Criminal Justice System in my Community Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Criminal Justice System in my Community - Essay Example Victimization is also an aspect while presenting disparities along the social environments. The essay will focus on disparities along criminal justice with an aim of identifying the motivating factors within these differences. According to U.S. Department of Justice (2004), there is a misrepresentation among the races. The African Americans and other minority groups are highly represented in the crime reports. These reports are both victims and perpetuators. In this case, the minority groups represent a higher percentage of people convicted for various offences. Historical injustices are attributed to these facts. The society has developed itself a long social components. The African American and other minorities have accounted for a larger portion of criminal justice. The high population in the correctional facilities indicates the disparities between the race and crime. The high crime rate among the minorities indicates the race concept in criminal justice. Race is a factor in determining the crime rate and the justice system. The male population represents a large percentage of people under incarceration. The female population account for less than 30 percent of people being imprisoned (U.S. Department of Justice, 2004). The statistics reflects across races. The trend reflects in the white majority and the African Americans and Hispanic population. The male represents a high percentage of new crime case. The male attribute more than 50% percent of new crime cases. On the other hand, females account for the largest victims (U.S. Department of Justice, 2004). They are more affected than their male counterparts given the physical and psychological aspects. Kraska (2006) attribute the social components at which people could be prompt to certain levels of injustices. The connection between gender and crime is attributed to the social aspect in that people may engage in crime as a means

Understanding Organizational Performance Essay Example for Free

Understanding Organizational Performance Essay The focus of this paper will be on investigating an organization, their performance management system and our recommendations for the future. Historically performance management is defined as evaluation a firm through metrics such as return on investment and economic value added. Our analysis will cover not only the financial performance of our chosen firm, but also their values in behaviors as well as their objectives. Thus, we will ascertain if the current system of performance management held by the firm is aligned with their objectives and appropriate for their situation. 1.1 – Why is strategic performance management important? Strategic performance management is a process where an organization develops its objectives, mission, and strategy, and measures and guides itself through management of key performance indicators or other success factors. Czarnecki (1999), states that measuring your organizations performance through each of the areas of most impact is essential for thoroughly assessing your performance. Thus when a firm like TESCO is preparing to make decisions they need to analyze a relevant data which can be converted into actionable information on their performance objectives. 1.2 – Describe the structure and plan of the investigation The structure of this investigation will be to first discuss the organization and its activities in the sector. Secondly, we will discuss the history of performance management of the organization and the relation between their systems and the actual performance. Finally, we conclude with highlighting any areas of improvement and making recommendations for seni or management. 2.0 – Performance Management in TESCO TESCO has employed a system called the TESCO steering wheel to handle performance measurement. This process is similar to the balanced scorecard created by Norton and Kaplan. The TESCO steering wheel was implemented in the late 1990’s and served as part of the critical expansion that the firm underwent as they explored innovative retail formats, product lines, and geographic areas. It can be attributed to their newfound success. 2.1 – Introduction to TESCO The organization that we will be investigating will be TESCO. TESCO is one of the largest retailers in the world and an organization which has shown success in utilizing strategic performance management. There are several styles of performance management which range from Porter’s five forces, to lean management, to the chaos model. The model which was discovered in 1996 and has been one of the most popular is the balanced scorecard. This model which was discovered by Norton and Kaplan has been used by  ¾ of European and Fortune 500 organizations (Balanced Scorecard, 2010). TESCO is unique in that it has implemented this model successfully. In 1995, Tesco surpassed its competitors Sainsbury’s as the top superstore in the United Kingdom. This catapulted its market shares from 15.4% in 1988 to about 29% in 2004. Acquisitions include the famed convenience superstore, TS plc and almost 900 stores around the UK. TESCO has a 30% market share in the United Kingdom and is dominating the market over its competitors. 2.2 – Why are they in business (Stakeholder or Shareholder?) TESCO is in business and highly successful because their founder was a driving force in setting up a foundation of a thriving market in the UK early on. He believed in piling products high and selling them at a cheap price. Since, the company has gone public they have placed close attention to the desires of the shareholders and places the fifth perspective of the steering wheel (financial) as a big component in the performance of their executives. Spitzer (2007) stated that holistic performance measurement enables management to continually assess the fruits of their labor with conducting a review. 2.3 – Strategic performance management of TESCO In regard to investing in their workforce, TESCO believes strongly that human capital is one of their most precious resources. The organization has their â€Å"options programme† which is designed to focus on long-term strategic goals for employees. They also have on job training, which is a cost effective way to ensure that their staff is capable of performing well. Tesco Leadership Framework is directed at three key themes to guide behavior in all employees. These behaviors link to nine critical success factors. The critical success factors can be segmented in several levels of assessment. This aids management in selecting the staff with the capacity to become high performing contributors to organisations. As part of the long term  strategy of the corporation, discovering future leaders is of the utmost importance. TESCO states that they will select leaders wherever they can be found in the organization for advancement. Promotions are a regular occurrence as over 2,900 man agers were promoted internally in the United Kingdom and literally thousands more in international locations. The Options programme is a more infrequently used as only 1 in 30 employees are enrolled while basic training and development happens about every 1 in 10 members of TESCO. Before beginning their development plan, each member of the TESCO staff selects gaps in their skills and competencies. The Personal Development Plan has a section where they can select this information for their line managers to check on in the future. 2.4 – What is strategic performance management? Who says so? The balanced scorecard is the most widely used standard for performance management. As mentioned before, performance management is defined as reaching objectives which can be quantified financially. Performance most times is just simply put as achieving success in your business operations. Therefore, performance means process and manner of functioning to attain beforehand objectives which you set out to achieve. Therefore, behavior must be tied to a result which will be judge throughout the fiscal year of operations for the firm. The balanced scorecard is an excellent tool to keep the organization planning and strategizing forward rather than assessing their operation based on past results. Performance management in many organizations is conducted and reported by line managers who are continuously overseeing employees and operations and giving a formal review at designated times. The values, mission, and objectives of the organizations are intertwined with the financial value added so that the process is flexible and requires less dialogue unless a major event occurs. 2.5 – Is performance management evident at a strategic level in TESCO? On the executive level of the firm compensation is closely tied to the performance of the firm which is common for most public firms. Earlier in 2012 it was found that performance bonuses were slashed to 16.9 per cent of the maximum. This was due to the fact that TESCO was behind its competitors in the UK in terms of sales in 2011 and the top 5,000 managers felt the pain of the company’s shortcomings. 3.0 – TESCO’s Activities and Environment TESCO is a global organization with facilities in over 14 nations and their headquarters being in the United Kingdom with 260 million plus as clients available at their hub. Their outlets have several different types of styles from hypermarket, to non-food item stores, to membership clubs. If one would take into consideration the enormous size of TESCO, it is easy to see that they would require a strategic performance management system which is flexible and nimble. Jones (2012) states that global organization need to have a holistic approach towards managing their operations and not a segmented method. This is crucial in the retail market. The retail market is nonetheless a competitive industry with commoditized stores and international competition in many of the markets the TESCO operates in. Therefore, TESCO has chosen the balanced scorecard approach which has given them success. 3.1 – What activities does TESCO engage in and in what sector? TESCO is a global grocery and merchandise corporation which was founded in the United Kingdom. The organization started IN 1919 with the retail sale of groceries and has diversified its product mix to include electronics, furniture, clothing, and books. Therefore, the company operates in multiple sectors and has a presence on every continent. The company used the aggressive strategy and approach of Jack Cohen to become one of the largest retail outlets on the planet behind only Carrefour and Wal-Mart. Sectors include: Groceries, electronics, financial services, petrol, telecommunications, clothing, music downloads 3.2 – What context does TESCO’s performance management fit in? Organizational performance can be viewed from a number of perspectives. We see that through the eyes of the customer TESCO was perceived as supplying excellent value and service. This perception was sufficient to place them as the top brand when they surpassed Sainsbury. Organizational performance can also be evaluated through financial, social, and environmental perspectives. This is where performance management at TESCO fits in. The TESCO steering wheel is a model internally shows that the firm has a holistic view towards management (Paul, 2008). This relationship exemplifies the relationship with decision making and performance where executives place emphasis on making decisions based on how far reaching the impactions are. 3.3 – Are TESCO’s performance measurements appropriate to that context? Yes, their performance measurements are actively aligned with the core assets which are integral to the success of  their organization. 4.0 – Managing Performance to Improve Decision-making: Specific example in IT Services The British retailer recently implemented a programme called Step Change, to advance its IT efficiency. Tesco placed a large amount of capital in information technology across its operations in the hopes it will keep up with the 21st century trends which lead to more mobile payments, ecommerce and efficiency gains through IT. In the earlier part of 2008, food sales over the internet made large gains of 49% higher in the last financial year, which lead to even more investment. 4.1 – What type of strategy does TESCO adopt? TESCO implements the balanced scorecard through the TESCO steering wheel. The steering wheel has 5 perspectives which cover different areas. The corporate vision and strategy of TESCO is motivated by its customer base, products, services, and the industry that it operates in. Upper management understands that margins can be slim in an industry where competition is tight and becoming a strong brand with heterogeneous image is important. Corporate strategy is inherently focused on financial gain which can be problematic of other objectives are not met (Graham, 2005). The component has lent itself back to business school basics by relying on the teachings of Porter’s five forces model. The model teaches that bargaining power of suppliers, customers, substitutes, buyers, and competitors are working against at any one moment in time. ASDA and Sainsbury due pose threats to TESCO domestically in the UK as they are established have developed brands which are perceived to have equal or greater value in the eye of the customer. Nevertheless, the threats of suppliers moving to their competitors are slimmer as TESCO has made great strides in infrastructure. The Perspectives Customer – Being an affordable and friendly retailer is crucial for TESCO. The customer is seen as the focus as competing products and sales channels can be seen more frequently with technology. Internal – Operations which are run smoothly with excellent customer service leads to keeping costs low and clients happy. TESCO is proactive in this area by offering club cards, and loyalty program with discounts and rewards. Learning – This perspective is seen through training, learning and focused supervision on employees so that they are nurtured to achieve their potential. Financial – Increasing sales,  optimizing investments, and keeping the shareholders happy are the focus of this perspective. Community – Corporate social responsibility is a key word as it relates to this perspective. TESCO was known to have a high carbon footprint, and it has strived to not only reinvest in the community, but reinvest it operates so that there is a keen interest in having a positive social impact. 4.2 – How does TESCO formulate its strategy? TESCO formulates its strategy based on the desires of the customer. According to Terry Leahy, Tesco’s Chief Executive, he states this clearly when he says â€Å"Let me tell you a secret, the secret of successful retailing. It’s this: never stop listening to your customers and giving them what they want.† This is the methodology which makes the organization one of the most successful in the world as every little contribution counts as long as it is helping build the bond between TESCO and its consumer base. This is the rationale behind the corporate strategy which is measured by the TESCO steering wheel. Axson (2010) stated that long term decision making is more soundly aligned with a balance array of operational strengths. This supports the decision which management has made it this firm. 4.3 – What are TESCO’s performance objectives? Does performance match expectations? TESCO’s performance objectives are essentially its 5 perspectives which are different areas covered in the steering wheel. Because the steering wheel is like the balanced score card it has a method of leading to performance which addresses TESCO’s impact on the triple bottom line (people, planet, profit) and allows the company to match and exceed expectations in several areas. Lunger (2007) states that the 21st century problems facing each and every organization requires incorporation of corporate stewardship into your overall strategy. 4.4 – How does TESCO inform its decision-making through performance? What tool does it use? TESCO utilizes the Balanced Scorecard method which is closely aligned with its corporate strategy. 4.5 – Critical evaluate of the tool, its benefits, limitations and it’s appropriateness to TESCO’s strategy The benefits of the tool also stem into the fact as it became a symbol of cohesion and empowerment within the firm. TESCO’s leader, Sir Terry Leahy, stated that he did not want strategy to be the work of only an isolated few individuals in the firm but the work of all of his employees. That is when the company started using the steering wheel in all  of their locations. Sir Terry Leahy ended up shutting down the strategy department completely (Jones, 2012). This was definitely seen as a controversial move as it meant that the executive level where not the sole contributor to what historically is the vision of the firm. The limitation of TESCO’s strategy here is that it is somewhat segmented in its approach as there will be no stores which are identical because they will all be run independently with their own steering wheels. This works agai nst the model that many retailers have at claiming to offer the same experience at every location. 4.6 – Identify areas for improvement A weakness for the company would be performance in the UK. Therefore development of Domestic operations is a major area of improvement for TESCO. The New CEO who succeeded Sir Leahy, Clarke, has vowed to make it an objective to have their profits in the UK become strong and growing. This is an admission of the company falling short of its expected performance for the most recent year. Part of the reasoning behind is the spectacular growth internationally of TESCO due its profits lent to underlying underperformance domestically as it has lost ground to ASDA and Sainsbury and the last three years. Crisis Management and Quality control falls under the community and customer perspective of the TESCO wheel (Marr, 2009). TESCO is reported to not have performed well in the backlash of a recent issue with suppliers and its grocery line. Recently, in early 2013, the media in the United Kingdom reported that horse meat had been found in some meat products sold by this organization, particularl y burgers. The company was quick to state that this was unacceptable activity. 5.0 – Conclusion and Recommendations 5.1 – Review and summary of your investigative findings The overall review of the findings of our report shows that TESCO is in good financial condition and its corporate strategy has achieved its objectives. The strategy has always been customer centric but it has been fruitful in economic value added and financial performance. Austerity has been a large issue in the European Union over the last few years and can bear the brunt of the blame in the lagging performance that TESCO has domestically in comparison to overseas. TESCO has seen strong growth in the United States as well as Asia. The dividend policy is forward looking at TESCO and the  overall change in management still needs time for the market to evaluate. When Sir Terry Leahy left TESCO stock crashed but has recovered. Still, the defensive position in the UK which TESCO has built over the years is proving to be vital as they weather the forces of competition domestically. 5.2 – Recommendations for identifying areas for improvement In regard to operations management, I would recommend that Tesco continue their use of the TESCO Steering wheel and invest stronger in internationally markets like Asia. Tescos highest growth came in Asia where profits grew by 30% to  £570m in 2011 (Hawke, 2011). The need to focus on the community and internal perspectives with innovations is what I see as the focus for the future. The opportunity to win back business from their competitors will require emerging a corporate citizen who cares about loyalty and the well-being of their consumer base will go a long way. This can be obtained by re-examining the performance management systems and not believing that their historical strength will continue to prove valuable in a competitive retail market. TESCO recently invested 500 million GBP as a stimulus package called â€Å"Building a better TESCO† and it has shown lackluster results thus far (Hawke, 2011). In terms of corporate strategy, I believe that creating a performance management group which oversees the effectiveness of the steering wheels domestically would be a great next step. Hope (2012) argued that utilizing your performance management tools sometimes entails injecting the human element into the equation. TESCO uses steering wheels in all of its location and loyalty cards to keep customers feeling connected and appreciated. If TESCO invests in a performance management team which can monitor remotely the performance of the UK stores in community and financial perspectives they can consistently support growth in these locations where their performance is not as strong as overseas. 5.3 – Implementation plan for recommendations Overall, TESCO’s use of strategic performance management has been successful and I would recommend keeping the steering wheel intact. The model fits naturally with their objectives and mission for the future. This has been instrumental in overcoming threats from other organizations as well as allowing them to focus on growth potential. Recommendation #1 is to invest in Asian markets more aggressively in 2013. This recommendation can be  implemented by identifying areas for growth in existing markets where TESCO has a presence and building more stores. Establishing sales channels in these markets was a strategic investment which the company has already made and can be further utilized to extract and attract more profits. Recommendation #2 is to establish a performance management team to oversee domestic steering wheel systems for TESCO. The success of the corporation has been about measuring less with their tools and focuses more on customers. The focus of this team would be to provide more support to underperforming stores by supplementing by coaching them through their steering wheel templates and shopping lists. References Business Case Studies UK. â€Å"How training and development supports business growth† Graham, Kenny, (2005), â€Å"Strategic Planning and performance management† Taylor and Sons Marr, B., (2009), Delivering Success: How Tesco is Managing, Measuring and Maximizing its Performance, Management Case Study, The Advanced Performance Institute. De Wall, Andre, (2007). â€Å"Strategic Performance Management: a managerial and behavioral approach†. Unknown Axson, David A. (2010), â€Å"Best Practices and Planning and performance management† Wiley John and Sons. Katter, P. John, Heskett L. James, (1992), â€Å"Corporate Culture and Performance† Kotter Associates. Hope, Jeremy, (2012), â€Å"Beyond Performance Management, how and when to use 40 tools† Harvard Business Review. Hawke, Alex, (2011), â€Å"TESCO Reports record profits of 3.8 Bn† Guardian.co.uk Marr, Bernard, (2006), â€Å"Strategic Performance Management† Butterworth-Hineman, Oxford. Lunger, K., 2007, â€Å"A performance Management Primer: Why you need more than a dashboard to manage your strategy.† TESCO PLS (2010) (2011) from Tesco Corporate Paul, R. (2008) Balanced Scorecard: for Government and non-Profit Agencies. Canada: John Wiley Marr, Bernard, (2010), â€Å"The Intelligent Company, Five Steps to success with evidence based \management† Wiley, Oxford. Jones, Steve. 2012, â€Å"Strategic Performance Management, A Case Study at TESCO† Czarnecki, Mark T. (1999), â€Å"Managing by Measuring, how to improve your organization’s performance through effective benchmarking†. The Benchmarking Network Spitzer, Dean, (2007), â€Å"Transforming Performance Measurement: rethinking the way we measure†. AMACOM.

Comparison of the Chartres towers :: essays papers

Comparison of the Chartres towers The cathedral of Notre-Dame at Chartres must be one of the most beautiful and famous architectural specimens in the world today. The cathedral owns an exquisite silhouette against the sky of La Beauce. Two towers rise uncontested, to take watch over miles and miles of French countryside. Up close, the two towers, along with their spires, seem mismatched or unrelated. Yet, the two together provide for one of the most interesting juxtapositions in architecture. â‚ ¬Chartres cathedral has had a tumultuous history with both tragedies and triumphs. Charpentier notes that the site of the cathedral has also served various other purposes. The Romans had used the higher ground for a military camp, part of which still exists on the eastern side of the cathedral by the transition of apse to choir. In addition to the camp site, there was also the existance of a Gallo-Roman temple on the same site as Chartres cathedral. This temple is believed to have the same orientation as the cathedral and the cathedral's round apse uses the foundation of a Gallo-Roman defensive tower. This use of the Gallo-Roman defensive tower is also present at Bourges cathedral. The lower parts of the defensive tower formed a crypt which was incorporated into the ninth century Church of Gislebert, also known as Saint Lubin's chapel. On the night of September seventh 1020, the Church was completely razed by fire. â‚ ¬After the destruction of the church in Chartres, the bishop of Chartres, Saint Fulbert, spearheaded the campaign to build a church in Chartres. Only the crypt remained from the earlier Caroligian church and Fulbert built his Romanesque church around the enduring crypt. Fulbert's church lasted 200 years, but in 1134 the front faÅ“ade was damaged by another fire. It was at this time that a effort to update and restore the church was put into motion. The religious powers, along with the Crusaders longed for a greater monument. Thus, Chartres decided to beg in a separate tower.â‚ ¬This adding on to Romanesque churches was not unusual for the day. The abbey-church at Cluny, outside Italy, was given a new magnificent five-bay narthex and two bell-towers. A similar renovation was attempted at La CharitÅ’, but funds ran short and the upgrades could not be completed. â‚ ¬Hence, in 1134 the tower forming the north-west corner of the present-day cathedral, (the left tower of the west faÅ“ade elevation), underwent construction.

Violence and Politics :: Political Government Essays

Violence and Politics Let's talk about absolutely ridiculous pronouncements people make that either ignore simple fact or border on insanity. How about this one: Violence is no way to settle anything! Evidence suggests that violence is a very effective way of settling things. How about a few examples? In 1776, violence settled whether the thirteen colonies would be independent or remain under King George's thumb. In 1865, violence settled whether there'd be a Confederacy and a Union or just a Union. Between 1941 and 1945, violence settled whether Japan would control the Far East and whether Germany would control Europe. Violence settled whether American Indians owned and controlled the land now call United States or whether it would be European settlers and their progeny. In fact, violence has settled the question of land use-rights virtually everywhere. Violence and the threat of violence not only settles questions of land use; it settles other matters as well. For example, I have no problem with paying for the constitutionally mandated functions of the Federal Government - those enumerated in the U.S. Constitution. But I disagree with my earnings being given to dependent farmers, failing banks and poor people. Who has use-rights to my earnings is settled through threats, intimidation and violence. The U.S. Congress in essence tells me, "Williams, if you do not permit us to give your earnings to dependent farmers, banks, poor people, and any one else we deem worthy of your earnings, we will use violence to take your earnings and anything else you possess. Some readers might think that I am being overly hyperbolic. What do you think would be the outcome of the following scenario? I write on my IRS 1040 form: "I gladly accept my responsibility to pay my share of constitutionally mandated functions of the federal government. That share comes to about one-third of what you say I owe. I will not pay for activities not authorized by the Constitution." What happens. The IRS, the agents of the U.S. Congress, levies a fine and demands that I pay all they say I owe. I refuse. Then the IRS says, "We're going to confiscate your house." I say, "No you won't; that's my house." Then they send agents with automatic weapons to take my house. I stand and defend my house. The agents of the U.S. Congress kill me. The truth of the matter is that violence is such an effective and valuable means of settling differences that most governments demand to have a monopoly on its use.

Investigation into the Judgements of Slang

Whenever we open our mouths, judgements are made on our social class, intelligence and even personalities. These judgements are based on various speech elements, such as our accent, dialect, vocabulary and use of slang. It is the latter that this study is based on. The particular type of slang I intend to focus on has recently emerged alongside a new speech pattern known as Multi Ethnic Youth Dialect. (MEYD) My aim is to investigate whether there is a correlation between slang use and negative judgements made on the user. Secondly, as slang is frequently compared to Halliday's Anti-Language hypothesis, I intend to see if it can rationally be seen as such. I also wish to investigate whether specific lexical items a slang user deploys will affect the judgements. Much of the slang used takes origins from gang and drug culture and as a result my hypothesis is that if speakers use slang that holds its origins in these backgrounds, people are likely to extend the negative attributes that are assigned to gang members and drug users and thus label the speakers as violent drug users. I also hypothesise that users of slang will be judged more negatively than non-users of slang. Methodology In my study I will research the slang itself and the opinions people have on slang speakers. I will use recordings of slang speakers which I will analyse, and I shall conduct a survey to collect data on people's opinions. I have gathered four different recordings of youths speaking slang to varying degrees. I am aware that controlling extraneous variables will be difficult but I have attempted to do so by ensuring all speakers use non-standard English (evidenced by their universal use of glottal stops) and that all use either MEYD or Estuary English (EE). Though it would be preferable to have all speakers using MEYD I found that as slang is so deeply entwined with usage of this dialect I was not able to find speakers who used lesser amounts of slang in this dialect. I intend to give four questionnaires (one for each recording) to each participant. The questionnaire will list attributes and after the participant has heard each recording they will be asked to rate the speaker out of four for each attribute (for example, one attribute may be how aggressive the participant is, one would be not at all aggressive, whilst four would be very aggressive) Once I have collected my data, I shall analyse the speakers' language usage and the questionnaire results. I will look for a correlation between language and attributes assigned to speakers, in particular how negatively they are viewed in relation to their slang use. I am aware I cannot practically use as large a sample size as would be desirable, however, I shall take this into account when assessing my results. Analysis Multi Ethnic Youth Dialect (MEYD) In recent years, a dialect known as Multi Ethnic Youth Dialect has emerged. A wealth of research has already been conducted on this accent by such linguists as Sue Fox and David Britain. Though research has mostly been conducted into Multi-cultural London English (MLE) this is just one example of MEYD that is spread across different areas in the country. MEYD derives from multicultural diversity in inner city areas. Increased immigration in cities has lead to various forms of English merging. For the most part the predominant form of English is that spoken in Britain, but it is not uncommon to hear vocabulary that has derived from alternate forms such as the Jamaican Creole. The slang of MEYD derives from a variety of different dialects and creoles. Though I intend to focus on slang, there are several other notable features: An extremely rhythmic speech pattern deriving from West Indes' speech is typical. This rhythmic style of speaking is noticeable in speakers' use of plosives: For example the unvoiced dental fricative in â€Å"thing† being substituted with the voiceless dental plosive so that it is pronounced â€Å"ting†. Use of the glottal stop is also common, resulting from the influence of Estuary English of which the glottal stop is a defining element. These features are all used by speaker one when he says:- â€Å"you have a li*le (.) play area ting inni* where you can just go cotch† The â€Å"cotch† derives from the Jamaican Creole, the use of glottal stops are denoted by asterisks and â€Å"Thing† has been pronounced with the voiceless dental plosive reflecting the rhythmic features of MEYD. MEYD as Anti-Language In many ways, the use of MEYD by youths fits into the idea of anti-language developed by Halliday. In an anti-language words are used in an attempt to exclude people who are not members of the anti-language's discourse community. The dialect of some of my speakers fits well into the idea of anti-language. As Halliday's fourth requirement of an anti-language states the grammar of MEYD is virtually identical to the norm. Though there are some exceptions to the rule such as the second speaker's use of â€Å"you revved† instead of â€Å"you're revved† which derives from the Jamaican Creoles distinct pronoun use. However, the general rules of English grammar are for the most part entirely kept. Halliday's third rule dictates the main linguistic deviation in an anti-language is the lexis. This rule is followed by MEYD speakers and a great variety of lexis which does not adhere to common usage is displayed; for example the first speaker uses the term â€Å"cake† in place of â€Å"being looked for by police† though the word â€Å"cake† could be found in the dictionary, its definition would be entirely different from what the speaker uses it to mean. Halliday's suggestion is that an anti-language is born out of the speakers desire to distance themselves from accepted society. Though this would be difficult to prove of the speakers, it would be likely considering ideas of â€Å"youth rebellion† alongside the fact that most speakers of this form of slang are of the younger generation. Were MEYD to be considered an anti-language this would be hugely relevant to my study. As anti-language demonstrates a desire to be distanced from the norm, it is frequently linked with criminality and rebellious behaviour; this is not helped by the air of secrecy that surrounds anti-language making it difficult for non-users to understand. Lexis (Speaker 1/Very strong slang) The first speaker uses more slang words than any of the other speakers, for this reason, he can be seen as an example of very strong slang. However, to gain a full understanding of the slang he uses, it is necessary to examine the lexis he uses. The first non-standard word used is the concrete noun â€Å"crib†. The word originates from Northern America, initially meaning a â€Å"disreputable bar or brothel†. Since the mid nineteenth century amelioration has occurred and it is used simply to mean home. However, it is still mildly associated with criminality . The next word â€Å"innit†, is an abbreviation of â€Å"isn't it†. The word is not attached to a question but used as a filler or hedge that backs up as a rhetorical device. By using the term â€Å"innit† at the end of a sentence the speaker asks a rhetorical question. Though the question does not necessarily have to be answered it nonetheless seems to be intended to engage the receiver's attention. Though using the word, the receiver has directly been addressed and therefore brought further into the conversation. Despite its rhetorical advantages it is possible that from a prescriptivist point of view, the shortening may be perceived as a result of the speaker's laziness. The first speaker also uses the term â€Å"mans† which though not strictly lexical slang is nonetheless noteworthy. It is highly probable that the term â€Å"mans† derives from an overextension of the standard rules of pluralisation by people to whom English isn't 1st Language. The regular rules of pluralisation have been applied to the irregular plural â€Å"men†. Though the word â€Å"mans† would seem the most logical plural to apply it is grammatically incorrect as â€Å"men† is a plural group noun and thus it is highly likely judgements would be made on intelligence and education. The attributive adjective â€Å"hot† is used to mean â€Å"wanted by police†. The term has British origins and was initially used by thieves to describe stolen goods around the time of 1925. Broadening of the term has since occurred and not only objects but also people can be described as hot, this is demonstrated by the use of the adjective in reference to a person. It is not hard to see how the origins of the term may increase people's likelihood to assume criminality in the speaker. The word â€Å"cake† serves as a synonym to â€Å"hot†. It is also notable that through the speaker's use of slang he is unlikely to be viewed as well spoken and this may be judged to be of low intelligence. Alongside this, if we accept the suggestion of MEYD as a type of anti-language the speaker may be deemed as rebellious or associated with criminality. Lexis (Speaker 2/Strong slang) The second speaker does not use as much slang as the first; however it is still necessary to have a familiarity with the vocabulary he uses to gain a full understanding of his speech. He can for this reason be seen as an example of strong slang. He uses the verbal phrase â€Å"tripping out† which originates from 1970's slang. The initial term being â€Å"Acid Trip† which described a hallucinogenic experience caused by LSD. The verbal phrase originated from this and broadened to mean being under the influence of any type of drug and later to simply mean â€Å"acting crazy or funny†. Regardless of the effect of broadening many people still take the phrase to mean being under the influence of drugs and thus may associate the speaker with drug use. As with the first speaker, the word â€Å"cake† is used and one would assume similar effects to arise. Though it is notable that the word simply appears in a list of slang words the speaker has heard and so the effects may not be as extreme. The adjective â€Å"revved† has complex origins. Its original form was the abstract noun â€Å"revolutions†. The noun was used in reference to a car's revolutions and abbreviated to â€Å"rev† for ease of use. From this use the verb â€Å"to rev† was created via conversion and â€Å"to rev a car† meant â€Å"to force the engine to produce revs†. From this the passive stative verb form â€Å"to be revved† was used in reference to being excited, in this sense the word is a metaphor comparing the excited state of a person with a car producing several â€Å"revolutions† allowing it to go faster. The adjective â€Å"revved† finally derived from this. The term however can also be used to mean â€Å"under the influence of drugs† and as a result it is possible that speakers may again associate the speaker with drug culture. As with the first speaker, it is again possible that the second user of slang will be deemed as â€Å"not very well spoken† and possibly â€Å"unintelligent† or â€Å"uneducated† simply for his using slang. It is also noticeable that he says â€Å"you† in place of â€Å"you're†, this deviation from the standard derives from the Jamaican Creole but its grammatical incorrectness is again likely to make listeners deem the speaker unintelligent regardless of his genuine attributes. Lexis (Speaker 3/Weak slang) Unlike the first two speakers, no knowledge of slang or MEYD is required to understand the third speaker. Though slang is used, it is applied within the context of discussing slang terms. The speaker also does not use several features that are common in MEYD such as rhythmic pronunciation or loan words from ethnic minorities. The language used by the speaker fits more into the category of Estuary English (EE) than it does MEYD. Due to these features I have chosen to use this speaker as an example of Weak Slang. The speaker uses the term â€Å"busted† but in the sentence â€Å"I wouldn't say busted† thus denying any links with the word. Another word used is â€Å"bun† which was initially meant â€Å"tart† or â€Å"slag†. The adjective is English in origin and entered mainstream usage in the late nineteenth century. The speaker also talks about the attributive adjective â€Å"butters† that means â€Å"ugly†. It is most likely of UK origin and probably derives from clipping the phrase â€Å"butt-ugly†. The adjective's meaning has also broadened so that it can be used to refer to anything that causes aesthetic displeasure while previously it could only be used in reference to people. The term â€Å"minging† is an converted adjective from the derogatory noun â€Å"minger† that derives from the Scottish phrase â€Å"ming† meaning â€Å"stink†. The specific lexis of the speaker's vocabulary does not hold negative connotations. It is, however, possible that due to the fact all slang used by the speaker is in some way derogatory, judgements may be made on her friendliness. It is also possible that through using slang the speaker may be deemed â€Å"poorly spoken† or â€Å"unintelligent† Lexis (Speaker 4/No Slang) The final speaker uses no slang and is simply in this study to act a control which should enable me to determine the extent the data gained from the questionnaires is due to slang. Results With shocking regularity, the results followed a distinct pattern. On almost all categories the two speakers of strong slang are rated very poorly (the speaker of very strong slang coming lowest) followed by the speaker of weak slang, who tends to fair comparatively well in people's judgements. With no exception at all, the speaker who does not use slang is seen by people as the least aggressive, most educated, most friendly, hardest working, most intelligent and best spoken. 60% of people said the non-slang user was highly likely to develop a successful career compared to the very strong-slang speaker, who was deemed highly likely to fail a job interview by 70%. If we take an average score of each participant, inversing the characteristics seen as negative (so a score of 4 on aggression would be calculated as a 1) we can see how well each speaker is perceived to conform to the idea of a good and productive member of society. Looking at this â€Å"good citizen† rating, we see the same pattern emerge: Again, a direct correlation is visible between how favourably the speaker is looked upon and the degree of slang they use. Conclusions We can confidently assert that in this study there is an evident relationship between slang usage and the judgements made of individuals. However, an interesting question is whether the specific lexical items used have a direct relationship with the judgments made. If we look back to the previous analysis of the speakers' vocabulary, and assume that specific lexical items do have a relationship with the judgements made, we would be led to believe the very strong slang speaker would come out worst in all categories, with the exception of â€Å"likelihood to take drugs† which would be dominated by the strong slang speaker. Interestingly this is exactly the case. The â€Å"likelihood to take drugs† category is the only exception to the general principle that the very strong slang user is judged least favourable. The data collected would lead us to believe that: Slang is in fact an anti-language, or at least perceived as one. This is reflected by the fact that the stronger speakers of slang were judged to not conform to the notion of good citizenship. Users of slang are judged more negatively than non-users of slang. The more slang is used, the more negative the judgements. This is demonstrated in the consistent pattern of the results; with the strongest slang user being judged worst, and the non-slang user being judged best. Judgements made on slang speakers have a direct relationship with the specific lexical items used. This is suggested in the strong slang speaker (who used slang derived from drug culture) being judged more likely to take drugs than the very strong slang speaker. Evaluation In any investigation, an inquiring mind is necessary, and for this reason there are several issues of validity that we must discuss. Our only evidence for suggesting that specific lexical items impact the judgements made is that the strong slang speaker was judged higher than the very strong slang speaker in his likelihood to take drugs. However, the strong slang speaker is not judged particularly higher than the very strong slang speaker thus we cannot completely assert that it is indefinitely due to his specific vocabulary, although we can speculate. Were the suggestion correct, only a small difference would be expected, as judgement on specific lexical items requires participants to have knowledge of slang used and it is unlikely that they all would. The results do not hold infinite validity, and there are undoubtedly extraneous variables however they are consistent, though we cannot completely label the results as coming from the suggested cause: One could potentially put the results down to people judging the two females higher or judging the two northerners lower. But this would still not answer the question as to why participants rated the individual females or northerners in the order they did with such consistently. One alternative explanation is that there was an apparent correlation between the class speakers were judged to be, and the participants perception of these speakers (the lower the speaker's class, the worse they were judged) The class measurement was, however, simply a judgement made of the speakers, not an actual measurement, and so one would have to explain why the speakers were judged to be the class they were, which seems to take us full circle, and back to their usage of slang as an explanation. While the results do not prove the hypothesis, they undoubtedly suggest it. To know the hypothesis' results for sure, further study would be needed.

Vernacular Languages vs. Latin The Fall of the Babel

Vernacular Languages vs. Latin The Fall of the Babel Abstract Throughout the centuries, Latin has been the language of the educated. Only knowing Latin, people could read and take part in the scientific, cultural and religious life of the country. As a result, Latin turned into the language of the nobility.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Vernacular Languages vs. Latin: The Fall of the Babel specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The access to the literature was thus restricted by the cultural border. Unless one learned Latin, there was no other way to read the literature that interested the given person. At some point people started arguing about this state of affairs. Mostly because of the idea that books might reveal for them something new that they had never been told before, people started taking interest in their mother tongue crawling into the field of literature and science, making the issues of those more understood for the population. Vernacular Languages vs. Latin : The Fall of the Babel Because of the fact that most Middle Age literature was presented in Latin, while education was something that not all people could afford in those times, more and more people became preoccupied with the idea that there must be some way to present the literature in the language that they speak and understand. The problem grew bigger as rime passed, and the people grew weary of the Latin sermons that they could not understand and the books in Latin that watched them with mocking secrecy. Indeed, as Disraeli (1841) put it, â€Å"The performance of the Latin language, during many centuries, retarded the cultivation of the vernacular dialects of Europe.† (106). The situation became complicated as people started expressing their protests against the foreign language as the main one in the state. Finally, the time of the great change came. It began not with a revolt, but with a subtle change that was almost impossible to detect. The phenomenon was called lat er the Vulgar Latin. Watered with the Celtic words stylized as the Latin ones, with the specific endings and conjugations, these words became the basis of the future vernacular languages to develop. The process was rather long and complicated, but the results were most fruitful and convincing. people have started winning the small areas of the language and they could finally hear something recognizable.Advertising Looking for essay on linguistics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The day of triumph came when even the names of the geographic objects were transformed into the national languages of the people (Wellesley 2000, 14). This was something that no one could believe in several decades before. The idea that the books will be available to every single literate person was close to the revolution, and the first to protest such course of affairs was the clergy. However, there was a long way to go before this triumph would come. The first steps were made as the tenth century came. The overall atmosphere of being captured by writing and speaking in the native language had to find its place in the literature as well, both the scientific and the spiritual. As Le Goff (2006) marks it, Medieval Europe spoke and wrote Latin, and when Latin retreated in the face of the vernacular languages in the tenth century, the so-called Romance tongues (French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese) perpetuated that linguistic heritage. (10) As it can be seen from the abovementioned, it was not that the new languages simply took the place of the Latin language and started reigning in the sphere of literature and science. On the contrary, the new languages took the best of their mother tongue and represented a kind of pidgin – the language that was a mixture of the Celtic and the Latin taken together. The structure was foreign, but the word stock was taken from the Latin language, its idea preserved together with the words that came into the newly created languages. It would be reasonable to emphasize the impact of the vernacular poetry that has done its job on pushing the Latin language off its throne and taking the place of the leading language. As the new languages grew and became fuller and fuller with the lexis, the new poets started trying their luck in making verses and creating the literature of the new epoch. Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Vernacular Languages vs. Latin: The Fall of the Babel specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More That was the thing that made the Latin language completely out of fashion even among the crà ¨me of society. That is what Mantello (1996) says on the topic: Old English writing also developed early. Vernacular poetry written by Aldhelm (d. 704/10) is attested but lost. Nonetheless an extensive Latin-Old-English glossary dating from the seventh century can be reconstructed from the evidence o f the glossaries found I the libraries of Epinal and Erfurt. Old High German followed next. (123) The importance of these languages developing was immense. Indeed, they helped the nations to be recognized further on as the peoples of their own culture and traditions, with a solid literature and art basis in addition. In fact, the church was arguing a lot in opposition to the new languages appearing, claiming that Bible as the Holy Word cannot be translated into any other languages – which was further on proved wrong y Martin Luther – and did its best to hold Latin as the main language of the state and religion as long as it could. The reasons were quite easy to understand, with all the power that the church beheld over the people with help of the language under their control and the sphere of arts staying still in its development, while the church dogmas and rules were piling up. To sum up, the influence that the new languages development had on the people, the states and the cultures of the world was indescribable. It was only after Latin was left for good when the states started developing their fundament for the cultural heritage to pass to the descendants.Advertising Looking for essay on linguistics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In spite of the fact that the importance of the Latin culture is beyond any reasonable doubt and that even now the dead language has found some use in the spheres of medicine, pharmacy and jurisprudence, it is still clear that the new languages formed after the fall of the Latin â€Å"reign† are the very essence of the modern civilization in general and its every state in particular. Without the vernacular languages, the world would have stayed in the stage of the Medieval times. Meanwhile, people must not forget that they owe their culture to the language of the Ancient Rome. References Disraeli I. (1841) Amenities of Literature: Consisting of Sketches and Characters of English Literature. New York, NY: J. H. G. Langley. Le Goff J., Lloyd, J. (2006) The Birth of Europe: 400-1500. New york, NY: Wiley-Blackwell. Mantello F. A. C., Rigg A. G. (1996) Medieval Latin: an Introduction and Bibliographical Guide. Cambridge: CUA Press. Wellesley K. (2000) The Year of the Four Empero rs. Oxford: Routledge.

Generosity The Key to Good Business and Good Relationships

Generosity The Key to Good Business and Good Relationships The privilege of writing for peoples lives One of my loyal clients (I will him call Dan) came to me last week with a personal project, a letter expressing his love to a dear friend that he needed edited the same day. Dan suggested a price point of $40-$60. Since he is a valued client and someone I expect to work with for a long time, and because I felt incredibly privileged to read this heartfelt letter, I told him $40 would be fine. I edited the letter and sent it to him, and he was very happy with the result. The report is that the recipient cried (in a good way). Unexpected generosity The next thing I knew, I had received $50 in my PayPal account: $10 and 25% more than I had quoted to Dan. â€Å"You deserve every penny,† he wrote. This surprise overpayment scenario has happened once before. When I forgot to bill a client for all the services he had received, I called him to tell him I had made a mistake. He very graciously agreed to pay for the unbilled service and to send a check that week. Two weeks later I had not received his payment, so I wrote to him to let him know. When I received the check, it was for $25 more than the amount of the invoice. A thank you note was enclosed, appreciating some â€Å"extra† work we had done for his LinkedIn summary that was beyond our usual service. Whats at the source of giving? There are some commonalities between these two true stories that struck me: In both situations, I had given something to the clients in the past that was above and beyond their expectations. Rather than push to make an extra buck, I took care of the client. In scenario #1, I had charged a lower rate than the client was initially willing to pay; in scenario #2, I had previously reduced a bill based on a misunderstanding. In neither situation did I offer what I offered with any expectation of getting something back. Both clients were very happy with the results they received. Both clients were business leaders who excelled at building teams and taking care of their people. As a relatively new business owner myself (and as a human being), taking care of people is a muscle I am constantly working to build. Having no children, I rely on my clients for opportunities to practice generosity- to â€Å"do the right thing.† I have many such opportunities (or challenges, depending on how you frame them). My clients, especially ones like the above who are already successful in business, are great teachers. The challenge the risk the gift Here’s the truth of the matter: If I am completely honest, I must own up to the fact that a part of me wants to get paid as much as possible, avoid â€Å"loss† at all costs, and essentially make demands that will benefit me in the short term. But good business is about relationships, and about the long term. So the part of myself that I listen to is the part that knows exactly what to do to create good will. This part knows that good will is more valuable than a quick buck. It does not worry about being taken advantage of. It does not worry at all, in fact. It simply does what’s right. Do I ever get taken advantage of for my generosity? Well yes. I have given people the benefit of the doubt and provided services without getting paid, and then had the client not pay. Recently I worked two hours for a client after she had paid me for one, and then she charged back the payment on her credit card. I do what I can to prevent these situations from happening; I require payment up front and always aim to deliver above and beyond expectations. And for my valued clients especially, I find ways to make them feel appreciated and cared for. In exchange, every once in a while I am gifted with a short-term benefit as well as a long-term one. But it’s the long-term benefits that matter: Referrals from happy clients, repeat customers, and my integrity intact. These are the results I truly care about, and that will sustain my business for years to come. 🙂 Log in to Reply Lisa says: June 13, 2012 at 6:28 am Michael (and of course to the beloved author, Brenda) the muscle metaphor really resonated with me too while appreciating such an authentic prose that clearly allowed us a glimpse into the heart of The Essay Expertthank you for the gift of this message, Brenda! So many quotes, befitting of you have come to my mind since you have bestowed your gifts and talents for our familys gain and benefit one of those I just recently shared with you and yet, I cant help but be reminded of another great author who countless thousands acknowledge the great debt they owe Og Mandino for the miracle his words have wrought in their livesthose would be my words for you Brenda to describe what the pen to your hand has done in the lives of our family! Og Mandino, best selling author of The Greatest Salesman in the World, University of Success, The Greatest Secret in the World and A Better Way to Live, must know you and wanted to convey your character through instruction to others when he wrote: Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again. Thank you Brenda for all the tireless, creative and extraneous efforts that I know you come no where near being compensated for nor have built into your service fees that ensure our lives will never be the same againfiguratively and literally! May the road rise to meet you, may the wind be ever at your back Lisa A. Bissonette Log in to Reply Marcia B says: June 12, 2012 at 10:14 pm Ah, generosity my favorite thing along with gratitude. In my estimation the rest of the world isnt worth much if we lose sight of those two possibilities. Log in to Reply Patty Sherin says: June 13, 2012 at 3:46 pm I love it! Thank you Brenda for writing this article. I see more and more gratitude all around me, and I think its wonderful! What you describe in your article is what we believe in BNI, Givers Gain. When you give to others, you will receive back tenfold. Im on day 24 of my gratitude challenge powered by SendOutCards. Today, Im grateful for you, your integrity and friendship. Thank you. Log in to Reply

Dimensional Analysis in Physics Problems

Dimensional Analysis in Physics Problems Dimensional analysis is a method of using the known units in a problem to help deduce the process of arriving at a solution. These tips will help you apply dimensional analysis to a problem. How Dimensional Analysis Can Help In science, units such as meter, second, and degree Celsius represent quantified physical properties of space, time, and/or matter. The International System of Measurement (SI) units that we use in science consist of seven base units, from which all other units are derived. This means that a good knowledge of the units youre using for a problem can help you figure out how to approach a science problem, especially early on when the equations are simple and the biggest hurdle is memorization. If you look at the units provided within the problem, you can figure out some ways that those units relate to each other and, in turn, this might give you a hint as to what you need to do to solve the problem. This process is known as dimensional analysis. A Basic Example Consider a basic problem that a student might get right after starting physics. Youre given a distance and a time and you have to find the average velocity, but youre completely blanking on the equation you need to do it. Dont panic. If you know your units, you can figure out what the problem should generally look like. Velocity is measured in SI units of m/s. This means that there is a length divided by a time. You have a length and you have a time, so youre good to go. A Not That was an incredibly simple example of a concept that students are introduced to very early in science, well before they actually begin a course in physics. Consider a bit later, however, when youve been introduced to all kinds of complex issues, such as Newtons Laws of Motion and Gravitation. Youre still relatively new to physics, and the equations are still giving you some trouble. You get a problem where you have to calculate the gravitational potential energy of an object. You can remember the equations for force, but the equation for potential energy is slipping away. You know its kind of like force, but slightly different. What are you going to do? Again, a knowledge of units can help. You remember that the equation for gravitational force on an object in Earths gravity and the following terms and units: Fg G * m * mE / r2 Fg is the force of gravity - newtons (N) or kg * m / s2G is the gravitational constant and your teacher kindly provided you with the value of G, which is measured in N * m2 / kg2m mE are mass of the object and Earth, respectively - kgr is the distance between the center of gravity of the objects - m  We want to know U, the potential energy, and we know that energy is measured in Joules (J) or newtons * meter  We also remember that the potential energy equation looks a lot like the force equation, using the same variables in a slightly different way In this case, we actually know a lot more than we need to figure it out. We want the energy, U, which is in J or N * m. The entire force equation is in units of newtons, so to get it in terms of N * m you will need to multiply the entire equation a length measurement. Well, only one length measurement is involved - r - so thats easy. And multiplying the equation by r would just negate an r from the denominator, so the formula we end up with would be: Fg G * m * mE / r We know the units we get will be in terms of N*m, or Joules. And, fortunately, we did study, so it jogs our memory and we bang ourselves on the head and say, Duh, because we should have remembered that. But we didnt. It happens. Fortunately, because we had a good grasp on the units we were able to figure out the relationship between them to get to the formula that we needed. A Tool, Not a Solution As part of your pre-test studying, you should include a bit of time to make sure youre familiar with the units relevant to the section youre working on, especially those that were introduced in that section. It is one other tool to help provide physical intuition about how the concepts youre studying are related. This added level of intuition can be helpful, but it shouldnt be a replacement for studying the rest of the material. Obviously, learning the difference between gravitational force and gravitational energy equations is far better than having to re-derive it haphazardly in the middle of a test. The gravity example was chosen because the force and potential energy equations are so closely related, but that isnt always the case and just multiplying numbers to get the right units, without understanding the underlying equations and relationships, will lead to more errors than solutions.

International Accounting Standard Mib Water For All Essay

International Accounting Standard Mib Water For All - Essay Example With a daily average of 150-350 vendors, the company estimated that each consumer will need at least 1-litre clean drinking water on a daily basis. Within the first year, the company planned to acquire 50 water filters. After conducting an extensive market research, MIBW4A introduced its purified water products priced at USD 0.08 per liter. By only attracting 12% of the potential consumers, the company estimated daily average sales of 450,000 liters of clean water. Within the first year of operation, MIBW4A relies on hired expertise services from Blue Future Ltd to supply them with slow sand filters. However, to reduce the cost of capital, the company plans to manufacture their own filters at a cost of USD 250 per sand filter by the second year of operation. This would be more economical as it is relatively cheaper than importing each filter at USD 400. Other capital expenditures to be met by the company are associated with the acquisition of trucks and motorcycles to aid in ferrying equipment and technical staff to their workstations. By the end of the third year, the team planned to have 150 motorcycles at a cost of USD 2,500 per motor. In addition, MIBW4A planned to have 12 service trucks in good working condition by the beginning of the third year (Salzman, 2012, p.5). To determine the unit water pricing, it was essential for MIBW4A to depreciate their capital expenditures at the effective market cost of capital, which was helpful in determining the unit cost of distributed water.... Within the first year, the company planned to acquire 50 water filters. By the end of three years of operation, MIBW4A estimates their customer base to reach 3000, thus calling for acquisition of more filters in the subsequent years. After conducting an extensive market research, MIBW4A introduced its purified water products priced at USD 0.08 per litre. By only attracting 12% of the potential consumers, the company estimated daily average sales of 450,000 litres of clean water. Within the first year of operation, MIBW4A relies on hired expertise services from Blue Future Ltd to supply them with slow sand filters. However, to reduce the cost of capital, the company plans to manufacture their own filters at a cost of USD 250 per sand filter by the second year of operation. This would be more economical as it is relatively cheaper than importing each filter at USD 400. Other capital expenditures to be met by the company are associated with acquisition of trucks and motorcycles to aid i n ferrying equipments and technical staff to their work stations. By the end of third year, the team planned to have 150 motorcycles at a cost of USD 2,500 per motor. In addition, MIBW4A planned to have 12 service trucks in good working condition by the beginning of the third year (Salzman, 2012, p.5). To determine the unit water pricing, it was essential for MIBW4A to depreciate their capital expenditures at the effective market cost of capital, which was helpful in determining the unit cost of distributed water. All the capital expenditure items are expected to have a 15 year economic life span. The team used a straight line depreciation method to allocate equal depreciation costs to each item over its economic time. MIBW4A

Supply Chain Management in Ford Automobile Research Paper

Supply Chain Management in Ford Automobile - Research Paper Example The concept of supply chain optimization assists the automobile industry to identify various difficulties that would arise while delivering products to customers at various market conditions. Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company is one of the members of the group â€Å"Big Three† including Chrysler and General Motors as the other members (Levine, 2009). The Ford Motor Company is a well established car manufacturer in the automobile industry and the company started its manufacturing operations in 1903. The Ford Company introduced the first â€Å"dominant design† in automobiles which became the fundamental framework for other manufacturers to design their models. It is observed that the most powerful feature of the Ford is its flexibility to integrate with various market situations. This extreme feature has assisted the company to vie with many severe competitive markets. Ford possesses an efficient management team which effectively forecasts the market and changing cons umer tastes and thereby designs innovative car models (Salton, 2010). Supply Chain Management in Ford Automobile Industry The most fascinating feature of Ford’s supply chain management is that it possesses large number of suppliers. The company is characterized with three tiers of suppliers which add value to the company’s supply chain operations. Since the Ford is a $150 billion company, it practices significant leverage over its suppliers. The Ford’s trend of the past 30 years shows that the firm moves toward increasing outsourcing of materials, components, and services with intent to achieve lower costs and increased flexibility. This practice would certainly contribute... The researcher of this paper analyzes various supply chain strategies, objectives and practices of Ford Motor Company. This research paper mostly focuses on describing supply chain optimization, that is the application of different strategies and processes which are aimed at the effective supply chain operations at manufacturing and distribution. In order to achieve supply chain optimization in automobile industry, that is discussed in the research paper it is necessary to ensure uninterrupted and optimal placement of inventory within the supply chain and minimize various operating costs including manufacturing costs, distribution costs, and transportation costs. In modern times, computer software plays a crucial role in developing mathematical modeling techniques which can well contribute to the supply chain optimization especially, in automobile industry. In the automobile supply chain system, such as the Ford Motor Company’s, supplying industries provide rubber, electronics , glass, steels, and other materials to the manufacturers. In conclusion, the researcher tries to sum up his exploration on the company's supply chain strategies. The researcher states that the Ford Motor Company is the best example for such exploration, not only for it efficiently practices but also for different optimization strategies in order to promote its successful business as well. The company’s environment-friendly product designs are highly notable for their increasing significance in the modern automobile market.

Emirates Airways Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Emirates Airways - Essay Example The company also has advantages gained from operating from Dubai since the employees pay is not taxed. The company invests heavily in the training of its workers and it was the first airline to launch a flight simulation course for its cabin crew. The training the employees receive also assists in building the customers experience on board the planes and also the employee’s future job marketability. Due to the cosmopolitan nature of the 48,000 employees as well as the global aspect of its operations, the company has consistently insisted on a non-unionization policy though this is still under further deliberation (Emirates, 2012). Planet Emirates airlines have led from the front where environmental responsiveness is concerned. Recognizing that the airline industry is responsible for over 2% of the global carbon emissions, the airline launched it ‘Environment’ program in August 2008 to streamline the green operations of its worldwide services. This program has been successful so far with new planes being sourced from eco-efficient companies and the first of these was an Airbus A380 (GreenAir, 2011). The staff has been trained in eco-efficiency with vibrant awareness campaigns and ambitious internal targets which have helped cut internal energy wastage and consumption by 37% in the past three years. The employees have been trained on measures aimed at increased waste recycling. The company boasts of starting is environmental responsiveness and sustainability measures well before it became a norm when in 1997, they sponsored the Dubai Desert Conservation reserve (Emirates, 2010). Apart from internal measure s, the company also sponsors many events and initiatives worldwide that are aimed at environmental conservation such as the Wolgan resort in Australia. Inside an Emirates plane, one will encounter one of the most eco-friendly kitchens with paper recycled being over 110 tons (GreenAir, 2011). The planes adopt navigational techniques that help minimize emissions and fuel usage as well as prevent time wastage. The Profit According to the company’s financial report (2013), the company has been consistently delivering a profit for 25years and its operations have been growing year in year out. In the 2012/2013 year the company reported an operating profit growth of 56.6%. The owner attributed profit grew by 52% to peak at AED 2,283 Million. This was against a backdrop of increased fuel costs as well as persistent pressures on the revenues. The crises in the Middle East, the volatile major currency exchange rates, as well as a weakened environment economically were other factors tha t threatened the company’s profitability. The company managed to grow the funds of its shareholders by 3.2% to stand at 10.4%. The stakeholders Emirates airline is the world’s largest air cargo carrier in terms of weight (Hagey, 2009). The

SPECIAL EDUCATION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

SPECIAL EDUCATION - Essay Example â€Å"We’ve known for a long time that students with MR (mental retardation) are better off educationally if they can spend at least part of the day in a typical classroom,† said James McLeskey, chair of special education in UF’s College of Education and an author of the study. â€Å"We’ve found that there are still lot of students who could be included in the general classroom, but aren’t included.† Before the mid-1970s, most children with mental retardation were completely segregated from other children in the school system, if they were formally educated at all. Society widely viewed these children as uneducable, and those who did attend school were sent to institutions solely for children with mental retardation. Both children and their parents often viewed these institutions as dehumanizing and ineffective – and by the late 1960s, educators had assembled a large body of research to show that children with mental retardation did indeed perform much better when schooled, at least part-time, among the general student population. That research led Congress to pass a 1975 law requiring a more inclusive environment for students with mental retardation. Surveys in the 1980s and early 1990s showed that schools had made little progress toward implementing that mandate. In an article published in the spring 2006 issue of the journal Exceptional Children, UF researchers – including doctoral candidates Pam Williamson, David Hoppey and Tarcha Rentz – revisited the question, taking a comprehensive look at placement rates for students with mental retardation in all 50 states and the District of Columbia during the 1990s. They found some very good news. â€Å"Inclusion seems to have genuinely caught on in the 1990s,† said Williamson, the lead author of the study. â€Å"By the end of the decade, a student with MR was almost twice as likely to be educated in the general

Alleviating Depression in Cancer Patients Assignment

Alleviating Depression in Cancer Patients - Assignment Example The depression interferes with the entire body of an individual and impacts heavily on one’s daily routine and quality of life. Depression instigates a feeling of hopelessness and despair and has its effects on both men and women alike with little or no noted disparities for the different genders; this is in regard to its severity and prevalence effects (Hopko & Lejuez, 2007). In most cases when a patient is diagnosed with cancer, thoughts of fear and despair are experienced almost immediately. During the treatment and/or post-treatment stages, depression becomes an important component in a patient’s recovery. The depression determines the after-effects of cancer and also has an influential ability to dissuade a patient from participating in a treatment program. Depression causes impairment to the normal body functions and a disruption to the psychological makeup of a person and in extreme cases might be an impediment to treatment plans for the patients (Hopko & Lejuez, 2007). Depression impacts both on the patients diagnosed with cancer and to their respective families. These groups of people, both patients and their families faced with a cancer diagnosis; undergo varying degrees of emotional breakdowns and its associated stress. Children and spouses alike get traumatized with the invasion of cancer and its effects, and this has been a major contributor to the behavioral changes in such children (Yeung, 2007).

SPECIAL EDUCATION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

SPECIAL EDUCATION - Essay Example â€Å"We’ve known for a long time that students with MR (mental retardation) are better off educationally if they can spend at least part of the day in a typical classroom,† said James McLeskey, chair of special education in UF’s College of Education and an author of the study. â€Å"We’ve found that there are still lot of students who could be included in the general classroom, but aren’t included.† Before the mid-1970s, most children with mental retardation were completely segregated from other children in the school system, if they were formally educated at all. Society widely viewed these children as uneducable, and those who did attend school were sent to institutions solely for children with mental retardation. Both children and their parents often viewed these institutions as dehumanizing and ineffective – and by the late 1960s, educators had assembled a large body of research to show that children with mental retardation did indeed perform much better when schooled, at least part-time, among the general student population. That research led Congress to pass a 1975 law requiring a more inclusive environment for students with mental retardation. Surveys in the 1980s and early 1990s showed that schools had made little progress toward implementing that mandate. In an article published in the spring 2006 issue of the journal Exceptional Children, UF researchers – including doctoral candidates Pam Williamson, David Hoppey and Tarcha Rentz – revisited the question, taking a comprehensive look at placement rates for students with mental retardation in all 50 states and the District of Columbia during the 1990s. They found some very good news. â€Å"Inclusion seems to have genuinely caught on in the 1990s,† said Williamson, the lead author of the study. â€Å"By the end of the decade, a student with MR was almost twice as likely to be educated in the general

Sumerize the article, agree or disagree with the author, and react to Essay

Sumerize the article, agree or disagree with the author, and react to the video - Essay Example Even though different erotica in different countries use food and kitchen to relay their messages, some of them fall out of agreement with the feminist perspective. Ironically, women develop most of these, yet some of them seem to be not aligned with the feminism expectations. This is primarily because of the way such literature bluntly portray women as sex objects. For instance, some erotica written for both men and women will portray women as an edible dessert after dinner. Their bodies shown covered with champagne or cream. Most feminists therefore find it hard to find the validity in the assumption that women equal food, as this in itself is belittling to the womenfolk. Feminists can also not make anything out of literature that portrays women negatively. Apart from being portrayed as objects in erotica literature, some literature has portrayed women as voracious eaters. This negative presentation of women is not acceptable in the feminist sphere. The author compares and contrast s a variety of Hispanic erotic literature, which bears heavy culinary eroticism, in order to bring out the different portrayal and representation of women in the literature. ... In this literature, Esquivel portrays cooking as a process through which women discover, empower, and redefine themselves. Maite, in this article also addresses the difference between â€Å"table narratives† and â€Å"kitchen tales†. The author argues that in table narratives, there is a more positive representation of women as compared to the kitchen tales. The author once more employs the example of a table narrative namely, Aphrodite. A Memoir of the Senses, to justify this claim. Here, women sitting at tables are portrayed as powerful and influential. Unlike most kitchen tales, in table narratives, women are not presented as food for satisfaction of men’s sexual hunger, neither are they shown as nurturing machines that live in the kitchen, with their lives revolving around cooking. This is because today, the kitchen is thought of as a marginalized area, which contributes to the insubordination of women, who become less powerful than men in society, by restric ting them from the public sphere. In this article, the author achieves the theme quite clearly by comparing and contrasting as much literature on this issue as possible. What comes out clear is the relationship between women, kitchen, food, and cooking. All these aspects have a psychological connotation, which serves to influence the level of women empowerment in society. Additionally, various social evils directed toward women can be traced to these elements in society. The author of this article is right on point in describing the symbolisms in the culinary Eros in contemporary female fiction. I agree with the author and to great lengths echo the sentiments in this article. The author has widely used a variety of female literature to back the argument in the

Edmunds Corrugated Essay Example for Free

Edmunds Corrugated Essay 1. Analyze the issues faced by Edmunds and describe what lead the company to this situation. Edmunds Corrugated Parts Services are a company based in Virginia, U.S. owned by Larry Edmunds; who provided precision machine parts and service for the domestic corrugated box industry. About two years ago, Larry’s grandfather loaned him the money to start the business. It is Larry’s first factory; in a barn on what had been the family’s Shenandoah Valley farm. He operates from a 50,000 square-foot factory located near I-81 just a few miles from that old barn (Daft, R. , 2010). However there are some issues that Edmunds has faced with the quarterly earnings. They simply were not as they had been in the past. Firstly, the company was capable of employing about one hundred employees who were mostly neighbors. They were as hard-working and loyal employees. However, many of employees were going to retire. The company was suffering from the issue of replacing the current employees. The other issue the company was holding market share at 75 percent but the market share lately has reduced significantly. It was due to the number of the companies that had appeared manufacturing the same product. This had made it possible for the company to diversify their production with products such as the more flexible plastic films and reusable plastic containers. The last issue faced by Edmunds is losing industries mainly in U.S. due to the consolidation that was done by the paper industry. Some industries that survived opening other branches oversea as joint ventures. This issue had bought Edmunds to the crossroads of what he should do to bring the company revenues back to where they used to be. 2. Create and describe a strategy for addressing the situation at hand. From the issues the company had faced; the competition was changing, external rules and regulations were changing, and suppliers were changing as well. The strategy that worked well in the past is no longer producing the results company would like. Therefore; the company demanded a strategy would make sure it will recover; by way of strategic management, it is efficient to ensure that the company is capable of returning back to the way of its business. The strategic management is the comprehensive collection of ongoing activities and processes that organizations use to systematically coordinate and align resources and actions with mission, vision and strategy throughout an organization (â€Å"Management Study Guide,† 2008). The requirements for an ongoing process in strategic management are environmental scanning, strategy formulation, strategy implementation and strategy evaluation. The first process of environmental scanning or situation analysis; refers to the process of amassing, studying and providing information for strategic proposes. It would help the company analyze the internal and external factors that impact an organization. The company can define strength and weakness; with these two, they can find future risk and opportunities as well (BE Business Education, 2011). This will show Edmunds the opportunities and threat; for example, the ones that had made most other companies go overseas. The second strategy formulation is the process of designing and selecting the most suitable course of action for the achievement of organization goals and objectives and thereby achieving the organization vision (Bushman, M., 2007). This strategy should ensure the company regains it competitive edge. The third strategy implementation implies making the strategy work as intended or putting the organization’s chosen strategy into action including developing steps, methods and procedures to execute the strategy (Bhasin, H., 2010). The company management should ensure that the implementation of the strategy is cost effective, not disruptive and acceptable by all stakeholders. The final process of strategic management is strategy evaluation. These activities are evaluating internal and external factors that are the root of current strategies, measuring performance, and corrective actions. These processes will give Edmunds some great opportunities; for an example, making quality goods can be used to ensure that they increase their market share and customers will be loyal to their service. 3. Assess which element in the strategy you just described would be the hardest to implement and explain why. The part that would be the most difficult state in strategic management is the strategy implementation. This is because it involves change. It will require the management to fit the resources, the competencies and the opportunities that the company has in the market. The support of employees and managers are needed in order to successfully implement a strategy. When people do not proactively make the changes that are needed to adapt to the strategy, this will be one of the large difficulties. Moreover, if there is no follow-up to the strategy implementation, this will be one of the largest difficulties. The strategy implementation is hard and risky if it does not well carry on. All the resources that have been put in place can be wasted if any hitch happens in the process. It may lead to complete closure of the company as well if they will waste their time. 4. Describe what strategies Edmunds could use in the future to reduce potential crises before they happen. There are different methods that Edmunds could use in the future to ensure that the company does not entangle in the potential crises. The first strategy that the company would use is development of research department that will be looking at innovation for the company to guarantee that it is at a competitive edge at all the time. The second strategy is the training to the employees. This will ensure that the employees have the upcoming technology skills and the productively level will increase as well. The last strategy is the employee recruitment. The company has to make sure the employees are ready and competitive; which means the employees are capable of rising upon all challenges. These will be good methods for the company to ensure that they will not complicate any of the crises that it is in today. References Daft, R.S. (2010). Management. 9th Ed. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning. Management Study Guide. (2012). Step in Strategy Formulation Process. Retrieve Feb. 8, 2013, from http://www.managementstudyguide.com/strategy-formulation-process.htm BE Business Education. (2011, September 6). Importance of Environment Scanning. Retrieved Feb. 8, 2013 from http://business.svtuition.org/2011/09/importance-of-environment-scanning.html Bushman, M. (2007, April 7). The Major Elements of the Strategic Management Process. Retrieved Feb. 10, 2013 from

The anti-smoking media campaign among adolescents

The anti-smoking media campaign among adolescents INTRODUCTION In the 20th century, smoking has been established as the leading cause of many preventable diseases (i.e. cancer) and deaths. Antismoking ads started in the 1967, when FCC required broadcasters to air one antismoking message for every three cigarette (Siegal 1998). At first these ads were free until it became effective to the audience that it eliminated the free advertisings. Throughout these years, it provided a worldwide dispute to health of the community. Liu reports: â€Å"Since Minnesota introduced the first paid anti-smoking media campaign in 1986, many other states have used a proportion of their cigarette excise tax revenue to fund large-scale anti-smoking advertisement through the mass media. Those media campaigns try to provide the public with health information about the harmful effects of smoking on health, and, therefore, change peoples smoking behavior, based on the theoretical hypothesis that more informed people are more likely to choose healthy lifestyle† (Liu 2009, p.29). Constantly, advertisers are creating advertisements, such as billboards, commercials and other interesting promotions, for anti-drugs and anti-smoking. It is found in many different places that can be simply seen by the public, preferably among adolescents and teenagers, to get their attention. For example, â€Å"Florida has reported that its Truth advertisements attacking tobacco firms are effective, on the basis of surveys showing 40% and 16% declines in smoking among middle and high school students in the state, respectively† (Penchman 1999, p.2). Recent studies have argued various points that these ads are not working for our city and future generations. Clearly, the government is clearly spending a lot of money for these advertisements but past presidents such as, George W. Bush, tempted with the idea to cut spending because of no concrete answer for a positive outcome. In addition, news media in different markets indicated that teenagers are using more marijuana because of these popular ads that they are constantly seeing in the media. For example, many adolescents feel that marijuana is fashionable drug among their peers because it is popular usage in media such as movies, commercials and many other outlets. Not all people involved in media have agreed with this statement. Others have disagreed with their counterparts and stated that these advertisements are actually working for many people. Research studies done in the past have proved that these advertisements have been a significant positive change for less use of drugs among society. Recently, these advertisements have been getting realistic to the point that it might scare potential users away. In addition, past surveys have been conducted which stated that majority of the people that seen these types of ads are trying to quit from destroying their health. Research studies that found some type of evidence for the success of these media campaigns such as, reducing cigarette consumption and drugs use among adolescents and adults shows that several governments have cut the spending on their control programs. The lost of funding has been in use in other areas such as the recent hit of the economic recession which could have a serious influence on the future success of antismoking and anti-drug control initiations. In addition, policy makers have stated that there is a lack of evidence that these messages are working. This topic brings back to the debate that these ads are producing cigarette use instead of stopping it. â€Å"Many researchers have different ideas on whether advertising for antismoking should be used for tobacco use prevention, which depends on both its effectiveness and cost-effectiveness† (Pechmann 1999, p.2). Currently, theyre no significant evidence that these ads are actually working media. Others are confused if these ads are wasting taxpayers money and not benefiting our society. â€Å"For instance, significant amount of research has been done on this topic and little conclusive evidence of a direct link between advertising-only interventions and reduced adolescent smoking dominance. However, I do agree there is an indirect evidence for the effectiveness of antismoking and antidrug advertising† (Pechmann 2003, p.16). â€Å"Mass communication media play such a significant role in contemporary society, that we could not conceive it without their presence† (Televisa). Since the introduction of media, smoking was brought into new heights and established new audience to attract. Tobacco companies have taken advantage of the media, which they have, supplied billions of dollars on advertising of tobacco. These companies make smoking glamorous, fun and â€Å"cool† to the public. Along with the advertising in media, many include general surgeon message, which is in fine print that many viewers do not notice the health concerns of the use of cigarettes. Recently there has been a surge of cancer among people that antismoking campaigns have been created to end or to put a stop on these glamorous ads and tobacco companies. The opposing ads demonstrated the negative aspects of smoking, which is mainly targeted for adolescents along with statistics on the mortality rate cause by smoking. Along wi th tobacco advertising, parents were another influenced for young adults to start smoking. The rival ads such (thetruth.com) started to use parents, whom do not smoke, as the anti-smoking and anti-drug gear towards the adolescents. Over the past seven years, television ads have gotten increasingly graphic and even gruesome. In recent months, television ads have gotten more graphical which has been taken a page from a horror movie. These ads are trying to hit an objective goal of having 20,000 smokers to stop the routine. In addition, New York City has raise up the prices on its pack of cigarettes up to $10. Along with habit, it is costing New Yorkers $250 a month just on smoking cigarettes which can use that money for other needs. The government wants to reduce people from smoking and its trying its best to achieve its goal. New York Officials claim that the ads are fighting â€Å"fire with fire† when comes to widespread cigarette advertising. For instance, â€Å"The National Cancer Institute reports cigarette manufacturers spend some $37 million a day on average to hawk their product, a whopping $13.5 billion per year† (Inbar). The message that these anti-smoking campaigns are doing is expressing that someone might suffer and die from smoking but also, it may wreck someones family. In the present-day, media depicts drug use and smoking as a popular craze to do. Televisions shows and movies depict drugs and smoking as a good habit and do not state any negative consequences on the use of it. Todays audience watches these shows and movies, which get the sense that smoking and using drugs is a â€Å"cool thing to do†. For example, HBOs television â€Å"Bored to Death† and 90s cult classic movie, â€Å"Half-Baked†, depicts characters that continuous smoking marijuana throughout the whole act. Throughout these programming, it does not stated any negative aspect from smoking marijuana but instead glamorous as a drug that can be use for relaxation. Television ads depict the negative aspects of marijuana and cigerrette use as someone whom can lose their concentration, vision and can cause serious damage to their brain cells. According to Variety, Triplett writes, â€Å"A senior lawmaker, Ed Markey (D-Mass.), wants more action from Hollywood against smoking, and the Motion Picture Association of America pledged to try opening a direct dialogue on the issue. Markey wants to ask MPAA topper Dan Glickman to improvise on the following: Including antismoking public service announcements on DVDs. Certifying that no one involved during a production received anything of value for using or displaying tobacco in the film and eliminating tobacco brand imagery from movies† (Triplett). If adolescents see their favorite actors or actresses smoking, it will lead them to believe that smoking is a good thing to do or not harmful. But these changes in the movie industry will try to eliminate smoking from their movie scenes to not influence anyone about smoking. It is great idea because many adolescents look up to these celebrities as role models. INTERVENTION The intervention to reduced smoking habits has been on the community and its two aims. The reasons for the campaigns are to highlight the dangers of smoking in terms of health and to reduce the amount smoked and potential smokers in the community. The statewide tobacco prevention and education campaign launched to target audience from ages 12-17 to inform them about the harsh realities of smoking. The campaign was created along with group of teen advisors whom themselves were smokers or knew someone that smoke to get the best perception to help succeed with these ads. The funds come from tobacco tax dollars that purpose is to be used for prevention efforts. The idea for this campaign is the let the audience know that smoking can be addictive and hard to quick. Not all of the campaigns are true, as it seems. For example, Baram writes about a famous controversial spokesperson for antismoking campaign but continue to smoke after he filmed a commercial about the harm that smoking can do for a human body. Baram writes: â€Å"Skip Legault, with his tale of two heart attacks, strokes and an amputated right leg, has become the star of anti-smoking posters and commercials blanketing New York since December. But the 48-year-old former repairman isnt getting the message Legault said he still smokes up to a full pack of Marlboros every day. I cant stop smoking, Legault told ABCNEWS.com. Ive been smoking since I was 8, and Im afraid to quit. ABC†. This case of Skip Legault made national headlines because of the issue of quitting smoking is much harder than it seems† (Baram 2008). Even, addictive smokers admit that it is hard. Many people believe that they can quit on their will but it is different. The chemicals drive these smokers to smoke more because of the addiction. A marketing campaign that has been successful in getting its message across is thetruth.com. The 1997 Settlement Act mainly funded the company. It has been the number one protestor against smoking. The anti-smoking campaign consists of several ways to reach to the massive amount of audience. Each way is to attract audience on the hazards that smoking can happen to an individual. The ads are in English and Spanish, which include television ads, radio ads, posters, cinema advertising, online media, social media, and Internet advertising and original websites. FUNDING Before 1988, mass media campaigns relied on free advertising through public service announcements or short-term funding for specific campaign (Siegal 1998). These ads were not aired during prime time, which made little progress towards reaching the mass audience. The ads were heavily dependant on donation of advertising time by broadcasters. In 1988, the use of mass media for antismoking changed by voters in California approved Proposition 99. This election required that tobacco companies donated 20% of their revenue for the state to provide educational programs and increased of the state cigarette tax by 25 cents. As Warner reports, â€Å"The purpose is to demonstrate that, with various combinations of policy changes, mass media information, and smoking cessation programs, smokers can be encouraged to stop smoking, and young people can be prevented from starting to smoke† (Warner 1982, pg.378) A court settlement that changed everything for antismoking media is 1997 settlement. The background begins,in August 1997, when the Florida Gov. Lawton Chiles made an historical out of court settlement among all tobacco companies at that time. The massive payout of $11.3 billion dollars is the considered the day that the straw that broke Joe Camels back† (Grossman 1997 p.290). This settlement led to the creation of thetruth.com whom is an advertising company that campaign against smoking. In addition, the money was used to compensate the state for public health costs caused by smoking-related illnesses.† The main goal of this settlement is to provide a way to lower down the use of cigarettes among young adults and give a helping hand to adults to quit smoking. The main idea of the settlement is to educate non-smokers about the effects of smoking and the harm of its chemicals. In â€Å"Cigarette Taxes†, Grossman reports that the agreement calls on tobacco companies to: Pay billions of dollars for a host of public education and health programs; Reimburse states for the cost of treating tobacco related illnesses; Set aside a multi-billion dollar fund to compensate smokers who win individual lawsuits against the tobacco companies; and Severely curtail marketing and advertising cigarettes, especially to teenagers. All of theses changes made a significant progress in the campaign against smoking. Since the settlement, smoking has been a decline for many users as they reported that the main reason to quit were due to the informercials and mass media adverstiing. The adversiting has faced some roadblocks in the process of succeeding. For example, in 1992, Gov. Wilson suspended Californias media campaign for other purposes. In 1995 and 1996, he censored and pulled other commercials that went against tobacco companies. The motivated behind this act still remains unsolved but it would not be surprise if he were supporting tobacco companies in some form of way. Another example, Siegal reports, in 1996, Assembly Speaker Curtis Pringle introduced a bill that would have restricted the media campaign to messages dealing with health and disallowed spots attacking the tobacco industry (Siegal 1998). TYPES OF CAMPAIGNS In March of 2009, the New York State Department of Health released ads for antismoking which cost $1.2 million from the states budget. The campaigns are featured in medical journals, newspapers and other publications such as the Internet. These ads are encouraging healthcare providers to make quitting a main concern with their patients who smoke. These ads were photo-shopped that featured images of patients with oversized ears to demonstrated that smokers are willing to listen from their doctors about the hazards of smoking. The reason for these ads is to attract healthcare workers because many adolescents go for their annual physical exam. Somehow, adolescents interact with doctors and nurses and are convincing to help these young adults to stop or before they start smoking. In earlier years of advertising, anti-smoking groups and health departments have attempted to oppose the advertising of tobacco by creating their own ads to emphasize the negative effects of smoking. The commercials included smoking cessation, the increased risk of lung cancer and other hazards problems that were seen passive for other public members. However, over the years, the ads have become more aggressive and more combative against smoking. Now these ads are focused on decreased physical attractiveness such as erectile dysfunction and graphical messages such as losing fingers and black lungs. These campaigns are much targeted to the younger crowd than its predecessor. Around the globe, smokers know that smoking tobacco is bad for their nature but they continue to do it regardless of their hazards that come along with it. Current smokers that I have met stated that the number one reason that they cannot stop smoking because of they are addicted to smoking and/or the use of tobacco. Many smokers are addicted to the scent and the nicotine, whom several years ago, the tobacco companies have tried to cover it up to make more money of it. Nicotine is a stimulant form of factor that has been considered one of the worst addictions to break compare to cocaine and heroin use. It is not the only chemical involved with cigarettes but along with 4,000 chemicals is involved which can make an individual much harder to quit. Aside from the fact that cigarette smoking can damage the health of the one smoking but it can also pose serious health risks to other people in the surrounding area. A person that smokes within distance can promote second hand smoke to his peers. This situation can lead to others to walk away from the venue and/or to move away from the entire scenery. Since Mayor Bloomberg was elected, he banned all types of smoking in nightclubs; restaurants and other public places to decrease second-hand smoke and increased businesses for these places that people avoided because of the tobacco smell. Smokers should be educated on their smoking can be to those people around them, including children. This is one of the reasons that anti-smoking campaigns focused on. The campaigners wanted to stop second hand in the neighborhood to prevent cancer and asthma. The campaign for the anti-smoking will try not to use propaganda but instead promote facts about the hazards of smoking. The posters for the campaign against smoking are with feature graphics that is within accepted limits for the culture that it is intended as not to attract negative publicity. The ads do not have any racist overtones or anything that will offend the mass public. The campaign was design to attract peoples attention regardless of race, color, age, and sex. The preferred approach for advertisers is arousing fear because nothing is as vivid as violence and nothing translates as to film as horror. The tendency of media to control against open-mindedness is one of the dominant themes in media criticism. The only aim of the campaign is to distribute as much promotional campaign against smoking as possible within a very limited area. In reference from thetruth.com, they have listed celebrities and well-known actors to get the message across to viewers that smoking is not â€Å"cool†. The anti-smoking group believes that having celebrities and other well-known faces will attract a bigger audience than having a request from the government and its surgeon general. There are several message theme labels that are use in anti-smoking advertising across the border. Based on Penchmanns recent research, â€Å"The message theme labels are the following: disease and death (Smokers suffer from health effects), endangers others, (second-hand smoke), cosmetics, (unattractive side effects), smokers negative life circumstances (loser lifestyle), refusal skills role model (role models do not smoke), marketing tactics (image advertising), selling disease and death (tobacco firms use manipulation and deception to sell a product that causes harm), and substantive variation (several messages use to spread one meaning)† (Penchmann 1994, p.240). Each message theme is use in their ways by marketers and campaigners. It has proved that all of them methods none have made the effort that the â€Å"shock method† has produce. Since 2007, the New York City Department of Health launched a series of anti-smoking campaigns which included smokers quit hotline and free nicotine patch and gum clinics in certain areas at certain times throughout the year. The television ads promoted the damage smoking can do to the body. These ads were noted for their graphic nature as well as their effectiveness. Since 2008, a second series of ads launched that can be seen nearly in every subway train station. It is about â€Å"Marie† a Hispanic Middle-Aged woman whom describes the amputations and pain she has undergone in relation to developing a disease that was the effects of smoking cigarettes. Each day routine smokers die from smoking related diseases each day. In a single cigarette 4700 cancer-causing chemicals are found which are have general surgeon messages pasted on the cigarette cartons. Despite the warnings, smokers continue to smoke. Some of these chemicals include acetone, ammonia, formaldehyde and arsenic. It is disgusting that people are putting these chemicals in their bodies and lungs daily. It is a suicide waiting to happen. Earlier times, Men were to consider smokers more than women. Times have changed and now more women smoke to deal with stress or problems. In addition, social influences such as friends and partygoers are most likely to smoke. Most modern women today will agree that the demand and multiple roles they have taken on have grown over the years. It is no small wonder that many have turned to cigarettes to deal with stress. EFFECTIVENESS Although the main goal of anti-smoking media campaigns is to quit smokers to quit smoking, little evidence suggests that the role of these campaigns are helping to stop. The campaigns can provide a new insight for young people such as non-smokers and those smokers wanting to quit to lead a normal life. These campaigns cost less money than sending someone to be hospitalized or suffer severe consequences because of smoking. It is a healthier and more prosperous future for our younger generation but not all of antismoking ads are effective. Research study has shown that the most successful campaigns are exposing the tobacco industrys manipulation on young adults; focus on themes of second hand smoke and cigarette addiction (Siegal 1998). Campaigns that simply say, â€Å"do not smoke† are the least successful because it not reinforcing adolescents to experience making decisions and the ability to grow up. For example, â€Å"most adolescents want to appear mature, independent, sav vy, attractive, and cool, and many think that not smoking will help them realize these goals. Smokers Negative Life Circumstances messages suggest that smoking is a barrier to achieving [these] goals (Penchmann 2003, p.10). These ads are effective in their own ways that likely to change someones thoughts on the idea of smoking. STATUS AND IMPACT The question is, â€Å"Does anti-smoking ads work?† It is a tough question to answer because there is no direct link that it does work. As Ms. Garcia, whom I interviewed, stated that â€Å"these aids are not working and the campaigners should find other ways to attract its audience.† The antismoking ads offer two ways that it can spread it messages. The messages are if a person smokes than that person would not succeed in life and if you do not smoke, you would be successful in life. The Tobacco remains one of the most widely abused substances. After writing this report and reading other research articles related to this topic, I found there is at least a connection with anti-smoking campaigns and decreased use of smoking among adolescents. For example, smoking is at historically low among groups of ages over 12 years old compared to the late 1990s when the campaign started. Many people believe because of the increased advertisements and its graphical nature has made i nfluenced in these changes. Most of the advertisements are found on during times that young adults are at home usually after school programming to get their attention. Before, it used to seen at various times of day. I believe it has made impact among our future generation and as long the government keeps pumping money into the campaign, I feel lower down smoking use but never fade it away. These ads had made an impact in society. When people are asked about these anti-smoking ads, their first impression is to mention the graphical nature that it has. Even younger adults have stated that, â€Å"if their lungs are going to turn black because of smoking, might as well not even start†. But not everyone agrees that these ads are effective, as it seems to be. For instance, Pearman Parker writes, They can [be effective], though, when they reinforce the perception that their close friends listen and respond to the campaigns.† In addition, Parker reports that the ads have been effective on younger teens but not towards adults. Parker writes, â€Å"Adults know it is unhealthy and knows what can happen to them but that does not change their behaviors.† Overall, anti-smoking has made big impact since 1998 with its â€Å"shock method†, it keep evolving and changing as time goes by. The ads that are picture in the campaign can be viewed as personal testimonials from smokers whom are having the negative side effects from smoking. In these ads, real people tell their own stories about the negative impacts that have cause throughout their lifetime. The main message to get across the audience is provide a sadness or fear mood. Teenagers are more bound to learn from personal testimonials because it provides some sort of realness to the picture of the negative effects of smoking. CONCLUSION: POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS According Penchmanns recent study done in 2002, â€Å"our findings to date suggest that tobacco-marketing (anti-industry) advertisement may not be especially effective with adolescents, though such advertisements are popular, in part because of the apparent success of the Florida Truth campaign.† It has been proven that The Truth Campaign has been the most successful in decreasing smoking habits among adolescents. Anti-smoking campaigns have other free options to promote their cause against smokers and the tobacco industry. The funds that the campaigners get can be use to provide free addiction clinics and research studies to help smokers on how to quit. As newspapers are fading away such as, their revenues have fallen 23% over the last two year (The State of News Media). Anti-smoking campaigns can push for interactive ways using social media and social networking. They can promote and advertise on MySpace, Twitter and Facebook to get users to join the campaign and give awaren ess of the health hazard on tobacco. For instance, social networking can reach to the other audiences especially to the crowd that attracts the most of its first-users are the adolescents. Another way of social media that antismoking campaigners can use is YouTube to gain more audiences. According to Hempel, â€Å"YouTube is the largest video platform in the world (Hempel 37).† People behind the campaign can run concepts such as viral campaigns with homemade videos. The adolescent group is the most users of social networking and the anti-smoking campaign can promote their product with graphical ads that can catch their eyes. Using social media will be a great way to interact with young adults. For example, using Facebook Connect, the creators can create an ad that collects the users information and create a video on the hazards of smoking tobacco with the information use of the viewer. Only the viewer will get to see the commercial ad to avoid controversy with others watching it unless the person wants to show to the mass. In conclusion, anti-smoking advertisements have been a great topic to cover throughout the research. It has its positives and negatives on certain areas that affect various groups throughout the New York State and the nation as a whole. Many researchers oppose that the campaign has not been working because of the massive funds that the government invested since the 1997 settlement. In addition, many campaigners agreed that the campaign is positively proceeding to a certain extent because of the decline of smoking users have gone down. The percentage is not big but it shows that it is effective. The question to answer is what is the status and impact on adolescents by the anti-smoking campaign? The status is the campaign is still trying to attract adolescents not to smoke and the impact has that many young adults have been listening to these ads especially of the shock method nature of it. Will it succeed to stop people from smoking? The true answer is no because of the addictive chem icals involved in tobacco will make smokers hard to quit. As Penchman writes, â€Å"It is conceivable that advertising that is ineffective on its own becomes effective when combined with other effort.† The campaign needs to develop a strategy to help people to quit. As Ms. Karp from MSNBC reports, that the Internet outlet is the best source to use to expand advertising strategy. For instance, withdrawal clinics, nicotine patches, non-for-profit outpatient treatment can help smokers in many places that the campaign is not helping. Overall, the anti-smoking is making an impact among all people and the status of campaign will become stronger because it is here to stay. Bibliography 2009 Join us in our Anti Smoking Campaign because Its Time To Quit Smoking Healthy Living on Shine. Astrology | Horoscopes, Celebrity Horoscopes, Chinese Astrology, Compatibility Tools, and Gift Guides on Shine. Web. 01 Nov. 2009. . Baram, Marcus. Star of Anti-Smoking Campaign Still Puffs. ABC News. 11 Jan. 2008. Web. . Note: The article helps me understand it is hard to quit smoking. The fellow interviewed in the article was seen in an antismoking ad early in the year but still smokes today. The author writes about the hardships of quitting smoking and advertisements are not what it seems to be. Berger, Arthur Asa. Media and Communication Research Methods. SAGE 2000. Pgs 3 173. CBC. Anti-smoking campaigns apparently have little effect on youth. CBC.ca. CBC News. Web. 01 Nov. 2009. . Note: The article is based from Alberta, Canada. This website was helpful because it gave a different point of view from the ant-smoking campaign. It helps me understand the two sides from the debate and on the reasons on why it is not working. Elhart, Mary. Statewide Anti-Smoking Campaign Takes New Approach in Curbing Teen Smoking | Reuters. Reuters.com. Arizona Department of Health Services Bureau of Tobacco Education Prevention, 16 Feb. 2009. Web. 01 Nov. 2009. . Note: The author of this article discusses new ways that the antismoking campaigns can evolve. The author mentions different areas where the campaign is lacking and to make it stronger to decrease smokers. Grohol, John. Scare or Disgust Work Best in Anti-Smoking Ads | Psych Central News. Psych Central. 17 Nov. 2008. Web. 01 Nov. 2009. . Note: Grohol discusses the â€Å"shock method† message that can be seen in antismoking advertising. It is helpful because it mentions different ads in their shock message. The shock method is one of the most effective techniques found in advertising. Grossman, Michael and Frank J. Chaloupka. â€Å"Cigarette Taxes: The Straw to Break the Camels Back† Public Health Reports (1974-), Vol. 112, No. 4 (Jul. Aug., 1997), pp. 290-297. Association of Schools of Public Health Hall, Nicholas G., John C. Hershey, Larry G. Kessler, R. Craig Stotts. â€Å"A Model for Making Project Funding Decisions at the National Cancer Institute† Vol. 40, No. 6 (Nov. Dec., 1992), pp. 1040-1052 Source: Operations Research,