Process of air freight forwarding services for exporting

Over the last few years, the concept of logistics has become more and more recognized, it has even become a vital part of foreign trade activities. Integrating with the trend of globalization, Vietnam has gradually developed forwarding and logistics industry, created incentives to develop export and import activities in the country. After a long period of time fostering professional knowledge, I found this internship program a chance that the university had offered to students to gain actual work practice and apply learning theory.With the experiences in 3 weeks of internship at Overgrow Consultant and Logistics Corporation and the knowledge accumulated in class, I have completed the mid-course internship report with the key topic â€Å"Process of air freight forwarding services for exporting processing goods at Overgrow Consultant and Logistics Corporation†, which includes the actual process of exporting goods by air at the company and some recommendations to improve this act ivities.The report consists of three chapters, including: Chapter 1 : Introduction of Overgrow Consultant and Logistics Corporation Chapter 2: Estimating the process of air freight forwarding services for exporting processing odds Chapter 3: Recommendations to improve the process I would like to say thanks to Foreign Trade University Ho Chi Mini city Campus that has facilitated us in experiencing with the mid-course internship; Mr.. Unguent Tine Hang who has devotedly helped me to finish this report. I am grateful for the help from Overgrow C. L. Co's Board of Directors and their staffs, especially Mr..Unguent Van Sang – General Director and Miss Train NCO Phonon NIH – Assistant General Director, who have enthusiastically supported me to approach documents and actual activities in the company. However, due to the lack of knowledge and practical experience, the port may contain some inevitable mistakes. I would be really appreciated to have further comments to improve t his subject from the readers. Ho Chi Mini City, 22nd August, 2013 Student TryГn HTH H;I Line Chapter 1 : INTRODUCTION OF OVERGROW CONSULTANT AND LOGISTICS CORPORATION 1. . Rater History Overgrow Consultant and Logistics Corporation was first established on 20/09/2000 at Cote Building, 7 Name Quo Gang, Pam Eng Ala Ward, HCI with the name of Overgrow Services – Consultant – Trading Limited Liability Company. January 2nd 2008, the company became officially quizzed and changed its head office to 853 El Hong Phone, Ward 12, Didst. 10, HCI. In January 2011, the head office was once again moved to 273/5 Unguent Throng Tune, Ward 10, PH Nonhuman Didst. , HCI and became official until now. . 2. General Information company's Name: OVERGROW CONSULTANT AND LOGISTICS CORPORATION Business Name: OVERGROW C. L. C Brand name: [email  protected] Head Office: 273/5 Unguent Throng Tune, Ward 10, PH Nonhuman Didst. , HCI City Certificate of Business Number: 4103008954 Issued by: Depa rtment of Planning and Investment of Ho Chi Mini City Tax Code: 0305416676 Initial capital: 800. 000. 000 dong Tell: 08 38 455 277 Fax: 08 38 455494 Website: overgrow. Com. Van Email: [email  protected] Com. Van Chairman of the Board of Directors: Mr..Quack Than Dan General Director: Mr.. Unguent Van Sang Slogan: â€Å"Ever Value Growth† 1. 2. 1. Functions Consultancy Investment Consultancy Consultancy on Enterprise Administrative Management Legal Consultancy M&A Consultancy Real Estate Consultancy Franchising Consultancy Export – Import Customs Broker Logistics Services Packaging, labeling Consolidation Authorized representatives of import and export Distribution Accounting – Tax and Financial Services Vocational Training Trading 1. 2. 2. MissionsTo plan and carry out company's business services in accordance with the current regulations to execute the above function To develop and utilize efficiently the company's funds, constantly improve the company's serv ices to preserve and expand capital To comply with policies and regimes of state law related to business activities of the company, commit to the contracts with customer To fulfill obligations to employees and tax obligations to the state To take legal responsibility for the operations of the company To train and develop the employees of the company, facilitate staffs' professional development 1. 3.Organizational structure With the number of fewer than 30 employees, Overgrow is a small company whose capital is 800. 000. 000 vend. This figure is quite not significant during the time when more and more large logistics company has Joined in the market inventive with strong investment in scale and infrastructure. However, the dynamic and young team of staff, the enthusiastic and experienced management team, the compact size which is easy to control are the company's advantages. With the slogan of Ever Value Growth for, the company will always be prepared for the long-term oriented devel opment and sustainability. . 3. 1 . Organizational Hierarchy chart Chart 1 . 1: Organizational Structure Source: website 1. 3. 2. Functions of main departments Personnel Department Responsible for managing rules and regulations of the company, clerical work, salary administration, compensation and benefits, office, security, fire fight and prevention, developing human resource. Business Development Department Responsible for researching and developing service products, designing and determining the price of product, pursuing business opportunities, customer care and development.Consultancy Department Provide consultancy services in accordance with investor's requirement and business environment Research and update systematically related legal information to provide customer with the best investment, commercial, import-export information Plan business projects, investment proposal, obtain investment license. Import-Export Department Import-Export Department is the most important depa rtment contributing to the company's revenue. It consists of two sections: documents section and field section.The main activities are: Provide import and export services in accordance with customer's requirement and business environment Deal with customers, receive information and documents, process documents and import-export formality Initiative contact with related State agencies and customers to resolve any problems Carry out customs broker activities, transportation and delivery of goods Operate the company's direct trading and import export activities. 1. 4. Business outcomes from 2010-2012 Table 1. 2: Business Revenue, Cost, Profit from 2010 to 2012 Unit: Vietnam Dong 2010 2011 2012 Net Revenue 4. 650. 094. 413 4. 185. 920. 237 3. 25. 444. 644 Cost 2. 404. 717. 225 1 . 668. 673. 268 1 . 613. 829. 861 Gross Profit 2. 245. 377. 188 2. 517. 246. 969 1 . 811. 614. 783 Revenue from finance 2. 185. 735 4. 125. 176 997. 140 Cost from finance 2. 561. 199 58. 210. 523 19. 096. 204 Op erating cost 2. 190. 445. 214 2. 357. 866. 622 1 . 799. 491 . 875 Net profit (15. 443. 490) 105. 295. 000 (5. 976. 156) Other profit (74. 133. 603) (14. 143. 102) 25. 842. 125 Profit before tax (89. 577. 093) 91. 151. 898 19. 865. 969 Profit after tax (90. 254. 460) 72. 725. 273 14. 373. 160 Source: Finance Statement 2010-2012 In 2010, the company's business faced a lot of difficulties.Although net revenue increased by 29. 96 % compared to 2009 (Revenue 2009 was 3. 578. 025. 005 VEND) but costs increased significantly. The total cost in 2010 was 4. 741. 857. 41 VEND, 32. 66 % higher than in 2009 which was 3. 574. 409. 473 VEND. This consequence was partly due to the bad effect of general market, the unstable economy, oil prices sharply rise, especially financing costs which increased significantly from 5. 153. 310 VEND in 2009 to 72. 561. 199 VEND 2010. Over the years 2011-2012, the business situation was much more positive thanks to costs reduction. However, the company's net reven ue has declined.The fact that a number of customers of the company have had their own import and export department along with the introduction or expansion of many logistic companies in Ho Chi Mini City may lead to the deduction of the amount of contract. 1. 5. Internship activities at Overgrow C. L. C Research about organizational structure, functions and tasks of each department, observe everyone's works Approach to some important document required in import- export activities such as contact, Bill of Lading, Airway Bill, Commercial Invoice, Packing list, Booking Note, Certificate of Origin†¦After registered at HCI City Customs Department 2 Ham Nigh, Ben Nigh Ward, Didst. 1, HCI and within the validity period of the contract, every consignment under this contract will be declared at this Customs Department. After getting notice from Hong Pouch Duce about the export consignment, the document processing staff ill: Receive information about the consignment from customer: Descrip tion of Goods: Polo Half HAS code: 61099020 Quantity: 298 pieces = 6 cartons Total value: $2. 63,14 Country of origin: Vietnam Country of import: Japan Port of export: Tan Son Neat airport, HCI Port of discharge: Osaka, Japan Gather the necessary documents and translate into English including: Commercial Invoice 1 original Packing list Bill of Material Schedule of contract Certificate of Origin Airway Bill 1 copy Table 2. 2. Documents required in process Notes: Certificate of Origin and Airway Bill will be obtained after the consignment departs Modes of supply documents: Via email, post, MESS or directly hand in to Overgrow Headpiece.Normally, field staff will come to customer's company to get the documents and signatures. Date on all documents must be the same (June 10th 2013) except for C/O and A/B June 4th 2013: contact the carrier and obtain Booking Note for the flight of June 33rd 2013 2. 1. 2. Customs Declaration and Clearance Online declaration: For processing goods, we will use Thai Son soft-Uses EGG. June 10th 2013: Documents processing staff will insert the information of the consignment, attach documents such as Commercial Invoice†¦ After information is submitted inline, Customs officer accepts customs declaration and give out declaration number.This consignment of Hong Pouch Duce is classified as Green lane and exempt from taxes, documents staff will print out the declaration sheet. June 1 lath 2013: Field staff will submit the 2 Declaration Sheet (original) (signed by Hong Pouch Duck's director) to Customs Officer at HCI Customs Department to get the clearance confirmation. In other cases, if the consignment is classified as Yellow or Red lane, the Customs Department will check on the commercial documents or actually inspect of goods and move on to Taxes Department. 2. . 3.Good Delivery June 22nd 2013: Field Staff will bring the 2 Declaration Sheet (confirmed) and Booking Note to TTS warehouse and Hong Pouch Duck's representative will deliver the goods there to the representative of the carrier along with a forwarding instruction from the shipper. Staffs of the airline warehouse weights the goods and sign in the Scaling Report. Field staff will submit the 2 Declaration Sheet to the customs inspector, get the confirmation and take back the sheet then liquidate the goods. After that, he will pay the entire fee to TTS and transfer documents to the carrier's representative.A ay or two, he will come to the carrier's office to get the airway bill. 2. 1. 4. Documents Storage and Transferring After finishing all customs procedures, field staff returns all the bills and detailed list of relating cost to the accosting department. Accounting department will draw the final balance sheet, settle all payment relating to the consignment, bill the service charges and transfer the document to customer. Documents Processing staff will obtain the C/O and then transfer the final documents to Hong Pouch Duce, including: C/ o Airway bill And other necessary documents Overgrow will keep one copy of each document. 2. Summary of strengths and weaknesses 2. 2. 1 . Strengths Established for about 10 years, the procedures of Overgrow C. L. C are currently well developed. The connection between each section ensures that the work process is fast and tight. The process is closed to theory and regulations of the state, which minimizes the chances of mistakes and other problems. The company is applying advantages in information technology to develop customer network and execute the import and export procedures. The usage of electronic customs declaration software USES-EGG lasted update enables all processes to become more convenient and simple.The current headpiece, which is near the airport, makes it easier for staff to move from office to the warehouse and the Customs Department. More over, short distance helps the company to save a lot of money and time. Staffs with strong knowledge, rich experience and enthusiasm always prove their professionalism, hardly make any mistake at work. After several years of operation, Overgrow has created close relationships with many airline companies and provide the air transport service with a competitive quality and price. 2. 2. 2. Weaknesses Firstly, investment and development of services is limited due to lack of capital sources.Overgrow mostly work with customers whose company is in the medium and small scale. The lack of human sources also constrains the company from expanding the business. Besides, there are still employees whose professional qualifications are not really strong to solve any problems occur at work, especially when they are working with customs agency. Moreover, Overgrow does not have any warehouse as well as transportations. The fact that they must hire other transport agency raises the cost and for worst, they can not control the quality of shipment. Sometimes, due to the carelessness of the supervising staff, goods are lost, stolen or damaged.Thi s situation affects the company's credit as well as financial status since the value of compensation quite high. Chapter Three: RECOMMENDATIONS TO IMPROVE THE PROCESS OF AIR FREIGHT FORWARDING SERVICES FOR EXPORTING PROCESSING GOODS 3. 1 . Outlook of air freight forwarding services in the company 3. 1. 1 . Opportunities The negative impact of the globe recession has clearly affected the import-export market in Vietnam. However, signs of global economic recovery along with the efforts of business community and Ministries will be an important driving force, supporting the recovery of Vietnam market.For logistic sector, growth opportunities are even higher. According to some experts in this field, after Joining in WTFO, Vietnam is chosen by many foreign investors and gradually become a new manufacturing center of the world, after China and India. This is also a good sign for Overgrow as the situation is gradually better. The export and import activities in many manufacturing companies have recently promoted, which lead to more and more customers. Customs regulations nowadays are more appropriated than they were before. The simpler, neater they are, the more convenience for the company.The company is coated in an area with developed economies such as Ho Chi Mini City, Dong Ana and Bin Dong. This area attracts many domestic and foreign investments, enabling companies to find new customers. In the future the company continues to expand the relationships, seeks for investment partners not only domestic but also abroad and potential new customers while maintaining and strengthening goods relationships with the old customers. Besides, the company also developed many types of services other than major import and export activities such as consulting, investment, trading bring on more abundant source of profits and stability.Especially for air freight industry, thank to their advantages of quick and safe services, future development of this field is indisputable. The numb er of export and processing contracts of the company are stable and tend to increase. Besides, customs procedures are more quickly than the sea freight plus the competition between air transport companies which leads to costs reducing tend to be the deciding factors for customers to choose this type of freight. 3. 1. 2.Threats One of the biggest challenges of the company's current situation is the fact that the numbers of logistics companies are increasing leading to fierce competition in annuity, quality and services price. In addition, the trading and manufacturing companies are gradually investing themselves a separate import and export division, making the number of contracts and the number of customers using the service also declined somewhat. Most of the company's customers are small and medium enterprises, exports and imports volumes are not large and the value of service contracts is not high.The expansion of the market may face many problems due to financial instability and human resources are increasingly scarce, especially qualified staff, strong expertise who meet the requirements of companies. The research and develop product activity requires skilled, professional and strong acknowledged of market employees, who are also the target talent of others competitors. One other difficulty is the seasonal characteristic of logistics industry, which makes the company operation results unstable and revenue uneven. Benefits of the employee are also affected.At peak season, they have to work overtime till midnight to wait for a shipment but at the opposite one, workload reduces and so does their income. Last but not least, in 2012 , Vietnam government has permitted 100 % foreign owned egoistic enterprises in the country, this will make the competition becomes more intense, when small enterprise like Overgrow confront with the big names in the worldwide market like Marks , PAPAL , NYC , MOL who have huge capital investment, abundant experiences and intend to invade Vietnamese potential market. Small-scale infrastructure and limited services companies could hardly compete with those giants. . 2. The company's oriented development for air freight forwarding services Develop direct foreign investment and enterprise investment consulting services, erectly invest if there is a good opportunity Develop customs broker service and freight forwarder, specialize each stage, diversify fields and selectively develop Overgrow Company does not only develop human resources but also desire to bring them professional solid foundation for the future Advertise and develop brand's image to the potential customers Become a closed chain services provider in 201 5 3. 3.Recommendations to improve air freight forwarding services for exporting processing goods 3. 3. 1. To the Board of Director Upgrading computer systems to facilitate employees complete task more quickly and accurately Invest in equipping transportation to reduce working with agency with high pri ce and low quality Carefully monitor working habit of the staffs to ensure seriously inside and outside the office Consider investment in marketing activities and advertising company's image in order to expand customers network as well as to attract more potential employee 3. . 2. To the Personnel Department Criticize and create sanction regime for workers to increase work efficiency Foster knowledge and soft skills of staffs, especially field staffs working directly with the customs officers, require high flexibility Limit the costs and time when handling the shipment, and time off of employees 3. 3. 3.To the import and export staffs Avoid unnecessary mistakes in processing documents to minimize handling time Try to arrange time and places to handle as many consignments as possible to reduce moving time and cost when traveling from the office to the warehouse or to customariness 3. 4. Proposals 3. 4. 1. To the Company Conduct financial stability, balance the costs reasonably and pa y attention to the currency market for the price adjustment in providing services to customers Improve

Explore the Relation Between Othello and Desdemona

Furthermore, the tragedy of the play is Othello hubris forcing him to murder his wife – the action which proves his Inability to Integrate with Venetian society. Shakespeare presents the relationship between Desman and Othello in a deeply Immersed way by defining it both in terms of their personal interaction, and the reaction and interference of the characters in the play. Most importantly, the antagonist of the play, Ago, uses Adhesion's â€Å"goodness† as the net to â€Å"enmesh† Othello, In addition to his other victims Including Cassia and Ordering. Gags Machiavellian plot to be evened with Othello, â€Å"wife for wife† depends heavily on his ability to destroy his marriage – thus confirming the importance of Desman. The status of Desman and Toothless relationship as a major point of conflict is clear from the very beginning of the play – where Ago and Ordering attempt to â€Å"poison the delight† of Abrogation by revealing that D esman had secretly married Othello. In terms of context, the concept of marriage without parental consent was taboo in Jacobean society, and would've been controversial even in Venetian society – which was considered much more relaxed than Jacobean Britain.It Is also Interesting to note the use of the word â€Å"poison†, which Is a strong theme throughout the play -? ND foreshadows Toothless eventual request that Ago â€Å"get me some poison† in order to murder Desman. Foreshadowing is further utilizes by Shakespeare in Act II Scene l, where he has Barbarian warn Othello to â€Å"look to her Moor, she has deceived her Father and may thee†. This effect Is heightened by Toothless claim that he places â€Å"my life upon her faith†, a moment of great irony which perfectly complements the claim that ‘in losing [Desman], he loses himself.It is important to note the great trust Othello places in Desman In this scene and how it coincides with his non event, eloquent speech which prompts the Duke to acknowledge â€Å"this tale would win my daughter too†. The poetic blank verse which Othello speaks, and has led some critics such as A C Bradley to describe him as â€Å"the most romantic among Shakespearean heroes† is in stark contrast to the clumsy, monosyllabic prose which he speaks later In the play – by which point his confidence In Desman, and therefore himself, has been destroyed by Ago.There is some element of truth in Othello claim that he â€Å"loved too well† and it is this resolute nature which ultimately dooms him. His rashness, which would have been praised as decisiveness on the battlefield, forces him to dismiss Cassia perhaps too swiftly – and place too much trust in â€Å"honest Ago', whose role as â€Å"ensign† should be confined to military affairs – not his general's private life. It could also be argued that Othello was doomed by his race, in the words of Anta Lo mb the inflict of the play derives from â€Å"the threat of a black man and a white woman† to the â€Å"patriarchal† Venetian society.The racist semantic field used in the opening scene, â€Å"thick lips†, â€Å"old black ram† and simply â€Å"the moor† sets a precedent for the rest of the play, and Othello final speech where he acknowledges he is an outsider, â€Å"circumcised dog† is evidence that Lagos manipulation has forced him to question himself and become the stereotype Ago depicted him as. Ultimately, the relationship of Desman and Othello is integral to the play, and Othello descent into barbarism is facilitated by his loss of faith in Desman.Othello himself placed his â€Å"life upon her faith† – and as a resolute man he was left with no choice but to destroy himself when he felt she had betrayed him. Lagos malignant, calculating intelligence led him to the conclusion that the moor he hated could be destroyed by his love for his wife – Just as Ordering could be destroyed by his lust, and Cassia by his arrogant, flirtatious nature. Lagos ability to detect the weaknesses of those around him is the characteristic which defines the tragedy of ‘Othello', and thus the knowledge that Desman is Vital to her Husband' allowed him to exact his Machiavellian plot with tragic consequences.

Limitations: Marketing Research Essay

Like everything else, there are advantages and disadvantages or limitations in research. The imitations are basically the downside of a marketing research. These limitations are manipulated by many factors such as the constant change in human behaviours and marketing environment. Therefore, the information can be used for a period of time. Some of the major limitations include marketing research is costly, time consuming, has a limited scope and practical value. It cannot predict consumer behaviour, neither does it give 100% accurate results nor does it provide solutions, only suggestion. Unfortunately marketing research does not have the availability of qualified or experienced staff and it has a fragmented approach. In other words, it does not take into account all possible problems, just one or two. The research can be misused, reliable data may not be available and finally marketing managers may not use suggestions mentioned in the report. In the marketing research for Choice Mobile Ltd, some of these limitations were encountered. First is that the research is time consuming. The steps to conduct a marketing research report are vital and therefore take a lot of time to gather. None of the steps should be neglected or avoided. In pursuing the research, gathering the secondary data was difficult as there were limited sources. Even when some information needed was sourced it was not in depth. The lack of information is most probably the competitors’ way to protect their strategies from new market entrants looking for ideas. Time is also strained by the length of time taken to receive responses to the survey questionnaire which delays the time needed to analyse and state the outcomes. Next is that it has a limited scope. This is where the research paper is unable to assist businesses in solving certain business-related problems, like consumer behaviour, income and expenditure relationships, etc. The survey for Choice Mobile Limited had its limitations because the distribution was limited to people of a narrow age group. Therefore, the research from the sample does not accurately represent the population. Furthermore, research can be conducted to analyse consumer behaviour but the results would not be completely accurate because researchers would not have responses from all members of the target market. Some sample populations may not have the expected responses in a particular subset such as a particular age group. In Choice Mobile Ltd the sample does not include any users over the age of fifty but in the full population they make up a substantial amount. Even if marketing research is done to analyse consumer behaviour there can never be a clear prediction of consumer behaviour. The research is not accurate because consumers’ decision making and buying patterns constantly changes. Their behaviours are influenced by moods, social factors, religious factors, family, economic factors and other factors. For example, a customer can decide to end their contract with Bmobile and switch to Digicel and vice-versa. In the case of Choice Mobile Ltd, the research may reflect that there is a 50% chance that consumers will change to their service but in reality it may be much more or much less depending on the influence of the factors mentioned at that point in time. Marketing research cannot give 100% accurate results. This is mainly applicable to consumer behaviours and the marketing environment that cannot be predicted due to their constant changes. Respondents chosen to part take in a questionnaire survey may not be interested and will answer questions just to get passed it. Others may not understand what the questions are asking due to their confusing structure. When this happens respondents may answer incorrectly or not answer at all. Accuracy is also compromised when respondents do not remember the details asked and they guess. In secondary research this problem is faced when information is outdated or comes from an unreliable source. Finally, in the research, it was found that there is a lot of non-availability of reliable data meaning people may not be sure of what they are asked in a questionnaire. Due to the ways in which people can interpret a question determines how they answer them. The research states that many people are post-paid customers but they use instant messaging more than internet apps such Whatsapp, etc. If people knew what services allowed the full use of their smart phone capabilities, the usage percentage of Wi-Fi, EDGE, 3G and 4G would have been much higher. Post-paid customers are also users of EDGE and/or 3G/ 4G simply through the purchase of a regular package. If they were more educated about these features, the response results would have been different. Thus, if the respondents understood what the questions really asked, the answers could have been different. If the questions are not 100% accurate, the results would not be either.

US-Europe relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

US-Europe relations - Essay Example This paper demonstrates an insightful study of the Cold War and its impact on the growing relations between the US and the Europe. Europe is considered to be one of the greatest allies of US in the era of 'war on terrorism' first on Afghanistan and on Iraq.The Cold War played a great role in bringing the two countries together for their economic, geopolitical and security needs. While the Europe wants to remain as a close ally of United States, the United States wants to strengthen Europe to project the country as its strong global partner.Besides studying the impact of Cold War in shaping the economic, social and political relationship between United States and Europe, this paper also provides an overview to the background of the Cold War and the geographic and the strategic importance of the region for the United States and Soviet Union. The cold war was commenced in the late 1940s and ended in the late 1980s. The war broke out as an aftermath of the First and Second World War. Crockatt (1995) states that major cause behind the war was the increasing strength and dominance of United States in the global context after the First World War. The potency of United States and the continuing impuissance of Soviet Union Empire evoked a clash of two forces claiming to be super powers. The contentions between United States and Soviet Union erupted as the two countries began to perceive each others as enemies and competitors in global arena. After the First World War, the United States emerged as the global economic power and this continued to be a source of hostility on the part of the Soviet Union, which faced devastating consequences after the war. Gates (1996) propounds that the World War II further ignited the issue of dominance, which resulted into the debilitation of two giant global economic and geopolitical powers; British and French. Thus, as a consequence, the European rule came to an end and two new powers emerged on the global geopolitical screen; the United States and Soviet Union. The Second World War transformed the global geopolitical scenario as the two previous economic powers tumbled and two new contenders for global superiority emerged on the scene. Hence, the issues between United States and Soviet Union further aggravated and both the countries started to conspire against each other. European region was one of the regions in the world that attracted the grave attention of both the countries. Soviet Union faced imminent threats from the East European region with both the regions sharing the same borders. Leffler (1994) states that as the influence of Soviet Union grew into the East European region, the United States and Western European countries began to perceive it as a threat to their global dominance and security. Furthermore, the United States gave rise to policies curtailing the influence of Soviet Union in the region. In the same breath, the United states promoted its anti-communism policies in order to minimize the Soviet activities around the globe. In the Second World War, mass destructive nuclear weapons were used on the part of all the economic powers. It made other countries join the race for development in nuclear and missile technologies and considered it to be of significant essence to their security concerns. Kissinger (1994) illuminates that the Second World War, which led to the global competition for nuclear weapons, enhanced the potency of United States and accelerated the decline of Soviet Union as a global economic power. Having realized the pre-eminence of being an atomic power, the United States decided to strengthen itself as the giant nuclear power so as to maximize its influence globally. This was all the background of the consequences that led to the beginning of Cold War during 1940s, in which the United States and the Soviet Union remained as prominent players of the game. Walker (1993) expresses that the Cold War was permuted into a political war after the beginning of Korean War, which

The elemments of the funds of knowledge Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The elemments of the funds of knowledge - Essay Example The information learned from teachers about their students is the student’s funds of knowledge. The paper captures the elements of funds of knowledge. According to this concept, many families had much knowledge that the learning institutions did not know about and were unused. Researchers realized that there were rural households having some technical and entrepreneurial skills. Each family had some knowledge to share with the rest of the families. Therefore, the sharing of information creates a network that when harnessed can be a precious intellectual resource. The concept advocates that the teachers have a role in developing effective instructional approaches that enhance learning. Additionally, teachers must use activities that involve students as thoughtful learners in a socially meaningful task. In conclusion, the researcher behind this concept urges teachers to create their social networks of providing help to one another in taking advantage of the community resources. The student’s reliance on the teacher grows steadily while the resources in the community continuously become scarce. In employing the concept, teachers will have a better opportunity in helping minority and bilingual kids achieve authentic literacy. Hence, they will foster a sense of togetherness in the community and bestow an efficient system of

The significance of empowerment and partnerships within the purview of Essay

The significance of empowerment and partnerships within the purview of the Social Work practice - Essay Example Also I will review the code of ethics and its impact on the practice of Social Work. Through the use of various literatures, I will examine the use of skills and values in Social Work practice as it affects service users, carers and other professionals. The Social Work profession promotes social change, problem solving in human relationships and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance well-being. Utilising theories of human behaviour and social systems, Social Work intervenes at the points where people interact with their environments. Principles of human rights and social justice are fundamental to Social Work. (Bolton, 2003:2). It applies to Social Work practitioners and educators in every region and country in the world. In a similar vein, Wikipedia Encyclopedia (2006) states that a Social Worker is a "professionally trained person employed in the administration of charity, social service, welfare, and poverty agencies, advocacy, or religious outreach programs". Social Workers are employed by health agencies or just work voluntarily with communities; however a large number of Social Workers are employed by the government. I. Child, family, and school social workers: these are the workers who find foster homes for abused or neglected children. They also provide assistance to parents teaching them how to care for their children better. Most Social Workers in schools work as 'guidance counsellors' and offer students and teachers advice about learning, behavior and social problems, like bullying or shyness. II. Medical and public health Social Workers: these are the Social Workers who work in the health sector directly or indirectly helping people who are sick or who have had health problems for a long period of time. They give advice families about how to deal with their sick. III. Mental health and substance abuse Social Workers: clinical social workers as they sometimes called help people who are challenged with mental illness, upset feelings, or drug or alcohol abuse. They organize sessions involving talking- therapy with people in order to identify their problems and teach classes about how to make a budget, deal with anger, or get other life skills. No matter their focus, most Social Workers spend the day in an office and some are volunteers who have their own businesses or hold other job but have a passion for the work. Skills in Social Work. A skill is defined as the "ability to do something well and is usually gained through training or experience" (Encarta, 2005). Skills in Social Work can therefore be described as the relevant experience or ability needed to perform the functions of the profession. In her book Social skills, author Pamela Trevithick (2000) writes that "skills can be used in practice to enhance effectiveness and help

Composites Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Composites - Essay Example l made by combining two or more distinct materials in order to fabricate a new product bearing desirable combination of properties that a single materials cannot achieve (Noort & Barbour, 2013). These materials range from polymer, metallic to ceramic elements (Naseem, 2010). Dental composites are wear resistant including composite resins, glass monomer cement, compomers and giomers For this case, I will design a composite that meant to replace amalgam as filler in dentistry. The composite must have a pH change as well as the ability to form a carboxylate salt. The material also has to contain fluoro-aluminosilicate glass, water as well as a polymeric acid (Brantley, & Eliades, 2011). In addition, the material ought to have improved physical conditions compared to conventional glass ionomoer. Such improvements aid reduction in water sensitivity, less fluoride release, rechargeable fluoride besides increase in thermal expansion (Naseem, 2010). Most importantly, the material has to be light cured to achieve good bonding to dentine, which depends on surface conditioning (Brantley & Eliades, 2011). The composite used should be anisotropic since forces from different directions act on them.The forces acting on the other direction enhance materials properties in one direction (Brantley, & Eliades, 2011). Properties of strengths and stiffness depend on the direction of force applied. Transverse direction will be necessary for the composite because elastic constants are similar (Brantley, &Eliades, 2011). Physical properties of the material needed for matrix include low solubility, high compressive strengths, as well as low flexural and sheer strengths. In addition, the material must have a thermal coefficient similar to dentin besides fluoride release and fluoride recharge. Glass monomer cement binds tooth and has diverse dimensions such as slight shrinking and expansion when setting (Naseem, 2010). It is also brittle and lacks translucency characterized by a rough

Impact of Exposing Personal Data Research Proposal

Impact of Exposing Personal Data - Research Proposal Example Customers provide information online due to many reasons, but most importantly, they provide information mostly on the website. Due to the lack of technology and measures of customer personal privacy, online businesses fail to protect their database by security breaches conducted by hackers or cybercriminals. The data including all the personal information of the customer is breached resulting in exposure of thousands of authentic customer personal information and financial status. In order to conduct a security breach on the web server, cybercriminals use the Internet, as a carrier along with intelligent codes that are purposefully constructed to extract confidential information, the most favorable point of attack is the web server. The information that is provided online by the users is gathered in a database that is connected to the web server. Hackers and cyber criminals deploy various methods to attack web servers in order to extract information that is stored in the database. D ue to this reason, business suffers severe losses from data theft issues as in 2009 investigators related to data breach reported from Verizon business that crooks nabbed 285 million records. (Larkin 2009) Peter Tippett, who is the author of the report and vice president of innovation and technology with Verizon Business, says that the report includes all the IP addresses associated with the account that is used in the thefts, and criminals are identified only because of in-depth investigations by collaborative support of law enforcement agencies including FBI and Scotland Yard,. From this particular report, 90 security breaches were studied out of which 68 were reversed for further investigation to a specific IP address and location. The conclusions highlighted Eastern Europe as a common source followed by East Asia and North America (Larkin 2009). 1.1 Social Networking Sites Moreover, social network sites are another domain that is of prime concerned, in the context of exposing pe rsonal privacy. People are spending an enormous amount of time on these websites, and are becoming habitual of online communication, which portrays a negative impact on face-to-face communication. The teenagers are not aware that the information and published material including pictures can be retrieved even after deletion from the social networking site. By oversharing, personal information may attract cybercriminals, burglars and even employers who can evaluate values of a person by reviewing comments on the site that may compromise the individual to lose his job. There is no credibility of the user authentication of what they are claiming to be on social networking sites. Users trust textual communication from these social networking sites more than emails. The security of these websites can be compromised anytime and can publish communication or personal pictures on the web if breached.  

International Financial Accounting and Social and Environmental Theory Essay

International Financial Accounting and Social and Environmental Theory - Essay Example The primary issue concerning social and environmental theory is the way the society determines developments, goals, and innovations in accounting practice. It is generally agreeable that the society and environment in which accounting practices are applicable affects its development to some extent. However, the extent and the framework with which the social and environmental theory has influenced current accounting practices is a matter of dispute. Actors in this theory are the members of society being users, accountants, and generally stakeholders of accounting practices. Development of Accounting Practices Stakeholders in the society are considered to have control over accounting practices, their developments, and the directions in which such developments take place, to some extent within a given social setting. The influence of practices and developments is referred to as agency, where stakeholders in the society have the ability to influence accounting practices toward attaining some end. The level of accounting practices largely depends upon the kind of environment those stakeholders come from. Social and environmental structures are the interactions of stakeholders with societal cultures and norms that define them. The structures range from those of family setting, organizational and a country in general. It is agreeable that developments, innovations, and the general progress of accounting research varies from one country to another with respect to social, cultural and environmental differences. International financial accounting places its current practices on the heterogeneous aspect, despite globalization and efforts of researchers towards standardizing the practice (Humphrey, 2007, p.74). Institutional, family level and country structures are to some extent the result of stakeholders using and maintaining their use in accounting through a combination of purposive actions and their beliefs. Social and environmental efficacy is the ability of stakehold ers to cause changes in accounting practices, with respect to corporate social responsibilty. Although it is generally considered that people are to some extent products of the society and environments, this consideration does not imply that individuals will possibly decide to resist societal and environmental influences, either collectively or individually. Corporate social responsibility thus brings up treatment of accounting practices as activities of conventional accounting researched with universal preconceptions and assumptions to mainstream financial accounting. This approach assumes that the community is the main user of information and accounting practices in general. More to this approach, corporate social responsibility places environmental and social reporting at the epicenter of an examination of the purpose of information in agreement between the society and organization (Gray, Kouhy and Lavers, 1995, p.48). Accounting practice stakeholders in the social circle encompa ss researchers, teachers, practitioners, and academicians as influential thinkers who are concerned with social and environmental accounting. Current practices can be generally tied to high level of interactions and discussion

Should America legalize marijuana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Should America legalize marijuana - Essay Example has some pivotal active ingredients such as cannabidiol, tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabinol which help to increase appetite, reduce pain and provide relaxation. The positive benefit of legalization can benefit America at the time of economic struggle. It has the potential to create more jobs and lower the crime rate of the country. Scientifically, it has been approved that consumption of marijuana is less destructive than that of other drugs, such as alcohol, aspirin and tobacco. Scarce laws and a mammoth amount of money spent for the prevention of marijuana sale can be used for the betterment of the country. A significant amount of tax revenue can be generated from the sales of marijuana, which would benefit local and state government of America. This essay will discuss the legalization of marijuana in America that can help to enhance a positive economic growth rate of the country and diminish the amount of crime. The legalization of marijuana can be viewed as a controversial topic in society. The historical use of medical marijuana has been around for ages. In United States of America, the application of medical marijuana has a long history. It has been revealed from the documents that use of marijuana is considered as a regular activity from 1900 to 1940. Over the past years there have been search for a medicine or drug that can aid people to get respite from the vast burden of life. Medical marijuana is the potential medicine of getting relief from stress of life. Day to day pressure of people to sustain in the competitive market and reduction of stress have been the pivotal factors for the downgrade of happiness and enjoyment. Eventually new laws were implemented to crack down the use of marijuana, cocaine and drugs in United States of America. Over the period of time, strict laws were adopted to reduce the use of marijuana and make it illegal. The implementation of strict laws on marijua na started from early 80s. From early 80s laws became much more

Cyber City Reaction Essay Example for Free

Cyber City Reaction Essay The entire concept of â€Å"Cyber City,† an idealized high-concept mecca of lifelong integrated learning, is an interesting idea†¦on paper. Dennis Gooler and Charles Stegman, the authors of the paper conceptualizing the technology-driven education-centric civilization known as â€Å"Cyber City,† raise some very interesting and pertinent points. The idea of integrating technology into all facets of learning makes absolute sense, and it completely inarguable, especially in today’s day and age when technology is progressing so quickly and as a result the entire construction of the social strata is changing constantly with it. The only way for a person to continue learning (and even begin to remotely keep with up with the constantly progressing technology-driven cultural atmosphere) id by implementing technology into his/her everyday learning techniques. It is also perfectly reasonable that the process of learning be made ongoing throughout a person’s life, and in every facet of their social and working environments. (TECHNICALLY, this is already the case regardless—it is human nature to constantly be learning, mentally absorbing the things around them and internalizing everything in order to better inform future activities and decisions—ask any sociologist, and all would agree that the learning process never stops, it just looks different and comes from different sources. However, to assume that a school-like atmosphere is the only one in which a person can receive a valuable education is more than just naive; it is insulting. And no person could possibly deny without bias another human being’s right to learn, and have equal access to learning materials as all other people, giving everyone the same advantages and leveling the playing field. These are all excellent ideas. Not unlike the idea that all people should have equal shares in personal property and should be economically equal with no division in social status and thus no gaping discrepancy between the rich and poor. That idea is called socialism, communism in its more violent form, and though it sounds good on paper in practice they just can’t seem to get it to work right. What Gooler and Stegman have introduced here is the idea of Utopia; might as well call it Heaven. Though it may be fun to extrapolate endlessly on the â€Å"wouldn’t-it-be-great-if†s, this kind of (albeit altruistic) daydreaming does not in itself beget a plan of action. What the authors have effectively proven throughout this, their endless fantasizing of a perfect world, is that they have no real plan of action (the repeated refusal to outline a strategy as to how to raise the money for such a project and keep it afloat after the fact is a glaringly obvious testament as to just how unworkable this plan is). Their model seems to be based on the idea that if everyone got along and everyone pitched in and helped out and they all agreed to do this together then it would be great. But there is so much emphasis on learning, and every area within this Cyber City is in some way sanctioned for additional learning, that authors/imaginers of this plan fail to account for the need this city will have to continue brining in revenue, and a great deal of it (which won’t happen if the workplace is forced to open its doors and arms to being a place of learning for all who desire to do so), not to mention even approaching the question of who is going to foot the bill for all these high-tech gadgets to increase learning abilities which would be made accessible to one and all! Bottom line is: this is capitalism, not socialism, and it sounds like a great idea, really it does, but don’t come out with such a lengthy imagining of a perfect world without having some sort of workable plan of action to see it to fruition. And sorry, but you do need to address the money issue. You just can’t circle-speak your way around it. So thank you for the lovely imaginings of a world so much better than our own, a world in which money doesn’t matter and people aren’t expected to do anything all day every day except learn, and in a completely non-structured learning environment at that, but please try to bring a little more substance into it next time. Thanks for playing.

Commentary on Macbeth soliloquy Essay Example for Free

Commentary on Macbeth soliloquy Essay

Markets Segmentation And Market Mix Of Easyjet Marketing Essay

Markets Segmentation And Market Mix Of Easyjet Marketing Essay Introduction Easyjet is a successful example of a European no-frills airline. Founded by the Cypriot Stelios Haji-Iaonnou in 1995, Eayjet gained a dominant market position over time thanks to its excellent marketing strategies. How Easyjet has segmented its market for its major product and what is the marketing mix? Which parts of the marketing mix are done efficiently and which parts need some improvements Markets segmentation and marketing mix of Easyjet Easyjets market segmentation Low-cost airlines like Easyjet, have picked up some customers from their traditional competitors like BA (British Airways) or Air France, but have specially created a large traffic of induction (creating a new market). Easyjet operates in a different way to Ryan Air its direct competitor in the market, which is targeting the leisure traveller for whom the ticket price is important. Easyjet has the same type of clientele for whom the ticket price was slightly less important and also business customers whose companies seek to save on transportation costs, but care about the travels conditions. So Easyjet has two different kind of customers who are leisure customers and the business customers. 1.2 Easyjets marketing mix Any business that does not have a concerted marketed strategy is setting itself up to fail. So what is the Easyjets marketing mix in term of product, place, price and promotion? Product Product is the most important component in an organization. Without a product there is no place, no price, no promotion, and no business. Product is anything that can be offered to a market to satisfy a want or a need. It is the core ingredient of the marketing mix and is everything favourable and unfavourable, tangible and intangible received in the exchange of an idea, service or good (Kotler 11th edition, 2003). Easyjet is a business offering service products, flights across destinations, in the transportation industry. Easyjet operates over 500 routes and has 182 aircrafts in 28 countries (www.easyjet.com). Easy-Jet positions itself as low-cost airlines or better as cutting costs airlines. Its product strategy stops to the actual product without concern about the augmented product. They dont offer service at all but just the ticket. For example Easy-Jets product strategy ends at the expected level of five-product levels. There is no augmented product. There is no business seat on flights (Easyjet offer a mono class of seat but does not offer last minute deals), no executive lounge at airports, no free food and drinks on flights, no entertainment on flights, and in most cases Easy-Jet flies from major airports. Place Easyjet targets customers looking to minimise their transportation costs, or any type of customer looking for a low price. In general Easyjets customer is a customer who started to prefer the plane to land transportation to browse for short distances between different cities served. So Easyjet is competing as well with the airlines as the land transports price Price is the value placed on what is exchanged during the marketing process. The customer exchanges his/her money or donation in return for a satisfaction or utility (S. Dibb and L. Simkin 2001). Easyjet has always had a one-way ticketing policy. The airline has only one price in the market for any one flight at any one time. The lowest fare is offered into the market first and then prices rise as the departure draws closer and the seats are sold. This ticketing philosophy is transparent to consumers. There is a value for money offering, which is easily understood by consumers. By offering only one price in the market, the consumer is confident that shopping around using other channels or making greater ticketing restrictions will not reap the reward of lower fares. As the airline educates their consumers that the cheapest fares are sold first, consumers checking prices are more likely to purchase straightaway as they will have confidence that lower prices are not likely to appear later. The airline only sells tickets on a one-way basis and therefore if a passenger wants a return ticket they must buy two one-way tickets. The advantage of this for passengers is that they can b ook short stay trips without having to pay flexible return ticket prices. For business travellers the availability of flexible tickets is usually considered important. If a business meeting runs over the traveller needs to be able to change their ticket and take a later flight. This depends on two things. Firstly the ability to change the ticket, and secondly the availability of a later flight to change on to. Easyjet has been targeting business travellers and therefore they have addressed these issues by increasing the number of daily flights to key business destinations and by introducing a method of changing tickets. For a fee of  £10 Easyjet passengers can change their ticket to a different flight as long as there is an available seat on the desired flight To reflect the current market price, the traveller will have to pay the difference between the price they originally paid for the ticket and the current price for a seat on the required flight. The airline can then release t he seat no longer required on the original flight and sell this seat again. promotion The distribution policy of Easyjet shows a high use of direct sales from call centre and internet outside traditional distribution channels. 95% of the seats are sold online (www.easyjet.com). They use electronic ticket, reducing cost of ticketing procedures and remove two Kinds of costs: -commission for travel agencies -transaction related to reservation systems What part of the marketing need to be improved? Easyjet is one of the most successful of the new economy carriers in Europe. So they have a strong marketing strategies and it is going to be a little bite difficult to change this strategy but it can always been improved. Product Easyjet could benefit from randomly offering last-minute deal under its single pricing strategy. By occasionally lowering ticket prices to bump up revenue on some unbooked-flights, Easyjet could create the expectation that such bargains would be available on a predictable basis. Easyjet could create another brand having different mission and different market target and offering an augmented product such a better quality at a low price as Delta Airlines did with Song. Promotion The use of the internet ticketing is dangerous in case of dysfunction of the server because of infection by viruses or any other kind of software problem. It is undeniable that this system reduces cost but it can cause problem if the general is touched by problem. Conclusion If the other marketing strategies enable the company to evaluate everything about the business, only the marketing mix

Essay --

World War II was perhaps the most destructive war to plague the earth. The war took an unfathomable amount of lives some 17 million soldiers and a countless number of innocent civilians who died as a result of starvation and bombings, or Hitler's deliberate campaigns of mass murder through concentration camps. World War I helped to create some of the conditions that lead to the Second World War. The Treaty of Versailles was a peace agreement that was signed and took away the Central Powers of territory and arms from Germany, Austria, Turkey, Hungary, and Bulgaria. This left them with very heavy wartime reparations that needed to be paid, causing much bitterness. The war took a heavy toll on European economies and also helped with the unfortunate coming of the Great Depression. The Treaty also disappointed both Italy and Japan as Victors of the war. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on December 7, 1941, set the stage for the United States entrance into the war. The surprise attack on the United States Navy by Japanese forces was intended as a preventative action in order to keep the US Pacific Fleet from interfering with military actions the Empire of Japan was planning in Southeast Asia against overseas territories of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and the United States. Almost at the same time, Japanese warplanes attack the Philippines and two U.S. islands: Wake and Guam, which are later occupied. Japanese troops invade Malaya and Thailand and seize Shanghai. Later in December Japanese troops invade Burma and Hong Kong. The United States declared war on Japan the following day, December 8, 1941. Japan entered into a war against the two most powerful navies in the world, the United States and Britain. Three da... ... a base for an expected invasion of Japan. US forces win in July and the US liberates Manila, Philippines after deadly and fierce street battles. Back over in Europe, US troops successfully cross the Rhine River and the Air Force use about 1,250 planes to lead the heaviest air raid against Berlin. The War in Europe is winding down and by April of 1945, the leader of Germany, Adolf Hitler, commits suicide, and by May, Germany surrenders. The United States is still at war with Japan and so on August 6, 1945, the first atomic bomb is dropped on Hiroshima and the second on August 9, 1945 on Nagasaki, killing well over 100, 000 people and causing the Japanese to surrender on August 14, 1945. The war ushered in the atomic age and was quickly followed by the collapse of the wartime alliance between the United States and the Soviet Union and the beginning of the Cold War.

A Feminist Analysis of Perceval, Tristan and Isolt, and Aucassin and Ni

A Feminist Analysis of Perceval, Tristan and Isolt, and Aucassin and Nicolette  Ã‚   Currently, there is a debate among feminists as to whether the demeaning portrayal of women in popular media causes or is caused by negative attitudes in modern culture. A similar debate exists among historians of the late middle ages as to whether the rise in popularity of the cult of the Virgin, her portrayal in art, and the code of chivalry caused or was caused by changing attitudes towards women. Many factors in the late middle ages coincided to create an entirely new role for women: contact with the Muslim world in Spain, the rising popularity of religious life, and the aforementioned cultural changes. All of these factors are intertwined with the new attitudes that arose around women. Virginity became exalted, femininity was lauded, courtly love turned women into objects of devotion rather than objects of desire. In short, women were placed on a pedestal. The cultural paradox of this shift in attitudes is that by being placed on that pedestal, women became objects rather than individuals. This dichotomy between respect for women as a group and respect for individual women is clearly shown in three Medieval Romances. Perceval, Tristan and Isolt, and Aucassin and Nicolette may vary greatly in plot, tone and style, but the underlying assumption is the same. In the Medieval Romance, women may be objects of devotion, but they are still merely objects to earned, won, owned and do minated. The first example of this attitude is the saga of the damsel whom Perceval boorishly assaults. This woman, never named, is utterly enslaved and abused by men. Perceval, not heeding her protests, forces her into a compromising situation and then robs he... ...band is a Muslim. The Christian king of Biaucaire, by contrast, does not honor her right to self-determination. The Muslim roots of Nicolette's relative freedom serve as one answer to the question of whether this literature is derivative of the culture or whether it shaped the culture. From this evidence, it seems that the former is true. The pervasiveness of the oppressive attitudes demonstrated in these texts show clearly the dichotomous view of women in the late middle ages. The respect of womanhood which was so central to the chivalric code did not translate into greater freedom for women themselves. Modern opponents of feminism claim that the Women’s Movement has reversed this dichotomy, namely that individual freedoms have devalued women as a group. Perhaps we should ask why our culture has a problem with valuing womanhood and valuing women concurrently. A Feminist Analysis of Perceval, Tristan and Isolt, and Aucassin and Ni A Feminist Analysis of Perceval, Tristan and Isolt, and Aucassin and Nicolette  Ã‚   Currently, there is a debate among feminists as to whether the demeaning portrayal of women in popular media causes or is caused by negative attitudes in modern culture. A similar debate exists among historians of the late middle ages as to whether the rise in popularity of the cult of the Virgin, her portrayal in art, and the code of chivalry caused or was caused by changing attitudes towards women. Many factors in the late middle ages coincided to create an entirely new role for women: contact with the Muslim world in Spain, the rising popularity of religious life, and the aforementioned cultural changes. All of these factors are intertwined with the new attitudes that arose around women. Virginity became exalted, femininity was lauded, courtly love turned women into objects of devotion rather than objects of desire. In short, women were placed on a pedestal. The cultural paradox of this shift in attitudes is that by being placed on that pedestal, women became objects rather than individuals. This dichotomy between respect for women as a group and respect for individual women is clearly shown in three Medieval Romances. Perceval, Tristan and Isolt, and Aucassin and Nicolette may vary greatly in plot, tone and style, but the underlying assumption is the same. In the Medieval Romance, women may be objects of devotion, but they are still merely objects to earned, won, owned and do minated. The first example of this attitude is the saga of the damsel whom Perceval boorishly assaults. This woman, never named, is utterly enslaved and abused by men. Perceval, not heeding her protests, forces her into a compromising situation and then robs he... ...band is a Muslim. The Christian king of Biaucaire, by contrast, does not honor her right to self-determination. The Muslim roots of Nicolette's relative freedom serve as one answer to the question of whether this literature is derivative of the culture or whether it shaped the culture. From this evidence, it seems that the former is true. The pervasiveness of the oppressive attitudes demonstrated in these texts show clearly the dichotomous view of women in the late middle ages. The respect of womanhood which was so central to the chivalric code did not translate into greater freedom for women themselves. Modern opponents of feminism claim that the Women’s Movement has reversed this dichotomy, namely that individual freedoms have devalued women as a group. Perhaps we should ask why our culture has a problem with valuing womanhood and valuing women concurrently.

Your Organ Donor Status Matters Essay -- Argumentative, Persuasive Ess

"I think you should automatically donate your organs because that would turn the balance of organ donation in a huge way. I would donate whatever anybody would take..." -- George Clooney According to the Organ Procurement and Transportation Network, a branch of The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, there are over 134,000 people awaiting the lifesaving gift of an organ in the United States. At sixteen, all I could think about was getting my license and finally gaining my independence. The night before going to the DMV my mom helped me file the paperwork, shocked that her little girl was going to be behind the wheel. When she came to the question of becoming a registered organ donor, I quickly responded â€Å"No! I do not want my organs in someone else’s body after I’m dead! I want to be buried whole and complete!† After a brief discussion, in which my mom tried to explain what being a registered donor entailed, I still held my ground on NOT becoming a donor. I had no idea then the impact the system as a whole would have on my life. At sixteen, when I made my decision not to become a registered donor, there were many things I did not know about donation and the donation system as a whole. Many misconceptions of donation were at that forefront of my mind, as they are the first things many people think of when they think on donation. The biggest and most popular reason to not become a donor is a strong mistrust in doctors and the entire medical system. Tiffanie Wen, a freelance writer who has written articles on the topic of organ donation, recently wrote in The Atlantic, â€Å"Quick [an associate professor of communication at the University of Illinois] and his colleagues have studied how watching Grey’s Anatomy ca... ...n the Default Choice or Allocation Rule." Journal of Health Economics. 32.6 (2013): 1117-29. Print. Millman, Jason. "One Way to Boost Organ Donations: Just Keep Asking." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 18 Aug. 2014. Web. 10 Feb. 2015. Parker-Pope, Tara. "The Reluctant Organ Donor." Well: New York Times. The New York Times, 16 Apr. 2009. Web. 10 Feb. 2015. Richards, Janet Radcliffe. "Opting in and Out: A Methodological Case Study." The Ethics of Transplants: Why Careless Thought Costs Lives. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2012. 7+. Print. Teresi, Dick. "What You Lose When You Sign That Donor Card." WSJ. Wall Street Journal, 4 Apr. 2012. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. Wen, Tiffanie. "Why Don't More People Want to Donate Their Organs?" The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 10 Nov. 2014. Web. 10 Feb. 2015.

Breathing Underwater

Breathing Underwater is an interesting story of a young boy’s self discovery. Nick’s journey towards self discovery is somewhat forced upon him when he assaults his girl friend Caitlin. The judge sentences Nick to six months of counseling that involve dealing with anger issues. In addition, due to the fact that nick claims that he doesn’t know how he got into this mess, the judge assigns Nick to write in a journal daily 500 words about what happened in his and Caitlin’s relationship (Finn, 2001). The question of this book is if Nick will lean anything about himself and what he does about it.In addition, it is important to understand that this book is about not judging people’s lives just by looking at them. This book, at first glace has a very odd title; however very early on we get a glimpse at what breathing underwater might mean. The day of the first class, Mario asks all the students if they ever feel like they are breathing underwater and life is coming at you too fast (Finn, 2001, 20). It seems like breathing underwater means that we all are actors in our lives; we try to show people that we are brave when we are actually afraid.Moreover, we are forever trying to show others that we in control of ourselves when in fact we feel completely out of control. Nick hits Caitlin because he feels that he and his life are out of control. However, when he goes to class, he feels as if he doesn’t need anger counseling. In addition, nobody in the class thinks they need to be there. Moreover, when one of the classmates ends up killing is girlfriend and himself, Nick sees that he needs counseling and how anger can and does destroy lives. The end of the book deals with Nick trying to take back his life.He tries to apologize to Caitlin for hitting her and he tells her that he loved her, he and Tom rekindle their friendship, and Nick stands up to his dad. Nick says that he is tired of breathing underwater and by the end of the book he has stopped himself from drowning in his anger. I think this book shows us that there are times when we feel as if we are breathing underwater. It also shows us that there are better ways to manage our anger such as writing about it in a journal. Works Cited Flinn, A. (2001). Breathing Underwater. New York: Harper Collins

7 main approaches in psychology Essay

*Many psychologists may believe that each perspective has valid explanations depending on the specific situation, and this point of view is called eclectic. This term refers to the claim that no one perspective has all the answers to the variety of human thought and behavior. Psychologists tend to use various perspectives in their work depending on which point of view fits best with the explanation. Humanistic (1950s-Present) Carl Rogers-Person-centered therapy and unconditional positive regard Abraham Maslow-Hierarchy of Needs and Self-Actualization Unique aspects of human experience Belief that we choose most of our behaviors and these choices are guided by physiological, emotional or spiritual needs. Humans are free, rational beings with the potential for personal growth, and they are fundamentally different from animals. Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic (1900-Present) Sigmund Freud-Personality and States of Consciousness Carl Jung-the most important and lifelong task imposed upon any person is fulfillment through the process of individuation, achievement of harmony of conscious and unconscious, which makes a person one and whole Alfred Adler-â€Å"IndividualPPsychology,† a term which is sometimes misunderstood. It refers to the indivisibility of the personality in its psychological structure. Unconscious determinants of behavior Belief that the unconscious mind—a part of our mind that we do not have conscious control over or access to—controls much of our thought and action. Unconscious motives and experiences in early childhood govern personality and mental disorders.  Roger Sperry-showed that if the two hemispheres of the brain are separated by severing the corpus callosum (the large band of fibers that connects them), the transfer of information between the hemispheres ceases, and the coexistence in the same individual of two functionally different brains can be demonstrated. George Miller-The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two: Some Limits on our Capacity for Processing Information Physiological bases of behavior in humans and animals An organism’s functioning can be explained in terms of the bodily structures and biochemical processes that underlie behavior. How the body and brain enable emotions, memories, and sensory experiences Evolutionary/Darwinian (Also called sociobiologists) (1980s-Present) David Buss-His primary interests include the evolutionary psychology of human mating strategies; conflict between the sexes; prestige, status, and social reputation; the emotion of jealousy; homicide; anti-homicide defenses; and stalking. Charles Darwin-the Origin of Species in 1850. Evolutionary bases of behavior in humans and animals. Examines human thought and behavior in terms of natural selection. Behavior patterns have evolved to solve adaptive problems; natural selection favors behaviors that enhance reproductive success. B.F. Skinner-Operant Conditioning and invented the Skinner Box Effects of environment on the overt behavior of human and animals. Explain human thought and behavior in terms of conditioning and look strictly at observable behaviors and what reaction organisms get in response to specific behaviors. Belief that only observable events (stimulus response relationships) can be studied scientifically.  Noam Chomsky-Theorized the critical-period for language acquisition Herbert Simon-one of the founding fathers of modern research in artificial intelligence Ulric Neisser-focused on pattern recognition, visual search, brief information processing, and memory. Thoughts; mental process Examine human thought and behavior in terms of how we interpret, process, and remember environmental events. The rules that we use to view the world are important to understanding why we think and behave the way we do. Overall, human behavior cannot be fully understood without examining how people acquire, store, and process information.

Monsato Company †A Question in Agricultural Ethics Essay

Monsato Company is a Missouri-based company founded in 1901 by John F. Queeny and his wife Olga Monsato producing saccharine. In the mid-1940s, Monsato Co. began developing agricultural chemicals and throughout the 1960s and 1970s, herbicides were developed and introduced to the farmers. In 1981, a research group was established and the business’s primary focus was molecular biotechnology. In 1982, Monsato Co. bought Jacob Hartz Seed Co., a company known in the Midwest for its soybeen seeds. Also in 1982, scientists working for Monsato Co. produced the first genetically modified plant. In 1996, RoundUp Ready Soybeans were introduced possessing an in-seed herbicide. Several other in-seed herbicides are introduced in 1997 by Monsato Co. such as RoundUp Ready Cotton and RoundUp Ready Canola. Also introduced is an in-seed insect protection called YieldGard Corn Borer. In 1998, Monsato Co. combines the technology of in-seed herbicides with their in-seed insecticides into one product for its corn seed. In 2002, Monsato Co. identifies corn hybrids, which yield more ethanol per bushel than normal corn. Later this same year, they also identify a similar hybrid in their soybeans, which will produce more oil than a normal soybean. In 2004, Monsato Co. creates American Seeds, Inc (ASI) to support regional seed business with capital, genetics, and technology investments. In 2005, Monsato Co. acquires four companies Fontanelle Hybrids, based in Fontanelle, Neb, Stewart Seeds, based in Greensburg, Ind., Trelay Seeds, based in Livingston, Wis., and Stone Seeds, based in Pleasant Plains, Ill. In 2006, they acquire several other local seed companies, some family-owned, including Diener Seeds, Sieben Hybrids, Kruger Seed Company, Trisler Seed Farms, Gold Country Seed, Inc., Heritage Seeds and Campbell Seed. Over the next several years, they also acquire other local and regional companies and continue their research and development of genetically altered seeds. Over the course of a few decades, Monsato Co. has gone from a small company making saccharine to a Midwest agricultural giant manufacturing genetically altered seed. 1 A Possible Solution: Deregulation Although the idea of producing more crops with less cost, such as additional chemicals, pesticides, and herbicides may sound, the fact remains that Monsato Co. is not only toying with nature, they are also putting smaller family-owned companies out of business. In the past several years, organic foods have become more popular. Consumers want to feed their families healthy food, not food filled with chemicals. In 2005, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) decided to back Monsato and other biotech companies by supporting the deregulation of genetically engineered (GE) alfalfa. This would mean that the GE companies would have no restrictions on their technology and its use.2 Deregulation has its obvious problems. Organic crop company leaders, such as Stonyfield, Whole Foods, and OrganicValley believe that GE crops use a higher amount of toxins, herbicides, and water. Also the claims of higher crop yield will not be met and the price of this seed will be too costly for the average farmer. There is also the potential of cross-contamination of crops where a farmer using GE seed spreads the toxins to his organic neighbor through groundwater. This could lead to the organic farmer’s crops getting contaminated and his losing his license to sell organic products. Stonyfield and other organic companies opposed this ruling and in 2010 it went to the Supreme Court. The decision was that deregulation could not take place without the USDA making an environmental assessment of the genetically enhanced seeds used, and an injunction was put in place preventing the planting of GE alfalfa seeds. David and Goliath Biotech companies lobbied heavily in Washington. However, the smaller organic supporters caught the ear of the USDA and as a result persuaded them to conduct a meeting of the minds of both sides. The problem was clear – there was an incredible amount of support, political and financial, in favor of GE alfalfa. The result was that the UDSA would allow deregulation. The organic companies and farmers were faced with the fact that GE alfalfa was here to stay. What was left to fight over was whether it would be complete deregulation or one with restrictions. In their opinion, it was better to have some measure of control than no control at all, so the organic community stayed and fought. They brought to the table demands for reassurance that â€Å"(a) organic farmers whose crops become contaminated by GE alfalfa must be compensated by the patent holders for their losses due to losing their organic certification and (b) the USDA must oversee all testing and monitoring of GE crops t o ensure compliance as part of its role in protecting all US agriculture.† 3 The organic community won that portion of the battle. Conclusion The organic community may have won that battle, but they lost the war. Chemical companies and genetically engineered seed are a mainstay in today’s agriculture. Along with that they bring with them the potential for contaminated soil and damaged and lost crops of the small, everyday farmer. These farmers and family-owned businesses are being swallowed up on a regular basis. As the world’s population grows so does the demand for an ever increasing need of better, more enhanced, products. Technology provides us with the knowledge and growth for these, but in its wake leaves behind the things that matter very much to — clean air, clean soil, fresh water and â€Å"pure† food. References 1) Monsato. (2010). Monsato. Retrieved from http://www.monsanto.com 2) Pearson, C. (2010, March). The Most Unethical Company is also Best Corporate Citizen. Cause Integration http://www.causeintegration.com/2010/ the-most-unethical-companyis-a-best-corporate-citizen-what-gives/ 3) Hirshberg, G. (2011, January). Speaking with One Voice to Stop Monsato and Biotech. Huffington Post, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gary-hirshberg/speaking-with-one-voice-t_b_816447.html

ABC Co. Marketing Strategy Case Essay

ABC Manufacturing Company is a manufacturer of fine furniture designed to resemble the furniture used in various historical periods. The company’s furniture is sold by approximately fifty dealers throughout the United States and in several foreign countries. Dealers are carefully selected by ABC to be sure they maintain the high quality imagine that ABC has established in its 100-year history of making fine furniture. Most dealers sell only ABC’s furniture, but a few also sell noncompeting lines of similar quality. Dealers who sell only ABC’s furniture are franchised to do business under ABC’s trade name and would appear to the public to be branch stores rather than independent business. ABC’s factory is a three-story building of heavy timber (mill) construction located in a New England town of 2,500 population. The first floor is used for warehousing and office space, and the two upper floors house the production facilities. The building is 75 years old and has been occupied by ABC since its construction. The local fire department is above average for towns of this size, but its water supply system does not have adequate reserve capacity to maintain pressure for fighting a major fire over a period of several hours. See more:Â  First Poem for You Essay Adjacent to the factory building is a large frame structure used by ABC to store seasoned lumber for its furniture. Lumber is first air dried in the yard adjoining the shed, with the exact drying period depending on the kind of wood involved. The air-dried wood is then kiln dried in ABC’s own kiln, after which it is stored in the frame storage building until needed. ABC’s power plant is located in a brick building about 50 feet from the main plant. It furnishes heat and steam for all operations. Water for the stream boilers is drawn from a large river adjacent to the power plant. Electricity is purchased from a public utility. Due to the length of the seasoning period, ABC usually has on the premises a supply of lumber adequate for four months of operations. Much of the lumber is purchased within a 200-mile radius of the factory, but substantial amounts are purchased from more distant sections of the United States or from foreign countries. For example, mahogany lumber, which is used in almost half of ABC’s products, is imported by ABC from Latin American and Africa. Most of the lumber arrives at ABC’s yard by railroad and is shipped FOB point of origin. The imported lumber is shipped by water to the nearest port, approximately 100 miles from ABC’s factory, and then by train to the factory. Some locally produced lumber is delivered to ABC by truck, FOB ABC’s yard. Workers in ABC’s factory use some small power tools, such as saws, planers, lathes, and similar equipment. However, the production process is primarily manual. Highly skilled craftsmen build the company’s products, using many of the same techniques that were used two centuries ago. Furniture finishing is done by hand, and most of the stains, varnishes and other finishing materials are compounded by ABC’s employees according to the company’s proprietary formulas. ABC’s labour force is very stable because each craftsman undergoes a lengthy apprenticeship in the plant and because ABC pays wages that are relatively high by the standards of the community. Management considers the high wages to be necessary because of the time and expense required to hire and train a replacement for a craftsman who leaves the firm. Some finished furniture is shipped by railroad, but most of it is shipped by contract carrier trucks. The contract with the trucker does not include any provision relative to liability for damage to goods in transit. Export shipments are transported by truck to the nearest port and by water to the country of destination. All shipments are made FOB purchaser’s warehouse. All sales, including export sales, are made on open account and only to ABC’s established dealers. Export accounts usually are denominated in and payable in the currency of the importer’s country. Accounts receivable, on the average, are equal to about one-eighth of annual sales. Accounts receivable records are kept on ABC’s computer in the office section of the first floor of the factory building. The computer is also used for inventory and production control, payroll management, and other accounting functions. The computer equipment is owned by ABC. The office is cut off from the warehouse section of the first floor by a wood partition. The office and computer room are air conditioned, but the remainder of the building is not. Duplicate computer tapes, updated weekly, are stored in a well-protected vault in another part of the city. A monthly fee is paid for the tape storage. ABC owns several small trucks that are used to move lumber about its own premises and for local pickup and delivery. The trucks are kept in the lumber storage shed when they are not in use. Several lift trucks are used for moving lumber and other heavy items in and around the factory and lumber storage area. A freight elevator moves materials, finished furniture, lift trucks, and other equipment between floors in the factory. Automatic grillwork gates have been installed to prevent workers from falling into the elevator shaft. There is no passenger elevator. Workers use either the freight elevator or the open stairwells when moving between floors. Steel fire escapes have been installed on the exterior of the building to facilitate evacuation of the upper floors in case of fire or other catastrophe. ABC Manufacturing Company is wholly owned by its president, Mr. Carpenter, who is the grandson of the company’s founder. Mr. Carpenter is considered wealthy by local standards. However, his fortune consists almost entirely of the stock of ABC Manufacturing Company, and he is dependent on his salary and company dividends for his livelihood. Nearly all of ABC’s operating profit has been paid in dividends in recent years. Consequently, the company has only a modest cushion of liquid assets in excess of its operating needs. Profits have been consistent, but they have been relatively low because of the inefficiency of the present factory facilities. Although the dollar amount of ABC’s sales has increased steadily because of price increases, the physical volume of sales has remained almost constant over the past several years. The lack of growth has resulted primarily from two factors. First, the present plant cannot accommodate greater production because of space limitations, and there is no available land adjacent to the plant to permit expansion. Second, the long training period required for new employees prevents rapid expansion of production. Mr. Carpenter has considered building a new factory at another location in the same town. However, such a move is not financially feasible unless the present plant can be sold, and no prospective purchasers have been found. A move to any location outside its present hometown would not be practical because of the company’s dependence on its well-trained craftsman. The sales manager estimates that both the dealer network and sales could be increased by 30% over the next 5 years if production facilities could be provided. The cost to rebuild the present factory building in its present form would be $2.5 million. However, Mr. Carpenter has indicated that he would not build a new mill-type building to replace the current structure because of the high cost of the thick brick walls and heavy timber interior construction. A new, one-story, noncombustible masonry and steel building of comparable floor area would cost approximately $2 million to build and would be more efficient for ABC’s purpose. The actual cash value of the present factory building is estimated to be $1.5 million, and ABC has insured it for that amount against fire and the extended coverage perils. The lumber storage shed, power plant, table and lumber kiln are also insured for their actual cash values. The following table shows the actual cash value and replacement cost for each of the structures. Table 1: ABC Company Building Values ___________________________________________________________________________________ BuildingActual Cash ValueReplacement Cost Factory$1,500,000$2,500,000 Lumber shed 150,000 200,000 Power plant 230,000 300,000 Kiln 270,000 320,000 ___________________________________________________________________________________ ABC’s annual premium for fire and extended coverage insurance is $136,000, including the coverage for contends of the buildings and for lumber stored in the yard. There have been no fire or extended coverage losses during the past five years and only minor losses prior to that time. The company’s estimated annual workers’ compensation premium is $165,000. Loss experience has been fairly consistent from year to year. Based on past experience, with adjustments for inflation and current benefit levels, normal losses of $104,000 can be expected. The most frequent claims have been small and have resulted from such minor injuries as splinters in hands, several minor dermatitis cases, and sawdust or metal particles in eyes. The more serious injuries have included back strains and loss of fingers in power saws and other power tools. ABC now has 15 percent debit under workers’ compensation experience rating plan. (That is, they are paying a rate 15% greater than manual rates). Questions 1. Identify the following loss exposures faced by ABC Manufacturing Company: 1) Direct property loss exposures 2) Indirect property loss exposures 3) Liability exposures 2. Your suggestions in risk management for ABC Company Case 2: Bite-O-Burger Company (Risk Management and Insurance) Description of Operations The Bite-O-Burger Company is a publicly held corporation. It owns and operates 843 fast-food restaurants located in eleven states in the United States. The restaurants feature a limited menu consisting of hamburgers, French fried potatoes, fried chicken, chili, related food items, and nonalcoholic beverages. The restaurants vary in size, but each is located in a free-standing building and surrounded by customer parking areas. All of the buildings were built to Bite-O-Burger’s plans and specifications and share enough architectural characteristics to make them easily recognized as units of the chain. All have forced air heat and are air conditioned. At current prices, the average replacement cost of the restaurants is estimated at $125,000 per unit for the building and $100,000 for the equipment. Because of differences in size, the replacement cost, including building and equipment, ranges from $175,000 for the smallest restaurants to $300,000 for the largest. The average actual cash value is $205,000 for building and equipment combined. The restaurants vary in age from a few days to approximately 20 years. All of them are owned by Bite-O-Burger, but the newer ones are subject to substantial mortgages. The home office of the company is located in leased space in a building in the business district of a midwestern city. Bite-O-Burger occupies the upper three floors of the thirty-story building. The company’s data processing centre is located on the top floor. All of the computer equipment is leased from the manufacturer. Bite-O-Burger also occupies a leased warehouse near the home office. It is used for storage and distribution of supplies (paper cups, wrapping materials, etc.) and nonperishable food items. Perishable food items are purchased from local suppliers near the restaurants in which they will be used, and they are delivered directly to the restaurants by the suppliers. There is no refrigeration equipment at the warehouse, but each restaurant has a large, walk-in refrigerator. Items from the company warehouse are distributed to the individual restaurants by a fleet of 30 owned tractor-trailer units. The same units also transport goods from the suppliers to the central warehouse when truck-load quantities are purchased. Smaller lots are shipped by common carrier FOB point of shipment. The values of the contents at the warehouse and home office are $15,750,000 and $3,200,000, respectively. Values at both locations are relatively constant throughout the year. Bite-O-Burger advertises extensively in newspapers in the cities in which it has several restaurants. Many of its advertisements feature endorsements of its products by prominent athletes and theatre personalities. Some advertisements feature pictures of local people and their favourable comments on the company’s food and service. The company also sponsors softball and bowling teams in some cities as a part of its public relations program. Bite-O-Burger’s profit and loss statement and an abbreviated balance sheet for last year are shown in Tables 2-1 and 2-2. The company’s operating results for last year were typical of past years, but sales and assets have been growing at a rate of approximately 20% per year. Bite-O-Burger’s fire and extended coverage losses for the five years are shown in Table 2-3. The quotations shown in Table 2-4 have been obtained for fire and extended coverage protection–blanket on buildings and contents on an actual cash value basis. Bite-O-Burger is well aware of the fire exposures associated with restaurants. Extensive fire control equipment has been installed in the kitchens of all units, and especially in the range hoods and in the cooking areas.

Complimentary and Alternative Therapies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Complimentary and Alternative Therapies - Essay Example This hospital network was expanded, reworked and merged with the intention of providing a single District Hospital supporting local GP's and in turn being supported by teaching and specialist hospitals. These District Hospitals have 500 to 800 beds and operate at 90% capacity. (nhshistory.com). The availability of CAM in the organised NHS is very little. In fact CAM is hardly reimbursed under the NHS network. Most CAM services were provided by private practitioners - the majority were in the home counties and the Midlands; Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland and East Anglia had the least. (Dixon et al 2003) Several studies and enquiries show that the use of CAM in the UK has been on the increase. But comparisons should be made with caution, because of the differences in the definition of the term. (House of Lords Report ch1) A telephonic random survey of 1204 persons conducted by the BBC in 1999, revealed that 20% of the respondents had used CAM in the preceding 12 months. Of these the favoured therapies in their order of importance were herbal remedies (34%), Aromatherapy (21%), Homeopathy (17%) and Acupressure/ Acupuncture (14%) (House of Lords Report ch1) A Report prepared by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society in 1999 found that retail sales of complementary medicine preparations came to 93m in 1998. (House of Lords Report ch 1) In Europe, both UK and Germany are countries, ... her European countries (Guillod, 1999)."(Dixon et al 2003) This is in contrast with France, Spain and Belgium, "where the medical profession has maintained its monopoly over medical practice and where the activities of non-medically qualified CAM practitioners are illegal." (Dixon et al 2003) In the US too, a telephonic survey indicated that from 1900 to 1997, there was a noticeable increase in the already existing use of CAM. Out-of-pocket expenditure (paid for by patients, and not reimbursed) on this was estimated at $27.0 billion in 1997. (House of Lords Report ch1) What are the reasons for people shifting to CAM The possible reasons for using CAM is the need for people to have control over their own health, a philosophical and spiritual orientation, and a belief in the mind-body connection. It was found (in the US) that people of higher educational status tended to CAM. (House of Lords Report ch 1) This could probably be that those who had access to literature on the subject, and had an enquiring mind would use this to a greater extent. Another reason could be that conventional medicine is reimbursed, and not CAM. Presuming that better educated people had higher incomes, this would explain why CAM was (is) favoured by higher income groups as opposed to the lower. Apart from this, sufferers from chronic health problems such as anxiety, back problems, urinary tract problems and chronic pain used CAM. From this it may be deduced that conventional medicine had not provided a complete 'cure' for these problems. Another reason cited for the increase d use of CAM is that it had become fashionable, and also due to the increasing interest in the paranormal (astrology and the like). More social mixing (immigrants from Asian and African countries) resulting in interest