Nothing Gold Can Stay

The title of the poem Is metaphorical which, makes comparisons to the young and youth. Gold represents value and wealth. Therefore when it says â€Å"Nothing Gold Can Stay† it simply that nothing precious or of great value in the materialistic sense can stay forever. Gold symbolizes materialism, it would not last for long and it will give a false sense of security and happiness. Gold, which is money based, can take years to accumulate but can be washed away in a millisecond.On the other hand, things that have emotional and sentimental value cannot be bought with Gold and therefore will main throughout one's entire life. Nature represents the flirts Instance of gold. â€Å"Green is Gold† represents the natural world that is the New England forests Frost loved for most of his life. The color of money is green may also indicative of lifespan of the person in comparison to the seasons. The spring is when everything is new, Green the summer youth hot and passionate, the fall change various emotions, the winter dying death and cold.The birth of the baby Is stunning, their skin is soft they are fragile to hold, they grow so fast, their beauty, and the purity they have Inside Is ere fresh and clean. I remember when I was a kid I would ask my parents questions about everything I saw. All nature was seen too, however as time passed it became normal. As I grew older I gained more knowledge and memory was no longer green. Example, when I was a baby I don't know how to lie to my parents, to anybody, but growing older learn how to lie and purity was not found again.When you are young, things are great and perfect, nothing to worry about but it Is Impossible to keep that sense of security all the time. It Is a flower that grows from seed, blooms, grows, and after a while it dies. We can also refer to green as it relates to the creation of the world. Everything created by God is green in nature. The green is the symbol of life and prosperity, for example money is green and when nature is described green typically comes to mind.In fact, when you look the green nature, it is pleasing to the eyes. However, due to man's greed they only see Gold. This Gold Is the first green because all humans care about Is Gold and as a result they are giving It greater importance than nature, our source of life. Being that nature supplied the earth with Gold, man take advantage of it. Then the nature loses its beauty and importance like it does in the morning! Then it turns to the hot, muggy afternoon. â€Å"Her early leafs a flower but only so an hour†.It reminds us of how happy the first human creation of God living in the garden. The new life is so precious like a bud that turns to a beautiful flower, perfumed by Its natural essence yet a certain distraction ruins everything. The word â€Å"Gold† either suggests the early leaf, which lacks sufficient pigment to be completely green, or perhaps a gold as in a golden age, a reality time n one's l ife, even gold relating to money, stating the physical component of things, which as the end of the poem suggests, â€Å"Cannot Stay†.The nature of human life begins at a point of greatness in which all potentials represented by the flower's bud have been met In the open blossom. This point In the lifetimes of all Miming things lasts only at the most an hour. Eden represents the pure world before man was created to name everything, to tend to the animals and to the earth, before he and his wife disobeyed the divine by eating the fruit from the tree of knowledge, thus aiming mortality and opening the doorway into death upon the earth. Eden represents all beginnings, before there was knowledge of decay.Frost uses this element to visualize his idea that all things in nature, including the lives of people, reach a new height before they sink to grief. The poet uses nature as a person which a commonly used term as â€Å"Mother Nature†, and I think the hidden meaning behind this is that the poem he has written carries the same message that has been preached for years, yet no one bothers to follow or listen to. Frost is not being entirely peoples in his poem; he is saying only that it is the â€Å"Gold† in things which cannot last, their brightest.The reality of a human life is only met once and not met again. Purity is lost when knowledge is gained. I think the poem lends a powerful warning to all of us. Recognize what is really important in life, embrace it, and discards everything else. Appreciate every year, month, day, and minute. It is fleeting and we don't get a do over. Love your fellow man right now, friends, and family. Don't wait until tomorrow because it may never come. Spend life in the present, not in the past or the future. Nothing Gold Can Stay The title of the poem Is metaphorical which, makes comparisons to the young and youth. Gold represents value and wealth. Therefore when it says â€Å"Nothing Gold Can Stay† it simply that nothing precious or of great value in the materialistic sense can stay forever. Gold symbolizes materialism, it would not last for long and it will give a false sense of security and happiness. Gold, which is money based, can take years to accumulate but can be washed away in a millisecond.On the other hand, things that have emotional and sentimental value cannot be bought with Gold and therefore will main throughout one's entire life. Nature represents the flirts Instance of gold. â€Å"Green is Gold† represents the natural world that is the New England forests Frost loved for most of his life. The color of money is green may also indicative of lifespan of the person in comparison to the seasons. The spring is when everything is new, Green the summer youth hot and passionate, the fall change various emotions, the winter dying death and cold.The birth of the baby Is stunning, their skin is soft they are fragile to hold, they grow so fast, their beauty, and the purity they have Inside Is ere fresh and clean. I remember when I was a kid I would ask my parents questions about everything I saw. All nature was seen too, however as time passed it became normal. As I grew older I gained more knowledge and memory was no longer green. Example, when I was a baby I don't know how to lie to my parents, to anybody, but growing older learn how to lie and purity was not found again.When you are young, things are great and perfect, nothing to worry about but it Is Impossible to keep that sense of security all the time. It Is a flower that grows from seed, blooms, grows, and after a while it dies. We can also refer to green as it relates to the creation of the world. Everything created by God is green in nature. The green is the symbol of life and prosperity, for example money is green and when nature is described green typically comes to mind.In fact, when you look the green nature, it is pleasing to the eyes. However, due to man's greed they only see Gold. This Gold Is the first green because all humans care about Is Gold and as a result they are giving It greater importance than nature, our source of life. Being that nature supplied the earth with Gold, man take advantage of it. Then the nature loses its beauty and importance like it does in the morning! Then it turns to the hot, muggy afternoon. â€Å"Her early leafs a flower but only so an hour†.It reminds us of how happy the first human creation of God living in the garden. The new life is so precious like a bud that turns to a beautiful flower, perfumed by Its natural essence yet a certain distraction ruins everything. The word â€Å"Gold† either suggests the early leaf, which lacks sufficient pigment to be completely green, or perhaps a gold as in a golden age, a reality time n one's l ife, even gold relating to money, stating the physical component of things, which as the end of the poem suggests, â€Å"Cannot Stay†.The nature of human life begins at a point of greatness in which all potentials represented by the flower's bud have been met In the open blossom. This point In the lifetimes of all Miming things lasts only at the most an hour. Eden represents the pure world before man was created to name everything, to tend to the animals and to the earth, before he and his wife disobeyed the divine by eating the fruit from the tree of knowledge, thus aiming mortality and opening the doorway into death upon the earth. Eden represents all beginnings, before there was knowledge of decay.Frost uses this element to visualize his idea that all things in nature, including the lives of people, reach a new height before they sink to grief. The poet uses nature as a person which a commonly used term as â€Å"Mother Nature†, and I think the hidden meaning behind this is that the poem he has written carries the same message that has been preached for years, yet no one bothers to follow or listen to. Frost is not being entirely peoples in his poem; he is saying only that it is the â€Å"Gold† in things which cannot last, their brightest.The reality of a human life is only met once and not met again. Purity is lost when knowledge is gained. I think the poem lends a powerful warning to all of us. Recognize what is really important in life, embrace it, and discards everything else. Appreciate every year, month, day, and minute. It is fleeting and we don't get a do over. Love your fellow man right now, friends, and family. Don't wait until tomorrow because it may never come. Spend life in the present, not in the past or the future.

Analysis of “Music and Lyrics” Essay

â€Å"Music and Lyrics† revolved around the relationship that was formed between Alex Fletcher (Hugh Grant), former 80s pop star, and Sophia Fisher (Drew Barrymore), Alex’s plant keeper and a copywriter for her family’s weight loss center. More than anything else, Alex was portrayed as a washed-up 80s pop star who had nothing left in his career but a bunch of country fair and amusement park performances definitive of a â€Å"nostalgia circuit† as well as a few high school reunions here and there (Moviefone 2007). He had another chance to becoming somebody in the music industry as pop diva Cora Corman commissioned him to write and record a duet with her (Moviefone 2007). This was under the pretense that he was going to write and compose a hit song for her in just a few days. This posed a problem for him because he had not actually composed anything for years and he found it hard to work with anyone else except for Colin, his former band mate from their group â€Å"Pop. † Colin was the one who got famous out of all the members of â€Å"Pop. † Sophie Fisher enters the scene as Alex’s substitute plant-keeper whom he recognized to have a natural flair for writing witty lyrics. He discovered her fear of committing to write again after a traumatic relationship with former professor and famous novelist Sloan Cates (Moviefone 2007). However, discovering that they had real chemistry writing the songs and off the job, they finally gave themselves the chance at love and success they way they never thought they deserved (Moviefone 2007). Protagonist Conflict They say that a movie is only as good as its story’s problem, because the stronger the conflict, the more chance that would be generated into the energy of the movie’s screenplay (Whitcomb 2002). The moment the conflict appears that would be the time wherein the story has really begun until then that would be parts that are considered setup, background and exposition (Whitcomb 2002). Basically, the â€Å"Conflict is the heart of the story in a very real sense; it’s what keeps it pumping, makes the blood race through its veins, and brings it to life† (Whitcomb 2002, p. 56). External Conflict began upon Alex’s realization that he was really an established has-been, although his reaction to this may be more of an internal conflict, how the world saw him served as an external one. Following the premise above, the story of this movie actually started when he was presented to be part of the show called â€Å"Battle of the Has-Beens. † The format of this show actually presented him in a comical light wherein people get to see the people who were stars before and are not stars anymore, thus the term â€Å"has-been† because they had been stars. If this announcement to world was not embarrassing enough, stars of the past had to battle it out in the boxing ring for another chance to perform before the audience. The show was not only demeaning; it portrays them as pathetic stars that missed the limelight so badly that they had to go through some great lengths of boxing with each other. It symbolized Alex’s stature in the industry, as a washed up pop singer. After such interview with the producers, Alex was faced with other realities such as show cancellation. He was given another realization how society found him replaceable and disposable. He show at Knots berry was cancelled, even as he considered it one of the biggest gigs he had since the fall of his stardom. It was this realization of public’s perception that made Cora Corman, famous but eccentric pop star during that time, and her offer to Alex to compose a song for her an appealing deal. However, with this offer came high stakes because Cora had given Alex merely enough time to compose and to write the lyrics of a song for her in just a couple of days. When the dilemma of writing a song was addressed because of the presence of Sophie, another external conflict broke out as they found out how Cora wanted to do the song. Her treatment of the song was different from the sweet and witty love song Sophie and Alex initially had in mind. It was turned into something erotic and sexual more than being romantic. Sophie was appalled by it because she felt it was a destruction of the creative integrity of their work. During that time, she tried her hardest to fight against succumbing to what Cora wanted to do with the song. Being a first-time lyricist to work in the music industry, she appeared naive enough to put more pressure of Alex about changing the song back to how it was supposed to be. The final external conflict was the pressure for Alex to give in to the new treatment of the song, no matter how, farfetched it was from his original composition, only to have another chance to redeem him in the pop industry. On the other hand, the external conflict for Sophie was with this professor, Sloan Cates. He has been the one who had written about her in his novel and poked fun of everything she felt insecure about. The presence of the novel Sally Michaels has also brought Sophie shame, the same way Alex felt shame as his career also went down the drain. The mere arrogance of Sloan after Sophie and Alex confronted him, caused also much pain and shame for Sophie realizing that she still could not talk up to him after all those time. Internal The news that he was being considered in the â€Å"Battle of Has-beens† was acceptable to Alex in the surface. But upon knowing that instead of performing, he was, asked to go there to box it out for a final song, and then it dawned on him just how low his career has gotten. Although, he would be the first one to admit he was a â€Å"has-been† there were certain areas in the film wherein he would feel the shame of it, like the high school reunion he performed at when he pulled a hip muscle and the time at the carnival wherein he did not want to do his last song anymore before Sophie encouraged him to do so. His battle with accepting his fate as a â€Å"has-been† was one thing, but there was also his fear of composing again and writing lyrics. The breakup of the band â€Å"Pop† for him was more devastating for him than he would than he would let people see. He tried to come up with his own solo album after the band broke up but he struggled to keep his pride after that was a flop. He also struggled internally with what he was going to do about the changes in the song. He wondered if he was going to walk away from the project like Sophie did or was he about to give up Sophie, a woman who had brought inspiration back to his life. Sophie had a lot of internal conflicts as well. She had to be forced to write the lyrics for Alex’s project because of how she struggled with Sloan’s fictional novel that was based on her life. She refused to write for him knowing she was not good enough. She did not acknowledge how she did not feel that way before the incident with Sloan’s novel that actually destroyed a part of who she was. She felt she was not good enough because of how her former professor had treated her, calling her a mimic and someone who without following the styles of her contemporary writers would have no creative genius of her own. She struggled to find her own creative self-worth after that. She also struggled when Cora had a different idea she had in mind about the treatment of â€Å"A Way Back into Love,† the song she and Alex created. She refused to get on with the project if it was like that. However, she felt Alex’s despair of seeing this as his last chance in the industry. She was torn between that and how she was furious about Alex’s inability to stand up for the integrity of their work. She was torn because she had feelings for Alex as well. Moral Component Much of the moral component found in the film laid in the fact that Alex and Sophie struggled to maintain the creative integrity of their work. It showed a â€Å"behind-the-scenes† peak into the pressures of the business. It showcased how a work that is entirely different would make into something erotic and sensual in order to appeal to the public. Sophie was so appalled by this change in the song because the erotic version took away what the song actually stood for. She did not want Alex to make a comeback that did not reflect who he was. She wanted him to make one that actually displayed his sensitive and honest side. Both of them knew that the revised version of the song did nothing of that sort; nevertheless, Alex went ahead with it. Although, there was a falling away that took place between them, in the end, Alex did the right thing of maintaining the song’s original composition. He even got the chance to write a song of his own for Sophie as well. Another component laid in the fact that Alex stood up for Sophie when she could not do so for herself against Sloan. Their experience together had taught them much more than writing a new song but being able to see themselves for the worth that they had as people and as artists. It showed how even if in the past, they had been turned down and their talents did not seem good enough, it should not have defined them as people the way they allowed it to happen. It showed how other people, like music critics or famous novelists, cannot have that much power on them that they are constricted artistically. It is only when they had let go of baggage from the past and used all their pain to fuel their creativity that they were able to complete the song. Mise en Scene Mise-en-scene literally means â€Å"put the scene† in French and was a term used in theater (Kolker 2005). When used in film, it points towards the totality of the composition of the shot (Kolker 2005). It refers to the â€Å"framing, movement of the camera and characters, lighting, set design and general visual environment, even sound as it helps elaborate the composition† (Kolker 2005). It is also the â€Å"articulation of cinematic space† wherein space was used to help tell the story (Kolker 2005). The principle of cutting also falls under mise-en-scene as it determines what goes on in that particular space (Kolker 2005). In the movie â€Å"Music and Lyrics,† the shots followed a basic flow. It flowed from one scene to another. It did not have anything fancy or dramatic. It served as a basic canvas that reserved much of its charms to the actors and own presence on the screen. However, a lot of the shots were similar to music videos as the movie revolved around the music industry of the 80s and the present. The movie opened with a â€Å"Pop† music video that represented the 80s and soon showed a music video Cora Corman was shooting that represented popular music in the 21st century. When it came to framing, there were a few instances wherein they would be held at quite close or tighter shots to focus on the actors. The framing was basic shots to let the actor’s witty banter to shine more than anything else. Everything was kept to a minimal so as not to serve as a distraction as this film was mostly about the comedic script and the charm of the actors. There were also instances wherein the shot began from the television screen that overcomes the whole shot and there was a similar one that had an entire magazine cover of Cora taking up the whole shot. Such were done to establish how the movie had a pop theme and that such symbolisms represented the music industry, through MTV shows and teen magazines. There were also instances wherein they used old techniques like the shot panning from the wall to the actors or the frame actually panned through the fixtures of the apartment like the column inside the apartment. It was reminiscent of the old shots they use for movies that give it the old feel to it. The camera, the lenses, the lighting instruments and other tools are used photographically to create the feel, and to fulfill the vision of how the film should look like (LoBrutto 2002). In this case, the lighting of the film reflected the mood of the characters. There had been instances wherein Alex was not feeling very confident about himself wherein there was less light available on the screen. This can also be attributed to the street scene wherein it was dark outside. However, it was noticed again when he and Sophie were stuck on the lyrics of the song wherein it was also dark. There was also noticeable parts wherein the nice moments Alex had with Sophie were represented by soft bright lights that was reflected the warmth of Sophie’s persona. She always seemed like there was some glow to her every time she was in the scene. The light also played an important factor in terms of marking time. Since they only had a few days to finish the song, it showed how when it was dark again or morning again another day has passed by and they were closer to the deadline. It showed how they stayed up, pulling an all-nighter to finish the song. There were exaggerated lights used in the â€Å"Pop† music video as they way they did it in the 80s. It was in comparison with the more modern lights Cora had in the shooting of her music video. They were also red lights in Cora’s dressing room area that established her eastern inclinations. Cinematic tools do not only include skills in cinematography, sound and production design, it also includes editing (LoBrutto 2002). The editing for this movie was simple using cut-to-cut transitions that are widely used for television and movies to avoid distraction from other kinds of transitions. The production design includes the physical environment of the movie that would be constituted by the sets, the location (LoBrutto 2002). It also includes the costume designs as well as the hair and makeup required for the shot. This film called for a particular set design because of its reference to the music of the 80s. Since Alex was a member of the 80s pop band, â€Å"Pop,† there was a necessity to create the set of a 80s music video. The look was cheesy and over-the-top; they way they used to do it with red backgrounds and checkered black and white ones. Their costumes were also of the way they used to dress that was more on femininity of tuxedos they were wearing. Such outrageous costumes went together with the eye shadow and eyeliners that were descriptive of the style in that music generation. It was held in comparison to the modern style of music videos with Cora’s video. It showed more skin and the sex appeal was different as it was more erotic than the bubblegum love songs the â€Å"Pop† band had. Not that the context of Cora’s songs were deeper, they just presented pop in a more sexual manner. There were already dancers that backed her up and much use of the smoke machine. The other sets included Alex’s apartment that played a part in the story as Sophie wanted to move around the furniture in her hopes to get lyrics out of it. The major pieces of furniture that was important in telling the stories were the grand piano, the large couch chair and the plants that Sophie was drowning. A notable set that was created for this movie was the enormous Buddha on the stage designed for Cora’s concert. It was such an incredulous set that intentionally desperately tried to incorporate Cora’s Buddhist influence with her music even if it was not so relevant. Sound was a very important factor to this film because a large percentage of it was about musical performances. Most of the sound design for this film relied on staying true to the 80s theme with the songs that were used for this film like Pop Goes my Heart and the songs that it was contrasted to with Cora’s sensual songs like Welcome to Booty town. Another area of sound was the piano Alex played as he tried to compose the song. It also included his jiving â€Å"jeopardy† tune that he used to pressure Sophie finish the songs. Part of the greatest charms of the movie, was the part wherein Alex and Sophie recorded the demo for Cora in Alex’s own mini-studio in his apartment. Narrative The personalities of the characters were essential in the narrative of the movie. Alex was dryly straightforward yet witty. Sophie talked too much and was paranoid yet naive at the same time. The other characters like Rhonda, Sophie’s sister was the strong one in her household but she was also an Alex-fanatic. Ray, Alex’s manager, was ever supportive of him. Cora was an epitome of a pop icon of today’s time; beautiful, eccentric and sensual. Each of the characters represented something the moviegoers could relate and empathize with (Tan 1996). Their little flaws and quirks were what made them charming because the viewers can see a part of themselves or somebody else in them. It makes them relatable to the audience (Tan 1996). The viewers were drawn because of Sophie and Alex exchanged their witty banters and has come to the point of liking each other despite their own oddities. Audience could find the narrative relatable because it spoke of a generation that most of them have undergone or are in. Most of it involved, a generated of music videos. Even if, most were not former pop stars, interests were still aroused because of their interest in the music industry and social cognition of what was going on with the movie with what they know happen in reality (Tan 1996). Most of all, the narrative worked because of the presence of music. Something most people can relate to and most people are interested in. There was an excellent metaphor that the actors have used in terms of using music and lyrics in reference to relationships. It also serves as a theme for the movie itself. When Alex referred said it was just lyrics. Sophie argued that lyrics were important as well. She referred to melody as meeting someone for the first time and the physical attraction that came with it; it was related to sex in a relationship. On the other hand, once the couples get to know each other that turn into the lyrics wherein their story actually unfolds and reveals who they were. The combination of sex and the knowledge of each other was what make the relationship magical. Lyrics A Way Back into Love was the song Cora wanted Alex to compose. Listening to the lyrics actually summarizes much of the emotions and the thoughts that went on between Alex and Sophie, as well as the things each of them had been through in the past. The â€Å"cloud above my bed† symbolized how long they prevented themselves from moving on because of the fear they had due to past rejections. The following verses reflected exactly that saying â€Å"I’ve been lonely for so long, trapped in the past, I just can’t seem to move on! † It can be just a love song about past heartbreaks but it reflected the struggles Alex and Sophie had in the past about their careers. It also showed that the â€Å"someone to shed some light† was the person they found in each other. The chorus and other verses about dreams being kept in a box reflected their hope to find the joy that they had lost in the past. The song Alex composed by himself had similar charms to A Way Back into Love, he sang Don’t Write Me Off at Cora’s concert. It basically spilled everything he felt about his life saying â€Å"I’m happy to live my so-called fallen glories† and how he felt about Sophie with charismatic antics like â€Å"it’s not just my furniture you’ve rearranged† and â€Å"now I need you despite the fact that you’ve killed all my plants. † References Kolker, R. (2005). Film, form and culture. United States: McGraw-Hill. Also retrieved on November 29, 2007, from http://userpages. umbc. edu/~landon/Local_Information_Files/Mise-en-Scene. htm. LoBrutto, V. (2002). The filmmaker’s guide to production design. New York: Allworth Press. â€Å"Music and lyrics. † (2007) Moviefone. Retrieved on November 29, 2007 from http://movies. aol. com/movie/music-and-lyrics/25137/synopsis. Tan, E. (1996). Emotion and the structure of narrative film: Film as an emotion machine. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Whitcomb, C. (2002). The writer’s guide to writing your screenplay: How to write great screenplays for movies and television. Canada: Kalmbach Publishing Co.

Alcohol Abuse

Alcohol Abuse Essay Alcohol Abuse Essay Alcohol is liquid distilled product of fermented fruits, grains and vegetables used as solvent, antiseptic and sedative moderate potential for abuse. Possible effects are intoxication, sensory alteration, and/or anxiety reduction. Symptoms of overdose staggering, odour of alcohol on breath, loss of coordination, slurred speech, dilated pupils, fetal alcohol syndrome (in babies), and/or nerve and liver damage. Withdrawal Syndrome is first sweating, tremors, then altered perception, followed by psychosis, fear, and finally auditory hallucinations. Indications of possible mis-use are confusion, disorientation, loss of motor nerve control, convulsions, shock, shallow respiration, involuntary defecation, drowsiness, respiratory depression and possible death. Alcohol is also known as: Booze, Juice, Brew, Vino, Sauce. You probably know why alcohol is abused some reasons are relaxation, sociability, and cheap high. But did you know that alcohol is a depressant that decreases the responses of the central nervous system. Excessive drinking can cause liver damage and psychotic behaviour. As little as two beers or drinks can impair coordination and thinking. Alcohol is often used by substance abusers to enhance the effects of other drugs. Alcohol continues to be the most frequently abused substance among young adults. HERE ARE SOME STRAIGHT FACTS ABOUT ALCOHOL.? Alcohol abuse is a pattern of problem drinking that results in health consequences, social, problems, or both. However, alcohol dependence, or alcoholism, refers to a disease that is characterized by abnormal alcohol-seeking behaviour that leads to impaired control over drinking. Short-term effects of alcohol use include: -Distorted vision, hearing, and coordination -Altered perceptions and emotions -Impaired judgment -Bad breath; hangovers Long-term effects of heavy alcohol use include: -Loss of appetite -Vitamin deficiencies -Stomach ailments -Skin problems -Sexual impotence -Liver damage -Heart and central nervous system damage -Memory loss Here are some quick clues to know if I, or someone close, has a drinking problem: -Inability to control drinkingit seems that regardless of what you decide beforehand, you frequently wind up drunk -Using alcohol to escape problems -A change in personalityturning from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde -A high tolerance leveldrinking just about everybody under the table -Blackoutssometimes not remembering what happened while drinking -Problems at work or in school as a result of drinking -Concern shown by family and friends about drinking If you have a drinking problem, or if you suspect you have a drinking problem, there are many others out there like you, and there is help available. You could talk to school counsellor, a friend, or a parent. Excessive alcohol consumption causes more than 100,000 deaths annually in the United States, and although the number shows little sign of declining, the rate per 100,000 population has trended down since the early 1980s. Accidents, mostly due to drunken driving, accounted for 24 percent of these deaths in 1992. Alcohol-related homicide and suicide accounted for 11 and 8 percent respectively. Certain types of cancer that are partly attributable to alcohol, such as those of the esophageus, larynx, and oral cavity, contributed another 17 percent. About 9 percent is due to alcohol-related stroke. One of the most important contributors to alcohol-related deaths is a group of 12 ailments wholly caused by alcohol, among which alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver and alcohol dependence syndrome are the most important. These 12 ailments together accounted for 18 percent of the total alcohol-related deaths in 1992. Mortality due to the 12 causes rises steeply into late middle age range and then declines markedly, with those 85 and over being at less than one-sixth the risk of 55 to 64-year olds. The most reliable data are for the 12 conditions wholly attributable to alcohol. The map shows these data for all people 35 and over. READ: Review Of On-Line Publications Essay PaperThe geographical distribution for men and women follows much the same pattern, although men are three times as likely to die of one of the 12 alcohol-induced ailments. The geographical distribution for whites and blacks follows roughly the same pattern but the rates for blacks are two and half times higher. In the late nineteenth century blacks, who were then far more abstemious than whites, were strong supporters of the temperance movement, but the movement in the South was taken over by whites bent on disenfranchising black people by any means possible, such .

The Myth of Conflict Between Science and Religion Essay

The Myth of Conflict Between Science and Religion - Essay Example Conflict seems to be the most common interaction between religion and science. The two seem to conflict on nearly everything including conclusions such as the origin of man, the origin of diseases, and heliocentric solar system, as well as on how they arrive at their respective conclusions (Brooke and Numbers, 2011). Their conflict seem to emanate from what they rely on for their respective beliefs; religion relies on authority of supernatural being and truth that is supposed to be eternal and universal, while science relies on authority whose source is reasoning and evidence that are subject to challenge. It is this nature of conflict that informs the assertion by Ronald Numbers that the greatest myth in the history of religion and science holds that they have been in a constant conflict state (Numbers, 2009). There has been a raging debate regarding this assertion, with some agreeing with it, while others disagreeing. This essay will discuss how the history of religion and science has been in a state of constant conflict as argued by Ronald Numbers. The argument will be supported through a discussion of Newton, Einstein, and Darwin. The brilliant work of Isaac Newton in the seventeenth century gave rise to issues that strained the relationship between religion and science at that time and in subsequent years (Harrison, 2010). Newton’s arguments have been used by many scientists in their works and have been some of the greatest causes of the conflict between science and religion. Newton modeled the celestial bodies (the sun, earth, and moon) behavior through means that are largely mechanical by posting that the force of gravity was the only force responsible for terrestrial phenomena (Newton, 1953). His model postulated that terrestrial phenomena like the falling of heavy bodies to earth and celestial phenomena like the orbit of the earth around the sun was as a result of the force of gravity. He brilliantly combined his observation with mathematical mo del to formulate three famous motion laws: that a force of strength applied to a mass body leads to acceleration; that every action is paired with an opposite and equal reaction; and that a body at rest will always stay at rest, while a body in motion will keep being in uniform motion, unless an external force acts on it (Newton, 1953). The powerful and comprehensive work of Newton significantly contributed to the field of science as his principles account for a number of natural phenomena. Although he frequently argued that in the absence of a materially-mediated force, God might be directly responsible for gravitational force, he never categorically stated that the system of nature required God (Brooke and Numbers, 2011). His success and continued success in the field of success is viewed by many scientists as an argument for atheism. According to most of them, no one has any reason to believe that God exists, if God is not needed to explain the world’s behavior since mecha nical and scientific principles can. However, religious arguments conflicts the science arguments as postulated by Newton (Morris, 1974). Contrary to Newton’s arguments, religion holds that God exists and he is the force behind everything including the terrestrial and celestial phenomena. Also, religion is of the view that the behavior of the world in the past and in present times can only be understood by inferring to a Supreme Being and not science. Besides, religion conflicts Newton’s arguments by arguing that the world’s complexity spoke in favor of the existence of God

Ethics and Public Official Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethics and Public Official - Essay Example According to the constitution, assuming a state statute fixes compensation and salaries of an office, the salaries and compensation will be attached to and cannot be separated from the office. In summary, the office will not return the benefits or pay of the second office, or basically refusing to accept the compensation to avoid being taken of holding two emolument civil offices. Additionally, the constitution ascertains that the entity of the government cannot eliminate the benefit or pay to a county officer to avoid the holding issue of a dual office. When Lino takes the additional duties in the Attorney’s office he will not create the violation in the second office. There is no conflict of offices if Lino decides to hold the two offices. This is because under many circumstances, an officer who enforces law is not taken to be an office for the sake of constitutional holding limitations for a dual office. Therefore, it is very possible that Lino can hold both positions as a County Commissioner and an Assistant District Attorney this is because the two offices are not categorized as incompatible. Conflicting loyalties limits the person from holding two offices simultaneously when their interest of the two entities conflict and election of a single public office would compromise other office interest. The position of a county commissioner and that of An Assistant District Attorney have no conflicting loyalties between them. This is attributed to the fact that the policy of objectives of the two offices do not conflict in any area. The compatibility doctrine between the two positions will not protect the county’s institution integrity through promotion of impaired services by the official. Additionally, according to the law, two positions have issues of conflicting loyalty when they are public offices. County Commissioner and Assistant District Attorney Position are both public offers. But

Case Analysis Paper Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Analysis Paper - Case Study Example Apparently, foreign investments have immensely contributed to growth of India’s economy. The government of India is more likely to adopt or implement a more robust policy regime to lure more foreign investors into the country (Enz, 2010). Led by Narendra Modi (Prime Minister), the government has ultimately approved various economic reforms in the recent past in an effort to attract more investors into the country, especially those in the service industry. For instance, the government is likely to open doors to international hotel chains to join local establishments in the vastly competitive hospitality industry. The deeper pockets, such as cash and many other resources of international hotel chains are likely to give India competitive advantage over domestic chains (Dayal-Gulati & Jain, 2010).. The economy of India will particularly record a major growth as international hotel add a great deal to the revenues collected from the hospitality industry. The government of India has allowed foreign investors to invest directly in its economy, giving the country a competitive edge over its domestic chains (Dayal-Gulati & Jain, 2010). However, the advantage of the deeper pockets might not be sustainable in the long-run. Apparently, Indian government must protect its local established and infant chains. Although international chains significantly contribute to the growth in the country’s revenue, they (foreign/international chains) may eventually trigger collapse of local competitors. Growth in popularity of Indian market is likely to increase the aggressiveness of other global and domestic chains, posing enhanced or heightened competitive threats (Dayal-Gulati & Jain, 2010). However, domestic chains also play an integral role to stabilize India’s economic growth, as well as to give the economy a fairly systematic resilience. The Indian government, on the other hand, has to play its part not to let foreign corporations take

Response Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 8

Response - Assignment Example However, Darrel uses it in the modern world to express emotions. For instance, the artist uses different textures and fabrics to express different emotions. According to the artist, the textures of a fabric affect people’s brains. By looking at the grains and length of stitches, one can imagine the texture of the fabrics. People are able to tell the texture of fabrics because of their usage of textile since the old times. In addition, Diana got his mixed media idea from the old art ideas of the 18th and 19th centuries. Girls in those times stitched words on pieces of fabrics. Diana borrowed this idea in combining paintings and graphic design. Currently, the concept of mixed media is used by many professional artists in various art forms such as collage and card making. The old mixed media ideas have also been applied in other forms of modern arts such as the multimedia art that combines audio and other non-visual elements

Book Critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Book Critique - Essay Example In this story Moraley furnished a scarce view of life between the lower classes in England and the middle colonies of America through the early eighteen century. His adventure as indentured servants from England to the â€Å"American Plantations†, where he served in different jobs, saunter on the country side, and jumbled with black and white bonds people, the worker, craftsman, Indians, and other ordinary people. The special interest in the story is the comments of Moraley on servants, bondservants, and Native American. The story is about the lower class lives in England and American Colonies during the eighteen century. One of the major characters of the story is Willaim Carr who took him from his job and taught him the Trade of Watch making. The main character of his stories is his father, brother and mother as well as his wife who affected his life too much. Sir George is another character of his story. He wrote about Sir George while he was sailing on towards America. He has written about his masters daughter as well. When he met up with the daughter of his master he was removing his rags and given a torn shirt and an old coat, but was assured that the clothes were provisional and that he could anticipate better. This was the first time in the story when Moraley thus a feeling of respect among a master and an indentured servant (Moraley, Klepp, & Smith, 2005, pp. 18-20). After spending her time on the boat they went to Philadelphia where the slaves were to be sold all the slaves were sold except Morely. He went to Philadelphia and wants to spend his life in good manners, he started to search for a job but he failed and sold to a master. During this time period he fell in love and want to settle there but he sold. When he was working for his master he ran away from there but caught. His masters bailed him from jail and free him before his ending time period of serving. After that he engaged with a

Week 5 Individual Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Week 5 Individual Assignment - Essay Example The purpose of this paper is to describe the strategic plan, leadership considerations, and other factors that will allow Gene One to achieve the transformational process successfully. The former CEO of the company Don Ruiz had the right idea in mind when he developed the idea of turning the company into a publicly traded entity. Don has passed away and Gene One is currently in dying need of a new CEO that is able to transform the company so that it can become an efficient public enterprise. The three primary goals of Gene One are to grow its revenues by 40%, to raise additional capital, and to develop new products. The timeline for completion of the IPO process is a maximum of 36 months. Prior to his death Don Ruiz had made remarks in the scenario that he might not be the right person to lead the company in the transformational process. Now that the company has to fill his vacancy the human resource department must recruit a new CEO. This CEO has to have the right leadership style to inspire the staff into believing that the direction of the company is the right path. The chief executive officer position is the top managerial position within a corporation. Due to the changes that are occurring within Gene One the new CEO has to be a true leader in order to ensure his troops follow the manager’s guidance. A leadership style that is well suited for the CEO position at Gene One Corporation is a charismatic leadership style. A charismatic leader can be defined as a leader who by force of their personal abilities is capable of having a profound and extraordinary effect on followers (Schermerhorn & Hunt & Osborn, 2003, p. 300). An example of a charismatic leader is Martin Luther King. Charismatic leaders have high moral beliefs, great interpersonal and communication skills, and the ability to inspire others to achieve higher levels of performance. At Gene One

PGCE- Primary Teaching Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

PGCE- Primary Teaching - Personal Statement Example addition to my vocational qualifications in advertising, PR and Media, I would make to the position a proven ability to deal successfully and tactfully with children and colleagues. Although my course does not involve a subject in the national curriculum, I still possess a basis for primary teaching. Throughout my course, I have had to write advertisements and participate in field practical that have enhanced my communication skills. I can replicate this training in a classroom setting to capture children’s attention and have them respond appropriately. The nature of my advertising, PR and Media degree course has prepared me adequately for this position as there are areas that aid my understanding people’s thought processes when presented with information. Media training and advertisement has helped me understand the mechanics of communicating with wide and varied age groups. The learned PR skills will come handy in understanding children and develop strategies to aid learning. In addition to my strong theoretical basis for the course, I obtained practical experience for teaching. While on a three-week placement abroad, I observed that a teachers approach to the class has a far reaching effect on the learner’s ability. For example, a teacher often changed the ways he taught a class to maintain the interest of the children in those activities. She encouraged and celebrated children who were experiencing difficulties in certain activities. The motivation spurred them to try harder, and they succeeded in many cases. Her positive attitude reflected in children, giving them confidence in themselves hence an active learning environment. I had the opportunity to guide the class in story telling which preceded an ICT lesson that would require class discussions. It was evident that some children are happy to participate in this environment while others were not quite as keen. It is, therefore, imperative that teaching practitioners design strategies that would

Desert Economy Struggling To Stay Afloat Essay Example for Free

Desert Economy Struggling To Stay Afloat Essay When Americas economy fell into a recession in 2008, it took down mexico along with it. America is by far the largest buyer of Mexican products, last year alone doing $400 billion in business. The Economist article, Making The Desert Bloom, brings to light the condition that Mexicos economy is currently in, restricted by cartels, monopolies and its unfortunate situation with America. When stocks plummeted and jobs were lost in america, Mexicos economy as a whole fell by 6.1%, the northern state of Coahuila getting hit the worst with a drop of 12. 3%. Until the recession, Mexico was on schedule to have a reasonable decade but with personal income growth now at only 0.6% , some of the worst in the world, it doesnt look promising. Mexicos unemployment rate peaked at 6.4% in 2009 and is only slowly getting better. The foundation of Mexicos economy is based on its exports. With americans share of Mexicos exports falling from 89% to 78% and expecting to get worse, mexico has a problem on their hands. At the beginning of the decade, Mexico claimed the largest Latin American economy but since has been over taken by brazil with a GDP grow to more then 2 times that of Mexicos. In 2010, the murder rate was 17 out of every 100,000 people, expected to cause a 1% drop in Mexicos annual growth rate. Foreign direct investment has fall from $30 billion to just half that over the last 5 years. With so many problems limiting Mexicos potential, the country needs to get everything in order to to revive itself from the current recession. Mexico has been hit by the steepest recession of any latin american country. A recession can be explained by a significant decline in activity across the economy effecting in industrial production, employment, income and trade. Between 2008 and 2009, 700,000 jobs were lost in Mexico. In certain parts, 4 in 10 business shut down. The head of economic planning in Mexicos fiancee ministry, Miguel Messmacher, has seen a major shift in the direction of exports out of his country. Sales to latin America and asia are growing twice as fast as those to America. Mexicos largest export is the automotive industry, although its exports to America make up only 65%. Eduardo soils head of the industrys national association thinks this is a good sign because it always Mexico to establish markets in other countries, opening up more opportunities. His goal is to get it down to 50%. Others argue that Mexico can not become a commodity exporter. just because countries like china have a demand for soy beans, doesnt mean that Mexico should start growing and export this product. They believe the economic future still lies in Americas economy. They way out of the recession is to gain a bigger piece of Americas slowly growing economy.

Coca Cola Value of Cultural Understanding

Coca Cola Value of Cultural Understanding Value of Cultural Understanding The chosen three different organisations which are currently carrying business across different cultures are: the Coca-Cola Company, Hilton Hotel Corporation and Ladbrokes plc. The Coca-Cola Company The Coca-Cola Company is an industry which has diversified itself into different cultures, broadening its business into globalisation. The company is built around two core assets, its brand and its people. Established in 1886, the Coca-Cola Company operates in more than 200 countries and markets more than 450 brands and 2800 beverages products. These products includes sparkling and still beverage, such as water, juices and juice drink, teas, coffees, sports drinks and energy drinks. The company owns four of the worlds top five non-alcoholic sparkling beverages brands: Coca-Cola, Diet-Coke, Sprite and Fanta.: The company is a global business, which operates on a local scale, in every community where they do business. They are able to create with local focus because of the strength of the Coca-Cola system, which comprises their company and their bottling partners more than 300 worldwide. In January 2006, the Coca-Cola company-owned bottling operation were brought together to form the bottling investment operating group, now the second-largest bottling operation in the Coca-Cola system in terms of unit case volume. Companys Culture; Management principles and values In the Coca-Cola Companys manifesto for growth, they commit themselves to be a leader in corporate responsibility and express their aspiration to be among the worlds most respected companies. Among the keys to earning that respect is the maintaining world-class standards for fair and dignified treatment for all the people who works for the company. They believe that a place work is more than a place you go everyday. It should be a place of exploration, creativity, professional growth and interpersonal relationship. It is about being inspired and motivated to achieve extraordinary things. The Coca-Cola Company wants their team to take pride in their work and in building the brand others love. As it is the combined talents, skills, knowledge, experience and passion of their team that makes them who they are. Their 90,500 associates around the world live and work in the markets they serve more than 86 percent of them outside the U.S. In this geographically diverse environment, the management learn from each market and share those learning quickly. As a result, the companys culture is ever more collaborative. Values and/or Beliefs The future of the Coca-Cola Companys business depends on the vitality of the communities where they operate. Since the Coca-Cola Company is a global business, they are citizen and members of thousands of local cultures and communities. They believe that their responsibilities go beyond producing great-tasting beverages. They are committed and enhance individual opportunity. One of the ways they contribute is through their philanthropy, with a heavy focus on education. The Coca-Cola Company supports people for the right to education and provides grants to encourage people in the community they operates to progress. They have their own foundation grant which provide money support to those who cannot afford education fees. The Coca-Cola Company is among those companies which have responded to HIV/AIDS and recognised that business must do its part to help to tackle this problem, especially in Africa. They believe they can contribute to the sustainability of their business operations by helping the local community to combat HIV/AIDS. Detail Culture of the Organisation The Coca-Cola Company holds a market range of brands and beverages product and markets them globally. The companys culture is more collaborative. They learn from each market and share those learning quickly across departments. They work toward ensuring the long-term pillar: consumer marketing, commercial leadership and franchise leadership. Consumer marketing is about expanding consumer preference through a board and balances portfolio of more than 450 brands and more than 2800 beverages products, expanded nutrition labelling, option in packaging size and responsible marketing. Commercial leadership relates to customer and suppliers partnership. The company continues to build long-term relationship to sell more beverages and at the same time, create positive change in the communities where they work and live. Franchise leadership refers to the relationship with their bottling partners. The company do not own or manage most of their bottlers; they are independent, local companies running their own business. But the company strives to work closely to strengthen the Coca-Cola system. Official Policies; Equal Opportunities The Coca-Cola Company gives equal opportunity to all their staffs to grow within the organisation. They give preference to the local people of the country were they conduct business. The company maintains a world-class standard for fair and dignified treatment of all the people who works for the company. They communicate this commitment in the workplace rights policy and human rights statement. The workplace rights policy serve to ensure that the company applies a consistent approach to the workplace rights worldwide, as an integral part of their culture, strategy and day-to-day operations. The human rights statement communicates the companys pledge to manage the business around the world in accordance with the highest standard of integrity with a specific emphasis on human rights in the work place. Diversity The Coca-Cola Company seeks to leverage its worldwide team, which is rich in diverse people, talent and ideas. Being a global business, the ability to understand, embrace and operates in a multicultural world, both in the market place and in the workplace is critical to the companys sustainability. The company strive for an inclusive culture which is defined by their own seven core values; leadership passion, integrity, collaboration, innovation, quality and accountability. The company work on a daily basis to bring these values to life through their diversity workplace strategy. This strategy includes programs to attract, retain and develop diverse talent; provide support systems for groups with diverse backgrounds; and educate all associates. Governance and ethics The Coca-Cola Company aims to lead by example and to learn from experience. They set high standards for their people at all levels and strive to consistently meet them. The company is guided by their establish standard of corporate governance and ethics. The company review their system to ensure that they achieve international best practices in terms of transparency and accountability. The core of the ethics and compliance program at the Coca-Cola Company is their code of business conduct. The code guides their business conduct, requiring honesty and integrity in all matters. All of the associates and directors are required to read and understand the code and follow its precepts in the workplace and larger community. Xenophobic practice The Coca-Cola Company has been banned by the Kerala High Court, from extracting the ground water for its controversial bottling operations. The companys Kerala plant has seen accusations that the company is draining the regions natural resources and despoiling the environment. The ruling could end up forcing the plant to close, as alternative sources of the high quantities of water required will be difficult to envisage. It has been given one month to cease its extractions. The move comes as a major victory for large numbers of local residents that have claimed the companys overconsumption of water was turning their agricultural land into a desert. Justice K Balakrishnan Nair told the company that it owned the 40 acres of land upon which its plant stood, but not the ground water underneath it, which is a national resource that belongs to the entire society. Coca-Cola has continued to deny that it depleted the water reserves, and has said that it will appeal against the order. Ethnic The core of the ethics and compliance program at The Coca-Cola Company is their Code of Business Conduct. The Code guides the business conduct, requiring honesty and integrity in all matters. All of their associates and directors are required to read and understand the Code and follow its precepts in the workplace and larger community. The Code is administered by their Ethics Compliance Committee. This cross-functional senior management team oversees all their ethics and compliance programs and determines Code violations and discipline. Their Ethics Compliance Office has operational responsibility for education, consultation, monitoring and assessment related to the Code of Business Conduct and compliance issues. Associates worldwide receive a variety of ethics and compliance training courses administered by the Ethics Compliance Office. They regularly monitor and audit their business to ensure compliance with the Code and the law. They also maintain a consistent set of best-in-class standards around the world that govern how they investigate and handle Code issues. In 2008, we revised the Code to further improve its effectiveness Hilton Hotel Corporation Hilton Hotel Corporation is recognised around the world as a preeminent lodging hospitality company, offering guests and customers the finest accommodations, services, amenities and value for business or leisure. The Hilton brand has for more than 80 years, been synonymous with excellence in the hospitality industry. Through ownership of some of the most recognised hotels in the world and their newly enhanced brand portfolio, Hilton is now offering guests the widest possible variety of hotel experiences. With the 2006 acquisition of the London based Hilton international, the Hilton portfolio now includes over 3000 hotels in 80 different countries cultures, ethics and customs worldwide. The Hilton Hotel Corporation is an upscale global resort network with a collection of resorts located in exotic places the worlds largest global choice. Companys Culture Management principles and value Hilton Hotel Corporation stands above the rest, delivering on all front, whether being the best brand that offers the best locations, size and scale, the most dedicated people, attractive marketing programs or financial strength. The company has built a reputation for quality, value, integrity and strength. For more than 85 years ‘Hilton has been synonymous with ‘Hotels, standing for excellence in lodging hospitality across the globe. In addition the travelling public is presented with the broadest possible range of price points, choices and opportunities. The 100 percent satisfaction is an operating culture and philosophy that focuses each team member and owner on complete guest satisfaction. Through their guarantee, they are committed to high quality accommodations, friendly and efficient service and clean comfortable surroundings for all guests. Value and/or Beliefs Hilton Hotel Corporation believes that technology can be used to ease many of the stress and strains of travelling. From a hotel operations perspective, innovative new technologies like check-in kiosk are helping the guest check-in more easily and their team members spend less time on administration, which frees them up to spend more time ensuring guests achieve the goals of their stay. The ability to innovate is highly valued and has been ingrained in the company culture since its beginning as one of the pioneers in the hospitality as we know it today. Culture details of the Organisation Hilton Hotel Corporation is an upscale, global hotel network with a collection of hotels located in different countries in the world-the world largest global choice. Ever since Conrad Hilton bought his first hotel in 1919, the Hilton organisation has built a reputation for quality, value, integrity and strength. For more than 85 years ‘Hilton has been synonymous with ‘Hotel, standing or excellence in lodging hospitality across the globe. In 1999, that reputation was extended to a new family of brand of hotels and with such respected names as Hilton, the travelling public is presented with the broadest possible range of price, choice and opportunities. Official Policies Equal Opportunity Hilton gives equal opportunity to al its staff to grow within the company. It gives preference to the local people of the communities where they are operating the chance to grow within the business. Diversity The companys diversity program has made it an industry leader in advancing diversity principles across the nations. The company has built a more diverse workforce, measured the number of minority suppliers and franchise holders and made great advances in incorporation diversity principles into all aspect of the business operations. The company is actively pursuing its objective to maintain a workforce that reflects the same diversity and vitality as the guest who come through the door of its hotels and the culture they operates in. Community Hilton Hotel Corporations commitment to being a good corporate citizen is brought to life every single day by the thousand of team members representing our corporation and the Hilton family of hotels. From helping ids learn to read to planting school gardens, to participating in fund raising walk-a-thons that helps numerous worthy causes to refurbishing national landmarks, the Hilton family of hotels is diligently working towards positive change. The Hilton name ha for more than 85 years, stood not only as a symbol of first-class hospitality, but of active participation in cities, countries and states where the company operates. Ethnic Globally to adapt within the different cultures Hilton Hotels Corporation has diversified into the different markets by understanding its customers and makes its main priority in communicating with its ventures at a global scale as they seek to produce financial rewards to its investors as they aim to provide growth and enrichment to its employees striving to act with integrity. Ladbrokes plc Ladbrokes was founded in 1886 and has grown to become one of the biggest leisure and entertainment organisations in the UK. It is the largest cash betting company in the world and a leading influence for improvement in the betting industry. Ladbrokes offers a wide range of betting opportunities from horse and greyhound racing to events such as cricket, golf snooker and football. Ladbrokes is the leading retail bookmaker in the UK, Ireland, Scotland and Belgium with over 2600 owned and operated betting shops. They also operate facilities at most of the leading racecourses. Ladbrokes has expanded their business internationally with retail outlets in Belgium, Italy and Spain. The Ladbrokes plc operates through different means such as retail betting through shops. Betting through the internet, mobile phones and interactive television, adult gaming centres, telephone betting through dedicated call centres and operate greyhound stadia. Companys Culture Management principles and values In an increasingly competitive market place, the Ladbrokes brand is a key asset. The board and senior management recognise the importance of the brand and continually invest in marketing activities to build awareness and engage in market research to monitor performance. According to the latest research, Ladbrokes is the most recognised betting brand in the UK. Ladbrokes is perceived as the market leader by the general public and over 50 percent of regular bettors. The latter also perceive Ladbrokes to be the most trustworthy brand as well as the one that sets trend. (Source: face to face research conducted by TNS Omnibus in January 2007) As a result of changes introduced in the UK by the gambling Act 2005, current restriction on the advertising of betting and gaming are to be reviewed, Ladbrokes is actively assessing the opportunities to extend its brand leadership position under the new regulation. Ladbrokes has achieved high levels o brand awareness on the international stage and their good name has played a strong role in expanding into new markets. Ladbrokes is regularly approached by governments and businesses around the world about opportunities in betting and gaming. In Scandinavia their online business has achieved high levels of brand recognition and in Italy and Belgium they are operation their retail shop using the Ladbrokes brand. Value and /or Beliefs Ladbrokes believes in responsible gambling. Gambling should be an exciting past time and they urge their customers to have fun but not bet beyond their means. Ladbrokes value the society they operates in. they have joined the ‘Gamcare organisation, an independent organisation which offer help to people who have gambling problems and they have trained all their staff about the way to deal with such customers and how to provide assistance. Ladbrokes also have the ‘self-exclusion option for people with gambling problems whereby they can ban themselves from the gambling outlets of the company. Ladbrokes has founded their charitable trust called the ‘Ladbrokes company charitable trust. They raise money through events held in their outlets and all the money raised, goes into the trust. The trustees then give money to various charities. All these initiatives are for helping to create a better community in which they operates. Culture details of the Organisation Ladbrokes hold a variety of betting options which links with different counties at a global scale. The company have diversified their range of betting option and is now offering their customers a wider range of sports betting, novelty betting and lottery on a global level. Every culture has its own preferred ways of betting and gambling. Ladbrokes recognises these differences and makes the most of them with online products and services that are tailored to local and regional taste. Ladbrokes believes in continuous investment in their retail shops estate to generate growth by offering the best experience to customers and make the brand name synonymous with excellence. Official Policies Equal Opportunity As a company, Ladbrokes believe in providing equality of opportunity for all employees within the different cultures they operates in. all employees are given equality and are encouraged to progress within the organisation. New employees are informed of the companys equal opportunity policy during their training induction. Ladbrokes is committed to an ongoing programme of action to make this policy fully active at al levels. Diversity Ladbrokes recognises that different employees have differing needs and can contribute to the companys success in different ways. Their customers comes from a wide range of background, ages and diverse life experience and they believe that by maintaining diversity throughout the company, they can provide their customers with a more enjoyable and memorable experience every time they bet with the company. By focusing on each individual employees skills, contribution and potential while at the same time welcoming and respecting their differences they ensure that all their employees feel valued and respected and are motivated and committed to help the company to achieve their goals . Dedication to customer service The betting and gaming industry is a service business. The product is the experience the customer enjoy when placing a bet with a staff and watch the race in our shop. As the industry becomes more and more competitive, Ladbrokes recognise that all their employees have an impact on their customers experience. With over 2600 shops across Europe and website offering betting in 12 languages, tailored to local interests, Ladbrokes appeals to customers all over the world. Every culture has its own ways of betting and gaming and Ladbrokes recognises these differences and makes the most out of them with product and services that are tailored to local and regional taste. They places a high priority on good service and as a result they regularly win national customer service awards. Task2 Coca-Cola Company Management practice for alternative culture The company is focused on strategic workplace program that helps assure the success of their commitment for embracing the similarities and differences of people, cultures and ideas. The company strive to communicate their diversity efforts to their workforce and operates through online diversity as business newsletters, diversity speaker services, training, workshops, updates from their diversity advisory councils and employee forum programming. The companys diversity advisory council consists of a representative group of associates from all functions and business units of the organisation. The council develops recommendations for senior management on advancing the companys efforts towards achieving their diversity objectives. The management believes that a sense of community enhances their ability to attract, retain and develop diverse talent and ideas as a source of competitive business advantage. In the US, through employee forums, associates can connect with colleagues who share similar interests and background. In those forums and elsewhere, associates support each other in personal and professional growth and enhance their individual and collective ability to contribute to the company. Formal multicultural relationship The company has design a community water programs to support healthy watersheds and sustainable programs to balance the water used throughout their production process. They do this by working on a wide range of locally relevant initiatives, such as watershed protection; expanding community drinking water and sanitation access; agricultural water use efficiency; and education and awareness programs. Informal multicultural relationship The Coca-Cola Companys products are produced by local people, using local resource and in many cases, local suppliers. Supplier and business partners are vital to the companys continued success. So, through the multiplier effect and local nature of the Coca-Cola Company global business, they support local economies. For each job created within their system, many additional jobs are created through suppliers and other business partners. The company is committed to work with, encouraging and ensuring that their partners and suppliers uphold the highest standard for business conduct, including the values and practice of these policies. Culture and laws The Group is committed to respecting labor rights in every country where it operates and signed in May 2001 an agreement with UNI (Union Network International) by which it has undertaken to monitor the application of principles of the ILO(International Labor Organization), in particular with regard to freedom of association, collective bargaining and the condemnation of child labor. The Hilton Hotels Corporation also adheres to the UN Global Compact since 2001, committing itself to respect its principles, which include labor standards. The company has updated its Code of Conduct and which includes references to the Groups commitment to respect for: The workplace Rights policy, The ILO conventions, The OECD guidelines, The Global Compact principles, The international agreement signed with UNI in May 2001, The Diversity in Business Charter. Hilton Hotel Corporation Management practice for alternative culture Hilton Hotel Corporation is recognised around the world as a preeminent lodging hospitality company. Hilton Hotel Corporation is global with a collection of hotels located in exotic places, cities, and country side around the world. The management of Hilton has adapted the strategy of tailoring each property to its location, local culture, gastronomic international and local cuisine and its ability to deliver a top hotel experience. The management of the company has a diverse workforce and therefore have to operate according to the countrys national laws of employment and their local culture beliefs, such as in Egypt, where they are an Islamic country, the management will have to operates according to the ‘sharia law, which states that women should always cover their heads, restriction of pork meat and alcoholic drinks. Therefore the management will have to operate by abiding to these rules and moreover, they form part of the culture which guests would like to experience. Formal multicultural relationship Hilton Hotel Corporation is the first hotel company in the industry to receive the energy star award from the environmental protection agency (EPA) and the departmental of energy. Moreover, the company always participates in various communities outreach projects, such as planting trees, cleaning beaches and undertaking other activities that help restoring the community national resources. The Hilton Hotel Corporation continues to look for new ways to reduce energy and improve the environment we all live in. Informal multicultural relationship Hilton Hotels Corporations commitment to being a good corporate citizen is brought to life every single day by the thousands of team members representing the corporation and the Hilton Family of Hotels. From helping kids learn to read, to planting school gardens, to participating in fundraising walk-a-thons that help numerous worthy causes, to refurbishing national landmarks, the Hilton Family of Hotels is diligently working toward positive change. Ladbrokes plc Management practice for alternative culture Ladbrokes believes in providing equality for all employees in the community they operate in. employees are treated fairly and given the opportunity to progress within the organisation. As the company operates across different cultures, it takes into consideration the local culture of the area they are operating in and provide support to the community, through employing local people to work for the company and donating to local charities. Moreover, Ladbrokes complies with every national laws of the culture they operate in and supranational laws, as they operates in Europeans countries as well. The national laws lay down the laws of a country and by which every business need to abide regardless of their origin. Such as, the company has to provide staff holiday for employees during the local culture national day Irelands saint Patricks day. Staff are allowed to have this special day off and if they do work, they will be paid on the basis of a bank holiday, which is a double pay. The sup ranational law applied to European countries, whereby member of states have pass on their authority to a common political institution. The supranational law for gambling, regulates the opening and closing time of betting outlets throughout the European countries. Formal multicultural relationship As the company is global, Ladbrokes recognise that all their employees have an impact on their customers experience. Therefore, they have diverse their staff and now offer betting in 12 different languages, tailored to local interest, Ladbrokes appeals to customers all over the world. As every culture has its own preferred ways of betting and gaming. Ladbrokes recognises these differences and makes the most out of them with product and services that are tailored to the local and regional taste. The company place a high priority in good service within the community they operates in and value these people. Ethic and compliance The company core of the ethic and compliance program in Ladbrokes is their code of conduct practice. The code guides the business conduct and requires compliance with all is regulatory responsibilities. Such as the gambling act, workplace right, discrimination, racisms, bullying and whistle blowing.

Management Information System In Mcdonalds Information Technology Essay

Management Information System In Mcdonalds Information Technology Essay In any organization, the role of information in decision making is crucial. All the effective decisions are made on the basis of timely, accurate and relevant information. An organization where the relevant information is not available, it leads to poor planning, poor priority of needs, inappropriate decision making, and defective scheduling of programs and activities. The importance of information for proper decision making led to the development of management information system for organizations. The management information system in decision making aims to develop a system for the viable and effective use of modern information approach in the modern management practices (Laudon and Laudon, 2009). Management Information System (MIS) is concerned with the streamlined process of collecting, processing, storing and transmitting the relevant and required information to support entire management operations in any organization. Management Information System comprises of three resources: Academically, management information system and decision making is commonly referred to the automation of human decision making including Decision Support Systems, Expert systems and Executive information system (Laudon and Laudon, 2009). Criteria to select data and information to support decision making There is certain criterion which must be followed in order to select data and information. The criteria include following points: Information required Source of information Reason for which that particular source collected the information The problem which will be solved by that information Evaluation of different sources for acquiring best information along with best format and mode for information Parts of information which will be used Additional information required Presentation of information in order to understand the situation and take decisions ((Laudon and Laudon, 2008) Impact of Information Management System in an organization The Management Information System is being used extensively by many businesses worldwide. The MIS is designed by the top management and is used as a tool for accumulating and assembling facts and figures about all the important business processes including: Financial management Inventory management Technical foundation Asset management Forecasting Time and expense management Procurement Work force management The implementation of Management Information System in an organization ensures the appropriate flow of information to relevant departments and people without bottlenecks. This helps in making decisions not only at internal level but at external level too (Laudon and Laudon, 2008). The entire process of MIS provides the complete, reliable, timely and quality information to decision makers. The four types of computer based management information systems used commonly in organizations are: Transaction processing system Operating information system Expert system Decision support system The Management Information System impacts the organization in following ways: The MIS in an organization ensure the accurate and timely transaction processing. The processes become efficient as there are fewer chances of duplicate data entry and maintenance. The MIS in an organization helps in streamlining records and accounting management. The business processes become standardized due to MIS. MIS provides interactive support to managers which help them in decision making. MIS provides a systematic and easy way to dig out critical information as per specific requirements in preferred formats. MIS due to its time saving feature enables the organizations to gain competitive advantage over others. Although McDonalds has a market share in South Asia but it needs to do more research and gather information regarding the flavors to be introduced, customer expectations and other relevant market information. After collecting this information, this food chain needs to communicate this information efficiently to its employees in order to have the internal opinions for final decision making (OBrien and Marakas, 2008). By collecting information along with the data and information criteria, the business will be able to have a greater level of insight into how business actually works. Importance of information sharing within the organization Every organization has different hierarchical levels constituting managers, executives, employers, employees, administrative staff and lower staff. These levels in an organizational structure are developed for the sake of job description and designations in order to make every employee, manager and executive accountable of his/her actions. Various departments in an organization have their own sets of information which are of formal and informal nature. This information usually consist of work description, company policies, rules and regulations, budget for specific department, targets for specific department, goals for department and much more (McLeod and Schell, 2006). For any organization to be successful, interaction between different business departments or units is essential. The harmonized communication within the organization leads to better understanding of different jobs which are being carried out. The employees understand their perspective goals and the contribution of every department in accomplishing those goals. The inter-departmental communication helps in developing a team force directed towards achieving the goals. For achieving goals, formal information must be communicated along departments in order to have opinions from the employees as they being part of the organization could come up with better feedback. In addition to this, the information sharing within the organization has importance in the following way: By sharing information within the organization, inter-organizational communication and networking will improve. The communication between different organizational levels will support successful management of business and business operations. The information sharing within the organization will help in the sufficient use of executive resources. The sharing of information in an organization between different departments will increase the overall ability to make rational, sound and informed decisions involving combination of complex factors. The sharing of information will also enhance confidence and speed of decision making as well. The time factor will reduce and more work could be done as the work force will know every business dimension. By knowing every department and its role, the customer service will flourish as customer service agents will be able to answer every question easily. This will also improve the personnel relations with the organization as every employee will understand the nature of work and individual contribution of every department. The sharing of information will help bring clarity in communication within the organization as every department would be able to understand common terms and terminology. With such sharing, the business operations will develop higher degree of professionalism. (OBrien and Marakas, 2008) Although sharing information has been promoted in most of the organizations but there is a need for guidance when it comes to information sharing. The organizations must understand that employees must be confident that their personal information has been kept in privacy and secure from being accessed by any other employee. The privacy rights of every employee need to be maintained. The organizations must take the employees in confidence regarding the share of information. In this, the employees must have a clear idea how their personal data might be accessed or used by the company. Same is the case with work related information sourcing, sharing and storing. Some of the work related information of other departments must be communicated in order to streamline the processes to achieve the organizational goals. However there are certain decisions and approaches applied in department judging the requirement of the work. Such information must not be shared unless proper consent has been g iven by higher management. The employees must only share such information with an open consent of higher officials (McLeod and Schell, 2006). Similarly, the organization need to streamline and direct which information should go to which department. There should be filters in the bulk of information so that the concerned employee or department receives the information only. The information of sensitive nature must be kept safe with secure privacy system so that only relevant higher management could access it. Format for offering information For any organization, choosing information sharing format must be based on underlying condition according to which a data format should only be approved for information preservation if it is fully known to the organization and the authority in charge of preserving information. There are various information sharing formats: Code Coding Encoding Metadata Publicly standardized format Published format Standard Mandatory statement These and other formats are available to organizations for offering information. However the organization must ensure that the format used must be clear to them in terms of its functioning. McDonalds must promote information sharing within departments in order to know their opinions so a better product could be launched. Use of information to support strategic decision making Decision making for any organization is the selection of course of action. The process of decision making produce a final choice and this choice can be an opinion or an action. The decision making process must be routed down to lowest possible level in the organization. But for every decision in an organization, proper and relevant information is required based on which analysis could be made and further implemented. Producing data and information should not be an end in itself but it should be made an integral part of the performance management, operations and governance arrangements of an organization. Organizations that pay central attention to the use of information while making decisions often end up making reliable choices. However, good quality data is an essential ingredient when it comes to development of reliable decision. The data must be relevant and perfect for the purpose with timely and accurate representation. In addition to this, an organization must reach for a bala nce between the importance of information required and cost of collecting such data (Haag and Cummings, 2009). Use of information to support strategic decision making could be achieved by following this timeline: Identify the decision to be made along with the goals that organization has to achieve through the decision. In this regard, determine the limitations and scope of the decision. In case of McDonalds, they can use this technique before launching the new product. They can decide if the new product should be launched in proper market or just test market. On these lines, the company needs to be very clear about their goals as well. Get as many facts as you can about the decision an organization is going to take. McDonalds must go for detailed information regarding their performances in Asian region to get the drift of their problem. After collecting these facts, the organization must communicate these facts to employees of every department in order to get the opinion on the launch of the product. After getting the facts, develop choices by developing alternatives. McDonalds can change the ingredients of their products in order to prepare different flavors. Along with identifying alternatives, create as well. This is the evaluation phase of every alternative. McDonalds now need to consider the negative aspect of every alternative (cost, problems, consequences, time needed etc) and the positives (time saved, money saved, creativity, employees happy, customers happy etc). In decision making, there is always some uncertainty regarding the choice made. So the risk comparison amongst the many alternatives must be completed before making the choice. The choice with minimum risk along with other positive aspects would work in the end. Finally take the decision. After taking the decision, implement it and then evaluate the implementation. Once the organization follows this process, it will become part of every strategic decision making. The aggregate of this information can further be used to predict trends and patterns. In case of McDonalds, they can take up this approach and use the data and information in future before launching their new product in a problem area. By following these steps, McDonalds will have a an information pool from all business processes including financial, human resource, inventory, logistics, quality control, resources etc giving out a perfect base to McDonalds in making future strategic business decisions (McDonalds, 2011). To support the strategic business decisions, there are various decision making tools and techniques which can be used. An organization can either use one or a combination of these tools depending on the amount of information and risks in decision making process. The decision making tools and techniques come in various forms and can help the organization in taking the core strategic business decision. Some of these tools are: Cost benefit analysis model Weighted matrix BCG Matrix Decision support system Decision trees SWOT PEST PMI- Pluses, minuses, interesting points Paretos Analysis Six thinking hats Mind mapping McDonalds can use all these tools and techniques in order to expand their market share in Asia region. The need is to do research in every dimension and communicate that information within the organization. There should not be any bottlenecks within the organizational communication. The decision making process would become easier if all the above steps are streamlined within the given period of planning and launching the product. By building up credible information in the information pool, McDonalds will be able to expand its operation and market easily. Evaluate and monitor Management Information System The Management Information System in an organization primarily depends on the quality of information and its source which are people, research and other sources. However this system is maintained in an organization by using the Information Technology and Information Systems. These days, due to adoption of Management Information System in all organizations, the financial investments in Information Technology and Information Systems have increased. With the growing significance of Management Information System in organizational infrastructure development, the performance and evaluation of new technology being used in these systems remains a focus for management. The evaluation process of Management Information System requires the appraisal of techniques which are being used in the information system development. The evaluation process takes into account the technologies which an enterprise is using to integrate information systems between and within organizations. The evaluation purpos e includes the costs, benefits and risks associated with the diffusion or adoption of certain technology for information systems and impact assessment through management information system in an organization (Oz, 2008). Information is a vital asset of any organization which helps determine the enterprise in creating new products and services. Information helps the organization to either withdraw from the markets or enter new markets. But information presented in raw form does not serve the purpose. For maximizing the worth of information, it is captured, quantified, analyzed, compiled, manipulated, shared and made accessible. All this requires the strong foundation and network of information systems (Laudon and Laudon, 2009). Along with considering cost for developing the information systems, the organization must consider the following factors in monitoring and evaluation of the management information system and its components: Number of users Modularity of the system Ease in integration of new components in the system Ease to remove outdated component Amount of information to be processed Type of information to be processed Computing power required by different organizational departments The anticipated functional life of components or system User friendly components for people involved For any organization, the management information system must be maintained in a way to minimize downtime. The enterprise must monitor the processing time of information in order to assure the successful implementation of management information system. A vital consideration in terms of monitoring the management information system is the users access to information in the context that which users can access the information. The organization must ensure that the system grants access to different data by applying user-level permission for access in order to avoid any legal issues regarding privacy of the information. For this, the organization can create unique profiles for each user of the management information system with relevant user-level permissions providing proper clearance. The enterprise can administer the MIS by using individual passwords in order to delineate each user along with their level of access rights. In addition to this, identification of tasks performed by each user will be possible with this password system. The user identification process can also help in gaining data, its measurement and assessment about the performance of any user (McLeod and Schell, 2006). One of the most crucial aspect of monitoring the information system is maintaining the communication between the IS staff of the organization that are involved in the technical perspective, and the system users who communicate their needs or concerns in prosaic terminology. The organization need to monitor this situation by eliminating the language barriers between the IS staff and system users with patience, negotiation and understanding. The organization must maintain a centralized body to provide assistance, information and services to the users of the systems. The information which is being stored by an enterprise builds up a current pool for all users. The archived of the information should not only be a place for storage of information but it must be updated from time to time in order to make it useable for current needs and requirements. An information system is more than software or hardware and people who design it, use it and maintain it are the integral part of this system. The staff of IS must be paired with training department in order to upgrade their skills for better application of the information system and its maintenance (Haag and Cummings, 2009). McDonalds after developing the pool of information needs to monitor it so that the company could analyze the information in order to predict the trends and patterns of the future. As the problem McDonalds had to face was due to the lack of reliable and authentic information, so need of the hour is to build a strong management information system.

Limitation of International Trade Essay -- Economics

Limitation of International Trade One limitation of International Trade is "dumping." The Investopedia states that, "dumping in international trade occurs when one country exports a significant number of goods to another country at prices lower than in the domestic market (Investopedia. 2010)". For example, if a country decides to sell exported products cheaper than it does to its residents, the process is known as dumping. Romadia has to decide whether to impose tariffs, or set a quota on its import products. Dumping has created a probability that an adverse effect can happen because the result of the adverse effect is a shortage and increases in the prices of the products. Price increases lower the demand for the products. The country’s growth progress hindered because dumping is hurting those countries competing. Four Key Points The four points from the simulation are the supply and demand of the items and the cost factors that came with cheese, corn, watches, and DVD players; the balance of trade; opportunity cost; and dumping. This means that the supply and demand of the items and the cost factors were cheap to receive the items and have the items imported in than to make them locally. The balance of trade was discussed in the simulation. The balance of trade is the difference between what goods a country produces and how many goods the buys from overseas. For example, it was the difference between the value of the goods from Uthania and Alfazia exports and the value of the goods to Rodamia imports. The concept of opportunity cost provides for differences in comparative advantage among countries because it is the cost of passing up the next best choice when making a decision. Each county has a different mix of ... ... trade derives from being strong-minded against trade, not concerns based on ideological concerns. Works Cited Investopedia (c) 2010. Dumping. Retrieved from http//www.investopedia.com/terms/d/dumping.asp. Retrieved on August 18, 2010 Lee. Dwight R. "Comparative Advantages Continued" The Freeman:Ideas on Liberty-October 1999. Retrieved from www.http\\www.CommonSenseeconomic/Reading/ComparativeAdvantage. Carbaugh, Robert, Wassink, Darwin. (1992). International dumping: final and intermediate products. Retrieved on August 19, 2010, from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6W53-45JK7H1-1M&_user=10&_coverDate=07%2F01%2F1992&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1436752361&_rerunOrigin=google&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=68fed43879d5ff1560c8af4c96253305