (Ezzati Lopez 2003). However, the health promotion is not just the responsibility of the health sector, but goes beyond healthy life styles to well being (WHO 2005). As a result, a lot of efforts at different levels are needed in order to control smoking. This could be achieved well only through proper health promotion intervention. Moreover, the hea lth promotion is defined as a set of activities designed to achieve optimal health for all by monitoring and enhancing the heath of everyone and facilitating individual control over the determinants of health (Kahan Goodstadt 2005). The definition itself sounds a logical solution for the high smoking prevalence among women. This is because of that in order to solve such problem, the women themselves should be actively involved and the community should be empowered. In addition, the physical and social supportive environment should be ensured in order to maintain smoking cessation. This is only ensured through a health promotion initiative. The best way to reduce the prevalence of smoking may be to use community-wide programs because smoking behavior is determined by social context. A community approach will remain an important part of health promotion activities (Secker-Walker et al. 2002). It has been proved that health promotion initiative will encourage smoking cessation and could prevent substantial numbers of deaths in the UK (Lewis et al. 2005). Needs assessment and its accountability for population wishes: It is crucial, first of all, to identify the issue through the need assessment. This is done by collecting the necessary information that specifies the needs that are considered as priority by the community. This provides an opportunity for the community to become involved in the planning from the beginning (Territory Health Services 2005). The health needs are defined as those states, conditions or factors in the community that, if absent, will prevent people from achieving complete physical, mental and social health (Ritchie et al. 2004). In this project, the need assessment is not well conducted and the different needs were not well assessed. It is not mentioned in this article whether the community profile was analyzed or not. However, the project investigators sat with local people, conducted interviews with key informants and shared information with them. Nevertheless, the following needs could be figured out: The decline in smoking prevalence among United States women was lagging behind that of men. This necessities the need of research on strategies to accomplish smoking cessation among women. There is real womens needs for social support while quitting In addition, their need for assistance with coping with negative affect in the absence of smoking, and their concerns about weight gain following quitting. Cigarette smoking is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. The smoking is a major health problem that can cause death. Many community based programs have been conducted to reduce cardiovascular risk factors, including cigarette smoking. Some of these programs showed the intervention effects on smoking behavior are effective. After analyzing this article, it is obvious that the need assessment indicates that smoking reduction among women is a priority public health in United States. This is a normative need. The best practice of health promotion emphasizing the sharing of need assessment with local people in order to improve the chance of success of any intervention. In this way, the success is ensured because sharing the results of the needs assessment will raise community awareness about the issues and possible underlying causes, stimulate discussion about ways to address the issues and get the community more involved in planning and decision-making (Territory Health Services 2005). There is clear information in the article that the community members were involved in the planning and implementation of the intervention throughout the five years period. On the other hand, it is not mentioned clearly how they assess the felt needs (i.e. whether the community groups say what they want, or address the proble ms that they think are important (Territory Health Services 2005)). Nevertheless, the participatory community organization was used to plan and provide widespread support to women smokers as they tried to change their smoking behavior. The comparative and expressed needs were not assessed. Goals and objectives of the initiative: It is essential after the needs assessment is over, to set up appropriate goals and objectives. The first step in critical analysis of goal and objectives is whether these had been stated clearly. The goal of this intervention was to reduce the prevalence of cigarette smoking among women aged 18 to 64 years old in Vermont and New Hampshire. This goal is specific, measurable, achievable and includes the nature of change expected. It will be more comprehensive if it was mentioned that it was limited to five years, which is the duration of the project and to specify the amount of smoking prevalence reduction in order to know exactly what intervention success means. However, this goal does identify the broad long term changed that was expected to be achieved ultimately (Hawe et al. 1990). The objective is not mentioned in this article. Instead they mentioned the sub-objectives. However, by analyzing the article I feel the objective should closely serve the goal. This means that achieving reduction in the smoking prevalence through a positive change in the women smoking behavior. As a result, the objective should be stated as to increase the number of serious quit attempts among women aged 18 to 64 years old in Vermont and New Hampshire by 20% for example. So the objectives will be also specific, measurable, achievable, includes the nature of change expected and time limited (SACHRU 2005). The sub-objectives were clearly mentioned. These were to increase motivation and intention to quit smoking and confidence in staying quit despite weight gain and negative affect, to increase awareness of cessation activities and to strengthen perceived norms and available support to help women quit smoking. It is known that a sub-objective should happen before the objective in the pathway and it might create a change in favour of the objective (Hawe et al. 1990). Keeping this in mind, there is a clear description task of these sub-objectives and they closely serve the objective by taking in account how to overcome womens negative feeling affect and thus create a change in the behavior. On the contrary, they were not time limited and some of them seems be difficult to be measured like increase confidence in staying quit despite weight gain and negative affect and also perceptions of norms. It is essential for any good health promotion planning to focus on underlying causes and factors that could possibly contribute or lead to the problem (Kahan Goodstadt 2005). Therefore, development of clear and organized goal and objectives based on a critical analysis of the problem in terms of contributing and risk factors is essential (Territory Health Services 2005). It is not mentioned clearly in this article about the underlying causes of or contributing factors to smoking among women. However, specific health related behavioral and environmental factors linked to smoking were mentioned. It was stated that the smoking was most prevalent among lower income class. This implicates that poverty play an important role as an underlying cause of smoking. It sound logic that one of the sub-objectives should be stated clearly to take care of improving socio-economic situation or more accurately to tackle poverty related issues. It is also mentioned that the womens concerns about weight gain following quitting act as a barrier to stop smoking. Luckily, More than one sub-objective took care of this factor. Description of the intervention: A good description of the intervention is provided in the article under specific headings. It was directed to two pairs of demographically matched counties in Vermont and New Hampshire in United States which were assessed preintervention and postintervention during the period 1989 to 1994. The project was initiated by organizing community planning groups and the program was called Breath Easy. Each countys planning group formed a coalition, and each coalition formed 5 working groups. The planning process was taken up by the local planning group along with its coalition with very little input from the investigators except for the first year. Different activities were conducted during each year after the starting of the program. In the first year, the focus was to develop support systems to help women quit smoking through individual proactive telephone peer support. During the second year, videotape showing the process of quitting smoking was produced and distributed at no cost. In the third year, free smoking cessation classes were organized with a focus on dealing with negative affect. Later, the health professionals were involved in the Breath Easy program. Also, workplaces initiatives included presentations to businesses and worksites and assistance with smoking policies were started. Moreover, there was involvement of media initiatives included newsprint and radio (Secker-Walker et al. 2000). The conceptual frame work and underlying theories and values: The conceptual framework and underlying theories are not described in details in this article. It is only mentioned that they used social cognitive theory, the transtheoretical model of behavior change, diffusion of innovation theory, and communications theory. It was stated in the article that the project intervention was based on the proven effectiveness of this type of community intervention in promoting smoking cessation among women in Smoke Free North Side study. However, as I am reading the article it becomes clearer to me how well these theories could be fit into a community based health promotion project. The five basic stages of a behavior change as identified by the transtheoretical model of behavior change are pre-contemplation, contemplation, determination or preparation, action and maintenance (Nutbeam Harris 2004). These stages could be applied to explain the change of smoking behavior among women especially ensuring maintenance through peer support. According to the social cognitive theory an individual, the environment and behavior are continuously interacting and influence each other (Nutbeam Harris 2004). This is clearly noticed in the modifications of community norms concerning women smoking. The people decision to smoke is made within a broad context and influence by the surrounding environment which shapes the health behaviors such as smoking. In addition, diffusion of innovations refers to the spread of new ideas, techniques, behaviors or products throughout a population (Ferrence 1996) and this is exactly what had happened in this project where the message of smoking cessation was spread through mass media, videos and classes. Lastly, the communications theory is also applicable to this project. The values are important things because they affect which issues we choose to address and how we are going to address them (Kahan Goodstadt 2005). The values of community intervention and development were not mentioned in this article. After literature review, it became obvious that some of these values are respect, equity, participation and meaningful process (http://www.wrha.mb.ca/howcare/commdev/). The process of community participation allows removal of inequality barrier and ensures fair distribution of resources. Moreover, respecting of local people and their involvement in determining their own health problems resulted in a positive outcome of this project. Application of Ottawa Charter action areas: There are many social factors that affect the diseases risk factors such as smoking and thus affecting the health. This includes low levels of social support and lack of personal control. These issues were well addressed in this initiative through the proper applications of Ottawa charter action areas. It is well stated that the achievement of the project objectives is through community members participation in planning and implementation. The community action is strengthened by involving local people to participate actively in order to improve their own health. The community organization is set up by forming local planning groups and from each group, the annual plans are drawn up. The supportive environment is provided through the supportive telephone communications networks which were arranged to encourage women to stop smoking. In addition, a healthy and supportive environment was ensured in workplaces, community college and high schools. Moreover, the organization of free smoking classes that focus on dealing with negative affect following quitting played an important role to maintain the quitting process. Healthy public policies were built in the community. An example is that smoking cessation policies were introduced into the workplaces. Another example was the active involvement of media which included newsprint and radio and made use of paid advertisements and thus information for quitting were available in each community. The personal skills of targeted females were developed. This was by training the female ex-smokers to provide support to current smokers to quit smoking through proactive telephone support. In addition, they were involved in the production of videos showing their own process of quitting smoking. Re-orientation of health services took place to some extent. This was by mobilizing the health workers towards focusing on smoking cessation activities rather than providing the medical care only. This was through making referrals to the telephone peer support system and they were trained in a brief smoking cessation protocol. It is quit obvious that by analyzing the interventions of the project, the Ottawa charter definition of health promotion is clear. This is because the project interventions could be understood as a process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve, their health (WHO 2005). Evaluation: The evaluation process plays an essential role in ensuring the best achievement of any given program as it will affect the way in which the program will be conducted and the amount of effort needed (Ewles Simnett 1999). For the evaluation to be accepted, it should consist of process, impact and outcome evaluation. It is important to have the three parts otherwise it will be difficult to understand how the evaluation took place (Springett et al. 1995). The evaluation starts by evaluating the process including measuring the strategies, the activities and the quality of the project. Then, measuring the immediate effect of the project and this is called impact evaluation. At the end, it should measure the outcome or long term effect (Territory Health Services 2005). The evaluation was well planned and was well in place for this project. They used PRECEDE frame work to integrate the overall objectives of the program with the evaluation plan. This model takes into account multiple factors that determine health and quality of life and generates specific objectives and criteria for evaluation (Green Kreuter 1999). The design of the study was non-randomized with two pairs of demographically matched countries assessed peintervention and postintervension. This established a relationship between the intervention and observed outcome by comparing the situation before and after the intervention. In addition, they have set specific measurable objectives for each working group to be accomplished or initiated during the following 12 months. The stages of evaluation were done as follows: Process evaluation: Specific factors were set to evaluate predisposing, reinforcing and enabling factors. These includes attitudes and beliefs towards quitting smoking, perceptions of norms and social supports, availability of smoking cessation materials and services, program recognition and media coverage. Suitable indicators were used to measure the above factors such as social support scale, measures of confidence in being able to stop smoking and confidence in being able to control weight gain after quitting smoking and measures for availability of smoking cessation resources. Impact evaluation: The impact was evaluated through a change in the smokers behavior. The indicators which were used are average daily cigarette consumption and average number of serious quit attempts. Outcome evaluation: This was evaluated by measuring the smoking prevalence among women aged 18 to 46 years old. It was found that the prevalence had declined significantly. This indicates the effectiveness of this project through achieving its main goal. Summative evaluation: It is the last step to be done and it involves considering the project as a whole, from beginning to end (SACHRU 2005). The investigators did not evaluate all different aspects of the project. However, they mentioned about strengths, limitations, response rate and their recommendations. The strengths of the study were small size and rural nature of these communities. On the other hand, the major limitations were nonrandomized design, the inclusion of only two counties in each condition, lack of prior measures of smoking prevalence in these counties and lack of ethnic diversity in the study population which limit the generalizability of the results. The overall sample size was 6436 with response rates of 89.9%. Their recommendations were that any future community interventions designed to effect reductions in smoking should place greater emphasis on the provision of a broad range of support for quitting smoking that is readily accessible to all smokers (Secker-Walker et al. 2000). Conclusion: Adoption of health promotion best practice is the only way to ensure effective and successful results of any intervention. However, this practice is not an easy mission. It requires a lot of augmentive efforts. The application of Ottawa charter and the reliance on justifying theories and values is essential. Moreover, the quality of the initiative is based on effective planning and evaluation from the initial stages. The community involvement in promoting smoking cessation was ensured in this project from the initial stages. Also, the evaluation process was proceeding well with PRECEDE framework. In conclusion, this initiative was about to be an excellent example of best practice except improper statement of objective, values behind the intervention and insufficient statement of needs assessment

Balancing Act Essay -- Essays Papers

Balancing Act For the working adult, being a full time college student can be quite stressful. It can also be challenging, fun, and rewarding. In order to become a successful student you must learn to balance and organize the different elements of your life. Three of the major elements will be work, studying and relaxing. If you can learn to balance these elements, you will find that success will be easier to achieve. As adults, most of us must work a full time job in order to support ourselves. Often employers and coworkers expect us to give extra time and effort to our jobs. You must keep in mind that there is only so much time in each day and you have other responsibilities. Do not be afraid to say no to an additional workload that is not your responsibility. Another wa...

Booker T. Washington Essay

Booker T. Washington was born on plantation in Franklin Country, Virginia, on April 5, 1856. After the Civil War, his families moved to Malden, West Virginia, were Booker T. Washington worked in the coal mines and salt Furnaces, and a house servant. Washington mom and he were determined for him to go to school. During four years, he was a student and attending Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute of higher learning for Africans American and later became Hampton University. When he was going to school he did not have a last name so he invented the last name of Washington when he was in school and the other children were giving their surnames. After Washington graduated from Hampton Normal, he pursued a career a career as an educator. He was a teacher for two years in Malden and then he furthered his education at Washington D.C Wayland Seminary. Then he accepted a position at Hampton Normal. He was the head of industrial training of 75 Native American. He was named principal of Hampton Normal which later became Tuskegee University. On September 18, 1895, Washington made a historic speech in Atlanta, Georgia. In what was known as the (Atlanta Compromise Speech) Washington encouraged African American to accept lower social status for the time being and to focus instead on advancement through career training, education, and economic independence. Washington’s health began to become worse in his later years as he was traveling and working a lot. He failed while he was in New York City, and he was brought back home to Tuskegee, and he died there on November 14, 1915 when he was 59 years old. The cause of his death was unknown, but it was likely from arteriosclerosis and nervous exhaustion. His body was buried on the campus of Tuskegee University near University Chapel. In March of 2006, looking into his medical records showed that he died from hypertension with blood pressure that was two times higher than a normal blood pressure.

Strategic Development Allied Irish’s Banks

The primary objective of the Allied Forces in Africa was to make the most of ready Allied forces in an operation equal with current capabilities to relieve pressure on the Russians. â€Å"Other objectives of the operation were to gain French Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia as a base for enlisting the French colonial empire in the war, to assist the British in destroying Axis forces threatening Egypt and Suez, to open the Mediterranean to Allied shipping, to shorten the route to the Far East, and to prepare the way for further operations against the European AxisThe objectives of Operation Torch were to secure French North Africa and then strike Eastwards and take Rommel's German Italian Panzer Army in the rear. 1 With 65,000 Allied troops and around 650 Warships under the overall command of Comander In Chief Eisenhower it was to strike in French Morocco and Algeria and later link up with Montgomery's Eighth Army. The North African Campaign of the Second World War was extremely importa nt because it was the only land based fight that the Allies could take to the Axis powers from September 1940 until the invasion of Sicily in July 1943.It was very important in strategic terms with the Mediterranean, and the British African Empire at stake. The North African Campaign drew Axis forces away from the Eastern Front and Fortress Europe (Axis defenses against Allied invasion of European mainland from Britain), but for the Allies it also served to delay the ‘Second Front' that Stalin so desperately wanted to see . II Russia’s Strategy Against Germany Late in 1943, Stalin met with Roosevelt and Churchill for the first time — The Teheran Conference.They agreed that the Western Allies would invade France in June 1944 and that when the invasion began the USSR would launch a new offensive from the east . On April 23, 1945, Soviet troops reached Berlin — with over one million men and more than 20,000 pieces of artillery. A few days later, Soviet troops advancing from the East met up with U. S. troops advancing from the west at the Elbe River . On April 23, 1945, Soviet troops reached Berlin — with over one million men and more than 20,000 pieces of artillery.A few days later, Soviet troops advancing from the East met up with U. S. troops advancing from the west at the Elbe River. On April 30, as the Soviets were battling through the streets of his city, Adolph Hitler killed himself. On May 2, 1945, Soviet troops completed the capture of Berlin and all remaining German troops surrendered within a few days. The war in Europe was over III The Storming of Normandy On June 6, 1944 the Western Allies landed in northern France, opening the long-awaited â€Å"Second Front† against Adolf Hitler's Germany.Though they had been fighting in mainland Italy for some nine months, the Normandy invasion was in a strategically more important region, setting the stage to drive the Germans from France and ultimately destroy the National Socialist regime . The invasion of Normandy in 1944 was the conclusion of three years of planning by Allied forces in Britain. Landing in the face of determined German resistance, units of the British Commonwealth and U. S.armies established a beachhead, defeated German counter-attacks, and eventually broke out into an aggressive campaign to liberate France. â€Å"Commanded by U. S. Army General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Normandy assault phase, code-named â€Å"Neptune† (the entire operation was â€Å"Overlord†), was launched when weather reports predicted satisfactory conditions on 6 June. Hundreds of amphibious ships and craft, supported by combatant warships, crossed the English Channel behind dozens of minesweepers.They arrived off the beaches before dawn. Three divisions of paratroopers (two American, one British) had already been dropped inland. Following a brief bombardment by ships' guns, Soldiers of six divisions (three American, two British and one Canadian ) stormed ashore in five main landing areas, named â€Å"Utah†, â€Å"Omaha†, â€Å"Gold†, â€Å"Juno† and â€Å"Sword†. After hard fighting, especially on â€Å"Omaha† Beach, by day's end a foothold was well established† .

The Stylistic Analysis of “the Supreme Illusion” by Arnold Bennette

The Stylistic Analysis of â€Å"The Supreme Illusion† by Arnold Bennette I`d like to speculate upon Arnold Bennette and one of his works. Arnorld Bennette is a British novelist, playwright, critic, essayist and journalist. His first published novel was The Man From The North. This was followed by Anna of The Five Towns, The Old Wives` Tale, Clayhanger, The Card and Hilda Lessways. Bennette is credited with more than 80 books and during the 1920s was considered among the leaders of English literature. And now I`d like to analyse a tragic tale from The Matodor of the Five Towns which is called The Supreme Illusion. As for the title, it`s a topical one. This text is about one of man`s disillusions and this suitable title helps us to understand the contents of the story, which deals with such themes as art, theatre and famous people and their satisfied ambitions. According to its form, it`s a short story in 2 parts. A narrator comes to Paris for the production of Notre-Dame de la Lune but at the hotel an ugly woman upsets his arrival. He meets his friend Minor Boissy and they talk about Minor`s careeras a playwright. Boissy tells about his leading actress Blanche and the narrator believes that she`s a young and pretty woman but in fact Blanche is just that woman whom he met having arrived at the hotel. In the plot structure there`s exposition where we make the acquaintance of the characters and Minor tells about his life and Blanche; climax, where the narrator expects Blanche to be magnificent, and denouement – his disappointment. It seems to me that the message of the story can be formulated as a proverb â€Å"If you want no disappointment, don`t indulge in illusions† The author uses some stylistic means to create the atmosphere and to convey it to the reader: flashback- to explain the reader the reason of the narrator`s state of excited annoyance; here we can see a great number of epithets describing French hotels (reasonable little hotel, haughtily-managed hotels, a magnificent porter); detachments (humiliated and helpless, her eyes were hard-hard) and parantheses (which we all know, and whose name we all give in confidence to all our friends). The narrator`s annoyance is showed even with the help of elliptical sentences (But no! ) and it also should be noted that they are with exclamatory marks. Later the narrator calms down and to prove it the author uses antithesis (a disagreeable excitement changes into an agreeable one). The author uses direct and indirect methods of characterization to describe his characters, that`s why we can judge about his attitude to them through his descriptions. To show how unpleasant and stout the woman is numerous epithets are found (barbaric and repulsive creature, offensive hag, odious creature), climax (a savagely-dressed, ugly and ageing woman); simile (her automobile as large as a railway carriage); inversion (pretty she could never have been) and of course irony (if she had been young and pretty, she would have had the right to be rude and domineering). But for Boissy Minor she`s different; he admires her, he always desires to satisfy her ambitions. She`s the sense of his life (it`s proved by anadiplosis: it`s the woman, it`s the woman who.. ) but he`s a rather realistic person (Don`t expect too much) despite he`s a prominent and wealthy man (metonymy: all the walls of Paris were shouting his name; climax: Octave Boissy was a very wealthy man, he even looked a very wealthy man; metaphor: one of the darlings of success; epithet: of an absurdly luxurious civilazation). He`s unpretentious and always says simply (the fact is I`m neurasthenic) although his disease hurts him (epithet: a morbid horror of walking) and usage of exclamatory sentences (I couldn`t.. ; I couldn`t.. ) but he tries to show it (antithesis: at once comic and tragic smile) as he laughs a lot. By his own words he explains his choice. There`s a great number of anadiploses (it`s not a question.. , that was my sole reason.. , it`s the woman†¦, his life consisted in one thing only) I like Arnold Bennette`s style of writing. It goes without saying that his language is stylistically coloured, he perfectly mixes formal, informal and harsh words (offensive hag, to deign, monstrosities, barbaric creature). Sometimes they are useful to express the narrator`s disgust , sometimes – delight but always to intensify desired effect. The topis of this story is vital and actual and upon the theme of illusion and its aftermath we`ve speculated last time talking about the John Boyton Priestley`s play entitled The Dangerous Corner.