Government Health Campaign: The Change4Life campaign

The Change4Life campaign aims to help families to eat healthier and educate them on the importance of exercise. This is because it hopes to tackle the rising issues of obesity in households. Change4Life responds to an urgent need to tackle the disturbing rise in obesity. It was launched in England in 2009. The original purpose for the campaign was a societal movement, which meant that it was a childhood obesity prevention strategy. The campaign is reinforced by the Department of Health and intends to target the growing problem of obesity in a very hands-on, positive way, by implanting healthy eating and exercise habits into people from a young age. The campaign had targeted parents of children between the ages of 5-11. Particularly those from boroughs of the population where parental attitudes, beliefs and behaviours showed that their children were more likely to gain excess weight. Change4Life mission today is to encourage individuals to eat well, move more and live longer. http://www.physicalactivityandnutritionwales.org.uk/Documents/740/DH_summaryof_change4lifeoneyearon.pdf (accessed on 05/01/2016) https://www.noo.org.uk/core/eval_reports (accessed on 05/01/2016)Government Regulation on Media in America It is a government programme to tackle children obesity by helping families recognise the effect of unhealthy or excessive eating can have on a child’s life. This is important because children that are obese would cost the NHS later on because they would need to be provided with beds and treatment. Britain is a welfare state and therefore, the government has to provide medical care to the general public through taxation. The Change4Life is a programme for the government to reduce the rising issues on obesity for children. The health campaign programme is helpful in containing the spread of obesity and educating families with children to eat healthier and exercise regularly. http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/healthy_eating/healthy-lifestyle/change-for-life.htm (accessed on 05/01/2016) http://www.nhs.uk/Change4Life/Pages/what-is-change-for-life.aspx (accessed on 05/01/2016) http://campaigns.dh.gov.uk/category/change-4-life/ (accessed on 05/01/2016) Change4Life is a social market that hopes to imprint their ideas of achieving a healthy active lifestyle and why it is important to the general public. This is because obesity has a severe impact health of individuals; increasing the risk of type-2 diabetes, some cancers, and heart and liver disease. This is problematic for the government and the general public because the money for treatment comes from taxation. Tackling the increase of obesity is vital. Research has shown that 10% of all cancer deaths among non-smokers are connected to obesity. The danger of Coronary Artery Disease rises 3.6 times for obese people and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes is about 20 times larger for people who have a BMI over 35 when compared to individuals with a BMI between 18 and 25. These illnesses can eventually decrease life expectancy. http://www.nhs.uk/change4life/supporter-resources/downloads/change4life_marketing%20strategy_april09.pdf (accessed on 05/01/2016) The Main Purpose of Change4Life Change4Life focuses on the lifestyle elements that can be directly related to a healthy active lifestyle. The campaign focuses on the cause of the childhood obesity and therefore, aims to tackle the rising issues by targeting households with children. This is because if families are familiar with the basics of nutrition then they are armed with the knowledge to make positive decisions with regards to their diet. For example; a family who eats processed food like microwavable lasagnes frequently, might change eating habits and actually cook their lasagnes. A few simple changes, such as exchanging ready meals for healthy, homemade dinners, or snacking on fruit as an alternative of chocolate; can have a massive effect on health and weight problems. Change4Life advertise on television, newspapers and schools to attract households with families in order to fulfil their aim of childhood obesity. Leaflets are sent to households in order for them to understand what food can do to a person’s development. This is vital because understanding of the importance that specific foods and ingredients have for general health and welfare can have a great impact on overall health. http://www.theguardian.com/society/joepublic/2008/dec/31/change4life-campaign-obesity (accessed on 05/01/2016) https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-change4life-campaign-encourages-families-to-make-sugar-swaps (accessed on 02/02/2016) http://www.activelifeltd.co.uk/change-4-life/ (accessed on 02/02/2016) Another purpose for the government establishing Change4Life health campaign was that the increase in obesity numbers among adults and children which was costing the NHS billions every year. The Government Office for Science’s Foresight Report implied that â€Å"if we don’t take action now, our society will be consumed by a major public health problem matched only by climate change in both its scale and complexity.† This further shows the risk and completion associated with obesity can have on society. It also highlights the importance of Change4Life campaign in society. The phrase â€Å"major public health problem† can imply that obesity can cause the NHS billions, further making it less likely to have an NHS in future. According to Prime Minster David Cameroon obesity cost on the NHS was  £4.2 billion in 2014 had risen to  £6.4 billion by the end of 2015. The Government Office for Science’s Foresight Report implies that by 2050 the figure would drastically rise to  £50 billion. Further, becoming a finical and social problem for the general public and government. This also shows the importance of Change4Life campaign because it might http://www.nhs.uk/Change4Life/supporter-resources/downloads/Help_stop_childhood_obesity.pdf (accessed on 05/01/2016) https://fullfact.org/news/how-much-does-obesity-cost-nhs/ (accessed on 05/01/2016) Impact of Change4Life Read also Six Dimensions of Health Worksheet The Change4Life had been successful in impacting 85% of their target audience, who were households with children. The health campaign had won fifteen industry awards and multiple sub-campaign such as; Start4Life, which is only targeted for women and middle-aged adult. There are other multiple sub-campaigns for everyone else needs such as Cook4Life, Walk4Life, Swim4Life, Moreactive4Life, Muckin4Life, Bike4Life, and Smallsteps4Life. The Change4Life health campaign and its sub-campaign were made available to local and national partners in order that the campaign and the sub-campaigns are more successful. Change4Life was successful in making an impact on 570,000 families and 61,000 children to eat healthier and move more for a healthy active lifestyle. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/213719/dh_130488.pdf (accessed on 05/01/2016) http://www.marketingmagazine.co.uk/article/1167544/healthy-eating-change4life-check-up (accessed on 05/01/2016) https://www.gov.uk/government/news/purchase-of-sugary-drinks-falls-during-healthy-swaps-campaign (accessed on 05/01/2016) The health campaign has come in for disapproval, but the government states that one million mothers have pursued to change their families' lifestyles in the past year. This shows that Change4Life campaign is changing the perspective of mothers who were not focused on what food their children eat were considering that food can affect the health. Normally these mothers are from a working-class background because that is their target audience when advertising. Working-class households more likely to be unaware of what processed or fast-food can have on a human body and more likely to buy and eat those foods due to being cheaper and less time-consuming. Therefore, the government claiming that Change4Life had changed the viewpoint of mothers shows the success of the health campaign due to increasing the awareness of the problems associated with obesity. Mothers are also seen as the dominate role in the household because she controls the food eaten by their family. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8518251.stm (accessed on 05/01/2016) https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-change4life-campaign-encourages-families-to-make-sugar-swaps (accessed on 05/01/2016) http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130107105354/http:/www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/@dh/@en/documents/digitalasset/dh_115511.pdf (accessed on 05/01/2016) Impact of Change4Life in Schools School Meals Due to the popularity of Change4Life in the first year; the government was inspired to created standards in 2010 where children would be given a healthy school meal. This is because Change4Life had been a success in identify the causes and ways of preventing obesity levels rising. Schools meals have been altered by the government. The portions of fruits and vegetables in school meals in 2005 was 12.5% and the statistics has increased to 67% in 2014. Venue machine with chocolates and crisps were banned from schools in order to make sure that children eat healthier food. It also made sure that children were less likely to become diabetic because sweets would be limited and also the government has increased the VAT on sweets and soft drinks. There are over 500,00 school which has signed up to the Change4Life programmes across England and Wales. This shows the successful impact Change4Life had on schools because meals have become healthier in order to provide a balance diet. Breakfast clubs are another example of how schools provide a balance meal for students. Children that are feed quickly or do not have breakfast; can be provided a good meal to start an active date. https://www.nhs.uk/change4life-beta/campaigns/sugar-smart/home?gclid=COvl5_DB8MoCFQkq0wodIoUC8A;gclsrc=aw.ds (accessed on 05/01/2016) http://www.nhs.uk/change4life/Pages/schools-supporters.aspx?filter=SchoolResourceSetting (accessed on 05/01/2016) https://campaignresources.phe.gov.uk/schools (accessed on 05/01/2016) Sport Clubs in Secondary and Primary Schools Change4Life had established sports clubs to attract the interest of children and young people who have not usually taken part in physical education or sport and are consequently less active. The sports clubs were designed to educate children and young people about how to lead a health active lifestyle. The sport activity for children was surrounding five different multi-sport themes, such as creativity, treasure hunt, and combat. For young people the clubs were related to Olympic and Paralympic sports, such as wheelchair basketball and softball. http://www.nhs.uk/change4life/Pages/sports-clubs.aspx (accessed on 05/01/2016) http://www.nhs.uk/change4life/Pages/primary-schools-sports-clubs.aspx (accessed on 05/01/2016) http://www.youthsporttrust.org/how-we-can-help/programmes/change4life-sports-clubs.aspx (accessed on 05/01/2016) The latest evaluation of the sports clubs from Change4Life had shown that since the clubs started in 2011 a remarkable two hundred twenty-five thousand children and young people have joined. Primary schools had seventy thousand children who took part in over four-thousand primary school clubs in the previous year with over fifty thousand clubs sessions being put on for young people. Since joining the primary clubs over one hundred one thousand children now feel positive about being active and playing games, whilst almost seventy-five thousand are now achieving sixty minutes of activity on most days of the week. https://www.canterbury.ac.uk/social-and-applied-sciences/human-and-life-sciences/spear/research-projects/change-4-life-school-sports-club.aspx (accessed on 05/01/2016) https://www.jfhc.co.uk/uploadedFiles/Redbox/Pavilion_Content/Our_Content/Social_Care_and_Health/videos/JFHC_videos/2a%20Chris%20Wright%20Change4Life%20JFHC.pdf (accessed on 05/01/2016)

Learning by Degrees Essay

I don’t recommend the article â€Å"Learning by Degrees† by Rebecca Mead, which questions the belief that goes against attending college to be successful in the modern society, should be published in the next upcoming issue of The Shorthorn. The article was written for an entirely different audience than The Shorthorn’s daily regular readers. Even though the article has powerful logos and ethos appeals, I would think readers from the Shorthorn wouldn’t find the topic of the article fascinating at all and wouldn’t even put up with reading the article in the first place. Also, another factor that fails to be an article that the Shorthorn’s readers would find interesting is that it lacks a claim that fails to make a case for going towards a career path immediately or obtaining a college degree first. Through my analysis on this article, I’ve provided several reasons and evidence why I don’t find this article should be published since she is trying to convince a hostile audience in this essay, gives a weak claim, and has credibility for a separate view that she is discussing about. The main audience the article â€Å"Learning by Degrees† is trying to convince is average working parents with kids that are about to graduate from high school and preparing them for a higher education or a career that’ll be successful. This article is trying to convince a hostile and resistant audience instead of a friendlier audience. We must remember that the Shorthorn is mainly written and read by college students that are studying for a degree and involve college professors that have already received their degrees. â€Å"Learning By Degrees† gives a pathos appeal to the question of whether going to college to readers who’ve already made a decision on this topic, making it harder for someone to recommend this article to the Shorthorn. If Mead was trying to publish this article for the Shorthorn, she should have considered that the audience doesn’t fit what it’s addressing to which are parents instead of students. Mead’s claim that is shown in â€Å"Learning by Degrees† is easily found throughout the entire article, yet it’s a very weak claim to provide to both convince and especially understand to a hostile and resistant audience that the reader of the Shorthorn are. The claim in the article fails to pick a side in the debate of whether college really is worth the financial debt and yet instead falls in between them. The opinions of this current argument would be if college is necessary to acquire a successful career or if college isn’t needed to obtain one. Mead believes that an individual not wanting to earn and spend thousands of dollars on a college degree has the ability to become successful through several others routes instead of a college degree. She provides evidence of this through giving examples of successful billionaires, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. One of these examples are found when Mead says â€Å"Within the sphere of business, a certain romance attaches to the figure of the successful college dropout, like Steve Jobs, who was enrolled at Reed for only a semester, or Bill Gates, who started at Harvard in 1973 but didn’t get his degree until it was granted, honorarily, thirty-four years later†(5). However, she contradicts her claim by providing evidence of people with degrees earning higher yearly salaries than those who haven’t earned their college degrees. When Mead says â€Å"Engineers of all stripes have also fared relatively well since the onset of the recession: they dominate a ranking, issued by Payscale.com, of the disciplines that produce the best-earning graduates. Particular congratulations are due to aerospace engineers, who top the list, with a starting salary of just under sixty thousand dollars†(2). She leaves the audience a claim that floats between the two views of whether someone should obtain a college degree. Rebecca Mead joined the New Yorker in 1997 as a staff writer and she attended Oxford and New York University, which gives her creditability of being a respected writer and a well-educated individual (The New Yorker, http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/bios/rebecca_mead/search?contributorName=rebecca%20mead). However, shouldn’t that mean Mead should be recommending college and frown on any lower level of education? This sheds light on whether Mead is a credible writer, well educated, and yet argues against higher education; this is a hypocritical view from a college-educated author. Mead might have only written articles for profitable causes instead of having a true belief of going against college to be successful; There might be a chance that Mead regrets her previous decision on choosing college instead of a different route and wants to give advice to newly coming college students, which might be an unlikely case. Through the analysis I gave, â€Å"Learning by Degrees† by Rebecca Mead is an article I wouldn’t recommend to publish in the upcoming issue of the Shorthorn. Its main audience doesn’t have the same characteristics as the readers of The Shorthorn, the central claim doesn’t have a stable and sturdy base since it lacks whether college is necessary or not, and the writer’s creditability doesn’t fit the side of the argument she is defending. Due to these factors, Shorthorn readers will find this a weak and insubstantial argument that will bore them and find this article a waste of time. If Mead chooses towards favoring the belief of obtaining a college degree, made the main audience similar to the readers of the Shorthorn, and used her credibility towards agreeing with college, â€Å"Learning by Degrees† would be a great article to publish in the next upcoming issue of the Shorthorn.

Jefferson Essay Essay

Thomas Jefferson played a very important role in the history of the United States. Jefferson is most famously known for writing the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson talked many times about African-Americans in America. Where they equal to white people? How were whites and blacks different? What about slavery? Thomas Jefferson had an opinion on all of these subjects, but much of what Thomas Jefferson said was later contradicted with his own words. What did Thomas Jefferson mean when he said that all men were equal? Well, many people would agree with what it means today in modern times. Today the statement, all men are created equal means; all men and women whether black, white, tall, short, fat, or skinny were all created equal. That is not necessarily what it meant in the 1700s. Blacks were enslaved and worked hard while wealthy white men did nothing of the sort. Justice Thurgood Marshall said, â€Å"The blacks were so far inferior, that they had no rights which the white man was bound to respect†¦ and that the Negro might justly and lawfully be reduced to slavery for his benefit. This excerpt shows that in that time blacks were not treated the same as whites and clearly did not have the same rights. Conor Cruise O’Brien’s book confirms this belief as he takes a quote from Thomas Jefferson himself: â€Å"It is accepted that the words ‘all men are created equal’ do not, in their literal meaning, apply to women, and were not intended by the Founding Fathers to a pply to slaves. † This shows that when Thomas Jefferson talks about all men being created equally he means to say white men. The meaning of the word expatriation is as follows; to leave one’s native country to live elsewhere (Merriam-Webster). Jefferson wanted to send the blacks that were descendent of the original slaves back to Africa. The deal here was Africa was no longer their native country. This act was known as expatriation. The southern courts believed that slavery violated the natural rights of blacks and although slavery was allowed and legal it was immoral and unjust. Thomas Jefferson made it known that he supported the abolishment of slave trading. He said the following to Congress; â€Å"withdraw the citizens of the United States from all further participation in those violations of human rights which have been so long continued on the unoffending inhabitants of Africa. † By this Jefferson means that the people of the United States should stop the enslavement of blacks so that they no longer violate the human rights and stop offending the people of Africa. In this way Jefferson’s reasons for promoting expatriation and understanding for the natural rights of blacks were consistent. He wanted to send the blacks back because he wanted to stop offending the people of Africa. Jefferson believed that blacks and whites were very different. He said that he believed that blacks were originally their own race and became distinct by time and certain circumstances. According to Jefferson blacks came from their own species but were from the same general genus that is the human race. He said that blacks were inferior to whites in mind and body. This can be said to mean that whites were possibly better looking people or that they were more fit. It could have been said to mean that whites were smarter than blacks because they had an education that the blacks did not have. Jefferson did not believe blacks were men. â€Å"Men,† was said to be referred to as only white men. Samuel Eliot Morison says in his book; â€Å"In his views (Jefferson) blacks were not men. † The possession of individual rights was mainly determined by one’s race or skin color. Blacks had no rights early on in the 1700s but began to become free in the early 1800s. A wealthy white male had all rights; he was allowed to do what he wanted so long as it was just. A black man was free and eventually gained simple rights due to the belief that the United States was violating human rights. I do not believe that expatriation could have been a helpful solution to the problem of slavery in America. I believe this because if the slaves would have gone to Africa they would be gone, but there is no saying that the lazy southern farmers would not have brought in slaves from other places. They would have gotten so used to not having to work that they would not be able to start working again. I think that they would possibly keep indentured servants as permanent slaves or enslave poor people. I’m sure that expatriation would not solve the problem of slavery, at least not immediately. As I stated in the beginning, Jefferson’s view changed greatly throughout the course of his lifetime. Later in his life he began to appreciate black people more because of all their hard work. Also, he realized that blacks were the same as whites in that they were to be given human rights and that the people of the United States had been violating their rights from the very beginning. Jefferson also saw that blacks were men, and that really God created all men equal, black and white. Thomas Jefferson certainly lived an intriguing life. He lived during a time where slavery was legal. He lived during a time when slavery began to die out. Jefferson was part of the reason why blacks are free today. Although his beliefs shifted throughout the duration of his life he ended on the good side, the side that was just. He began to believe that all men are created equal with a literal meaning.

Business Ethics Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Business Ethics - Article Example This week federal prosecutors arrested two men who were involved in merger and acquisition and secretly informing partners for over 17 years. They had made millions of dollars. 2. Surrounded with such large stakes of money in such big projects, is it possible to blame such individual traders for transferring inside information and getting a fee? Martha Stewart was busted for trading inside information. Trading firms have compliance departments to keep an eye on the patterns of their traders. When people do make a lot of money suddenly they tend to spend it. Is there any argument that could support this kind of behavior? 3. No, this activity is a clear violation of ethics. One can look at Aristotelian ethics which expresses virtue for the individual as a way of obtaining happiness. In this case virtue is acquiring and showing one's best skill in their profession. For agents and brokers in the merger and acquisition business, one of those skills is trustworthiness. To trade on insider information becomes a stark violation of Aristotelian ethics. The violator should go to jail. Jessica Hall, Greed and technology tempt insider trading culprits. Accessed from http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/07/us-mergers-summit-insidertrading-bankers-idUSTRE7360BT20110407

Summary the aticle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Summary the aticle - Essay Example Jean Gregoine disagreed with this view. He believed that the technique on which the utilization of material depends should be progressive and hence beauty would change too. Aesthetic qualities are expendable and liable to wastage of effect. For instance, the part to be repaired in Bugatti is hidden for the sake of beauty, which makes repairs difficult to be conducted in contrast to Buick where the stress is not on the beauty but practical performance and repairs. In Buick the technical and aesthetic qualities have been given equal importance whereas Bugatti is a monument of abstract art. The criticism of popular art depends upon the analysis of content which lends appreciation to superficial qualities. The industrial designer should have the ability to design a product that is good, desirable, and exciting. This trend becomes more pronounced as culture becomes mechanized when the middle-class people become educated. The designer has to be in touch with the masses and determine to what extent fine arts can be integrated with popular art and what will sell. This alone can bring out innovative, aesthetically appealing, and functionally good product. During the Second Industrial Age there was a connection between design practice and the theoretical self-awareness. With the development of design management, changes took place in the management of machinery design. Brown & Sharpe Manufacturing Company, brought about innovation in design management. They were market leaders in machine tool manufacturing in 1900. They brought changes with non-mechanical decoration in 1911. All designs had to conform to a style manual issued by the Chief Draughtsman and the purpose was to create artistic machines with analytical engineering. This means the process by which the machines were designed and manufactured were transformed. This involved book learning and shop

How fast fashion industry impact on Chinese customer behaviour With Dissertation

How fast fashion industry impact on Chinese customer behaviour With Zara case study - Dissertation Example There are two main types of research methods. One is inductive methods and another is deductive methods. In deductive research method, research is generally started from more general overview of the research topic to more specific to the hypothesis. It is often termed as top down research approach or research methodology. The researcher also implements theory related to the topic of the research and narrow it down to the specific hypothesis. Even, the researcher narrows down to more practical observations to address or test the hypotheses and then come down to conclusion of the research. Opposite to deductive research, inductive research is worked out in different way by the researchers. It is one types of back calculation or bottom up research approach. In this type of research approach, the researchers begin with a specific observation or findings and start analysing the regularities and pattern. Finally the researchers end up drawing some general conclusion about the research topi c. In this study, deductive research method has been used and therefore, the research has been started from a general overview of this research topic. 3.1 Primary Empirical Material The Primary data collection from focus group was selected for this research in order to identify the opinion and feelings of a group of a people. Zara is one of the famous fast fashion retail chains among these respondents (Chai, 2011, p.196). Moreover, the advantage of this focus group is that the data collection method will be face to face. Focus group is an effective method of qualitative research market. As the research is depending upon the customer’s motivation, behaviour and approaches, this qualitative method will be appropriate. Primary research has been conducted in Chinese high street markets and questions will be asked to the customers of fashion products in China. The questionnaire consists of 20 questions those were handed out to 25 respondents in a shopping mall. When respondents were identified, the researcher intended at random individuals who are aged between 15 and 30. Several conditions have been measured before the designing of questionnaire. Firstly, they should understand the questions properly; secondly, respondents should provide the appropriate information; and finally, respondents must be willing to give the information. Implementing this kind of face to face questionnaire handing out has a major advantage that response rates will be generally higher comparing to telephone interviews or mail surveys. The designed questionnaire is provided in Appendix. 3.2 Results of questionnaire There were total 25 numbers of people who participated in this method. Among them 15 were female and 10 participants were mail. A number of 10 students and 8 office workers have answered these questions. And the rests are health staff and civil servants respectively. The major target audience for the questionnaire were individuals between 15 and 30. Personal income level has an influence of spending. Most of the respondents earning were between 2000 and

Taxation Law in the UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Taxation Law in the UK - Essay Example VAT system is a type of indirect tax. According to the canons of taxation, an indirect tax must not be levied on basic necessities. Adam Smith made a distinction between goods that are necessities and the goods that are luxuries. He advocated the levying of taxes on luxuries. Necessities are mostly exempt under the VAT system in modern times. Adam Smith might have applauded this aspect of the VAT. His argument in favor of low indirect tax was just not related to the welfare of the poor; it was also due to the fact that the rich can also suffer from high indirect taxes as they become less productive as a result. VAT system’s definition of ‘necessaries’, however, seems to be a tad different from that of Adam Smith’s. According to Smith, â€Å"†¦necessaries†¦[include] not only the commodities which are indispensably necessary for the support of life, but whatever the custom of the country renders it indecent for creditable people, even of the lowest order, to be without. A linen shirt, for example, is, strictly speaking, not a necessary of life. The Greeks and Romans lived†¦ very comfortable, though they had no linen. But in present times†¦a creditable day-laborer would be ashamed to appear in public without a linen shirt, the want of which would be supposed to denote that disgraceful degree of poverty, which it is presumed, nobody can well fall into without extreme bad conduct.† According to the canon of equality, the tax should be linked to an individual’s ability to pay. VAT is generally similar for all the individuals. As the marginal utility of money is more for the poor than for the rich, poor suffer more. This means that VAT is regressive in nature. This is why it can have a significant impact on the distribution of income.

Four Videos Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Four Videos - Essay Example As the essay discusses the outline demonstrated by the professor included US and UK parallels, British Academy initiatives, relation of language and national security, business, trade, big cities, media and culture. The first point of the outline was based on the issues of linguistic complacency, decreasing of language status in the sphere of education, high language skills of the population, especially in the spheres of business and policy. The role of tongue in the security and diplomacy was also denoted and analyzed by the professor. It is necessary to notice that ideas of Nigel Vincent related to different aspect of language in modern society were take from analyzing the reports that include national and international language data. One of the projects chosen by him was devoted to understanding the needs of language in the industry. From the report it is clear that next aspect of language that was analyzed by the professor was its power, contrasted to the military one and demonstrated on the examples of spreading of the British power by means of English language. It as characterized as 'soft power' in the lecture. Next, language from the cultural position was also analyzed in the lecture, particularly on the example of possibility of understanding the cultural phenomena and issues that becomes possible only in case of understanding the native language of the culture. There was a connection between social aspect of language and its cultural performance.

The Economic Environment of Business questions Essay

The Economic Environment of Business questions - Essay Example In short, it can be concluded that Aldi’s share would increase substantially after opening of new stores in different areas across Britain. Â   Â  (Hawkes, 2008) The word downturn refers to a slump in sales due to economic recession and meltdown that because unemployment increases and consumption decreases. The business organisations observe negative growth in their businesses since customers are inclined to make purchases of necessities and are reluctant to make purchases of luxuries and other items with higher price elasticity. Supermarket Industry is an oligopolistic industry since there are few businesses (large scale producers and retailers) that dominate the market and reap benefits. These businesses may set industry total output and prices of their products. Moreover, they have mammoth financial resources because of revenue they generate from their several in-town and out-of-town supermarkets. They also attract a large pool of customers compared to what a small retail shop attracts. It is worthwhile to mention that retailers face stiff competition with their rivals so that each could attract maximum customers. Tesco is one of the leading retailers in UK’s supermarket industry that enjoys a market share of over 28%. Since, it has the potential of offering more than 40,000 products from its organised chain of retail outlets all across Britain; it enjoys monopoly like situation in many instances. Tesco offers various products that attract more buyers than any other retailers including Aldi and Sainsbury. It must not be forgotten that Tesco faces stiff competition from other retailers; therefore, it may not restrict or control production / supply of every product as well as set higher prices to reap abnormal profits. Instead, Tesco may take advantage from products that are not offered by any other retailer and therefore customers are dependent over it to make their purchases. (Hawkes, 2008) Like other

The Authority of the Secretary-General to Prosecute Peacekeepers Essay - 1

The Authority of the Secretary-General to Prosecute Peacekeepers - Essay Example Additionally, the literature will discuss briefly how peacekeepers may be prosecuted before the ICC. The process of waiving-off of peacekeepers’ immunity by the Secretary-General to promote their prosecution will also be analysed. Olivera Simic in 2009,1 in the journal article â€Å"Rethinking ‘sexual exploitation’ in UN peacekeeping operations† explains the term sexual exploitation and how it is confusing to researchers. The article also takes into consideration various sexual exploitation cases related to several peacekeeping missions. She argued that the term â€Å"sexual exploitation† might cover activity that is not necessarily â€Å"sexually exploitative†. However, she mainly focuses on the type of crimes and also mentions the ‘zero tolerance policy’; completely omitting the notion of prosecution and punishment of the criminals. Gabrielle Simm in 2011,2 in his article â€Å"International law as a regulatory framework for sexual crimes committed by peacekeepers† discussed the jurisdiction over peacekeepers and the responsibility of states and international organizations in relation to crimes of peacekeepers, and how their possess immunity that prevents judicial action against them. Therefore, he argued that â€Å"international law’s strength lies in standard setting, but some of its standards are problematic, and it is weak in both monitoring and enforcement mechanisms†. He also pointed out that immunity can be waived-off by the Secretary-General. However, there are no special criteria to waive the immunity of peacekeepers or to prosecute them. Although Nigel D. White and Sorcha MacLeod 3 stated that immunity should be waived when crimes result from non-official tasks; this is considered against Section 20 of the 1946 Convention that grants the Secretary-General the right to waive a peac ekeepers’ immunity when he feel it is necessary. In 2012, Melanie OBrien4

The artistic relationship between Edgar Degas and Mary Cassatt Essay

The artistic relationship between Edgar Degas and Mary Cassatt - Essay Example Conversely, Mary Cassatt emphasized on painting about social as well as the private lives of women in the society. In her works, Mary Cassatt is particular on the intimate bond manifested between the mother and the child2. The two artists that is, Edgar Degas and Mary Cassatt had distinct relationships in arts besides their actual relationships. The relationships are attributed by the themes onto which each of them emphasized in their pieces of art. However, the subject has an element of complexity in its demonstration and a critical analysis of the content of the artistic works would perform a fundamental role of exposing the sense of relationship in this scenario. The two artists base their works on main issues occurring in the society. It is obvious that the works displayed by the two artists are related in various perspectives1. Therefore, this research seeks to establish the relationship between Edgar Degas and Mary Cassatt artistic works. Throughout this exercise there will be analysis of four different artistic pieces from the two artists. There will be a selection of two paintings of Edgar Degas and two pieces from Mary Cassatt pieces of art. The first pair of artistic pieces to be analyzed for relationship in this scenario are Ballerina and Lady with a Fan by Edgar Degas and At the Opera by Mary Cassatt. In the Ballerina and Lady with a Fan, Edgar Degas portrays a woman sitting in front in a balcony watching dancers perform. This painting exhibits an exceptional proficiency possessed by the artist. The painting manifests three levels of viewing3. In the first instance, the viewers of the painting find themselves fixed in the position of the actual audience in the theatre. The second level now directly concerns the image and there is a woman displayed as one of the audience who is also watching the performance by the dancers. The third level depicts the actual performing dancers in the stage and of whom all the attention is geared. Edgar utilizes differ ent artistic styles in ensuring an effective visualization by the appreciators. There is effective harmonization of the light, color and shadows. All these attributes to the observable quality appreciated in the painting2. There is a distinction between the leader of the dance group who is in a light orange dress and is in front of the other dancers who are in green gowns with red stripes4. In Mary Cassatt’s, At the Opera the image also dominate a significant portion of the painting. The piece exhibits a woman seated alone in the balcony to observe performance in a theatre. The woman has a long black dress that covers her body properly from the lower part of her neck till the feet. The proper woman also has gloves on her hands and a black hat. These leaves only the face and few parts of the hands exposed for the public view. The woman has a pair of binoculars with which she uses to capture the performance explicitly in the hall4. According to the prevailing trends of this per iod, the paintings have a close relationship ranging from the way they are exposed to the actual meanings depicted by the pieces. The two paintings relate specifically in dominance, meaning and spectatorship. In the first painting and that is Ballerina and Lady with a Fan, we can consider the spectatorship and we can endeavor querying the exposure of the woman and her capacity to regulate or dispute the situation5. The woman seated at the balcony is viewed by other spectators most of which are men. The woman

Definition of Mergers and Acquisition Essay Example for Free

Definition of Mergers and Acquisition Essay One plus one makes three: this equation is the special alchemy of a mergers or an acquisition. The key principle behind buying a company is to create shareholder value over and above that of the sum of the two companies. Two companies together are more valuable than two separate companies at least, thats the reasoning behind Mergers and Acquisition. This rationale is particularly alluring to companies when times are tough. Strong companies will act to buy other companies to create a more competitive, cost efficient company. The companies will come together hoping to gain a greater market share or to achieve greater efficiency. Because of these potential benefits, target companies will often agree to be purchased when they know they cannot survive alone. Distinction between Mergers and Acquisitions Although they are often uttered in the same breath and used as though they were synonymous, the terms mergers and acquisition mean slightly different things. When one company takes over another and clearly established itself as the new owner, the purchase is called an acquisition. From a legal point of view, the target company ceases to exist; the buyer swallows the business and the buyers stock continues to be traded. In the pure sense of the term, a mergers happens when two firms, often of about the same size, agree to go forward as a single new company rather than remain separately owned and operated. This kind of action is more precisely referred to as a mergers of equals. Both companies stocks are surrendered and new company stock is issued in its place. For example, both Daimler Benz and Chrysler ceased to exist when the two firms merged, and a new company, DaimlerChrysler, was created. In practice, however, actual mergers of equals dont happen very often. Usually, one company will buy another and, as part of the deals terms, simply allow the acquired firm to proclaim that the action is a merger of equals, even if its technically an acquisition. Being bought out often carries negative connotations, therefore, by describing the deal as a merger, deal makers and top managers try to make the takeover more palatable. (Investopedia. com the resource for investing and personal finance education. http://www. investopedia. com/university/mergers (Page 3 of 15). A purchase deal will also be called a merger when both Chief Executive Officers agree that joining together is in the best interest of both of their companies. But when the deal is unfriendly that is, when the target company does not want to be purchased it is always regarded as an acquisition. Whether a purchase is considered a mergers or an acquisition really depends on whether the purchase is friendly or hostile and how it is announced. In other words, the real difference lies in how the purchase is communicated to and received by the target companys board of directors, employees and shareholders. Garbage (2007) in his thesis paper on International Mergers Acquisitions, Cooperation and Networks in the e-business’ defines a mergers as â€Å"the combination of two or more companies in which the assets and liabilities of the selling firms are absorbed by the buying firm†. According to Gaughan (2002) â€Å"a mergers is a combination of two companies in which only one company survives and the merged company ceases to exist, whereby the acquiring company assumes the assets and liabilities of the merged company†. An acquisition also known as a takeover? s the buying of a company, the target? by another or the purchase of an asset such as plant or a division of a company. In the case of Vodafone acquisition of GT the acquired company Ghana Telecommunication Company limited still remains the legal name and Vodafone Ghana (VFGH) as the brand name. Rosenbaum and Pearl (2009) describe another form of acquisition known as a consolidation. According to them the terms mergers and consolidation are sometimes used interchangeably. As a general rule of thumb, a merger describes the acquisition of a smaller company by a larger one. If the union is between two corporations of more or less equal size, then the term consolidation is probably applicable. For the purpose of this study, the definition of Rosenbaum will be adopted as the working definition of a merger. Types of Mergers From the perspective of business structures, there are different kinds of mergers. According to Welch, P. and Welch, G. (2007) Economics: Theory and Practice (8th ed. ), economists generally classify mergers into three types: (1) horizontal, (2) vertical and (3) conglomerate. Horizontal mergers This type of mergers takes place when two firms in the same line of business i. . they are in direct competition or they share the same product lines and markets combine. A typical example is the 1999 Exxon Mobil mergers. The merger between Vodafone and Ghana Telecom which is the focus of our study is also a horizontal merger. Anticompetitive effects The vast majority of significant competition issues associated with mergers arises in horizontal mergers. A horizontal merger is one between parties that are competitors at the same level of production and/or distribution of a good or service, i. e. , in the same relevant market. There are two types of anticompetitive effects associated with horizontal mergers: unilateral effects and coordinated effects. Unilateral effects, also known as non-coordinated effects, arise where, as a result of the merger, competition between the products of the merging firms is eliminated, allowing the merged entity to unilaterally exercise market power, for instance by profitably raising the price of one or both merging parties’ products, thus harming consumers. In homogeneous markets, unilateral effects can be pronounced when two significant competitors merge to create a large, dominant player with only a few or no other competitors. In these markets, an important role in the assessment is played by market shares and by the capacity available in the market. In differentiated markets, unilateral effects tend to arise particularly when the two merging companies have highly substitutable goods. Such a price increase does not depend on the merged firm being the dominant player in the market. The likelihood and magnitude of such an increase will instead depend on the substitutability of the products supplied by the two firms – the closer the substitute, the greater the unilateral effects. Coordinated effects arise where, under certain market conditions (e. g. , market transparency, product homogeneity etc. ), the merger increases the probability that, post merger, merging parties and their competitors will successfully be able to coordinate their behaviour in an anti-competitive way, for example, by raising prices. As in the case of unilateral effects, the most common form of coordinated effects is in the case of horizontal mergers, i. e. mergers between firms active on the same market. The main question in analysing coordinated effects should be whether the merger materially increases the likelihood that firms in the market will successfully coordinate their behaviour or strengthen existing coordination. The task is to identify what factors are likely to lead to coordination taking place between firms post-merger. This was a controversial area with which competition authorities and courts have struggled to come to terms over the years, but experience has led to the emergence of some agreement on what conditions are most likely to give rise to coordinated effects. According to the Airtours criteria, coordination is more likely to emerge in markets where it is relatively simple to reach a common understanding on the terms of coordination. In addition, three conditions are necessary for coordination to be sustainable. First, the coordinating firms must be able to monitor to a sufficient degree whether the terms of coordination are being adhered to. Second, discipline requires that there is some form of credible deterrent mechanism that can be activated if deviation is detected. Third, the reactions of outsiders, such as current and future competitors not participating in the coordination, as well as customers, should not be able to jeopardise the results expected from the coordination. Vertical mergers These are mergers between firms that operate at different but complementary levels in the chain of production (e. g. , manufacturing and an upstream market for an input) and/or distribution (e. g. , manufacturing and a downstream market for re-sale to retailers) of the same final product. Another example is the acquisition of ABC television network by Walt Disney to enable Walt Disney air its recent movies to huge audiences. In purely vertical mergers there is no direct loss in competition as in horizontal mergers because the parties products did not compete in the same relevant market. As such, there is no change in the level of concentration in either relevant market. Vertical mergers have significant potential to create efficiencies largely because the upstream and downstream products or services complement each other. Even so, vertical integration may sometimes give rise to competition concerns. Anticompetitive effects Vertical effects can produce competitive harm in the form of foreclosure. A merger is said to result in foreclosure where actual or potential rivals access to supplies or markets is hampered or eliminated as a result of the merger, thereby reducing these companies ability and/or incentive to compete. Two forms of foreclosure can be distinguished. The first is where the merger is likely to raise the costs of downstream rivals by restricting their access to an important input (input foreclosure). The second is where the merger is likely to foreclose upstream rivals by restricting their access to a sufficient customer base (customer foreclosure). However, it should be noted that in general vertical merger concerns are likely to arise only if market power already exists in one or more markets along the supply chain. Conglomerate mergers involve firms that operate in different product markets, without a vertical relationship. They may be product extension mergers, i. e. , mergers between firms that produce different but related products or pure conglomerate mergers, i. e. , mergers between firms operating in entirely different markets. In practice, the focus is on mergers between companies that are active in related or neighbouring markets, e. g. , mergers involving suppliers of complementary products or of products belonging to a range of products that is generally sold to the same set of customers in a manner that lessens competition. This kind of mergers takes place when two firms in unrelated lines of business combine. A merger between a bank and a media house will be an example of a conglomerate merger. One example of a conglomerate merger was the merger between the Walt Disney Company and the American Broadcasting Company (http://www. sk. com/wiki/Conglomerate_merger) Anticompetitive effects Merger review in this area is controversial, as commentators and enforcement agencies disagree on the extent to which one can predict competitive harm resulting from such mergers. Proponents of conglomerate theories of harm argue that in a small number of cases, where the parties to the merger have strong market positions in their respective markets, potential harm may arise when the merging group is likely to foreclose other rivals from the market in a way similar to vertical mergers, particularly by means of tying and bundling their products. When as a result of foreclosure rival companies become less effective competitors, consumer harm may result. However, it should be stressed that in these cases there is a real risk of foregoing efficiency gains that benefits consumer welfare and thus the theory of competitive harm needs to be supported by substantial evidence. Evaluation of the effectiveness of existing regulations aimed to reduce anticompetitive practices of Mergers and Acquisitions in Ghana. Mergers and Acquisitions among companies in Ghana are regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) under the Securities Industry Law 1993 (PNDC Law 333) (Ghana Investment Promotion Center, 2008). The law mandates the SEC ‘to review, approve and regulate takeovers, mergers, acquisitions and all forms of business combinations in accordance with any law or code of practice requiring it to do so. Ghanaian law on mergers and acquisitions is an amalgamation of several executive and legislative instruments passed as the corporate finance industry continues to evolve. The need to generate constructive competition among enterprises has been recognized by the government, and monopolies are actively discouraged as a result. The merger in November 2003 of two prominent international mining companies – Ashanti Goldfields and AngloGold (AngloGold succeeded in outbidding Rand Gold in the highly con-tested race with an offering of $1. 4 billion) promises great value to shareholders and the operations of both companies. The Companies Code stipulates the manner in which mergers and amalgamations should be effected. It places emphasis on company resolutions that authorize mergers and amalgamations and on the preservation of affected creditors’ rights. Ghanaian courts frown upon the arbitrary treatment of members or shareholders, and ample provision is made for aggrieved persons to apply to the court for redress at different stages of the merger or acquisition process. Foreign enterprises are guaranteed unconditional transferability of profits and dividends through any bank authorized to deal in freely convertible currency, encouraging and securing foreign investment. The transfer of company shares is exempted from all stamp duties and capital gains resulting from mergers, amalgamations and reorganizations are also tax exempt. Under Ghanaian investment law, preferential treatment is given to foreign and Ghanaian joint ventures by guaranteeing lower minimum capital requirements than those required for wholly foreign-owned enterprises. On the whole, mergers and acquisitions in Ghana continue to evolve as the government secures an attractive environment through executive, legislative and judicial activism to attract direct foreign investment and thus improve the economy. Consequently, the local corporate finance market has began to see increasingly complex financial transactions taking place as more international companies elect Ghana as the regional centre for their operations and its courts for dispute resolution issues.

Simone De Beauvoir: Gender and Sex

Simone De Beauvoir: Gender and Sex Simone de Beauvoir’s Insights Towards Gender and Status Is there any wonder that Simone de Beauvoir rejected the idea that gender  has innate characteristics from birth? As a woman philosopher living in a man’s world I believe she fully understood what she was talking about. The writings in her world renowned book ‘The Second Sex’ written in 1947 give us a historical and cultural lesson of what women have had to overcome to exist as women in a man’s world. Men and women are both influenced by their conditioning the main difference is that man has been attributed the leading role. Times are changing and Simone de Beauvoir has played an important role in our attempt to undo the erroneous programming. Today’s leading ladies have proven their capacities at playing the part. Simone de Beauvoir’s example of what a woman that is intelligent can do in life by her straightforward, honest approach may be the stepping stones for other women to fearlessly do the same. As far back as the 10th century ideas of antifeminism have haunted the women of the world. The handful of women that were in the limelight were usually obliterated for witchcraft as in the case of Jeanne D’Arc or publicly ridiculed or at worse martyred. Women as the lesser sex have been depicted as temptresses from Bible days which at the same time undermined their intelligence. This dual image which has conditioned women to see themselves as passive beings who lie in wait for men to save, them or come and love them and their counterparts the devouring temptresses who take what they want and leave the rest behind including their intelligence is what Simone de Beauvoir sees as our conditioning. This conditioning starts at a very early age when there are no apparent differences between baby girls and baby boys. They are both at this early age totally in need of nurturing and physical contact which they thrive upon. This loving care is exactly the same up until a certain moment w hen the baby is weaned. According to Simone De Beauvoir from that point on boys are taught to become little men and they receive less physical contact and affection than their girl counterparts; They are also a product of their conditioning just as we are. This is an important thing to remember throughout this reading. Boys and girls alike are part of their environmental conditioning through family heritage, cultural traditions, religious beliefs and historical beliefs. As children we all have the same attitudes of temper tantrums, pouting, charming our parents then we are in fact the same until our environment gives us another outlook upon ourselves. Little girls quickly learn that they need to be careful. They need to act like little ladies not climbing trees and skinning knees as their brothers are encouraged to do. This myth starts very early with the family attitude about the physical differences between sexes. Boys have an outward expression of their masculinity which turns th em rapidly into having something to be proud of. This expression of self that has, in the eyes of the parents, a value becomes what the boy measures himself to other boys with. It’s a tactile indicator of their manliness and gives them the instinct of measurability. How long their sex is and how far they can urinate. The inevitable presence of their extension gives them a power of object. Women are inwardness. All of their discoveries are inward and therefore left unsaid. You can’t see much of the sex of a little girl so it is not made a fuss over as boy’s sexes are. Girls try to express their transfer towards an object to a doll for example. This treating a doll as herself gives her the idea that the substance is the same and therefore she is someone to dress up to cater to, that has an existence because others make her exist. Later on in life she will eventually become that doll thing that sits home waiting for her husband and children to pick her up and do as they please with her. Just as she idled away her childhood she idles away the hours of her parenthood, or wifehood at home staving off boredom with no particular goals or worlds to conquer. Boys grow up with the idea that they are going somewhere and have something to accomplish and will assume responsibilities along the way. They learn at around 13 yrs. old that the answer may not come out in words but through violence. A girl wills repress her own violence because girls don’t do that sort of thing. This violence turns into neurosis which in part is violence unexpressed which comes back to oneself eventually. Simone De Beauvoir was avant guard when she recognized the fact that women have their own part of violence at that age but we do not allow ourselves to express it. We are simply not encouraged socially, historically or culturally to express it. Where progress has been made is that more and more women are training in martial arts which are a positive way to express their inner violence. What upset our mothers, and depending on what conditioning you were also given, was the pre- established path chosen for us no matter what we would like to become. Once the path was set then fear was quickly to follow. What path? The path that says no matter what education you receive you will end up a wife and mother then grandmother. This is a frightening aspect of the growing girl’s plight. She will not only have to learn to become a woman, a wife, a mother and a grandmother. She can study all that she would like but there is no real asking of her to do so or to assume the responsibilities that this implies. She’ll marry then stop working to have children and her husband’s career will prevail and take on the traditional role of breadwinner. Perhaps today’s economy has obliged young women to be career assertive but maybe not for the right reasons. Career minded because families are not withstanding without two good salaries to support them. The outer exp ression of sexual pride may still be baring the road. The fact that a young woman can be a productive and important member of our society and that she also has her contribution to make does not seem to impress upon girls as it does on boys. There are so many frightening biological events in the life of a young girl who is becoming a woman that possessing her own inward sexuality is a complicated task. Young men can see theirs, be proud of it, and use it where as young girls have to deal with what biologically is imposed upon them. Their menstrual cycles which alter their characters for several days a month is in itself part of the mystery of womanhood. The changes in her body that may lead her to withdrawal because now she is becoming the object so desired by men. The doll has come of age and can now be manoeuvred accordingly. This is a moment in time when many young women become anorexic keeping their bodies at bay and stopping the menstrual cycle as if time would stand still. The onset of an eventual pregnancy, abortion risk, risks during pregnancy, menopause and all the choices that implies has made being a woman probably more complicated than being a man. What is very interesting to remark according to statistics there are a large majority of women that would prefer being men. Men in a very small minority if they had the choice would have preferred being a woman. There is the unfortunate, radical, feminist view of continuously proving that women can be more or better than men by doing the same things and acting the same way.. I find this unfortunate. If we want equality then we should be striving for equal respect and equal rights not superiority and domination which are what has made us suffer from the ages. Women finding ways to be assertive, well-balanced, brilliant, and effective is what can give us our strength in today’s world. It was unthought-of at the time of French sculpt rice Camille Claudel that a woman could surpass the master. Camille Claudel would never have broken through the layers of men to get to where she did in the arts if she hadn’t had the support of her father firstly and Rodin. Once Rodin retracted she lost all prestige and control over her life. There is the great Mexican artist Frida Kahlo who also had the support of her father interestingly enough and that of a great Mexican artist as well. Both fathers in these two examples gave their support to their daughters which were probably what they would have received if they were sons instead of daughters. In the face of talent and genius these men were supportive and able to recognize potential. How many other Sunday morning painters got left by the roadside because they were not recognized in virtue of their talents but because of their gender? What did the world wars teach us about women? It taught us that in the absence of brothers, cousins, fathers, and husbands they were capable of running a country from industry to education the national health Women kept their families fed, clothed, and sheltered during the war. We are not warriors are heart but have the same potential. There are examples in history like Amazons and Jeanne d’Arc of women capable of leading armies and warring. We could have been cultivated as war lords also but weren’t. Women are givers of life and that is probably what gives us the incentive to promote peace culture instead of war. No woman wants to see her sons, daughters, husband, brothers or sisters go off to war and not come back. The peace movement has a majority of women supporters and that seems to go with the fact that life giving is still our realm. The political world has opened up it’s doors to women within the last twenty years. Before that time there was usually a woman behind a great man in the shadows and there to decorate the photographs for the press more than for her opinions. In France there were three woman ministers elected in the late 70’s. This was a turning point. The paradox comes in when women fought in the French resistance showing their bravery and didn’t obtain the right to vote until two years after the war was over. The equality act was also pronounced shortly after women’s right to vote. This maintaining of women in a conditioned status has been painful for us and is now becoming painful to our male counterparts who are seeking the limits of their own identity. Women are now brought up and beginning to think for themselves, what they want out of life, what they are going to do to get what they need. This is a true cultural revolution. If the conditioning has begun to change then women shall become women and know themselves. Thus knowing themselves they will become decision makers, and active citizens not through man’s making but through their own. This fundamental step has been operating since May 1968 even though precursors since ancient times have been trying to change this. Simone de Beauvoir succeeded in starting the league for Women’s Rights and was a militant for family planning. Giving back to women the right to do what they need to do with their own bodies was an essential step in accepting the responsibilities that are incumbent for every human being either man or woman. The big waking up of our society started with her book and has continued to live on inspiring women to take the responsibility for their lives as a person and an equal which gives them a lot more freedom than it did our mothers. The social role was encouraging us look pretty but please don’t say anything. Mediocrity amongst woman rose as her only idea of self was stemming from what others mirrored her. Her husband and her family were her only mirrors and connection with the world. He went out in the world she quietly stayed home or followed in the shadows. If an intelligent woman did express herself she was ridiculed in public and could not be accepted for her thoughts. The Marie Curie’s and other thinkers are a small handful of the potential that women have been suppressing since the beginning of time. Women are beginning to realize that no matter what their conditioning since birth they can change the course of events in their lives. Taking their own responsibility for their own lives and what is to become of them is the next chapter in our evolution. Women are finally starting to be raised to believe in themselves and their capacities. Ask a little girl today what she wants to become later and she might surprise you and answer â€Å"an astronaut, a research worker, an architect â€Å". We are far from the days of Simone de Beauvoir’s struggle to live in a man’s world. I think that men are having trouble adjusting to this change. They are becoming more and more aware of women’s presence in the work field and their contribution as fellow citizens. Their own identity has been questioned and ours is beginning to grow and develop. This cleavage will be difficult to stabilize  since all related gender problems have finally come to the surface, the debate is whether or not women that are raising their children can make the ‘shift’ to raising their sons and daughters alike. The story perhaps begins and ends with women. Are we going to keep attributing to ourselves the role models that went before us? Or are we finally going to break the bondage of what we have been made to think of ourselves? There has come a time when the individual man or woman will begin to raise his consciousness and choose him or herself first. Not in and egotistical way but to ask oneself the question ‘†What do I need for myself right now to be in agreement with myself?† When finally women and men have worked on themselves enough to be able at any moment to ask themselves that question then it is definitely not a question of gender but autonomy. Do women want their autonomy? Is the easy way out or women to continue a mediocre existence to take the easy way out and let this be a man’s world and a state of dependency and submission? Men take their independence and unfortunately women think or have been taught to think theirs is to be earned. Men believe it is their right from the beginning. Women ask permission for it and in most circumstances and it never comes. Leaving behind all the social prejudice and family prejudice and historical and cultural prejudice can only be the choice of women. Simone de Beauvoir showed us that a woman is herself and can dare to be herself if she so chooses. Although this idea will not appeal to some, women are running for presidential office these days and hold important functions within our highest auspices while Simone’s message has probably hit home. Women are accepting to be themselves without asking permission to do so. Men are battling with their own conditioning and their own identity problems due to this conditioning. In order to create a balance it will take time and courage. Women for peace, for children’s rights, for non-vi olence, for equal education and career rights have united all over the world to speak their piece. A beautiful French song that implies women as being men’s future. could hold a lot of truth in these words. Thinking back on the historical events and cultural ideas about gender it must have taken great incentive for a woman like Simone de Beauvoir de openly and honestly explore the femaleness and the contradictions of our times. It is also easy to comprehend why men find it so difficult to understand us when we are on the brink of finding ourselves as people and as women. Perhaps if our own opinion of self changes then the worlds opinion can also evolve. Starting with individual awareness can only lead to universal awareness in time. Simone de Beauvoir in her rejection of gender has put back the sparkle in the eyes of women and helped us overcome the conditioning of the years. References Simone de Beauvoir ‘ Le Deuxieme Sexe’ Galiard, Paris 1947 Nancy Bauer Contributor ‘Simone de Beauvoir Philosophy and Feminism’ Columbia University press N.Y. 2001 Isabelle De Courtivron Contributor ‘ New French Feminism’ An Anthology ED. Elaine Marks ED. Publisher University of Massachusetts press,Amherst ma. 1980 www.lang.soton.ac.uk/students/french/FrenchThought/beauvoir/ Reference to song written and sung by Jean Ferrat ‘La Femme est l’avenir de l’homme’

History And Background Of Google Inc Business Essay

History And Background Of Google Inc Business Essay Google Inc. began in 1996 as the brainchild of two bright computer science grad students, Sergey Brin and Larry Page. They met back in 1995 at Stanford University where they were doing their PhDs and they came out with creative ways of finding and organizing large datasets (Hoovers Inc, 2010). After that, they developed a technology called PageRank which enables them to analyze a particular websites relevancy. It occurred to them that a search engine that is based on the PageRank algorithm would be much more effective at obtaining better and accurate results than existing search engines. Thus, that idea became a basis for their soon-to-be famous search engine that was launched on September 15, 1997. Google Inc. was formally incorporated on September 4, 1998 at a friends garage in Menlo Park, California. Google got its name from googol, the mathematical equivalent of the number one followed by a hundred zeros, which was a misspelling of that mathematical term (Google, 2005). This refl ects on the founders original mission to organize the worlds information and make it universally accessible and useful (Google.com, 2010). The core competency of their business, the Google search engine has become so successful that it attracted a loyal following among a growing number of Internet users, who liked its simple design and useful results. In 2000, Google began selling text-based advertisements associated with search keywords in order to maintain an uncluttered page design so that speed is maximized when loading a page. Their innovative advertising system, comprised of its AdWords and AdSense products, is so successful that 99% of their revenue is derived from it (Google, 2005). However, the technological industry demands constant innovation and Googles strong focus on continuous improvement is reflected in the companys ever expanding line of innovative services and products which includes webmail (Gmail), blogging (Blogger), and interactive maps (Google Maps). Googles s trong organizational culture that includes values such as creativity, simplicity and innovation plays a huge role in their tremendous success and gives them a huge competitive advantage over their rivals in the search engine market. Content The Google Culture Google is well known for their organizational cultures distinctiveness and uniqueness compared to their immediate competitors. On the Google corporate website, they have listed down 10 core principles that guides the actions of the entire organization. These are the values and assumptions shared within the organization. These values are also termed as espoused values, where it is not necessarily what the organization actually values even though the top executives of the company embraces them. Here are some of a few of their core principles which will provide a look into Googles management philosophy and the type of culture they want to possess: Focus on the user and all else will follow Google strives to put the end users interest ahead of shareholders when making corporate decisions. Google promises to deliver the best user experience possible by providing a clear and simple homepage interface, relevant advertisements and fair placement in search results. Its best to do one thing really, really well Google focuses on its core competency, which is search. Google continues to solve complex issues and provide continuous improvements to search. New Google products such as Gmail and Google Maps are the results of Googles dedication in improving search. Fast is better than slow Google understands that time is valuable to its users and strives to please them by increasing the efficiency of retrieving the users search results. Now the average response time to get a search result just takes a fraction of a second. Google is the only company that aims to have the users leave its website as soon as possible. The need for information crosses all borders Google is founded in California but the existing mission is to enable access to information for the entire world and in all languages. And because more than half of Google search results originate from outside the United States, the organization has offices in dozens of countries and offers the Google search interface in more than 110 languages. As a result, the variety and quality of services Google offer are much more improved. You can be serious without a suit The founders built Google around the idea that work should be challenging, and the challenge should be fun. Google believes that great and creative things are more likely to happen with the right company culture and thus emphasizes on team achievements and pride in individual accomplishments. Google employs energetic, passionate people from diverse backgrounds with creative approaches to work, play and life. Great just isnt good enough Google always strives to make its employees deliver more than what is expected. Google does not accept being the best as an endpoint but rather a starting point. Through innovation and iteration, Google aims to take things that work well and improve upon them in unexpected ways. Google also anticipates users needs and set new standards with new products and services that can make a difference and change the world. [Adapted from www.google.com] In Google, the daily organizational life is distinctive and is one that thrives on informal culture. The rituals that portray the organizations culture as unique and possesses a small-company feel are portrayed daily at lunchtime, where almost all employees eat together at the many various office cafà ©s while at the same time having an open, relaxed conversations with fellow Googlers that come from different teams (Google.com, 2010). Also, because one of the Google cultures main pillars are the pillar of innovation, every Googler are very comfortable at sharing ideas, thoughts, and opinions with one another in a very informal working environment. Every employee is a hands-on contributor and everyone wears several hats (Google.com, 2010). Sergey and Brin also plays a big part of laying the foundation on what the Google culture is and the founders have continued to maintain the Google Way by organizing a weekly all-hands TGIF meetings for employees to pose questions directly at them (Google.com, 2010). In Google, the motivated employees who live the Google brand and are aligned to the company call themselves Googlers. Even former employees of Google have a name which they refer to themselves as Xooglers (Garret, 2005). This shows that in Google, their employees are so involved in the organization that they have their own symbolic name that mirrors the organizations name and image, which is a sure sign of an existing strong cultural values that are present within the company. After tremendous growth in Google, the organization moved from a humble office building in Palo Alto, California back in its early days to its current office complex bought over from Silicon Graphics. The complex is popularly known as the Googleplex, which is a blend of the word Google and complex (Googleplex, 2005). Googleplex is the result of a careful selection that serves to establish Googles unique and individualistic culture in the eyes of the employees and the public. The corporate campus is built to provide a very fun, relaxed and colorful environment both inside and outside. Innovative design decisions provides Google employees 2000 car lots underground so that open spaces above and surrounding the building are filled with unique and interesting architectures that includes an on-site organic garden that supplies produces for Googles various cafes, a bronze casting of a dinosaur fossil, a sand volleyball court, heated endless pools and also electric scooters along with hundre ds of bikes scattered throughout the complex for Googlers to get to meetings across campuses (Google, 2009). Googleplex is a significant departure from typical corporate campuses, challenging conventional thinking about private and public space. This also points out the alignment of values that are present in Googles culture such as innovation, fun, laid-back, creativity and uniqueness that clearly shows that their organizational culture is truly unique and different from that of their competitors and other organizations. Within the Googleplex, a truly attractive, fun and extraordinary workplace environment exists for Google employees. The interior of the headquarters is furnished with items like lava lamps and giant rubber balls while sofas, Google color coded chairs, and pool tables can be found at lounges and bar counters to express Googles laid-back working atmosphere. The lobby contains a grand piano and a projection of current live Google search queries (Google, 2009). The employees various needs are also taken care of by facilities such as the 19 cafes on campus which serves a variety of food choices for their diverse workforce, a gym, massage parlor, laundromats, and even micro kitchens, which provides snacks for employees who want a quick bite (Google, 2009). This ensures that employees can be more productive and happy without ever leaving the workplace. A manifestation of Googles creative and innovative culture is shown by the unconventional building design with high ceilings to let natural light in, durable floors made of tiny quartz stones, working British phone booths splashed in Google colors, and lounges that also serve as DIY libraries with cleverly placed low-reach book racks adorned with colorful Lego sets and cubes (Google, 2009). All these innovative, creative and colorful designs are symbols of Googles unique organizational culture that emphasizes on continuous innovation. Google engages their employees by applying adaptive culture in the organization. From their core competency in search engine technology, Google has responded to customers change in needs by expanding onto the mobile market. The employees analyze, anticipate and seek out the opportunities to improve the organizations performance by being proactive and quick in coming out with new technologies and solutions for mobile services. It aims to help people all over the world to do more tasks on their phone, not to mention the several different ways to access their Google search engine on a mobile phone (Google, 2008). In addition, Google recently entered the smartphone market by launching the Google Nexus One smartphone in response to customers increasing need for smartphones, which is gaining ground on popularity because everyone is going mobile in the Information Age. This is the result of Google employees common mental model that the organizations success depends on continuous change to s upport the stakeholders and also that they are solely responsible for the organizations performance (McShane and Von Glinow, 2008). The employees also believe that by entering into other markets beyond their core competency, the change is necessary and inevitable to keep pace with an ever changing and volatile technological market. Googles organizational culture places a huge importance of trust and transparency by having an informal corporate motto namely Dont be evil. This slogan has become a central pillar to their identity and a part of their self-proclaimed core principles. It also forms the ethical codes of the organization where Google establishes a foundation for honest decision-making that disassociates Google from any and all cheating. Its ethical principles means that Google sets guiding principles for their advertising programs and practices, which is where most of their revenues come from. Google doesnt breach the trust of its users so it doesnt accept pop-up advertising, which is a disruptive form of advertisement that hinders with the users ability to see the content that they searched (Stahl, 2004). And because they dont manipulate rankings to put any of their partners higher in their search results or allow anyone to buy their way up the PageRank, the integrity of their search results are not c ompromised. This way, users trust Googles objectivity and their ethical principles is one of the reason why Googles ad business had become so successful. The founders of Google believe strongly that in the long term we will be better served, as shareholders and in all other ways, by a company that does good things for the world even if we forgo some short term gains. Content An Introduction to Organizational Culture Every organization is unique in the sense that each and every one of them has their own distinct way of going about doing their business. This unique style of doing business that is different in every organization is made out of a complete combination of the artefacts, values, attitudes and shared assumptions of that organization whereby it is known as organizational culture. According to McShane and Von Glinow (2008), organizational culture consists of shared values and assumptions that guide the way that employees within that organization think and act and how they react to opportunities and solve problems. The employees of that particular organization are directed and guided by the right way of doing tasks and learn how to prioritize tasks that are important and to differentiate those tasks with other less important tasks. The employees also have certain beliefs and ideas about what kinds of goals they should pursue in the organization and their own ideology about the appropriate kinds or standards of behavior they should use to achieve these goals (Hill and Jones, 2001). The Elements of Organizational Culture according to Schein (1985) Organizational culture consists of a few elements. According to Scheins study (as cited in McShane and Von Glinow, 2008), he defines culture as consisting of several levels that are made out of 2 primary categories that drive the organizations action. The categories are made out of the visible elements of culture and also the underlying assumptions underneath, which in other words is the invisible element of culture. Figure 1. (Based on Scheins Levels of Culture. Schein, 2004, Organizational culture and leadership, 27). Visible elements are the artefacts that are found in the culture, which is the physical elements of an organization that is observable (Schein, 2004). The visible element of culture is also said to be a manifestation of the cultures invisible values (Schein, 2004). Artefacts can be stories, legends, rituals and ceremonies, organizational language and also the physical structures of the organization (Schein, 2004). The invisible elements of the culture are made out of espoused values, shared values and shared assumptions. Espoused values are essentially the philosophies, goals and strategies that are stated by the management (Schein, 2004). In addition, shared values which are values that employees in the organization believe in and prioritize at the top of their hierarchy of values and also which they all share in common (McShane and Von Glinow, 2008). Along with shared values, another deeper element of culture, which some experts say is the real essence of culture, are shared assump tions which consists of unconscious, taken-for-granted perceptions or beliefs and also thoughts and feelings of individuals within organizations (Schein, 2004). Organizational Stories and Legends Stories are a part of the organization that shows the existence of a strong culture. Stories can be tales that talk about courageous things done by an employee of the company, or to ridicule past events that had strayed from the firms core values (McShane and Von Glinow, 2008). The stories and legends serves as powerful social reminder about the way things should or should not be done. In addition, stories play an important role in communicating the organizations distinct culture in terms of the employees individual standard of performance, the corporate beliefs and also criteria of getting fired (McShane and Von Glinow, 2008). Stories in the organization can evoke emotion in those that hear these tales which will serve as a permanent reminder to the employees to uphold the organizational culture. Stories is also the greatest way to communicate the culture when it is about real people, real situations and known by employees throughout the firm (McShane and Von Glinow, 2008). Rituals and Ceremonies Rituals are a dramatized version of an organizations culture by the customary activities of daily organizational life (McShane and Von Glinow, 2008). This can include how visitors are welcomed, how often does senior executive s pay a visit to their subordinates, how much time does the employee take lunch and how the employees communicate with each other. Ceremonies on the other hand are more formal than rituals. Ceremonies are activities that are carried out especially for the benefit of an audience (McShane and Von Glinow, 2008). Among the examples are product launches, press conferences and webcasts. Organizational language Organizational language is defined as the so-called language of the workplace (McShane and Von Glinow, 2008). It speaks volumes about the companys culture and can portray distinct, unique and important features of an organizations culture by defining the way employees address their colleagues, greet their stakeholders and describe their customers. It is also a cultural artifact and highlights values that are held by organizational subcultures. How terms are used to describe something and how employees communicate with each other determines the character of an organizations culture. Physical structures and symbols Former British prime minister, Winston Churchill once said that buildings both reflect and influence an organizations culture. Physical structures and symbols such as buildings and the company logo does and can reflect or influence an organizations culture (McShane and Von Glinow, 2008). The characteristics of the building such as the age, the shape, size, and location can also reveal the values that a company practices such as emphasizing flexibility, teamwork, environmental friendliness or any other values. The company logo characteristics such as the color, symbolic meaning, shape and characters can also portray the organizations culture. Physical artifacts such as desks, chairs, office space, and wall hangings can also denote cultural meanings (McShane and Von Glinow, 2008). Importance of a Strong Organizational Culture According to McShane and Von Glinow (2008), a strong organizational culture is very important to a company. It is so valuable and precious to a company because it can give a sort of competitive advantage over other competitors. Companies with a strong culture are likely to succeed, but success is not guaranteed for a company with a strong organizational culture and it is subject to a particular set of conditions. One of these conditions is the strength of the organizational culture. It is referring as to how widely and deeply employees are holding the companys dominant values and assumptions. In a strong organizational culture, most employees across all subunits maintains the dominant values (McShane and Von Glinow, 2008). The values are also difficult to change because they are institutionalized through artifacts. In addition, strong cultures are often put in place by the company founders values and assumptions. In contrast, weak cultures exist when dominant values are only held by a few people at the top of the organization and are short-lived. Some experts like Kotter Heskett, Tidball, Cremer, Besanko, Dranove, Shanley (as cited in Muafi, 2009) have established that organizational culture has a significant effect on an organizations long-term sustainability, economic performance and outcomes such as profitability, turnover and commitment. They also indicated that congruence of values and beliefs seems to create a unifying force that boosts organizational performance. In Pfiffner and Sherwoods study (as cited in Mahal, 2009), they suggested that there is a positive relationship between the culture and effectiveness of a firm. Wilderom et al., (as cited in Mahal, 2009) described that there is a significant relationship between organizational culture and effectiveness. Culture helps to reduce conflicts in the organization according to Gales study (as cited in Mahal, 2009), and make the organization more participative and zealous. Adaptive Cultures Adaptive culture is defined as an organizational culture that exists when employees places their customers and stakeholders changing needs as a top priority and giving their support to initiatives that keep pace with these changes (McShane and Von Glinow, 2008). Embedding Ethical Values According to Hellriegel and Slocum (2009), organizational culture involves a complex interaction between formal and informal systems that may support ethical or unethical behavior. Formal systems include policies, structure, leadership, orientation, training programs, reward systems and decision-making processes. On the other hand, informal systems include rituals, stories, heroes, myths, sagas, language and norms (Hellriegel and Slocum, 2009). McShane and Von Glinow (2008) also shares a somewhat similar view with Hellriegel and Slocum (2009) on the possibility that organizational culture can affect and influence ethical conduct. This is logical because good behavior are influenced and directed by ethical values that are present in the individual. Therefore, organizations can guide the actions and behaviors of its employees by planting ethical values in its culture (McShane and Von Glinow, 2008). In a similar way, Hellriegel and Slocum (2009) also thinks that the organizational cultu re seems to affect ethical behavior. For example, the culture that upholds and places importance on ethical norms is a culture that encourages ethical behavior. Furthermore, the founders also play an important role in enforcing ethical behavior by exhibiting the right behavior. Pros and cons in applicable theories and models for Google Satisfied employees not only increase productivity and reduce turnover, but also enhance creativity and commitment (Chen, Yang, Shiau, Wang, 2006). Based on the findings, Google is already having a playful variation culture in the organization for the employees. This can enable the employees to have an enjoyment environment and this will be able enhance the relationship between the employees and strengthen their bond to work as a team. An enjoyment environment definitely can let the employees to feel satisfied and subsequently will increase productivity. Apart from that, this will shape a convenient work process for the employees that will smoothen the decision making process for the management team. Google already identified the employees are the organizations internal customers and this is the reason why it has been constantly giving employees a sense of purpose, enhancing their self-esteem and sense of belonging for being a part of the organization. The company was reorganized in to small teams that attacked hundreds of projects all at once. The founders give the employees great latitude, and they take the same latitude for themselves. Eric Schmidt says that Google merely appears to be disorganized. We say we run the company chaotically. We run it at the edge. This can adapt the culture Google and therefore they can individually to generate the ideas on their own. On the other hand, Google hires employees that have good academic results but without practical experience and this will be a threat to Google in terms of their organizations operation. Google is a results-driven organization and if employees with only creative ideas but lacking of skills to realize the ideas they have initially planned, this will absolutely reduce the productivity of the organizations. Google had been public listed on year 2004 and therefore Google had to take the shareholders views into consideration before making any decision. The shareholders had been strongly emphasizing on reducing the employee benefits due to the high cost invested on it. This leads to the organizational culture would be degraded and the employees would feel less satisfied and affect their produced results. Employees are very important asset the Google while the shareholders also the contributor of funds for Google. The management team has to weight the importance of both of the stakeholders f or the Google as this will create a different organizational culture. Recommendation We recommend Google to hire more experienced people instead of the good academic results for the good future of the organization. More experienced employee had already encounter different cultures from other organizations and would be able to inject a better culture for Google. Due to the fact that more experienced employee can also be a mentor for those younger new employees to enhance the productivity throughout the company. Explicit and tacit knowledge are both very important by being acquired by all the employees. Most of the Googles employees they graduate from university with flying colour result, it means they have sufficient explicit knowledge which the knowledge is organized and can be communicated from one person to another. But they are lacking of tacit knowledge which is not documented and it is action oriented, tacit knowledge can only be acquired by taking action or from someone who has experienced before. Apart from that, Google also can implement a cultural assessment for the organization to investigate to ensure that the organizations also maintaining and keeping the core value in this competitive business environment. After assessing the cultural in the organization, the management can come out with a new set or standard of operations so this will create leverage between the shareholders and employees. Hence, the stakeholders of Google would eventually feel each and every of them are fairly treated. All the employees in Google are highly independent, they work independently because they are given very high power in making decision, and this is a good culture of having this organization structure but an invisible competition and conflict among employees are underlying. Furthermore, according to Bakar, Salleh, Ling (2008), a need for a more controlled bureaucratic culture is necessary. A high score on bureaucracy means the organisation is power-oriented, cautious, established, solid, regulated, ordered, structured, procedural and hierarchical. Conflict increase with the level of interdependence, in order to minimize dysfunctional conflict might need to minimize the level of interdependence between the parties. We recommend the organization to use human buffers who serve as intermediaries between interdependent people or work units who do not get along through direct interaction. Conclusion After reviewing information about organizational culture and doing the case study on Google, it is shown that the company does have a unique culture that is begins with the founders of Google. Sergey Brin and Larry Page has established the Google culture that is based on informality, creativity, innovation and fun (Google, 2010). This can be seen throughout the company through the artifacts that are present in the company. The way how employees greet and refer to one another as fellow Googlers, where the headquarters of Google are located in a unique and fun place that looks more like a campus than an office, or the way Google treats its employees by providing perks and benefits for them. The importance of organizational culture has shown through the example of the Google case study. Employees have high motivation at the company because they have a heightened sense of purpose and mission at the company. This is why even some employees who became millionaires are still working at Google (Stahl, 2004). Because the founders of Google set the mission to improve the world and to organize the worlds information, that the employees have similar values and beliefs and therefore find themselves aligned with the company. Nevertheless, not every company can apply the Google culture in their organization. The findings of Bakar, Salleh, Ling (2008) suggests that not all types of corporate culture could invoke an increase in the employees job performance. The study concludes that overall corporate culture does have a significant and positive correlation with job performance. Nevertheless, not all types of corporate culture produce significant correlation with the job performance. Here, only entrepreneurial, bureaucratic and competitive cultures are statistically significant in correlations with the job performance. Thus, an organization that strives to improve their employees job performance should inculcate innovative culture that creates an exciting and dynamic environment in which entrepreneurial and ambitious people thrive in this environment. Therefore, it is clearly shown that Googles culture is a unique organizational culture that cannot necessarily be applied in other organizations successfully, especially for organizations that reside in different industries other than the information technology field.