China Coin and Rabbit Proof

hina Coin and Rabbit Proof Fence Acceptance and understanding of ones get individuality are necessity for a sense of be. In order to feel a sense of inclusion in society, Individuals must have a deep understanding of their own identity. Without an acceptance of their close and belief, Individuals bath face a sense of exclusion from society. In the novel, The chinaware Coin by Allan Baillie, Leah the protagonist refuses to accept her true identity which results in her not feeling a sense of belonging in society. This is contrasted in the film, Rabbit Proof Fence by Phillip Noyce, in which the protagonist, Molly has a deep understanding of her own/existing Aboriginal culture which assists in her overcoming all barriers and conclusion the place returning to the place where she feels comfortable in. A In The chinaware Coin Leah, the protagonist has accepted her Chinese heritage after several(prenominal) refusals and denials. At the start of the journey, Leah refused to believe in and accept her Chinese Heritage. In the plane, Leah refuses to believe that she was coming shell because she had never been to chinaware before. Leahs acknowledgment of her father, David Waters being English, forced her into thinking that she had no connection with China despite the fact that her generate was Chinese. It is limpid through the internal monologue of Leah when the air hostess welcomes her home but Leah thinks to herself couldnt the woman see? She was not an ABC- Australian born(p) Chinese. Her feeling towards China and the intentions for coming to China are conveyed through another internal monologue by Leah, No, she wasnt leaving home. She was just ducking into a strange and probably unfriendly country to finish what Dad had startedaâ‚ ¬Ã‚ ¦ She only related and employ this journey to her Father but failed to understand the connection her mother had with China. A In Rabbit Proof Fence Mollys rich and deep understanding of her culture and identity helped her overcome all barriers provided against her by the white society†¦. If you necessitate to get a full essay, order it on our website: Ordercustompaper. com

Menigitis research paper Essay

Meningitis is a bacterial infection of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. A family who lived in Geneva, Switzerland was first diagnosed with the disease in 1805. It was not until 1866, that the disease traveled its way into the United States. Professor Anton Weichselbaum discovered the cause of cerebro-spinal meningitis illness in 1887. There are five types of meningitis: bacterial meningitis, viral meningitis, parasitic meningitis, fungal meningitis, and non-infectious meningitis. Bacterial meningitis and Viral meningitis are the two most common and serious types of meningitis. Bacteria meningitis is caused by bacteria. There are several types of pathogens that can cause bacterial meningitis: Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Listeria monocytogenes. Some of the symptoms of Bacteria meningitis are nausea, vomiting, increased sensitivity to light, and confusion. Bacteria meningitis can be life threatening and result in the need of medical attention. It is also contagious and can be treated with antibiotics. Viral meningitis is more common, than Bacterial meningitis and is sometimes referred to as â€Å"aseptic meningitis.† Viruses, like enteroviruses and herpes simplex viruses, cause viral meningitis. Viral meningitis occurs mostly in children younger than the age of five. The most common cause of viral meningitis is enteroviruses, which is most often spread from person to person through fecal contamination. There is no specific treatment for Viral meningitis. It is just like any other virus, it runs its course for about 7 to 10 days. To prevent from getting Viral meningitis, you should wash your hands thoroughly, especially after changing diapers and using the bathroom, and avoid sharing items with sick people or when you are sick, such as eating utensils. Both bacterial and viral meningitis show similar signs and symptoms, but bacterial meningitis is more severe and fatal. There are vaccines for some of the types of bacteria that cause bacterial meningitis. There are no vaccines for the most common cause of viral meningitis, so the best way to prevent it is to not get a viral infection. Works Cited Page 1. 2.http://www.ehow.com/about_5234584_meningitis-first-discovered_.html 2. 3.http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/9276.php 3. 4.http://www.news-medical.net/health/History-of-Meningitis.aspx 4. 5.http://www.meningitis-trust.org/meningitis-info/types-and-causes/ 5. 6.http://www.cdc.gov/meningitis/index.html 6. 7.http://www.nmaus.org/meningitis/viral-or-bacterial.htm

What are acid rains?

What are acid rains? â€Å"Acid rain is another side-effect of civilization. As soon as acid rain was discovered and understood, it was attributed to human action.† (Jurgen Stock, Arthur R. Upgren, p.4)Acid rain can be called any atmospheric precipitate (rain, snow, smog, rain with snows, etc) which has the following characteristics: the increased level of acids (mainly sulphuric acid); and the hydrogenous index of pH is less than average index of rain water (average pH for rain water is 5.6), mainly it is rain with pH

Are US policies toward the Middle East likely to succeed Discuss with Essay

Are US policies toward the Middle East likely to succeed Discuss with relation to to either democratization or Iran - Essay Example he following will discuss Middle Eastern perceptions of American foreign policy and ask the question, are US policies toward the Middle East likely to succeed? Democracy has been at the forefront of stated American ambitions in the region and the decision by the United States to invade Iraq and overthrow Saddam Hussein in 2003 was perhaps the most controversial event in recent Middle Eastern history. Seen by many as an attempt by the United States to exert its global hegemony and dispose of a dictator not for the benefit of the Iraqi people, nor due to the supposed cache of weapons of mass destruction, but to obtain access to the vast oil resources of Iraq, this invasion is arguably the most controversial aspect of American foreign policy within the past quarter century. The US invasion of Iraq was controversial for a variety of reasons, the not least of which was the fact that the invasion did not first receive United Nations Security Council approval: an important condition in inte rnational relations which effectively legitimizes decisive political action. Opinion polls, conducted in the Middle East prior to the invasion by both the British Broadcasting Corporation and global pollster Ipsos Reed, effectively demonstrated how different Arab (and Iranian) perceptions of the War were in comparison to those of Americans (who were divided, albeit less opposed, to the invasion). We now turn to an analysis of unilateralism in the 21t century, the driving force of American foreign policy in the Middle East since the attacks of September 11, 2001 (Reynolds 2008). According to Drake University Professor of Politics and International Relations, David Skidmore, American unilateralism developed into an explicit and implicit policy of the present Bush Administration since the aftermath of September 11th 2001. Although the United States, historically committed to multilateralism, collective decision-making and international rules of law, has rejected foreign policy

Cancer and apricot seeds also refered as laetrile or vitamin B 17 Research Proposal

Cancer and apricot seeds also refered as laetrile or vitamin B 17 - Research Proposal Example The natural treatment mechanism that has come to my attention thee use of apricot seeds. Apricot seeds is also known as laetrile or vitamin B 17. Because its natural treatment meechanism â€Å"laetrile is the one most used alternative cancer treatment† (Serfontein, 2011, p. 273). However, laetrile that is found in apricot seeds contains cyanide and benzaldyhide which are very dangerous elements when injected directly in the body. However, cyanide and benzaldyhide exists as compounds of other elements when extracted from plants, in this form they are not harmful to the body (Serfontein, 2011). When cyanide and benzaldyhide exist as part of other compounds they are able to get in and out of normal cells without causing them harm, however once they get into cancer cells â€Å"the cells contain enzymes which hydrolyze cyanogenic glycosides to liberate free hydrogen cyanide and benzaldyhide both of which are highly toxic and kills the cancer cells† (Serfontein, 2011, p. 273) . Jason Vale had been cured from cancer by use of apricot seeds and he also presents evidence of this success (Sade, 2014). Although, MDA prohibits doctors from recommending apricot seeds to patients the product is legal and is sold in the market (Sade, 2014). My research will involve the testing on the validity of the use of Laetrile medication as a treatment of cancer. The research will involve monitoring of three patients as they exclusively use the Laetrile product. The research activity will involve a weekly monitoring recording of the progress of patients as they continue with their medication. With a background literature the expected results from this research are due to be positive. A positive result will mean that a possible alternative natural cheap and natural way of cancer treatment will be

Network Operating Systems and Security BEng Assignment

Network Operating Systems and Security BEng - Assignment Example In the context of network security definition, it consists of concerns related to network communication privacy, confidentiality of data over the network, accessing unauthorized classified data, access to prohibited network domains and utilizing Internet for concealed communication (Network Security. 2007). The security predictions that were published in an article for the year 2010 incorporates new advanced threats named as advanced persistent threats (APT), Cyber war escalates, VoIP attacks, Perimeter shrinks and harden, social networking sites, malware, DLP for intellectual property protection and malware as a service (MaaS) (Watchguard Unveils Top 10 Security Predictions for 2011. 2011). In order to protect the computer network, organizations emphasize on implementing hardware and software application as well as a security policy. This policy is followed by constructing a security policy document that defines rules and procedures. A typical security policy is constructed on a set of rules that defines authorization and access of network resources of an organization (, what is security policy? definition and meaning).The aim of implementing these security policies is to establish rules and procedures for improper use of network services. Moreover, the objective is to create a framework that will assist in identification and prevention of unauthorized access of network services (, Network Security Policy). Network security issues can lead to many different aspects. For example, if the server containing customer data is breached, organization will lose its credibility and trust among the customer and that will result in business loss. Similarly, if a critical system is hacked by internal or external sources, organization’s financial data along with goals and objectives can be revealed to other competitors. In order to eliminate the threats including unauthorized access, viruses, Trojans, malware and malicious codes, a security policy document is require d. The document will provide a consistent framework to secure the integrity of the network along with eliminating risk abided by security threats and vulnerabilities. 2 Risk Assessment Risk assessment is a process to evaluate risks associated with threats and vulnerabilities to the network. Three factors will be considered in this scenario i.e. Assets, Threats and Security Priority Identification. 2.1 Assets The identification of information assets is vital before conducting risk assessment. Information assets are defined as the entities that hold organization data. A good definition is available on ‘www.ibm.com’ which states it as, â€Å"information assets are specific to your business functions and business strategies, they may be contained within broad categories such as contractual and legislative compliance, those needing virus prevention, those critical to business recovery following security compromises, etc.† The information assets for an organization wil l be technology assets, data asset, service asset and people asset. In case of educational establishment the assets that need to be prioritized are: file space server, Linux web server, finance server, student database and email server. 2.2 Threats Threats are defined as

Portfolio on my communication adequacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Portfolio on my communication adequacy - Essay Example Portfolio on my communication adequacy Towards the beginning of the task, we chose as a gathering that every colleague would be in charge of one piece of the presentation. My part was to incorporate the distinctive parts into one firm presentation. To comprehend why this critical incident happened and how comparable circumstances can perhaps be kept away from later on, I will utilize the media richness hypothesis (taking into account Lengel & Daft (1988). As indicated by this hypothesis, diverse structures or "mediums" of correspondence have distinctive abilities to convey and transmit data. The hypothesis contends that convoluted messages, or messages that convey a great deal of data, ought to be transmitted utilizing rich mediums, for example, video conferencing or face to face, while simpler messages can be viably be conveyed utilizing more straightforward mediums, for example, email and pamphlets. Case in point, a basic message in regards to the area of a meeting can be sufficiently conveyed utilizing an email or pamphlet, while a more unpredictable message, for example, the justification for a departmental rebuild ought to be conveyed up close and personal. The hypothesis additionally contends that none- routine messages o ught to be conveyed utilizing media-rich channels. As depicted in Table 1, my message determined an assignment due date for my fellow team members. Figure 1 demonstrates that my message was not suitably set on the media l richness model, clarifying why my colleagues did not precisely decode it.

Issues of Transportation and Mobility Under Urbanization Process Research Paper

Issues of Transportation and Mobility Under Urbanization Process - Research Paper Example There is a big relationship between the urban transport structure and history. The residents of Toronto in particular have gained much access to personal cars due to developed infrastructure. This paper examines how urbanization has led to increased mobility and transportation. On the other hand, it reviews the problems associated with these developments. At the end of the day, the government has put up measures to counter problems associated to transport. This research paper comprehensively discusses the topic under question with reference to relevant sources that talks about case studies in similar situations. How transportation has developed in Toronto area Public transport system in Toronto has developed greatly after the year 1953 (Goodfellow et al., 2012, p.25). City is important in the North American state (Canada) since it is highly populated. This post war era saw urbanization across the world. In the same year, the Metropolitan Toronto made efforts of taking control of the public transit. The body did a good job of introducing two-tier system that improved the transportation system. The metropolitan’s government efforts extensively funded the project to become a success in the history of transportation (Kenworthy 2007, p.50). This funding reduced debts that the institution had. Despite digging deeper for the project, the institution realized great development that eased public transportation. This move would later form back born of transportation of the area. However, this development invited problems for the transportation and mobility. Car ownership increased which meant traffic snarl-ups. The number of households owing cars increased and the metropolitan government had to deal with problems like effects of automobiles on the environment, pedestrians. Since the Second World War, more vehicles have increased into the road (Renne & Fields 2013b, p.580). On the other hand, the public had to deal with long distances since the government had not p rovided incentives for constructing bypasses. Private car ownership increased. Traffic officials do have difficult time controlling private motorists. They always break the rules since and crackdown on them has proved hectic for the traffic police. In the post war era, mobility also proved difficult for the pedestrians. This mad the government to go back to the drawing table to salvage the situation. Pedestrians have equal rights to use the road. Motorists at this time were not considerate of this group of people and it resulted into numerous accidents (Kenworthy 2007, p.50). This resulted to traffic congestions, overcrowding at the public transport. In several occasions, the pedestrians were stranded in the city. Increase in car numbers also brought about parking problems in towns. There were many cars with limited parking space. The vehicles also affect environment. Comparable case studies Many case studies exist on transportation, which are comparable to the situations in Toronto (Renne & Fields 2013b, p.580). This book talks about case studies in major cities of the world that are metropolitan in nature. Cities like Tokyo, Moscow, Osaka Japan and New York have the same transportation features as Toronto. There is a case study on the transit system of Toronto. The system paves way for trolley buses and trams in the stations. It has really helped in improving mobility of city travelers. These modes of transportation and mobility are mostly popular in New York, a city that once faced mobility problems. Toronto Transit Commission

BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE Tools and Techniques Essay

BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE Tools and Techniques - Essay Example This is a change from the 30 responses required last year. III. There are 13 capabilities described by the author that must be delivered by BI platform. These 13 capabilities can be classified into 3 categories of functionality Integration Information delivery Analysis 1. INTEGRATION BI Infrastructure All tools, interfaces and applications in the platform should have same look and feel. Metadata Management The platform should have the ability to store, search, and capture and reuse the formats, measures, dimensions and report layouts. Development Tools It should provide programmatic development tools and visual development environment to facilitate scheduling, delivering, administering and managing. Collaboration It deals with sharing and discussing information throughout the organization. 2. INFORMATION DELIVERY Reporting It facilitates the reporting procedure by developing formatted and interactive reports in various dimensions (financial, operational, managerial, etc) Dashboards T his is a subset of reporting having the ability to publish web-based reports with interactive tools for display. Ad hoc Query This enables the user to ask their own questions and data queries rather than IT created reports. Microsoft Office Integration Integration with Microsoft tools, formats and formulas is necessary item to be provided. Search-Based BI Application of search index to both structured and unstructured data sources and their mapping enable user to search from (Google-like) interface. 3. ANALYSIS OLAP This enables user to analyze data with extremely fast query and calculation performance making analysis style of ‘slicing and dicing’ possible. Interactive Visualization It includes display of data in a more effective way using charts, tables and other formats. Predictive modeling and Data Mining It helps to classify categorical variables and continuous variables using advance mathematical techniques. Scorecards It implies the use of performance management m ethodology like six sigma and it involves analysis and comparisons. PART B 1. IBM (Cognos) solution has a broad functional footprint and is reporting-centric. It follows ‘information versus an applications agenda’. Information Builders’ WebFOCUS product has a very consumer-centric approach and is found to be as one of the industry's easiest-to-use solutions. It offers integrated search, mobile, use of rich Internet applications and mashups, predictive analytics, data discovery, and visualization but they lack self-service support, ad-hoc analysis, and OLAP capabilities. Microsoft offers low price but they do not provide a road map. MicroStrategy specializes in running deployments on top of large enterprise data warehouses tackling large volumes of data. Oracle offers domain-specific and prepackaged solutions. SAP offers data warehousing, text analytics, on-demand BI, search coupled with BI, metadata, data lineage and impact analysis, and data quality. SAS focuses on forecasting, predictive modeling, and optimization, as well as its investments in data discovery and visualization. QlikTech offers low-cost deployments. Tibco products have unique architecture, combining analytics and interactive

Mills Paper (Sociology) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Mills Paper (Sociology) - Essay Example Depending on family and relationship history forms of violence differ by cause, etiology, manifestation, and impact. Although an act of violence, a â€Å"hit,† directed at a current or former intimate partner may appropriately be labeled â€Å"intimate partner violence,† as Sue Osthoff explained, â€Å"a hit is not a hit. Context matters. A lot. A whole lot† (2002:1540). Not all â€Å"hits† are created equal. In recent years, and increasingly, practitioners, researchers, and advocates, are considering distinctions among types of violence and specifically re-asserting and clarifying violence as a particular dynamic. From the perspective of Mill’s personal trouble, violence is characterized by a systemic pattern of behavior (rather than isolated acts of violence) that establishes dominance over another person typically through intimidation, coercion, isolation, and terror-inducing violence and threats of violence (Dutton & Goodman, 2005:748). Power an d control are central as motives for and impact of violence. The language of â€Å"coercive control† or â€Å"coercion† has also been used to describe the phenomenon of violence (Dutton & Goodman, 2005:748). Kelly and Johnson (2008) described coercive controlling violence (a concept previously labeled patriarchal terrorism and then intimate terrorism ) as â€Å"emotionally abusive intimidation, coercion, and control coupled with physical violence against partners† (Kelly & Johnson, 2008:478). Violence as â€Å"a personal trouble† is most often chracterized with battering, a term that has been used in some cases as a synonym for any violence against an intimate partner, regardless of context. Battering may, and typically does, include distinct acts of violence, however not all acts of violence are a component of battering (Osthoff, 2002:1535). Non-battering violence might include

SARS Disease Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

SARS Disease - Essay Example During that period, he unwittingly infected others that in turn caused a series of SARS outbreaks in Toronto, Canada and other areas around the world. The transmission of the disease has been quick owing to the little immunity of people to the newly emerged corona virus. Moreover, it is seen to be most efficient in a health care setting, affecting the health care workers, patients and family members of infected individuals. The high infection rates among the health care workers have illustrated lack or failure to comply with the Infection Control (IC) measures leading to large-scale outbreaks (Shaw, 2006). The global spread of this epidemic has also demonstrated the challenge of battling infectious diseases in a globalized world. The forces of globalization-including rapid growth in international trade and travel have amplified their spread and impact ((Hoffmann, 2003) The sudden emergence and the rapid global widespread of this new infectious disease, which defies conventional therapies, poses a great threat to the public health and underscores an urgent need to develop robust strategies to prevent, monitor and contain the disease outbreak. Based on the Koch's postulates, SARS-Co V, the causative agent of SARS disease, was determined to be a novel member of the order Nidovirales, family Coronaviridae, and genus Coronavirus. It is a large, enveloped positive sense- single stranded RNA virus featuring a large genome of 29.7 Kb (Youjun, 2007). As with other coronaviruses, SARS-Co V can be identified on electron microscopy by the presence of a corona of large, distinctive spikes in the envelope (Thomas, 2003). Genomic annotations have revealed that it consists of about 14 functional open reading frames (ORFs). They encode for three classes of proteins: I) Two large polyproteins (pp1a and pp1ab), which are cleaved into 16 non-structural proteins, essential for viral RNA synthesis, II) Four structural proteins- surface (S), envelope (E), matrix (M), and nucleocapsid (N) proteins, vital for viral assembly, and III) Eight accessory proteins, which confer a selective advantage in an infected host cell. The initial binding of the viral envelope and the host cell membrane is mediated by surface protein (S) (Satija, 2007). With only 50-60 % nucleotide sequence identity of the SARS- Co V with other known coronaviruses, it is a previously unknown Coronavirus, probably from a non-human host that somehow acquired the ability to infect humans. Various studies have indicated that SARS-Co V spilled over from a wildlife reservoir (probably bats) to human population via an intermediate host and that rapid virus evolution played a key role in the adaptation of the virus to non-reservoir species (Thomas, 2003). The majority of infections occurred in close contacts of patients indicating that the transmission of the virus was by droplets or by direct and indirect contact. Epidemiological studies have shown that SARS is moderately rather than highly transmissible. However, in some instances, the so-called "super spreader" patients transmitted the virus to a large number of individuals. The outbreak of the infectious disease has been mainly attributed to these super spreaders and nosocomial amplification. The typical incubation period for the disease ranged from four to six days and the

Sociological Imagination Essay Example for Free

Sociological Imagination Essay The term ‘Sociological Imagination’ refers to the awareness of the relationship between personal experience and its connection with society as a whole (Mills 1959). The purpose of this essay was to examine a social issue in contemporary Australia, and discuss how sociology might explain it. The social issue chosen is obesity, in particular, childhood obesity. Overweight and obesity rates have increased rapidly over the past 20 years, not only in Australia, but in developed countries around the world. Nearly two-thirds of Australian adults and one-third of Australian children are classified as overweight or obese (MacKay 2011). While an individual’s body weight is determined by many factors, it has been widely recognised that an increase in obesity is due to changes in the social, environmental and physical environment (MacKay 2011). This issue affects people of all ages, genders, social classes and geographical locations. Take a look at an average day in society. Most of us have jobs, we rise at a set time every day, go to work or university usually driving or public transport, eat lunch usually on the run, come home after a long day of sitting down to crash out in front of the TV, grabbing whatever is easiest along the way. Compared to our ancestors’ active lives of hunting and gathering, it’s very unnatural, yet it’s what we do. We, as individuals, have a skewed work/life balance due to society’s fast pace style of living and the lifestyle we have as adults, has serious repercussions on the children of today. A report by Cleland et. al (2012) found that people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds were more likely to be less active and less healthy than their higher socioeconomic counterparts. Another report by Van Dyck et. l (2012) found that people living in lower economic areas tended to exercise less due to areas being deemed un-walkable or unsafe to exercise outside in. The increase in sedentary behaviour among children, in particular the increase in screen time, is another factor that has contributed to the increase in childhood obesity (Stanton 2009). While this is a factor affecting all social classes and socioeconomic areas, it may be slightly higher in lower economic areas due to outside being unsafe, however I have not found evidence to support this. Many people attribute childhood obesity to bad parenting (Olds et. al 2010) which could be one cause due to busy lifestyles and the rising cost of living; however I feel it is not the sole cause. Children are bombarded with information on ‘healthy’ foods yet ‘unhealthy’ food options are constantly at their fingertips. Children receive information on healthy eating and the importance of exercise in schools and in society, alongside TV advertisements advertising fast foods and canteens stocking unhealthy snacking alternatives. In conclusion, responsibility for both causing and preventing obesity lies with many different players. While it is an individual’s choice to eat certain foods and be active; it is much harder for a child who relies on parental figures to achieve this. It is not only parents’ responsibility to encourage healthy eating and active lives, they must also practice what they preach and provide these options for their children. Children are, after all, the future of Australia.

Puma Ag Rudolf Dassler Sport Marketing Essay

Puma Ag Rudolf Dassler Sport Marketing Essay Introduction The Report presents a comprehensive analysis of NIKE INC. NIKE was founded in January 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports by Bill Bowerman and Philip Knight and incorporated in 1968 under the laws of the state of Oregon. Its worlds leading designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Product/Service Nike produces a wide range of Footwear, Apparel and Sports Equipments. Nikes Wholly-owned subsidiaries include Cole Haan, Converse Inc, Hurley International LLC and Umbro Ltd Target Market Nikes target market for their shoes, clothes and other accessories are males and females between 18 and 35 years old. It also targets active and sporty people as it provides products for all kinds of sports. Goals and Objectives Nikes goal is to  carry on his legacy of innovative thinking, whether  to develop products that help athletes of every level of ability reach their potential, or to create business opportunities that set Nike apart from the competition and provide value for our shareholders. Management Philip H. Knight, Chairman of the Board of Directors Mark Parker, President Chief Executive Officer, NIKE, Inc. Charlie Denson, President, NIKE Brand INTRODUCTION NIKE was founded in January 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports by Bill Bowerman and Philip Knight and incorporated in 1968 under the laws of the state of Oregon. Its worlds leading designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Nike became globally recognized for its swoosh logo and its trademark slogan Just do it. Nikes Wholly-owned subsidiaries include: Cole Haan which designs markets and distributes luxury shoes, handbags, accessories and coats. Converse Inc which designs markets and distributes athletic footwear, apparel and accessories. Hurley International LLC which designs markets and distributes action sports and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories. Umbro Ltd is leading United Kingdom based global football (soccer) brand. http://seekingalpha.com/symbol/nke/description http://invest.nike.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=100529p=irol-newsArticleID=1380811highlight= http://www.ehow.com/about_6465548_nike-uses-endorsements-sponsorships.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nike,_Inc. THE MARKET ENVIRONMENT Geographical Market Nikes world headquarters is located near Beaverton, Oregon, a suburb of Portland.Today Nike operates in more than 160 countries around the globe like U.S, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and Americas. http://www.nikebiz.com/?sitesrc=emealp Business Nike specializes in Footwear, apparels and equipments. In addition to its namesake Nike brand, the company also develops and markets footwear and apparel products under the Cole Haan, Converse, Hurley International, and Umbro Inc which are nikes owned subsidiaries. http://www.nikebiz.com/?sitesrc=emealp Pest-G Analysis Nike is an international organization and needs to focus on macro environmental factors. Macro environmental factors comprise Political, Economics, Society, and Technology. http://www.businessteacher.org.uk/free-business-essays/nike-business-essay/ BCG Matrix Nike is established within its markets from economies of scale. Hence places them in the Cash Cows category on the BCG Matrix. Cash cows market growth has slowed and hence the products hold a fairly stable market share. http://www.businessteacher.org.uk/free-business-essays/nike-business-essay/ THE COMPETITION Main Competitors The main competitors of Nike are:- Adidas AG New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc. PUMA AG Rudolf Dassler Sport http://biz.yahoo.com/ic/42/42602.html Sales and Profit trends Adidas AG During the first half of the year 2010, Adidas sales are à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 5590 millions and profit is à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 2727 millions. There is an increase of 11% of sales and an increase of 20.2% of profit in 2010. http://www.adidas-group.com/en/investorrelations/financial_data/income_statement/default.aspx New Balance Athletic Shoe Inc At the end of the year 2008, the total revenue was 1640.00 M. http://biz.yahoo.com/ic/42/42602.html PUMA AG Rudolf Dassler Sport At the end of year 2009, the total revenue was 3526.70 M. http://biz.yahoo.com/ic/91/91292.html Market share Adidas AG Adidas acquires 6% of the global athletic apparel market and 16% of the global athletic footwear market. New balance Athletic Shoes Inc New Balance Athletic Shoes acquires 6% of the global athletic footwear market. PUMA AG Rudolf Dassler Sport Puma acquires 2% of the global athletic apparel market and 7% of the global athletic footwear market. http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/Nike_(NKE)#Market_Share Target markets Adidas Adidass target market is mainly the urban youth with the brand position and the potential target market is the principal consumption centers like the metros. http://www.scribd.com/doc/8760709/Adidas New Balance Athletic Shoes Inc New Balance target young consumers with the same zeal of its rivals http://www.answers.com/topic/new-balance-athletic-shoe-inc Puma AG By shifting their brand proposition Puma broadened their target market from solely sport to lifestyle and even fashion. http://www.nundroo.com/archives/000008.html THE COMPANY Sales and profit trends During the year 2009, Nikes sales were $2,583 million whereas in 2010 it is $2741 million. The profits earned during the year 2009 were $2216 million whereas in 2010 it is $2434 million. There is an increase of 6% in profits and 10% in sales in the year 2010. http://invest.nike.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=100529p=irol-finReporting Market share Nike is the clear market leader with 31% of the global athletic footwear market and 7% of the global athletic apparel market. http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/Nike_(NKE)#Market_Share Business sectors Footwear Nike specializes in athletic footwear particularly in running, cross-training, basketball, and soccer. It also sells sport-inspired casual footwear like its Air Force Ones footwear line. Nikes Footwear sales increased by 14% in 2009 reaching about $10.3 billion. Hence 54% of revenue comes from the footwear sector. Apparel Nike also sells sports apparel such as running shorts, t-shirts, and licensed apparel (with logos of college and professional sports teams). Apparel sales totaled $5.24 billion in 2009, a 0.2% increase from a year earlier. Equipments Nike also sells sports equipment such as balls, protective equipment, and golf clubs. Sales of Nike branded equipment has reached $1.11 billion in 2009 which resulted in 9.5% increase from 2008. Others Nike also sells apparel and footwear under the Nike Golf, Cole Haan, Converse, Hurley International, and Umbro brand names. http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/Nike_(NKE)#Market_Sharen Project focus Since Nike is specialized and famous in athletic footwear, I have selected footwear sector as my project focus. SWOT analysis http://www.quality-assurance-solutions.com/swot-analysis-nike.html THE COMPANYS MARKETING STRATEGY Segmentation According to Philip Kotler Market Segmentation is the subdividing of market into homogeneous sub-set of customers, where any subset may conceivably be selected as market target to be reached with distinct Marketing Mix. (function() { var scribd = document.createElement("script"); scribd.type = "text/javascript"; scribd.async = true; scribd.src = "https://www.scribd.com/javascripts/embed_code/inject.js"; var s = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(scribd, s); })() Nike segments the international markets by geographic location; the United States, the Americas, Asia Pacific and Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Targeting A target market or target audience is a group of customers that the business has decided to aim its marketing efforts and ultimately its merchandise. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Target_market Nikes target market for their shoes, clothes and other accessories are males and females between 18 and 35 years old. It also targets active and sporty people as it provides products for all kinds of sports. (function() { var scribd = document.createElement("script"); scribd.type = "text/javascript"; scribd.async = true; scribd.src = "https://www.scribd.com/javascripts/embed_code/inject.js"; var s = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(scribd, s); })() Positioning The process by which marketers try to create an image or identity in the minds of their target market for its product, brand, or organization. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positioning_(marketing) Nike products are easily available in different retail and outlet stores all over the world such as Sun and Sand Sports. Nike products are also available at their own Nike store online and Nike town. Differentiation/Low Cost Leadership/Focus Low price compare to its high quality products. Edge cutting products. E.g. Nike + iPod Cushioning technologies in its shoes. Patents all its new technologies Growth Strategy To create innovative products, amazing brand experiences, and premium retail destinations wherever consumers connect with NIKE. -Mark Parker, President and CEO, NIKE, Inc http://www.nikebiz.com/media/pr/2010/09/23_FY11Q1Earnings.html Generic strategy Nike uses network structure Nike implemented Differentiation Strategies THE MARKETING MIX Product Nike is trying to meet the consumer needs. Nike realizes that the clients could be participating in more than one sporting event and they need a huge range of products to meet all their sporting needs. The Companys innovation has added great value to its products. For example, there are some Nike shoes that have been installed with radio devices to measure runners pace. Nikes quality products, loyal customer base and its great marketing techniques all contribute to make the shoe empire a huge success. Some of the Nike shoes are Nike Jordon, Nike air force classic, Nike air max, Nike Shox etc. http://www.pickyourshoes.com/size/nike_air_forces.htm http://www.upublish.info/Article/Marketing-Mix-for-Nike/314859 http://shopping.aol.com/articles/2008/05/12/nike-shoes/ Price Nike has designed to be competitive to other fashion shoe retailers. Nike targets the consumers who accept product intimacy and thus care less about the product. This enables Nike to set pretty higher prices than its competitors. This strategy helps to push product perceived product value. Once the consumers develop product intimacy, they come to associate their person with the product and will pay whatever price quoted on the product with Nike logo on it. Nike uses the vertical integration pricing strategy in which the steps involved in the production and/or distribution of a product or service are controlled by NIKE, in order to increase that companys or entitys power in the marketplace. http://www.upublish.info/Article/Marketing-Mix-for-Nike/314859 http://www.suite101.com/content/audit-on-nikes-marketing-strategies-a94404 Place Nike shoes are sold in multi-brand stores and the exclusive Nike stores across the globe. Nike sells its product to about 20,000 retail accounts in the U.S. and in almost 200 countries around the world (http://www.suite101.com/content/audit-on-nikes-marketing-strategies-a94404) . The Company sells its products directly or it uses subsidiaries and distributors. It also sells its products through internet as it has its own online Nike store and Nike town. Because the company is located all over the world and it also uses licensed distributors because it is rather difficult to reach all those parts of the globe. http://www.upublish.info/Article/Marketing-Mix-for-Nike/314859 Promotion Nike has a number of famous athletes that serve as brand ambassadors such as the Brazilian Soccer Team (especially Ronaldino, Renaldo, and Roberto Carlos), Lebron James and Jermane ONeal for basketball, Lance Armstrong for cycling, and Tiger Woods for Golf. Sponsoring of events is another great promotional technique for Nike. Web sites are a great promotional tool as they cover these events. Events like Hoop It Up and The Golden West Invitational. Nike make the websites exclusively for a sport such as nikebasketball.com, nikefootball.com, and nikegolf.com http://www.upublish.info/Article/Marketing-Mix-for-Nike/314859 EVALUATION OF COMPANYS STRATEGIES AND TACTICS Evaluation of companys current position Strong brand recognition. Top endorser. Global leader in athletic shoe market. The swoosh is nationally recognized by 97 percent of the American population. Nike is leading the U.S. marketplace in athletic footwear. Through aggressive advertising, endorsements by the leading professional athletes in nearly every major sport, and a high-quality product, Nike has been able to sustain a competitive advantage. They continue to show growth in the athletic footwear industry. http://www.docstoc.com/docs/17947394/With-adidas-and-Reebok-Combined_-Will-Nike-Still-Crush-the Evidence of companys success (refer to the graphs in appendix) The total revenue during 2010 was $19014 million, a little less than the previous year. EPS performance of Nike has increased from $3.03 in 2009 to $3.86 in 2010. Return on invested capital has also increased from 17.8% in 2009 to 20.7% in 2010. The gross profit has increased from $8,604,400 in 2009 to $8,800,400 in 2010. The net income has increased from $1,486,700  in 2009 to $1,906,700 in 2010. Revenue distributions of Nike in international markets have increased from 49% in 2009 to 53% in 2010. Increased stock performance by 90% in comparison of SP 500. Nike has always remained on the preference list of athletes and athletic footwear was indeed the first category of products launched by the company more than 30 years ago. Today, you can see the craze for its products, not only among athletes, but also among golfers and other sportspeople. http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/IROL/10/100529/nike-ar-20100804/index.html#select_financials Prospects for future growth/success. Offer economical price to variable consumers around the world. Open up more stores and franchise to reach maximum buyers. Have more communication with their customers and receive feedback from them to help create imagine that Nike care for its customers. Come up with more new ideas of designing the shoes. CONCLUSION Nike, Inc. is a company rooted in competition. From equipping athletes with the finest sports equipment in the world to continuously improving their financial performance, Nike dominates its competitors. Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman probably could not have imagined in 1962 to what degree their $500 investments would yield in 2010. They did know that product quality and innovation would help athletes to achieve greater goals. It is one that has helped athletes and stakeholders alike to realize athletic and financial greatness. Despite a changing marketplace for athletic footwear, Nike wants to expand their product lines and marketing reach to become a more powerful global brand. Nike has existed for more than 35 years and is still willing to travel a long distance of popularity. APPENDICES 400px-Footwear_market_shares.png400px-Apparel_market_shares.pnghttp://www.wikinvest.com/stock/Nike_(NKE)#Market_Share chart-revenue.gif chart-eps.gifchart-roi.gif chart-stock.gif chart-distrib.gif http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/IROL/10/100529/nike-ar-20100804/index.html#select_financials

Strategy vs Structure in Strategic Management

Strategy vs Structure in Strategic Management Strategic analysis: Strategy versus Structure for International Competitiveness Introduction The strategy structure relationship, that was previously considered reciprocal, is now recognized as being considerably more complex, and there is some agreement that structure can and does have a profound impact on strategy through its direct effect on the strategic decision making process (Bourgeois Astley, 1979; Burgelman, 1983; Fredrickson, 1986). In understanding the role of strategy and structure in international business, one must understand that what has essentially changed is the context within which business operations take place. The well developed and complex associations between structure and strategy in classical studies of firms are also central to research in international business, but the nature of business has changed, and so have the relationships. As such, issues have arisen over the best way for international firms, operating in global marketplaces, to best align their strategy and structure to serve numerous distinct markets, whilst maintaining a global identi ty. This paper looks at the development of business strategy and structure over time, highlighting how the relationships have changed, the implications for organisational behaviour, and how firms can alter their behaviour to best gain competitive advantage in international markets. International Strategies Business strategy refers to how firms compete in an industry or market (Varadarajan and Clark 1994; Walker and Ruekert 1987). The two historically dominant frameworks of business strategy are the Miles and Snow (1978) model, which focuses on intended rate of product-market change, and the Porter (1980) model, which focuses on customers and competitors. Miles and Snow (1978) developed a comprehensive framework that addresses the alternative ways that organisations define and approach their product-market domains and construct structures and processes to achieve competitive advantage in those domains. Miles and Snow identify four archetypes of how firms address these issues: â€Å"prospectors† continuously attempt to locate and exploit new product and market opportunities, â€Å"defenders† attempt to seal off a portion of the total market to create a stable set of products and customers, â€Å"analyzers† occupy an intermediate position by cautiously following prosp ectors into new product-market domains while protecting a stable set of products and customers, and â€Å"reactors† do not have a consistent response to the entrepreneurial problem. In contrast, Porter (1980) proposes that business strategy should be viewed as a product of how the firm creates customer value compared with its competitors, and how it defines its scope of market coverage. Walker and Ruekert (1987) observed that though each of these strategy typologies has inherent strengths, i.e., Porters external focus and Miles and Snows internal focus, each is also limited. To address this, Walker and Ruekert proposed a hybrid model that synthesizes the two foci in a typology that consists of prospectors, low-cost defenders, and differentiated defenders. However, although Walker and Ruekert’s article has been frequently cited in the marketing and management literature, the distinctions between low-cost defenders and differentiated defenders have only recently been supported in empirical analysis (Slater and Olson, 2001). Following on from these initial developments, over the last few years researchers have quite successfully addressed and explicated the various forms of international strategy, and these forms are generally well accepted in the literature. There is now considerable agreement among international business scholars that most firms embarking upon or undertaking international business operations are cognizant of the twin pressures of global integration and local responsiveness. To this end, the integration-responsiveness framework suggested by Prahalad and Doz (1987) has provided a valuable theoretical tool to better understand international strategic behaviours of firms. More recently, we have seen many successful applications of globally integrated strategies (Parente, 2003; Parente Kotabe, 2003). According to Yip (2003), global companies have developed more sophisticated and flexible versions of international strategies and organisational processes, which successfully embraced globaliz ation. Organisational Structures Organisational structure refers to an organisation’s internal pattern of relationships (Finley, 2000). Structure has been characterized by a number of dimensions and illustrated by using a variety of types, like functional or divisional (Fredrickson 1986), however, there are three dimensions of structure: centralization, formalization, and complexity, which have received more attention than any others (Fry, 1982; Fry Slocum, 1984). Each of these dimensions appears to have great implications for strategy and strategic decision making, and are dominant characteristics of the well known structural types (Fredrickson, 1986). Centralization refers to the degree to which the right to make decisions and evaluate activities is concentrated (Fry Slocum, 1984; Hall, 1977). A high level of centralization is the most obvious way to control and coordinate organisation decision making, but places significant cognitive demands on those managers who retain authority (Fredrickson, 1986). Min tzberg (1979) has discussed this issue by suggesting that an individual does not have the cognitive capacity or information that is needed to understand all the decisions that face a complex organisation. The degree of formalization specifies the extent to which an organisation uses rules and procedures to prescribe behaviour (Hage Aiken, 1969; Hall, 1977). Therefore, formalization has significant consequences for organisational members because it specifies how, where, and by whom tasks are to be performed (Fredrickson, 1986). A high level of formalization has the benefit of eliminating role ambiguity, but it also limits members’ decision making discretion. Complexity refers to the condition of being composed of many, usually, though not necessarily, interrelated parts. Hall (1977) suggests that there are three sources of complexity: horizontal and vertical differentiation, and spatial dispersion. Therefore, an organisation that simultaneously has numerous levels, broad spans of control, and multiple geographic locations would be considered as highly complex (Fredrickson, 1986). The Interaction Between Strategy and Structure Whilst strategy and structure have been studied in isolation for a great many years, and are now relatively well understood, what is less understood is the international role of organisational structure and its relationship with international strategy (Finley, 2000). International strategies are the forms and types of actions firms follow to fulfil their long term business objectives. Organisations involved in international business activities usually have two major forces impinging on them. One is the need to standardise products on a global basis, and the other is to respond to local country or local market demands. International strategies may be characterized in different ways, and the integration-responsiveness framework developed by Prahalad and Doz (1987) has extended the conceptualization of industry pressures to incorporate generic strategic responses. The framework suggests that organisations develop their strategies and structures based on the emphasis they place on either one or both forces. At the most basic level, organisational structures are established to coordinate work that has been divided into smaller tasks. Mintzberg (1981, p. 104) noted, â€Å"How that coordination is achievedby whom and with whatdictates what the organisation will look like.† Walker and Ruekert (1987) further hypothesized that firms that follow different generic business strategies adopt different structural designs. Vorhies and Morgan (2003) studied the relationships among marketing organisation structure, business strategy, and performance in the trucking industry. Both of these studies demonstrated that different marketing organisation characteristics are more or less appropriate for different business strategies. The forms of structures typically defined by formalization, centralization, and specialization, which as Walker and Ruekert (1987 p. 27) noted â€Å"seem particularly important in shaping an organisation’s or departments performance†, are also applicable in d ifferent ways to different strategies and geographic factors. For example, in studying the development of America’s dominant industrial organisations, Chandler (1962) observed that major increases in unit volume, geographic dispersion, and vertical and horizontal integration were eventually followed by changes in structural form. Several studies following Chandler’s work confirmed an association between these two variables, in that structure generally followed strategy (Fouraker Stopford, 1968; Rumelt, 1974). In spite of the wide spread acceptance of the structure follows strategy relationship, there is a significant body of literature that suggests that structure has a significant and major effect on strategy (Fredrickson, 1986). Bower, for example, characterized structure broadly as the context within which decisions are made, and observed that â€Å"structure may motivate or impede strategic activity† (1970, p. 67). This view is also supported by other researchers who contend that structure constrains, or in another set of circumstances, enables, strategic choice (Bobbitt Ford, 1980; Duncan, 1979; Hedberg, Nystrom Starbuck, 1976). To understand why it is logical for strategic action to be affected by structure, one must understand the relationship between decision making and structure (Fredrickson, 1986). March and Simon (1958) addressed this critical aspect of the relationship by suggesting that an organisation’s structure imposes boundaries of rationality that accommodate members’ cognitive limitations. By delimiting responsibilities and communication channels, structure allows organisations to achieve organisationally rational outcomes despite their cognitive limitations (Simon, 1976). Structure also allows management to control the decision making environment and facilitate the processing of information (Fredrickson, 1986). The structure-strategy relationship is well explained by Bower when he states that â€Å"when management chooses a particular organisational form, it is providing not only a framework for current operations but also the channels along which strategic information will flow † (1970, p. 287). As a result, the relationships between business strategy and organisational structure become massively complex when considered in the international context, and thus require organisations to strategically examine their fundamental behaviours in order to best align their strategy and structure, without becoming lost in the complexity. Strategic Organisational Behaviour Organisational behaviour refers to organisational members’ work-related activities (Ouchi 1977; Robbins 2002) and, according to Snell (1992), management attempts to influence organisational behaviour through the use of control systems. Control is any process that helps align employees actions with the firm’s interests (Snell 1992; Tannenbaum 1968). Control theory (Snell 1992) identifies three major categories of control mechanisms: behavioural control (e.g., establishing and monitoring of sets of actions), output control (e.g., goal attainment measures), and input control (e.g., training). When applied within an organisational context, control theory posits that management attempts to direct employee behaviour to enhance the probability of desired outcomes. As Snell notes (p. 292), â€Å"Advocates of the behavioural perspective posit that different strategies require different behaviours.† Snell also notes that this view of the link between strategy and behaviour is useful because it provides a clear explanation of why behaviour should be linked to strategy and because it posits a testable set of behaviours. As a result, strategic behaviours have the potential to create superior performance through enhancing the execution of business strategy and identifying the relevant organisational structure (Slater and Narver 1995). There are four behaviours which are all claimed to offer potential competitive advantage to firms. These are customer-oriented behaviours (Deshpandà ©, Farley, and Webster 1993), competitor-oriented behaviours (Armstrong and Collopy 1996), innovation-oriented behaviours (Hurley and Hult 1998), and internal/cost-oriented behaviours (Porter 1980). It is important to understand that these strategic behaviours are not mutually exclusive and that it is common for firms to engage in multiple sets of behaviours simultaneously (Slater and Narver 1995). Furthermore, different combinations of emphases will likely prove more or less beneficial for firms that adopt different business strategies. Customer-Oriented Behaviours Firms with a strong customer orientation pursue competitive advantage by placing the highest priority on the creation and maintenance of customer value. As such, these firms engage in the organisation wide development of and responsiveness to information about the expressed and unexpressed needs of both current and potential customers (Deshpandà ©, Farley, and Webster 1993). Because of the constantly refined market-sensing and customer-relating capabilities of the customer-oriented firm, it should develop strategies and a structure to anticipate customer need evolution and to respond through the development of new customer value-focused capabilities and the addition of valuable products and services (Day 1994). Competitor-Oriented Behaviours A different perspective on competitive advantage is simply to beat the competition (Day 1994). This orientation places a priority on the in-depth assessment of a set of targeted competitors, focusing on targeted competitors goals, strategies, offerings, resources, and capabilities (Porter 1980) and on the organisation wide dissemination of the information generated from this assessment. The result is that managers develop competitor-oriented objectives rather than economic or customer-oriented objectives (Armstrong and Collopy 1996). The behavioural goal of the firm is to match, if not exceed, competitors strengths, both in strategy and structure. Innovation-Oriented Behaviours Another perspective is that firms build and renew competitive advantage through radical or discontinuous innovations. An innovation orientation indicates that the firm not only is open to new ideas but also proactively pursues these ideas (Hurley and Hult 1998) in both its technical and administrative domains An innovation orientation encourages risk taking and enhances the likelihood of developing radically new products. March (1991) argues that firms must be aware of the possibility that an innovation orientation may not allow for the follow-through that is necessary to reap the benefits of earlier innovations fully, unless their strategy and structure are aligned with both the generation and utilisation of innovation. Internal/Cost-Oriented Behaviours Porter (1980) argues that there are two basic sources of competitive advantage. The first is the differentiation advantage that a firm derives from the customer-, competitor-, or innovation-oriented behaviours. The second is the cost advantage that a firm derives from internal orientation and structure, with internally oriented firms pursuing efficiency in all parts of their value chain (Porter 1985). They attempt to reduce costs in primary activities, such as logistics, operations, and sales and marketing, and also attempt to reduce costs in support activities, such as procurement, research and development, and administrative functions. These firms pursue operational excellence, through their strategy and structure, that they can translate into higher sales through lower prices or higher margins. Whereas experimentation is the hallmark of firms with an innovation orientation, exploitation is the hallmark of internally oriented firms (March 1991). Conclusion International business has produced some incredibly competitive and complicated markets, with numerous potential problems for organisations, but also numerous opportunities for firms that can best adapt to their marketplace. However, such is the level of complexity in these markets, that firms who try to engineer specific, rigid strategies and structures will likely find themselves left behind by the latest shift in the market or technology. As a result, firms competing in international markets would be best advised to focus on the organisational behaviour, or behaviours, that best match their capabilities, and let these behaviours drive their strategy and structure to provide the most sustainable competitive advantage possible. Unfortunately, there is currently a paucity of available academic evidence on the most relevant behaviours for firms to best secure competitive advantage under the myriad market conditions, and this should be a key area for future research, as it may soon bec ome a strategic issue of significant importance. Equally, organisational behaviour as a field of study is vastly complex, with ongoing debates between theorists around organistic versus mechanistic structures, the role of teams, and the best styles of leadership needed in an organisation. In particular, organisational behaviour tends to suggest that organistic structures will be required in uncertain, rapidly changing markets, however mechanistic structures will be required in markets where the pace of technological developments is slower (Burns and Stalker, 1961). Thus, more research is needed into the consequences of an organisation in a relatively fast moving market making strategic organisational behaviour choices which would be better facilitated by a more hierarchical, mechanistic structure. Similar research would be recommended into the roles of leaders, and teams within organisations, in implementing and driving these behaviours forward. However, regardless of the need for further research, it is clear that firms can no longer merely define a strategy, focus strongly on it, and expect their strategic focus to guarantee success. Likewise, in the international business world, firms should no longer focus on having a well defined structure, regardless of whether it is organistic or mechanistic. Instead, a key recommendation of the strategic organisational behaviour approach is that firms should concentrate on best aligning themselves to the most appropriate behaviour for their industry. In manufacturing, this is likely to be more internal, or cost oriented, in technology it will tend to be primarily innovation oriented and in professional services a strong customer, or client, orientation would be best. However, it is vital that firms do not neglect the other behaviours: those that are not their primary focus, as these remain important, and can help maintain a balance approach to strategy and structure, offering sustained competitive advantage in international markets. References Armstrong, J. S. and Collopy, F. (1996) Competitor Orientation: Effects of Objectives and Information on Managerial Decisions and Profitability. Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 33, May Issue, p. 188. Bobbitt, H. R. and Ford, J.D. (1980) Decision maker choice as a determinant of organisation structure. Academy of Management Review, Vol. 5, p. 13. Bourgeois, L. J. and Astley, W. G. (1979) A strategic model of organisational conduct and performance. International Studies of Management and Organisation, Vol. 6, Issue 3, p. 40. Bower, J. L. (1970) Managing the resource allocation process. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Burgelman, R. A. (1983) A model of the interaction of strategic behaviour, corporate con-text, and the concept of strategy. Academy of Management Review, Vol. 8: p. 61. Burns, T. and Stalker, G (1961) The Management of Innovation. London: Tavi-stock. Chandler, A. D. (1962) Strategy and structure: Chapters in the history of the American industrial enterprise. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Deshpandà ©, R. Farley, J. and Webster Jr. F. E. (1993) Corporate Culture, Customer Orientation, and Innovativeness in Japanese Firms: A Quadrad Analysis. Journal of Marketing , Vol. 57, January Issue, p. 23. Day, G. S. (1994) The Capabilities of Market-Driven Organisations. Journal of Marketing, Vol. 58, October Issue, p. 37. Duncan, R. (1979) What is the right structure? Decision tree analysis provides the answer. Organisation Dynamics, Vol. 7, p. 59. Finley, P. (2000) Strategic Management. Prentice Hall. Fouraker, L. E. and Stopford, J. M. (1968) Organisation structure and the multi-national strategy. Administrative Science Quarterly; Vol. 13, p. 47. Fredrickson, J. W. (1986) The strategic decision process and the organisational structure. Academy of Management Review; Vol. 11, Issue 2, p. 280. Fry, L. W. and Slocum, J. W. (1984) Technology structure, and workgroup effectiveness: A test of a contingency model. Academy of Management Journal; Vol. 27, p. 221. Fry, L. W. (1982) Technology-structure research: Three critical issues. Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 25, p. 532. Hage, J. and Aiken, M. (1969) Routing technology, social structure and organisational goals. Administrative Science Quarterly, Vol. 14, p. 368. Hall, R. H. (1977) Organisations: Structures and processes. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice- Hall. Hedberg, B. L. T. Nystrom, P.C. and Starbuck, W. (1976) Camping on seesaws: Prescriptions for a self-designing organisation. Administrative Science Quarterly, Vol. 21, p. 41. Hurley, R. F. and Hult, G. T. M. (1998) Innovation, Market Orientation, and Organisational Learning: An Integration and Empirical Examination. Journal of Marketing; Vol. 62, July Issue, p. 42. March, J. G. (1991) Exploration and Exploitation in Organisational Learning. Organisation Science, Vol. 2, Issue 1, p. 71. March, J. G. and Simon, H. A. (1958) Organisations. New York, NY: Wiley. Miles, R. E. and Snow, C. C. (1978) Organisational, Strategy, Structure, and Process. New York: McGraw-Hill. Mintzberg, H. (1981) Organisation Design: Fashion or Fit? Harvard Business Review, Vol. 59, Issue 1, p. 103. Mintzberg, H. (1979) The structuring of organisations. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Ouchi, W. G. (1977) The Relationship Between Organisational Structure and Organisational Control. Administrative Science Quarterly, Vol. 20, Issue 1, p. 95. Parente, R. (2003) Strategic modularization in the Brazilian automobile industry: An empirical analysis of its antecedents and performance implications. Doctoral Dissertation, Temple University, August 2003. Parente, R. and Kotabe, M. (2003) Strategic modularization, evolution of sourcing strategies, and performance implications. Proceedings Academy of International Business; Monterey, CA. Porter, M. E. (1980) Competitive Strategy. New York: The Free Press. Prahalad, C. K. and Doz, Y. L. (1987) The multinational mission. New York, NY: Free Press. Robbins, S. P. (2002), Organisational Behavior, 10th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Rumelt, R. P. (1974) Strategy, structure and economic performance. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Simon, H. A. (1976) Administrative behaviour (third edition). New York, NY: Free Press. Slater, S. and Narver, J. (1993) Product-Market Strategy and Performance: An Analysis of the Miles and Snow Strategy Types European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 27, Issue 10, p. 33. Slater, S. and Olson, E. M. (2000) Strategy Type and Performance: The Influence of Sales Force Management Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 21, Issue 8, p. 813. Snell, S. (1992) Control Theory in Strategic Human Resource Management: The Mediating Effect of Administrative Information. Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 35, Issue 2, p. 292. Tannenbaum, A. S. (1968) Control in Organisations. New York: McGraw-Hill. Walker, O. C. and Ruekert, R. W. (1987) Marketing’s Role in the Implementation of Business Strategies: A Critical Review and Conceptual Framework. Journal of Marketing, Vol. 51, July Issue, p. 15. Varadarajan, P. R. and Clark, T. (1994) Delineating the Scope of Corporate, Business, and Marketing Strategy Journal of Business Research, Vol. 31, Issue 2, p. 93. Vorhies, D. W. and Morgan, N. A. (2003) A Configuration Theory Assessment of Marketing Organisation Fit with Business Strategy and Its Relationship with Market Performance Journal of Marketing, Vol. 67, January Issue, p. 100. Yip, G. S. (2003) Total Global Strategy II. Upper Saddle River, NJ. Prentice Hall.

Rising Cost of Gas And Oil Prices :: Economics

Not only have gas and oil prices changed but they have made everything else go up in price. The cost of living and the way that people are living is effected by these rising costs. In this paper I will discuss the different ways that these prices are affecting everyday life. The way that everyone has changed things in there life would be transportation and business costs. Gas Prices have changed a lot over the years and it seems to be increasing in cost and that it is not going to change. According to Foreman (2008), in 1981 the cost per gallon was $1.35 and now the cost is between $2.84 to $3.23 . Some of the reasons that the cost of gas is going up is because of the rising cost of oil. Gas prices are affecting people in there everyday lives with driving, living expenses, and with the cost of their living. Families are having to set a budget for there fuel and are having to not drive as much. Oil Prices are at there highest points and the repercussion of this is the cost of gas and the cost of living. The cost per barrel is going up, at that point the cost of fuel goes up as well as everyday costs. The cost per barrel is â€Å"$91.77 to $ 100.09 ( Oil prices rise back above $91 a barrel, 2008)† , this year alone and only seems to be getting worse. The war has helped to make the cost of oil go up, because we are at war with Iraq and that is where we get our oil. There is a shortness of oil and with this the cost of oil will go up, so will the cost of living, and the cost of fuel. Across the United States individuals are feeling the high prices of gas and oil prices. These prices are starting to hurt our economy because people are not being able to travel as much as they used to be able to. Families are feeling the hurt when they do travel because when people go to go camping with there children it costs more in food then they had in there budget and same with fuel.

Kuwait Parliment Misunderstands democracy for women :: essays research papers fc

The Kuwait Parliament Misunderstands Democracy for Women With the upcoming elections in the United States approaching this November, the thought came to mind of voting rights in other countries. As an American citizen, I have lived in Kuwait for over 19 years. When I went to the U.S. Embassy to submit my absentee ballot, it came to mind that I live in a country where women are not allowed to exercise the right to vote. Women's suffrage in America took 70 years of discrimination until the 19th Amendment was passed on August 26, 1920, allowing women to vote. The suffragists undertook action through lobbying, petition gathering, lectures and writings. Kuwaiti women have been fighting for 40 years and are still fighting for the right to vote. Kuwait is a country about the size of New Jersey and it is a very modern society by western standards. It is considered one of the richest nations in the world, since it has the third largest oil reserves. Kuwait being a social welfare state is highly developed with a free market economy. The monarchy government rules the country and has the only elected Parliament in the Persian Gulf countries. What does all this mean? Being a Kuwaiti national has its benefits, including free education from primary school to university. Statistics showed that over 70% of the total graduates at the local university are women studying engineering and medicine. Health care for Kuwaiti's is free, but for expatriates, small fees are applied to some services. Taxes are not imposed in Kuwait, and electricity is subsidized 80% by the government, so as not to burden residents. This means electricity and water are included in the rent cost, and phone service inside the country is free. Fast, expensive cars ar e something of the norm and shopping malls with the latest fashions from around the world are abundant. The population of Kuwait is about 2.5 million however only 27% are Kuwaiti nationals. From this figure there are 1.5 men to every Kuwaiti woman. The voting rights for eligible Kuwaiti men who have been citizens for over 20 years are allowed to contest in elections. Presently, all Kuwaiti men having the nationality over 20 years are allowed to vote, except men in the military and police force. Under the 1961 constitution, the following articles support equality among genders. Article 6 provides "the system of government in Kuwait shall be democratic, under which sovereignty resides in the people, the sources of all powers.

Conflict Theory

The several social theories that emphasize social conflict have roots in the ideas of Karl Marx (1818-1883), the great German theorist and political activist. The Marxist, conflict approach emphasizes a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical method of analysis, a critical stance toward existing social arrangements, and a political program of revolution or, at least, reform. Marx summarized the key elements of this materialist view of history as follows: In the social production of their existence, men inevitably enter into definite relations, which are independent of their will, namely relations of production appropriate to a given stage in the development of their material forces of production. The totality of these relations of production constitutes the economic structure of society, the real foundation, on which arises a legal and political superstructure and to which correspond definite forms of social consciousness. The mode of production of material life conditions the general process of social, political and intellectual life. It is not the consciousness of men that determines their existence, but their social existence that determines their consciousness (Marx 1971:20). Marx divided history into several stages, conforming to broad patterns in the economic structure of society. The most important stages for Marx's argument were feudalism, capitalism, and socialism. The bulk of Marx's writing is concerned with applying the materialist model of society to capitalism, the stage of economic and social development that Marx saw as dominant in 19th century Europe. For Marx, the central institution of capitalist society is private property, the system by which capital (that is, money, machines, tools, factories, and other material objects used in production) is controlled by a small minority of the population. This arrangement leads to two opposed classes, the owners of capital (called the bourgeoisie) and the workers (called the proletariat), whose only property is their own labor time, which they have to sell to the capitalists. Economic exploitation leads directly to political oppression, as owners make use of their economic power to gain control of the state and turn it into a servant of bourgeois economic interests. Police power, for instance, is used to enforce property rights and guarantee unfair contracts between capitalist and worker. Oppression also takes more subtle forms: religion serves capitalist interests by pacifying the population; intellectuals, paid directly or indirectly by capitalists, spend their careers justifying and rationalizing the existing social and economic arrangements. In sum, the economic structure of society molds the superstructure, including ideas (e. g. , morality, ideologies, art, and literature) and the social institutions that support the class structure of society (e. g. , the state, the educational system, the family, and religious institutions). Because the dominant or ruling class (the bourgeoisie) controls the social relations of production, the dominant ideology in capitalist society is that of the ruling class. Ideology and social institutions, in turn, serve to reproduce and perpetuate the economic class structure. Thus, Marx viewed the exploitative economic arrangements of capitalism as the real foundation upon which the superstructure of social, political, and intellectual consciousness is built. (Figure 1 depicts this model of historical materialism. Marx's view of history might seem completely cynical or pessimistic, were it not for the possibilities of change revealed by his method of dialectical analysis. (The Marxist dialectical method, based on Hegel's earlier idealistic dialectic, focuses attention on how an existing social arrangement, or thesis, generates its social opposite, or antithesis, and on how a qualitatively different social form, or synthesis, emerges from the resulting struggle. ) Marx was an optim ist. He believed that any stage of history based on exploitative economic arrangements generated within itself the seeds of its own destruction. For instance, feudalism, in which land owners exploited the peasantry, gave rise to a class of town-dwelling merchants, whose dedication to making profits eventually led to the bourgeois revolution and the modern capitalist era. Similarly, the class relations of capitalism will lead inevitably to the next stage, socialism. The class relations of capitalism embody a contradiction: capitalists need workers, and vice versa, but the economic interests of the two groups are fundamentally at odds. Such contradictions mean inherent conflict and instability, the class struggle. Adding to the instability of the capitalist system are the inescapable needs for ever-wider markets and ever-greater investments in capital to maintain the profits of capitalists. Marx expected that the resulting economic cycles of expansion and contraction, together with tensions that will build as the working class gains greater understanding of its exploited position (and thus attains class consciousness), will eventually culminate in a socialist revolution. Despite this sense of the unalterable logic of history, Marxists see the need for social criticism and for political activity to speed the arrival of socialism, which, not being based on private property, is not expected to involve as many contradictions and conflicts as capitalism. Marxists believe that social theory and political practice are dialectically intertwined, with theory enhanced by political involvement and with political practice necessarily guided by theory. Intellectuals ought, therefore, to engage in praxis, to combine political criticism and political activity. Theory itself is seen as necessarily critical and value-laden, since the prevailing social relations are based upon alienating and dehumanizing exploitation of the labor of the working classes. Marx's ideas have been applied and reinterpreted by scholars for over a hundred years, starting with Marx's close friend and collaborator, Friedrich Engels (1825-95), who supported Marx and his family for many years from the profits of the textile factories founded by Engels' father, while Marx shut himself away in the library of the British Museum. Later, Vladimir I. Lenin (1870-1924), leader of the Russian revolution, made several influential contributions to Marxist theory. In recent years Marxist theory has taken a great variety of forms, notably the world-systems theory proposed by Immanuel Wallerstein (1974, 1980) and the comparative theory of revolutions put forward by Theda Skocpol (1980). Marxist ideas have also served as a starting point for many of the modern feminist theorists. Despite these applications, Marxism of any variety is still a minority position among American sociologists. Functionalism is the oldest, and still the dominant, theoretical perspective in sociology and many other social sciences. This perspective is built upon twin emphases: application of the scientific method to the objective social world and use of an analogy between the individual organism and society. The emphasis on scientific method leads to the assertion that one can study the social world in the same ways as one studies the physical world. Thus, Functionalists see the social world as â€Å"objectively real,† as observable with such techniques as social surveys and interviews. Furthermore, their positivistic view of social science assumes that study of the social world can be value-free, in that the investigator's values will not necessarily interfere with the disinterested search for social laws governing the behavior of social systems. Many of these ideas go back to Emile Durkheim (1858-1917), the great French sociologist whose writings form the basis for functionalist theory (see Durkheim 1915, 1964); Durkheim was himself one of the first sociologists to make use of scientific and statistical techniques in sociological research (1951). The second emphasis, on the organic unity of society, leads functionalists to speculate about needs which must be met for a social system to exist, as well as the ways in which social institutions satisfy those needs. A functionalist might argue, for instance, that every society will have a religion, because religious institutions have certain functions which contribute to the survival of the social system as a whole, just as the organs of the body have functions which are necessary for the body's survival. Functionalist theories have very often been criticized as teleological, that is, reversing the usual order of cause and effect by explaining things in terms of what happens afterward, not what went before. A strict functionalist might explain certain religious practices, for instance, as being functional by contributing to a society's survival; however, such religious traditions will usually have been firmly established long before the question is finally settled of whether the society as a whole will actually survive. Bowing to this kind of criticism of the basic logic of functionalist theory, most current sociologists have stopped using any explicitly functionalistic explanations of social phenomena, and the extreme version of functionalism expounded by Talcott Parsons has gone out of fashion. Nevertheless, many sociologists continue to expect that by careful, objective scrutiny of social phenomena they will eventually be able to discover the general laws of social behavior, and this hope still serves as the motivation for a great deal of sociological thinking and research. RATIONAL CHOICE AND EXCHANGE THEORY {text:bookmark-start} {text:bookmark-end} SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM Symbolic interactionism, or interactionism for short, is one of the major theoretical perspectives in sociology. This perspective has a long intellectual history, beginning with the German sociologist and economist, Max Weber (1864-1920) and the American philosopher, George H. Mead (1863-1931), both of whom emphasized the subjective meaning of human behavior, the social process, and pragmatism. Although there are a number of versions of interactionist thought, some deriving from phenomenological writings by philosophers, the following description offers a simplified amalgamation of these ideas, concentrating on points of convergence. Herbert Blumer, who studied with Mead at the University of Chicago, is responsible for coining the term, â€Å"symbolic interactionism,† as well as for formulating the most prominent version of the theory (Blumer 1969). Interactionists focus on the subjective aspects of social life, rather than on objective, macro-structural aspects of social systems. One reason for this focus is that interactionists base their theoretical perspective on their image of humans, rather than on their image of society (as the functionalists do). For interactionists, humans are pragmatic actors who continually must adjust their behavior to the actions of other actors. We can adjust to these actions only because we are able to interpret them, i. e. , to denote them symbolically and treat the actions and those who perform them as symbolic objects. This process of adjustment is aided by our ability to imaginatively rehearse alternative lines of action before we act. The process is further aided by our ability to think about and to react to our own actions and even our selves as symbolic objects. Thus, the interactionist theorist sees humans as active, creative participants who construct their social world, not as passive, conforming objects of socialization. For the interactionist, society consists of organized and patterned interactions among individuals. Thus, research by interactionists focuses on easily observable face-to-face interactions rather than on macro-level structural relationships involving social institutions. Furthermore, this focus on interaction and on the meaning of events to the participants in those events (the definition of the situation) shifts the attention of interactionists away from stable norms and values toward more changeable, continually readjusting social processes. Whereas for functionalists socialization creates stability in the social system, for interactionists negotiation among members of society creates temporary, socially constructed relations which remain in constant flux, despite relative stability in the basic framework governing those relations. These emphases on symbols, negotiated reality, and the social construction of society lead to an interest in the roles people play. Erving Goffman (1958), a prominent social theorist in this tradition, discusses roles dramaturgically, using an analogy to the theater, with human social behavior seen as more or less well scripted and with humans as role-taking actors. Role-taking is a key mechanism of interaction, for it permits us to take the other's perspective, to see what our actions might mean to the other actors with whom we interact. At other times, interactionists emphasize the improvisational quality of roles, with human social behavior seen as poorly scripted and with humans as role-making improvisers. Role-making, too, is a key mechanism of interaction, for all situations and roles are inherently ambiguous, thus requiring us to create those situations and roles to some extent before we can act. Interactionists tend to study social interaction through participant observation, rather than surveys and interviews. They argue that close contact and immersion in the everyday lives of the participants is necessary for understanding the meaning of actions, the definition of the situation itself, and the process by which actors construct the situation through their interaction. Given this close contact, interactionists could hardly remain free of value commitments, and, in fact, interactionists make explicit use of their values in choosing what to study but strive to be objective in the conduct of their research. Symbolic interactionists are often criticized by other sociologists for being overly impressionistic in their research methods and somewhat unsystematic in their theories. These objections, combined with the fairly narrow focus of interactionist research on small-group interactions and other social psychological issues, have relegated the interactionist camp to a minority position among sociologists, although a fairly substantial minority. Bureaucratic Form According to Max Weber — His Six Major Principles Before covering Weber's Six Major Principles, I want to describe the various multiple meanings of the word â€Å"bureaucracy. A group of workers (for example, civil service employees of the U. S. government), is referred to as â€Å"the bureaucracy. † An example: â€Å"The threat of Gramm-Rudman-Hollings cuts has the bureaucracy in Washington deeply concerned. † Bureaucracy is the name of an organizational form used by sociologists and organizational design pr ofessionals. Bureaucracy has an informal usage, as in â€Å"there's too much bureaucracy where I work. † This informal usage describes a set of characteristics or attributes such as â€Å"red tape† or â€Å"inflexibility† that frustrate people who deal with or who work for organizations they perceive as â€Å"bureaucratic. Weber noted six major principles. 1. A formal hierarchical structure Each level controls the level below and is controlled by the level above. A formal hierarchy is the basis of central planning and centralized decision making. 2. Management by rules Controlling by rules allows decisions made at high levels to be executed consistently by all lower levels. 3. Organization by functional specialty Work is to be done by specialists, and people are organized into units based on the type of work they do or skills they have. 4. An â€Å"up-focused† or â€Å"in-focused† mission If the mission is described as â€Å"up-focused,† then the organization's purpose is to serve the stockholders, the board, or whatever agency empowered it. If the mission is to serve the organization itself, and those within it, e. g. , to produce high profits, to gain market share, or to produce a cash stream, then the mission is described as â€Å"in-focused. † 5. Purposely impersonal The idea is to treat all employees equally and customers equally, and not be influenced by individual differences. . Employment based on technical qualifications (There may also be protection from arbitrary dismissal. ) The bureaucratic form, according to Parkinson, has another attribute. 7. Predisposition to grow in staff â€Å"above the line. † Weber failed to notice this, but C. Northcote Parkinson found it so common that he made it the basis of his humorous â€Å"Parkinson's law. † Parkinson demonstrated th at the management and professional staff tends to grow at predictable rates, almost without regard to what the line organization is doing. The bureaucratic form is so common that most people accept it as the normal way of organizing almost any endeavor. People in bureaucratic organizations generally blame the ugly side effects of bureaucracy on management, or the founders, or the owners, without awareness that the real cause is the organizing form. Iron cage is a sociological concept introduced by Max Weber. Iron cage refers to the increasing rationalization of human life, which traps individuals in an â€Å"iron cage† of rule-based, rational control. He also called such over-bureaucratized social order â€Å"the polar night of icy darkness†. The original German term is stahlhartes Gehause; this was translated into ‘iron cage', an expression made familiar to English language speakers by Talcott Parsons in his 1958 translation of Weber's The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Recently some sociologists have questioned this translation, arguing that the correct term should be ‘shell as hard as steel' and that the difference from the original translation is significant. A more literal translation from German would be â€Å"steel-hard housing. Weber wrote: â€Å"In Baxter’s view the care for external goods should only lie on the shoulders of the ‘saint like a light cloak, which can be thrown aside at any moment. ‘ But fate decreed that the cloak should become an iron cage. † Weber became concerned with social actions and the subjective meaning that humans attach to their action s and interaction within specific social contexts. He also believed in idealism, which is the belief that we only know things because of the meanings that we apply to them. This led to his interest in power and authority in terms of bureaucracy and rationalization

Baseball vs. Football

If youre like most Americans, you credibly have a deary NFL team. You likely watch footb each(prenominal) gameys on TV and if you live in a metropolis with an NFL team, you may shell bulge let on the immediate payment to buy a game rag to cheer them on. That is to take, no matter where you live, you near certainly watch the Super orbit, evening if its just to check out the exciting commercials. In fact, if youre non wearing an NFL team logo hat, T-shirt, or jacket forthwith, youll almost certainly shape into someone who is. The NFL, it seems, has become an unavoidable heraldic bearing in American culture.Although baseb tout ensemble game is hold out as Americas preferent pastime, workal football game is the countrys most familiar sport, and has been since the 1960s. According to Forbes Magazine, the NFL is economically the strongest sports organization in the world today. (Vogan, T. 2011) On the separate hand, baseball game game legends like child Ruth, Willi e whitethorns, and Roberto Clemente will always be remembered, particularly for their outstanding accomplishments and remarkable sportsmanship. What happened to Americas favorite pastime sport? I grew up playing my favorite game baseball. I remember playing and ambition of being one of my favorite fakers.I knew the stats of every player in the baseball league. In particularly, I loved loss to the ball leafy vegetable, eating ball park franks, and watching my baseball heros play. This was the most exciting childhood shop for me. For this reason, I feel sorry for todays children. They dont drive in what its like to sit cover charge and enjoy baseball, like it was back in those days. My greatest fear is that baseball is no longer Americas favorite game. What ca drilld baseball to lose its touristedity? Its not easy to pin charge. I can only if speculate as to how this happened. For one thing, all the scandals, the controversy issues, and the trikes, yellowish browns have be en disappointed by the unsportsmanlike conduct that resulted from this. The 1990 season bought study controversy. For example, Pete Rose was ruled ineligible for the foyer of fame by major league baseball for gambling on games. Lets not close up to a greater extent or less the Barry Bonds incident in 2007, that convicted him for the use of steroids in every vain of his body. Certainly, all of the steroid talk led other players down the same road. Players were randomly selected and upset on drug tests, the hitters in baseball have taken a backseat to the pitchers which no one wants to see.Another key point to why baseball is losing its swag, is because the ridiculous salaries paying(a) to the players. USA today provided a elaborate report, showing the total payroll for the naked as a jaybird York Yankees. The payroll was at a whack $202,689,025. The average pay for each player was $6,756. 300. (USA Today, 2011) Compared to the NFL New York Giants, total payroll was a mere $1 38,354,866 and averaged $2,470,622 per player. (USA Today, 2011) Consequently, this has caused a lot of controversy amongst the players, owners, and the league. Lets talk reality, baseball owners are forking out a huge amount of money, to buy themselves a human beings Series.In my books you cant buy a championship. To put it other way, NFL players must display a ultimate test of strength and endurance. Unlike baseball, football has a high attempt factor out for injuries. When comparing the compensation of two sports, it appears the risk factor hasnt been taken into consideration. In comparison to baseball, football has gained more popularity and amongst our contemporaries today. In 2004 Gallup polls reported that, 64% percent of Americans identified themselves as football fans, 52% said they were baseball fans. (Isley. K, 2006 pg. 1) In the NFL, we see extremely talented NFL players. twenty-four hours after day, these men go out and take a beaten. They earn the salary and gain the respect they deserve. You never attempt the football league talking about strikes or walkouts. Of course, there are a few football players that embarrass the profession but the numbers are a lot less noticeable. How many World Series can compare to the upthrow of the last couple Super lawn bowling? The NFL has been able to make the Super Bowl not only exciting with the check bit of the league, but they make it the most entertain of all championship games. In Conclusion, in football we see talented players in the game, making less money therefore baseball players.They appear to be more loyal and genuine to the game of football. As a kid, I was huge fan of baseball, but I dont love what it has become. Even though my life will always be in baseball, I can honestly say that, Im a big football fan, at this time in my life. It appears to be true that baseball is not nearly as popular any more as it at one time was. Clearly, baseball is not the favorite big money media sport an ymore, and hasnt been for the last 40 years. As television replaced radio as the preferred entertainment medium, football replaced baseball as the preferred sport to watch.ReferencesKeith, Isley (2006, marvelous 18) Really? Is baseball less popular? Hard Ball Times, Retrieved from http//www.hardballtimes.com/main/ denomination/really-is-baseball-less-popular/ USA Today. (2011) Salaries Databases. Retrieved from http//content.usatoday.com/sportsdata/baseball/mlb/salaries/team Vogan, Thomas. (2011, May 02,) Historians, storytellers, mythmakers NFL films and pro football experience. Proquest Dissertation and Theses. Retrieved from http//search.proquest.com/docview/862727108?accountid=87314

Chicory Root Extract Atopic Dermatitis Health And Social Care Essay

Atopic dermatitis is a genetic completelyy transmitted, continuing insurgent tegument disease that is characterized by chronic redness of epidermis1. The disease norm all toldy presents during primordial(a) childhood but may specify down or prevail in volumed support 2. 10 % to 20 % of kids and 1 % to 3 % of grownups atomic number 18 touch by this lieu. Adult atopic dermatitis is normally a continuance of the childhood status although in 2 % of the entire instances may define down after 20 middle-aged ages of age 3. It is the earliest presentation of atopic characteristics in patients who suffer from allergic coryza and/or asthma in ulterior life 4. The atopic dermatitis may undergo remittal at pubescence and so nettles exacerbated in big life particularly in rejoinder to environmental exposure to thorns 3. The characteristic characteristics of disease ar pruritus, scrape, and chronic and/or get worsing eczematous lesions 5.Presently, there is no unequivocal recreate for this status and direction is aimed at relieving the symptoms of the status hence it presents a clinical take exception 6. The direction includes good tegument financial aid ( such as wont of moisturizers and creams ) , stir up turning away while pharmacological noises such as usage of anti-inflammatory drug drugs ( topical corticoids and unwritten antihistamines ) whatsoeverways sum to the curative armamentarium 3. The stark naked calcineurin inhibitors are among the new intervention alternatives which limit the devilment and absolute frequency of flare-ups 6. Due to an increased hazard of infection, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral drugs are besides portion of the intervention food 6. Different intervention options lendable are shown in the figure 1hypertext ravish protocol //onlinelibrary.wiley.com/store/10.1111/j.1398-9995.2006.01153.x/asset/image_n/ALL_1153_f5.gif? v=1 & A t=ghv2sj68 & A s=0e428ba76d59dc1a7fd694a0dcbd25f4c38e76d4Beginning Akdis et Al, 2006The furnace lining or terrible instances present a altercate in their direction and necessitate thumb therapies like the application of wet dressings in combination with topical corticoids, short-run intervention with systemic corticoids, phototherapy with ultraviolet visible radiation therapy 8, immunomodulatory or immunosuppressive agents ( cyclosporins, pimecrolimus and tacrolimus ) 9, Imuran, interferon- IA? , 3. However, bulk of these therapies drive home been found to be associated with side-effects like renal toxicity, hepato-toxicity 3, pare combustion and thinning etc.9 This has resulted in involvement in the alternate traditionalistic therapies.Cichorium is a medicinally of signification works that belongs to the household Asteraceae 10. The tuberous basis of this works is made up of a figure of medicinally of signification compounds such as inulin, acrimonious sesquiterpene lactones, coumarins ( esculin ) , flavonoids and vitamins 10. Hence, the cool it excerpt of the works has been used as an antihepatotoxic, antiulcerogenic, antiinflammatory, appetiser, digestive, gastric, liver reinvigorated, cholagogue, cardiotonic, depurative, diuretic, emmenagogue, antipyretic, alexeteric and besides as tonic 11. Furthermore, it is besides helpful in headache, heapatomegaly, degenerative arthritis 12, anorexia, indigestion, flatulency, gripes, urarthritis, firing esthesis, icterus, splenomegaly, hyperdipsia, Hansens disease, , amenorrhea, chronic and biliary febrilities, ophthalmitis, touchy throat and emesis, arthralgia, lumbago, asthma and general distemper 13.Chicory finalise has been shown to hold anti-inflammatory action by suppression of cyclooxygenase-2 activity 14. Furthermore, the chicory melodic theme root selection has been shown to possess antibacterial 10 and fight protecting belongingss 15. The safety profile chicory root infusion is good 16 and is better tolerated 17. A combination of these belongingss makes it a suited agent to be tried and true against atopic dermatitis.Although its usage in the intervention of skin allergic conditions has been mentioned in the literature, no surveies could be identified proving the efficaciousness of chicory infusion against atopic dermatitis in grownups or kids.Despite the deficiency of identifiable research into the usage of chicory root infusion in disembowel offing grownup atopic dermatitis, the grounds available pertaining to its widespread usage and anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial usage suggests that chicory root infusion could be a good direction option by bettering the disease symptoms and associated conditions.In drumhead, a randomised cook trial on an equal sample size, focused only if on the consequence of chicory root infusion on the symptoms of atopic dermatitis should be carried turn up utilizing blinded research workers.Research QuestionDoes the chicory root infusion better the symptoms in patients support from grownup atopic dermati tis?Proposed ProbeThe probe aims to find whether the root infusion of chicory works decreases the badness and symptoms of grownup atopic dermatitis. A randomized fomite- hold three-fold blind test lead be performed on 100 patients stable from atopic dermatitis at the Liverpool infirmary.Inclusion and Exclusion CriteriaParticipants between 20 to 50 old ages of age enduring from or diagnosed with non-exudative atopic dermatitis utilizing the Hanifin and Rajka criteria 18 forget be indiscriminately assigned to instance and control aggroups. Exclusion standards for participants enduring from exudative dermatitis, patients who sure UVB phototherapy or photo-chemotherapy in the last 1 month, and patients who received systemic therapies such as steroid or other immunosuppressive drugs in the last 3 months were excluded.Study and vehicle Group PreparationsThe ethyl ethanoate chicory infusion leave alone be parcel knocked out(p) in an ointment conformation with a standard base pi ck which contains a mixture of glyceryl mono/distearate and polythene ethylene glycol stearate, isoparaffin and cyclopentadimethylsiloxane 19. This base give function as vehicle and cream plainly with no other actions. The control group testament relieve oneself the base pick merely along with ethyl ethanoate to play down the consequence of any confounders.Intervention sideline blessing from the local moralss commission, informed agree leave behind be taken from all the patients while making the baseline hiting for atopic dermatitis. Subjects allow for so be indiscriminately allocated into every the intervention group or control group after baseline idea and marking. The evaluate group ( n=50 ) will have ethyl ethanoate chicory root infusion in ointment signifier whilst the vehicle group ( n=50 ) will have a placebo in ointment signifier with indistinguishable visual aspect and wadding. manipulation will dwell of using a thin bed of unction on the affected awkward twice day-after-day for a period of eight succeeding(prenominal) hebdomads. All other signifiers of interventions will be prohibited during the survey period. The marking will be done at 4 hebdomad intervals.Both the clinicians and the patients will be blind to the intervention that they are bounteous or having as the survey and vehicle unction will be give in indistinguishable wadding.Result quad major parametric quantities of the disease, viz. , extent, strength, waterlessness, and itchiness, will be flatly recorded harmonizing to the eczema country and badness index ( EASI ) 20. The symptoms will besides be estimated by hiting patient describe symptoms utilizing a structured questionnaire with nonsubjective standards. A usage of hiting systems and nonsubjective standards will aid to standardise and compare the results in both(prenominal) groups.The result tonss of the two groups at baseline and at 4 hebdomads interval will be compared utilizing a two-tailed Studentaaa?s t-test with the significance degree set at 5 % . All the analysis will be done utilizing SPSS.RestrictionRestrictions of the survey include the fact that the participants may start from flair ups due to surcease of all other types of interventions. However, if at any apex it is felt by the wellness perplexity squad that the intercession is arousing any outcaste effects and patient demands systematic therapy, the test will be terminated early or that patient will be dropped out. This may increase the bead out rates and compromise the cogency of the survey. honourable IssuesParticipants will be informed that non-participation or backdown at any phase angle wonaaa?t compromise their aesculapian attention. Informed consent will be taken from the patient and his doctor onwards get downing the intervention and will be discontinue at any clip if the patient or his doctor want to make so.