Poverty in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Poverty in America - Essay Example These figures imply that there are about 37 million people well below the poverty threshold as at end-2004. In view of the above, steps on how to alleviate poverty in the country must be efficiently programmed. In order to address the heart of this matter, legislators and private sector should have an understanding of key issues regarding poverty and the poor people in the US. The lives of those people bordering or below the poverty line are controlled by myriad factors which should be taken into consideration. This paper provides an overview of the profile of poor people and discusses how economic and social factors such as availability of job opportunities, prevailing wage levels, single parenthood, level of education, housing, health, mental illness and substance abuse among others affect the poor in America. The poverty line is defined by the Census Bureau as a threshold level of total money income, which includes wages and salaries, self-employment income, interest income, social security and welfare benefits, alimony and unemployment compensation, received by all family members on an annual basis. The threshold set varies depending on the number of adults and children in the family. As at end-2004, a family with two parents and two children required $19,157 to be above poverty line. A family headed by a single parent with two children needed $15,219 to elude poverty. On the other hand, a single elderly person needed $9,060 to answer day-to-day needs. Those who fall within the said levels are deemed poor. (Cadena & Sallee) As mentioned, poverty rate rose to 12.7% in 2004 from 12.5% in 2003. The increase in poverty is attributed to the decrease in real earnings. This means that, although relatively more people who wanted to work had jobs in 2004 than in the previous year, many have earned less after their earnings are adjusted for inflation. (Cadena & Sallee) The median earnings fell by 1.0% and 2.3%, for women and men working full time, respectively. The increase in poverty level is also considered to be concentrated among native-born non-Hispanic white Americans between the ages of 18 and 64. (Cadena & Sallee) Job Opportunities One of the primary factors affecting poor people is the availability of suitable employment. This is vital since it is mainly from the earnings gained from working that people are able to meet their needs and required sustenance. It is observed though that limited job opportunities as well as the prevailing low wages contribute to the persistence of poverty in America ("Hunger and Poverty in the United States"). The minimal wage for unskilled workers and some employment barriers for poor job seekers are deemed to perpetuate poverty (Mangum, Mangum & Sum). Albeit as much as 50% of all those considered living in poverty are actually working, their jobs pay minimal wages barely enough to cover their basic needs and that do not keep up with the rising inflation. In this regard, these people still fall under the poverty line. These conditions are aggravated by the fact that the working people in poverty are not able to receive social welfare benefits from the government as their earnings make them ineligible for government assistance. (Giddens) In order to make ends meet, some people are forced to get an extra job. Given the rising cost of living, one job may not be

Factors That Affect Travel And Tourism

Factors That Affect Travel And Tourism TERM OF HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY Service providers such as restaurants, hotels, motels, inns are classified under the umbrella of the hospitality industry. The hospitality word come from a French word hospice meaning to provide care for travelers from distant countries to feel at home in the county they are visiting. Hospitality industry is growing by day and it span all over the world. 1.2) Advantages Our country Malaysia will gain a lot of advantages from the hospitality industry as this industry will create job opportunities for the country and increases the revenue of the country through tourism. Taking for example the high level or the 4/5 stars hotel like Golden Sand Hotel, having to hire enough man power or part time workers to cater for the increase of tourist. Workers need will be at the Front Desk department and the Housekeeping Department. This not only benefits permanent staff but also those students who need extra income to finance their studies. The hospitality industry is not the only industry which will profit when the numbers for tourist from other countries increases. Every industry players in the country also wants to gain some profit such as when tourist visit a country for a day or more they would have to search for a suitable place to stay. Looking for accommodation one has to assess the purpose of their visit and Traders Hotel is the best choice for business visits. If the tourist visiting a country to relax themselves, then budget hotels and above would be a better choice. Food and Beverage Industry is the second industry which will benefit to earn a large amount of profit. Travellers visiting a country will travel around to find food when hungry. Malaysia food or our local cuisine will be their choice and with this income will be generated for the Food and Beverage Industry. In case any local wishing to operate a restaurant out station, tourist will have to the opportunity to try it and their food will be easily be accepted, Tourist from countries like Gengland, Germany and Japan were impressed to see our beautiful beaches and our historical buildings. The tallest tower in Kuala Lumpur, the Twin Tower will be a great surprise to them as their country does not have such tall tower or structure. They will also tell their friend at home of the magnificence things that Malaysia has offered. Malaysia will create a name for herself when tourist visits Malaysia. With this the hospitality and tourism industry will bloom when the satisfied tourist return to visit. Malaysia Visit Malaysia Year promotion will be permitted to put up posters advertisement on the public transport. Business and trade opportunities will flourish with visitors visiting Malaysia via the Hospitality Industry. They will be captivated by some of the resources that Malaysia can offer such as rubber and tin ore and in return the economy of Malaysia will improve. Science and Technology in countries like America, China and Japan are more advanced than Malaysia who is still slightly behind will gain better knowledge by learning from these advanced countries. The professional and cons of everything. The benefits of the Hospitality Industry are that it will make Malaysia shine but at the same time it will also bring in some disadvantages to our country. 1.3) Disadvantages The increase in crime rate is what we see as the most disadvantages that our country will face. It must be forgotten that al tourist from other countries that apply visa to visit our country comes with good intention. There may be some criminal from other countries coming to Malaysia to escape from the law of their own country. They might commit crimes in our country such as murder, robbery and other things associated with crime. On the other hand, visiting tourist from other countries visiting Malaysia, they will stay in hotels and this in return bring in profits to the lodging Industry. This is good for our country. With the increase in arrival of tourist there might not be enough rooms to cater especially during the peak season. Three or four stars hotel normally does not have a lot of rooms unlike the five star hotels, so the question is where are these travelers going to stay? These day, frequent raids have been conducted on night sport, entertainment outlets, bars and small shady hotel to wipe out foreigners who enter the country on tourist visa as many have exploited their visa by working illegally in the country especially in the night entertainment industry. This has caused a lot of home to break as the men would visit these places frequently, thus divorce rate might increase by 40%. Another factor to be looked into is the policy of the government caught between the two sectors. They might be caught in between upgrading the airport or to build new factories. At times the choice made may not be correct. If upgrading the airport is their choice than the Hospitality and Tourism Industry will flourish and on the other hand they might ignore the development or manufacturing industry. At such the countrys growth will not be in balance. Culture change and beliefs will be another factory that Malaysia needs to address due to the arrival of tourist whereby they will bring in such cultures and beliefs that may not benefit our country. One example is the dressing whereby our youngsters were influence to start wearing western dressing which is short and revealing. Due to all these our conservative nature, old tradition will phase off and soon forgotten. In conclusion, Hospitality Industry needs to be upgraded so as to generate enough income for the countrys development. On the other hand our government needs to put in more effort to preserve the tradition of our country. 2.0) QUESTION 2 Find out the factors that affecting travel and tourism. Explain in detail. 2.1) FACTORS THAT AFFECTING TRAVEL AND TOURISM It is the dream of every country to be listed as the first country one would like to visit for holidays or business. The popularity and so is the economy will be increased when having tourist from other countries. Hoping to draw in more tourists most countries are frequently into ways to develop or improve or upgrade their tourist spots. To further attract tourist promotions and advertisement have to be done often. There are several factors that can have negative effect on the Travel and Tourism Industry which cannot be avoided such as below. Weather Conditions One factor that can deter a tourist from visiting a country is weather which human do not have the capability to combat it since it is the product of nature. If a country encounters extreme bad weather such as a blizzard, heat wave or heavy snow fall off no tourist will want to make that visit. During certain times of the year some countries experience heavy rainfall resulting in floods and that will hamper the tourist to make visits as it will be very inconvenient to do shopping or sightseeing. Natural Disasters Earthquakes or tsunamis are act of god and cannot be controlled by human. During any earthquake occurrence loss of lives, serious damaged to properties and infrastructure will be badly damaged. Taking for example the recent earthquake that hit Japan. All tourists had their booking for the holidays either have their booking cancelled and some opted for change to a safer destination. Disease Outbreaks or Plagues A human brain works better compared to that of animals and that allows us to think logically. In case where there is an outbreak of disease and plague in a country, tourist will avoid making visits to that country. To persuade a tourist to visit a country down with such disaster is not easy especially those who do not want to take any chance of falling ill. No tourist would like to take chances or put their family in danger by going to such affected places no matter how much the visit means to them or for whatever reasons as some disease like Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) would be fatal. Countries at War No tourist of sound mind would like to visit a war-torn country. People visiting this war-torn country are mostly journalist sent to cover news of the war and also some who would like to see the suffering of the people of that country. During such period the government of that country is more concern about winning the war and not attracting tourist. In short that very country will no longer have places of attraction or scenic beauty which is safe for tourist from other country to admire or enjoy as lives will be lost daily due to the unrest. Who would like to be caught in the crossfire of the two opposing forces in the country? Economy In times of economic recession people will be more careful in the way their money is spent. Saving money will be their main agenda and the money they will spend will be concentrated on food instead of other shopping. Even though there is a need to have a break they will go to a places nearer to home where they do not have to pay accommodation charges or other charges which were increased to cushion the inflation by staying in hotels for a day or two. Tourist will also be discouraged to travel until such time when the recession is over. Season The kind of holidays and the climate suitable is the decision tourist takes in consideration when planning their holidays. Some tourists prefer to visit countries during winter to enjoy the snow and also winter sports. Older people prefer to go to countries to enjoy the sunshine because most of the older people dislike cold and freezing places. Family with children will definitely look towards holidays in places where they can share the fun with their children in theme parks like Sunway Lagoon and etc. Insufficient Promotions or Advertisements Tourist will not take chances to visit places that they are not well informed about the people, country and sceneries. They might not be able to visualize if the country they are visiting lives up to their expectation. In conclusion, a country well maintained free from diseases, minimal crime rate, good economy and free from war is the most preferred destination a tourist would look forward to.

Buddhism: The 4 noble truths Essay -- Buddhist Buddha essays research

Buddhism’s Four Noble Truths Siddharta Gautama was twenty-nine years old when he abandoned his family to search for a means to bring to an end his and other’s suffering after studying meditation for many years. At age thirty-five, Siddharta Gautama sat down under the shade of a fig tree to meditate and he determined to meditate until he reached enlightenment. After seven weeks he received the Great Enlightenment which he referred to as the Four Noble Truths and the Eight-fold Path. Henceforth he became known as the Buddha. In The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching, Thich Nhat Hanh provides a citation from the Buddha, which gives insight into the cure of our distress. â€Å"I teach only suffering and the transformation of suffering† (Thich Nhat Hanh 3). When we recognize and acknowledge our own suffering, the Buddha, which is present in everyone, will look at it, discover what has brought it about, and prescribe a course of action that can transform it into peace, joy, and liberation. Suffering is the means the Buddha used to liberate himself, and it is also the means by which we can become free. The teachings of the Buddha revolve around this central tenant known as the "Four Noble Truths". The Four Noble Truths represent the basis of the Buddha's teaching and form the central foundation of Buddhism. Historically, Lord Buddha preached on these topics during his first public commentary following his enlightenment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The First Noble Truth states that "Life is Dukkha." Dukkha, in English â€Å"suffering", exists, even that this is the natural and universal state of beings. To live, one must suffer because it is an inevitable part of life, which one cannot avoid. All beings must endure physical suffering as well as enduring psychological suffering the form of many human emotions. Human beings are subject to impermanence and uncertainty which very often, causes us to associate with things that are unpleasant and disassociate with things that are pleasant. This may seem a bit cynical and may suggest to many individuals that Buddhism is a dismal, fatalistic religion yet it just implies we must accept the good with the bad. Buddha’s first noble truth is a statement that can obviously not be denied. In The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching, the author provides insight into the truth of suffering. â€Å"To succeed in the practice, we must stop trying to prove that everything i... ...aintain ourselves clearly on all planes of existence. 8. Right Concentration, samyak samahdi, by establishing and maintaining our focus of appearance, manifestation and being through appropriate concentration, usually named as meditation, dhyana, we are grounded in our unfolding actuality. This is the threshold of Nirvana, to develop the eye of wisdom. Anyone and everyone can achieve the highest goal in Buddhism. All one need to do is to make an honest effort to follow the Noble Eightfold Path. It is said that those who have reached enlightenment, like Buddha Shakyamuni and his disciples took much work to attain that state of mind; it was not accidental. The Buddha and his disciples were once ordinary people, afflicted by the impurities of the mind, desire, ill-will and ignorance. It was through contacting the Dharma and purifying their words, thoughts and deeds. These individuals developed their minds and acquired wisdom so they became exalted beings able to teach and help others to realize the truth. If one applies themselves to the teachings of the Buddha, attainment of the ultimate goal of Buddhism, the goal of liberation, the everlasting bliss of Nirvana can be achieved.

Logistical and dramatic factors to be decided upon in a production of Philadelphia Essay

Friel raises issues, explores them to a certain degree. However the end is left open. The play â€Å"Philadelphia, Here I Come!† is both realistic as it presents real life situation, but also expressionistic, trying to dig into Gar’s subconscious. Gar has a choice to make, ultimatum that could vary depending if S.B. was to reveal his true emotions towards his son. Gar lacks the same attribute as his father; the ability to communicate with one another. Gar also failed to make an oral impression on Katie’s father in the past and this element cost him her hand in marriage. We are presented with Private Gar and Public Gar on the stage. Public Gar is the Gar that people see, talk to and talk about. Private Gar is the unseen character, the alter ego of our main hero. Although Public Gar is the only person that can hear Private talk he never looks at him, he cannot look at his alter ego. On stage two characters play Public and Private. One utters what is acceptable and the other utters what he’d really like to say if he wasn’t so inhabited. The central struggle is not between the public and private but between Gar both private and public and his father S.B. Apples don’t fall far from the tree, also outlined in the play by Madge who describes them as â€Å"two peas† that way Gar and S.B. are very similar, they are both afraid and embarrassed of expressing themselves emotionally. Neither one of them wants to look soft nor weak in front of one another, being emotionless proves their masculinity. Gar cannot think straight talking to his father, he contradicts with his thoughts and feels awkward just like he did asking Katie’s parents for her hand in marriage. Eventually we are taken back in time via flashback where we see Gar and Katie in love, they are planning to get married although Gar doesn’t earn enough to support them both, he is afraid to ask S.B. for a rise. Friel made a very deep and realistic attempt to present an ordinary Irish family and problems they are faced with, lack of money in the sixties and most importantly the overdose of masculinity which leads to lack of communication between father and son, issue that may occur in many people’s lives. Music is used to outline the mood changes and current flow of emotions of certain characters; Gar uses a turntable to present his mood and eventually gets frustrated and changes the record to a much more dynamic track, this way author presents the emotions of characters to the audience. The piece of music seems to suggest anxiety, change, and excitement – all emotions that Gar is feeling at that particular moment. This way Brial Friel attempts to dig into Gar’s subconscious. There is a nearly institutional quality to the shades of green, and the dim overhead lighting focuses attention in the central spaces over the kitchen table and Gar’s bed in the two rooms of the split set. Almost everything happens round the kitchen table, Gar’s friends drink and talk, S.B. plays a game with Cannon, Gar talk to S.B. about irrelevant stuff. The entire play happens within twenty-four hours and we are reminded of it throughout by the highlighted clock in the kitchen and clamorous sounds of the clock ticking in between the events. This way, Friel wants to point out the inner conflict of our main hero of the play, his time is running out and eventually, it will be for him to decide whether he leaves for Philadelphia or stays in Ballybeg. This is a play about finding one’s place in the world wherever that might be. Madge clears out some of the unresolved issues by telling us how Gar’s mother died and that S.B. in fact does have feelings but is unable to show them in public, it buggers him and he couldn’t get any sleep the night before Gar’s departure â€Å"It must have been near daybreak when he got to sleep last night†. Even though Gar’s new career in Philadelphia is meant to give him a new life, with lots of money and anything he would have ever wished for. Madge sees this as a way of escaping from Ballybeg and most importantly his father, â€Å"and when he’s the age of the boss, he’ll turn out just the same. And although I won’t be there to see it, you’ll find he’s learned nothing in between time†. Another important relationship is the one between Gar and Katie; they were in a serious relationship when they were younger. Her Father, Senator Doogan refused for them to marry after Gar miserably failed to make a positive verbal impression on Katie’s father. This scene is presented with a flashback where Gar’s mind flows back in time to that particular event. Kathy and Gar are happy together in his vision, Private Gar sarcastically responds to Kathy’s concerns about their possible future and money issues, â€Å"(imitating) how will we live?† Gar often repeated Edmond Burke’s speech on French Revolution â€Å"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the Queen of France, then the Dauphiness, at Versailles† he eventually realises that all this time he has been thinking about Kathy Doogan, this way Friel dug deep inside Gar’s subconscious by revealing his repression of emotions. In the end we don’t know whether he leaves for Philadelphia or stays in Ballybeg. Friel decided to keep the ending opened it’s for us to figure out whether he has any reason to leave or perhaps stay. In conclusion, Friel uses many stage directions to connect the audience with the characters. He presents us with Private Gar, alter ego that raises many concerns about his inner feelings, which we wouldn’t know about if Friel was to use just Public Gar. Flashback is presented to show previous events from the past in order to get deeper understanding of Gar. Music is outlined in the play to show Gar’s current emotions and their change for example we can tell his mood changes as he decides to play a much faster song. The entire play happens within twenty-four and we are reminded of it by the highlighted clock in the kitchen and clamorous sounds of it in between the scenes. Issue of the lack of communication between Gar and S.B. never gets resolved; we can tell that both of the characters suffer, as they’d like to express themselves. In the end with an open ending and not much gets resolved. It’s up to the reader to put the events in order and make personal judgement on the possible outcomes that may have resulted in the play.   

Media Representation in Lgbt

Media and its representation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual (LGBT) themes has been prevalent throughout time. According to the collections of studies and stories by Meem, Mitchell and Jonathan (2010) concerning LGBT individuals, it is important to represent such themes because it is able to enlighten people on how our society as a whole, has become dynamic. The Media can be seen as a â€Å"central source† where negative perceptions can be created. As a result, stereotypes can be either created or perpetuated about this group, negative or otherwise. Media as a medium, therefore, is an extremely powerful tool in our society, and can be used to change or create people's perceptions about this particular segment of our world (LGBT). Stereotyping people can be harmful and have long lasting effects on us as a society, â€Å"It can transform slight assumptions on people and make them perceived realities† (Meem, Mitchell; Jonathan 2010). Such stereotypes are capable of perpetuating inequality and social prejudice in society. However, it is imperative to note that stereotyping through the media is sometimes inevitable. In the case of television, stereotyping occurs through advertisements, news bulletins and entertainment. For films, stereotyping has been used as a form of marketing. The stereotypical codes give television and film audiences a common and quick way of understanding a particular person. In most cases, stereotypical codes focus on ethnicity, social roles, sexual orientation, occupation, race and gender. Most often, the groups being stereotyped may not defend themselves. They are usually the minority and raising their voices may make little or no impact. However, there are some measures, which have been instituted to help reduce stereotyping. For instance, media campaign against this vice has become useful in reducing stereotypes in society. However, the vice is still rampant in some sections of the media. â€Å"There are those who have a common tendency of thinking that the way people think and can be uniform across the globe† (Carroll, 2009). This is not true people are diverse and their mindsets also vary. This is mostly applicable in homosexuality whereby gays and lesbians are viewed to be outside the mainstream or dominant culture. With the emergence of gothic culture, it is probable to categorize them as being weird or abnormal. The dominant culture in this case refers to marriage and love relationships between people of different gender. Same sex marriages and behavioral patterns are prevalent in virtually all cultures. As Carroll (2009) documents, â€Å"same sex behavior is found in every culture, and its prevalence remains about the same† (p. 290). The media is a viable source of information in society such that televisions and films are very influential due to both sound and visual effect. These two mediums of communication are crucial in symbolic annihilations of lesbians and gays. According to Vollmer (2003), films and TVs tend to avoid integrating gays and lesbians in their programs for fear of offending advertisers, target audiences as well as investors. This kind of portrayal is not desirable because it denies them their human rights. The fact that they belong to a new generation culture does not mean that they should not enjoy their rights. With their visual effects, the two mediums of communication cultivate a perception that homosexuals are bad elements in society. They should not be given a chance to be heard if they have views to express. Due to fear of loosing audience and revenues, these two mediums of communication edit their programs to extent that audiences place homosexuals under the category of abhorred people. This has extended even in the ways they are covered in television news. â€Å"The issue of sexual orientation has been used as an indicator of villainy and deviance in children’s movies† (Vollmer, 2003). If children were to be shown movies that portray homosexuals as bad characters in society, then, they would grow up hating them. A negative perception is cultivated in such children. Such kinds of stereotypes can instigate violence in society. For example, a gay male may not be welcomed in a party due to his sexual orientation. It is only a question of ethics. Homosexuals are also put as either victims or villains in movies. They are depicted as belonging to a weird or foreign culture that cannot be tolerated. It is rare to have a movie that has the main character being gay or lesbian. If a girl begins to demonstrate some signs of male characteristics, she is referred to as a ‘tom-boy’. It is like a taboo to show such kinds of signs in a girl. On the other hand, if a male does not have masculine features, he is seen as an outcast. All of these perceptions are obtained from the media, and especially televisions and movies. According to Mehta and Hay (2005), media houses have for a long time helped to construct and reinforce stereotypical ideas about masculinity and men. From what is portrayed in the media, it is possible for people to dismiss others on the basis of whether they have masculinity or are feminine (Ferrey, 2008). Televisions and movies through their visual effects help define ‘a real man’. During advertisements, there are some particular aspects of man that are portrayed. A man who fails to have certain forms of male features may not be shown on TV or may not be considered for a film (Cohen ; Hall, 2009). Moreover, the marketing companies have started to objectifying men in the same manner women have been objectified. The fitness of a man, his muscles and general outlook count a lot in determining whether he is to feature in a program or not. Men are so used to this behavior, they do not see the need to object. Therefore, the media will never stop giving what one considers ‘good or real’ men airplay. Forming a type of segregation. A research study titled, Attitudes toward stereotypical versus counter-stereotypical gay men and lesbians indicates that six hundred and sixty two confessed gays, lesbians and bisexuals had contended with victimization in the society (Cohen ; Hall, 2009). Of those, 20% reported to have been attacked or abused because of their sexual orientation. In the year 2005, Federal Bureau had reported 1,171 of hate crime offenses took place because of homosexual orientation. This is the kind of segregation that has existed in the society for centuries. The major problem is because media and mostly electronic media show homosexuals as people who have undertaken ‘abnormal’ directions of life. They are not part of the mainstream culture. The only solution is for governments to create institutions that can help people understand that everybody should enjoy unlimited human rights. Forums can also help eradicated the notions cultivated by the media, about gays and lesbians and institute a culture of tolerance. In summary, no particular person should be segregated or discriminated on the basis of their sexuality. However, gender pre-judgments are still present in all media, the best remedy to help integrate all people no matter their sexuality, is to spend resources on education. Young people need to be taught tolerance and understanding in order to accept all kinds of people, regardless of their sexual orientation and direction. References Carroll, J. L. (2009). Sexuality now: embracing diversity. Belmont: CengageBrain Learning. Cohen, T. R. ; Hall, D. L. (2009). Attitudes toward stereotypical versus counter-stereotypical gay men and lesbians. Retrieved on 17th November 2011 from http://findarticles. om/p/articles/mi_m2372/is_4_46/ai_n35656044/ Ferrey, P. A. (2008). Gender Stereotypes persist. Retrieved on 17th November 2011 from http://www. nytimes. com/inc_com/inc1211198677212. html Meem, D. T. , Michelle A. G. , ; Jonathan A. (2010). Finding Out: An Introduction to LGBT Studies. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Mehta, V. P. ; Hay, K. (2005). A superhero for gays? Gay masculinity and green lantern . The Journal of American Culture, 28(4), 390-404. Vollmer, M. L. (2003). Gender transgression and villainy in animated film. Taylor ; Francis Journal, 1(2), 89-109.

Emma essays

Emma essays The story, Emma, by Jane Austen, is a riveting tale about a heroine who through her determined will to assist others, realizes and attains her own dreams and desires. The story begins with 21 year old, Emma Woodhouse struggling with the loss of her governess of 16 years and a truly dear friend, Miss Taylor. Miss Taylor recently wedded Mr. Weston and moved half a mile away from the Woodhouses residence at Hartfield. Both Emma and her father are trying to cope with this drastic change and overcome their sense of despondency. Emma feels as if she has lost her best friend and is extremely depressed about the predicament. However, Emmas distraught and lonesome manner quickly changes with the arrival of Harriet Smith. Harriet, a young girl of unknown lineage, is a student at Mrs. Goddards school. Emma sees the reformation and refinement of Harriet as a challenge, and decides to take her under her wing. There is a rapid change of atmosphere and mood, as Emma is more cheerful and content because of her newfound friend. The two girls become best friends, and Emmas wound from Miss Taylors departure gradually begins to heal. As the story progresses, Emma notices Harriets fondness of a young farmer by the name of Robert Martin. Emma feels that Mr. Martin is not worthy of her dear friends hand, and convinces Harriet to decline his proposal. Emma, confident of her own matchmaking abilities, then tries to make a match between her companion and Mr. Elton, who is a charming gentleman of an impetuous background. This reveals one of the themes in the story, which is social class prejudice. Although Mr. Martins ear nings are quite respectable, Emma feels that because Harriet is a part of her life now, she should have the same opportunities and lifestyle as her own. Harriet can acquire this by marrying into a higher-class family. Emmas determination and will to make the match ...

The demand and supply essay

The demand and supply essay The demand and supply essay The demand and supply essayThe initial offer is the starting point of the contract and in the case of the seller of the land and the buyer, it is the seller, who made the offer first.The offer was made by the seller, who offered the potential buyer to sell the land and set the price the seller wanted to receive from the buyer. In the course of the negotiations, the buyer accepted the offer and the seller asked for further advances in the implementation of the contract. At the same time, the buyer expressed his interest in the land that could be viewed as the offer but the expression of desire to purchase the land did not involve the beginning of negotiations since the seller did not start negotiations immediately after the buyer expressed his interest in the land. Instead, it was the seller, who made the offer to the buyer being aware of the buyer’s interest to his land. After that the buyer started negotiations and the contract processes has started. In such a way, the buyer cannot be viewed as the initiator of the negotiations, who made the offer. Instead, he was just a hypothetical buyer, who expressed his interest to purchase the land of the seller. Instead, it was the seller, who took the decision to sell his land and wrote the letter to the buyer offering his land and setting the price. In addition, the seller noted that he is going to put his land on the market and sell it to the buyer, who is ready to pay the price set by the seller.

Life Cycle of The Queen Bumblebee

Life Cycle of The Queen Bumblebee There are more than 255 species of bumblebees worldwide. All share similar physical features: they are round and fuzzy insects with short wings which flap back and forth rather than up and down. Unlike honey bees, bumblebees are not aggressive, are unlikely to sting, and produce relatively little honey. Bumblebees are, however, major pollinators. Beating their wings as fast as 130 times per second, their large bodies vibrate very quickly. This movement releases pollen, helping crops to grow.  Ã‚   The health and well-being of a bumblebee colony depend very largely on the queen bee. The queen, alone, is responsible for bumblebee reproduction; the other bees in the colony spend the majority of their time caring for the queen and her offspring. Unlike honey bees, which overwinter as a colony by clustering together, bumblebees (Genus Bombus) live from spring to fall. Only the fertilized bumblebee queen will survive the winter by finding shelter from the freezing temperatures. She spends the long, cold winter hidden away alone.   The Queen Bumblebee Emerges In spring, the queen emerges and searches for a suitable nest site, typically in an abandoned rodent nest or small cavity. In this space, she builds a ball of moss, hair, or grass, with a single entrance. Once the queen has constructed a suitable home, she prepares for her offspring. Preparing for Bumblebee Offspring The spring queen builds a wax honey pot and provisions it with nectar and pollen. Next, she collects pollen and forms it into a mound on the floor of her nest. She then lays eggs in the pollen and coats it with wax secreted from her body. Like a mother bird, the Bombus queen uses the warmth of her body to incubate her eggs. She sits on the pollen mound and raises her body temperature to between 98 ° and 102 ° Fahrenheit. For nourishment, she consumes honey from her wax pot, which is positioned within her reach. In four days, the eggs hatch. The Queen Bee Becomes a Mother The bumblebee queen continues her maternal care, foraging for pollen and feeding her offspring until they pupate. Only when this first brood emerges as bumblebee adults can she quit the daily tasks of foraging and housekeeping. For the remainder of the year, the queen concentrates her efforts on laying eggs. Workers help incubate her eggs, and the colony swells in number. At the end of summer, she begins laying some unfertilized eggs, which become males. The bumblebee queen allows some of her female offspring to become new, fertile queens. The Bumblebee Circle of Life With new queens ready to continue the genetic line, the bumblebee queen dies, her work complete. As winter approaches, the new queens and males mate. The males die soon after mating. The new generations of bumblebee queens seek shelter for the winter and wait until the following spring to begin new colonies. Many species of bumblebees are now endangered. There are many possible reasons for this, ranging from pollution and habitat loss to climate change.

Training- Developing People Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Training- Developing People - Essay Example Being realistic, corporate attitudes and expectations about what 'training' is and does cannot be changed overnight, and most organisations still see 'training' as being limited to work skills, classrooms and powerpoint presentations. However, if you start imagining and thinking and and talking about concepts and expressions such as: There are many different training and development methods. On-the-job training, informal training, classroom training, internal training courses, external training courses, on-the-job coaching, life-coaching, mentoring, training assignments and tasks, skills training, product training, technical training, behavioural development training, role-playing and role-play games and exercises, attitudinal training and development, accredited training and learning, distance learning - all part of the training menu, available to use and apply according to individual training needs and organisational training needs. Development isn't restricted to training - it's anything that helps a person to grow, in ability, skills, confidence, tolerance, commitment, initiative, inter-personal skills, understanding, self-control, motivation and more.

Position Paper on Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals Research

Position on Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals - Research Paper Example In analyzing the role of technology in a criminal or civil case, this paper analyzes the case of Daubert vs. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, giving out the facts of the case, and taking a position on whether to admit or discard forensic evidence in a civil or criminal case (Jenkins and Schuller, 2007). The opinion of this paper is that it is important to admit forensic evidence in a criminal or civil trial. However, there must be guidelines that the court must use in identifying the type of forensic evidence to use. For instance, the evidence under consideration must satisfy scientific organization that it is reliable and accurate. To do this, the process of collecting the evidence must pass the various tests that scientific organizations have put in place for purposes of determining the relevance, and reliability of a forensic evidence. This is a position that the courts took in the case involving Frye vs. United States (1923). In this case, the court gave a ruling that scientific evid ence is admissible in a trial court on if it gains acceptance from the scientific field that the evidence comes from (Dobbin, Gotoski, Eyre, Dahir, Merlina, and Richardson, 2007). However, in 1975 the Federal Rules of Evidence made trial judges to disregard the Frye laws while determining whether to allow the use of forensic evidence in a civil or criminal case. ... After doing this, this paper takes a position on whether to use forensic evidence in a criminal trial. Facts of the case: In this case, the minors who are plaintiff suffered from deformities after their mothers took drugs that Dow Merrel Pharmaceuticals manufactured. The drug in question was Bendectin. The experts of the plaintiff gave evidence in the court arguing that the drugs of the company indeed caused the reduction in the limbs of the minors, resulting to the deformities that they had (Dobbin et al, 2007). The evidence that Daubert and other minors brought before the courts was based on the studies of the effects of the drugs in animals. However, their methods of study did not gain any acceptance within the relevant scientific field of study. On the other hand, Dow Merrel Company managed to prove to the court that there isn’t any scientific study that links Bendectin to birth deformities. The United States Federal Drug Authority also agrees with the notion that the drug under consideration does not cause any side effects on minors or pregnant women. On this basis therefore, the authority approves the use of the drug by expectant women (Lyle, 2012). Decision of the Court: The court made a ruling that the testimony given by the plaintiff’s experts was not admissible as evidence before the court. The court was of the opinion that it is difficult for the judges to identify what is scientific theory of fact when it comes to a testimony that an expert presents before a trial court. On this basis therefore, the court relied on Federal Rules of Evidence number 702 to determine whether to admit a testimony from an expert or not. These principles under rule 702 are (Levett and Kovera, 2008); The

Mali Economic Development Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mali Economic Development - Research Proposal Example In 2005, Mali returned to a robust and good growth rate of 5.5 % after being characterized by a poor 2.2 % in its previous year. Cotton production in Mali involves around 3.3 million people and close to 200000 families farms hence accounting for about 10 percent of the Malian GDP. When compared to 2004, cotton production in 2005 improved greatly due to well distributed and adequate rainfall. Since the Mali government acknowledges the importance and significance of the cotton sector, it has organized it in an integrated format managed by the Compagnie Malienne pour le DÃ ©veloppement du Textile. CMDT is tasked with regualtiong and managing the whole chain of cotton production. Additionally, it is mandated with the development of rural areas via the provision of the necessary infrastructure such as a road network some areas like Segou, Kayes and Koulikoro. In general, Mali’s agricultural sector is characterized by low productivity due to lack of a specialized labor force. In light of this, it is clear that human capital has a significant impact on a country’s economic development. Human capital is often made up of education and health of the people. A human welfare index which incorporates education shows that Mali has a very low rate of school enrollment rates when compared to the rest of sub Saharan Africa. As such, Mali’s economic development over the years lags behind in comparison to most sub Saharan states. Thus, Mali’s failure to possess enough human capital is a challenge and hinders its economic development.

Forces Industry Analysis of the PC Industry Essay - 18

Forces Industry Analysis of the PC Industry - Essay Example As stated by Yoffie & Rossano (2012), in its early years during the 1990s, the industry was dominated by â€Å"Wintel†, which was a merged form of Windows OS brand and the Intel brand. However, with the increasing demands for internet and other technology developments, the PC industry has today become comparatively open and flexible to allow new entrants in terms of â€Å"no-name clone makers†. Nevertheless, the industry is regarded to be one of the most capital-intensive investment sectors encompassing rigid legal and trade norms which restrict the authentication of new players to gain a long-run sustainable foothold. High degree of innovation requirements to mitigate competitive barriers also tends to restrict the new entrants in the market lowering the risk of entry by potential competitors (Yoffie & Rossano, 2012). The consumption pattern and the quantity demanded by the buyers in the PC industry have been changing over the past few years, especially with the rising demand in emerging global markets. The buyers of the PC industry can be categorized into five sections comprising the household, the Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs), large industry, governmental sectors and education sectors. Even though the numbers of buyers in each segment are increasing rapidly in the industry context, the household consumers of the PC market can be identified as the largest buying group in the industry. Additionally, with the availability of only a few large brands within the industry, the growing numbers of buyers tend to have the greater bargaining power to steer the industry competition (Yoffie & Rossano, 2012).

Is Human Aggression Learned Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Is Human Aggression Learned - Research Paper Example As the paper stresses human aggression has largely been associated with social interactions in human populations. Cognitive aspects of people significantly affect the manner and level of aggression. Berkowitz’s neoassociation model describes frustration and other repugnant factors such as pain, discomfort and unpleasant situations among others as the causes of human aggression. They usually initiate aggression in human through the negative consequence. As the study hinghlights the frustration-aggression model also portrays aggression as an outcome of frustration. Its occurrence is usually triggered by the presence of obstacles that prevent an individual from attaining his/her goal. In such a situation, aggression is usually a sequence of events that are focused on responding to the obstacle, which may result to injury of the person who is acting as the obstacle. A human being is rational and usually sets objectives with the goal of benefiting from his/her actions. Strategies are usually developed to ensure that there is no failure, which include fighting against obstacles such as fellow humans. It is therefore common to find aggressive behavior among frustrated people. Inward aggression may also exhibited by individuals when they are frustrated. It involves actions such as biting the finger, tongue and hitting hands on hard surface among other behaviors that result in injuring oneself although the pain may not be intense as interpe rsonal aggression.

Governments at all levels are increasingly becoming involved in Essay

Governments at all levels are increasingly becoming involved in festivals and events - Essay Example This paper analyses the reasoning and salient pros and cons associated with the involvement of governments in encouraging events. Government is a set of institutions which Edward Sildow and Beth Henschen (2008, p.4) defined as â€Å"the individuals and institutions that make society’s rules and that also possess the power and authority to enforce those rules." Thus, it can be established that government possesses the ultimate power to influence public, and to impose such rules that are in the best interest of society. Today, governments are increasingly becoming interested in promoting events because these act as a catalyst that has an enormous â€Å"social, economic and cultural impact† (Smith, 2003). This explains that governments are now trying to garner international attraction through hosting local and mega events and basically eyeing on the aspect of economic and monetary profits. For instance, the UK government realised the impact of facilitating events on the c ountry’s economy and has supported the private sector on the reconstruction of new and bigger venues since 70s. The outcome has been in the form of some international standard sites such as the National Exhibition Centre (Birmingham) and Wembley Centre (Bowdin et al, 2012). This was also the main reason behind Prime Minister Tony Blair's strong support to the organisation responsible for holding Olympics 2012, â€Å"London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games," (LOCOG), during the bidding ceremony in 2005. Through ramping up the investments from private sector, governments seek long-term benefits for the whole country and in a variety of spheres. However, it must be acknowledged that it is not the government only that enjoys the benefits involved, but the private sector has another set of interests that is sought through events. The diversity in festivals such as Hallmark and mega-events is an outcome of the government’s involvement. Today, e vents are of various categories with varying prospects. These include business events like meetings, incentives, conventions, and exhibitions, in short MICE. Regional events are cultural or sports related and are organised every year. Every calendar event is a nation’s local festival such as Football or Rugby League matches, or religious/traditional celebrations such as Holi or Diwali in India. Hallmark events represent the customary festivals of a nation and mark an important historical event or anniversary. For instance, the event celebrated in South Africa of â€Å"10 Years of Democracy† in 2004 (Damster & Tassiopoulos, 2006). Mega-events such as Olympics, FIFA world cup or ICC Cricket World Cup; Tennis tournaments like Wimbledon and Common Wealth games, are not annual events and are held in a different part of the world by a particular organisation. Every government has its own specific motive behind pursuing and promoting events, and it can be entitled as an intel ligent strategy. For example, the motive of China's government has been different in comparison to UK because their main focus was on improving economic conditions through promoting travelling and locally prepared Chinese products. Chinese government did not just focus on mega events, but created newer holidays and altered the scale of traditional ones for achieving their goal. The transformation of three

Is Human Aggression Learned Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Is Human Aggression Learned - Research Paper Example As the paper stresses human aggression has largely been associated with social interactions in human populations. Cognitive aspects of people significantly affect the manner and level of aggression. Berkowitz’s neoassociation model describes frustration and other repugnant factors such as pain, discomfort and unpleasant situations among others as the causes of human aggression. They usually initiate aggression in human through the negative consequence. As the study hinghlights the frustration-aggression model also portrays aggression as an outcome of frustration. Its occurrence is usually triggered by the presence of obstacles that prevent an individual from attaining his/her goal. In such a situation, aggression is usually a sequence of events that are focused on responding to the obstacle, which may result to injury of the person who is acting as the obstacle. A human being is rational and usually sets objectives with the goal of benefiting from his/her actions. Strategies are usually developed to ensure that there is no failure, which include fighting against obstacles such as fellow humans. It is therefore common to find aggressive behavior among frustrated people. Inward aggression may also exhibited by individuals when they are frustrated. It involves actions such as biting the finger, tongue and hitting hands on hard surface among other behaviors that result in injuring oneself although the pain may not be intense as interpe rsonal aggression.

4.1. Patriot leadership during the battle of Monmouth 1778 Essay

4.1. Patriot leadership during the battle of Monmouth 1778 - Essay Example der-in-chief of the Continental Army managed to have a deep sense of optimism and established himself in the belief that Americans can be guided to the virtue of patriotic courage in achieving the most yearned freedom. Despite the extreme hot weather that prevailed during the battle where a significant number of British and American soldiers died of heat stroke, the American general withdrew not from his original scheme. Though opposed and held back by Major Gen. Charles Lee in his thought of assaulting the enemy’s rear guard near Monmouth Court House at New Jersey, Gen. Washington’s command remained steadfast in pressing his 5000 armed men to seize Gen. Clinton and defeat the British troops (Hickman). The patriotism that emerged with the leading character of Gen. Washington may be identified as one that consists of unshaken revolutionary prospect, with both heart and mind proceeding to work in unity. It occurred that while Lee was most likely thinking of the heavy losses ahead of them under the typical fear of Great Britain’s voluminous power, the general maintained inner strength by the inspiring principle of an independent nation that enabled him to carry on the violent pur suit of victory for the US without

Social Media And Its Effects On Society Media Essay

Social Media And Its Effects On Society Media Essay When talking about Social Media most people will probably just frown at you, having absolutely no idea what youre talking about. A remarkable reaction considering that more than a half of these people probably use Social Media themselves. Just simply clicking on a video on Youtube for instance, already makes you part of the huge community that Social media has and you dont even need to be registered! By watching a video, it will get more views which will result in a higher view-rate and therefore, the video will gain more popularity and catch the eyes of more viewers. Having that said I dare bet that every Internet-user is or has been part of the Social Media community. Yes, even you. Because, admit it, have you ever watched a video on YouTube? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ So I thought. Social Media is however more than just YouTube. The experience goes much further than simply watching movies on the internet and that is exactly what captivates me. How can one kind of Media become so huge in such a short time? How is it possible that both companies and private-individuals use the same medium on different ways? And, more importantly, why is it that Social Media is still expanding instead of fading away like most of the hypes we know? Let it be clear; Social Media is one big, important and yet complicated format which we know little about. Time to dig a little deeper! First Ill start with discussing the definition of Social Media thoroughly. Only when knowing EXACTLY what it is, well be able to understand what makes it so interesting and vital. Secondly, Ill be digging a bit in the history of Social Media. How did this new medium come to be? Did it just appear out of nowhere or did it take a while before it caught the eyes of the public? Third, Im going to investigate who use Social Media and why? Ill split this question in two sub-questions for you; Social Media used by private-individuals and Social Media used by businesses. Knowing what Social Media is, how it came to be and who use it and why, Ill be able to think of the influence Social Media has on our society. Is social media really that important, or do technophobias have nothing to fear? After concluding whether Social Media has a big or small influence on our society, Ill look whether I can confirm this conclusion by looking how much is invested in the world of Social Media. Finally, Ill be speculating about the future of Social Media. Will Social Media become vital for every company, or will it just fade away as hype? Welcome to the complicated yet most interesting world of Social Media. What is Social Media? 1.1 Social media as definition Social media is a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, which allows the creation and exchange of user-generated content. Kaplan and Michael Heanlin in Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of social media, business horizons (2010). In other words, social media is a new medium (it was, arguably, introduced in the second half of the 20th century), that allows people to globally interact through the media. It is a collective term for all the internet-applications that enable us to share and discuss information, not only in the form of text, but also through sound and video. But since social media is a collective term, you probably wont take my brief description for granted. You want to know the different forms that social media has and where they are to be found on the web. Take a seat. This may take a while. So, social media knows six different forms; communication, collaboration, multimedia, review and opinions, entertainment and brand monitoring. I will discuss each and every one of them. Communication is currently the biggest form of social media. Three very important aspects of communication are; blogs, micro blogs and social networks. Youve probably heard of them. Blogs are websites, or parts of websites, where people can write articles, columns, reviews, etc. Blogs are usually aimed at a specific subject. Basically, there are two types of blogs; commercial blogs and non-commercial blogs. Commercial blogs are mainly used by companies (doh) for a variety of reasons (for instance; promoting their product or getting to know the customer), but also by people who like to write, professionally, about certain subjects. Non-commercial blogs are mainly used by private-individuals, like you and me. These blogs usually define themselves as blogs written due to boredom. Usually, I said. A couple of known blogs are; WordPress, Bloggers.com and Open-Diary. Micro blogs are basically the same as normal blogs only they are much smaller. Micro blogs contain fewer characters and arent always aimed at a specific subject. Micro blogs are an excellent way for companies to make small announcements. Just like normal blogs, there are two different kinds of users (businesses and private-individuals, remember?) using the micro blogs. Known micro blogs are Twitter, Tumblr and FML (Fuck My Life). Social networks is arguably the most important component of social media (thank you, Facebook!). A social network is a big networking site where people can communicate with each other and share information. In a social network you represent yourself using a profile picture and by writing down a biography. That way, it is easy to locate people with the same interests which can result in an online friendship. The problem that this feature however brings is that the accessibility of social networks can also be seen as an invitation for perverts. Social networks are an easy way for perverts to hide their true identity and gain the trust of good-willed girls. And for that very reason, I dont blame parents for worrying sick when their children are uploading new photos on Facebook or other social networks. Undoubtedly, social networks are something to be careful with. Luckily, social networks, just like any other form of media, mostly support the option to set your private status to friends only, or to restrict certain areas of your Facebook for unwanted visitors. Its a great way to make your photos pervert-free. Communication however doesnt only consist of these three aspects, but also contains location-based social networks, events, information aggregators and online advocacy and fundraising. Location-based social networks are social networks that aim at geography. People can indicate where they are, when they are there and why they are there, which will all be shown on a big map. That way you will be able to see where your friends are and you to notify them about your current location. The events section looks, in one way, very much like the location-based networks. It also relies on a map, only in this case the map indicates where and when events are held, together with more additional information such as who are performing, what kind of an event it is and the ticket fee. Its a great way to stay up-to-date about your favorite artists and to not miss any appealing shows. Social media is used by more than 50% of the American population, and for that very reason it should come to no surprise that there are lots of different sites with reference to social media and they are all very crowded. Amongst the common social media users there are celebrities, publishers and developers writing their thoughts down and making announcements. Social media is a huge center of information and it didnt take long till information aggregators were introduced to the market. Information aggregators are sites with big, huge dashboards that gather information from all social networks. The last part that communication knows is advocacy and fundraising. I believe AF is a rather peculiar element of communication, because its usually integrated in other social media (mostly social networks). The main goal of AF companies is to raise as much money as they can for charity. They do this by advertising on other sites and by striking up partnerships. Especially live broadcasting sites such as BlogTV and Stickam attract AF companies. Where communication specializes in a belonging community, collaboration is recognized for its involvement with other sites; sites that fall under the collaboration category usually gather information from other sources. The six aspects of collaboration are; wikis, social bookmarking, social news, social navigation, content management systems and document managing and editing tools. Wikis are a perfect example of sites gathering information from other sources. Take a look at the end of a Wikipedia page and you are high likely to see a list full or sources. For instance, when looking up social media the most famous wiki; Wikipedia, gives me this; Wikis are generally known for their reliability because they make use of the knowledge management system, meaning that every user can contribute to the site by creating and editing articles. That results in a huge database. Another social database that collaboration knows is social bookmarking. Social bookmarking collects links of all kinds of sites and then categorizes them. Users are able to rate (or as I like to call it; digg) and share the links. That way people can easily find good, reliable sites that fit their interests. Known social bookmark sites are; Stumbleupon, Delicious and Google Reader. Social News looks a bit like social bookmarking; it also works with a rating system. Unlike professional news sites however, people write their own news on social news sites. Readers have the ability to vote on articles; deciding what is important and what isnt. Social news sites are obviously a magnet for information aggregators. For them its like killing two birds with one stone; social news sites contain a lot of information and the community already picks their favorite articles. Known social news sites are Digg, Newvine and Reddit. Social navigation, content management systems and document managing and editing tools are the lesser known social media components of collaboration, which comes quite a bit to my surprise because social navigation and content management systems can actually come in quite handy. Social navigation, for instance, provides information about the public transport, and content management systems is a software-application that simplifies the complicated code-language of the internet for common users like you and me. In the case of social navigation, Im guessing that mobile phones and global positioning systems are preferred by todays customers because these are more frequently used in vehicles. I dont blame Document managing and editing tools for being little popular though. They are online (free) writing tools and also allow users to share their documents with the Interwebs, but why would anyone want to share their articles randomly with these tools on the internet? Most of the articles that are published on the internet are published not through document managing and editing tools but through own websites. The documents are usually written in Word. Multimedia is a term you have probably already heard of. It is generally favored by the youth. Multimedia can be divided in five aspects; photography and art sharing, video sharing, live casting, music and audio sharing and presentation sharing. Its very common for multimedia sites to be used for other kinds of social media. Think of it; multimedia sites are perfect databases to store your pictures and videos because they can easily be linked in your articles thanks to embedded codes. Though the names already give away where the aspects actually function for, I have decided to explain them anyhow. As you probably have already noticed, I like being as thorough as possible. Photography and art sharing are, as the name already says, sites where people can share pictures. They serve as a great way for people to save (and optionally; share) their photos and find other photos. Since (mainly) blogs dont have a lot of space, photography and art sharing sites are very popular places for bloggers to upload their pictures on. They wont be bothered with the limited space problem and wont risk the chance of having the original photo removed so that only a dead link will remain. Video sharing basically have the same principal as PAs only do they specialize in videos except for pictures. Especially Youtube is a very important component of the video sharing aspect. Video sharing is used by both private-individuals and businesses. Private-individuals use video sharing mainly as entertainment, but also as outlet or gateway to show their own talents. Businesses use video sharing for promotion by uploading videos about their brand (mostly funny commercials or trailers). Remarkable is that most live casting users are also pretty popular on video sharing sites such as Youtube. Many famous Youtubers (like Davedays, Shanedawson, Zushoo, Creepjeepers) are featured on Stickam and BlogTV (two of the biggest live casting sites). Apart from their scripted shows they sometimes like to just randomly entertain fans on liveshows. Live casting is also often used as live streaming device for important shows. If people cant attend certain events for any reason, they will be able to follow it live at home. Music and audio sharing is an aspect of collaboration that specializes in sounds. On these sites, users are able to customize their own playlists and check out other playlists. It is a popular concept for radio broadcasts because their audience are most likely music fans and appeal to this market. Presentation sharing is mainly used by companies. Sharing presentations is a great way to take information up in an interactive way. Especially for teachers, presentation sharing can come in handy. Its a great way to reach the modern generation of students and still educational. Despite the fact that most people write reviews and opinions on blogs, there are still a couple of sites fully dedicated to the reviews and opinions category. The RO category has but three aspects; product reviews, business reviews and community question answer. Lets start with the beginning; product reviews are sites where the community can give their opinion on certain products. Its a really nice way for people to know what product to buy and what not. Business reviews are practically the same as product reviews, only they dont contain the opinion about products, but about companies. Is the service any good? Are they reliable? Etc. The problem with business and product reviews however, is that questions HAVE to be business/product related meaning that if you have any other questions, you have nowhere to turn. Thats where the community question and answer comes in. Community QA sites are sites where people can ask whatever they want and the community will answer. Yahoo!Answers is a well-known QA site. As Ive already said, entertainment is very popular with todays generation. The entertainment category consists of; media and entertainment platforms, virtual worlds and game sharing. Media and entertainment platforms is probably the least popular form of social media from all kinds of social media we have, because they play mostly behind the scenes. They are used by older companies who arent yet integrated in the modern society and allow them to digitalize their products/marketing strategies. Virtual Worlds on the other hand are pretty popular and used by a large amount of youngster. Virtual Worlds are basically online games like World of Warcraft, the Sims Online and Second Life. Players are able to create an imaginative character and play in a fictional world, where they can meet other people. But hold on a minute, you might think. If online games are part of the virtual worlds, then why is there another subcategory named shared games? That is, because shared games support browser-based games instead of downloadable programs. Shared games are usually simple flash-games, made by the community, and all playable on one big site. Virtual games, on the other hand, are usually huge, downloadable, professional games and its creators will dedicate themselves towards one game. At last, we have arrived at the last category; brand monitoring. Brand monitoring knows only one form, which is social media measurement. Social media measurement is an indicator that provides information about the internet traffic. Companies use it in order to get a good insight in their costumers; where are they from, how old are they and what are their interests? Its a great way to get to know the customer I think. So, that was chapter 1.1; the definition of social media and honestly, I wonder whether you still know what content managing systems are without looking it back up. Its a whole lot of information, I admit, but necessary information all the same. All I have done now is given you a good idea of what social media is and what we count under social media.

The Style File: Strunk and White vs. Williams :: Learning Writing Essays

The Style File: Strunk and White vs. Williams What is the definition of style? Is there an exact way of interpreting style individuals create in their writing? What is the importance and function of style in the writing process? Does style really matter? Before encountering books such as William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White’s â€Å"The Elements of Style† and Joesph M. Williams â€Å"Style Toward Clarity and Grace† I had not put much thought into these questions. My main focus was to get my writing assignments completed, turned in, and out of my mind. However, these two books create a whole new outlook on the world of writing for any individual who can open the cover and their mind. â€Å"Style† strives to explain how writers can improve clarity, cohesion, usage, and elegance to become a more effective writer. This book is not meant to be read once, for the full potential can not be achieved unless it is absorbed several times. Packed from cover to cover with real life examples ranging from the worst imaginable to greatly improved, Williams provides a detailed explanation of how to transform any writers work. Charts, graphs, and diagrams may add some confusion but can be helpful for individuals who depend upon visual aids. On the same note, â€Å"The Elements of Style† also entails rules, guidelines, and examples for the purpose of the writer’s improvement. However, the approach is entirely different. This little book entails several important topics including rules of usage, missed used words and expressions, principles of composition, and approaches to style. The advice in â€Å"Elements of Style† is simple, clear, and straight to the point. Rules are short, and boldface so they are easy to quickly look up if the writer is in need of a quick on the spot tutorial. Following the boldface rule are a few statements or paragraphs with an explanation. Examples are only found for some of the rules but the ones given are not as elaborate as in â€Å"Style.† This book allows for a quick read and refreshing of rules and guidelines that have been encountered throughout an individuals writing career. There are several aspects of Strunk and White and Williams books that I had already learned years ago and forgotten or had just discovered for the first time.

Comparing Moby Dick, Ahabs Wife and Diary :: Comparison Compare Contrast Essays

A Comparison of Moby Dick, Ahab's Wife and Diary A story is composed of many parts, some necessary and some to add meaning. What are necessary are characters, a setting, a conflict, and a resolution. To add meaning an author may include complicated histories to their characters' lives, underlying themes, value within the setting, and surprising twists within the conflicts and resolutions. Because this outline is generally used throughout fictional stories, many, even if written in completely different genres and time periods, are alike and can be compared. This is because through technological and social changes, themes such as man vs. man, man vs. himself, man vs. nature, and man vs. society remain constant. Newer authors such as Chuck Palahniuk are considered post modern; he must create art in a world where everything that could possibly be original has already been created. Therefore he is expected to take what has been done and make it better. Thus, he combines themes from Moby Dick and Ahab's Wife to make Diary. Herman Melvill e wrote Moby Dick in the nineteenth century to narrate a story of a man who battles the world in search of himself. It is hinted that he left a wife behind and selfishly sacrifices his fellow humans because he can only see his one goal: capturing the white whale. Sena Jeter Naslund took the idea that Ahab had a wife and created Ahab's Wife (1999), which gives birth to many characters and similar themes. Most of this novel details Una's life before she met Ahab, but also includes her absent husband a great deal and illustrated their relationship while he is present as well as after he leaves. In both novels the inner turmoil of man dominates, creating similar backgrounds, lives, and goals for both Ahab and his wife Una. Chuck Palahniuk, a nouveaux shock fiction writer, also writes with man vs. himself (sometimes literally), man vs. society, and man vs. nature permeated throughout in order to create his novels. By combining character traits, settings, conflicts, and resolutions, one c an easily understand how, though the world has evolved, the underlying themes of fiction have not. Within the plots of the three novels there are many similarities. Diary is a fictional story written as a series of diary entries. Misty is keeping this diary as suggested by her comatose husband's mother; "It's what sailors and their wives used to do .

Social Evils Poverty and Health

Poverty is one of the most important social evils and a major determinant of ill health (1). From time it is known that poor social status is a major determinant of disease and reduces longevity in a big way. The Charaka Samhita recognized that community structure and functioning was an important cause of disease in individuals. The association of individual illness causing community disturbances and poverty and vice versa was noted (2). Health status is strongly determined by socio-economic positions and a large body of literature from developed ountries demonstrates that most causes of deaths occur at a greater rate in groups with lower socio-economic status (3). Pathways from adverse social circumstances to ill health are then discussed and some suggestions are made for eliminating these social evils. The Global Burden of Diseases Study reported major causes of mortality, disease burden and risk factors in various parts of the world (4). In developing countries, infections of respiratory tract, HIV/AIDS, diarreah, tuberculosis, and malaria have emerged as important causes. The reliability of mortality ata has been questioned in terms of medical classification of deaths as a large number of deaths are recorded as proof and old age. Globally, the important causes were lower respiratory infections, AIDS, heart disease, and malaria. Indian National Commission on Macroeconomics and Health (9) has reported that communicable diseases, maternal conditions as well as non- communicable diseases which are major causes of disease burden. The Second Global Burden of Diseases Study (4) quantified more than twenty health risk factors that influence health of populations. Major risk factors identified were childhood and maternal undernutrition leading to childhood and maternal underweight. , iron deficiency, anaemia, vitamin A deficiency and zinc deficiency. There was a difference in risk factors causing disease burden or mortality. Social circumstances and poverty are the major determinants of all these factors. A social problem is defined as a situation confronting a group or a section of society which inflicts injurious consequences that can be handled only properly (11). There are a number of social problems in India (11). These have been identified as poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, population explosion, communalism, youth unrest, violence against women, crime and criminals, alcoholism, terrorism, corruption, and more recently, overweight/obesity in the urban subjects coupled with changing lifestyles. Multiple efforts to accurately identify social determinants of health have been performed and some efforts have evolved recently. Social determinants of health were enumerated by Marmot and others at the Solid Facts Program of the World Health Organization (12). The factors identified were social rganization, early life events, life-course social gradient, high unemployment rates, psychological work envoronment, transport, social support, cohesion, food, poverty, and social exclusion. All of these factors are classified as social evils that directly influence health. Because non-communicable diseases are major health issues in Europe and other developed countries, these factors reveal only half the story. For example, illiteracy and low educational status is a major disease risk factor but not part of the WHO agenda as this is not as serious f a problem as it is in Europe (3). A major development to address various social issues and poverty was the landmark United Nations Millennium Declaration in the year 2000 by various Heads of States and governments. The declaration articulated Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which include specific targets for social engineering to bring about equitable prosperity and health (13). These specific targets include poverty reduction, increasing primary education, promoting gender equality, and development of a global partnership for an even bigger development.

Nationalized Models and Country Comparison Essay

Comparing health care system can be a beneficial tool when making changes to an existing system. When two countries use different fundamentals in their health care systems, looking at the similarities and differences allows for comparison and change in a current system. Collecting this data and comparing it gives countries the opportunity to make changes and implement new strategies to better their existing health care systems. The United States health care is predominantly comprised of private health care providers which are paid for by citizens paying for private medical insurance. There is some supplemented insurance available for poor and disabled citizens who are subsidized by the federal government but available through the different states. The senior citizens have a federally funded health care referred to as Medicare, which is funded by money collected from workers throughout their careers. Germany has one the oldest national health plans in Europe. The plan is for all citizen of Germany to have health insurance. It is required for the workers to pay a percentage of their income into the national plan. The rate of premiums is then based on a person’s level of income. The national plan then allows higher wage earners to opt out of this plan and pay for private insurance. The United States struggles with the high cost of health care and having the ability to continue to provide basic coverage through Medicare and Medicaid. The German plan has created health insurance for its entire citizen with a surplus of over 5 billion dollars (Miriam Widman, 2011). The plan is cost effective for the German system. The United States is trying to explain how they will pay for the health care plan they have and the part they want to add. The problem starts with almost 45 million uninsured Americans (Arthur Garson Jr, MD, MPH, 2012). The health system in place for the German system has all citizen insured. This is costly for Americans and the health care budget. Implementation of a new health care system in the United States is and has been a problem. The private sector is primarily the main source of insurance coverage for Americans. It has been proposed many different times or the US to go to a National program, and generally not supported. The main argument is this would create socialism in the United States and take away our freedoms. The Germans do not see it this way, â€Å"You (in the U. S. ) have risks but you also have opportunities†¦. but for us it’s clear. Health is a risk that cannot be placed on the shoulders of the individual. † (Ann Marini). The Obama Health Care Act seems to address many of the issues that face Americans, but it seems to have a lot of opposition. The German National Health Care plan has support from both parties (Miriam Widman, 2011). It is possible the new plans for the US will continue to move forward in 2014, and make a difference for the uninsured Americans. The German plan seems to work with a surplus of funds to back it up. Both of these systems have good and bad parts to them. It seems that Americans are afraid that choices will be limited with change from the mainly private system that is in place now. Comparing other system does make sense to make changes on the system in place. The goal is to have the best health care at affordable prices for all the citizens of both countries.

Leadership Theories Essay

Classical and humanist management theories have had a major influence on modern theories of leadership. Making effective use of appropriate models and theories critically examine whether this is the case. In order to answer this question, it will be appropriate to look at how classical and humanist theories emerged and outline some of their theories relating to management. Further discussion will be on the role of management in comparison to that of leadership with concluding arguments on how far these theories have influenced modern leadership. The stride towards industrial development in the 19th century led to the emergence of classical management theories with several approaches. One such approach was how managers should act, manage task and deal with day to day problems of managing the business (Mullins 2004). Example of theories on the above approach is command and control by Henri Fayol, bureaucratic organisation by Max Weber and scientific management by F W Taylor. Fayol cited in Dilys Robinson (Training Journal, Jan 2005) favoured the idea of management organising task and managing people through a hierarchy system. He saw senior level managers as having authority not only by virtue of their position within the organisation but also on the increasing amount of decisions that managers had to make. Senior level managers cascaded orders through a command chain system to employees and had almost no interaction with workers. In addition Fayol taught that managers and workers had to abide by certain principles for the greater good of the organisation. For instance manager’s had to treat workers with some degree of fairness whiles workers on the order hand were expected to accept and follow plans from one leader, sub-ordinate their interest and not step beyond their responsibilities. In the same way Max Weber in Derek Pugh & J Hickman (2007) like Fayol supported the idea of a formalised organisation structure as it legitimised authority and helped to remove problems that authority based on tradition and charisma created. He was also concerned about the likelihood of managers using their authority to abuse workers within the hierarchy system hence his  idea that the relationship between the organisation and managers had to be impersonal in such a way that managerial roles are assigned and their authority based on competence. Additionally, Taylor in Dilys Robinson (Training Journal, Jan 2005) suggested that managers must be responsible for organising work and the task given to selected and trained workers to perform in accordance to the way managers deemed it. His idea seems to assert that there is one best way of performing task and that work task should be tailor made to fit those who have to perform them. Alternatively, humanist theorist which began to emerge on the background of classical management started to teach that workers were not only motivated by reward factors and that consideration of human needs was also a key in motivating workers. Humanist theories also began to look at the behaviour of employees within the organisation. Examples of humanist management theories are Douglas McGregor’s X and Y theory and Rensis Likert’s management systems and styles. Douglas McGregor under theory X proposes that in certain situations managers must use their authority in order to get things done and achieve desired results. Under theory Y, also based on certain assumptions he proposes that managers must be more democratic in their approach as this will motivate staff to contribute more to the organisation. Furthermore Rensis Likerts in Derek Pugh & J Hickman (2007) identified four varying types of management styles bordering on the exploitative – authoritative, benevolent – authoritative, consultative and participative system. The first is characterised by imposed decisions and use of threats and the second the use of rewards mainly to motivate staff. The third is were motivation is by rewards and some participation and the fourth seen as the best solution in that management have confidence in their workers, real responsibility is felt by all, communication is abundant, team-work exists and where motivation is on economic rewards based on agreed set goals between management and staff. McGraw Hill (1967) the human organisation,  agrees that all organisation should adopt this. (http://www.accel-team.com/human_relations/hrels_04_likert.html) However in modern organisations the exploitative – authoritative style of management is less than ideal as this usually results in staff feeling more de-motivated and demoralised. Staffs are also more likely to rebel and challenge management by lodging their grievances with internal or external arbitration systems that are in place today. From the above, it can be that whiles views generated by the classical theorist thinks managers can only lead effectively through a formalised structure, by rules and command, humanistic views provides an alternative as to how managers must lead, they must consider the needs of their workers, encourage participation to motivate and utilise the full potential of workers for the good of the organisation. To further develop this discussion, it would be useful to examine what management and leadership involves as arguments abound as to whether management and leadership are the same or not. However the difference between the two has been shown to be in what both does. Management as a term is generic in meaning and is defined by Terry and Rue in Ernest Dale (1969) as a process or form of work that involves guidance and directing of a group of people toward organisational goals and objectives. It also covers many areas such as planning, organising, problem solving, controlling and putting appropriate structures in place. These are now seen as functions performed by individuals who have been assigned formal roles as managers. Leadership in contrast is defined by Richard L Daft, Patricia G lane (2007) as ‘an influence relationship among leaders and followers who intend real changes and outcomes that can reflect their share purpose’. Mullins, L. J (2004) also defines leadership as ‘getting people to follow’ or getting people to do things willingly. From this definition what stands out is that leaders must have followers whiles management use available resources such as people to get things done. Tom Swanick & Judy Mckimm in ABC of Clinical Leadership supports this by citing management as involving the directing of people and resources to achieve organisational values and strategic  direction established and propagated by leadership. One example of what distinguishes leadership and management is when it comes to authority, leaders do not derive authority from a hierarchy system as managers do. An example of this is a case study in John Adair (2007) which was conducted at the laboratory of a molecular biology. The study found out that it was an environment which assigned offices did not exist and all workers regardless of position integrated with one another. It allowed ideas to flourish and be shared which lead to great works being produced by the laboratory. Mullins (2007) mentions also that in the performance of work task under the 7 S’s within the organisational frame work, leaders often make use of what is called the soft S’s, style, staff skills and shared goals whiles managers use the hard S’s which is structure, system and strategy. Zaleznik (1977) cited in Brooks (2005) lends his support and suggests that managers during conflict situations usually focus on achieving compromise to maintain order and do so in an unemotional and lay back manner which does not result in change. For example the parties involved in a conflict may resolve their differences through compromise but does it guarantee that such a conflict will not arise again. Bennis and Nanus (1985) cited in ABC of clinical leadership give additional weight to the above and quotes ‘Managers are people that do things right’ but ‘leaders are people that do the right thing’. Leadership is also associated with being visionary. Gower (2010) for example cites leadership as being an ‘activity that is visionary, creative, inspirational, energising and transformational’. Managers in contrast are seen as being less so. This may stem from the way management developed and trained from the past. Managers are usually assigned to be heads of departments within the organisation and as such tend to look at how they can meet targets within their departments rather than thinking about what direction the whole organisation is heading or needs to head in today’s ever complex and changing environment. In light of these differences, management is still seen as being intertwined with leadership as the former has to  exercise leadership in the performance of their duties. For example Bolman & Deal (1997) see both as necessary for success as organisations that are over managed with little leadership involvement or vice versa results in failure. In conclusion it can be said that classical and humanistic theories have had a great impact on modern leadership in various ways. One of these is that it has changed the way leadership is viewed worldwide. Calls have been made for leadership to be exemplary and moral. A recent example was the leader of Italy, Mr Berlusconi who faced a lot of criticisms on certain aspects of his behaviour whiles in office and as a result was forced to resign from his position. Increase in communication between organisations and with external bodies has been another. Leaders are seen as the face of the organisation and to promote its success, leaders go to great strengths to forge good relations with the communities within which they operate. Finally another impact on modern leadership has been the increase in innovative ideas and technology which has resulted in economic growth. An example of a leader who has shown innovation and vision is Mark Elliot Zuckerbery, owner of Facebook, who transformed the idea of creating a college social website into a global enterprise. References: Brooks Ian (2005), Organisational behaviour: individuals, groups and organisation, 3rd ed, Pearson Education [online] Available at www.dawsonera.com Buechlar Peter; Martin David; Knaebel Hans Peter; Buechlar Markus W, Leadership characteristic and business management in modern academic surgery, Langenberks Archives of Surgery, Volume 391, Issue: 2, Pages149-156. [online] Available on ISI web of knowledge, Accessed 12/12/2011 Derek S Pugh & David J Hickson, (2007), Great writers on organisations, 3rd omnibus ed, Ash gate Publishing Ltd, [online] Available on www.dawsonera.com] Dilys Robinson, http://www.trainingjournal.com/feature/2005-01-01-management-theorists-thinkers-for-the-21st-century/ [Accessed 15/12/11] Ernest Dale (1969), Management: Theory and Practice, Copyright 1993, Carlos C. Lorenzana & Rex Book store [online] Google Books, Accessed 18/12/2011 Gower handbook of leadership and management development, GB: Gower (2010), Edited by Jeff Gold, Richard Thorpe, Alan Mumford [online] Available on www.dawsonera.com http://www.accel-team.com/human_relations/hrels_04_likert.html) John Adair (2007), leadership for innovation, kogan Page Ltd [online] Available at www.dawsonera.com, Accessed 21/12/11 Mullin, L. J (2004), Management and Organisational behaviour, 7th ed., Pearson Education Mullin, L. J (2007), Management and Organisational behaviour, 8th ed., Harlow: Financial Times Prentice Hall Richard L Draft, Patricia G Lane (2007), The leadership experience, [online] Available on Google books, Accessed 21/12/11 Tom Swanick & Judy Mckimm, ABC of Clinical leadership 1st edition, (2010) Bmj Books, [online] Available on www.dawsonera.com, Accessed 12/12/2012 Bibliography: John P kotter, What Leaders really do, Harvard Business School Press, Boston, Available [online] www.HBSPress.org , Accessed 20/12/11.

Advantage to the use of tasers by law enforcement officials Essay

Advantage to the use of tasers by law enforcement officials - Essay Example As Hemenway and Weil explain, â€Å"guns in the United States currently exact a terrible toll: over 1,500 accidental deaths per year, close to 12,000 homicides and more than 17,000 suicides† (94). In other words, apart from the deliberate use of guns in the commission of crimes, guns are responsible for thousands and thousands of preventable deaths per year. Despite this, however, the very notion of banning firearms is unrealistic. The American public believes that it has an inalienable right to bear arms for the purposes of self-defence and, given Constitutional provisions supporting this right, it is unrealistic to assume that any gun ban proposal will ever successfully pass into federal legislature and be effectively implemented (Hemenway and Weil, 94-96). Added to that, if law enforcement officials are to effectively fight the crime pandemic, they must be armed. The situation, as described, presents policy makers and law enforcement with a paradox. Our nation’s crime rates are soaring. A Department of Justice publication reports that almost 1,500,000 million violent crimes were committed in 2005 (FBI, 2006). Approximately one million and a half murders, rapes and armed robberies were committed across the United States in a single year. Not only does this figure evidence the extent to which crime has reached pandemic proportions in the country but underscores the nature of the on-the-job dangers which law enforcement officers confront every singe day. To confront the crime pandemic, law enforcement officers must

Companies from emerging markets are better equipped to conduct Essay

Companies from emerging markets are better equipped to conduct business in other emerging markets - Essay Example Emerging markets could be referred to the low income generation economies, or could be the developing markets or the economies currently in the growth stage. The emerging markets have shown more growth in the recent years, as compared to the more developed markets and economies. In such economies every opportunity is exploited to its fullest and such markets are important strategic factors to be considered by the companies willing to grow in emerging economies. In these economies the higher growth leads to higher returns and higher demand for investment and capital which further leads to favorable movement in the flow of capital and currency alignments. The growth in incomes and products are also seen in these economies which are important detriments of patterns of demand and pricing of products. These days the most significant strategic choice faced by the global companies is investing in the right emerging market. (JAIN. 2006) It is estimated that till 2050 the BRIC (Brazil, Russia , India, China) economies will become large forces in economy of the world. According to these projections based on growth in GDPs, income per capita and currency movements, if everything goes right these emerging economies will become greater than G6 in US dollars terms. ... tion and high level of risks faced by these countries, there are chances that these projections could go wrong due to policy change or any other factor that can affect the economy adversely. (JAIN. 2006) EMERGING ECONOMIES AND MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS: Due to such enormous effect of BRICs on world’s economy and the impact it would have in future years, it has become increasingly important for the Multinational Corporations (MNCs) all around the world to realize the importance of these emerging markets and the benefits the investment in these can provide. The major characteristics that attract the investors in these markets are increasing demand and group of wealthy people, educated work force and opportunities for low cost production. Many large MNCs such as P&G, IKEA, Coca Cola, HP etc have realized the importance of these markets and have expanded tremendously in these markets. (VAN DE KUIL. 2008) Out of BRICs, India and China are the strongest in the race of these emergin g markets. It is estimated that in next 20 years these both countries will become more than the size of mature countries like UK or Japan. Today’s advances markets and nations will lose their position and a drastic shift in spending would provide opportunities to global markets. China and India both have world’s largest population which together holds 37% population of the world. The population living in the mid-income segment of these both countries is constantly growing which means a demand of products and services is growing rapidly. (VAN DE KUIL. 2008) REASONS TO ENTER EMERGING ECONOMIES: Many MNCs have strategically planned to enter these emerging markets due to various reasons. Firstly it has become hard for the companies to grow in the mature markets; therefore the companies are now