A Critique Of Hedonism And Utilitarianism - 1418 Words

Ethics and Morality Ethics ties together philosophy and human morality, it explores the techniques and principles used to evaluate human actions on their goodness, badness, rightness, and wrongness. In this paper, I am going to give a critique of hedonism and utilitarianism. (and answer the question of what makes something good or bad) Humans cannot be truly objective when it comes to morality. In theory, morality is supposed to be unbiased, but when it is put into the hands of humans, there is always going to be errors. Naturally, people pursue their self-interest without thinking much about if it is morally right or wrong. However, I do believe that God has given us a set of laws as to what is right or wrong without being bias over it, but we can even interpret that in the wrong ways. Some points that may be argued for certain things that are always truly wrong include: rape, child abuse, or murder, but there are still times when murder may not be considered wrong. For instance, we have a whole army to go out and kill in order to support our country and keep us safe. Who would say that was wrong? Another example of humans altering the definition of morality is there are things about today that are considered right or wrong that were not that way in the past, such as slavery or woman’s rights. How can we call something wrong today and know it will still be that way tomorrow? In today’s society, people are constantly using their thoughts and feelings to justify morality,Show MoreRelatedRobert Nozicks Experiment, The Experience Machine and the Inclusion of Meta-Pleasure722 Words   |  3 Pagesdisprove the utilitarian notion of hedonism through a thought experiment that he has entitles â€Å"The Experience Machine† (Nozick 646). I will first explain the concept of utilitarianism and hedonism, then the experience machine before I give a reply about the inclusion of a third category of pleasure which I have called â€Å"meta-pleasure† . Finally, I will show how technology may be disproving the entire experience machine thought experiment altogether. Utilitarianism is a moral theory that seeks to defineRead MoreUtilitarianism : A Workable Moral Theory? Why Or Why Not?958 Words   |  4 PagesUtilitarianism: A Workable Moral Theory? Why or Why Not? Utilitarianism is one of the most commonly used ethical theories from the time it was formulated by Jeremy Bentham and John Stewart Mill in the nineteenth century. In his work, Utilitarianism, Bentham â€Å"sought to dispel misconceptions that morality has nothing to do with usefulness or utility or that morality is opposed to pleasure† (MacKinnon, 2012, p. 53). To simplify the utilitarian principle, which is one of utilityRead MorePerfectionism About Happiness And Higher Pleasures789 Words   |  4 Pages(Summary) In Chapter 3, â€Å"Perfectionism about happiness and higher pleasures,† Mill attempts to reassure readers that the utilitarian can and will defend the superiority of higher pleasures, such as poetry. He notes that hedonism can still defend higher pursuits as extrinsically and instrumentally. To see Mill’s point, Brink states that all other things have only, or at most, extrinsic value: they have value in relation to or for t he sake of something else that has intrinsic value. Mill claims thatRead MoreUtilitarianism, And The Moral Imperative1575 Words   |  7 Pages In this essay I intend on arguing the legitimacy of utilitarianism, and if its principles can be subjected effectively to society today. Utilitarianism, which is a common term in normative ethics, is a moral doctrine that coordinates and specifies evaluation and moral actions through three recommendations. These recommendations are the criterion of good and evil, a moral imperative, and a measured evaluation. A criterion of good and evil emphasizes on the happiness and stakeholdersRead MoreUtilitarianism And The Moral Imperative1575 Words   |  7 Pages In this essay I intend on arguing the legitimacy of utilitarianism, and if its principles can be subjected effectively to society today. Utilitarianism, which is a common term in normative ethics, is a moral doctrine that coordinates and specifies evaluation and moral actions through three recommendations. These recommendations are the criterion of good and evil, a moral imperative, and a measured evaluation. A criterion of good and evil emphasizes on the happiness and stakeholdersRead MoreUtilitarian Arguments1681 Words   |  7 Pagesbest arguments against Utilitarianism, and show in my own opinion, why I think they are wrong. The strongest counterargument against Utilitarianism would have to be Sterling Harwood’s eleven objections to the theory. Sterling Harwood states that even he does not accept all eleven of his objections, but he merely wants to survey a large number of objections and provoke further discussion. (p. 186) Harwood’s objections are applied to all twelve versions of Utilitarianism, which are motive, actRead More Immanuel Kants Ethics Of Pure Duty and John Stuart Mills Utilitarian Ethics Of Justice2753 Words   |  12 PagesMetaphysics of Morals and John Stuart Mills Utilitarianism Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill are philosophers who addressed the issues of morality in terms of how moral traditions are formed. Immanuel Kant has presented one viewpoint in The Grounding For The Metaphysics of Morals that is founded on his belief that the worth of man is inherent in his ability to reason. John Stuart Mill holds another opinion as presented in the book, Utilitarianism that is seemingly in contention with the thoughtsRead MoreMoral Philosophy Is An Area Shrouded By Debate Essay1934 Words   |  8 PagesThe prevalence given to pleasure in moral philosophy is an area shrouded by debate. Fundamentally the argument becomes one of utilitarianism opposed by deontological ethics. Other theories such as egoism and virtue ethics provide examples of how one should live a moral life which, depending on the defined notion of pleasure, could have the value prescribed to their theoretical guides for how to lead the moral life. Often when we consider what is pleasurable our th oughts delve towards the emotionsRead MoreMoral Judgements Are Morally Wrong?2025 Words   |  9 Pagesconsequentialism is the view that actions should be deemed morally right or wrong based on the outcomes an action has. A consequentialist would compare the end results of two different actions and their interest is in the conclusion of the action. Utilitarianism is a branch of consequentialism that believes that the best action is the one that promotes the most utility. This also means that actions need to present the most overall good for all and not just a single person. John Stuart Mill, a nineteenthRead MoreThe Principle Of Utility Explicit That Actions Or Behaviors Are Right1810 Words   |  8 Pagesin so far because they motivate contentment or pleasure, wrong as they tend to develop unhappiness or sadness. Therefore, usefulness is a teleological principle. This once again gives rise to some of the similar fundamental issues concerned with hedonism, as discussed in the earl ier section on Teleological Hypothesis. Recall a memory that a pleasure-seeker believes that the good life constitutes only in the pursuit and experience of pleasure or contentment. The feelings of contentment and sadness

Autism †General Overview of Autism Free Essays

General Overview of Autism What is Autism? Autism is defined as a disorder of early development that causes severe problems in thinking, communicating with others, and feeling a part of the outside world (Autism 2009). A person diagnosed with autism has a brain abnormality that affects normal brain function (Nordquist 2009). Most diagnoses of autism are usually never the same, even though, the symptoms are generally similar. We will write a custom essay sample on Autism – General Overview of Autism or any similar topic only for you Order Now Autism must not be confused with childhood schizophrenia or mental retardation, though the actions of children with these circumstances are sometimes related to that of autistic children (Autism 2009). Autism prevents children from developing normal social relationships, even with their parents (Autism 2009). Infants and Autism Autism is generally not diagnosed until two or three years old, but there is an extremely controversial argument on whether or not it could be diagnosed in infants. According to Canadian researchers, they could already see signs and symptoms of autism in infants at approximately six months old (Boyles 2005). The researchers believe that the infant is already predisposed with abnormal brain development inside their mother’s womb. The infants that Canadian researchers experimented were only limited to families that already had an older child born with autism (Boyles 2005). According to research conducted in an article of Developmental Psychology, it is not possible to diagnose and infant with autism (Charman et al. ,1997). The researchers conducted a study on thirty eight boys, separated into three different groups: Autism Risk Group, Developmental Delay Group, and Normal Group. The studies were based upon four different criteria: Empathy, Pretend Play, Joint Attention, and Imitation (Charman et al. 1997). Based on their results, it was not evident t to say whether or not a child could be diagnosed with Autism. This based upon the findings that children in the autism group and children in the developmental delay group were indistinguishable and the scorings were far too similar (Charman et al. , 1997) In another study conducted by Dalery et al. , they compared young children and infants who were clinically dia gnosed with autism or developmental delay (DD). The researchers were trying to differentiate whether the existence of symptoms of autism making it possible to be a different developmental disorder and whether or not the symptoms increase with age (Dalery et al. 2006). In the results from children under 26 months, the findings were insignificant and eerily similar to the experiment conducted by Chairman et al. They were unable to determine if the clear signs of developmental delay or autism were definite (Dalery et al. 2006). Symptoms of Autism Children diagnosed with Autism act differently from one another and no two autistic children have the same symptoms or act the same (CDC 2007). Children with Autism have severe impairments with social, emotional, and communication skills. Some have difficulty accomplishing everyday tasks and have to maintain a consistent day to day routine (CDC 2007). A symptom of autism that affects many autistic children is they have an intricate time holding a conversation. Thus, they tend to have a hard time making friends because of this impairment (CDC 2007). Another symptom of autism is repetitive behavior. This causes a stimulating effect on the child (CDC 2007). For example, a child may consistently rock back and forth, or flip the pages of a book over and over again. Autistic children have a difficult time managing in an everyday life. Once a child is diagnosed with autism, (usually between the ages of 2-4), it stays with them for the remainder of their lives (CDC 2007). With the various symptoms of autism, repetitive behavior seems to be the most consistent symptom that is distinguishable in almost all autistic patients (Gray et al. 1995). To determine whether or not this is true, research was conducted in Australia. The researchers wanted to determine if repetitive behavior was a distinguishable sign of autism in children less than 51 months. Since there are many different types of repetitive behavior, the different types were classified into two categories: higher and lower levels of repetitive behavior (Gray et al. 1995). According to Gray et al. , higher level repetitive behavior is highly consistent with autistic children under the age of 51 months. Low level repetitive behavior was not a direct diagnosis with autism. A significant number of children with other developmental delay disorders often demonstrated aspects of lower level repetitive behavior (Gray et al. 1995). Autism and Public Schooling When a parents makes the decision to enroll their autistic child into public school, it is often a difficult decision. Sometimes the decision is made because the parent does not have the means to send their child to a school specialized for autistic children. Other times it is because many autistic designed schools only accept unique or extreme cases and their child do not meet the requirements (Rudy 2009). Even though a public school is required to give adequate education to a child with a learning disability, how does the parent know what is adequate to the teacher (Rudy 2009)? A positive aspect of public schools is that children with autism can interact with normal developing peers. Researchers argue that this type of interaction may â€Å"provide opportunities for building relationships and developing social and communicative behaviors, in response both to the demands made by mainstream peers and the modeling their behavior provides (Whitaker 2004). † In a study conducted by Whitaker, the mainstream peers developed a routine with the autistic children. The mainstream peers seemed to understand and learn the routines of the autistic peer. Whether or not the autistic child received any awareness or pleasure from this type of interaction was harder to detect, even though they appeared to be enjoying themselves (Whitaker 2004). Parents of Children with Autism It is devastating for a parent to learn that their child has a severe health problem or developmental disability (Parenting a Child with Autism 2007). The first question that arises is, â€Å"How can we cure it? †, but autism is not â€Å"curable†. In the beginning, parents often find some kind of support to help them cope with the discovery or having an autistic child. They also need to educate themselves as much as possible and decide what is best for the child (Parenting a Child with Autism 2007). D. E. Gray conducts a study to see how parents of autistic children cope with their child’s illness over time. Between 1988 and 1990, he begins his study and the sample included 28 parents of autistic children. In the beginning, parents used 51 different methods to cope with the discovery of their child’s illness. D. E. Gray followed-up with these parents 8-12 years later and the methods parents used decreased dramatically to 27. Parents learned to cope with their child’s autism throughout time. Maybe this was due to the fact that the child had become less disruptive and was more orderly in their habits (D. E. Gray 2006). It also may have been due to the fact that their children were enrolled in special schools (only one was enrolled in public schools). In the beginning, parents still had to adapt to the changes in their environment and with their child. As their emotional distress decreased, so did their need for emotional support (D. E. Gray 2006). Conclusion While the causes of autism remain a great mystery, one fact is certain: Autism affects every area of learning throughout the child‘s life. Until research on autism provides more information about how autism affects the human brain, children and their parents who are affected will be unable to understand and fully deal with this disability. It is only with more information that we will learn the best approach to teach autistic children and tackle this disability head on. How to cite Autism – General Overview of Autism, Papers

Higgins Essay Example For Students

Higgins Essay Higgins is a strong-minded individual, a man who takes charge and givesorder. He is just like my principal at school. She is a doctor and knowswhat she is doing and how to do it. The both know how to minuplate somebodyelse into believing them. They also know how to get people to do what theywant to do because they are smart and strong. That was they both are likethe same because they want respect and one way to get that is to giverespect and after they get respect they get the power and encouragementfrom their peers to listen to what they have to say. One way Higgins is a strong minded individual is because he practicesand reads a lot. He also writes stuff down and make sure he has someunderstanding in what he is getting hisself into. Also he is demanding heknows what he wants and he likes to get right down to the point. He doesntlike to beat around the bush and that what makes him an strong mindedindividual. On the other hand my principal is some what they same. Shelikes to look at stuff and examine what is going on before she reacts onsomething. If she believe something is going on she doesnt go histaracalbut she actually wants to go look for her self before she judges anything. That what makes her an strong minded individual. They both are people who are good and knows what they wants out oflife. That is why I compared both of them together because Higgins is anold time figure and my principal is my modern figure of someone that takescharge and leads people into doing good. The both are well respected anddoesnt like a lot of problems going on and likes to deal with things in anhead to head manner.

Market Revolution free essay sample

History The impact of the Market Revolution was the dawn of new markets in land, labor and produce. It ultimately changed American society and reflected a turn away from agrarian ideals through various changes in business, transportation, and society. Overall, the Market Revolution impacted the nation through different regions; the northeast became industrial, while the south relied on farming. The Northeast was booming in industrial growth from the Market Revolution. With the new textile mills, there were many jobs and the economy was on the rise. However, two of the biggest ways the Northeast was able to improve was with its improvements on transportation and various innovations. For example, in 1825 the Eerie Canal was created by Dewitt Clinton and set the stage for faster and easier transportation for goods and people. Also, with New York growing into one of the nation’s largest cities, there were various railroad networks that linked major cities. We will write a custom essay sample on Market Revolution or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Lastly, the Northeast region was also improving with the creation of companies. For example, in 1813 Francis Cabot Lowell created the Boston Manufacturing company created the first large scale manufacturing cities in the United States of America (Lowell, Massachusetts). With this company, Lowell was also able to create 6,000 jobs by 1836. Because of these important improvements, the Market Revolution industrialized the Northeast and definitely set it apart in comparison to the Southwest region. While the Northeast was improving vastly on industrialization, the South was concentrated on their growth of farming. Even though, the South lagged in the growth of industrialization and urbanization, they had just as fast growth in their economy. It was Eli Whitney’s invention of the cotton gin that made slaves last longer and the production of cotton much faster. For example, cotton growth went from around 75,000 bales in 1800 to over 2 million bales in 1850 with the improvements on producing cotton. Because of the faster production of cotton, the South was able to export to Europe and the Northeast for an advantageous profit. Even though the South obviously had most of their growth due to cotton, they were still able to improve technologically wise. They did have factories and large ports and harbors. For example, the Mississippi transportation helped businesses export across the country with the advances of the steamboat. Thus, having a similar growth in transportation in comparison to the north. From 1815-1860, the Market Revolution was able to have growth in both the Northeast and the South regions and even though they had many differences, the regions were brought together with their booming economies. The large improvements in farming and industrialization were able to shape America into a powerful and wealthy country.

Tic tac toe Essay Example

Tic tac toe Essay Example Tic tac toe Paper Tic tac toe Paper Tln01nga goal weak methods: depth-first search (DFS), breadth-first search (BFS), constraint satisfaction (CSP) strong methods: use heuristics, A* search s goal nodes Tic Tac Toe Playing Strategies Two players human computer. The objective is to write a computer program in such a way that computer wins most of the time. Three approaches are presented to play this game which increase in Complexity Use of generalization Clarity of their knowledge Extensibility of their approach These approaches will move towards being representations of what we will call A1 techniques. Tic Tac Toe Board- (or Noughts and crosses, Xs and Os) It is two players, X and O, game who take turns marking the spaces in a 33 grid. The player who succeeds in placing three respective marks in a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal row wins the game. 2 4 5 6 8 9 7 positions Zero-Sum Games Focus primarily on adversarial games Two-player, zero-sum games As Player 1 gains strength Player 2 loses strength and vice versa The sum of the two strengths is always O. Search Applied to Adversarial Games Initial state Current board position (description of current game state) Operators Legal moves a player can make Terminal nodes Leaf nodes in the tree Indicate the game is over Utility function Payoff function Value of the outcome of a game Example: tic tac toe, utility is -1, O, or 1 Game Trees Tic tac toe Two players, MAX and MIN Moves (ana levels) alternate Detween two players Minimax Algorithm Search the tree to the end Assign utility values to terminal nodes Find the best move for MAX (on MAXS turn), assuming: MAX will make the move that maximizes MAXS utility MIN will make the move that minimizes MAXs utility Here, MAX should make the leftmost move Minimax applet Minimax Properties Complete if tree is finite Optimal if play against opponent with same strategy (utility function) Time complexity is O(bm) Space complexity is O(bm) (depth-first exploration) If we have 100 seconds to make a move Can explore 104 nodes/seco nd Can consider 106 nodes / move Standard approach is Apply a cutoff test (depth limit, quiescence) Evaluate nodes at cutoff (evaluation function estimates desirability of position) Alpha-Beta Pruning Typically can only look 3-4 ply in allowable chess time Alpha-beta pruning simplifies search space without eliminating optimality By applying common sense If one route allows queen to be captured and a better move is available Then dont search further down bad path If one route would be bad for opponent, ignore that route also Max 71 No need to look here! Maintain [alpha, beta] window at each node during depth-first search alpha bound, change at max levels beta = upper bound, change at min levels = lower Alpha Beta Properties Pruning does not affect final result Good move ordering improves effectiveness of pruning With perfect ordering, time complexity is Goals To reduce the space complexity Game can be played one or two players Builds High-Level Game Contain Levels

A Business analysis of Sony Ericsson

A Business analysis of Sony Ericsson Sony Ericsson is a joint venture owned equally by the telecommunications leader Ericsson and Sony corporation- the consumer electronics powerhouse. It was established in the year 2001 with a capital of 100,000,000 Euro and released its first product in the year March 2002.The management team of Sony Ericsson is based in Hammersmith in London. It is the fourth largest manufacturer of phones in the world as of 2009. It has around 8450 employees with over 2500 contractors worldwide. It has a 6.788 billion revenue and the profit of 836 million in last year. Globally, its market share dropped from 9.4% to 7.9% in Q1 2008.(Wikipedia.com,2010) Sony Ericsson is a global provider of multimedia devices such as phones, PC cards and accessories. The products with its powerful technology and innovative applications result in mobile imaging, entertainment, communications and music. In areas of music, design and applications the products from Sony Ericsson have a universal appeal. It uses communic ation technologies such as 2G and 3G platforms in its products, increasing the offerings to the market. In this assignment our focus will be on the following arguments: Sony Ericsson’s phone, model number W910i, which is in a declining stage Reasons for declining of W910i Situational analysis of Sony Ericsson and W910i mobile phone A marketing plan for the rejuvenation of Sony Ericsson W910i The Argument Structure Sony Ericsson W910i was one of its kinds. It is a slider phone and was branded as the Walkman phone. It had features such as shake control which enable music track change by just shaking the phone, it also had video games based on Java ME and JP-8. It is available in six different colours and included a 1GB or 2GB memory card. It can also play FM radio using the RDS and TrackID service. On the 14 Feb 2008, this phone was awarded the Best Handset 2008 award by the GSM. Despite all these features the phone had stability issue which led to its decline. The ph one used to crash and switch off intermittently and as of November 2009, to fully resolve these issues the company is yet to release a version of software. The other instability issue which it has includes screen complaints and system freezing, button input failures and restarting. Due to these issues, the phone has received a lot of criticism in many forums and reviews and eventually leading to its decline in the market. Situational Analysis of Sony Ericsson and its Mobile Phone W910i Strengths Sony Ericsson has diversity in its products. The other major strength is Sony as a brand name. Sony Ericsson W910i was branded as Walkman phone. It was the first phone which replace the File manager which is seen in older models to the present Sony Ericsson Media Manager. It had a large number of features such as Java based video games and applications, shake control feature, was available in six different colors. On account of all these features it was awarded the Best Handset Award in 2008 Weakness Lack in customer preferences understanding, uuser-centereddesigns and brand awareness globally. It had less technology advancement. Sony Ericsson W910i had many stability issues such as crash and intermittent switching off. Other issues included system freezing and button input failures.

Financial impact on universal healthcare in the U.S Essay

Financial impact on universal healthcare in the U.S - Essay Example An interdisciplinary perspective is advocated in the modern healthcare provision, which encompasses more responsibilities. With the recent developments in the interactions that healthcare providers have with drug suppliers, financial and accounting regulations have been given emphasis than ever before. In what has evolved to be commonly known as Physicians-Industry Relations, it is clear that there are a number of risks that the healthcare practitioners might be exposed to regarding dealing with the pharmacy industry. In terms of the two industries interactions, it has been observed that several financial flaws have been happening in several healthcare settings. As a result, serious accounting and audit flaws that consequently emanate from the malpractice compromise the integrity of the healthcare professionals. Generally, the procurement of drugs for use in the healthcare facilities is conducted depending on the availability of the drugs as offered by pharmaceutical companies. Competition among drugs supplying companies has led to an environment where drugs salespeople and medical representatives for other pharmaceutical products are deployed to woo clients from the healthcare environment. In a competitive market, unfair business deals always find their way into the market in an attempt to keep off competitors. Among the major unprofessional practices that such deals apply is the bargaining element that forces salesmen to supply products at the expense of business fairness regulations. Supply of substandard healthcare products is often embarked on in order to win sales, which compromises the level of healthcare service delivered by healthcare professionals. It therefore implies that colluding is almost impossible to be avoided by healthcare facility management in order to benefit in certai n ways. Due to certain conflicts of interests between the suppliers and the healthcare professionals, loopholes in internal control standards

Contemporary media practices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Contemporary media practices - Essay Example Inclusion in immersion indicates the way physical reality is shut out while its extensive characteristics indicate the various sensory modalities accommodated (Slater & Wilbur, 1997; Tavinor 2009, p.184). Immersion is regarded as a great experience in gaming and is considered in games, designers and researchers of games as an essential experience in interaction. The theory of immersion is perceived in many aspects but is generally employed in software when referring to the virtual reality of and games. Within the gaming context, immersion is considered to be essential because review on games indicate immersion is related to the reality of the game world or even the atmospheric sounds. Immersion is considered to have depth because the experience of immersion is essential in enjoying a game and is sustained or even destroyed by the characteristics of the game (Brown & Cairns, n.d). However, focusing on specific cases necessitates a thorough discussion with regard to the notion of immer sion that includes a player’s complete and total psychological identification with a character, immersion into the situation or story, a trance state, sharing of emotional bond with a character or even having similar reactions to events of play (Torner & White 2012, p.75). The different perceptions of meaning of immersion have generated conceptual confusion such that even observer promote simply abandoning it since what it obscures in more compared to what it reveals. Moreover, adoption of unexamined commonplace knowledge regarding the relationship between reality and game experience has been considered â€Å"immersive fallacy†. This is a way of considering the history of technologies of communications that takes it as inexorably and ideally leading to more powerful systems of simulation. Immersion’s conceptual elusiveness can be attributed to the

Reasons for European Exploration to the Americas Essay Example for Free

Reasons for European Exploration to the Americas Essay There were many reasons for European exploration. As Europes demand for Eastern goods grew Europeans began to search for new trading routes to reduce the expenses. Another reason for exploration was the arrival of Marco Polo. When he returned from China, he came back with stories of the East. In addition, each empire wanted to expand its empire and acquire colonies and gold in order to fulfill the imperialism principle, which stated that a strong empire must have the most bullion or silver. Moreover, Europeans also set off to explore the land in order to spread Catholicism. In other words, God, gold, and glory stated and summarized the Europeans motives for exploration. The Portuguese and Spanish empires were one of the first to start exploring the New World. The Portuguese exploration was one of the first European explorations. The Portuguese started sending voyages to find new trading routes. The Portuguese also established trading posts along the African shore for the purchase of gold and slaves. The Portuguese established plantations on the African coastal islands of Madeira, the Canaries, Sao Tome, and Principe. The Portuguese pushed farther southward in search of the water route to Asia. DÃ ­as was the first to get to the southernmost tip of the African continent in 1488. Ten years afterwards Vasco da Gama reached India, making him the first to first to find a route to India by going around the tip of Africa or the Cape of Good Hope. Other Portuguese explorers included Magellan, who was the first to sail around the world. At the end, Portugal discovered an eastern route to India that doubled the Cape of Good Hope. Since the Portuguese set trading post and controlled the only trade route then, the Spanish set out to find their own trade route. Because the Portuguese controlled the eastward route, Columbus believed that it was possible to reach the Spice Islands by heading westward since the Earth was round. Columbus persuaded the Spanish king and queen and they granted him three ships. Heading westward, Columbus discovered a New World. He discovered the Caribbean Islands and then the Americas, but he thought he reached the Indies. This was the greatest accomplishment or rather the best failure in the Spanish exploration. The news of a New World spread like a forest fire throughout Europe and the race for colonies between Portugal and Spain began. Each country started to conquer the ancient civilizations and exploit the continents raw material; this often caused disputes over colonies and territories. In order to end disputes, Spain and Portugal formed the Treaty of Tordesillas. This treaty divided South America into two vertical divisions; the lion share went to Spain, but the Portugal received compensating territory in Africa and Asia, as well as the title to lands that one day would be Brazil. The Americas after 1492 would never be the same. In conclusion, the Portuguese exploration found a new route around the southern African tip. The Spanish exploration found the New World, which was considered a new source of raw material. After the discovery of the New World, the Spanish and Portugal raced to establish new colonies; the New World would never then be the same after 1492. www.stemnet.nf.ca/CITE/exage.htmAmerican Pagent 13e

Internet Identity Experiences in Turkles Article Essays -- Web Cybers

Internet Identity Experiences in Turkle's Article In Turkle's article "Identity in the Age of the Internet," she questions "Why grant such superior status to the self that has the body, when the selves that don't have bodies are able to have different kinds of experiences?" Turkle gives many great details and examples of the things that can happen when people are allowed to express themselves as any character that they wish which enables them to have experiences that may be different then the ones from their everyday life. In addition Dale Spender examines in her article "Gender Bending," how men and women are viewed differently online as well as offline. These articles arises the thought of how might Spender answer the question brought on by Turkle. So I came up with an idea of what Spender's answer to this might be. When Turkle questions the fact that online experiences can be so much more rewarding then offline experiences, she is talking about several different examples. One example of an experience relates to "Living in the Mud ," and the possibilities of role playing on the internet through online games such as, Trek MUSE, and LambdaMOO. In these games you can chose to be anyone you wish whether it be male, female, a thing or even a graphical icon such as Barbie, or the Mighty Morphon Power Ranger. No one can know who you are or what your true identity is. What is so interesting about these games is that you can be a character who resembles you very similarly, or someone whom is not like you in any way shape or form. Possibilities can vary to as many ways as you can think up. Sherry Turkle feels that the computer is more then just a tool, that it is a "second self". She also states that the, "Internet, links millions... ...rd horror stories about people meeting others on the net whom they thought were one way that they described themselves to be but in actuality were nothing of the sort. I find that to be very disturbing and in some cases life threatening. I do agree with the fact that there are opportunities to have new experiences on line, but I do feel that if this is going to be made possible and continue on that their does need to be more screening than there is currently. I as well as others would feel much more safe and open if users knew more true information then is being given out at the current time. Works Cited Turkle, Sherry, "Identity in the Age of the Internet." Composing Cyberspace. ed. Richard Holeton. San Francisco: McGraw Hill, 1998, 5-11. Spender, Dale, "Gender Bending." Composing Cyberspace. ed. Richard Holeton. San Francisco: McGraw Hill, 1998, 69-75.

Psycology Analysis of Stephen Hawking

I chose Stephen Hawking to write about for my case study because I have always found him extremely interesting. As a fellow atheist he has come pretty outstanding scientific theories on how our universe came about, none of which are attributed to some fictitious being. I am also inspired with the amount that Hawking has done so far in his lifetime. All this has been done in spite of, or because of, having ALS. As a medical professional I am in awe of the things that he has accomplished.Stephen William Hawking, born in 1942 is the eldest of Frank and Isobel Hawking’s three children. Mary was born in 1943, Philippa was born in 1947, and Edward was adopted in 1956. As a newborn Stephen first lived in Northern London. Hawking’s parents where themselves quite accomplished, Stephen’s father was a respected medical researcher in the specialty of tropical diseases, while his mother was one of Oxford’s first female students. When he was just two weeks old Stephen w as almost killed when a V2 rocket damaged the Hawking’s home while they were away.This is when the Hawking’s moved to Oxford in order to avoid the attacks by the Luftwaffe (the aerial warfare branch of the German Armed Forces) and to provide a safer environment to raise their growing family. In 1950, when Stephen was eight years old he and his family moved to St Albans in Hertfordshire. As a child Stephen was awkward and small for his age. His teachers thought he was bright but he did not stand out as being very far above his classmates in elementary school. At one point in school he was third from the bottom of his class.He did enjoy creating games with his friends. They would come together at the family home on weekends and holidays to play. Stephen would create many of the rules and the games would often be so complex that one turn could take an entire afternoon. At the local public high school, the gauche, lisping Hawking was persecuted as a swot, which is a person that devotes themselves solely to their studies and avoids social diversions. He avoided team sports and pop music for a world of jazz, classical music, and debating. I think that these tendencies point toward him being an introvert.Stephen had always shown an interest in science. After graduating from high school he enrolled himself at Oxford. There was no mathematics offered at the time, so Hawking chose Physics as his major. During his time at Oxford Stephen also showed great interest in Thermodynamics, relativity and quantum mechanics. He received his B. A. degree from Oxford University, in 1962, after which he enrolled for studying astronomy. Stephen met his wife Jane Wilde, a languages undergraduate at a New Year's party in 1963, while studying at Cambridge, they were married in 1965.He was named a fellow of the Royal Society at the age of 32, and later earned the prestigious Albert Einstein Award. In 1975 he traveled to Rome, where he was honored with the Pius XI Gold Medal for Science from Pope Paul VI. In the 1980s Hawking answered one of Einstein's unanswered theories, the famous unified field theory. Hawking published his first book, The Large Scale Structure of Space-Time in 1975, rocked the physics community by examining and expanding on Einstein’s General theory of relativity, and the general structure of space and time. In 1988 Hawking, published A Brief History of Time.A short, informative book, that became an account of cosmology for the masses. Spending more than four years atop the London Sunday Times' best-seller list, it has sold more than 25 million copies worldwide and has been translated into more than 40 languages since its publication. In September 2010, Hawking spoke against the idea that God could have created the universe, stating, â€Å"Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can, and will create itself from nothing, Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe e xists, why we exist. Along with his brilliance, Stephan Hawking is also well known for the length of time that he has been afflicted with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) otherwise known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. He was diagnosed at age 21 while studying cosmology at Cambridge. Hawking's disease helped him become the scientist he is today. Prior to receiving the ALS diagnosis Stephen Hawking hadn't always focused on his studies. â€Å"I was bored with life before my illness,† he said. â€Å"There had not seemed to be anything worth doing. Realizing that he may not live long, Doctors giving him only two years to live, Hawking threw himself into his studies, and his research. He has astounded doctors by far exceeding this expectation. Hawking's ability to communicate had been dwindling for years, until in 1985, due to an emergency tracheotomy, he lost his voice completely. Hawking caught the attention of a California computer programmer who had developed a speaking pr ogram that could be directed by head or eye movement. This allowed him to select words on a computer screen using a handheld clicker.They are then passed through a speech synthesizer. Today the program is controlled by a sensor attached to his check, due to the amount of control that has been lost in his body. Stephen Hawking’s adult life has been an example in motivation. His disease has pushed him to achieve things that others would not have found possible. ‘The realization that I had an incurable disease that was likely to kill me in a few years was a shock,' he recalls. ‘How could something like this happen to me? ‘ stated Hawking.He has often been quoted as stating that his disease has been the driving force behind his work, because not knowing how much time he would have before he died has made him want to achieve as much as possible in whatever short amount was left. I think that using Erik Erikson’s work on psychosocial development you can see that the autonomy Hawking was given as a child to be as creative as he wanted paved the way for Stephen’s ability to create his phenomenal theories as an adult. I don’t think that Lawrence Kohlberg’s stages of moral development can be applied here because there is no documentation of any moral dilemmas in Hawking’s past.Maslow’s hierarchy can be applied though, even in the stages of life that Hawking is confined to a wheelchair. As a very young child, Hawking’s parents strive to achieve a safe environment that will protect him from the dangers of world war two. They do this by moving the family multiple times. I feel that through the creativity and publications that Hawking has done he has achieved the final portion in Maslow’s Hierarchy, self -actualization Using the humanistic approach, it seems to me that Stephen Hawking used the enthusiasm with which he increased his education as a means to help him cope with the diagnosis that h e received of ALS.This in turn made him a successful physicist. By vastly increasing the education he received, he was able to advance his career. This increase in his research also allowed him to feel as if he was contributing to society. By offering so much to the public he has shown himself that, although his body is frail he is very much able to be productive. By doing this it reinforces his feelings of self-worth. We, as humans have the need to be needed, and in turn the want to be appreciated for the things that we achieve. Stephen Hawking has many astounding, mind blowing theories in publication.All this has been done though the advancement of his disease, and due to his original diagnoses. It seems that the motivator for Mr. Hawking is the need to do as much as his failing body will let him in whatever time he has left. To me, the statement â€Å"You can’t understand others unless you understand yourself†, means that in order to help others, you need to know wh o you are as a person. Even though I don’t really understand psychology, I feel that if you are going to try to psycho-analyze another person, you need to have done so to yourself. There are definitely applications for psychology in my work life.Since I am a pediatric nurse working towards my BSN I use Maslow’s hierarchy of needs on a daily basis. There is always the need to ensure that an infant’s need for physical well-being and comfort is met before you can work on making sure that the age appropriate milestones are being reached. With children, if you address their need for independence, they will be your best friend, and allow you to perform the many tests that are required during their visits. I have learned many things during this class. The biggest thing that I have learned is about my personality type.Although I was not exactly correct about what I thought about myself, I was pretty close. This helps me to know that I know who I am. This in turn lets me know that I am fully equipped to help my patients. References Stephen Hawking (2006) Retrieved June 3, 2012 fromhttp://www. csupomona. edu/~nova/scientists/articles/hawk. html Stephen Hawking Biography (n. d. ) Retrieved June 3, 2012 http://lifestyle. iloveindia. com/lounge/stephen-hawking-2668. html Master of the Universe (Robin McKie, 2001) Retrieved June 3, 2012 http://www. guardian. co. uk/education/2001/oct/21/highereducation. cademicexperts Psychosocial Theory: Erikson (Davis & Clifton, 1995) Retrieved June 3, 2012 http://www. haverford. edu/psych/ddavis/p109g/erikson. stages. html Theories of Development (Crain, 1985). Editorial board Words of Wisdom (2011) Introduction to Psychology Stephen Hawking. (2012). Biography. com. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from http://www. biography. com/people/stephen-hawking-9331710 Stephen Hawking Biography (2010) Retrieved May 26, 2012 from http://www. notablebiographies. com/Gi-He/Hawking-Stephen. html#ixzz1vzRLUH5F About Stephen Hawking (n. d. ) Retrieved May 26, 2012 from http://www. hawking. org. uk/about-stephen. html

Decision Analysis Task

Decision Analysis has been established to advance theory, application, and teaching of all aspects of decision-making methods. . When It comes to beginning to make decisions for any business, almost everyone can feel uncertainty and fear. The more Information given, then the most likely the decisions made are the right ones. TLS Includes being able to trade off the values of certain outcomes against Its probability. Data shows the truest form of the Information given. The knowledge changes from data to information, from information to facts, and lastly from facts to knowledge.The entire decision making process is done under uncertainty and immeasurable variables. Values and numbers become much easier for people to use and understand. Once the numbers and circumstances are in place, the true analysis can begin. Using the work cell method, the company can have the following advantages: (1) reduced work in progress inventory, (2) less floor space use, (3) reduced raw material and finish ed goods inventory, (4) reduced labor costs, (5) more employee participation, (6) increased equipment and machinery use, and (7) reduced investment in machinery and equipment.I have chosen this decision analysis tool by imputing the performance times for each task given of A through H and the sequence requirements into an assembly line balancing tool to perform an analysis to determine the proper number of stations and the most efficient workflow possible. The analysis tool calculated that the number of workstations needed was 5. Total station task time needed was 10 minutes and the time needed per cycle was 46 minutes. These calculations gave this process an efficiency of 100. 00%. This decision tool was selected to help achieve a higher efficiency of production and a possible deduction in production floor space. A properly balanced line will increase throughput and lower production costs.Hopefully, by recommending this tool, the company will be able to eliminate significant errors that can result in false assumptions, inaccurate estimations of probabilities, too much relying on expectations, wrong measuring in functions, and/or forecasting errors. B. 1. The impact of costs on the decision to move forward with the new Maim Sandal line is as follows: As the production continues, the hours needed for each batch, or individual pair, will begin to decrease. By continuing to produce this line the total labor costs will continue to decrease, but most likely, at a slower rate as more sandals are produced. This data can help the company decide employment levels, capacity, costs, and their pricing of this particular merchandise in the open market.

Definition and Examples of Essays or Compositions

Definition and Examples of Essays or Compositions The term essay comes from the French for trial or attempt. French author  Michel de Montaigne coined the term when he assigned the title Essais to his first publication in 1580. In Montaigne: A Biography (1984), Donald Frame notes that Montaigne often used the verb essayer (in modern French, normally to try) in ways close to his project, related to experience, with the sense of trying out or testing. An essay is a short work of nonfiction, while a writer of essays is called an essayist. In writing instruction, essay is often used as another word for composition. In an essay, an authorial voice  (or narrator) typically invites an implied reader  (the audience) to accept as authentic a certain textual mode of experience.   Definitions and Observations [An essay is a] composition, usually in prose.., which may be of only a few hundred words (like Bacons Essays) or of book length (like Lockes Essay Concerning Human Understanding) and which discusses, formally or informally, a topic or a variety of topics.(J.A. Cuddon, Dictionary of Literary Terms. Basil, 1991)Essays are how we speak to one another in print - caroming thoughts not merely in order to convey a certain packet of information, but with a special edge or bounce of personal character in a kind of public letter.(Edward Hoagland, Introduction, The Best American Essays: 1999. Houghton, 1999)[T]he essay traffics in fact and tells the truth, yet it seems to feel free to enliven, to shape, to embellish, to make use as necessary of elements of the imaginative and the fictive - thus its inclusion in that rather unfortunate current designation creative nonfiction.(G. Douglas Atkins, Reading Essays: An Invitation. University of Georgia Press, 2007) Montaignes Autobiographical EssaysAlthough Michel de Montaigne, who fathered the modern essay in the 16th century, wrote autobiographically (like the essayists who claim to be his followers today), his autobiography was always in the service of larger existential discoveries. He was forever on the lookout for life lessons. If he recounted the sauces he had for dinner and the stones that weighted his kidney, it was to find an element of truth that we could put in our pockets and carry away, that he could put in his own pocket. After all, Philosophy - which is what he thought he practiced in his essays, as had his idols, Seneca and Cicero, before him - is about learning to live. And here lies the problem with essayists today: not that they speak of themselves, but that they do so with no effort to make their experience relevant or useful to anyone else, with no effort to extract from it any generalizable insight into the human condition.(Cristina Nehring, What’s Wrong With the American Essay. Truthdig, Nov. 29, 2007) The Artful Formlessness of the Essay[G]ood essays are works of literary art. Their supposed formlessness is more a strategy to disarm the reader with the appearance of unstudied spontaneity than a reality of composition. . . .The essay form as a whole has long been associated with an experimental method. This idea goes back to Montaigne and his endlessly suggestive use of the term essai for his writing. To essay is to attempt, to test, to make a run at something without knowing whether you are going to succeed. The experimental association also derives from the other fountain-head of the essay, Francis Bacon, and his stress on the empirical inductive method, so useful in the development of the social sciences.(Phillip Lopate, The Art of the Personal Essay. Anchor, 1994) Articles vs. Essays[W]hat finally distinguishes an essay from an article may just be the authors gumption, the extent to which personal voice, vision, and style are the prime movers and shapers, even though the authorial I may be only a remote energy, nowhere visible but everywhere present.(Justin Kaplan, ed. The Best American Essays: 1990. Ticknor Fields, 1990)I am predisposed to the essay with knowledge to impart - but, unlike journalism, which exists primarily to present facts, the essays transcend their data, or transmute it into personal meaning. The memorable essay, unlike the article, is not place or time-bound; it survives the occasion of its original composition. Indeed, in the most brilliant essays, language is not merely the medium of communication; it is communication.(Joyce Carol Oates, quoted by Robert Atwan in The Best American Essays, College Edition, 2nd ed. Houghton Mifflin, 1998)I speak of a genuine essay because fakes abound. Here the old-fashioned term poetaste r may apply, if only obliquely. As the poetaster is to the poet - a lesser aspirant - so the average article is to the essay: a look-alike knockoff guaranteed not to wear well. An article is often gossip. An essay is reflection and insight. An article often has the temporary advantage of social heat - whats hot out there right now. An essays heat is interior. An article can be timely, topical, engaged in the issues and personalities of the moment; it is likely to be stale within the month. In five years it may have acquired the quaint aura of a rotary phone. An article is usually Siamese-twinned to its date of birth. An essay defies its date of birth - and ours, too. (A necessary caveat: some genuine essays are popularly called articles - but this is no more than an idle, though persistent, habit of speech. Whats in a name? The ephemeral is the ephemeral. The enduring is the enduring.)(Cynthia Ozick, SHE: Portrait of the Essay as a Warm Body. The Atlantic Monthly, September 1998) The Status of the EssayThough the essay has been a popular form of writing in British and American periodicals since the 18th century, until recently its status in the literary canon has been, at best, uncertain. Relegated to the composition class, frequently dismissed as mere journalism, and generally ignored as an object for serious academic study, the essay has sat, in James Thurbers phrase, on the edge of the chair of Literature.In recent years, however, prompted by both a renewed interest in rhetoric and by poststructuralist redefinitions of literature itself, the essay - as well as such related forms of literary nonfiction as biography, autobiography, and travel and nature writing - has begun to attract increasing critical attention and respect.(Richard Nordquist, Essay, in Encylopedia of American Literature, ed. S. R. Serafin. Continuum, 1999) The Contemporary EssayAt present, the American magazine essay, both the long feature piece and the critical essay, is flourishing, in unlikely circumstances...There are plenty of reasons for this. One is that magazines, big and small, are taking over some of the cultural and literary ground vacated by newspapers in their seemingly unstoppable evaporation. Another is that the contemporary essay has for some time now been gaining energy as an escape from, or rival to, the perceived conservatism of much mainstream fiction...So the contemporary essay is often to be seen engaged in acts of apparent anti-novelization: in place of plot, there is drift or the fracture of numbered paragraphs; in place of a frozen verisimilitude, there may be a sly and knowing movement between reality and fictionality; in place of the impersonal author of standard-issue third-person realism, the authorial self pops in and out of the picture, with a liberty hard to pull off in fiction.(James Wood, Reality Effec ts. The New Yorker, Dec. 19 26, 2011) The Lighter Side of Essays: The Breakfast Club Essay AssignmentAll right people, were going to try something a little different today. We are going to write an essay of not less than a thousand words describing to me who you think you are. And when I say essay, I mean essay, not one word repeated a thousand times. Is that clear, Mr. Bender?(Paul Gleason as Mr. Vernon)Saturday, March 24, 1984Shermer High SchoolShermer, Illinois 60062Dear Mr. Vernon,We accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong. What we did was wrong. But we think youre crazy to make us write this essay telling you who we think we are. What do you care? You see us as you want to see us - in the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. You see us as a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess and a criminal. Correct? Thats the way we saw each other at seven oclock this morning. We were brainwashed...But what we found out is that each one of us i s a brain and an athlete and a basket case, a princess, and a criminal. Does that answer your question?Sincerely yours,The Breakfast Club(Anthony Michael Hall as Brian Johnson, The Breakfast Club, 1985)

Global Growing Challenges Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Global Growing Challenges - Case Study Example International Monetary Fund has also confirmed the fact that the ten fastest growing economies of the world would be emerging as powerful nations in the near future (Dewhurst, Harris and Heywood â€Å"The Global Company’s Challenge†). Against this backdrop, the discussion in this report would be on the growing global challenges that a plastic bottle manufacturing company, Logoplaste was facing. The objective would be to conduct a strategic analysis of the company, its products and the industry it is functioning in. This would assist in identification of the critical success factors for the growth and development of the company. Company Overview Logoplaste, a company that produced rigid plastic containers, was established in the year 1976. This company has been a pioneer in the plastic packaging segment since a span of 35 years. It has more than 60 factories in 16 locations around the world. Logoplaste utilizes state-of-the-art machineries in its factories. It follows ju st-in-time and â€Å"Hole in the wall† method of product delivery, which gives the company an advantage over its competitors. Logoplaste is the third largest company for container transformer in Europe and second largest in Brazil. The goal of the company is to attend an annual growth of 15 percent in every country it has its operation in and acquire a new business contract every year. This goal of the company is inspired by its vision, which states that in order to retain the position in the industry; the company should keep on growing in terms of size and revenue (â€Å"Logoplaste Activity†). Business Model The business model of the company is based on five pillars; focus, close relation with customers, win-win approach, services and investment. In order to maintain a balance between these pillars, Logoplaste has certain strategies, which provides competitive edge to the company. Logoplaste consider itself to be a global player, so it focuses on the leading companies present in the market. The motto of the company is to invest in technology and innovate, so that not only the company can grow but its employees can mature in terms of their standard of living (â€Å"Logoplaste Activity†). Customers Logoplaste mainly functions in the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) segment. The customers of Logoplaste are Procter & Gamble and Coca Cola are the largest customers of the company, which Logoplaste supplies containers and packages for many well-known FMCG companies around the world. The FMCG companies find the plastic containers to be the most convenient and cheap alternative for product packaging. Almost all the FMCG companies directly or indirectly avail plastic containers of Logoplaste (Alcacer and Leitao 1-19). Distribution Transporting the plastic containers in high volume is economically unviable because when they are empty there are ample chances of damage. This is the reason why the suppliers of the containers set their plants near the filter plants of the clients, so as to eliminate the cost of transportation, but this decreases the diversification benefits and scale (Alcacer and Lei

A Competency Based, Critical Review of Leadership and Management in My Essay

A Competency Based, Critical Review of Leadership and Management in My Work Organisation - Essay Example The report highlights the key learning points in these two management perspectives and evaluates their role and impact on project outcomes. Specify what you have learnt from the experience in your chosen management competences A key aspect driving the success of any enterprise is its leadership capabilities and competencies of the workforce that contribute to the realization of defined goals and objectives (Deresky, 2006). During the course of our leading and management program, I learnt the significance of individual leadership and motivation in accomplishing task goals and objectives. The theoretical aspects of our course familiarized me to the conceptual frameworks and evidences that drive individual performance in teams and factors that contribute to the efficiency of workforce. While this provided a foundation for our learning process, it was the live project work and assignment that helped me realize my individual strengths and shortcomings in my role as team-player. I came up with the idea of launching innovative training videos and online application tools through OIT (Oxford Information Training). The team was responsible for conceptualizing and framing the company’s product design, framing its marketing and financial strategies to give a distinct shape and direction to OIT’s goals and objectives. The team began with allocating roles and responsibilities to achieve this. The whole exercise provided us with new learning experience and it helped us in recognizing our potentials and limitations in our role as team players and leadership capabilities. The project highlighted my abilities in leading and managing my team members through various tasks and responsibilities. The 8 week exercise began with the conceptualization of the project idea and the key aspects that needed to be fulfilled in order to present that idea as viable and feasible to other teams. The idea to promote our company and its services on facebook was mine and the fact that others accepted it and appreciated it was a big source of motivation for me. Theoretical evidences have claimed that a true leader is one who can inspire and motivate others to adopt a single path that leads to goal fulfilment (Maxwell, 2008). I have managed to guide my team members through role allocation and delegation of tasks, besides helping them through task execution and collaborating potential issues that might have ruined the success prospects. Motivation is yet another aspect driving the performance of teams and their willingness to give their best in order to achieve the defined goals and targets (Adair, 2007). Motivation seemed lacking in some cases in our team since few members were unwilling to take certain roles and responsibilities. However, this was easily overcome with more team discussions that helped in motivating the team members to assume their roles and responsibilities. Moreover, motivation in teams, as I strongly experienced during this project contributed to creative ideas and innovative thoughts that can make the difference between success and failure of projects. The product concept involved my idea of producing a video for recruiting staff in organizations. A key aspect to be incorporated in this video was a mock interview (my idea) that will focus on dealing with inter-cultural workforce needs and behavioural forms during interviews. DeCarlo (2010) in his works on leadership and motivation identified four principles using motivation to guide innovative practices at workplace – initiating change, developing people’s desire to make a difference, creating ownership for results, and monitoring results for continued effectiveness. Motivation thus can contribute to combined efficiency at workplace and generate innovative ideas for effective results

Fast Food Restaurants are Responsible for Obesity in U.S Research Paper

Fast Food Restaurants are Responsible for Obesity in U.S - Research Paper Example Moreover, it has been noted that the fast-food sector attracts the middle class by locating restaurants along highways and offering foods that attract a large number of Americans. Lower prices, free toys and convenience target the middle class particularly those who are budget-conscious (Strom, 2011). Furthermore, advertisements for fast-food restaurants are normally immensely appealing and thus attract many customers to visit the restaurants in order to get the deliciously served foods they see on advertisements. As a result, these people are likely to visit the restaurant frequently due to increasing appeals the advertisers pose. Even-though, it is clear that fast foods are to some extent responsible for Obesity in America, the restaurants are not responsible for notifying the public about the risks because people are free to make their decisions concerning what to eat or not. Research has shown that working class persons visit fast foods more often than the rich people do. This means that these people are learned and; therefore, they are aware of the dangers of consuming fast foods. In addition, one can argue that Obesity does not result solely from eating fast foods; it can result from cigarette smoking, and lack of exercise. Strom, S. (November 30, 2011)Toys Stay in San Francisco Happy Meals, for a Charge. The New York Times. Retrieved from

Managing Information Technology Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Managing Information Technology - Case Study Example This approach helps reduce cases of outpatient visits while allowing health professionals to verify drug prescriptions to patients in remote areas (Ciampa & Revels, 2013). The federal government’s HITECH stimulus funds and Meaningful Use standards can only be expected to lead to better software integration solutions considering the approach taken by the program. The program requires that healthcare providers apply their electronic systems fully; more than just as tools for electronic medical charts (Wager, Lee & Glaser, 2013). This will help increase quality and efficiency while enabling coordinated healthcare. By providing incentives to eligible professionals who exhibit significant application of a licensed EHR, the program will further ensure that providers embrace the need for integrated software solutions. According to Coplan & Masuda (2011), the increase in software adoptions at physician offices will not necessarily make it difficult for them to retain staff. On the contrary, these developments will lead to a shift in roles as physicians increasingly depend on their staff’s help in data collection and entry. Studies have shown that most physicians have been compelled by prevailing circumstances to reassign tasks to their front office staff. Additionally, nurses will have an added role, different from their traditional role that involved tasks such as rooming patients and taking blood tests. Under the EHR program, nurses will be expected to enquire for more information from patients that will serve to provide physicians with a clear health record of these patients in future (Dwivedi, 2009). Despite its benefits, the mobile medical clinics model faces several emerging conditions that could make it obsolete. Lack of space and medical equipment that can support high quality and timely healthcare services could make it difficult for health professionals to provide their services in remote areas. In order for these

Liberal And Illiberal Democracies In The 20th Century Politics Essay

Liberal And Illiberal Democracies In The 20th Century Politics Essay The turning point in the 20th century was declaring the victory of liberal democracy on world level, this is what Fukuyama said in his famous book the end of the history which at the same time overlook the crimes of liberal democracy against the non-European people.That is, the end point of mankinds ideological evolution and the universalization of Western liberal democracy as the final form of human government.(Fukuyama,1992). It is easy to establish this hypothesis on some historical evidences. So after the fall of Fascism in 1945, soviet communism was the main alternative to the western liberalism, but even this collapsed by the outbreak of the revolutions in the Eastern Europe countries between 1989 and 1991, rejecting government principles of planning and interventions. As in Africa, Asia and Latin America the democratizing of the political system is done by the proliferation of different parties and the growing tendency towards economic reform which is based on the market. Thos e continuing operations reflect the obvious superiority of the liberal ideology over other competitive ideologies. The future seems to be apparent by the shrinking of the economic and political difference at different rates to meet all on the liberal democratic model. According to Fukuyamas argument, the victory of liberal democracy is the only solution that is capable to live and continue. Fukuyamas concept consists of two parts that are associated with each other. First is liberality: the existence of a limited author of the state that allows individuals and citizens to exercise a great deal of personal freedom and their capability to participate in political life by giving them the freedom of expression and other different things. The second part is democracy: which means, in Fukuyamas perspective, the real capacity of people to choose the governments they want. Fukuyama tries to emphasize that the U.S. is not the ideal model for his idea of liberal democracy. But at the same time he refuses any other model along these lines, so when the Chinas communism model was introduced, Fukuyama responded quickly by saying that Chinas economic success was due to their capability to get rid of the socialist system and introduce their economic freedom as a substitute: Japan may offer an alternative to Americas liberal democracy and combine a successful economy with social bonds. (Fukuyama, 2009, 85).In fact that is true but what China needs to be a liberal democratic country is to get rid of the single party system and support the multi-party democracy. Fukuyama believed that liberal democracy and the market-oriented economic system are the only two alternatives that are able for application in the modern societies. Now the World has seen the progress of the West over the rest of other societies, this is due to their belief that progress at both the scientific and theoretical sides goes back to their faith in liberal political thought. The democratic experiment in the West took root through the law of the market and the transfer of power to the socialist parties in more than one European country; all this confirms the credibility of the liberal democratic model in the world. To understand the differences between liberal and non-liberal democracy: Liberal democracy does not just include elections and establishing some official democratic foundations like parliament and courts, it also includes the creation of free press; the rule of law; an independent judicial system; the rights of minorities, the freedom of speech; the ability of parties and individuals to seek to divert official positions peacefully through competitive elections as well as the establishment of independent civil foundations that are in charge of solving civilians problems apart from any governmental control. Non-liberal (illiberal) democracy, which was established by the journalist and the editor Fared Zakaria, means a system in which elections are made where civil liberties and civil rights as well as the multiple dimensions of a real democratic society are severely limited or non-existent. Societies that were under the effect of totalitarian governments and were affected by ethnic and sectarian divisions were the most affected ones by such internal conflicts. So Zakaria was trying to illustrate that liberty and democracy can only be connected in the western societies and not for the third world societies, that is because the liberal democracy system is not just about free elections, it exceeds that to include the rule of law, the separation of powers as well as the protection of fundamental freedoms to citizens such as the freedom of speech, of movement, of listening, of ownership and the freedom of religions. Zakaria believed deeply in democracy and mentioned that democracy has moved from being a form of government to a way of living (the future of freedom,2003), but this didnt prevent him from criticizing this phenomenon, especially when it separated from liberalism its mixed partner in the West to an extent that may cause an imbalance in governments power which could impede its performance or affect it negatively. To criticize illiberal democracy Zakaria set Hitler as an example who get to power through democratic elections, the point is that many dictatorship governance system around the world use the election system à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Which at the same time ignoring the constitutional limitations on its authority andà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.its citizens from their fundamental rights . Within this competition, still the differences in opinions between democracies a continuing problem, often these democracies differs among themselves about important political options such as the promotion of democracy, international economic policy and how best to respond to threats of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, failed stats, ethnic conflict, violations of human rights. Despite the calls for formation of Commonwealth of Democracies to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦for the weaknesses of the United Nations, the European Union and other international institutions to face the worlds problems, still the common standers remain over where should draw the line between liberal democracy and illiberal democracy a big problem. We cannot find lots of countries that wish to give priority to such a gathering upon their provided obligations to its regional bodies and other institutionsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ To sum it up, the fall of the Berlin Wall two decades ago, the collapse of communism, the end of the Cold War, as well as the success of rebels in Ukraine and Georgia are all signs of real progress for democracy. Thus the future victory has to be for the liberal democracy system according to Fukuyama and Zakaria. The way of living today is a democratic way in spite of all the conflicts; the information revolution; the tendency to an open environment towards liberalization and the critical demonstrations demanding freedom like the way now in Iran. The other side of democracy or the negative side is that it can be used for violence, violence is becoming democratic in the way that any group of people are able to exercise violence and bombing without resorting to the state apparatus. Accordingly, terrorism is spreading under the name of democracy. Accordingly, the success of democracy is not inevitable. And as many American leaders starting from Roosevelt, Truman ending with Obama by say ing that the aspiration for freedom of democracy is fundamentally a human yearning. In the 1990s Francis Fukuyama claimed that liberal democracy had won the twentieth centurys ideological battle. In contrast, Fareed Zakaria argued that the emergence of illiberal democracies threatens to discredit liberal democracy itself, casting a shadow on democratic governance. Systematically discuss and analyse the foundations of Fukuyamas argument and how it has been countered by other liberal thinkers like Zakaria. Do international relations in the 21st century support or undermine the idea of Liberalisms victory?

A Reading Reaction to My Brother Sam is Dead :: essays research papers

Report On AIDS   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  AIDS( Acquired immune deficiency symdrome) is caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus(HIV) which attacks selected cells in the immune system and produces defects in function. These defects may not be apparent for years. They lead to a severe suppression of the immune system's ability to resist harmful organisms. This leaves the body open to invasion by various infections.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first cases of AIDS were reported in the early 1980s. From 1981 to 1998 more than 700,000 AIDS cases and more than 400,000 deaths have been reported in the United States. It is estimated that nearly 1 million Americans have been infected through the late 1990s but nt have yet developed clinical symptoms. In 1997 the United Nations announced that it had underestimated the spread and revised the estimate of people living with the disease from 22 million in 1996 and 30 million in 1997. The origin of the AIDS virus is uncertain but may have originated in Central Africa.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first AIDS patients in the Americas and Europe were almost exclusively male homosexuals and bisexuals. Others received AIDS from blood transfusions, hemophiliacs and drug users or females whose male sexual partners had AIDS. Since 1989 heterosexual was found to be the fastest growing means of transmission of the virus.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  American researchers named the virus that causes AIDS the human T-lymphotropic virus, typee III or HTLV-III. In the late 1980s they discovered several forms of the AIDS virus. It was renamed the human immunodeficiency virus type 1, or HIV-1. The virus enters the bloodstream and destroys certain white blood cells called T lymphocytes or T cells. The T cells play a very important role in the functioning of the immune system. The virus can affect other types of cells in the body such as macrophages. Macrophages are not killed by the virus but T cells are. Research has suggested that macrophages may carry the AIDS virus to healthy brain cells to the lymphatic system.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When the AIDS virus enters the bloodstream, the body's immune system produces antibodies to battle the microorganism. Blood tests can detect these antibodies and therefore can indicate exposure to the virus. Sometimes these tests give false readings and can only begin to give accurate results within two weeks to three months after infection. During that time an infected person may pass the virus to others. Scientists are still uncertain how the AIDS virus damges the immune system.

Endoplasmic Reticulum

Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum The smooth endoplasmic reticulum functions as a packaging system, and unlike its counter part, the rough endoplasmic reticulum, it does not have ribosomes attached to it. The endoplasmic reticulum works closely with the Golgi apparatus, ribosomes, RNA, mRNA, and tRNA. It creates a network of membranes found through the whole cell. The endoplasmic reticulum may also look different from cell to cell, depending on the cell's function.Smooth endoplasmic reticulums are shaped more like tubes. The endoplasmic reticulum is important because it plays a big part in a cell because it acts like a storage organelle. It helps create steroids and proteins then stores them. In muscle cells, it stores calcium. Smooth endoplasmic reticulum is also used to synthesise lipids. This synthesis creates lipoproteins which is found in the liver. The endoplasmic reticulum also stores glycogen.The endoplasmic reticulum consists of tubules and vesicles that branch forming a network. In some cells there are dilated areas like the sacs of rough endoplasmic reticulum. The endoplasmic reticulum is folded and stacked layer upon layer within the cell and is connected to the cell's nuclear membrane Another function of the endoplasmic reticulum is to control the movement of newly synthesized proteins to their proper locations in the cell or to the membrane to be sent outside the cell.This is done by a process called budding, where small vesicles of smooth endoplasmic reticulum are cut off to carry the proteins to their new spots in the cell. It also stores ions in solution that the cell may need at a later time. The endoplasmic reticulum allows molecules to be moved between the lumen and the cytoplasm, and since it is connected to the double-layered nuclear envelope, it gives a route between the nucleus and the cytoplasm. In muscle cells the endoplasmic reticulum releases calcium to trigger muscle contractions.The endoplasmic reticulum also has a role in drug toleranc e. The smooth endoplasmic reticulum functions to get rid of poisons, and drugs are considered a poison to the cell, if you consume more drugs, your cells will make more endoplasmic reticulum to get rid of the poisons. The cycle will the continue, the more drugs you take, the more smooth endoplasmic reticulum your cells will make. Your body builds up a tolerance for drugs because it will have a lot of smooth endoplasmic reticulum to discard the drugs, and Endoplasmic Reticulum The primary purpose of this research paper is to find out whether the endoplasmic reticulum in the eggs of animals undergoes any structural or morphological changes during fertilization. The experiment studies this phenomenon by microinjecting a dye in unfertilized egg and then visualized using a confocal microscope to detect any alterations in structure. Eventually, this paper tries to explain the role played by the endoplasmic reticulum in fertilization. The research question that is being tested in this paper was about the Endoplasmic reticulum and how it plays a role in the fertilization which can be evidenced by structural changes that taking place during the fertilization process. The most important aspect of this experiment in the paper is the microinjection of eggs with soya beans oil saturated with DiI solution which enables visualization of the endoplasmic reticulum using the confocal microscope. The dye then spreads through the ER only in 30 minutes during which the cisternae and tubules of the ER can be identified. This method of staining is also utilized to stain the plasma membrane which is also a bilayer membrane. This experiment, therefore, teaches that the ER is a complex organelle, bilayer membrane with lipophilic layers.The weakness of this paper shows the changes in calcium levels in the fertilized eggs of Sea Urchin during the first few minutes when ER structural changes are thought to take place. The ER has an internal compartment that is involved in regulation of calcium. There is evidence that calcium is produced during fertilization. Is this calcium from the ER? Does calcium generation cause the structural changes in ER? These questions have not been answered by this research paper. Also, the control experiment for this would include a repeat of the tests under similar temperature conditions as previously conducted research experiments to compare the calcium levels. If this was my experiment, I would conduct similar research (ER changes) on large mammal animal models using unfertilized eggs incubated and fertilized at room and atmospheric temperature (conditions).

Inaugural Ceromany of Sport Event Essay

The Sixth National Games kicked off in Dhangadi of Kailali district in Far-Western region on 28th of February 2012. President Ram Baran Yadav inaugurated the Sixth National Games amid a special function at Dhangadi Stadium. President Yadav urged players to elevate patriotism and brotherhood through sports. Prime Minister Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, Finance Minister Barsa Man Pun and other ministers also attended the openingceremony. Before the inauguration of the event, players from different districts had performed various pageantries. Earlier, Nepal’s Olympian Dipak Bista had lit the cauldron of Sixth National Games at the Dhangadhi stadium. A team of former Olympians had carried the flame to Dhangadhi stadium all the way from Buddha’s birth place Lumbini. Altogether 3,619 players with 1,940 officials from five development regions, Nepal Police Club, Armed Police Force Club, PLA Club of Maoist combatants and a university team had participated in the march-past that featured during the opening ceremony. The games were held in Dhangadhi, Mahendranagar and Tikapur in the far-western region . Altogether 10 gold medals were decided on the first day of the sixth national games today. The first gold medal of the game was grabbed by Ajay Pandit Chhetri in Cycling. Pandit finished first in the national mountain bike tournament held at Dhulikhel of Kavre , after completing the stipulated distance in 2 hours 1 minute and 18 seconds. Raj kumar shrestha and Narayan Gopal Maharjan won silver and bronze in the same even respectively. Likewise in women’s category of the same event, Nirjala Tamrakar bagged gold after completing the distance in 1 hour 53 minutes and 59 seconds. The silver and broze went to Laxmi Magar and Sita Rimal respectively. Meawhile in Birgunj 8 gold medals were decided in various swimming events. 13 years old Shirish Gurung of central region won gold in the 400 meter freestyle while Shailesh Rana and Prabesh Adhikari came out second and third respectively. In the women’s category of the 200 meter freestyle, Shaila Rana bagged gold while Shreya Dhital and Oshin Bharati bagged silver and bronze respectively. In Men’s event of 200 meter back stroke, the result came out in favor of Shailesh Rana while silver and bronze went to Babin Shrestha and Shirish Gurung respectively. Karishma Karki bagged gold, Shaila Rana silver and Manisha Bista bronze in the women’s event of the same category. Shailesh Rana, yet again added two more golds under his belt later in the event of 200 metre back stroke and the 100 metre butterfly. The Women’s event of these two categories had Shreya Dhital claiming 2 more golds as swimmers from the Central region completely dominatedthecontest. The event which continued till March 4 which featured altogether 32 games — 13 games were organised in Dhangadi, 12 in Mahendranagar of Kanchanpur and the remaining were organised in Kathmandu, Nepalgunj and Birgunj due to lack of infrastructures in the Kailali and Kanchanpur districts. Athletes and players from all five development regions of the coutnry are participated in the national sporting extravaganza.

Problems Young Writers May Face Essays

Problems Young Writers May Face Essays Problems Young Writers May Face Essay Problems Young Writers May Face Essay Some of many problems a young writer may face during the process of starting his or her essay starts right from the beginning. The beginning is one of the hardest parts of an essay for most people including myself; it has to have the main argument you will be talking about throughout the essay. Saying that, my essay today will be about â€Å"Problems Young Writers May Face† during the writing process of he or she’s essay. Getting started on an essay is often one of the first problems young writers run into. This is usually because we’ve gotten right into the writing without doing any pre-writing. What I’ve learned is you can save time by first identifying the purpose of your essay, then brainstorming points you might make to achieve your goal. Brainstorming works best if you dont rush your thoughts; write down every idea you think of even if you don’t think it will end up in your essay. Then you can take your thoughts you wrote down and find the most important points to address and start from there. Being the next most important thing you would start off with in the first paragraph would be your thesis statement.A thesis statement is a sentence, usually located at the end of the first or second paragraph that explains the essays main point. Without a clear thesis statement it can be more difficult to structure and organize your ideas. A good idea is to come up with your thesis statement before you begin writing the body of the essay, and then show it to teachers and fellow students for suggestions on how to make it more specific if needed. Continuing on to the body of the essay many young writers have the fear of failure because every student struggles with insecurities about their writing abilities. Either they just dont like to write or have had negative experiences in the past.They may be self-conscious about expressing themselves through writing thinking they are doing it wrong, all wrong. But, expressing your insecurities

Walgreens Strategic Analysis Essay Example

Walgreens Strategic Analysis Essay Example Walgreens Strategic Analysis Paper Walgreens Strategic Analysis Paper Veronica Washington 0180175 Walgreens Pharmacy (WAG) An Industry Leader at the Inflection Point The following report is an in-depth discussion of Walgreens Pharmacy with an analysis and assessment of the company’s strategic initiatives. Each strategy yields a direct purpose of diminishing the influence of a specific force from Porter’s 5-force Model as the supporting data culminates an outlook on the company’s future. COMPANY OVERVIEW Charles Walgreen of Chicago, Illinois, pioneered the first Walgreens in 1901, with corporate headquarters now located in Deerfield, Illinois. In the company’s 100-year reign as the prescription industry leader, Walgreens changed from war bonds, soda fountains, and restaurants to 24-hour store access, nationwide locations, easy-to-use online stores, and health care clinics. 6,400 stores now operate in all 50 states including Puerto Rico, with 30% open 24 hours. By 2010, Walgreen’s aspires to operate 7,000 stores nationwide and pave the way for the organic growth of 13,000 sites. As of December 2007, Walgreens employs 226,000 associates, hiring 25,000 in 2007 (WAG Annual Reports, 2007). According to the company’s 2007 annual reports, â€Å"Walgreens has been listed on: Fortune magazine’s Most Admired Companies in America list†¦ranked 44th on the Fortune 500 list of largest U. S-based companies†¦[and] ranked the leading online drugstore. † (WAG Annual Reports, 2007) In the past 2 years especially, Walgreens embarked on several ventures that will enable them to have first-mover advantage in the healthcare industry. CURRENT FINANCIAL INFORMATION In 2007, Walgreens increased net sales by 13. 4% to $53. 7 billion and increased net income by 16. 6% to $2. 4 billion. Long-term investments, which have consistently increased by roughly $100 million dollars each year since 2004, reflect company profits (WAG Annual Reports, 2007). In the 2007 operating cash flow analysis, Walgreens yielded a yearly total over $23 million in deferred taxes that arose for tax relief in advance of tangible asset depreciated accounting expenses. While net cash flows in the operating sector dropped by $80 million in a single year production, sales, and delivery continue to expand. In the 2007 investment cash flow analysis, the company directed $6. billion toward short-term investments (auction rate securities) available for sale amounting to an accumulated $6. 8 billion (WAG Annual Reports, 2007). With a staggering $1. 8 billion spent on new additions in 2007, this perceived overextension by shareholders of the company’s business and intangible asset acquisition of $1. 1 billion doubles the amount of cash used in the invested activities of 2006 (WAG Annual Reports, 2007). Employee termination and salary cuts yielded a 50% drop in proceeds received from company life-insurance policies. The $5. million proceeds of 2007 pale in comparison to the $10. 7 million received only a year before. Walgreens spent $2. 4 billion in investing activities during 2007, more than that of 2005 and 2006 combined (WAG Annual Reports, 2007). In the 2007 financi al cash flow analysis, net proceeds were $850 million. With a $141 million debt payment, $1 billion in stock repurchases, $310 million cash dividends to shareholders, and a $214 million bank overdraft sum, Walgreen’s 2007 net cash used for financing activities rose to $626 million from 2006’s $413 million (WAG Annual Report, 2007). In summation, the initial cash and cash equivalents of 2007 declined from $920 million in January to $255 million by the end of December resulting from the company’s overextension, and may result of losing their position as the industry leader in the near future (WAG Annual Reports, 2007) POWER OF BUYERS According to Porter, a buyer who has power â€Å"can always find an equivalent product, [then] play vendor against [one] another† (Porter, 2008). Consumers reap the benefits of an industry that pays for repeat business. In 2007, Walgreen’s pharmacists took 157,000 prescription transfer calls from neighboring competitors. (WAG Annual Reports, 2007) Mark Wagner, VP of Operations, announced that after reviewing the 2007 compiled transfer logs of the company, â€Å"72% of all prescription transfers [in 2007] are competitor coupon-related issues † (WAG Annual Report, 2007) Walgreens remained static in their decision to offer any type of compensation to new customers or transferred prescriptions until October 2008. Walgreens customers receive an average of four prescriptions on monthly basis from the pharmacy (WAG Annual Reports, 2007). With 65% of the sales revenue of the company coming from the pharmacy, Walgreens declines to bargain with out-of-pocket customers over price. Regardless of a climbing prescription drug-price trend, demand remains elastic because customers demand choices of similar, less expensive medications if authorized by their doctor. The amount of reimbursement Walgreens receives from Medicare, Medicaid, and Worker’s Compensation falls drastically, as incremental revenues from those sources decreases (Stewart, 2006). According to Lueck, â€Å"Medicare and Medicaid comprise 25 percent of the federal budget, and the government cannot afford to spend at the current rate† (Lueck, 2008). In order to maintain relationships with customers, retail pharmacies resorted to buying sections of Medicare Part D insurance companies: AARP Walgreens vs. CVS Caremark (Caremark Rx Inc. , 2007). RIVALRY AMONG EXISTING COMPETITORS From Porter’s point of view, â€Å"the degree to which rivalry drives down an industry’s profit potential depends, first on the intensity with which companies compete and, second, on the basis on which they compete† (Porter, 2008). Other than retail pharmacies, hospital pharmacies, mail-order pharmacies, internet pharmacies, international pharmacies, vitamin stores, and homeopathic treatment providers attempt to maintain market share in the healthcare industry (Lueck, 2008). Walgreens largest competitor, CVS Pharmacy, fell short of Walgreen’s sales revenues by $7 billion in 2007 (WAG Annual Report, 2007). Contrary to Porter’s model of rivalry, the healthcare industry is experiencing massive growth. Growth is not a force, but only a factor; and as Porter mentions, â€Å"high growth rate will not guarantee profitability if customers are powerful†¦Ã¢â‚¬  as stated in the last section (Porter, 2008). Tom Charland, CEO of Merchant Medicine, in his prophetic wisdom forecasted an â€Å"increased scarcity of physicians and midlevel practitioners in many markets and the increased use of pharmacists. † (Berman, 2007) This justifies the idea that most baby-boomers will spend several hours a week in doctor’s offices receiving treatment for maladies that require prescriptions. Because of meager prescription profits, customers gain little when switching from one pharmacy to another. As Jeff Rein, VP of Walgreens, understands, â€Å"95% percent of our patients pay only the co-pay required by their insurance plans. † (WAG Annual Report, 2007) This removes Wal-Mart’s $4 prescription plan from the picture. POWER OF SUPPLIERS In Porter’s words, suppliers with power â€Å"can squeeze profitability out of an industry that is unable to pass on cost increases in its own prices. (Porter, 2008) To make up for excessive inventory costs for new medication Walgreen’s must decrease labor hours and work more efficiently. For corporate executives in retail pharmacies like Mark Wagner of Walgreens, â€Å"the end solution is to cut costs†¦and the biggest cost in stores is payroll. † (Merrick, 2008) With manufacturers keeping new FDA-approved substitute (generic) medications at bay by creating expensive time-released versions of the ori ginal, retailers spend more money than ever before on shelf space (Merrick, 2008). The following demonstrates a sample of what Porter means by suppliers having power when they â€Å"offer products that are differentiated† (Porter, 2008). In March 2008, analysts at Citigroup Inc. announced, â€Å"AstraZeneca will have more time to market the product†¦Seroquel XR, a once-daily version of the [original] drug†¦ slowly [converting] patients to the patent-protected drug before a generic version of Seroquel becomes available† (Merrick, 2008). Generic companies defending their rights to enter the market state brand name manufacturers received patents through inequitable conduct (Merrick, 2008). While CEO of Astra Zeneca, David Brennan remains â€Å"pleased with the courts decision to uphold [our] valid intellectual property, healthcare companies like Walgreens suffer exorbitant inventory costs at lower vendor allowances for keeping both brand and newly arriving formulations (Merrick, 2008). STRATEGIC ANALYSIS The significance of this report’s title, â€Å"An Industry Leader at the Inflection Point†, speculates that Walgreens cannot remain myopically moving forward now that competitors are strategically placing modes of â€Å"creative destruction† in the healthcare industry. For example, Walgreens is following suit to retake power from buyers, a force seen in previous paragraphs, with a revolutionary prescription problem-processing center, POWER. These 24-hour call centers will automatically fix any third-party insurance rejection errors at all 6400 store locations, leaving pharmacists and pharmacy technicians more time to devote to prescription accuracy, efficiency, and patient consultation. Alan McNally, Walgreen’s new CEO as of October 22, 2008, justifies the use of POWER so â€Å"the company’s founding base of competitive advantage will bring vital market share, stockholder optimism, and customer sentiments of timeliness and prescription safety back to Walgreens† (WAG Annual Reports, 2008). Despite Walgreens’ ability to gain back market share by utilizing POWER, this evolution of problem-solving workflow is the company’s first major step in â€Å"creative destruction. Since an estimated â€Å"25-30% of work in the pharmacy originates from processing and troubleshooting third-party claims†, Walgreens shows no sign of maintaining current hourly needs for technicians when POWER operations begin (Merrick, 2008). The excess reserves saved from this venture will allocate finances for greater stockholder dividends and ensure the company’s progressive movement into staying one-step ahead of the competition (Merrick, 2008). Acc ording to the 2008 annual reports released in November, the salary expenditures saved from cutting technician hours will help support funding for the accumulated $1. billion dollar long-term debt in 2008 (WAG Annual Reports, 2008). Formerly discussed in the section, â€Å"Power of Suppiers†, Walgreens showed vulnerability to brand-name manufacturer’s new formulations marketed to physicians as more effective and safer than their FDA-approved generics. The county’s nation-wide recession that tumbled into a worldwide pandemic has been reason enough for many consumers to forgo reinstating their prescription insurance plans in 2009 and instead shop around for bargain generics (Lueck, 2008). Porter describes the country’s turmoil perfectly by announcing America is in the â€Å"Age of Anxiety,† as he reminds readers that in the US â€Å"restructuring destroys about 30 million jobs per year† (Porter, 2008), To combat consumer demand for lower cost prescriptions, Walgreens has aggressively marketed the Walgreens Drug Program in 2008. This discount program offers consumers the option of choosing from a list of 400 price-approved and quantity-approved generic medications at a 90-day supply for $12 (WAG Annual Reports, 2008). To attract customers to less expensive and more readily available generic medications, Walgreens built the discount rogram to show how much each customer can save while receiving a therapy that is exactly or similar to what their doctor prescribed. The only cost associated with this plan is a one-time $20 fee for using the service pennies compared to the hundreds of dollars each month otherwise spent on prescription healthcare covera ge. The idea of Walgreens creating healthcare clinics where customers can go and receive treatment for common symptoms arose from competitor initiatives to capture a segment of the market not dominated by Walgreens. The purpose of this tactical approach was to lessen the force of rivalry in the industry. As of November 2008, Walgreens â€Å"operate[s] more than 600 health and wellness clinics in our stores and on employer worksites [with] plans to expand to 800 sites by the end of fiscal 2009 (WAG Annual Reports, 2008). While data on this new mode of investment has not been conclusive or forecasted in expected yearly revenue, Walgreens intends on honing company expansion in this market to counter aggressively competitor initiatives. STRATEGIC ASSESSMENT The watershed of massive change for Walgreens culminated amidst what economists are calling a worldwide recession. Like all prosperous profit seeking companies, Walgreens managed to find ways to cut hours while increase efficiency that paved the way for higher shareholder dividends in 2008. CEO Alan McNally describes Walgreens’ strategy as â€Å"a successful triumph in a frantic market† leading on with a direct correlation of the yearly highlights to â€Å"an increase of $. 11 in common share dividends for 2008† (WAG Annual Reports, 2008). Despite the company’s massive growth of long-term debt, the strategic positioning of POWER centers in high volume areas and payroll cuts began the combat against the emerging inflection point issues discussed. More than 1 million people enrolled in Walgreens discount card program in 2008. The company anticipates numbers to increase significantly at the beginning of Medicare reinstatement in January 2009 as members become more proactive in finding lower prescription costs. Constructed on gaining the business of customers upset with their current prescription coverage, the iscount care program cultivated an increase of gross market share to 17. 6% of the retail prescription market in 2008. According to the new annual reports, in August 2008 Walgreens priced a $1. 3 billion five-year bond offering to be â€Å"used in the repayment of short-term debt under its commercial paper program and general corporate purposes† (WAG Annual Reports, 2008). The bond’s primary purp ose of financing the expansion of Walgreens’ Take Care Clinics around the country will reinforce goals of insatiable growth in the United States. As the beginning stages of these clinics develop, Walgreens will have a better idea of the market’s reaction. SUMMARY OF STRATEGY These market-enhancing strategies formulated by observing frustrated consumers over the years yield a successful and progressive outlook for Walgreens. While Walgreens’ presence in communities nationwide will continue to expand, the systems and processes which customers receive service will undoubtedly change. As services become increasingly automated and salaries are cut to supply overhead costs of the latest technologies and capital investments, Walgreens’ initiatives to solidify their position as the market leader will continue to be a tantalizing puzzle for the company’s corporate executives. REFERENCES Berman, D. (2007,  January  17). CVS Raises Caremark Bid, Pressuring Express Scripts. Wall Street Journal   (Eastern Edition),   p. A. 4. Retrieved November 9, 2008, from Wall Street Journal  database. (Document ID:  1195592291). Caremark Rx Inc. : Advisory Firm Urges Holders To Accept Offer From CVS. (2007,  March  14). Wall Street Journal   (Eastern Edition),   p. A. 12. Retrieved October 25, 2008, from Wall Street Journal  database. (Document ID:  1232229641). Lueck, S. (2007,  September  19). Politics Economics: Democrats to Revisit Medicare Provisions. Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition), p. A. 12. Retrieved October 23, 2008, from Wall Street Journal  database. (Document ID:  1337919191). Merrick, A. (2008,  March  19). How Walgreen Changed Its Prescription for Growth. Wall Street Journal   (Eastern Edition),   p. B. 1. Retrieved October 20, 2008, from Wall Street Journal  database. (Document ID:  1448083011). Merrick, A. (2008,  October  9). Walgreen Abandons Bid for Longs; Drug Chain Cites Weak Economy, Withdraws $2. 7 Billion Offer. Wall Street Journal   (Eastern Edition),   p. B. 1. Retrieved November 9, 2008, from Wall Street Journal  database. (Document ID:  1570234871). Stewart, J. (2006,  November  8). Common Sense: Letdown Over Deal By CVS, Caremark Offers Opportunity. Wall Street Journal   (Eastern Edition),   p. D. 2. Retrieved November 9, 2008, from Wall Street Journal  database. (Document ID:  1158307411). Porter, Michael E. (2008. Jan) â€Å"The Five Competitive Forces that Shape Strategy. † Harvard Business Review. Porter, Michael E. (2008. Nov) â€Å"Why America Needs an Economic Strategy† Business Week Walgreens Annual Reports, The (2007, Dec 31). Questions and Answers for Shareholders. Retrieved October 10, from Walgreens Co. Website: http://files. shareholder. com/downloads/WAG/460812286x0x147120/C3FF93FD-4E51-4F5A-94FD-C0D058A9A911/Walgreen_AR_07. pdf Walgreens Annual Reports, The (2007, Dec 31). Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Results of Operations and Financial Condition. Retrieved October 10, from Walgreens Co. Website: http://files. shareholder. com/downloads/WAG/460812286x0x147120/C3FF93FD-4E51-4F5A-94FD-C0D058A9A911/Walgreen_AR_07. pdf