Nutrition Practices

Receiving proper nutrition to satisfy the physiological needs of man is a general knowledge that everyone is aware of. The food that we eat is necessary not only to fulfill the biological urge to satisfy hunger, but also to nurture the human body in order to withstand illnesses and diseases for a longer and healthier life.Although this is a common goal for nations, particularly of the United States, as manifested in health care services and policies granted to their citizens, other external factors seem to influence how individuals perceive nutrition. One major factor which affects the nutritional decisions and influences of individuals is their culture, for one’s racial or ethnic roots or backgrounds are attributed to nutrition practices.This fact may be observed in hundreds of individuals who belong to various racial and ethnic groups residing in the US. The evaluation or assessment of the nutrition practices undertaken by these individuals reveal that they are at high risk for experiencing health and nutritional deficiencies.For instance, the Prima Indians were found out to be at great risk for contracting diabetes primarily fueled by obesity. However, in this case, aside from the nutrition practices, the genetic make-up of this ethnic group also influences their health and wellbeing. Another case is the implication of the exclusion of milk, and other dairy products in the diet of Asian Americans and Hispanic Americans. (â€Å"Ethnic Traditions,† 2008)This is because studies have shown that these particular ethnic groups are more prone to lactose intolerance which leads them to remove dairy products from their nutrition practices or diet (â€Å"Ethnic Traditions,† 2008), consequently leading to Vitamin A, B12, D, and Calcium deficiencies (â€Å"Vitamins and Minerals,† 2008)Other health and nutritional deficiencies that are most common in the US for racial or ethnic groups include lack of Omega 3 fats, Copper, and dietary fiber. Fo r the male populations belonging to African American and American Indian ethnic groups, they are most at risk for Vitamin A deficiency.This is because it has been observed that they refuse to consume vegetables in their diet. Some vegetables that are essential parts of the American diet contain beta-carotene which is a valuable substance present in them from which Vitamin A is taken from. (â€Å"Ethnic Traditions,† 2008*)Aside from the minor influences of physical and genetic features or characters, one component of racial or ethnic culture also influences nutrition practices. Religion plays a major role in dictating what kind of diets individuals will be implementing. For instance, individuals who are Jewish refrain from eating the common types of meat such as beef and pork and prefer meat from sheep, goat, etc. instead.This religious belief has something to do with the distinction of the clean and unclean meats. Moslems on the other hand are not allowed to consume pork and alcohol. In addition, some Islamic festivals require that they practice fasting which refrain them from consuming food and drinks at a particular time during the day. This particular cultural and religious practice affects the health and wellbeing of Moslems. (â€Å"Ethnic Traditions,† 2008)From the various, but limited, examples provided in this text of the various cultural nutrition practices that racial and ethnic groups observe, the influence of such practices are perceived to be detrimental to their health and wellbeing.In addition, resolving the issue of ethnic disparities in terms of health care and nutrition is quite difficult to resolve since it would be far-fetched to reverse a culture that has long existed. Moreover, the influence of physical and genetic factors is unavoidable. The challenge presented within this text now is how cultural differences and the standards and guidelines of health and nutrition are to be reconciled in order to come up with a cohesive soc iety that is consciously aware of the need to promote health and nutrition for the betterment of human life.Referencesâ€Å"Ethnic Traditions.† (2008). Retrieved December 20, 2008, from The World’s Healthiest Foods. Website: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=specialneed&dbid=11 â€Å"Vitamins and Minerals.† (2008). Retrieved December 20, 2008, from The Vegetarian Society of United Kingdom. Website: http://www.vegsoc.org/info/vitmineral.html   

Looking for Alibrandi Extra Chapter

Chapter 33 Three months have passed since Josie and Jacob’s break and the completion of their final year at school, the summer holidays are coming to an end and a new year has begun. My heavy eyes ached as I closed them listening to music. I was nearly asleep when the song I was listening to paused and my familiar message tone sounded through my headphones. I picked up my phone just as the song faded back in, my eyes blurred as they adjusted to the light of my phone screen but the only thing I could see was Josie’s name. I sat up in shock and re-read the sender name a few times before believing it.I opened the message and started reading. ‘I’ve missed you so much Jacob, this is so hard and everything I do reminds me of you, I really want to see you again. ’ I stared at it for a moment in shock before a huge wave of emotion came over me. I kept reading it over and over thinking I must be in a dream. I didn’t know what to do or say. My mind was soon crowded with thoughts and suddenly I felt wide awake. Every day that passed I thought how I wished I was good enough to be with her, because in reality I wasn’t over Josie and I really missed what we had.When I did reply I wrote ‘I need you in my life Josie, I can’t bear not having you next to me anymore, I miss your company and want to see you’ I pressed send and anxiously waited for a reply. I heard another buzz so I picked up my phone. ‘Meet me at Subway at 12’ she said. The morning went so fast, I was slightly nervous about seeing Josie again since it had been three months since our last encounter. I put on a t-shirt and shorts on then stood in front of the mirror as I splashed my face with water. I looked at the clock and saw it was 11:50 so I grabbed my helmet and jacket as I pushed my motorcycle out the garage.It wasn’t until I got to the street before Subway that I realised my phone had fallen out of my pocket and I had lef t my wallet at home. I knew then I was going to be late and Josie was going to be left waiting. I turned around and was accelerating down the road when my bike slowed and came to a halt. ‘Could things get any worse? ’ I asked myself as I stared down at an empty fuel gage. I was scared that Josie would be thinking I stood her up and that I had no intention of getting back together with her. I had no choice at this point but to push my bike back home. All I could picture was Josie sitting at Subway all alone waiting.I arrived back home feeling stuffed but I refuelled my bike and sped back down to Subway. I saw Josie sitting at a bus stop nearby and I knew she had recognised the familiar sound of my motorcycle. I parked and got off right beside her. ‘You actually bothered to show up? ’ she exclaimed with anger in her voice. ‘Jose I’m so sorry, I’m sorry for everything! ’ I said still taking off my helmet so my voice was muffled. I tr ied to wrap my arms around her but she resisted trying to be mad. Even though I knew her better than anyone and I could tell she was happy to see me.The butterflies from three months ago had probably just filled her stomach like she told me they used to. ‘I was nearly here when I realised I forgot my wallet, then my bike ran out of fuel, I’m so sorry†¦ I’ll make it up to you,’ I looked at her in the eyes as she pushed out a smile. ‘Let’s go, I want to take you somewhere’ I said as I grabbed her hand and she jumped on the back of my bike. We went down to the beach and took a long walk on the sand. Having that break between us was the best thing, it feels like nothing was ever wrong and we are just meant to be together.

Meta-analysis

Meta-analysis was designed as a method of reducing the threats to validity that often arise as a result of small sample sizes. When sample sizes used for a particular experiment are too small, it becomes possible for errors to enter the data and cause it to become skewed or biased. Meta-analysis involves the survey and investigation of data from a number of related studies. Such analysis is usually advantageous in its ability to produce more accurate data. One of the problems that arise when conducting a review of studies comes from the methods chosen to analyze data. The usual methods of integrating research that has been previously done often prove unable to cope with the growing amounts of research with which some researchers have to deal. Meta-analysis helps eliminate this problem. It also delves into the quality of the research being evaluated, in order to reduce the problem of citing research without proper examination of the conclusions and the methods used to reach these. It also prescribes methods for researchers to weigh adequately all the evidence whether it is for or against their own preconceived ideas or preferences, thereby reducing the bias of research. Problems with internal validity arise as a result of such practices as non-randomization, small sample size, discontinuation of the studies by participants (drop-out), the occurrence of significant historical events during a study, lack of control groups, and the problem of extreme results versus the regression effect toward the mean (Losh, 2002). In order to improve the internal validity of research, meta-analysis covers a wide array of studies that serve to combat each of these problems in the following ways. Because meta-analysis deals with a large number of individual studies, problems regarding small sample size can be diminished as the number of participants within the study now becomes the aggregate of all those who participated in the individual studies. As a result, meta-analyses â€Å"have more power to detect small but clinically significant effects† (Davies & Crombie, n.d.). Biases in the data that arise from non-randomization and problems with lack of control groups can also be diminished because of the practices of meta-analysis experts in choosing carefully which studies to include in their research. When conducting this type of research, it becomes crucial to choose primary research that is â€Å"a complete, unbiased collection of original, high-quality studies that examine the same [†¦] question† (Davies & Crombie, n.d.). Researchers who adhere to this practice scrutinize the methodologies of the different studies and remove those that contain major contr ol and randomization flaws. The large number of studies used in meta-analysis also combats the problems or biases that may arise from such phenomena as regression toward the mean. When studies are done (or tests taken) it is often the case that a small percentage of participants score exceptionally high or low. It is often the case, too, that when/if retakes of these studies are done, these same exceptional scorers either increase or decrease their scores, taking them closer to the mean. With a large body of studies taken in meta-analysis, the effects of these exceptions and regressions can evened out, so that the study gives a more accurate and statistically valid picture of the problem/issue being examined. As external validity is related to the ability to generalize results across populations, though similar studies must be chosen for meta-analyses, the researcher may be careful to include ones that contain a wide variety of subject types. This will reduce the effects of population sensitization (familiarity with the processes of the test) as well as the likelihood of certain subject types to be (artificially) more inclined to one outcome or another based on the demographic of that particular group. The more inclusive the criteria for the participants, the more widely generalizable will the meta-analytic study become (Davies & Crombie, n.d.). References Davies, H.T.O. & I. K. Crombie. (n.d.). â€Å"What is meta-analysis?† Evidence-based Medicine.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Howard Medical Communications. 1(8). Losh, S. C. (2002). â€Å"Quasi-experiments, internal validity, and experiments II.† Methods of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Educational Research.   Florida State University. Retrieved on January 29, 2007 from http://edf5481-01.fa02.fsu.edu/Guide4.html   

Cross Culture Analysis

(A) Critical review of cross-cultural models (1)Introduction Culture has played an important role in the evolution of humans enabling them to adapt the environment to their own needs instead of depending solely on natural selection to achieve success in all walks of life. Culture typically is made of customs, ideas beliefs, customs, codes, techniques, tools, taboos, symbols, rituals and ceremonies. Every society has created its own culture which is unique to its society. Culture is characterised mainly of three components which are explained as below: Values – Ideas which are considered important in life can be termed as values. Norms – Different people behave differently in various situations. Norms can be understood as the expectations of how people react to these situations. Artefacts  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Artefacts are manufactured by men who reflect the culture’s values and norms. (2) Cross- cultural Analysis In 19th century, renowned anthropologists Edward Burnett Tylor and Lewis H Morgan have performed first cross-cultural analysis. Both Anthropology and Social Anthropology have made significant progress from the stages of Victorian England’s lower savagery to civilization. The concept of culture can be understood as a response against to those Western concepts and according to the anthropologists, culture is embedded in human nature. All people irrespective of the location and regions have the ability to categorise experiences, understand them by decoding using symbols and communication effectively. Several fields such as Sociology, Psychology, Communication and Anthropology have contributed to the creation of main theories of cross cultural communication. These theories are primarily based on the value differences among several cultures that are spread all over the world. Some of the important researchers who contributed to this field include Fons Trompenaars, Edward T. Hall, Shalom Schwartz, Geert Hofstede Edward Burnett Tylor and Lewis H Morgan and Clifford Geertz. (3) Aims of cross-cultural analysis The main aim of cross cultural communication is to understand the responses of different people from varied cultural backgrounds in different situations. Some guidelines are produced to decipher these differences and help them to better communicate with one another. According to Alvesson, M. (1993),  Cultural Perspectives on Organisations, 1992, Members of a group who share a particular culture can be understood and interpreted using some functions. The group can be of different sizes. It can be a small group in a village, or as big as a continent. Though the responses of the members of these groups can be understood as a whole depending on their culture, it further depends on the individual’s personality. The expressions of culture-resultant response can also depend on their own experience from life and the upbringing of that particular individual. The aims of cross cultural analysis are to harness the utilitarian function of culture as a means for human adaptation and better communication. Cross-cultural management can be understood as a subset of International management focusing on cultural clashes. The conflicts and miscommunication leads to differences in the cultures and cross cultural management aims to develop tools to understand and handle them. (4) Hofstede and his 5 dimensions Hofstede conducted investigations across the world to understand and analyse work-related attitudes in different regions. These studies have resulted in identifying five dimensions. These dimensions are masculinity-femininity, power distance, individualism-collectivism, uncertainty avoidance and long term vs. short term orientation. Social psychology between and within many cultures are being investigated actively in many respects and has acquired its own momentum over a long period of time. According to (Draguns, Lee & McCauley, 1999) comparisons with in the cross cultures can be made with the help of personality variables within that culture. As opposed to this, dimensions can also be derived in multicultural research projects can be used to study the relevance and the proximity to their home culture. In order to elucidate the conceptual nature of the cultural dimensions, Hofstede made various efforts to elaborate the contrast between the individualists as well the collectivist cultures. As this is not the only source of difference, several other Researchers such as Draguns, Lee & McCauley, 1999 also carried out studies on individualist cultures where the individuals are not tightly connected. They found that the priority lies ith looking after themselves or any other members of the immediate family. These individuals have different goals and aspirations that might not be in line with the values and norms of the entire group. However when there is a conflict of ideas, in individual societies they put their personal goals first by feeling autonomous. I n this type of social framework, the focus is on achieving personal goa ls. Such individuals are loosely attached to each other and if needed they can easily detach themselves from the rest of the group. They can also sever relations quite easily with their norms, partners and religion. However in collectivist societies, the most important factor is the group and there is a sense among the group members for solidarity and shared activities. According to (Goodwin, 1999) these kind of groups dominates in general as the obligations and duties of the individuals are not important when compared to that of the group. On the flip side, the collectivist societies are keener to protect the interests of the members of the group. They are not very concerned and may not necessarily help those members who are outside their group. The boundaries of the group are strong and explicit and they develop group egoism. Though it is costs, the individuals of the members contribute more especially in the personal events such as marriage and other links with the families with in the group. They do not behave like mere individuals. One of the other dimensions of Hofstede’s dimensions, power distance, is also widely discussed in the cross cultural studies. It represents the members of the society that agree to the inequalities in the power distribution among various members of the group. It may be in the organisations or institutions in which the degree of respect given those people who occupy superior positions. According to Deal T. and Kennedy, A. A. (1982),  Corporate Cultures, the acceptance to power inequality depends of the high distance and los distance societies. In High distance societies, they see power as the basis need of the group where as in low distance societies, they believe that power can only be used when it is legitimate. The next dimension of Hofstede’s model is Masculinity vs. Femininity. According to him, factors such as heroism, material success, assertiveness as preference for achievement are considered as masculine. Other factors such as caring for the poor and downtrodden, modesty, relationships, and the quality of life are considered subdued and feminine. The differentiation is based on the sex of that individual as the relationship between the Masculinity and femininity concerns about the relative emphasis and interpersonal harmony. While feminine culture gives preference to quality of life, warm personal relationships and fluid sex roles, the masculine cultures success, a sense of performance and competition and being brave. The fourth dimension, uncertainty avoidance, lays emphasis on the extent in which the members of a particular culture respond to the unknown situations or uncertain events. The cultures where the uncertainty avoidance is low are very curious whereas the cultures where the uncertainty avoidance is high are more dangerous. Uncertainty avoidance generally refers to the planning and the method of dealing with the unknown events in life and those with high uncertainty avoidance generally have a strong desire for mutual consensus. Any behaviour other than this is not acceptable in that group or society. The final dimension is long vs. short term orientation. The focus is mainly on the time horizon of the society. The orientation in this dimension of the study is to determine the importance that is being given to the future when compared to the previous history of that nation or society than the present state. In this dimension issues such as persistence and others are resolved by applying the orientation framework. Hofstede’s diverse studies of various cultures have provided the necessary inputs to understand the similarities or differences of cross cultures. (4. 1) Limitations of Hofstede’s model: Though Hofstede made several studies to identify the cross cultural similarities and differences, there are some limitations in this model. The primary limitation is the limited use of samples. The samples with Hofstede conducted the study is not applicable to the all the nations and therefore the results cannot be generalised to all the nations. The findings are generally based on the culture of the nation at a certain time which may be different from the result of the same nation at a different time. Another limitation to his model is the negative feedback of the participants. Some people are happy to cooperate with the study but some people may get offended by it (Barrick, Ryan & Schmitt, 2003). Another limitation is the importance of the study to their organisation or the country they live in. Another limitation is to create changes not all people would like to agree. More often than not, majority of the people cannot accept abrupt change in a short period of time. (5) Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner model: To explain the national cultural differences in an organisation, in 1998, popular management consultants Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner developed a model named ‘Seven Dimensions of Culture’. They tried to explain the differences in a heterogeneous business environment and the challenges faced by the global managers in managing them. Their study is primarily based on the responses of several respondents on a given dilemma. The dilemmas are contrasting in nature and this method is used by them over ten long years to observe the responses of various individuals on these dilemmas which will be used to interpret the basic attitudes and values of the individuals. This method is characterised by developing seven different processes which are formulated into dilemmas. By preferring one side of the dilemma, the individuals from one culture differentiate themselves from the rest of the others. According to Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner, these responses provided them a tool to analyse how national cultures differ from one another and how culture can be measured. They also suggested that the differences in cultures play a major role in achieving success globally and observed that reconciling these differences can lead to competitive advantage in the increasingly competitive global business environment. (5. ) Limitations of this model: * Failure in recognising the impact of personal characteristics on one’s behaviour. * Though this model differentiated between several cultures, it failed to suggest any recommendations on how to work with specific cultures. * The dilemmas that are developed by Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner may not satisfy that it will cover all the aspects of cross cultural studies. * Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner suggested th at the organisations must acknowledge the similarities and differences between the cultures that they operate in. However, other authors such as Ohmae (Borderless world) and Levitt (Globalisation of Markets) argue that national borders are diminishing day by day and emphasised on the need to look at the world as one big global market instead of viewing it as different countries that are made up of different cultures. (B) National Management Styles: Analysis and Personal experience. The ideas about the national management style over the past four decades have been dominated primarily by two nations. First by the American management model then followed by the Japanese. National cultural heritage was thought to be the primary reason for a particular management style. Having that as an underlying assumption, claims have been made that the management style is highly influenced by the cultural force of a country. Do the Japanese in general manage their organisations differently from Americans? This lead to evolution of two main standpoints which are called as culture-free and the culture-contingent position (Child/Kieser, 1997 and Osterloh, 1994). According to the culture-free position, the management style reflects the deeper understanding of industrialism producing essentials of technological and economic nature. The management style of firms over the personnel does not depend too much on the nation’s cultural values but more dependent on the technology, size and the industry environment of the organisation. According to Barrett, E. (1992),  The Strengths and Weaknesses of the Corporate Culture Analogy, the competition among the organisations in a business environment need conditions which support the management style. As we all know that those firms which compete on innovation use a more participative and professional management style when compared to the management style of those companies which are traditionally mass producers of plastic toys, screws or hamburgers. This can be observed across various nations all over the world. Likewise, the cultural settings do not seem to have much impact on the management of fast food chains. The contrasting viewpoint is culture-contingent position. Experts argue that societies exhibit distinct and relatively persistent cultures which include shared patterns of manners and ideas. Though different organisations in different organisations compete in varied conditions, they all adopt similar cultural contingencies within that country. This may be one of the reason as to why these organisations though compete against each other manage their firms with similar management structures which are appropriate to the cultural forces of the country. Culture of the country may matter for management, but it certainly is not the primary factor which influences the management style of the organisation. (6) European Cultural Diversity According to (Hofstede, 1993; Munch, 1993), despite sharing a lot of history, it is quite surprising that many of the European countries are still heterogeneous culturally. Though the integration of European countries brought about some economic forces, the culture and traditions of these countries still remain very different to that of each other. The nations that can claim to have developed distinctive cultures are American and Japanese. European countries are far from having a distinctive culture of their own. In order to overcome the present day pressures, they have developed diverse approaches of their own to cope with them. Among the European countries the national differences between the countries are greater than that of the non-European countries when it comes to dealing with the problems of technology development, economic growth and pollution control. (7) British Model of Pragmatic Management: Though Britain had a strong industrial dominance in the nineteenth century, after Second World War it has lost its strength both economically and educationally. Over the past decade or so, the global competitiveness and the economic recovery signs have been strong for Britain. Several factors such as political stability de-regulation of industries, and the English language advantage has attracted foreign direct investments from all across the globe which lead to the creation of entrepreneurial dynamism (ul-Haq, 2000). However according to Porter (1990), one of the important reasons for the continuous decline in the economic performance is the lack of quality in British educational system? Top-quality education has been restricted to a few groups. Important sectors like technology and engineering has been given lower priority. This resulted in the impact on the management in general and society in particular. While there are exceptional employees who are well trained for professional work, majority of them lack in depth education and skills when compared to the other highly industrialised nations. This can explain about the difference between blue-collar and white-collar workers, especially managers, appear to reflect the social structures of the society. The relationship between the workers and the management is generally characterised by mistrust and hostility, as a result of the conflict of interest between the two classes. Source: Martin, J. (1992),  Cultures in Organisations – Three Perspectives Let us discuss various management styles and critically examine if that is the style in my own country. i. Autocratic: In this management style, the decision making lies with the managers and they enforce their decision on the employees. They do not have a two way communication with the employees because they don’t trust them. This can be demotivating to employees, but this style is suitable for organisations that have to take quick decisions and manage large number of employees. I am from India and I can say that this management style is not widely used across the country but can be seen in large organisations particularly in IT firms that have large number of employees to manage. ii. Paternalistic: Paternalistic managers listen to the concerns of the employees before taking decision with respect to their social and recreational needs. The information flow is from top to bottom as they give direction to the employees. Interesting aspect is that they also take feedback form the employees which can be very effective. But the decision making on an issue may take longer than usual. This will help improve the morale of the employee. This management style can be observed in India though not widely. An organisation from the Marketing and Service industries and tourism industry in particular adopts this style of management. iii. Democratic: Everyone is involved in the decision process in this management style. Productivity and job satisfaction is improved as the communication flows from top to bottom in this approach. Employees’ motivation will be high as they are recognised and considered to be important to the organisation. On the flip side, it is difficult to get consensus on any issue and therefore slows down the process significantly. Sometimes there is also a risk that the managers may not be able to implement the best decisions. This style is not usually adapted in India as the mind sets of people are quite different and it may take quite long to take a decision. However this management style when implemented effectively with a judicious mixture can result in producing desired results. Source: Adler, N. J. (1991)  International Dimensions of Organizational Behaviour. Personally, my style has always been employee empowerment. The people I choose to have thinking people work under me, not automatons. Because of this, my task gets simpler and I can accomplish the targets in due course. I have learnt a great deal and also enriched my knowledge base as well as my skill levels. I am always aware of the fact that my task is to manage my team and they have their own tasks. I must enable them to deliver their best whether it is sales, operations or something else. Due to this, the members of the team can come up and discuss their ideas with me without any fear. To my mind, no organisation can grow if its employees do not grow. 8) Conclusion: As per my experience, persistent growth can be achieved by organisations by implementing proper management styles. They can solve organisational problems; improve employee productivity and loyalty and satisfaction. Satisfied customers and higher returns of the investment is the key for all the organisations at the end of the day. On the flip side, adopting an incorrect manage ment structure will lead to tensions between managers and their subordinates resulting in diminished employee morale and depleting productivity. (9) BIBLIOGRAPHY i. Alvesson, M. 1993),  Cultural Perspectives on Organisations, 1992 ii. Deal T. and Kennedy, A. A. (1982),  Corporate Cultures, iii. Barrett, E. (1992),  The Strengths and Weaknesses of the Corporate Culture Analogy iv. Martin, J. (1992),  Cultures in Orgnanizations – Three Perspectives v. Kono, T. (1990), â€Å"Corporate Culture and Long Range Planning† vi. Adler, N. J. (1991)  International Dimensions of Organizational Behavior. vii. Riding the Waves of Culture  (Fons Trompenaars & Charles Hampden-Turner), 1990. viii. Five Minds for the Future  (Howard Gardner), 1982 ix. Burack, E. H. 1991), â€Å"Changing the Corporate Culture’’ x. Hampden-Turner, C. (1990),  Corporate Culture (10) Web References i. http://ezinearticles. com/? How-To-Understand-Cross-Cultural-Analysis&id=4031 11 ii. http://www. itapintl. com/facultyandresources/articlelibrarymain/the-use-and-misuse-of-questionnaires-in-intercultural-training. html iii. http://www. blurtit. com/q410358. html iv. http://www. blurtit. com/q792848. html v. http://ivythesis. typepad. com/2010/07/what-are-the-limitations-on-hofstedes-and-globe-studies. html vi. http://www. wright. edu/~scott. williams/LeaderLetter/culture. htm

The Role of Strategic Leadership

Over time the concept of leadership has changed. In a contemporary learning environment, leadership has demonstrated the need to overcome recurring challenges to allow room for the development of great qualities that make up an effective leader. Not everyone can be in leadership positions; however, as aspiring young leaders develop a new comprehensive and collaborative framework they will improve their leadership practice. This is not to say that they will be effective leaders.I feel that experience is key in many ways because through the leadership simulation it has allowed me to evolve and improve on the whole concept of the responsibility of being and effective leader. Throughout my years in education I saw many schools experiencing the need for improvement in as far as leadership is concerned. The principles of leadership simulation continue to enhance leadership growth and development in the 21st century. We now know what the role of a leader is about.Many times I felt, from pas t experience in dealing with more then one administrator, that we have always lacked this one thing; that is, effective communication. Participating in the simulation period has really allowed me to be more open to suggestion during my quest for more leadership experience. I have weak points that I need to address. However, being in athletics has made me more tolerant and more outspoken. In addition, I still need to learn a few things about leadership because there is always room for improvement.Throughout my experience while taking this leadership course I have learnt that leadership revolves around the central role of providing problem solution in order to achieve set objectives. It gave me a clear understanding of the unique styles of different types of leaders as well as learning the type of leader I am. In my experience through the simulation periods I felt there was a need for each participant to be involved as much as possible. This would allow them to grow as individuals thr ough people they don’t know and never seen.Even though we all had different theories of how things should have been done I felt that we accomplished a lot together. My understanding of the leadership course is that it demonstrates the general concept of the leadership framework. Leadership framework that offers problem-based experience that engages participants in addressing real world problems and situations in a learning environment. I know that principals and school leaders are expected to encourage critical, creative and strategic thinking in an environment that is collaborative.I am aware of strategic pedestal that leaders use to influence the effects on the school success. This will only through creative analysis of strategic base within the limits of school policy as well as solving organizational problems of schools. I felt that the leadership courses builds on the principles of problem solving as well as critical thinking skills in a realistic world that is typical o f collaboration, consultation and interactive simulation.Ultimately, as a school leader over the athletic department it is my responsibility to demonstrate experience and expertise in making decisions that may influence the success of the athletic program. Strategic leadership addresses effective management and planning so as to achieve an organization’s goals or a group’s targets. Scholars define strategic leadership as a person’s ability to expect, envision, maintain flexibility, think strategically and work with others to create a viable future for the organization (Ireland &Hitt, 2005).According to strategic leadership theory organizations are a reflection of their top level managers, and most especially the executive. The experiences, knowledge and values of the top executive shape the organization’s destiny. It is important that top executives collect important data in order too make wise decisions for their organizations. My experience as a high sc hool athletic director has taught me the importance of a leader’s knowledge, values and experiences in helping him or her make better decisions for advancing the organization’s objectives.Through my vast experience I have been able to note events and situations that tend to repeat themselves over the course of time so that I am better able to prepare for their reoccurrence. Also, the knowledge I have gained over the years through studies, work and other sources has directly or indirectly shaped the direction of my decisions. Again most of my decisions have been determined by my values; the primary value being service to others. As the high school athletic director, I deal with coaches and athletes on a daily basis since I run the athletic program.My decisions are therefore key to the progress of the athletic program. My knowledge, values and experiences impact the direction that the program takes because these factors determine my decisions for the program. Through the leadership course I have developed an appreciation for the importance of effective communication as a tool that any good leader should perfect in order to ensure the progress and future of his organization. I have developed an appreciation for the relation between good communication and effective collection of data that is critical to decision making for leaders.When a leader is able to effectively communicate with his team then he is in a position to effect quality operation of the organization. However when the leader is not able to effectively communicate his vision to his team then chances are that the organization’s future may become uncertain citing inability of the team to stir the organization towards what the leader has identified as the direction that the organization ought to take. In other cases conflict and animosity may occur due to bad communication.Conflict within a team breeds disharmony among the team members which effectively reduces cooperation. This ther efore retards the organization’s growth. As a high school athletic director, I have responsibility of stirring the program towards success. Having noted that there is a need to improve communication in school administration, and with my new found knowledge about the importance of effective communication, I will strive to improve communication between me and the coaches, athletes and school administrators.Thanks to the leadership course and the simulations I am better able to deal with these people, in tune with my leadership style. As a leader I can therefore say that I am in a better position, thanks to the leadership course to effectively lead the athletic program to ensure its development and survival. The concept of leadership has changed over time, so that leaders of today have more advanced and unique expectations than those of the past. Different individual have different leadership styles.What is to note however is that, no matter the variation in leadership style, co mmunication is key to effective leadership. Strategy, critical thinking and a problem solving attitude are also prerequisites to effective leadership. References Ireland, R. D. , & Hitt, M. A. (2005). Achieving and Maintaining Strategic Competitiveness in the 21st Century: The Role of Strategic Leadership. Retrieved August 7, 2010 from, http://www. nwcor. com/NWCOR/Content/Readings/Chapter 13-StrategicLdrshp- AME CLassic. pdf

Literacy and numeracy demands in lesson plans Assignment

Literacy and numeracy demands in lesson plans - Assignment Example The following are the learning outcome for numeracy demands †¢ Be able to measure distances on the map using the scale provided †¢ Student should be able to locate places of interest using the map direction and scale †¢ Students should be able to read the compass direction of a place and pinpoint some of the resources found in Victoria †¢ Students should be able to locate various human environments, spread of settlement, population, towns and cities and land use in Australia. †¢ Students should be able to know why environments change †¢ The students will be able to identity a grid and read its location Literacy learning outcomes Literacy skills help the learner understand the aspects of language and how to employ these aspects in managing school work and social life. Literacy skills are developed through writing, speaking, listening, viewing and reading. Literacy shapes the way students view themselves in relation to their environment. †¢ Students should be able to find information on the maps and share it †¢ Students should be able to describe the accurate location of places on the map †¢ Student should be able and become familiar to tourist maps †¢ Students should be able to answer the question asked in the text book and share and check the response with the others †¢ Should be able to present their conduct group discussion and share the knowledge in class Justification of the numeracy demand... Teaching numeracy skills among ESL and SOSE learners will socialize them towards believing that numeracy skills are important and can be imbedded in their school and social life (Kemp & Hogan, 1999). Numeracy skills is not all about solving mathematical problem but being in a position to effectively sue them as required in normal life instances. According to Fin (1991), the interest of understanding how the school curriculum of the Post-compulsory Education and Training affected Australia’s economy began in the 1990’s. To investigate into the matter a commission was formed by the government to articulate the links among the sectors of schooling, training work and higher education. The results of the review indicated that numeracy cuts across all disciplines and that that it is relevant to the Australian economy in diverse ways. To be able to perform well in their overall aggregate mark, students need to have high level of numeracy skills. Numeracy is used in class in le arning other subjects such as physical education, geography, English among others. If a students skills in numeracy are not proficient the chances of performing well in other disciplines is relatively low (Barin, 1990). The student’s numeracy skills are essential in helping them figure out different places on the map. In this case, most of the S1 learners among the foreigners are not conversant with the directions and places around Australia. To help them familiarize with the new environment, the use of compass direction plays a central role. Learning how to find out direction through the use of a compass makes their life in a foreign land safe and easier. Lack of this skill may slower down the rate settling in Australia thus affecting all other social interactions. This skills also comes in

Company Law partnership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Company Law partnership - Essay Example In certain circumstances partnerships must be dissolved under the Partnership Act 1890: once a partnership contract is performed - eg it was for a fixed term or for a specific purpose; the death or bankruptcy of a partner; a partner assigns his share to a creditor to satisfy a private debt; any event which makes it unlawful for the firm to continue its business or to have the status of a partnership (s34) (Macintyre, 2005, 464). Under s35 a partner may seek for dissolution on the basis of one of the following five grounds: permanent disability to perform the partnership contract; conduct prejudicial to the carrying on of the firm; wilful or persistent breach of the agreement which makes it untenable for the other partners to continue the agreement; the firm is making a loss and there is no chance of its finances being turned around; and/or that the Court considers it to be 'just and equitable' to dissolve the firm. Under the Mental Health Act 1983 the mental incapacity of a partner can also lead to the dissolution of a partnership. (s34) (Macintyre, 2005, 465). The partners retain the ability to bind the firm following a dissolution to the extent of completing unfinished transactions and all matters incidental to the winding up of the firm (s38 Partnership Act 1890). ... A bankrupt partner cannot bind a firm following dissolution. However, if a receiver is appointed by the Court at the request of one or more partners, then all partners lose their authority to bind the firm (Macintyre, 2005, 466). An organisation's assets consist of both property and goodwill. Goodwill can be defined as "the excess of the market value of a business over the value of its individual assets" (Macintyre, 2005, 466). Once the firm's goodwill is sold it is unlawful for any partner to use the firm's name or solicit its customers. "[H]e must not, I think, avail himself of his special knowledge of the old customers to regain, without consideration, that which he has parted with for value. He must not make his approaches from the vantage ground of his former position. He may not sell the custom and steal away the customers" per Lord MacNachten Trego v Hunt [1896] AC 7 (Macintyre, 2005, 466). If a firm is solvent and has made a profit after settling its debts, then these proceeds will be split between the partners according to the proportion agreed upon in their current contracts. However, if the firm is solvent but has made a loss then either the partnership agreement will determine how the loss should be resolved or s44 Partnership Act 1890 is used to determine how the loss should be resolved (Macintyre, 2005, 467). Losses are to be paid out of profit, or capital or by the individual partners in the proportion they would have shared the profits (s44(a)). Following its winding up the firm must pay its creditors in the order of; external creditors are to be paid in full; partners' loans are to be repaid;

Making A Successful And Thus A Good Team Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Making A Successful And Thus A Good Team - Essay Example Mainly organizations understand that being principled is high-quality business performance and pays in the protracted run. To be moral needs taking care of others, which includes, consumers and staff, appropriately and moderately. An organization that is involved in expansion and profits must create dealings with customers and employees supported on faith. Development of the employer-employee affiliation is significant to both parties for quite a few motives (McShane & Glinow, 2004, Pp 415-417). Are you confronting your first team-building session Do you doubt what you will do How to start According to Biech (2001, Pg 72-73) Team building is an organization development involvement that provides teams an opportunity to silence in their daily work to examine what's working and what could be improved. The consultant's role in team building is one of process guide, not content expert. This article provides insight into that role. It helps the consultant understand the goals of team building and how it differs from team training. The activities and norms developed in team-building sessions are different but complementary to that characteristic of management-training and skill-building sessions. Concepts such as leadership styles, decision-making, communication patterns, motivation, competition, and morale are all relevant to the process of team development. Improved Communication The basis for almost any problem in any organization is usually communication. Good teamwork can widen the circle of communication. Teamwork goes a step beyond, however, and helps people understand each other's jobs and roles in the organization. This leads to an appreciation for colleagues and a desire to help make their jobs easier. Personal Satisfaction Team members generally report a sense of personal satisfaction. A team may provide a sense of security that allows individuals to take risks and make decisions that they would not make if they were working alone. This generally leads to growth for the organization as well as the individual. Because most of us spend about 25 percent of our lives at work, it should be a pleasant experience. Teamwork can lead the way to making work pleasurable by helping to develop personal relationships. In fact, you should not feel as if you are getting up to go to work, but instead that you are getting up to go to play each day! Clear Goals Clearly defined goals are essential so that everyone understands the purpose and vision of the team. You might be surprised at how many people do not know the reason they are doing the tasks that make up their jobs, much less what their team is doing. Everyone must be pulling in the same direction and be aware of the end goals. Clear goals help team members understand where the team is going. Clear goals help a team know when it has been successful by defining exactly what the team is doing and what it wants to

Kant's Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals Essay

Kant's Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals - Essay Example The categorical imperative proposed by Immanuel Kant places the standard for moral good in actions rather than traditions or beliefs. Kant argued that the actions of people should be judged as moral or immoral based on their personhood and dignity. The actions of a person should be treated as the right or wrong for that person only. In other words, morality is a principle originating inside a person's mind which compels that person to act in a particular way. We usually label a parson’s activity as good or evil based on our traditional beliefs and customs rather than the significance of that activity to that person. Family, society and the religion influence us very much in the formulation of our attitudes, thoughts, views etc. There is a tension between Kant’s conception of morality as rooted in universal reason and the manner in which most of us received our moral education. Moral education usually proceeds through following moral examples. We learn what it means to be good by observing the character and actions of those we believe to be good (family, friends, and religious figures). Kant challenges the underlying premise of this ordinary conception of moral education. How can I know that the character and actions of any given individual are good unless I have an independent conception of moral goodness? Kant even extends this argument to such an exemplary figure as Jesus. Write a paper examining the cogency of Kantâ€℠¢s challenge to the idea that moral norms can be derived from examples. This paper addresses not only the cogency of Kant’s critique, but the further question of how moral education is possible in Kantian terms also. Morality is often been defined by us with respect to traditions and customs. It is a fact that most of the religions are giving moral education to their communities based on their beliefs and customs. For example, Christians believe in Jesus Christ and they give moral education to their communities based on the teachings of Jesus. On the other hand, Muslims give moral education based on the teachings of Islam. Christians strongly argue against the killing of all the human beings whereas some of the fundamental Muslim groups believe that killing of enemies of Islam as a sacred act rather than a sin. Muslim fundamentalists justify the killing of innocent people citing examples like the massacres of America and Israel against the Muslim community. Muslim fundamental ists developed their moral laws or moral education based on the bitter experiences faced by the Muslim community at some parts of the world. According to Kant, an action can never be considered moral, if it is motivated by certain examples rather than the consciousness and wisdom of the individual. In other words, even if we face some bad experiences from some other people we have no moral right to take revenge for that. It is a fact that American soldiers are killing many of the Muslim fundamentalists in Iraq and Afghanistan in the name of war on terror. America is citing the examples of 9/11 incident for the moral justification of their actions. However, according to Kantian moral principles, neither the killing of Muslim fundamentalists in Afghanistan and Iraq, nor the killing of innocent people in other parts of the word by Bin Laden or terrorists, can be justified We normally assess our actions and other’s actions based on the observation of the character and actions of those we believe to be good (family, friends, and religious figures). For example, Christians put the actions of Jesus as a base in assessing the actions of others. Jesus taught his disciples to love their neighbors just like they love themselves. So,

Small business plan 2 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Small business plan 2 - Research Paper Example Typical example of how these behavior and preference is influenced would be the environmental factors which are media, culture and social influences. The level of awareness and knowledge about certain product types also significantly influences market preference. As such, business should always be aware of the changing market motivation and consumer psychology as this has a direct impact on the market’s buying decision. This is important for the company to be able to adapt to the changing environment and keep the business viable. a) Changing Fads – The core of our business which dual/triple SIM celphone is technology based that its trend changes at a dizzying pace. Given the past pace of technology turnover, it is normal that is â€Å"in† today will become obsolete tomorrow. Being in this business requires constant monitoring on technology trend to be able to adapt and respond to the changing fad in technology and guard itself from obsolescence. b) Reaction to Economic Crisis – The market’s buying decision is significantly determined by their purchasing power. As what we have learned during the recent financial crisis, consumers tend to delay or forego purchases to be able to adapt to the economic crisis. Anticipating how the market reacts to a crisis will enable a business to better adapt to a temporary set-back in demand by reducing inventory. This will save the company unnecessary cost as unutilized inventory is an unnecessary cost which could be considered a â€Å"baggage† for any business especially during a financial crunch. c) Innovation in technology – new technology innovations and emerging trends should be monitored by the company to keep itself relevant in the industry. Any trends which could threaten the existing product line into obsolescence should be carefully monitored so that the company could appropriately respond for its survival. a) Deterioration of Customer

Dollar pegging and curreny basket Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Dollar pegging and curreny basket - Essay Example As the oil producing countries are getting more capital due to rising oil prices, people have more spending power and the relative commodity prices increase in the domestic economy. Table 1 shows the inflation rates in gulf countries over three different periods: 1980-81 (high inflation), 1986-2003 (low but volatile inflation) and 2006-07 ( current inflation situation). As chart 1 and Table 1 show falling dollar contributes to high oil prices that in turn lead to high inflation. On the other hand when the state of dollar is normal the oil prices remain average and hence the result is low inflation (Garriga and Armesto, â€Å"A Falling Dollar Raises Inflation in the Gulf†). After de-pegging from dollar, new exchange rate was governed by the basket of currencies that helped to stabilize the effect of depreciating dollar on the exchange rate of Kuwaiti Dinar in the world market. Due to this basket of currencies which included a good proportion of Euro allowed checking rising import rates due to depreciation of dollar against Euro. This further helped in controlling inflation which was rising due to increase in imports from European and exports to Asian countries. â€Å"Since 1980 the Bahraini dinar and the Qatar riyal have been pegged to US dollar at the rate of 0.37 per $ and 3.64 per $, respectively. Likewise, since the 1980s the Saudi riyal (1986) and UAE dirham (1981) are fixed at a rate of 3.75 per $ and 3.67 per $, respectively† (Hebous â€Å"On the Monetary Union of the Gulf States†). The exchange rate of a currency is determined by the â€Å"purchasing power parity†. For eg. If 10 gms of 24 carat gold can be bought with 1 USD and same amount of gold can be purchased with 4 Qatar riyal then 1$ equals to 4 Qatar riyal. This is how the exchange rate of every currency is determined in the world market (Saville â€Å"How are currency exchange rates determined†). â€Å"The value of a currency is usually determined by the demand for and supply of that currency.† For

Business communication Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business communication - Research Paper Example e advertisement under focus pictures a girl who has bandage on both sides of her lips giving the impression that she hurt herself while trying to open her mouth to its limit in order to eat the ‘real big burger’. It has become a trend in the marketing industry to allure the teenagers, especially men, through gender appeal. The same tactic has been applied in the discussed advertisement. The face of the girl is only half visible in the advertisement with her cherry colored lips. The target market of Burger King, as can be analyzed from their overall marketing campaign, consists of moms with young children, teenagers and also middle class income families who have enough income to eat out on occasions. On the other hand, them portraying women in such a way that they cannot handle ‘Burger King’s REAL Big Burgers’ can make a negative impact on their existing target market and exclude many women from it. Burger King’s point of differentiation from its competitors (McDonalds, KFC etc) is that it has ‘REAL Big Burgers’ at the same affordable price which makes it a unique and special place to dine out. In this print ad as well their point of differentiation is depicted through their message intended in this picture. What they intend to say through this message is that our burgers are so big that the mouth of an ordinary person (can also be women) will pierce\cut out if they put it all in their mouth in one go. In this age we are all surrounded by advertisement everywhere in our homes on tv, on billboards while driving, in the bus stations on the internet everywhere. Hence creativity has become one of the primary factors to be considered while making an advertisement to catch the eye of the audience and this ad is a perfect example of creativity. It definitely catches the eye of the audience and the exaggerated ironic appeal would surely amuse him. What attracted me, and perhaps many other viewers, is the challenge to eat big burgers of Burger King. An

The Concept of Total Quality Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Concept of Total Quality Management - Essay Example One example of such organizations with ideal TQM environments was Xerox under the leadership of David Kearns, who served as its CEO from 1982 to 1990. What Kearns did for the downward spiraling company became a landmark in the history of quality management. Henceforth, this essay will endeavor to examine Kearns’ role as a quality leader in Xerox, his management approach and the applicability and certain processes of such approach, and finally, the issues that followed Kearns’ administration. David Kearns’ assumption as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in 1982 was not without eventualities. Before bringing quality into the forefront of management, Kearns had to confront â€Å"skepticism and resistance† (Pfeffer, 1992, p.317). There was already a fixed mindset among top managers that Xerox was a world-class corporation and therefore need not change. Kearns said of his time as a leader: â€Å"One of the main things I learned at Xerox is that radical change in any organization is incredibly painful. In the language of change theorists, we were moving between several different states† (Kearns & Harvey, 2000, p.79). When statistics finally provided evidence of the company’s bad performance, Kearns and his management team formulated an integrated bottom-up and top-down TQM approach focused on increasing customer satisfaction and striking a balance between quality processes and quality outcomes. The approach was governed by the Leadership through a Quali ty policy which revolved around four areas or goals where quality must be directed: customer, employee, the business, and process. This holistic policy â€Å"radically changed† Xerox’s business outlook. Throughout the whole ordeal, Kearns’ thought of himself as the â€Å"captain of a sinking ship.† When he became CEO, he believed Xerox was already on the brink of going under due to unsolved internal and external problems  (Novgorod State University, n.d.; Kretchmar, 1992).  

Business Writing................ INFORMAL PROPOSAL Assignment

Business Writing................ INFORMAL PROPOSAL - Assignment Example The research is importance because it will provide students with a complete picture of the market and will enable them to choose an option which suits their requirements and ambitions. We are planning to assists the SCS in the provision of an insight into the future requirements of the trade and employers exceptions from the fresh the graduates in the major of Human Resource Recruiter. Our feasibility solution will not cause any additional workload on SCS office and will educate and assist students in selecting a major of the degree and future career. UNDERSTANDING THE CHALLENGES Career counseling and research is not a simple undertaking, it has become an art and a wrong decision at an early stage may spoil hard earned future possibilities or may at least cause delays in achieve the desired positions. Following are the few basic reasons which make major and career selection a difficult task; Unfamiliarity with Basic Research Techniques Career research is difficult task now a days and especially graduate students find it quite hard to establish a definite opinion about their future profession and its various prospects. In most of the cases internet is a major source of search but reaching your desired information and establishing its authenticity, accuracy and novelty is not always possible. Therefore, a misleading, incomplete and obsolete information may cause considerable lose of time and effort. Overwhelming Amount of Career Information Internet provide access to gigantic data repositories but tracing out the required information is tough ask from fresh graduates. More often than not you are unable to reach the exact information and even if you are able to find some authentic and accurate information source, it may present you only one aspect of big picture which may be misleading or may not help in decision making process. Lack of Standard to Filter Information Filtering authentic and accurate information from a huge data set is not possible without incorpor ating proper techniques. Often times there very thin distinctions are provided to establish an opinion on two apparently similar but quite different ideas, entrusting an expert to do the job for you is a better idea. Lack of Real Life Examples Books, internet and other source are good but they present an incomplete picture to make a final decision of crucial nature. Arranging a meeting with a trade man and experience person of the field is almost an indispensible requirement to reach conclusion. Student face difficulties in reaching to such experience people through their social networks and most of the time decides of the basis of theoretical information they have randomly researched. PROPOSED PLAN We have sketched out a plan to address these issues in order to provide major and career counseling at the MCCC Career Services Center: Phase I We have determined to provide answers to all of your questions with letting you lost in the heap of information. We aim to offer every piece of formation required to make an educated decision. These may include but not limited to appropriate personality types, required qualifications, market analysis, workplace environment and current salary ranges available for the job of Human Resource Recruiter. The first step towards this educated decision is establishing his personality type through Holland Personality test. The test can be

Discuss the US immigration problem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discuss the US immigration problem - Essay Example Since we already have a great number of illegal workers, it seems to me that the best solution for them is to have equal rights and obligations to those the US citizens have, as well as legalization of their status in the country. I take this position due to the fact that many US industries and manufactures greatly depend on the immigrants’ labor. However, this should be applied only to those who showed to follow our laws and live in peace with the nation, who have jobs, and are to become valued members of our society. Besides, such a step can be taken only after a profound analysis of the current situation is performed. If some are to be deported, this should not negatively influence our economy. On the other hand, I believe, there should be taken measured for complete reducing of the illegal workers’ inflow. In my opinion the government should take care of enforcing the existing land borders as well as immigration laws so that our borders are crossed only legally, and only by people whom our employers really need. Therefore, while I insist on a complete restriction of borders and immigration laws, I believe, those already working in the US must be given a right to stay in order to become the equal members of the

Businesses and International Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Businesses and International Strategy - Essay Example This has made it necessary to conduct research across boundaries as it helps to identify regional and global market segments. As firms need to collect information from a broader and more diverse range of markets conducting research in developing countries has become essential. However, conducting market research in developed countries poses certain challenges. These challenges range from collecting accurate and updated data on existing behavior patterns in a cost-effective manner. Collection of data has become easier due to technological advancement but also complex at the same time. The communications infrastructure enables data collection on a much broader and diverse scale. The removal of barriers between countries, the growth of regional and global market infrastructure and the increased mobility of consumers have exerted pressure to have an integrated international marketing strategy. The emerging economies are promising in terms of sales and expansion of the multinationals and hence conducting international market research in these countries is of paramount importance. Before entering these markets, firms have to collect information to assess potential opportunities and determine how to position, price, promote and place their product. International Marketing Research (IMR) has been defined as market research conducted either simultaneously or sequentially to facilitate marketing decisions in more than one country (Kumar, 2000). The process entails taking into account various market characteristics for facilitating marketing decisions. The various components that are responsible for marketing the product can be traced. Marketing research is an important part of the marketing intelligence system as it helps to improve management decision making by providing relevant, accurate and timely (RAT) information (Aaker, Kumar & Day, 2001).

Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka and Why Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka and Why - Essay Example My reactions to Gregor surprised me, for the creature he has become, 'monstrous vermin', and the habits he develops as his condition deteriorates, eating rotting food and leaving sticky messes, is one most likely to cause revulsion. Instead, he elicits most positive emotions. In particular, he arouses feelings of pity, compassion and sympathy for his plight, while his family tend to make me feel disgusted with them and their treatment of this changed Gregor. Only his mother continues to want to protect him, even after seeing him as 'an enormous brown patch against the flowers on the wallpaper.' In asking myself why I should feel this way, I am led to look deeply at my own beliefs and values. I begin to liken Gregor's plight to someone having a mental breakdown, a stroke, or being terminally ill, or suffering dreadful disfigurement. If this happened to me or someone I cared about, coping would be hard but I would hope that kindness and concern would be given to the 'changed' me, and that people would remember that the real person is still in there somewhere. Although Grete does initially look after her brother, it is she who wants to kill him, telling her father, 'It's got to go....you've got to get rid of the idea that that's Gregor'.

Analysis of Pepsi Company Limited Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analysis of Pepsi Company Limited - Assignment Example The strategy used by the company indicates that the management is in the process of creating action plans that try to augment the market share and take the lead competitor position in the soft drinks industry. The company tries to do this by increasing operations in all major cities of the world to rival the global presence of Coca-Cola Company. b) The annual report also points out the fact the company uses the straight line on both depreciation and amortization, a factor which means that the company does not use reducing balance method (PepsiCo, 2010). When the different depreciation methods are compared, it can be seen that the straight-line method is the best for this type of company. This is because the straight-line method allocates the usefulness of the assets to the most productive life of the asset, meaning that when the asset is near obsolete, the depreciation allocated to the asset is small compared to the earlier life of the asset. Conversely, the reducing balance method of depreciation allocates depreciation according to the value of the asset, which ends up allocating depreciation even when the asset is near obsolete. The company also uses the straight-line method to amortize assets, loans and allocate capital expenditure. c) From the annual reports released in the fiscal year ended December 2010, the par value of Pepsi Company common stock is 1 2/3 pence per share (PepsiCo, 2010). This par value reflected by the financial statements of the company indicates that the value has remained constant since the company announced a stock split in 1996, which means that the share data have been adjusted to reflect the stock split. The par value of the shares has remained constant since the period, and capital in excess of the par value is reduced to reflect the increase in par value occasioned by the value of additional shares issued.

Basic Ethics Essay Example for Free

Basic Ethics Essay According to Michael Boylan’s book Basic Ethics the study of ethics concerns itself with â€Å"right† and â€Å"wrong, judgments that assign praise or blame. In the case of ethics, these judgments are usually assigned to people or to actions (Boylan, 2009). This essay will discuss three major ethical theories, virtue ethics, utilitarianism, and deontological ethics. It will also provide a personal experience to help explain the relationship between virtue, values, and moral concepts as it relates to utilitarianism. The three ethics theories discussed herein are the virtue ethics theory that examines a person’s character over a long period of time and is forgiving of an occasional mistake that is not consistent with a person’s past character. Deontological ethics or duty-based morality is a theory based on a â€Å"nonconsequentialist† view of people and moral decision-making. Deontological ethics supports that actions are not justified by their consequences. Rather, factors other than good outcomes determine the â€Å"rightness† of actions (Deontological Ethics, 2014). Utilitarianism in the most basic term is based on measuring â€Å"good† in terms of usefulness. Utilitarianism is often defined as an effort to achieve the greatest good for the greatest number. Also this principle advocates that the ends justify the means in other words if a negative action must be used to reach a greater good then its justified (What Is Utilitarianism?, 2014). There are marked differences between the three ethics theories. Unlike deontic or action based theories of morality that focus on the actions a person performs, the virtue theory, aka character ethics focuses on helping people develop good character traits, like kindness and generosity, â€Å"The deontological ethics is grounded in the â€Å"Categorical Imperative,† The Categorical Imperative simply declares, â€Å"Act as if the maxim of thy action  were to become by thy will a universal law of nature.† The Categorical Imperative is very similar to the â€Å"Golden Rule† of Chri stianity, and other religions (â€Å"do unto others as you would have them do unto you†)† (Deontological Ethics, 2014). On the other hand utilitarianism revolves around the concept that the end justifies the means. A personal example I have of utilitarianism being practiced was when my Father was in hospice with terminal throat cancer. He ordered a DNR, do not resuscitate. My family and I did not like his wish but it is what he chose for himself and we all accepted his final wish. Although many feel this is not right to just let someone die without trying to help the person dying the attitude on these decisions is purely determined by the person dying. The utilitarian approach can be selfish in nature because the judgments is strictly that of the person thinking of his own truth in my Fathers case his last dying wish. So depending on what kind of person you are, how you were raised, the environment you live in, your faith, the influences you may have from the social circle you belong to you all these factors could influence your ethics and depending on the situation on hand you may find yourself moving towards one or the other of these ethic theories. Morally or ethically, I would never let my Dad die without making some attempt to resuscitate him but on the other hand I set aside my moral belief and my ethics to allow my Dad his last and final wish. References Boylan, M. (2009). Basic Ethics (2nd ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Deontological Ethics. (2014, February 17). Retrieved from allaboutphilosophy .org: http://www.allaboutphilosophy.org/deontological-ethics.htm What Is Utilitarianism? (2014, February 17). Retrieved from wisegeek.org: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-utilitarianism.htm

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde Essay Example for Free

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde Essay Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest is about a young man who leads a double life, in whenever he wants to escape the reality, along with his obligations and real-life dealings. The story is not just about the life of the young man, Jack, also known as Ernest, but it is also about taking life in a more serious way. In order to do so, Oscar Wilde has reformed or improved the parts of life that he has satirized in the story. One aspect which Wilde has reformed in the story was in the life of Jack/Ernest. He is described as a seemingly responsible and respectable young man. He is also well-off, as he owns a country estate. But at some time in the story, it was found out that Jack was an adopted child, and that he was found in a handbag by the train station. Jack’s past and his present life is so ironic that it effectively builds up his character. It is both amusing and surprising that for a baby who was supposedly left alone in a train station would be able to survive and be successful when he grows up. Jack have almost everything that he desires, wealth, fame among those who know him, love in the person of Gwendolen; so who would ever think that a person like him was adopted as he was abandoned in the train station as a child? Oscar Wilde reformed Jack/Ernest character in order to make the story much more interesting. Despite his somewhat unlikely past, he is now a wealthy man, leading a happy life. If his character wouldn’t be reformed or improved, he wouldn’t be rich or attractive, following the fact that he was an abandoned child. The interesting part of the story though is not his rags-to-riches life; instead it was his double life that he leads, in the form of Ernest. Another one Wilde’s reform to the character he was satirizing was when the issue of marriage was introduced in the story. Jack Worthing is in love with Gwendolen Fairfax, and so is Gwendolen to Jack. But the problem is that Gwendolen fell in love with Jack because of her fixation to the name Ernest. Jack introduced himself to Gwendolen as Ernest for her to love him, but he still has to face his problem, as Gwendolen intends to marry only the man whose name is Ernest. Oscar Wilde reformed Jack’s character by actually trying to become Ernest: his alter ego that he uses as a scapegoat to preserve his morality as Jack Worthing. For Jack, the name Ernest is his way to keep an honorable image in place. By using Ernest, Jack is able to escape his real life, as he is bound by duties and obligations, as well as a reputation he must protect. Ernest actually provides Jack with an excuse he conveniently uses whenever he wants to do things that he can do when he is under his real identity. It is also his disguise, as Jack wants to remain being seen as upright and moral, and with Ernest as his mask, he is able to misbehave. His character is reformed when it was the time for him to make the choice: to be Ernest or be Jack. It was love that drove him to that deciding corner, as Gwendolen was evidently in love with him being Ernest, and he is not sure if she would still love him if he is Jack. In the end, Jack apologized to Gwendolen, which she returns with forgiveness, saying that she did so because she is sure that Jack would change to make up for his mistakes. The Importance of Being Earnest is Oscar Wilde’s way of satirizing the general tolerance for hypocrisy in the Victorian concept of morality, and this is shown by the character Jack Worthing. He wants to adhere with notions of duty, honor, and respectability, yet he lives a double life, Ernest, hypocritically flouting those notions.

The Misuse of Benzodiazepine

The Misuse of Benzodiazepine Introduction Benzodiazepine (BZD) misuse is a serious public health problem because it puts patients at higher risk of life-threatening drug overdoses for a long time.(Kevin W Chen,2011).In any case,the combination of effectiveness and risks of long-term use is the reason why BZD and other Tranquilizer drugs are too dangerous to deal with in clinical practice.Despite the fact that scientists have tried very hard to find an explanation for this issue, there is no recent study to assess how serious the problem is.However, BZD has killed a lot of people who use it for wrong purpose. The number of people taking prescribed BZD worldwide is considerable and over 1 million people in the UK are on long-term. (Dr Chris Ford,2014). For instance, Whitney Houston is the famous person who died because of BZD abuse. She died at the age of 48, which alarms the whole world . Whiney Houston’s cause of death (Xanax is one kind of Benzodiazepine) BZD do not indicate for a long-term treatment of anxiety or insomnia like some people who have misunderstanded. Long-term use can cause withdrawal symptoms in many people. Withdrawal symptoms can be considered as including three main groups: anxiety symptoms, distorted perceptions and major incidents.Treatment can be divided into three options: talking therapies, cognitive behavioural therapies and self-help. Self-help is the most important in this three options so the result depends much on patients endeavour. Situation Benzodiazepines are a type ofmedicationknown as tranquilizers. Familiar names include Valium and Xanax. They are some of the most commonly prescribed medications in the United States. When people withoutprescriptionsobtain and take these drugs for their sedating effects, use turns into abuse.Scientific name of this symptom is Benzodiazepines misuse or Benzodiazepines drug abuse (Joseph Goldberg,2014). BZD is used by two main populations: low-dose prescribed benzodiazepine users and high-dose, non-prescribed benzodiazepine abusers. In the first population, two kinds of patients who misuse the BZD are pointed out by Professor Heather Ashton in his scientific research about drug abuse.First, there are many patients who are prescribed BZD for short term but then using as long-term drugs by the instruction of doctors. As Professor Ashton mentioned in his book, this kind of patients estimated at 4 million people in the U.S. and it is likely that half of them are dependent.Four million people is quite a significant number that is enough to raise our attention on this issue. Morever, there are lots of patients who are prescribed BZD but then increase the dose on their own. â€Å"The more the better† is frequently a fundamental thinking of patients who misuse the dose of BZD. Benzodiazepine abuse is a growing problem and carries serious risks to health and society. Professor C Heather Ashton In the second population, Non-prescribed benzodiazepine abusers (NBA) is the term used to describe patients who are use BZD for arbitrary purposes. Without the instruction of doctor, NBA use BZD frequently for recreational purpose that lead them to be addicted. Table 1. Some benzodiazepines used recreationally (UK, Europe and USA) Generic name Brand name (UK) Potency (approximate dose equivalent to 10mg diazepam) Alprazolam Xanax 0.5 Bromazepam Lexotan 5 Chlordiazepoxide Librium 25 Diazepam Valium 10 Flunitrazepam Rohypnol 1 Flurazepam Dalmane 15-30 Ketazolam1 Anxon 15-30 Lorazepam Ativan 1 Medazepam1 Nobrium 10 Nitrazepam Mogadon 10 Oxazepam Serenid 20 Prazepam1 Centrax 15 Temazepam Normison, Euhypnos 20 Triazolam1 Halcion 0.5 (Zopiclone)2 Zimovane) (15) (Zolpidem)2 (Stilnoct) (20) Notes No longer in British National Formulary. Non-benzodiazepine hypnotics with similar actions to benzodiazepines; may have abuse liability. In the US, flunitrazepam have become popular because of diversion of supplies across the Mexican border .Potent benzodiazepines such as triazolam (no longer available in the UK), alprazolam (widely prescribed in the US) and lorazepam have a good position in NBA’c choice. These drugs are popular among sedatives such as valium (diazepam a particular pharmaceutical, like seduxen) and xanax (alprazolam scientific name, is a very powerful sedative often used in cases of severe insomnia ) has been misused and cause many adverse consequences. The use of sedatives such as drugs and marijuana to stimulate the brain has led to many scandals in the world of celebrity publicity curious about the effects of this class of drugs.Furthermore, some people not just use Benzodiazepine singly. According to the research of DAWN in 2002, there are 78% of user who have used more than one tranquiziler . Using several drugs at the same time as benzodiadepine, tranquilizers, narcotic, antidepressants, can cause drowsiness, falls and some other negative effect on your health that you would not know briefly. Problems BZD rarely used as recreational drugs which make user feel â€Å"high† .In the recent research, BZD is described to be valued on the same level as Cocaine or Alcohol. There is no doubt that it is difficult to estimate the extent of their ability to induce euphoria with psychic dependence and active drug-seeking behavior.(Doctor Cole JO,1990) The different types of BZD will have different effects on the body and on the extent of the time . Patients who use BZD simultaneously with heroin, alcohol or other addictive substances. The combined use of drugs is too dangerous because it is easy to lead to fatal cases for users. Impact of BZD to users depends on the following factors: The dose used (how many pills) Height, weight of the user Health status of users Experience using drugs before Have they used BZD with other addictive substances ? How to use (oral or injection) Using BZD individually or sharing with others Using BZD at home or at party Another study published in the BMJ paper in 2012 warned the wide use of benzodiazepine. The study concluded that the frequent use of drugs containing benzodiazepines are related to the risk of dementia.These studies have confirmed the use of benzodiazepines for long periods can adversely affect human perception and cause cognitive decline leading to dementia. The present study has shown the related connection between Benzodiazepines with the onset of dementia and Alzheimers disease. Alzheimer is the most common form of dementia syndromeandits disease is a condition that affects the brain, thinking and human behavior. A study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) has considered the relationship between the risk of Alzheimers disease and those who use benzodiazepines frequently. 1796 people,who were followed for a period of 5 years before they are tested, are diagnosed Alzheimer. Benzodiazepines is addictive and can cause severe withdrawal symptoms. It activates neurotransmitters in the same way as opium and marijuana. When users stop taking antidepressant drugs, they become extremely anxious. Withdrawal is possible in most patients who are dependent on benzodiazepines once problems related to prolonged use of benzodiazepines and other drugs are explained and discussed. Consideration needs to be given as to when and how to detoxify and extra help and services may be needed. Many people depend on BZD drugs find out that decreasing the dose of Benzodiazepine is very difficult due to the appearance of a withdrawal syndrome when the expression of discomfort occurs due to abrupt discontinuation. The manifestation of withdrawal syndrome include : Seizures Difficulty sleeping Worry, anxiety, stress Confusion and depression Feeling anxious, think others want to harm you Panic and feel extremely anxious Alienated, do not want to be close to others. Withdrawal symptoms can be dangerous. Besides affecting physical health, it also has a negative impact on the mental health of patients with symptoms caused prolonged and dangerous symptom for them.Since using BZD for a long period of time to satisfy the addiction, many patients died suddenly while using the drug. FIGURE 1. Percentage of opioid pain reliever and benzodiazepine drug abuse–related emergency department visits in the United States and drug-related deaths in 13 states that involved alcohol, by age group — Drug Abuse Warning Network, 2010 The numbers in the chart FIGURE 1 are also the statistics of cancer patients who took an overdose of Benzodiazepine. In 2010, the percentage of ED visits that involved OPRs and alcohol was highest among persons aged 30–44 years (20.6%) and 45–54 years (20.0%).For the percentage of benzodiazepine ED visits was highest among persons aged 45–54 years (31.1%). Among OPR deaths, persons aged 40–49 years (25.2%) and 50–59 years (25.3%) had the highest percentage of alcohol involvement. For benzodiazepine-related deaths, the highest percentage (27.7%) was among persons aged ≠¥60 years.From the chart, it can be concluded that aged 45-54 are much needed medical care due to abuse Benzodiazepine.Anxiety is one of the reasons for people of this age often have to use Benzodiazepines regularly. Due to the nature of work and the burden of earning money that they constantly faced with the stress of work and life that makes them easy to fall into a state of str ess, anxiety and insomnia also. Therefore, Benzodiazepines are frequently used as a drug to help them overcome such bad condition. Obviously, the use is so spontaneous, rarely comes from the prescription of doctors so it often causes serious problems affecting the health of workers. Long-term use easily become a habit and start adversely affect their health.It also lead to the problem that the chart showed above.Aged Upper 60 has the highest rate which means that Drug ,such as Benzodiazepine, is a major cause of their death. That is the consequence of using too much Benzodiazepine or some other Opioid Pain Relievers among the aged 30-44 and 45-54. Generally , besides the beneficial effects to the treatment, there are many problems that Benzodiazepines cause to the users . Solution When prescribed for severe insomnia or disabling anxiety, the guidance is clear that benzodiazepines should only be given for short-term relief (2–4 weeks), which may occur alone or in association with short-term psychosomatic, organic, or psychiatric illness. They should be used in the lowest dose and for the shortest time. Benzodiazepines and other similar drugs are not indicated for the long-term treatment of anxiety or insomnia, unless in rare cases where the patient has been proven to have treatment-resistant anxiety or insomnia, i.e. resistant to psychological therapies and nonaddictive medications. The decision to prescribe in these circumstances is usually made by a specialist. The use of benzodiazepines is inappropriate to treat short-term mild anxiety. As mentioned in the Introduction part, talking therapies is one of useful cures for who suffer from withdrawal symptom. Talking therapies involve talking to someone who is trained to help you deal with your negative feelings. They can help anyone who is experiencing distress. You do not have to be told by a doctor that you have a mental health problem to be offered or benefit from a talking therapy. The therapy helps the patients facing their feelings and thoughts that lead them to feel insecure, afraid and the effect they have on their behaviour and mood. Describing what’s going on in your head can help you notice any patterns which it may be helpful to change.It can help you work out where your negative feelings and ideas come from and why they are there. Understanding all this can help people make positive changes by thinking or acting differently. Talking therapies can help people to take greater control of their lives and improve their confidence so that people do not need any medicines like Benzodiazepine help themselves.(Mental Health Foundation) For the second option , Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment performed either individually or in small groups, and has been found in some cases not only to be as effective as short-term prescription medication but may last beyond the withdrawal fromactive treatment. Cognitive behavior therapy has become increasingly popular in recent years with both mental health consumers and treatment professionals. Because CBT is usually a short-term treatment option, it is often more affordable than some othertypes of therapy. CBT is also empirically supported and has been shown to effectively help patients overcome a wide variety of maladaptive behaviors. The last treatmenat can be pointed out is self-help . Any illness will be cured very quickly if the patient attempts to overcome it. By increasing your self-awareness capabilities, self-help efforts can help you learn to recognize potential problems before they occur (or at least early on in their progression) so that you can head them off before they become substantial .This solution is really essential in treatment procedure . There is a quote : â€Å"If you try hard you can succeed in reaching your goal† . It is the truth that no one can disagree. For more information, there are some basic solutions that people should know to have a good first aid for who suffer from overdose use of Benzodiazepine in emergency. Overdose is a condition occurs when the dose exceeds the tolerance of the body. If only use pure benzo drugs, but if used in combination with other drugs such as alcohol, heroin, or methadone, is likely a drug overdose and death. When someone with a drug overdose, besides the need to be alert and perform the following actions: Call 115 victims immediately or take patient to the nearest medical facility. Always on the side of the victim Try to calm , do not panic Find ways to keep victims province, helped victims go around, talk to the victim. If the patient is unconscious, check if the victim is breathing or not. It is important to make clear the airway for the victim. If the patient has stopped breathing, blow into the victims mouth (CPR). Let the patient lying on lean posture , then wait for an ambulance . Evaluation The use of sedative drugs (ATGN) often remarkably effective, to quickly get deep sleep. However, overuse or prolonged use of this class of drugs often cause unwanted consequences, affect the health of users. There are some solutions that I pointed out above which is really helpful for patients who misues Benzodiazepine . In my point of view, Talking therapies and self help are two main treatment that people can easily prefer , like what I mentioned in Introduction, self help has significant role in the process of treatment because no one can help you better than yourself . Self help often has some benefits : Self help is free of cost. Patients do not have to pay for treatment since it is individual treatment. Self help help patients intensify their brain’s work , steering themselves away from bad decision. Such as overusing Benzodiazepines. Lance Armstrong is a practical example. In 1996, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer with a tumor has spread to the brain and lungs, and the initial prognosis is bad. The process of his cancer treatments included brain and testicular surgery, chemotherapy prolonged. Though suffering from the deadly disease but he overcame it in spectacular way to return to the race .In 1999, he won Tour de France for the first time and keep this position 7 times in a row, was recorded in the history of cycling. In conclusion, Lance overcame the cancer mainly because of his endeavour. He tried his best to maitain his spirit, his mind during the treatment and he was successful. On the other hand, talking therapy is also a good choice for patients who suffer from using Benzodiazepine overdose that lead to withdrawal symptom. Talking about your thoughts and feelings can help you deal with times when you feel troubled about something. If you turn a worry over and over in your mind, the worry can grow.But talking about it can help you work out what is really bothering you and explore what you could do about it.Talking is an important part of our relationships. It can strengthen your ties with other people and help you stay in good mental health that is needed for the physical treatment . Conclusion Benzodiazepine misuse is an international issue which alarms people all over the world. The number of dead people because of overusing Benzodiazepines ,which is stated in Figure 1 Chart, is really considerable. Patients and prescribers alike commonly understand benzodiazepines poorly. Generally, patients find them helpful and would like doctors to prescribe them but patients need to be made fully aware of the problems they cause, particularly long-term use. Just because benzodiazepines are effective and reduce suffering quickly, does not mean that they are the best treatment to give.As what I introduced, there is not just one problem by using Benzodiazepine overdose. Dementia, cancer and withdrawal symptoms are three problems that I mentioned in Part 4. People may take benzodiazepines to try to relax, reduce withdrawal symptoms involved with other drugs, or enhance the effects of another drug or substance. Young people may self-medicate for internal pain and distress. They may see th eir parents taking medication and think this ist he way to solve their own problems and become dependent on BZD. Self help and talking therapy is two good option of treatment that steer patient far away from drugs like Benzodiazepines. In conclusion, using risky drug ,like Benzodiazepine, frequently is not a good habit . Everything has 2 sides .Thus, how to use Benzodiazepine effetively is still be a difficult question for people.

Ownership of Mobile Phones by Children Essay

Ownership of Mobile Phones by Children Essay Smart phones are becoming more and more popular nowadays, with its user-friendly design and convenient multi-function. Nearly all people in Hong Kong, including elderly and children, have their own smartphone. Nevertheless, should a smartphone been owned by a young child? Since smartphone brings lots negative effect to children on learning, social and health, the children should not be allowed to own a smartphone. The problem of smartphone brings on children has long been concerned by schools. Lots of secondary and primary schools are not allowed their students to bring phone to school because phones take their attention away from their lessons and destroy discipline. Students who bring their phone to school violate the school regulation and their phones will be confiscated by the teacher. This rule does not only focus on smartphone as it has been set for a long time, and there were not smartphone when the rule set. Smartphone has much more functions and applications which lead to a bigger influence on students concentration on study. Some parents do not agree to this banning as they think that owning a mobile phone keeps children safer as they could know where their children are through calls, texts as well as communicating and Global Position System (GPS) applications and be sure if their children are safe. Also, in an emergency, children can call for a help quickly and easily. Indeed, owning a smartphone does not keep children safe but put them into an unsafe situation as they are carrying an expensive fashionable deice which makes them a target for criminals. Millions of people are robbed of cell phone every year while some of the cases are involved with violence. Furthermore, many children spend so much time talking on the phone, texting with friends or playing games, and thus do not aware what is going on around them. Every year children cause car accidents because their attention was on their phone activities but not the traffic while crossing the street. Parents may argue that the smartphone is helpful on learning. Schools nowadays are encouraging liberal learning which requires students to search lots of information themselves. Smartphone is a suitable and useful tool to assist students to achieve the liberal learning and broaden their horizon. It is much more convenient or the student to search for information which is related to their study and helpful for them to take photos and videos to records any new discovery at any time and in any new place. Take for an example, according to a teacher from a primary in United States We have seen an increase in time on task in our fifth-grade students. Students who would normally write a few words or a sentence on paper are now writing paragraphs and beyond on their smartphones. (Dickerson Schad, 2012) Smartphone does give a great help to students on this case, nevertheless such benefit can also be achieved by an e-book and a digital camera. Smartphone is useful but not the only tool on ass isting student learning. Moreover, student will be addicted to smartphones not for learning purpose but for playing games, chatting as well as checking the new status of their friends on facebook. From the survey conducted by Time magazine 84 percent of respondents said that they could not go a single day without their cellphones, and 20 percent of respondents check their phone every 10 minutes as well as 24 percent said they had used text messages to set up a rendezvous with someone they were having an affair with, a number that includes 56 percent of Chinese respondents. (Gilbert, 2012) From the statistic the result that students negligence on their study is foreseeable as their concentration will be putted on the smartphone activities if they are allowed to have their own smartphone. Smartphone just as alcohol and drugs which is addictive and brings harms to human body. Nevertheless, we always only enjoying the convenient bring to us but have ignored the negative aspect of smartphone. Smartphone dose brings lots of negative influence to children. School already set rule to avoid children to be addicted to smartphone, however only by the effort from school is not enough. To protect children and to let them have a better development, government should legislate to ban the children below 16 owning smartphone, and companies should not sell smartphone to children below 16. A government authority has to be established to implement the ordinance as well, otherwise the legislation is meaningless. Government should also do advertisement to educate the public the proper use of smartphone and the consequence of addicted on smartphone. Parents also have their responsibility to protect the children by not giving their smartphone to their children to play. The corporation from government and parents is important on saving children from the harm of smartphone. Some people may oppose to this legislation as they think that smartphone dose let learning easier and interesting which are good to children development. The learning games, dictionary, language learning application and scientific calculator are helpful tools to assist children on learning. Children could find that learning is not such difficult with the assist of these user friendly learning applications. The MLDs  [1]  , an American company providing network service on personal and commercial use, is a good example on that. The MLDs is useful to link the home with the school in ways not possible before (Tomko, 2010). The ability to access information from the palms of their hands, student-to-student conversation has increased. When problems arise, the students ask each other, not the teacher. And students are becoming more self-directed learners, since their lessons are all on their MLDs. They know what their learning tasks are. Nevertheless, the MLDs network and other learning applications can also be accessed through I-pad or e-book, but not only smartphone. Thus, this cannot be a reason on rejecting the banning. Apart from the influence on learning, smartphone also be an obstacle on development childrens social skill. The social area of the children is bounded in the internet social website or social applications as a result of addicting to the use of smartphone. They only communicate with friends through the smartphone but rarely have a face to face communication with the people surrounding. Many people must been in the odd atmosphere in which all the friends around are focusing on their smartphone playing games or whatsapping with their friend during a meal in the restaurant. People around the table are friends and having meal together, however no conversation between them. Growing up in such a non-face-to-face-communicating environment does hinder childrens social ability. Furthermore, using smartphone brings possible long-term health risks, such as behavioral problems on children, increased cancer risk as well as decreased male fertility, especially in children usage. The research led by Dr Siegal Sadetzki, an epidemiologist at Gertner Institute, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Israel, found that heavy cell phone users had a 50% higher risk of developing a parotid tumor which arise in the salivary gland near the ears and the jaw, a position where cellphones are typically held, and they can be malignant or benign. Because childrens brains and nervous systems are still developing, any possible damage to them is even more serious than for adults. The radio frequency emissions from the phones could cause other health issues in other parts of the body, such as the damage to the central nervous system, and thereby having a negative impact on learning or behavior, or cancers could result in organs other than the brain.  [2]  There are also studies which reve al the negative impact of cell phones on the health of the young ones. For example, quite recently, Dr Kheifets and researchers in Denmark discovered that children who used cell phones and whose mothers had used cellphones during their pregnancy had 80% higher incidence of behavioral issues. These include emotional issues, hyperactivity, inattention and having problems with their peers. Even those children who themselves did not have cellphone exposure except during their mothers pregnancies had 54% higher incidence of such problems. All in all, the harm brings from smartphone has long been a problem which be neglected. Government should legislate to ban the children below 16 owning smartphone as soon as possible in order to avoid children being affected or harmed by smartphone. Only avoiding children to be affected in school is not enough, government and parents have their responsibility on saving children from the harm of smartphone. Only by the corporation of school, government as well as parents can the problem be solved, and can the children have a better development.