Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Meat And Poultry Consumption An Important Part Of Our...

To feed 316 million Americans, meat has been an important part of our diet and nutrition segment of U.S agriculture. In 2012, total meat and poultry production reached more than 93 billion pounds. There are 6,278 federal inspected meat and poultry slaughtering and processing plants in the U.S (Harrison, 2015). American men eat on average 6.9 ounces of meat per day and women eat 4.4 ounces. Even though we consumed and processed extensive amount of meats for consumption, we tend to overlook important facts on why eating meat is wrong. According to Doctor Wein, Chief of Science Communication Branch in National Institutes of Health (NIH), â€Å"eating red meat on regular basic may shorten your life span†. He wrote this article in attempt to show†¦show more content†¦I had a harder time to breath when walking, even harder when running. Next I would snore during sleep time and sweats without even doing anything. My body was place on burden by the excessive intake of red me ats. It hard to go places when your heart can not pump fast enough bloods to get to your muscles and lungs in order to get your body moving. As a result, many people die from heart diseases which is the number case of death in United States According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) in 2012 acquired health statistics. In addition, â€Å"the International Diabetes Foundation rated the United States as one of the highest nation in developing world in terms of 10.75 percent of adults , which is one out of eight adults suffers from type 1 or type 2 diabetes in 2015† (Lisa, 2015). Next, Doctor Wein describe in his paper a study performed by Dr. Frank Hu of Harvard University of Public Health with his research team whose conducted a large sample studies to see the association between mortality and red meat intake to support his opposition. â€Å"They studied over 37,000 men from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (began in 1986 to 2012) and over 83,000 women from The Nurses’ Health Study which began around 1980s† (Harrison,2012). These participants were in health states at the start of the study which was free of cardiovascular disease and cancer risks. Next, the participants were required to fill out a food questionnaire every four

Monday, December 23, 2019

Gender Roles in the Epic of Gilgamesh Essay - 679 Words

Gender Roles in the Epic of Gilgamesh In the Epic of Gilgamesh, gender plays a very significant role. While women were not the most powerful gods nor the strongest or wisest of humans, they still had tremendous influence. Though the main characters of the story, Gilgamesh and Enkidu, are male, women did not play a necessarily minor role. With all the women that play a role in the Epic of Gilgamesh, gender is a topic worthy of discussion. The obvious role of men in the Epic of Gilgamesh is that of the position of power. Anu, a male, is the most powerful God. Furthermore, not only is Gilgamesh the king of Uruk, but he is also two-thirds divine, which gives him unparalleled power, at least in the human world. This is evident in†¦show more content†¦O Shamash, rise against Humbaba the mighty gale winds...let rise thirteen winds and Humbabas face darken, let the weapons of Gilgamesh then read Humbaba! (George, III, 88-93). Clearly, gender plays a significant role in terms of Ninsun being a wise woman in a motherly position. Ninsun is not the only woman that takes on the role of a wise woman who provides guidance. After passing through the twin mountains of Mashu, Gilgamesh encounters Shiduri, the tavern keeper. Lost in his wanderings, he is forced to seek advice from her on how to reach Uta-napishti. It is ironic because after his blatant abuse of power and mistreatment of women, as mentioned above, it is a woman that he seeks advice from in one of his weakest moments. She tells him how to reach Uta-napishti and the dangers that lay in between and tells him to find Ur-shanabi so that he may continue his journey. In addition to providing guidance, women also play powerful roles. Take Shamhat for example. She uses the power of sex and curiosity to lure Enkidu away from his wild environment. After having sex for seven days and seven nights, Enkidu was no longer able to return to live amongst the animals and was forced to learn the ways of civilized life, which Shamhat taught him. It is easy to see that at this point in the epic, Shamhat clearly possessed the upper hand over Enkidu. HeShow MoreRelatedGender Roles in The Epic of Gilgamesh688 Words   |  3 PagesThe Epic of Gilgamesh: Gender roles The Epic of Gilgamesh chronicles the life of the great warrior and hero Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh is not great hero because he is moral. In fact he is feared because a goddess made him, strong as a savage bull, none can withstand his arms (1). This phrase underlines the terrible power of femininity, in the view of the Mesopotamian culture that produced the text. On one hand, the female principle is responsible for creation. On the other hand, the female principleRead MoreGender Roles During The Epic Of Gilgamesh An Epic Poem 939 Words   |  4 PagesApril 4, 2017 Gender Roles In Gilgamesh, an epic poem, gender roles play a large role in the plot line. Even female goddesses had some key roles through this ancient epic. They might not have necessarily had the same strengths and duties to their male counterparts, but their roles were substantial. Even though the main characters in this epic, Enkidu and Gilgamesh, are male, women still had major roles in their tale. In the story of Ruth, Naomi and her mother-in-law defy gender roles and workRead MoreGender Roles in the Epic of Gilgamesh Essay1141 Words   |  5 Pages The Epic of Gilgamesh is a story of Gilgamesh, a man who was two-thirds god that was saved by companionship. Gilgamesh was a cruel and careless king, who spent his time raping women, exhausting citizens, and conquering foes and foreign lands until he met, fought and was guided by his great friend and soul mate, Enkidu. With the help of Enkidu and his influence, he learned compassion as well as wisdom and integrity, and eventually Gilgamesh became a great and fair king. Though the story focusesRead MoreGender Inequality In Gilgamesh Essay1339 Words   |  6 Pageshistory, there has always been a gender inequality separating the roles and power of men from women. Most societies were patriarchal, emphasizing male dominance in society and directing women towards a more idle role so that they were more ornamental than influential. Through this gender division, women would take on the less powerful role as a nurturing mother, or caring wife over and over again in several ancient societies up to modern day societies. In Gilgamesh, male characters are emphasizedRead MoreRelationship Between Ninsun And The Loving Mother Of Gilgamesh1329 Words   |  6 Pagesmother of Gilgamesh, although conforming to a stereotypical nurturing mother, she creates a sense of wisdom, both as a goddess and as a mother, using this wisdom to guide Gilgamesh towards his quest. Ninsun demonstrates her influence on the epic through her wisdom as she interprets Gilgamesh’s dream â€Å"Soon you will meet him, the companion of your heart. Your dream has said so† (Mitchell 84). As Ninsun reveals what Gilgamesh’s dream mean, she paves a path for the friendship between Gilgamesh and EnkiduRead MoreEast Vs. West Literature Essay931 Words   |  4 Pagesdeals with epics such as The Ramayana and Confucius. While Western Literature typically are epics like Beowulf, The Odyssey, and similar characteristics are also in Gilgamesh.   These types of literatures are so rich in their te xt and have so many different beliefs.   The Eastern and Western Literature compares throughout topics like gender roles, the influence of family, and afterlife beliefs. A stereotype or a set of normal that one does and is appropriate for their sexuality, gender roles. ComparingRead MoreRoles Of Gilegosh And The Power Of Women In Gilgamesh1440 Words   |  6 PagesAlthough women seem to play a less apparent role, women are essential for both the continuation of life and the nurturing of the future, signifying that the power of women is very potent. The women of Gilgamesh are goddesses, priestesses and a variety of other roles, each with their own set of skills, guide Gilgamesh throughout the epic. Despite the perception of some scholars that the women of Gilgamesh appear inferior, the women have diverse and influential roles throughout the story, challenging theRead MoreThe Epic of Gilgamesh1193 Words   |  5 Pagesinfluences individuals. Women are perceived as sexual objects, but have the ability to persuade and influence the male character in literature. The Epic of Gilgamesh portrays the significance ancient Mesopotamian Literature has made on the social image that women possess pertaining to sexuality and appearances to the public eye in modern culture. In Gilgamesh, the harlot Shamhat held a reputation proving that women are only represented in one way. To support this argument, many aspects such as definingRead MoreAnalysis of the Epic of Gilgamesh Essay1122 Words   |  5 Pagesthe Epic of Gilgamesh The epic of Gilgamesh is the earliest primary document discovered in human history dating back to approximately 2,000 B.C.E. This document tells a story of an ancient King Gilgamesh, ruler of Sumer in 2,700 B.C.E. who is created gloriously by gods as one third man and two third god. In this epic, Gilgamesh begins his kingship as an audacious and immature ruler. Exhausted from complaints, the gods send a wild man named Enkidu to become civilized and assist Gilgamesh to matureRead MoreAthanasia: Human Impermanence and the Journey for Eternal Life in the Epic of Gilgamesh1740 Words   |  7 PagesAthanasia: Human Impermanence and the Journey for Eternal Life in the Epic of Gilgamesh â€Å"Will you too die as Enkidu did? Will grief become your food? Will we both fear the lonely hills, so vacant? I now race from place to place, dissatisfied with whereever I am and turn my step toward Utnapishtim, godchild of Ubaratutu† (Jackson â€Å"Gilgamesh Tablet IX† 4-9) Gilgamesh so much feared death that he threw away his honor as a warrior in order to obtain immortality. For centuries there have existed individuals

Sunday, December 15, 2019

The Hidden Face Of Ewaste Environmental Sciences Essay Free Essays

In the epoch of the laptop, have you of all time wondered about what happened to all these good old desktop computing machines? The world is that the industry is invariably scoring us with new appliances that are supposed to give us a more convenient and hearty life. And we buy it! Electronic devices have become such an of import portion of our mundane life that we do non look to be able to populate without it. The downside is that they tend to age truly rapidly. We will write a custom essay sample on The Hidden Face Of Ewaste Environmental Sciences Essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now As a affair of fact, the newest digital equipment are intentionally made to last merely a short period of clip, runing from a few old ages to every bit small as a few months. This phenomenon consequences in a turning demand that is increasing both the production and the ingestion of electrical and electronic equipment. However, really few are witting of what truly happens to their old equipment. Let us unveil the enigma for you. What is E-waste? First of all, Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment ( WEEE ) consists of old electronic contraptions which their former users have disposed of: iceboxs, two-channel systems, telecastings, cellular telephones, computing machines, pressmans, DVD participants, MP3 participants and a assortment of other similar devices. These devices are produced at an highly high rate and that rate is sing an on-going planetary The concealed face of E-waste 3 growing. Harmonizing to Bily ( 2010 ) , the production of WEEE sums to about 50 million dozenss a twelvemonth worldwide. This measure is really alarming, sing the composing of these electronics. Indeed, lead, quicksilver and Cd are a few of the tonss of pollutants that can be found in electronic waste and these elements classify WEEE in the class of risky waste ( Pinto, 2008 ) . The resources required for their production are huge and their effects on the environment is higher than those of other merchandises. The disposal job So what precisely happens to all that waste? First, WEEE are non portion of the conventional waste intervention circuit. The reply is that most merchandises merely go debris. North Americans store on mean two to three disused computing machines in their garage or their cupboard. Harmonizing to Environment Canada, each twelvemonth, 140,000 dozenss of electronic waste go into landfills all around Canada ( RCBC, 2008 ) . Furthermore, the Agency for Environmental Protection calculated that about 70 % of screens and 80 % of telecastings are located in landfills. Today, WEEE are more than 5 % of municipal waste, a figure invariably increasing. Science Daily ( 2010 ) estimates that, relative to 2007 degrees, by 2020, the sum of electronic waste associated with computing machines entirely will most likely leap to 500 % in India, 200 % in South Africa and 400 % in China. The big bulk of WEEE end up in landfills, incinerators, even make fulling in sites. It is well-known that many of these lan dfills emit outflowing discharges, and even the best constructed and controlled leak chemicals and metals. The state of affairs can decline depending on how old the landfill is. Vaporization of metallic quicksilver and dimethyl quicksilver is besides unsafe and can take to puting fires in the landfills that pose a hazard to wellness and the environment. Furthermore, Jeffries ( 2006 ) explains that because it is less expensive to direct it abroad than to cover with it The concealed face of E-waste 4 ourselves, a big measure of rubbish is on a regular basis shipped to landfills in developing states like India, China, and Africa. These states all receive big sums of imported computing machines, cellular telephones, and other electronic waste, some of which is reused but most of which is dumped into a heap. The export of WEEE to developing states is a hazardous method of direction, sometimes illegal, but profitable for companies from industrialised states. The illegal export sometimes takes the visual aspect of giving. This is possible given the ordinances are frequently missing in asperity in developing states and the costs of the work force are really low. Are at that place other solutions? There are three options available to handle electronics before they end up as waste. These options are storage, reuse and recycling. However, in Canada, electronic waste is normally stored in landfills. There is another manner of covering with WEEE and that is through reuse. An illustration of reuse can be observed in India. In this state, out of the five million Personal computers, 27 % of theoretical accounts are 8 old ages of age or older. The reuse can so be a good manner to widen the life of a merchandise. However, the sad world is that most of e-waste is non properly dealt with. It is really common for developed states to direct their old contraptions to developing states, either lawfully or illicitly. This action constitutes a temporal solution to their disposal job. Another manner of disposing of your refuse is through recycling. Nevertheless, frequently regarded as a positive procedure, in this context, the â€Å" recycling † is a somewhat different proccess. It inclu des dismantlement, tear uping, incineration, and frequently exportation. It is seldom regulated and involves many hazards like the irremediable taint of the H2O, the dirt and the ambiance ( UNEP, 2005 ) . Merely 20 % of e-waste really go through the recycling procedure. Although the measures of waste are increasing, the industry is slow to develop systems of modern recycling. The concealed face of E-waste 5 What are the impacts? The disposal of e-waste has a major negative impacts on the environment, which consequences in impacting people ‘s wellness. The recycling procedure of these merchandises in developing states is really distressing, particularly as methods are crude and people are frequently faced with fundamental and unsafe working conditions working without protection for the custodies or for the face. Gass, acidic solutions, toxic exhausts and contaminated ash from these centres pose serious jobs for wellness and environment. And it is precisely due to the hapless quality of the H2O and the contaminated dirt that we find serious unwellnesss. It has been found that the e-waste recycling activities were responsible for promoting blood lead degrees in Chinese kids from Guiyu, a little recycling town on the South China seashore. It has been found that its pollution rate is 180 times superior than the bounds fixed by the World Health Organization. ( Monika, 2010 ) . The e-waste industry is using a bout 150,000 people in Guiyu and 25,000 more work in the junkyards of New Delhi, in India. In malice of the backbreaking and unsafe conditions, workers will merely gain between 1 and 4 dollars a twenty-four hours ( Kielburger, 2008 ) . What can we make? To cut down pollution, assorted policies are being evaluated, developed and implemented. Canada joined the Basel Convention on Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal in 1992. This was created to halt economically profitable methods of cargos of unsafe waste to states that refuse e-waste import. But why would anyone accept to go the rubbish bin of the indutrialised universe ‘s e-waste? Robbins ( 2007 ) clarifies the grounds for the start of this commercialism in the undermentioned words: The concealed face of E-waste 6 Poorer states were likely to accept exported wastes because their high international debt tonss and weak economic systems positioned them ill to reject any income-generating activities. As the debatable and unfair nature of the international toxins trade became better recognized, concern led to developing and implementing international controls. ( p. 101-102 ) Some states are implementing plans pollution bar and minimisation waste. Among these attacks, â€Å" Producer Responsibility â€Å" ( EPR ) is important. The nonsubjective: doing importers of electrical and electronic devices responsible for the life rhythm of their merchandises. The rule is that makers have an involvement to ease recycling and dismantlement, to restrict the usage of resources, pollution and waste. This can merely be done through a design and through recommending ecological reuse and effectual recycling. In decision, based on the dismaying menace that e-waste represents, it is indispensable to allow the general public be cognizant of the serious effects that e-waste has on our environment and our wellness. Our local authoritiess should besides be informed of this so that they can set up an substructure for safe direction of WEEE. Even though pull offing e-waste is an expensive procedure, we are called to get down sing what schemes could be undertaken to make a responsible e-waste direction, minimise its production and do its constituents easy to recycle and recycle. The concealed face of E-waste 7 How to cite The Hidden Face Of Ewaste Environmental Sciences Essay, Essay examples

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Australian Accounting Standard Board

Questions: Issue 1. When finalising the financial statements for the year ended 30 June 2014 two significant errors were made and there is debate as to whether we should simply adjust the financial statements in the current year or change last years financial statements as well. The IT system of the company was installed 3 years ago at a cost of approximately $3.5 million and was estimated to last 10 years. However the latest technology advancements indicate that this was a very optimistic estimate and that the maximum life span of this equipment will probably be not more than 6 years in total with little or no residual value. It was also discovered in August 2014 that a machine worth $2.2 million purchased in January 2014 was erroneously written off to repairs and maintenance instead of being capitalised. Deberella the marketing director thinks we should just adjust this years figures to account for these problems but Peter indicated that it was slightly more complicated than that. Could you please giv e us some advice on this? Issue 2. A number of employees who work on our strategic management team have been with us for a number of years - at least 12 of them have been with us since the company commenced operations in 2006. In accordance with the Employee Bargaining Agreement (EBA) all employees are entitled to long service leave of 13 weeks if they remain in service for 10 years. They are also entitled to pro rata long service leave after 6 years of service. Our usual practice is to show the long service leave expense in the income statement when the employee actually takes leave and is paid. Of course we maintain a memorandum record of the number of days each employee is entitled to. Peter has indicated to us that he thinks we should consider treating this expense in a different manner, which seems complicated. The directors are wondering why we should complicate a very simple way of calculating long service leave why not stick with recognising the expense when we pay for it? What do you think we should do and w hy? Issue 3. Peter, the new financial controller, has also informed the board that the company will need to present a statement of cash flows with the financial statements in addition to those statements already being presented, which really attracted a lot of attention. Some of the directors thought it was a waste of time to present this statement as it was merely a summarised cash book. Others were of the opinion that it could be useful but didnt quite know how they would use it. The structure of the statement of cash flows also came into question with one of the directors suggesting that we merely needed to get a printout of the cash account and attach it. Another said that we couldnt just do that as we needed to show operating, instigating and financing cash flows in the statement. Could you please clarify this matter for us? Answers: Issue 1. The case law is related to AASB 108 Accounting Policies, Changes in Accounting Estimates and Errors and Changes in Accounting Estimate There are certain items in financial statements that cannot be ascertained with perfect prediction. Such things can only be forecasted or estimated. The reason behind this is that the behind this is that the business is conducted in an uncertain environment. Nothing can be accurately predicted so we see the use of probability over here. There are various items of financial statements where estimation is required. These are as follows (a) Debtors becoming bad; (b) Inventory becoming outdated or obsolete; (c) Fair value of the financial assets or liabilities; (d) The useful lives of, or the expected pattern of the consumption of the future economic benefits in the depreciable assets; (e) The obligations of warranty. An entity cannot ignore the use of accounting estimate. The management has to select the estimates with high degree of precision. There are certain statutory requirements regarding estimation of certain items of financial statements. The management is at its discretion to change the estimate but the change should be disclosed and should be supported be facts. With respect to the nature of accounting standard, revising any estimate that was related to the prior periods is also not a correction of any error. Any change in accounting estimate has to be recognized in the financial statements. Such changes have to be recognized prospectively i.e. the past data on financial statements should not change. The changes will effect only current years financial statements. These are as follows (a) The period of such change, if such change affects that period only; or (b) The period of such change and the future periods, if such change affects both. There is an exception to the above. A particular change has a retrospective effect. Any change in accounting estimates that affects assets and liabilities or any aspect related to equity is has to be given a retrospective effect Error and Omission The items stated in the financial statements shall be given a retrospective effect for the following corrections Adjusting the comparative amount of the previous periods that are to be reported in which the error has been caused; or Adjusting the opening balances of liabilities, assets and the equity for the earlier previous years reported, if the error has been caused before the earlier previous periods presented. But in case that it is not possible to determine the exact cumulative effect of the change then the error is corrected from the beginning of that period from where it is possible to give effect in monetary terms with perfection and not estimation. Conclusion 1 An entity cannot ignore the use of accounting estimate. The management has to select the estimates with high degree of precision. There are certain statutory requirements regarding estimation of certain items of financial statements. The management is at its discretion to change the estimate but the change should be disclosed and should be supported be facts. Our case represent the aspect of change in accounting estimate and hence the effects of depreciation shall be shall be adjusted for the financial statements relating to the current year Conclusion 2 The machine having value of $2.2 million was debited to repairs and maintenance by mistake. Such mistake should be rectified by passing rectification entries Issue 2. Long Service Leave The following are the entitlements which are common for all the Acts and Awards 1. An entitlement which is legal and unconditional. Further the payment to such employee will arise only when he or she completes certain years of service i.e. 10years or 15 years. The Accumulation of the long service leave entitlement shall continue after this point, up till the leave is actually taken. 2. In certain situation like death, retrenchment, etc a legal entitlement to the pro rata instead of in place of long leave may arise. Any employer to whom the provisions of AASB 1028 apply can have employees falling in more than one mentioned above categories In some cases the employer provides the facilities of leave entitlement and the other cases they participate. This creates an obligation upon the employer to provide for future outflows that he or she may have to incur. Therefore he need to provide and recognise liability of an employee. Conclusion The statement of Peter is absolutely correct for treating the expense in a different manner. It is the requirement of AASB 1028 by treating it as liability or separate liability depending upon the scheme of long service and then charging the same to revenue as discussed above. Issue 3 There are certain benefits of cash flow 1. This statement helps the users of financial statement in evaluating the changes occurred net assets of any entity, the financial position of the company and the capability of the company to affect the changes in the cash flow in the form of timings to adopt to the changing situation and opportunities 2. This statement is helpful to the management as it helps in knowing the capability of the company in generating the cash flows. These cash flows can be discounted at cost of capital which is weighted average and thus one can determine the future profitability of a business 3. A proper bifurcation is provided by the cash flow statement regarding the financial statements and the inflow and outflow of cash. These three bifurcated activities are a. Financing activities shows changes in the capital part of financial statements i.e. those activities are recorded here which shows changes in the size and composition of the contributed equity and borrowings of the entity. b. Investing activities shows changes in fixed assets. Newly purchased fixed assets or any asset discarded are recorded here. Fixed assets are those which are purchased not for resale but for production and providing the goods and services or equivalent items. c. Operating activities shows changes in those activities which are carried out by the company to earn revenue. One can say them the principal activities carried out to earn revenue. These activities exclude financing and investing activities. 4. One can use past years cash flow statements to conduct some statistical analysis. Based on this statistical analysis one can predict the future outflow and inflow of cash. It is also helpful in measuring the accuracy of the past assessments of the future cash flows and also examining the bonding between the net cash flow and profitability and the effect of changing prices. Financial statements include the following: A statement that shows the financial position as at the end of the period; A statement that shows profit or loss for the period; A statement that shows changes in equity for the period; A statement that shows changes in cash flows for the period; Notes including a summary of significant accounting policies followed and other information that provide explanation; Cash Flow Statements This Standard applies to: Every entity which is mandatorily to prepare the financial statements as per the Part 2M.3 of the Corporations Act; The general purpose financial reports of every reporting entity; and The financial reports that are held to be general purpose financial reports. Cash includes the following items Cash at hand and demand deposits One can define cash equivalent as short term but liquid investments. These can be easily converted to cash Cash includes cash and cash equivalents also The cash flow statement shall be prepared in accordance with the statutory requirements and should be presented in a statutory manner. Conclusion The company should prepare cash flow statement. Complying the requirements of accounting standards is the statutory and mandatory requirement of AASB 101 and AASB 107. References AASB, 2011, Accounting Policies, Changes in Accounting Estimates and Errors reviewed on 28th January 2015, https://www.aasb.gov.au/admin/file/content105/c9/AASB108_07-04_COMPmay11_07-11.pdf Chartered Accountants, 2013, Accounting Policies, Changes in Accounting Estimates and Errors reviewed on 28th January 2015, https://www.charteredaccountants.com.au/Industry-Topics/Reporting/Australian-accounting-standards/Analysis-of-AASB-standards/AASB-108--Accounting-policies-changes-in-accounting-estimates-and-errors?standard=%7B846095B1-DF0D-4BAD-967E-FFBB46D5F8AE%7D AASB, 2001, Employee Benefits reviewed on 28th January 2015, https://www.aasb.gov.au/admin/file/content102/c3/AASB1028_06-01.pdf AASB, 2011, Presentation of Financial Statements reviewed on 28th January 2015, https://www.aasb.gov.au/admin/file/content105/c9/AASB101_09-07_COMPsep11_07-12.pdf AASB, 2007, Cash Flow Statements reviewed on 28th January 2015, https://www.aasb.gov.au/admin/file/content105/c9/AASB107_07-04_COMPjul07_07-07.pdf

Monday, November 25, 2019

Free Essays on Marketing And Internet

In the last several years, the increased diffusion of computer and telecommunications technologies in businesses and homes has produced new ways for organizations to connect with their customers. These computer mediated environments (CMEs) such as the World Wide Web raise new research questions. In this paper, we examine the potential research issues associated with CMEs in five areas: (1) decision processes, (2) advertising and communications, (3) brand choice, (4) brand communities, and (5) pricing. In the last several years, the world of the marketing has changed dramatically with the rapid diffusion of computer and information technologies throughout businesses and homes. The two most notable changes that have increased potential of linking buyers and sellers are the number of households owning personal computers (over 33% in the U.S.) and the exponential growth of applications of the Internet, most notably the World Wide Web (WWW). With increased penetration of computers, particularly multi-media computers equipped with CD-ROM drives and modems, subscription-based services such as America Online (AOL), Prodigy, and Compuserve, where consumers are able to check airline flight schedules and make reservations, purchase a wide variety of products, and discuss product performance with other consumers, are becoming very popular. Households in Chicago and San Francisco can purchase groceries from home using computer software marketed by Peapod, Inc. This latter service allows consumers to search within a product category using attributes such as price, calories, sugar content, and package size. Car manufacturers such as BMW regularly mail CD-ROMs to potential customers with video shots of the cars and data both about the cars and their competitors. Durable goods can be purchased through CUC International’s Shopper’s Advantage membership-based service (www.cuc.com). â€Å"Virtual† shopping experien ces (Burke 1996) enable marketing r... Free Essays on Marketing And Internet Free Essays on Marketing And Internet In the last several years, the increased diffusion of computer and telecommunications technologies in businesses and homes has produced new ways for organizations to connect with their customers. These computer mediated environments (CMEs) such as the World Wide Web raise new research questions. In this paper, we examine the potential research issues associated with CMEs in five areas: (1) decision processes, (2) advertising and communications, (3) brand choice, (4) brand communities, and (5) pricing. In the last several years, the world of the marketing has changed dramatically with the rapid diffusion of computer and information technologies throughout businesses and homes. The two most notable changes that have increased potential of linking buyers and sellers are the number of households owning personal computers (over 33% in the U.S.) and the exponential growth of applications of the Internet, most notably the World Wide Web (WWW). With increased penetration of computers, particularly multi-media computers equipped with CD-ROM drives and modems, subscription-based services such as America Online (AOL), Prodigy, and Compuserve, where consumers are able to check airline flight schedules and make reservations, purchase a wide variety of products, and discuss product performance with other consumers, are becoming very popular. Households in Chicago and San Francisco can purchase groceries from home using computer software marketed by Peapod, Inc. This latter service allows consumers to search within a product category using attributes such as price, calories, sugar content, and package size. Car manufacturers such as BMW regularly mail CD-ROMs to potential customers with video shots of the cars and data both about the cars and their competitors. Durable goods can be purchased through CUC International’s Shopper’s Advantage membership-based service (www.cuc.com). â€Å"Virtual† shopping experien ces (Burke 1996) enable marketing r...

Friday, November 22, 2019

Evaluate the appropriateness of the operating systems elements in Essay

Evaluate the appropriateness of the operating systems elements in terms of their contributions to productivity and overall effectiveness - Essay Example The Toyota production system like any other system has its own way of carrying out its operations. It has a strategy of improving depending on the set standards. This aims at involving the participation of its staff to help eradicate unnecessary wastes. The objective of the system is make the delivery more effective by reducing time taken between when an order is issued and when delivery is made to the clients. Just like any organization or system, the Toyota Production System focuses on not only making their products of high quality but of lower cost of production, to maximize on the profits. Secondly, it is aiming at achieving workers satisfaction, fair treatment, and job security among its workers (Chiarini 2012 pg 345). The final objective is to give the company flexibility in relationship with trends in the local and global markets, to achieve maximum profit through reduction of overhead costs and realizing a sustainable prosperity. Complete elimination of all waste, unevenness in all sections of work and overburden, allows members of staff to work smoothly and efficiently. In addition, core values of the system are built on standardization that ensures safe methods of production and sustained quality of production. Toyota community is steel seeking to improve its standard processes and techniques in order to bring in maximum quality, eliminate waste, and maximize efficiency in a process known as kaizen. The process is applied in all the production elements of the company. Kaizen is a core element in the Toyota production system. Like in all large-scale production systems, Toyota requires all tasks both mechanical and human be specified and precisely standardized to ensure highest quality, improve production efficiency, and eliminate waste. In this section of production system, the members of staff follow closely these standardized works and

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Critically assess how interprofessional collaboration is the key to Essay

Critically assess how interprofessional collaboration is the key to delivering modern health and social care services - Essay Example The complexity of human health which professionals face suggests the need for a reconstruction of how they conceptualize and create knowledge. Further, such knowledge can be deepened through a dialectical process of people reflecting and acting with others to both change and understand it (Gaventa & Cornwall, 2001). In this sense, interdisciplinary structure may allow health professionals to conduct studies and collaboration between them in a research process that would increase the quality of research outcomes. It has been argued that the strength of the inter-professional collaborative research group lies in the framework where contributions from a wide range of professional perspectives are incorporated into the research process (Bond & Thompson, 1996; Ryan & Hassel, 2001). Larson (2003) identified that successful collaborations would comprise a number of multi-professional teams. Similarly, Ryan and Hassell (2001) identified collaboration as the main characteristic of inter-profe ssional research and explained that collaboration across disciplines leads to the identification of health problems through the contribution of respective knowledge and experience from different professionals in a research process with open channels of communication and the absence of professional hierarchies. Drinka and Clark (2000) argued that professional differences between group members have been identified as the basic problem in regards to communication which is one of the most important elements of a successful inter-professional collaboration in research (Gelling & Chatfield, 2001). Poor inter-professional communication, including the system where information is misheard, misread and misunderstood, would break down the working relationship between professionals in groups and affect how professionals work collaboratively in the decision-making and knowledge-producing process. On the other hand, due to professional differences and distincts values and knowledge that each prof essional holds, every member knows less about each other and so it is easy to see the problem of unequal effort in their working relationship and the difficulties in building up a relationship of trust without mutual respect. The lack of trust would limit the sharing of responsibility or workload between professionals which seems inevitable and closely related to the entire research process. Group dynamics can also be a challenge and would distort collective discourse that may generate invalid understanding. As Bray et al. (2000) argued, defensive routines and groupthink would challenge the critical reflection process within the group and the ability to assess the situation from various experience and knowledge bases and build more wide-ranging and objective

Monday, November 18, 2019

The impact on globalization in hospitality industry Essay

The impact on globalization in hospitality industry - Essay Example What is the impact of global marketing with regard to positioning and branding? The complexity of globalization is presented here as the positive and negative effects, implication to local government’s tourism policies and marketing strategies of the hospitality industry. Globalization has encouraged all kinds of people from all over the world to visit places of interest, to make business, study or to take a leisure vacation. As such, it is not rare to find different races of people gather in a place. What is the implication of this? This eliminates discrimination, brings cultural interaction and makes them understand each other. A friendly environment is created regardless of the color of skin. This gives an opportunity to managers of the hospitality industry to prepare a marketing plan that would suit to the individual culture and preferences of guests for a more profitable tourism. It makes managers understand different cultures. (scribd.com) Purposes of travel of people have increased the market base for the whole industry, as now, people travel not only for holidays, but for other reasons too. In India, statistics show an annual 13% growth rate in tourism. In 2006, tourists’ number is 4 million as compared to 2.06 million in 2002. (India tourism, statistics and figure 2004) Tourists’ arrival in China is 21 million in 2009. From this figure, a large number of tourists come from Asia, followed by travelers from Europe, and then visitors from America. Asian visitors go to China for sightseeing and leisure as the first priority, meeting business second reason, to work as third and, visiting relatives as last purpose. . (China National Tourist Office) As visitors come in to a tourist destination, they spend money that causes a multiplier effect in the economy. It has contributed to the GDP of countries; China, for instance has a total of approximately 5,201 hotels, a growth of nearly 20% since 1996. This represents a total of

Saturday, November 16, 2019

A real estate investment trust

A real estate investment trust Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Introduction A Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) is a mode of indirect investment which buys, sells, develops and manages property investments. REITs have an advantage in that they experience gains from certain taxation rules. Before REITs were introduced in the UK in 2007 listed property companies suffered from double taxation, with corporation and investors tax being paid on their dividends. With direct property investment there was only one taxation charge on rental income. In order to alleviate this problem the REIT structure was adopted in the UK, by making companies exempt if they met certain requirements. The birth of the REIT structure came from the United States and dates back as far as the 1880s. Originally they were simple modes of investment were it enabled investors to avoid double taxation by distributing their income to beneficiaries. In this essence they have not changed however are more heavily regulated than these early days. Although this tax advantage was ended in the US for a period they quickly re-emerged in 1960s, were their structure has been developed since. Certain changes such as allowing pension funds investment access has saw the mode of investment sore. Although REITs offer advantages of taxation it also has numerous benefits over direct property investment vehicles. The heterogeneity of property can lead to uncertainty about its market value which can be compounded by thin trading in some locations with a lack of transparent data on transaction prices also. Thin trading can lead to delays in the sale and slow legal transfer process. These disadvantages of direct property create the potential for illiquidity and prevent fund managers from actively managing their portfolios. Property also has higher management and transaction costs than the paper asset quality of REITs which can be sold in smaller divisible units. Direct property is â€Å"lumpy† in that only the largest financial institutions can afford to buy in any large volume. REITs have the benefit of being a paper asset tradable on major exchanges with their dividend linked to the income from property. Information for REITs are freely available and regulated by accountin g policies. REITs also have the benefit of the opportunity for investors to diversify risk in their portfolio. This has the benefits of property but without the difficulties linked to direct property investments. In the REIT structure there are 3 different types of REITs generally on offer. Equity REITs offer investment trusts where greater than 75% of assets are in the form of direct ownership of income producing properties. These are the most popular form of REIT. Mortgage REITs however deal in the ownership and investment of property mortgages, they loan money to owners of property or invest in existing mortgages or mortgage securities. These are debt instruments were income is generated from the interest they earn on the mortgage loans. A Hybrid REITs combine both equity and debt instrument. Although REITs appear to offer many advantages in comparison to direct property investment their history in UK since their instigation in the UK has been greatly chequered with the global economic downturn having effected fund values greatly. Source- REITa.org 1.2 Proposition The proposition for this paper is; â€Å"Investor confidence in the UK-REIT has been permanently affected by the timing of their introduction to the UK during the recession.† 1.3 Aims and Objectives Indirect investment in property has been a steadily growing mode of investment in the UK over the previous years. With Real Estate Investment Trusts being introduced to the UK in 2007 my overall research aims to establish the effects recent years have had on investor confidence in UK-REITs performance as an indirect investment mode in portfolios. In order to meet this aim a number of objectives are assembled. These are: To look at how the recession has affected investment in property as a whole. To compare how direct and indirect investment in property have performed in the UK during the recession. To establish whether there is an inherent problem with the structure of UK—REITs or has the recession been the main driver for their underperformance. To interview a mixture of fund managers, property investors and general property professionals in order to support theoretical findings of the poor performance of UK-REITs since their introduction and establish any other underlying factors in the UK-REIT system. 1.4 Scope of Study This research initially involves an overview of the structure of the UK-REIT and its performance history since January 2007. The scope of the study is then further narrowed down, with emphasis on why the UK-REIT has performed poorly supported by interviews to indicate investors views of the future performance of UK-REITs. 1.5 Structure of Study Chapter one: Introduction Introduces the field of this study and states the hypothesis that will be investigated. The chapter also sets out the aims and objectives of the dissertation to â€Å"understand the history of REIT performance within the UK and ascertain if investor confidence has been permanently affected by the recession† and concludes with a brief discussion of the methods used. Chapter two: Research Methodology States the research methodology utilised to carry out this study. It looks at the various types of research and data that will be employed and how these findings will be analysed. Chapter 3: Literature Review This shall look at the generic fundamentals of the UK structure of the REIT in order to establish that the UK-REIT structure is not flawed. It will look at the theoretical determinants of the performance the UK-REIT. Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Conclusion will look at the key findings of the study. Conclusion Chapter 2: Research Methodology 2.1 Introduction The purpose of all research is fundamentally the same and is defined by â€Å"seeking through methodical processes to add to ones own body of knowledge and hopefully, to that of others, by the discovery of non trivial facts and insights.† Sharp and Howard (1996) This chapter shall detail the methods to be implemented during the course of this study. It shall include a brief outline of different methods used; secondary data and primary data along with quantitative and qualitative data. It shall show the process with which the research shall follow, along with its limitations and finally an explanation of how the results can be analysed. 2.2 Types of Research Methods The different types of research methods used during this study shall be described below. 2.21 Secondary Research Secondary research involves the summary, collation and or synthesis of existing research. For my dissertation I shall look at a number of sources of secondary research in order to better inform my primary research. I shall use existing academic research on REITs from journals, in order to source such material from the Library catalogue. Textbooks shall provide another academic background to the subject. Articles from publications such as the Financial Times shall provide current views of property professionals. Search engines such as www.google.com and the Google scholar service shall provide further material for this paper. Historic data on the performance of REITs can be sourced from such bodies as the IPD and REITA.org. This quantitative data shall be statistically analysed. Academic integrity of sources shall have to be taken into consideration when reviewing secondary sources. Academic journals have the Newton metaphor of â€Å"standing on the shoulders of giants† in that their material has been reviewed intensively by other academics before being published. However other material may not have such integrity in their views. For example articles are only one persons view point on a subject and thus may not be entirely correct. 2.22 Primary Research Primary research involves the collection of data that does not already exist. My dissertation shall look to conduct primary research through semi- structured interviews with a mixture of fund managers, property investors and general property professionals. This research shall be in the form of a questionnaire emailed to the individual. The results of which shall be treated ethically following the research ethics guiding principle outlined by Dissertation Guide. This Chapter 3: Literature Review 3.1 Introduction This Chapter shall aim to look into the work of previous academics on REITs. Firstly we shall look at depth the generic fundamentals of the UK structure of the REIT in order to establish that the UK-REIT structure is not flawed. Secondly it will look at the place of REITs in a modern portfolio, REITs as an inflation hedge, information transfer between direct and indirect property and REIT sensitivity. 3.2 The UK structure of the REIT The introduction of REITs in the UK has been long in the making and regarded by many as long overdue. The 2003 Pre-budget report announced that â€Å"in line with the interim recommendations of the Barker review, the government has concluded that reform to the tax treatment of property investment would improve liquidity, transparency and scrutiny, provide access to property for long-term savings and could expand the private rented sector† This was the beginnings of the process that concluded with the introduction of Real estate investment trusts in January 2007. In order to establish a Real Estate Investment Trust structure in the UK the HM Treasury published the Paper â€Å"Promoting more flexible investment in property: a consultation† in 2004. The purpose of this paper was to look at the possibilities of REITs in the UK and to look at successful structures which had been implemented in other countries. By looking at these other structures HM Treasury concluded that REIT structures which I had been successfully implement elsewhere were close-ended, publicly listed and internally manage. The Paper also outlined the requirement to distribute a high level of the income to investors, combined with restrictions on debt gearing and development activity permitted. In order for Real Estate Investment Trusts to be instigated in the UK the Government through this paper set out four key objectives for reform: â€Å"Improving the quality and quantity of finance for investment in commercial and residential property. Expanding access to a wider range of savings products on a stable and well regulated basis. Protecting all taxpayers by ensuring a fair level of tax is paid by the property sector. Supporting the structural change in property markets to reduce costs and improve flexibility and quality for tenants.† HM Treasury 2004 3.21 UK Structural Features The paper (HM Treasury, 2004) also outlined structural features that would be vital to the design of any proposed property investment fund for the UK. Firstly one of the primary objectives for introducing a REIT structure to the UK would be to be listed on the stock exchange. This would expand the opportunity for small investors to invest in a wider range of property. It would also ensure fairness restricting private companies taking advantage of the tax arrangement without delivering some of the wider public benefits. The paper also outlines further benefits to being lists on the stock exchange; ensuring a wide investor base and encourages access to the retail investor. The listed property structure also determines frequent market scrutiny with the regulation structure already place in the stock market ensuring transparency for the investor, whilst also increasing liquidity of the asset type. Another potential advantage would be that the fund might trade closer to its net asset value, which would make it easier to raise new capital on the market. A second key structural feature of the UK-REIT was to establish if a close-ended or open ended fund structure would be more suitable. An open ended structure could mean that the scheme may have to liquidate asset quickly, at a time which might not be appropriate for the market leading to instability. The nature of property as an illiquid asset and with the requirement of some degree of liquidity to be present in the portfolio causes difficulties in the open ended structure. With the close-ended structure the UK-REIT these difficulties do not arise. If an investor wishes to withdraw an investment they may simply sell shares, where the price reflects market equilibrium for the share. Thirdly in this early stage of the looking at the possible UK-REIT structure it was decided that there would be a high level of income distribution to investors. This was to ensure that that investors had good returns. However the exact distribution percentage needed to be designed to reflect conditions specific to the UK in order to for there to be sufficient cash to maintain properties in the portfolio. The report also looked at the levels of borrowing that the property investment fund should be allowed. If there was high borrowing allowed then this would imply high debt service costs, reducing the level of income to investors, perhaps also changing the balance from an income return based investment to a capital value return. With high borrowing, then the structure may resemble that of an ordinary property company. The report also looks at concern over the development activity in the UK structure. The government had two objectives for this; firstly to encourage greater renewal within the property industry, to develop new commercial and residential property. Also secondly to ensure that the property sector contributes its share of tax, with high levels of income and capital being distributed to investors. With the high distribution costs and borrowing restrictions it was decided that the fund should not be a vehicle which newly developed property would be sold and managed. In December 2006 HM Revenues and Customs published their pre budget report, outlining the UK- REIT structure that would be implemented in January 2007. 90% of the income from the tax exempt business is to be distributed to shareholders within 12 months of the end of the accounting period. The company must not be controlled by five or fewer shareholders. Shares must be recognised on a recognised stock exchange An entry Charge of 2% of the market value of their investment properties is chargeable at the date of conversion 75% or more of its assets must take the form of investment property and 75% or more of its income must be rental income. The company must not borrow money on terms that are linked to its profits. Distributions of UK-REITs tax exempt income are treated as income from property. Where a UK-REIT carries on a joint venture, the activities of the joint venture company can be taken into account in deciding if the UK-REIT meets the regime conditions. Restrictions on gearing; profits must cover interest payments by at least 1.25times failing this the company will pay corporation tax. 3.3 REITs place in a Portfolio The place of REITs in a portfolio has been the subject of much debate. Chiang et al. (2002) conducted research into the place of REITs in a contemporary portfolio. It states that the business of investment management is a decentralised, top-down one in which practitioners must estimate the optimal asset class mix. Therefore fund managers must have an understanding of what exactly Real Estate Investment Trusts are at the macro level, in order to be effective in optimising and diversifying their portfolios. If an investment manager was able to mimic the returns of REITs, the less understood REIT would be likely to be operationally redundant. However if the price behaviour of REITs is unique then including REITs into portfolios would be essential and beneficial to practitioners, as their portfolios are further diversified at the macro level. The Chiang et al paper is motivated to provide evidence regarding the benefits of diversification from including REITs in multi asset portfolios wi thout or combined with unsecuritised real estate. Liang and McIntosh (1998) however include a more complete set of asset classes over a longer period of time in order to derive more conclusive results. The research concluded that REITs are a unique asset class which cannot be mimicked at the macro level by investing in other asset classes. The paper also investigated that styles of REITs can change over time, while the returns remained unique throughout the sample period. However in a study by Glasgock et al.(2000) claims that previous research only looked at linear relationships and without acknowledging the long run economic effects that may occur. In their study they used integration analysis to examine long term economic relationships among REITs and other markets. Need more about real estate versus stocks

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

DOUBLE SPEAK Essay -- essays research papers

Doublespeak  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Doublespeak, whether intentional or unintentional is communication that is obscure, pompous, vague, evasive and confusing.() In most instances, doublespeak tries to achieve a particular objective as is the case in President Bush’s address to the nation on September 11, after the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. The objective of this speech is clearly to mollify the emotions of a frightened nation and at the same time set the tone for what is to come as a result of the attacks. In this speech one can find many examples of doublespeak. These examples seem to be intentional although they defy typical doublespeak in that the doublespeak is not intended for any personal gains and is not concealed with a lot of convoluted language. If one can understand some of the basic principles about making sense of media-speak then the domino effect of this type of speech can be reduced.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the first statements President Bush makes in his speech can be classified as doublespeak. When he say’s â€Å"Our way of life, our very freedom came under attack,† he is indirectly saying that everything Americans are accustomed to and enjoy is at stake. With these simple words and the tone chosen to deliver them President Bush is strategically taking the emotions of the American people for a ride while making it clear that the American people are his target audience. An important principle for properly deciphering this instance of doublespeak is to unload first responses and get them out in the open so the rest of the message can be received clearly and unobstructed by inner thoughts. Other examples of doublespeak that fit into the same category as the previous one are when President Bush uses the phrases, â€Å"Foundation of America† and â€Å"Steel of American Resolve.† Both of these examples attempt to evoke an emotional resp onse although, the emotions attempting to be extracted are different from those in the beginning of the speech. They differ because they set the tone for new offensive and secure feelings opposed to the original feelings of defense and endangerment. This example also illustrates how obscure doublespeak can be.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  President Bush regards the attacks as despicable and evil acts. The word evil is the doublespeak in this example. The way he uses this word automati... ...nbsp;  Ã‚  Ã‚  G-d is stronger than any human on earth. Walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Not fearing the terrorists because of such a tragedy in close proximity. Every walk of life  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All races, genders, and cultures. Resolve for justice and peace  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We are going to war. Eliminating Mediaspeak: Is it Clear Now?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Doublespeak is deceptive as are most of the examples mentioned from this speech. On the contrary, doublespeak as explored through this example is sometimes a necessary tool to address an issue in a manner that is politically correct. When the doublespeak present in this speech is eliminated the underlying themes are not entirely lost and the speech is still effective. I think given the circumstances the audience was pleased with the underlying messages delivered and probably expected them making it easier to decipher President Bush’s jargon. The speech could have been delivered without doublespeak and more directly, but the perception of the audience would likely remain the same.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Monday, November 11, 2019

American Idiot Essay

The song that I chose to write about is titled American Idiot by Green Day. This song was on Green Day’s album titled American Idiot. This album was originally released in 2004. American Idiot, the song, peaked at number 61 on the Billboard Hot 100. My reason for choosing this song is that it talks about how the media runs society and how people shouldn’t let the media run their lives. The main social issue that is talked about in this song is how the media runs our lives and society. One of the lines in the song is â€Å"Don’t wanna be an American idiot, one nation controlled by the media. † This line refers to how people in America rely heavily on the media for everything. They trust every word that is printed in a newspaper or magazine or said on television without question. People hang on every word that is pumped through the media. I don’t consider this to be a personal problem because it refers to all people being controlled by the media. It is not as if the singer in the song is the only one that the media affects. Media is worldwide ways of letting people know what is going on around them. What Billy Joe Armstrong is saying throughout this song is that people need to realize is that not everything that a person hears is necessarily true and people should not panic just because of what the news says. Green Day is an American rock band that was formed in 1987. the group consists of three members: Billy Joe Armstrong(vocals), Tre` Cool(drums), and Mike Dirnt(bass). In 1988, they signed to Lookout Records and then in 1989 they released their first EP titled 1,000 Hours. However, the band didn’t have much success until it released the album Kerplunk in 1993. After Kerplunk’s success, Green Day proceeded to leave Lookout Records and sign with Reprise Records. In 1994, they released their first major label debut, Dookie. Over the next few years, Green Day would have much success but then decided to take a break in 1996. They returned in 1997. When they returned, they began to work on a new full-length album. This album was entitled Nimrod and was released in October of 1997. This album deviated from their normally pop-punk style of music and gave listeners a variety of music. They didn’t release another album until 2000 when they released Warning which further continued their new sound that they started with Nimrod. After releasing Warning, they were nominated for 8 awards in the California Music Awards. They won all eight awards. The band then continued their success over the next few years. In 2004 the band released American Idiot. And then in 2006 they won the Grammy for record of the year because of the track Boulevard of Broken Dreams which spent 16 weeks at the top of the charts. The lyrics to American Idiot are as follows: â€Å"Don’t wanna be an American idiot. Don’t want a nation under the new mania. And can you hear the sound of hysteria? The subliminal mindfuck America. Welcome to a new kind of tension. All across the alienation. Everything isn’t meant to be okay. Television dreams of tomorrow. We’re not the ones who’re meant to follow. For that’s enough to argue. Well maybe I’m the faggot America. I’m not a part of a redneck agenda. Now everybody do the propaganda. And sing along in the age of paranoia. Welcome to a new kind of tension. All across the alienation. Everything isn’t meant to be okay. Television dreams of tomorrow. We’re not the ones who’re meant to follow. For that’s enough to argue. Don’t wanna be an American idiot. One nation controlled by the media. Information age of hysteria. It’s calling out to idiot America. Welcome to a new kind of tension. All across the alienation. Everything isn’t meant to be okay. Television dreams of tomorrow. We’re not the ones who’re meant to follow. For that’s enough to argue. †

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Economic Problems of the Philippines Essay

Economic problems of the Philippines are very similar to those being battled by other underdeveloped and developing nations. After a long tryst with colonization, the nation is now grappling with increased imports and a mixed economy that is still to stabilize. The Republic of the Philippines is located in Southeast Asia and Manila is its capital city. The country comprises 7,107 islands and ranks as the 12th most populous country in the world. Like most other southeast Asian regions, the Philippines too has a history of European colonization. It was a colony of Spain and the USA. The country is now home to multiple cultures and traditional ethnicity. It is also looked upon as a perfect example of a ‘mixed economy’. Industrialization is a new development in the Philippines. Traditionally, the economy stabilized on the agrarian contributions and the manufacture of garments, pharmaceutical products and semiconductors. In the last decade, electronic exports added to the exports, including various products obtained by mining. The economy of the nation also largely depends on the remittances from Filipinos residing overseas and investing in the homeland. However, exports are not evenly balanced by the imports that include heavy electronics, garments, various raw materials, intermediate goods and fuel. The influence of the Manila galleon on the nation’s economy during the Spanish period, and bilateral trade when the country was a colony of the United States has resulted in the preference of a mixed economy over a centrally planned or market based one. It is very important to understand the shift during the Ferdinand Marcos leadership, from a market economy to a centrally planned economy, to relate to the economic recession that the country is now facing. With adverse global trends and the world economy entering a protracted depression, in 2011, the Philippines faced another economic downturn. The country’s lack of internal economic strength due to the absence of core manufacturing sector and an absence of firm and bold domestic policy initiatives have led the economy to be dependent on the state of the global economy. Thereby making it vulnerable to external shocks. Here we try to look at three possible challenges posed to growth and real development of the economy in 2012, based upon the insights provided by the economic policy-making and decisions by the Aquino administration in 2011. Major Financial Problems of the Philippines Over-dependence on Global Economy The growth of the Philippines economy drastically slowed to just 3.6% in the first three quarters of 2011, which is significantly less than the 7%-8% growth targeted by administration’s Philippine Development Plan (PDP). Though the slowdown may have been due to the ongoing global crisis, it was markedly slower in comparison to other South-East Asian neighbors. Economic performance figures indicated a contraction in exports and a drop in FDI. Though the remittances from overseas Filipinos to the country grew in the first ten months of 2011, however the compensation that overseas Filipinos received actually fell, in peso terms, due to an appreciating peso. In 2011 the Aquino administration sought a FTA (Free Trade Agreement) with the EU and join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The administration further allowed the US to even more directly influence Philippine economic policy making in its self-interest, by entering in a Partnership for Growth (PfG). These partnerships will consequently further the dependence of the economy on the global economy, whereas a regional arrangement between less unequal Southeast Asian countries is potentially useful. Greater attention has to be paid to addressing to the internal problems of the economy and enhancing domestic-oriented growth. A policy of removing structural impediments to growth has to be adopted with lesser focus on foreign investors and exporters. Unemployment The official unemployment figures for the Philippines in 2011 are among the worst in Asia, higher than its South-East Asian neighbors and according to the International Labor Organization the country is among the worst one-fourth in the world in terms of unemployment rates. Without a strong manufacturing industry or real Filipino industry, the economy will be unable to create enough decent paying jobs. Till then manufacturing or services will remain substandard, or of low value-addition. According to employment figures, jobs in the Philippines manufacturing sector increased by just 8% of the total employment. Nearly three out of every ten people in the labor force are looking for work or are jobless. The mining sub-sector said to be one of the fastest growing industry in 2011 failed to generate new jobs (just 0.6 % of total employment). Steadily rising inflation has contributed to the erosion of the value of the minimum wage. Though the Aquino administration increased the minimum wage and announced cash dole-outs but lack of quality decent paying jobs and higher real wages continue to be a problem. The government’s policy to encourage foreign capital, even if in just low value-added assembly operations will continue to hinder real growth and development of the manufacturing sector. The Aquino administration needs to plan over the long-term, and prepare an industrialization program that encourages value-addition manufacturing or services and builds Filipino-owned industries. Misplaced Fiscal Austerity Practicing fiscal austerity just to get favorable credit ratings can be counterproductive. The Aquino administration, in 2011, pursued fiscal austerity and spent 2.1% less in the first 11 months than it did in the same period last year. This along with increased revenues brought down the fiscal deficit and subsequently international credit rating agencies Standard and Poor’s, Moody’s and Fitch upgraded the country’s credit ratings and outlooks. In 2011 the government cut spending on economic services, including infrastructure, in the same vein did not fill in for shortfalls in education, health and housing sectors. As a result, over the first three quarters of 2011, income from public construction contracted by about 46% whereas government consumption reduced by a mere 1.7% in comparison to the same period last year. Misplaced austerity measures and an exaggerated concern about credit ratings contracts the economy, reduces demand and undermines future growth. The proposed public private partnerships (PPPs) are a poor substitute to real investment and public expenditure, because the former are majorly driven by short-term profit while the latter play a vital role to create development. These are just some of the economic challenges looming large over the Philippines. The country is facing significant decline in industrial production, gross domestic product, income and employment and sales. The Aquino presidency supposedly is getting the support of the people, as indicated by its high approval ratings, for the necessary economic measures that are in the general public interest. In 2011, the Aquino administration’s policy choices to give greater weight to narrow foreign and domestic elite interests, unfortunately, underscores the challenge of pushing for real reform in 2012.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant essays

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant essays "The Red Tent" by Anita Diamant tells the Biblical story of Dinah, the only daughter in Jacob's family of four wives and twelve sons. Told from Dinah's perspective, the book details lives of women and the importance of the 'red tent' at that time. It teach us timeless lessons of life, love and suffering of woman. The novel begins with the stories of Dinah's mothers, the four wives of Jacob: Leah, Rachel, Zilpah, and Bilbah. Although Leah is Dinah's birth mother, all four teach her lessons and share their gifts. With their help and insight, Dinah grows into a strong, capable woman. Through the novel, we grow with Dinah from her childhood in Mesopotamia through puberty, when she is then entered into 'the red tent,' and well of into her adulthood from Cannan to Egypt. Throughout her journey, we learn how 'the red tent' is constantly looked upon for encouragement, solace, and comfort. It is where a woman goes once a month during their periods, where they have babies, where they dwell in illness and most importantly, where they tell stories, passing on wisdom and spinning collective memories. With a heart full of advice and wisdom, Dinah matures from a simple-minded young girl to a valiant independent woman. Each of her mothers taught her something different: Rachel taught her to help pregnant women deliver children, Leah taught her to weave and be strong, Bilbah taught her patience and Zilpha taught her to honor the Gods. Fertility and childbirth were central women's role in a society at the time of 'the red tent'. A woman's value was determined to a great extent by the number of children she bore, particularly by the number of male children. Jacob, Dinah's father did not seem to have much of role in her life at all. He barely recognizes her and she is not a part of the measure of his worth that his sons are. For most of her brothers, Dinah was just another woman in the tents, just another to serve the man. She had a spe...

Monday, November 4, 2019

Positivism-the key to success Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Positivism-the key to success - Essay Example ot on an individual’s ability to ascribe positive outcomes to one’s aspirations, for it is eventually up to a person as to how one chooses to shape one’s life. The paper brings together the arguments for and against how positive thinking brings success, and then comes to a conclusion that positive thinking it actually a key to success. To confirm this, the paper highlights the way I shaped my life and how I achieved success in personal endeavors by using positivism as the key to success. Since my childhood, I always positively looked forward to any task, problem or challenge that came my way. I was somehow always confident about being successful, irrespective of the fact that at that time I did not know what it meant to be positive. I simply believed that being happy while facing life would bring me success and fulfillment. For instance, I represented my state in national swimming competitions. I knew that in case of an athlete, one has to be very strict with one’s training hours and diet. However, my personal passion for success went beyond training and proper diet. Before participating in a competition, I strongly believed that I was going to win, and I simply imagined myself on the podium with coveted medals and trophies. I think it was primarily owing to this positive attitude on my part that I managed to win many competitions. In high school I was always hopeful and positive about achieving what I aspired to achieve. The remarkable fact is that when you seek good, you are very likely to find it (Peale 1). I just immersed my consciousness in the goals I wanted to attain, and never stopped until I realized them as Peale explain also. For instance, I am a triplet and I have a brother and a sister. Many a time people happen to believe that all the three of us will think and act the same. However, realistically speaking, this is not true. The three of us spent our childhood together. In fact, in high school, we three were in the same class, taught by the

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Leadership for Organizations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Leadership for Organizations - Essay Example This intentional feature of acquiescence distinguishes from the various kinds of manipulations reliant on official power. The final aspect focuses on the fact that the consequences of leadership lead to deriving desired behavior from the followers. These desired actions are supposed to be decisive and are targeted towards an intention in a particular organizational structure. In other words, leadership is the competence of an individual to channelize and to stimulate the followers for the reason of exerting increased endeavor towards the accomplishment and effectiveness of the organization (Weiss, 2011). The paper intends to comprehend the leadership style that would be best suited to ensure the degree of success of an organization. Thus, this paper will make an attempt towards comprehending and evaluating the key concepts of leadership in a particular organization. The organization chosen for the reason of realizing the purpose of the paper is the Ashford Rotary Club. Leadership The ory & Its Way of Working Transformational Theories The transformational theories or this particular approach entails the basic notion that alteration and the function of leadership is predicting and putting into practice the reconstruction in terms of performance in the organizations. Leaders pursuing this approach help in prompting emotions within the followers which are perceived to stimulate them in order to behave in a definite way that can be referred as exchange relations. Transformational leaders are generally learnt to have a good vision and adequate management skills in order to generate an emotional union with the concerned followers. It has been noticed that the leaders possess a tendency to motivate the followers with the intention to attain the purposes that go further than their respective self interest (Boyle, 2003). Transformational leaders are known to entail three core characteristics and they are motivation, empowerment and morality. The motivational factor in suc h leaders is learnt to aim at the upper-order needs, for instance self-actualization in comparison to the other fundamental behavioral as well as emotional needs. The feature of morality emphasizes on the development of the followers. This particular core feature engages the incorporation of the moral values in relation to a particular organization within the followers which aids in giving rise to united orientation among the group members. Finally, the trait or quality of empowerment entails decisive independence, dynamic task management along with effectiveness of the individuals. Therefore, the three features of the transformational leaders help in attaining the following mentioned factors with regard to the followers (Boyle, 2003). An instance can be observed in terms of the President of the Ashford Rotary Club who acts as a leader for the members by guiding them. The President is known to follow a transformational style of leadership as he strongly motivates the members towards serving the community to the maximum. He never fails to admire or acknowledge the work done by his members and makes it a point to speak about the achievements of the respective members with the others. This helps in strongly encouraging the members in exerting increased efforts towards the attainment of the objectives of the Rotary Club despite witnessing grave problems such as dearth of funds (Ashford Rotary Club, n.d.). Effect of Power &

Thursday, October 31, 2019

The Importance of the class-system Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Importance of the class-system - Essay Example on class in comparison to quality of character, the novels create intelligently woven tales that are rich in story and plot, while maintaining a relevant editorial on the socioeconomic relationships within their culture. In Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations, the main character, Pip, experiences the many levels of the class system in nineteenth century England. Although such a rise would be near impossible, the use of one character to experience the many levels of the system allows the reader to create a structure and relativity between the lowest place where he starts his journey, to the higher end where he ends as an English gentleman. Although Dickens allows his character to have this journey, â€Å"The atmosphere and smell Havesham’s employ, or partaking of gentlemanly delights in London.† [1]. The reader remains aware of the rise that Pip has experienced and, when read during the time period, a personal impact was undoubtedly felt by this commentary. In exploring the class system in Great Expectations, Dickens is able to establish the importance of the system to the social culture, while making clear commentary on the true equality of the classes. As he develops his characters, we see that true worth is not measured in wealth or distinction, but rather in the quality of the character of an individual. Miss Havesham, a woman of means, is a twisted character who seeks to avenge herself on a boy and influence the growth and ability to form a good relationship by twisting the mind of a girl. In the bitterness of her ruined life, she seeks revenge through those who should have hope by virtue of their youth. Dickens displays an immense fascination with the prison system in his work. The character of Magwitch is quietly central to the theme of class distinction within the work. â€Å"As a returned convict who was been forcibly expelled, Magwitch in Great Expectations occupies a more complex position than mere ‘out sidedness’ and becomes a tool for a

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Management Capacity Resume Essay Example for Free

Management Capacity Resume Essay The purpose of this letter is to express my interest in working with your company in a management capacity.   I have over 15 years experience working for a major bottling company utilizing my Sales and Operations management skills which would be an asset to your organization. My diverse background includes serving in the United States Army Reserve.   In both my military and professional career, I have demonstrated excellent leadership abilities and exceptional customer service skills.   I successfully built a solid sales team consistently mentoring and motivating staff to meet and exceed company sales quotas. In addition to the skills noted on my resume, I can also offer your company: An enthusiastic individual seeking new endeavors, accomplishing personal and professional goals. A multi-tasking individual leveraging sales and marketing skills to exceed sales quotas. Excellent analytical ability with solid verbal and written communication skills. I look forward to speaking with you further to discuss my skills and qualifications.   You can reach me at the number listed above.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Impact of Conglomeration on Cultural Industries

Impact of Conglomeration on Cultural Industries Cultural industries are a major source of generating information and knowledge in societies. The concentration in ownership over them, in the recent years by private corporate houses has brought in changes, in the way they operate and function in society. In this article, we see why cultural industries are important, what the functions carried out by them are and how they are affected by the conglomerate style ownership which is prevalent in society today. WHAT ARE CULTURAL INDUSTRIES? Cultural industry as a concept had first been put forward by German critical theorists of the Frankfurt School, Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer. While in exile from Nazi Germany in the 1940s, they wrote the Dialectic of Enlightenment through which they popularized the concept. In it, they wrote about the life in capitalist United States and felt it was rather meaningless and shallow. According to them, culture had become commodified in the capitalist societies, which was why they coined the term Culture Industry. (pg24) The complexities which have arisen in society over time have metamorphosed the singular field spoken about by the two proponents and led to the creation of ‘cultural industries’. The different ways in which society is influenced has led to the creation of different types of cultural production. (pg24) The continuous changes in the culture, economy and society make it important to understand cultural industries in the present day context. Cultural industry, in simple terms, refers to the activities which are interrelated with symbolic goods, i.e. those goods whose economic value is determined by their cultural value. This definition of cultural industries is relatively fluid as they respond to the changing dynamics of societies. Cultural industries comprise of ‘classical’ cultural industries like broadcast media, architecture, music, films, etc. and traditional arts such as theatre, visual arts, literature, galleries, etc. (1) In the present day the term cultural industries is often used synonymously with media industries. ROLE OF CULTURAL INDUSTRIES IN SOCIETY Cultural industries have certain distinct functions to play in the present day modern societies. Firstly, cultural industries affect our views and knowledge about the world by creating and circulating different products. The media have a major contribution in this regard, not only through newspapers and broadcast news programmes but also through entertainment like films, television series and music. They help frame our views on what is right or wrong, determine how people live together in society, how far democratic functions are carried out and justice and rights upheld. These texts are disseminated by powerful corporations whose major motivation is to earn profits. Often theorists debate over whether cultural industries operate to carry out the interests of these elites in the society. Through cultural industries they try to accustom the common man towards a particular way of thinking which would eventually help serve their interests. (Pg 4) Secondly, the cultural industries tend to promote a particular type of work in society. Cultural production in societies takes place according to the type of audience. The texts produced in the system may sometimes be mediocre and not enriching for the people because the motivation is not to promote the creativity in society. Rather it is to preserve the power of the business elites and promote consumerism. The contemporary sufferings and inequality of the capitalist societies are said to be the fallout of these cultural industries. The heads of corporations generally decide the freedom given to the workers or artists and thus control the potential of the workers. (pg6) Thirdly, cultural industries are an important source for determining the source of wealth and employment in the societies. Scholars say that it is the brand name of the businesses which are of actual value and have motivated further spread of knowledge in societies. In recent years other sources developed, such as the internet. The massive boom in communication technologies provided an opportunity for the growth of credit based economic growth. Thus, cultural industries act as instruments of economic and social change. (Pg8) INTERESTS OF THE CORPORATIONS It is important to understand what the interests of the executive and owning class actually are to understand how and why corporations function as they do in contemporary capitalist societies. The prime interests of companies are to maximize their profits and revenues. Although some companies provide better conditions to their workers and offer many benefits but the target of the companies is to maximise their profits by minimising the costs. The owning class of companies try to collaborate with companies like their own. Despite the competition between the two, they try to unite in lobbying and campaigning against certain government legislations which are in support of the working class. For their business to prosper, the corporate owners require stable economic and political conditions. They might be against certain reforms which the government wants to introduce which might be beneficial to the consumers and workers. Thus they try to influence the government by donations in the ele ction campaigns and show their support to certain political candidates which will help create an atmosphere in the system which is needed for their business to boom and enlarge. (pg76-77) OWNERSHIP OF CORPORATIONS Around the 1960s, in the United States, conglomeration became one of the basic features of ownership of corporation. Diverse business and industrial houses that originally had interests limited in oil and financial services only, had now started investing more into the media industries. These industries primarily had private ownership. In the late 1980s a new form of cooperation emerged whereby there was cross –promotion and cross-selling between the different corporations so that there would an increase in the overall sales. With the developments in technologies new sources of cultural production emerged making the ownership more complex. In many of these industries such as radio, television and films, there was the emergence of oligopolistic ownership emerging which was leading to the creation of huge conglomerates. (pg195) In the USA, for instance, large corporations such as the RCA (Radio Corporation of America) became one of the leading companies overtaking the various me dia forms like publishing and newspaper companies and Hollywood studies emerged as an oligopoly which was integrated vertically. This vertical integration led to the development of certain new technologies such as recording and playback. There was also cross media ownership which made the system very complex. Film studios like MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) also held considerable interest in music industry. In the 1980s media houses began to invest more into consumer electronics companies. (pg72) For instance, Sony bought over CBS Records and Columbia Pictures Entertainment whereby it could use rock music and cinema which were popular in the US to promote the sale of CD and thereby increase their cultural productivity. (pg198) With the emergence of IT giants in the new millennium, telecommunications industries ventured into the broadcasting market. But it must be noted that these companies did not have significant cultural production. Their focus was more on gathering data on consumers which would help them to increase their sales. One of the most important ventures into cultural industries by the IT companies was that of Google who purchased YouTube in 2006. Google had recognized the relationship of circulation and distribution with that of culture and communication. The basic idea was that the greater the number of consumers who visit YouTube and the more number of pages they view, the greater will be the promotion of certain ads by YouTube. This led to the major clash over copyright between Goggle and other cultural industries. (pg 198) IMPACT OF CONGLOMERATE STYLE OWNERSHIP There was an increasing emergence of small companies which took part in the cultural production though it was at a much smaller scale. These small industries brought to the fore concerns regarding the domination of big business houses over cultural production. It was argued that ownership in the big business and corporate houses belong in the hands of a few. As it was explained earlier, the different shareholders especially in the media industry have started acting as moguls. They have control and ties with other powerful institutions and people who help spread and propagate their particular interests in society.(pg 73) Some scholars dispute that there has emerged a ‘managerial revolution’ in the nineteenth century which has led to delegation into the hands of the managers who have different interests from that of the owners. Thus, interests of the corporations become varied as different classes involved become more diverse. Critics say that the managerial class also bel ongs to the wealthy higher stratum of society and so they may share interests with the owning class. (pg 75) There can be many harmful effects on the democratic practices in the nation if there is concentration of corporate ownership over the media and cultural industries. The media is one of the main sources of information for the people today. It is responsible for enlightening the people and providing them with vital information. But if there is increased corporate interest in media coverage, then there can be a major impact on what the media covers and does not cover. The media can no longer provide unbiased information and always has to bear in mind that the information that they generate does not in any way offend the owners. Thus, the media and other cultural industries become bound and shackled by the chains of the interests of the executive and corporate heads. The common man in turn is denied access to accurate and unbiased information. If he could us it he could make informed decisions. This has a direct fallout on the democratic political system in the society. (3) Another significant issue is that the knowledge that is generated and the culture that is produced become uniform and standardized. The information that is generated is that which can help retain the power and position of the corporate giants and tycoons. This compromises the ability of the common man to develop his or her ability to the fullest potential because what is popular in society is controlled and decided by a few who belong to the elite class. The inequalities in society are legitimised by the cultural industries like media which help retain the power and wealth domination of the corporate heads. Thus we see that the control exercised by the giant corporate houses is not direct, but through their ownership and control over the media and other cultural industries. (4) There have often been debates whether cultural industries under the influence of private ownership have concentrated more on commerce rather than creativity. With increase in corporate interests in cultural industries and media whose primary motive is earning large profit and returns, many scholars feel that there has been a compromise in the quality of news generated. Journalism must maintain high quality but with new budget cut downs to reduce costs there has been a decline in the resources available to the journalists. Also, there has been a shift of concentration from important political and economic events to gossip on the lives of celebrities and the entertainment world as this proves to be more lucrative for them. Thus, there is concentration on public taste and what the public want to see, which some scholars point out is rather good than concentration on what the elites want people to see. Ben Bagdikian in his work The Media Monopoly listed the number of media companies in different industries like newspapers, magazines, motion pictures and television in the US market. In 1983, he found that there were 50 major corporations but their number continuously dwindled over the years and ultimately became only 5 in 2004. This clearly manifested the scope of influence that these corporation have in influencing the cultural industries. (pg205) Many critics point out corporations may become victims of the environment they exist in. For this reason many of them have adopted the policy of ‘de-convergence’ in recent years, whereby they concentrate on their primary business areas and have sold off their other business operations. But conglomeration continues to exist as one of the main features of cultural industry. CONCLUSION After careful scrutiny of the important role of cultural industries and the impact of conglomerate type of ownership on them, one observes that the latter limits the autonomy of the cultural industries in various manners. It is imperative that initiatives be taken to liberalize them from the corporate interests which bind them. It must be noted, that this form of ownership can have positive impacts as well. For instance, the corporate houses can control and keep a check on the government and limit them from acting arbitrarily or biased decisions. They also help promote healthy competition in the society. But after weighing the positive and negative impacts of conglomerate ownership over cultural industries one can conclude that there is need to take positive action in form of diversification of ownership. REFERENCES The Definition of ‘Cultural Industries’  http://www.pedrobendassolli.com/pesquisa/icc1.pdf Reference provided The Cultural Industries By David Hesmondhalgh Media Conglomerates, Mergers, Concentration of Ownership,  http://www.globalissues.org/article/159/media-conglomerates-mergers-concentration-of-ownership Media Ownership – Does It Matter?  http://lirne.net/resources/netknowledge/meier.pdf The Media Industry: Structure, Strategy and Debates  http://www.sagepub.com/mcquail6/Online%20readings/9b%20Croteau%20%20Hoynes%20-Devereux-Ch-02.pdf

Friday, October 25, 2019

Essay example --

The Great Irish Famine was undoubtedly one of Irelands darkest periods of history. The Great Famine, or also referred to as the Irish Potato famine was from 1845 through 1852 where many people starved, were disease stricken, poor and some forced to emigrate. The reliance on the potato to the Irish people was so great that when the Famine struck, the population declined greatly. The famine caused around one million deaths and another million immigrated to different countries. The Irish people’s health, death and emigration didn’t only impact themselves and their families but also Irelands social and economical state. For what began as a natural disaster, the conditions of Ireland during and post famine were intensified by actions (or the lack of action) from the Whig government. (BBC) In 1800 the British Act of Union made Ireland apart of the United Kingdom after the Irish staged a major rebellion against British rule. Before the famine happened, Ireland was a society in a crisis because of a rapidly expanding population. The population went from 2.5 million to 8.5 million, which put pressure on land, and food. The potato was a cheap crop, which was the staple diet of the rural population of Ireland. While it was cheap and easily accessible, it was also easily diseased. Potatoes are good with cleansing soil so they became more numerous in Irelands agriculture and diet. About one acre of potato growth could feed a family for a year since it is a crop that is healthy and can well feed people. Pre-famine, the rural poor people of Ireland ate around fourteen pounds of potato per person per day. They would eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner with a liquid compliment such as salty water, skimmed milk, buttermilk, etc. The potato was ... ...sh Potato famine from 1845-1852 was Irelands greatest natural disaster that created a lasting struggle. The famine produced struggles that had a great effect on the economic and social trends for many years. The impact it had on the country and its lasting legacy through out the world is significant in Irish history. Unfortunately the famine had great negative impact on the country and forced many citizens to immigrate. The political aspect of the famine was disordered and produced a lot of difficulties and troubles. Although it is unknown what exactly the death count was, it was exceptionally high enough to be called a natural disaster, which occurred within the authority of Great Britian. Great Britian was the most industrially advanced empire at the time. The impact that Great Britian had on the Irish famine produces questions on how they reacted to the tragedy.