The Biology Behind Type 2 Diabetes Essay - 1609 Words

Introducing questions†¦ 1. Main question: Why do Maori/Pacific islanders, have a greater chance of getting diabetes than all other cultures in New Zealand? -Maori and PI communities are 3 times more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes than other New Zealanders? I believe this is linked to the high obesity and heart disease rates in our communities. Other questions†¦ 2: Why is type 2 diabetes an issue in our community? -this is an issue as it gives your town a bad rep, affects families as they will have to pay your fees for your treatment which is really bad as families in our communities can barely afford normal and healthy food. 3. What is the biology behind type 2 diabetes? - Type 2 Diabetes occurs when your pancreas does not produce enough insulin and your body is resistant to the insulin that is produced. Paragraphs on question 2 3†¦. 1. Why is type 2 diabetes an issue in our community? -Why? Type 2 diabetes is a major issue that’s occurring all over New Zealand especially here in our community (Auckland). Us Aucklanders should be very proud and should take a lot of pride because we are like the 2nd capital of New Zealand. Therefore, a lot of tourists wanting to come visit New Zealand are likely to come Auckland and witness the beautiful sights and lights we have. This is an issue as we have the highest number of obese people in New Zealand. Do we really want our visitors leaving Auckland/New Zealand thinking that the people NewShow MoreRelatedThe Biology Behind Type 2 Diabetes Essay1895 Words   |  8 PagesWhy is Type-2 diabetes an issue in our community? ââ€"  What is the biology behind Type-2 Diabetes? ââ€"  Does adding a Healthier diet and Exercise plan to your daily lifestyle prevent you from getting Type-2 Diabetes? Diabetes itself is a major problem not only in our community but in the whole world including tiny New Zealand. ​The numbers of people diagnosed with Diabetes are over 240,000 and 100,000 do not know they have been diagnosed with Diabetes. The most common ethnic group to have Diabetes is MaoriRead MoreThe Biology Behind Type 2 Diabetes2358 Words   |  10 PagesDiabetes Q1 - Why is Type-2 diabetes and issue in our community Q2 - What is the biology behind Type-2 Diabetes? Q3 - Does Obesity cause diabetes? 2, Treat/Prevent 2, Opinion/Viewpoint Reliability Personal Opinion what they need to change Type 2 diabetes is A very prominent issue in our community, usually it is older people who get it, however it is becoming an increasing issue as younger children are getting it. â€Å" In 1996 approximately 81,000 people in New Zealand were known to have TypeRead MoreA Brief Note On Type 2 Diabetes And Obesity1493 Words   |  6 PagesMy Report is about, Type 2 Diabetes. I’ll be giving a short summary about what is type 2 diabetes and i will be giving others perspective and also my own. Im going to tell you the symptoms of type 2 diabetes .I’m going to show the three resources that I used. My main research question I’m doing is what is the relationship between Type 2 Diabetes and Obesity? Also I’m researching on 2 other questions, what is the biology (science) behind Type-2 diabetes? And why is Type-2 diabetes an issue in our communityRead MoreHow Does Insulin Help Diabetes Be Controlled And How Has It Changed Over The Past Years?1091 Words   |  5 Pa gesdiagnosed with diabetes the health.govt.nz states. Diabetes is one of the many causes of death in New Zealand.The body has difficulties with trying to use and produce Insulin which is mainly the reason behind type 2 diabetics. There are 5 types of Insulin such as rapid-acting Insulin, short-acting Insulin, Intermediate-acting Insulin, long-acting Insulin and premixed Insulin. Insulin is one of the key things that help prevent the disease type 2 diabetes. So, is Insulin bad or good? Why is type 2 diabetesRead MoreThe Link Between Type 2 Diabetes And Obesity Essay1522 Words   |  7 PagesMy Research Question Is: What is the link between Type 2 Diabetes and Obesity Additional Questions to be Answered: 1. Why is Type 2 Diabetes an issue in our Community 2. What is the biology (science) behind Type 2 Diabetes First let’s establish what diabetes is. Diabetes is a disease that affects how the body uses Glucose, the main type of sugar in the blood. The body takes in and breaks down foods into glucose and others sugars that are needed to fuel the body functions. The Glucose level inRead MoreNature And Nurture Of Diabetes1178 Words   |  5 Pagesin Diabetes Diabetes is a rising problem in the world and has become one of the most dangerous diseases faced by the world. Diabetes is a sickness that individuals can acquire which makes the body not function properly because sugar is not metabolised properly (Stefanik-Sidener, 2013). This is a very serious medical issue because those who develop it can sometimes have it for a long time or even their whole lives. It has been found that 9% of the world’s population have some type of diabetes (HelgesonRead MoreEssay Molecular Insights into the Hormone Insulin1680 Words   |  7 PagesActive insulin is formed after specific peptidases â€Å"cleave† the proinsulin, and it is stored in granules that remain within the cytoplasm.4 As blood glucose concentrations rise, the pancreas is stimulated to release insulin into the bloodstream. Type 2 glucose transporters, GLUT2, regulate the entry of glucose into beta cells. The glucose is modified by a glucokinase enzyme and is metabolized to form ATP, energy molecules, through glycolysis. The increased ATP level in the cell causes potassiumRead MoreVegetarian And Vegan Diets On Type 2 Diabetes Management Essay1303 Words   |  6 Pageshistory of cancers, my grandfather was a survivor of 3 drastically different types of cancer at varying times in his life,† the doctors believe that it was his vegan diet that helped him survive. By putting quality foods in your body you will get good out. This topic is important for future research and practices in the fight against cancer and other diseases. Barnard, Neal D., et al. Vegetarian And Vegan Diets In Type 2 Diabetes Management. Nutrition Reviews 67.5 (2009): 255-263. Academic Search CompleteRead MoreAre Infants More At Risk Of Developing Type 2 Diabetes? Essay1655 Words   |  7 PagesQuestion 1: Why is type two diabetes an issue in our community? Question 2: What is the biology (science) behind type-2 diabetes? Research question: Are premature babies more at risk of developing type-2 diabetes? There are 350 million sufferers of type-2 diabetes worldwide; New Zealand has the third highest rate of obesity and contributes to this concern. Type-2 diabetes is a concerning even more, its an increasing issue in our New Zealand community. In 2006 the Ministry of Social Development surveyedRead MoreThe Effects Of Alzheimer s And Dementia Among Elderly Populations1709 Words   |  7 PagesNeuropathologists at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island discovered in other research that insulin affects effective brain signalling across the neurons. Type 2 diabetes is associated with poor sensitivity to insulin. This had led some some researchers to suggest that Alzheimer’s disease may in fact be another type of diabetes (Trivedi, Bijal, 2012). Discussion: Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by the development of plaque or protein deposits in the brain, especially areas associated

The Anti-Christian Values in Dracula - 754 Words

Bram Stoker’s Dracula magnificently portrays Anti-Christian values and beliefs through one of its central characters, Dracula. Dracula himself, a demonic figure, both in appearance and in behavior, could be considered the Anti-Christ. This idea of Dracula as a gothic Anti-Christ is a major element in the novel. Stoker displays numerous Anti-Christian values, superstitious beliefs, and compares and contrasts the powers of God with those of Dracula. A creature of disturbing wickedness, Dracula is not fulfilled by merely controlling the body of humans, but he also yearns for the domination over the soul of mortal beings. This calls to mind the image of a distinctly anti-Christian vision. The first image of Dracula reinforces the idea that he is not a simple villain but a complex one. As Jonathon Harker ventures to meet Dracula, he witnesses Dracula’s control and mastery of beasts: â€Å"How he came there, I know not, but I heard his voice raised in a tone of imperious com mand, and looking towards the sound, saw him stand in the roadway. As he swept his long arms, as though brushing aside some impalpable obstacle, the wolves fell back and back further still† (pg.11). While we are to believe that Christ gained his power over the environment and its inhabitants through His divinity, we are left to ponder where Dracula may have accumulated his power. While Jesus chose to use his power for good, Dracula’s accumulated power acts as a dark mirror being used for evil. The topic of bloodShow MoreRelatedTexts Can Be Modified or Appropriated to Suit Different Audiences or Purposes, Yet Still Remain Firmly Within the Genre. Discuss Stoker’s ‘Dracula’ and at Least One of the Films You Have Studied.1050 Words   |  5 Pagesremain firmly within the genre. Discuss Stoker’s ‘Dracula’ and at least one of the films you have studied. FW Murnau’s 1921 film Nosferatu is an appropriation of Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula. Despite it being an appropriation, explicit gothic conventions remain evident, which explore societal fears and values. These fears and values differ from Dracula, due to distinct contextual influences of different time periods. Stoker’s novel Dracula, presents the fear of female promiscuity, for whichRead MoreAnalysis Of Dracul Old Vampire / Nobleman From Transylvania1622 Words   |  7 PagesCharacters: Count Dracula: Old vampire/Nobleman from Transylvania, lives in the Carpathian Mountains, evil, can transform into a bat and is very strong, powerless during the day or when he’s not welcomed in someone’s house, cannot cross water = needs to be on some other transportation like a boat Jonathan Harker: A solicitor that is sent to the castle oversee the plans of Dracula’s purchase of an estate in London, naive and young, trapped inside Dracula’s castle, wants to escape and tries to, braveRead MoreVampire Vs. Vampire Myth2146 Words   |  9 Pagescomparing these vampires to Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Dracula is the quintessential example of modern vampires and has a significant and lasting impact on the genre of vampires both from the novel and subsequent films. Simply put, most individuals are familiar with the traditional vampire, who is generally a fair skinned male that drinks the blood from victim’s necks with sharp pointy fangs. These vampires are most often depicted as being fearful of Christian symbolism, being deterred with crosses andRead MoreThe Vampire Lestat and the Problem of Eternal Damnation Essay3601 Words   |  15 Pagesso with full knowledge and consent. With reference to Anne Rices Vampire Chronicles and both Interview w ith the Vampire and Queen of the Damned motion pictures, Lestats journey from mortal to perhaps damned immortal will be cross examined with Christian thought on what it is to be damned an how Lestat has transcended the state of sinner to supernatural supreme entity. Anne Rices Vampire Chronicles cover great lengths of time from pre-revolutionary France to late twentieth century New York andRead MoreVictorian Novel9605 Words   |  39 Pagesvital. Since 1870, when novel had been stated as a ‘rational amusement’(Trollope), texts became cheaper. They were eagerly bought as a casual recreation and for railway reading. That kind of Victorian novel, for the middle-class was a mixture of old values and images seen now through the prism of science: psychology, evolution, sociology. â€Å" Spiritual and temporal worlds are darkened by the shadows of change† and the country was something compared to the heart of revolutions, which referred to the EnglishRead MoreLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 Pagesargument; a bad argument is still an argument. A second moral is that an argument can have just one reason, although most arguments use more than one. 7 nearby to ask about Giardia. The underlying principle you applied is to recognize the value of having more relevant information. In the camping situation, it would not have been irrational to choose to pack up and go home, but it probably wouldn’t have been the best decision. The point is to make your decision on the basis of a serious

Financial Statements Visualizing Aggregate -Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Financial Statements Visualizing Aggregate? Answer: Introduction The issue presented in the question is that the nature of expenses that have been incurred by the operations of Woolworths for the financial year of 2016 has been asked to clarify. In order to answer the presented questions, the financial report for 2016 has been chosen. In order to answer the presented question, at first, the concept of the categorization of expenses on the basis of nature or function should be understood. The categorization of expenses on the basis of nature can be described as the expenses that have been included in the income statement of the organization, that have essentially been disclosed according to their nature. The particular instance of the accounts that have been classified on the basis of nature are wages and salaries and rent expenses etc (Kanapickien? Grundien?, 2015). On the other hand, the expenses that have been classified on the basis of function are the cost of goods sold account, selling expenses and administrative expenses. It should be noted here that the classification of the expenses on the basis of nature does not exclude the need for disclosing the expenses on the basis of nature (Mignolet, 2017). Now, in the case of the chosen organization, Woolworths Group the expenses that have been disclosed in the financial statements have been classified on the basis of function. This is because the expenses that have been included in the income statement have been disclosed depending on the function that the particular expense serves like cost of sales, branch expenses, administration expenses, and financing costs. Moreover, the gross profit has been calculated from the income statement of the Group signifying the fact that the expenses have been disclosed on the basis of their function. The possible reasons for the different methods of classification of expenses used, are as follows: The expenses are classified on the basis of their nature when the number of expenses that have been incurred by the firm are less. The expenses are classified on the basis of their function when the number of expenses that have been incurred by the firm are more. In case of Woolworths Limited, there have not been a varied degree of expenses which have enabled the management of the corporate entity to segregate the expenses on the basis of nature (Bunsis, 2015). Moreover, the particular action of classifying the expenses also results in the clarified representation of the financial statements of the company thus, facilitating the fair image of the financial condition of the company (Bunsis, 2015). Accounting policy Before the identification of the three issues from the annual report of Woolworths Limited, the particulars of the AASB 108 have to be understood. The AASB 108 defines the accounting policies that should be mandatorily complied with by the organizations. Accounting policies are the specific principles, procedures and the regulations that are utilized by the corporate entities for preparing the financial statements of the company. The AASB 108 standard also defines the change in accounting estimate that may be utilized by the management of the company for adjusting the carrying amount of an asset or liability. The changes in the accounting estimates may be undertaken by an organization for the new developments in the accounting principles or the rectification of the accounting errors that have may occur at the time of preparation of the financial statements (Kanapickien? Grundien?, 2015). Another major accounting terms that has been mentioned in the AASB 108 is impracticable. A certain requirement is considered impracticable when the entity is unable to apply it after making every reasonable effort to do so. In case of Woolworths, the management of the corporate entity has provided the required disclosure in the accounting statements of the company in regards to the change in the accounting estimates or policies. One of the major critical accounting estimates that have been undertaken by the company is in regards to the determination of the useful life of assets. It has been mentioned in the annual report of the company in the financial year of 2016 that the process of estimation of the remaining useful lives requires enhanced management and reviewing at an annual interval. The useful lives have been altered, the net value of the asset that has been written down is depreciated since the date when the revised accounting policy had been published. This is done in order to adhere to the AASB 116. However, an interesting fact that has been mentioned in the annual report of the company is that the depreciation that has been recognized in the prior financial years has not been changed (Mignole t, 2017). The second issue that has been provided in the annual report of the company is in regards to the significant accounting policy disclosure. This has been presented in regards to the other financial liabilities. The total amount in other financial liabilities for the financial year of 2015 represents a value of $1075 and that for the financial year of 2016 reflects a value of $180 . This unprecedented fall or rise in the borrowings has been explained in the accounting disclosure in regards to significant accounting policies. The unprecedented rise has been due to the valuation of the put option liability in Hydrox. The third issue has been identified in regards to the valuation of the intangible assets like brand names, liquor and gaming licenses. It has been further mentioned in the provided disclosure that the group recognizes the impairment of the intangible assets of $320 million in relation to continuing operations and $119.4 million for discontinued operations. Notes to the 2016 financial statements It has been produced in the annual report of the company that the property, plant and equipment have been measured at cost that has been reduced by the accumulated depreciation or amortization and the accumulated impairment losses. It has been further disclosed in the annual report that the cost in regards to the self-constructed assets essentially includes the material costs, direct labor costs and a portion of the overheads (Rodriguez Kaczmarek, 2016). Moreover, it has been disclosed in the financial report of the company, the assets of Woolworths Limited have been depreciated on a straight-line basis. The useful lives of the different fixed assets of the company have been mentioned as follows: Buildings 25 to 40 years Plant and Equipment 2.5 to 10 years Leasehold improvements up to a maximum of 25 years Furthermore, it has been disclosed in the annual report of the company that the revenue that have been derived from the sales of the assets are recognized on the date of the sales of the asset. The particular gain or loss derived from the sale of the asset has been included in the Consolidated Statement of Profit or Loss. The impairment of the property, plant and equipment, intangible assets and the assets designated for sales have been done on the basis of the continuing operations and the discontinued operations. The impairment of the assets that are to be carried out are tested either annually or when there is an indication in regards to the impairment of the asset. The impairment essentially reveals the recoverable amount and helps the assessor to determine whether the impairment will lead to a potential gain or loss (Minnis Sutherland, 2017). References Biddle, G. C. (2015). The Role of Financial Statements in Reporting Financial Performance. InAccounting Finance/IASB Research Forum. Bunsis, H. (2015). Analyzing University and College Financial Statements. Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy, (10), 7. Hoyle, J. B., Schaefer, T., Doupnik, T. (2015). Advanced accounting. McGraw Hill. Israelsen, C., Feuz, D. (2014). Farm and Ranch Financial Statements. Jurez, F. (2015). Chaos and complexity in financial statements. Chaos and complexity theory for management: Nonlinear Dynamics, 1-33. Kanapickien?, R., Grundien?, Ã… ½. (2015). The model of fraud detection in financial statements by means of financial ratios. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 213, 321-327. McInnis, J. M., Yu, Y., Yust, C. G. (2018). Does Fair Value Accounting Provide More Useful Financial Statements Than Current GAAP For Banks?. The Accounting Review. Mignolet, F. (2017). A study on the expected impact of IFRS 17 on the transparency of financial statements of insurance companies. Minnis, M., Sutherland, A. (2017). Financial statements as monitoring mechanisms: Evidence from small commercial loans. Journal of Accounting Research, 55(1), 197-233. Moroney, R., Trotman, K. T. (2016). Differences in Auditors' Materiality Assessments When Auditing Financial Statements and Sustainability Reports. Contemporary Accounting Research, 33(2), 551-575. Rodriguez, J., Kaczmarek, P. (2016). Financial Statements. Visualizing Financial Data, 183-215. Rouxelin, F., Wongsunwai, W., Yehuda, N. (2015). Aggregate cost stickiness in GAAP financial statements and future unemployment rate. The Accounting Review. Woolworthsgroup.com.au. (2018) Retrieved 3 February 2018, from https://www.woolworthsgroup.com.au/icms_docs/185865_annual-report-2016.pdf

Should Children Be Educated at Home or in School free essay sample

When you think of education, you almost think of public education. The schools are made to be the places where children can get suitable education, in order to have a successful career and all the goals they may set in life. Throughout the years, it is slowly changing. Many parents today decide home school is good for their children. This is due to the increasing number of violence acts produced in schools all over the world; more parents prefer to have their children educated at home rather than at school. Although most people think that a public education is better, most facts tend to show that home schooling is beneficial in more ways. First, homeschooled kids have better relationships and get closer with their family more than schooled kids. Parents play an important role in helping their children to learn at home. In this way, children will make good friends of their parents all the time. We will write a custom essay sample on Should Children Be Educated at Home or in School? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In addition to that, children will feel safe while sitting at home near their parents, and parents will feel contentment when their children spend more time at home in front of their eyes. Another reason for teaching children at home is that many children go to school nowadays not for studying, but they have other interests. For example, for showing off their new pair of jeans, and amazing their colleagues with a trendy haircut, or just meeting friends and have a little fun. Just few of them interest and concerns about learning and having good marks at school. Homeschooled kids are not encounter with sadly, peer pressure, competition, and boredom, which are part of a school. They can dress, act, and think the way they want, without fear of classmates. Some people may argue that socialization is a big problem of being homeschooled kids. There may be some truth in this; socialization is important to young people. However, until recently, it was never thought to be the reason that we sent our children to school. Can children socialize outside of school? Of course they can! Most home-educated children attend various activities. They can join clubs, play sports, take lessons and do volunteer work. In fact, there are many people more unhappy isolated, and very lonely children in schools, who are very often bothered and mistreated as well. In conclusion, home school is not suitable for everyone, and every family must consider their own circumstances. Home education should a right for those who are willing and able, and whose children are happier and better educated at home. Moreover, if a child prefers to learn at school, for whatever reason, this should be their choice. However, this method of education at home can be an advantage and beneficial in many ways, according to the real experiences of some families.

USA Patriot Act essays

USA Patriot Act essays To borrow a term from Shakespeare, the arguments against the U.S. Patriot Act (USAPA) are much to do about nothing. Upon exploration of major concerns regarding USAPA, the arguments made are weak and often over exaggerated claims designed to inflame those concerned with protecting civil liberties. This paper discusses the opponents' major points against USAPA and finds each assertion to be inane or false. The reality is that USAPA simply allows the investigation of all suspected terrorist activity using surveillance common to other criminal investigations and improved communication across government agencies. Opponents of the USAPA argue that the expanded definition of terrorism to cover domestic as well as international terrorism expands the type of conduct that the government can investigate too broadly (How the USA Patriot Act redefines "domestic terrorism). They believe that the government will unfairly use this broader interpretation to monitor the activities of activist organizations such as Greenpeace and Operation Rescue. And, opponents are also concerned that the government can spy or suspected computer trespassers without a court order and can add samples to DNA databases for those convicted of any crime of violence (EFF analysis of the provisions of the USA Patriot Act). The notion that the government should be restricted from investigating domestic terrorism is absurd. Americans were responsible for approximately seventy-five percent of the 335 incidents between 1980 and 2000 that the FBI has classified as suspected or confirmed terrorism (American militant extremists). USAPA defines domestic terrorism as criminal acts that are "dangerous to human life", a category that clearly warrants government investigation. And, accusations that USAPA allows the federal government to secure secret search warrants with no probable cause are not true (Herron, M. an...

Human Rights Essays (737 words) - Human Rights, Humanism

Human Rights Essays (737 words) - Human Rights, Humanism Human Rights I agree that human rights do not lend themselves to neat formulae. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) aims at guarding the interest of people residing in different countries. However, the political and cultural environment of a country would shape these rights. Some of the rights the essay would be discussing are the equality of the sexes, right to freedom of speech and education. Contrary to the West, women in Asia are often exploited and deprived of their rights in many areas, particularly in employment. This phenomenon can be attributed to the tradition and cultural differences between the two. Despite the influence of the west brought about by industrialization, the Asian Society is still rather conservative and very much in touch with the teachings of Confucius. Even till today, they are unable to completely abandon the concept of women being the weaker sex. Although the UDHR proclaims, "Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work." (UN, 1948, Article 23 (2)), it is not uncommon to hear that women are paid lower than men are. Women accept the fact that they are weaker as compared to men in terms of work in this male dominated society. They are taught to be submissive and regard their family as the top most priority in their childhood. Moreover, employers believe that women are home bounded and contributions to t! he company would be minimal as they work fewer days, in comparison to men, due to the entitlement of their maternity leaves. In the eyes of the west, this would be a violation of human rights but to an Asian, a cultural difference. "Everyone has the right to education." (UN, 1948, Article 26 (1)) does not hold in Asian context. Every American child is endowing with the right of education but receiving education is a form of luxury to the unfortunate Asian children. Most Asian countries are agricultural based and children are view as helping hands in the fields. Hence, children below the age of ten are often seen helping in the fields. Agrarian societies are generally poor parents are more concern with earning enough money to feed the family than paying for their children's education. Although the United Nations emphasize the importance of education and stress that "Education shall be free,?" (UN, 1948), these countries have no means of providing education as a free good. Families that are better off would send only the males to school, as they believe that males have to provide for the family in future. Girls are thought to be a burden to the family and would eventually marry off, hence, educating them ! would not be economical to the family. The US is able to provide free education because of its strong economic foundation after years of development. Hence, it would not be fair to accuse the east of being a violator of rights for not providing education as a public good to its people because they simply cannot afford it; education comes after development. This statement manifest in the following extract, "In the developed countries, universal primary education and literacy came after the process of development as well on its way." (Kamla Bahsin, Literacy for Women, Why and How!). "Many governments are inclined to define human rights in the manner most convenient to suiting their own political interests." (Boutros Butros Ghali, 1993). The definition to "freedom of speech" is highly debatable. The differences in political environment between Singapore and the US have cast different viewpoints on this contention. Singapore takes a firm stand in this issue and will hold the speaker responsible for what he declares. The government clamps down on remarks that promote civil unrest such as those of religious and racial issues. Many countries see this as under-mining of the UDHR but this restriction is necessary for the survival of Singapore. Without it, a multiracial society in Singapore would collapse and the consequences, civil unrest and eventually civil war. No doubt that countries are obliged to uphold the UDHR, certain diversities should be tolerated as most countries are "endowed with ancient and sophisticated cultures" (Alatas, 1993) which may differ from one another. Thus, the international community must take into consideration the country's traditions,

High School Education in America and China Research Paper

High School Education in America and China - Research Paper Example American education system emphasize on students’ ability more than score whereas Chinese education system focus on student’s own knowledge more than his capabilities. In other words, American high school education system is more flexible than the Chinese educational system. It can give more individual care to the students since it focuses more on individual abilities. Although both China and America learn from other’s strong points to offset their weakness, differences still exist such as time schedule, educational style, and extracurricular activities. Heavy workloads are the major problems in Chinese education. High schools in China expect that there are twenty-five hours a day so that the students can have one more hour to study. Moreover, even Saturdays are working day in Chinese schools. In other words, Chinese students are not getting any opportunity for leisure activities. The over emphasize given to education is actually demotivating Chinese students. During my high school years in China, I could not travel around during school holidays because the school does not give long break time even on holidays. The schools believe that the long time study can help students to improve the skill. However, students need time to take a break. For example, I asked my younger cousin who finished his college entrance examination last month that what was his plan for vacation. He told me that he wants to stay home and seep in order to retrieve those sleep which he lost in the past three years. On the other hand, American high school educational system is giving more freedom to the students. American students are getting enough leisure time for playing, watching television or movies, surfing internet etc. Some American parents are of the view that American school system should follow the Chinese system in order to generate a sense of urgency about education in the minds of students. However, they are forgetting the fact that an external observer cannot judge Chinese education properly. American students have four classes per day and each class is of two hours. Students always do the voluntary labor on Saturdays after the class. Also, school will never construct barriers in front of students during vacation time. Many of the American students do volunteer jobs in order to get college admission without any hassles. Volunteer job is very important for getting admissions in American colleges. Not only the time schedule, but the education style also is different in China and Ame rica. Entwistle (1986) has classified learning into three major categories; deep, surface, and strategic

Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 86

Summary - Essay Example Participants were sampled from three regions: Bakony, Tolna and Baranya, and the capital region and 150 participants were selected from each group and questionnaires administered. The sample was representative. The study identified ethnic identity matrix for noting varieties of german orientations, established differences between members of the ethnic group and recommends sensitivity to communication in marketing to different ethnic groups and sub groups. Care is however necessary, especially when marketing to the German minority, because of their sensitivity that establishes contingencies such as â€Å"inadvertent stereotypes, biology and genetics, and ethnocentric bias† (Sas and Kozma, 2009, p. 96). Implementing mainstream marketing with the target population identified one theical issue that is unavailability Germans’ preferred foods. The study concludes that ethical marketing is a viable strategy in Hungary (Sas and Kozma,

Euthanasia Case Essay Example for Free

Euthanasia Case Essay Let’s start off by defining the word euthanasia so that this paper is clear and then we can get in to why it can be passive or active. Euthanasia is the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or in an irreversible coma (dictionary.com). Euthanasia, also known as assisted suicide and more loosely termed being mercy killing, basically means to take a deliberate action with the express intention of ending a life to relieve intractable suffering. Some interpret euthanasia as the practice of ending life in a painless manner. Many disagree with this interpretation, because it needs to include a reference to intractable suffering. Euthanasia is illegal. Now that we know what euthanasia is we can breakdown the two procedural classification of euthanasia (medicalnewstoday.com).Passive euthanasia is usually defined as withdrawing medical treatment with the deliberate intention of causing the patients death. For example, if a patient requires kidney dialysis to survive, and the doctors disconnect the dialysis machine, the patient will presumably die fairly soon. Perhaps the classic example of passive euthanasia is a do not resuscitate order. Normally if a patient has a heart attack or similar sudden interruption in life functions, medical staff will attempt to revive them. If they make no such effort but simply stand and watch as the patient dies, this is passive euthanasia. Active euthanasia is taking specific steps to cause the patients death, such as injecting the patient with poison. In practice, this is usually an overdose of pain-killers or sleeping pills. In other words, the difference between active and passive is that in active euthanasia, something is done to end the patients life; in passive euthanasia, something is not done that would have preserved the patients life. An important idea behind this distinction is that in passive euthanasia the doctors are not actively killing anyone; they are simply not saving him. You would surely not be prosecuted for homicide. Thus, proponents of euthanasia say that while we can debate whether active euthanasia should be legal, there can be no debate about passive euthanasia: You cannot prosecute someone for failing to save a life (pregnantpause.org). Euthanasia has been a very controversial and emotive topic for a long time (medicalnewstoday.com). The beliefs that I have on euthanasia is that is right and it is wrong at the same time. I feel that asking someone to play God is not the way to go. Active euthanasia is just a way for someone to take the easy way out. I understand that they are hurting and are in pain but that’s why the medical field has many different types of pain medicines to keep the patient comfortable enough to deal with everyday life. I think that if a doctor agrees with giving his patient a lethal dose of medicines to end their life is wrong and that then becomes assisted suicide and that they should not have been a doctor because they have violated their oath to protect and heal patients and keep them alive. Whose place is it to decide if one lives or one dies? No one here on earth, I feel like the person that is requesting this type of method to end their life is committing suicide and you are not supposed to take your own life those are my religious beliefs. Another religious belief is that God will not put more on you than you can bear, which means this is all about the endurance you have to preserve life until it is time for you to die a natural life. The other reason why I feel that it is kind of wrong to have a passive euthanasia is because you should not give up on life, you should try all the ways to survive that you can except in the situation of being brain dead or being a vegetable. But then I feel that it is that person right to decide do not resuscitate because that is there right they have that medical right to decide if they do not want to be helped and hooked up on machines just to live. If I ever get to that point I want my family and the doctors to do all that they can do to keep me alive unless in the event like I stated earlier which is brain dead or in a vegetable state. But those are just my beliefs and I cannot change the way others think or how they dictate their lives, everyone has their free will to decide about their life when it comes to passive euthanasia. Assisted dying violates the sanctity of human life speaking from a Baptist person. I agree with that because I am a Baptist and I am a Christian and that is how we were taught was not to kill yourself because you are supposed to die a natural death no matter what the situation is. That means you are allowing God to do His job and that is to letting Him decide when it is time for your life to end, no one can do that for you. Even if you allow yourself not to want to be attached to machines or get resituated you are still dying a natural life. Right to die is just that the right to die but when I say it I mean a right to die of natural causes, not by the hand of another person or by a high dosage of pills to end your life. I understand that if you have a do not resuscitate then that is your choice and I support that choice because you either or going to die or you will pull through which gives that a 50/50 chance. But you are still having your request met by not being resuscitated. so I think that it okay to die a natural life like I have stated before but to have a euthanasia I do not agree with because it is not your time to go, it is the time that you would prefer to leave the earth not when you are meant to leave. Patient suffering at end of life, I hate that people has to suffer but it is a part of life everyone will have their ups and downs in life and unfortunately pain and suffering is life. But the medical field has expanded so far that they are easy to solve the pain or I should say make it easier for patient to be much more comfortable in their time of need where they will not suffer as much as they normally would. I agree that it is good that it is a law against euthanasia, because it does help prevent abuse and protect others. Slippery slope to legalize murder is something that should not be tolerated. Especially with regard to taking life, slippery slope arguments have long been a feature of the ethical landscape, used to question the moral permissibility of all kinds of acts (procon.org) In my opinion it is giving people a reason to want to die only because they consent to it because they have less than a certain time to live. No one knows the day and time that they are going to die unless they commit suicide and still if they do that that they do not know the time they can only assume how long it will take to die, that is just like the doctors giving patients less than a week to survive and they live and extra month so euthanasia is nothing positive as well as the slippery slope to be legalized. If terminating life is a benefit, the reasoning goes, why should euthanasia be limited only to those who can give consent? Why need we ask for consent (procon.org)? If the slippery slope to legalize murder is so right why does it cost for the insurance company to pay for it and why should they even be in the hospital using up space that someone else that needs and wants a chance at life could be at. The people that want to kill themselves should just go ahead and do it at home and save everyone the time and money it cost to get euthanasia. Not trying to be rude about it. Hippocratic Oath and prohibition of killing the much-quoted reference to do no harm is also in need of explanation. Does not doing harm mean that we should prolong a life that the patient sees as a painful burden? Surely, the harm in this instance is done when we prolong the life, and doing no harm means that we should help the patient die (procon.org)? Surely not, we should not kill someone because they are in pain we should do our best to make sure that patient is as comfortable as possible and there is plenty of medicine out there that can do the job of making people comfortable instead of killing them. Like I said previously that if God wanted them to die then he would make them die of natural causes not because of euthanasia, which is not the way to doing things in my eyes. You are causing more pain on them by trying to end their life because you do not know if the way they die will be a pain free death with the euthanasia it could choke them or it could cause them tremendous pain before they die nothing on earth is pain free. Doctors are made to save lives not take them, that is their oath and that is what they should do is save the patient and keep them as pain free as possible to make their life a lot more comfortable. I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody if asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect In forswearing the giving of poison when asked for it, the Hippocratic physician rejects the view that the patients choice for death can make killing him right (procon.org). Government involvement in end of life decision, when do we withhold which therapies and allow nature to take its course? When are we, through our own indecision and fears of mortality, allowing wondrous medical methods to perversely prolong the dying rather than the living (procon.org)? I think that we as medical people should prolong life as long as we can because the health care business is about taking care of the ill, elderly, and people with disabilities. Once the medicine starts not to work any longer then it is up to that person and family to request that they no longer get any medication (treatment) and allow them to die a natural life even if that means them dying in pain. That is the only time that I feel that a person should stop trying to prolong life is when nothing else is working for them and they are ready to suffer the pain to die a natural death. Euthanasia is definitely not the answer. However, I think that it sad that the government has to make decisions on infants and elderly people with disabilities that cannot stand up for themselves and make the decision in a way they are just kind of treated like a number, or who they think will live the longest will get to live and the people that cannot make it to live they are wrote off. Palliative (end of life) care, every appropriate palliative option available must be discussed with the patient and, if reasonable, tried before a request for assisted death can be accepted (pro con.org) And even then when everything is done that needs to be done physicians cannot assist in suicide or euthanasia they can only cute off the treatment and let them die a natural life. There are very few hospice facilities, very little in the way of organized hospice activity, and few specialists in palliative care, although some efforts are now under way to try and jump-start the hospice movement in that country (procon.org). They have very limited options once they get to this point of life. Healthcare spending implications, considering the way we finance healthcare in the United States, it would be hard to make a case that there is a financial imperative compelling us to adopt physician-assisted suicide in an effort to save money so that others could benefit (procon.org).. In so many ways that sounds so harsh but the reality of it is true. If it was legal for physicians to assist in suicide then they are saying that more people could be helped due to the fact that they are killing people off to save more money for others to be taken care of. In a way they are saying that they are saving money from people with terminally ill disease will make it better for the healthier person, which is just my opinion and what I am getting from the information. Savings to governments could become a consideration. Drugs for assisted suicide cost about $35 to $45, making them far less expensive than providing medical care. This could fill the void from cutbacks for treatment and care with the treatment of death (procon.org). I did not know that it cost as less as $35 to kill someone off, that is sad. But it will save a lot of money in the end. However, I am still against physician assisted suicide and euthanasia. Social groups at risk of abuse, those who died by physician-assisted suicide were more likely to be college graduates, more likely to be Asian, somewhat younger, more likely to be divorced, and more likely to have cancer or amytrophic lateral sclerosis the reason for more people with cancer wanting assisted suicide or euthanasia is because they know that there is ultimately no cure for this disease and they feel like they want to skip out on all the pain before it gets that bad. Moreover, although 2.6 percent of Oregonians are African American, no African American patients have chosen assisted suicide (procon.org). Since I am African American I see that those of my ethnicity have the same views as I do about physician assisted suicide and euthanasia in Oregon where it is legal for this to happen. It just shows that just because you live in a state that allow these things to happen does not mean that everyone believes in going out (dying) like that, they as well want to get the best treatment they can get until there is no more treatment that can get done. But even if they wanted to get it done they have to say it and have it in writing a certain amount of time within a certain amount of days for any of this to happen. Religious concerns, some wonder if it is right for you to commit suicide or if it’s okay to ask someone to take you out of your misery which is euthanasia. Well it is not right why put that sin on yourself and then why go ahead and involves someone else in your sin to get them to sin for your benefit? That is wrong on all kind of accounts. If you think that you want to do something that is morally wrong then you go ahead and do that, but do not involve an innocent person into the situation because we are all held accountable for our sins, this just goes off my beliefs and background. But Catholic leaders and moral teachers, they believe that life is the most basic gift of a loving God- a gift over which we have stewardship but not absolute dominion. Our tradition, declaring a moral obligation to care for our own life and health and to seek such care from others, recognizes that we are not morally obligated to use all available medical procedures in every set of circumstances. But that tradition clearly and strongly affirms that as a responsible steward of life one must never directly intend to cause ones own death, or the death of an innocent victim, by action or omission (procon.org) both of our views seems to match up, so do you think it is right or wrong? Living wills can be used to refuse extraordinary, life-prolonging care and are effective in providing clear and convincing evidence that may be necessary under state statutes to refuse care after one becomes terminally ill (procon.org). It is always a good thing to have a living will so that your plans can be carried out by your family. Having this document will cut out a lot confusion and questionable decisions because you have documentation off everything. Without a living will then there is where the problems come from and that’s when the medical office staff have to get involved in it as well as other authorities. In Texas, where I live physician assisted suicide is illegal and I think that it should remain that way. Because there is no need for a doctor to help you commit suicide just because you are uncomfortable in life. That’s just like making regular suicide legal and not doing anything to those people that are trying to harm themselves when they really need a doctor to help them and care for them which is what doctors are supposed to do. In Texas it is illegal for physician assisted suicide. It is considered a class c misdemeanor if no suicide or bodily injury results, which means that they attempted to commit suicide but it did not go right. But if it does go right and the doctor helps kill the patient then it is a state jail felony, which means that the suicide was attempted with bodily injury. Then after that I randomly decided to pick Minnesota as my other state to see what the differences were in laws. Again it is illegal for physician assisted suicide in Minnesota and the conditions are way harder than in Texas. In Minnesota you receive up to 15 years in prison and/or a fine up to 30,000 if suicide results; up to seven years in prison and/or a fine up to 14,000 if attempted suicide results. The differences between the two are fines and different types of cases, in Texas it could be a class c misdemeanor whereas in Minnesota you will go to jail or pay the fines. In conclusion, you have seen and read all of the information above and it clearly states that I am against physician assisted suicide or euthanasia. It is morally wrong to kill someone and it is morally wrong to kill someone else to take their pain away. Minnesota laws are a lot stricter than Texas laws for as physician assisted suicide and euthanasia. Which I thought Texas would be where I live, would have the stronger laws with the harsher punishment which surprised me. I learned a lot throughout this paper and learned that there is a right and a wrong way to do things in the medical field and you have to follow command. It is your duty to protect and save lives rather than end them. I do however; agree that it is right to die a natural life. REFERENCES Dictionary.com (2013) Retrieved from: http://dictionary.reference.com/ (n.d.)(2010) Retrieved from: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/182951.php (n.d.) Retrieved from: http://www.pregnantpause.org/euth/types ProCon.org (2013) Retrieved from: http://euthanasia.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000126

Can Religion Help the Healing Process of Cancer? Essay -- Religion Rel

Can Religion Help the Healing Process of Cancer? One of the hardest parts of cancer is psychologically dealing with the illness. People know that cancer causes pain, suffering and potentially death. Death. A traumatizing circumstance when faced with prematurely. Patients with this life-threatening disease can easily fall into unhealthy lifestyle due to lack of emotional support, making cancer twice as difficult to try to overcome. Religion and spirituality provide patients with coping mechanisms, support groups and a view of eternal life that gives patients hope for better times to come. Religion and spirituality are proven psychologically components that show positive results when coping with cancer. When diagnosed with a life-threatening disease like cancer, emotions run high. Fear, vulnerability, hopelessness, despair and the loss of the meaning of life all flood the patient’s mind. â€Å"The initial diagnosis is an existential crisis† (Spiegel par 7). This life-threatening disease is attacking the body, while these emotions erode the mind. The need for comfort and support is necessary to sort out the monstrous psychological conflict that accompanies cancer. Is death really a possibly? Facing death alone is a difficult task, but support-groups have been put together and strategies have been created to help patients sift through emotions, ultimately finding meaning to life when suddenly time has been limited. When faced with death, managing emotions, as well as the negative effects and suffering is critical to the healing process. Researchers in this field agree that comfort and support are needed to try to start the healing process and successfully overcome the fear of death. A patient of Professor David Spiegel, M.D., a... ...t was through this comment that Williams finally understood that her support was essential to her mother coping with the present. Her Mormon believe helped her to understand that standing by her mother during these difficult times, even when they were difficult for her, was were duty and service not only to her mother, but to God. Williams weaves her Mormon believe into her experiences she describes in Refuge. Her Mormon faith is expressed through the sense of family and community that provided support for her mother. Faith also provides hope. Williams’ mother states, â€Å"It (faith) is a belief in a wisdom superior to our own. Faith becomes a teacher in the absence of fact† (Williams 198). Both faith and hope give her mother the ability to cope with death because her Mormon religion believes death is just a transition between human life and eternal life with God.

History of Babylonia Essay

Babylon is Akkadian â€Å"babilani† which means â€Å"the Gate of God(s)† and it became the capital of the land of Babylonia. The etymology of the name Babel in the Bible means â€Å"confused† (Gen 11:9) and throughout the Bible, Babylon was a symbol of the confusion caused by godlessness. The name Babylon is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Babel. The Early Growth of Babylon There is evidence that man has lived in this area of Mesopotamia since the beginning of civilization. The first records indicate that Babylon was established as a city around the 23rd century BC. Before this it was a provincial capital ruled by the kings of the city of Ur. Then came the migration of the Amorites. Quick Overview of Babylonian History Babylonia (pronounced babilahnia) was an ancient empire that existed in the Near East in southern Mesopotamia between the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers. Throughout much of their history their main rival for supremacy were their neighbors, the Assyrians. It was the Babylonians, under King Nebuchadnezzar II, who destroyed Jerusalem, the capital of the Kingdom of Judah, and carried God’s covenant people into captivity in 587 BC. The Bible reveals much about the Babylonians all the way back from the time of Hammurapi (2000 BC) to the fall of Babylon (about 500 BC). Throughout the Old Testament there are references to the Babylonians, their people, culture, religion, military power, etc. Babylonia was a long, narrow country about 40 miles wide at its widest point and having an area of about 8,000 square miles. It was bordered on the north by Assyria, on the east by Elam, on the south and west by the Arabian desert, and on the southeast by the Persian Gulf. The earliest known inhabitants of Mesopotamia were the Sumerians, whom the Bible refers to as the people of the â€Å"land of Shinar† (Gen 10:10). Sargon, from one of the Sumerian cities, united the people of Babylonia under his rule about 2300 B.C. Many scholars believe that Sargon might have been the  same person as Nimrod (Gen 10:8). Artists Depiction of the Ziggurat at Ur Around 2000 BC Hammurapi emerged as the ruler of Babylonia. He expanded the borders of the Empire and organized its laws into a written system, also known as the Code of Hammurapi. About this time Abraham left Ur, an ancient city located in lower Babylon, and moved to Haran, a city in the north. Later, Abraham left Haran and migrated into the land of Canaan under God’s promise that he would become the father of a great nation (Gen 12). Alongside of Babylonia there must also be a mention of Assyria, which bordered Babylonia on the north. Assyria’s development was often intertwined with the course of Babylonian history. About 1270 BC, the Assyrians overpowered Babylonia. For the next 700 years, Babylonia was a lesser power as the Assyrians dominated the ancient world. Around 626 BC, Babylonian independence was finally won from Assyria by a leader named Nabopolassar. Under his leadership, Babylonia again became the dominant imperial power in the Near East and thus entered into her â€Å"golden age.† In 605 BC, Nebuchadnezzar II, the son of Nabopolassar, became ruler and reigned for 44 years. Under him the Babylonian Empire reached its greatest strength. Using the treasures which he took from other nations, Nebuchadnezzar built Babylon, the capital city of Babylonia, into one of the leading cities of the world. The famous hanging gardens of Babylon were known to the Greeks as one of the seven wonders of the world. As previously mentioned, in 587 BC, the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and carried the leading citizens of the Kingdom of Judah as prisoners to Babylon. The Hebrew prophet Jeremiah had foretold that the Jews would be free to return home to Jerusalem after 70 years. The Lord had encouraged His people through Ezekiel and Daniel who were also captives in Babylon. During this 70 year period of captivity, the Persians conquered Babylonia, and the Babylonians passed from the scene as a world power. Throughout the long period of Babylonia history, the Babylonians achieved a  high level of civilization that made an impact on the whole known world. Sumerian culture was its basis, which later Babylonians regarded as traditional. In the area of religion, the Sumerians already had a system of gods, each with a main temple in each city. The chief gods were Anu, god of heaven; Enlil, god of the air; and Enki or Ea, god of the sea. Others were Shamash, the sungod; Sin, the moon-god; Ishtar, goddess of love and war; and Adad, the storm-god. The Amorites promoted the god Marduk at the city of Babylon, so that he became the chief god of the Babylonian religion, starting around 1100 BC. Babylonian religion was temple-centered, with elaborate festivals and many different types of priests, especially the exorcist and the diviner, who mainly were trained to drive away evil spirits. Babylonian literature was mainly dominated by mythology and legends. Among these was a creation myth written to glorify their god Marduk. According to this myth, Marduk created heaven and earth from the corpse of the goddess Tiamat. Another work was the Gilgamesh Epic, a flood story written about 2000 BC. Scientific literature of the Babylonians included treatises on astronomy, mathematics, medicine, chemistry, botany, and nature. One of the main aspects of Babylonian culture was a codified system of law. Hammurapi’s famous code was the successor of earlier collections of laws going back to about 2050 BC. The Babylonians used art for the national celebration of great events and glorification of the gods. It was marked by stylized and symbolic representations, but it expressed realism and spontaneity in the depiction of animals. The Old Testament contains many references to Babylonia. Gen 10:10 mentions four Babylonian cities, Babel (Babylon), Erech (Uruk), Accad (Agade) and Calneh. These, along with Assyria, were ruled by Nimrod. Ancient Babylonia – Monarchy The Babylonian political structure was a monarchy. The king ruled through a number of officials who were directly under and responsible to him but he could intervene personally at any level of government and administration. Thus Hammurapi (1792-1750 BC) took a direct hand in dealing with property claims in Larsa after he had captured that city-state. The monarchy  was hereditary and maleprimogeniture seems to have been the guiding principle. Babylonian historians designated a continuous line of kings a â€Å"dynasty†. The king was an absolute monarch and in the very early period there were a few checks to his authority in that he had to respect custom and tradition, private property, the sensibilities of the nobles, religion and divination. The king was the ultimate authority in all areas except religion where he was subject to the dictates of the chief god as represented by his chief priest. Thus in the New Year’s festival the king’s role included being slapped in the face by the chief priest and pulled by the ears as a sign of his subservience to the god. Ancient Babylonia – Communication, Roads and Scribes Efficient administration of the country depended upon good communications through a system of roads and relay stations for messengers. Written communications passed back and forth in great number and required a large body of trained scribes. Most people, including the king and his officials, were illiterate so that they were heavily dependent upon the scribes both to write and interpret their commands and reports in an appropriate manner. Many of these letters have been discovered in modern times and they provide a fascinating glimpse of the real events and human relationships of the day, in contrast to the official versions found in royal inscriptions. Ancient Babylonia – Nebuchadnezzar II Nebuchadnezzar II marched back to Babylon and was crowned king, which inaugurated one of the most powerful periods in Babylonian history. Nebuchadnezzar continued his brilliant campaigns focusing his military maneuvers on the west, which he effectively brought under his control. It was the kingdom of Judah who had called upon Egypt to assist them against the Babylonians. King Nebuchadnezzar continued his attacks and on his second conquest the conquered Jerusalem in 586 BC taking the survivors as prisoners back to Babylon. This was known in Jewish history has â€Å"the Babylonian captivity†and â€Å"the exile†. After he destroyed Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar focused his attacks upon Egypt and he conquered it in 568 BC though there  has been no detailed account of this invasion ever discovered, it remains a tremendous success for the king of Babylon and the first time any Chaldean king had ever conquered Egypt. After Nebuchadnezzar’s death his successors remained obscure untilNabonidus (555-539 BC), the last of the dynasty, ascended the throne. According to history Nabonidus, for some reason, lived throughout 10 of the 17 years that he ruled, at an Arab desert oasis called Tema, which was a vast distance from Babylon. In Babylon he left his son Belshazzar, to rule on his behalf. Nabonidus and his mother were from Harran and claimed to have been a loyal subject to the last of the Assyrian kings. Both he and his mother were zealous worshipers of the moon-god Sin, the tutelary deity of Harran, but when Nabonidus tried to promote this cult in Babylonia, the native priests, especially those who followed Marduk, became enraged. This religious controversy split Babylonia in two. Some of this literary propaganda of the time has been recovered. Babylonian culture flourished during the pax Assyriaca of the 7th century BC and again under the Chaldean dynasty of the sixth century BC. Their god Nabu, son of Marduk and god of writing and learning became very popular throughout that period. The practice of astrology permeated the Babylonian society to the point that there were nightly watches by the astrologers throughout the kingdom. Archeologists have recently recovered massive detailed records of the movements of heavenly bodies. Literature was copied and studied and many new compositions were created. In art and architecture the most impressive remains that have been unearthed by archeologists are in Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon. The city apparently had not changed much when the Greek historianHerodotus wrote about it less than a century later and called its Hanging Gardens one of the 7 wonders of the world. In 539 BC Cyrus the Great of Persia conquered Babylon. Ancient Babylonia – Houses and Farms Around the temple were clusters of houses made of sun-dried brickand inhabited by farmers and artisans. The populations of the Babylonian cities cannot be estimated with any reasonable degree of accuracy, because the  authorities, so far as extant documents reveal, took no census. The number of inhabitants of a city probably ranged from 10,000 to 50,000. The city streets were narrow, winding, and quite irregular, with high, windowless walls of houses on both sides. The streets were unpaved and undrained. The average house was a small, one-story, mud-brick structure, consisting of several rooms grouped around a court. The house of a well-to-do Babylonian, on the other hand, was probably a two-story brick dwelling of about a dozen rooms and was plastered and whitewashed both inside and out. The ground floor consisted of a reception room, kitchen, lavatory, servants’ quarters, and, sometimes, even a private chapel. Furnitureconsisted of low tables, high-backed chairs, and beds with wooden frames. Household vessels were made of clay, stone, copper, and bronze, and baskets and chests of reed and wood. Floors and walls were adorned with reed mats, skin rugs, and woolen hangings. Below the house was often located a mausoleum in which the family dead were buried. The Babylonians believed that the souls of the dead traveled to the nether world, and that, at least to some extent, life continued there as on earth. For this reason, pots, tools, weapons, and jewels were buried with the dead. Agriculture formed the economic base of Babylonian civilization with production of barley, wheat, fruits, vegetables, with cattle and sheep predominating. The main crop in the time of the ancient Babylonians was barley. The farmer would sow his seed with a tool known as a â€Å"seeder plough† The plough would create a furrow into which a seed would be dropped using a funnel. A man would have to walk beside the seeder plough and drop the seeds in at regular intervals. This would mean that all the seeds would be at exactly the correct depth. It would have taken considerable skill to achieve tasks such as irrigationand the winnowing. If the farmer got the irrigation wrong he could flood the field or let it get too dry to allow the plants to grow. Similarly if the farmer did the winnowing in too strong a wind the grain would also blow away but if he did in too weak a wind there would be chaff and dirt still mixed in. The farmer would have probably followed his father in his trade and would have been taught by him. The farmer would almost certainly have been â€Å"apprenticed† by his father. Ancient Babylonia – Social Hierarchy There were several levels in the social hierarchy with the king at the top and the slaves at the bottom. In between, in descending order, were the nobles, the free citizens and those in military and civil service. The class structure was generally rigid although some mobility from one level to another was possible. The debt slave had the possibility of paying his debts and regaining his freedom but the only hope for the foreign captive was escape or death. Thus in Babylonian society there were mainly three classes in society, theawilu, a free person of the upper class; the wardu, or slave; and themushkenu, a free person of low estate, who ranked legally between the awilu and the wardu. Most slaves were prisoners of war, but some were recruited from the Babylonian citizenry as well. For example, free persons might be reduced to slavery as punishment for certain offenses; parents could sell their children as slaves in time of need; or a man might even turn over his entire family to creditors in payment of a debt, but for no longer than three years. Ancient Babylonia – Schools For the most part the only education that a young Babylonian might have received would have been of a scribal type. Those who were sent to school to train as a scribe had to be children of wealthy or influential parents. Boys were admitted and possibly girls as well. There is no doubt that rich women often had a lot of freedom and influence. By the time of Hammurapi (1792-60) the language of Sumerian had been replaced by Akkadian as the commonly spoken language in Babylonia but Sumerian was  still used for nearly all religious texts. It was therefore necessary to train students, not only in the script, cuneiform, but in the language as well. The students’ education would begin when he was eight or nine years old. Each day he would get up at sunrise and go to school, which was commonly known as the tablet house. At the tablet house there would be a man like a schoolmaster. His title literally meant â€Å"the Expert.† There would be a number of other teachers who would each specialize in a different aspects of Sumerian and its writing. To keep order some of the senior students would be appointed as a helper. A student’s work would consist of copying tablets using a slab of wet clay. Also he would learn various texts by heart. If he successfully passed an examination the student became a scribe. Ancient Babylonia – Astronomy and the Calendar The observations of the astrologers, which were meticulously recorded on a nightly basis over many centuries, led to accurate predictions of various astronomical phenomena and the correct calculation of the solar and lunar year. The Babylonian calendar was based upon the lunar year but, thanks to the astrologer’s knowledge, could be reconciled with the solar year by means of intercalary months. We owe much of our calendar system to the Babylonians. They were probably the first people after the Sumerians to have a calendar. This calendar was very important because without it agriculture could not be planned properly. There were twelve lunar months in the year but as the months were shorter than our months often an extra month would have to be added. This was called the second Elul. Each week was divided into seven days. The day was divided into six parts each of two hours duration and containing thirty parts. The Babylonians measured time with a water or sun clock. One can see from this that the Babylonian calendar has markedsimilarities with our own: for instance the twelve months in the year and seven days in a week. Ancient Babylonia – Medicine Medicine was practiced by two kinds of experts: the physician(asu), and the exorcist (dsipu), and the talents of either or both might be demanded at the sick bed. There was a whole set of diagnostic texts in which a multitude of possible symptoms was listed and the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment given. Surgery was known and even delicate operations on the eye were performed. The Babylonians had a superb knowledge of human and animal anatomy and physiology and were aware, for example, of the circulation of the blood and the pulse. Ancient Babylonia – Cuneiform The script of the Sumerians and all the other inhabitants of Mesopotamia employed to write their language, up to the first century BC was cuneiform. The name cuneiform comes from theLatin word â€Å"cuneus†, meaning wedge. According to Babylonian beliefs Nabu, the god of scribal arts, who was also the city god of Borsippa, gave cuneiform to them. When the Akkadians, Semite invaders from the desert, adopted the Sumerian civilization and part of the Sumerian Territory they also adopted cuneiform. They adapted the script to fit their own. The next wave of Semite invaders, the Amorites, did likewise, but they continued to speak the Akkadian tongue. Thus we find Hammurapi (1792-1760 BC) who was an Amorite, speaking Akkadian and writing cuneiform. Since the time of Hammurapi, successive Mesopotamian empires controlled huge empires in the Near East. Because of this cuneiform, Akkadian became the lingua franca of the Near East, as Latin was of Medieval Europe. This of course ended when Mesopotamian civilization declined so that cuneiform was no longer being used by about the first century BC. When the Sumerians first brought cuneiform into being it was nothing like the script that it was to become. It was an ideogramatical script (a symbol represented by a word). For example a picture of sheep would mean sheep. When the Sumerians came into contact with the Akkadians they needed to adapt their script to fit. This was necessary even to write Akkadian names. Obviously it was far more important for the Akkadians because they needed to write their language in it. Cuneiform then underwent a transformation. It became a syllogramatical script where each symbol represented a sound.  Therefore the symbol for a word such as ‘dig’, if we took an English equivalent would be correctly used in the second syllable of ‘indignant’. This transformation enabled cuneiform to be used with other languages. As cuneiform changed from an ideogramatical to a syllogramatical scriptits symbols were simplified. The original pictograms were complicated and hard to write on clay tablets. The symbols developed, losing many of their lines and the remaining lines were wedge shaped and straight. Cuneiform was originally written with a reed or stick stylus but this was quickly developed into a precision tool. We have derived virtually all our knowledge of the Babylonians from texts written in cuneiform on clay tablets. From these tablets we have been able to learn their law, business, administration, religion and all other aspects of Babylonian civilization. Without these texts we would know little about the Babylonians. http://www.bible-history.com/babylonia/BabyloniaBabylonia00000023.htm HISTORY OF THE HITTITES The first Indo-European empire: 17th century BC A group of tribes, speaking Indo-European languages and collectively known as the Hittites, establish themselves as the dominant power in Anatolia. Their capital is at Bogazkoy, a dramatically fortified city on a steep slope among ravines; its walls and towers enclose no fewer than five great temples. The priest-king who makes this place his capital in the 17th century BC is Hattusilis I. He has ambitions for his people. Moving south and east with his army, he reaches the Mediterranean and continues into northern Syria. Eager to give his empire full credentials, Hattusilis brings back from Syria a team of scribes, expert in cuneiform. They adapt the cuneiform script to a new purpose, the recording of an Indo-European language, and they lay the foundation for an important state archive at Bogazkoy. When the clay tablets of this archive are discovered, in the 20th century, they provide the basis for our knowledge of the Hittites. The magic of iron: from 1500 BC The Hittites are the first people to work iron, in Anatolia from about 1500 BC. In its simple form iron is less hard than bronze, and therefore of less use as a weapon, but it seems to have had an immediate appeal – perhaps as the latest achievement of technology (with the mysterious quality of being changeable, through heating and hammering), or from a certain intrinsic magic (it is the metal in meteorites, which fall from the sky). Quite how much value is attached to iron can be judged from a famous letter of about 1250 BC, written by a Hittite king to accompany an iron dagger-blade which he is sending to a fellow monarch The furthest extent of the empire: 16th – 12th century BC In about 1600 the Hittites reach and destroy Babylon, before retreating again to their Anatolian heartland. In the 14th century they march again to establish an empire which reaches into northern Syria, east of the Euphrates, and extends down the Mediterranean coast to confront the Egyptians. A hard-fought but inconclusive engagement at Kadesh in 1275 stablizes the frontier between the two power blocs. It is followed some years later by a treaty and the marriage of the daughter of the Hittite king (Hattusilis III) to the Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II.   In the 12th century the Hittite empire suddenly collapses – overwhelmed, it is thought, by the onrush of the Sea Peoples. These terrifying intruders are described in Egyptian chronicles as raging down the coast to threaten the frontiers of Egypt in about 1218 and again in 1182 BC http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/plaintexthistories.asp?historyid=ab66#ixzz2HIAKxOZL The Hittites were an Ancient Anatolian people who spoke a language of the Anatolian branch of the Indo-European language family and established a kingdom centered at Hattusa in on the central Anatolian plateau in the 18th century BC. The HittiteEmpire reached its height around 1285 BC,  encompassing a large part of Anatolia, north-westernSyria about as far south as the mouth of the Litani River, and eastward into upper Mesopotamia. After ca. 1180 BC, the empire d isintegrated into several independent â€Å"Neo-Hittite† city-states, some surviving until as late as the 8th century BC. The term â€Å"Hittites† was taken from the King James translation of the Hebrew Bible, translating ×â€"× ªÃ—â„¢ HTY, or ב×  Ã—â„¢-×â€"× ª BNY-HT â€Å"Children of Heth† (Heth is a son of Canaan). The archaeologists who discovered the Anatolian Hittites in the 19th century initially identified them with these Biblical Hittites. Today the identification of the Biblical peoples with either the Hattusa-based empire or the Neo-Hittite kingdoms is a matter of dispute. The Hittite kingdom was commonly called the Land of Hatti by the Hittites themselves. The fullest expression is â€Å"The Land of the City of Hattusa.† This description could be applied to either the entire empire, or more narrowly just to the core territory, depending on context. The word â€Å"Hatti† is actually an Akkadogram, rather than Hittite; it is never declined according to Hittite grammatical rules. Despite the use of â€Å"Hatti†, the Hittites should be distinguished from the Hattians, an earlier people who inhabited the same region until the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC, and spoke a non-Indo-European language called Hattic. The Hittites themselves referred to their language as Nesili (or in one case, Kanesili), an adverbial form meaning â€Å"in the manner of (Ka)nesa†, presumably reflecting a high concentration of Hittite speakers in the ancient city of Kanesh (modern Kà ¼ltepe, Turkey). Many modern city names in Turkey are first recorded under their Hittite names, such as Sinop and Adana, reflecting the contiguity of modernAnatolia with its ancient past. Although belonging to the Bronze Age, the Hittites were forerunners of the Iron Age, developing the manufacture of Iron artifacts from as early as the 14th century BC, when letters to foreign rulers reveal the demand for their iron goods. Recent excavations, however, have discovered evidence of iron tool production dating back at least as far as the 20th century BC. Hittite weapons were made from Bronzethough; iron was so rare and precious

Movie the Bucket List

The Bucket List is a movie all about two men who live their lives as if they are going to be gone tomorrow. It’s a movie about two men with cancer that share a hospital room from both having cancer. When finding out they do not have much longer to live, decide that they are going to pursue a bucket list that one of the men had made. The two men Edward and Carter are complete opposites. Carter is a mechanic that has been married for forty-five years and has two children. Edward has tons of money and has been divorced four times, with a daughter that no longer talks to him. He owns the hospital that the two men end up in with the motto he stands by â€Å"Two beds to a room, no exceptions. † This motto is what caused him ending up in a room with Carter which he did not like at all at first. The one thing that brings them together is knowing they have to live their lives up and do what they have always wanted to do before dying. They became best friends unexpectedly and did more in their last few months before dying then some people can say they have done in their entire lifetime. You should always live your life as if you are going to die tomorrow. Not in the sense that you should be miserable thinking your never going to be able to see the next day, but you should make your life the best it can be. This is what I have learned from The Bucket List, that you need to live each moment like it is your last. Some people never get the chance to find out when they will die and they do not always get to accomplish things in their life that they would like to do. However, some people would not like to know the date that they will no longer be around. Dieing is scary, and when you know when your going to, some people take it hard and instead of making the best of it, they get depressed and do nothing else with their life. This movie in a sense shows you need to make the best of it. Making a bucket list would be a good idea, so you know what you would like to get accomplished before you do â€Å"kick the bucket. † Making your life as joyful, fun and enjoyable as you can is important. The Bucket List was not made just to be about two men that are dying from cancer, but to set an example to live your life to its highest potential. Yes, the men do have cancer and are not going to live for years, but they get to accomplish what they would like to do. They go to Egypt, traveling the world, skydiving, race fast cars and eventually Edward meets up with his daughter again and granddaughter. Do not hold grudges with anyone, because you never know when something might happen and you do not have a chance to fix it. When you get a chance to do something fun, do it. Travel the country, see places and things you have never seen. Do not just lay around dying trying to comfort everyone around you when at the time you cannot even find it in you to comfort yourself. Cancer, of course is sad, painful and a tragic experience no one wants to have to deal with in their family. But the hidden meaning in the movie would be that even though you know your going to die, do not just lay around waiting for it to happen. You can still find it in yourself to have a little more fun. I do not believe I have found as much joy in my life as I would like. My childhood has been great and my family is more amazing than I would be able to ask for. However, I am only eighteen, I would like to get married, have children of my own, finish college, and travel the world. If I was to pass today, I would not think that my life would have been complete. There is still huge areas of my life that I would like to go through before I never get the chance to again. These two men make a great bucket list, one that has some things I would personally like to accomplish as well. My life has brought joy to my family, I know my parents were ecstatic when I was born, but I want to bring joy to my own family. My kids, my husband, hopefully even my grandchildren, will eventually be brought joy by myself. This is something I could only hope to have happen. The Bucket List, although is a sad movie, has its joyful and funny moments. It sets a life example to get out and do some exciting things with your life. And a deadline is the perfect way to get your butt out to do them.

female young offenders essays

female young offenders essays Dressed in a baggy T-shirt, cotton pants and runners with long wavy hair falling around her shoulders, she looks like an ordinary teenager. Yet because of her crime she spent her sweet sixteen birthday locked up in one of British Columbias closed custody units for youth. Janice which is not her real name because the Young Offenders Act prohibits publication of a youths identity is incarcerated for her part in the brutal murder of 14 year-old Reena Virk in November 1997, an event that shocked the country and prompted Bad Girl headlines coast to coast. What made this case so unbelievable was that seven out of eight of the teens who participated in butting out a cigarette on Virks forehead, and punching and kicking her until she was dazed and bleeding, were girls. (Chislom, 1997) Many people believe that because of incidents like this, there must be a major problem with our female youth and crime today. Although this was an extremely heinous crime are female youths really becoming more violent and more capable of murder? Are crimes committed by young females catching up to the number of crimes committed by young males? These are questions sought and researched by many individuals and groups in Canadian society as well as all around the world. No matter what the numbers are today of crimes committed by young females, the crimes they commit are still significantly lower than that of their male counterparts. However, there is an increase of young female offenders and it is becoming more recognized by the media and society. Female offenders commit relatively fewer severe crimes than males, they are less likely to recidivate, and yet although the Young Offenders Act abolished status offences, young women are treated differently by the courts compared to youthful males. In general, both young males and females have the same factors which may lead them down the ...

Tattoo Removal - How to Remove Tattoos

Tattoo Removal - How to Remove Tattoos Tattoos are meant to be permanent, so as you might imagine, they arent that easy to remove. Generally speaking, tattoo removal involves destruction or decolorization of the tattoo ink or else removal of the skin that contains the tattoo. A surgeon usually performs one of the following procedures on an out-patient basis: Laser Surgery This is the most common procedure because it is bloodless and produces few side effects. Laser light is used to break up or decolorize the pigment molecules. The color of the laser light depends, to some extent, on the color of the tattoo. Multiple treatments may be required. Effectiveness depends on several factors, including the chemical nature of the tattoo ink. Dermabrasion The doctor abrades or sands away the top layers of the skin to expose the tattoo and remove the ink. Some discoloration or scarring may result. Incomplete tattoo removal may result if the tattoos were inked deeply into the skin. Surgical Excision The doctor essentially cuts out the portion of tattooed skin and stitches the skin back together. This treatment is appropriate for small tattoos. A raised scar may result at the site of the stitches. Tattoo Ink Recipes | Tattoo Ink Chemistry

An analysis of CSR in UK Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 15000 words

An analysis of CSR in UK - Dissertation Example ata 38 3.5.1Data Collection Methods and Instruments 38 3.5.2Data Analysis Aspects 39 3.5.3Data Presentation 39 CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS AND FINDINGS 41 4.0Introduction 41 4.1Answers to the Research Questions 41 4.1.1Research Question One 42 4.1.2Research Question Two 44 4.1.3Research Question Three 45 4.2Results from the Firms under study 45 4.3CSR, Competitive Advantage, and Economic Value 48 4.3.1Results and Findings from Interviews 48 4.3.2Hypothesis Testing 49 4.4Conclusion 51 CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS 52 5.0Introduction 52 5.1Discussions and Analysing the Organization 52 5.2Discussions and Analysis from the Interviews/Questionnaires 54 5.3Overall Discussions 55 5.4Conclusion 60 CHAPTER SIX: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 61 6.0Conclusion 61 6.1Practical Recommendations 62 6.2Limitations 63 6.3Reflections and Areas of Further Research 64 REFERENCES 65 APPENDICES 69 Appendix 1: Questionnaire for the Interview 69 Appendix 2: Timeline for the Study 72 Appendix 3: GRI Guidel ines 73 GRI Performance Indicators 73 Appendix 4: ASDA 5-Yr Financial Summary 74 Appendix 5: Centrica 5-Yr Financial Summary 76 Appendix 6: Barclays Bank 5-Yr Financial Summary 78 Appendix 7: Sainsbury 5-Yr Financial Summary 80 Appendix 8: Tesco 5-Yr Financial Summary 82 Appendix 9: Vodafone 5-Yr Financial Summary 84 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Stakeholder Theory of CSR (Polonsky, 1995) 24 Figure 2: Social Contract Theory (Bamberg and Moser, 2007) 27 Figure 3: Aspects of CSR Policy in an Organization (The Economist, 2008) 32 Figure 4: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (Maslow & Herzberg, 1954) 43 Figure 5: CSR policies as per the GRI Guidelines 47 Figure 6: Comparing EPS and CSR 48 LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Summary of the Sample UK Firms under study 17 Table 2: Summary of the Factors Identified for CSR Success 44 Table 3: CSR Policies under the GRI Guidelines 46 Table 4: Comparing Financial Information and CSR, EPS and CSR 47 Table 5: Comparing Financial Information and CSR, Profitability and CSR 48 Table 6: Descriptive Statistics of the Responses 49 ABSTRACT Contemporary businesses continue to suffer from the dynamisms and turbulences within the environment as a result of increased competition. Consequently, several strategic options have been identified to assist in achieving competitive advantage, which assists in increasing the profitability and sustainable business success. One such strategic option has been the use of corporate social responsibility. The majority of contemporary corporations believes in the economic value of CSR unlike their classical counterparts that perceive CSR as an economic burden. In a bid to judge whether CSR is an economic

Principles of International Insurance Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Principles of International Insurance Law - Essay Example Did it operate as an inducement to the insurer to enter into the policy In order to be entitled to avoid a contract of insurance or reinsurance on the ground of non-disclosure the insurer must show both that the fact not disclosed was material, and that its non-disclosure induced the contract. To be material a fact did not have to have a decisive influence on the mind of the prudent underwriter. The test is as stated in subsections 18(2) and 20(2) which relate to non-disclosure and misrepresentation respectively and which set out the common law principles relevant to non-marine (as well as marine) insurance. The material non-disclosure or misrepresentation must induce the contract. It is not sufficient that the non-disclosure or misrepresentation is material. ". . . there is to be implied in the Act of 1906 a qualification that a material representation will not entitle the underwriter to avoid the policy unless the misrepresentation induced the making of the contract, using "induced " in the sense in which it is used in the general law of contract" and "in practice the line between misrepresentation and non-disclosure is often imperceptible." The claimants insured their yacht with the defendants for a value as certified by an independent valuer. The defendants claimed he had misrepresented the value in the proposal. The words 'sum insured' indicated a ceiling on a claim on an unvalued policy. There was no indication from the insurers on the proposal form that they would agree the value, but rather they asked only for the value to be insured. The policy was therefore an unvalued policy. HIH Casualty and General Insurance Ltd and Others -v- Chase Manhattan Bank and Others [2001] 1 Lloyd's Rep 30 19 Sep 2000 QBD Aikens J Insurance, Media Casemap 1 Citers As a contract for speculation, a duty of utmost good faith is not implied in a contract insurance. The duty of disclosure by an insured can be limited by the contract as can the freedom of the insurance company to avoid liability. If the wording is clear enough, even a deliberate non-disclosure amounting concealment might be excused. Nevertheless the contract might be rescindable at the option of the insurer. Court: California Appellate Districts Topic: Civil Procedure, Contracts, Injury And Tort Law, Insurance Law Title: Wilson v. 21st Century Ins. Co. Date: 01/30/06 Case Number: B180323 Summary: Summary judgment for defendant-insurer in an action for breach of contract and tortious bad faith in adjusting plaintiff's underinsured motorist claim is reversed where triable issues of fact existed as to whether defendant failed to thoroughly investigate and evaluate plaintiff's claim, and plaintiff was entitled to additional discovery. http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/viewcase.plcourt=0&subject=Insurance+Law&casenum=&party=&date1=&date3=&date2=&search=Search The insured purchased a house, converted it to two apartments and left Cape Breton to find work in British Columbia. The house remained vacant

Social media and its usage for marketing and advertisements Research Paper

Social media and its usage for marketing and advertisements - Research Paper Example This research will begin with the statement that in this information technology-based era every business is trying to enhance its services and products over its competitors. In this case, online support is considered to be a crucial factor in any advertising policy and arrangement. Additionally, companies and industries initiated promotion and publicity operations focused on people with the help of written sources and audio/video channels. However, this policy is expensive and its efficacy is hard to determine. On the other hand, it is generally not obvious that how broadcast marketing will play a major role in the latest information financial condition that allows for exceptionally cooperative and focused interactions. Thus, in this customer-oriented financial system, companies are trying to discover additional money-making methods to promote their business services and products-line, access existing clients, and make new users/clients across the business boundaries. Business people sometimes talk about the Return on Investment (ROI) in Social Networking. In fact, it sounds great, but what does it mean to the business people? How does it actually help them grow their business? The simple answer to these questions is that businesses could be successful through Social Networking. However, normally, social networking is a process that helps organizations establish the relationship and then continue and maintain them by means of customary practices such as telephone, e-mail, and face-to-face meetings.... Thus, if a company builds identity on the social networking site, it will allow drawing people who share their viewpoints and want to work with you (Tubb, 2011). At the present, the social networking websites have become a family name. Despite the fact that, it is someone’s confidential or professional life, they are in fact wonderful process for communicating with friends, colleagues, and making new relationships online (Sedycias, 2009). Since, a social networking web site is a web site where people are able to develop an online profile; and they mention their interests in profile, as well as they can insert links to other profiles. Typically, the users of social networking sites are able to dispense personal information, encompassing photographs, blog entries and videos. MySpace is an example of social networks, which is very popular in the same way with individuals and with music groups, who are able to market their tour dates, and transfer their songs on their profile page s (Hawkins, 2009). A social networking site is a very helpful and functional way to keep in contact with a large number of people (friends, colleagues, relatives, etc). Since, if someone has some news which he/she needs or wishes to distribute to others, then he/she can insert it on his/her personal bulletin board and it will be transferred or distributed to the people to whom he wants to share. Thus, the social networking sites can play a significant function for meeting with new people, whether on a business or friendship (Hawkins, 2009). Phillips & Phillips (1998) define the social network as a set of organizations, businesses, individuals, or other social entities

Cisco Systems Architecture Essay Example for Free

Cisco Systems Architecture Essay Cisco is a company with a clear vision and an ambitious goal of becoming the global Internet expert. The company set its sights on challenging the norm of the time and working on making voice calls over the Internet free. Established in 1984 by two Stanford graduates, Cisco became the most valuable business on earth by March 2000. The company’s strategy is to provide a complete solutions offer to its customers through offering a wide product range and growing the business through acquisitions and business alliances. From its original core technology of routers, the company is now focusing in three independent networks of phone, local and wide area and broadcast networks. The turnaround point for the company was its database failure and forced two-day shutdown in 1994. This event highlighted the need to change company’s approach to systems replacement and the need to integrate all of company’s applications. The company decided to adopt new practices and retrain its staff rather than mirroring the â€Å"old and tried†. The decision was made to collaborate with Oracle to develop a single ERP solution to replace all current systems. The project was a success and was followed by replacement and standardization of all company’s platforms and applications worldwide. Further to this project, Cisco web-enabled all its applications, resulting in customer service, HR and supply chain efficiencies. Cisco’s success continues and is being made possible by its growth through acquisitions and strategic alliances (such as that with KPMG). The company is where it is today largely due to its effective integrated Internet business systems, resulting in great efficiencies for the company and its various stakeholders. 1) Cisco – Information Age Company. Cisco is far from being an Industrial Age Company. The main reason for this is that the company has been able to recognise the value in IT and use it to better their performance and achieve the desired growth. According to Weill Ross (2009), it is a characteristic of an IT Savvy firm. To be more specific, through integrating their processes and applications into an ERP solution and then to proceeding to full replacement of all of its IT solutions worldwide, Cisco moved to a digitalized platform. According to Weill Ross (2009), digitalized platform is an integrated set of electronic business processes and technologies. This would hardly be a characteristic of an Industrial Age company. Further to that, Cisco’s approach to implementation of its ERP solution and deciding not to mirror known and learnt old approaches but to make a bold move and rather retrain its people in new systems, demonstrates forward thinking and innovation, which is critical to get significant value from IT. Again this is a more fitting characteristic of an Information Age company rather than an Industrial Age company. In implementing the ERP system, the company successfully identified where it lacked necessary expertise and was not scared to outsource their needs analysis to KPMG and then the ERP project to Oracle, who had significant knowledge and experience in the solutions Cisco were after. The â€Å"outside the square† thinking allowed the company to focus on own competences and keep them in-house while tapping into the expertise of others through outsourcing and alliances. This is a definite characteristic of an Information Age company. Finally, keeping communication lines open across functional divisions and getting an input from across the business to avoid making the project an IT-only initiative and to ensure it addresses the real needs is another reason why Cisco is an Information Age company. 2) IT contribution to the company’s strategy IT greatly contributed to the company’s strategy to provide comprehensive one-stop-shop business networks solution for its customers, to set industry standards for networking, to systemize acquisitions and pick the right partners. Firstly, it was the company’s IP-based IT Architecture that enabled them to effectively and smoothly handle business acquisition and fully integrate these new acquisitions in a short period of time. Secondly, ERP implementation and application of web-enabled IT allowed Cisco to meet its goals of streamlining its internal processes and improving productivity, to improve customer satisfaction through the provision of online technical support, to pioneer net commerce and set industry standards and to achieve an extremely efficient supply chain. IT and systems implemented were at the heart of executing the company’s strategy. Thirdly, IT is an integral part of Cisco’s information system. According to Picolli (2008), information systems satisfy firm’s information needs and thus improve firm’s efficiency and enable it to achieve its goals. Being an important part of this efficiency improvement process makes IT a significant contributor to Cisco’s strategy. 3) The role of CIO Pete Solvik Pete Solvik’s role was integral in Cisco being able to derive significant value from IT and recognise it as a strategic asset as opposed to a liability. Prior to Cisco’s defining moment, it had the ambitious goals but the company was running standard operations not being able to support what it aspired to become. Solvik brought fresh visions and innovative thinking to the company. His initiatives were to redefine how IT was viewed internally and depart from finance cost centre reporting perception of the department. He was also able to see the limitations of Cisco’s systems and the potential of improvements. According to Weil Ross (2009), when IT systems are deficient you need to first change the entire approach to IT. Only once this is accomplished can the digitalized platform be implemented. Solvik did manage to do that. Weil Ross (2009) emphasize the need to strong leadership in turning IT into a strategic asset. And this is ultimately what Solvik’s r ole was in Cisco’s transformation.