Marketing Creating and Capturing Customer Value

Yoking Chem.. Struck is the coffee icon people either love it, hate it, need it, or you wouldn't be caught dead there. Among the reasons to love: Struck gave us coffee language † or shamed us into it, depending on who you ask † turned the masses into espresso junkies and offers travelers a constant presence all over the world. Among the reasons to hate Struck: It's making us fatter, turned espresso drinks into fast food and gave us its own coffee language. According to the article at the washcloth. Mom, † reasons why I hate Struck†, the author wrote the 5 reasons are 1, Overpriced products, 2, Their marketing angle is to appeal to vain rich people, 3, Anyone who feeds you addictive chemicals is not your friend, 4, They pay their workers poorly, 5. They force their workers to dress and act like slave. But I feel some economic fallacies behind this particular article, for arguing their CEO earns too much, or their workers deserve more money is ludicrous. The wor kers are being paid for their services; it's not an easy Job to be the CEO.However, Struck as one of the most successful company in the world, they must have their reasons to be so persuasive, and make people love it. According to the Article â€Å"5 Reasons Why Struck Is so persuasive† The author wrote about his thoughts on why Struck Is so persuasive without any advertising on television or magazines. Reason 1 – They create an experience when you walk Into a store; 2 – The baristas and others who work here really seem to enjoy their Jobs; 3 – Something that stands out about Struck Is how easily recognizable Its cups are; 4 – the convenience of Struck app; 5- The convenience of drive through service Marketing Creating and Capturing Customer Value Yoking Chem.. Struck is the coffee icon people either love it, hate it, need it, or you wouldn't be caught dead there. Among the reasons to love: Struck gave us coffee language † or shamed us into it, depending on who you ask † turned the masses into espresso junkies and offers travelers a constant presence all over the world. Among the reasons to hate Struck: It's making us fatter, turned espresso drinks into fast food and gave us its own coffee language. According to the article at the washcloth. Mom, † reasons why I hate Struck†, the author wrote the 5 reasons are 1, Overpriced products, 2, Their marketing angle is to appeal to vain rich people, 3, Anyone who feeds you addictive chemicals is not your friend, 4, They pay their workers poorly, 5. They force their workers to dress and act like slave. But I feel some economic fallacies behind this particular article, for arguing their CEO earns too much, or their workers deserve more money is ludicrous. The wor kers are being paid for their services; it's not an easy Job to be the CEO.However, Struck as one of the most successful company in the world, they must have their reasons to be so persuasive, and make people love it. According to the Article â€Å"5 Reasons Why Struck Is so persuasive† The author wrote about his thoughts on why Struck Is so persuasive without any advertising on television or magazines. Reason 1 – They create an experience when you walk Into a store; 2 – The baristas and others who work here really seem to enjoy their Jobs; 3 – Something that stands out about Struck Is how easily recognizable Its cups are; 4 – the convenience of Struck app; 5- The convenience of drive through service

Family Planning Essay

Introduction Family planning is the planning of when to have children, and the use of birth control and other techniques to implement such plans. Other techniques commonly used include sexuality education, prevention and management of sexually transmitted infections, pre-conception counseling] and management, and infertility management. Family planning is choosing the number of children in a family and the length of time between their births. When you start searching for options in family planning, it’s important to understand all of your choices and which might be best for you. When you’d like to postpone a pregnancy, artificial and natural methods of family planning can help you do so. Also, if you’re ready to plan a pregnancy, it’s important that you have the knowledge to maximize your chances for conception. Family planning is the voluntary planning and action taken by individuals to prevent, delay or achieve a pregnancy. Family planning services include counseling and education, preconception care, screening and laboratory tests, and family planning methods. Family planning methods include abstinence, natural family planning and all FDA approved methods of contraception including hormonal contraception and contraceptive supplies such as condoms, diaphragms and intrauterine devices. It is a fundamental aspect of enhancing the health outcomes of women and children. There are many family planning options ranging from contraception and birth control to abstinence and other natural methods to the latest medical technology breakthroughs. Rationale Family planning is method of rationally deciding the size of your family. Using family-planning methods can help decide how large your family should be as well as how long to wait in between children and how to avoid unwanted pregnancies. Proper, non-coercive, science-based family planning can help you create a family that meets your needs and wants. Access to effective methods of birth control is an important component of family-planning services. A healthy relationship between two partners generally includes periodic sex. Having sex may result in pregnancy. Helpful family planning should allow you access to safe and efficient methods of birth control. An ideal form of birth control should be easy to use, have minimal side effects, reduce transmission of disease and be easily reversible. Family-planning workers may distribute condoms, fit a woman for an IUD or give her birth-control pills. Family planning can help you limit the size of your family. Families with more children may struggle financially and emotionally. Parents may not be able to provide each child with adequate resources such as access to educational opportunities. A family-planning worker can help you decide how large you would like your family and help you find methods to achieve that goal. Read more: Rationale of Family Planning | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_5403126_rationale-family-planning.html#ixzz2KRvrvU4l Read more: Rationale of Family Planning | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_5403126_rationale-family-planning.html#ixzz2KRvkT2X4 Objectives Goals in family planning should include balancing the desire for children with emotional, physical and financial needs. Or, if you do not wish to have children, it’s important to recognize this and plan accordingly. Significance of the Study This study will show clearly the effects of Family Planning on the people of our Brgy Basing Binmaley and Brgy. Patayac Sta. Barbara. The importance of this Study is to provide information to government and educate the people on the need to control birthrate, and will also assist husbands and wives to enjoy sex without unwanted Pregnancies, to help to space their children well and conveniently too; to limit the size of individual family to suit economic state. It also helps to reduce the possibility of health dangers through frequent birth and benefits to teenagers to prevent unwanted pregnancies instead of preventing child births through abortion and also on their choice of methods of contraceptives which will be effective for their age group. Scope and Limitations This present study is focused on â€Å"Effect of Family Planning† This study on â€Å"Effect of Family Planning â€Å" will used 10 respondents compressing of selected Family in our Barangay in Basing Binmaley and Barangay Patayac Sta. Barbara Pangasinan, where the researchers are living. The research subjects will answer the prepared questionnaires. II. Methodology / Research Method There are many options for family planning out there, and it is confusing to sort through all of them. Each one has different effectiveness ratings, but some are more comfortable (for some people) than others. Reading through a simple breakdown of all of the family planning methods available will help you weed out the ones you are not interested in, so you can go about researching just the ones that are of interest to you. Read more: Different Family Planning Methods | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/facts_4866824_different-family-planning-methods.html#ixzz2KS3dngqt

Nontraditional and Traditional Litigation Paper Essay

Nontraditional and Traditional Litigation Paper - Essay Example It is not in their good will, especially if they lose the case. This can result in loss of customers, which is destructive for the business. It takes years to build reputation, but one dispute brought into the court and published in the newspaper, will prove to be fatal for the organization’s name. Also, the litigation process may, at times, take years to end. Such a long court process requires millions of dollars to be paid as legal fee. This weighs heavily on the organizations’ budgets. Alan Price and HRM Guide Network contributors (2011, para.1) discuss a report, Fight, Flight, or Fact It, which states that â€Å"the average British employee is spending more than two hours a week dealing with conflict. This adds up to the loss of more than 370 million working days a year, costing UK employers more than  £24 billion.† This shows that workplace conflict costs too much even when the cases are not brought into the court. We can imagine what it will cost when law suits are filed, and the dispute takes years to settle down. The regular business operations of the disputed parties also get disturbed. In contrast, Alternative dispute resolutions (ADR) prove to be a more appropriate measure of dispute resolution for business managers. In negotiation, parties try to reach an agreeable solution to resolve the dispute. In arbitration, a third party is chosen to listen to the disputed parties and solve the dispute. This third party, which is also called the arbitrator, belongs to the American Arbitration Association (AAA) or some other arbitration association. Mediation is another fruitful method in which a neutral third party intervention is sought for reconciliation between individuals or groups. Moore (1996, p.15) defines mediation as, â€Å"an intervention †¦ of an acceptable third party who has limited or no authoritative decision-making power but who assists

Response to Changing Perspective of Service in Financial Services Research Proposal

Response to Changing Perspective of Service in Financial Services Sector - Research Proposal Example The FSA has announced several measures to improve corporate governance in the financial services sector. The objective of these regulations is to increase the confidence level of the consumers about the working of the companies, taking into account the financial and non-financial aspects. Financial Services Act 1986 has been replaced by the Financial Services and Market Act 2000 with a view to tightening the controls on the financial services industry... d Market Act 2000 with a view to tightening the controls on the financial services industry, and the Financial Services Authority (FSA) exercises the statutory powers derived from this act. It is increasingly felt that the business model is based on incentives and the role of the independent financial advisors from the investors' protection point of view has become questionable. According to FSA (2010) Retail Distribution Review (RDR), launched in 2006 aims to address the problems inherent in the retail investment market, and is expected to be implemented by 2012 for regulating the sale of retail financial services such as life assurance, pensions, long term savings, and fund management, and it has a profound impact on the operations of the bigger players in the industry like Aviva. Aviva is the biggest insurance group in the UK and it is the world's sixth largest company in the insurance industry with market leadership in general insurance, fire insurance, pension, long term savings and fund management with worldwide operations. The regulatory issues are multifarious and as diversified as the industry.     

Final Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Italian Immigrant Families and Aboriginal Families in Canada - Essay Example Original subcultures give a family a sense of belonging and enhance the process of socialization through which parents can instill the values, beliefs, and attitudes of their children. Both Italian and aboriginal families are forced to live in poor urban shanties because of lack of acceptance and poverty levels in Canada. For Italians, the family is a resourceful and dynamic structure that is forced to compromise because of the different demands in the bicultural and bilingual Canadian setting. To adapt the two cultures and survive in Canada, the family is forced to adopt cultural and linguistic aspects and develops a synthetic culture made up of cultural elements from both societies (Colalillo 120). On the other hand, the Aborigine family has refused to let go of their traditional cultural systems to maintain their identity. However, they find it hard to maintain their lifestyle and customs because of aggravating poverty and lack of government support. Most of them were moved to res erve lands during the colonial era and despite the resettlement treaties signed by the government, they have remained refugees in their homeland. In the reserves, the aborigines families are isolated, have insufficient wildlife and natural resources, and government funding for subsistence. Literature indicates Italians immigrant families have experienced alienation that has led to breaking of families, disruptions of family life as laid down by the Italian culture and moved to unfamiliar territories. In addition, sociologists indicate that Italian immigrant families in Canada are forced to live in urban villages and never get an opportunity to be fully integrated into Canadian society (Colalillo, 123). Experts say that literature on assimilation and integration creates conflicts between children and their parents when they criticize parents for being left the ethnic ghetto. The effort to assimilate attempts to remove cultural baggage (Italian culture) and quantifies the gains of the second generation. On the other hand, Over the years, the literature indicates that the aboriginal people have undergone suffering and poverty because of their adamant to get rid of their nomadic cultural system. In Canadian society, aborigines are stereotyped and their relationship with other communities is tainted by mutual mistrust and misunderstanding. Long during the colonization period, the state of Canada tried to eliminate the aboriginal culture through the use of discriminatory laws that were aimed at assimilating them. Because of the state of poverty and government alienation, the aborigines have been forced to move to urban centers and states show that their population is one of the fast growing in the Canadian urban centers. However, because of the lack of basic survival skills, most of them are forced to enlarge in crime to support their families. Moreover, the community's poverty makes it vulnerable to victimization and assault sexually and physically. The statistics report indicates that the bringing families living in urban centers are likely to be poor, with an estimation of more than 80% of their children being raised in poverty-stricken families.

Impact and Outcomes of Effectual Risk Based Planning Applications Essay

Impact and Outcomes of Effectual Risk Based Planning Applications - Essay Example Broad policy alternatives and a process of restructuring the existing practices have to be adopted in order to overcome the present impasse. I advocate a local level policy shift rather than a Federal level overhaul. Public administration consists of non-profit governmental institutions that form the bulk of a country’s administrative system. The process of planning at institutional level might require a cohesive and articulate strategy with a particular focus on existing inadequacies of the system. Non-profit public sector institutions operate on the principle of public welfare at the grassroots. However, there is an imbalance in these institutions when it comes to efficient management processes and institutional structures. Ill-defined targets often serve as hurdles that have to be surmounted even before the project is started. Project risk perception and management is another such area in which both leadership and intelligence are lacking. It is imperative to question the unprivileged immunity from public scrutiny that is almost taken for granted by local level administrators whose attitudes have, over the years, been conducive to producing negative outcomes in the sphere of public adm inistration. Causal factors include a host of fallacious assumptions too. Risk has a variety of meanings and senses that defy our articulation or assessment capabilities. Therefore in risk-based planning process there can be no perfection or certainty in determining a set of variables that impact on the planning process and the eventual outcomes. Both endogenous and exogenous variables impact on these outcomes, irrespective of our hypothetical presumptions on what shape those outcomes should take. Community or county level administration might seek to exert pressure on Federal bodies to facilitate legislation that cohort principles of public choice theory. For instance the Risk-Based Homeland Security Grants Act

Me experience from the Engineering management Essay

Me experience from the Engineering management - Essay Example Most engineering companies or engineers emphasize more on technical ability as the most important requirement; this is good but, for success in the engineering professional, technical ability should be accompanied by management and leadership skills. An engineer with no ability to influence other people, manage priorities and make good decisions might not realize his full potential; this is because the technical skill does not contribute a lot to team management. Sometimes engineering with technical skill and no management and leadership skills are forced to go for training in leadership skills, presentation skills, communication skills and business skills; therefore, the executive management supports the training. This experience has taught me that to compete in the engineering profession; I should not only sharpen my technical skills but also leadership and management skills. In any profession, one must work together with others to attain the goals set by the organization; therefor e, teamwork is crucial; this means that any one joining engineering profession should be ready to work together with other engineers and technical experts, and this calls for teamwork. Teamwork calls for trust, because lack of trust hinders teamwork, after my second year, I had an experience in Engineering design group with an NGO; this program was meant to empower the urban youth and artisans economically. This project required teamwork; the university students had to team up with the urban artisans to come up with effective machines for the production of briquettes. During this program, acquired skills on communication, coordination with others, sharing of information, listening to other people opinions and understanding others; am willing to keep this experience with me and improve on the skills learnt by experiencing other teams. All teams are not the same because of different team members and tasks; therefore, it will be good for me to engage with many different groups and lear n more on how to be effective in teams. This will help me to have vast knowledge on teamwork, and compete well in the job market as a graduate. There are also university projects, which require student involvements, this projects are done in teams, and I would not waste this chance with good avenues for developing teamwork skills. Students are people we will combine efforts in the same field or even rivals, and working with them will give me a different experience of cooperating with people on the same level and with different views. This will help me to know how people with the same level of education take issue and their contribution and general behavior. This will give me an idea of what I expect from people in the same profession. Sometimes engineers do not realize how much they lose by not having management skills; most engineering firms are headed by people who have done business and management courses, while those with who have done engineering courses are left to head only d epartments in the firm. It is time for engineers to wake and work on their management skills for them to take up those big positions in big engineering firms. I want to be more competitive when applying for a job in engineering firms and other related firms; immediately after graduating with bachelors in engineering, I will enroll for a diploma in management; this is to equip myself with management skills through training. A diploma in management and a degree in engineering will give me a better chance to get management positions in engineering firms; this is when compared to my fellow graduates with only a bachelors degree. Apart from gaining top management positions, engineers always head projects in a firm, one need to be able to organize resources of both time money and human force to attain the goal of

Strategic management developement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Strategic management developement - Essay Example All these resources may become useless unless the organization formulate suitable strategies to exploit it. For example, Apple Inc was on the verge of destruction in 80’s and 90’s because of the loop holes in the strategic management of its business. However, Steve Jobs changed the business strategies of Apple Inc during the latter part of 90’s and at the beginning of 2000. The transformation of Apple Company from a computer company to a consumer electronics company has brought huge success. At present, Apple Inc. is the second largest company in the world in terms of market capitalization and they are the most valuable technology company in the world. At the same time, Microsoft was the leader in IT industry until a couple of years before. Same thing cannot be said about them now. Samsung is another company which was successful in developing suitable business strategies to increase its competitive power in global market. In short, strategic management of busines s is the most important topic in the organizational world at present. This paper analyses various theories with respect to strategic management in general and Porters five Forces Model theory in specific. General Discussion: Strategic Management â€Å"Good strategy is about letting alone and about creating the conditions of innovative adaptations† (Robert and Holt, 2009, p.56). Innovation is the key for organizational success. In the absence of innovative strategies, organizations may struggle to survive in the heavily competitive business world. As mentioned earlier, Apple Inc. is one company which showed the importance of innovation to the business world recently. It should be noted that Nokia was the leader in the mobile phone industry until recent times. They thought that nobody can question their supremacy in the mobile phone industry. Apple proved Nokia wrong. When all the traditional mobile phone manufacturing companies thought about enhancing the features of mobile ph ones, Apple thought differently and developed the touchscreen phone. The entry of iPhone in the mobile phone market caused huge problems to mobile phone manufacturers including Nokia. At present Apple is one among the top two mobile phone manufacturers in the world. In fact Nokia and other mobile phone manufacturers forced to follow the path of Apple. According to De Wit and Meyer (2010), â€Å"the four components of strategy are market opportunity, corporate competence and resources, personal values and aspirations and acknowledged obligations to segments of society other than stakeholders (p.76). Sustainable business practice is gaining grounds at present. It is impossible for modern organizations to excel in the market without showing commitments to corporate social responsibility. Companies which follow unethical business behaviours are blacklisted by the modern consumers. The reputation and brand image of the company is important things for the modern consumers. In short, ethi cal business practices are part of strategic business management at present. â€Å"Since the world is changing rapidly, we can also expect the firm’s strategy to do so. This may involve developing new bases of competitive advantage or completely new lines of business†(Fitzroy and Hulbert, 2004, p.5). Diversification of business is one of the major elements in strategic management. It should be noted that competition is increasing day by day in global market after the introduction of globalization. Along with existing players, new players are also

National budget deficit and sources for its financing Dissertation

National budget deficit and sources for its financing - Dissertation Example Data Collection†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.12 c. Analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.14 V. DISCUSSION†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.16 a. Major Patterns†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.18 b. Relationships†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..19 c. Elements Underlying the Patterns†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦26 d. The Connection to the Original Question†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦26 e. The Implications of this Research†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.28 f. A Discussion of Security†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..28 g. Conclusions Derived From the Research and Discussion About Security†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦.40 VI. CONCLUSION†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.43 VII. ... national budget to grow continually. I. INTRODUCTION (200 words) Indeed, one might wonder whether the U.S. has made a Faustian bargain with China in order to keep its wheels turning. In order to perpetuate the huge political machine and superpower that is the United States, the U.S. made such a deal. â€Å"Faust, in the legend, traded his soul to the devil  in exchange for knowledge. To ‘strike a Faustian bargain’ is to be willing to sacrifice anything to satisfy a limitless desire for knowledge or power† (â€Å"Faustian Bargain,† 2011, pgh. 1). Has the United States sold out its livelihood in order to buy cheap goods from China? It will be argued here that this merits to be true—and that the consequences could be horrible. The United States is one of the greatest superpowers on earth and yet it has two deficits which are absolutely staggering. What is perhaps most troubling, however, is the national budget deficit. Here it will be attempted to exp lain why the U.S. continually spends in order to buy goods from China, China’s willingness in selling products to the U.S., and any kind of relationship that the U.S. and China share which have made their trading part of business as usual in an ever-expanding market. II. LITERATURE REVIEW (1000 words) One of the major problems that is currently being dealt with is a national budget deficit crisis that will not go away. Not only that, but Republicans and Democrats—the two major parties in the U.S.—are divided as to how to go about cutting the national budget deficit. â€Å"With Congress stalemated over trimming a $1.6 trillion U.S. budget deficit, House Republicans [are pushing]†¦the ‘YouCut’ program[, which will] trim Congress’s expenses by printing

Predictive Validity Results for Assessment Centers and Face to Face Interviews Essay Example for Free

Predictive Validity Results for Assessment Centers and Face to Face Interviews Essay Introduction:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One the greatest challenges for any Human Resources Department in any corporation lie in determining whether or not an interviewee is suitable for the job opening that is available.   A lot of companies invest a large amount of capital to upgrade the selection and hiring procedures to ensure that the proper individuals are hired (Delery and Kacmar 1998). In line with these hiring procedures, many tests have been implemented to improve on the reliability of the HR processes that are involved (Delery and Kacmar 1998).   Traditional methods of testing involved face to face interviews which were considered as reliable in determining whether or not a particular individual was well suited for a certain job or an organization (Arce-Ferrer 2003).   More recently, however, more and more firms are basing their HR practices on more reliable tests and indicators such as the Predictive Validity of Assessment Centers. There has been a lot of controversy regarding the predictive validity results of assessment centers as opposed to face to face interviews.   Much of this has been based around the findings that the Predictive Validity for Assessment Centers is much higher than that of Face to Face Interviews (Moruzi and Norman 2002).   This short discourse will discuss the theory that the Predictive Validity for Assessment Centers is much greater than Face to Face Interviews.   In order to arrive at a better understanding of this issue, it is important to first discuss the meaning of Predictive Validity. Predictive Validity:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Predictive validity, as understood in the field of psychometrics, is defined as the extent that a certain scale is able to predict the scores with regard to criterion measures.   It is essentially a measurement of the degree of agreement among different results that have been collected through the use of direct and non-biased testing procedures (Arce-Ferrer 2003).   This predictive validity is almost always quantified by the correlation coefficients taken between the two (2) sets of measurements that have been collected from a homogenous target population. Important to the understanding of predictive validity is the concept of correlation coefficient which is basically an indication of the level of linear relationship that exists between two (2) variables.   The value of the correlation coefficient always lies between -1 and +1.   A result of -1 means that there exists a perfect negative relationship, while a +1 value indicates the exact opposite, which is that a perfect positive linear relationship exists.   0 means that there is no linear relationship between the variables (Arce-Ferrer 2003).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A perfect example of the use of predictive validity is during job performance tests that are geared toward assessing the competency of a certain individual with respect to predetermined job tasks.   In job recruiting instances such as these, a group of 100 applicants[1] are tested.   After a certain span of time, an assessment comes out.   This assessment is based on a quantitative scale that has been evaluated by their superiors and co-workers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This results in 100 pairs of results – a single pair for every employee.   The first set is the scores that are obtained prior to hiring and the second set is from the assessment of competent experts after a certain period of time.   The reasonable quantitative measure of predictive validity is shown by the value of the correlation coefficient that has been obtained.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It has been said that predictive validity has certain similarities to other validity tests such as concurrent validity.   Both of these tests measure the correlations between test results and a certain criteria measure.   The reason why predictive validity is selected despite its similarities to other validity tests is because it is able to provide more beneficial information and data (Arce-Ferrer 2003).   This is because predictive validity tests have been found to exhibit a greater fidelity in the context of real situations wherein the test is going to be utilized.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Like many other aspects of social sciences, the results obtained from the correlations in a predictive validity test are not exceptionally high.   It has been found that the typical predictive validity data for certain employment tests only yield a correlation of approximately r=0.35 (Arce-Ferrer 2003).   Nevertheless, such a result can still lead to substantial benefits for the companies who utilize such a test. Face to Face Interviews:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The utilization of Face to Face interviews has been cited as controversial in not only employment situations but also in other fields such as college admissions.   It has been said that these interviews derail the selection process because of the lack of validity and for its lack of reliable evidence (Moruzi and Norman 2002).   One of the reasons for this is that Face to Face interviews often yield a lower predictive validity value as compared to other tests such as the Assessment Centers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Face to Face Interviews often involve a careful selection process among many applicants and potential employees.   It usually consists of a very detailed conversation with regard to a set of predetermined issues that serve to identify certain abilities of the individual being interviewed (Delery and Kacmar 1998).   In certain cases, in order to improve the accuracy of such a test, the participants are narrowed down to certain specifics to be able to reach an accurate representative of a certain population (Gehrlein, Dipboye and Shahani 1993).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The diverse amount of information that can be obtained from Face to Face Interviews makes it ideal in certain circumstances.   This method has been found to be particularly useful in gathering information that is not typically ascertainable through other methods (Moruzi and Norman 2002).   As such, the reliability of this type of test is compromised with regard to the predictive validity value because of the lack of objectivity that has been found to occur frequently during Face to Face Interviews. Assessment Centers:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Assessment centers are generally defined as a process by which a certain group of individuals are given a series of work related exercises and tests.   The purpose of these tests is to enable the experts to determine the abilities, skills, traits and other character details of the participants (Delery and Kacmar 1998).   The trained experts employed to conduct these tests are tasked with the evaluation of each individual against certain predetermined criteria.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are many different methods of assessment that are currently used in practice today.   These tests include interviews, in-tray exercises, presentations, group activities, work simulation tasks, group dynamics and at times even role-plays (Holling and Reiners 1995).   While not all of the Assessment Centers conduct all of these tests, a great number have resorted to a combination of a majority of the aforementioned assessment practices.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As a method of selection and recruitment in companies, Assessment Centers are regularly utilized for its ability to provide consistent, unbiased and objective results.   Ã‚  The recognized downside to this, however, is the fact that assessment centers are very capital intensive for companies to maintain and therefore means that those who are subjected to assessments must already exhibit a great degree of potential for the company (Holling and Reiners 1995).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The broad range of methods used by Assessment Centers has made it suitable for use in selection, hiring and even promotion of personnel.   A number of studies have consistently maintained that Assessment Centers are regularly able to meet such requirements as reliability, objectivity and predictive validity (Holling and Reiners 1995).   With correlation coefficient values ranging from r=0.30 and r=0.40, the utility of Assessment Centers have allowed companies to come up with a reliable method for personnel management (Holling and Reiners 1995).   This relatively high predictive validity value has been attributed to the fact that most of the indicators of future job performance are not made to depend upon a subjective assessment. Advantages and Disadvantages:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Before comparing Face to Face Interviews and Assessment Centers, it is important to first discuss the advantages and disadvantage of each of these methods as HR functions.   This discussion will begin with the advantages and disadvantages of Face to Face Interviews and proceed to a discussion on the same topics with regard to Assessment Centers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Advocates of Face to Face Interviews have often cited that this process has many beneficial applications for HR functions.   One of the reasons given is that Face to Face Interviews often provide information about non-cognitive criteria that are usually regarded as crucial to success. The ability of Face to Face Interviews to provide information that is usually not obtained in other tests gives it a distinct advantage over objective methods design to elicit very specific criteria (Li, Canada and Lim 2000). Another important advantage of Face to Face Interviews comes from the fact that it allows for a systematic review of certain criteria or information that the individual has provided.   The Face to Face Interview process means that there are more opportunities to tackle certain issues that cannot be raised in Assessment Center practices.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On the other hand, Face to Face Interviews have been criticized for the subjectivity factor that contributes to errors from multiple sources (Holling and Reiners 1995).   This in turn affects the Predictive Validity of such a method.   It has also been shown in studies that use the Face to Face Interview process in college admission programs that the predictive validity is widely unknown.   Other have also criticized these Face to Face interviews for being less efficient and even more costly as compared to the other alternatives that exists such as standardized objective exams and the like.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Assessment Centers justify their relatively significant Predictive Validity ratings on the objectivity and reliability of the results obtained.   A fairly great number of individual studies that have been conducted on the objectivity of Assessment Centers have shown that the Predictive Validity of Assessment Center Procedures studies lie within the range of r=0.30 to r=0.40 (Holling and Reiners 1995).  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In addition to this, the â€Å"social validity† that assessment centers have has met the demand for the other qualities that are essential to the personnel selection process. In most Assessment Center practices, information on certain details with regard to the workplace and the company are made available to participants, while management, on the other hand, participates in the development and use of selection instruments (Holling and Reiners 1995).   This results in the implementation of processes and leads to conclusions that are transparent for both the participant and the management.   The effect of this is that it leads to a relatively easier communication system for the parties involved. These advantages are what make Assessment Centers highly acceptable to both the participants and HR in relation to personnel selection within companies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The greatest disadvantage to Assessment Centers as argued by critics lies in the finding that the objectivity of the methods are compromised due to the involvement of management and employees in the design of the Assessment Center procedures (Holling and Reiners 1995).   As such, there can be no objectivity with regard to the results because the preconceived notions of the desired qualities for the applicants play heavily in the selection of potential employees as assessors.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another issue is with regard to the performance criteria that are utilized in Assessment Centers.   The Predictive Validity of the Assessment Center is subjected to influences in relation to the norms, values and preconceptions of management (Holling and Reiners 1995).   This criterion contamination effect often leads to over estimates in Predictive Validity results (Holling and Reiners 1995). Link between Face to Face Interviews and Assessment Centers:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The link that exists between Face to Face Interviews and Assessment Centers revolves around the practicality of such practices in light of Human Resource Procedures for Corporations.   The determination of the selection and hiring of individuals is often an expensive process for most companies (Cherwitz 2004, 2005).   Due to this financial concern, a number of companies are torn between conducting face to face interviews and organizing assessment centers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Clearly, the reliability that Assessment Centers provide makes it an ideal choice over Face to Face Interviews for most companies.   The lack of objectivity of Face to Face Interviews, as shown in the previous section, makes it difficult to ascertain the reliability of such a test (Cherwitz 2004, 2005).   Although it does offer additional information that cannot be obtained through other methods, the usefulness only lends partial viability for the utilization of this model.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Assessment Centers, on the other hand, allow the companies to have a more reliable view of the potential employee.   This allows companies to predict to a more accurate degree whether or not a certain individual would be a perfect fit in the organization.   It also allows companies to estimate to a reasonable degree the success of such person within the organization.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It must be noted, however, that a lot of the research done in this field has led to certain changes in HR functions.   The ever growing reliance by management on verifiable statistics and tests has led to an adaptation of certain measures to improve the validity of such findings (Hough 1998).   As such, while Assessment Centers are clearly shown here as more reliable given the greater Predictive Validity ratings that it consistently obtain, the presence of newer and more reliable techniques could tip the scales in other directions (Hough 1998). Conclusion: While face to face interviews can be incorporated in most Assessment Centers, the issue of reliability and objectivity still comes into play.   As has been shown in the advantages and disadvantages section of this discussion, the benefits that a company can derive from organizing Assessment Centers far outweigh those of Face to Face Interviews.   The only concern, however, is the financial burden that such a program can cause for a company.   Given the benefits that can be acquired from the implementation of this HR function, however, it is clear that Assessment Centers yield more promise than Face to Face Interviews. In the advent of globalization and the presence of an ever competitive global market, the relevance of such a finding is crucial.   Companies can effectively allocate the resources that they have to obtain results that are quantifiable and verifiable.   The investment in sound personnel policies such as an Assessment Center ensures that the companies that employ such HR functions can remain competitive in the global markets of today.          References: Arce-Ferrer, A., Ketherer, J. (2003). The effect of scale tailoring for cross-cultural application on scale reliability and construct validity. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 63(3), 484-501. Cherwitz, R. (2004). Capitalizing on unintended consequences: Lessons on diversity from Texas. Peer Review, 6, 33-35. Cherwitz, R. (2005). Diversifying graduate education: The promise of intellectual entrepreneurship. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 4, 19-33. Delery, J., Kacmar, K. (1998). The influence of applicant and interviewer characteristics on the use of impression management. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 28, 1649-1669. Gehrlein, T., Dipboye, R., Shahani, C. (1993). Nontraditional validity calculations and differential interviewer experience. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 53(2), 457-469. Hills, J. (1971). Use of measurement in selection and placement. In R. L. Thorndike (Ed.), Educational measurement (2nd ed., pp. 680-732). Washington, DC: American Council of Education. Holling, Heinz and Reiners, Wolfram (1995) Predicting Job Success with the Assessment Center: Validity or Artifact? Westfalische Wilhels-University Munster, Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Hough, L. M. (1998). Personality at work: Issues and evidence. In M. Hakel (Ed.), Beyond multiple choice: Evaluating alternatives to traditional testing for selection (pp. 131-166). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Li, C., Canada, R., Lim, M. (2000). A review of admission procedures of counselor education programs. The Alabama Counseling Association Journal, 26(2), 33-40. Moruzi, C., Norman, G. (2002). Validity of admission measures in predicting performance outcomes: The contribution of cognitive and non-cognitive dimensions. Teaching and Learning in Medicine, 14(1), 34-42. [1] For purposes of this discussion the figure 100 will be used.   This does not signify that 100 is always the base number required for conducting predictive validity tests.

Gender Differences In The Experience Of Body Image Psychology Essay

Gender Differences In The Experience Of Body Image Psychology Essay Gender differences in the experience of body image dissatisfaction and eating disorders Although in the past decades psychologists have conducted little research on males and body image, it has only been within the past 10-15 years that adequate studies have been completed (Cafri et al., 2005). As asserted by Kevin Thompson, Leslie Heinberg, Madeline Altabe and Stacey Tantleff-Dun (1999) most research pertaining to body image has been dominated by females, focusing on the female ideal for thinness, and predicting the development of eating disorders (McCreary, 2007). New research on males reveals that body image and eating disorder concerns are not limited to only females (Olivardia, 2000). Do males and females experience body image dissatisfaction and eating disorders the same? Through comparisons of studies of females and males with body image dissatisfaction and eating disorder it is argued that there is less than a difference in than popularly perceived. There are several sources for body image dissatisfaction (BID), but the most influential is the media exposure of women and men to cultural ideals that are often unattainable (Dalley, Buunk, Umit, 2009). Simon Dalley, Abraham Buunk and Turual Umit (2009) assert that media exposure is a form of social comparison that is spontaneous, effortless and unintentional. Self evaluation is created through contrast with the target, which are thinner media images. Kevin Thompson and Leslie Heinberg (1999) affirm that although there are individual variations in the internalization of the media pressures, investigations show that the media is a significant factor developing eating disorders. Eating disorders are classified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition, (DSM IV-TR1) as syndromes characterized by disturbances in eating behaviour, accompanied by grief /extreme concern about body shape and or weight, which are sub-categorized by anorexia nervosa, bulimi a and eating disorders not otherwise specified (Levenson, 2005). Eating disorders commonly occur in industrial cultures where there is access to food and thinness is considered attractive. Due to globalization, eating disorders are quickly spreading around the world, but they are most common in predominately Caucasian developed nations such as United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa (Fairburn Harrison, 2003). Body Image Dissatisfaction in Females Body image dissatisfaction is a significant predictor of eating behaviours in females (Dalley, Bunnk Umit, 2009). Although there are several sources that create body image dissatisfaction (BID), the most influential is the media which exposes women to cultural thin ideals that are often unattainable. While there are individual differences that influence that impact of exposure to thin ideals, many researchers have concluded that there is a distinct correlation between thin media exposure and female BID (Dalley, Bunnk Umit, 2009). Kimberly Vaughan and Gregory Fouts (2003) reported that the â€Å"ultra-slender ideal-body image† that is depicted within media texts is 15% below the weight of an average woman, and 90% of female models are below average weight. Combined with the unrealistically thin ideals represented by female models, digital enhancement of images adds to unattainable standards. Sonia Tucci and Jennifer Peters (2008) noted that high levels of body dissatisfactio n are associated with emotional distress, appearance rumination and cosmetic surgery. In a study conducted at the University of Liverpool of female students between the ages of 18 and 25 years it was found that exposure to thin-ideals in media images reduces body satisfaction scores (Tucci Peters, 2008). The opposite was found when the same participants were exposed to images of larger models, resulting in an increase of body satisfaction scores. Tucci and Peters (2008) additionally found that eating disorders, the drive for thinness and body dissatisfaction increased after the subjects were shown thin images. â€Å"Fat talk† is a notable subject in discussing body image dissatisfaction. As first suggested by Mimi Nichter (2000), â€Å"fat talk† is the tendency of females to belittle their bodies by claiming they are fat, even when it is not true. Although Nichter (2000) describes the social value of fat talk as a way for girls to bond through socially expected gender roles (dieting, weight loss and the pre-occupation of the body), â€Å"fat talk† creates body image dissatisfaction regardless of the initial reason for engaging (Tuckers, Martz, Curtin Bazzini, 2007). Katheryn Tucker, Denise Martz, Lisa Curtin and Doris Bazzinis (2007) study of south-eastern American university female students, found that personal body image dissatisfaction is influenced by the social norms of â€Å"fat talk†. These findings suggest that regardless of actual body image dissatisfaction, there is a normative unhappiness of body size in women, which further is increased by the pres sure to perform â€Å"fat talk†. Eating Disorders in Females Nancy Moses, Mansour-Max Banilivy and Fima Lifshitz (1989) conducted a study that examined the perception of weight, dieting and nutrition among adolescent high school girls in comparison to their body weight. The subjects reported a high concern with obesity regardless of their current body weight and nutrition knowledge. Over half of the underweight (anthropometric measured) sub-category of females (51%) described themselves as having an extreme fear of being overweight. The underweight category also reported having a pre-occupation with body fat (36%). Although normal and overweight girls were better able to perceive their actual body weight for height, the frequency of reported binge eating, and vomiting behaviours was similar among all three groups (underweight, normal weight and overweight). Moses, Banilivy and Lifshitz (1989) concluded that a fear of obesity and eating disorders were common amongst adolescent girls despite of body weight and knowledge of nutrition. Eating disorders are also evident in women attending college. Dean Krahn, Candance Kurth, Edith Gomberg and Adam Drewnowski (2005), reported that due to the intensity and frequency of college women dieting behaviour, two-thirds are at risk for eating disorders. A study conducted at a large Midwestern university of 324 female students concluded that a high proportion (49%) of subjects report binge eating, and/or compensatory behaviours such as excessive exercise at least once a week (Berg, Frazier Sherr, 2009). Non-purging compensatory behaviours (excessive exercise and fasting) are the most common form of eating disorder behaviours. Kelly Berg, Patricia Frazier and Laura Sherr (2009) also established that there are high rates of binge eating amongst female students but in contrast, purging behaviours (vomiting, laxative use, diuretics) were executed less frequently. Very little research has examined sexual orientation in a relation to eating disorders in females. i) Body Image Dissatisfaction in Males Unlike females desire to obtain thinness, men experience anguish when they perceive their body to be underweight (Olivardia, Pope, Borowiecki Cohane, 2004). Roberto Olivardia (2007) found that the male desire is to obtain a lean muscular physique (mesomorphic body type), which is produced by Western ideals (McCreary, 2007). In a study conducted by Christopher Ochner, James Gray and Katrina Brickner (2009) of male students attending a Mid-Atlantic college, it was found that body dissatisfaction was present in the male population through the desire for an increase in muscle gain (86%), as measured by the Male Body Dissatisfaction Scale. While much of the sample wanted to gain more muscle, 34% also wanted to gain weight, and 31% wanted to lose weight. Only 34% of the subjects were happy with their current weight (Ochner, Gray Brickner, 2009). In order to obtain a muscular physique with little body fat men engage in such practices as steroid use, ephedrine use, and dieting (Cafri et a l., 2005). The use of illicit anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) is reported to be between 3% to 12% of American adolescent males. A study conducted at examining legal steroids, also known as prohormones revealed that the lifetime use is 4.5% in adolescent males (Cafri, Thompson Yesalis, 2004). Harrison Pope, Amanda Gruber, Precilla Choi, Roberto Olivardia and Katharine Phillips (1997) make known a form of body dysmorphic disorder called â€Å"muscle dysmorphia†. Men who suffer from muscle dysmorphia are concerned that they are not large or muscular enough. In order to create a desirable physique, men participate in obsessive weight lifting and dieting, which still does not eliminate the distress of being too small (Pope et al., 1997). Precilla Choi, Harrison Pope and Roberto Olivardia (2002) conducted a small sample of weightlifters with and without muscle dysmorphic disorder. The men with muscle dsymorphic disorder reported significantly higher body image dissatisfaction, a s well as reporting frequent thoughts about their muscularity, and missed social opportunities for working out (Choi, Pope Olivardia, 2002). Men commented on concealing their appearances through clothing, checking mirrors and the use of steroids, all contributing to the experience of body dissatisfaction through body dysmorphic disorder (Choi, Pope Olivardia, 2002). Eating Disorders in Males Previously noted research in male body image is a relatively new area; the same pertains to eating disorders. Daniel Carlat, Carlos Camargo, and David Herzog (1997) assert that information on eating disorders in males inadequate and often restricted to small cases studies. Although research is restricted, eating disorders are not unusual in males (Carlat, Camargo Herzog, 1997). Differences have been found in the ways that homosexual and heterosexual men experience eating disorders, and body perception (Harvey Robinson, 2003). Unlike women who use eating disorders to obtain thinness, men strive for a lean body mass (Harvey Robinson, 2003). For this reason the criteria in diagnosing eating disorders in males is unlike females. Jeffery Harvey and John Robinson (2003) discuss how abuse of steroids and dietary supplement is examined. A 1993 study conducted by Cliff Sharp, Stella Clark, Julie Dunan, Douglas Blackwood and Colin Shapiro (1994) on 24 male anorexics, notes that eating diso rders emerge at an older age in males than in females, and men display similar behaviours of binge eating, vomiting and anxiety towards eating. Sharp, Clark, Dunan, Blackwood and Shapiro (1994) also concluded that men display a lower use of laxatives, sexual fears and higher amounts of excessive exercising. The high amounts of exercising are discussed in the context of the high male gender roles and standards set for athleticism in society. Thus Sharp, Clark, Dunan, Blackwood and Shapiro (1994) emphasized that excessive physical activity is more socially acceptable as a means of weight control in order for males to obtain a lean physique. Carlat, Camargo and Herzogs (1997) sample size of 135 males concluded that bulimia nervosa is the most common eating disorder, affecting 46% of males. An alarming 32% of the males suffered symptoms of eating disorders not otherwise specified. Only 2% of the males were diagnosed with anorexia nervosa. Significantly noted, binge eating affected 11 patients. A study conducted by Daniel Carlat, Carlos Camargo and David Herzog (1997) revealed that a high number of males suffering with eating disorders are of homosexual orientation. Although only a small portion of the population identifies themselves as homosexual (3-5%), Arnold Anderson suggests that a quarter of these men may have an eating disorder (Anderson, 1999). The risks of developing eating disorders are higher for homosexual males due to the overall less satisfaction with their bodies (Herzog, Newman Warshaw, 1991). In a nonclinical sample of 43 homosexual and 32 heterosexual males by David Herzog, Kerry Newman and Meredith Wa rshaw (1991) it was found that although males in both sexual orientations current and ideal bodies selected were similar, homosexual males aspired for a physique that was underweight. The researchers attribute this desire to place men at a higher risk of developing eating disorders. Harvey and Robinson (1999) contribute the differences between homosexual and heterosexual males and the development of eating disorders are due to the societal factors surrounding the gender roles of masculinity and femininity. Looking at both Body dissatisfaction and eating disorders in males and females are experience in different ways. As noted by Christine Knauss, Susan Paxtaon and Francois Alsaker (2007), females strive for thinness while males have a goal to lose or gain weight or gain more lean muscle. Although there has not been subsequent research examining the causes of gender difference in body dissatisfaction, Nita McKinely (1999) emphasises that there is larger socio-cultural demand for females to be physically attractive in Western societies, therefore creating greater body dissatisfaction amongst girls and women. Although researchers argue that there are greater media influences on females to obtain thinness (Vaughn Fouts, 2003), males also undergo similar influences but with lean, muscular physiques (Olivardia, 2007). Over time males have been exposed to an increasingly muscular body that is contributes to higher numbers of males experiencing body image dissatisfaction (Olivardia, Pope, Borowiecki Cohane , 2004). Neala Ambrosi-Randic (2000) conducted a study on children aged 5-6 years as to their perceptions of both current and ideal body size. Ambrosi-Randic (2000) had the children indicate current and desired body size on a picture of male and female figures pre-adolescent in age. Sex differences were found in the ideal figure in females, with the girls preferring a thinner figure than boys. A 2007 study by Knauss, Paxtaon and Alsaker examined the relationships between body dissatisfaction and the internalization as well as pressure of media images in both sexes. Through a sample of 1610 adolescent males and males from different schools and socioeconomic status regions in Switzerland, the researchers found that girls felt that there is more pressure from the media to achieve ideals (d=.36), as well there is a higher internalization of body ideals (d=.37) (Knauss, Paxtaon Alsaker, 2007). Predictors of body dissatisfaction also have sex differences. Girls reveal a high correlation between body dissatisfaction and internalization (.62), and internalization and pressure (.71). A medium strength correlation is scored between BMI and body dissatisfaction (.38) and a low strength between internalization and BMI and pressure (.22). Boys displayed a medium correlation between body dissatisfaction and internalization (.38) and dissatisfaction and pressure (.41). Internalization and pressure scored a high correlation (.55), while BMI and internalization, as well as pressure and body dissatisfaction were low (.07). Knauss, Paxtaon and Alsaker (2007) concluded that there is a variance in body dissatisfaction between girls and boys, with female subjects displaying a higher overall body dissatisfaction than boys. Females internalize and feel more pressure from media ideals than boys. Males as well as females body dissatisfaction can be predicted by internalization, pressure, and BMI (Knauss, Paxtaon Alsaker, 2007). In a study examining university students from a Midwestern university, gender differences in body dissatisfaction was examined (Penkal Kurdek, 2007). It was found that women had a stronger dissatisfaction with middle parts of the body such as waist, stomach as was as display higher levels of physique anxiety. Males have a stronger dissatisfaction with facial parts (Penkal Kurdek, 2007). Jessica Lynn Penkal and Lawrence Kurdek attribute males higher dissatisfaction with facial body parts due to the evidence that women describe facial characteristics as an important desirable body characteristic (2007). In a 2004 Youth Risk behaviour study conducted by Grunbaum et al. it was reported that females engage in more eating disorder behaviours then males. Grunbaum et al. (2004), found that 29.6% of students reported themselves as being overweight, but the prevalence in females (36.1%) was much higher than males. This is not to say that males do not perceive themselves to be overweight as 23.5% of interviewed men claim to be fat (Grunbaum ,2004). In a 1989 groundbreaking meta-analysis by Geroge Hsu, asserted that eating disorders are more prevalent in women due to greater dysmorphia, poor self image and body concept, and role confusion that can occur during adolescent years. Hsu (1989) analysis revealed that over all females have higher rates of eating disorders, in a female to male ratio of 10 to 1. Although Hsus study is over 20 years old, he raise several questions that researchers are currently examining, such as the socio-cultural pressures to be thin, why there are higher occurrences in adolescents as a part of self and body concepts, identity formation and reasons for overall increase prevalence in women. Jeffery Harvey and John Robinson (2003) suggest that symptoms of eating disorders are similar between men and women but anorexia nervosa is the most challenging to diagnose in males due to amenorrhea being one of the critical warning signs in women. Amenorrhea is usually one of the first discovered symptoms of eating disorders, therefore for this reason men are often overlooked (Harvey Robinson, 2003). Another critical difference between the ways that women and men experience eating disorders is men often believe that their body is not too thin, while women continue to believe that they overweight (body dysmorphia) (Harvey Robinson, 2003). Establishing the prevalence of eating disorders in adolescents of both genders, Einar Kjelsà ¥s, Christian Bjà ¸rnstrà ¸m and Gunnar Gà ¶testam (2004) examined 1960 adolescents (1026 girls and 934 boys), 14 to 15 years of age. According to the diagnosing criteria in the DSM-IV and DSM-III-R, females experience a higher lifetime prevalence of all eating disorders (17.9%, 18.6%), anorexia nervosa (0.7%), bulimia nervosa (1.2%, 3.6%), binge eating disorder (1.5%) and eating disorders otherwise not specified (14.6%, 12.9%) (Kjelsà ¥s, Bjà ¸rnstrà ¸m Gà ¶testam, 2004). Although males did not display the same prevalence of eating disorders (6.5%), Kjelsà ¥s, Bjà ¸rnstrà ¸m, and Gà ¶testam (2004) found high numbers of boys with anorexia nervosa (0.2%), bulimia nervosa (0.4%, 0.6%), binge eating disorder (0.9%) and eating disorders otherwise not specified (5.0%, 4.%). Kjelsà ¥s, Bjà ¸rnstrà ¸m and Gà ¶testam (2004) final ratio results for eating disorders in female to males was 2.8:1, anorexia nervosa 3.5:1. Bulimia nervosa revealed a ratio of female to male of 2:1, while females and males were closely diagnosed with binge eating, with a ratio of 1.7:1. Eating disorders otherwise specific female to male ratio was 2.9:1. The total number of girls who thought they were very/slightly obese was 32.3% while only 2.6% were classified as obese (Kjelsà ¥s, Bjà ¸rnstrà ¸m Gà ¶testam, 2004). Only 15.9% of males reported perceiving themselves as very/slightly obese, while 5.1% were classified as obese. Both sexes displayed subjects who considered themselves as obese when classified as underweight or normal weight, girls 74.3% and boys 62.1% displaying distinct body image dissatisfaction (Kjelsà ¥s, Bjà ¸rnstrà ¸m Gà ¶testam , 2004). Conclusion Females appear to be at a greater risk for developing body image dissatisfaction and eating disorders through the internalization and pressure from the media (Knauss, Paxtaon Alsaker, 2007) and a higher socio-cultural demand to be physically attractive (McKinely, 1999). Although research predominately examines females, males should not be forgotten. As asserted by Olivardia (2007), males also undergo similar influences by the media. Both men and women experience anxiety towards their body, but it is experienced in different ways, therefore body dissatisfaction and eating disorders are not the same in the sexes. Females have an overwhelming desire to obtain thinness often through calorie restriction, excessive exercise and fasting (Berg, Frazier Sherr, 2009). Males desire is to attain a lean, muscular physique (Olivardia, 2007), therefore engage in such practices dieting, exercise and more dangerously steroid and ephedrine use (Harvey Robinson, 2003). In order to fully answer whether males and females experience body image dissatisfaction and eating disorders the same more research needs to be conducted examining males, body image dissatisfaction and eating disorders. Additionally several factors should be taken into account while conducting such research. Body dissatisfaction and eating disorder research often uses the self-report method, therefore under or over reporting is subject to occur. Kjelsà ¥s, Bjà ¸rnstrà ¸m and Gà ¶testam (2004) discuss the complications in creating survey questionnaires that are concise but can discriminate those with and without eating disorders in difference sexes. Females might over-report the rates of body dissatisfaction due to engaging in the socially valuable â€Å"fat talk†, as first asserted by Mimi Nitcher (2000). It has also been noted that when self reporting on body dissatisfaction males answers are superficial because they do not feel that the content applies to them (Kjelsà ¥s, Bjà ¸rnstrà ¸m Gà ¶testam, 2004). Many of the studies on body dissatisfaction and eating disorders use Caucasian students. This is disconcerting because the subjects are apart small population (Caucasian, educated) to draw conclusions upon. Future research needs to completed to investigate not only male body dissatisfaction and eating disorders, but also race, age and different socioeconomic statuses. Extreme dieting, supplement use and other new methods of weight loss (ex. infrared sauna) should be closely examined in future research in both males and females to understand if there are new trends in body dissatisfaction and eating disorders. References Andersen, A. (1999). Eating disorders in gay males. Psychiatric Annals, 29, 206-212. Ambrosi-Randic, N. (2000). Perception of current and ideal body size in preschool age children. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 90(3:1), 885-889. Berg, K.C., Frazier, P. Sherr, L. (2008). Change in eating disorder attitudes and behavior in college women: Prevalence and predictors. Eating Behaviours, 10(3), 137-142. Cafri, G., Thompson, J.K., Ricciardelli, L., McCabe, M., Smolak, L. Yesalis, C. (2005). Pursuit of the muscular ideal: Physical and psychological consequences and putative risk factors. Clinical Psychology Review, 25, 215-239. Carlat, D.K., Camargo, C.A. Herzog, D.B. (1997). Eating disorders in males: A report on 135 patients. American Journal of Psychiatry, 154(8), 1127- 1132. Choi, P.Y.L., Pope, Jr. H.G. Olivardia, R. (2002). Muscle dysmorphia: a new syndrome in weightlifters. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 36, 375-377. Fairburn, C.G. Harrison, P.J. (2003). Eating disorders. The Lancet ,(361) 9355, 407-416. Grunbaum, J.A., Kann, L., Kinchen, J., Ross, J. et al. (2004). Youth Risk Behaviour Surveillance (Abridged). The Journal of School Health, 74(8), 307-324 Harvey, J.A. (2003). Eating disorders in men: Current considerations. Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medial Settings, 10(4), 297-306. Harvey, J.A. Robinson, J.D. (2002). Eating disorders in men: Current considerations. Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings, 10(4), 397-306 Herzog, D. B., Newman, B. A. Warshaw, M. (1991). Body image dissatisfaction in homosexual and heterosexual males. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 170, 356-359. Hsu, G.L.K. (1989). The gender gap in eating disorders: Why are the eating disorders more common among women? Clinical Psychology Review, 9, 393-407. Kjelsà ¥s, E., Bjà ¸rnstrà ¸m, C. Gà ¶testam, K.G. (2004). Prevalence of eating disorders in females and male adolescents (1-15 years). Eating Behaviours, 5, 13-25. Knauss, C., Paxton, S.J. Alsaker, F.D. (2007). Relationships amongst body dissatisfaction, internalisation of the media body ideal and perceived pressure from media in adolescent girls and boys. Body Image, 4, 353-360. Krahn, D.D., Kurth, C.L., Gomberg, E. Drewnowski, A. (2004). Pathological dieting and alcohol use in college women—a continuum of behaviours. Eating Behaviours, 6(1), 3- 52. Levenson, J. (Ed.). (2003). Textbook of psychosomatic medicine: eating disorders. Washington, DC: The American Psychiatric Publishing McCreary, D.R. (2007). The drive for muscularity scale: Description, psychometrics, and research findings. In J. H. Thompson and G. Cafri (Eds). The Muscular Ideal: Psychological, Social, and Medical Perspectives (pp. 265). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. McKinley, N.M. (1999).Women and objectified body consciousness: Mothers and daughters body experience in cultural, developmental, and familial context. Developmental Psychology, 35, 760-769. Moses, N., Banilivy, M.M. Lifshitz, F. (1989). Fear of obesity among adolescent girls. Pediatrics, 83, 393-398. Nichter, M. (2000). Fat Talk: What girls and their parents say about dieting. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Ochner, C.N., Gray, J.A. Brickner, K. (2009). The development and initial validation of a new measure of male body dissatisfaction. Eating Behaviors, 10, 197-201. Olivardia, R. (2004). Body Dysmorphic Disorder. In K.J. Thompson (Ed.), Handbook of eating disorders and obesity (pp. 543-561). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley Sons Inc. Olivardia, R., Pope, H. G., Borowiecki, J. J. Cohane, G. H. (2004). Biceps and body image: The relationship between muscularity and self-esteem, depression, and eating disorder symptoms. Psychology of Men and Masculinity, 5, 112−120. Penkal, J.L. Kurdek, L.A. (2007). Gender and race differences in young adults body dissatisfaction. Personality and Individual Difference, 43, 2270-2281. Pope, Jr, H.G., Gruber, A.J., Choi P. Phillips, K.A. (1997). Muscle dysmorphia. An underrecognized form for body dysmorphic disorder. Psychosomatics, 38, 548-577. Sharp, C.W., Clark, S.A., Dunan, J.R., Blackwood, D.H.R. Shapiro, C.M. (1994). Clinical presentation of anorexia nervosa in male: 24 new cases. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 15( 2) 125-134. Thompson, J.K. Heinberg, L.J. (1999). The medias influence on body image disturbance and eating disorders: Weve reviled them, now can we rehabilitate them? Journal of Social Issues, 55(2), 339-353. Thompson, K.J., Heinberg, L.J., Altabe, M. Tantleff-Dunn, S. (1999). Exacting beauty: Theory, assessment, and treatment of body image disturbance. American Psychological Association, 11, 19-50. Tucci, S. Peters, J. (2006). Media influences on body satisfaction in female students. Psicothema, 20(4), 521-524. Tuckers, K. L., Martz, D. M., Curtin, L. A. Bazzini, D.G. (2007). Examining ‘‘fat talk experimentally in a female dyad: How are women influenced by another womans body presentation style? Body Image, (4) 2, 157-164. Vaughan, K. K. Fouts, G. T. (2004). Changes in television and magazine exposure and eating disorder symtomatology. Sex Roles, 49(7-8), 313-320

Analysis of Field Placement Experience and Philosophy Essays -- Reflec

Analysis of Field Placement Experience and Philosophy Part I: Pertinent Contextual Information Part II: Teacher’s Perspective and Approach to the Social Curriculum and Social Studies Part III: Reflection on My Field Placement Experience Part I: Pertinent Contextual Information: The small town of L is located in central New York. In 2010, the population of L was 4,952 people. This town is considered suburban and rural. It is suburban because it is located about 15 miles from a major city. It is rural because majority of L town is composed of farm land. There are three major US highways that run through L town. The class status of L town ranges from middle to working class families. From what I observed in the school, the middle class residents of this town are either farm owners, work in the agricultural industry, or commute to the neighboring city for work. Some of the working class families are from the Native American tribe from the area. In L town school district, there are three schools: G Elementary School, the Junior/Senior High School and the Native American Culture School. During the 2011-12 school year, the L town school district served a total of 858 students. During the same school year, 35% of the students were eligible for free and reduced lunc h. In addition, 67% of the students were White and 30 % of the students were Native American. Furthermore, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian/Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islanders students were 1% each. The G. Elementary School educates students in grades K-6. During the 2011-12 school year, the school had a total enrollment of 366 students. 30% of the 366 students were eligible for free and reduced lunch. Furthermore, 81% of the students wer... ...he future. This will ultimately develop students who have self-control and are empathetic citizens. Through my experience, I have learned that teaching is a profession that takes passion, courage, love, and an enjoyment of learning, if the teacher emulates these qualities, he/she can change the world one student at a time. References: Butchart, R. & McEwan, B. (Eds.). (1998). Classroom discipline in American schools: Problems and possibilities for democratic education. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. Charney, R. S. (2002). Teaching children to care: Classroom management for ethical and academic growth, k-8. Massachusetts, Northeast Foundation for Children. New York State Report Cards. (n.d.). New York State Department of Education. Retrieved December 4, 2013, from https://reportcards.nysed.gov/schools.php?district=800000040996&year=2012

Heroin Legislation :: essays research papers

The Heroin War: Why We Must Change our Battle Plan If a single reason can be given to illustrate the urgent need for reform of the current Australian drug policy it is this; that the prohibition strategy is simply not working. The toll from heroin deaths in Victoria has risen 73 percent over the last ten years, addiction and overdose rates are soaring and the price of heroin is declining. The Federal Government is applauding the ‘zero-tolerance’ regime. The Prime Minister displays the seizure of large amounts of the drug and apprehension of suppliers as proof that the law is working, while the obvious truth is illustrated on our streets. No matter how ‘tough on drugs’ the government becomes they will never eliminate their presence in society. This is clear from the failure of the approach in other nations. For example the US carries out a drug associated arrest every 20 seconds, with no signs of any decline. All that prohibition succeeds in achieving is turning the drug trade into an illegal, dark and murky black market affair. We must now ask the question, are we going to stand staunch in policies which have proved to be unsuccessful or are we going to take a brave leap into a more hopeful future? There is great fear reverberating through the community; fear of stepping into a more open and frightening, yet decidedly more promising way of tackling the issue. Reform does not mean, as opposers argue, condoning the use of drugs. It means accepting that drugs are part, admittedly an unfortunate part, of our society which will not simply ‘go away’. The refreshingly new ideas of controlled heroin trials, legal injecting rooms and greater availability of clean needles should be given consideration. Lightening of the law would bring drug use out of the shadows it has long inhabited, removing the violence, criminality and risk which go hand in hand with the current drug trade. It is argued that any easing of drug laws would reduce the cost, and increase the availability of street heroin, but if pure, safer heroin is prescribed under clinical conditions, will this not reduce the desire for heroin on the street? Casting light into the alleyways will surely lessen the sinister nature of the black trade. Addicts would not have to turn to crime to finance their habit and dealers would not have the violent hold over those they supply.

Kevin Rayburs Run :: essays research papers

1968, Six o'clock in the morningThe Olympic village was quiet in its lazy sleep, but Kevin Reybur was already awake, and ready to run. The easy 8-mile morning workout was only a part of the blonde-haired phenomenon's training schedule. Later in the afternoon he would suffer through fifteen miles of pace-work and intervals on the golf cart paths and quiet streets of the peaceful suburbs of Mexico City.Despite his short legs and strong upper body -unusual characteristics for a distance runner- Kevin was really a man born to run. His specialty was the 5000 meter event. By breaking the Southeastern High School Conference record in his junior year, and setting the national record in his senior year, Kevin had the attention of all of the college scouts and was offered full scholarships to many Universities. He chose to attend D.W. Daniel University because they had the best coach in the country; the one man capable of guiding him to the top. Kevin was confident that he would not only beat the best, but also be the best.With no idea of what he would major in, his reality was different from most of his university fellows: he wanted to win, and that is the only thought that consumed his mind and soul. Kevin's performance in collegiate meets got him an invitation to the Olympic Trials, and by winning the trials he earned a spot on the 1968 Olympic team. Just to represent the country in the summer Olympics in Mexico City was never his ambition. He had to win."It's six in the frickin' morning Kevin! Where the hell are you going in this rain?" his roommate Bert cursed." The gold is waiting for me and I can't lose time listening to your complaints, just because it's wet outside. I have to work hard to make up for my lack of pure talent." Kevin replied."Hurghf..." Bert sighed and pushed his head deep into his pillow, as he would do every morning for the two weeks of the 17th modern Olympic Games.Kevin went out in to the bitter morning rain, which quickly soaked through his lucky golden running cap, and covered his head, which was full of thoughts only of the rhythmic pattering of his feet and of the long empty streets ahead. He did not even notice that his toes were wet and blistered. His shoes, well worn from many punishing miles, no longer had the cushioning or fit that he needed.

Bhopal Gas Leak and BP Oil Spill

Bhopal and BP. They are two names that would ring a bell with anyone who is familiar with industrial disasters. Bhopal is a city in India where an industrial disaster in 1984 killed thousands people and maimed hundreds of thousands. BP (British Petroleum, BP Plc. ,), on the other hand is the name of a petroleum company (an energy industry super major) that appeared in international headlines recently for causing the worst marine oil spill in history.The number of casualties associated with BP oil spill is rather negligible but damage the spill caused on environment and economy of some American states were immense and it is ranked amongst major industrial disasters. In both these disasters it was the corporate houses that were in the wrong. Union Carbide (UCC), the company that ran the pesticide plant in Bhopal, neglected the safety measures required while handling toxic materials and in the BP oils spill it is the negligence of British Petroleum that led to the accident on the oil ri g â€Å"Deepwater Horizon† that ended up in the oil spill, which the company couldn’t stop for weeks.Though separated in time by decades and space by thousands of miles, both these disasters are connected in many respects. Curiously enough the final court verdict on the corporate culprits of Bhopal disaster came at a time when BP was busy capping the oil leak thousands of meters beneath the sea. In 1984 when the methyl isocyanate gas leak killed thousands in Bhopal the first thing Union Carbide management did was to put the blame on somebody else. In those years when Sikh militancy and terrorism were high in India UCC said the accident was the result of terrorist activity (nobody paid any attention to it).This year when the oil spill began in the Gulf of Mexico the first thing BP too tried to do was to put the blame on others –on Transocean Ltd (the company which owned the oil rig) and Halliburton, the company which manufactured the blow out presenter valve on t he oil well. The media mocked this and BP dropped the strategy. In the Bhopal the US based corporation then argued that it should not be held legally responsible because the Indian subsidiary was a separate legal person with very minimal ties with US. At the time of the accident the UCC-based in New York City – owned 50. 9% of the UCC India Ltd. , 22% owned by govt.of India and the rest by Indian citizens. The US court hearing the plea against UCC accepted the company’s contention and dismissed India’s pleas for justice. Later on humanitarian ground the company agreed to pay $470 million as compensation to victims of gas tragedy. In that pre-globalization period, India as a developing country had practically no clout over the US multinational company and finally it had to satisfy itself with prosecuting the Indian man agent of UCC India Ltd. In the case of BP oil spill too it was an instance of a company registered in one country creating problems in another cou ntry.In the initial stage BP management tried to portray the liability issues as US action against British industry and ward of penal actions. In the case of BP oil spill, along with the news of gushing crude spreading all over the Gulf of Mexico, talks about pinning the corporate responsibility on BP also appeared in the headlines. There was intense pressure on president Osama’s administration to act tough on BP and it made BP to pay up $20 billion for the clean up operation. In the BP oil spill case the corporation had to bow before the government. It was a company from a weaker country against a global super power; US finally had its way.The chief executive of BP had to own up responsibility for the fiasco and step down. 1 Pearce, Frank, Tombs, Steve (1990), ‘Ideology, Hegemony, And Empiricism: Compliance Theories of Regulation’, The British Journal of Criminology 30:423-443 2 Murru ,Maurizio (2004), ‘Bhopal 20 Years On: Globalization And Corporate Respo nsibility’, Health Policy And Development 250 volume 2 number 3 December 3 Amnesty International, 2004, Clouds of injustice, Bhopal disaster 20 years on, London 4 Broughton, Edward (2005), ‘The Bhopal disaster and its aftermath: a review’, Environmental Health: A Global Access Science Source, 4:6

Economic development in China and India Essay

Foreign trade in China is almost completely dominated by the state. In 1979, China relaxed certain trade restrictions, paving the way for increases in the relatively small foreign investment and trade activity. By the late 1980s, yearly exports totaled about $41. 1 billion and imports $46. 4 billion, and both have increased sharply since then. China has been undergoing a dramatic transformation to a market economy. As a result, it currently is the world leader in terms of economic growth, industrial expansion, and exports. It contains an array of potential consumers that far exceeds the markets in Europe or the Western Hemisphere, and it is rapidly emerging as a new epicenter for industry, commerce, and finance. In addition, the so-called â€Å"greater China† has substantial amounts of technology and manufacturing capability, outstanding entrepreneurial, marketing, and services acumen in Hong Kong, a fine communications network and a tremendous pool of financial. When these resources are combined with the very large endowment of land, resources, and labor on the mainland, China already is a major superpower in the global economy. The people’s Republic of China (PRC or China, for short) has had a long tradition of isolation. In 1979, Deng Xiaoping opened his country to the world. Although his bloody 1989 put-down of protestors in Tiananmen Square was a definite setback for progress, China is rapidly trying to close the gap between itself and economically advance nations and to establish itself as an economic power in the Pacific Rim. Southeast China in particular has become a hotbed of business activity. Presently, China is actively encouraging trade with the West, and it is a major trading partner of the United States. Despite this progress, many U. S. and European multinationals find that doing business in the PRC can be a long, grueling process that often results in failure. One primary reason is that Western-based MNCs do not understand the role and impact of Chinese culture. Since the last few decades there has been a multifold increase in the FDI in China. The Chinese economy has now gaining the power of effecting the decisions of the economic bodies of the world. History of FDI growth in China: The country launched its open door policy 26 years ago. Since the policy introduction the FDI flows in the country received a quick response. In 2004 China was at no. 2nd position in the world of FDI with $64 billion. The Chinese FDI trends can be examined in two phases. First phase: 1979-82 Second phase: 1984-91 Third phase: 1992-99 In the first phase the government establish for special zones with incentive policies. Although there was a high inflow into those regions, the total FDI flow reached US $ 1. 8 billion. In the second phase the provinces were opened and recorded US $ 10. 3 billion. In 1989 however the trend dropped. In the third phase Deny Xiaoping opened China for overall economic reform. The phase was very fruitful for China. The government introduced new policies and market oriented economic reform. In result of these reforms the FDI’s started flowing into the Chinese economy at rocket speed. In November 1999 US-China had an agreement regarding the WTO, according to which many new reforms were made (Sandra, 2001) those included †¢ The sectors relating to the distribution services will be opened for repair and maintenance and China will phase in trading rights and distribution services over three years. The Government for the investment opened the telecommunication industry of China. †¢ The professionals were also allowed access to the service markets of China. The services included according, consulting, Information Technology and Engineering. (Lardy, 2000). FDI in China rose to a peak level of US $ 45463 million in 1998. In the first six months of 2002, actual foreign direct investment (FDI) in China rocketed to 24. 58 billion U. S. dollars, setting a record growth rate of 18. 69 percent year-on-year. (Beijing Time, 2002) On June 22, 2005, CNOOC, a Chinese company made a $18. billion bid to purchase Unocal Corporation, an U. S. energy company. News of the bid raised concern among several Members, many of who contend that the deal would threaten U. S. national security. On June 30, 2005, the House passed H. Res. 344 (Pombo) by a vote of 398 to 15, expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that a Chinese state-owned energy company exercising control of critical United States energy infrastructure and energy production capacity could take action that would threaten to impair the national security of the United States. On the same day, the House passed an amendment (H.  Amdt. 431) to an appropriations bill (H. R. 3058) that would prohibit the use of funds from being made available to recommend approval of the sale of Unocal Corporation to CNOOC. On May 20, 2005, the Chinese government reported that first quarter real GDP grew by 9. 4% in 2005 over the same period in 2004. On April 15, 2005, the Chinese government reported that its foreign exchange reserves had risen to $659. 1 billion by the end of May 2005. (Morrison, 2005) Some researchers state the fact that the data reported for FDI in China is different from the reality. The Chinese FDI data is overstated. About ? of flight capital later returns (â€Å"round-trips†) as FDI when opportunities emerge. (Gunter, 2004) From the early 1990s most of the researchers from International bodies have calculated wrong FDI. It is Mainland Chinese monies that flowed out to access better financial, regulatory and legal services and round-trip by returning to China as apparent FDI to access the fiscal incentives and improved investor protection offered in China to foreign investors. (Erskine, 2004) Outward FDI: â€Å"The figures on FDI outflows vary. According to China’s BOP statistics, the cumulative total during 1990 to 1997 was US$18. 9 billion, consisting exclusively of equity capital. Since the 1980s, China has been fast acquiring assets abroad. Researchers7 estimate that Chinese FDI in Hong Kong totaled US$20-30 billion by the end of 1993 or 1994. In fact the net wealth of Chinese affiliates abroad can be measured in hundreds of billion dollars. Officially, the Chinese SOEs had as many as 5 666 affiliates abroad at the end of 1998 with a combined FDI of US$6. 33 billion. (Chandra) Both the in-ward and the out-ward FDIs are a strong influencing forces which effect the trade performance of a country. This can be further explained by conducting the following case study. The study reveals increased value to Economy of China due to FDI. Source countries: Among the developed countries Japan & United States are the most important investors in China. Hong Kong is also an important investor and newly industrialized (NIEs. From 1990’s some of the countries like Philippines Malaysia & Indonesia have also increased their investment levels in China. Other countries are also showing interest in investing in China in future. In 2003, Sino-Japan trade reached a record high $132 billion. Examining the fast expansion of the bilateral trade suggests that direct investment from Japan performed a critical role in strengthening the economic integration between the two economies. Japanese affiliated manufacturers in China contributed to the soaring bilateral trade in dual ways: exporting their products as final products and intermediate inputs to Japan, and importing intermediates inputs from Japan for their production in China. In 2002, Japanese affiliated manufacturers exported 1,057 billion yen products to Japanese market (METI, 2003). The effect on China’s exports and its national economy is tremendous. (Xing, 2004) FDI from China: Not much material is provided regarding the subject. Although Hong Kong can be viewed as the destination for out ward flow of FDI from China. Sector and geographical distribution of FDI in China Sector Distribution: â€Å"So far, the major proportion of FDI is drawn for the manufacturing field, which takes up almost 60 per cent of the total contracted FDI by 1998. Next follows real estate with the share of 24. 4 percent. The portion of the distribution industry including transport, wholesale and retailing is 6. 0 percent. Construction comes next with 3. 1 percent. The primary industry such as agriculture, forestry and fishing takes 1. 8 per cent. In the future, service trade, such as finances, telecommunications and wholesale and resale commerce, will take up a larger share as a result of Chinese accession to WTO and further liberalization. Further investment liberalization should also take place in traditional industries. Especially, the expansion of FDI in agriculture will depend on the degree of opening up to the market circulation of agricultural products and the industrialized process of production operations. FIEs also generated nearly one fifth of the total tax revenues and 23. 5 million job opportunities, employing about one 10th of urban workers. These numbers suggest FDI has contributed nearly one quarter to one third of China’s GDP growth. †(OECD, 2004) Barriers in the way of FDI in China: The Chinese government has applied a controlled competition culture which against the liberalization provided by the WTO which lift most of the regulations from the trade & commerce (Yoost, 2005) Many assets in commercial and industrial sectors are state owned. This in turn gives rise to the problem of hidden state regulation imposition of the government on the foreign investors. This strengthens the view that China does not practice liberty in Business. Some of the sectors of economy are still protected by the government. Due to the situation the WTO commitments are not fulfilled which gives rise to local competition for foreign investors Factors attracting FDI in India: â€Å"India is a prime offshore location for low and high-tech activities, its low-cost, English-speaking and IT-savvy labor force, coupled with a large market potential, underpin global executives’ improved outlook and investment confidence this year. † (Rediff. com, 2003) The first set of factors which was involved in bringing the FDI to India was the improvement in technology, cheap labor, cost effective production of the goods, cheap and efficient supply chain. The Indian Government also has the cutting edge of Channeling the FDI in the right direction. They are attracting most of the MNEs towards India because at present the Chinese economy can provide them with all the suitable factors desired. Due to its increase in population India has become a growing and profitable market for most of the MNEs & products (Ahluwalia) The second set of factors, relating to SOEs, will change significantly and alter the market environment that foreign firms will face in India. Many if not the majority, of India’s best SOEs in industries accessible to foreign investors have set up joint ventures with foreign companies. In the foreseeable future, as the number of SOEs in the national economy continues to shrink, India will facilitate the entry of private domestic firms. MNCs will tend to build up their own affiliates rather than look for Indian domestic partners. At the same time, they will face more competition from private Indian firms as their numbers increase. All of these will become attractive features of the Indian market. Foreign invested enterprises (FIEs) have provided an alternative to private entrepreneurship because private Indian firms have been largely discriminated against. In the past 20 years, the highly efficient FIEs have contributed a great deal to the Indian economy. In 2002, even though FDI accounted for only one 10th of the gross fixed capital formation, FIEs contributed one third of the industrial output, one quarter of the value added, more than half of the exports, and nearly three quarters of the foreign exchange balances held in Chinese banks by corporations (Zhang, 2005). â€Å"The government of India eliminated export quotas as part of its effort to double Indian exports to more than $80 billion by 2007. India is the largest cotton cultivating country. The country has vast reservoir of scientific talent, established pharmaceutical industry, diversity of population and unique natural resources. Key to India’s development of biotechnology is the need for a science-based, rules-based regulatory approach, which is the best way to attract private sector investment. † (Larson, 2002) The major empirical conclusions of this paper are: (1) Much of the measured trade effect is through FDI rather than cost, as the theory of FDI would indicate, and that studies which concentrate on cost as the channel significantly understate the extent of such expansion. 2) On the whole bilateral country level, outward FDI has a larger predicted impact on China’s exports than does inward FDI. On the other hand, inward FDI is found having a larger predicted impact on China’s imports than does outward FDI. (3) There is much cross-regional variation and differences in the patterns of FDI-trade links. Regarding to the impact of inward FDI on Chinese trade, FDI is found to boost both export and import growth in Asia, Europe and Oceania. As far as outward FDI is concerned, a unanimous complement link between FDI and trade exists only for Asia, and Africa. (Yong, 2003) The work undertaken in this paper is an improved one because it takes into account all the aspects related to the FDI including a set of countries which contributes towards the FDI in China & India, the contribution made by this paper is in more fully evaluating an important policy question regarding the effect of FDI. Second, it takes into account national changes both in inward FDI and outward FDI over a considerable period of time.