Childhood obesity in the United States

Childhood obesity in the United States and internationally has become a wide spread public health catastrophe. Over the years childhood obesity has increased at a rapid pace. This paper will show the results of the data collection method, the data analysis procedure, and the conclusion of how to apply the background and methodology of the research process with the problems in health care, and apply the emphasis on childhood obesity. Data Collection: The data collection method was appropriate for this study because children were involved and the research was based on previous studies already performed.The collection method used was a reviewed and detailed â€Å"search of CINAHL, MEDLINE, ERIC, Academic Search Premier data bases was carried out for the time period 1999-2011† (Karnik & Kaneka, 2012, p. 1). Key words for this search were â€Å"calorie imbalance, childhood obesity, interventions, physical activity, and policy changing† (Karnik & Kaneka, 2012, p. 1). The subj ects researched were children, the appropriate actions to be taken were parental consent and supervision; the identities of the children remained anonymous throughout the studies.Based on the outcomes of the research, there was no harm or negativity to the children participating in the research project. The concealment of the children was the main concern for the study, this way the children would not undergo the prejudices and abuse for developing an overweight condition, eating an unhealthy diet, and not exercising. There was no communication of individual names, or identifying factor of the children researched. Data Analysis Procedure:The provisions and procedures are appropriate for the type of study conducted and the results received from the research answered the hypothesis that the researchers were considering. The study was centered on preset criteria and questions. The qualitative data is based on numerical facts, which were extracted from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) according to Karnik & Kaneka (2012) the report stated the following: In the years 2007-2008 there were an estimated 16. 9% of adolescents and children aged in groups of 2-19 that were over weight.The total number of childhood obesity cases for children in preschool between the ages of 2-5 for boys and girls increased from 5. 0% to 10% between the years of 1976-1980. In the years 2007-2008 childhood obesity increased from 6. 5% to 19. 6% in children who were 6-11 years old. With the data that was collected during the same time period for adolescents aged 12-19 years old obesity increased from 5. 0% to 18. 1% (Karnik & Kaneka, 2012, p. 2). The non-statistical methods of review and the studying of social phenomena have qualitative research concerned.The research is appealing to a primary method in which subjects and groups appear through analysis of information gathered by techniques for example, case studies, observations, interviews, and videotapes. Sample s are typically small and are often nominated intentionally. Descriptions must be detailed when they are of qualitative research and are the perspective of all research members as a way of examining certain problems and issues under study (McCroy, 2013). In this qualitative research the article consists of the information found in relation to genetics, behavior, environmental factors, and interventions.Genetic factors may affect the metabolism, through altering fat, energy consumption, and energy disbursement. Hereditary traits may cause childhood obesity. Childhood obesity can be caused by behavioral issues. The food and drinks that children are ingesting cause more energy, and is not being used in the correct way. With the larger portions of food that children are eating which are high in glucose, and carbohydrates, the energy consumption is higher than the energy expenditure. This can lead to weight gain in children and cause childhood obesity (Karnik & Kaneka, 2012).Children who are not physically active are prone to obesity. The energy that is gained needs to be properly balanced with the energy used (Karnik & Kaneka, 2012). There is a realization that many teens and children are absence of the necessary quantity of some physical activity; therefore the calories are not being used properly, which can lead to obesity. In Iran there was a mixed-methods study which went to prove that there is a shortage of safe places that has easy access for children to get the physical activity they need.The inactive lifestyle may be caused because there are no facilities, for example, safe sidewalks, parks, and paths to ride bicycles on. The main barriers for these adolescents were the unsupportive families. It is seen that inactive lifestyles are a big part of childhood obesity. Children today spend a lot of time sitting and playing video games, watching television, and using their computers. Children tend to eat more goodies while they sit watching television and playin g video games and are spending more and more time with no physical activity.These developmental issues are a brutal cycle. Children are more prone to an inactive lifestyle because of watching television, consuming larger portions of food that are more energy-dense, and with a lack of physical activity, this has caused a rise in childhood obesity. Television advertisements show foods that are high in sugar; this leads children to make the wrong choices when it comes to eating healthy, and can lead to weight gain and childhood obesity. Environmental factors have a huge impact on children, school, home and the community is some of these influences.Parents who interact with their children have a huge influence when it comes to their child’s food choices and can inspire them to live a healthier life style. A huge amount of children’s time is spent in school; schools can help to offer healthy food choices and more physical activity to help promote a healthier lifestyle. With the lack of availability and affordability of healthy food it can affect a child’s nutrition. Conclusion: The provisions and procedures are appropriate for the type of study conducted and the results received from the research answered the hypothesis that the researchers were considering.The study was centered on preset criteria and questions. Childhood obesity can be resolved through prevention, education, and supportable interventions associated to living a healthy lifestyle with the proper nutrition habits and physical activity. Childhood obesity can be decreased with encouragement from the children’s parents. There needs to be an implementation of schools and governmental monitoring of the success or failure of the interventions. If interventions are not working then there should be a reevaluation of intervention to prevent childhood obesity.

Our Home and Racist Land Essay

Being one of the most socially developed and multicultural countries in the world everyone probably sees Canada as a Utopian country. Unfortunately Canada isn’t as perfect as everyone thinks it is, and a major persisting issue is racism. Being a multicultural there are many minorities and this usually results in racism, isolation, and unequal treatment amongst everyone. Unfortunately, racism gets more serious and turns into hate crime and that is a federal offence. Racisms not only affects adults at work or on the streets but also affects children in schools and daycare centers as kids are treated differently based on their skin color. We can all imagine that racism has disappeared but in reality we know that it will never leave. Racism is defined as a belief that inherent differences among human race, does that mean that all of us have to be one race in order to eliminate racism in our society? Practically, it is impossible to get rid of racial prejudice. Racism is common amongst the streets of Canada and especially Toronto as we are the most diverse city in Canada. Racism occurs everywhere from schools to workplaces. Even where I volunteer the guy who runs is racist, he is known for only hiring white people as his staff and Hispanic people to do the cleaning. Everywhere we turn we see racism. When a lady crosses the street and sees a person of African descent she will either take a different road or being to walk really fast. This is because we are all racist by habit now. We have been influenced by movies, TV shows, and the media. We are always bombarded by â€Å"20-year old black male wanted for robbery† or â€Å"32 year-old male black wanted for murder† in the media that everyone has come to a conclusion that all black people are criminals and that is wrong. To make matters worth parents will tell their kids not to hang out with â€Å"African† people and when that one African child gets secluded he will do anything to be part of the â€Å"group† and this is when the child starts to befriend the wrong people and he is now in a gang. He gets into unnecessary trouble and now is the top news on CTV and all of this was because one arent was racist and told his/her child not to be friends with a black person. A more severe case of racism is hate crime, and that is very common in Canada. Statistics Canada has released the numbers and it states that there have been 1473 hate-motivated crimes in 2009 and 52% was because of race/ethnicity, which means there have been 766 racist crimes. To be more specific almost 300 incidents were intended toward black people, 95 towards south Asians, and 75 towards Arabs. Even in the 21st century we are still witnessing violence toward people because of their skin color. Just by viewing these statistics you can conclude that Canada is still racist. To be more precise Canada has increased in hate crimes toward race from 2006-2009 by roughly 61%. Racial discrimination must stop immediately; it is not progressing society forward it is pulling us backward. At the end of the day we are all humans and we are all one race and this prejudice towards others because of the color of their skin is barbaric. Canada is most definitely still racist, we might seem like the perfect country to the eyes of others but we are far from a utopian society. Regardless of the fact you are Caucasian, African, Sri Lankan, Arab, and Chinese we are all humans, and racism just degrades us. Abraham Joshua Herschel, a Polish-born American rabbi once said â€Å"Racism is man’s gravest threat to man – the maximum hatred for a minimum of reason. â€Å" Racism was once the reason WWII had started and it was the reason we went through a terrifying era of slaves in North America. Both Canada and the global society are frequently showing racial animosity and this should not be tolerated.

Chris Mccandless Essay

People travel into the wild prepared to face the worst; they do not want to encounter a deadly situation. The man in Jack London’s â€Å"To Build a Fire† went into the cold prepared for nothing, he felt that he was above nature and it could not affect him. Chris McCandless in Jon Krakauer’s â€Å"Into The Wild† went into the wild unprepared for the conditions he was about to face. As a person who read the writings of Jack London, his death seems somewhat ironic. â€Å"To Build a Fire† by Jack London brings out the irony even more, we see how London wrote and how it relates to how Chris died. Chris McCandless is a person who did not believe in rules of society. He believed that he was above rules. He even felt he could defeat nature; he went into the wild expecting to come out alive while he lived on what nature gave him. â€Å"Alaska has long been a magnet for dreamers and misfits, people who think the unsullied enormity of the Last Frontier will patch all the holes in their lives† (Krakauer, 6). This is exactly what Chris was trying to do when he went into the Alaskan wilderness. He wanted to escape the rules and suffering he faced in society. Jim Gallien recalled, â€Å"He wasn’t carrying anywhere near as much food and gear as you’d expect a guy to be carrying for that kind of trip† (Krakauer, 5). The man in â€Å"To Build a Fire† went to go meet his friends in the cold with nothing to protect him or keep him warm except the clothes on his back, and a dog that accompanied him. Chris and the man both went into the wilderness underprepared for the challenges they would face. Chris read Jack London throughout his life, he knew about his stories and this is how he learned about the beauty of the Alaskan wilderness, but as he read he should have also learned of the dangers. Even though he read these stories by Jack London he still went into the wild unprepared. Chris McCandless spent most of his life in a warm climate. He was born in California, grew up in Virginia, and went to college in Georgia. Chris has never experienced anything relatively close to the Alaskan climate. Through reading stories about people experiencing the Alaskan wilderness Chris should have learned about the dangers that people faced in the cold temperature. The man was not scared of the cold at all, he felt as if he was above it and ended up dying. This shows the dangers of undermining the climate of the north and Chris did the same. He tried to live off of the land that was barren. The man was not concerned with â€Å"the absence of sun from the sky, the tremendous cold, and the strangeness and weirdness of it all—made no impression on the man† (London). The man in â€Å"To Build a Fire† was a representation of rational thinking, and how people in society believe mankind is more powerful than the world. This thinking was evident in Chris’s life. He felt that he was above the laws of the government. He did what he wanted, â€Å"On December 2, he reached the Morelos Dam and the Mexican border. Worried that he would be denied entry because he was carrying no identification, he sneaked into Mexico by paddling through the dam’s open floodgates and shooting the spillway below† (Krakauer, 25). There are resemblances between the qualities of the man and Chris McCandless. Chris’s death was not ironic but the reason he died was ironic. To Build a Fire† is a story about a man who is a very rational thinker who died because he felt he was better than nature and it could not kill him, the dog he traveled with lived because it relied on instincts. Chris went into the wild with a mindset similar to this man’s mindset. This is what brought out the irony of Chris’s death, he was an avid reader of Jack London and by reading his stories he should have been able to conclude that in order to survive in this climate he needed to be more prepared for difficult situations than he was.

North American Free Trade Agreement Research Paper

North American Free Trade Agreement - Research Paper Example The NAFTA agreement helped the three countries increased the amount of trade activity among themselves. â€Å"Trade between the NAFTA signatories tripled, from $297 billion in 1993 to $1 trillion in 2007† (Amadeo, 2011). One of the industries in the United States that benefited the most from the agreement was the farming industry due to the fact that Mexico used to have extremely high tariffs on agricultural products. Some of the crops that have increased in demand for exporting in the United States include beef, rice, soybeans and beans. The NAFTA agreement created the biggest free trade area in the world connecting three economies that generated over $17 trillion annually (Amadeo, 2011). The service industry received a major boost in demand since NAFTA was signed. Some of the industries that have benefited from the agreement are healthcare and financial services. The prices of food have reduced as a consequence of the NAFTA agreement. Another benefit that Canada and Mexico received from the agreement was an increase in foreign direct investment (FDI) from the United States. The volume of foreign direct investment has more than tripled since the inception of the agreement. Despite a lot of the advantages of NAFTA the agreement also had some negative aspects. In the United States the manufacturing industry was negatively impacted as job creation in manufacturing became stagnant. The cheaper Mexican labor became an attractive proposition for many American investors. The United States has one of the highest labor costs in the world. Another negative aspect of the agreement was movement of criminals across the borders. The drug trade and the cartels in Mexico gained power due to the facility of movement of people and drug across the borders. Some sectors of the agricultural economy of Mexico have been negatively impacted by the imports of vegetables and fruits from Canada and the United States. Many agricultural

DATABASE SYSTEMS COURSEWORK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

DATABASE SYSTEMS COURSEWORK - Essay Example The relationship type 'has_details' binds the student, invoice and room entities. As the invoice entity has details of both the student and the room and also its own properties needs to be linked with all the three to depict the relation. d. The relationship 'reside' links student and hall entities. As students reside in the hall in a particular room. This conceptual model depicts all the entities and their relations; it gives the overall picture and understanding of the system to a novice. This can also be called a logical model as it does not take into consideration any DBMS in mind and shows the logical association of the system. Next we are constructing the logical system which has the cardinality ratios. A cardinality ratio of a binary relation is the maximum number of instances an entity can participate in a given relationship type. Logical model The logical model is as follows: The difference here is that the entities here are associated with their relationships with the cardinality ratios respectively. The cardinality ratios are derived as follows: 1. Between student and staff (M:N). a. 1 student is responsible to 1 staff b. Many (M) students are responsible to 1 staff. c. 1 staff takes responsibility of 1 student d. Many (M) staff takes responsibility of many students. 2. Between student and hall (N:1). a. 1 student resides in 1 hall. b. Many (M) students reside in 1 hall. c. 1 hall accommodates 1 student d. Many (M) halls do not accommodate 1 student. 3. Between student, hall and invoice (1:1:1). a. 1 invoice has details of 1 student and his hall. b. 1 invoice does not have details of more than 1 student and their halls. c. Many invoices do not have details of many students and different halls. 4. Between student and room (1:1). a. 1 student... This conceptual model depicts all the entities and their relations; it gives the overall picture and understanding of the system to a novice. This can also be called a logical model as it does not take into consideration any DBMS in mind and shows the logical association of the system. Next we are constructing the logical system which has the cardinality ratios. A cardinality ratio of a binary relation is the maximum number of instances an entity can participate in a given relationship type. Special note: The attribute named 'lease' to the relationship named 'rent' has been shifted to the rent table as the cardinality ratio is 1:1 so any attribute of the relationship type must be shifted on either side. The arrows show the functional dependencies. The single arrow with no point head determines all the attributes of the entire entity. In the table 'Responsible_For' which was previously a relationship between student and staff had a cardinality ratio of M:N. The relationship type will form a separate table with the same name having the primary keys of both the aligned tables. a. Only the table 'Room' has an attribute called 'Room Type' which can have both 'single' and 'double' rooms in a particular hall.

Identifying specific emergencies and disasters which could impact your Case Study

Identifying specific emergencies and disasters which could impact your community - Case Study Example It also describes the criteria utilized when determining the lead position during the emergency and the authority that the lead person will possess. In addition, the paper describes the methods of communication that will be used during the emergency to maintain control of the team and the personnel who will be allowed to make independent decisions in the field. Finally, the paper concludes with the author’s opinion concerning the appropriateness of allowing input into the disaster management process during an emergency. The use of the incident command systems in the emergency management plan allows for incorporation of facilities, people, equipment, procedures along with communication mechanisms that work in common organizational structures. The systems will also allow for coordinated responses from the private along with public sectors. In addition, the systems will help in establishing common processes that will be used for planning along with managing the available resources. The advantage of utilizing the systems mainly lies in the fact that it allows the users to assume an incorporated organizational structure when managing multiple disaster occurrences. It’s additionally applicable across all levels of government found in the United States (Miller, 2007). The person who will be responsible for directing and controlling the disaster operations will be the chief of Police for the Biloxi region. In determining the lead position during the emergency, the criteria utilized will mainly aim at ensuring the all the people’s lives along with the properties in their surrounding are protected (â€Å"Biloxi’s History With Tropical Systems†, 2012; â€Å"Biloxi Tornado Information†, 2012). The team leader will have to be professionally trained in handling bomb explosions since the emergencies may occur at any time without giving prior warning. The lead position will

International Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

International Marketing - Essay Example 63-65, 1996). Yet, the fundamental question remains and revolves around the reason of why shall the company use the services of consultants for the same and why the internal talent be utilized for the same. There are many reasons in this regard. Firstly, strategy building is a difficult and painful exercise since it requires making hard and avoidable choices. In fact, strategy builders have to get out of their comfort zones and take decisions to undertake discussions, which they would have not even imagined under normal circumstances. It has been an observation (Porter, pp. 69-74, 1996) that at times, it becomes extremely difficult for the company to make those choices considering the human and emotional constraints. This also explains why many Chinese and Japanese companies avoid having clear and well-defined strategies since the process of the same would require them to go against their culture of collectivism, uncertainty avoidance and achieving consensus for every decision (OMahoney, pp. 64-6 9, 2010). Quite understandably, when managers are making the strategies, there is a high probability that the emotional element would get into the process to make it more biased. Many companies successfully develop good strategies but fail to execute them; however, it would be a complete disaster if the company designs a biased and mediocre strategy and then executes it with all possible energies (Curnow & Reuvid, pp. 79-84, 2003). Furthermore, over the years, the field of strategic management has developed to great limits. New complexities, inventions, and use of latest tools, ever-changing industry scenario, new elements and dynamics and others have made it even more complex for any nonprofessional or even an average middle manager to involve himself in the process of strategic management and promise great results. Management consultants bring with themselves vast experience in their fields of helping companies making turnarounds and taking otherwise

Social Performance, Part 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Social Performance, Part 2 - Essay Example The best way through which this is done is by having a proper code of ethics for the security firm. The paper focuses on the various ethical aspects involved in a business and the manner in which they relate to the security firm. Various companies have different codes of conduct and judging from their performance in the last couple of years it is important to note that the advantages of having these codes of ethics surpass other customer ratings. These results come from numerous studies carried out during the last census bringing out this information vividly. One of the acclaimed companies with about the best code of ethics is EverFocus Electronics AG. This security company has made great strides in the technology field from the various codes of ethics that it has employed. The Everfocus Electronics AG has one of its highly observed codes of conduct being etiquette. This is one of the company’s major strongpoint when it comes to dealing with public relations. The company has an extensive training program for employees where they are taught various manners in which to handle the needs and belongings of the employees (Williams, 2011). This is always in line to produce the best out of the employees for greater satisfaction of the client. They are trained that when handling consumer luggage they should enquire from the client how delicate or rather the nature of the luggage for best handling. With this, the client is always ensured of maximum safety of personal belongings. Another company to critique from its ventures and successes over the last decade is MOBOTIX AG. MOBOTIX is one other company that has hit the security industry with a blow due to the massive profit margins that it has had the ability of making even beating long time industry leaders. The company has had its successes attributed to the high amount of emphasis accorded to the use of CCTV. Many security companies do not use their CCTV security systems in the

Instrumentation principles for media technology microphone technology Essay

Instrumentation principles for media technology microphone technology - Essay Example According to Snoman, a microphone, casually referred to as mic or mike, is a device that â€Å"converts sound into an electrical current that is then transformed into an audio signal at the end of the chain† (152). How well the sound gets captured by the microphone and un-obstructively reproduced and transmitted to the audience, and how well the microphone meets the live or studio requirements of sound, is the main concern. There is no doubt that when you go for a high quality microphone, you are ultimately ensuring excellence of the sound; however, every microphone has its own tonal quality that is different from other microphones. Thus, choosing the right microphone is what requires good sensible knowledge about the microphone technology and some basic tips and tricks of utilizing this technology. â€Å"Microphones are a key factor in achieving high quality recordings and sound reproduction†, says Peterson. The first microphone ever developed consisted of a metal diaphragm connected to a needle which was further connected to a metal foil. When the diaphragm would catch differences in air pressure, it would cause the needle to move which would scratch out specific patterns onto the metal foil. When these scratches were later run by the needle, they would cause the diaphragm to move which reproduced the recorded sound (How Stuff Works). The latest microphone technology, however sophisticated, works on the same principle that is, converting air pressure waves into electrical current. Whatever the type of the microphone is, all have one thing is common. That is the diaphragm which is actually a thin paper or a thin piece of aluminum or plastic, located in the head of a typical microphone, and vibrates when it catches sound waves produced by differences in air pressure (see Fig. 1). Vibrations in this diaphragm cause vibrations in other modules of the microphone as well

Unit 6, Chapter 13 & 14 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Unit 6, Chapter 13 & 14 - Coursework Example The major key to address this issue is to provide all the employees a holistic view of the organization, which they are all part of and they are working for. Involvement and extensive communication is a crucial factor to providing a holistic view of the organization. The major structural issue to identify is on how to minimize these conflicts resulting from massive compartmentalization of jobs, while maintaining operating efficiency and productivity of employees by still utilizing specialization in some areas. In many years, successful corporations have used the concept of cross-functional work teams in order to address the issue. A cross-functional work team is a team organized to perform a task, usually to work on a certain project within the organization. It is cross-functional because the members of the teams come from different specialized functions of the organization—research and development, marketing, finance, human resources, operations, etc. While the team focuses on things ranging from solving a certain problem in the company, to working on a new product a company decides to launch, specialization is used according to the demands of the project. The diverse set of individuals from different specialized jobs, working together also provides a multitude of insights for brainstorming. The utilization of cross-functional teams provides a more flexible approach to adapting to a company’s business environment. By focusing on a certain project with experts from each of the department, coordination is ensured which cuts costs in terms of time and cutting down processes. This will help the company bring excellent products in the market before any competitor does, which can give it a definite advantage if it can match its offerings with the consumers’ changing preferences the earliest in the market. Because cross-functional

Women and Learderhip Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Women and Learderhip - Essay Example An example is the trait leadership theory. In this theory, it is believed that some people are born to lead. They inherit traits that deem them viable leaders. In the early days, men were the leaders and few women if any were given leadership roles. Thus, the inheritance theory insinuates that the leadership traits are passed down along gender lines. However, such traditional leadership theories have been modified by more current leadership theories. An example of such a theory is the behavioral leadership theory. In this scenario, leadership traits are acquired rather than inherited. The current theories are not gender biased and thus, anyone with the capability of acquiring the traits is regarded as a leader. The theories also give opportunities for people to rise to leadership responsibilities. Napoleon was a great leader and he led his army into many successful battles. The fact that he was participating in the war and fought along his men says that he led by example. This is considered as one of the most important traits in leadership. Leading by example creates confidence among the people working under you. Building confidence ensures that there is a good working environment and that the activity that people are undertaking is productive. Leading by example also allows a leader to evaluate the various situations that people encounter in the process of any activity. Thus, if any, immediate decisions need to be made, a leader can easily make a sound decision as he/she was involved in the proceedings. In this case, situational leadership is effective in cases where the leader was actively involved in the project. Leading by example allows for an environment where leaders can interact with their staff. Through this interaction, a leader gets to know areas where his/her team is weak and can rectify it so as to give a maximum output. Leaders interacting with their teams also create an environment where any team player can relay any

Public Transport Essay Example for Free

Public Transport Essay Public transport can be define as a system of vehicles such as buses and trains, which operate at regular times on fixed routes and are used by the public. In Malaysia, the number of vehicle on the road has been increase in every year. It shows that the public now is affordable to have at least a motorcycle as their daily transport rather than use the public transport. The public should not use the public transport because the risk of being the criminal victim will increase the people need to wait a long time for the public transport and the public cannot have comfort in their journey to their destination. Firstly, the disadvantages of using public transport are the risk of being the criminal victim is high .Many criminal case is being reported is causes when the public using this kind of transport. Raped and snatch crime is the most common cases that causes by the public transport. As example, when a woman used the public transport such as bus lonely, she will sit beside someone that she does not know the background, behavior or its intention to her. It is also dangerous when a person in a crowded train, many people around her will take advantage to snatch her wallet unconsciously. In addition, when using the public transport, people cannot have a comfortable journey to their destination. Some of the public transport such as bus is usually dirty and smelly. It will make the passenger uncomfortable due to that condition instead they using their own car .Beside that, when there is too much passenger in a train or bus , it is impossible to have a seat although they pay same fare as well as other people. Some special people such as disabled person and old folks may be treated bad when they are in the public transport. Moreover, the disadvantages of using public transport are the people need to wait for a long time to have a bus or train. People will waste their time during they waiting for the public transport instead they used their own transport to go whenever they desired anytime. As example, when a person is having an emergency such as death in the family while he using a public transport, it will be take a long time for him to reach his destination on the time. However, there is an advantage when using the public transport in which it will prevent the environment from pollution such as air or land. Furthermore, when using the public transport, the traffic jam in a city also can be reduce at the same time because the causes of the traffic jam is when there is too much vehicle entering the city. When there is too much vehicle, the percentage or risk of an accident to occur is also high. As the conclusion, the usage of public transport is more contribute to the disadvantages to us. People should emphasize and realize that when they using the public transport ,risk of being the criminal victim will increased , the people need to wait a long time for the public transport and the public cannot have comfort in their journey to their destination.

Analysing Person Centred Planning

Analysing Person Centred Planning The articles used in this annotated bibliography focus on person-centred planning and they explain the steps involved in devising the plan and ensuring that it is carried out. It describes all of the significant topics necessary to a plan; a few examples are wills and estate planning, the Henson Trust and individualized funding. The articles focus on the fact that people with developmental disabilities should have the same rights and same choices as the rest of the population and be a causal member of their community and society as a whole. Person-centred planning places complete control of the planning process and on the person with the disability. However, it offers assistance and pertinent information to the person, so that he or she is able to make informed decisions independently. Individualized Funding: Vision, Rights and Principles. (1997, June 8,9). Retrieved January 18, 2011,from Individualized Funding Information Resources: http://members.shaw.ca/ bsalisbury/IF%20%20Visions,%20 Rights%20%20Princi ples.htm This article represents and defines the goal of individualized funding (IF). It inspires people who need support to become dynamic and full participators of society, to having individual access to the services elected by them. This empowers them to live independent lives, as set out by the individualized funding. Individualized funding offers resources which persons consider significant in order to contribute as a citizen of society. Individualized funding is payable solely to the individual who needs support or trusted representative and focuses on the needs of the person. IF is also transferable in and across regional borders, ministries and departments of government.Advantages of IF are that it is not based on privilege or assessment, nor does it regulate funding limits by classifications or categories. Individualized funding is also concentrated on the funds an individual needs for community living. However, the needs do include well-being, safety, mobility and citizenship. This article is extremely encouraging to people who need support, as it delivers the message of community living through choices, and strives to develop a community, which is inclusive of all people. Planning Tools and Techniques. (2003). Retrieved January 21, 2010, from The Special Needs Planning Group: http://www.specialneedsplanning .ca/tools.html##h The Henson Trust originated in Guelph, Ontario in the early 1980à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s by a man named Leonard Henson who had a daughter with a developmental disability. It is also referred to as Absolute Trust and Discretionary Trust. This article covers the explanation and the history of the Henson Trust. It was begun so that people with developmental disabilities could retain their assets as well as preserving their ODSP benefits when they become the beneficiary of a will. Keeping their assets allows more financial freedom to choose where and how they would like to live. The article does not refer to whether or not the Henson Trust is limited to the parents of a person with a disability. However, it does offer an irreplaceable description of the Henson Trust and the story of how it became. Through perseverance and love for his daughter, one man created the Henson Trust, which today benefits all people with disabilities by preserving their right to keep their assets whi le receiving ODSP benefits. Wills for people with an intellectual disability. (2004, September). Retrieved February 13, 2011, from Intellectual Disability Rights Service: http://www.idrs.org.au /pubs/for-pwid.html This article contains information on wills, and the fact that everyone has the right to choose if they want one, including people with an intellectual disability. There are a lot of choices and decisions to be made when an individual desires a will. The article addresses all people, and contains additional information for persons with an intellectual disability who would like a will. The article describes the steps that lead to the writing of a will, explains additional steps, which a person with an intellectual disability needs to take, such as having a formal assessment of capacity performed on them, to decrease the possibility of the will being contested once the will maker is deceased. A formal assessment of capacity would prove that the will maker fully understood what he or she was doing at the time the will was drawn up and signed. Due to the abundance of information just mentioned, I do not feel as though this article is missing any pertinent information regarding wills and e state choices. Daegher, L. (2007). Planning for the Future: People with a disability. Retrieved January 20, 2011, from Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs: http://www.fahcsia.gov.au /sa/carers/pubs/Documents/ PeopleWithDisability /Planning_for_the_Future.pdf This article contains invaluable education on Future Planning for a people with developmental disabilities. While planning for a family member with a developmental disabilitysà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ future, it is imperative to realize the aspirations and dreams of the person, along with the hopes of the family in this matter. This helps to create a view of how her or his future may be, and develop a scheme to carry it out. Locating information to support them in making choices may be restricted to lawyers and financial planners, who lack experience and knowledge in future planning for a person with a developmental disability. The planning should be inclusive of all the family membersà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ needs, presently and in the future, while staying focused on the needs of the individual with the developmental disability, and including and valuing their insight and opinions. The article is very informative and offers a lot of advice and freedom of choice t o the person with the disability as well as his or her family. OBrien, J., Pearpoint, J. (1946). Person Centered Planning With Maps and Path: A Workbook for Facilitators. Toronto: Inclusion Press. This article explains what maps and paths are and how they relate to person centred planning. Maps and Paths are a means of recuperating lost dreams and providing hope and choices by bringing people together to envision and act upon having meaningful and productive futures. Maps and Paths is spiritual, which is why it cannot be bureaucratized, and is used to help all persons. Person centred planning requires facilitators to sincerely listen to individuals hopes and fears. Maps and Paths places control on the individual, as long as it is ethical. The article is simple to understand very descriptive of what Maps and Paths is, when we use it, (an example is when we experience challenges in life and need support), and the fact that it has more than one definition to it. It focuses on the facilitators sharing power with people rather than trying to exhibit power over them. Maps and Paths vision addresses the individuals. Byrnes, F. (2011). Philosophy of Developmental Disabilities Services. Retrieved February 11, 2011, from Article Doctor Health and Fitness Articles: http://www.articledoctor.com/ developmental-disabilities/philosophy-of- developmental -disabilities-services-1679 This article portrays Competence and the importance of it in regards to persons with developmental disabilities. Developmental disabilities services follow a certain viewpoint, which helps an affected person to live a better life. Broadly speaking, the attitude of Developmental disabilities services is generally constant with a set of governing principles and the guiding principles of service. Among the governing principles of most such services is one, which says that persons with developmental disabilities will be able to communicate to their families, friends and communities according to their choice. Affected persons should be as independent as possible and be in a position to regulate the course of their own lives. People with developmental disabilities must be provided the chance to make choices in life that do not undermine their health and safety, and such choices must always be valued and respected. These foremost principles form the basis of philosophy of most development d isabilities services. The guiding principles that are followed for serving affected persons also play a key role in determining the philosophy of developmental disabilities services. Individualization highlights on an affected persons self-esteem, which can be developed by safeguarding respect, by making them contribute expressively to their living and community environment. The basic philosophy followed by Developmental disabilities services also includes the following ideas that people with developmental disabilities must have the same rights, privileges, opportunities and responsibilities as other members of the community. A Person Centered Organization. (n.d.). Retrieved February 12, 2011, from Compass Coordination Inc.: http://www.compasstn.org /index.html This story of leadership is about Compass Coordination Inc. Their person-centered initiative is an international effort to support organizations in having better outcomes for the people they support. Through contribution in the creativity, organizations learn how to apply person centered thinking skills to the lives of people supported and in the practices of the organization, using coaches groups and leadership groups to classify barriers and facilitate changes within system. Compass participates in the initiative in a number of ways. Compass is working with stakeholders and within organizations to design and implement practices that grip person-centered thinking and planning and practice across the service delivery system. Members of their leadership team are working with other leaders to become skilful at using person-centered tools. Since their inception, Compass has held certain person-centered practices as central to our core values. Mount, B. (2011). What is a Circle of Support. Retrieved February 26, 2011, from Child- Autism-Parent-Cafe: http://www.child-autism-parent -cafe.com/circle.html This article contains specific information on what a Circle of Support is. A circle of support is a group of people interested in getting together to assist a focal person enhance and expand his or her life by helping to reach key personal goals. Persons with limitations have traditionally been excluded from meaningful relationships and experiences in the community that encompasses them. However, everyone learns and expands their worlds through family, friends and experiences. Circle members provide new and creative trails and networks to increasing experiences in the community, like suitable and stable employment, a safe and healthy place to live, transportation, recreation and exercise and opportunities to communicate with a caring person, etc. The point to remember is that persons with developmental disabilities miss out on the simple daily human contacts and pleasure we all enjoy. Consider the following to help select members for our individuals: Think about all the people involv ed in their life and who are the people that are closest, these are the people you should invite to the planning meeting. Each member determines his or her own interest and commitment. What is SIS. (2011). Retrieved February 16, 2011, from American Association On Intellectual and Developmental Disibilities: http://www.siswebsite.org /cs/product_info This article defines the Supports Intensity Scale and levels of support for individuals with a developmental disability. The Supports Intensity Scale is a calculation tool that evaluates practical support requirements of a person with an intellectual disability. Available in print and electronic formats, SIS contains of an interview and profile form that tests support needs in multiple areas. SIS is wide-ranging and employs the consumer in a positive interview process. The assessment is done through an interview with the individual, and those who know the person well. SIS measures support needs in the areas of home living, community living, lifelong learning, employment, health and safety, social activities, and protection and advocacy. The Scale ranks each activity according to frequency. Traditionally, a persons level of developmental disability has been measured by the skills the individual lacks. SIS shifts the focus from lacks to needs. The Scale assesses practical supports peop le with developmental disabilities need to lead independent lives. The SIS should be administered by a professional in the human services field. An overview of the Passport Initiative. (2008). Retrieved February 13, 2011, from Developmental Services Toronto: http://www.dsto.com/upload /Passport_Initiative_brochure.pdf This article promotes the Passport to Community Living. Passport to Community Living is funded by the Ministry of Community and Social Services to support adults who have a developmental disability, who have left school, and require supports to partake in community activities. Through this initiative, the participants who are accepted for funding can purchase services and supports that will enable their community participation according to their interests and strong points. Participants can choose to make their own provisions to purchase supports and/or to access services through community-based agencies. The passport initiative is designed for adults who have a developmental disability, have left school, and require supports to participate in their communities. Salzer, M., Baron, R. C. (2006, November). Promoting Community Integration:Increasing the Presence and Participation of People with Psychiatric and Developmental Disabilities in Community Life. Retrieved January 28, 2011, from UPENN Collaborative on Community Integration: http://tucollaborative.org/pdfs/ Toolkits_Monographs_Guidebooks /community_inclu sion/Increa sing_the_Presence_and_Participation _of_People_with_Psychiatric_Disabilities.pdf This article is reflective of the importance of Community Presence and Participation. To help people with disabilities play a more robust role in the civic life of their communities, programs could provide educational programming to clients to familiarize them with local, and regional, issues. Forums in which political candidates or civic groups could discuss both sides of controversial issues. Particularly those in which groups of clients may have a special interest. Create and use practice voting booths before local and national elections to help familiarize clients with the procedures of voting Also to spur their interest in participating in the election process . Support clients as they volunteer in civic groups that address public issues, helping clients to determine their personal interests and matching clients to local interest and advocacy groups in the community. Education is to help people DD problems resume and complete their educations and to better prepare them for bette r-paid employment, programs could. Work with local schools, community colleges, and universities to develop academic programs that provide supports people may require successfully applying to and completing certification and/or degree programs. Develop educational guides for consumers that both encourage them to continue their educations and provide them with helpful hints with regard to applications, scholarships, course work, and degree/certification completion. Identify existing scholarship funding for consumers who wish to continue their education, assist consumers in applying for those funds, and advocate for new funding to support these educational initiatives. Developmental Disabilities Division. (n.d.). Retrieved February 9, 2011, from Liberity Resources: http://www.liberty-resources.org /programs/dd.cfm This article clearly emphasizes the importance of Respect of people with developmental disabilities. All residents create goals for themselves that are documented on a daily basis. Every six months a formal meeting is held to review their progress and/or make changes that will benefit each specific person. Staff work on goals with consumers as outlined in the individualized residential plans and assist the consumer in planning activities that meet their needs and desires. Success is measured by an improvement in the quality of life and is monitored through tracking goal progress. Opportunities exist to become a volunteer or an advocate for many of the individuals in these programs. Many of them do not have involved family member and would welcome meeting new people. The staff persons are an integral support system, but the benefits of a community advocate would be enriching. The commitment to become an advocate minimally involves attendance at a six month planning/review meetings. This annotated bibliography consists og an abundance of information which will be pertinent to anyone who would like to understand or carry out person directed planning. This bibliography is a perfect example of how much involvement is required by a Developmental Service Worker to ensure they a correctly supporting individuals with a developmental disability.

Comparison of Business Practices in the US and China

Comparison of Business Practices in the US and China Diverse cultures of US and China Culture rules nigh on every particular phase of your life and like many, you are completely unacquainted of this. If inquired, you would define culture as architecture or language, music, visual arts, literature and you wouldnt be wrong. Nevertheless you wouldnt be completely right either. The United States of America is one of the multi ethnical, multi racial and multi cultural countries in the world. It has a highly diverse culture which has helped in forming its unique values. This diversity in culture can also be distinguished geographically where certain groups in different geographical locations have formulated a unique culture among themselves which is quite contrastingly diverse from mainstream American culture. They are Asian-American, Afro-American and Hispanic cultures. China can be listed as a country that has a very rich culture, certain aspects of which dates back to the ancient civilizations 5000 years back. This has been passed down from generation to generation thus preserving its identity and richness. It can be stated that it’s unique, diverse and yet harmoniously blended culture is a priceless asset to the world. The business practices of China and US The world of international business as we all know consists of people from different real and virtual work places in countries. Therefore it is important to know about a countries culture in order to adapt to it and be successful. Culture is complex and multi dimensional, to understand its basic nature we need to consider the Elements of culture. â€Å"Language† the key to culture transmits information. The Americans have commonly around 15 languages. Their main languages are English, Spanish and Indo European. Chinese have over 90 languages with 8 main languages where Mandarin is commonly used. A low context culture’s communication is precise and direct. But in terms of High context culture a lot of terms and facts that go unsaid. Practically Americans tend to communicate directly while the Chinese communicate indirectly, which eventually turns out to be a frustrating situation for Americans as they are quite unsure of what the Chinese expect. This is so while the Chinese feel unsettled by their direct approach. There are over 15000 â€Å"religions† in the world. China is a multi religious country which comprises mainly of three religions such as Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. They believe that this world is an illusion and that everything is temporary. Also, that all living things including human beings constantly go through a process of life and death. They also believe in reincarnation. Somehow on the other hand, America comprises mainly of Christian believers and the minorities of around 6% belong to other religions. There are also those who don’t practice in any religion. Every country has their â€Å"values and attitudes† that distinguish them from others. There are different sets of attitudes towards time and future. In US time is important and is equivalent to money while China’s attitudes differ from that. They believe that time is required to make important decisions and look out for long term relationships with their business partners. This creates a contrast affecting their business transactions. â€Å"Customs† too are related to international business. US is physically isolated from all countries except Canada and Mexico. This has contributed to the isolation and the lack of concern towards the rest of the world unless they are threatened by another country or state. China however is connected to many other Asian countries and tends to be interdependent and concerned other nations. Americans have their food eaten using the folk and spoon while the Chinese use chopsticks. Americans tend to shake hands, hug, kiss on the cheek, gesture with one’s hands and use the first names while speaking to adults. Chinese however tend to bow or nod and use fewer gestures as possible. These extreme diversities could be no challenge if each country respects each other’s culture. We live in a technologically advanced global age. So its fairly obvious that international businesses take place among various countries. So how do people understand and communicate among each other? How do people understand their cultures respectively? Its rather difficult. But International businesses are taking place among each and every country due to the wide spread technological and demographical advancement of the societies living on earth. So to understand better and improve the standard of living, people should firstly understand the framework of assessing various cultures. These values are explained as Dimensions of culture by psychologist Dr Geert Hofstede. He further went on to explain that this cultural dimension consists of 5 principles. Power distance Individualism/ collectivism Masculinity/ femininity Uncertainty avoidance Long term/short term orientation Dr. Hofstede found many similarities and differences among these 5 dimensions. And he elaborated that, Building connections with people from around the world is just one dimension of cultural diversity. And therefore we should need to factor it into motivating people, structuring business related projects and developing strategy. USA and China we find similarities and differences with regard to these 5 dimensions. So for simplicity we could explain the dimensions, in a line graph between both China and the United States. Comparison between China and USA in regard to the 5 dimensions of Hofstedes values The buying behavior of consumers Buyer behavior refers to the decision making process and acts of the buyer in purchasing a particular good or a service. The buyer behavior regarding a product may change with the type of culture existing in a country. However the steps in the consumer decision making process remains the same and thus can be used as a suitable instrument in analyzing the behavior of consumers in two countries that are culturally contrasting. Figure 1 consumer decision making process In China, the key cultural drivers of purchasing decision making are philosophies such as Confucianism and Taoism as well as the collectivist nature of society. China being collectivists in nature gives much consideration to the voice of the public as well as ‘face’ (Mianzi) and ‘relationship’ (Guanxi) issues. In the USA, individualism plays an important role in all consumer decisions as well as religion, race and geographic location. China US Need recognition and problem awareness Both Confucianism and Taoism focus on family values. Chinese individuals have a deep sense of immediate family bindings. In every family unit, the elders are greatly respected. At the same time youngsters are also given importance and prioritized for being the ‘roots’ of generation continuation. As a result, when recognizing the needs of family, the needs of their children are given more importance. Ex: education needs of children are considered crucial in Chinese households as well as children’s healthcare products. As a developed western country, individualism tends to be the key ingredient that drives buying decisions. Individuals are encouraged to trust their personal judgment and thus when recognizing needs, individual needs are given more preference rather than collective needs. Information search In China, the buyers prefer word of mouth information to other sources. This aspect is related to collectivism. Buyers want to ‘be the same’ as others in their respective group so that they will be accepted. Acceptance is a vital factor for them. Due to this, they inquire from their friends, acquaintances or relatives regarding a certain product. This is how conformity of a product is decided. In mainstream culture of US, buyers receive information mainly through digital networks due to the various advancements available in electronic medias and the flexibility of US individuals to adapt to new technology. Meanwhile in varied sub cultures located across geographic boundaries traditional means are also used in getting informed regarding a certain product. Evaluation of alternatives In terms of public reputation (Mianzi) issues, Chinese individuals wish to put up a good ‘face’ for the others in their respective group to show their wealth and certain other factors. This issue distinctively promotes purchase of luxury products. But it has been also found out that there is more involvement in evaluation of alternatives when purchasing a product for social value rather than for private consumption. Americans usually do not bargain in front of a store owner. The social environment could affect the consumer behaviour in America. For example they would prefer eating corn flakes and ham instead of rice. Americans tend to seek goods with variety and have impulse purchases. This is so because they live a faster life than of Asian countries. Post purchase evaluation Buyers usually show concern post purchase and feel that an alternative would have been preferable. In this case, brand switching occurs the next time which the customer purchases. But, if they receive the social recognition intended for which they originally bought the product or receive a positive feedback from the society, the brand switching decision would not necessarily be taken. Americans usually would try something new when purchasing the next time. However if they are fully satisfied with a product they shall preferably buy it the next time as well. But their decision is rather unpredictable. Future economic development of China and US In 1978, china was one of the poorest countries in the world. Their real per capita GDP in China was one-fourth of US real per capita GDP. Since then every year China was able to grow at 8% every year. As a result they are now one-fifth of the US level and at the same level as Brazil. China was under the communist rule since the revolution in 1949. After the leadership in 1978 china moved away from the central planning and government oriented policies towards a more decentralized economy. China is now a market economy making it a strong role for development of the state. The United States were always a market economy and the economy represents very small roles played by the government. When focusing on the employment rates and wages of the Chinese labour force it is relatively cheaper in a global context. This could lead China to being one of the strongest economic forces of the future and it could also be a significant factor for many international businesses. In china it is believed that work-life is about integration and harmony within work forces. A balanced work life and family life is not a significant aspect in China. Chinese employees do not interact socially but are more domestic oriented. US employees on the other hand are more work oriented. But it also differs according to their social class. For Example the lower level employees work seven extra hours a week which is equivalent to an average day’s work. The Chinese employment relationship strongly influences the work place to be â€Å"family like† while US prefers to have a professional working environment. The concept â€Å"work hard play hard† applies directly to the US work forc e. China has the largest population in the world being 1.357 billion as at 2013 where as the US population only counts to 316.1 million as at 2013. Firstly, internal migrants have supplied abundant labour to the Chinese economy. Secondly a large number of Chinese are 60 years or older and Finally, Chinese families have only one child based on their three decade old policy. These factors will in future represent a crisis since these effects are hard to reverse back. The US population mostly consists of senior citizens. That is, 13% of the population are more than 65 years old and is expected to increase to 20% by 2050. Also the population of young people is expected to rise in contrast to China. Since 2002 US is the largest economy in the world. China achieved a rapid growth in 2010 where it became the second largest economy, beating Japan. Since then US and China are the competitive nations of the world. The predictions of future economic rates as at 2019 are that the US GDP would be 22.1 trillion dollars compared to China with 14.8 trillion dollars. US is more service oriented where as China has a balance between Service and Industries The Unemployment Rate in China as reported by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security of the people’s republic of china has remained unchanged being 4.10 percent in the third quarter of 2014. Compared to China, even though the rate of unemployment in USA is high â€Å"6.2%†; USA has achieved a drastic drop in its unemployment rate compared to its figures in the last five years, Which is a highly favorable for its economic growth in the future. However, china has not made any measures to address their rate of unemployment.   Chinese still poses less prospective than Americans to Say They Live Comfortably:Superficially at odds with the countrys growth and sense of economic positivity, the Chinese have not grown more likely to feel they can live comfortably on their current income over the past six years. In 2012, 58% said they were able to get by on their current earnings, an amount that has remained relatively fixed. About a third (32%) is finding it verydifficult to earn just enough money to live on, and this rate has similarly continued basically constant. This would seem to suggest that economic progress has not yet directly translated into a more monetarily secure population, or, on the other hand, that as the Chinese sense wealthier, they find themselves attaining new requirements. And, one in 10 Chinese claim that they are living comfortably on their current revenue, a percentage that has shown no growth over time. Americans continue to maintain a much better average than the Chinese regarding their individual revenues. A plurality (38%) in 2012 said they were living comfortably on their current revenue; additional 34% said they were getting along. A quarter of Americans have found it very difficult to live with their current income. Although they are greater than the Chinese on this metric, Americans opinions of their capability to live a comfortable life have been affected by the recession. They are a reduced amount to be expected now than in 2007 to feel they can live comfortably on their present-day income and more probably to feel it is challenging to live on it. Reference List Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions Cross-Cultural Skills from Mind Tools. 2014.Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions Cross-Cultural Skills from Mind Tools. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_66.htm. [Accessed 22nd October 2014]. Journal of Communication Volume 48, Issue 4 December 1998 Wiley Online Library. 2014. Journal of Communication Volume 48, Issue 4 December 1998 Wiley Online Library. [ONLINE] Available at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jcom.1998.48.issue-4/issuetoc. [Accessed 22nd October 2014]. Chinese Culture, China Culture Center, Facts, Ancient Custom and Tradition. 2014. Chinese Culture, China Culture Center, Facts, Ancient Custom and Tradition. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/culture/. [Accessed 25thOctober 2014]. Chinese Traditions and Culture. 2014.Chinese Traditions and Culture. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.chinese-traditions-and-culture.com/. [Accessed 27th October 2014] Lesson in American Culture and American Values. 2014. Lesson in American Culture and American Values. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.internationalstudentguidetotheusa.com/articles/culture.htm. [Accessed 28th October 2014]. Need Recognition. 2014. Need Recognition. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.boundless.com/marketing/textbooks/boundless-marketing-textbook/consumer-marketing-4/consumer-decision-process-40/need-recognition-200-4088/. [Accessed 1st November 2014]. Opinion Briefing: U.S. vs. China Strengths and Weaknesses . 2014. Opinion Briefing: U.S. vs. China Strengths and Weaknesses . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.gallup.com/poll/162965/opinion-briefing-china-strengths-weaknesses.aspx. [Accessed 2nd November 2014]. China has the worlds fastest growth in living standards China.org.cn. 2014. China has the worlds fastest growth in living standards China.org.cn. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/2013-10/24/content_30391004.htm. [Accessed 2nd November 2014]. China’s Population Destiny: The Looming Crisis | Brookings Institution . 2014. China’s Population Destiny: The Looming Crisis | Brookings Institution . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.brookings.edu/research/articles/2010/09/china-population-wang. [Accessed 2nd November 2014]. The Changing Demographics of America | 40th Anniversary | Smithsonian. 2014. The Changing Demographics of America | 40th Anniversary | Smithsonian. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/40th-anniversary/the-changing-demographics-of-america-538284/?no-ist. [Accessed 2nd November 2014]. Journal of Consumer Psychology | Vol 12, Iss 2, Pgs 69-176, (2002) | ScienceDirect.com. 2014.Journal of Consumer Psychology | Vol 12, Iss 2, Pgs 69-176, (2002) | ScienceDirect.com. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/10577408/12/2. [Accessed 2nd November 2014]

The Controversy Over Music Downloading Essays -- Internet Online Commu

The Controversy Over Music Downloading Imagine you are driving down the road, listening to the radio, and a new song begins to play that catches your attention. You decide, after listening to this song, that you enjoy it, so you listen carefully to the DJ to hear what the name of the song is and whom it is by. When you get home, you log on to your favorite music-downloading site and download the song that you heard earlier in the day. Would you consider yourself stealing and disobeying copyright laws? Many artists believe that people who are downloading their music are stealing from them and they are striving to stop it. On the other hand, many artists and music lovers are happy with the new technology of music downloading. I believe that there is a way to reach a happy medium in-between these two groups to solve this problem. With a few website modifications, along with some minor changes in the music world, we will be able to leave this problem behind us. Thanks to today’s technologies, music can be compacted into MP3s and sent all across the Internet. MP3s use about a tenth of the memory that CD format does. This makes MP3s extremely popular on the Internet. Being of a small size, downloading speeds are faster, and hard drives can store ten times the amount of songs it previously could. Digital music is also popular because of its perfect reproducibility. Analog music can be copied, but the more copies you make, the worse the quality gets. Unlike analog music, digital music can be copied over and over again. Digital music, such as CDs and MP3s are made up of bits, which are 1s and 0s. You can infinitely copy 1s and 0s correctly, but imagine trying to copy something like the graph of ... ...ter the search of a song will be one to take you directly to the artist’s website. This will allow users to find out more about the artist. While on the website, a fan could find out that a band or artist is coming to a city near them, and they could buy tickets to the show, or just find some merchandise that they like. This would profit the artist who was complaining about having their music stolen from them. Although the opinions vary of the existence of free music, one thing is for sure; something needs to be done about it. Going around suing and having the government attempt to shut down technological advances is not the way to handle this problem. I believe that my solution, may not be the greatest, but it is a step in the right direction. The Internet is a powerful tool and each artist should be able to use it how it best suits them.

An Investigation Into The Effect Of An Electric Current On Copper Sulphate Solution :: GCSE Chemistry Coursework Investigation

An Investigation Into The Effect Of An Electric Current On Copper Sulphate Solution Aim In this experiment my aim is to enforce and develop ideas about the investigation into the effect of an electrical current through copper sulphate solution. Safety - Electricity is dangerous - Aware of coppers sharp edges - Long hair tied back - Use of acids in experiment Diagram 1) Weigh the cathode 2) Set up apparatus below 3) After a minute, remove the copper and shake off the excess copper sulphate solution. Wipe the copper with acetone and waft in the air to remove as much of the solution as possible. 4) Weigh the cathode again and record results. Repeat this procedure for the other currents. The anode does not need to be changed Prediction I predict that as you increase the voltage the mass of the cathode will increase. However much the cathode increases in mass the anode will increase in mass proportionately. I also think that the change in mass will be directly proportional to the charge giving a straight line that passes through the origin. Justification Of Prediction I think the increase of voltage will result in the increased mass of the cathode. This is because the higher the voltage, the more electrons are 'pulled' off the anode therefore more can be deposited onto the cathode resulting in a higher mass. Theoretically as you double the voltage the mass should double giving us a graph, which goes through the origin. Using the equation Cu ² - 2e Cu (s) we know that 1 mole of copper ions requires 2 moles of electrons to produce 1 mole of copper metal. We can also use the equation to predict how much copper should be deposited. The formula is:  ½ x I x T --------- 95600 Next I will show a results table of predicted results, based on the formulas I have given. This will be useful when I have my actual results as I can compare these to what the ideal results should be, and then evaluate whether I have valid results. GRAPH GRAPH Analysis By using the equation, 'Cu ² - 2e’ Cu (s)' and the formula Q = I x T / 95600 we can work out how much copper should have been deposited. An Investigation Into The Effect Of An Electric Current On Copper Sulphate Solution :: GCSE Chemistry Coursework Investigation An Investigation Into The Effect Of An Electric Current On Copper Sulphate Solution Aim In this experiment my aim is to enforce and develop ideas about the investigation into the effect of an electrical current through copper sulphate solution. Safety - Electricity is dangerous - Aware of coppers sharp edges - Long hair tied back - Use of acids in experiment Diagram 1) Weigh the cathode 2) Set up apparatus below 3) After a minute, remove the copper and shake off the excess copper sulphate solution. Wipe the copper with acetone and waft in the air to remove as much of the solution as possible. 4) Weigh the cathode again and record results. Repeat this procedure for the other currents. The anode does not need to be changed Prediction I predict that as you increase the voltage the mass of the cathode will increase. However much the cathode increases in mass the anode will increase in mass proportionately. I also think that the change in mass will be directly proportional to the charge giving a straight line that passes through the origin. Justification Of Prediction I think the increase of voltage will result in the increased mass of the cathode. This is because the higher the voltage, the more electrons are 'pulled' off the anode therefore more can be deposited onto the cathode resulting in a higher mass. Theoretically as you double the voltage the mass should double giving us a graph, which goes through the origin. Using the equation Cu ² - 2e Cu (s) we know that 1 mole of copper ions requires 2 moles of electrons to produce 1 mole of copper metal. We can also use the equation to predict how much copper should be deposited. The formula is:  ½ x I x T --------- 95600 Next I will show a results table of predicted results, based on the formulas I have given. This will be useful when I have my actual results as I can compare these to what the ideal results should be, and then evaluate whether I have valid results. GRAPH GRAPH Analysis By using the equation, 'Cu ² - 2e’ Cu (s)' and the formula Q = I x T / 95600 we can work out how much copper should have been deposited.

Report of Influence Leadership on Apple Inc

Report of influence leadership on Apple Inc | May 5 2011 | This report shows market review, SWOT and PEST of Apple Inc as well as back ground of Steve Jobs- brilliant CEO. It also criticize and relate to leadership theories in his case. | | Contents Introductions3 Findings4 1. Products and services4 2. Market review5 Literature review10 Conclusions15 Recommendations15 References16 Introductions It is obvious to suggest that the success of  a  corporate brand  is based on  many factors  that  impact directly  or indirectly to  delivering the  decision  to build  that success. Human factors, especially  the role of leaderships and  their decision  are  prerequisite  to bring ‘a unique success’  in both  business and  brand reputation. According to Fortune magazine, Apple Inc is â€Å"The Most Admired Company† in the USA in 2010 and becomes a leader in technical rivalry in majority areas such as consumer electronics as well as software products [ (Magazine, 2011) ]. Its success based on creativity and innovation strategies, and a significant advantages which allows the company to occupy the leading positions in the world market is leadership of this Company , specially Steve Jobs- a visionary talents CEO. He has played an important role in the development of the computer company. However, this was also the problem of Apple because of lack of Steve Jobs such as when he got cancer leading to falling down Apple' stock price in the past. So that, The aim of this report will focus on affection of leadership on Apple and how leadership theories relate in this case. This report also shows market review of Apple Inc and recommends for this company . The report based on secondary research (public information on the internet, journals and literature review from books). Laterally, the research will evaluate the fact and key theories in specific circumstance- Apple Inc and Steve Jobs. Findings 1. Products and services In 1976, Apple was co-founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. The Company specializes designs, manufactures, and markets consumer electronics products – personal computers, portable music players, mobile phones – as well as related software, services, and peripherals. Apple sells its products worldwide and provides support through its website . Additionally, Apple distributes digital entertainment content through its iTunes Store. While initially offering only music, the store has grown to include videos, television shows, films, and audio books. Apple's products and services include: * A range of personal computing products including desktop and portable computers. The Company’s desktop computers such as iMac ®, Mac ® Pro and Mac ® mini. Its portable computers include MacBook ®, MacBook ® Pro and MacBook Air ®. * iPod: The iPod was launched as a line of portable digital music players in 2001, a portable entertainment device capable of storing photos and playing video. iPhone: Released in June 2007, the iPhone marked Apple's entry into the rapidly growing Smartphone market. * In January 2010, introduced iPad, a multi-purpose mobile device for browsing the web, reading and sending email, viewing photos, watching videos†¦ etc * iTunes Store: in early 2001, iTunes is a digital media player application used to manage audio and video files. * Apple TV: Launched in 2007, the Apple TV is a dig ital media receiver designed to play content from an Internet media service or any computer running iTunes. AppleCare ® provides a range of support options for the Company’s customers, include assistance that is built into software products, printed and electronic product manuals, online support including comprehensive product information as well as technical aid, and the Apple Care Protection Plan (â€Å"APP†). * The Company offers a range of software products for consumers and creative customers, including the Company’s proprietary Mac OS X and iOS operating system software. Ipad2 Imac Iphone4 Macbook Pro 2. Market review The Company manages its business primarily on a geographic basis. Operating segments consist of the Americas, Europe, Japan, Asia-Pacific. In September 25, 2010, the Company had opened a total of 317 retail stores, including 233 stores in the U. S. A and 84 stores all over the world, approximately 44% of the Company’s total net sales in 2010 inside the USA. Also, the Company had nearly 46,600 full-time equivalent employees and 2,800 full-time equivalent temporary employees and contractors. It has worldwide annual net sales of $65. 225 billion in 2010. (Inc, 2011) Net sales and Gross margin of Apple Inc in 2008-2009-2010 ($ million) Net sales/ Revenue : during 2010 increased $22. 3 billion, or 52% compared with 2009. Overall, total net sales of Apple increases rapidly, specially in 2010. (Inc, 2011) Expenditure: $1. 8 billion, $1. 3 billion and $1. 1 billion in 2010, 2009 and 2008 to invest development of new innovative products, such as iPhone, iPod, iPad and Macbook. (Inc, 2011) Investment of Apple in 2008-2009-2010( percentage %) * PEST Analysis * Politics Different countries have different policies which some way restrict or give the company chances. The company has to act in accordance with the environment regulations such as environment safe disposal or recycling. Triad , NAFTA and other regions open doors to trade ,otherwise Latin America, Asia offer massive potential. Unstable politics caused terrorism activities are directly impacting the overall business of the company. * Social The growing of computer and internet usage all over the world which are opportunities to develop computer industry. Education issue is put first for new generation which is key element for business of the company. User becomes more knowledgeable and skilled about computer. Economic Impacting from economic crisis leading to low consumers spending, however some signs of improvement appears by increasing of spending and investment of consumers. Currency exchange rate fluctuations and international trade regulations (tariffs and antidumping penalties) may affect products sales. * Technology Advanced in technology quickly and consumers appreciate more ; more advances in their systems. The traditional desktop might become outdated by the entrance of new revolutionary products. Increasing demands for new technology in schools and professionals. * SWOT Analysis * Competitors SWOT and PEST analysis above showed overview criticism about Apple. The company has a good performance, however it also encounters aggressive competitors in all segments of its business. The markets for the Company’s products and services are highly competitive. Because the segments in which the Company competes are characterized by rapid technological advances, including personal computers with its Mac computers; mobile communications and media devices with its iPhone, iPad and iPod product families, and distribution of third-party digital content and applications with its online iTunes Store. For instance : * Personal computers segment: According to Fortune magazine, HP is ranked 2nd in list of World's most admired companies with score 7. 74 , HP's revenue is $126 billion in 2010. (Magazine, 2011) (HP, 2011) * Mobile communications segment: HTC- The world's largest maker of handset using Microsoft Corp. and Google Inc. operating systems. Its products use Google’s Android platform and   Windows Phone 7 software of  Microsoft. Revenue rose to NT$76 billion in third quarter 2010. Businessweek, 2011) * Software segment: Android, the free operating system developed by Google, accounted for a 32 percent share of the U. S. market for Smartphone bought in the past six months of 2010 according to August data from Nielsen Co. * Current and future trends Using Smartphone is increasing today( increased to 29 % in 2010, USA) (Roger Entner, 2011). A growing proportion of younger consumers opt to use their mobile contracts for all telecoms services. The focus of mobile indust ry will be on † platforms†, include operating systems ( iOS of Apple , Android of Google, and Microsoft's Window 7) . The combination of affordable data plan and increasing Smartphone usage would get more people online. Consumers are ready to spend more for their extra functionality, effective and fashionable products. Touch, eye, voice and possibly even brain controllers will be commonplace. It also is future trend for personal computers and portable music players. Literature review As mentioned above , Apple's success base on key point Steve Job- a brilliant CEO. Before analyzing influence of Steve Jobs on Apple and relate it with leadership theories, it is necessary to define leadership and its theories. Definition : Leadership is an interaction between two or members of a group that often involves structuring of the situation and the perceptions, expectation of members. Leaders are agent of change-person whose acts affect other people more than other people's act affect them. Leadership occurs when one group member modifies the motivation or competencies of others in the group. In fact, some peo ple are able to lead naturally while others, leadership skills are built up through hard work and practice. According to Stogdill's studies, there are 5 elements which modify effective leader traits : Capacity, Achievement, Responsibility, Participation, Status. (Bloisi et al. , 2007) In addition, 4 leader decision styles were classified include : Autocratic, Democratic, Laissez-faire, Human relation. (Bloisi et al. , 2007) Although, leader's success also depends on how they interact with various circumstances that influence the tasks to be undertaken. A range of researches was pointed out, however some popular theories have known( contingency theories). Firstly, The Fiedler contingency model-matching leader style and situational favorableness factors. It includes (Bloisi et al. , 2007) Task structure – the degree to which the duty are formalised and planned; Position power – the degree of influence a leader has over activities such as recruitment, authority, promotion and increasing salary; Leader-member relations – the degree of confidence, trust and respect inferiors have for the leader . Secondly, Hersey and Blanchard's (1996) situational leadership theory – matching leader behaviours to followers' needs. Based on combinations of the leader's task and relationship behaviours as moderated by the job maturity of followers. (Bloisi et al. , 2007). It includes: Task behaviours – organising and defining roles, structure, channel of communication; Relationship behaviours – relationship with inferiors by opening channel of communication and supporting. Thirdly, Path-goal theory ( House and Mitchell, 1974) : a leader should clarify goals, show acceptable paths for attaining goals, make the path easier to travel, and reward satisfactory performance. (Bloisi et al. , 2007). It includes: Directive leadership (highly task orientated)- provide guidance and how indentified performance standards and time schedules as well as policies; Achievement-orientated leadership (high task and relationship orientated) – challenge purpose is built up, seeks performance upgrading ; Participative leadership ( moderately task and highly relationship orientated ) – consulting with and soliciting the ideas of others in decision-making; Supportive leadership (highly relationship orientated) -concern for the needs and purposes of others and strives to make the work conditions satisfying and equitable. Additionally, there are 2 styles among several leadership styles which modify model of leaders. Firstly, Transactional leadership – using bureaucratic authority and incentives to motivate, focusing on rewards according to Bass theory. Secondly, Charismatic leadership – † heroic † leadership ; the ability to energize interiors through the use of symbols, visionary, stories and rhetoric to achieve at extraordinary levels, typically having a vision and a reason for the future , advanced by Weber (1947). Such information have demonstrated some traits and processes of leadership in an organisation. In fact , they are also traits which fit in Apple case. Its success story began in 1976, when Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniaks launched their own business, the Apple Computer Company, in Jobs' family garage. At that time, he was 21, then by the age of 25 , Jobs obsessed $165 million . The increase of Apple's success quickly which put the first landmark in his line of business. (Campbell, 2011) In 1985, he got out of the way of Apple when John Sculley , who came from Pepsi-Cola, had joined. Four years later, Jobs came back with another company, NextStep which achieved far away from the success of Apple but it recalled people that he would continued in his way. Later, he secondly started with his participation in Pixar- the animation company he purchased from the Star Wars director, George Lucas. The first success of Pixar is movie Toy Story which lead to its position as one of the key player in Hollywood, then launching movie Finding Nemo. Its success made Jobs a billionaire and prepared for his coming back Apple in 1997. Within one year , the ailing company was once more making huge profits. However, his journey didn't stop at that point. Since the combination of high-speed Internet and the music industry has opened a new segment for getting profit by downloading music . Jobs believe that iTunes is the answer. Additionally, Ipad2 is leader in digital book and tablet segment now. (Campbell, 2011) Steve Jobs is really an effective leader, an important person in development of Apple. In many way , his traits fit in charismatic leadership. Firstly, an ideology is showed clearly, often using labels and slogans, He offered a vivid and positive image of the future. For instance, he used the slogan as well as the iconic logo of the Mac team:† Pirates! Not the Navy â€Å"to build up Mac team( a group specializes design new products) (Elliot, Jay; L. Simon,William, 2011, p. 38). Being pirate, employees should think differently and act as revolution. His goal and passion are perfect products. He concerned about every details of products carefully until it was launched. This is an ideological image which he and his team follow, becomes a motivation in the whole company. By articulating an ideological vision and recruiting a number of talents who share the values of the vision, he develops the company. Secondly, he showed clear structure to reach his goal as well as increases positive values and suggest linkages between expected behaviors from interiors with his vision of the future. For example, he formed the Mac group would never raise more than a hundred people because it was easy to fall into the danger of free flowing of ideas, barriers of communication among employees. He had a plan to guarantee everyone has the same wavelength and the same direction, setting a standard of doing each task for each staff (Elliot, Jay; L. Simon,William, 2011, p. 38). He ordered the team to create a whole new prototype of the computer using different chip, the Motorola 68000, which featured a lager memory. Another case, he forced people do his direction by calling meetings, setting new paths, adding new people into Mac team to move the cursor with some kind of control device . It led to moving the cursors with the mouse , clicking o make collection, dragging a file or icon (Elliot, Jay; L. Simon,William, 2011, p. 15). That was the fundamentals of the way we use computers today. Also, he was always finding for something specific from each group to link the quality he wanted. He brought out the creative talent in several people and guided them to work in harmony as well as encouraged open discussion. These characters also fit with Task behaviors of Hersey and Blanchard theory and Task structure of Fielder theory. Because both theories are quite similar , they show clear structure and aim to lead employees follow. H In fact, effective leader does not rely on one leadership style to manage company. Transaction leadership style also contain in this case. He has focused on achieving the tasks at hand. Jobs has got things done by making, and fulfilling, promises of recognition, and advancement for employees who have performed well. By contrast, employees who do not do good work are penalized. This promise and reward for good performance, or threat and discipline for poor performance. For example, he set up product retreats into the actual work agenda, opening them every three months for the whole growing Mac team. Every member was expected to be present. One by one, each team manager for hard ware, soft ware, marketing, sales, finance, PR would present a brief status report and time line , explaining where they were in term of agenda. If their team was falling behind , they would be criticized and given some suggestions for how they could overcome (Elliot, Jay; L. Simon,William, 2011, p. 43). Everybody was free to give suggestions. Besides, he decided that the signatures of the engineering team members would be put on the inside of the case of the first Mac. It's also a gift or recognition from him to interiors. Another case, achievement- oriented leadership consist with his traits, he was always discovering imperfections in everything , from the design to the marketing and packaging , to how the product would be promoted and sold. He always asked: † At the first grade level† (Elliot, Jay; L. Simon,William, 2011, p. 21) . In a story, he had decided early on that the cell phone being developed at Apple would have only a single button but his engineers couldn't carry out , then, he kept demanding in effect : † The phone will have a single button. Figure it out† (Elliot, Jay; L. Simon,William, 2011, p. 23). By high demanding, we have iPhone 4 with only a single button today. In addition, he is autocratic decision style because he always gave duty for others and decided quickly. However, he is a relation behaviors and supportive leader. He focused on the slogan: † We are all in this together† by bringing people from different aspects to meet each others in celebrations and to make a satisfaction work place such as allowing to work free of usual restrictions (Elliot, Jay; L. Simon,William, 2011, p. 40). Apple would become known as a company that celebrated just about everything: meeting goal, sales growth, new product introduction, new key people. In 1981, Bandley Drive building , a part of the center was a large atrium (Elliot, Jay; L. Simon,William, 2011, p. 50). It had a piano, video games huge fridge stocked with bottles of fruit juice . It was quickly became a place for the employees to meet and hang out. Finally, his case consist with leader member relations theory. Because of all of his passion and actions , followers have a strong respect and trust to him. Talents would be attracted by talents, that is explanation for Why Apple attracted many genius engineers and developed nowadays. At last but not least, that is the innovation of Steve Jobs in the whole business context. Technologies which he developed and advanced in NextStep and Pixar were applied on Apple Inc. That is really a basic for Apple's success . He always plays an important role in making right decision as the statement about leader and manager : Leader do the right thing , manager do the thing right. (Bloisi et al. , 2007) Conclusions Steve Jobs is criticized as an effective leader in the world. His famous and the well known of Apple remain together and will keep an important position in world trade. He is a part of success of Apple Inc and a leader in significant decision of development of his company. Understanding Apple Inc case and its market as well as an important leader- Steve Jobs will make us be aware of some traits of leadership in many theories deeply. His leadership style are : Task behaviors of Hersey and Blanchard theory and Task structure of Fielder theory, Charismatic leadership and Transaction leadership as well as Relation behaviors and Supportive leader. So that, it is realization that an successful leader always exists different leadership styles. Leaders always change their leadership style flexibility which is suitable for each task and each circumstance. Recommendations A part of the success of Apple based on Steve Jobs but it is dangerous if lack of this key leader. Besides, Job also shows that he is impatient person. So, it is considered seriously that Apple should give structure and motivation for employees as well as the whole company clearly and make it become tradition. Also, it is necessary to improve workplace such as improving workplace conditions in China and invest more in charity segment as Microsoft. It is useful to promote Apple's image. References Bloisi, W. , W. Cook, C. ; L. Hunsaker, P. , 2007. Leadership. In K. Reade, ed. Management and Organisational Behaviour. 2nd ed. New York: Mc Graw Hill Education. pp. 652- 672. Businessweek, B. , 2011. Boomberg. [Online] Available at: http://www. businessweek. com/news/2010-10-06/htc-posts-record-revenue-profit-on-android-phones. html [Accessed 4 May 2011]. Campbell, D. , 2011. Guardian. [Online] Available at: http://arts. uardian. co. uk/features/story/0,11710,1241745,00. html [Accessed 4 May 2011]. Elliot, Jay; L. Simon,William, 2011. In The Steve Jobs Way: iLeadership for a New Generation. New York: Vanguard Press. p. 38. Elliot, Jay; L. Simon,William, 2011. In The Steve Jobs Way: iLeadership for a New Generation. New York: Vanguard Press. p. 21. Elliot, Jay; L. Simon,William, 2011. In The Stev e Jobs Way: iLeadership for a New Generation. New York: Vanguard Press. p. 23. Elliot, Jay; L. Simon,William, 2011. In The Steve Jobs Way: iLeadership for a New Generation. New York: Vanguard Press. p. 40. Elliot, Jay; L. Simon,William, 2011. In The Steve Jobs Way: iLeadership for a New Generation. New York: Vanguard Press. p. 50. HP, 2011. HP Coporate information. [Online] Available at: http://www8. hp. com/us/en/hp-information/facts. html [Accessed 4 May 2011]. Inc, A. , 2011. Apple Inc. [Online] Available at: http://www. apple. com/investor/ [Accessed 4 May 2011]. Magazine, F. , 2011. Money. cnn. [Online] Available at: http://money. cnn. com/magazines/fortune/mostadmired/2010/industries/7. html [Accessed 4 May 2011]. Roger Entner, S. V. P. R. a. I. T. P. , 2011. nielsewire. [Online] Available at: