Carol Ann Duffy Notes

The poem closes with reminders of oppression, control and confinement. Possibility that was once limitless for the dolphins now has ‘limits' imposed upon it that will become impossible to bear. The realisation will probably hasten the creatures' death, signalling that there is as much at stake from a psychological perspective as there is from the physical circumstances. Stifling of natural impulse and behaviour can have fatal consequences. The ‘plastic toy' is a further reminder of the indignity visited on this majestic creature of the ocean. The phrase until the whistle blows is potentially ambiguous. In one level it simply refers to the controlling device used by the keeper but on another the poet might be reminding us that this sort of cruelty will continue until somebody exposes it for what it is. Duffy does effectively ‘blow the whistle' on such practices. The final line, with its reference to ‘our mind', neatly links the plural possessive pronoun with the singular noun ‘mind' indicating a collective voice for a species. The tense change to ‘we will' draws attention to the contrast between what the dolphins had, what they have now and can expect in the future. As a result, the dolphins assume an almost mythic status in that they appeal to archetypal impulses in us and in nature; they are not just the creatures who form part of it. ‘The Dolphins' may just as easily be read as a poem about human disillusion, betrayal and loss of direction as it is about animals. As an interpreter of experience it offers us a new language into which we would do well to translate ourselves. Foreign Duffy's preoccupation with language is dealt with here form the perspective of its cultural significance as much as its ability to say anything. To the immigrant, the country to which he or she has moved out of economic necessity will always be ‘foreign' but the indigenous population will regard them as foreigners. The fact that living in a foreign culture is something that is not easy to get used to is emphasised in the opening line of the poem. Despite living in a city for ‘twenty years' it remains ‘strange'. The immigrant is aware of his or her own ‘foreign accent' as it sounds to others. The strain of thinking in one language and having to translate into the speech of another cannot always be sustained and this is sensitively pointed out through the physical detail in the final stanza: ‘And in the delicatessen, from time to time, the coins / in your palm will not translate. ‘ The breakdown in communication in an everyday, exposed transactional situation is intensified through the words ‘Inarticulate' and ‘point'. Duffy's empathic feeling for such people is further expressed in her presentation of other actions such as ‘writing home', a way of maintaining contact with others of the same culture. The ‘local dialect' in the immigrant's ‘head' is coupled with the memory of his or her mother singing. These are details with which any sympathetic person might identify and throw into sharp relief the actual experience of seeing racist graffiti ‘sprayed in red' (line 12). Duffy's use of the simile, ‘Red like blood' to describe the paint is effective because of its monosyllabic directness of observation. It also resonates with a famous and terrible speech given by the Conservative politician Enoch Powell who, on 20th April 1968 warned that increased immigration into Britain would result in a ‘river of blood'. There is, then, a stark contrast between the uses of language as a sign system of cultural inclusion (stanza 2) and its deliberate use as a weapon of racial exclusion (stanza 3). The ‘hate name' of the racists is sprayed on a ‘brick wall' the harshness and unyielding nature of which is symbolic of the mentality of those who do such things. The unfamiliar, snowy weather and artificial ‘neon lights' create the impression for the immigrant that the country moved to is ‘coming to bits'. This image of fragmentation is, though, not entirely imaginary as he or she has a life splintered from all that is familiar and constantly experiences a sense of alienation. The italicised words at the close of the poem give voice to the immigrant but this only gives away a difficulty with English. The unfinished verbs, ‘Me not know' and ‘It like they only†¦' are drawn attention to by Duffy in order that the reader may ponder what it would be like to face the same language problem. The final words of the poem, ‘Imagine that' remind us of the opening and there is quite a clear impression that Duffy is adopting an undisguised didactic stance. As a skilled and empowered user of the English language herself she is drawing attention to the lot of those who are marginalised because of their deficiency in its use. Head of English The poet is introduced to the class by the Head of English who has very fixed views about what poetry should be. As in ‘Comprehensive', the school in question is a multi-ethnic institution. It is significant that the teacher should be dismissing the live woman poet because she does not conform to the Keatsean ideal in the teacher's mind. She is not dead and she is not male. How anyone with ‘English second language' is expected to relate to dead white English men is clearly a challenge laid down in the poem. The five six line stanzas are indicative of a controlled, contained environment, the institution and the teacher are reflected in this. Duffy does not choose to use rhyme throughout (as the teacher predicted) but reserves some obvious rhymes for the teacher to use. This is a very subtle use of a poetic technique to satirise someone who is complaining about its absence from modern poetry. So, simultaneously, Duffy is using a poetic technique to show that the teacher is wrong about it being absent from modern verse whilst showing that the rhyme, being obvious, is the sort needed by the teacher. The reference to Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) is significant for a number of reasons. His poems do rhyme very regularly, and a number of them are redolent of British imperialism and nationalism in the Victorian period. This is actually grossly offensive in a multicultural context. ‘Winds of change' is a wittily ambiguous phrase since it refers to the words of Harold Macmillan, British Prime Minister 1957-63 speaking of political events such as the civil war in the Congo following the granting of independence from Belgium. It also tells us that the teacher is referring to flatulence, as well as reinforcing her own entrenched views. Duffy is ironically drawing attention to the fact that Calliope, ‘the Muse' and source of afflatus, breath of inspiration for poets is interrupted by an unwelcome allusion to noxious gases. The control possible in adopting a persona in the dramatic monologue is clear. Single word sentences, a hallmark of Duffy's verse, work very well in capturing the terse, rude attitude of the teacher. ‘Still. ‘ (stanza 2); ‘Right. ‘ (stanza 4); and ‘Well. Really. ‘ (stanza 5) show that she is singularly unimpressed by what she has heard. Here, it is what is implied by Duffy's economical use of language that is so effective in building an impression of what this woman is like. The idea of someone being in charge of an English Department who cannot see that it is she who actually has the ‘outside' view is worrying. The fact that she devotes a whole lesson to assonance also indicates the deadly boring teaching methods she employs. She obviously teaches technique out of context in the same way that she cannot accept modern poetry as belonging to a literary tradition. Like any poor English teacher she views tradition as something strictly to do with an unreachable past. It is striking that it is the silent space between the fifth and sixth stanzas that the poet has been allowed to read. Despite having encouraged pupils to ask questions ‘after all we're paying forty pounds', the teacher's response to the poet's reading is telling as she instructs the class to ‘run along'. The reader wonders just what ‘insight' the teacher has actually gained. Also, her pupils are unlikely to derive much from her teaching. More worrying, though, are the entrenched attitudes of a person who should not be in charge of the most expansive of subjects studied at school.

It Final

Week 8 : Wk8 – Final Exam(TCO A) Based on the examples in the chapter, if you were asked to formulate a plan for a regional drive-in restaurant chain's efforts to use information technology to develop a loyal customer base, what would be the best use of information technology from the list below? (Points : 8)   Use IT to increase supplier loyalty. Use IT to increase operational efficiency. Use IT to create new products and business models. Use IT to achieve customer intimacy.(TCO B) ________ are visual tools for presenting performance data in a BI system. (Points : 8) |   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Dashboards and scorecards Parameterized reports Reports and the drill-down feature Scenarios and models |(TCO C) The type of logical database model that treats data as if they were stored in two-dimensional tables is the (Points : 8) |   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   OODBMS. pre-digital DBMS. relational DBMS. hierarchical DBMS. |(TCO D) IT staffing is reduced in a cloud computing environment because (Points : 8) |   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There is less infrastructure to manage and maintain. There is a reduction in local software installation on individual work-stations   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Most services required are available from the cloud All of the above |(TCO E) Which of the following factors provides an understanding of why computing resources today are ever more available than in previous decades? (Points : 8)network economics law of mass digital storage and Moore's law declining communications costs, universal standards, and the Internetall of the above(TCO F) Change is (Points : 8) | not welcome in any methodologies accepted often using traditional methodologies foundational principle of agile methodologiesalways to be done at the end of the project(TCO G) Many security attacks occur because (Points : 7)users open documents that they think come from a co-workers   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   users leave their computers running user download illegal movies and mu sic corporate firewalls are not reliableWeek 8 : Wk8 – Final Exam(TCO G) Define the basic concepts of responsibility, accountability, and liability as applied to ethical decisions. How are these concepts related? (Points : 35)(TCO F) Differentiate between intangible and tangible benefits and list three examples of each. In what types of systems are intangible benefits more predominant? (Points : 35)(TCO E) Distinguish between grid computing, cloud computing, and utility computing. (Points : 35)(TCO D) What is cloud computing and how do you think its developments could impact businesses? (Points : 35)(TCO C) What types of relationships are possible in a relational database? Describe and give an example of each. (Points : 35)(TCO B) You are evaluating BI software from a variety of vendors. Identify six elements in the BI environment. Use your understanding of the importance of these elements to formulate six questions to ask the vendor in order to determine how their software w ill interplay with your needs. (Points : 35)(TCO A)  Assess at least two benefits of using enterprise systems. (Points : 35)

Crowd Safety in Sports Grounds Essay

Occupiers Liability Act (1957) is the fundamental act of spectator safety at sporting events. This act is that an occupier of a premises owes a common duty of care to their visitors. Occupier is in charge of premises. Visitor is some that is invited or permitted to be at the premises. Disabled visitors covered by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. Cunningham v Reading FC 1992- stadium crumbling. Lump of concrete thrown by fans, hit police man on the head. Was foreseeable because of poor stadia. Reading found liable for negligence. Simms v Leigh RFC- rugby league player tackled but injured when he slid off pitch into concrete wall next to pitch. Club not liable because perimeter was regulated distance. Safety of Sports Grounds Act 1975- covers all stadiums and all sports. It protects all spectators. Fire Safety and Safety of place of sport 1987- licenses from local authorities. Defines how many people in a stand. Because of Bradford fire (wooden stands) act made it so that stadia had to be made of fire proof material Football Spectator Act 1989- is about banning orders. If person commits offence can be banned from sporting events for a certain period of time. Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol) 1985- cannot be possession of alcohol at football matches or on a journey to match. Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994- section 60 -Police Powers regarding Public order. 166A Ticket Touting–Ticket touting illegal- cannot sell tickets in public places Football Offences Act 1991-only at football -cannot throw missiles or make racist or indecent chants JAN 28-2010- Craig Bellamy, attacked with bottles and coin. 2 men arrested for attack.

Big Tobacco Sues Feds over Graphic Warnings on Cigarette Labels Research Paper

Big Tobacco Sues Feds over Graphic Warnings on Cigarette Labels - Research Paper Example Congress, 2009). Till 1996, the FDA has no vital role to play as far as the regulation of tobacco products is concerned. It was then controlled through an array of state and congressional legislation. In most of the US States, statues deal with the issue of selling the tobacco products to minors and licensing for its distributions to retailers. In the year 1950, all states had put the ban on sale of tobacco products to minors at that time purchase age varied from state to state (U.S. Congress, 2009). The law in vogue impressed upon the large size tobacco manufacturing companies to disclose publically all the ingredients used in the cigarette manufacturing process. It should also highlight the poisonous contents used in it. The company should refrain from using the mild words just as light or ultra light to dispel the impression of its harm on human body. The bill in force makes the cigarette manufacturers accountable on wooing the adults and children to become addiction of smoking (U .S. Congress, 2009). In the eyes of critics, the promulgated act is effectuate in the sense that it can reduce the nicotine level in the cigarette to some extend rather than wipe it out completely. The affordable level of nicotine may encourage smokers to smoke more. Market restrictions definitely put the hurdles to find out the smoking alternatives to smoke cigarette. In FDA v Brown & Williamson case, the Supreme Court of United States of America held that since the congress had not delegated the authority to FDA to control the damages arising out of the use of tobacco products, therefore to fill the gap and to ensure effective control, Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act came into being. Secondly the former American Administration over acted the delegated power of congress in this respect. As per the Senate bill, health-warning label should cover fifty percent of front and back portions of the package. The word warning thereon should be in capital letter. The number of opposition members in the Senate largely hailing from tobacco cultivating states, supported the ongoing move to discourage the smoking in spite of the facts that they have deep roots in the tobacco industry. In the larger national interest they are ready to afford the financial losses to keep away their children and adults from the bad habits of smoking (Gifford, 2010). In order to have an effective control over the damages of human health they have suggested the following measures to be implemented (U.S. Congress, 2009): 1. FDA should have tobacco control centers at its disposal to regulate the substance, marketing and sale of tobacco products. 2. Importers and tobacco companies should reveal the ingredients of their existing products and get approval from FDA. Approval for any new tobacco product should also be sought from the same authority. 3. FDA should have the authority to change the tobacco substance in any product to lessen could be damages on the body of its users. 4. I t should shun the application of sugar coated definition cigarette, which is contrary to section 3(1) of the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act (Connolly, 2004). New rules are to be introduced to prevent sales through direct channel or to conduct between retailer and consumer in order to curb the eye catching advertising campaign,

Email and Internet Usage Policies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Email and Internet Usage Policies - Essay Example Upon orientation, which all new staff must go through, rules and regulations regarding use of the company intranet and email system are clearly spelled out, in a specific section of the employee handbook. Instructions are also given on how to handle setting up new accounts, dealing with technical support issues and any other questions regarding the intranet or email. New employees meet with at least one member of the IT staff during orientation. Each new employee is visited by a member of IT staff within 24 hours, if contact via email or phone does not solve a specific problem an employee has. Specific policy regarding email applies to all employees, whether administrative, health care, support or maintenance staff. For health care or medical records staff who may have frequent contact with other care providers, policies regarding patient information are reviewed during orientation. It is acceptable for health care staff to email others within the organization on patient status or ot her pertinent information, particularly when some new records have not been scanned into the system. However, health care workers are encouraged to fax necessary records or supporting documents. Health care staff within the organization are encouraged to print pertinent emails regarding patient status, attach them to patient records, then delete messages. All messages are automatically deleted after 3 days. Archiving of email messages is discouraged, as it poses a risk of patient information falling into the wrong hands, though the risk is slim.

CNA Code of Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

CNA Code of Ethics - Essay Example The Canadian Code of Ethics The Canadian Code of Ethics for Registered Nurses plays a vital role because it reflects the involvement and nursing’s interest towards social justice by laying down corresponding ethical responsibilities and primary values which nurses who are registered in Canada are supposed to uphold in their course of duty. The Canadian Nurses Association Code of Ethics for Registered Nurses also comprises of statements with ethical issues which nurses may undertake in order to address social inequities that affect the well-being and health of their clients. The Code of Ethics plays a vital role for Canadian Registered Nurses because it contains ethical practice which stipulate that nurses should work with families, individuals, groups, communities and populations in order to expand the health care choices available and become aware that some individuals have limited choices due to geographic, social or economic factors, the lead to inequities (CNA, 2009). Soci al Justice Social Justice refers to the fair distribution of responsibilities and resources among the members of a given population taking into consideration the relative position of a given social group as compared with others in the community or society as a whole. Social justice also considers the major causes of disparities and the steps that can be taken in order to abolish or eliminate them. The term â€Å"resources† according to the concept of social justice in health and health care refer not only to the direct services but rather to other facets of life which can a have a positive impact on health, like for instance, gainful employment, food security, adequate income, a social safety net, adequate education and social inclusion. According to the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA), these are collectively referred to as the factors found in the social environment which are external to the system of healthcare and which are known to exert a primary and potentially change able influence on the health of various populations. To take action meant for social justice implies attempting to reduce differences occurring on a system wide basis in which certain groups of disadvantaged people are prevented in getting equal access to health care services and the determinants of life (CNA, 2009). On the other hand, Social Justice in Health Care also implies working with the aim of preventing practices which are oppressive such as discrimination of people based on sexual orientation, age, gender or any other factors that comprise the wealth and health of an individual. Social justice can therefore occur on a one-to one interaction between healthcare providers in a health facility themselves or between a patient and the nurse. Social Justice is a Nursing Concern Social Justice is a nursing concern because given the fact that all societies are known to suffer from systematic, broad oppression and inequities, these are bound to have a negative impact on both an indi vidual and the communities’ health. The equity of societal relationships that are based on gender, race and economic status will result in the stability of health population indicators between the various groups, leading to national and international positive outcomes. It is therefore in this same breadth that the professional in the nursing organization endeavors to ensure that no person who is receiving health care is subjected to oppression or discrimination of any form through the

Innovation and Change Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Innovation and Change - Assignment Example According to Dehoff (2005, 1-2) the internal factors that influence an organization’s ability to innovate and change is the decision making process within the organization, the amount and nature of information available, motivators within an organization and the structure of an organization. Furthermore, Dehoff (2005, 1) stated that organizations focus their innovation efforts on development cost, quality of services and products, and the time it takes for products and services to reach the market. This present assignment will provide answers to questions regarding innovation and change, drawing on readings and research that were previously provided. The hallmark of strategic innovation Philips et al. (2006, 175-196) conducted a research on the innovation process as well as the effective management of innovation and the findings overwhelmingly indicated that there is are set of good practices or the hallmarks for innovation that denote an effectively managed innovation process . However, these good practices are only applicable in times when there is stability in the market as well as on the products and hence, the innovations are only required to make the market and the product better. Philips et al. (2006, 183) stated that in case there is a realignment in political force, market force, and technological force an organization will be required to implement discontinuous innovation that has its own distinct set of good practices. Philips et al. (2005, 176) listed the hallmarks of strategic innovation and they include close monitoring and evaluation at each stage of innovation, active involvement of users in the innovation process, the early identification of problems with the innovation, simultaneous engineering to assist in the speedy development whilst retaining cross-functional involvement. Other hallmarks of strategic innovation are incorporation of teamwork into the process and utilization of tools such as rapid prototyping or CAD to increase speed a nd quality of the innovation process. In case of discontinuous innovation, Philips et al. (2005, 183) listed some of the good practices and they include exploring alternative future scenarios and then identifying different possibilities and building the capacity for exploring different innovation strategies at the same time. Importance of organizational features in encouraging innovation Kontoghiorghes et al. (2005, 185-2005) conducted a research study that aimed at exploring the relationship between some characteristics of learning organization and adaption of change, innovation, and the financial performance of an organization. From this study, it is possible to extract the importance of some organizational features in encouraging innovation within an organization. For example, in their study Kontoghiorghes et al. (2005, 197) stated that open communication and information sharing within an organization are the leading organization feature that have an influence on change adaptatio n, innovation, and improvement of a company’s profitability. These features encourage innovation in the sense that different stakeholders within an

Free Secondary Education in Kenya Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Free Secondary Education in Kenya - Case Study Example ade schooling unaffordable, and pushed many children out of school and into work. According to Damiano (2004) the current issues of transition are of great concern and it is possible to see that the large numbers of children are unable to proceed with.Obande (2007)) also states that "Just over half a million candidates sat the Kenya Certificate of Primary Examinations (KCPE) at the end of 2003, yet only 46 per cent had the chance to proceed to secondary schools.Although the number of candidates enrolling for primary level examinations has steadily risen, the number of secondary schools has remained the same. Unless this issue is addressed, Kenya will be dealing with an explosion at the end of 2010, when the children who enrolled in 2003, with the abolition of school fees, will be taking their primary level examinations." Damiano (2004) states that the introduction of free primary education in 1974 indeed helped by increase in enrolment in primary schools by 40 percent. But with the advent of the cost sharing policy in education in the mid-1980s the parents had to spend more money on secondary items like textbooks, stationery, development fund, activity fees, and this led to discouraging of the enrolment in primary and subsequently secondary education. school and another reason for the eighties decline might have been the over all un affordability of education and this meant that despite golden promises by the post colonial government the primary education was not really free(Damiano 2004). However things were improving by the new millennium and in December 2002 primary and secondary education was wholly freed and this has resulted in a big enrolment increase of about 1,500,000 additional students.(Damiano 2004).The main problem which still haunts the free educational initiative is the lack of money,gender bias and poor economic conditions as described by Damiano (2004) citing , Uusitalo (1999) and Levin and Plug (1999) who have blamed the family background variables as instruments hindering free secondary education and according to Angrist and Krueger (1991) and Harmon and Walker (1995) as cited by Damiano (2004) demographic statistics are also responsible for these problems. Moses W (2006) offers a more historical perspective as he states that the post colonial independence and the end of racism in the segregated school system which suppressed the Kenyan natives ,the new democratic government has had a hard time catching uo with the challenges of the , shortage of skilled labour and rampant poverty and consequently the Government devoted a large

Importance of Language Diversity on Multinational Organisations Term Paper

Importance of Language Diversity on Multinational Organisations - Term Paper Example If we flip back to the pages of our history, the very idea of a single language has not proved to be so beneficial. For example, there was a time when Latin was enforced as a common language. But due to the various kinds of people living in Europe, a variety of languages sprang out of this one language and provided us with the different cultures that we look upon today. (Orban, 2008)  In order for the European economy to run smoothly, it is mandatory to recognize the various lingual problems faced by the multinational firms. These types of companies operate on a worldwide basis involving a constant exchange of goods and manpower among their subsidiaries. Due to the number of countries included, various languages are functional in this business. Hence, language problems arise, and the big challenge is to remove these linguistic and communication problems without causing any harm to the largely depended upon the socio-economic infrastructure of the firm. (LINEE, n.d)  A very fine e xample that demonstrates the causes and consequences of linguistic problems is the multinational operations held by the military. Cultural diversity in a military army can have both positive and negative impacts on a mission. The effectiveness of a mission can be reduced by a lack of proper communication due to the use of a variety of languages and inability to communicate in a single language. Lack of the required level of coordination along with the lingual limits on the exchange of information is also a result of language diversity, leading to a weakening of the task. For example, the multinational mission at the Kabul International Airport (KAIA), although it was successful, had to face problems due to lingual differences. For instance, people were forced to receive medical help outside the Headquarters, as the Spanish medics had no command on English.   Culture refers to the ways information is exchanged in a particular group in order to conceive the desired meaning among the people. These ways include solid goods and non-verbal language. Cultures may be divided at a national level, religious level, racial level, gender level, etc., and their goal is to express themselves as superior to the others. (Diversity RX, 2003)  Language is actually one of the most important components that define a culture. The other factors include the way of dressing, greeting, eating, etc. hence, if members of a group unanimously agree to change the whole system of their culture, the language goes with it. To demonstrate this, let us take the example of a group of rich teenagers belonging to Pakistan. This group includes children from different areas of the country, speaking a variety of languages. Through media, they are deeply influenced by western culture causing them to eat, greet, dress, and even talk like the westerners. So down the sewers goes lingual diversity.

World Civilizations To 1500 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

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CD 1 @2 W4 Parent P Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

CD 1 @2 W4 Parent P - Essay Example The present value tables are used to determine the discounting factor to obtain the present value total. DQ2 When an analyst applies the NPV value method he should only consider projects with positive NPV value. The optimum selection of a project using NPV methodology is the project that has the highest NPV (Besley & Brigham, 2000). Corporations can use NPV to evaluate multiple projects. The math used in the NPV analysis is a proven formula that has been used for hundreds of years. There are circumstances in which an NPV analysis might give distorted data. For instance the risk of natural disaster in an area can increase the odds of failure of a project particularly if the project is time sensitive. A project with a higher NPV geographically located in the Caribbean region during hurricane season might be not chosen by a conservative risk adverse investor that feels that a project in the middle states of the Unites States has a lower risk of being hit by a natural disaster that could lead to project failure. References Besley, S., Brigham, E. (2000). Essential of Managerial Finance (12th ed.). Fort Forth: The Dryden Press.

Process Improvement Essay Example for Free

Process Improvement Essay ABSTRACT This document will be evaluating an existing process within Toyota during the time of their accelerator crisis. A problem statement will be defined around the process of internal communication of concerns and ideas between foreign-based Toyota employees and the authoritative management of Toyota based in Japan. PROBLEM ANALYSIS OF SELECTED PROCESS Problem framing is a very important, but easily overlooked, part of decision-making. Framing a problem can have a heavy influence on the decisions that are made. It isnt enough to frame the problem; it should be framed with the solution in mind. This helps to keep the end goal of the decision-making process in mind so that the correct choices are made. In the case of Toyota, at the highest level, they had a major problem with some of their products involving unintended acceleration and their handling of  customer reports of the problem led to a whole mess of other problems. So from the outside looking in, it seems that many processes internal to Toyota had room for improvement. Although there are many different business sections of Toyota with their own respective problems such as customer service, public relations, manufacturing, the problem I would like analyze and offer improvement on is internal communication process between management and foreign employees and how the breakdown in this process affected some of the business decisions made by Toyotas upper management. As Toyota grew into a global powerhouse in the auto industry, the organizational structure that emerged was a centralized design †¦that put key decision-making in the hands of executives in Japan†¦ Some believed that Toyotas structure in the U.S. ultimately impaired its ability to prevent the safety problems before they reached the crisis (Greto, Schotter Teagarden, 2010, pg. 7-8). A quality tool or method used to help with the identification and prioritization of the potential causes of quality problems in a process is cause-and-effect analysis. In a way, this is a reverse engineering method used to identify the elements of a specific quality problem and to identify the causes so that it can be corrected. The problem wasnt the unintended acceleration of certain vehicles; the problem was the internal management decision-making that impacted the engineering of those vehicles which created the engineering problem. For some background information, the defining and founding philosophy of Toyota, the Toyota Way, has been around for a long time but it wasnt until the late 1980s in which they began production of their vehicles in the U.S. Specifically the problem of ideas from U.S.-based employees has been largely ignored for almost 20 years when it comes to key engineering or financial-based decisions. Despite the global sales volume gain, Toyota reported revenues of US $211 billion for 2009, a decrease of 19% for the previous year (Greto, Schotter Teagarden, 2010, pg. 2). Even though Toyota has been making large profits throughout the past 20 years, they experienced a decrease in 2009 and part of this was related to the ambitious initiatives and business decisions made by Toyotas upper management. Japan is notoriously consensus oriented, and companies have a strong tendency to mediate differences among individuals rather than accentuate them (Porter, 1996, pg. 63). Japanese culture and Toyotas centralized decision-making structure made it difficult for U.S. based employees to offer ideas, suggestions for improvements, or to elevate critical problems to upper management in Japan. Toyotas upper management, in their minds, let the U.S. employees do what they do best, which is supposedly marketing and selling. The process used by Toyota to communicate foreign employees ideas to upper management was heard, but not listened to. Even the process of internal communication between management had its breakdowns because of the perception by family-oriented managers of nonfamily managers in that nonfamily members didnt have such thoughts as safety and quality in the forefront of their minds. Overall, the communication process seemed to be that ideas were submitted from employees, whether by Japanese or foreign employees, to management and ideas were reviewed and pushed up the management chain when it was appropriate. However, ideas that might have some bearing on engineering, manufacturing or financing were largely ignored when the source of the ideas were from U.S.-based employees and this violated the Toyota Way. To add to the complexity, the process for communicating ideas became more convoluted depending on the audience, nonfamily or family-based managers. To sum this up into a problem statement: Toyota has violated their founding philosophy of employee empowerment, especially for non-Japanese employees, and continues to make important business decisions without any regard to concerns or ideas from foreign employees when appropriate. Employees may have ideas that could be used in the decision-making process to achieve better quality solutions. Toyota needs a better mechanism or improvement to this internal communication process to capture the knowledge and ideas of all employees and to share these ideas across the organization. All in all, its to improve the internal communication process bet ween employees and management in order to support the idea of continuous improvement and quality. CONTEXT OF SELECTED PROCESS FOR IMPROVEMENT The _Toyota Way_ mandates planning for the long term; highlighting problems  instead of hiding them; encouraging team work with colleagues and suppliers; and, perhaps most importantly, instilling a self-critical culture that fosters continuous and unrelenting improvement (Greto, Schotter Teagarden, 2010, pg. 3). Two cores ideas from the statement above are the idea of team work and most importantly employee empowerment. These two values are what made Toyota into a successful global corporation during their fast rise in the 1980s. Employees were encouraged to offer ideas for improvement for any process within the organization and this helped with continuing the idea of continuous improvement. An important part of making business decisions is having real-time and critical information. The selected process for improvement: improving the communication of ideas and concerns and the sharing of foreign employees ideas to Toyotas Japanese management team needs to be addressed immediately. The process selected for improvement is the process used to capture the ideas of all employees, U.S.-based included, and to have these ideas be properly represented and presented to management for review in real-time. You know the joke that every bank branch has a president well, every Toyota facility has a president, and one cant tell another what to do (Greto, Schotter Teagarden, 2010, pg. 8). This statement touches the surface of why the internal management communication process needs improvement at Toyota. The way the process is currently being represented in Toyotas organization is a complete violation of their founding philosophy. During the 2000s, Toyota pushed for a lot of initiatives that in hindsight were either short-term profit driven or too ambitious. For example, despite the savings of more than US $10 billion over the six years since CC21s inception, Watanabe set out to achieve even more cost savings through the new VI (Value Innovation) strategy (Greto, Schotter Teagarden, 2010, pg. 5). This was a business decision made to further drive up profits despite the respectable amount of savings already made financially. If the knowledge, ideas and concerns of employees were properly captured and communicated to management, it could have prevented some of the poor business decision-making made and the impact of these decisions on engineering and manufacturing. Two impacts of the poor decision-making was the decision to become leaner with the manufacturing process and  overstretching existing resources in trying to supplant GM as number on in the automobile industry. Toyotas has employees in many different markets who most likely had concerns regarding these decisions or ideas on how to improve the ideas and _communicated_ these ideas but these ideas werent being heard in time or heard at all by management. To put this all into context, the process for communicating ideas and concerns internally is impacted by the culture and internal structure of Toyota. These are both tough things to change but the process used to capture and represent ideas to management is something easy to improve. IMPLICATIONS OF THE PROCESS If the current internal communication process continues as is, there will continue to be a breakdown in the communication of potentially important ideas and concerns from employees to management. If employees feel as if their input isnt listened to or even heard, they will become apathetic or not even bother trying to communicate important ideas or concerns. As a result, this can lead to the cycle of poor business decisions being made resulting in more damage to the company. Even worse, this will continue to cause Toyota to stray away from the core values of the Toyota Way that made them a successful global corporation. Already what has happened as a result of the ignoring of ideas and making business decisions with only the goal of short-term profits in mind is that Toyota during the oil sludge crisis had to pay millions of dollars as a result of class action lawsuits and took a hit to their business image. Fast forward to the accelerator crisis, Toyota experienced losing $2 billion dollars during the recall, had to pay a $16.4 million dollar civil penalty under U.S. law, experienced a customer relations nightmare and even had some of their car models dropped from Consumer Reports. The dollar amount lost due to the alienation of customers, lack of accountability at first by Toyota, and corporate reputation and image hit is immeasurable. Implementing some mechanism to improve the communication process between  employees and management and even management can be improved with the use of something such as a knowledge management system. Effective knowledge management tools can help firms reduce internal costs of maintaining electronic filing systems and reduce the administrative expense of locating documents. Second, just as efficiency can improve profitability, leverage can have the same effect where knowledge transfer enhances the quality of work performance, and therefore, its value. In this context, leverage is the ability to delegate work to the most cost-effective resource. The transfer of knowledge is, in fact, the essence of knowledge management (Martin, 2002, pg. 1). Although it is a large internal expense, the benefits of a KM system would have a great effect on the general business results and business relationships of Toyota with its employees, management and even their supply chain. POTENTIAL OUTCOMES OF IMPROVING THE PROCESS Improving the current internal communication process of ideas and concern helps to improve employee relations between management and their reports. It helps to re-establish a culture of knowledge sharing and representing that captured knowledge in such a way that it can help to improve the business decision-making by upper management. Any important business decisions made by upper management have a direct impact on the shareholders. So any improvement in the process that results in better business decisions being made will have a direct positive impact for the shareholders. The current decision-making and straying away from the founding principles of the Toyota Way has damaged the company and continuing down this path will only make the future worse for Toyota. So having an internal mechanism to capture ideas and improve communication such as a KM system can only improve the situation. Employees would feel like their ideas are being heard and will continue to offer suggestions for continual improvement. An improvement in communication can help to break down the false perceptions that family-oriented managers have of nonfamily managers. For example, a family-based manager might come across an idea from an unexpected source, a nonfamily manager, and come to respect that person for their knowledge. In a  way, this could help to improve the Japanese culture way of making decisions internally. Toyota is almost in the top of their market, so they are their own worst enemy when it comes to being competitive. So an improvement in their internal decision-making around all important financial, engineering and manufacturing decisions will only help to sustain and further their current competitive edge. Sometimes an organization has to make a large internal expense in order to position themselves differently from their competitors. Strategic positioning means performing _different_ activities from rivals or performing similar activities in _different_ ways (Porter, 1996, pg. 62). So collecting ideas internally and using them to make better business decisions will help Toyota to strategically position themselves even further away from their competition. SUMMARY Overall, Toyota is its own worst enemy with the current decision-making process they have in place internally. Even though the centralized decision-making structure is what Toyota currently has in place, the decision-making needs to take into account employee input, whether foreign or not. Employee input has been a cornerstone of the Toyota Way and Toyota has strayed from this founding principle. The implications of continuing down this path will result in more crises which in turn results in loss business, damaged business reputation, lawsuits and losing the competitive edge. Improving this process will result in better employee relations; establish a knowledge sharing culture which is needed for an environment that is striving for continual improvement and better business decisions being made. REFERENCES Greto, M., Schotter, A., Teagarden, M. (2010). Toyota: The accelerator crisis. Thunderbird School of Global Management. Martin, K. (2002). Features Show Me the Money Measuring the Return on Knowledge Management. LLRX. Retrieved from http://www.llrx.com/features/kmroi.htm Porter, M. E. (1996). What is strategy? _Harvard Business Review, 74_(6), 61-78. Russell, R.S., Taylor, B.W. (2011). _Operations management: Creating value along the supply chain_ (7th ed.)_._ Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley Sons. ISBN: 9780470525906

Same sex marriage

Same sex marriage Same sex marriage is also referred to as the gay marriage or homosexual marriage. These kinds of marriages occur between two people who have similar gender characteristics. They are not as popular as the heterosexual form of marriage though their popularity has grown tremendously in the recent past. Again, the widely accepted definition of marriage does not exclude these marriages. According to the definition, marriage is a union of two individuals who are in love with each other. In some countries, they are legal but in other countries they are taken as immoral and should be punished or wiped from the society. For example many African countries are against this form of marriage due to their strict traditions. In countries like Kenya, Muslims who practice this form of marriage are likely to be subjected to mob violence. In the past, gay marriages where not recognized but due to the social changes in the society today some countries (states) have constitutionally recognized them. This essay focuses on the major reasons as to why some countries support this form of marriages while at the same time other countries demonize and reject them. There are both social and legal reasons as to why some countries like Canada, Sweden, Norway, Netherlands and some states in U.S among other countries support same sex marriages (Belgie 1). One of these legal reasons is the constitution which advocates every individuals right to marry whether gay or not. Again, denying same sex partners the right to marry may be interpreted to be discrimination against the minority. This is considering that they are not hurting anyone of the larger society. Studies have also continually indicated that people who get married are better off (emotionally, financially, psychologically and mentally). Based on this fact, same sex marriages will ultimately benefit the partners along the specified lines. From another perspective, they play a very vital role in helping individuals drop sexual lifestyle characterized by high risks. They are also allowed because they generally help in stabilizing the society. This is because stable families are believed to be t he cornerstone to a stable society. There are numerous reasons as to why gay marriages are still considered illegal in many countries. Firstly it is believed that the main objective in marriage is procreation and it is true that same sex couples cannot make babies. They are prohibited because many feel that they threaten the marriage institution. This is because some people are likely leave their partners and engage into the gay practices. Another reason is that gay marriages offend everything that religion stands for. This is because most of the biblical studies advocate for heterosexual form of marriages. Many also feel that the legalization of gay marriages would legitimize homosexuality in the society which spell a new locus in regard to family and society. Many people also feel that the legalization of gay marriages would promote homosexuality in the public schools. This is because marriage is one of the basics taught in school and it legalization would not only inform the children about homosexuality but also enc ourage them into practicing it. The legalizing of the homosexual marriages is highly discouraged by some societies because they fear that it will erode its heterosexual cultural beliefs in the society. Many gay individuals have been pushing for the legalization of this behavior however many governments have rejected them. In U.S, states like California, New York, Rhode Island, Washington D.C, Massachusetts and New Mexico have legalized same sex marriages (Vestal 1). Others are expected to follow suit as the trend gains popularity. This has been heightened by the fact that some of renowned public figures have stood out in their support. Many should however note that gay marriages have both merits and demerits. It may be the countries which have legalized find it advantageous to the society. Works cited Vestal, Christine. Gay marriage legal in six states, April 08, 2009. Retrieved on 15th February, 2010, from http://www.stateline.org/live/details/story?contentId=347390

Human Resource Managers Of Coca Cola Company

Human Resource Managers Of Coca Cola Company There are many large or small enterprises from all developed or developing countries which are already or are in the process of going global and being international. There are lots of things that are helping to an international business in this time such as being international travel much easier and quicker. Global communication has became easier and increased the quality of life. Likewise transfer of new technology around the world making global business and employment easier which is leading to migration of large number of labours market around the world. Among which Coca Cola Company is also one of the largest multinational company. Its headquarter is in America and has number of regional office almost all around the world. They have got large number of staff all around the world. In context of coca cola company, they are applying the procedure and different models of international human resource development. The role of international human resource managers is significantly high in such kinds of organization. As we know that, this is a growing MNE. The things that brought forward the trend of globalization are ; international market that have need, expectation and wants, difference in the cost of production of goods and employee costs among different countries, law and order with government policies on tax and import and export of goods and its limitations along with the activities of competitors. HR managers have to be capable of understanding and responding all these kinds of trends so, that they can gain an idea to differentiate between domestic-based HR management and international human resource management. According to Schuler and colleagues they have define international human resource management on the both part of strategic and international of multinational enterprises such as Coca Cola Company. They are trying to expand the congested function of HR to border function for expatriation. Strategic IHRM is human resource management issues, functions and policies and practices that result from the strategic activities of multinational enterprises and that impact on the international concerns and goals of those enterprises (Schuler, 1993). In my opinion, the responsibility of international Human Resource Managers can be discussed in two ways. One way is that a multinational company have to recruit an employee to send abroad for some specific task and for some time period. But in another context like in UK, there is multi domestic company where many international employee are working together which is the result of globalization. So, HR managers have to address both duty. A company like coca cola which is a MNE, they have to send their employee on international assignments. Human resource managers are getting problem in many ways for such cases, sometimes with disastrous results. There may be many reason for that but one may be the reason that HR managers send their staffs on abroad jobs without providing efficient pre-training or providing some period for the transitional stage. In this time, they can provide some kinds of guidance and essential management skills and tackling tactics in various scenarios by human resource managers along with HR and companys international policies. The human resource managers of coca cola company are now a days, equipping an employee with specific reference and essential skills to be successful on international jobs. They are following the standard procedure as well as realistic one. HR managers are taking special consideration while they are performing selection, giving training and managing performance. For example, now coca cola company, while they are appointing an employee as a sales managers or representative to India, they prefer to choose Indian employee or an employee who knows better Indian culture because, he can better perform in his familiar environment rather than any other new one. He can adapt easily in that environment which is a beneficial part for Coca Cola Company. If they appoint any other new person who is unknown of that culture, this will directly affect the performance of an employee and also he need more training and required more knowledge which will be costly for HR managers. Therefore, the role of human resource managers is very important while they are selecting an employee for an organization who needs to work in different cultural environment. There should be a valid reason for selecting a candidate for that job not just appointing haphazardly. HR managers have to set a bit different procedure to select an employee who is working in domestic cultural environment and in international cultural environment. HR managers have to look for all specific key skills within the candidate and find the correct one. Somehow this may looks like an very difficult to find a ideal candidate who has desire to go abroad with his abilities. According to a 2002 study,expatriates wanted their human resource departments to above all eliminate unnecessary uncertainty and ambiguity (Gomez-Mejia, Balkin and Cardy, 2004: 321). Providing a relevant training is the most effective ways to get good productivity from an employee. For an employee who is going abroad, HR managers have to provide pre-departure training like local culture, values and attitudes. When an employee have to go for abroad, their family member also need a cross cultural training as a plus point. Before arriving an expatriate in host country it is beneficial if he gets some kinds of orientation and training programs. In case of coca cola, they have potential competitor like Pepsi cola and other cold drinks multinational company so it is important to encourage an employee who has got knowledge and skills in order to retain these people. The knowledge gain by an employee from abroad is very precious rather than gain within home country because they have got a chance to work in a different environment and they have been tackled through different situations. International human resource managers have found that employee relations vary significantly from country to country and that the strategies used to motivate workers in one country are sometimes useless in another country(Katz Elsea, 1997). Coca cola company is a western company and this company has also tend to think like many other westerners do as contract in extremely legal, scientific terms, and when it is signed both parties are bounded by its conditions and policies. That once it is signed all parties will simply abide by its terms. But there is different culture in other countries like in china they wants to grow a good relation with the management after the contract and after when they start to know each other. Hence, HR managers need to consider openness, originality and flexibility not just only learning prior to enter in a countries as a MNE which have different culture. Coca cola company is a large MNE and they have invested large amount of resource in there employee for some specific project. This is very important to manage the performance of employees in overseas situation by taking regular feedback and assess them properly. Such kind of things can be helpful to minimize the threat of future expensive mistake, like paying for unsuccessful employees recruiting and training expanses. In case of employee payment it is obvious that there is different, depending on the specific country they are assigning for. This is a duty or responsibility of HR managers that to state the policies and terms and conditions in noticeable manner about remuneration among similar position in other countries. Above we have discussed in the prospective of a coca cola company in the global context and recruitment selection and performance management for their employee. This is all about the IME when they have to assigning the expertise to overseas. As we said there is the increasing role of international human resource managers to make or to prepare for the change of culture and help them to adjust in the change environment. Motivating and managing performance of abroad employee by providing proper reward system and providing proper allowances is also the main job of human resource managers. Besides that, International recruitment from overseas countries for employment in the home market is also the other major role for international human resource managers. They are also responsible for managing diversity, helping them in adjusting in new cultural environment, proper management of their performance and providing benefits from company. In this time of globalization labour market has became smaller so, people are moving from one country to another countries for employment process. For a company situated in a home country, they have also recruited an employee from different cultural diversity. Employees from diversified culture provide some kind of advantages and disadvantages in an organization. Therefore, there could arises conflict among the employees within own company, even with mangers also. If, HR managers look at the advantage side, they have the advantage of diversity for the company. They can innovate the idea of cutting of the costs, productivity and the increases new ideas for the forces of work; the development of the quality of the managing procedure; the capacity of employees to use points of view, styles for leading and different landing in the process of taking decisions and in cultivation of the new ideas. Employee can analyse and work within themselves when they have got problem at work.

Classification Essay - Evolution of the Motorcycle Rider

Evolution of the Motorcycle Rider My first motorcycle was a Kawasaki Eliminator 250 street bike. I consider it to have been my training bike, and it was somewhat generic in the sense that it was not easily identifiable as a member of a specific style of motorcycle. And, more importantly, by associating with other riders, I realized that I was not easily identifiable as a member of a specific class of riders. Riders are a species all their own; and, though there are many sub-classes within a class, observation has shown that three main branches of evolution can account for most riders. The cruiser (Homo Draggusanus) variety is most often seen riding a vintage Harley or Indian-made motorcycle. He rides very low to the ground in a Ralph-Machio-crane-kick-like position-arms high and outstretched, knees bent, feet level with buttocks. Most cruisers are between thirty-five and sixty years old, but they always look fifty. If one is wearing a helmet at all, it is a small, open-faced helmet covering little more than the crown of his head. The helmet may contain a variety of markings, such as skulls with crossbones, or "Freedom" stickers that tend to match tattoos adorning the rider. The cruiser may have several metal objects hanging from various parts of his body, and he usually has matted facial hair that ranges from one-quarter inches to twelve inches in length. Members of this class also wear tattered bandanas, studded leather vests or jackets, "Born to Ride" T-shirts, or leather boots with spikes. Physically, the cruiser is generally unfit, with dark skin t hat is somehow both wrinkled and taut, and rotting, tobacco-stained teeth. Though most cruisers are docile unless provoked, a permanent scowl serves t... ...ner shirts that seem one size too small for them, and, whether or not they have facial hair, they are generally neat and clean. This class is the most easily approachable of the three and usually travels in single, male-female pairs. They are always coming or going, just passing through, and rarely know anyone in the area; yet tourers are the most friendly and outgoing of the classes. When choosing a motorcycle, one is, in effect, choosing into which class of rider he will eventually evolve. I have not yet decided into which class I would like to evolve. For this reason, I have not yet decided what type of motorcycle will be my second. My decision will rest on a careful consideration of the desirable and undesirable qualities of the different classes. Who knows? Maybe I will begin a new branch of evolution and start a completely new class all my own.

Crime, Violence and Masculinity Essays -- essays research papers fc

Can the nation-state and culture combine forces to reduce interpersonal violence in the West?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Violence is a difficult term to define, but for the purposes of this assignment violence can be defined as a crime or the threat to commit a crime by one person upon another person, and that usually that has negative physical or emotional effects upon the victim. Violence in Western society has been increasing steadily and has become a major concern for many nations. Increasingly, much of the violence is committed by male children and teenagers. Crimes by young people are no longer just misdemeanors, but they now include the major felonies of rape, robbery and homicide. The rise in violent crime in the last few decades has been accompanied by a rise in violence in the media, especially television, movies and music. To protect society, the US government must impose regulations on these media outlets so that audiences are not subjected to too much gratuitous violence that may influence them to commit such acts of violence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Much of Western society’s contemporary behavior is influenced by popular culture, usually by such media outlets as television, movies and music. Arguments exist today concerning the amount of responsibility that the media has to portray such violent crimes as unacceptable. The most popular of such beliefs is one that argues that the media is currently romanticizing the use of violence to gain an audience. Proponents of such an argument claim that if the media displays violence in a less glamorous way, interpersonal violence can be reduced. For this to happen, the nation-state must play the important role of regulating how much and what types of violence media sources can show, and to which audiences.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some people, mostly men, enjoy viewing or hearing about acts of violence. Some even find it exciting to participate, on one level or another, in violent acts. Television programs, movies and music capitalize on this fact by showing or describing gratuitous acts of violence. Even news programs see the importance in covering violent interpersonal crimes in their broadcasts to gain high ratings. Western society is interested in conflict, and enjoys being a third party audience to such violence. The problem with this is that by consuming too much violence through th... ...duce more violent behavior from their audiences. The governments of the Western world cannot altogether prohibit the media from showing violence to their citizens, but they can impose more strict limitations on the amount of violence shown and to which audiences. More mature audiences can handle violent content better than younger, more impressionable audiences. Bibliography American Psychological Association Website www.apa.org/journals/xap/xap44291.html Anderson Ph.D., Craig â€Å"Exposure to Violent Media: The Effects of Songs with Violent   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lyrics   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  on Aggressive Thoughts and Feelings† Iowa State University. Texas   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Department of Human Services; Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Vol. 84, No. 5. Egger, S. Violence and Masculinity: A Commentary Huston, A.C., et al 1992 Big World, Small Screen: The Role of Television in American   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Society. Lincoln Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press Strang, H. 1992, Homicides in Australia 1990-1991, Australian Institute of Criminology,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Canberra. Crime, Violence and Masculinity Essays -- essays research papers fc Can the nation-state and culture combine forces to reduce interpersonal violence in the West?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Violence is a difficult term to define, but for the purposes of this assignment violence can be defined as a crime or the threat to commit a crime by one person upon another person, and that usually that has negative physical or emotional effects upon the victim. Violence in Western society has been increasing steadily and has become a major concern for many nations. Increasingly, much of the violence is committed by male children and teenagers. Crimes by young people are no longer just misdemeanors, but they now include the major felonies of rape, robbery and homicide. The rise in violent crime in the last few decades has been accompanied by a rise in violence in the media, especially television, movies and music. To protect society, the US government must impose regulations on these media outlets so that audiences are not subjected to too much gratuitous violence that may influence them to commit such acts of violence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Much of Western society’s contemporary behavior is influenced by popular culture, usually by such media outlets as television, movies and music. Arguments exist today concerning the amount of responsibility that the media has to portray such violent crimes as unacceptable. The most popular of such beliefs is one that argues that the media is currently romanticizing the use of violence to gain an audience. Proponents of such an argument claim that if the media displays violence in a less glamorous way, interpersonal violence can be reduced. For this to happen, the nation-state must play the important role of regulating how much and what types of violence media sources can show, and to which audiences.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some people, mostly men, enjoy viewing or hearing about acts of violence. Some even find it exciting to participate, on one level or another, in violent acts. Television programs, movies and music capitalize on this fact by showing or describing gratuitous acts of violence. Even news programs see the importance in covering violent interpersonal crimes in their broadcasts to gain high ratings. Western society is interested in conflict, and enjoys being a third party audience to such violence. The problem with this is that by consuming too much violence through th... ...duce more violent behavior from their audiences. The governments of the Western world cannot altogether prohibit the media from showing violence to their citizens, but they can impose more strict limitations on the amount of violence shown and to which audiences. More mature audiences can handle violent content better than younger, more impressionable audiences. Bibliography American Psychological Association Website www.apa.org/journals/xap/xap44291.html Anderson Ph.D., Craig â€Å"Exposure to Violent Media: The Effects of Songs with Violent   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lyrics   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  on Aggressive Thoughts and Feelings† Iowa State University. Texas   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Department of Human Services; Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Vol. 84, No. 5. Egger, S. Violence and Masculinity: A Commentary Huston, A.C., et al 1992 Big World, Small Screen: The Role of Television in American   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Society. Lincoln Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press Strang, H. 1992, Homicides in Australia 1990-1991, Australian Institute of Criminology,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Canberra.

Maternal Mortality in Somalia

II. Global Public Health Issue Somalia is a country that has suffered from many issues since the collapse of any sort of centralized government. The Somali people have suffered from countless diseases, poverty, conflict, environmental disasters, and constant displacement. For almost an entire generation the country has been without an effective central government, which in turn had major effects on the country’s health system. The Somali health system consists primarily of fragmented and privatized services that are insufficient and unequally distributed. The country’s public health system has very little central governance or management.Due to these factors most of the population do not have access to the most basic health services and definitely do not have access to higher level of services if needs arises. The lack of an overall adequate health system that is controlled by a centralized government has crippled the progress of reproductive health. Giving birth in Som alia is extremely dangerous and very unpredictable. Somali woman are among the highest risk women in the world with a Maternal Mortality (MMR) of 1,044-1,400 per 100,000 live births compared to a 12 per 100,000 in the United States. Even after a mother survives all these risks and delivers her baby, both mother and child continue to face constant risks. The under-five infant mortality rate is 225 per 1,000 live births2 compared to 8 per 1,000 live births in the US3, putting infants in Somalia in the highest risk category worldwide. A woman’s health and behavior during pregnancy affects the health of her unborn baby. A poor diet, certain environmental exposures, illnesses, medication, and other factors affect the baby’s development. Prenatal and antenatal care is extremely important in order to ensure the health of the baby and the mother.In Somalia only one out of every four pregnant woman gets antenatal care and for those lucky few that do, the service isn’t ev en good enough and they do not receive vital interventions. 4This missed opportunity to catch any complications that would arise contributes to the high MMR and IMR in Somalia. The lack of adequate antenatal care also increases the chances of pregnant women developing eclampsia during their pregnancy, a complication that is one of the major causes of maternal mortality in the country and could be easily prevented with a simple blood or urine test.Interestingly the amount of women that receive antenatal care differs across the region. Somaliland, a northwestern region of Somalia that has declared itself a sovereign state and enjoys a higher level of stability and governance, has the highest antenatal care coverage percentage according to the last survey done by MICS in 2006. Somaliland had 32% of its population receiving at least four antenatal visits, followed by Puntland that has 26% of antenatal care coverage. The lowest coverage in the country was recorded in the central south re gion, a pattern that is the same for most other health disparities in the country. Aside from the lack of proper antenatal care during pregnancy, traditional beliefs that are held by the Somali population affects the maternal mortality rate in the country. Most Somali mothers do not believe in prenatal health precautions, such as taking vitamins and attending checkups. They take on the motto of, â€Å"if one isn’t experiencing pain or bleeding there is no need to see a doctor until birth. The rest should be left to god†. This type of behavior greatly contributes to the high MMR. Infections due to unattended and unhygienic deliveries also contribute to the high maternal mortality rate in the country.For all the births that take place in Somalia only a mere 2% of births take place in a health care facility that is attended by skilled staff6. Most rural women do not have the resources or access to deliver in facilities with staff that are trained in child delivery. By the time they go into labor most are alone or with untrained family members and neighbors. They resort to unsafe traditional methods of delivery, using equipment that is unsanitary or harmful to the mother and child. These methods mostly result in postpartum hemorrhaging; a major cause of maternal mortality in Somalia.Also with the high number of deliveries outside of maternal facilities, the attentions that mothers would have received if complications arise are not available. Prolonged and obstructed labor leads to the death of the mother or infant, and in some cases the death of both. Aside from those mothers who do not deliver in health facilities, the few that do are not that much better off. Due to the high personal risk in Somalia aggravated by the violence, most hospital staff do not come to work in fear for their own personal safety. The health care system in the country uffers from poor healthcare workers retention, lack of medical supplies, lack of neonatal facilities, and ex treme lack of trained personnel on duty. For those mothers that do give birth at a facility most do not have access to an emergency obstetric referral care. A pregnancy complication called postpartum hemorrhaging is treated in emergency obstetric referral care. Most mothers that are suffering from this excessive bleeding only have a one to two hour window to be treated or else they die due to blood loss. Unfortunately many mothers lose their life in this timeframe in Somalia.Some other factors that also contribute to maternal mortality is a custom practiced by many Somali woman in the country. Female genital mutilation (FGM) is the process of partial or total removal of the external female genitalia for whatever purpose that is not a medically prescribed surgery. It is a painful process that many young girls go through and most experience infections and in some worse cases death. During pregnancy women that went through FGM experience complications and have to go through a de-infibu lation process in order for her to even deliver vaginally.If this process of infibulation is not done properly and the woman attempts to do it without specific precaution, the death of the baby and the mother can easily results. Many young mothers, especially those that live in rural and nomadic areas, do not have access to health care facilities that can do this procedure and they are forced to do this procedure with unsanitary equipment and methods. Moving beyond the pregnancy and birth, mothers and children that survive this risky situation, have to deal with a lot more.According to the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) that was taken in 2006 the infant mortality rate (IMR) is at 86 per 1,000 live births. A survey collected by UNICEF in 2008 calculated the under five child mortality rate (U-5MR) to be at 135 per 1,000 live births. The lack of proper supplies and vaccination contributes to infants passing away due to polio or malaria. Subsequently since most mothers do not give birth in facilities and opt to delivering at home, infants do not receive postnatal care at all, exposing them to a deadly world with no defense mechanisms.Diarrhoea, disease-related dehydration, and respiratory infections are also the highest reason for more than half of infant death. The major reason for the contraction of Diarrhoea being the lack of safe water and poor food hygiene a child experiences during pregnancy or after birth. The countries harsh weather conditions and natural disasters in Somalia also affect maternal mortality rates and infant mortality rates in the country. Harsh famines that occur leave pregnant mothers and infants extremely malnourished with no access to food, clean water, or medication.Pregnant woman sometimes have to deal with no food or water for many days while they walked in the harsh weather to the nearest shelter. This results in miscarriages and stillbirths. Infants that are born into these situations mostly die of malnutrition and disease since they have no access to food, water, or medicine. Subsequently environmental health in Somalia is extremely lacking and services are concentrated in small towns and wherever security conditions allow. After the collapse of a centralized government, public health and environmental health services became almost non-existent.Due to the lack of regulation and monitoring by a strong government, the environmental and public health situation has declined tremendously. Somaliland and Puntland seem to have at least some adequate levels of public health and environmental services, but they too are only focused on small densely populated areas. As you travel out into the rural parts of these regions, any sort of health services becomes minimal. South and Central Somalia seems to be suffering the most, with large populations going without much health care and environmental services.One of the biggest environmental risks in Somalia is access to safe drinkable water. Only 29% of the populat ion has access to safe drinking water7. In the urban areas people depend on wells that are located on private property and are dependent on the purchase of water. In the villages people and animals use the same water source, sometimes causing the water to become contaminated. The situation has been worsened with the constant and massive movement of the population from rural areas to more stable cities, cities that do not have the capacity to provide safe water for their steady population rise.To aggravate the situation even more, due to the lack of national environmental services, most Somali households live in a situation where they do not have proper means to dispose of waste and excreta. This is felt more in places where people live close to one another and have their waste near where they dwell. Due to the poor hygiene and sanitary precautions, outbreaks such as cholera between woman and children become extremely common. Lack of a garbage collection system also affects environme ntal health and contributes to water pollution.Since there is not regulation to where garbage is dumped or any garbage collection system, it is normal to see trash everywhere. Whether it is the streets, inside buildings, or even in bodies of water, it is not uncommon to see garbage lying around. The smell that neglected garbage emits and the health risk it brings, not to mention the unsafe animals it attracts, is something that the population is left to deal with. III. Public Health Impact and Policy Reducing maternal mortality rates in Somalia has had a global affect on the public health world. Many campaigns were launched in order to reduce this staggering high MMR in the country.Whether big or small, each campaign primarily focuses on ways to support the pregnant women during pregnancy and transition her and her newborn into the world. One of the larger and more global campaigns Somalia is a part of is the launch of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). At a sit down that occu rred at the end of he 20th century, governments from across the world came up with a set of goals for all developing countries known as the MDGs. These goals, which would be completed by the year 2015, would help cut world poverty in half, improve health standards across the world, and save millions of lives.The MDGs are time sensitive and have a set and pre-determined outcome. With connection to the MDGs pertaining to Somalia’s maternal issues, MDG1, 2,3,and 7 are closely related to reproductive health. While some progress has been made with some of the goals, most of the goals pertaining to maternal and infant health have seen little to no progress thus far. Somalia has shown a commitment to achieve all the MDGs, and has submitted the first report this year on the status of the MDGs since the campaign was launched.Although it is recognized that the progress reached is not as high as expected, with a country like Somalia that is extremely suffering in all categories, any pro gress is welcomed. In order to fully reach all the goals set by the MDGs, a commitment by the government to create a strong national health system with strong policies that will lead stakeholders in providing quality services is needed. Globally the MDGs pertaining to maternal health are showing a positive result. According to a report produced by the United Nations, the number of woman dying during pregnancy or childbirth has halved in the twenty years this program was launched.The report they submitted, called Trends in Maternal Mortality: 1990 to 2010, show that between 1990 and 2010 the number of maternal deaths decline 47% annually. Even though progress has been made, many countries that are mostly in sub-Saharan Africa will not make the MDG goal of minimizing maternal death by 75% at the end of 2015. Thirty-six of the forty countries that have the highest maternal death rate are in sub-Saharan Africa. Ten countries have already reached the MDG goal of 75% reduction in maternal mortality. Those countries are Belarus, Bhutan, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Iran, Lithuania, Maldives, Nepal, Romania, and Viet Nam. Recently in 2010 at a UN Leaders Summit for the Millennium Development Goals, a Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health was launched with a total of US 40 billion for funding. The MDGs that are at target are MDGs 4 & 5; those that are aimed to reduce child mortality and improve maternal health. In Somalia the National Reproductive Health Strategy is aimed to reach the highest possible reproductive health for Somalis and reduce the amount of women and children that die from easily preventable diseases and complications. With just three years left till 2015, initiatives have to intensify in order to reach satisfactory progress.Malaysia and Sri Lanka are an example of successful implementation of the policies set by the MDGs. Both countries have succeeded in reducing maternal mortality to levels that are comparable to industrial c ountries. In Sri Lanka female literacy was expanded and with Malaysia’s strong economic performance, both succeeded in a steady decline of their MMR. All it took from them was a steady and modest investment in poverty reduction, providing maternal health services that were accessible, and improving access to quality emergency obstetric care. Both countries took step to remove inancial obstacles that pregnant woman face in order to receive maternal care. Both countries success was also aided with their increased skilled birth attendants that were vigorously trained in the art of child delivery. The more accessible skilled birth attendants and emergency obstetric care that a country has, the more chances for pregnant woman to have successful deliveries. Culture can either take on a role of aiding or impeding the implementation of public health practices. In the case of Somalia, the widespread practice of FGM in the past has caused great harms to public health practices.The repe rcussion FGM has caused to woman health is immeasurable. Even though FGM is so deeply woven into the Somali culture and has been practiced almost since the establishment of the Somali people, Somali woman have been working hard to eradicate it as early as 1977. The Somali Women’s Democratic Organization (SWDO) was formed in 1977, to become the implementation agency for the eradication of FGM. In 1988 a campaign was launched to eliminate the practice of FGM under the premise that it was unhealthy and completely unreligious.Shortly after a research center was opened solely to focus on the harmful affects of FGM and ways to eradicate this practice. Unfortunately, the fall of Siad Barre’s regime and the countries collapse in 1991 halted all progress made. Since 1996 UNICEF in Somalia funded series of awareness seminars attended by women organizations, religious leaders, government officials, and health professionals. In 1997, Somaliland’s government with the help of UNICEF organized a national seminar on FGM and established committee to develop policies in order to eliminate this practice.UNICEF also sponsored workshops in Mogadishu, Galgaddud, and Mudug regions in 1999-2000. Religious leaders have also been doing their own work informing the public that FGM is not a religious practice and is in fact prohibited by Islam. On November 1999, the Parliament of the Puntland administration approved legislation making the practice of FGM completely illegal. Since then there is no real evidence that this law is being enforced 9. Through many campaigns and initiative people across Somalia are actively talking about the discontinuation of FGM. More and more women are joining he fight against this practice, a feat that in of itself is huge. Talking about this topic publicly was a taboo for such a long time, and it is a huge progress for people to just be talking about it. Changes are gradually being seen in the Somali community. Recently, with the collab oration of an NGO called TOSTAN, UNICEF, and Somali community leaders, an awareness programme was launched in Somalia. This programme is aimed to create community awareness around many issues including FGM. So far a total of eighty-four communities already have been engaged and of those eighty-four, twenty-eight have declared abandonment of FGM10.IV. Costs: Economic and Societal â€Å"There is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women. † This quote was said by the former General Secretary of the United Nations, Kofi Annan. In this simple sentence Kofi Annan explained the importance of women in our society. Women play a key role in improving the health, education, and economic productivities of their families and communities. Yet strangely, even though the health of woman is so essential to the wellbeing our society, they are the poorest and most vulnerable people in the world. out of every 10 women dies in childbirth. All public health professionals and frankly everyone around the world should be very concerned about maternal mortality. When a mother dies she most likely leaves behind children. Those children become neglected because it is the mother who really takes care of the kids, ensures they are fed, well educated, and medically well. If those children lose their mother they either pass away themselves, or become unfit members of their community. A child that could have become a positive asset to his or her community is now part of the chain of poverty.Keeping mothers alive is essential part of helping end the chain of poverty. Most mothers that die during pregnancy or childbirth die due to an easily preventable disease or complication. In the case of Somalia where maternal mortality rate is at an all time high, most complications could have been easily preventable. Mothers face economic hardship, no access to healthcare services, and face harsh environmental risks. Also due to the lack of stability and a strong central government that has equally strong public health policies and procedures, their chances of survival while pregnant or giving birth is very slim.Major stakeholders on this public health issue in Somalia are: private sectors, NGOs, United Nations, Ministry of Health of Somalia, and Regional Ministry of Health in Puntland and Somaliland. Unfortunately, the Ministry of Health of Somalia has no real power due to lack of financing and resources. Its regional counterparts (Somaliland & Puntland) may fare a little better by they too have no major resources. That leaves this issue to heavily depend on private sector and Non Governmental Organizations. Groups such as UNICEF and WHO have launched many great campaigns, but the greatest challenge they face is in security.Due to the threat posed by Al-Shabaab and its terroristic activities, aid worker’s lives are at a constant risk when performing within the country. This forces these organizations to either work outside the country or wai t until conditions become more favorable. Working outside the country entails using local leaders an workers to implement projects, and due to the chaos in governance, corruption is inevitable. V. Proposed Resolutions In order to reduce MMR in Somalia there has to be many steps taken.Somalia must first develop and maintain a strong healthcare system that supports maternal health. There must be universal access to antenatal and prenatal care by every pregnant woman, with consistent checkups. These facilities should also be created in rural and urban areas where there is little to none in order to ensure the health of pregnant woman in those areas. Abundant supply of Trained Birthing Attendants need to be established that are skilled and have gone through training in safe and sanity birthing, and are equipped with all the supplies they need to carry out this procedure.Emergency Obstetric Referral Care must be developed and made accessible. Programme in family planning, use of contrace ptives, and reproductive health should be developed for woman and families to go through. Policies should be implemented for families that cannot afford maternal care, through free services or vouchers. Vaccinations and other preventatives measure must be taken during and after pregnancy to ensure the health of both mother and child. Campaign to eliminate cultural practices that bring harm to mothers must be created and advanced.Sexual health education programme should be provided to young girls in order to prevent young pregnancies. Somalia is a war torn country with little no to none stable governmental structure, and lacking in a strong health care system. All proposed solutions require a functioning government to implement and monitor these solutions. Until Somalia can develop this, it will be extremely hard to lower the maternal mortality rate. 1 http://www. unicef. org/somalia/health_53. html 2 http://www. unicef. org/infobycountry/somalia_865. html 3 http://www. unicef. rg/in fobycountry/usa_statistics. html 4 http://www. unicef. org/somalia/SOM_ReproductiveHealthReport-WEB. pdf 5 http://www. childinfo. org/mics/mics3/archives/somalia/survey0/outputInformation/reports. html 6 http://ethnomed. org/clinical/mother-and-infant-care/perinatal-profile-for-patients-from-somalia 7 http://intersos. org/en/countries/africa/somalia/somalia? page=1 8 http://www. un. org/apps/news/story. asp? NewsID=42013&Cr=maternal&Cr1= 9 http://www. asylumlaw. org/docs/somalia/usdos01_fgm_Somalia. pdf 10 http://www. unicef. org/somalia/reallives_7723. html

How Do Movies Or Television Influence People’s Behavior Essay

Great changes have taken place in human society along development of technology, and movies or television are a big part of this. Such entertaining methods affect on people’s behavior in many ways. I believe that television and especially movies are one of the major and outstanding achievements of humankind. Every movie makes an impression on people. How big this impression is depends on a person, his characteristic features, his weak or strong sides. Movies and television also can make people more violent. The more we see violent acts on television, the less sensitive we become to them.Eventually violence doesn’t seem wrong. We may even commit violent acts ourselves. This is especially true because we don’t always realize that violence has consequences. Actors can be killed and come back for another movie. Sometimes we confuse that with reality. We forget that killing someone is permanent. Of course, watching movies and television can also be good for us. It can give us a broader window on the world. For example, seeing movies can expose us to people of different races and cultures. We can then overcome some prejudices more easily. Recently there have been more handicapped people in films, and this also helps reduce prejudice. The best influence on our behavior is that movies and television reduce stress. Watching films, we can escape our own problems for a little while. Also, sometime movies show positive ways to resolve problems we all face. While TV and movies shouldn’t be a way to hide from life, sometimes they can help us cope. First of all, movies and television influence people’s thinking and action, especially the youth who are vulnerable. For instance, violence and sexual scenes result in young people cruel behavior. According to media, there have been serial murders which committed in school in China, and some scientists believed that the serious actions may involve in so many violence scenes in the media. Secondly, people who spend too much time to watch movies or television  can get addicted and tend to have sedentary lifestyle. They seldom do exercise and get fatter. Obviously, this is not good for their health and relationship between family members. Some housewives, for example, spend so much time watching tv that some of them forget to prepare meals for their family or neglect their children. This behavior may affect negatively on the family relationship. In contrast, movies and television play significant role in entertaining people. Therefore, people’s behavior can change positively after they feel relax. In addition, some kinds of movies or TV programs contain moral value which help people distinguish between wrong and right. Furthermore some TV channels such as Discovery and Animal Planet can raise people’s awareness of environmental protection. Movies can lead us to high aims. They can have stories of people who made great sacrifices for their noble ideas. Thus movies teach us how important struggle is for success.In this connection movies on great people like Abrahan Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Kamal Ataturk and the Quaid-e-Azam deserve special praise. Informative or educative movies are generally scientific,historical,political and cultural . Scientific films brings home to us new inventions and discoveries. They inform us about new adventures of man.These can be in our own language or in foreign languages. Historical and political movies inform us about the great empires like the Chinese and roman. Cultural movies let us know about religions, arts, literatures and traditions of different societies. Movies can have a negative influence in a number of ways. There are movies about criminals. They present their crimes in attractive ways. Movies with accidents and stories having negative effect upon character should be avoided. The invention for television and movies influenced people’s behavior so much, wether that behavior is good or bad, they make them have new habits, new clothes and new information. For example when the young people watch movies like Super Man and Spider Man they try to do what they have seen in the movie, they will jump from high places which might harm them, ,or the people who watch the famous stars in the tv like Tom Cruez, or Madonna, trying to imitate their hairstyle and wear same clothes like them, those have absulotely obvious impact.  In brief, movies and television obviously affect on people’s behavior. However if people can limit amount of time they spend to watch and choose proper films and channels, people will have benefits and can prevent the disadvantages.