Vending Machines

In School Vending Machines Thesis Statement: By looking at studies of in-school vending machines you can see that they are becoming a true problem. This is important because vending machines are lowering education standards and are contributing to the obesity epidemic. Introduction â€Å"Can I go to the vending machine? † This is common questions teachers are asked everyday in the class room. In-school vending machines have shown to be a problem for years now. Food sold out of school vending machines should make positive contributions to children’s everyday diet and health.As it is, parents have a hard enough time guiding their children’s eating habits, but with school vending machines it makes in nearly impossible. This has also become a common excuse to skip as much class as possible, causing distractions. By looking at studies of in-school vending machines you can see that they are becoming a true problem. This is important because vending machines are lowerin g education standards and are contributing to the obesity epidemic. Body I. Education is important. A. Vending machines have become easy an excuse. 1.If schools ban in-school vending machines then students would no longer have the opportunity to easily skip class and walk around the hallways freely. 2. Without vending machines teachers would be able to conduct a class room with fewer distractions and more faces. B. Some people argue that vending machines aren’t a classroom problem. 1. Food provides energy which helps students think. 2. Schools should have policies regarding specific times students are allowed at vending machines. C. Everyday I see peers ask teachers if they can go to the vending machine.This not only makes the teacher lose focus, but the students as well and we all know how hard it can be to get a classroom full of students back on topic. When students skip class they do not learn, which is the exact opposite reason students come to school. Transition: This i sn’t just an education problem, it also effects the obesity epidemic. II. Obesity has become a major problem. A. Dispensing junk. 1. A nationwide survey of vending machines in middle schools and high schools finds that 75 percent of the drinks and 85 percent of the snacks sold are of poor nutritional value. 2. 5 percent of teens who describe themselves as overweight say they buy junk food or soda at school.B. Some say vending machines have to much focus 1. Critics argue that by focusing on school vending machines, states ignore other ways to help children lose weight like promoting a balanced diet and increasing physical education and nutrition classes in schools. 2. Many people argue that a restrictive approach where you single out a particular food or beverage is never going to work because children can simply go to a near by covenant store and purchase the exact same things a vending machine offers. C. Soda and low-nutrition snack foods are a key source of excess calories in children’s diets, contribute to overweight and obesity, and displace more nutritious foods. Obesity rates have doubled in children and tripled in adolescents over the last two decades. Studies show that children’s soft drink intake has increased, and children who drink more soft drinks consume more calories and are more likely to be overweight than kids who drink fewer soft drinks Transition: School lunches have the right nutrients. III.School lunches offer healthier choices. A. School lunches are down and vending machines are up. 1. Junk foods in school vending machines compete with the more nutritious meals offered by the School Lunch Program. 2. Senator Tom Harkin said â€Å"Congress should step in and ensure that soda, candy, chips, and cookies don’t become the de facto school lunch. USDA needs to set standards for all foods sold in schools that participate in the federal school lunch program. † B. Many students say that school lunches are gross. 1 .During lunch I often hear students complaining of having the same thing two days before assuming it is the left overs. 2. Many students believe that school lunches are equally or sometimes even less nutritional then food sold out of a vending machine. C. . The governmental School Lunch program exists from the reason of providing nutrition to all the students. There is a set nutrient content and portion size for official school meals, meaning that the lunches served at Republic high school might seem cheap and gross, but they are far more nutritional than vending machine snacks.Conclusion The facts and statistics prove that vending machines do more harm than good for students and faculty. Vending machines have become just an annoyance for the faculty because of the students’ constant requests for hall passes that lead them directly to the vending machines. They also have to deal with students desiring to have sodas and snacks in the class room which destroy equipment if spill ed. Vending machines are harmful to students primarily because they assist in producing poor heating habits that can carry over to adulthood.Removing vending machines would assist to refocus attention on learning and not caffeine and sugar rushes.Works Cited Chang, Alicia. Schools across the U. S. Target Vending Machines in Obesity Controversy. N. p. , 26 Feb. 2004. Web. 1 Nov. 2010. Lipman, Richard. Children's Weight Gain From School Vending Machines. Enzine Articles , 21 Dec. 2009. Web. 1 Nov. 2010. . School Vending Machines â€Å"Dispensing Junk†. Center for science in the public intrest, 11 May 2004. Web. 1 Nov. 2010. . .

Assess the Importance of Ideology in the Formulation of Nazi Foreign Policy to 1939

From Hitler’s appointment as Chancellor on January 30 1933 to the beginning of WWII on Sept 3 1939, the Nazi state pursued an aggressive foreign policy that contributed largely to the outbreak of war. This foreign policy was largely reflective of the goals Hitler had set out in his 1924 autobiography â€Å"Mein Kampf†, particularly Germany’s easterly moving aggressions. However, although Nazi ideology played a dominant role in structuring foreign policy to 1939, it was also greatly influenced by the response of the Allies to aggressions and therefore Hitler’s perception of which foreign policies could be most successful.Hence, whilst Nazi ideology surmises the ultimate goals of Nazi foreign policy to 1939, the role of events from 1933-1939 played a significant detail in determining Germany’s actions. Hitler’s understanding of politics and race can be summed up in â€Å"Weltanschauung† (world view), as described in Mein Kampf. Written i n 1924 after Hitler had been arrested for an attempted coup, the autobiography deals with the issues plaguing Germany at the time, including the instability of the Weimar Republic and the problem of WWI reparation payments as set out in the 1919 Treaty of Versailles.Hitler, as a member of nationalist Nazi party, despised democracy, and believed that it undermined Germany’s success. Further, Hitler gave validity to the â€Å"stabbing in the back† myth, claiming that WWI’s loss had been unnecessary, and had been caused as a result of the â€Å"scheming† Jewish population. Using these understandings, Hitler believed that should Germany be expanded into a grossdeutschland by creating Lebensraum (living room) in the resource-rich East, wherein the superior Aryan race could reside.All other races, particularly Slavs & Jews, were denoted as racially inferior, and were intended by Hitler to be used as slaves. Throughout Mein Kampf, Hitler euphorically and openly describes his war intentions for Germany, in quotes such as â€Å"Any alliance whose purpose is not the intention to wage war is useless†. However, when Hitler came to power in 1933, Germany was unfit to pursue Hitler’s aims, and required a great deal of restructuring in order to increase output and production.Therefore, despite Hitler’s ultimately war goals, he was forced to delay aggressions until the German military could be rebuilt. This began in 1935, when Hitler announced open plans for rearmament and introduced conscription, in order to strengthen and prepare the Wehrmacht. This was a direct violation of the Treaty of Versailles, however the Allies chose not to act. At this stage, Hitler’s popularity as a leader was large, seen by the success of the Saar plebiscite in January 1935 in which the Saarland’s population chose to rejoin Germany, as before the Treaty.Even by the end of 1935, it was clear that Nazi Germany was expanding, and intende d to continue. On March 7th 1936, Hitler ordered the invasion of the Rhineland. This foreign policy was incredibly aggressive, and showed even greater disregard for the terms of treaty. The Rhineland had been established by the Treaty as buffer between France and Germany, in order to ensure France’s safety after the German invasion of WWI. By invading it, Hitler directly threatened France, and demonstrated his serious intent to expand Germany, as outlined in Mein Kampf.However, although this invasion coheres to the ideologies outlined in Mein Kampf, namely the reversal of the Treaty of Versailles, the invasion was largely experimental, and based on the previous non-action of the Allies to Hitler’s defiance of the treaty. A mere 22,000 German troops entered the Rhineland, and could have easily been suppressed by Allied forces, Hitler himself admitting that had the French resisted, Germany would be forced to retreat immediately. Despite this, the Allies chose not to resp ond yet again.This was a critical point in structuring future Nazi foreign policy, as it demonstrated the Allies unwillingness to participate in conflict, and preference to appease. Had the Allies stopped the occupation of the Rhineland, it is unlikely that Hitler’s aggressive foreign policies would have been so actively pursued, as they risked increased resistance and further embarrassment. In October 1936, the Rome-Berlin axis was created, a political alliance linking the fascist forces of Italy under Mussolini with Nazi Germany.At this time, Italy too was pursuing an aggressive foreign policy in order to create a racially perfect Italy, goals similar to those of Hitler. Hence, the signing of this agreement indicates Hitler’s intention to keep to his racial ideologies, and to link with necessary powers in order to achieve lebensraum for the Aryan race. Further, the Hossbach memorandum of 1937 clearly demonstrates Hitler’s plans to expand Europe in order to str engthen Europe, and his intentions to formulate foreign policy based on these aims.In March 1938, Hitler demanded Anschluss with Germany-a union that had been forbidden by the Treaty. This demand was met with opposition by Austrian Chancellor Schuschnigg, who insisted on a plebiscite. However, after a large amount of pressure, the Anschluss was agreed to, and shortly after, German troops entered Austria. German and Austrian union had been forbidden specifically after their strong alliance in WWI, and the threat they posed as a combined force. By 1938, Hitler had defied the Treaty of Versailles several times, and had yet to meet resistance by the Allies.Particularly in the case of Austria, the Allies chose to not intervene because of a belief that Germany was simply â€Å"marching into its backyard†. On top of this, by 1938 Germany was experiencing high living standards as a result of Hitler’s volksgemeinschaft and was a formidable power, thus the Allies recognised Germ an desire for expansion into a previously had region. It also evident that Hitler understood this detail in the timing of the Anschluss-when in 1936 Hitler had made similar demands, the Allies stood opposed, and the Wehrmacht was ill-equipped to defy Allied wishes.In 1938 Hitler understood Germany’s military capacity, and used its position to pursue the foreign policies based on the ideologies in Mein Kampf. By 1938, Hitler had acquired all desired territories with relative ease, as a result of their size and insignificance to the balance of power on the European continent. It was this confidence that allowed Hitler to pursue his most aggressive foreign policy yet-the demand for the Sudetenland. The Sudetenland was part of Czechoslovakia, which had been created post WWI.Previously German territory, it still contained 3 million German speakers. Hitler’s demand was based on the reasoning that its German population should be united with the rest of Germany, in spite of Cz echoslovakia’s sovereignty. In this demand, Hitler demonstrated his willingness to defy the right of independent states in order to achieve his own ends. President Banes refused not only out of principal, but also because of the region’s massive industrial production and abundance of resources. Hitler stood adamant and threatened that invasion was imminent.British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, in recognition of the situation, flew to meet with Hitler in his Wilhelmshaven residence on September 15, in order to reason with him. Hitler stood firm, justifying his demand by claiming that a Czech-Soviet pact was a threat to European security. Chamberlain, a conservative politician, believed that Hitler could be appeased, and thus suggested that perhaps Germany’s takeover of the Sudetenland could be achieved through non-aggressive means, a suggestion far surpassing his authority. On Sept 26, German, British, French and Italian delegates met in Munich to discuss t he details of the takeover.Czech and Soviet delegates were not invited to this meeting, despite their large role in the outcomes. Once the terms had been agreed to, and delegates, particularly Chamberlain, were satisfied, Germany annexed the Sudetenland. Yet again, Hitler had been appeased and had accomplished his expansionary goals, managing to attain another territory prohibited by the Treaty. The movement of Germany’s aggressions were those aimed for in Mein Kampf-hence suggesting that ideology had played an integral role in formulating Nazi foreign policy to that success.This idea is further reinforced by the extension of Hitler’s grasp on Czechoslovakia, when in 1939 Hitler ordered that the rest of the state be handed over to Germany, which was quickly agreed to. Hitler’s accomplishments had all been aimed for in 1924-however, without the non-response of the Allies, and Chamberlain’s continuing belief that appeasement would succeed in limiting Hitler ’s aggressions, Nazi foreign policy would not have been as ambitious, and it is unlikely that aggressions would have succeeded, thus further aggressions, such as with the demand for the Sudetenland, would have been unlikely.This suggests that although foreign policy was based on ideological principles, its formulation was responsive to the European powers. The responsive nature of Nazi foreign policy is highlighted by the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact of 1939. In Hitler’s understanding of race, Slavs were considered racially inferior, and Hitler’s own political directly opposed Stalin’s communism. In fact, Hitler’s ultimate intentions in Mein Kampf included obtaining Eastern Europe, by crushing the Slavs.Thus, this non-aggression pact completely contradicted what seemed to be the intention of Nazi foreign policy to 1939, and what Hitler had been adamant about in Mein Kampf. However, the pact was of strategic brilliance for Germany, for several re asons. With serious intentions to invade Poland, Hitler was faced with the possibility of a two-front war from Russia, which he understood would be crippling to the Wehrmacht. Further, whilst the German military was capable of fighting Allied resistance, should the Russians have made an alliance with the Allies, the struggle would intensify.Therefore, when German and Russian foreign minister Ribbentropp and Molotov, respectively, signed the pact on August 23 1939, it guaranteed temporary security for both powers, and allowed for rapid capture of Poland beginning on September 1 1939. This pact demonstrated Hitler’s flexibility in achieving his aims, sacrificing one of his fundamental ideological principles in order to create an effective Nazi foreign policy. In analysing the weightings of ideology and circumstances in the formulation of Nazi foreign policy, there exists two main schools of thought: intentionalist and structuralist.Intentionalist historians believe that Nazi fo reign policy was based entirely on the principles clearly outlined in Mein Kampf, whilst structuralists, such as AJP Taylor, believe Hitler’s foreign policy was created by opportunities presented to him between 1933-1939, and that documents such as the Hossbach memorandum do not demonstrate clear intentions based on ideological principles but simply aggressive intentions, as per many European powers at the time.In reality, neither arguement encompasses the scope of considerations taken in the formulation of Nazi foreign policy, however to disregard Mein Kampf and the ideological pursuits described in it which Hitler’s foreign policies to 1939 directly reflected is unacceptable in understanding the aims of Nazi foreign policy.Therefore it can been seen that whilst the racial and political ideologies of Hitler, as outlined in 1924, played a significant role in Nazi foreign policy to 1939, several other factors, including the response of the Allies to Hitler’s aggr essions and Germany military’s capacity, greatly affected Nazi foreign policy, and were pivotal in both its timing and creation.

Health of Indigenous Peoples Essay

This essay seeks to demonstrate that whilst Indigenous health policy may have been on the Australian public policy agenda since the1960s, the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous health has remained. A brief description of the lives of Indigenous Australians prior to the colonisation of Australia is given, followed by a description of various policies that have been introduced by the Australian government to combat these inequalities. This essay demonstrates why these policies have been inadequate, in turn highlighting why the incorporation of Indigenous knowledge in creating Indigenous health policies is important. This essay closes with a brief examination of the Closing the Gap policy, which is utilising the knowledge of Indigenous Australians in creating culturally sensitive Indigenous health policies. In conclusion, this essay demonstrates that by including Indigenous Australians in the policymaking process, we might be starting to close the gap. The health inequality of Indigenous Australians has long been a concern for Australia and the world. Whilst the overall health of Australia has continued to improve, the health of Indigenous Australians remains at levels below those of non-indigenous Australians. Whilst it may seem that there is a lot being done to address these issues, the statistics demonstrate that policies implemented to address these issues have not been effective (Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet 2010; Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2010, p. 29). The thesis of this essay is that whilst the government has been seen as attempting to address the issues of health inequalities of Indigenous Australians, it is only in recent times that the government has implemented programs that are anywhere near close to closing the gap between Indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. To demonstrate this thesis, this essay will firstly discuss the history of Indigenous health prior to colonisation. This will be done to highlight how Indigenous health has declined dramatically since colonisation. This essay will then discuss what the government has been doing since the 1967 referendum, in which Indigenous Australians were formally recognised in the Constitution, to address issues of health inequalities (Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet 2010). In the next section, a discussion on the reasons why there is a large gap between Indigenous and non-indigenous health will occur. This will be followed by a discussion on the utilisation of Indigenous knowledge to provide adequate health services. This essay will finally discuss the current Closing The Gap policy (Australian Human Rights Commission 2011), which has been introduced to address issues that previous policies have failed to. This will be done to highlight the fact that whilst it may seem that as the Indigenous population require the knowledge and assistance of its non-indigenous counter parts, what is evident is that health of Indigenous populations has in fact declined since the colonisation of Australia. Failing to recognise the correlation between colonisation and declining health of Indigenous people, will only see a continuation of the problem rather than seeing a positive change. Whilst the information pertaining to the health of Indigenous Australians prior to colonisation in 1788 appears to be scarce, what is known is that Indigenous health has been on the decline since the arrival of European settlers. Indigenous Australians were considered to be healthier than those of their colonisers (Flood 2006, p. 120). Prior to colonisation, there was no contact with the outside world and therefore infectious diseases were minimal. Due to the introduction of new illnesses from colonisation, the population of Indigenous Australians declined (Carson 2007, p. 43). It was also common for Indigenous women to contract sexual diseases from the often non-consensual contact with the colonisers (Carson 2007, p. 44). Health was also impacted upon by change in diet. Prior to colonisation, Indigenous Australians maintained a diet of protein and vegetables due to the animals and plants available to them (Flood 2006, p.120), as well as the exercise they maintained from hunting and gathering (Flood 2006, p. 122). After colonisation, the Indigenous diet included many foods which saw an increase in obesity, diabetes and heart disease (O’Dea 1991, p. 233). It was not just the introduction of disease and change in die that impacted upon Indigenous Australians’ health. Anthropological studies surrounding Indigenous culture have shown that Indigenous populations have close ties to the land, as the land is incorporated into their sense of being. Pieces of land belonged to particular groups of individuals, and the objects from the natural landscape were considered to be part of their history (Carson 2007, p. 180). It was the failure of colonisers to understand this worldview that has contributed to the deterioration of mental health amongst Indigenous Australians, as they were forced off their lands and into settlements and reserves (Carson 2007, p. 49). This contributed to the feeling of being disconnected from land and family, exacerbating feelings of not be longing, lack of identity and low self-esteem (Ypinazar et al.2007,p. 474). As one can see, the issue of health amongst Indigenous Australians is a complex one, complicated by the differing world views of Indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. It is due to this lack of understanding that has resulted in a myriad of health policies that have attempted to address the issue of health inequality of Indigenous Australians. The first health policy to address the health issues of Indigenous Australians was implemented in 1968, with thirty five adjustments made between then and 2006. Without going into the details of every amendment or new policy, what was common throughout this timeline, was that there were various bodies and institutions created to address the issues that had not been adequately addressed previously, responsibilities were allocated by the government to the states and territories, and programs were implemented to address health issues. Change in governments also meant that policies were constantly changing, which meant that the ways in which health issues were seen and therefore addressed also changed (Australian Indigenous Health InfoNet 2010). When attempting to implement a policy that will adequately address the issue, what has been found is that comparative analysis has been used to determine how health issues have been addressed in other countries. Whilst this kind of analysis may be sufficient in some circumstances, it does not suit such a situation where our Indigenous population’s culture and worldview is unlike that of any other. For example, whilst health issues may be similar to those of Indigenous populations elsewhere, worldviews which impact upon health and wellbeing will vary and may not be able to be applied from one culture to another (Tsey et al.2003, p. 36). One event that highlights the differing views on how issues should be addressed, was the closing down of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) by the John Howard Government in 2004 (Australian Indigenous Health InfoNet2010). What was significant about this was that Indigenous health policy had been the responsibility of ATSIC. This action effectively removed the responsibility of Indigenous health from the Indigenous people and placed the responsibility with mainstream departments that were also responsible for non-indigenous health. By doing this, the government had wound back many years of work to address the health inequalities of Indigenous Australians, perceiving Indigenous Australians as a culture that could not look after themselves and needed instead the knowledge and expertise of the superior colonialists (Kay & Perrin 2007, p. 19). By removing the responsibility of Indigenous health from ATSIC and placing it in the hands of a body that was also responsible for non-indigenous health, the government failed to understand the intricacies of Indigenous Australian culture and the implications that this kind of action can have on Indigenous health. Whilst the overall health of Australians is amongst the top third of Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2010, p. 8). There is a clear disparity between Indigenous and non-indigenous health, when one considers that even in this day and age of modern medicine, Indigenous Australians are expected to live twelve years less than their non-indigenous counterparts for males, and ten years less for females (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2010, p. 29). So what are considered to be the reasons for this inequality? What has already been highlighted, is that Indigenous health has suffered from the introduction to changes in diet, introduction of diseases both airborne and venereal, and the impact upon mental health due to dispossession of land and loss of kinship. Mental health issues can also be connected to the economic and social disadvantage of many Indigenous individuals, which can lead to substance abuse and other issues (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2010, p. 33). The failure to adequately address mental health issues has resulted in deaths by suicide being the second biggest reason for deaths by injury (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2010, p. 30). These figures demonstrate that policies have clearly not been working. A salient point to note is that Indigenous Australians are the least likely group of the whole population, to access important health services. So what are the reasons behind this lack of access to services? It can be as simple as the kind of service that an individual receives. From personal experience of serving Indigenous customers, tone of voice can be misinterpreted. What may be considered polite in most circumstances, can be misconstrued as being conceited by others. Use of language can also be a barrier. For example, (again from personal experience), language has to be altered to manoeuvre these barriers, such as replacing the term ‘bank account’ with the word ‘kitty’. Other barriers may include the fact that in remote communities, health professionals may also be the town judge, which may deter Indigenous people from accessing the services from a person who might have also been responsible for sentencing an individual or a member of their family (Paul 1998, p.67). Barriers such as the remote locations of individuals in comparison to the services, and the cost of services also have to be taken into account. For example, if a service is some distance away from an individual, the cost of travelling may be too high. The cost of services close by may also be too expensive for individuals, or individuals may receive poor treatment due to either being turned away from services, or mistreatment due to racialist beliefs. This may result in individuals travelling long distances due to this very mistreatment in their own communities (Paul 1998, pp.67-68). The misconception that all Indigenous Australians are one group of people can also result in culturally inadequate services, deterring individuals from accessing important health services (Paul 1998, p. 68). This lack of understanding about Indigenous cultures when providing health services has resulted in a rise in the provision of health services that are either run by Indigenous individuals, or have been created in consultation with Indigenous individuals, to ensure that the services being provided are culturally adequate. An example that highlights this can be seen in the creation of a program in 1998in the Northern Territory that was attempting to address the health inequalities of Indigenous children (Campbell et al 2005, p. 153). There were many problems with this programme because the people that were overseeing the programme did not have cultural knowledge that was a factor in the health and wellbeing of the children. What resulted was a program which was implemented in an Indigenous remote community, which utilised the knowledge of Indigenous people from the community itself. This allowed for the programme to be altered when issues were addressed and individuals within the community were able to provide solutions to issues, rather than being told what was going to happen by an outside authority (Campbell etal. 2005, p. 155). Whilst this programme realised that a bottom-up approach was more beneficial than a top-down one which usually occurs in policy implementation, there were issues because the programme also involved people from the outside that were there to manage the programme, who were unwilling to give total control to the community, generating feelings of disempowerment, resentment and marginalisation (Campbell et al. 2005, p. 156). Whilst there are many examples of programs that have been implemented to address the health inequalities of Indigenous Australians, one that deserves mentioning because of success that it has had are the men’s groups in Yaba Bimbie and Ma’Ddaimba Balas (McCalman et al. 2010, p. 160). What was found was that these programs were successful because they were run by Indigenous men who had direct knowledge of the cultural issues and needs of the community as they also lived there. They were also successful because the men felt included in their communities by having control, rather than being controlled by an outside source. Due to these men’s groups, individuals were able to come together and share their concerns about their community, and as the others also were from the same community, they were able to contribute to solutions to the problems by feeling able to speak freely about their concerns. One such concern was anger management issues, which were exacerbated by the social issues that the individuals faced (McCalman et al. 2010, p. 163). Whilst, issues like this may seem to be separate, they in fact contribute to other areas, as has been mentioned earlier in regards to mental health and suicide, which flow on to other members of the community, when there may be no one in the family who is able to earn an income, which contributes to poverty. This may in turn, render an individual unable to access services as previously mentioned. As one can see, when individuals who are directly impacted by issues, are included in finding solutions to address these issues, there is more success than when they are not included. It is the understanding of this that has seen the implementation of the Close The Gap policy (Australian Human Rights Commission 2011). This policy is based on the understanding that the concept of health is different in the eyes of Indigenous Australians than that of non-Indigenous Australians (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare2009). This policy has sought to reduce the gap of inequality between Indigenous and non-indigenous Australians by reducing the gap in life expectancy by 2031, halving mortality rates of children by2018, ensuring equal access to early childhood education by 2013, halving the gap in the area of inability to read and write by 2018, halving the gap of individuals who attain their Year 12 education by 2020 and halving the gap of unemployment rates by 2018 (Gillard2011, p. 2). Various programmes have been implemented to address these issues, with a common theme of inclusion. That is, the programs all involve Indigenous Australians who have a better cultural understanding than non-indigenous Australians. This has allowed for individuals to work with their own communities, various levels of government, non-government organisations and businesses (Gillard 2011, p. 6). By doing so, it has provided individuals with a sense of control and purpose over their own lives, which has seen a decrease in the mortality rates of Indigenous Australians (Gillard2011, p. 12), as well as a reduction in the rates of reading and writing problems (Gillard 2011, p. 14). There has also been a significant increase in the numbers of Indigenous Australians aiming towards their Year 12 qualifications (Gillard 2011, p. 16), as well as a decrease in the number of unemployed in the Indigenous population (Gillard 2011, p. 17). Whilst these figures are promising, one has to look at some of the programs that have been implemented as a result of this policy, to see if lessons have been learned from past mistakes, or if similar mistakes are being made. One such program that is deemed to be addressing issues of inequality is the Welfare Payment Reform act, which allowed the government to withhold portions of welfare payments (Gruenstein 2008, p. 468). This was to ensure that portions of the payment were going to required living expenses before going to things such as alcohol. Whilst this may seem as though it is an important step in addressing issues within communities, what is important to note is that policies such as these are in direct violation of the Racial Discrimination Convention because they directly target Indigenous individuals solely because they are Indigenous and are not necessarily in need of intervention (Gruenstein, 2008, p. 469). Whilst the Closing the Gap policy has good intentions, it can result in actions that treat Indigenous Australians as a homogenous group, rather than recognising the variation of issues. In conclusion, this essay has demonstrated that Australia has come a long way in addressing the issues of inequality amongst Indigenous Australians. It has been demonstrated that Indigenous Australians were in good health prior to colonisation, and only since colonisation has the health of Indigenous Australians has declined. This essay has also shown that the different governments have varied between allowing Indigenous Australians self-determination, or be included in the process of policy making, to the government seizing control of the issues, excluding the Indigenous community from decision making. Whilst it has been shown that the government has been addressing issues for well over 40 years, it has only been in recent times that issues of inequality have begun to be adequately addressed. By understanding that it is Indigenous Australians who are better able to understand their issues, which stem from the actions of non-indigenous peoples and allowing Indigenous Australians to take control of their own lives, will we start to close the gap of health inequality between Indigenous and non-indigenous Australians.

Homeland Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Homeland - Coursework Example A request for assistance because of an emergency, which might eventually qualify for assistance in accordance with Stanford Act, may be done. The state governor of the state within which this incident has happened may request to the president to give directions to the defense secretary to use resources of DOD to execute emergency work, which is necessary for life and property preservation (Burkett, 2009). 2. The first priority of the state happens to its citizens in the case of terrorism. Incase terrorists are apprehended, all they are looking forward to is negotiation for their life safety or to make demands for whatever they had planned. It is important for an incident commander, to remember not to negotiate with the terrorists. The policy of the United States Counter terrorist unit is that: The government of United States makes no concessions with persons trying to kill or holding American citizens hostage. As an incident commander, one is the United States’ government representative and should do everything and utilize every appropriate resource available to secure the American citizens held hostage. It is the policy of the United States government to refuse hostage takers and terrorists benefits of ransom, policy changes, pioneer releases, as well as any other concession acts (Global Focus, 2015). 3. The department of defense happens to be within federal response to local occurrences while the response of the Department of Defense is coordinated totally through mechanisms that are listed within the National Response Framework. Within its provision for support during emergency responses, the command for Department of defense remains with the secretary of defense. However, the National Guard forces are under the governor’s control and command. Within NRF, nothing exists that hinders the statutory authority of the defense secretary as far as the resources as well as DOD personnel are concerned. Unity of command and command concepts has

Hum sammary 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hum sammary 2 - Essay Example ming that men can do nothing more than guess and interpret what Jesus meant when he told a Samaritan woman that her fifth husband was not her husband. Furthermore, she reasons out that the Scriptures talk about God’s command to â€Å"go forth and multiply† and that even great Old Testament figures, like Abraham, Jacob, and Solomon, enjoyed multiple wives at once. The Wife of Bath admits that many great Fathers of the Church have proclaimed the importance of virginity, such as the Apostle Paul. However, she argues that even if virginity is important, there must be existing people who are procreating so that virgins can be created. Thus, she says that virginity should be left to the perfect so that the rest could use their gifts in the best way they could. Undoubtedly, her gift is her sexual power and she uses this power as an â€Å"instrument† to control her husbands. It is at this point, the Pardoner interrupts. The Pardoner is planning to marry soon and he is worried that his wife will control his body, in the same way that the Wife of Bath describes. The Wife of Bath tells him to be patient and to listen to the whole story to see if it reveals the truth about marriage. Of her five husbands, three have been â€Å"good† and two have been â€Å"bad.† She further admits that the first three of her husbands were good because they were rich, old, and submissive. She then laughs as she remembers the torments that she put her husbands through and she even recounts a typical conversation that she had with her older husbands. She then accused her husband of having an affair, and launched into a litany in which she  would charge him with a bewildering array of accusations. If  one of her husbands got drunk, she would claim he said that every wife is out to destroy her husband. He would then feel guilty and give her what she wanted. In the end, the Wife of Bath says that these were all lies and that her husbands never held these opinions, but she made these claims to give

The role and function of the Front office in hotel Essay

The role and function of the Front office in hotel - Essay Example Hence, it is the duty of the front desk to inform the housekeeping department whenever new guests arrive (Rajput, 2013). In addition, the front desk also is the one that manages meetings, answer phones, make appointments, maintain record, and also make data entry as well as management of other communications (Rajput, 2013). In connection to this, to run a successful hotel business the front desk has to be run well because as stated they are the face the hotel. This is because they are the ones that receive the visitors hence they are the ones who determines the direction the business will take in the future (Rajput, 2013). The reserve section acts as a nerve center for the department. It is the section where all room reservation requests are received and then processed. Reservation is the act of booking rooms in advance, and most hotels rely on effective bedroom letting for profits. These reservations may be in the form of telex, letters, telegram, telephones, fax and emails (Kumar, 2013). Rajput, T. (2013, January 13). How important is Front Desk Management in a hotel business. Retrieved from

Virtual and Social Media of Wikis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Virtual and Social Media of Wikis - Essay Example Wikis are hosted by a third party, and is largely popular for people who like to browse, input comments on certain topics and share information through simple means. The creation of wikis mainly caters to an audience who want to have a chance to interact with particular web contents. People practice virtual and social media communication by accessing wikis. Wikis are made to help people come to know about things he has the least knowledge about. It also empowers viewers to remove from the site they are viewing topics which they consider off. People interact with each other by sharing information, comments, and suggestions through this software. People then get the chance to add on to their knowledge, but also develop their interactive skills when accessing Wikis. On a personal level, wikis enhance communication and interaction among web fanatics. On a business level, wikis enable companies to develop networks which consequently simplify work and increase productivity. Businesses gain inputs from viewers while getting important messages across the targeted group, giving them a chance to successfully market their products, services or even ideas. Bigger companies use Wikis to collaborate with clients and manage production on major projects. Wikis, as in any other technology, has its strengths and downsides. One of its strengths lies in the fact that it serves its purpose very well, it is very engaging and it never fails to trigger participation from the target audience. Information written on the web may be altered or modified by anyone. It is useful as well as easy to use; it is not structured or prohibiting. It enhances interaction and gives the audience the enjoyment of participating in information sharing. Wikis are also very flexible. It bends according to the needs of the user.

Godfather Death and Rappaccini's Daughter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Godfather Death and Rappaccini's Daughter - Essay Example According to him, Death was the best choice because it did not discriminate on any person. Similarly, in ‘Rappaccini's Daughter’, there Giovanni is fascinated about nature’s flowers and them that he gets wing of Beatrice â€Å"Rappaccini's Daughter†. Therefore, the two works above shows or portrays the elements that are found within nature and how they would be handled. â€Å"Godfather Death" makes death as its evidence while whereas â€Å"Rappaccini's Daughter† makes use of the beautiful flowers. The two evidences used are a representative of nature (Smith). This article gives an account of two men who are determined to change the wrong things that are within their society. They feel that some people are being mistreated and that this needs change. This is shown by their actions that serve to facilitate administration of fairness and elimination of mistreatments. Part two The selected works look at a natural aspect that is found within the two sett ings. In finding a godfather for his son, the father has three choices form which he must come up with one. This is in relation to the knowledge of father on the three aspects that are found within nature. Similarly, in â€Å"Rappaccini's Daughter† the flowers and the garden represent nature and the flowers that are found with it. Therefore, this is a reflection of nature and the views of two men about nature aspects. Giovanni marvels at the garden and all its vegetation and as he goes on further into the garden, he notices that doctor Rappaccini is focusing on some flowers. He finds out that Beatrice is watching over the flowers, and he decides to change this aspect. According to him, Beatrice had been blessed with beauty and needed to be treated with care (Smith). Giovanni compared Beatrice with a flower that needed care in regard to treatment. For instance, she needed glove and a mask when being handled. Contrary, to this, her father made her watch over the flowers that he adored so much within the garden. He goes to her and leads her to the house. On the other hand, the father of the son had three aspects that qualified to be candidates for the position of a godfather for the son. The father goes on to look at all the three aspects in details by looking at their negative sides. On the aspect of God, the father says that God cannot be chosen as a Godfather because he brought poverty to the world. God created poverty for the world, and as a result, many people are suffering. The other aspect that was looked at was the acts of the devil on earth. Likewise, the devil did not qualify because of the evil things and actions that were associated with him. Finally, the father settles for death because it did not discriminate people in its actions. Death would befall the poor and even the rich without considering their status in the society. The son follows all that death required him to do until when he felt that something was not going right, and because of that, he decided to go against those requirements of Godfather Death. This is in relation to the sickness that he saw within people. According to him, this was unacceptable, and that is the reason that made him disobey orders given out by death. The paragraphs above gives an account of two men who go against forces of nature because they feel that their actions are unfair to people. In the case of Beatrice, Rappaccini's Daughter, it was not right to keep her outside to watch over flowers as her father made h

Global Warming. Who is responsible Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Global Warming. Who is responsible - Essay Example And the major part of the warming that has been reported this century took place from 1900-1940. Ironically, the release of greenhouse gases was less during this period of the century when compared to the second half. In reality, the rise in temperatures over the recent years has been relatively higher when compared with the increase in greenhouse gases.1 Over the last few years, the issue of global warming has gained widespread media coverage. It has been the subject of many TV debates and now has a central role in the ongoing U.S. presidential elections campaigns. Many TV programs depict polar bears stranded as huge chunks of ice continue to melt into the polar waters. This has even been the subject of advertisement for many cruise lines that lure customers by promising them to enroll on a trip to witness the effects of global warming as it melts down polar ice that has been there for more than two million of years.2 According to a document released by the United Nations' International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), "Global atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide [generated by fossil fuel consumption], methane and nitrous oxide [due to agriculture] have increased markedly as a result of human activities since 1750 and now far exceed pre-industrial values determined from ice cores spanning many thousands of years."3 However, the document is also optimistic and states that global warming can be curbed if effective measures are put in place to cut down global carbon emissions. That's because slowing down human activity, which according to the panel is the major cause of climate, can be the first step towards overturning the current situation. Global warming is a genuinely dynamic problem today's world. The current level of excess concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is as a result pass human activities. In the same light, the fossil fuels we burn today and related activities will affect future generations. That's because carbon gases emitted today will settle in the atmosphere and leave a negative effect on our planet when we are all gone. As a result, we have to take into account the welfare of our grandchildren each time we make a decision that can affect the environment.4 There is need for us to consider alternative sources of energy, and that's because fossil fuels have two major drawbacks. In addition to pollution, fossil fuels have become expensive.5 More recently, the issue of global warming has been gaining grounds even in religious spheres. More and more people of faith are now adopting global warming as one of their religious concerns. "As with concern regarding the nature and reality of the Holy, as with concern about one's relation to divine things, to God, to the sacred, as with concern for what may be one's ultimate purposes in life, global warming puts radically reorienting questions to life. Global warming puts life itself into question--not only our own individual lives, or the lifeline of our species, but all of life and its future possibilities. Global warming evokes the fragility of life and its mysterious contingency and begs caring response on our part."6 Another reason why global warming should attract religious concern is that most religions have some common principles that guide their teaching. These include having concern for the vulnerable as well as appreciation for the majestic works of God. "Global warming, by

INTRODUCING HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

INTRODUCING HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE - Essay Example The demographics indicate that most of the children born to teenagers end up been aborted; over half of the children born to teenagers under the age of 18 years. Barking and Dagenham faces a huge challenge in terms of sexual and reproductive health. Teenage pregnancy is a social issue, and it needs both health and social care, evidence indicate that the children born to teenage mothers are likely to experience some very negative outcomes later in their life stages. This children are likely to take the place of their parents and became teenage parents themselves, which seems to be a perpetuating issue where teenage parenthood is moved from one generation to the other. One of the negative effects of teenage pregnancy is the fact that it is both a contributory factor to poverty and is also an outcome of child poverty. Barking and Dagenham is an area where their rate of unemployment is very high and the region is can be described as a poor area, this explains why teenagers from this areas are likely to get pregnant more than other teenagers in more affluent areas. There are numerous challenges that women who conceive during their teenage-hood face during their lives. One of the major challenges is that most of them are not able to complete school, and their education dream is shattered. Lack of completing their education will make them not to gain access to proper job opportunities, and their life chances of themselves and their kids are ruined. Research has also indicated that they are likely to partner with men who are not employed and re poorly qualified. The poverty vicious cycles seem to be endless for the teenagers who conceive in this stage. Those who conceive beyond their teens are likely to complete their education and are likely to partner with men who are determined and are well off. Health is also another big concern in teenage pregnancy; they are likely to suffer poorer health. Their

The International Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The International Business - Essay Example For instance, fluctuating exchange rates occurring over a stable period could lead to domestic manufacturing slowdowns, thus giving foreign competition more opportunities to outperform domestic firms. When local currency depreciates, it creates many disadvantages to the host country economically. Furthermore, enterprises that are prone to engage in corruptive activities, such as offering bribery payments for industrial protection, further erode potential revenue gains in the host country. This paper describes the costs and benefits of foreign direct investment as it pertains specifically to the host country. The impact of corruption on revenue One benefit of FDI is that host countries often promote foreign direct investment through the provision of tax incentives as a short-run strategy, due to the potential labour, capital and welfare improvements that a multi-national enterprise can provide the host country. However, in the short-run, governments are limiting their revenue-building capacity until these tax incentive programmes run their course. Further, in some nations, especially those with more power distance as measured by Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions framework, corruption is a commonplace activity that occurs between government and the foreign investor. Corruption is measured by situations such as offering bribes to government to improve their political and contractual connections as a means to gain favour (Ionescu 2010) and also for the provision of lessened tax assessments, investment licensing and specialized permits (Al-Sadig 2009). Why is corruption a concern for the host country over the long-term? Less-developed countries that rely on foreign direct investment in order to sustain their long-run economic needs gain the benefit of capital from corporate taxation and the provision of permits and licensing contracts. When a foreign investor is able to procure special favours from governmental officials through direct bribery payments, this red uces the foreign direct investor dependency on the tangible revenue-building structure associated with these allowances. As identified, this is more commonplace in nations where there is a high power distance. Power distance is defined as social or political inequality within a nation (Mathis and Jackson 2005). Countries such as France, Mexico, Brazil and India maintain high power distance which tends to segregate higher levels of authority from lower-level employees and citizens. Nations that have political and social autocratic systems provide ample opportunities for foreign investors to engage in corruption activities which can severely reduce revenue over the long-term associated with taxation and other fees for operating business. Host countries need to consider the potential capital losses that can occur as a product of foreign direct investment and the nature of the political relationship with the investing firm before promoting its widespread encouragement. Though it is poss ible that these factors can be mitigated through more control-minded political policies, it is still a risk issue for the host country that can deplete significant capital production. The impact to local producers Foreign direct investment is generally considered by firms in developing nations due to the disparities that exist in talent

Art History Essay Example for Free

Art History Essay I have had to date a career in event and music management. I studied drama at Manchester Met University and then left to work in event and music management. I have had a passion for art since childhood. Over the past three years i have sought to use this enthusiasm to good effect. I focused on discovering new talent and learning about the process of creation and also the curating of exhibitions. This lead to me creating a pop up exhibition for students at Central Saint Martins in a vacant space on the Portland estate in Marylebone. I also worked in collaboration with commercial clients; Art related fashion Installations at The Saint Martin’s lane hotel alongside the Opera Gallery on Bond Street and also in New York for the Morgan’s hotel group. I started up an event management company with two other people. We parted company and i used the quite challenging period after this to rethink my ideas and what i wanted to do with my life. I read around the subject of Art History extensively during this period. I am now assisting my father in his emerging market advisory company. i have persuaded him to consider developing the cultural industries side of the business with a focus on exploring market opportunities in Africa in relation to art. I want to underpin this with increasing my academic and practical knowledge of contemporary art. In the past i have completed number of courses at Central Saint Martin’s school of arts in art politics and also an introduction into curating. In the weekly classes it gave me the basic framework and understanding of contemporary art, artists and museums. Within the curating course you learnt to build ideas on exhibition making and also gain an understanding of historical models of the past that really aided me in my professional collaborations. These courses have motivated me to this point and really cemented the idea of studying in more depth and looking at the business of Art as a career. I am currently attending Morley College and studying a short course in Japanese Prints and French art in the middle ages which are both coming to an end. I looked at the Sotheby’s course in contemporary art and it seems a natural progression from what I have done in the past and will aid to my further studies in the history of art this year and a career in the arts.

Procter Gamble: Organisation And Development

Procter Gamble: Organisation And Development INTRODUCTION Procter Gamble was created in 1837 by William Procter who was a candle maker and James Gamble who was a soap maker. Since then the company was growing bigger and bigger as years past by. Nowadays, Procter Gamble is a multinational organization operating in more than 180 countries and producing over 300 products. Firstly, at this report, the strategic development of PG will be clearly evaluated and it will be followed by the evaluation of its resources and competences. Then, the evaluation of the companys external environment will be analyzed through the use of swot analysis, pest analysis and 5 forces analysis. Subsequently, a strategic group analysis of the industry that PG is engaged to will be carried out to illustrate their differentiate characteristics from other companies. Finally, the longer term strategy of PG will be clearly demonstrated with some future recommendations that could be supportive. Pattern of strategic development Since 1837 when Procter Gamble was founded, the company continued to grow and following the changes at the external environment, the corporate strategy of PG was changing as well. From 1945 to 2020, PG has three stages of corporate strategy, which are: Product diversification strategy (1945-1980), Globalization strategy (1980-2003), and Sustainable Development Strategy (2003-2020). Product diversification strategy (1945-1980) In 1946, PG introduced Tide washing powder. Tides performance was better than the similar products in the market and so it soon got as a big success. Subsequently, PG launched a lot of new products. The first fluoride toothpaste Crest Obtained certification by American Association of Dental Prevention, then it became the leading toothpaste brand quickly. In 1961, PG introduced Pampers which is disposable baby diapers, it is still one of the top product that PG sells (Ifeng Finance, 2010 ). The disadvantage of this strategy is that it is too difficult for the company to control and manage so many products and the company may over pursuit the market share and might not pay attention to develop the star products which have core competitiveness. As a result, the original core competitiveness is weakening and the company does not have its own characteristics, the concept of the companys image and product become blurred. Globalization strategy (1980-2003) Through the acquisition of Norwich Eaton pharmaceutical company  ¼Ã‹â€ 1982 ¼Ã¢â‚¬ ° and Rechardson-Vicks company ¼Ã‹â€ 1985 ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¼Ã…’PG is active in personal care products industry. In the late 80s, early 90s, through the acquisition of Noxell ¼Ã…’Max Factor ¼Ã…’and Ellen Betrix, PG plays an important role in cosmetics and fragrances industry (Ifeng Finance, 2010 ). These acquisition activities have accelerated the process of PG globalization. Moreover, Pampers, Whisper, Pantene, Tide, Ariel, Crest, and Olay and other brands has become a world-renowned brands. However, the biggest problem when a company involved into other countries, is the cultural differences which will lead to different reactions on product on the consumers, thus the marketing strategies need to be changed accordingly. Also, the different national legal systems and the differentiation in consumers budgets is also greatly affecting the conduct of globalization strategy. Sustainable Development Strategy (2003-2020) At the current stage, the tenet of PGs organization strategy is sustainability which means improving peoples life quality. In order to achieve this strategy, PG to start work from the following aspects: Products: PG developed and sold sustainable innovation products which can significantly reduce environmental pollution. In 2007, PG replaced the packaging of detergent as half of the originals, and adjusted the solution to double concentrated formula. The method saved the use of packaging materials and reduced wastes. PGs purpose is to make the environment a better place (Adweek, 2007). Operations: PG established the sustainable development team in the offices. Through green recycling box, the company recycled more than 4800 kilograms of waste paper, and in exchanged for 69,000 new pieces of paper, moreover, the companys power consumption dropped by 10%, saving 17 million kWh which is equivalent to 560 families a months electricity consumption. In addition, in some factories and distribution centers, PG also installed solar power and rainwater collection and processing device, to further reduce energy consumption. (21ST CENTURY BUSINESS HERALD, 2009) Social Responsibility: In 2009, PG signed United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and developed a global reduction in carbon footprint by 2012, and that will be published the results of carbon reduction stage. (21ST CENTURY BUSINESS HERALD, 2009) So far, all of the efforts which PG has done are win-win situation of business and environment. When the company set up the environmental value chain, it will get financial gains from using energy efficiency and reducing wastes. Resources and Competences PG as we know it, is one of the worlds largest consumer products company but what does makes PG so successful while it competes in the huge consumer products industry? This part of the report is mainly focuses on the PGs resources and competences and how the resources and competences works together creating a competitive advantages for the firm. Resources Tangible resource The tangible resource is easy to be identified by looking at the financial report. Their net sale was $ 78. 9 billion in 2010, which is markedly stable by compared with the last two years net sales ($ 76.7million in 2009 and $79.3 in2008 respectively). The net earnings were $ 12. 7 billion and net operating income was $16 billion in 2010. This illustrates that PG has enjoyed a stable and healthy profits. Intangible resources The intangible resources are the brand equity, corporate culture and human resources. PG is the 6th Most Admired Company in Fortunes 2010 list; it was also one of the most valuable brands in the world. The corporate culture is unique, tough lives and improve life every day is PGs philosophy which encourages the PGners engaging to improve consumers life. PG is also very good at research develop. PG has invested $2 billion in consumer research over the last decade in order to understand consumers needs and to improve customers satisfaction. Additionally, at the same time RD increases the product innovation. Competences Marketing strategy Product differentiation: each product has different brands, for example shampoo has Rejoice, Pantene, and Head Shoulders. Only one product has more than three brands and detergent has as many as more than nine brands. Product differentiation can lower risk in case if one brand goes wrong. Various functions: one product has different functions and different packaging, for example, some of detergents have fragrance and others with the function of strong cleaning. This strategy will increase the market share for PG, such as in china along, the market share increased from 30% to 40% in 2010. Advertising: PG tends to use celebrities to advertise its products in order to attract young customers. Localization is another strategy that PG has adopted, for example in china, the company sells shampoo by suing Chinese girl who has black long hear, because this can represent the Chinese culture. Consumer understanding PG is a company that did most investigations in consumers and market research. More than 15,000 researches has been conducted each year. PG invested $350 million a year in consumer understanding in order to improve the customer needs. PG is the first company to focus on customer feedback. Innovation PG is the Innovation leader in the consumer products industry. Over the past 15 years, 125 PG innovations have earned a spot on the top 25 Pacesetters list more than six largest competitors combined. Innovation program: connect develop (C+D): PG is always seeking the opportunity to collaborate with people or company who has innovative ideas. The VRIO framework evaluates the competitive advantage from four aspects: valuable, rare, inimitable, and organized. From the evidence above the corporate culture was the Competitive parity. Because each organization has its unique cultures, it is inimitable. Human resources are the short term competitive advantage of the company. People are not fixed assets of one company, they can go to other company as well if they wish to. PGs competitive advantages are its brand equity, RD, marketing strategy, consumer understanding and innovation. External business environment At this part of the report, the evaluation of PGs external environment will take place. This evaluation will be contacted through the SWOT analysis, PEST analysis and Porters Five forces analysis. SWOT Analysis (Opportunities and Threats) SWOT analysis is a way to analyse an organisation and its environment. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. Strengths and Weaknesses are the internal factors, Opportunities and Threats are the external factors. At this report we are only consider about the external factors. Opportunities The increasing demand for the section of male health and beauty goods is one of the biggest opportunities of PG and with the acquirement of Gillette, PG is growing rapidly at this particular market. Moreover, PG has a huge opportunity with its reaction to the enormous technological growth of the internet by utilizing different marketing techniques and online social networks. What is more, taking into consideration their long-term aims, they have been disconnected from some products such as the oral-care toothpaste of Gillette, Zest brand have been acquired by Brynwood Partners, etc. so PG will pay their full attention at brands of their interest. PG is persistently growing into more and more countries so at the moment operates in 80 countries and now due to the recession it is easier to acquire any smaller firms because of their financial problems (Canadian Business 2011, Worldlingo 2011). Threats PG as a global giant company have a lot of competitors like Kimberly Clark, Unilever, Johnsons Johnsons, etc. who in various countries causes large threat at the market share. Moreover, the competitors of PG are increasing their goods range through getting hold of other smaller firms. As a result of the recession, the consumers budget has been decrease and therefore their spending power is limited as well. Also, raw materials prices are rising thus the production cost is rising and the different currency rate place a huge threat on PG. PEST Analysis PEST analysis stands for Political, Economical, Social and Technological factors and it is used by the analysers to identify the external factors that may affect the organisation in an opportunity or as a threat. Political Factors ProcterGamble have created the PG Political Action Committee (PG PAC), which is a scheme that it was created to give the opportunity to the employees of PG to support candidates at the federal, state and local level who contribute to the quality of life at the communities. Moreover, PG by offering economic support contributes in the political process (Procter Gamble 2011). Economical Factors PG is designed to go through any type of economy as they are very capable and they have a commitment to the consumers. Subsequently, even at the time of the recession PG had margins to reduce costs and offer products to consumers ( Business Week 2011). Social Factors With the creation of Live Learn and Thrive Program, PG helps children in need to drink clean water so it helps them to have a healthy beginning in life. Moreover, it is making places, tools and programs available to them for better learning (Procter Gamble 2011). Technological Factors PG as a big organisation and as it is specified in a lot of different markets, they are focusing on more sophisticate technology and they have managed to reduce any unwanted errors. PG have managed to create new products and further improve their existing products (Procter Gamble 2011). Porters Five Forces Model (SlideShare INC. 2011) Porters five forces model is a framework that was created by Michael E. Porter in 1979 and it is consider with the buyers power, supplier power, the treat of new entrants, the treat of substitute and the rivalry of a firm. Buyer Power Consumers are well informed for all different brands of a specific product that are available mostly through advertising. Brand name is very important but consumers are very perceptive with price level as well. Thus, buyers power is high so PG organisation must remain competitive to keep being successful. Supplier Power The power of the suppliers to PG organisation can be low because the raw materials are easy to be find from different suppliers and what is more, such big firms have the opportunity to produce their own raw materials. Threat of New Entrants The threat of new entrants is very low since PG and their well known competitors are already huge global firms with very famous brand names and consumers will not just change their brand goods as easily. Moreover, setting up this kind of firm will cost millions. Threat of Substitutes The threat of substitutes that PG have to face is high. That can be seen from the retailers shops and sometimes the substitutes have cheaper prices and same performance. Degree of Rivalry The variety of the goods between different companies started to be similar to each other so the firms must begin a differentiation with offers, vouchers or even better/cooler advertises. Strategic group analysis PG is one of biggest multiple customer goods company in the world. Thus each product could have its own competitors. However, the main competitors of PG are Kimberly-Clark Co, Johnson Johnson and Unilever. Net sale of PG and Unilever The chart above illustrates the net sale of PG and Unilever in the last six years. As it can be seen, Unilever has about 10 billion more sales than PG in 2005. Interestingly, as it can be seen from 2006 to 2010, the net sale of PG is considerably more than Unilever. Furthermore, in 2008, PG reaches the peak showing 20 billion Net Sales more than Unilever ¼Ã‹â€ PG official website 2010, Unilever official website 2009 ¼Ã¢â‚¬ ° Product range and geographical scope Procter Gamble, Johnson Johnson, Unilever and Kimberly-Clark are the major international companies that sells their products all over the world. But as regard their geographic scope we can see huge differences. PG has been selling its products in more than 180 countries. Johnson Johnson is almost the same as Unilever, and they are both over 170countries. However, Kimberly-Clark has been developed up to 150 different countries. The product range of PG holds into 5 main product categories which are: Personal Beauty, House Home, Baby Family, Health Wellbeing and Pet Nutrition. Although the categories of PG are very similar with Unilever ¼Ã…’the food product of Unilever (Hearbrand, Lipton, sim-fast) gained an advantage over the other three companies. However, Johnson Johnson focuses its products on paramedical such as baby care, wound care and vision. In addition, Kimberly-Clark specializes in Health care products (PG official website 2010, Unilever official website 2009, Joh nson Johnson official website 2010, Kimberly-Clark official website 2010) Market share of shampoo in China With the development of shampoo market, the organization of PG became the leader of shampoo in Chinas market. PG basically owns five main shampoo brands which are Rejoice, Head Shoulders, Pantene ¼Ã…’Sassoon ¼Ã…’and Clairol; With these brands PG became the dominant position in many countries. Take china market as an example, PG take up nearly 60% shampoo market share in 2010. However, Unilever only accounted for 23%. The domestic brand C-bon only had 6.3% until 2010 (Bai Du website 2010). Successful factors PG adopts multi-brand strategy. When PG entered the China market, it launched Rejoice, Head Shoulders, Pantene, Sassoon and Clairol successively. What is more, each of these brands has its traits; for instance, the function of Head Shoulder should emphasis getting rid of surf and the function of rejoice is to soften the hair. Adopting the multi-brand strategy could have two advantages; Firstly, multi brand strategy can focus on different target market. Secondly, brand management can became very independent. In addition, at the same time it can reduce the risks. Supposing that one brand of PG frails, it will not affect the reputation of PG too much. On the other hand Unilever adopts the Monolithic Brand Strategy which with this method can save money on many advertisement fees, it lost the market share. PG always build the brand image with a massive advertising campaign. It is not only in newspaper, magazines, but also on major television channels. The advertisement of PG is very pertinence, because each of their brands are emphasizing its unique function (Bai Du website 2010). Long term strategy development of the organization References: Bai Du website (2010 ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °Brand of shampoo strategy in China. [online] available from [20 January 2011] Bai Du website (2010 ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °marketing analysis of PG and Unilever [online]available from [20 January 2011] Bai Du website (2010 ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °PG took up more 60%market share in China. [online]available from [21 January 2011] Business Week (2011) PG is up [online] available from [19 December 2010] Canadian Business (2011) Brynwood Partners [online] available from [7 January 2011] Docstock (2010) PG Analysis [online] available from [29 December 2010] Ifeng Finance. (2010) Procter and Gamble Profile [Online] Available from [10 January 2011] Johnson Johnson. (2010) official website [online]available from [16 January 2011] Kai, H. (2009) Procter Gamble: Environmental Friendly Promoting Innovation. Newspaper of 21st Century Business Herald, 26 Kenneth R. Andrews. (1980) The Concept of Corporate Strategy. Richard D. Irwin, Inc Kimberly-Clark ¼Ã‹â€ 2010 Official website [online] available from [18 January 2011] PG (2010) Official Website [online] available from [5 January 2011] SlideShare INC. (2011) Fluff Pulp Fiction [online] available from [5 January 2011] Sustainable Packaging Coalition. (2007) PG Canada Liquid Laundry Concentrate [Online] Available from [8 January 2010] Unilever (2009) Official Website [online] available from [14 January 2011] Worldlingo (2011) List of Procter Gamble brands [online] available from [6 January 2011]

Risk Management in Healthcare | Case Study

Risk Management in Healthcare | Case Study MIA JESSELENE SUGUITAN Risk Management Process Regency rest home and hospital provides assistive works for the day to day living most especially for the people who cannot manage to support their everyday routine. In identifying and characterizing the risk, this is assessing possible risk invaders in the organization and distinguishing possible reasons occurring in a workplace. Vulnerability affects the residents and employee work and its environment, it also tackles about currents assets involving establishments, equipment, appliances and financial status. It is also better to determine the effect or the impact of the said risk in the presence of the likelihood. In reducing possible risk, it is a best benefit in the part of employees and for the resident for the better provision in the future. Thus, this depends on the process of what the rest home and hospital measures every performance and its management styles. Examples of management process; Risk assessment process at Regency Rest Home and Hospital which includes (a)identifying and characterizing risk in the organization, (b)assessing vulnerability and assets to specific threats as scaled from 0%-100%,(c) determining the risk and the consequences in the likelihood,(d)different ways to reduce risk in the rest home and hospital,(e)prioritizing risk based on strategy. Residential risk a.1 Risk of fall and slips from the residents during the given shift. Scattered wires and adaptors inside the establishments. Side rails improperly laid up. Poor housekeeping on the equipment’s and appliances. b. The health and safety of the employee and the residents would affect the day to day activities. This might likely arise about 20% within people vulnerability assets. c. In the impact of likelihood this would affect the resident day to day activity and cannot able to help his/herself personal recreational stuffs. d. To reduce risk there should be; Be proper housekeeping of appliances and equipment’s after used. After any activity done for a patient always remember when putting back on her bed most especially for aggressive residents, always put side rails up. And if rails are not available always put pillows on each side of the bed. Put up signage to prevent injuries. e. Avoidance the risk of possible falls or slips and do something to avoid any accidents that would affect not only on the health and safety of the residents but also on the part of each employee. a.2 Risk of improper handling and assisting care to the residents most particularly on their personal hygiene. Taking bath on residents that involves in washing their private parts. Tidying their wardrobe and room every after washed. b.10% would possibly affect the residents personal rights on to her/his own needs in caring their body. Since some of the residents can still manage to clean their selves, we still need to supervise their activity and asked if they need assistance. Another is other residents cannot able to look up their personal regimens so, a full assistance is needed for them. This would also affect the reputation of the rest home and hospital if someone would report any malicious act as every activity is ongoing, example is when bathing and washing their private parts. c. The impact of likelihood would be, since some of the residents experienced dementia (loss of ability to think properly especially on his/her daily routines) in rendering health care services unexplained procedures in residents, may feel unprotected and abuse in the site of their caregivers/health care assistance. And for other residents reputation from the care givers would probably ungreatful. d. To reduce risk; Inform consent and explain any activity to be done. Respect resident privacy in carry out cares. Encourage resident to improve level of independence like in their personal hygiene and activities. Correct use of mobility aids or with the assistance from the fellow employee member. e. Limit the risk in this situation because this is considered as a part of the daily activity wherein residents should always be seen nice and tidy every day. Making sure that every residents are respected and informed any procedures to be than on the course of any activity to prevent any faults. Employee/staff member risk a.3 Risk in Improper delegation of tasked on the course of assigned shift. Miss communication between staff and staff members in designating proper tasked. In coherent data assessment that would effect on the future needs of a residents. b. 20% would affect staff members and not doing healthy in the career would be liable by negligence in the part or rendering care to residents. c. The impact of risk in likelihood would be a negative and unhelpful outlook to each employee and colleagues. Also it affects the reputation of the institution itself to the other residents who wanted to be a part of the associate. d. To  ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­reduce risk; Willingness to complete the tasked in time, given to each employee positive and helpful outlook toward every residents and colleagues Active discussion and problem solving for the members of the staff. Completes distributed tasked. Show consideration to the other colleagues and to the residents Ensures planned works can meet the needs of every resident Participate scheduled staff meetings and discussions. e. Limit the possible result of miscommunication, if possible mingle and have knowledge on things with the members of staff and adjust with the team member and staff to minimize extent of risk. Disaster risk a.4 Risk in Fire inside the establishment especially on the assigned wing. Facilities, equipment and appliances are damage. Residents and employees of the establishment would experience injuries during any fire outbreak. b. About 5% to be roughly to happen. Critical assets like the building, the equipment’s, appliances and scarcity of money would affect the health and safety of every resident and employee as well. c. The impact of likelihood is fire would occur establishments would fall down into business, financial would affect the employee’s job and the lost properties. d. To reduce risk; Have knowledge and understanding on the emergency situation especially on fire Reports any hazard and damages in the equipment used while on shift. Attendance to one fire exits Have knowledge in fire manual Have knowledge and responsibilities in fire alarm sound. Have knowledge in hazard reporting Have knowledge on how and where to report damage e. Transfer in the risk, this would help residents from having any grievances and on the part of the employee’s health and safety of residents, their selves, is their first priority. There are ways in securing residents lives like transferring residents into a near facilities if accident may happen. Prioritizing the Risk From highest to lowest prioritization. 1. Improper delegation of tasked during the assigned shift. 2. Risk from falls and slips during the shift. 3. Risk in handling and assisting residents on their personal routine 4. Risk from fire in the premises. Risk management frameworks and The Principles In risk management framework, it overviews goals, objectives, qualitative and quantitative parts of an organization. COSO framework has been introduced and this was used by every business and management in dealing uncertain threats and risk than may encounter in a workplace. It defines as a process, where it affects the peoples entity applied in a setting to recognize possible risk to ensure achievement of a certain objectives most especially in the industry you are working for. Entity objectives with its category; Strategic Operational Reporting Compliance In event identification, it identifies risk and opportunities in a certain workplace. It may result into a negative or positive outlook of every people. Involves identifying those cases, like internally or externally, that could affect strategy and reaching the objectives that they want.it also talks how internal and external factors combine and interact to influence the management risk. For example; Events from a disaster like fire, this is identified as a part of an event that would happen anytime or in the future and it needs a proper management caution if ever this will occur. In risk assessment, allows an entity to recognize the extent to which latent events might impact objectives. Assesses risks from viewpoints or the perception in the impact of likelihood. Is used to assess risks and used to quantify the related objectives. For example; In events like fire, risk could cause burns from equipment, appliances and establishment. Also it affects the residents and the staff member as well. Abrasions, contusions and concussions would likely experienced, and unexpected events like this must have identify measures of management. Works a combination of both qualitative and quantitative risk assessment organizations. Risk response, measures the degree and cost of impact in a likelihood. And also it evaluates the possible response of an identified risk. In control activities, this is the application of general information to control possible risk or events that would occur. In information and communication this pertains the time frame of an employee on its works on how he/she carries out responsibilities. The most effective ERM component is the monitoring wherein there is a separate evaluations for each activity that has been done in a day. Internal control and integrated framework includes objective setting as an isolated component. Objectives is a part of the qualification for internal control. It also expands the financial reporting and risk assessment. The components of a risk management in a workplace is very helpful if risk occurs. Strategies in risk assessment would quantify the proportion of cause of a certain risk. The entity and division level, for as a healthcare assistance or caregivers has a big part on the residents lives more likely in assisting and rendering care for them. Part of the risk management process within an organization. And examples of each step a. Determine the objectives at Regency Rest home and hospital. To Support residents on the activities of the day to day that will reflects on the resident’s level of dependency. To actively promote and maintain environmental safety for the residents To provide a service to all residents that is considerate and professional To work effectively as a team member for the betterment of the work. To support every residents on their social need For example, in every task that we do, we involve our patients/residencies independency, like tooth brushing, changing clothes and others. We provide support for all their care especially to those who can’t able to upkeep his/her self. The establishments has a variety of facilities wherein residents can join the fan like watching concerts in the lounge with their fellow residents. b./c.Identify exposures to loss and the Measure exposures from the organization. In determining loss, â€Å"threats† are the most consequence that results in a loss of some part of category of an organization. Example of loss; Financial about 70-80% is the scale because the organization like the rest home and hospital depends on the net income. And the equipment, insurance compensation of every employee, re-furbish of the establishment and many more. Liability 20-30%this covers the defending claim of the residents to the employee on the management activities. For example; When caregivers forgets to put up side rails during or after care on bed, most especially if the residents is aggressive this will be known as Negligence to work. Personal loss 10-15% likely to happen like personal injury, real properties and personal property. Such as fire which could affect organization and the establishment as well. Checklist and surveys can be a helpful in determining exposure to loss. d.Select alternatives on the organization Brainstorming, listening or noting of alternatives, is an outstanding discovery process. Once you have listed alternatives, be open to their opportunities. For example; When having an orientation to every staff members everyone is allowed to share comment and suggestions in relative to the topic they are discussing. And also data gathering like time of washing, if they had bowel or not and also in feeding resident, we make sure they are listed because this will help employee to make resolution if some of the activities are maintain. e.Implement a solution at Regency Rest Home and Hospital Risk management is a series of action composed or made-up of well-defined steps which when taken in order, support better decision making by contributing to a greater insight into risks and their impacts. By acquiring effective risk management there are techniques that can help improved safety and quality. As healthcare settings vary greatly in their day-to-day function, it is not possible to provide a one appropriate all approach to risk management. At this stage all the information gained brought together to consider what actions should be taken. In order to make this process, consider how the level of risk will be affected by the planed alleviation strategies. EXAMPLE: Avoiding the risk: avoiding risk to get become worst. Selecting other lower risk procedure. Reducing the risk: can be reduced through preventative measures, and perform the required task and minimize the risk. Transferring the risk: getting another individual or team to assist or perform that are better equipped or have more experience in doing the task. Retaining the risk and managing: strategies include using PPE (PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT). f. Monitor and review the outcomes of risk management. Monitoring is very broad, its just not mean to check on what is happening overall. Monitoring can be useful enough for setting what is wrong and making good things to a better one. Monitoring is not just merely watching or observing because it will look like it was a passive monitoring. The best way to monitor things out in an organization is the combination of watching/observing with the aid of listening, because listening was the way of at least knowing the reaction of the people lower than the management and for those people whom you are giving your care. And employees are good basis of information. For example; In giving or assisting residents in their personal regimen, residents may comment to their caregivers how appreciated they are helping them in performing their daily routine and as per observation by their fellow employee feedbacks will turn unto you and this will give a better chances either to renew a contact or not all. Strategies for Language Translation | Dissertation Strategies for Language Translation | Dissertation Introduction The present dissertation is largely based on research in the field of translation. Translation is an influential valid feature of our society, and it symbolizes one of the most important aspects in shaping the upcoming course of the planet. . The translators tasks are complex and refer to his/her abilities of dealing with every aspect of the process of translation. The power of translator lies in his/her responsibility for his/her end product. I chose this topic because I believe translation is part of everyones life and it has profound implications in our society. The translation is defined and influenced by the type of source text, the target readers understanding, the context, the translators skills and the linguistic and cultural differences between the source language and the target language. My approach is two-fold: a theoretical perspective A. Theoretical considerations and a practical one B. Application. The first part explains what the translator tasks imply and what factors influence the translational competence, analyzes the characteristics of these skills, offering guidelines and methods of approach for a better understanding. The second part deals with the problems I encountered while translating a part of Ultima noapte de dragoste, à ®ntà ¢ia noapte de război by Camil Petrescu. In the first chapter, â€Å"Who are translators†, I shall try to define the translators profession, what important tools influence the activity of translation as well as what skills a translator should possess in order to be a competent translator. The first subchapter, â€Å"Skills of reading and writing† regards the translators tasks of decoding and encoding a text to offer the correct meaning in his/her translation. The next sub-chapters, â€Å"Subject area and Contrastive knowledge† and â€Å"Source language and Target language knowledge† describe why a translator should be specialized in various fields and the differences between the two languages regarding the language systems and cultures. In the second chapter, â€Å"Factors that influence the translational competence†, I shall begin by theorizing translational competence, which refers to all those factors that lead to perfection in translation. The first subchapter, â€Å"Psychological factors†, underlines the effect of psychology on the process of translation. â€Å"Knowledge of translation theory†, the next subchapter, describes the norms of the field of translation, which help the translator to render the overall meaning of the source text and to have the same effect on the readership. The third subchapter, â€Å"The quality of translation. Efficiency of text analysis†, analyzes what a translator should avoid in order to ensure a correct translation and to establish the necessary level of quality. â€Å"Culture† and â€Å"Experience†, the next subchapters refer to how the knowledge of the source and target culture as well as the experience in the field help the translator to make the right decisions in translation. The second part of the dissertation contains five chapters, which rely on the translation The last night of love, the first night of war. The first chapter, â€Å"The process of translation† presents the steps taken in the process of translation. â€Å"Source text and Target text analysis† deals with analyzing the extratextual and intratextual factors for each of the two languages. The last chapters â€Å"Identification of translation problems† and â€Å"Comments on translation† regard what translation problems were found during the translation process and I will discuss as well the translation difficulties and the way they were solved. The last chapter contains the translation of the first part of the novel by Camil Petrescu. Being a proficient translator may be a quality that comes by nature or by continuous practice. I strongly believe that although theory helps, it is practice that actually leads to perfection in translation. A. Theoretical considerations 1. Who are translators? Translation is one of the various means of communication existing and, from this point of view, it is very important because it establishes a connection between at least two languages, two cultures, two nations; at verbal level it helps transferring their characteristic elements from one into the other as well as understanding them. Not giving it importance equates with a total isolation from the rest of the world. A translation involves three parties, of which the third one, represented by the translator, is the most important. His responsibility is enormous because the burden of transferring the message presses over his shoulders. Knowing a foreign language and the subject is not as important as being sensitive to language and being competent to speak his own language clearly and resourcefully. For a good speaker avoids not only errors of usage but also mistakes of fact and language simply by applying his good sense. A translator has also to have flair and a so-called â€Å"sixth sense†, which is compounded of intelligence, sensibility, intuition and knowledge. S/he perhaps more than any other practitioner of a profession, is continually faced with choices and has to be very careful and extremely fast in making them. If I were to draw a line between translation and the translator and to state which ones importance is greater, I would say that a translation cannot be achieved without the appropriate person to do it, i.e. the translator. The same applies to the translator, who fades away without the core of his profession. They depend on each other and are vital for the welfare of this world. An element of great importance for a translator is the professional pride, a consideration higher than money, because s/he can fell her/his work is appreciated. I believe this is the case not only for in-house people, but also for freelancers. Even a high salary would not motivate as much a translator as the pride in the work. The professional integrity comes with the idea of being reliable, involving in the profession and respecting the ethics. Reliability means doing the job as to meet the users needs. The translator is in a position of translating the texts that the user needs, in the style the client wants them to be translated, and by a deadline requested by the user. The attempt to become a reliable translator may sometimes bring about assignments that are impossible to achieve for many reasons: the texts are morally inappropriate, the necessary work is consumptive or the experience is not enough to deal with such a text. The translator involves in his profession in many ways. If s/he participates to courses and conferences in the field, this will consolidate the professional self-esteem that will definitely encourage and motivate them to accept different challenges: Reading about translation, talking about translation with other translators, discussing problems and solutions related to linguistic transfer, user demands, nonpayment, and the like, taking classes on translation, attending translator conferences, keeping up with technological developments in the field, buying and learning to use new software and hardware − all this gives us the strong sense that we are not isolated underpaid flunkies but professionals surrounded by other professionals who share our concerns. Involvement in the translation profession may even give us the intellectual tools and professional courage to stand up to unreasonable demands, to educate clients and employers rather that submit meekly and seethe inwardly. Being a translator does not mean only being involved in a work that s/he loves but also earning a living. Professional translators know the quality of their work and they will charge their clients according to this criterion. Of course, the amount of money is proportional with the volume of their assignments and the speed they work with. Probably translators are expected to translate fast; usually in-house translators translate fast, but the work in an agency is different from that of a freelancer. Freelancers have a different rhythm of their work and, if they do translations faster, this will bring more money for them. Of course, if one translates for pleasure and amusement, there is no need for being fast. They savor every step in the process and tend to deal with one paragraph for hours. Many factors influence the translation speed. One of them is typing speed. It helps the translator to write rapidly his/her ideas on the computer. Another factor of importance is the degree of text difficulty. A difficult text will slow down the process of translation and will take much more time do it. The continuous practice and experience makes the translator to process easily the difficult words and structures. The same situation is for how the familiar the text will be for the translator. Other factors that interfere in the process of translation are the personal style and the general mental state of the translator. The use of translation memory software is very helpful for a translator and increases the translation speed. Besides these advantages, many things should be taken into account: if the volume of translation is reduced, this will not warrant the cost of the software. Usually, in-house translators use this software. Large corporations usually need a great volume of translations and address to them and not to freelancers. This software is helpful only with texts in digital form; it is not helpful in the case of literal translation. However, freelancers who work for different agencies and who have a high-volume of assignments say that the use of translation memory software is very helpful though it is not very creative. 1.1. Skills of reading and writing The translators knowledge of translation theory and the skills of reading and writing a text are definitely of paramount importance for the quality of the translation. The ethics of translation speak about the way in which a translator should understand the text that needs to be translated, how to recognize the authors intention in order to render the appropriate message into the target language. The translator has to analyze the text linguistically, culturally, philosophically, even politically, if necessary. The first step is to get a general reading and then a closer one to establish the characteristics of that text. The translator has to know how to identify the authors attitude to the subject matter. S/he also must pay special attention to the type of language that is used, grammatical structures, register, rhetorical function, genre, the use of modals and especially to the needs and expectations of the target audience. It is known that all these ethical rules are taught because they do not come instinctively. Usually, if they come naturally, they surely come by experience. A professional translation often arises at the subliminal level due to the fact that the translator has an analytical feeling which helps him/her finding the solutions to those problems that are somehow similar to precedent situations. The novice translators are taught analytical guidelines to help them becoming familiar with the rules and, at the same time to become proficient, without being aware of it. The wheel of experience shows how this analysis of the brain becomes a sort of second nature for the translator during the process of translation. Another reading guideline for the translator is to decide the emotional tone and the degree of formality of the source text. Determining the audience of the target text shows how the target language should be structured, deciding to whom it is addressed, to the educated, the average literate audience or others. Children are a special audienc e and the message is different according to the age, the degree of familiarity with the stories, the amusement that the translation provokes and many others. Eugene Nida explains how the ability of decoding a text should work: Decoding ability in any language involves at least four principal levels: (I) the capacity of children, whose vocabulary and cultural experience are limited; (2) the double-standard of new literates, who can decode oral messages with facility but whose ability to decode written messages is limited; (3) the capacity of the average literate adult, who can handle both oral and written messages with relative ease; and (4) the unusually high capacity of specialists (doctors, theologians, philosophers, scientists, etc.), when they are decoding messages within their own area of specialization. Obviously, a translation designed for children cannot be the same as one prepared for specialists, nor can a translation for children be the same as one for a newly literate adult. The translation has to be the same with the translators intention and point of view and the translator always has to keep in mind the target language readership. The translation of colloquial and intimate phrases are always problematic for the translator and they should be translated carefully. The grammatical analysis helps the translator to understand the relationships between the words and at the same time to help him/her to get the message of the author. It becomes crucial to find the correct meaning of the grammatical constructions given the fact that one construction may have many interpretations or meanings. The problem becomes acute in the case of idioms because they need a special approach when they need to be translated. Eugene Nida and Charles Taber mention the difficulties that arise when translating these expressions: Idioms are typically constructed on quite normal grammatical patterns of phrase structure, but the meaning of the whole idiom is not simply the sum of the meanings of the parts, nor can one segment the meaning (in the many cases where it is complex) and assign a definable portion of the meaning to each grammatical piece (e.g., a morpheme). [] one must treat the entire expression as a semantic unit, even though in the surface structure of the grammar it obeys all of the rules applicable to the individual pieces. Writing skills are as important as reading skills and refer to the ability of writing in a clear and proper form. Translators have to be familiar with different styles of writing according to each domain, as well as with those conventions regarding editing. The skills of reading a source language text are significant qualities for a translator and help him understanding the original text and delivering a translation in an appropriate and correct style. Reading the source text is the first step in the process of translation and the better the translator understands the meaning of the authors intention, the clearest he will render the message into the target language. The understanding of the source text represents a primary ability necessary in the process of translation, followed by a combination between other skills, which will be presented in this chapter. 1.2. Subject area and contrastive knowledge Translators must be aware of the importance of being specialized in various subject fields, such as: medical translation, legal translation, financial translation, technical IT translation, scientific translation, marketing and PR translation, website translation and others. The knowledge of a certain subject area helps the translator to deal with words and constructions that are specific to that domain. Many translators have the courage to say that their knowledge of translation theory allows them to accept texts that need to be translated from different fields. It is somehow premature to say that, especially by a beginner in the field of translation. Of course, an experienced translator may deal easily with this type of texts, but ideally, one should have in mind the necessary training in a particular field. Contrastive knowledge refers to how a translator should be able to find the contrastive elements between the source and target language so as to deliver an accurate message through his/her translation. An analysis should be made at the linguistic level, namely the syntactic, semantic and pragmatic levels, and the literary one. The syntactic level deals with the analysis at the sentence, clause, phrase and word level. The semantic analysis refers to how the translator examines the relationships between the elements found through syntactic analysis. At the pragmatic level, the translator tries to identify the register features of the text which express the intention of the source language author. After these three steps of analysis, follows the stage of synthesis, a stage that starts on the contrary way, with the pragmatic level. 1.3. Source language and Target language knowledge It is well-known the fact that a translator should possess a good knowledge of both source and target language, in other words, s/he should be a master of the two languages. They have to be fluent in the two languages in order to be able to transmit the proper message and to sound as natural as possible in the target language, using a correct style and terminology. What is also important is to know and apply all the rules concerning editing conventions of the two languages which will help the readability of the target language text. The booklet entitled †Bilingual Skills Certificate and Certificate in Community Interpreting† published by the Institute of Linguists gives an interesting definition on bilingualism: Bilingual service providers are people who possess two sets of skills language and professional skills, so that they can give the same standard of service in the context of two languages and cultures. In order to provide an equal standard of service to all clients, the people providing the service should have adequate standards of training and qualification in both sets of skills. For example, allowing people to give medical advice or gather information upon which medical decisions are made when they are not qualified and solely on the grounds that they happen to speak French or Urdu is as bad as giving good medical advice which cannot be understood. One of the risks that translators are dealing with is that of fooling the brain into thinking that the structures used in the target language are correct merely only because they are correct in the source language. This is especially the case of translators who work in their adopted country as a result of the fact that they begin to think like a native. Keeping up with cultural change is the way in which the translator can understand a language properly and s/he can translate it successfully. For this reason it is said that the best translations are done by native speakers, residents in the country where the target language is spoken. If the translator has the possibility to travel to the source language country to work on different tasks, he will be able to date with the source language and culture and at the same time s/he will maintain the knowledge of the mother tongue at the proper level. The translation always needs to be localized for the intended reader. This is a factor of great importance because it governs choice of language, presentation, the level of the language. The language needs to be elementary but not extremely simple. A competent translator will always know how to adapt his ear to the target language and will use his intuition when it comes to adjust to target language rules. 2. Factors that influence the translational competence The language and the process of thinking are not identical phenomena but they are closely linked and interrelated. If we take into account the language as a communicative process, we need to specify that what it is transmitted or communicated is a message, so it is a semantic content. The verbal expression is dependent on choosing the words and the way of phrasing. For example, the verb to say can be expressed by other verbs with an equivalent or words with an approximate meaning: to communicate, to dispose, to inform, to report, to discuss, to talk, to enlighten, to explain, to remember, to advise, to persuade and many others. Communication becomes concrete exactly by using the perfect word, appropriate for a situation. By using the verb to say instead of all the other verbs, we would express ourselves in a generic, graded way, and practically we would not manage to suggest a rich content. In such a situation, a translator will always have to select carefully the words to express th e intention and the attitude of the source language writer. A good knowledge of a foreign language is not sufficient for being a proficient translator. A translator needs to be a translator by his/her nature. There are many skills that I consider to be the most important, for example the knowledge of translation theory, the ability to analyze, compare and convert texts from one cultural domain into another, the experience in the field, the level of implication in the process of translation and many others. Trying to reach an absolute equivalent is impossible even if the translator detains great resources at the linguistic, stylistic and literary level. Psychological factors also affect the process of translation and speak about the level of translators implication when rendering the message into the target language. The translators way of expression comes and forms itself at the mental level and, based on a specific developed background affects the quality of the translation. 2.1. Psychological factors Due to our way of thinking, a man can decide upon the meaning of an object, phenomena or action connected to his environment. This is possible taking into account the new information by reference to the assimilated and systematized background knowledge. This is a part of the mental process involved in the process of translation. The understanding of a translator can be guided by several intentions or points of view. For example, a complex situation, such as translation, which implies natural, economic, geographic and cultural factors, can be understood under different angles. If a translator doesnt have the necessary knowledge s/he cannot decode the meaning of the original text. The translation has to sound as natural as possible, let alone the fact that it shouldnt contain confusing words so as to make harder the reading and understanding of the audience: †[]it should studiously avoid the translationese formal fidelity, with resulting unfaithfulness to the content and the imp act of the message.† The impossibility of making a perfect translation should not become a frustration for the translator. Of course, there will always be persons who will translate better, but maybe in a different style. Showing empathy for a certain author will positively influence his/her work and style of writing. It is unethical for a translator not to be objective inside the translation process. Nevertheless, it is obvious that s/he will think about translation as the experience in the field tells him/her how to do it. Sometimes the experience guides a translator in choosing the words or expressions. Another psychological factor, altering the meaning of the source language text and imposing, consciously or not, a personal viewpoint on the audience is not a good decision for a translator to take. The translator must try to preserve the uniqueness of a culture, its characteristics and norms. In translation, cultural psychology shows how a concept from a certain historic, social-economic or cultural background of a country or region can be found in another one but does not reflect the same thing as in the first one: Phoenix is a legend in Chinas miraculous animals, on behalf of luck, happiness and elegance, it is believed to ride Phoenix a bike can bring good luck, while in Western culture, the legendary phoenix is a phoenix, a regeneration, Resurrection and other means, so that the goods in the West is not surprising that no one is interested. Consumer psychology has implications in the way in which the consumers interests are motivated. Through a good translation, the promotional character of this type of psychology can attract clients or, on the contrary, not even stimulate them at all to buy a product. For example, Happy Cakesgiving!, a collocation taken from an advertisement about a special and tasteful cake, remembers about Thanksgiving Day, a holiday usually celebrated in the United States and Canada. The construction is very interesting and is in fact an adaptation of the holiday, underlying the importance of it for so many people. It is very hard, if not almost impossible to find an equivalent into Romanian, but a translator may always find a solution to satisfy the audience, adapting somehow the term to the local culture. Ziua deliciului may be a variant with relevance for the Romanian culture, resembling with the structure of Ziua mamei (Mothers Day), Ziua Nationala (National Day), Ziua Unirii (Unification Day) a nd so on. The aesthetic psychology works in translation at the pragmatic level. The artistic words and phrases, the combination of structures that reflect the beautiful, the elegant and graceful utterances are to be translated in the same way into the target language. This is a very hard to achieve due to many reasons. One of them is the specific syntax which makes the difference between the languages. Preserving the rhyme of a Romanian text when translating it into English is very difficult. The thematic structure of a text in Romanian is very hard to render into English. If we take the example of a section from Zamolxis, by Lucian Blaga, we will find that is impossible to preserve the elements of rhythm and rhyme. e.g. MÇÅ ½-mpÇÅ ½rtÇÅ ½Ãƒâ€¦Ã… ¸esc cu cà ¢te-un strop din tot ce creÃ…Å ¸te Ã…Å ¸i se pierde. Nimic nu mi-e strein, Ã…Å ¸i numai marea à ®mi lipseÃ…Å ¸te. I share a drop of all that waxes and wanes. Nothing is alien to me, and the sea alone is absent. Another reason for which it is very difficult to preserve the style of a specific text is the word order, which does not permit the translator to deal easily with the style of the original. In order to realize the message of the source language text, a translator will have to take decisions regarding what it should reproduce, either the forms or the ideas of the original. My belief is that a good translator will always be able to maintain the stylistic characteristics of a text and to construct structures that will transfer the propositional content and communicate the purpose intended by the source language writer. 2.2. Knowledge of translation theory In order to gain recognition in the field of translation, a bilingual speaker has to respect the norms that give him the responsibility over a text. Gideon Toury distinguishes between two groups of norms relevant for the process of translation: preliminary and operational. Preliminary norms deal with two major sets of concerns, which are usually interrelated: those regarding the existence of a definite translation strategy, and those related to the truthfulness of translation. Operational norms refer to the decisions made during the act of translation itself. A faithful translation depends on the correct selection of the appropriate method of translation. There are many people who wrongly believe that literary translation is more important than the technical one saying that the latter contains specific terms that are easy to translate whereas the first one is far more complex. Any translation is a very complex task and requires the same knowledge and responsibility from the part of the translator. One of the roles of the translator is to assist and fulfill the target readers expectations. The principle that governs this idea is that a translator should not transmit only the words to the readers, but the ideas of the source language text. The translators task becomes very difficult to achieve if s/he does not understand properly the referential meaning of a text so as to transfer it correctly to the target language. Another important role of the translator is to produce the same impression on the target readers as the author of the source language produces on his/her own readers. Another guideline stipulated by translation theory is that a translator should correct the misrepresentations, which belong to the extralinguistic reality. S/he has to find if a text has a correct syntax, if it contains stereotype phrases, fashionable general words. If the text is not well written, s/he can interfere in the original text and perform intra- and interlingual translation so as to transmit an appropriate message. A close attention must be paid to word order, false friends, common structures which become unnatural by one-to-one translation, the use of elevated usage of words and idioms or the use of infinitives, gerunds and verb-phrase. The translator should write in his own style and should not use words and expressions that produce an artificial effect on the target text. 2.2.1 Translation methods Paraphrasing Another principle related to the knowledge of translation theory is the use of paraphrase as a solution to those words which do not have an equivalent in the target language, whether they are technical, scientific, literary or institutional terms. In translation theory, to paraphrase means trying to express the signification of a word by amplifying or explaining its meaning: [†¦] is a technical term from linguistics and related disciplines, and is characterized by three specific features: (I) it is intralingual rather than interlingual, i.e., it is â€Å"another way of sayng the same thing† in the same language; (2) it is rigorous, in that there are no changes in the semantic components: no additions, no deletions, no skewing of relationships, only a different marking of the same relations between the same elements; (3) specifically as it relates to back-transformation, it is aimed at restatement at a particular level, that of the kernels. This often happens in the case of poorly written texts or it is also a method used in translating the Bible. The latter case implies many debates because paraphrasing the Bible means an interpretation that tends to be subjective due to the translators point of view regarding religion. Eugene A. Nida points out this idea in his work â€Å"Toward a science of translation†: The dangers of subjectivity in translating are directly proportionate to the potential emotional involvement of the translator in the message. For scientific prose such involvement is usually at a minimum, but in religious texts it may be rather great, since religion is concerned with the deepest and most universal value systems. In some instances it is a translators own sense of insecurity which makes it difficult for him to let the document speak for itself, and in other instances a lack of humility may prompt him to translate without consulting the opinions of those who have studied such texts more fully than himself. So, this method includes not only advantages, for the ability to transmit the message, but also disadvantages because it alters the original meaning. By using a paraphrase, the translator can render the meaning of the source language text. Since this is a way to carry in the target text the intention of the author, the paraphrase shows how s/he can remain faithful to the original. Problems about paraphrasing arise when we try to detect its level of fidelity in the process of translation. Every translator will have his/her own way of interpreting the original text and, thus, an original method of paraphrasing. Sometimes trying to eliminate the use of a paraphrase may result in weakening the text. A special attention should be paid to the substantial sense of a translated work after using the paraphrase. Functional Equivalence Functional Equivalence, also called dynamic equivalence is a method in which the translator tries to reflect the intention of the author in the source language at the expense of the original grammatical structure. Industrial and Commercial Bank of China: Case Study Industrial and Commercial Bank of China: Case Study Abstract International fund raising used to be the domain of multinational companies. MNCs not only source raw material across the world or sell products at many geographical regions, they also scouting for capital all over the world and raise capital where it is cheaper. Investors’ appetite for foreign company shares have also increased manifold and internationalization of equity market across globe is happening at a faster speed. However, internationalization of equity markets has a broader connotation covering entire gamut of FDI, portfolio investment by big ticket players like pension funds, hedge funds and private equity funds and their ilk, this module focuses on equity capital to have been raised by Industrial and Commercial Bank of China from the international market. Why ICBC felt the need to issue equity in markets outside of China ICBC mainly issued equities to foreign markets to strengthen their corporate governance practices, risk management and internal controls, and enhance their treasury operations, asset management, corporate banking and investment banking operations as well as their non-performing loan disposal capabilities. For instance ICBC collaborated with Allianz to develop and provide bank assurance products and services to their customers; and as for American Express, ICBC began and continue to expand their cooperation on bankcard business, risk management and customer service to enhance its financial performance and efficiency. Advantages and disadvantages of issuing equity in foreign markets Through the move of issuing equity in markets outside china, ICBC is able to raise capital denominated in USD and that to huge amount of capital, which may be difficult to raise from the issuer’s home country. By issuing securities in a new market, it is able to expand the investor base. When ICBC’s share listed in a domestic market, analysts in the domestic market start analysing the company, its product; its market share etc. thus indirectly helps in advertising the company. When a foreign ICBC’s shares are listed in a domestic exchange and the foreign company wants to acquire another domestic company, then share swap can be an option for the foreign company. Despite the prime advantages of issuing equity to foreign markets, several obstacles may be present for instance companies have to pay for the, depository fee, listing fee, audit fee and also companies have to recast their annual report as per the GAAP of the foreign country. Attraction of the ICBC in Regards To Providing Exchange Listings to Foreign Investors As host countries are getting advantages of FDI and, the investors are also not far behind in terms of their benefits. Numerous factors attracted ICBC to provide exchange listings to foreign investors in a number of ways. ICBC was mainly attracted to exchange listings as it enhances the domestic competitiveness, provides the opportunity of taking significant advantages of international trade technology, contributes towards increasing of sales and profit, extends sales potentials of the existing products, and maintains cost competitiveness in the domestic market set-up. It also enhances possibilities of business expansion, helps in the process of obtaining global market share, reduce the dependency on existing markets, and also stabilize seasonal market fluctuations (Oman, 2000; Rajan, 2005; Rao et al.,1999). The advantages of FDI have been successfully utilized by ICBC in almost every sector. Why investors should be interested in exchange listings There are many benefits to why investors should be interested in exchange listings for instance income returns and price change. The income return represents periodic cash flows generated by the investment. These include dividends paid for ordinary shares and periodic interest paid for bonds. Stocks that pay dividends typically distribute them quarterly. Government bonds pay interest on a semi-annual basis, and debentures pay interest monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or annually. Investors whose primary objective is to generate periodic income from their investments focus on the income return. Price change is the increase or decrease in price of the asset in relation to the purchase price or the market price in the previous time. An appreciation in the price of the asset is called a capital gain while a price decline is called a capital loss. The prices of assets such as stocks, bonds, and real estate fluctuate over time in response to a variety of factors such as economic news, in dustry conditions, company`s performance, political conditions, as well as speculation. While the investor expects a capital gain, there is no guarantee that the price will always increase in value. Those investors whose primary investment objective is capital appreciation focus on the price change component of return. Risks for a foreigner associated with investing in ICBC Stocks are volatile investments. The price of a single stock can vary quite widely from day to day, and the factors that cause these price fluctuations are beyond the control of the investor. Buying a widely diversified basket of stocks can be difficult for all but the wealthiest investor. Small investors are better off buying a quality stock mutual fund. Mutual funds pool the investments of many different people in order to buy a diversified set of stocks. This diversified approach helps to reduce the risk inherent in the stock market. As investors near retirement, the amount of stocks in the portfolio should be reduced. Investors who are close to retirement age can no longer afford to take chances with their  money, and that means moving a significant portion of their retirement funds to safer and  more stable investments. Buying and selling stocks costs money in the form of brokerage commissions, and many brokerage firms charge account maintenance fees as well. It is important to look for low cost alternatives when buying and selling stocks. References Allen, F., J. Qian, M. Qian, and M. Zhao (2009). â€Å"A Review of China’s Financial System and Initiatives for the Future,† Chapter 1 of China’s Emerging Financial Markets: Challenges and Opportunities, edited by J. Barth, J. Tatom, and G. Yago, The Milken Institute Series on Financial Innovation and Economic Growth, New York: Springer, 3-72. Bekaert, G., C. Harvey, and C. Lundblad (2005). â€Å"Does Financial Liberalization Spur Economic Growth,† Journal of Financial Economics 77, 3-55. Quinn, D. and A. Toyoda (2008). â€Å"Does Capital Account Liberalization Lead to EconomicGrowth?† Review of Financial Studies 2, 1403-1449.