Joint Military Operations Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Joint Military Operations - Assignment Example It was for this reason that it became necessary to use joint military operations, which was largely led by The Union Army of the Tennessee’s Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. In this paper, there is further analysis of the entire joint military operations to understand the core elements that went into it, including its objectives, the fallouts from it, the centers of gravity, and major lines of operations used. One unique thing about almost all joint military operations is that fact that they are started with very specific strategic aims and objectives in mind. This was no different with the Vicksburg Campaign, which was undertaken with the prime aim of capturing Vicksburg, which was a fortress city that dominated the remaining Confederate-controlled section of the Mississippi River2. To achieve this aim, it was important to ensure that the whole Campaign was guided by specific objectives which defined the actions that needed to be taken. Two specific objectives stand out in the campaign. The first of this was to entrap the Confederate army which was under the control of Lt. Gen. John Pemberton. The second objective was to overwhelm the Confederates early enough so that they could not fully organize their defenses. By executing these two objectives successfully, the ultimate aim was expected to be attained. Primary evidence available shows that the objective of overwhelming the Confederates early enough so they could not fully organize their defenses was implemented by the use of immediate assault against Stockade Redan for May 19.3 This assault was later to go a long way to mark the desired end state. Regrettable for Grant however, the assault, which was the desired end state to bring about the achievement of the ultimate aim, did not succeed as expected. This made historian Shelby Foote record that Grant "did not regret having made the assaults; he only regretted that they had failed†4. The failed desired end state seemed to have been

Logic Questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Logic Questions - Assignment Example 2. Every event in the world is caused by other events. Human actions and decisions are events in the world. Therefore, every human action and decision is caused by other events. This is a deductive argument. This argument is valid and sound because the claim is logical that the actions and decisions of humans are caused by other events in the world. Similarly, humans react to the events going on around them, which often incite further events that can also be responded to. 3. If God exists, then life has meaning. God does not exist. Therefore, life has no meaning. This argument is a deductive argument. It is an invalid and unsound argument because life has meaning regardless of whether or not God exists. If human beings were created by a higher being, they were created for a purpose; their existence is proof enough that their lives have meaning. If humans were not created by a higher being but through natural means, their lives have meaning by being on earth and creating their own meaning. 4. All cows are purple. Socrates is purple. Therefore, Socrates is a cow. This is deductive argument. This argument is invalid and unsound because we are physically able to determine that Socrates is not a cow. Furthermore, we are able to conclude that Socrates and cows are not purple. Since the premises are not true, the conclusion cannot be true. 5. William James and John Dewey both called themselves pragmatists. They are the leading American philosophers. Therefore, all American philosophers are pragmatists. This is an inductive argument. This argument is invalid and unsound because the identities of these two men as pragmatists cannot be applied to a larger group. Since a lot of philosophical thought is based on theory, pragmatism would not be logically applicable to all American philosophers. 6. Believing in God makes people moral - that is, believers tend to do good and avoid evil. This argument is deductive. It is an invalid and unsound

Critical Evaluation of the research methodologies

Critical Evaluation of the research methodologies 1. Introduction: In this report I have critically reviewed the methodologies which are used by Chevrier in her research paper. In this paper I have revealed whether she has used the correct methodology for her research or not, whether her evidence support her findings or not and I have mentioned an alternative methods to improve her conclusion. Chevrier paper aims at better understanding the dynamics of international project groups and she focuses on how project leaders manage the cultural differences to overcome and to use national cultures, ethnic diversity efficiently and effectively in the multinational project team. In her research she has depict three kinds of cross-cultural practices which were implemented by the project leaders. With these findings she has proposed a strategy to enhance the functioning of cross-cultural projects. I think the methodology which she has used in this research i.e. Case study is largely fine but not an effective one instead of this if she had used Grounded theory methodology for this research it would have been much more better research. I argue that the three case studies which she has chosen is not a typical one of all the multinational project groups. I argue that the Data collection technique which she has used in this research i.e. informal discussion is not a good technique to collect the data from participant. I argue that the strategy which she has proposed doesnt hold good for all types of cross-cultural project groups. 2. Literature review: Research can be a tricky, fascinating, awkward, tedious, annoying, hilarious, confusing, disturbing, mechanical, sociable, isolating, surprising, sweaty, messy, systematic, costly, draining, iterative, contradictory, open-ended process (Anthias, 2002) Methodology is identical to a research model employed by a researcher in a particular project, including basic knowledge related to the subject and research methods in question and the framework employed in a particular context (Sarantakos, 1998 cited Lather, 1992:87). Sarantakos (1998) relates the nature of Methodology to a theoretical and more abstract context, and perceives it in conjuction with distinctive, unidimensional, and mutually exclusive theoretical principles. Methodologies offers the research principles which are related closely to a distinct paradigm translated clearly and accurately, down to guidelines on acceptable research practices. Methodology is determined not by the research model but rather by principles of research entailed in a paradigm. Case-study research involves studying individual cases, often in their natural environment, and for a long period of time and employs a number of methods of data collection and analysis. (Sarantakos, 1998 cited Kromrey, 1986:320) 3. Critical Analysis of her Methodology: In this research the Methodology which is used by Chevrier is Case study. I think to do this research survey studies or experimental strategies will be too complex to implement, this is the main reason for Sylvie to choose Case study as the Methodology for this research. Generally case studies are done by a researcher when he/she is interested in the structure, process and outcomes of a single unit. (Sarantakos, 1998) Case studies are done by a researcher when he/she wants to extract data from a single field of study. Here Chevrier has chosen Engineering (i.e. three Project groups) as a field of study in which she has extracted the data and processed into information in which it will fit into the research topic. But this research topic demands to do study on all different kinds of field; but Sylvie hasnt done it, this is the main drawback of this research paper. In this research Chevrier focuses on how project leaders deal with cultural differences to surmount and even benefit from the variety of national cultures in their team. They have studied three cross-cultural practices that the project leaders explicitly or implicitly use to manage their international team and also studied the related outcomes from these practices. I think some methods and techniques which are used by Chevrier in her research paper doesnt holds good to the research topic. I think the samples(case studies) which she has chosen for this research doesnt sounds well because she has chosen only three international project groups to study the cross-cultural practices which are implemented in the team and moreover all these three project groups has the same background i.e. engineering. I believe just three project groups of the same background will not give a good weightage to her research paper. This is mainly because other than these three project groups there are different types of multinational project groups in which they are directly related to the cross-cultural management which I think she should have taken into this research paper. This research paper is pointing towards Multinational groups but the project groups which she has chosen has only people who are from European countries and Brasil, it misses out people who are from Asia, Africa and Australia. In this field work data is collected from Formal interviews, attendance to their meetings as a participant observer and informal discussions. I think the Primary data obtained from the formal interviews with project leaders and project members will be useful to analyse the data in this research and this data is important because the members of the project groups are the one who will be following cross-cultural practices and they will be knowing whether these practices are useful or not . In her research she has used participant observer as a data collection technique. I think it is a good technique for collecting the data in this research. Since her team will be a part of the cross-cultural group so they can observe easily how the team members/managers will behave and whether they are following the cross-cultural practices or not. They have attended even meetings to collect the data I think this is the place where they might have got a good data because this is a place where they can observe whether the managers and leaders are following cross-cultural practices or are they giving any importance to it or not. Chevrier and her team was also present daily among the project groups particularly for project 1(for 2 project weeks) and project 2(for 2  ½ months), I think daily presence in a project group is important because generally people wont behave same way in every time/day and also we cant judge their behaviour on cross-cultural practices in a single day. So daily presence in a project group will give a good data for the researcher but interesting point in her data collection is she or her team was not present daily for project team 3 but they were present only in project team 1 2 and that to in project team 1 they were present daily with team for just 2 ‘project weeks, so I dont think within these 2 weeks they have collected a strong data because in just 2 weeks it is less practical to summarize their behaviour. I think the primary data which they have collected in project team 2 will be useful because for 2  ½ months they were daily present with the team so with this time they will be in a better position to judge their behaviour with respect to cross-cultural. I also think that the Informal discussion which she has used in this research is not an effective technique. I agree this technique partially and I also disagree partially. I think this technique should be used depending on the situation in the working environment; if the working environment is not so good then there is no use of having discussion with them because the interviewee may give answers simply just to pass time. I think they should use only when the team members are in a good mood and moreover this discussions will take place mainly during lunch time of the employees, this is the time where most of the employee will relax, spend time with their colleagues and chat with them, if Chevrier and her group starts to discuss with these employees then most of them wont be interested and they will just say something or they will give less answers so that the discussion will be over fast. She has analysed the collected data by Cutting of Tran scripted interviews and meeting notes by theme. She has prepared a monograph for each and every theme which I think its a good idea and it will be useful for comparing all the themes. This type of comparison will help to find out the common and uncommon features of all the cases 4. Will her evidence support her findings? I think the evidence which she has used in Case 1 will support her findings. This is a project group of European consortium set up to make RD in the telecommunication industry. The contract which is signed by these companies designates one company as a primary contractor which will appoint a project leader among its engineers. We know that the newly appointed project leader has no hierarchical authority over the other partners due to this he/she cannot demand anything from other partners, infact he/she cant expect that other partners will involve totally (100% commitment) in this project and there is also a possibility that this may also lead to lack of institutional management with the other partners. In this project the leader has to take some technical decisions in which sometimes it may not be accepted by the other partners as she found this from Northern Europe and especially from Scandinavia that they only speak up when they disagree with what is being said. These project groups were not totally involved in the project. In this case the project leader has no choice he has to tolerate with these kinds of partners. This is what Chevrier has found that the leader explicitly or implicitly relies on tolerance of team members to surmount difficulties. The project group (RD consortium) has people from different countries; definitely all of them will have different opinion on Cross-cultural activity. Some may tolerate the diversity and some may not. Chevrier has found out different opinions from the interviewees e.g. In multinational teams some team members tend to forget the nationality of their colleague to focus on technical issues. Oppositely, the second part of interviewees says that they make their best to struggle against prejudices, stereotypes and ethnocentrism. In the 2nd case of Chevrier it is said that the greatest difficulty for the project manager is to make the work required for his own project a priority for team members who are very much in demand. If this is the case most of the manager tries to protect his team members to work in his project because every manager will have some task to complete, so to do this task without skilled workers in his team it will be difficult for him to complete it. If the manager couldnt maintain these workers in his team then there is every chance of showing less interest in the project. This is what happened to Swiss manager as it is told in Chevrier paper that â€Å"Swiss manager straightforwardly declared he did not want to make any difference and was careful to manage all team members the same way.† Chevrier has also backed up this argument by giving the reference of Laurent (1998), â€Å"we observed that when managers encounter cross-cultural differences, they often do nothing and consider that it is legitimate not to talk about them.† In case 1 the main job of the project leader is to maintain a strong institutional management with the other partners. Since the leader doesnt have the hierarchical authority over the other partners it will be difficult to manage all the other partners. His main job is to get the task done, since he doesnt has the upper hand over other project members it will be difficult for him to give orders for other groups to complete the job. In chevriers research, for this problem she has founded that â€Å"developing personal relationship with one another in a team will set up working arrangements more easily. If they know each other very well, it will help them to become acquainted with one other†. This strategy will suit only for RD consortium project group because in this project all its partners doesnt know each other so this strategy may enable effective mutual agreements between all the partners. But it doesnt suit for Electrical engineering project infact it can reinforce negative stereotypes and polarization between cultural groups. This is true because in this project the Swiss manager straightforwardly declared that he did not want to make any difference and was interested to manage all team members the same way, if this strategy (developing personal relationship) is implemented in this project group it may result in other way because due to less involvement by Swiss manger there is a more chance of negative stereotypes and polarization between cultural groups. This may lead in such a way that project may not complete. The strategy which is proposed in this paper by Chevrirer (cultural mediator) suits good for some multinational project groups but for some project groups it doesnt. Since in this strategy cultural mediator has to invite the project members quite regularly to find out the exact problem, this is possible only when all the project members are meeting together quite regularly at some place but this strategy cannot be applied to some multi-national groups where the project members wont meet regularly. However, in a multi national group most of the time the project groups will be from different countries so it is not practical to implement this strategy because all groups are from different countries and also it will be difficult for all the members to attend the meeting if it is put up by cultural mediator. As we can see in RD consortium group all the team members meet each other only four or five times a year. During these weeks all the project members will be busy with other partners about their plan and objectives in their project. So if this strategy is applied to this group then cultural mediator will not find sufficient time to spend with the team members to talk about their problematic situations which have encountered. I think this strategy can be applied to the project team in electrical engineering because this team is composed of a project manager, engineers who are all located in a single building but in a different floor. In this team cultural mediator can easily set up a meeting with the team members and find out the problematic situations which have encountered. Even in the product development project have subsidiaries which are located in different countries such as Germany, France, Belgium and Italy and co-ordinating the development process is in charge by ‘‘central group which is located in the French subsidiary. So even in this project group cultural mediator will find difficult to set up a meeting to talk about their problematic situations which have encountered. I think she has not justified all the problems which will occur in the multinational group. For e.g.— Race can be a problem in the group. Merriam et.al. in their research has found that â€Å"Racism was the specific dominating factor in cross cultural groups†. Color As an issue of concern amongst Blacks, colorism is examined and debated in Black communities in a less than open manner. This intraracial discrimination among Blacks gives preferential treatment to those who have lighter skin shades. (Merriam et.al) 5. Alternative Methodology: I think Grounded theory analysis will be a better approach for this research because in this research topic we need to analyse more number of case studies, interviews and observation so I think grounded theory will be the best methodology for this research. Another reason for using grounded theory techniques is â€Å"Grounded theorising is well suited to capturing the interpretive experiences of owner/managers/employees and developing theoretical propositions from them.† Rowlands B. (2005 cited from Strauss Corbin 1990) From the above reason we can say that, Since Chevriers research is related to the cross-cultural practices which are followed by Leaders, Managers, and Team members, so this methodology will be very useful in gathering and analysing the data. Similarly, Grounded theory has been effectively used in recent Information System research to develop theory of Information System practice. Rowlands B. (2005 cited from Urquhart et.al., 1997) In choosing the International project groups Chevrier has chosen the groups in which all groups has the same background i.e. Engineering. Instead of choosing three project groups from a single background she could have chosen three project groups from different fields. Because choosing a sample project group which is typical to that environment is very important and the data collected from this typical one will bee much stronger than the data which she has collected from the three Engineering project groups. I think Ethnographic interview will be useful to get valuable data from the interviewee. The main aim of this type of interview is to study the Culture of the people and to find out how it will impact on the people behaviour. â€Å"It aims to discover or understand the culture of people in their social environment and of explaining the social justification of their role and position in that culture.†(Sarantakos, 1998). This interview would have helped her in finding the culture of the project members/leaders and based on her understanding on their culture she could have compared with the Cross-cultural practices which were implemented by the management and she could have got a better result. If Chevrier had used all the above methodology in her research, I think this would have improved her research conclusion. 6. Conclusion: In this paper I have revealed that the methodology which is used by chevrier for her research is not a good one. I have shown that some of her methodology which she has used is not effective with respect to the research. The three case study which she has chosen in her research is not a typical one because all the case studies had the same background i.e. Engineering, instead of that she could have chosen case studies which are from different background and I also showed that the data collected from participant observation in project group 2 was strong. I showed that the data collected from informal discussion technique was not good. This paper reveals that Ethnographic interview and Grounded theory would have helped her to collect the strong data and to analyse the data which she has collected. I have shown that up to what extent of her evidence will support her findings. In this paper I have also concluded that her proposed strategy will holds good only if all the project members/g roups are in the same company or at least in the same country, it doesnt suit if all the project members/groups are in a different countries. 8. Bibliography: Sarantakos S.,(1998).Social reseach, 2nd edition, Macmillan Education: Australia, Chapter 8, pp 33,191,251. Floya Anthias,( 2002) Where do I belong?: Narrating collective identity and translocational positionality, [Online] Accessed from: http://etn.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/2/4/491 [Accessed on: 05/11/07] Merriam S., et.al., Power and Positionality: Negotiating Insider/Outsider Status in Multicultural and Cross-Cultural Research, [Online] Accessed from: http://merriamsetal1-final.pdf [Accessed on: 05/11/07] Rowlands B., (2005), Grounded in Practice: Using Interpretive Research to Build Theory, [Online] Accessed from: http://v3-i1-art7-rowlands.pdf [Accessed on: 03/12/07]

Hitler Youth :: essays research papers

I thought the most interesting aspect of the Hitler Youth movement was the beginning of it all, when the numbers were small to when the organization held a lot of power. The years 1933-1938 were the most influential of the youth movement. These years determined what the organization would become and how much power they would hold.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Hitler came into power as the German Chancellor in 1933, the Hitler youth was not nearly close to an idea of what it was to become. Around this time, The Hitler Youth Organization numbered around one hundred thousand. Until two months later when Hitler was given dictatorial powers, which meant the state, was behind the Hitler Youth now. Immediately Hitler ordered that either organizations join the Nazi’s or disband. If the organizations chose to join the Hitler Youth Movement were under the power of Baldur Von Schirach who Hitler appointed to be the head of The Youth organization, with only Hitler to answer to.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Schirach began quickly by sending the fifty boys into The Reich’s Committee of German Youth Association, and taking the six million members under the authority of the Hitler youth. So most of the recruitment for the Youth Movement was forced. Some groups did join willing though, but groups like The Catholic Youth Organization held out for as long as three years.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Schirach soon organized Hitler’s Youth Movement into a precise running machine. He set up age brackets as well as a Hitlers youth for girls called the BDM(Bund Deutcher Madel{League of German Girls}). The age brackets for boys started at ten to fourteen were the boys were in the jungvolk, and the boys from fourteen to eighteen were in the HJ(Hitler Jugend{Youth}). The girls had their age brackets as well the young girls from ten to fourteen were in the Jungmadel, and the girls from fourteen to eighteen were in the actual BDM.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The youth organization was based on competition on what ever they did boys or girls. The boys and girls did not participate together though, they did do very much of the same things. The boys played War games, and often started brawls, which was not discouraged because the Nazi’s believed it was toughing up the youth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The only problem Schirach was running into was that he could not find enough qualified people to be Youth leaders. Schirach could not fill the positions because the youth movement was growing so fast.

Indian Luxury Consumer Essay

The Indian Luxury Consumer: Rapidly maturing and looking for more Any study of the luxury market needs to conclusively address core questions around the luxury customer – Who, What and Where. To fully understand answers to these questions, we interviewed existing and prospective customers across various locations, income and age groups. We also interviewed industry leaders across all luxury categories on the Indian consumer and the changes that they have observed over the last few years. In this section, we shall provide answers to three basic questions: 1. What constitutes luxury in India? 2. Who is the luxury consumer? What has changed in the last 2-3 years? 3. How is the behavior of the luxury consumer changing? 4. What are their specific tastes and preferences? 5. Where do they make their purchase? Luxury in India – more aspirational luxury than ultimate luxury Industry leaders across categories believe that luxury is not only determined by price. Exclusivity is a far more important parameter for a product or service to be called luxury. As such customization, uniqueness, and even understatement is important. Design, use of exquisite materials, presentation and personalized service all contribute to luxury. Consumers also talk about exclusivity, uniqueness and appeal to personal taste. This is not as yet corroborated by increased sales of â€Å"ultimate and subtle† luxury products. The majority of the market is still far away from this definition and brand/logo/badge value drive luxury purchases very clearly. Size, flashiness, clearly visible logos, well known brand are the key considerations in the purchase. That said, traditional attributes such as high quality, heritage, longevity, the â€Å"stories† associated with brands are beginning to emerge as drivers of purchase. Bulk of the Indian market is still dominated by the more accessible and aspirational luxury products. Status – announcing your arrival into the elite segment of the society – is the biggest motivation still. The mindset is still that of an â€Å"aspirer† not that of a â€Å"connoisseur†. The Indian luxury consumer – new insights The Indian luxury consumer has been studied a few times now. Various segments have been identiofied by earlier studies. The old money/new money/gold cuffs/.. (Luxury Brands) and Industrialist/Corporate/Professional/ (Economic Times – A. T. Kearney India Luxury Review 2007). The focus of our consumer research was to find out how the consumer has evolved in the last 3-4 years. The accepted wisdom is that industrialists and traditionally wealthy families is the largest segment, senior corporate executives are a smaller but emerging segment and young professionals are entering the market. Our research has shown that by and large the consumer segments that constitute the bulk of the market have not changed significantly, although finer sub-segments are now more apparent: Medium size enterprise owners: This is the largest segment in terms of number – these are typically the medium enterprise owners – industrialists and traders who run businesses with revenues upwards of 50 cr. The source of their spending is the surpluses generated by the business. Many of these have grown as the economy grew rapidly in the last twenty years. Their wealth is their passport to the elite segment of the society and conspicuous consumption is their way of announcing it to the society. The children who tend to be second or third generation are the bigger spenders, having been educated abroad and hence familiar with brands and the luxury way of living. They are now educating and enticing their more conservative elder generation into spending. Interviews also reveal that those who generate cash need to necessarily spend it and luxury goods are a good avenue for spending. These are very frequent luxury consumers and consume the entire gamut of products and services and some assets like cars and real estate. These consumers shop around for deals and bargains, including international travel. Traditionally wealthy families / large industrialists: This group comprises two sub-segments – the first is the traditionally wealthy families – who have been consuming luxury for several decades and go for the finer things in life. The largest business houses in the country and historically wealthy Marwari, Gujarati, Parsi, Punjabi families epitomize this class. The other sub segment comprises the promoters of some very large businesses which have come up in the last two decades and have created disproportionate wealth very quickly. Builders, miners, diamond merchants, stock brokers, new age enterprise owners fall in this category. Many of them have migrated to the highest ladder of luxury consumption very quickly by acquiring yachts, jets, houses and really expensive cars. Corporate executives: Senior executives of corporate India who are paid in excess of Rs. 1 crore and bankers who earn big bonuses epitomize this category. These executives are well traveled and are aware of brands. Most of these are in their mid-late forties and represent some of the brightest minds in the country. Many of them though have come from middle class backgrounds and hence have a conservative approach on conspicuous spending. While they can well afford to spend, their propensity to spend is low. A gradual change is being seen as they see more and more of their compatriots spend. These consumers spend on some luxury products such as watches, accessories, select apparel, fine dining, international and domestic travel and high end cars. They also tend to shop on their frequent international trips to get the best deals. Self employed professionals: These comprise of professionals such as lawyers, doctors and architects: A small but niche segment, comprising the top stars in their profession, who have made it big. While many of these come from middle class backgrounds, they use their new found wealth to live a good life. They shop for the entire range of products and services although are found less often at the absolute top end of the ladder. Young professionals: Working in service industries – these earn the least compared to the others, but since they don’t have family responsibilities, the disposable part of the income is high. They are in tune with the latest fashion trends, travel abroad once in a while and believe in spending on what they fancy. They tend to consume entry level products and are infrequent consumers. Other segments: Expatriates: Expatriates in the country are growing and they are staying for longer periods: These are on expatriate packages and are accustomed to luxury consumption in other parts of the world. However most of these fly back very frequently and stack up on their luxury products need on these trips. Luxury services and assets (mostly cars) are influenced in a small way by this segment. The segment is definitely driving the increasing awareness and need for luxury products Politicians and bureaucrats: Interviews reveal that politicians and bureaucrats are a large segment for all luxury products, but have a much more pronounced preference for jewellery, watches, cars and real estate. Contrary to the popular perception that is generated by the flashy lifestyles of film and television actors, they are not large spenders by themselves and collectively it is still not a large segment. Luxury consumption of film and TV stars is paid for by the producers. They alsoi shop abroad a lot. Many celebrities belong to rich business families and owe their luxury consumption to their family wealth or get a lot of luxury products as gifts. Citywise sub-segments: There are sub-segments in each city that drive most of the purchases: * Mumbai – stock brokers, diamond merchants/exporters * Delhi – industrialists, traditionally wealthy, politicians, bureaucrats * Chennai – traditionally rich, industrialists * Bangalore – builders, IT top brass * Kolkata – traditionally wealthy Marwari businessmen, traders Age profile. The average consumer is still young – between 30-45. This is in line with the overall demographics and is expected to stay that way for some time. It is thus a young luxury market in contrast with some of the mature markets like Europe and the USA where the average consumer is much older (need some data here). Consumer Behavior We found that while the average Indian luxury customer values High Quality, Exclusivity and Social Appeal as key drivers of luxury purchase, they are also very Price Conscious and often straddled with a â€Å"middle-class mindset†. Corporate Professionals in particular tend to be more price sensitive than the Traditionally Wealthy and Business Owners. This is also due to the fact that the average â€Å"fashion consciousness† of Indian consumers is still quite low – most consumers prefer â€Å"well known† brands and make luxury purchases for â€Å"brand value† and not â€Å"fashion value†. The table below summarises the typical behavior patterns of the consumers in each of the segments | Medium Size Enterprise Owners| Traditionally Wealthy Families & Large Industrialists| Corporate Executives| Self Employed Professionals| Young Professionals| Average Age| | | | | |. Awareness| Low| High| High| Medium| High| Fashion consciousness ( apparel and accessories)| Low| High| Low| Low| High| Price Consciousness| High| Low| High| Very High| Very High| Badge Consciousness| High| Medium-Low| High| High| Very High| Propensity to buy overseas| High| High| High| High| High| Greater awareness – rapidly increasing and the entry of brands, development of malls and magazines has helped. Compared to three-four years ago, the number of people who can correctly pronounce Chanel and Gucci correctly has increased dramatically, although there is still a long way to go. What is interesting to note is that the Indian luxury customer is maturing rapidly and brand awareness has increased significantly over the past 3-5 years. Brands are beginning to see loyal customers who have their preferred set of brands. Among brands, the pedigree of a brand is very important. There is a heritage value with luxury brands – customer typically put more value on brands that have been around for many years. When it came to Indian brands, there is clearly a mixed perception. While most customers were willing to purchase luxury services from Indian players, the luxury products market still has a long way to go. Specifically in services, Indian service quality is considered to be at par with the best in the world. Within products, the categories that customer preferred have a high class value attached to it. Hence very select categories like jewellery and Indian designer apparel products are considered ‘luxury’. Fashion consciousness – changing very fast, dressing for a look increasing in the metros – still a long way to go – in the words of one of the luxury fashion CEOs – Indians are â€Å"sartorially challenged†. The younger members of the rich families and the young professionals are leading are leading the pack. Badge consciousness – continuing, no doubt. A logo is probably the most important thing about a product. It is easier to sell a pair of sunglasses or a polo shirt where the logo is clearly visible than a shirt where it is not so obvious. Price consciousness – here to stay. The entire industry acknowledges this and both the principals and the Indian parties strive hard to match prices to make it price neutral for the Indian consumer who would not mind taking a flight to Singapore or Dubai or ask someone to get it, if the difference is more than 3-5%. The economics is simple – its costs 15-20,000 for a return trip (economy of course! ) to Dubai or Singapore. On a product costing upwards of Rs. 200,000, this is less than 10% of the product price. That puts a limit on the amount of premium that anyone will be willing to pay for products that can be easily purchased overseas and carried back. The grey market will willingly carry products for a fraction of the cost of a return trip. The only exception is cars – where it is not possible to bring it in – either legitimately or smuggled. Propensity to buy overseas – reducing but still very significant. One interesting observation is that Indian luxury customers are not averse to buying from India, just that they feel there are better avenues abroad. One of the key challenges is to provide luxury shopping destinations that offer a variety of brands under one roof. While most of them purchased from boutiques in New York or Malls in Dubai, in India there are not many avenues for luxury purchase. While most consumers also make luxury purchases in India, shopping abroad is still by far the preferred option. Consumers have certain perceptions about luxury shopping in India, that have held them back making large scale and frequent purchases in the local market. Interviews with industry leaders reveals that the consumer wants the same package here – merchandise (range, freshness), convenience (location), price and experience (ambience, service) – with an extra expectation of service, given that this is India, where labor is cheap. The development of the Indian duty free has meant that Indians have an option of buying duty free products in India when they arrive rather than carting it all the way from popular shopping destinations overseas. Consumers still believe that the widest, most recent range is not available here and that prices are more expensive here, though at least two of these clearly are myths that need to be broken. In fashion, collections are designed for the whole world once, no one creates separate collections for India and old collections are not available. Width of range is a trade-off that has to be made depending on the depth of the market, so that is a possibility. Converting the overseas market is a big challenge for retailers. Propensity to buy from the grey market – by all accounts, this is reducing in established brands. Concerted efforts by players to bring in the latest merchandise, efforts by brands to supply products at lower prices to India and Indian retailers willing to work on thin margins has meant that the consumer now gets a good bargain. New brands which consumers want and are not available find their way through this channel. Driver of Luxury consumption: Number of HNIs, HNI Wealth or Household Income? It is generally accepted that luxury market size is positively correlated to household income (GDP/capita), the number of high networth individuals and/or their wealth. Discussions on luxury are never complete without a reference to these parameters. A correlation between the size of the luxury market, the GDP/capita, number of HNIs and HNI wealth over the years 2004-2009 shows that in terms of importance the number of high networth individuals is the most important driver, followed closely by GDP/capita and HNI wealth. Interviews with leading luxury brands in India points to the fact that family wealth is a very strong determinant of spending than household income. Consumer interviews with traditionally wealthy families indicates a very interesting pattern – they are habitual consumers of luxury and less price conscious. Some of the segments mentioned above would fall in the HNI category. However luxury consumption in India is not limited to only the HNIs. The masstige phenomenon can be observed very clearly in India. Luxury products in India are appealing to, and purchased by, middle-class consumers that do not fit the typical profile of an elite consumer segment. For these shoppers, luxury represents status and prestige, a place in society that they fit into as a result of their purchase of high-end products. This phenomenon is observed even in the large mature markets such as UK, where a large number of individual consumers buy very small volumes. Luxury goods companies develop products that re-enforce the â€Å"masstige† and drive volumes. As such it is very important to look at the other indicator of the market – the GDP/capita. In India given the fact that wealth is being created due to the rapid growth, growing household incomes are converting the middle class into emerging luxury consumers. As such there is a large segment (below the 1 cr income category) where while the wealth might be low, it is the incomes that are driving the consumption. Measured in PPP terms, 25 -100 lakhs in India is equal to $ XX-YY,000 of income in the US or EUR AA-BB,000 in Europe, which is definitely a luxury consumer. The above two factors combine to make the consumer spectrum in India very broad. Our research shows that sporadic/ infrequent luxury consumption for products and services begins when annual household income goes upwards of Rs. 20 lakhs, becomes frequent when annual household income crosses the Rs. 1 crore mark and becomes habitual when the wealth crosses the HNI milestone ($1 mn in liquid assets). For luxury assets, the markers are understandably much higher and even within assets, the ladder become quite steep as one goes higher. For example, consumer for private jets would be the top 200-400 richest families in the country – the billionaires, super rich families (the HNIs) – anywhere around 200-400 families – such as the private jets, yachts and the largest houses – earning anywhere upwards of 50 cr per annum or with family wealth in excess of 100 cr. The spectrum thus begins at rupee millionaires and goes all the way to real billionaires. While the small traditionally super wealthy families who know what absolute or real exclusive luxury means, and can be called connoisseurs, bulk of the incremental wealth generation in India has been the the handiwork of new age businessmen/industrialists – who were not so wealthy a couple of generations ago. As the â€Å"new money† matures, one can expect that the tastes and preferences will also evolve. | | Rupee Millionaires| Near Millionaires| Real Millionaires| Category| Household Income| 10-25 lakhs| 25 lakhs – 1 cr| 1-5 cr| 5 cr+| | Networth/Wealth| | | | |. Estimated number of households| 2,373,000| 1,292,000| 141,000| Typical Occupations| Service Industry professionals| Corporate Executives, Self Employed Professionals| Medium Enterprise OwnersTraditionally wealthyCompany CEOs, top bankers| Large IndustrialistsTraditionally wealthy| Luxury products| Low ticket value items such as leather accessories ties, cuff-links,Wines and spirits, personal care| Watches, some apparel, accessories| All| All| Luxury Services| Spas, Infrequent fine dining| Travel, frequent fine dining, hotels, spas| All| Luxury Assets| | | Cars, YachtsReal estate, Paintings| Private jets|. Geographical distribution of consumers Luxury consumption in the country has so far been concentrated in Delhi and Mumbai with Bangalore being a distant third. Brands have been thinking of expanding their footprint beyond these cities and have been wondering about where their next store should be opened. We now believe that the distribution of the rupee millionaires is a good indicator of the luxury consumer distribution in the country. We also believe that for luxury consumption to take off a minimum critical mass is needed in a city. While Delhi and Mumbai continue to be the mainstay markets for luxury consumption, there are several other cities with a large base of potential luxury consumers. A look at the figure below suggests that while Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore are the top three cities, other cities also have significant potential for luxury consumption. Show a chart between the number of families (X-axis) and the growth 2006-2009 (Y-axis) and number of such households as the bubble size. Use the data below. Year| 2006-07| 2009-10| | Income Category| Annual income >Rs. 10,00,000/-| CAGR| Top 20 Cities ranked on the basis of Annual Market Size| Number of Households| Number of Households| | Delhi| 132,258 | 348,000| 38%| Mumbai| 98,164 | 347,000| 52%| Bangalore| 101,550 | 126,000| 7%| Thane| 69,658 | 137,000| 25%| Pune| 57,130 | 106,000| 23%| Chennai| 28,025 | 109,000| 57%| Ahmadabad| 45,224 | 91,000| 26%| Hyderabad| 26,670 | 69,000| 37%| Surat| 34,457 | 60,000| 20%| Coimbatore| 18,076 | 37,000| 27%| Salt Lake (Urban Areas in â€Å"North 24 Parganas† district)| 14,373 | 65,000| 65%| Kolkata| 15,790 | 94,000| 81%| Thiruvallur| 17,837 | 22,000| 7%| Lucknow| 20,654 | 29,000| 12%|. Jaipur| 27,011 | 21,000| -8%| Vadodara| 22,911 | 53,000| 32%| Nagpur| 23,637 | 46,000| 25%| Kancheepuram| 13,920 | 24,000| 20%| | 767,345 | 1,784,000 | 32%| Source: Indicus Analytics| | | | Extrapolating the growth rates seen in these cities, over the next 3 years implies that several new cities will become potential centres of luxury consumption. Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Vadodara are high potential destinations to watch out for. A quick comparison with China shows that there are atleast 20 cities/towns where luxury brands are present. Comparison between luxury stores in India and China. | LV| Burberry| Chanel| Hugo Boss| Beijing| 3| 2| 2| 9| Shanghai| 3| 2| 5| 5| Other Tier I| 6| 6| 0| 8| Tier II| 12| 10| 1| 22| Others| 11| 13| 0| 43| | LV| Burberry| Chanel| Hugo Boss| Mumbai| 2| 1| -| 1| Delhi| 2| 1| 1| 1| Bangalore| 1| 1| -| 1| Others| -| 1| -| -| We believe in the next 5-7 years, atleast 5-7 new towns will get added on the luxury map of India. We also believe that the potential in Delhi and Mumbai has not been fully exploited and that there exist a few more micro markets within these cities that need to be tapped. Pockets of wealth and good infrastructure could be the next big destinations. In Mumbai, South Mumbai, Central Mumbai, Bandra/Juhu, Powai and Thane are micro markets which are far enough from each other, have concentration of wealthy families and decent infrastructure. In Delhi, similar micro markets could be South Delhi, Gurgaon, Saket, †¦.. In summary, while the Indian luxury market is evolving, so is the luxury customer. Understanding the nuances of the customer is extremely critical to succeed in this dynamic industry.

Hurricane Katrina

September 2nd and 3rd, 2005 saw a spate of articles and comments in the press all over the world about the effects and aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. A study of selected newspaper articles and comments from different parts of the world reveal interesting tilts and biases. The Guardian, a liberal newspaper from London, uses the opportunity to attack US policies. Both domestic and international policies are criticized in the article which however attempts to absolve President Bush of any direct responsibility for the consequences of the disaster.The author’s bias in respect of the Iraq war comes through when the war is blamed for the ineffective handling of the disaster. The expression â€Å"anarchic south† used in association with Louisiana almost seems to compare Louisiana with Baghdad after its fall. (What Was Revealed). However, it takes a philosophical stand and talks about the past, reflecting the conservative moorings of the newspaper.Yet, the use of the word â₠¬Å"uninsured† in connection with poverty looks rather incongruous, seeming to imply that being insured would be an excuse for the poverty that was exposed. (Loss of an American Dream). However stresses that more than the loss of property, American leaders and the administration have lost credibility and people have lost faith in them. With Australia often accused of racial discrimination and prejudice, the newspaper finds it an opportune moment to point out that divisive racial prejudices and poverty are issues in America too, despite its wealth. It almost seems that the article was just waiting for an occasion to hit back in the same way.The Israeli militaristic obsessions come through very transparently in the article by Sever Plocker in the â€Å"Yediot Aharonot.† (Plocker, Sever). Almost all events have political implications in Israel and that is what probably prompts Plocker to stress upon the political ramifications of Hurricane Katrina. He even goes so far as to predict a stinging defeat for the Republicans in the upcoming Congressional elections.The â€Å"Toronto Star† is very specific about apportioning blame and does not seem to spare anyone. Officials, President Bush, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the National Guard, and the Army Corps of Engineers have all been blamed for making the disaster so devastating. (Grim Lesson). The bias against anything official comes through, even as the article appears to ignore every other aspect of the disaster.The Edmonton Journal however appears to take a very balanced view, describing the factual details of the disaster and points at the sociological imbalances that prevailed in the city of Louisiana. (A Society in Collapse. Edmonton). Such a view probably reflects the reputation of Edmonton as the cultural capital of Canada.The New Zealand Herald calls for sympathy, but stresses on the economic consequences of the disaster for the rest of the world, and reminds the reader that natu re is all-powerful. New Zealand has a very strong agricultural economy and is very sensitive to crucial role of nature in all such activities, which probably prompts the article to link the disaster with a poor appreciation of the forces of nature. Pravda, published from Moscow, is stridently critical of President Bush and is clearly biased against him and his administration.The language used verges on the hysterical, and reminds the reader about the verbal diatribes that were so much a part of the Cold War. The criticism is more likely to be meant at all things American and not specifically the present administration or President. Thus the views and comments reflect tilt and balances of one sort or another and very few unbiased ones. America’s domestic and foreign policies are blamed, and the administration and institutions charged with coping with such disasters are accused of ineffectiveness in most comments.Work CitedA Brutal Reminder. London. The Guardian. (2005, Septemb er 3).Aaronovitch, David. (2005, September 3). What Was Revealed. The Times. London.Loss of an American Dream. (2005, September 3). The Age. Melbourne.Plocker, Sever. (2005, September 3). Political Ramifications: TEL AVIV. Yediot Aharonot.Grim Lesson. Toronto. Toronto Star. (2005, September 3).Edmonton Journal. A Society in Collapse. Edmonton. (2005, September 3).The New Zealand Herald. A Gesture of Sympathy. Auckland. (2005, September 3).Hinchey, Bancroft. Timothy. (2005, September 2). View Points. Hurricane Katrina. Comment and analysis from London, Melbourne, Tel Aviv, Toronto, Edmonton, Auckland and Moscow. Retrieved March 13, 2007, from http://www.worldpress.org/Americas/2142.cfm

Super Tuesday Definition - Date and States That Vote

Super Tuesday Definition - Date and States That Vote Super Tuesday is the day on which a large number of states, many of them in the South,  hold their primaries in the presidential race. Super Tuesday is important because a large number of delegates are at stake and the outcome of the primaries can elevate or end a candidates chances at winning their partys presidential nomination later in the spring.   Super Tuesday 2016 was  held on Tuesday, March 1, 2016. Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton emerged with the most number of delegates on Super Tuesday 2016, thrusting both toward their eventual nominations at that years conventions in Cleveland, Ohio, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Twelves states  hold primaries or caucuses on Super Tuesday. Voters in those states  go to the polls about one month after the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucus are held.   Super Tuesday 2016 was  the first presidential primary day under Republican National Committee rules designed to give states that vote later in the year more influence in the nomination process and at the GOP convention in Cleveland, Ohio, in the summer. Why Super Tuesday  Is a Big Deal The votes that are cast on Super Tuesday  determine how many delegates are sent to the Republican and Democratic national conventions to represent their respective candidates for the presidential nominations. More than a quarter of the Republican Partys delegates are typically  up for grabs on Super Tuesday, including in the top prize of 155 delegates in Texas. More than a fifth of the Democratic Partys delegates are up for grabs that day. In other words, more than 600 of the 2,472 total Republican delegates to the partys national convention are awarded on Super Tuesday. Thats half the amount necessary for the nomination - 1,237 - up for grabs in a single day. In the Democratic primaries and caucuses,  more than  1,00 of the 4,764 Democratic delegates to the  partys national convention in Philadelphia  are at stake on Super Tuesday. Thats nearly half of the 2,383 needed for the nomination. Super Tuesday Origins Super Tuesday originated as an attempt by southern states to win greater influence in the Democratic primaries. The first Super Tuesday was held in March 1988.   Super Tuesday 2016 Delegate Rules Under the Republican Partys new rules, states that hold their primaries and caucuses on March 1 through March 14  awarded delegates on a proportional basis instead of winner-take-all. That means no candidate can likely win enough delegates to secure the nomination before late-voting states get to hold their primaries. The rule is designed to prevent states from  trying to leapfrog each other for influence and attention during the primaries. List of States Voting on Super Tuesday The number of states holding primaries and caucuses on Super Tuesday 2016 was  larger than in the previous presidential-election year, in 2012. Only ten states held primaries or caucuses on Super Tuesday in 2012.   Here are the states that hold primaries or caucuses on Super Tuesday, followed by the number of delegates being awarded to the party conventions: Alabama: 50 delegates at stake in the Republican primary, 60 delegates at stake in the Democratic primaryAlaska: 28 delegates at stake in the Republican caucuses (the 20 delegates at stake in the Democratic caucuses are awarded on March 26, not on Super Tuesday)Arkansas: 40 delegates at stake in the Republican primary, 37 delegates at stake in the Democratic primaryColorado: 37 delegates at stake in the Republican caucuses, 79 delegates at stake in the Democratic caucusesGeorgia: 76 delegates at stake in the Republican primary, 116 delegates at stake in the Democratic primaryMassachusetts: 42 delegates at stake in the Republican primary, 116 delegates at stake in the Democratic primaryMinnesota: 38 delegates at stake in the Republican caucuses, 93 delegates at stake in the Democratic caucusesOklahoma: 43 delegates at stake in the Republican primary, 42 delegates at stake in the Democratic primaryTennessee: 58 delegates at stake in the Republican primary, 76 delegates at stake in the Democratic primary Texas: 155 delegates at stake in the Republican primary, 252 delegates at stake in the Democratic primaryVermont: 16 delegates at stake in the Republican primary, 26 delegates at stake in the Democratic primaryVirginia: 49 delegates at stake in the Republican primary, 110 delegates at stake in the Democratic primary

How to Write a History Essay on the Internet

How to Write a History Essay on the Internet This is the last part of a three-part guide on the Internet’s History. The first part 11 facts on Internet history for a proficient essay was where you learned some interesting and informative facts about the Internet’s history. The second part 20 topics on Internet history for a proficient essay helped you in selecting a topic, plus provided you with a sample essay on one of those topics. Now it’s time to discuss how we’re going to write an the essay on Internet’s history: Structure The most basic element of a history-related article is thesis and proof. Furthermore, there are more segments such as introduction, development of arguments and a firm conclusion. These are the basic guidelines that all scholars use for their history-based essays. Thesis If you’re looking to write a history essay on the Internet, then you’ll need to come up with a thesis. This thesis will have a statement which is your basic argument on what the entire essay is based on. This argument will be your perception on the topic that you’ve chosen. Later on in the essay, you’ll give evidence and show research to support your thesis. The more original the thesis, the better your essay and final grade will be. Evidence As mentioned above, it is vital that you back your thesis up with strong evidence. The trick is to come up with an impressively unique thesis and provide enough evidence that it raises doubts, at the very least. Since its an historical essay on the Internet, you should mention dates and quotes so that there is a certain level of authenticity to your research. Your work isn’t finished after only  mentioning some interesting facts and figures. They need to be persuasive, reasonable and presented in a systematic manner so that it convinces readers that your thesis is rock solid. Guidelines, Rules and Procedures Before anything else, we urge you to go through all guidelines mentioned by your professor. The topic itself can sometimes be misleading. If the topic and essay content do not match, then your essay on Internet history might be rejected. Words like Describe, Evaluate, Compare, Contrast or Analyze all mean very different things. Give the right referencing as required and submit your work with complete confidence. Key Points The best way to go about this kind of essay topic is to organize all your ideas on a piece of paper. You should give an order to the list of arguments and their evidence. This allows you to see whether your arguments and evidence match your thesis. Make sure the essay is well-articulated, all the paraphrasing speaks well to the topic, and the train of thought is demonstrated. If you want your train of thought to shift slightly, make sure this transition is smooth. Finally, conclude your essay in a descriptive paragraph that covers everything. The conclusion should touch on all the key points of the essay: your thesis, arguments, evidences and what you proved. That is all. We wish you the best of luck for your college  essay on the history of the Internet.

The History of Montessori Schools

The History of Montessori Schools A Montessori school is a school that follows the teachings of Dr. Maria Montessori,  an Italian doctor who devoted herself to educating the children of Romes ghettos. She became famous for her visionary methods and insight into how children learn. Her teachings spawned an educational movement which is enormously popular throughout the world. Learn more about Montessori teachings. The Montessori Philosophy A progressive movement with more than 100-years of success worldwide, the Montessori Philosophy centers around an approach that is child-directed  and is based on scientific research that comes from observation of individuals from birth to adulthood. There is a particular focus on allowing children to make their own choices in learning, with a teacher guiding the process rather than leading it. Much of the education method relies on hands-on learning, self-directed activity, and collaborative play.   Since the name Montessori is not protected by any copyright, Montessori in the name of a school does not necessarily mean that it adheres to the Montessori philosophy of education. Nor does it mean that it is accredited by the American Montessori Society or the Association Montessori Internationale. So, buyer beware is an important caution to keep in mind when looking for a Montessori school. Montessori Methodology Montessori schools theoretically cover infant education through matriculation from high school. In practice, most Montessori schools offer infant education through 8th grade. In fact, 90% of Montessori schools have very young children: ages 3 to 6. The centerpiece of the Montessori approach is allowing children to learn on their own while being guided by the teacher. Montessori teachers do not correct work and hand it back with lots of red marks. A childs work is not graded. The teacher assesses what the child has learned and then guides him into new areas of discovery. This description of a Montessori school was written by Ruth Hurvitz of The Montessori School in Wilton, CT:   The Montessori Schools culture is devoted to helping each child grow toward independence by building confidence, competence, self-esteem and respect for others. More than an approach to education, Montessori is an approach to life. The program at The Montessori School, both in philosophy and pedagogy, is based on the scientific research work of Dr. Maria Montessori and on AMI Montessori training. The School respects children as self-directed individuals and fosters their growth toward independence and social responsibility, while creating a joyful, diverse and family-oriented community. The Montessori Classroom Montessori classrooms are designed in a multi-age mix from toddlers through adolescents which allow  for both individual and social development. The classrooms are beautiful by design. They are set up in an open style, with work areas throughout the room and materials available on accessible shelving. Most lessons are given to small groups or individual children while other children are working independently. The school uses stories, Montessori materials, charts, timelines, objects of nature, treasures from the wealth of cultures around the worlds and sometimes conventional tools to teach the children. Guided by the teacher, Montessori students actively participate in planning their time and taking responsibility for their work. Committed to diversity, The Montessori School community is inclusive and depends on the tenets of respect. The school believes in sharing what we have with those in need and encouraging children to learn to live responsibly in the world. At The Montessori School, students are inspired to live both passionately and compassionately in a global community. Montessori vs Traditional Primary Education One of the differences between Dr. Montessoris approach to early childhood education and the approach found in many primary schools is the adoption of elements of the multiple intelligences theory. Harvard professor Howard Gardner developed and codified this theory in the late 20th century. Dr. Maria Montessori would seem to have developed her approach to teaching children along very similar lines. Regardless of who thought of it first, the multiple intelligences theory proposes  that children do not just learn using reading and writing intelligences. Many parents live by this theory because that is how they nurture their babies from birth. There are many parents who believe that too often, children who have been raised to use all their intelligence will go off to schools where they are severely restricted in what they learn and how they learn it, thus making a traditional public school a less than ideal option. If multiple intelligences are important to your child-rearing philosophy, then Montessori and Waldorf schools are worth a look. You also will want to read about the progressive education movement which was germinating about the same time as Maria Montessori and Rudolf Steiner were putting their educational theories into practice.

Best interests of patients with a lacking of mental capacity Essay

Best interests of patients with a lacking of mental capacity - Essay Example In accordance with the Mental Capacity Act (the Act) 2005 â€Å"any act done or decision made on behalf of an adult lacking capacity must be in their best interests†1. Such life aspects as financial, health and social care issues can be resolved from the perspective of the best interests of people with mental disabilities. Mental Capacity Act (1983) is another legal authority, which should be followed in the process of dealing with a lack of consent or mental capacity of the patients. It should be noted that consent occurs if the patient is properly informed about the potential medical treatment and is able to agree voluntarily without fraud upon it. In terms of mental capacity, a patient should be well-informed about different processes and results of medical treatment, but it should be noted that a patient may be capable in one sphere and lacking of mental capacity in making critical decisions. In accordance with Section 4 of this Act, there is a need to assess mental abilit ies or disabilities of a patient within 72 hours. The closest relatives or AMHP with one doctor’s support is essential to make some conclusions. Another doctor’s confirm should be received within 72 hours. ... iew of the case on mental capacity 2  tells us as follows: H’s was incapable in different ways and there was a need to solve his future destiny and take care of her. There was a need to improve her consent with regards to sexual relations and there was a need to prevent restrictions imposed on her liberty. Test determining mental capacity of a patient, enabling him to make relevant decisions is based on the following basic principles: first of all, it is necessary to determine whether a current turbulent state of a patient is an impairment or disturbance. Moreover, whether brain functions of a patient is damaged or not or whether a patient is able or unable to make some decisions by him or not. Therefore, it is relevant to weigh decisions and possible ways of communicating potential decisions. There are many different cases, when patients are lacking of mental capacity. Very often patients are in comma or they may suffer from â€Å"locked-in syndrome†. In case a patie nt is unable to communicate his decision, such sings as blinking or squeezing a hand may be positive signs. Therefore, the specialists of verbal and non-verbal communication are relevant in the field of such kind of patients. There is a need to take into account personal concerns and interests of a patient in order not to violate them in the process of decision making. It should be noted that medical personnel of the hospitals is always focused on life benefits of potential medical treatment of a patient or a potential possibility to save his life. Of course, it is necessary for the doctors to assess the capacity of the patients. First of all, it is necessary to assess the written records about a patient’s health conditions; to involve independent decision makers, take care of hospital complaints

Critical Thinking Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Critical Thinking - Assignment Example Q 2 (Answer): The author is of the view that if the CIA had adopted unambiguous strategy regarding the uranium enriching programs launched by North Korea, the USA would have been in a better position to discard Korean efforts of obtaining centrifuges for becoming atomic power. The author is of the opinion that the intelligence agencies of the USA should gather accurate and comprehensive information; otherwise, continuous alteration in the policy for discouraging the preparation of destructive weapons by the countries like North Korea and others would be at grave jeopardy. Hence, inappropriate flow of incorrect information may let the countries create weapons of mass destruction without any restrictions making the world an unsafe place of living. That the US authorities were aware of the advancements made by North Korea to obtain the sufficient uranium processing capabilities, but they did not take any measures to discourage and stop such advancements. Q 4 (Answer): The article under analysis maintains few implications in it. First of all, it aims to state that the u-turns taken by the authorities and agencies regarding one issue or the other may lead towards embarrassment and disgrace on the one hand, and may nullify the reports prepared and presented by them on the other. In addition, such collection of data, which cannot be proved as the accurate one, may put the efforts and reputation of the institutions and agencies at stake. Thirdly, such contradictions in the statements may provide the rivals with an opportunity of strengthening themselves at the cost of these agencies. Q 5 (Answer): The facts include that North Korea had been persistent in getting centrifuges from different countries particularly from Pakistan. In addition, she never hesitated in augmenting her strategic strength by fastening her attempt

Offshoring Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Offshoring - Essay Example As the jobs of the first world make their way to the developing regions of the third world, the forces of globalization have had many unintended consequences. The loss of manufacturing jobs in the countries of the world and their movement to the lower paying developing "third world" has restructured the world economy. This brief assignment will explore the globalization phenomenon with an eye to outsourcing and the changes dynamics of the global economic community. We will utilize a case analysis and explore two countries which have embraced free trade and economic growth as a haven for outsourcing. China represents a unique blend of authoritarianism and capitalism leading to sustained and pronounced economic growth in one of the largest - and growing - economies in the world. Mexico represents a controversial source for many American jobs. In addition to a cross-comparative analysis of these outsourcing "source" countries, we will address criticisms of the globalization phenomenon i ncluding the rise of protectionism as a response to the flight of jobs overseas. Globalization, as it exists today, rests largely on the shoulders of neoliberal economics and the global entrenchment of capitalism as the dominant economic system in the world. ... sely popular book The World is Flat (2005), describes offshoring/outsourcing as an integral component of the worldwide spread of capitalism and the global division of productive labor. According to Friedman, outsourcing is primarily done in response to keep costs low and restructuring ones' labor force in order to keep production costs at a minimum. Accordingly, while a non-skilled manufacturer in Illinois can expect to earn a minimum of $14 a hour, in a country such as India could earn less than a $1 an hour. Thus, companies who seek to maintain their competitive advantage and keep cost low, ship their productive facilities overseas where costs are significantly lower. There are also important tax advantages to outsourcing jobs overseas and as we shall see in our case analysis of China below, companies can often expect certain tax benefits when utilizing productive labor in the developing world (Friedman 2005; Bendor-Samuel 2005). Case Study: China China has become the source for literally thousands of jobs, particularly in the manufacturing sector, which used to employ people in the developed countries of the Western world. Despite these early years of anti-capitalism in the wake of the Chinese Revolution, China has cautiously embraced economic liberalism and a capitalist economic orientation, albeit with strong authoritarian tendencies. China today has the 4th largest economy in the world behind the United States, Japan and Germany, estimated at $2,645 billion per year. With a population of more than 1.3 billion, China remains a largely rural country with 43% of its labor force employed in agriculture with another 25% in industry and 32% in the service sector. Industry, however, has driven the economic growth of this country which represents 49% of the

Discuss some of the social and ethical issues raised by living life Essay

Discuss some of the social and ethical issues raised by living life online, especially with regard to personal responsibility and individual rights - Essay Example Also part of the social responsibility of a person living life online is the users right to post pictures and videos of himself or most importantly, of others by tagging them. This is a tool that should not be used lightly as it could be used to harm the social reputation of other people in an instant. (Boyd, Why Youth (Heart) Social Networking Sites...†) It is this particular part of online life that has caused a wave of cyberbullying cases through the irresponsible use of social media profiles and photo tagging opportunities. Due to the egalitarian method by which people interact online, the activity should have promoted camaraderie and greater fairness. Instead, the social networking lifestyle has caused an even greater divide among the public users due to the anonymity of the service.Social networking or online life is not a place where one can expect to develop ethics and virtues such as honesty, openness, and patience. Characteristics which in the real world, help mold th e social consciousness and ethical responsibilty within a person. (Markula Center For Applied Ethics, â€Å"Unavoidable Ethical Questions About Social Networking). All of these instant gratification tools offered by social networking has reduced people and their online interaction to an avatar and a few strokes on the keyboard, thus producing a new generation of highly irresponsible and inconsiderate youth. This is because social networks allow them to act irresponsibly without having to fear repercussions socially because of the difficulty in proving such acts. Ethics is not a consideration because the networking sites do not make them responsible for their actions. It remains an unsupervised world where anything can happen. It is if you prefer to call it, the new wild west waiting to be tamed and brought to a new age of social and ethical

The Perception of Character and the Dangers of Trust Research Paper

The Perception of Character and the Dangers of Trust - Research Paper Example There are many instances in history where acts that might seem immoral were committed by moral individuals, thus redefining them as moral obligations to a higher cause. These incidents are specifically defined by the person who committed them over the nature of the actions themselves. Darwall suggests that is possible that there are a universally accepted set of moral laws through which a person is then obligated to respond (1). However, the problem with the simplicity of this assertion is that the morals and ethics of a culture will change the defining characteristics of a person. One who lived in ancient Rome, for instance, will have different point of view on the value of all human life than will someone who lives in contemporary society. Morality and ethics are relative to place and time, despite the idea that they are defined by a general human experience. As an example, Thomas Jefferson owned 200 slaves at one point thinking they were a valuable investment (Douglas 61). In our current time period it is considered morally reprehensible to consider owning another human being. However, despite this fact, Thomas Jefferson is seen in history as a moral man. This in no way negates the validity of the theory. It does, however, change the way in which the theory can be approached when examining the considerations that are relevant to the theory. In the example of Thomas Jefferson, he once declared in court while representing a young African American man who was seeking his freedom that â€Å"Under the law of nature, all men are born free, and every one comes into the world with the right to his own person, which includes the liberty moving it and using it as his own will† (Douglas 61). Despite his beliefs, he owned slaves. According to Douglas many of the young revolutionaries of the time both believed in the innate freedom of all men and participated in owning slaves (61).

Case Study (2 Questions) Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

(2 Questions) - Case Study Example Companies that survive under this market depended on maintaining their commercial buyers who specialized in handicrafts. Additionally, to survive in the market firms needs to carry out large exports. The market under which the ExpoArte operate has variety of distribution channels that occur within the US and the European market. The common wholesale and the retail importers being ATO. The department store regarded themselves as both the retailers and the importers selling their products at a considerable high price (NICARAGUA, n.d.). This departmental store serves the higher segment of the market. Firms that concentrated in importing their purchased products sold them to domestic and regional retailers who later sold them at a higher markup. The retail importers manage to sell their stores to the public. Based on the market analysis, ExpoArte need to focus on their generation of profits until they secure their bottom line. The company needs to embrace product differentiation and impl ementation of economics of scale to increase their sales. The company also needs to cut down on their operational cost and increase their profits. This will help the company to strategize on passing their production costs off to their artisans. The company also need to come up with a new management culture. The new management culture will incorporate setting up appropriate organizational structure that will safeguard every aspect of the company’s operation. This will entail setting up operation managers in each department within the company. The move will help the company improve and distribute their administrative power efficiently. The company also needs to focus on their website for market, the website will help the company to expand their advertising strategy. The strategy will help the company market itself beyond its stakeholders. Financial forecasting and encouraging their clients to pay a higher percentage for their upfront will be important. The strategy will help th e

The Perception of Character and the Dangers of Trust Research Paper

The Perception of Character and the Dangers of Trust - Research Paper Example There are many instances in history where acts that might seem immoral were committed by moral individuals, thus redefining them as moral obligations to a higher cause. These incidents are specifically defined by the person who committed them over the nature of the actions themselves. Darwall suggests that is possible that there are a universally accepted set of moral laws through which a person is then obligated to respond (1). However, the problem with the simplicity of this assertion is that the morals and ethics of a culture will change the defining characteristics of a person. One who lived in ancient Rome, for instance, will have different point of view on the value of all human life than will someone who lives in contemporary society. Morality and ethics are relative to place and time, despite the idea that they are defined by a general human experience. As an example, Thomas Jefferson owned 200 slaves at one point thinking they were a valuable investment (Douglas 61). In our current time period it is considered morally reprehensible to consider owning another human being. However, despite this fact, Thomas Jefferson is seen in history as a moral man. This in no way negates the validity of the theory. It does, however, change the way in which the theory can be approached when examining the considerations that are relevant to the theory. In the example of Thomas Jefferson, he once declared in court while representing a young African American man who was seeking his freedom that â€Å"Under the law of nature, all men are born free, and every one comes into the world with the right to his own person, which includes the liberty moving it and using it as his own will† (Douglas 61). Despite his beliefs, he owned slaves. According to Douglas many of the young revolutionaries of the time both believed in the innate freedom of all men and participated in owning slaves (61).

E-marketing Plan Essay Example for Free

E-marketing Plan Essay Introduction: Good afternoon board members today I will be presenting to you a brief proposal of an e-marketing plan for Ginga Sushi Bar Dining. Ginga is a restaurant located in 5 of the most sophisticated and vibrant dining precincts in Brisbane. The restaurant offers a menu with the finest Japanese cuisine traditions for authentic fine flavours and culinary delights. Ginga is a portrayal of traditional Japanese cuisine with modern and western interpretations. The most iconic food choice that Ginga offers would be their assorted range of delicious sushi. The target market of Ginga would be people who enjoys Asian food or specifically Japanese cuisine. This would primary consist of the younger generations as they are more exposed to the Asian culture. The direct competitors of Ginga were identified as being Sushi Train, Sushi Station and Sushi Sushi. All the competitors’ offers a similar variety of sushi but at a lower price, hence Ginga promotes themselves as offering a higher quality of food as compared to the competition. Strengths 1. Good website design: The design of the website really projects the feeling of the restaurant being a traditional Japanese restaurant with a western twist to it. The overall design of the website is very stylish and elegant, compared to the competitors’ website, Ginga is well ahead of them. The landing page is aesthetically pleasing with a large hero shot of a variety of sushi which really engages the customer’s taste buds. (Potts 2007). The  navigation tabs is very clear and it is placed at the top of the site next to the logo which is a good visual hierarchy. The website is very interactive hence this helps the web site visitor feel more involved and in control with their web experience (Chaffey 2013). 2. Customer loyalty program: The second strength of the website is that it has a â€Å"Ginga reward program† tab, this allows the customers to constantly go on the website and check how many points they have. The customer will constantly interact with the website where this adds value to the relationship with the customers and the business. As the customer scrolls down, they are able to sign up for â€Å"Ginga Rewards Newsletter†, this allows them to be constantly notified of the monthly rewards, promotions and offers. By sending out newsletter to the customers, it helps the customers learn about the restaurant and the food, this further builds on the relationship between the customer and the business (Chaffey 2013). Weakness 1. Bad site navigation: When customers visits a restaurant’s website they expect the menu to be easily located, a tab specifically for the menu perhaps. In this case, Ginga’s restaurant menu was very hard to locate, it required a lot of searching before it was finally located. This is a major flaw for the website as it didn’t allow the user to efficiently locate the information they are looking for hence, causing them to have an unsatisfactory experience (Chaffey 2013). 2. Slow loading time: Due to the website being very intricate and detailed, the loading time for the website is fairly slow. When pressing on different tabs, sometimes the content fails to load or shows up a few seconds later. The rule of thumb is website visitors will not hang around the site if they have to wait for more than 4 seconds for the content to load (Chaffey 2013). Next Step: After identifying the strengths and weaknesses of Ginga Sushi Bar Dining, the next step would be improving upon the weaknesses and developing a detailed E-marketing plan. The menu for Ginga was very hard to locate, this can be improved by providing a Menu tab so the website user can easily locate it. The website was very well designed but it caused slow loading times for the website. This can be improved by taking out the unnecessary features on the website that might be causing this problem. Thank you for Listening References: 1. Chaffey, D., Smith, P. (2013). Content Strategy and Copywriting. Emarketing Excellence (4th ed., pp. 325). Retrieved from http://reader.eblib.com.au.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/(S(zbtw4bdiuk3fnfgv2uc2tl01))/Reader.aspx? 2. Potts, K. (2007). Products and Services. Web Design and Marketing Solutions for Business Websites (pp. 155). Retrieved from http://download.springer.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/static/pdf/204/bok%253A978-1-4302-0262-2.pdf?auth66=1395648389_acc8144cccd7b7bb1b8a8fa700fe808aext=.pdf

Are Zoos Cruel To Wild Animals?

Are Zoos Cruel To Wild Animals? For the question that Are our zoos cruel to wild animals I am agree with this statement up to some extent. Zoo is the place where animals are kept within enclosures be displayed to the visitors for the awareness about wild animals. Zoo is like the second home of the animals. Zoos are considered a great teaching center about the animals and their behavior. We cannot imagine our society and environment if we destroy the animals that are our ecosystem. Animals are the important part of our ecofriendly nature and ecosystem. Each and every creature is dependent on each other. A man is a social animal. They depend upon other loving creature made by the god. The San Diego Zoo has a center called CRES the Center for Research Endangered Species. It is the largest zoo based center. Their main aim to improve the health of both wild animal and the animals which are captured in the zoos through sharing the problems and research with the other countries and to maintain the genetic knowledge and th eir resources so they can support in their conservation. A country can only be good and known by the way that how they behave or treat with animals. Is it cruel? Just think if anyone take us and keep us behind the bars,ÂÂ  dont allow us to do whatÂÂ  we want, dont allow us to eat according to our wish. As we all like eating pizza, burger, etc. and any one comes stop us from eating all these things not only this, stop us from doing all those things which we want to do according to our wish. How we feel? We surely feel very bad. we even cant think of living like this that is we even cant think of living in anybodys foundation and we only keep those poor animals behind the bars. Is it not cruel for them? As we have feelings, wishes. Animals also have some feelings. They also feel very bad. They also want to live freely. They also wantÂÂ  to spend their life according to their wish as we do. They also want freedom. They alsoÂÂ  want to eat according to their wish. And I think we human are the biggest hindrance in the life of those poor animals. We only keep them behind the bars and given name to that place where w e keep those poor animals as ZOO butÂÂ  IÂÂ  am not going to call that place aÂÂ  ZOO. IÂÂ  will call it aÂÂ  PRISON. According to us PRISON is that place where criminals, anybody who have done any mistake are kept behind the bars. So we should not call that place a ZOO we should call that aÂÂ  PRISON OF ANIMALS. The place where animals are kept behind the bars without any mistake. Why we keep those poor animals behind the bars? WHAT IS THEIR MISTAKE? Is there any answer forÂÂ  this question?ÂÂ  I know no one can answer this. But I can give you the answer. The answer is we keep those poor animals just for our pleasure. We all have visited the zoo. RememberÂÂ  that time when we were small, we went to the zoo with so much of excitement. We see so many type of animal there. We use to make lots of fun of them. But no one ever tried to think about those poor animals that how they feel. Dont they feel bad? TheyÂÂ  also have feelings they too feel bad. We keep those poor animals behind the bars for the sake of saving them butÂÂ  are we really saving them. NO, weÂÂ  are not saving them actuallyÂÂ  we are exploiting them. We all know that so many animals die every day in the zoo and we giveÂÂ  reason that may be the environmentÂÂ  doesnt suit to that animal. But no one bothered to find the actual problem. Did anyone ever thou ght that why these animals are dyeing so frequent? It is soÂÂ  not only because of the change of environment. There is any other reason also and the reason is that theyÂÂ  dont like that boundation. They are habitual to live freely in the forest. There they can do anything whatever they want. Their they do hunting according to their wish. They can run anywhere as they wish they can play as they want but no w theyÂÂ  are taken to that place where they cant play freely. This is the reason that most of the animal die in the zoo. Most of them become lazy. This is all onlyÂÂ  because of we human being. weÂÂ  are the biggest culprit of the wildlife. For our pleaser we have kept those poor animals behind the bars. I think those should be punished who do this. Who had opened this so called zoo? Who hunt those poor animals and keep them behind the bars. Zoo is not the correct place to keep the animals.ÂÂ  Forest is the home of the wild animals andÂÂ  that i s only the correct placeÂÂ  for the wild animals. So they should allow living there only. If we really want to save the wild life we should disturb them from their natural living. I mean we should not migrate them to such a prison. Let them live their life as they want.ÂÂ  Let them live in theÂÂ  forest only. There are so many sanctuaries and national parks are organized by the government to save those wild animals. Their they get the environment as same as that of the forest so let them live there.ÂÂ  Why these zoos are made which are of no use? It is just for the pleasure of the common people and just to earnÂÂ  some money.ÂÂ  It is just to exploit the animals. So its my humble request to the government officer that they should pass some orderÂÂ  to close all these zoos so that the wild animal can live their life freely. LET WILD ANIMAL LIVE THEIR LIFE.

Religion and Politics Essay examples -- Papers Church State Separation

Religion and Politics Both liberals and conservatives have become quite adept at mixing religion and politics in our current society. One also continues to observe an ongoing practice of civil religion demonstrated by presidents and office-seekers on both the left and right. Generally, the leftist merger of religion and politics has received greater social acceptability because it has been cloaked in such rights' causes as civil rights, women's rights, or economic rights (the social distribution of wealth). The advocating of these rights issues have provided an appearance of transcending religion, keeping the left relatively free from criticism of any church and state overlap. Christian Conservatives, however, have found it more difficult to reasonably combine faith and politics because they have more overtly recognized that their political positions are grounded on faith assumptions. This has resulted in numerous attacks by both non-Christians and Christians alike against the conservative attempt to merge religion and politics. Three arguments have been used most frequently against the conservative mixture of religion and politics. In what follows each of these arguments is stated and then refuted. The first argument is that politics is too worldly. The essence of the argument is that politics is part of this world's system, and Christ clearly taught His followers to "love not the world," and to flee from worldly activities. There is a danger of becoming caught up in th... ...hermore, in the Bible there is much political activity by God's servants. The judges and kings ruled under God. The prophets and Moses were quite political. Daniel served in the civil governments of Babylon and Persia. Joseph governed in Egypt. The Apostles spoke of following God's rules rather than men's. In conclusion, to be obedient to Christ requires political activity. Jesus is quite clear about the need to overcome social injustices. If Christ tells us to confront the forces of evil, but society tells us not to, and even makes a law against bringing religion into politics, then who should we follow, the state or Christ? In the broadest sense, we are called to political activity because we are responsible to apply Christian principles and standards to all areas of our society, and politics is one of these areas.

Comparing The Epic of Gilgamesh and Noah and the Flood Essay -- Book o

Comparing The Epic of Gilgamesh and Noah and the Flood It is said that life is 10% what you make it and 90% how you take it. It is not the circumstances of life that determine a person's character. Rather, it is the way a character responds to those circumstances that provides a display of who he is. "From the Epic of Gilgamesh", as translated by N.K. Sandars, and "Noah and the Flood" from the Book of Genesis, both Gilgamesh and Noah face similar circumstances, but don’t always respond to them the same way.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Accepting immortality and the ultimate powerlessness to be in control of death's inevitability is something that both Gilgamesh and Noah encounter. Gilgamesh faces the death of his closest companion, Enkidu, with hopelessness, fear, and anger. "In his bitterness he cried, 'How can I be at peace? Despair is in my heart. What my brother is now, that I shall be when I am dead. '" (p. 141) To Siduri's questioning, Gilgamesh responds, "Because of my brother I am afraid of death, because of my brother I stray through the wilderness and cannot rest." (p. 144) Noah, faced with the impending death of everyone except his own family and the pairs of creatures joining him in the ark, is unquestioning and obedient in following God's instructions. After the instructions about the animals that he is to take into the ark, "Noah did so; just as God commanded him, so he did." (p. 172) When God tells Noah that He will blot out all of creation in forty days and forty nights, "†¦ Noa...

Gambling research essay Essay

Gambling refers to the play of any game where there is money, or something of value at stake. There are many different forms of gambling including horse races, lotteries, casinos, scratch cards, stock market betting, and even more recently internet gambling. Although these games are meant for recreational use, the thrill of gambling causes some people to become so involved in it that they become dependent on gambling. The effects of gambling can cause damage psychologically, be very harmful to one’s social life and can also cause many physical damages. Gambling addiction and pathological gambling is not always seen as dangerous as other addictions like substance abuse but it can in fact be a very damaging addiction to many aspects of life and should be considered a major health problem. Not everyone who gambles has a gambling addiction or even has the capability of being addicted to gambling. The majority of people who gamble do not have an addiction and simply do it for recreational purposes. But there is a small percentage of people who gamble who are considered problem gamblers or pathological gamblers. Pathological gamblers is described as, â€Å"Pathological gambling is characterized by chronic and irresistible impulses to gamble, with consequent gambling compromises and disruptions to family, personal and vocational pursuits. † (Coman, Burrows & Evans, 1997) This addiction causes the gambler to gamble very frequently, often times they will begin to make bigger and bigger bets and receiving feelings of anxiety or depression when they are not gambling. Pathological gambling can also include gambling to recover losses from previous gambling episodes, lying to family members to try and hide their habits, committing criminal acts to obtain money for gambling and relying on others to provide money to relieve them from their financial situation. This is a very serious addiction and should be considered a major health problem because it can negatively affect many serious aspects of an individual’s life. There are many different influences and gateways that can lead to gambling and even a gambling addiction. Although things like scratch cards may not seem like much of a threat to becoming an addiction, they can intrigue the thought of winning money purely by chance which is a dangerous mindset to have. Another factor that can lead to a gambling addiction is the link between the proximity from the casino and gambling participation. Living close to a casino causes much more accessibility and can add to the possibility of gaining an addiction, â€Å"additional gambling opportunities due to the presence of a casino increase the prevalence of gambling-related problems for people who live close to a casino, as compared with people who live far from one. †(Sevigny, Ladouceur, Jacques & Cantinotti, 2008)People who live closer to the casino are much more likely to just â€Å"drop by† and play a few hands rather than people who live farther and have to make an evening of it. Accessibility can have a large impact on gaining an addiction to gambling. Also, the recent popularity of poker has a huge impact on the view of gambling for younger people. Poker has become very popular in our society today and is televised quite frequently showing these players not only making a living from this game of chance, but becoming millionaires. Some of these players are seen as celebrities who can cause some younger audiences to look up to them and strive to be like them. These aspects do not directly lead to a gambling problem but they can definitely help lead to one. Technology has become a large contributory factor to problem gambling. As stated earlier, accessibility can have a large impact on gaining an addiction to gambling and the technology of internet has brought accessibility of gambling to a whole new level. Gambling over the internet should be a major concern because the increase in gambling opportunities gives the potential for an increase in problem gamblers. Research evidence in other countries has clearly shown that: â€Å"where accessibility of gambling is increased there is an increase not only in the number of regular gamblers but also an increase in the number of problem gamblers. † (Griffiths, 1999) Internet gambling websites has dramatically increased this accessibility which will in turn increase the number of people gambling. Not everyone is susceptible to becoming a problem gambler, but the more people gambling, the more people who have the chance of becoming addicted. The popularity of internet gambling is on the rise with its easy accessibility and quickness. This popularity itself cannot lead to a gambling addiction but a number of the more popular poker players on television often promote different gambling websites where anyone of any age can play poker online. The websites allow someone to play in tournaments, play with friends and play with fake money or even real money. They are very appealing to people of all ages and easily accessible all the time which makes them a threat to contributing to problem gamblers and youth gambling. When someone suffers from problem gambling, it is not only that individual that is affected but their family, friends and community as well. There can be some positive aspects of gambling in terms of the social effects of gambling. Gambling can be seen as a recreation, a break from their problems of everyday life and a nice night out. Yet these positive effects only exist if gambling is done in moderation. Once gambling becomes a habit and a necessity is where the negative impacts arrive. Often, it’s those close to the pathological gambler that suffer the most. Constant gambling takes time away from family, friends and other activities. If gambling becomes a problem, it can cause loss of trust between individuals and family members which can lead to family related problems and even divorce. Generally, the social problems begin with borrowing of money to support their addiction. At this point, many friends and family may lose touch with the gambler. Being distanced from those who are closest can cause desperation which may lead to criminal activity. Pathological gambling can become so severe that they can resort to criminal activity in a last effort to support their financial needs. People are more likely to commit crime without thinking of the consequences when they are in a desperation mindset which is what can happen after a big loss due to gambling. Supporters for the spread of legalized gambling make claims about economic growth and more jobs but opponents have a strong case saying, â€Å"†¦ various forms of street crimes, such as robberies and automobile thefts, come with gambling, as well as problems with connections to organized crime†¦ The majority of Wisconsin problem gamblers in treatment that were interviewed in Thompson et al. (1999) admitted to crimes as a result of their gambling activity, primarily property crimes. † (Gazel, Rickman & Thompson, 2001) Pathological gamblers reach a point where there are no options left so they have to resort to illegal means to support themselves displaying the severity and control that a gambling addiction can have. Having a gambling addiction does not just affect someone economically or socially but it can deeply affect them psychologically. Once a pathological gambler is down money, they will make bets to try and regain that money that they have lost. Instead of cutting their losses, they get deeper into debt, preoccupying themselves with gambling, determined to win big to repay their loans and solve all their problems (Griffiths, 2001). A very dangerous way of thinking is the â€Å"what if I win† mentality. This way of thinking is especially dangerous because then they are more prone to make bigger bets with money they may not have to lose so they can receive bigger rewards. A large factor for whether someone develops this addiction has a lot to do with their personality. The type of personality someone has can have on whether or not someone develops a gambling addiction or not. Gambling is characterized by an â€Å"unrealistic optimism by the gambler† (Griffiths, 2001). For the most part people believe that optimism is a good way to live life by always seeing the positive things instead of dwelling on the negatives. Optimists are known to be less likely to suffer from depression symptoms following a stressful event and seem to have more psychological benefits when compared to pessimists. Although in terms of gambling, optimism can be counterproductive, â€Å"Optimists may be especially susceptible to maintaining illusory gambling expectations. Because of their generalized expectations for success, optimists may approach gambling with the belief that they can win. † (Gibson & Sanbonmatsu, 2004) Optimists may also have a tendency to look at the positive aspects in a situation which may prolong their gambling thinking that they will win it all back. Also, people who are risk takers are more prone to gambling addiction than someone who is more conservative. Not everyone is susceptible to becoming a pathological gambler and a great deal of the matter has to do with their personality type and how they look at different negative situations. Having a gambling addiction not only affects one’s social life but it can have a great impact on your mind and even cause physical difficulties. Pathological gamblers often suffer from stress-related disorders such as depression, insomnia, intestinal disorders and migraines. Health problems do not only occur from the gambling itself but a significant amount of people suffer problems from the withdrawal, â€Å"Rosenthal and Lesieur (1992) found that at least 65 percent of pathological gamblers reported at least one physical side-effect during withdrawal including insomnia, headaches, upset stomach, loss of appetite, physical weakness, heart racing, muscle aches, breathing difficulty and/or chills. † (Griffiths, 2001) It was also found that pathological gamblers experienced more physical withdrawal effects when attempting to stop than substance abusers who are attempting to quit. This is quite astonishing and again proves why gambling addiction is a very serious matter and should be considered just as much of a health problem as addiction to alcohol or other substances. Pathological gambling can cause great psychological damage and can cause people to do irrational things after a big loss which can sometimes even lead to suicide. Pathological gambling and suicide have been known to have a link to each other. Suicidal attempts among pathological gamblers are much more frequent than among the general public. The American Psychiatric Association did a study that with these results, â€Å"Of individuals in treatment for Pathological Gambling, 20% are reported to have attempted suicide, (American Psychiatric Association (APA))† (Penfold, Hatcher, Sullivan & Collins, 2006) For many gamblers, coping with the negative emotions relating to their issues in their life can be overwhelming. Feelings of shame, hopelessness and failure may be hard to bear which sometimes makes suicide seem like the best solution for their problems. The damage to the mental aspects is one of the reasons that make pathological gambling so dangerous. The act of gambling and casinos is a very controversial topic. There are some positive aspects to the casino and gambling that include a source of jobs and economic development. Gambling is meant to be for recreational use on occasion but it can also be very dangerous. Certain people with certain personality types and lifestyles may be prone to becoming a pathological gambler. The effects of pathological gambling can cause a lot of harm psychologically, destroy someone’s social and family life, cause physical damage to themselves which can even lead to their death. Gambling addiction may not be seen as dangerous or likely to happen as other addictions but the results from being a pathological gambler can be just as harmful as other addictions and should be considered just as much as a serious health issue as everything else. References: Griffiths, M. (1999). Gambling Technologies: Prospects for Problem Gambling. Journal of Gambling Studies, vol.15, no. 3, p. 265-283. Griffiths, M. (2001). Gambling: An Emerging Area of Concern for Health Psychologists. Journal of Psychology, vol. 6, no. 5, p. 477-479. Gibson, B. , & Sanbonmatsu, D. (2004). Optimism, Pessimism, and Gambling: The Downside of Optimism. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, vol. 30, no. 2, pp. 149-160. Coman, J. , Burrows, G. , & Evans, B. (1997). Stress and Anxiety as Factors in the Onset of Problem Gambling: Implications for Treatment. Stress Medicine, Vol. 13, no. 4, p. 235-244. Sevigny, S. , Ladouceur, R. , Jacques, C. , & Cantinotti, M. (2008). Links between Casino Proximity and Gambling Participation, Expenditure, and Pathology. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, vol. 22, no. 2, p. 295-301. Penfold, A. , Hatcher, S. , Sullivan, S. , & Collins, N. (2006) Gambling Problems and Attempted Suicide. Part 1. High Prevalence amongst Hospital Admissions. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, vol. 4, no. 3, p. 265-272. Gazel, R. , Rickman, D. , & Thompson, W. (2001) Casino Gambling and Crime: a Panel Study of Wisconsin Counties. Managerial and Decision Economics, vol. 22, no. 1-3, p. 65-75.