National Economic Policy macroeconomic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

National Economic Policy macroeconomic - Essay Example This increase in money supply will lead to an increase in output, income and employment. This will be  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   caused by  Ã‚  Ã‚   the fall in interest rate which occurs after the LM curve shifts to the right (Young & Zilberfarb, 2000), as reflected in the IS-LM curve below. It is worth noting that if money supply is increased, while interest rate is held constant, a higher level of income is needed to ensure  Ã‚  Ã‚   that there is a corresponding demand level for money to the supply. This as mentioned earlier moves the LM curve to the right. The increased income and constant  interest rate where the money demand and supply equal each other is seen at the far right of the curve. In case the inflation rate at one point of constant interest rate makes holding money costly, thus few decide to hold it. This calls for rising of income at a certain real interest rate in the universe so as to put the needed money to be held thus maintaining the economic equilibrium , which can be traced to the right of the IS-LM curve (Carlberg, 2000). The components of GDP will be affected as a result of applying this policy. First of all, the aggregate demand will increase. This increase in demand refers to the increase in the number of goods required by consumers in the economy. This is usually a very good thing for triggering an increase in output in the economy. Especially in the short run, this usually raises the production of the economy which is very desirable. This policy will also have a negative effect on employment. One of the reasons for the increased unemployment is the fact that producers react to the high demand by government thus taking production to a higher level. The increase in production demands that  labor increases. The people who are hired earn money thus are able to spend in larger amounts than when unemployed. Question Two   Expansionary fiscal policy A variety of fiscal policies which leads to a rise in government spending, a sh rink in taxes, or a swell in transfer payments is applied to counter the mishaps of economy contraction. The objective of expansionary fiscal policy is to bridge a recessionary gap, ignite the economy, and reduce the unemployment level. Expansionary fiscal policy is sometimes backed by expansionary monetary policy. Taxation Taxation is the major fiscal policy tool that works quickly to correct an ailing economy. Basically individual income taxes levied by the state; however other taxes are also applicable. Taxes are the spontaneous levies that the government charges on the entire the economy to create the proceeds required to provide basic goods and services and to facilitate other state functions. Personal income levies are precisely the taxes gotten from the earnings received by individuals in each house hold. Expansionary fiscal policy works by either a decline of the income tax levies or an instant rebate of levies previously collected. The decrease in taxes empowers the each ho usehold with extra per capita earnings that can be utilized for spending costs, which then ignites cumulative production and employment and translates

Ferrari dealership Essay Example for Free

Ferrari dealership Essay A siren ripped this thought to shreds, before the same knocking sound which had woken him in the first place, hammered the thought out of his head completely. He moved his head back round to the left to see the milkman knocking on the window, a look of panic on his face. He tried to get up but it was no good; his body simply would not respond. Having seen the blood splattered window, the milkman had rushed next door and dialled 999. Now, the uniformed men hurriedly joined him at the window to see the horrific scene.. Through the glass they saw a large bedroom with what looked like a blunt metal instrument on the floor, in the opposite corner of the room to the window. From the haphazard position of the object, droplets of blood stained the cream carpet up to the white quilt of the double bed, upon which an elderly man lay still. He was attired in a white shirt, black trousers and black leather shoes, with a dress jacket and tie strewn on the floor beside him. Though this was an unusual scene it itself, the group were only driven into action by the site of the mans head. Blood stained the pillow around it, and the terror on his face told them what they needed to know. They needed to act fast. As he lay motionless, the paramedics smashed the window. The men in green uniforms rushed in through the gap they had created. They found him paralysed from the neck down, with a bloody gash across the back of his head. Though the blow which had been delivered to him would have been sufficient to knock him out, death was not instantaneous. As he could not move to get help, blood loss would have killed him eventually, had the milkman not found him. The paramedics rolled him off the bed and onto a stretcher, before loading him into the waiting ambulance, and off to hospital. Paralysis was temporary, and the doctor deemed it fit to allow the police to see him as he recovered. He relayed the events of the night before, and supplied them with a photograph of his wife, from his wallet. Later that afternoon, they returned to the hospital.  Good afternoon sir, said the police inspector as she shook his hand. You will be pleased to hear that we found your wife. She was pulled over for dangerous driving on the M18, near Doncaster. She pulled over, and, while performing the breathalyser test, the officer noticed the blood stains on her blouse. He put two and two together and so checked the photograph he had been supplied with. When he asked her to step out of the vehicle, she tried to escape on foot. Unfortunately we were unable to apprehend her before she got run over while attempting to cross the motorway. She died on her way to the hospital. We offer our condolences for your loss. He nodded in reply.  So, it turns out you were right she thought she had killed you. We found the family portrait in the glove compartment. The inspector placed it on the table beside his bed. By the way, she had five times the allowance of alcohol in her blood. Again he nodded. The following week, as he was being discharged from the hospital, the nurse informed him that his lawyer had called to arrange a meeting about his wifes life insurance. He could hardly suppress a smile as he boarded the elevator down to the hospital reception. As he left the hospital he flagged a taxi and stepped inside.  Any idea where the nearest Ferrari dealership is, mate?.

Essay examples --

What is a public good? A public good is something that is of benefit to multiple people, including yourself cannot prevent them getting the benefit from. Most things in economics are scarce – say a person is the only one able to enjoy the delicious citrus taste of the can of Diet Coke with Citrus Zest because their consumption of it prevents others from drinking it as well. A public good is something that everyone gets the benefit from, like national defense. This creates the problem for free riders that get the benefit of public goods without paying for them – for instance, a tourist who goes to the seaside and throws his can of Diet Coke with Citrus Zest on the ground, just to be picked up by some council worker who his taxes don't fund. Where the concept gets a bit more controversial is in international affairs, which is where we have the concept of a global public good. Global public goods are things completed by particular countries that benefit everyone else even if they don't have anything to do with it. Because they are inevitably provided by the dominant power and people are rightly suspicious of claims of altruism in foreign policy, it would be safe to say that some people would say the concept doesn't exist. Yet it really does. An often-cited example of a global public good was the way that the United Kingdom kept the seaways open during the period of the Empire, which allowed trading to continue between all countries unhindered. Of course, the British did not do this just because they are jolly good sports. People should not dismiss the belief in one's altruism as a motivating factor in foreign policy; but of course such beliefs are powerless against material interests which dictate to the contrary. By keeping the se... ...we will see the end of uni-polarity and a new era of bi- or tri-polarity as Russia reasserts itself and China grows in power. A world order built by the Chinese and Americans together is going to be quite different to one just made by the Americans, because it was the US who created all these multilateral institutions - global public goods - that the Americans are blamed for incidents, such as the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organization. Despite its faults and excesses, America has reinforced the global system of trade, sovereignty and security for years now - these things didn't just happen by coincidence. It has provided many benefits to free riders the all over the world. History will judge if the United States, generally, did more bad than good. However, there's no God-given guarantee the alternative will be any better.

Financial Analysis of Honest Tea Essay

Through Honest Tea’s three years of business, their business shows some positive signs of a promising company. Since Honest Tea is a start-up company, it is understandable that their net income is in the negatives since their expenses will outweigh their sales, but as the three years have gone on, their net income has improved, and even increased by 74% from 1999 to 2000 from -$882,359 to -$228,879, which shows a positive sign of growth. Honest Tea is also very capable to pay back their short term liabilities since their current ratio is a high 5.92. Their profit margin has also increased over the three year period from -71.7% to -36.3% showing positive signs of profit and ability to grow. Honest Tea is able to generate $0.50 for every dollar of assets they have, which isn’t a huge amount, but being in the positive for a start-up company is important. Unfortunately, Honest Tea isn’t very efficient in turning over its inventory since this turnover ratio is less than one, but, for a start up, they are doing well. Revenues increased tremendously from 1998 to 1999, but fell by almost 50% in 2000, so that is worrisome. The debt to equity ratio in 1999 was .241 and it decreased in 2000 to .142. A lower debt to equity ratio usually implies a more financially stable business, so it’s great that the debt to equity decreased from 1999 to 2000. Companies with a higher debt to equity ratio are considered more risky to creditors and investors than companies with a lower ratio. Unlike equity financing, debt must be repaid to the lender and requires debt servicing or regular interest payments. In other words, debt can be a far more expensive form of financing than equity financing. Companies leveraging large amounts of debt might not be able to make the payments. Creditors view a higher debt to equity ratio as risky because it shows that the investors haven’t funded the operations as much as creditors have, so it’s good to see that Honest Tea has been getting more money from investors so they don’t have a large amount of debt. Compared to some other companies in their industry (Triarc Cos Inc, Saratoga  Beverage, National Beverage Corp., Clearly Canadian Beverage, etc.), Honest Tea is far behind. Most of this is due to the fact that Honest Tea is a start-up company and all of these other companies are well established, but these competitors are turning out positive profit margins and positive net incomes which makes it very hard for Honest Tea to compete in the market. 1.) Honest Tea’s sales dropped in 2000, so they are trying to find more capital to keep the company running. The success of the company, before the cold spell in 2000, had drawn a lot of media attention which caused Honest Tea to be featured in Fortune, Entrepreneur, and Beverage World, which definitely helps the company’s reputation, but Honest Tea really needs to get their sales back going in order to stay relevant in the market. 2.) First of all, in the future, Honest Tea need to raise more financing to be successful. They need to find more venture capitalists or angel group in order to support the continuation of the company. Honest Tea also needs to start expanding distribution of their product, but that can only happen if they get the financing to pay for the distribution. They need more distribution so they can pick up more customers that will demand their product, in hopes that either they can grow Honest Tea as its own company, or that it will get picked up as part of another big brand such as Pepsi or Coca Cola. 3.) In order to continue its distribution and growing the company, Honest Tea believes a $2 million round of financing would carry Honest Tea to profitability. 4.) Honest Tea has received financing from many different places. The first financing had come from Goldman and Nalebuff, they would be decent investors but they only have so much money to give to the company. Next, they approached family and friends, they raised around $200,000 for Honest Tea but they wouldn’t be considered the ideal investor because they don’t have enough money to support Honest Tea past their seed stage. Customers of their product have also contributed capital to the company, but these investors have not been the right investors because they are not as sophisticated as  venture capitalists and angels, and don’t necessarily have the experience with interpreting financial statements which means they require a lot of extra time and attention and that takes away from Goldman and Nalebuff’s ability to focus on growing Honest Tea. They also received financing from venture capital groups, which would be a better fit for Honest Tea since the venture groups don’t need as much attention as Honest Tea’s other unexperienced investors but they also demand more control of the company than Honest Tea’s other investors. 5.) Right away with the financing from the family and friends, there wasn’t really a specific structure, but in 1998 Honest Tea established a financing structure. The financings have been structured so that when an investor purchased common stock, the founders were given warrants for creating the company. Honest Tea structured them in this way because Nalebuff though that by including warrants for the founders with exercise prices staged at multiples of the initial price at which family and friends brought in would avoid such disagreements. If the company did well, then they would be able to exercise their warrants and they would own a greater fraction of the company, but if they didn’t, then the original investors would own a larger piece of the firm. 6.) Honest Tea should look for angel investors or venture capitalists, this is because the investors that Honest Tea currently has are very inexperienced when it comes to financial statements, so to have financiers that have experience and knowledge when it comes to investing and finance. Angel investors and venture capitalists also have more access to large amounts of capital and have connections that the current investors do not. 7.) The proposed financing and valuation do make sense because it gives Honest Tea the best chance of the founders maintaining 50% of the equity of the company. Honest Tea is using a warrant based structure, which seems complex, but really it’s a smart way to structure their financing. This type of financing allows Honest Tea to keep founder equity, as long as they meet their goals and targets. If they don’t, more of the equity goes to their investors because they will be issued more shares of the company. This is a  good set-up because it gives Honest Tea’s owners a reason to work hard to meet their goals, and if they don’t the founders will lose their 50% share of the company. The valuation of the company makes sense because it’s based on Honest Tea’s sales of their two products and the value of their bottling plant. If they sell a lot of their products, the valuation of their company goes up. However, if they don’t sell enough of their product, the valuation of the company goes down. If the valuation goes below $15.1 million, then shareholders will be issued more shares and they would get more control over the company. 8.) The ready to drink tea market is looking very promising for Honest Tea. In 1999, the ready to drink tea market totaled $2.67 billion, which was an increase by 9% from 1998. Although this doesn’t seem like a huge market, because the wholesale and retail sales have increased by 9% in just one year, I believe that the market will grow. Experts even projected that the read to drink tea market would more than double in size over the next 10 years, meaning the $2.67 billion market will be an over $5 billion market in a short 10 years. Distribution channels have also been growing, ready to drink tea sales and loose tea bag sales have been growing in other channels such as drug stores, and growing by 21.2% growth in volume sales in mass merchandise, which is outgrowing other forms of drinks such as coffee and bottled juice. Honest Tea’s competitors are national brands; Snapple controls 14.6% of the market, Arizona Iced Tea holds 10.6% of the market, and Lipton represents 9.5% of the market. Honest Tea’s competition/ brand loyalty would be considered one of the barriers to entry; all of Honest Tea’s competition is well established national companies, which means that it would be very hard to compete with them since they have already mastered their distribution around the country and they all have significant control of the ready to drink tea market. Economies of scale is another barrier to entry for Honest Tea, since other companies in the market has a lot of production their average costs fall, but since Honest Tea is a small company their average costs are still large, so they need to work to increase their production to get their average costs down. 9.) Rapid growth is not that important, especially if it causes Honest Tea to  compromise some of their convictions. It would be more beneficial for the company to grow slowly and organically to keep the mission of their company. If a venture capitalist pushes Honest Tea to grow too fast, this may cause Honest Tea to take shortcuts when it comes to being organic and environmentally and economically responsible, which could cause customers to not value the Honest Tea brand as they did when they were growing slowly. So I would say that rapid growth is not important to Honest Tea. However, going national is very important for Honest Tea. Honest Tea needs to go national in order to get brand loyalty, so grocery stores, gas stations, dining establishments, etc., would demand to have Honest Tea in their establishment. Going national would also mean that Honest Tea would have better access to investments or a chance to be acquired by a strategic partner, which is part of Honest Tea’s exit strategy. So going national is a huge part of what Honest Tea wants to accomplish with its company, which means it’s very important to go national. 10.) Honest Tea needs the money for investing in new distribution channels, hiring a nation sales force, purchasing marketing and merchandising materials, gaining capital to support the launch of Honest Tea in new super market chains, and gaining capital to get the Three Rivers Bottling plant to profitability. They need the money as soon as possible because it need to cover operating losses for the next several quarters to keep Honest Tea functioning. 11.) The pro forma projections of Honest Tea do make sense. The pro forma projections take into account the months that ready to drink tea sales may decline due to seasonal preferences, for example since January and February aren’t a time where the market would demand a cold, refreshing drink, Honest Tea has projected those months to have the smallest amount of cases sold. Conversely, the projections also show that the tea bag sales will increase when ready to drink tea decreases. Honest Tea’s projections make sense in the aspect that they take into account the coolers, marketing, travel expenses, etc., that will come with expanding their business. The projections also show how the expenses per month decrease showing that the company is taking economies of scale into consideration, meaning that the  more production they have the average cost will decrease. One aspect of the projections that don’t make sense is how the end of 2001 the company’s net income is in the positive, but once January of 2002 begins, Honest Tea is projecting a huge drop in net income to -$286.1, but besides that, Honest Tea’s projections make sense. 12.) Honest Tea’s financing strategies thus far have not been ideal. They have depended on family, friends, and customers to provide them with capital, and this has caused Seth and Barry to spend much of their time explaining financial statements, searching for more capital, and holding the hands of their inexperienced investors. The current financing has caused Seth and Barry to spend too much time worrying about investments, and not enough time to figure out how to grow the business. Seth and Barry really need to start looking for more professional sources of financing such as angels and venture capitalists.The valuation and financing structure that Seth and Barry have set up for the offering of their shares have provided Honest Tea with a much more organized and reliable financial structure that allows them to not have to spend so much time explaining themselves, which gives them more time to grow their business. 13.) This deal is very attractive to venture capitalists. Honest Tea has a huge market opportunity since they have created a new beverage category that has been on the rise the past couple of years, which would be very attractive to an investor. Honest Tea has also proved that customers are willing to buy their product and even invest in it, which shows they have a following. Another reason this deal is very attractive, is that Honest Tea has received much media attention and received different awards for sustainable practices and packaging, so the product is well known and has the potential to have brand loyalty in the future. Honest Tea also has great management teams that have expertise in the tea industry, and have even worked for companies, such as Sobe, who have rapidly expanded in the past. A great management team is very appealing for a venture capitalist because it means that the VC has to spend less time watching over the company since they already have the expertise that they need to grow. Lastly, Honest Tea is a great venture capital investment because it already has access to its  own bottling plant, so they have no barriers when it comes to mass production. Their bottling plant has the opportunity to provide Honest Tea with approximately $30 million in sales, which is very attractive for an investor. 14.) The deal with the venture capitalist is not attractive for Seth and Barry. First of all, the deal wanted the pre-money valuation of the company to be $5-$7 million, which means that the founders have to give up their proposed 50% control of the company. Secondly, the rapid growth that the venture capitalist is pushing may require Honest Tea to compromise on some of its more socially conscious principles. Currently, Honest Tea is structured so that the founders have the control of the company, so they can do what they like, but giving up half of their control would most likely mean compromising their principles. Even though the $5 million investment would help Honest Tea tremendously, it isn’t worth sacrificing their principles to grow quickly. Honest Tea should consider the Investors’ Circle investment over the venture capitalists. Even though Investors’ Circle isn’t offering as much money as the VC, their principles match Honest Tea’s principles. Investors’ Circle invests in socially responsible start-ups, so they won’t push Honest Tea to compromise their principles, instead, they would support their principles. Investors’ Circle is even willing to invest up to $6.5 million depending on the company’s needs, so Honest Tea should really consider getting an investment from Investors’ Circle over the venture capitalist. 15.) The deal structure and valuation make sense, but it’s hard to know what they based the pre money valuation on since it’s very low compared to Honest Tea’s valuation. The deal structure does make sense, since the venture capitalist is giving Honest Tea so much in financing it makes sense that they would require significant control over the company.

Psy 240 – Lesson 2 Essay

Identify the teratogens covered in this chapter and birth defects/disorders they can cause. Format your response as though you were giving a brief prevention lecture to young married couples. Your answer should be no fewer than 400 words in length. We are all aware of genetic and hereditary factors that may impact the health of the newborn baby. However, our ability to prevent genetic disorders is limited to genetic testing of parents and prenatal diagnostic methods that can reveal early warning signs of genetic defects before birth.Another group of factors that can greatly influence the health and the development of a baby are environmental agents. These agents are commonly referred to as teratogens and include any environmental agent that can cause damage during the prenatal period. Unlike genetic factors, the damaging effects of the teratogens during the prenatal period and after birth are almost completely preventible by the parents. Most common teratogens that can impact pregnan cy and child development are: prescription and non-prescription drugs, illegal drugs, alcohol, tobacco, infectious disease, radiation and environmental pollutants.Many prescription and non-prescription drugs exert side-effects that may be harmful during the prenatal period. Even when these side-effects are not noticeable or are not affecting the mother they may be interfering with the normal prenatal development of the baby during early and later stages of the pregnancy. For this reason all newly-expecting women or those planning to become pregnant need to consult with a doctor about any prescription drugs they may have been taking and certainly before starting therapy with any new medications.Many people consider non-prescription or â€Å"over-the-counter† drugs to be safe because no physicians prescription is required for their purchase. This is a common and often a dangerous mistake. Many â€Å"over-the-counter† drugs and products are not classified as drugs but rat her as nutritional supplements and as such don't require FDA licensing and control. In general these products can be dangerous to health since their contents and action mechanism have not be adequately or scientifically tested. Their consumption by pregnant or planning -to-become pregnant women can be particularly dangerous.New mothers need to consult a medical professional before using any over-the-counter products including vitamin and mineral supplements. Another category of common products that often get overlooked but can be dangerous to prenatal development and infant health are cosmetics. Many cosmetic products contain chemicals that can be harmful to the mother and the baby. For instance, many anti-acne products and â€Å"blemish-removal† products contain retinol and retinoic acid which can affect the baby during the first trimester.The retinol based â€Å"over-the-counter† products, such as Retine-A cream, are similar to the prescription drug Accutane which is prohibited for use by pregnant women as it causes damage to baby's eyes, brain, immune system, ears and skull. Other commonly used beauty products can be dangerous as well. Some examples are lipsticks that may contain lead, lotions and creams containing paraben, hair colors, tanning products and many more. The best prevention is to avoid use of pharmaceuticals, supplements and cosmetics before and during pregnancy without consulting a doctor first.The use of illegal drugs prior to and during pregnancy and while breast feeding is extremely damaging to the baby. Commonly used â€Å"street drugs† such as cocaine, heroin, marijuana, methamphetamines and their derivatives cause a multitude of prenatal development abnormalities and can cause a lasting damage to the child's physical and mental health. Some of these abnormalities include: low birth weight, respiratory and cardiac difficulties, vision and hearing problems, metabolic abnormalities, premature birth and can cause death during or shortly after birth.Damage to the nervous system is particularly evident among illicit-drugs affected newborns and they are usually irritable, exhibit neurotic crying and often have lasting cognitive and social development difficulties and behavioral problems. The use of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines and other so called â€Å"heavy drugs†, pre- and, during pregnancy and while breast feeding is especially dangerous as it causes the drug addiction of the newborn.The maternal use of marijuana causes a multitude of physical and psychological problems to the newborn including low birth weight, brain development abnormalities, depression and learning difficulties. Though it can not be linked to the inherited drug-addiction of the newborn, the use of â€Å"street drugs† by a father has been linked to a multitude of genetic diseases transferred to the off-spring. Though the exact modalities have not yet been determined for every drug, it is certain that use of dr ugs by a father causes mutations of the paternal DNA and therefore impacts the genotype of the baby.Persons with drug addiction problems planning to start a family should consult a medical professional well ahead of becoming pregnant to plan a course of action to cease the drug abuse and limit its damaging effects on the baby as well as parents. Already pregnant women with drug abuse problems need to contact the doctor as soon as possible to assess the risk and plan the best course of action needed. Alcohol consumption is one of the most damaging factors to a healthy pregnancy and birth. Mistakenly, most people consider â€Å"social drinking†, a consumption of one to two drinks daily or few time per week, to not be damaging to health.Though some evidence exists that a low or moderate consumption of alcohol can be beneficial to cardiovascular health, it is well established that even small amounts of alcohol during pregnancy can be detrimental to the prenatal development of the child. Alcohol causes a variety of prenatal development abnormalities jointly referred to as fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). The FAS manifests itself in recognizable cranio-facial morphological deformities such as widely spaced eyes, a thin upper lip, small upward pointing nose, short eye-lid openings and a small head.The overall growth of the child is slowed. Furthermore, FAS causes a multitude of mental abnormalities such as attention, memory and language deficits, hyperactivity and abnormal motor skills and coordination. It has been established that these abnormalities result from the damaging effects of alcohol on neuron development in the early phases of pregnancy. Due to the overexpendature of oxygen by mother's body during alcohol metabolism, the fetus is often oxygen deprived which further contributes to development of the above mentioned health problems.Though the amount of alcohol consumed during pregnancy determines the extent of the damage caused, even small amounts of al cohol consumed can cause some of the symptoms listed. This milder form of FAS is referred to as fetal alcohol effects (FAE) and is equally concerning. Similarly to illegal drugs use, a link had been established between consumption of alcohol by a father and the mutations it causes to the paternal DNA which leads to multiple genetic defects of the offspring. All couples planning to bear children should stop all alcohol consumption well ahead of the time of pregnancy.Those with alcohol dependency should seek professional help in quitting drinking as alcoholism is a disease and requires a complex approach to physical and psychological issues that are causing it. The damaging effects of smoking on human health are well known but large number of child-bearing aged women still use tobacco regularly. The use of tobacco before, during and after the pregnancy has been linked to a multitude of infant health problems during the prenatal period and childhood. The tobacco using women are at a hi gher risk of miscarriage during pregnancy.It is a well known fact that nicotine, which is a vasoconstrictor, prevents an adequate blood flow to the uterus and causes defects to the placenta. In turn, the exchange of the nutrients between a mother and the baby is disturbed resulting in fetal malnutrition and low birth weight. As we know, low birth weight is a main predictor of the physical and mental developmental difficulties of the child. Nicotine affected babies are often born prematurely and exhibit cardiac and respiratory problems such as arrhythmia, asthma, sleep apnea, and are at a higher risk of developing cancer during childhood.The rate of infant death is also higher among this population of newborns. Even if physical health problems are not obvious, many nicotine-exposed babies display a certain degree of behavioral problems during their development. These can range from diminished sensory response, such as that to a sound, through over stimulation by touch and vision to a multitude of learning impairments. The best prevention to the nicotine-exposure health related issues is quitting smoking well before becoming pregnant.Even quitting smoking during pregnancy will greatly reduce the health risks to the baby. Joint quitting of smoking by both parents is usually the most successful approach as partners are able to support each other during this difficult endeavor. Exposure to the second hand smoke during pregnancy is equally as damaging to both mother and the baby. Again, quitting smoking and avoiding exposure to the second hand smoke will not only protect the child but also improve the health of the parents in the long run.All sexually active persons need to regularly undergo testing for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Prevention of, and regular testing for, STDs shows not only a concern about personal health but also a responsible approach to protecting the health of the partner and especially the health of the children the relationship may re sult in. Many STDs and infectious diseases are easily transferred during conception and from the mother to the embryo during this critical period of prenatal development. Many of these infections can cause serious and long-term defects to the fetus as well.Common birth defects caused by infection transmission during pregnancy include mental retardation, cardiac, respiratory and digestive system problems, vision and hearing damage and multitude of other conditions. One of the most dangerous STDs transferred from an infected mother to a baby is human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) which causes AIDS. The HIV-infected babies develop symptoms of AIDS much faster than adults. The disease progression can be as rapid as a few months after birth with most ill babies dying within first 5-8 months after birth.Women aware of their HIV positive status should consult with the specialist if planning on becoming pregnant to asses risk and discuss possible prophylactic methods that can be employed to prevent transmission. Couples and individuals planning on pregnancy should test for infectious diseases before conception and address any concerns they may have with a health care professional. In the case of HIV, many newly-developed anti-retro viral therapies can prevent the risk of transmission onto baby by as much as 95%.Other infectious diseases that should be of concern when planning pregnancy or when pregnant are herpes, hepatitis, rubella, toxoplasmosis, syphilis, etc. Exhaustive testing for infectious diseases by both parents performed by a specialist is the best prevention of pregnancy complications and transmission to the newborn. Another teratogen that is of concern when evaluating the prenatal health is radiation. Though not as commonly encountered as other teratogens, radiation can be as devastating to the prenatal and postnatal development of the child.Exposure to radiation during pregnancy often leads to a miscarriage or birth defects such as physical deformities, ce ntral nervous system abnormalities, slow growth as well as a multitude of learning and emotional problems. Pregnant women and those planning on becoming pregnant should avoid exposure to radiation such as occupational exposure, for example radiology technicians, or medical exposure such as during exams with x-rays and other radioactive agents. Men should avoid exposure to radiation as well, as radioactive agents can cause mutations of the paternal DNA which can lead to birth defects of the offspring.Any concerns about possible radiation exposure need to be addressed with a medical professional as many methods are available to prevent and limit the damaging effects of radiation. Environmental pollution is probably a teratogen that is the hardest to avoid or prevent. As we know our ecosystem, be it the air, the land or the water, is heavily polluted with many agents and has lead to an increase of cancers, respiratory, neurological, hereditary and many other diseases in human populatio n. Unfortunately, environmental pollutants affect humans from our early days of prenatal development.One of the main ways babies get exposed to this teratogen is through the nutrient exchange during the prenatal development. The pollutants transferred through these means include mercury and other heavy metals found in contaminated food and water. The exposure to heavy metals during the prenatal development has been implicated with causing a multitude of abnormalities of the nervous system and psychological disorders. Many toxins commonly found in the products for everyday use cause many metabolic, immunity and respiratory disorders that have a long lasting effects on the health of the newborn.Environmental pollution is directly linked with childhood cancers as well as hereditary predisposition for cancer development. Some of the measures that can be taken during pregnancy to minimize the damaging effects of this teratogen include limiting the consumption of large predatory fish, suc h as salmon and tuna, which are often high in their mercury content, avoiding antibiotics and steroids contaminated meats as well as pesticide treated fruits and vegetables.Staying indoors and using air-filtration systems during high air-pollution days can prevent exposure to carbon monoxide and combustion byproduct gases. The use of industrial and chemical cleaning agents and chemicals should be avoided or limited to a minimum. As we can see there are many teratogens we are exposed to daily and though they damage our health it is especially frightening to think of the effects they have on the health of our unborn babies.Though these concerns are valid they should not stand in the way of enjoying the pregnancy, child birth and child rearing as the most pleasant and enriching experience of the lifetime. As we have learned most of the damaging effects of teratogens can be avoided and prevented through education, being aware of the risk factors and being proactive in taking steps to av oid the exposure and damage by practicing healthy living habits and seeking help when needed.

Substance Abuse in Modern Times Professor Ramos Blog

Substance Abuse in Modern Times Substance abuse is a huge problem today, yet, many people don’t know how big of a problem it is in the States. According to a study conducted in 2005, â€Å"22 million Americans had a problem or struggled with drugs and alcohol. 95 percent of these people were unaware they had a legitimate problem, and many were unsuccessful in finding help or assistance with this problem† (HealthyPeople.gov, 2020 Topics and Adjectives, par.1). Also as Psychology Today states, â€Å"Both substance use disorders and gambling behaviors have an increased likelihood of being accompanied by mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety or other pre-existing problems. Substance use and gambling disorders not only engage the same brain mechanisms of compulsivity, they respond to many of the same approaches to treatment† (Psychology Today, What is Addiction?). This is particularly true today where there are many cases of mental health being tied to substance abuse. Now, imagine a world where this problem was eliminated. Many families would be saved, lives wouldnt be in jeopardy, and there would be a new sense of cleanliness. Most of the human race obtain alcohol or drugs by purchasing these things at the local supermarket, pharmacy, or even the nearby corner store. However, since these two things are so readily available, it can be easy to get carried away with purchasing such goods. There’s really no way of tracking how much one has bought and consumed except at public bars. If a record system was implemented, there would be better control over these substances. A record system would be relatively easy to maintain and control. Once an American Citizen turns 21, he/she would automatically be enrolled into a system that tracks the amount of drugs or alcohol purchased by the individual. There would be different algorithms for each person, based on their background, in-house family members over 21, and financial stability. In simpler terms, if one was to purchase absurd amounts of alcohol in a short amount of time, a red flag would pop up on the persons record. This would cause a caretaker or someone of the sort to go check up on that individual. They would make sure they are okay and doing well. There would also be some slack for those who are medically prescribed a medication and need to order or purchase it consistently. This would prove beneficial because as time goes on, â€Å"eventually drug abuse can consume your life, stopping social and intellectual development. This only reinforces feelings of isolation† (Laurence Robinson, Melinda Smith and Jeanne Segal. Drug Abuse and Addiction. Par. 9). So basically when a person is going through any type of substance abuse, whether it be drugs or alcohol, or both, the desires and feelings of isolation can start to cultivate. This would cause people to start resisting help a lot more than usual. Thus, making resources for help useless. This record system would also help people see an actual visual representation of how much they are consuming. When many today buy alcohol, they arent aware how much they are actually putting into their bodies. However, with this new record. It would show them face to face how much they are buying and consuming as well. The other nice thing about this system would be that everything on the persons record or account, would be private. Only the person whom the account is tied to would be able to access all the information on the record. They wouldn’t have to feel guilty or nervous that other people would be viewing their activity. The only people that would be able to see it would be authorized professionals that only seek out to help those that raise a couple red flags. So there would really be no shame factor in this system. As was mentioned earlier, substance abuse is a very real problem that needs to be known. There are families, mental health, physical health, communities, and lives at stake every day with this tragic problem. Many try to turn to rehab and last there for years. Yet, that is often after the fact, when it’s too late. When people already realize there is a problem within them. So why not stop it sooner? This record system would open the eyes of many before problems arise. It would encourage people to think twice before purchasing drugs or alcohol. Don’t we all want a world free of addiction?  Ã‚   Laurence Robinson, Melinda Smith, Jeanne Segal. Drug Abuse and Addiction, June 2019. Help Guide HealthyPeople.org. 2020 Topics and Objectives, Substance abuse, 2014. Psychology Today, What is addiction?, 2019.

Sodoma Giovanni Antonio Bazzi essays

Sodoma Giovanni Antonio Bazzi essays Name: Sodoma Giovanni Antonio Bazzi (Italian Sienese) Title: Christ Presented to the People (Ecce Homo) Sodoma was trained in Lombardy, but most of his career was spent in Siena, where he was, together with Beccafumi, the major figure. This work dates from the last decade of his life. The use of contrasting figure types of sfumato derives his study of the words of Leonardo da Vinci and has a powerful emotive effect. The turbaned figure is Pilate, who presents the resigned but dignified Christ to the viewer as an object of contemplation. Though cut down, the late sixteenth century frame is of fine quality. Oil on canvas; 23 5/8 x 23 Â ¼ in. (60 x 59.1 cm) The painting is a depiction of Jesus Christ being presented to the people. He is the center of attention. Light is being cast on Jesus as opposed to the shadow being cast on other people surrounding Him. To me, it seems that God was shining a light down from Heaven. His body looks very realistic by showing the cuts and bruises across His chest. The thorn crown protruding his forehead made blood drip down into his face. Shadows show every line and curve of His body. It looks real and very naturalistic. This painting was more of a close-up picture. You can only see the upper body area. You dont see anything else. There appears to be 4 other people surrounding Jesus Christ. On the left, it looks to me as if he was Judas, one who betrayed Jesus Christ by being dishonest and committing treachery. The man on the right wears a red cape and head wrap. He looks like Pontius Pilate. He became famous by persecuting Jesus Christ. The other people behind the three main characters must be the followers of Jesus Christ because you see their face a little bit. It shows the emotion and the sorrow on their face. They also look like they have a halo over their heads. There is no background to the painting. It is all black. ...

Critical Thinking Exercises for Students

Critical Thinking Exercises for Students Critical thinking is a skill that students develop gradually as they progress in school. While the skill becomes more important in higher grades, some students find it difficult to understand the concept of critical thinking. The reason critical thinking can be difficult to grasp is because it requires students to set aside assumptions and beliefs to learn to think without bias or judgment. Critical thinking involves suspending your beliefs to explore and question topics from a blank page point of view. It also involves the ability to distinguish fact from opinion when exploring a topic. These exercises are designed to help develop critical thinking skills. Critical Thinking Exercise 1: Tour Guide for an Alien This exercise provides an opportunity to think outside your normal way of thinking. Pretend that you have been assigned the task of conducting a tour for aliens who are visiting the earth and observing human life. Youre riding along in a blimp, viewing the landscape below, and you float over a professional baseball stadium. One of the aliens looks down and is very confused by what he sees. You explain that there is a game going on and he asks several important questions. What is a game?  Why are there no female players?Why do people get so excited about watching other people play games?What is a team?Why cant the people in the seats go down on the field and join in? If you try to answer these questions fully, it will quickly become apparent that we carry around certain assumptions and values. We support a certain team, for instance, because it makes us feel like were a part of a community. This sense of community is a value that matters to some people more than others. Furthermore, when trying to explain team sports to an alien, you have to explain the value we place on winning and losing. When you think like an alien tour guide, you are forced to take a deeper look at the things we do and things we value. Sometimes they dont sound logical from the outside looking in. Critical Thinking Exercise 2: Fact or Opinion Do you think you know the difference between fact and opinion? Its not always easy to discern. When you visit websites, do you believe everything you read? The abundance of available information makes it more important than ever for students to develop critical thinking skills. Additionally, its an important reminder that you must use trustworthy sources in your school work. If you dont learn the difference between fact and opinion, you may end up reading and watching things that continue to reinforce beliefs and assumptions you already own. For this exercise, read each statement and try to determine whether it sounds like a fact or an opinion. This can be completed alone or with a study partner. My mom is the best mom on earth.My dad is taller than your dad.My telephone number is difficult to memorize.The deepest part of the ocean is 35,813 feet deep.Dogs make better pets than turtles.Smoking is bad for your health.Eighty-five percent of all cases of lung cancer in the U.S. are caused by smoking.If you flatten and stretch out a Slinky toy it will be 87 feet long.Slinky toys are fun.One out of every one hundred American citizens is color blind.Two out of ten American citizens are boring. You will probably find some of the statements easy to judge but other statements difficult. If you can effectively debate the truthfulness of a statement with your partner, then its most likely an opinion.

Advantages and disadvantages of social networking sites Term Paper

Advantages and disadvantages of social networking sites - Term Paper Example Social network sites are web-based services that enable an individual to create a public or a semi-public profile inside a bounded system,communicate with other users by sharing a connection with them,and view as well as traverse their and also those created by others list of connections . Since the beginning, social networking sites (SNSs) such as Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, Cyworld, LinkedIn and others have fascinated millions of users, a number of whom have incorporated these networking sites into their every day life. These SNSs have transcended beyond global borders and have spread across in several forms, supporting an extensive range of practices as well as interests. The key technological features provided by these sites have been observed to be quite consistent, but the culture that generally emerges around the SNSs is primarily varied. These sites enable people to connect with strangers as well as known individual by the virtue of shared interests as well as activities and pol itical views. A few sites cater to varied audiences, whereas others draw people based on shared sexual, racial, religious as well as national identities or common languages. These social networking sites vary in the level up to which they include new communication and information tools, such as blogging, mobile connectivity, and photo or video sharing (Boyd & Ellison, â€Å"Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship†). According to a study conducted by ECAR Research Study (2008), it was found that SNSs were particularly well-liked among the under-graduates. Facebook was observed to be the social networking site of choice among the majority of respondents. The data also found that around 85.1% of the respondents were users of SNSs. Therefore, the attraction towards social networking sites is undeniable. The prime advantage that these sites provide is related to getting as well as staying in touch (Educause Center for Applied Research, â€Å"Social Networking S ites†) The social networking sites provide advantages for the business organizations as they can use flash advertisements of their products in order to capture the attention of varied users while they browse these SNSs. Thus, it provides a creative selling opportunity for the users. In terms of cost-benefit point of view, the advantages that this kind of advertisement provides to business organizations are immense. As compared to other media, this method of advertising is quite cost-effective for the businesses. It also provides a scope to target large consumer segment that are present in different parts of the world. Therefore, from the business’ point of view SNSs provides a unique opportunity to showcase their offerings to people (Oracle ThinkQuest, â€Å"Why Use Networking Sites?†). The SNSs provide people with an opportunity to create as well as maintain relationships, gather information on various subjects; provides an opportunity to contribute and also par ticipate in various social issues and causes, and enables professional networking which is invaluable for a jobseeker as well as employer. SNSs also enable newscasters to keep the users aware of the recent events. The sharing of knowledge and experience can be invaluable though SNSs as users belonging to different fields such as education, medicine, finance, technology and others can advice people regarding their queries on public forums (Boise Public Library, â€Å"Tweeting Isn’t Just for the Birds†). The social networking sites enable political organizations to be in contact directly with the public in more personal way. This makes these political organizations more reachable, personable, as well as comprehending with regard to the individuals that generally follow their activities or participate in them. As the SNSs are spread across the global arena,

Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 7

Strategic Management - Essay Example In order to earn profits on the part of a company, it is deemed very necessary for a company or a business firm to do something different than the rest of the lot so that it is considered as an entity that provides value and meaning to its customers different from the rest of the remaining lot. This value can be in the form of provision of a totally different and novel service that the company might give at a particular period of time or bring in certain activities that mesh along well with the company’s varied products which are actually being sold under the umbrella of the company’s name. Hence the changing market structure might call for changing strategies and lines of action that would all target the people for whom the product is actually designed as well as the competitors with whom the clutter is being broken in the environs of the marketplace. Thus competition brings in more and more quality at the end of the company with regards to its products as well as more sales in the form of its varied and changed stance on focusing towards the customers rather than the product itself. Apart from that, emphasis on need must be the order of the day rather than bringing out more and more varied stock key units just for the sake of it. The different products should satisfy each and every user rather than satisfy the people sitting in the innovation labs and those who invent just to take the company one step further. This trap should thus be avoided under all circumstances.

Professional Values and Ethics Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Professional Values and Ethics Paper - Essay Example it for work that we have not done.† (OLeary) The struggle for existence is immense in the current world and hence people quiet often keep values and morality at some convenient places alone rather than the entire life situations. Those who stick with morality or values may be seen as fools by the current world. Only those people who have sound insight over their life philosophy may try to adhere with values in their professional life. But it is necessary to keep values at the higher places to avoid unnecessary problems even in the current professional world. â€Å"The concept of Professional Ethics is partly comprised of what a professional should or should not do in the work place† (Mclarty, Mcburney &Stevetuff) I know a person who has been promoted for the high degree of values and ethics exhibited at work place. This fellow was working in the planning department and forced to continue in the second shift because of his reliever’s absenteeism. Unfortunately, even the person who was supposed to come in the third shift was also absent on that particular day and my friend decided to stay back even for the third shift in order to keep the planning processes intact. The plant manager has noticed his commitment and immediately he arranged vehicle and send him back to his home after the essential jobs were completed. In response to the high degree of commitment exhibited by my friend, he has been promoted immediately. â€Å"Professional Ethics concerns ones conduct of behavior and practice when carrying out professional work.† (Davison & Kock) It is possible for an employee to leak out the company secrets to its competitors for individual benefits. But such habits will definitely adversely affect the organization in which he is working. For example, if a company develops a new product to capture the market, the whole things about the new product and its specialties may be needed to keep as a secret up to certain time period for the success of the product. If an

Research Proposal (general research proposal for doctoral thesis to Essay

Research Proposal (general research proposal for doctoral thesis to the graduate department) - Essay Example My research during the first year of my master's program at the University of Victoria covered multiple topics within non-photorealistic rendering (NPR), graphics, and animation. During the course of my research, I completed a class on perception and graphics that resulted in a project that will be submitted this month for the _(name of journal)____, a reputable __enter subject__ journal . The project involved the study of human vision and perception and prompted me to expand my topic of NPR with perception into the formation of my master's thesis. My master's thesis titled, "Perceptual Imitation of Human Drawn lines" involved study within the areas of Newtonian Physics, Image Processing, and Artificial Intelligence. From my research and findings with this thesis, I intend to publish two papers in NPAR'08 and CAE'08. Therefore, for my doctoral study I wanted to get more in depth in my research in these particular topics. First, I would like to expand on the subject of lines to full animated cartoon character images. Image processing is naturally an essential field of study in NPR and will play a major role in my thesis. Also, image processing will lead to more critical study of perception. The study of perception falls into the area of psychology. Surprisingly, psychological research on NPR is limited. It was briefly discussed in my master's thesis.

Identify and discuss the concept of time to market with respect to the Essay

Identify and discuss the concept of time to market with respect to the commercialization - Essay Example Launching a product is the ultimate stage in its development and is the stage where most resources are put into play in acts such as advertisement of the product, its promotion and other acts aimed at marketing it. According to Kotler (2008), a marketer or the company must therefore decide on the action plan for introducing the product in the market through a proper implementation of its decisions through the development of a marketing mix that has a proper budget, of which timing is integral. The time to launch and market a product varies depending on companies or the marketer as well as how complex the product is and for the purposes of a marketer launching a product, time is defined as the period from the time the product is conceived until it is launched (Cooper, 2001). Time plays an important factor in the success of a product and it is important that marketers launch their products at the time when there is a good economic situation in order to reap from maximum sales of the products (Kotler, 2003). Market researchers have argued before that, in order to have a maximum uptake of your product that will ultimately lead to value addition of the product. The marketer must avoid any acts that may seem to be aimed at cannibalizing products that are already in the market and the products should only be launched when there are no improvements that can be made to it in the near future. Further, marketers must be aware that the commercialization plan can only be successful wh en the timing of the launch is the correct time (Masterson and Pickton, 2010). When faced with the danger of cannibalizing the uptake of other products marketed by the marketer or their sales, or when the economy is facing a downturn, the launch of the product should be delayed. Value creation a product intended for the market depends on a number of factors that must be able to satisfy the often compelling and competitive needs of the customer. This is because, by delivering products of

Research Proposal (general research proposal for doctoral thesis to Essay

Research Proposal (general research proposal for doctoral thesis to the graduate department) - Essay Example My research during the first year of my master's program at the University of Victoria covered multiple topics within non-photorealistic rendering (NPR), graphics, and animation. During the course of my research, I completed a class on perception and graphics that resulted in a project that will be submitted this month for the _(name of journal)____, a reputable __enter subject__ journal . The project involved the study of human vision and perception and prompted me to expand my topic of NPR with perception into the formation of my master's thesis. My master's thesis titled, "Perceptual Imitation of Human Drawn lines" involved study within the areas of Newtonian Physics, Image Processing, and Artificial Intelligence. From my research and findings with this thesis, I intend to publish two papers in NPAR'08 and CAE'08. Therefore, for my doctoral study I wanted to get more in depth in my research in these particular topics. First, I would like to expand on the subject of lines to full animated cartoon character images. Image processing is naturally an essential field of study in NPR and will play a major role in my thesis. Also, image processing will lead to more critical study of perception. The study of perception falls into the area of psychology. Surprisingly, psychological research on NPR is limited. It was briefly discussed in my master's thesis.

Letters Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Letters - Essay Example By including specific reasons for the purchase, it is a clearly defined message of why the buyer would like the product. Also, the exact expectations for delivery date and a reference to a previous telephone conversation both add helpful details. Message.   Is the message well organized?   Is it well developed with ample use of examples and specific details to support the purpose of writing?   If not, what can be done to improve the writing in this area? The first paragraph outlines exactly what the problem is: that the order must be placed by the product representative, that the company doesnt show a pending order, and the customer has not received a response from the representative. The second paragraph goes into more detail as to why this is of importance and time-sensitive. The customer also follows up by attaching the original order. 2. The customer could also offer action that will be taken if they dont hear from the representative by a certain date. For example, if I dont hear from you by this date I will have to purchase the flooring from another company. Message.   Is the message well organized?   Is it well developed with ample use of examples and specific details to support the purpose of writing?   If not, what can be done to improve the writing in this area? Message.   Is the message well organized?   Is it well developed with ample use of examples and specific details to support the purpose of writing?   If not, what can be done to improve the writing in this area? The writer could break this into two paragraphs, the first stating thanks for the help, the second clarifying what will be done with the advice given. Otherwise, it is well organized. There could be examples of the advice and action planned to take. The tone might be a little formal. Obviously the person the letter was written to took a lot of time to respond and offer advice. This would cause one to think the letter could be a little more personal

Japanese traits Essay Example for Free

Japanese traits Essay In short, the characters of anime show the Japanese who so aspire to Western traits as they would like to see themselves. It is an effect that cannot possibly be duplicated by live actors, who — being alive — can never really change the physical characteristics determined by their genetic makeup. They can dye their hair and even change their eye color with contact lenses, but they cannot fundamentally alter their skin color, facial features, or physique. And even if they tried, using special make-up effects or plastic surgery, the result would be unnatural. Only anime, and its cousin manga, can convincingly meld Japanese and Caucasian attributes into a natural-looking human being. This is because the upside of these genres inherent lack of realism is their unique ability to exploit the appeal of and fascination for the unreal. And that is why manga and anime have attained such a high status in the popular culture of Japan, compared to that of other countries. These are the only two media capable of portraying reality the way Japanese feel it should be. By comparison, live-action films sacrifice appeal from the outset simply because they feature Japanese actors. Fashion illustrator Nagasawa Setsu expressed the feelings of many Japanese in an essay he wrote in 1983 for the Japanese playbill of the British film Dont Look Now: With their sharp-featured faces and long-limbed bodies, Westerners (read Caucasians) are physically suited to the movie screen; everyone looks almost too beautiful, down to the minor characters . .Japanese are just the opposite. Even people who appear delicately beautiful in person look round and dumpy and totally unstylish on camera. The reason many people today say they dislike the ugliness† of Japanese films — content notwithstanding — is that the looks of Japanese screen actors put domestic films at a crucial disadvantage. Period pieces at least allow one to cover up these failings with elaborate costumes. But when they take off their clothes for bedroom scenes, even the most glamorous Japanese actors and actresses look hopelessly unattractive — which is why you cant pay me to watch Japanese porn. That Nagasawa is not alone in his preference is attested to by the growing number of animated pornographic videos that have been produced in Japan since the mid 1980s. Thus, the history of the past twenty years, during which anime has pushed live-action to the side and emerged as the face of Japanese cinema, has in essence been the history of ethnic bleaching in Japanese film. Incidentally, it was also during the last two decades that manga, originally regarded as kids stuff, truly came into its own as adult entertainment. In contrast to ideologies of American communities being portrayed as great melting pots, Americans have historically aligned themselves along racial and ethnic divisions. This has flourished in stereotypes of practically all non-majority members in the media. Japanese-Americans have been no exception. Characterizations of Japanese-Americans in the media often fail to make distinctions between Japanese, Japanese-Americans, Asians and Asian Americans. Consequently, attitudes towards Japanese-Americans have been heavily influenced by portrayals of all Asians. The first Asians to come to America in significant numbers were Chinese laborers. The early depictions emphasized slant-eyes, buckteeth and yellow skin. This representation reinforced the notion of â€Å"otherness. † Anti-Asian bias was a major reason behind immigration exclusion acts directed first at he Chinese, then the Japanese. Rather than the media acknowledging the difference between Asian cultures, American representation of Asians often borrowed indiscriminately from all cultures. All the dozens of Asians and Pacific Island cultures are lumped together into one homogeneous group identity. Even the Korean and Vietnamese women in the late 1950’s-70 were commonly called â€Å"Mama San† despite the Japanese American origins of the term. Characterizations of Japanese-Americans (and all Asians) in the media of the 1920’s and 1930’s as â€Å"vicious, rat-like sneaks, part of a world-wide â€Å"yellow peril† appears to have been one of the reasons for the internment. Amy Kashiwabara in â€Å"Vanishing Son: The Appearance, Disappearance, and Assimilation of the Asian-American Male in American Mainstream Media (1996) states â€Å"The visceral hatred of the Japanese inevitably tapped into yellow peril sentiments before the turn of the century which had been directed mainly against the Chinese†. In early movies, attached to the assignation of being Japanese came the implication of duplicity, violence and untrustworthiness appearing as Japanese traits, thus, sending the message that Asians, particularly Japanese men could not be trusted, no matter how Americanized they seem. This furthered the notion that Japanese-American men were even more dangerous than unassimilated ones because they could deceive people into trusting them. Persistent in early media was the idea of the diabolical Japanese that continually plotted the destruction of America in general and white women in particular. The 1946 film, â€Å"The Yellow Menace,† showed attempted Japanese domination. The 1940’s images on film were rife with scenes of Japanese torturing and abusing white people. The majority of Americans in the ‘40’s were intimately introduced to the Japanese in the context of war and violence at the movies, newspaper editorials, propaganda posters (*scan example) and later on in the 1950’s on television. Films from 1942 included â€Å"Prisoner of Japan,† â€Å"Remember Pearl Harbor,† and â€Å"Secret Agent of Japan. †

Specsavers: SWOT and PESTLE Analysis

Specsavers: SWOT and PESTLE Analysis 1.0 Introduction This report will provide a detailed analysis of Specsavers current corporate appraisal SWOT analysis. This will highlight the companies’ strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, which will help the company’s management, understand where the organisation is now. A Five Forces environmental analysis of the industry will examine the local, national and global influences of political, economic, social and technological factors (in the form of a PESTEL analysis) to understand opportunities and threats facing Specsavers currently and in the future. This will provide an evaluation of the external business environment in which Specsavers operates. This analysis will highlight the fundamental changes that the eye care industry is undergoing, especially; in defence to the unstable environment it faces from exogenous forces (oil prices, inflation etc) and endogenous forces. 2.0 SWOT Analysis of Specsavers Specsavers main strength is in its local knowledge of customers within the UK and Worldwide, providing a trusted eye care service, affordable glasses and contact lenses to a number of countries in Europe and worldwide.. It also has a strong work force with highly trained opticians, who carry out professional eye test using the latest optical equipment. Its major weakness is its lack of luxury designer brand awareness nationally and globally relative to its major competitors like Selfridges. Specsavers faces external threats from existing completion (Boots, Vision Express) in the market place for eye care as well as cheaper low cost brands from the Far East. Changes in Socioeconomic conditions can also play a part in Specsavers future success, as buyers are now more environmentally conscious and ethically educated. The main competitors are all promoting a strong sense of Corporate Social Responsibility agenda. Specsavers must also be mindful of any potential takeover bids from the lik es of Boots and Vision Express Group. See Figure 1 below for a full SWOT analysis of Specsavers. Figure1: Specsavers SWOT Analysis I N T E R N A L STRENGTHS Established for 24 years Wide ranges of products including hearing service UK’s leading eye care service provider – with 830 stores in UK and Europe Value for money – 2 for 1 offers Brand Awareness Human resources –Expert Opticians and audiologists Online Booking Use of latest optical and hearing equipment New Version One System for document management OPPORTUNITIES Develop brand awareness globally Further expansion of stores internationally New designer frames from leading fashion houses Market shift to globalisation New facilities or services Innovation Alliances Diversification E X T E R N A L WEAKNESSES Perception of Low Quality Designer Brand Awareness Does not stock high class brands like DG and Bebe Does not provide same day service like its competitors THREATS New existing competition Volatility in Price of Fuel Consequences of UK recession and credit crunch Market shift to globalisation Takeover bids – Norville Optical Far-East eye care companies expansion Extremely high competition for customers and resources The SWOT analysis of the company shows that its strengths are in its wide range of products and its reputation for carrying out a professional eye care service, large investments in latest optical and hearing aids equipment and its international presence. However, main weaknesses are low brand awareness for designer frames. Currently the company only distributes a number of designer brands of frames and sells it brands mainly through its stores. Therefore, it has opportunities to venture into e-commerce solution through web orders of designer frames. Also access additional capital and consider retail partnerships. The company faces various threats from new and existing competition, economic recession and due to its low brand awareness in designer (luxury) market segment faces potential takeover bids. 3.0 The Five Forces Model Porter explains that there are five forces inherent in a market, which will jointly determine the intensity of competition and profitability of Specsavers and the eye care industry. The first is the threat posed by new entrants, as with the growth in designer frames being offered by Selfridges, Harrods, and Rackhams etc. The second is the threats from substitutes, laser treatment v spectacles, and the growing demand in laser vision correction surgery. The third force is the threats from the bargaining power of buyers, is this strong for both Specsavers and the entire eye care industry with a large number of alternative suppliers, hence, the aggressive pricing strategy, two for one offers etc. This results in a very strong competitive rivalry in the industry. This is intensified as a result of little or no differentiation in the service offered. Finally the threats from the suppliers bargaining power, this is very strong in the eye care industry for two reasons, one is highly speciali sed products supplied by few manufacturers, hence, Norville Optical who can command a very favourable terms and second is the existence of many buyers within the industry. 4.0 External Environment – PESTLE Analysis All of those (political, economic, social, technical, legal and environmental) factors will to some extent apply to the eye care industry. POLITICAL – changes in corporation tax in the future within UK and internationally. With operations in Europe and across the globe, is the political regime favourable to foreign investment. The introduction of Carbon Taxation could also pose a future threat to Specsavers. ECONOMIC the high-end eye wear industry is vary recession prawn and also very sensitive to changes in prices. SOCIAL – changes in consumer taste and lifestyle represent both opportunities and threats for the eye care industry. Opportunities in terms of designer branded eye wear are now popular with high disposable income groups and also the growing trend in spectacles as a fashion accessory. The aging population in UK and throughout the globe will have a favourable impact upon the demand for eye care products and services. The threats are in terms of alternative vision correction treatments like laser and lack of skilled labour, will the educational system support future qualified opticians and audiologists, if not there may be a lack of supply. TECHNICAL – Changes in retailing methods as such spec sales via the Internet is now a common place in eye wear, online appointment booking with patients receiving an email containing their appointment details and booking reference when they book online. Paperless operation, the management and administration of the company are undertaken on IT systems, which are accessed through secure servers; provide flexibility in the running of the stores. Specsavers has implemented a new version one system for document management in order to provide a centralised accounting function for its 830 UK and European stores. The development of the next generation lenses will also lead to technological opportunities in terms of cost reduction and improvement in quality of lenses. LEGAL –Threats are in terms of future legislations for health and environmental issues. Specsavers needs to be mindful of data protection act (freedom of information act) as it will store a large amount of patients’ personal details. Do the current (or future) employment laws provide an advantage or disadvantage to the business? ENVIRONMENTAL – The energy sources used, namely oil has vast ecological/environmental implications. The threats are in terms of fines and rise in cost of raw materials. The introduction of Carbon taxation will affect Specsavers future profitability. 5.0 Conclusion Specsavers is clearly an organisation with a strong brand awareness and reputation for providing an affordable eye care service, with operations in a number of countries in Europe and across the globe. Specsavers environmental analysis via the SWOT, PESTEL and Five Forces showed that the eye care industry is experiencing a change in terms of becoming more socially responsible and customer service focused (due to intense competitive rivalry). Specsavers needs to view those environmental changes as an opportunity rather than a risk. In order to succeed in the future Specsavers needs to see employees as the key to competitive advantage in an industry that is highly dynamic. Corporate and human resource strategies are developed concurrently. Specsavers needs to view its human resources as the driving force in the development of its overall business strategy for the future. There needs to be an overriding emphasis on developing optician’s skills through intensive training programme (2 year graduate programme) and continual investment in RD. The future environment of Specsavers will largely be impacted by the introduction of the Carbon tax, which will threaten Specsavers ability to continue to offer affordable value for money glasses and contact lenses, as additional taxes will diminish margins, which could lead to increase prices. The internet will continue to shape the way Specsavers operates as a business, currently using it primarily for online appointment booking, but as the social trends change, consumers with busy lifestyles will prefer to use online shopping for ordering their frames and contact lenses. Specsavers has in recent times implemented an online document management system, to enable it to centrally manage payment of supplier’s invoices. This has resulted in significant time savings and operational costs as a result of improve efficiency and freeing up of storage space. Word Count =1,550 References Bibliography Needle, D. (2004) Business in Context – An introduction to business and its environment 4th Edition, Thomson Worthington, I. Britton, C. (2006) The Business Environment – 5th Edition, Prentice Hall Financial Times ACCA Paper 3.5 Strategic Business Planning and Development (2001) The Financial Training Company Johnson G and Scholes K (1993). Exploring Corporate Strategy Text and Cases. Cambridge: Prentice Hall. Porter M.E (1980) Competitive Strategy-Techniques for Analysing Industries and Competitors.

The Sacrament of Baptism Essay -- Christianity

In the United States Christianity is the largest religious group followed by Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism (Kohut and Rogers). According to the Pew Research Council Christianity was comprised of over 82 percent of the population in America as of March 2002 (Kohut and Rogers). Most of the world’s Christians live in the America’s and Europe (Pew Research Center). However, the population of Christians that currently live in the America’s and Europe is significantly lower than in the early 1900’s (Pew Research Center). Christianity is divided into three main branches: Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestants. The Protestants make up the largest branch of the Christian religion in the United States and totaled fifty-two percent of the American population in 2002 (Kohut and Rogers). Catholics come in a close second comprising twenty-four percent of the American Population in March of 2002 (Kohut and Rogers). The majorities of the Christian denominations popular today developed during the five hundred years after the protestant reformation and are part of the protestant denomination (Pew Research Center). Many of the Christian denominations share a lot of the same beliefs; however, there are quite a few topics they disagree on such as the sacrament of baptism. Many Christian denominations practice the tradition of baptism. However, many denominations differ widely on the meaning and significance of the sacrament or ordinance of baptism. Baptism in the Old Testament is used as a symbol of a believer’s devotion to God by washing with water as a sign of purification and consecration. There are many different meanings and techniques to baptism that have been observed by many faiths over thousands of years. Many of the customs and b... .... "Baptism (in the Bible)." New Catholic Encyclopedia. 2nd ed. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 2003. 56-60. Gale World History In Context. Web. 30 Dec. 2011. Zondervan NIV Study Bible. Zondervan New International Study Bible. Ed. Kenneth L. Barker. 2008. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002. Pew Research Center. Global Christianity: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Christian Population. 19 December 2011. December 2011 . "Sacrament." World Religions. New York: Macmillan Library Reference USA, 1987. Macmillan Compendium. Gale World History In Context. Web. 16 Nov. 2011. Sacrament of Baptism. 2003. .

Interest and 90-day Bank Loan

Accounts receivable changes with bad debts A firm is evaluating an accounts receivable change that would increase bad debts from 2% to 4% of sales. Sales are currently 50,000 units, the selling price is $20 per unit, and the variable cost per unit is $15. As a result of the proposed change, sales are forecast to increase to 60,000 units. a. What are bad debts in dollars currently and under the proposed change? b. Calculate the cost of the marginal bad debts to the firm. c. Ignoring the additional profit contribution from increased sales, if the proposed change saves $3,500 and causes no change in the average investment in accounts receivable, would you recommend it? Explain. d. Considering all changes in costs and benefits, would you recommend the proposed change? Explain. e. Compare and discuss your answers in parts c and d. P14-16 Zero-balance account Union Company is considering establishment of a zero balance account. The firm currently maintains an average balance of $420,000 in its disbursement account. As compensation to the bank for maintaining the zero balance account, the firm will have to pay a monthly fee of $1,000 and maintain a $300,000 non–interest-earning deposit in the bank. The firm currently has no other deposits in the bank. Evaluate the proposed zero-balance account, and make a recommendation to the firm, assuming that it has a 12% opportunity cost. P15–9 Cost of bank loan Data Back-Up Systems has obtained a $10,000, 90-day bank loan at an annual interest rate of 15%, payable at maturity. (Note: Assume a 365-day year.) a. How much interest (in dollars) will the firm pay on the 90-day loan? b. Find the effective 90-day rate on the loan. c. Annualize your result in part b to find the effective annual rate for this loan, assuming that it is rolled over every 90 days throughout the year under the same terms and circumstances.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Essay

Shelley wanted the audience in this scene to feel greater sympathy for the monster as he is turned away yet again by mankind because he is simply judged too quickly because of his appearance. Branagh remains true to Shelley’s intentions in this scene by making the monster appear heartbroken. Cries echo through the forest, he runs with a limp through the forest away from the house and collapses on the ground as soon as he thinks he is out of sight from the family. These things were very good for building up sympathy for the monster. This scene is also where we see the monster beginning to change. He goes back to the house and sees that the family have fled their home, this makes the monster so angry and upset that he sets fire to the cottage and swears that he will have revenge on the man who made him, so he reads the journal left in his jacket and goes to Geneva to get his revenge on Frankenstein. Branagh made this part of his film very dramatic by using very fast powerful music against the roaring of flames and black smoke that engulfed the cottage and the monster stood in front of the cottage looking fiercely at the flames with a look of anger in his eyes. This is good because it shows that the emotions and feelings which the monster has been hiding are all being forced out of him because he is determined to find answers to all the questions he has about his life and this is exactly how Shelley intended this scene to look as the monster suddenly realises his purpose of life is an experiment. When the monster kills William and sets up Justine Branagh managed to plan this very well because Shelley wanted the monster to kill the little brother and also be able to plant it on Justine without losing sympathy from the audience for the monster and Branagh is able to do this by not actually showing the monster killing William. In the next scene the monster and Frankenstein meet in the mountains, the monster has his chance to get his answers from the man who made him. The monster comes across as being very certain of his knowledge and his feelings. This appears to scare Frankenstein because he doesn’t actually know why he did something so evil and didn’t realise the greatness of the pain he had caused. Shelley wanted this conversation between the monster and Frankenstein to make the audience judge the monster as the ‘good guy’ and Frankenstein as the ‘bad guy. ‘ Branagh does this by making the monster talk and ask a lot more questions than Frankenstein. Frankenstein has a look of shock on his face throughout the conversation but the monster looks very certain and meaningful of everything he says to Victor, again making the monster seem superior to Frankenstein. Shelley wanted the audience to feel that the monster only did certain evil things because he was given emotions and senses but not shown how to use them and Branagh fits that into the film by the monster asking Victor Why he made him and brought him into the world to live and so very quickly and then left him to die. Shelley believed that no child should be bought into the world without being loved by parents; Branagh shows this belief of Shelley’s by building up a father and son relationship and shows the father-like character abandoning an innocent child-like character. The monster asks one thing of Frankenstein and that is to have a bride that will look as ‘ugly’ as him so that she would accept him for whom he is and vows that they will never be seen again. This again shows the maturity and sense of the monster. Frankenstein grants him this and promises he will have his bride. Frankenstein doesn’t keep his promise and returns home to marry his bride and travel away with armed men on their wedding night so they will have protection if the monster does come to kill them which he promised he would if he did not get his bride. It is a dark and stormy night and raining very heavily which makes it very hard to see through the dark night, Frankenstein goes outside because he thinks he hears the monsters pipe playing and leaves Elizabeth on her own, quiet slow music start to play but it starts to get faster and louder which says to the viewer that the monster is close by, which he is because he climbs through the window and punches Elizabeth in the chest and pulls her heart out, spraying blood everywhere making a very gruesome sound and very nasty to look at. Frankenstein refuses to accept the death of his new bride so he takes her back to his laboratory and starts cutting up Justine’s body and stitching parts of her and Elizabeth together and revives her so once again we see all the gory bits of limbs being cut up and sewn together, as Elizabeth awakens she realises what Victor has done to her as the monster comes into the laboratory and mistakes her for his bride which victor had promised her, she becomes so angry and upset with the fact that she has been part of Victor ‘playing God’ she sets herself on fire and runs through the house alighting everything. This scene is again highly over exaggerated, as it is very gory and horrifically unnecessary to the viewer. As Walton and his crew come to burn Frankenstein’s body the monster emerges from the distance and is offered by Walton to come with them, this being his first offering of acceptance to mankind, the monster says â€Å"he was my father† and decides to set himself alight upon Frankenstein’s body so that they burnt together. I think Branagh managed to remain true to most of Shelley’s intentions of ‘Frankenstein’ by portraying the monsters character as a very innocent, childlike character linking it all in very well with Shelley’s beliefs she had before and whilst writing ‘Frankenstein’. Branagh definitely pandered to the accepted stereotype of the horror genre by showing a lot of close-ups of quite disturbing images and very horrific noises that went with the images that a book can’t do. Branagh also used a very wide range of music that managed to fit into all the horrific parts of his film very well. Charlotte Tufnell 10M Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Mary Shelley section.

Lilys life style in the sociiety and roxy eager to help her child

Pudd’nhead Wilson and   The House of Mirth are both tragedies which concentrate on the miseries of women who are the victims of either their own expectations or the society’s expectations of them. In true Twain tradition, Pudd’nhead Wilson deals with the tragedy, thickly laced with his characteristic satire. It is believed that Twain wrote this during one of his dark periods in life when he was going through pessimism created by his financial debacles. The protagonist of the work, Roxy is a slave who can pass of as a white (though she is one sixteenth black). And she is brave. â€Å"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear – not absence of fear.† ( Twain, 36) In order to create a better life for her son, she exchanges him at birth with the son of her white master. But as fate would have it, her son turns out to be unworthy of the white man’s inheritance and his life goes astray. He even sells her forcibly to a white man in exchange for his gambling debts. In the House of Mirth, Edith Barton takes the readers through the life of highly desirable Lily bart, who sabotages the prospects of many suitors only to find herself decline into squalid dinginess, only to die of a sleeping draught overdose (perhaps accidentally). Most of the novel is the pursuit of money. â€Å"Society is a revolving body which is apt to be judged according to its place in each man’s heaven;† (Wharton, Chapter 4, Book I) Lily suffers because of two factors. She is incapable of following her heart and removing money as a vital point of the equation, therefore she suffers the constant heartburn of rejection. She is also not completely efficient in her manipulation of the society around her that she is not entrenched enough to counter the allegations of Bertha against her (of adultery with her husband) Paradoxically, both novels deal with freedom and slavery. While Twain deals with literal slavery and the lengths to which a mother, Roxy can go to ensure that her son escapes the clutches of slavery that she suffers, Barton talks about slavery to the pursuit of money. In the house of mirth, Lily starts feeling free when she has money and starts feeling enslaved when she does not have sufficient money. But the irony is she is always enslaved to the concept of money. Human folly led by social pressures and an inability to follow one’s heart are the causes of the tragedy of Lily, while several unfortunate incidents that start with a noble intention form the crux of Roxy’s tragedy. She is freed by her white master whom she deceives by exchanging her son with his and she is again sold off by her own son who does not know the truth. This is one of the best dramatic and tragic elements used by Twain in any of his works. Perhaps the most glaring similarity between the two novels is the way in which debts ruin a person’s judgment and lead him/her progressively towards more dreaded consequences. Lily’s unintentional debt to Gus when she starts being lavish imagining the money he gives her to be her own returns from the stock market marks the beginning of her end. Similarly â€Å"Tom† gambles heavily and this leads him into finding shadier and indirect means to repay these debts, resulting in a murder of his own uncle. In spite of the fact that neither Edith Wharton nor Mark Twain try overtly to convey any message to the readers, both these novels work as a danger signal posts which need to be looked out for to avoid any pitfalls related to monetary judgment and human judgment as a whole. Works Cited Twain, Mark. Pudd’nhead Wilson. NewYork: Courier Dover Publication, 1999 Wharton, Edith. The House of Mirth. NewYork: Norton, 1990

Diversity in Workplace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Diversity in Workplace - Essay Example According to Hofstede (2001), the culture background of an individual largely varies across different nations or their place of origin. It also influences how they interact with other people in the society, display social behaviour, perceive different stimuli and practise social customs. Thus, it can be stated that the individuals belonging from different cultural or ethnic background bear different psychological profile personality trait. stated that a workforce is more effective in delivering higher output if it is composed of employees from different cultural background. It gives the organisation a diverse employee base with employees bearing different personality traits suitable for different organisational activities. Green et al., (2012) further stated that diversity in an organisation should also be maintained on the grounds of gender distribution. As of now, in a typical organisation the male employees outnumber the female employees. These situations have become quite challen ging for the organisation and they have taken several steps towards its improvement. The racial discrimination in the US against the minority group of Muslim is quite prevalent. Major terrorist attack incidents have been linked to the entire community, which as a result has led to the increased discrimination of the Muslims by a large number of western population. According to the reports of Greenhouse (2010), the religious discrimination against the Muslims has found its way into the organisational behaviour of several firms.

Traditional vs Modern Architecture design in Shanghai, China Essay

Traditional vs Modern Architecture design in Shanghai, China - Essay Example which would help China connecting with the world. In the 1930s and 1940s there were only a few buildings being built in Shanghai. During 1970s due to the political unsettlement even those building that had a high traditional value were taken over by the government and given to those people who were in need of houses to live in. (Wong) In Shanghai there are two main types of traditional buildings. The first one is of government buildings or properties owned by corporate workers for example government headquarters, consulate buildings, banks, hotels etc. The other type is of residential buildings. The architecture and structure of these types of buildings were simply based on western concepts with a well-built neo-classical design which was usually found in Europe or the United States. In the old city regions residential houses were spread all over the area, this spots another type of architecture in Shanghai. Under this there were two types. The first were luxurious houses with gardens which were made for the rich, the other was small houses made for common people. High rise apartment buildings started to come into sight in Shanghai in the late 1920s as technology improved. These building usually rose to 15 storeys and had escalators for the convenience of people. (Wong) Shanghai consists of many buildings and structures of many different architectural styles. On the bank of the Huangpa River is The Bund, it contains a rich compilation of early 20th century architecture, which ranges in technique from neo-classical HSBC building to Sassoon House which is based on the theme of art deco. The French Concession which is a previous foreign concession is also well preserved. Even though there is extensive development the old city of Shanghai still holds on to buildings which are of heritage value , for example the Yuyuan Garden, a highly structured garden in the Jiangnan style. The city also consists of

Dax's biography Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Dax's biography - Research Paper Example She believed that the treatments were going well even if her son did not believe these treatments to be effective (Burns, 2005). More importantly, Ada believed that God wanted her son to live and to fulfill his responsibilities to Him. And she clung to the belief that if God really wanted his son to die then he would have let him die. In the meantime, all efforts to keep him alive must be done, even if these methods were against Dax’s will and even if these methods caused him considerable pain and suffering (Burns, 2005). In understanding Ada’s position, the normative ethics is the most appropriate theory which can be used. Normative ethics â€Å"is devoted to identifying the conditions under which actions are morally right, or motives and intentions are morally good† (Shafer-Landau and Cuneo, 2007, p. 1). It is concerned with a person’s actions being morally right and good. In the case of Ada, she believed that it was morally right and proper to keep Dax alive for him to fulfill his duties to God. Normative ethics is focused on identifying the conditions where actions are deemed right, and motives are deemed wrong (Shafer-Landau and Cuneo, 2007).... The teleological theory can be used in order to justify Houston’s actions. Teleological is derived from the Greek word â€Å"telos† which means â€Å"ends† (Wittjen, 2003). This theory considers, more than anything else, the end goals of certain actions, or in some instances, the consequences of one’s actions. For Houston, his actions can be supported by this theory in the sense that his actions support the ends he wanted to achieve. He wanted to keep Dax alive because Dax would stand to gain in the end. The ends he wanted to seek, therefore justifies his actions of wanting to keep Dax alive. C. Dr. Charles Baxter Dr. Baxter believed initially that Dax’s request to die was due to his feelings of severe pain and shock. He believed that Dax lacked the mental capacity to make the right decision about his care. In considering the entire situation, Dr. Baxter believed that Dax’s actions were just related to his attempts to control his environment and therefore it was his job to provide medical care to the best of his duty (Burns, 2005). Dr. Baxter’s actions can be supported by the deontological theory. Deontology is based on the word â€Å"deonto† which means â€Å"duty† in Greek (Wittjen, 2003). This theory is based on a person’s duties and responsibilities and how people should act based on such duties and responsibilities. In this case, actions are based on these duties and these duties shall guide and designate whether or not a person is acting based on such duties (Wittjen, 2003). In the case of Dr. Baxter, his actions are based on his duties and responsibilities. His duty and responsibility is to provide medical care to Dax because he believed that Dax was not thinking logically. He felt