Cause And Effect Of Natural Disasters - 2005 Words

The unexpected is something that can not be prevented. Natural disasters destroy everything in their way. With the help of technology and how fast it is growing, communities know a natural disaster is happening within hours or days of its starting. The people that live in that area often know what there is to come before it actually arrives. They often are encouraged to evacuate as soon as possible. But how could someone leave behind all their belongings, memories and cherishable items to be swept away in a storm just like trash? People are too stubborn to listen to the news or weather reports because they are skeptical. They sometimes may be right however, most of the time they are in the wrong. These are the types of people who normally†¦show more content†¦Yearly costs make countries go into deep financial debt due to their inability to recover what they lost. They never recover financially because once they are done recovering from one disaster another one hits and it be comes a never ending cycle of trying to help one another recover. In the same article, Tudor points out that, â€Å"One of the major negative effects is that there is a reduction of tourism† (Tudor). People are too frightened to visit because they are constantly in fear that another natural disaster may hit. Many countries rely on tourism to help their economy because of the money they spend in hotels and food and etc. Tourism also helps to bring in other people into the country to thus help the national government and the population as a whole. Without tourism the future generations are afflicted down to a personal level with which the people already living there are going to most likely stay there, keeping the gross domestic product at a progressively decreasing rate. â€Å"After the Thai floods, there was a significant shortage of computer hard drives that sent consumer prices skyrocketing until factories were able to come back online† (â€Å"The Impact of Natural Disasters on the Global Economy†). The damage from the disaster is not only local countries from a far feel the effects of the disaster as well. Plenty of supplies and stuff is foreign and imported to different countries, they as well feel the effects of the disaster. TheyShow MoreRelatedDisaster : The Causes And Effects Of Natural Disasters1012 Words   |  5 PagesWhat are natural disasters? Natural disasters are defined as any disastrous event caused by nature or the natural movements of the earth, itself. 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Global warming is a prominent source to consider how and why the environmentRead MoreWhat is a Disaster?888 Words   |  3 PagesThe word disaster derives its literal meaning from the French word â€Å"Desastre†, a combination of two words ‘des’ meaning bad and ‘aster’ meaning star, thus the term refers to ‘Bad or Evil star . However, it has also been defined as â€Å"any disruption of normal social and economic activity due to natural or other causes that results in widespread or severe damage, injury and/or loss of li fe or property† . Disasters are also defined as â€Å"a crisis situation causing wide spread damage which far exceed ourRead MoreNatural Disasters : A Natural Disaster1254 Words   |  6 PagesNatural disasters have a colossal effect on the inhabitants that live on Earth. A natural disaster is a major event resulting from natural processes of the Earth; for example: tsunamis, floods, earthquakes, and etc. That impact in an isolated area can causes the inhabitants of this planet to converge and avail provide resources to avail the instauration process. That is just a minute effect that a natural disaster has on the inhabitants of Earth. There are natural disasters that have warning signsRead MoreEssay on The Effects Which a Natural Disaster can have on a Country1162 Words   |  5 PagesA natural disaster is an event caused by natural destructive factors, which can be further divided into either climatic disasters such as floods and tornados, or geological disasters such as earthquakes, which consequently lead to great physical damage or life loss (Bankoff, 2004, 56). When defining ‘natural’ literally, it may seem that natural disasters are independent from human activities, however, with the process of civilization, man-made factors are having an increasingly greater influence

Reginald Horsman’s Race and Manifest Destiny Essay

Reginald Horsman’s Race and Manifest Destiny: The Orgins of American Racial Anglo-Saxonism explores the evidence and reasons of racial prejudices in America and discusses one of the most controversial topics in American history. The book also navigates the subjects of white superiority, and the creation of Anglo-Saxonism. Manifest Destiny was the belief that the United States was destined to expand from the Atlantic seaboard to the Pacific Ocean; it has also been used to advocate for or justify other territorial acquisitions.†¦show more content†¦English scholars proudly wrote how these Germanic people introduced the concepts of freedom, natural law, and popular sovereignty to England. Later, scholars classified these Anglo-Saxons as part of the Caucasian race and linguistically linked them to the family of Indo-European languages. In chapter two â€Å"A ryans Follow the Sun,† Horsman explains another myth of greatness, Anglo-Saxons conjured another falsehood that claimed they were descendants of a great Aryan nation who fled across the mountains of Asia and settled in northern Europe (Horsman 25-41). Just as their descendant’s centuries later, the Aryan nation, in its westward trek, also spread its civilization across Europe, and by the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the English laid claim to a superb racial heritage. Chapters three and four deal with British colonists in America that also succumbed to the great myths. Scientists, scholars, historians, philosophers, poets, and writers on both sides of the Atlantic exacerbated these myths of racial greatness. The English proponents of a chosen race revered their institutions as proof of a nation’s greatness and showed how transmitted concepts of liberty, natural rights and popular sovereignty from the woods of Germany served to perpetuate those bastions of liberty. In the process, in both in Britain and America, a transformation occurredShow MoreRelatedEssay on A Noncolor Blind Society1458 Words   |  6 Pagessuperior race, and that only meant certain groups of people. This American paradox connected directly to racism which included prejudice, discrimination, and institutional inequality defined by sociologists Michael Omi and Howard Winant. America is an unequal society destroyed by individual racial discrimination that led to institutional racial discrimination which led to systemic racial discrimination. It all starts with individual racism — one persons opinions or beliefs on someone elses race which

Storey’s Three Comopnent Model Free Essays

Moving on to the second part of the question looking at Storey’s , â€Å"Three Component Model† and how useful it is in identifying the key characteristics of successful growth businesses. Most of the small businesses do not grow beyond their classification as a micro firm, very few of the small firms rise to become a medium-size enterprise, and even fewer rise to become large companies in the future. Storey (1994) has identified three key components in the analysis of the growth of the small firms, they are influenced by the characteristics of the entrepreneur, the characteristics of the organization; and the types of strategy associated. We will write a custom essay sample on Storey’s Three Comopnent Model or any similar topic only for you Order Now Various different characteristics of each component can lead to a different type of growth within the SME. The characteristics of the entrepreneur are widely accepted as the vital ingredient that influences growth. For example, the personal goals of an entrepreneur are likely to influence why a business was started in the first place, as well as the strength of the firm’s growth orientation once it was established. Storey’s places less emphasis on personality per se and more on the personal characteristics which influence access to resources. These include * Motivation: This is likely to be the most indispensable and essential action or a commitment by the entrepreneur which makes a considerable difference in the growth of the enterprise. * Previous management experience: Earlier knowhow of organizing people and processes is important in maintaining growth. * Demographics of the entrepreneur: This is essentially with regard to the personality traits of the entrepreneur viz. Age and Education. These two traits can influence the growth of the firm, Entrepreneurs with higher educational qualifications are more likely to find high-tech and knowledge-based firms which in turn can be linked with higher growth rate of the firm. * Team management over individual management: Access to a wide range of resources, skills, experiences, advice and other resources is important to growth. A group of entrepreneurs are more liable to have the attributes wanted than just one person. Alongside these characteristics are more personal ones. Owners have a need to be independent and want to be their own managers. They believe that they can control and change the environment within which they work, to their benefit. They are often high achievers and are looking for recognition of their success. † (Burns, 2001). The characteristics of the enterprise also have an influence on its growth prospects: Ownership and Legal form: A limited company is more likely to grow than a sole trader or partner ship. Limited companies offer greater goodwill thereby attracting more customers and resources that it needs to accelerate its growth. It is also possible that as the companies develop they acquire a limited liability status so that the legal form is a result of growth. Firms Age: Younger firms tend to grow more and faster than the existing old firms, which reflects the need of the younger firm to attain a significant level of ‘critical mass’ to survive in the marketplace. Firms Size: Small firms find it very hard to grow to level of the bigger firms, as they lack the resources, skills and competitive edge. One of the main reasons being the entrepreneurs with a micro-firm do not wish to grow because of the reasons stated above. â€Å"Management devolution is essential for growth as it becomes impossible for the entrepreneur to manage on their own. Those firms that recruit experienced managers from larger firms are likely to be more successful. † (Storey, 1994). Storey’s review of area where management strategy may influence the growth of small firms includes: Introduction of new products: Companies cannot rely on a smaller product or service range for growth. They continuous innovation in the form of new products and services is a key to growth. This also includes modification of the existing products. Sharing of Equity: Willingness to share equity with external individuals or organizations was identified in small firms that actually achieved high rates of growth. Market position: Adopting defined niche markets is a key ingredient for the growth of the company How to cite Storey’s Three Comopnent Model, Papers

Hospitality - History - Politics and Culture

Question: Discuss about the Hospitality, History, Politics and Culture. Answer: Introduction Marriott International Inc. headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland in the USA has acquired more than 5700 properties in 110 countries with consists of 1.2 million rooms in total (One Mile at a Time 2015). The company consists of the broad portfolio of hotels and lodging facilities (Marriott News Center 2016). Marriott International was founded in the year 1993 when Marriott companies divided its operations into two: Marriott International and Host Marriott Corporation. Marriott was the first company which provides its customers an option to book the rooms online. Marriott was founded in the year 1927 by John William Marriott (Marriott News Center 2016) Marriott brands Marriott internationally operates in 30 brands (Marriott News Center 2016). The names of the brands of the Marriott are: Classic Luxury- It consists of hotel named TheRitz-Carlton, St. Regis, JW Marriott Distinctive Luxury- Consists of hotel named the Luxury Collection, BulgariHotels Resorts, W Hotels, Edition Hotels Classic Premium- Consists of hotel named- Marriott, Sheraton (Marriott News Center 2016) Marriott Vacation Club(MVC)- Consists of Delta Hotels Distinctive Premium- Consists of hotels named Le Mridien, Westin, Autograph Collection, Design Hotels, Renaissance Hotels, Tribute Portfolio, Gaylord Hotels (Marriott News Center 2016) Classic Select- Consists of hotels named Courtyard by Marriott, Four Points, Springhill Suites by Marriott, Protea Hotels by Marriott, Fairfield Inn by Marriott (Marriott News Center 2016). Distinctive Select- The brand contains the hotel named AC Hotels, Aloft Hotels, Moxy Hotels (Marriott News Center 2016). Classic Longer Stays- The brand consists of hotels named Marriott Executive Apartments, Residence Inn by Marriott, TownePlace Suites by Marriott (Marriott News Center 2016). Distinctive Longer Stays- The brand consists of Element by Westin (Marriott News Center 2016) About Starwood Hotels Resorts Worldwide Starwood Hotels Resorts Worldwide is located in Stamford and operates in hotel and leisure sector (Starwoodhotels.com 2016). It operates the world largest chain of hotel companies which owns manages and franchises hotels, resorts, spas and vacation ownership properties under the name of its 11 brands (Starwoodhotels.com 2016). Recently the hotel has taken over by Marriott International Inc. on September and act as the subsidiary of the Hotel. The Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide operates in following brands: Westin The Westin Hotels and Resorts is the Starwood most luxury Hotel and resort brand (Starwoodhotels.com 2016). Sheraton Sheraton provides resort rooms and luxurious rooms to its customers (Starwoodhotels.com 2016). Sheraton consists of various sub-brands and some of the sub- brands are as follows: W Hotels, St. Regis, Le Mridien, Aloft, a Vision of W Hotels, Element by Westin, Tribute Portfolio, Design Hotels (Starwoodhotels.com 2016). The Starwood Hotel is recognized as the world's largest chain of hotels and luxuries brand and it comprises of nine luxurious brand Our brands include: St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, W, Westin, Le Mridien, Sheraton, Four Pointsby Sheraton, Aloft, and Element (Starwoodhotels.com 2016). Starwood Hotels Resorts Worldwide is in loss Starwood hotels that operate brands such as St. Regis, Westin, Sheraton and W hotels and which merged with Marriott Internal Inc. in the year 2016 are now facing huge loss in terms of rooms revenue (Times 2015). The revenue per room has been increased by 07% this growth of income will result in the reduction fee in the second quarter results of the year 2016 (Times 2015). The quarter 2 results were not in favor of the hotels and the result reported a loss of $263 million (StamfordAdvocate 2016). On per share basis the company reported a loss of $1.56 (StamfordAdvocate 2016). Since the share price of the Starwood Hotels Resorts worldwide were increasing from the beginning of the year 2016 and the analysts were of the opinion that the earnings from the share price would be increased to 75% but the earnings from investing in the share reduced to 71% (StamfordAdvocate 2016). The stocks have decreased by 6% since last year (StamfordAdvocate 2016). The second Quarter results showed losses on asset dispositions and impairments which was a total of $114 million in the year 2016 and in 2015 the losses were recorded $118 million (Bloomberg.com 2012). The net loss of the hotel for the second quarter was $263 million whereas; the last year the Hotels bear the net loss of $ 136 million (Bloomberg.com 2012). The losses made by the Company in 2016 are almost the double. The companys growth has been lowered in the year 2016 (Bloomberg.com 2012). Starwood Hotels have a total of 1300 hotels that operates worldwide (Chaturvedi 2016). The bottom line of the financials figured out a loss of $228 million from the discontinuing operations this resulted in selling off of the Vistana vacations one of its business to interval leisure group (Starwoodhotels.com 2016). $15 million were related to the cost of the Marriotts International and its merger this also contributed to the loss of the Company (Starwoodhotels.com 2016). Why Starwood Hotels are underperforming The reason why Starwood hotels are underperforming they have a dozen brands operating under it but they lag behind in terms of competition (StamfordAdvocate 2016). The reason behind their underperformance is because they operate largely on lifestyle Brand which means they have left apart a huge size of the market is not there target audience (StamfordAdvocate 2016). The profits have shown a downturn for the Starwood Hotels as the demand for the rooms slowed down (Bloomberg.com 2012). The report tells us that the Starwood saw a drop in revenues generated from per room which showed a 9.1% drop in revenue per available of room in all over Europe and Starwood Hotels reflected a drop of 3.3% which was $51.66 in monetary terms (Bloomberg.com 2012). The Hotel is underperforming when compared to other large cap hotels companies i.e. Hilton and Marriott (Bloomberg.com 2012). The Hotel is selling off its brands and assets and the equity and debt is pouring in the Company. Starwood Properties are categorized as luxury and where the investors and bidders are very less in number and striking deals between the two takes a lot of time (Bloomberg.com 2012). Basis on ranking the hotels When the Hotels are underperforming the owner must look for the opportunity for growth (Mail Online 2015). The aggressive discounts on the room are not possible since the Hotels have taken the concept of modifying them because the hotels are rated between one to five stars (Mail Online 2015). These rates are given by the guests of the hotels and these depend on the facilities provided by the hotels, the location of the hotel does play a major role while getting a good rating from the visitor, architecture and designs of the lobby also play an important role and given utmost importance by the visitors (Mail Online 2015). The concept of homes that is linked in with the hotels is now very much new to UK as compared to other countries like Europe, Asia and United States that have already started with such concept (Mail Online 2015). As far as the designing project of the hotel is concerned the main focus of the public lies in the design and architecture of the hotel. The hotel should be fully equipped with prevailing tastes and preferences and designs (Mail Online 2015). The hotel generates revenue by maintaining efficient designs in the hotels and attracting the customers. The role of the architects is to meet the demand of the customers. Firstly, the importance is being given to the lobby. The lobby creates the first impression of the hotel as the visitor first visits the lobby and gets an impression of the hotel (Mail Online 2015). The Starwood Hotels provide the visitors an option to book their rooms online and while doing so the visitors will be provided with extra points and to stay in the hotel the visitors according to the points will be provided with the free nights (Starwoodhotels.com 2016). With the selected hotel the visitors can avail a discount of 10% when using the Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) online (Starwoodhotels.com 2016). Recommendation The Starwood Hotels Resorts Worldwide are the hotels that serve only one section of the society where the other section of the society is not targeted by the hotels and it includes the large chunk of people (Marriott News Center 2016). The tourists largely dominate the hotel market. The competition for the hotel market is rising and becoming competitive in nature (Costa et al. 2012). The companies must apply certain strategies in order to get the number of footfalls and achieve higher targets. The strategies that the travel and lodging Companies must follow are stated as follows: Targeting key locations: The hotels should have their presence in the key cities and places where the where the lodging companies are growing and can target both domestic and international travellers (White 2016). Targeting key visitors: As the income rises visitors travel more and would like to stay in luxurious hotels various travellers would travel to the city of their interest and would also get an opportunity to stay in a luxurious hotel (White 2016). Market Leadership: The hotels who try to acquire properties and maintaining their presence in all around the world to get hold of the market leadership. This strategy seems to be very complex and requires a huge chunk of investment that has to be made by the company (One Mile at a Time 2015). The Lodging Companies should have a tie up with the travelling agencies where the travelling agency will provide discounts to the visitors who with the help of the agencies will book the rooms online (Marriott News Center 2016). The discounts provided by the Companies should be comparable with the competitor. The Hotel and the Lodging companies whose main target audience includes businessmen can make up a strategy to make a tie-up (Picker 2016). The businesses who sends their employees overseas for training or for client visit in connection to that the Hotels can tie- up with the businesses and provide them with certain discounts, for example, the businessmen can get complementary lunch or dinner during his/her stay (Starwood Hotels #038; Resorts Worldwide et al. 2016). The guests who are visiting the hotel should be given a reason as to how one can differentiate between the two hotels (Thomas 2016). One should not focus on dropping the room rates by a certain percentage rather one should give the visitor an understanding of the basis the hotel is different from the other (Thomas 2016). The Hotel Companies can offer discounts on extra holidays. The member of the Hotel when visits the hotel and pays the entire amount for two days but if in case, the member, tourist or businessmen needs to extend the holidays for a one or couple of days in that case the hotel can provide them with discounts (Thomas 2016). The Hotel can take help of the extra space to host the business gathering, reunions and other social gatherings. Space can be provided for holding a training session in a conference room the ground can be provided for the wedding purposes as well (White 2016). Employees should be rewarded for providing good suggestions. If an employee of the Company comes up with the idea for generating profit, in that case, the employee/staff will be provided for rewards (White 2016). Conclusion The Hotel Industry is developing and Marriott International Inc. Having the biggest chain of hotels the company is making losses. In order, to make the company profitable the company should take certain measures like tying up with the businesses and providing them with a complementary meal or some discounts attached to the rooms. The company should tie up with the travelling agency and provide discounts in order to meet the competition in the market and make the goodwill. Though Marriott International Inc is forming the greatest chain of hotel and lodging company. The company is going through a huge loss this year. If the company follows the rule of people first, money and then comes to the other things the business built on this logic will become a success in the long run. References Bloomberg.com. (2012).Starwood Hotels Shares Fall on Weakening Demand for Rooms. [online] Available at: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2012-10-25/starwood-hotels-third-quarter-profit-gains-as-room-rates-rise [Accessed 1 Oct. 2016]. Chaturvedi, A. (2016).Marriott International completes Starwood acquisition - The Economic Times. [online] The Economic Times. Available at: https://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2016-09-23/news/54476685_1_marriott-international-completes-starwood-acquisition [Accessed 1 Oct. 2016]. CNBC. (2016).Marriott buys Starwood, becoming world's largest hotel chain. [online] Available at: https://www.cnbc.com/2016/09/23/marriott-buys-starwood-becoming-worlds-largest-hotel-chain.html [Accessed 1 Oct. 2016]. Costa, C., Bouzas, A., Gokbulut, A. and Mall, A. (2012).Winning Hotel Strategies for Emerging Markets. [online] www.bcgperspectives.com. Available at: https://www.bcgperspectives.com/content/articles/transportation_travel_tourism_go_to_market_strategy_Winning_Hotel_Strategies_for_Emerging_Markets/ [Accessed 1 Oct. 2016]. Mail Online. (2015).What really makes a five-star hotel?. [online] Available at: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3007667/What-REALLY-makes-hotel-five-star-hotel.html [Accessed 1 Oct. 2016]. Marriott News Center. (2016).Marriott International Completes Acquisition of Starwood Hotels Resorts Worldwide, Creating World's Largest and Best Hotel Company While Providing Unparalleled Guest Experience - Marriott News Center. [online] Available at: https://news.marriott.com/2016/09/marriotts-acquisition-of-starwood-complete/ [Accessed 1 Oct. 2016]. One Mile at a Time. (2015).Implications Of Marriott Buying Starwood - One Mile at a Time. [online] Available at: https://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2015/11/16/marriott-starwood-takeover-implications/ [Accessed 1 Oct. 2016]. Picker, M. (2016).Starwood Bidding War Ends Abruptly, Yielding a Merger and a Puzzle. [online] Nytimes.com. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/01/business/dealbook/starwood-hotels-chinese-suitor-backs-out-of-bidding.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FMarriott%20International%2C%20Inc. [Accessed 1 Oct. 2016]. Press, A. (2016).Stamford-based Starwood Hotels Reports $263 Million Loss. [online] courant.com. Available at: https://www.courant.com/politics/hc-starwood-earnings-20160726-story.html [Accessed 1 Oct. 2016]. StamfordAdvocate. (2016).Amid uncertain future, Stamford-based Starwood records loss. [online] Available at: https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/business/article/Stamford-based-Starwood-reports-second-quarter-8421807.php [Accessed 1 Oct. 2016]. Starwood Hotels #038; Resorts Worldwide, I., Starwood Hotels #038; Resorts Worldwide, I., Hilton Worldwide Opens 700, 0., Presence, T. and Predictions, B. (2016).Starwood Hotels Resorts Worldwide, Inc. Reports Q2 Losses. [online] Hotelier Magazine. Available at: https://www.hoteliermagazine.com/12915-2/ [Accessed 1 Oct. 2016]. Starwoodhotels.com. (2016).Starwood Hotels Resorts. [online] Available at: https://www.starwoodhotels.com/preferredguest/whybookhere/index.html?language=en_US [Accessed 1 Oct. 2016]. Starwoodhotels.com. (2016).Starwood Hotels Resorts. [online] Available at: https://www.starwoodhotels.com/corporate/press/history.html?language=en_US [Accessed 1 Oct. 2016]. Thomas, H. (2016).Five-star homes with room service and hotel luxury on tap on the rise. [online] Telegraph.co.uk. Available at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/property/luxury-homes/12128838/Five-star-homes-with-room-service-and-hotel-luxury-on-tap-on-the-rise.html [Accessed 1 Oct. 2016]. Times, L. (2015).Marriott's plan to buy Starwood for $12.2 billion could trigger more hotel mergers. [online] latimes.com. Available at: https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-marriott-starwood-20151116-story.html [Accessed 1 Oct. 2016]. White, M. (2016).Your Local Hotel Is Trying to Impress Guests With a New Amenity: You. [online] Nytimes.com. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/26/business/why-your-local-hotel-is-trying-to-hook-you.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FMarriott%20International%2C%20Inc._r=0 [Accessed 1 Oct. 2016].

Teen Magazines and their Influences free essay sample

Looks at the influence of teen magazines on teenage girls and how it affects their views of themselves. This paper describes how teen magazines influence the way teenage girls view themselves and affect their self-esteem. The author examines the bombardment of perfect female images on girls, and how they struggle to achieve such standards of beauty. The paper discussed how young women begin to define themselves solely on how they look and how teen magazines teach girls that it is acceptable to be seen as objects. In the past few decades, teenage girls have been tremendously preoccupied with their looks. They are obsessed with their makeup, their hair, their clothes, and their weight. What is responsible for this obsession? If you flip through any one of the numerous teen magazines on the market, you will find on just about every page one of the following: a makeup ad, pictures of super-skinny, flawless models, tips on how to improve your looks or change your body, or pictures of girls being portrayed as sex objects. We will write a custom essay sample on Teen Magazines and their Influences or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page

Free Essays on Hidden Agression In Women

According to Rachel Simmons, author of Odd Girl Odd, â€Å"There is a hidden culture of girls’ aggression in which bullying is epidemic, distinctive, and destructive† (Simmons 2000). When boys bully each other it is done with violence and physical acts. They tend to attack strangers or acquaintances (Simmons 2002). Girls attack within tightly knit networks of friends. This aggression is harder for teachers and parents to identify and increases the damage to the victims. Rachel Simmons says, †Behind a faà §ade of female intimacy lies a terrain traveled in secret, marked with anguish, and nourished by silence†(Simmons 2002). Everyday many girls are being threatened and tormented by girls they thought were their friends. Many of the stories I read came from girls who were bullied by their best friends. When a teacher thinks of a bully she thinks of a boy. When a girl says she is being bullied the teacher just says it is girls being girls and acting catty. â€Å"Studies have established that approximately 15 percent of students are either bullied regularly or are iniators of bullying behavior (Olweus, 1993). Direct bullying seems to increase through the elementary school years, and decline during the high school years. Also school size, racial composition, and school setting do not seem to be distinguishing factors in predicting the occurrence of bullying. Research shows that students who engage in bullying behaviors seem to have a need to feel powerful and in control. They often defend their actions by saying that their victims provoked them in some way. Bullies often come from homes in which physical punishment is used, children are taught to strike out physically as a way to handle problems and parental involvement are usually lacking. Some characteristics of bullies victimize others because they feel bad about themselves. Victims of bullies are usually anxious, insecure, and have low self-esteem. They won’t usually defend thems... Free Essays on Hidden Agression In Women Free Essays on Hidden Agression In Women According to Rachel Simmons, author of Odd Girl Odd, â€Å"There is a hidden culture of girls’ aggression in which bullying is epidemic, distinctive, and destructive† (Simmons 2000). When boys bully each other it is done with violence and physical acts. They tend to attack strangers or acquaintances (Simmons 2002). Girls attack within tightly knit networks of friends. This aggression is harder for teachers and parents to identify and increases the damage to the victims. Rachel Simmons says, †Behind a faà §ade of female intimacy lies a terrain traveled in secret, marked with anguish, and nourished by silence†(Simmons 2002). Everyday many girls are being threatened and tormented by girls they thought were their friends. Many of the stories I read came from girls who were bullied by their best friends. When a teacher thinks of a bully she thinks of a boy. When a girl says she is being bullied the teacher just says it is girls being girls and acting catty. â€Å"Studies have established that approximately 15 percent of students are either bullied regularly or are iniators of bullying behavior (Olweus, 1993). Direct bullying seems to increase through the elementary school years, and decline during the high school years. Also school size, racial composition, and school setting do not seem to be distinguishing factors in predicting the occurrence of bullying. Research shows that students who engage in bullying behaviors seem to have a need to feel powerful and in control. They often defend their actions by saying that their victims provoked them in some way. Bullies often come from homes in which physical punishment is used, children are taught to strike out physically as a way to handle problems and parental involvement are usually lacking. Some characteristics of bullies victimize others because they feel bad about themselves. Victims of bullies are usually anxious, insecure, and have low self-esteem. They won’t usually defend thems...

Canadian History Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Canadian History Paper - Essay Example But the problem remains: Canada cannot realize its full political and economic promise with a foreign monarch as its head of state, one whose presence is a constant reminder of the nation’s colonial past. As such, Canada should sever its ties to the constitutional monarchy. In March 2002, Prince Charles visited Mexico City to promote trade between Mexico and Great Britain. As often happens when a member of the royal family embarks on a diplomatic visit to the Americas, Canada’s economic position in the international community is marginalized by what can best be described as an awkward, hierarchical relationship. Charles’ mission to Mexico offers a case in point: Mexico and Canada are trading partners under terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement, and yet according to Canada’s constitutional ties to Name 2 the British throne, the Prince of Wales was there ostensibly as proxy for Canada’s legal head of state, Queen Elizabeth II. In the market place of international commerce, sovereignty and prestige are important to engendering and maintaining confidence among a nation’s business partners. ... When Britain sought membership in the European Economic Community in 1961, Canada, through no fault of its own, found itself in an awkward and potentially damaging situation with the United States. The U.S. complained that Britain’s move into the EEC would pull Canada into a preferential European agreement, which â€Å"would threaten American trading interests by†¦linking Britain and its current and former colonies into the large European market† (Buckner, 109). The constitutional monarchy has also placed undue pressure on Canada’s domestic political scene. Quebec’s lingering separatist movement has for decades drawn on the country’s ties to Britain, the very symbol of imperial/colonialist domination, for political ammunition. The queen’s 1964 visit to Quebec, one of her most disastrous forays into North America, exacerbated anti-union sentiment in Quebec. She was booed in Quebec City, and Rene Levesque, Quebec’s minister of Natur al Resources, boycotted the banquet celebrating the royal visit (Buckner, 89). Worse still, civil unrest followed marked by acts of violence involving protesters and the provincial police, whose actions made martyrs of the separatists. Name 3 Canada’s increasing ethnic diversity has, in recent years, called into question whether a constitutional monarchy is an appropriate institution for a democratic, pluralistic society. It is difficult to imagine that a constitutional monarchy could ever be a unifying factor in a country where citizens of English ancestry are now in the minority (Leuprecht, 68). The continued presence of the Queen (and her successor) affirms a â€Å"symbolic executive (who) would seem to be limited not only for those in Quebec but for the many

Economics and Health Care Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Economics and Health Care - Research Paper Example Cost-minimization techniques, for example, can be used to select the method that uses the minimum resources to produce a certain health outcome. In addition, cost-utility analysis helps hospital management and doctors to evaluate treatments on the basis of â€Å"utility-based outcome units.† Implications of Poor Health Care System As economics mainly deals with market economy concerns, applying those principles to health care while ignoring the differences between health care and traditional consumer goods can lead to certain economic and social problems. Friedman (2013) has identified some of the weaknesses of the American health care system which can help to illustrate the impact of economics on health care systems as well as the costs of a poorly functioning health care system on society. The Medicaid system is an integral part of the American health care system. Since 1960, it has provided affordable health care to many Americans who could not afford it. Insurance companie s have also contributed much by reducing the costs of health care significantly for consumers. However, Friedman (2013) states that the American health care system is not as efficient as many claim it to be. Some of the so-called reforms to the health care system reflect misunderstanding of economic forces by policymakers. Friedman (2013) argues that current reforms are transferring a greater proportion of the health care costs from the insurance companies to those who need health care, with the effect that the consumer will become increasingly price-sensitive and quality health care will become beyond the reach of many Americans. This move is founded on the misplaced notion that insurance coverage encourages people to consume more health care services than they really... This research paper outlines the particularity of applying basic principles of economic to health care. Economics is a social science that seeks to explain how society allocates its scarce resources to satisfy the demand for goods . Howewer, health care is different from conventional goods and services There are a number of ways in which health care may be regarded as an economic good. There is an absence of a â€Å"market price† that is determined by the interaction of demand and supply forces in health care Economic principles can be used to ensure that equal use of health care services is provided to people with equal health care needs Measures such as cost-minimization analysis, cost effectiveness, cost-utility analysis and cost-benefit analysis can be used to maintain high levels of efficiency in the health care system. Friedman identified some of the weaknesses of the American health care system which can help to illustrate the impact of economics on health care systems as well as the costs of a poorly functioning health care system on society the Obamacare reforms have become controversial mainly because of the increased costs of providing federally subsidized insurance plans to consumers Hospital administrations in collaboration with insurers and other stakeholders have developed a host of statistical tools to monitor and evaluate the efficient of health care processes. There exists a statistical tool that compares whether individual physician treatments are more efficient compared to physician teams administering treatments. This tool is used to determine, for instance, whether solo physician treatment compared to group physician treatment may be more effective at reducing the number of patient visits to the physician

Introduction to Islam- Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Introduction to Islam- - Essay Example Seen in this context, Islam is a world religion that not only cherishes the man's relationship with God, but also encourages a self imposed discipline and a consideration for the rights and privileges of others. After the atrocities of September 11, many of us who are Muslim intellectuals living and working in North America made a discovery that deepened the horrors of that terrible day. We learned, to our intense dismay, that some of the Muslim organizations around us were getting their notions about Islam from Middle Eastern or South Asian preachers who preached a deeply illiberal "us against them" worldview and reviled the proposition that Muslims should learn the basic civic virtues and responsibilities of life in a free,. democratic, and a pluralist society (Sachedina 307). Never before the Islam was in a danger of being so grossly misinterpreted, by the Muslims and non Muslims throughout the Western world. The post 9/11 situation left the liberal Muslims in the developed world with a painful dilemma. Not only they found themselves to be the victims of the acts of hatred perpetrated by a small but intimidating section of the local population, but they also realized that the hardliners within their own community and throughout the world looked at them with suspicion and disgust. It left them with a predicament that urgently called for an intense catechism about their allegiance to their faith, their rights and duties as a citizen and their responsibilities as the devout Muslims in the countries adopted by them as their homeland.While projecting themselves as the authentic and legitimate champions of Islam," these preachers of intolerance continue to promote seclusion and mistrust (Sachedina 307)". The fundamentalist elements within the Muslim community are trying hard to project a picture of Islam that is incompatible with the contemporary ethos of democracy, tolerance and peaceful coexistence. They are bent upon unleashing a war of civilizations. Such an unhealthy trend gives way to many pertinent questions. Is Islam incompatible with the contemporary Western mores and values Do Muslims living in the Western world will have to make a choice between their faith or "basic civic virtues and responsibilities (Sachedina 307)" Has Islam got no message or relevance for the modern world and is anachronistic in a modern context Infact, any person, be it a Muslim or a non Muslim, who has a basic insight into and an understanding of the tenets of Islam is often surprised to find that Islam propagates a holistic attitude towards life that propagates and asserts the rights and duties of all the sections of the society, be it the women, the children, the aged, the physically challenged, the non Muslims, the capitalists, the laborers and the pe asants, the colored races, the intelligentsia and almost everybody. The issues and causes supported by feminism, the anti globalization movement, the

Education Via Facebook Benefits And Challenges Education Essay

Education Via Facebook Benefits And Challenges Education Essay As many teachers might attest, students diligently clicking away at their laptops during class are not always taking notes or interacting with class material. If their minds are wondering, chances are they are browsing the Internet. Though the internet provides many options for diversion, statistics show that one of the most likely places students are spending a portion of their class time is on Facebook. As likely as Facebook is to be a distraction in the classroom it also has the potential to be a teaching tool when used strategically and creatively. Social Media is an emerging technology with growing popularity. Most students and educators are familiar with Facebook. Some argue that Facebook isnt a reliable mean to transform knowledge between educators and students and is viewed as rather distracting than beneficiary. In this paper, I will review findings by some researchers to understand the relationship between Facebook and education, and whether it could be a reliable mean to b e used in Education by educators and students as nowadays, people are divided into two major groups in terms of familiarly with technology: digital immigrants and digital natives (Siegle 2011). Digital natives are those who have always relied on technology as a way of life where Digital Immigrants are people who live in two worlds, one of which technology is overlooked. In the second world, it dominated our lives and became a recognized necessity (Siegle 2011); e.g. while digital immigrants prefer to use emails; digital natives prefer to use text messaging. Conventional media such as radio, television, and newspapers are associated with many challenges related to high costs and access limitations. Social media, on the other hand, is highly accessible anytime and anywhere the internet can reach (Tiryakioglu and Erzurum 2011). Conventional media cannot be changed after production, whereas social media can be immediately changed and/or updated via comments, likes, and dislikes. According to researchers, social networks can help developing communication skills and encourage participation and social commitment (Tiryakioglu and Erzurum 2011) Facebook can be defined as an online platform where users can create profiles, generate and share content and information, and interact with other known and unknown contacts (Boyd and Ellison 2007). Following its launch in 2006, Facebook has grown rapidly in terms of the number of users and the amount of time its users spend browsing compared to other websites. Facebook is now considered to be the dominant network of all the international social networks and has led people to abandon other websites like MySpace, which some have gone so far as to refer to as the ghetto of social networks (Siegle 2011). In this paper, I will present and discuss what other scholars have concluded from their research on the use and effects of social networks (i.e. Facebook) in education. The studies used in this paper were conducted on teachers, university professors, college students, and high school students to understand and assess the usage of social networks in the light of education and its effect on students academic achievements as well as fulfilling the desire of promoting knowledge and maintaining effective and efficient student interaction with educators. This paper will eventually answer the following question: does Facebook usage by students and educators improve the interaction between both parties to promote knowledge? The objective of this essay is to present the benefits and challenges that face students and educators in practicing their role in education in the light of using Facebook. Communication through Facebook is different from traditional face-to-face communication. First, friendships through Facebook are explicit, where traditional friendships usually tend to be implicit. Secondly, conversations through Facebook are persistent. They are permanently stored and easily retrieved at any point in time. Finally, Facebook conversations are shared with all friends who can access someones profile (Siegle 2011). While Facebook enhances the process of communication, it is important to perceive it as a possible threat to its users privacy, which may in turn cost them educational and career opportunities (Siegle 2011). Fortunately, this threat can be avoided by a simple application of personal judgement before sharing private matters a person does not desire to be shareable with anyone at any point in time. Before I discuss the usage of Facebook by college students, lets take an overview on the first time Facebook is used by young users (teenagers, for example). Unlike the past, teens dont need to physically leave the house to socialize. Facebook is used as a primary communication activity through which they post, comment, and share information with each other. To preserve this tool, young users ought to be advised from the beginning as to how to use social networks responsibly and be aware of all the issues that might arise from such activity including exposed privacy. Facebook can provide a window into anyones life. Given that fact, it is the responsibility of the parents to monitor and provide guidelines to their children once they start using Facebook. The use of Facebook by students entails education-related interactions, while some use it to obtain information on a missed class, others may use Facebook to engage in humorous comments about their own and their teachers actions. Todays classroom lexicon contains words with different meanings, including post, message, tag, poke, and inbox (Fewkes and McCabe 2012). No one can deny the fact that Facebook broke down the barriers between students and educators because the informal learning that occurs in the context of sharing media offers important opportunities for increased student involvement in formal learning settings (Fewkes and McCabe 2012). Psychologists have argued that a learning community would perform its best if the characteristics of connectedness and trust have been established amongst the learners (Fewkes and McCabe 2012). For this reason, education remains one of the areas most heavily impacted by technology. Although some argue that technologies like Facebook could involve some challenges for students, that is, when implementing new technologies in classrooms, it is important that teachers focus on promoting knowledge rather than simply being a source of information (Siegle 2011). Moreover, the nature of multimedia can captivate students easily; too much multimedia stimulation can interfere with the deeper cognitive processing that is critical to learning (The American Psychological Association). Aaron M. Fewkes and Mike McCabe conducted a survey on a sample of students at Waterloo Regional District School Board after the latter had made a decision to embrace the growing popularity of Facebook to verify if their vision of using Facebook in schools aligns with the actual behaviour of the students. The results show that 48% of students do log on to Facebook at least once during class time, moreover, the research exposed a possible disconnect between school board and students due to improper implementation of this policy. Facebook, however, can be a powerful communication tool that could serve as a professional resource for educators. ( Pilgrim and Bledsoe, 2011). Educators can respond to the use of technology in their classrooms in five ways: 1 1. Ban it: This has been deemed ineffective due to the fact that technology is becoming a part of our life that we constantly use. Typical workarounds are hiding devices behind books and texting from pockets. 2. Do business as usual: I disagree with this behaviour of educators as it is the educators responsibility to engage the students in their classrooms 3. Limit the use of Technology: a clear guideline indicating what is to be tolerated and what would be unacceptable. 4. Enhance traditional practice: Technology is dependent on users. 5. Use the technology to restructure the educational process: encourage students to use technology for inquiry, problem solving and/or instruction. If I was an instructor, my choice would be the fifth option, as it is the most effective and efficient according to the studies conducted by Pilgrim, Beldsoe, and Siegle, who all have concluded in their studies the importance of learning how to incorporate Facebook into the education process. The use of technology allows students to use social media websites like Facebook to engage in formal or informal discussions with their instructor as well as their fellow students. There are many ways educators and students can connect using Facebook. For instance, the teacher can post comments for the students, students can post their final work for their peers to review and provide feedback, and also students can use the wall feature to ask questions and respond to each other. In addition, I would set up a central page where all classroom mates can join to participate at any time of their choice to exchange knowledge and understanding of the subject being studied. Using social media should be, however, accompanied by some important precautions which educators should adhere to when using Facebook as a tool for educating students:2 1. Teachers should consider setting up a separate Facebook account 2. Educators should obtain signed parental consent prior to interacting with young students on Facebook. 3. Teachers should refrain from installing any applications on their page that would negatively affect their professional image. 4. Educators should remind students that they need to transfer the respectful tone teachers expect in class to their online interactions with them and ensure that students are aware that a teachers ethical responsibility will continue online. According to some studies (Seigle 2011), educators who relied on Facebook to follow professional organizations were more knowledgeable than those who did not (Pilgrim and Bledsoe 2011). We live in an age in which we are fully dependent on instant updates and information, the rationale behind using Facebook as a tool for professional learning adopts the idea that the internet is this generations defining technology for literacy (Pilgrim and Bledsoe 2011). Facebook is indeed an important source of information for educators who seek to continue their learning. According to a study conducted on university instructors in Turkey, all instructors who participated in the survey somehow use Facebook in their courses; even the instructor with the lowest frequency had used Facebook to make announcements about the course by creating a group. The study concludes that instructors have adopted Facebook and they are using it intensively, with a greater tendency toward its use for educational purpose s. According to my cited sources, the studies recognized Facebook as a reliable source for academicians because it is flexible and user friendly, in addition, the sources emphasized on the role of Facebook as a medium between students and instructors and argued that Facebook can neither be solely dependable for conducting courses nor can it be ignored. After I have explored the usage of Facebook by educators as well as students and identified the benefits and challenges of such usage by each party, I can assert that Facebook is a dependable, reliable, and popular medium through which both educators and students can interact appropriately. In order for this medium of communication to work in its most effective and efficient way, students need to be trustful and self-regulated, that is, to refrain from the over- use of Facebook and eventually the addiction to it leading to damage to their potential academic achievement. In conclusion, Educators and students use Facebook; the education process should be focused on the interaction of each party with the other and not the technology itself. Facebook opens new doors to students and allows their knowledge to grow. Facebook also allows them to learn about themselves from their peers. It is my belief that social networks like Facebook will continue to evolve and optimize the education channels in the context of human communication. Educators should consider Facebook as a mean of enhanced communication that provides traceability to what has been discussed and a source of feedback and/or evaluation on whether the discussion has fulfilled what it is mandated for or not.

Childhood Obesity Essay -- Obesity in Adolescents

Childhood Obesity Introduction The past several decades have seen an escalating trend in the rate of childhood obesity not only in the United States where 25%-30% of children are affected, but also in many of the industrialized nations. Childhood obesity has continued to be a major issue in the public health care system. The economic cost of the medical expenses as well as the lost income resulting from the complications of obesity both in children and adults has been estimated at almost $100 billion (Barnes, 2011). Overweight children are more predisposed to the danger of becoming overweight in their adulthood unless they ensure healthier eating habits and exercise. It is worth noting that the current lifestyle in which many children spend a lot of time watching television as well as the consumption of sugary and fatty foods has significantly contributed to the high prevalence of childhood obesity. Regarding the causes of childhood obesity, several theories of etiology including genetic, developmental, and environmental, have been proposed. Despite the prevalence of childhood obesity rising dramatically over the past 3 or 4 decades, major challenges still face the fight against the condition due to its underdiagnosis and undertreatment. It is worth noting that with careful physical examination and evaluation of disease history, unnecessary diagnostic procedures and the need for expensive equipment can be avoided. Given the rising concern about childhood obesity, this paper will discuss several issues. These include the history, epidemiology, etiology, course and prognosis onset, and how the disorder is represented in the DSM IV TR with its associated features. History of childhood obesity The health risks associated with ob... ... and substance abuse in the DSM-IV. Therefore, some people have strongly suggested that childhood obesity be regarded as a food addiction which has a psychological origin and thus deserves to be fully represented in the DSM-IV TR (O’Brien & Volkow, 2007). It is also vital to note that despite the increasing association between obesity and mental health, this relationship has been inconsistently confirmed in literature. For instance, researchers have established that as a child grows to yound adulthood, the prevalence of obesity and depression increases. Certain prospective studies and a significant number of cross sectional studies have alluded to the link between obesity and depression. However, a precise summary of the links between the two conditions is unavailable in literature (Health Promotion & Behavioral Sciences Management & Yagnik, 2009, p. 4).