Obesity in Children Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Obesity in Children - Essay Example An increase in body mass index (BMI) and percentage ideal body weight are good predictors of morbidity, some researchers suggest that visceral obesity represents a variant that is more closely related to excess morbidity. Daniels states that obesity-problems and diseases "once thought applicable only to adults are now being seen in children and with increasing frequency. Examples include high blood pressure, early symptoms of hardening of the arteries, type 2 diabetes, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, polycystic ovary disorder, and disordered breathing during sleep" (Daniels 2006, 47). Following Wadden and Stunkard (9) blood volume is increased in obesity in proportion to the increased body mass. Because blood volume increases with obesity proportionally more than does cardiac output, even simple obesity is a volume expanded state. Even in simple obesity, cardiac stroke volume and pulse rate are increased in line with the hypervolaemic conditions mentioned above. Obese patients with co-morbidities have cardiac dilation and hypertrophy demonstrable by echocardiography (Hills 82). ECG diagnosis of hypertrophy is more problematic because of the effect of thickening of the chest wall. Some studies suggest left ventricular mass index is proportional to BMI, others that it is more closely related to percentage of body weight over ideal weight. However, as the strain on the heart persists both impaired systolic function and diastolic function typically develop (Glanz and Sallis 2006). Obesity can impact on lung function, with excess central fat deposition producing a restrictive pulmonary abnormality and increased work of breathing. As a result, respiratory complaints are common in subjects with obesity and conditions such as asthma are often overdiagnosed in obese patients. Obesity is also linked to breathing disorders during sleep, such as sleep apnoea and nocturnal hypoventilation (Wadden and Stunkard 92). Fast food, unhealthy behavior patterns and lack of physical activity lead to increased obesity in children. As the most important, "the industry markets heavily to children with the goal of fostering a fast-food habit that will persist into adulthood" (Murphy, 2000). As with adults, it is critical that children who are overweight or obese at minimum achieve the recommendations of physical activity for health for their age. Two consensus conferences held during the last decade have addressed the activity needs of young people. Achieving standard recommendations has been even more difficult with children than with adults (Hulls 43). The main problem is that children can show deterioration in their health due to low activity levels, because there has been insufficient time, and therefore there are no strong epidemiological endpoints on which to establish relationships (Daniels 2006). As well as reinforcing physical activity behaviors, reducing access to sedentary life style can increase activity levels in obese children. There is a close link between sedentary living (such as the amount of time spent watching television) and obesity, than physically active pursuits and obesity (Karen et al 2005). Helping children make permanent, healthy changes to their eating

Raped and Pregnant Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Raped and Pregnant - Essay Example The story that was shared by my friend made me realized that being raped is something you feel as self-degrading, since the person who was raped feels like her right for being respected was taken away. One of my friends told me a story about a girl she knew who was once having a normal life, but then she became a victim. She was raped. This girl just graduated from law school. She had a perfect job, as well as a perfect family, who supports her all the way. She is also a Christian who regularly attends mass. She is a person who has a good foundation with what she believes in. Since she was raised by her parents with Christian faith and practices, she planned to wait until she gets married to do things that only married couples do. This girl has been very successful and even has high hopes for her future which includes having a family of her own. While she was doing a great job on her career, she decided to be a volunteer for a pro-life program at her place. She listens to different s tories with relation to Women’s Policy. She often hears stories from women who got abused and raped. However, she insisted and made a stand on her own that abortion as an answer from any violence should not be considered as an option. With her stand, she met new friends and few enemies. While having a vacation for a few months on her cousin’s place. ... One thing she noticed though, every time she drinks the mixture, she often loses her focus and just got tired all the time. However, she trusted the guy so she never questioned him. According to my friend, the girl eventually became close with the guy, and that is the time that her beliefs were tested. There were times when she allowed the guy to stay at her apartment. This was when she realized that there is something wrong every time she fell asleep. She woke up the next morning having a bad feeling. The doctor did confirm to her that she was drugged for months by her boyfriend. On the other hand, the doctor also explained that she was pregnant. Now, she realized that she was raped. The doctor informed her that she does not need to keep the baby and promoted abortion as an option. When the girl knew that she was pregnant, she went directly to her family and informed what happened. Some of her friends and colleagues who attend mass regularly with her advised that she needs to have a n abortion because she does not want the child in the first place. When she seeks for an advise from her parents, her parents just assured her that no matter what her decisions may be, they will be there to support her. Hence, giving her the confusion and total freedom to make the decision of aborting the baby or having the baby. Abortion was an easy answer for many people since she was raped. After hearing advices, she could not believe what other people were saying because those people are the ones who consider themselves as pro-life. While the girl is suffering and got physically sick because of body changes due to being pregnant, she decided to continue the pregnancy. She could not imagine herself killing her own child. She accepted the fact that she will be a

The IMF, World Bank and the Washington Consensus

The IMF, World Bank and the Washington Consensus The Washington Consensus was created in 1989 by John Williamson; it was used to describe the 10 policy prescriptions. The Washington Consensus was made to be the baseline of directions for countries, who are in need of assistance from international economic entities, for example the international Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Washington Consensus has been referenced many times; this has made it a general term of disparagement to those who go against the free market fundamentalism. (Williamson 1989) The ten points of the Washington Consensus were rather vague because they were to represent a baseline. The points included were, liberalizing foreign investment opportunities, keeping competitive exchange rates within the nation, privatizing enterprises run by the state, letting interest rates be handled by the market and remaining positive and moderate, strong legal guarantees for property rights, spending away from subsidies and to direct investments in infrastructure, education and health care, deregulation and reduce competition, except for consumer safety, environmental health and financial institutional stability. The last point raised is reforming the tax system to a broader tax base. (Williamson 1989) The Washington Consensus has resulted in limited success when it has been applied in nations which are suffering economic crisis. It has come under some criticism for a number of destabilisations for example the Argentinean crisis. John Williamson himself noted that the results have been disappointing upon implementation and how it could be improved and noted some of the flaws. John Williamson pointed out that the reason for failed results were that the Washington Consensus did not place any special measures on mechanisms for avoiding economic crisis. (Williamson 1989) People who opposed the ideas of the Washington Consensus believe that it represents exploitation of developing countries by developed countries. Some nations in Latin America have implemented policies which go directly against the Washington Consensus which resulted in good results in some occasions. Some socialist leaders like Evo Morales, Hugo Chavez and Nestor Kirchner have all spoken out against the Washington Consensus and implemented policies which have taken their nations to very different directions. (Reed 2007) Though other Latin American counties with governments of the left wing have in practice adopted the bulk of the policies included in Williamsons list but they often criticize the principles of market fundamentalism that they are often associated with. These policies have been promoted by the International Monetary Fund but have come under some criticism by US economists like Rodrik and Joseph Stiglitz. They have both challenged the fundamental policies of the IMF (International Monetary Fund) and the US treasury, Stiglitz called this a one size fits all action for individual economies. Joseph Stiglitz stated that the treatment that was suggested by the IMF is far too basic; he said the policies did not prioritise or look for side effects. (Reed 2007) The policies for the Washington Consensus were originally created as a response to the crisis that was happening in Latin America. In 2010, several nations from the area are now being led by socialists or other left wing governments. Some of the countries are campaigning for and have adopted some policies which are opposite to the Washington Consensus policies. Even though some nations in Latin America have left wing governments such as Chile, Peru and Brazil, they have still adopted most of the policies that are in the Washington Consensus, even though they go against the principle of market fundamentalism that on such occasions are associated with. (Reed 2007) There has been a lot of criticism about the Washington Consensus. Most of the criticism has been focused on the elimination of subsidies and on trade liberalisation. The criticism has been rather harsh towards the agriculture sector. Countries which have a substantial amount of natural resources, they have criticised the privatisation of industries exploiting these resources. Neo-Keynesian and post-Keynesian have both been very critical of the consensus and they have argued that the core policies were wrongly been laid out and are too inflexible to be successful. An example of this would be flexible labour laws were supposedly meant to create new job opportunities; economic evidence from Latin America has been largely inconclusive. Some critics have criticised that the policies do not take into account of the cultural and economic differences between the nations. They believe that these policies should be only implemented at times of economic growth and should not be implemented during economic crisis. (Naim 1999) Foreign Policy chief editor, Moises Naim, argued that there was no such consensus in the first place. Moises Naim had argued that there was and still is important differences between economists over what is the best and correct economic policy. This is the reason the idea of there being a consensus was also flawed. (Naim 1999) SOURCE: WORLD BANK and ECLAC As you can see from the chart above, it shows that Brazil and Latin America who have implemented the Washington Consensus from 1990-2004 have showed that the Economic Growth has dropped by more than half. East Asia economic growth has gone up and they have not implemented the Washington Consensus. This has shown that the Washington Consensus has had a considerable impact on the growth. East Asia did not follow the Washington Consensus policies in some important respects. They adopted strong industrial and government policies, as well as creating successful government enterprises. They were also slow to liberalise capital markets and trade. Such difference accounted for the performances between East Asia and Latin America, because of this there was faster and increased growth in East Asia. They also benefited from growth that was widely shared and became more stable except for the 1997 crisis where all the countries recovered quickly expect for Indonesia. (Franko 2007) SOURCE: ECLAC SOURCE: ECLAC The adoption of the Washington Consensus has had an immense impact on GDP per Capita. The GDP per Capita at the end of 2003 is -0.3 % and in the 1960s it was 2.6% The Washington Consensus policies had only produced very limited growth, but when growth occurred it was not equitably share. The Washington Consensus was at best indifferent, and at worst hostile, to specific ideas and policies that would have promoted equality. Unemployment rates have steadily been rising and the Washington Consensus has no impact on reducing unemployement rates. Critics of trade liberalisation such as Tariq Ali and Susan George, see that the Washington Consensus is a way to open up labour markets of underdeveloped economies so companies from developed nations can exploit this. Washington Consensus allows free movement of items across the borders, however labour is not allowed to move freely there are requirements like a work permit or a visa. This then creates a scenario which goods are manufactured by cheap labour in developing nations and then these good are exported to developed nations for a big mark-up. The criticism of this is that the underdeveloped economies workers remain poor, any pay rises that the workers may receive over the money they made before the trade liberalisation are then offset by inflation. Developed nations workers become unemployed because of work being moved offshore and the owners of the businesses become richer. (Reed 2007) Joseph Stiglitz believed that the Washington Consensus had proved that it was neither sufficient nor necessary to be successful for development. He believed that even if each of its policies made sense for specific nations at specific times it was still unsuccessful. Joseph Stiglitz said that any future consensus cannot be made just in Washington and that any new framework should provide tailored adaptation to particular circumstances that the nations are involved in. (Change, 2001) There has been a lot of criticism of the Washington Consensus policies; there has been evidence of their impact on health, which has led to the development of the post-Washington Consensus. The ideas and policies of the post-Washington Consensus aimed to: Create vertical and horizontal policy coherence Include the creation of enforceable codes and standards, and concessions to social welfare through targeted social safety nets Manage liberalized trade, finance and monetary systems Include firms and businesses in a Global Compact for Development and the PRSP process. Many supporters of the post-Washington Consensus believe it differs from the original ideas and fundamentals of the Washington Consensus. The main goal for the Washington Consensus was to make economic growth in development. The new post-Washington Consensus differed from this and moved away from the neo-liberal, market-friendly approach and places sustainable, egalitarian and democratic development at the heart of the agenda. The post-Washington Consensus is more focused on poverty, which supports and protects the poor and aims towards social spending on health and education. Some still argue that the original ideas of the Washington Consensus neo-liberal agenda still underpins the new ideas and policies of the post-Washington Consensus, referring to the social safety net aspects of the new policies are there to be an add-on to cope with market failures. (World Health Organisation 2010) Joseph Stiglitz believed that new framework was needed to guide us to stable, democratic, sustainable and equitable development. He also believed the framework should reform global economic architecture to promote efficiency, developing countries to focus on their goals and objectives, stability and equity among nations. The post-Washington Consensus looks at the importance of employment, and balanced roles of the government and markets. This would be completed by promoting and regulating markets, providing physical and institutional infrastructure and also by endorsing innovation, technology and education. (Change 2001) The Post-Washington Consensus recognises the importance of the a nation in open markets as well as more liberal policy environment. This approach sees the importance of avoiding state failure which needs institutional innovation and democratic governance. The Post-Washington Consensus sees the need to tackle inequality as well as poverty as their main objectives looking away from efficiency and growth objectives. An example would be that markets, themselves do not produce efficient outcomes when there is a changing of technology or the learning about markets. These processes are important in development and East Asian countries recognised this but the Washington consensus did not. In respect to all these points the Post-Washington Consensus is a more progressive approach to development compare to the Washington Consensus. (Onis and Senses, 2005) There has been criticism of the Post-Washington Consensus that it adopts a technocratic and narrow approach to markets in both a global and at national level. The Post-Washington Consensus sees existing power structures as pre-determined. This is the reason why it fails to tackle the asymmetries of power and the fundamental power relations that are between the classes at level of nation state, and also the powerful versus less strong nations in the economy. These issues would need to be tackled in order to get over development issues. (Onis and Senses, 2005) The IMF and the World bank have not welcomed the Post-Washington Consensus policies. The IMF went through a crisis with their identity straight after the Asian crisis and they have been trying to reform themselves. However the IMF has a restrictive understanding and viewpoint of what should be the foundations for the Post-Washington Consensus. This has had vital consequences because the IMF is an important player for crisis nations and emerging nations. (Onis and Senses, 2005) The criticisms that was given to the Washington Consensus by the newly designed Post-Washington Consensus has fallen short in terms of dealing with the main issues but the Post-Washington Consensus still has cracked the neoliberal approach, which may lead to new and fresh viable alternative. The jury is still out for the Post-Washington Consensus as a definitive viable alternative but together with flourishing other globalisation movements and alongside the background of growing distributional imbalances at every level, this would bring such a change to be an alternative option.

We Must Put an End to Frivolous Inmate Lawsuits Essay -- Argumentative

We Must Put an End to Frivolous Inmate Lawsuits Our forefathers were bright enough to establish a system of government with a series of checks and balances to maintain a balanced government. For the past decade a series of checks and balances has begun to fail our government. In our failing system of government inmates have taken advantage of the court system and have flooded it with an inconceivable number of frivolous lawsuits. Laurel Walters, a writer for the Christian Science Monitor, investigated inmates' lawsuits and found that these "recreational litigators...are suing the courts as an intramural sports activity." Action needs to be taken in order to rectify and protect "US" from this squandering of our tax payer provided funds and resources. Today in a world when knowledge is power, I'm ready to hand other tax payers an entire empire. The United States (US) and "us" the tax payers are being taken advantage of and it is time that those in power begin to notice. Linda Greenhouse, in a New York Times article, cites one of the few to become aware of this problem. Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist feels, "prisoners often squander judicial resources with little offsetting benefit to anyone." Our Supreme Court Chief Justice has realized this shortcoming, and it is about time the rest of "us" wake-up too. For over a decade our legislative branch has been dragging its feet and slow to react to this extremely costly prison industry. Eight-hundred inmate lawsuits costing $1.7 million were filed in Ohio in 1995 and as many as 95 percent of those cases were dismissed. A total of 53,312 inmate lawsuits were filed nationwide in federal courts in 1994, this comes at a total of $113 billion dollars* of tax money esse... ...Cited Duhaime, Lloyd. "Outrageous Lawsuits." WWLIA: World Wide Legal Information Association. http://wwlia.org/lawsuit.html Freedman, Eric. "Two inmates ordered to pay costs of lawsuits." Detroit News. Aug. 13, 1993. B6. Fugate, Larry. "New law cracks down on frivolous inmate lawsuits." Source News & Reports." July 19, 1996. http://sddtsun.sddt.com/~columbus/Files3/9607193.html Greenhouse, Linda. High court, changing recent course, makes it harder for prisoners to sue. New York Times. June 29, 1995. B7. Harris, Sandra Ann. "People Are Talking: Crime: Inmate lawsuits costly to taxpayers." Detroit Free Press. October 23, 1995. Officials to fight frivolous inmate lawsuits." New York Times. February 5, 1996. B2. Walters, Laurel Shaper. "States rewrite laws to week out suits for cruel and unusual Jello." Christian Science Monitor. October 16, 1995. Â   Â   Â   Â  

Defining Human Resource Management: Function and Roles Essay

Human resource management conducts several operations, and plays a vital role in organizations. Many employees look to human resource management for assistance and representation. A company’s ability to manage people effectively can build a more successful organization, and also helps maintain a more vibrant workforce, which in turn aids companies in keeping a competitive edge in many of today’s industries. The following information defines human resource management, touches on personal experience, and examines the functions and roles human resource management plays in an organization. Human Resource Management Human resource management helps organizations to obtain and develop employees. People comprise any organizations most valuable asset, and sufficiently motivating and maintaining a well-trained workforce allows organizations to perform at optimal levels. Human resource management acts a subset of management, and coincides with the planning, organizing, leading, and controlling functions thereof (DeCenzo & Robbins, 2007). From a personal viewpoint, human resource management involves several activities. At previous larger employers, hiring, training, payroll, and conflict resolution were some of these duties, while others included company party planning, employee benefit disbursement, and annual progress reports. Today, human resource management at a current employer has significantly less duties, as the small property maintenance company employs a much smaller workforce of fewer than 15 employees. However, at all places of personal employment the human resource departments had multiple responsibilities related with not only managing people, but also providing various support functions to the organization. Primary Functions of Human Resource Management According to DeCenzo and Robbins (2007), two primary responsibilities include, â€Å"assisting the organization in it strategic direction and representing and advocating for the organization’s employees (DeCenzo & Robbins, 2007, p. 34). As previously discussed, human resource management can involve several organizational activities, but the main focus constitutes supporting both the company and company associates. The four primary human resource management activities that provide organizational support include staffing, employee development, motivation, and maintenance (DeCenzo & Robbins, 2007). Staffing an organization often requires screening several candidates to seek out the best fit for a particular position. Once hired, human resource departments must provide adequate training and orientation to help not only new employees, but also further develop and enhance existing company staff. Building a quality workforce for an organization takes time and effort from human resource management teams, largely because as stated by DeCenzo and Robbins (2007), â€Å"People, not buildings, make a company successful,† (DeCenzo & Robbins, 2007, p. 32). Additionally, the human resource department finds efficient ways to motivate workers such as benefit packages, performance bonuses, and other influential compensation. This function is highly important, as it helps build and maintain morale. Motivating people can prove to be a difficult task, and as explained by DeCenzo and Robbins (2007), â€Å"Human behavior is complex, and trying to figure out what motivates various employees has long been a concern of behavioral scientists† (DeCenzo & Robbins, 2007, p. 40). Finally, the human resource team must maintain effective communications, employee loyalty, and assist in providing a continuously safe and healthy work environment (DeCenzo & Robbins, 2007). The Strategic Planning Role of Human Resource Management Strategic planning for organizations begins with setting achievable objectives, and the role of human resource management requires finding economically feasible strategies to meet preset organizational goals. According to DeCenzo and Robbins (2007), â€Å"This means working with line management in analyzing organizational designs, the culture, and performance systems, and recommending and implementing changes where necessary† (DeCenzo & Robbins, 2007, p. 34). Additionally, this often involves figuring out ways to reduce costs in personnel, while finding more affordable ways to offer motivational benefits to employees. Human resource management displays added value to an organization by effectively validating the company’s human resource management investments (DeCenzo & Robbins, 2007). Despite the size of an organization, a quality emphasis on human resource management builds potential for successful production efforts. Organizations cannot function without people, and the proper selection and development of employees often benefits from a quality human resource management team. DeCenzo and Robbins (2007) stated, â€Å"Human resource management is a function of every manager’s job, not just those who work in human resources† (DeCenzo & Robbins, 2007, p. 34). Many people tend to think of hiring or payroll when the term â€Å"HR† comes up, when in fact, several important organizational duties and responsibilities come with these positions. References DeCenzo, D., & Robbins, S. (2007). Fundamentals of human resource management (9th Ed.), Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, retrieved from the University of Phoenix Electronic Library.

External and Internal factors at Sony Ericsson Essay

Sony Ericsson In 2001 telecommunications leader Ericsson and the Sony Corporation joined forces to establish Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications. Because of this joint venture, Sony Ericsson recognized sales of over seven billion dollars in the first year. This was mainly because the combined mobile phone business company now offered a range of mobile communication products that went far beyond the simple mobile phone technology of its time. Marketing Marketing, more than any other business function, deals with customers. Creating customer value and satisfaction is at the very heart of modern marketing. Marketing is the delivery of customer satisfaction at a profit. Sound marketing is critical to the success of every organization–large or small, for profit or non-profit, domestic or global. Large for-profit firms such as Sony use marketing. This is where globalization, technology, and ethics come into play. Global Marketing The world is shrinking rapidly with the advent of faster communication, transportation, and financial flows. Products developed in one country are finding enthusiastic acceptance in other countries. In fact, international trade is booming. Since 1969, the number of multinational corporations in the world’s fourteen richest countries has more than tripled. According to Business Week, written by Gail Edmondson, â€Å"many U.S. companies have long been successful at international marketing: Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, IBM, Xerox, Corning, Gillette, Colgate, General Electric, Caterpillar, Ford, Kodak, 3M, Boeing, and dozens of other American firms have made the world their market. And in the United States, names such as Sony, Toyota, Norelco, and Mercedes have become household words† (Edmondson, G., 2000). Globalization has become the increasing tendency of the world to act as one market. Technological advances in travel and communications are the driving  force behind market globalization. For instance, new communication technologies, such as the ones offered by Sony Ericsson, allow people and/or teams from all over the world to work on projects and share information without leaving their desks. At the same time, advanced technologies allow manufacturers to produce their goods in foreign locations that offer an abundant supply of low-cost labor (Mescon, M, Courtland, B., & Thill, J., 1999) Innovation Companies today need to take advantage of their innovative capabilities to develop new businesses. Without exploiting the potential idea of innovation, companies will not be prepared for the effects of new technology, demanding customers and globalization. To keep up with the fast-paced world of mobile communications technology, Sony Ericsson will need to combine telecommunication solutions with proven entertainment technology to be considered the forefront of telecommunication innovation. However, there are difficult challenges that Sony Ericsson must go through to bring to the market a stream of improved products and services that enable the business to achieve higher profits. Incorporating innovative ideas and new technologies is the key for a successful business to compete effectively in the global environment. In the past year, Sony Ericsson has launched groundbreaking products for their mobile technology. The success of the company comes from the distinction of other companies in terms of design, imaging, and applications. With a unique combination of Sony’s digital imaging and Ericsson’s mobile platform, Sony Ericsson seems to have the upper hand in coming out with the latest technology to meet consumer demand. With any advancements of innovation, design is a key step to initiate any innovative ideas. Sony Ericsson takes pride in their industrial designers because of the importance to impress consumers with never-before-seen looks and groundbreaking technology. From the birth of an idea to the launch of the product, Sony Ericsson’s  designers monitor the progress of the product systematically, making sure the innovative idea keeps its shape and stays new. Designers will also need to keep a close eye on any changing trends in the mobile communication market as they can inspire as well as influence the elements of innovative design. Sony Ericsson continues to innovate in design and newly launched products to strengthen its reputation as a design leader. In addition, the company strives to be a cutting edge provider of applications, creating partnerships with software developers and content providers to meet everyday consumer demand. Technologies Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications offers services globally to a communication market with high end, state-of-the-art mobile phone equipment, accessories, PC-cards, and M2M (Machine-to-Machine) technology. Our computer era is about making people more productive in the working environment. It is a technology that is geared to help people interact with other people through the aid of always on computers, communication, and powerful high bandwidth. The M2M communications technology is going to be different in the sense that it will allow electronic devices to interact with people and other devices. This will not require as big a bandwidth as computers use now days. This technology features higher reliability and efficiency, and it also enables users to remotely access and manage other array of equipment without having to move around or keeping a technical staff. This type of technology is presently being used by Sony Ericsson and is evolving rapidly particularly in the area of wireless equipment. M2M is also used for business applications such as: Security and emergency response Mission-critical uptime Optimized logistics Management resources Mobility and collaboration Personalization and customization Another of the latest popular technologies is called Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA). This is a technology for wideband digital radio communications of Internet, multimedia, video and other capacity-demanding applications. WCDMA is the dominating 3G (3rd. Generation) technology, providing higher capacity for voice and data and higher data rates. WCDMA uses a new spectrum with a 5 MHz carrier, providing 50 times higher data rate than in present GSM networks (and 10 times higher data rate than in GPRS networks) WCDMA handles up to 2 Mbps for local area access or 384 Kbps for wide area access. A coming release will include enhancements up to more than 10 Mbps. WCDMA is also known as UMTS and has been adopted as a standard by the ITU under the name IMT-2000 direct spread (Ericsson, 2004). Multimedia Messaging Service technology is another feature found in many Sony Ericsson’s communication devices of today. This feature enables users to send/receive multimedia messaging. MMS technology applies to communication applications, information, and entertainment. Because of the nature of the applications, MMS is especially helpful because it is designed for time critical situations, such as sport and other breaking news, alerts, stock market developments, etc. MMS also optimizes video images, video and audio signals in real time. Ethics In order to understand how Sony Ericsson Industries became a company gripped  in ethical and social responsibility, one must first look at its history and mission. In an article on the World Wide Web, â€Å"A Study of Smart phones† it talks about some of the history of Ericsson. Back in June of 1998, Ericsson made Symbian a privately independent company. Ericsson had one mission and that was, â€Å"To provide solutions to communication needs† (Ericsson, 2004). Ericsson made an ethical decision and commitment to the diversified customer base to always provide the end user with user friendly, expedient, business savvy computer compatible phones that severed and performed a wide variety of uses. That mission statement and ethical commitment grew, as did the Symbian coalition, which eventually included companies such as Matsushita, Motorola, Nokia, and Psion’s. With this new collaboration of world leading communication players came the new mission, which was, â€Å"To set the standard for mobile wireless operating systems and to enable a mass market for wireless information devices† (Grey Matter India, 2004). In 1998, Sony Ericsson had implemented the objective mission into the organization. In 2001, another mission was reborn. This mission statement focus was on the needs and wants of the consumer that included and embraced the ethics and the social responsibilities in present day. In 2001, the headlines stated â€Å"Welcome to Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications.† Then in October of 2001, Sony published on its website its new mission, which was â€Å"Our mission is to establish Sony Ericsson as the most attractive and innovative global brand in the mobile handset industry† (Ericsson, 2004). They went on to publish there social responsibility statement, which stated, â€Å"It is Sony Ericsson’s policy to behave in a socially and ethically exemplary way and to operate business in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. Sony Ericsson believes in respect for human rights and in the ethical treatment of all employees† (Ericsson, 2004). The Joint Venture Whether a company is small or large, there comes a time when a company needs to shift the way the company is managed. Large companies, such as Sony Ericsson, have been using self-directed work teams for years to improve quality, increase productivity, raise morale, lower costs, and boost  motivation. A self-directed work team is a group of workers from different functional areas of a company who work together as a unit largely without supervision, making decisions, and performing task that once belonged only to managers. However, it is important to note, that managers in companies using teams, such as Sony Ericsson, do not just sit around drinking coffee. In fact, they work just as hard as before, but the nature of their work changes dramatically. â€Å"Managers at Sony Ericsson take on roles of coaches who empower those around them to make decisions affecting their work and share information with workers. As facilitators, their job is to support and to serve the teams functioning in the organization and to make sure they produce results† (Ericsson, 2004). References Edmondson, G. (2000, August 28). See the world, erase its borders. Business Week, pp. 113-114. Ericsson. (2004). About Ericsson. Retrieved February 20, 2005 from the World Wide Web: http://www.ericsson.com/about/ Ericsson. (2004). Technologies. WCDMA. Retrieved February 20, 2005 from the World Wide Web: http://www.ericsson.com/technology/ Gray Matter India. (2004). Smartphones. White Paper, pg. 8. Retrieved February 21, 2005 from the World Wide Web: www.greymatterindia.com/downloads/Whitepaper_Rise%20_of_Smartphones.pdf. Mescon, M., Courtland, B., Thill, J. (1999). Business Today, 203. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall

Teenagers Who Work While in High School Essay Example

Teenagers Who Work While in High School Essay Example Teenagers Who Work While in High School Essay Teenagers Who Work While in High School Essay Essay Topic: College application High School Ever wonder why the most mature and responsible teenagers have jobs but your playful teen, who won’t take the blame for anything does not or can’t keep one. Many high school students have jobs. Jobs teach responsibility and tend to help teenagers mature over time with this added responsibility. When some teenagers work at their first job they tend to start out playful and don’t really care much. But when these teens work they get a pretty good lesson about ethics and etiquette so if they are willing to learn instead of quitting they will turn out better than when they first started. Many jobs tend to teach lots of responsibility because a lot of things can fall into someone’s job description. Working while in High school is great because it stops teens from messing up their lives by giving them less time to do it. Working forces teens to get more sleep because they need the energy to go to school and to work afterwards. Now it’s easy to figure out that students who get more sleep perform better in school on work and are more alert during the day. And it can be proven just ask the scientist’s who performed the detailed observation. I mean it’s all over the place. Try getting on the internet and searching the topic, I guarantee that you will get a lot of hits and try this site too (www. sleepeducation. com/Topic. aspx? id=19 ). So the way I see it is if your teen’s working improves his or her grades then why not let them. When teenagers work it keeps them out of quite a bit of trouble when they consider the fact that the trouble could cost them their paychecks. Now tell me do you think that if your teens knew that they could lose their paying jobs because doing stupid things such as joining gangs, drinking alcohol and abusing substances that they would not do it? I know I wouldnt. The way everybody should see it is like this, why spend hard earned money on something that could take that money away and get you into lots of trouble. And consider the fact that doing such things might deplete what money you do make. Of course I’m not just all for working while in high school for some very specific reasons. The first is that if a student works to hard then they will always feel tired and restless which will help them none. Unless the employer is willing to work with the student then that usually outlaws after school activities which happen to look good on college applications. Sports are what get some people who can not financially support themselves through college. So with that said what do you think? Would you get a job if you were in high school I know I would. I think that teenagers getting a job while in school will in the long run turn out to be a good move. Do you agree?

Comparisons and contrasts of white goods and hospitality industries

Comparisons and contrasts of white goods and hospitality industries Background of white goods and hospitality industries On a global scale, white goods industry is a major domestic appliance industry that manufactures microwaves, large cooking appliances, dishwashers, home laundry and refrigeration appliances among others items. It is imperative to note that globally, white goods industries makes tremendous sales from their products that range from industrial or commercial products, garden appliances to small consumer appliances.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Comparisons and contrasts of white goods and hospitality industries specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Research studies carried out in 2003 pointed out that the value of sale on domestic appliances from these industries was approximately US$163,000 million (Bray, Waring Cooper, 2011). It is also worth to note that the white goods sector in Australia alone generated a sales value from its large kitchen appliances of approximatel y $2200 million in 2003. The key players of White goods industry in concentrating ownership and restructuring production in the regional markets are group of multinational corporations (MNCs) such as the Asia-Pacific, North America and European Union. The retail sales for White goods products globally are made by LG Group, Haier, general Electric (GE), Bosch-Siemens, Electrolux and Whirlpool which are all Multinational Corporations. The Australian White goods sector displays characteristics which are similar to that of other white goods global chains. Research studies indicate that there has been a major change in employment in this industry emanating from standardization and simplification of production platforms in which standard engineering frameworks are used. Furthermore, introduction of just-in-time, flexible techniques and computer aided manufacturing methods used in this industry have not only enhanced the speed of product renewal but have also in conjunction with laws and r egulations, reshaped employment relations in the industry. On the other hand, one of the industries in Australia that has demonstrated rapid growth is hospitality industry. It has displayed some remarkable shift from the well known traditional secondary and primary service sectors. As a prime example, it was ranked the seventh largest employer in the period 2004-2005 from its earlier position twelve in 1989-1990 (OBrien ODonnell, 2000). Other industries in Australia that have also exhibited more rapid growth include health and community services and that of property and business services. However, in terms of employment relations and labor market, hospitality industry in Australia has continued to exhibit distinctive features.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For instance, its employment conditions have continued to be poor with more of low pay, low skilled jobs, h igh labor turnover and casual employments among others. In addition, its employment relations too have been immensely affected and have been characterized by poor working conditions, unemployment and low membership in unions. In order to regulate its working conditions and wages, it has continued to depend on the award system (Waring Bray, 2006). This essay compares and contrasts white goods and hospitality industries in Australia. Comparisons To begin with, both white goods and hospitality industries in Australia are facing challenges from national industrial relations following the introduction of legislations on products, employment relations, advertisements and marketing. The laws and regulations are controlling various operations done by the industries and this impact on employments relations prevailing in these industries. The legal environment in which these industries operate has significant legal changes that affect their operations. The areas that have been most impacted by these changes include employment relations, demand for products or services bought by consumers and the cost incurred for developing new procedures and systems. Secondly, both industries have also been able to experience growth despite changes from their microenvironments. Changes in the market and business trends today have put pressure on both firms to increase their employment relations by developing and building focus on core competencies. Due to intensive competition and increasing uncertainty, MNCs have maintained sustainable advantage and made tremendous gains because they have improved on employment relations with their workforce. In white goods industry located in Australia, an increase in global competition affects its functional roles and other issues that deal with managerial roles or leadership in business. According to Waring and Bray (2006), consistent provision of superior value and high quality products to customers is determined by a firm’s ability to est ablish strategic business decisions on employment relations as well as strategic capabilities.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Comparisons and contrasts of white goods and hospitality industries specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Through these, successful organizations have maintained customer satisfaction, achieved overall strategic goals and increased their production processes at a lower cost. For instance, white goods industry capabilities have been witnessed in the manner in which they have combined organizational knowledge, integrated technology and coordinated production skills at lower costs. It is imperative to note that MNCs have been able to relocate and downsize their production to locations of lower cost. This strategic move that white goods in Australia have adopted tends to transcend both the operations which are geographically dispersed and areas of traditional functions through creation of supportive infrastructure via investments. Production capability is built on investments on employment relations. This is fundamental in transforming the processes of production into competitive weapons and reducing unions bargaining power. Both industries have organizational structures having departments that plays host to important business and management functions. These departments include production, marketing and finance among others. These organizational structures describe the nature of strategy a company has. A bigger and more advanced structure denotes a greater global strategy unlike a structure that will house small and domestic business functions. For instance, due to global competition, white goods industry has adopted new and better ways of organizing there structures. The system of work and relationship has changed. An individual may be required to multitask, leaders may be required strategize for investments and policies for finance and to draw strategies for development and s cientific research. This new structural organization combines autonomous and semi-autonomous way of administration. Increase in competition and MNC’s have led to an effective white goods organizational structure that has improved the level of productivity within the industry.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Employment relations in this industry have been done efficiently and effectively and as such, white goods industry in Australia has been able to produce and sell its high quality products at a low cost and still maintain a competitive advantage. Research studies attribute this to restructuring employment relations and production capabilities in such a way that productions are done at a low cost possible. Contrasts The hospitality industry in Australia, like in most nations in the world, has been affected by unstable equilibriums. A shift from short run to long run equilibrium is due to economic forces determined by a slight deviation in wages and prices from the equilibrium. In the same manner, employment and aggregate output causes fluctuations in the Australian economy. The level of employment and unemployment rises and falls during such time. Unemployment has remained high in the hospitality industry and the labor market has becomes slack. In turn, this affects the ability of the hospitality industry to employ more workforces and make better sales (Thompson, 2003). As such, the human resource management of large employers like white goods becomes formalized while in the hospitality industry, where there are many small employers, ad hoc systems are adopted in order to manage employees. It is imperative to note that due to reliance on the award systems in the hospitality industry, employment relations are strained and workers are less inclined to perform their duties. Since hospitality industries in Australia are small in size and spread out, it becomes cumbersome for unions, which have low bargaining power, to service and recruit members. Additionally, employment conditions in the hospitality industry have continued to be poor with more of low pay, low skilled jobs, high labor turnover and casual employments among others. Its employment relations too have been immensely affected and have been characterized by poor working conditions, unemployment and low mem bership in unions. In order to regulate its working conditions and wages, it has continued to depend on the award system (Anderson, Teicher Griffin, 2005). On the other hand, white goods industry through laws and regulations reduces the influence and power of unions in terms of bargaining. In turn, it eliminates support mechanisms that the union has that include bargaining fees and payment reduction done on union fees for non-union workers. This creates a favorable business environment especially in terms of employment relations. White goods industry, being a large manufacturer of microwaves, large cooking appliances, dishwashers, home laundry appliances and refrigeration appliances among others things needs to have enough employees to serve the adverse clients with various needs and work towards the organizational growth; the push to reduce the scope of bargaining by the industrial relations law and regulation will lead to more money being allocated for employees as wages which wi ll affect the organizational plans and expansion strategies (Anderson, Teicher Griffin, 2005). The laws and regulations set by the industry allow agreements made between non-unions and the white goods management team to be experimented. Moreover, the organizational structure of White goods industry is a representation of a business program that has a chain of command whereby officers of the company as well as the employees are categorized in units that show their level of importance and responsibility. The organizational structure defines relationship that should exist between the chain of command and employees. With this in place, a company stands a better chance of minimizing costs and maximizing results since everyone in the company will know how to interact with one another and with various departments in the company. In addition, workers will quite well, understand their responsibilities and their duties. An effective system of good governance forms its foundation in an organi zational structure that is competently built. This kind of organizational structure ensures that there is increased productivity through assigning areas of duty and power to the leaders as well as employees, ensuring that staff members are not under too much pressure or overworked. It is also important to build positive interaction among company leaders and employees. On the other hand, as earlier indicated, Australian hospitality industry has over the years suffered from employment challenges such as low pay to employees, low skilled jobs, high labor turnover and casual employment among others. This can be attributed to lack of efficient and effective organizational structure alongside poor employee relations. References Anderson, E., Teicher, J. Griffin, G. (2005). From industrial relations to workplace relations in the Australian taxation office: an incomplete but strategic transition. Journal of Industrial Relations. 47, 339-352. Bray, M., Waring, P. Cooper, R. (2011). Employm ent Relations: Theory and Practice. Sydney: McGraw-Hill. OBrien, J. ODonnell, M. (2000). Creating a new moral order? Cultural change in the Australian public service. Labour and Industry. 10, 57-76. Thompson, P. (2003). Disconnected capitalism: or why employers cant keep their side of the bargain. Work, Employment and Society.17, 359-378. Waring, P. Bray, M. (2006). Evolving Employment Relations: Industry Studies from Australia. Sydney: McGraw-Hill.

Battle of Peebles Farm in the Civil War

Battle of Peebles Farm in the Civil War Battle of Peebles Farm - Conflict Dates:   The Battle of Peebles Farm was fought September 30 to October 2, 1864, during the American Civil War and was part of the large Siege of Petersburg. Battle of Peebles Farm - Armies Commanders: Union Lieutenant General Ulysses S. GrantMajor General George G. MeadeMajor General Gouverneur K. Warren29,800 men Confederate General Robert E. LeeLieutenant General A.P. Hillapprox. 10,000 Battle of Peebles Farm - Background: Advancing against General Robert E. Lees Army of Northern Virginia in May 1864, Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant and Major General George G. Meades Army of the Potomac first engaged the Confederates at the Battle of the Wilderness.  Continuing the fighting through May, Grant and Lee clashed at Spotsylvania Court House, North Anna, and Cold Harbor.  Blocked at Cold Harbor, Grant elected to disengage and marched south to cross the James River with the goal of securing the key railroad center of  Petersburg and isolating Richmond.  Beginning their march on June 12, Grant and Meade crossed the river and began pushing towards Petersburg.  They were aided in this effort by elements of Major General Benjamin F. Butlers Army of the James. While Butlers initial assaults against Petersburg commenced on June 9, they failed to break through the Confederate lines.  Joined by Grant and Meade, subsequent attacks on June 15-18 drove the Confederates back but did not carry the city.  Entrenching opposite the enemy, Union forces began the Siege of Petersburg.  Securing his line on the Appomattox River in the north, Grants trenches extended south towards Jerusalem Plank Road.  Analyzing the situation, the Union leader concluded that the best approach would be to move against the Richmond Petersburg, Weldon, and Southside Railroads which supplied Lees army in Petersburg.  As Union troops attempted to move south and west around Petersburg, they fought several engagements including Jerusalem Plank Road (June 21-23) and Globe Tavern (August 18-21).  Additionally, a frontal assault was made against the Confederate works on July 30 at the Battle of the Crater. Battle of Peebles Farm - The Union Plan: Following the fighting in August, Grant and Meade achieved the goal of severing the Weldon Railroad.  This compelled Confederate reinforcements and supplies to disembark to the south at Stony Creek Station and move up Boydton Plank Road to Petersburg.  In late September, Grant directed Butler to mount an attack against Chaffins Farm and New Market Heights on the north side of the James.  As this offensive moved forward, he intended to push Major General Gouverneur K. Warrens V Corps west towards Boydton Plank Road with assistance on the left from Major General John G. Parkes IX Corps.  Additional support would be provided by a division from Major General Winfield S. Hancocks II Corps and a cavalry division led by Brigadier General David Gregg.  It was hoped that Butlers attack would force Lee to weaken his lines south of Petersburg to reinforce the Richmond defenses. Battle of Peebles Farm - Confederate Preparations: Following the loss of the Weldon Railroad, Lee directed that a new line of fortifications be constructed to the south to protect Boydton Plank Road.  While work on these progressed, a temporary line was built along Squirrel Level Road near Peebles Farm.  On September 29, elements of Butlers army succeeded in penetrating the Confederate line and captured Fort Harrison.  Gravely concerned about its loss, Lee began weakening his right below Petersburg to send forces north to re-take the fort.  As result, dismounted cavalry was posted to the Boydton Plank and Squirrel Level lines while those parts of Lieutenant General A.P. Hills Third Corps that remained south of the river were held back as a mobile reserve to deal with any Union incursions.   Battle of Peebles Farm - Warren Advances: On the morning of September 30, Warren and Parke moved forward.  Reaching the Squirrel Level line near Poplar Spring Church around 1:00 PM, Warren paused before directing Brigadier General Charles Griffins division to attack.  Capturing Fort Archer at the southern end of the Confederate line, Griffins men caused the defenders to break and retreat in a rapid fashion.  Having nearly had his corps badly defeated at Globe Tavern the previous month by Confederate counterattacks, Warren paused and directed his men to connect the newly-won position to the Union lines at Globe Tavern.  As a result, V Corps did not resume their advance until after 3:00 PM. Battle of Peebles Farm - The Tide Turns: Responding to crisis along the Squirrel Level Line, Lee recalled Major General Cadmus Wilcoxs division which had been en route to aid in the fighting at Fort Harrison.  The pause in the Union advance led to a gap emerging between V Corps and Parke on the left.  Increasingly isolated, XI Corps worsened their situation when its right division got ahead of the rest of its line.  While in this exposed position, Parkes men came under heavy attack by Major General Henry Heths division and that of the returning Wilcox.  In the fighting, Colonel John I. Curtins brigade was driven west towards the Boydton Plank Line where a large part of it was captured by Confederate cavalry.  The rest of Parkes men fell back before rallying at the Pegram Farm just north of the Squirrel Level Line. Reinforced by some of Griffins men, IX Corps was able to stabilize its lines and turned back the pursuing enemy.  The next day, Heth resumed attacks against the Union lines but was repulsed with relative ease.  These efforts were supported by Major General Wade Hamptons cavalry division which attempted to get in the Union rear.  Covering Parkes flank, Gregg was able to block Hampton.  On October 2, Brigadier General Gershom Motts II Corps came forward and mounted an assault towards the Boydton Plank Line.  Thought it failed to carry the enemys works, it allowed Union forces to construct fortifications close to the Confederate defenses. Battle of Peebles Farm - Aftermath: Union losses in the fighting at the Battle of Peebles Farm numbered 2,889 killed and wounded while Confederate losses totaled 1,239.  Though not decisive, the fighting saw Grant and Meade continue to push their lines south and west towards the Boydton Plank Road.  Additionally, Butlers efforts north of the James succeeded in capturing part of the Confederate defenses.  Fighting would resume above the river on October 7, while Grant waited until later in the month to attempt another effort south of Petersburg.  This would result in the Battle of Boydton Plank Road which opened on October 27.   Selected Sources National Park Service: Battle of Peebles FarmCWSAC Battle Summaries: Battle of Peebles FarmSiege of Petersburg: Battle of Peebles Farm

DB Reply Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

DB Reply - Assignment Example This means that companies such as Wal-Mart can reduce their external cost and increase their goodwill if they choose to ship more products through larger vessels and this will even reduce transportation cost. Eddy even seconds the proposition that the shipping industry needs to operate to attain economies of scale and scope and they can do so by horizontal integration taking place between different elements of the shipping industry. Eddy states that now those shipping companies are more successful that instead of competing with the ports have integrated with the ports and due to this integration they are attaining economies of scale and scope and developed a strong maritime logistics chain (Eddy, 2009). Eddy even asserts that due to higher degree of focus on integration, the shipping firms that have increased their vertical and horizontal integration have attained higher power in the market and have gained a competitive advantage over

Student Performance Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Student Performance Analysis - Essay Example without these plans an organization cannot establish any goals, or have the ability to monitor their goals, which in turn enables them to improve the future not just of the schools but also of every student and member of staff within them. In developing these strategies care must be taken to ensure that the plan, the financial provision, the academic criterion and standard of teaching are realistic and assessable (WINSS, 2008). The Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPSa), in Rockville, Maryland have developed their strategic plan for the schools in their district along these lines. MCPS (2008b) have developed their financial resources plan to provide effective business services which provide efficient running of the schools. These are seen as vital for the educational accomplishments of the students. They have involved a larger parental and community support in their planning and budgeting, and in their outreach and partnerships. The business services either meet or go above the requirements of the schools, and they have implemented an arrangement to employ, support and keep hold of highly qualified teachers and other staff members. The financial resources invested each year has increased from 2002 when the budgeted costs for ‘all strategic functions’ at $1.10 per square foot, in 2007 it was $1.22 per square foot (MCPS, 2008b). The human resources that the plan endeavors to produce are equally successful. MCPS (2008) main criteria in these area of resource is to develop and reinforce dynamic partnerships for the education of the students. They also support the relationship from the outside community and their participation in the school to encourage success. Continuous professional training has been implemented; the staff are now offered more support and mentoring has been put into practice for all staff. The plan has enabled the schools to train 138 more staff in leadership training in 2007, than it did in 2002 (MCPSa, 2008). Furthermore, MCPS

The marketing plan for ABC Foods Pvt. Ltd Essay

The marketing plan for ABC Foods Pvt. Ltd - Essay Example In relation to the study the company which has been selected is ABC Foods Pvt. Ltd., a 10 years young US based food processing company which has been continuous supplying processed food to the major supermarkets and community based departmental stores and grocery shops in Unite States. The company was established and incorporated in 2001. The company has decided to make forward diversification into the Indian food market with the launch of a new category of product line i.e. â€Å"Ready-To-Eat† (RTE) food. This ready to eat food is very much popular in the developed countries and it has a saturated market in US. So the company has decided to make brand extension as well as diversification of business simultaneously. India has a very good potential market for ready to eat food and very few food companies are there who have this type of product differentiation in the market. Only the people of urban areas of the country have the food habit of processed food like ready to eat foo d and maximum family member in the urban areas are working people and they generally need a time consumed processing of the food for their breakfast and as well for making Tiffin for launch. These all are driving forces which influence the company to make the brand extension in a potential foreign country like India where the food habit of people is changing from home cooked food to ready to eat food. A SMAETER objectives need to follow for getting competitive advantage. Specific: The Company needs to reach in its break even in 2.5 year so that it can start brand extension i.e. it can invest some percentage of its profit in another brand or product diversification to expand the business in the form of higher market share. The company supply their products to supermarkets as well as the small and medium grocery shops in the in the community area for getting a final customer based apart from the third party retail clients. For this type of sales objectives, distributor acquisition and development is required who will be responsible for generating channel sales by supplying products to the small shops in semi urban or community based countryside areas. Measurable: Measurable objective is the result of quantitative analysis of pre-measured sales target for achieving the small steps in the away of break even. For growth measurement achieving sales growth of 5% over first five years is needed which will simultaneously expand the market beyond the targeted market. Achievable: A substantial market position is one of the important achievable marketing objectives. Exploitation of gap in demand for the product and efficient supply is major achievable objective. For this a effective distribution channel is needed so that product can reach in place where the other competitors didn’t think of ever and it will be beneficial for capturing the rural market which is a substantial part of Indian market and a possibility of available potential consumer may also there. And sometimes this presence of the product will influence their willingness to buy a new product. Realistic: A product sample testing from the final consumer is needed to understand the demand of the competitors’ existing customers and it will be clear that how much percentage of the total consumer of this category of product may shift to its brand. Like 30% of the potential consumer from the retail supermarket is needed for better confidence in the start up. Time bound and Extending: Initial time bound is one year and then if the strategies and the objectives

Choose an object that has special meaning for you. please write about( Essay

Choose an object that has special meaning for you. please write about( my mother gave me Necklace when I graduated from university in my Graduate Celebration that she made in our house - Essay Example This necklace is made of beads that are of different colors. The shape of the beads and the color attracts the attention of many people. The beads contain all the colors of the rainbow. This necklace is light in weight and makes me comfortable when wearing it. In addition, these beads are plastic in nature though from far one can think they are from a natural fabric. Sometimes I feel like whoever made this necklace had my taste in mind. This necklace represents my life struggle in my undergraduate. Additionally, it reminds me of my family mood during the graduation ceremony. We all have to know that it is good to appreciate somebody for good deed. I wanted to share this information with you to enlighten you on appreciating something even if it may look small to you. I now know you have understood my close association with this necklace. In this necklace, I cannot forget awesome memories in my

Business management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Business management - Essay Example Various management practices depend on the trust and empowerment that are designed to increase employee assurance to performance objectives and organizational objectives. The scenario of market place and space are rapidly changing since few years. Therefore these changing scenarios have convinced the management of company and shareholders to adopt a new archetype based on new values. For an example, in banking sector new financial products are jumping up in quick speed. These may create several problems and tough times for the management board in order to compete in this global competitive market. The organization cultures need to change according to the change of market place scenario. It involves understanding the current role, current culture. There is need for greater flexibility and speed that can be achieved through employee involvement in the management decision making. Due to high flexibility, employees get motivated to innovate without any kind of bureaucracy. Red tapes and bureaucracy generally aggravates employees and shuts them down. Employee involvement in management decision making is an old idea that has been frequently invigorated by new generation organizations across the globe. For an example, the oldest system of documented of employee participation is a particular document called â€Å"employee suggestion system† established in 1898. The return of nominal investments comes as superior level of employee motivation, productivity, creativity, and commitment that will shift the organization towards success.

Jimmy Cliff Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Jimmy Cliff - Research Paper Example â€Å"Reggae changed the traditional rock patterns by allowing guitar to play the off-beat chords, while the bass guitar played melodic patterns† (Reggae par.1). Jimmy Cliff was born on April 1948 in Somerton District of Jamaica; he was the second youngest among 9 of his brothers and sisters. His parents parted away when he was very young, so Cliff was brought up by his grandmother and father. His Grandmother played an important role in his career as she always encouraged him to sing and appreciated whatever he sang. She made him confident about his ability of doing something great one day. Family too played a very major role in Cliff’s life. Jimmy Cliff apart from being a well known singer is also known as an internationally famous musician and actor. With his 50 years of valuable contribution in the entertainment industry Cliff has two Grammy Awards to his credit and also the distinction of being one of the only two reggae artists inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the highest honour given by Jamaican government in the field of arts and sciences making him an international icon. With over 20 albums till date, Jimmy â€Å"Cliff has been one of the brightest stars of Jamaica’s thriving musical culture and was among the first to bring reggae to the worldwide audience† (Jimmy Cliff Biography par.1). ... Cliff’s later hit singles included King of Kings, Dearest Beverly, Miss Jamaica, Pride and Passion. â€Å"The harder they come† in 1972 gave him an opportunity to showcase his acting talent where he played the role of a boy who wanted to enter into the world of music but could not succeed and with time he gets involved in illegal activities and crime, his role was appreciated by all, the movie was a big hit and brought Jimmy and Reggae in international spotlight. His songs â€Å"Many Rivers to Cross† and â€Å"The Harder they come† were a massive hit. Jimmy always wanted to become an actor and in his school days he was appreciated for his acting skills and his prime will was to become an iconic actor and singing just happened by accident. Music and Acting has played a very important role in his life and these are the two things which gave him the recognition worldwide. His achievements in his career make him unique and he is unstoppable even at the age of 65. Jimmy Cliff is ready to play a new innings in his career with the sequel of his famous movie â€Å" The Harder they come† through which he dreamed to win his dream : The Oscar and is also working on his Grammy Fame Album Rebirth’s next part where he wants to experiment with something new apart from reggae. Jimmy also contributed a lot towards the society by raising his voice for the poor and deprived, he was very disturbed to see the plight of people in Africa and their discrimination on the basis of colour, through his songs like the opener, world upside down whose lyrics were updated by Cliff. His socially conscious songs on Rebirth included â€Å"Children’s Bread, with his harsh refrain, â€Å"They took the children’s bread and give it to the dogs...The time has come for us to right the wrongs.†

Business management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Business management - Essay Example Various management practices depend on the trust and empowerment that are designed to increase employee assurance to performance objectives and organizational objectives. The scenario of market place and space are rapidly changing since few years. Therefore these changing scenarios have convinced the management of company and shareholders to adopt a new archetype based on new values. For an example, in banking sector new financial products are jumping up in quick speed. These may create several problems and tough times for the management board in order to compete in this global competitive market. The organization cultures need to change according to the change of market place scenario. It involves understanding the current role, current culture. There is need for greater flexibility and speed that can be achieved through employee involvement in the management decision making. Due to high flexibility, employees get motivated to innovate without any kind of bureaucracy. Red tapes and bureaucracy generally aggravates employees and shuts them down. Employee involvement in management decision making is an old idea that has been frequently invigorated by new generation organizations across the globe. For an example, the oldest system of documented of employee participation is a particular document called â€Å"employee suggestion system† established in 1898. The return of nominal investments comes as superior level of employee motivation, productivity, creativity, and commitment that will shift the organization towards success.

Shawshank Redemption Essay Essay Example for Free

Shawshank Redemption Essay Essay Analyse how at least one setting helped you better understand one or two characters or individuals. !! In the film, The Shawshank Redemption the director, Frank Darabont, uses the prison setting to help the audience to better understand the inmates of Shawshank State Prison. Darabont uses an array of film techniques to illustrate his purpose of institutionalisation and the importance of hope. !! The nature of the prison is cold and oppressive. The prison is lit by blue/grey lighting that complements the blue and grey backgrounds of the walls, adding a claustrophobic ambience to the already disheartening prison. Darabont cleverly uses the prison setting in The Marriage of Figaro by Mozart Scene to help the audience understand how the inmates have become institutionalised from everyday prison life. Not only does this scene uncover institutionalisation, but also how the prisoners respond to the feeling of hope and therefore exposing its importance. Andy Dufresne, a former vice president of a bank who was wrongly accused of murdering his wife and her lover, is shown excitedly going through a box of records. He comes across a certain album, Mozarts The Marriage of Figaro, he pulls it from the stack and plays it on a phonograph. Andy works up his courage and broadcasts the duet to the entire prison.!! Darabont effectively uses the technique of soundtrack to convey how the inmates have become institutionalised to benefit the audiences understanding. Soundtrack enables the audience to understand the toll prison has had on the inmates, as said by Red Redding, a longtime inmate of Shawshank State, they send you here for life, and thats exactly what they take. The part that counts, anyway. We understand that the inmates feel that they are defined by the walls of the prison and have accepted that theres no way theyre going to make it on the outside as quoted by Red Redding. As the music plays, the inmates stop still, hypnotised and overcome by its beauty. Inmates either go up to the windows or look up at the sky in an attempt to look beyond the prison walls. This shows how they have become institutionalised as they are transfixed by something so simple. The inmates melodramatic response to the sound of music enables the audience to understand how much they are missing out on life. We better understand the inmates by learning that even though they essentially resented prison regime, it quickly became part of their life and soon depended on the prisons rules and came to believe that they could not function without it. The inmates have ultimately lost their independence. !! Other techniques in this scene include dialogue and voiceover. These techniques are effectively used to show the necessity of hope to the inmates. During this scene, we see shots of the inmates either looking out windows or up at the sky, complemented by Reds voiceover he says, I have no idea to this day what them two Italian ladies were singing about I tell you those voices soared. Higher and farther than anybody in a grey place dares to dream. It was like some beautiful bird flapped into our drab little cage and made these walls dissolve away and for the briefest of moments every last man at Shawshank felt free. Red speaks for the rest of Shawshanks inmates as he metaphorically uses the beautiful bird to symbolise hope. He states how it made the prison walls dissolve away and allowed every last man at Shawshank to feel free. Hope enabled them to withstand the drudgeries of prison life and gave them the will to live. Another technique used is dialogue which directly addresses the importance of hope. Near the end of the scene, we see Andy and fellow inmates having a conversation in the prison cafeteria where Andy says, we need it (hope) so we dont forget that there are things in this world not carved out of grey stone. That theres a small place inside of us that they can never lock away, and that place is called hope. Andy enlightens his peers by teaching them that hope cannot physically be taken away. Its something that you decide whether you take it into account or not. We can a better understand of the inmates as we learn that hope is not only wishful thinking, but never giving up and more importantly it is the foundation for motivation. Inmates know that hope is fundamental to prison survival and know that whatever prison or oppressors may do to the body, they can never kill the soul. !! From the prisons setting we gain a better understanding of the prison inmates. We gain insight about the inmates and how institutionalisation slowly crept in their lives, but also how hope serves an importance purpose to their welfare. Hope is very significant in todays society; hope gives us motivation or strength to withstand adversity. Hope is something that carries a person through life just like it does for the men of Shawshank Prison. Darabont uses the film techniques of soundtrack, voiceover and dialogue to help the audience gain a better understanding of the prison inmates in the film.

Culture of multilingual students

Culture of multilingual students Annotated Bibliography Sowden, C. (2005). Point and counterpoint. Plagiarism and the culture of multilingual students in higher education abroad. ELT Journal, Volume 59/3 July 2005. doi : 10. 1093/elt/ccio42. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Sowdens research investigates multilingual students possessing different cultural values considering plagiarism in academic writing. In the introduction, the importance of avoiding stereotyping and respecting foreign traditions are mentioned as a main criteria. Instead of plagiarism already discouraged by practising oral presentations, students familiarity with concepts should be improved. After considering the fact of multilingual students commiting plagiarism, aclear distinction between the plagiarism of ideas and the plagarism of language is made in the research. Examining the plagiarism of ideas, the research shows that the Asian teaching system called Confucian teaching depends on statements cited just once. Furthermore, students are required to reproduce papers and copy teachers as well as not having own opinion. Finally, the research explains that committing plagiarism is part of the learning method, and valid intertextuality from deliberate copying can be distinguished. Rà ©ka Lelkes Gergely J. Tamà ¡si BBN-ANG-108/s Annotated Bibliography March 5, 2010 Liu, D. (2005). Plagiarism in ESOL students : is cultural conditioning truly the major culprit? ELT Journal, Volume 59/3 July 2005. doi : 10. 1093/elt/ccio43. Oxford : Oxford University Press. Lius article, after claiming that plagiarism was considered mainly aculture-specific concept in the past decade, does not agree with Sowden that the issue of multilingual students commiting plagiarism should be dealt in moderation. Lius research investigates that information about ESOL students found plagiarizing is dubious and inaccurate. He agrees with Sowden that cultural differences and the arreas of learning can not be distinguished. On the contrary, he mentions stereotyping as anegative phenomenon used by teachers for student behaviour. He also mentions the encouraging athmosphere of Chinese education where students are not allowed to plagiarize. This article states that while memorizing the writings, students in China gain knowledge about writing techniques and rethorical styles as well. In conclusion, he adds that the aim of teachers is to provide the highest level of teaching language and academic writing for students. Rà ©ka Lelkes Gergely J. Tamà ¡si BBN-ANG-108/s Thesis Statement March 5, 2010 Thesis Statement Although many people may not have enough leisure time, Ibelieve that reading books instead of watching their movie adaptation is definitely better for three reasons. Rà ©ka Lelkes Gergely J. Tamà ¡si BBN-ANG-108/s Annotated Bibliography March 5, 2010 Ridgway, T. (2000) Listening Strategies I beg your pardon? ELT Journal, Volume 54/2 April. Oxford : Oxford University Press. The article of Ridgway investigates the relationship between oral and written communication. He claims that skills and strategies can be distinguished as two important groups, and the meaning of strategies spreading from language is not clear. Other problem in case of strategies is deciding how useful strategies are in pedagogic practise.

Danzy Sennas Caucasia Essay -- Danzy Senna Caucasia Essays

Danzy Senna's Caucasia In Caucasia, by Danzy Senna, Birdie spends time in several different racial contexts and, in each one, adjusts the racial definition of herself. Through this process, she discovers much about the conception of race in contemporary American society and achieves the nuanced understanding that race, while merely a construction, is still (operationally) real. This is contrasted by the more dangerous, oversimplified understanding of race – that races are biological rivals, inherently different and unable to coexist without some sort of power structure – embodied by the character of Redbone, who is also a symbol of inauthenticity. This latter aspect of Redbone shows the emptiness inherent in the views he holds about race, an important reason for his inclusion in the novel. Redbone, which, interestingly enough, according to urbandictionary.com literally means a light-skinned black person with kinky red hair, is an incredibly outspoken advocate of the â€Å"revolution† (the movement intended to allow Blacks to overthrow Whites in the American power-structure) and the need to use violence to bring it about. In the scene where Redbone shows Birdie the guns, he says, â€Å"This little girl ain’t no security risk, brotha. We gotta raise our children to know how to fight† (Senna 15). He also tells Deck that maybe he needs to â€Å"get [his] head out of them books and put some action behind them high-falutin’ theories of [his]† (16). This manifestation of black vs. white politics as unabashed advocating of violence and this mockery and belittling of intellectualism as â€Å"high-falutin’† in favor of insufficiently thought-out action shows just how facile and oversimplified Redbone’s views of race are. Th ey are of the â€Å"good† vs. the ... ...cted† but that â€Å"that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist† that Birdie and her sister express toward the end of the novel upon their reunification (408). Through embodying both falseness and such a self-serving and facile view of race, Redbone serves as Senna’s symbol that they go hand in hand, that is, that such conceptions are empty and inauthentic – not true to the way the world actually works. As we begin to doubt who Redbone is, we doubt what he says. Taking this a step further, the sense of inauthenticity associated with him points out the aspect of lying to oneself that is necessary for maintaining these self-serving definitions of race. As Redbone pretends to be something he’s not and the flasher denigrates others for an inauthentic sense of power, the racist lies to himself about how the world really is to maintain his image of himself, and his race, on top of it.

The Green Mile :: essays research papers

The Green Mile was about a murder of two girls. When the father is told by the mother that the 2 little girls are missing, he gets a whole crowwd together to look for the little girls. They find the girls in the arms of a huge black man (I had to add the about the color of his skin because this part of the story takes place in the 30's and we all know how strong racism was back then). We later find that the man's name us John Coffey. (Just like the drink but not spelled the same.) They take John to jail and everyone is impressed by how large he is. He has huge muscles and he towers over everone. The guard in charge of the green mile goes into the cell that John Coffey is in and removes the cuffs from John's hands. The guard notices that John is very gentle and very kind, and that he has something very special. So for the first couple days The guard watched John carefully, he caused no trouble and John was also quiet. In the first few weeks, they got another prisoner, his name was Wild Bill.Wild Bill was in-fact very wild, he even tried to attack the guards while he was coming in. In the end we all find out that Wild Bill killed (murdered) the two little girls that John Coffey had been convicted of killing. John however, still was sentenced to death. At 11:30 pm the next day John Coffey walked down the green mile. John was placed in the electric chair (ol' sparky) and they placed the mask over his head John told the guard to take off the mask because he was afraid of the dark, and he didnt want to die in the dark. So the guard took off the mask, then placed the wet sponge on his head, they pulled the hood down and put that over top of the wet sponge. The guard yelled "Roll on 2" and they pulled the lever. John Coffey was dead. The guards were so sad they cried, some of them quit just because if that incident. They knew he was innocent but they couldent do anything about it. I think that the books were sad, and very heart pounding.

Ken Wilber

The man who, for many years, has been acknowledged by colleagues as the leading theoretician of consciousness and transpersonal psychology, Ken Wilber, was born in 1948 in Oklahoma City, to two devoted parents. Wilber's intellect has been hailed as truly extraordinary in its penetrating, synthesizing, and discriminative capacities. His knowledge of psychology, philosophy, sociology, comparative religion, mysticism, anthropology, and even â€Å"hard† sciences such as biochemistry and physics is virtually encyclopedic, but, most importantly, he has personal experience with the states and levels of consciousness about which he writes.Although he certainly should not be viewed as only an intellectual, his affinity for the mental and spiritual realms, as opposed to the bodily and emotional realms, is clear. Likewise, although his passion is greater for transpersonal than prepersonal and personal stages of development, he has nonetheless consistently emphasized the dire need to reco gnize and embrace a full-spectrum view of consciousness and humanity's place therein.Life and Major WorksWilber grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska. His father was an air force officer. As a youth, he was absorbed in the world of natural sciences, biology, chemistry and mathematics. Referring to his late high-school and early college days, Wilber notes, â€Å"My mental youth was an idyll of precision and accuracy, a fortress of the clear and evident.† (Wilber 58) His encounter with the Tao-te-Ching changed everything: â€Å"It was as if I were being exposed, for the very first time, to an entirely new and drastically different world -a world beyond the sensical, a world outside of science, and therefore a world quite beyond myself.† (Wilber 58)From here on, the investigation of the world beyond the personal self yet accessible to human consciousness became a passion that involved not just Wilber's intellect but his entire being. Beginning in his early twenties and continuing to this day, he has taken up training in various contemplative practices such as Zen and Dzogchen (a form of Tibetan Buddhism) that would enable him to walk the terrain he charts in his writings.Wilber dropped out of graduate studies in biochemistry to devote himself fulltime to the pursuit of his research and writing about consciousness. His first major book, The Spectrum of Consciousness written in 1977, was a synthesis of Western psychological theories and therapies with Eastern spiritual disciplines. From this time onward, Wilber supported himself by his own writings, living outside of institutional affiliations and commitments, free to develop and express his own ideas, free to live a lifestyle of contemplation and writing. To balance mental and spiritual work with embodied living, he at times engaged in manual labor, such as working in gas stations (Wilber 88).Several books and over a hundred journal articles soon appeared. The Atman Project 1980 set forth a vastly expanded fr amework for human development from infancy to adulthood and beyond into transpersonal stages described by diverse contemplative disciplines. Up from Eden (1981b) presented a detailed map of the evolution of the human mind and consciousness within this framework. The popular No Boundary (1981a), explains Wilber's early ideas in a highly readable style, while some of his more technical works such as Eye to Eye: The Questfor the New Paradigm for the New Paradigm (1990a) discuss the epistemological bases of knowing in the various sciences and how these could be expanded to accommodate the fun spectrum of consciousness.Wilber's ideas, larger than life and expressed through a powerful and often sharply critical writing style, have left few readers neutral or indifferent. Over the years he has engaged in lively debates with people who have taken issue with his controversial ideas, including other prominent theorists in transpersonal psychology. Most of these debates were carried on in the pages of journals and in his most recent books. Few of his colleagues in transpersonal and consciousness studies have met him in person. To their chagrin, Wilber guards his privacy carefully and rarely makes an appearance in public.He initially accepted invitations to teach, lecture, and give interviews but then quickly pulled back from such activity, as he felt thrown off center by the attention and admiration from his audiences. Regarding this experience, Wilber said in an interview, â€Å"What you get are a lot of people telling you how great you are. Within a short time, you start believing them, and then you're headed for disaster. I simply did not feel competent to appear in public as a teacher† (Schwartz 186). Getting Wilber to agree even to an interview is not easy. Yet when he does give his time, he gives generously, and to his small circle of close friends. Wilber is known as a devoted friend who can be warm, charming, and funny (Schwartz 204).Wilber's first marriag e to his best friend Amy Wagner in 1972 lasted for nine years, after which they parted ways amicably. Two years later Wilber met and married Treya Killam. One week after the wedding, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. The next five years were spent battling a relentless cancer that eventually claimed her life. During those five years Wilber set aside most of his writing and devoted himself full-time to nurturing Treya and, eventually, to helping her to die. Grace and Grit (1991), which appeared two years after her death, provides a moving account of the emotional and spiritual struggles and transformations in both Wilber and Treya during those trying years.The long hiatus in Wilber's writing ended in 1995 with the publication of the first volume of a planned three-volume series, Sex, Ecology, and Spirituality: The Spirit of Evolution (SES) (1995b). This 800 page volume was soon followed by two shorter companion works, A Guide to Sex, Ecology, Spirituality (1995a) and A Brief Hist ory of Everything (1996). A new chapter had just begun in Wilber's writing career. Up to this point, the emphasis had been largely on the upward movement of evolution, but in SES the upward movement is balanced by the movement downward: Spirit ascending to higher unities is at the same time Spirit descending to embrace and integrate the manifold of phenomena. By Wilber's own estimation SES is his first mature work. It offers an integral vision that encompasses practically everything humans have ever sought to know or be.Wilber’s IdeasTranspersonal TheoryKen Wilber has been the most influential theorist in transpersonal psychology. Wilber's developmental model in The Atman Project has the advantage of meshing with developmental psychology and extending it to transpersonal growth. Wilber says that people move through three life stages: pre-personal, personal, and transpersonal growth. The pre-personal stage begins at birth, before a personality is developed.From birth to adoles cence the task is to build a personality. In the personal stage the individual's task is to use the personality in work, relationships, and mature life in the world. In the transpersonal stage, usually beginning in adult life, the person begins to move beyond the external world and explore the inner reaches of the self and spiritual realities. The ultimate purpose is to attain the state of oneness or unity with the consciousness of the universe. Wilber contends that the growth toward these levels of being is a natural movement of the self, an inward arc in contrast to the outward arc that relates to the external world.The Spectrum of DevelopmentDevelopment, for Wilber, extends from inanimate matter and primitive life forms through the developmental stages of human consciousness to its farthest reaches as manifested by the mystics and sages of various Eastern and Western spiritual traditions. The stages leading to mature adulthood are familiar enough. They have been charted by theori sts such as Jean Piaget, Erik Erikson, Lawrence Kohlberg, and various psychoanalysts. Wilber draws especially from Piaget for the un-foldment of the cognitive and mental capacities and integrates these with the dynamic theories of object-relations psychoanalysis.Wilber identifies four transpersonal stages beyond mature adulthood: psychic, subtle, causal, and ultimate. Through these stages the sense of self or identity becomes more and more flexible and inclusive as self-centrism or narcissism continues to decrease, until at the highest stages of transpersonal development even the subtlest and most inclusive self-structurations are transcended in a sense of identity and connectedness that embraces all.At each stage things can go wrong, and so there is a spectrum of pathology corresponding to the spectrum of development all the way up to the highest transpersonal stages. Wilber discusses treatment modalities for each pathology and calls attention to the importance of correctly discern ing levels of pathology for example pre-personal or transpersonal so that appropriate treatment can be chosen. For example, he argues that meditation may not be suitable for borderline and other pre-personal pathologies, whereas for an existential depression or â€Å"dark night of the soul† that may occur in the lower transpersonal stages meditation may be a successful method of treatment.The charting of transpersonal development is undoubtedly Wilber's most controversial project. It implies that human development is open ended and that some individuals are â€Å"farther along† in development than other people, or that at any given time some people, and perhaps some cultures, have a more encompassing sense of self and a greater capacity for integrating the spectrum of consciousness than others. A number of cultural anthropologists, feminists, and ecophilosophers have criticized Wilber's theory in this regard. Certainly, the idea of development beyond â€Å"the average well-adjusted† is not new; it was celebrated in Maslow's notion of the self-actualizer. But in proposing developmental stages beyond self-actualization, Wilber is venturing into ever more rarified realms of human experience where the stakes are set high yet evidence is hard to come by.Nevertheless, it seems fair to say that Wilber's transpersonal stages have opened up the horizon far beyond anything conceived in Western scientific psychology. This horizon had been there all along, of course, and through the centuries it was explored by the mystics and seers whose anecdotal accounts, couched in religious symbolism and interpretations, only helped to shroud it in impenetrable mystery. For consciousness researchers, Wilber offers a greatly expanded paradigm of scientific inquiry. For those on a spiritual quest, he provides a map for the road.The Three Eyes of KnowingThe paradigm of consciousness research has been too narrowly modeled after the empirical sciences, argues Wilber. It can be significantly expanded once we realize that the eye of flesh, that is, our senses aided by laboratory instruments, is just one of the possible ways in which knowledge is gathered. We also have the eye of reason that understands the meaning of text, cultural symbols, and mathematical equations as well as the meaning of the data the eye of flesh observes. Beyond reason, says Wilber, there is the eye of contemplation that intuits directly the nature of reality and of the meanings deciphered by the eye of reason.The Pre/Trans FallacyAnother important concept of Wilber's that helps clear up misunderstandings regarding the transpersonal domain is what he calls the â€Å"pre/trans fallacy.† This is the failure to distinguish between primitive phenomena of early developmental stages, on the one hand, and insights and experiences that transcend the egoic mode of rational consciousness, on the other. Both types of phenomena are, in their own ways, â€Å"nonrational† an d â€Å"nonegoic,† and this is why they can appear similar or even identical. But phenomena of the first type are â€Å"prerational† or â€Å"preegoic,† whereas phenomena of the second type are â€Å"transrational† or â€Å"transegoic.†The pre/trans fallacy can occur in two ways. In the first, â€Å"trans† is reduced to â€Å"pre.† Freud's interpretation of the â€Å"oceanic feeling† associated with mystical experience as an irrational, regressive urge to return to the womb is a classic example of such a reduction. In general, the dismissal of all spiritual insights as regressive exemplifies the reductionist form of the pre/trans fallacy. In the second form of the fallacy, â€Å"pre† is elevated to â€Å"trans.† The elevationist form of the pre/trans fallacy is evident in the various ways in which prerational experience and modes of expression are promoted in the name of higher personal growth.Wilber's discussion of the pre/trans fallacy may well be one of his most useful practical contributions to the growing numbers of people searching for a spiritual path or engaging in some form of contemplative practice (Schwartz 260). Often the spiritual search masks primitive longings rooted in early developmental deprivations. On the other hand, sometimes an apparent psychotic break signals a major spiritual breakthrough. An insight into the pre/trans fallacy helps spiritual questers as well as therapists to be more discerning of the nature of the beast they are dealing with.Holism: Restoring Connectedness in the WorldIn his more recent writings, Wilber has articulated his philosophy of holism. To be truly holistic, the vision of a whole must include everything, including itself. But more important, it must integrate and connect all that it embraces. So the issue is not holism versus atomism, but fractured ness versus connectedness. Furthermore, the solution cannot be a matter of articulating the bes t and most holistic position, for this still leaves out the person proposing or accepting the position. Rather, what is required is a transformation of consciousness within the person, within all of us that shifts the viewpoint from the exterior increasingly to the interior and on to a superior view that is ever more inclusive and connected.Wilber has sounded a powerful call for us to awaken to the evolutionary process taking place within us, within the universe, not in some distant future but right now (Puhakka 152). This evolution is fundamentally open and creative and therefore, at every turn, incomplete and uncertain. We live in systems within systems, contexts within contexts, of indefinitely expanding structures of experiences, meanings, and relationships. These systems are constantly sliding and the contexts shifting, says Wilber.The vision of an open universe unfolding and enfolded upwards and downwards without end effectively removes all bases for certainty and completeness . For many people, the postmodern quicksand world spells despair and a sense of being lost in the ever-shifting contexts that claim power of determination over meaning and values and render human lives pointless and empty.The absolutizing of context is an unfortunate, even if unintended, legacy of much of postmodern thought. Wilber sees the emphasis on context as being appropriate but not going deep enough: We must recognize that the contexts themselves are shifting and evolving, along with everything else. The evolution, we are a part of excludes nothing, not even the contexts that bound our understanding and awareness. Evolution is the journey of the universe toward self-awareness, now through human consciousness that is becoming increasingly aware of its own contexts.ConclusionKen Wilber is a controversial figure among the late-twentieth-century thinkers on culture and consciousness. The evolution of consciousness is Wilber's main concern. He finds all of the major sciences, phil osophies, and spiritual traditions, both Eastern and Western, relevant to this concern, for they exemplify the process of evolution even as they shed light on it. The light is always partial, however, and how to fit the partial truths together is, for Wilber, the supreme puzzle. A superb synthesizer with ability to absorb and integrate large amounts of information across various disciplines, he sketches the contours of a panoramic vision of evolution as an unfolding of Spirit through matter, life, and mind.Works CitedEngler J. Therapeutic aims in psychotherapy and meditation: Developmental stages in the representation of self. Boston: Shambhala, 1986.Puhakka K. Restoring connectedness in the Kosmos: A healing tale of a deeper order. Humanistic Psychologist, 23 (1995): 373-391.Schwartz T. The full spectrum: Common Boundary. Los Angeles: Tarcher, 1995.Wilber K. The spectrum of consciousness. Wheaton, IL: Quest Books, 1977.Wilber K. The Atman project. Wheaton, IL: Quest Books. 1980.Wil ber K. No boundary. Boston: Shambhala, 1981.Wilber K. Odyssey. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 22(1) (1982): 57-90.Wilber K. A sociable God. New York: New Press, 1983.