Precision Worldwide, Inc

Introduction When a competitor develops and introduces a superior product that is less costly to manufacture and even many times usable and durable, the key to people at Precision Worldwide must decide whether to match the competitor's product, when to do so, how to price or what sustainable competitive advantage it needs to adopt during the next strategic period, given that it holds a large inventory of its now inferior product. This issue concerns the steel and plastic rings which the company, Precision Worldwide, Inc. PWI) is opting to produce as a matter of competing intensively with a French company, Henri Poulenc, which was at the same time posing a big threat to the viability of the steel rings PWI is producing. . PWI is confronted not only with a substitute product which is both cheap and durable. Compared to PWI’s steel rings, the plastic rings being produced by Henri Poulenc is both cheaper and lasts longer. PWI is also facing the risk of earning the ire of its custo mers if it manufactures but selectively introduces the cheaper plastic rings in areas where it is faced with the ‘plastic’ competition. As a result, PWI is now confronted with a dilemma of differences in strategic measures to undertake given the differing opinions of its key people. Questions Posted for this Note: 1. You have to analyze the existing data, the conflicting views of the sales manager and the Development engineer. And make a decision as to whether PWI should begin the manufacture of a plastic ring. Answer: From the standpoint of the qualitative aspect of competition, PWI is encouraged to start manufacturing of the plastic ring if it is to avert a more serious consequence of being eased out of the market due to a cheaper, more durable plastic ring. Regardless of the fact that PWI still has an inventory of the special steel material and the completed steel rings, yet PWI should approach the problem with a resolve in terms of the qualitative factor of competition. The cost of the existing inventory will have to be matched with the opportunity cost of being eased out of the competition – that is, pitting the income from the substitute with the potential loss of the opportunity income due to a prompt entry into the plastics market. For PWI, the signs of change are showing: the presence of a cheaper and better substitute which should not be ignored totally. Hence, this needs to be seriously considered as a threat. The presence of alternatives as exemplified by Henri Poulenc should encourage PWI to explore this option. 2. In addition, a plan needs to be designed as to the pricing policy to follow for both the steel and the plastic rings. Answer: A plan for the pricing policy is similarly considered urgent to explore the opportunities of lower cost or such cost being at par with the competition, both for the steel and plastic rings. Any form of pricing policy will have to be dependent on the cost of production and operations of PWI. Opportunities for cost reductions through outsourcing, reengineering and redundancy layoffs should be seriously considered. Among the avenues that can be explored include outsourcing of the manufacturing of the steel and plastic rings, either with Henri Poulenc or with other equally cost-effective firms. A number of plastic or steel rings manufacturer may offer a cheaper cost structure for PWI. An additional strategy to a pricing policy for the steel and plastic ring is to reengineer the manufacturing operations for the rings to explore ways of reducing production cost to lower the selling price for the part. Part of this operations restructuring measure include: evaluation of the sources of raw materials as means of looking for cheaper suppliers. (Kaplan & Norton, 2004) Comparatively, indeed, the costs of raw materials for both plastic and steel rings are too big to be ignored. PWI has to take the initiative to explore the use of alternatives like plastic which has been found feasible by Henri Poulenc. On the other hand, the labor and overhead cost may be studied in detail to explore automated production to manage the cost-price relationship. Cost variance analysis is needed to determine areas for improvements and opportunities. Pricing policies will then come after target costing measures are explored. (Garrison & Noreen, 2003) 3. Finally, some considerations should be given to the effect of the decision upon the firm’s image in the marketplace. Answer: There are a number of considerations that may likely impact the image-building processes of PWI are to be seriously considered when making decisions. Thus the effect of decisions involving the following issues is considered: (1) the issues involving the cost structure which continue to hamper the pricing policies and market potentials of PWI’s products. It appears that PWI has not really looked into the possibility of actively pursuing efforts to compete in the market through cost-effective production processes, lower prices to recognize the availability of better-equality substitutes such as the plastic rings; (2) the possible discovery of distributing the planned cheaper plastic rings in areas where competition is tight. This issue might prove to be an indefensible issue if customers discover such unfair selective distribution scheme; (3) the disposal of the remaining inventory of special steel and the finished steel rings might not be acceptable to the market unless prices are made more attractive and useful to the buyer. However, disposal made at a cheaper price and the prompt introduction of the plastic rings at a competitive price might mitigate the possible losses of the steel materials and steel rings. This can bring a positive impact in favor of the PWI for its initiative at providing its customers with marked down prices of steel rings. And, (4) the production of plastic rings at a cheaper cost will enable the company to bring a message of dynamism to the market despite the prospect of competition. (Hill, 2008) 4. How long is it prudent to sell a short-lived highly profitable replacement part without jeopardizing the company’s image and market share? Answer: The introduction of the plastic rings into the market should be followed by a market survey to determine the acceptability of the market to the innovation. An analysis of the consumer behavior is important in planning the appropriate action to be taken on the period required to sell the plastic rings. The survey should be able to tell the effects of the innovation for PWI to assess how long the product can be introduced into the market without affecting the image and market share of the company. 5. What price relationship is likely to prevail between the steel rings and the plastic rings once the latter become widespread? Answer: The price relationship expected to prevail between the steel rings and the plastic rings might at a ratio of 5:1 which means that five plastic rings is equivalent to one steel ring. This relationship however, can significantly change as the cost structure is reevaluated and inputs analyzed to arrive at a more competitive cost structure enough to sustain the production of both the steel and the plastic rings. . How should the 15,100 finished steel rings that will still be on hand in September be treated for analytical purposes? Answer: The inventory of finished steel rings will be used up in due time by September based on estimates of periodic and regular consumption. The remaining inventory can be classified at scrap and marked down accordingly to encourage sales and turnover. 7. Will the price rings hold at $1,350 once plastic rings are introduced? Answer: The price will no longer hold at $1,350 for the steel rings. The price of the traditional steel rings will drop accordingly due to the presence of substitutes and the demand to become more competitive. 8. Will the price of steel rings fall to one-fourth of the plastic rings’ price? Answer: It is probable that the price of the steel rings will fall to one-fourth or even beyond as components of the cost become stable, but there are still variables to consider that may affect the pricing: that is, the issue of reengineering the production which may lead to lower costs. 9. What effects will the decision in respect to plastic rings and steel rings have on the sale of other PWI products?particularly of the industrial machines? Answer: Since the pricing policy of PWI will affect the options to be made by the company, the effect of decisions on the plastic and steel rings may rationalize the prices of the machines as the cost burden is shifted from the steel to the plastic area. (Garrison & Noreen 2003) 10. Can the plastic rings be sold in France without affecting PWI’s other markets? Answer: At the short run, there will be no effect. However, in the long run, when customers are able to gain access to the French market through the globalization phenomenon, customers will start to shift sourcing of rings from the traditional sources to France where are able to make good use of their financial resources. 11. What action should Hans Thorborg take? Why? Answer: Thorborg should explore existing and future capabilities to arrive at the various options. Here, the bottom line is the capability to produce the plastic rings at a competitive price while disposing the inventory of steel materials and the steel rings. Thorborg needs to start retooling the production lines for the plastic rings. The threat from Henri Poulenc is real and may soon take some market share from PWI. The cost structure is a very fluid support for decisions as these can significantly change with a decision to outsource, reengineer or rationalize the labor and overhead component. Whatever options Thorborg choose to act on, needs the support of his key people in the company especially Henk and Eisenbach. (Anthony & Govindarajan, 2003)

Sample – Report Writing

Sample Report A Formal Report Sample Reports A FORMAL REPORT THE EFFECTS OF STRESS ON BUSINESS EMPLOYEES AND PROGRAMS OFFERED BY EMPLOYERS TO MANAGE EMPLOYEE STRESS Prepared for Dr. Robert J. Olney Southwest Texas State University Prepared by Charles Dishinger Nancy Howard Bill Kiagler Sherry Seabrooke Donna Tucker November 29, 20– S-29 Copyright  © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Sample Reports ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. iii LIST OF FIGURES†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ vABSTRACT†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ SECTION I INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Statement of the Problem†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Significance of the Study†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Scope of the Study†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Review of Related Literature†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Methods of the Study†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Source of Data†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦. l S-30 Copyright  © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. iv 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 4 6 6 6 6 7 8 9 10 11 Sample Reports iii LIST OF TABLES Table 1.Programs Offered by Employers to Manage Stress †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ S-31 Copyright  © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Page 8 Sample Reports iv LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Age Distribution of Respondents †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 2. Negative Effects of Stress on Work Performance †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ S-32 6 7 Copyright  © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Sample Reports v Abstract This study was conducted to determine the effects of stress on employees and the methods employers use to manage employees' stress.It was limited to the perceptions of Central Texas business employees, who were selected using a nonprobability, convenience sampling method. A questionnaire consisting of three parts was used to collect primary data. The collected data were analyzed and interpreted using simple statistical techniques. The findings of the data indicated that the areas found to be most negatively affected by stress were j ob satisfaction/morale, courtesy, creativity, and productivity. In addition, personal appearance and absenteeism were listed as the areas least affected by stress. According to the results of the tudy, employers today are offering a wide variety of needed programs to manage the stress of their employees. One of the main conclusions drawn from the study was that stress does negatively affect the work performance of employees. Therefore, stress is not just an individual issue but an issue that must be addressed by both the employer and the employee; the work performance areas negatively affected have a direct effect on the company as a whole. S-33 Copyright  © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Sample Reports The Effects of Stress on Business Employees nd Programs Offered by Employers to Manage Employee Stress Section I Introduction to the Study Introduction Today, many organizations and employees are experiencing the effects of stress on work performance. The effects of stress can be either positive or negative. What is perceived as positive stress by one person may be perceived as negative stress by another, since everyone perceives situations differently. According to Barden (2001), negative stress is becoming a major illness in the work environment, and it can debilitate employees and be costly to employers.Managers need to identify those suffering from negative stress and implement programs as a defense against stress. These programs may reduce the impact stress has on employees' work performance. Statement of the Problem The purpose of this study was to determine the negative effects of stress on employees and the methods employers use to manage employees' stress. Significance of the Study There are three primary groups that may benefit from this study. The first group, consisting of employees in today's business organizations, may learn to identify ways that stress negatively affects their work performance.Identifying the negative effects ma y enable them to take necessary action to cope with stress. By sharing this knowledge, employees can act as a vehicle to help management implement appropriate stress reduction programs. The second group that may benefit from this study is employers who may gain insight as to how stress is actually negatively affecting S-34 Copyright  © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Sample Reports 2 employees’ work performance. Finally, educators can use these findings as a valuable guide to incorporate into their curriculum.By emphasizing to students the importance of developing programs to deal with stress, the students may be able to transfer this knowledge to the workplace, thereby improving the quality of the work environment. Scope of the Study This study was limited to the perceptions of full-time business employees as to the negative effects that stress has on work performance and the steps that employers are taking to manage stress. For the purpose of this study, wh at constitutes full-time employment is defined by the employer. This study was restricted to businesses operating in the Central Texas area.The Central Texas area encompasses all communities within Hays, Kendall, Travis, and Williamson counties. For the purpose of this study, stress is defined as disruptive or disquieting influences that negatively affect an individual in the workplace. Data for this study were collected during the fall of 2002. Review of Related Literature Barden (2001), a freelance writer specializing in health care and a former managing editor of Commerce and Health, stated the importance of wellness programs and gave specific examples of corporations that are successfully implementing such rograms. The Morrison Company currently saves $8. 33 for every dollar spent on wellness by offering programs such as weight loss, exercise, and back care. Axon Petroleum estimates that wellness programs will save $1. 6 million each year in health care costs for its 650 employe es. In addition to Morrison and Axon Petroleum, Barden cited the savings for six other companies. According to the Wellness Bureau of America, the success of these companies offers concrete proof that wellness programs pay off by lowering health care costs, reducing absenteeism, and increasing productivity.Foster (2002), a professional speaker on stress-management, surveyed midlevel managers and found stress to be a major determinant in worker productivity. According to the study, the primary areas affected by stress are employee morale, absenteeism, and decision making abilities. By recognizing that a problem exists and by addressing the issue, managers can reduce stressful activities and increase worker performance in the business organization. Harrold and Wayland (2002) reported that increasing stress affects morale, productivity, organizational efficiency, absenteeism, and profitability for both individuals and the organization.The problem for businesses today is knowing how S-3 5 Copyright  © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Sample Reports 3 to determine stressful areas in their organizations and how to use constructive confrontation methods to reduce stress and improve efficiency. According to the authors, organizations that make a positive effort to deal with stress not only help build trust among their employees, but also increase the productivity of their employees and the organization as a whole. Maurer (2002) stated that stress-induced illnesses are prevalent in the workplace today, and stress is the problem of the sufferer and the employer.Stress causes absenteeism and can lead to other problems such as drug addiction, alcoholism, depression, and poor job performance. According to Maurer, the annual Barlow Corporation Forum on Human Resource Issues and Trends reported that large numbers of companies noticed severe levels of stress exhibited by employees. The forum's panelists agreed that more needed to be done in the workplace to hel p employees manage stress. Some of the suggestions were to expand wellness programs, offer stress-management seminars, and teach staff how to balance work and family life.Maurer also noted that Olympic TeamTech, a computer management company, has dealt with employee stress by providing training programs, monitoring employee concerns, and meeting once a month to be proactive instead of reactive. Olympic TeamTech's turnover is less than the industry average. Schorr (2001), a stress-management consultant, stated that stress causes problems in the workplace which negatively affect employee health and organizational productivity. Stress can lead to problems such as job dissatisfaction, alcoholism, absenteeism, physical ailments, and poor job performance.If managers know how to prevent and cope with stress, productivity can be increased. Many companies instituted stress-management programs that led to a decline in absenteeism, a decrease in sickness and accident costs, and/or an increase in job performance. Schorr reported that a stress inventory, available from a stress-management program, can assist executives and managers in assessing employee stress. The inventory can identify the sources of stress, which may include physical elements as well as other factors.Once these sources have been assessed, the program can provide the necessary skills for coping with the problems, and participants can learn that there are alternative ways of reacting to stress. Methods of the Study Source of Data Data for this study were collected using a questionnaire developed by a group of students at Southwest Texas State University. The questionnaire was divided into S-36 Copyright  © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Sample Reports 4 three parts. Part one consisted of a list of 15 work performance areas that may be negatively affected by a person's level of stress.Respondents were asked to indicate whether stress increased, decreased, or had not changed their work per formance in each area. They were also asked to indicate from the list of 15 work performance areas the area that was the most negatively affected by stress and the area that was the least negatively affected by stress. In the second part of the questionnaire, a list of 17 programs was provided and the respondents were asked to indicate which programs their companies had implemented to manage stress. Part three was designed to collect demographic data for a respondent profile, including full-time employee classification and age group.A copy of the questionnaire is contained in Appendix A on page 12. Sample Selection The respondents involved in this survey were employees working in companies located in Central Texas. A nonprobability, convenience sampling technique was used to collect primary data. Each member of the research team was responsible for distributing three questionnaires to members of the sample. To ensure confidentiality, respondents were given self-addressed, stamped en velopes in which to return their completed questionnaires to Southwest Texas State University. Controls were used to eliminate duplication of the esponses. Statistical Methods Simple statistical techniques were used to tabulate the results of this study. The primary data were analyzed using a percent of response. To compute the percent of response, the number of responses to each choice was divided by the total number of respondents who answered the question. In question one, the percents of responses for the negative effects of stress on the 15 work performance areas were reported. The results of the next two questions were tabulated by totaling the number of respondents who chose an area they believed was least or most affected by stress.The fourth question reported the percent of respondents whose employers offered the listed programs to manage stress. Questions five and six asked the respondents to indicate if they were considered full-time employees and to indicate their age gr oup. Limitations of the Study This study may be limited through the use of a questionnaire as a data collection instrument. Because questionnaires must generally be brief, areas that may have been affected by stress may not have been included in the questionnaire. S-37 Copyright  © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Sample Reports Also, all programs that may be available to employees for managing stress may not have been included in the study. The study may also be limited by the use of a nonprobability, convenience sampling method. The sample of business employees for the study was chosen for convenience and may not be representative of the total population of business employees. Care should be taken when generalizing these findings to the entire population. Finally, the use of simple statistical techniques may introduce an element of subjectivity into the interpretation and analysis of the data.All attempts have been made to minimize the effects of these limitations on the study. S-38 Copyright  © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Sample Reports 6 Section II Findings, Conclusions, and Recommendations Introduction This study was designed to determine the effects of stress on employees and to discover methods employers use to manage employees' stress. Sixty questionnaires were distributed to business employees in the Central Texas area, and the response rate was 78. 3%. This section includes the Findings, Conclusions, and Recommendations. FindingsThe findings will be presented in three sections according to the following characteristics: Demographic Profile, Areas of Job Performance Affected by Stress, and Programs Employers Offer Employees to Manage Stress. Demographic Profile All returned responses from the sample were considered full-time employees by their employers. The respondents were also asked to indicate their age group; all age ranges were represented in the results, as shown in Figure 1. The breakdown consisted of 2. 1% under the age of 20, 33. 7% between 20 and 29, 29. 4% between the ages of 30 and 39, 26. % between 40 and 49, 5. 4% between 50 and 59, and 3. 3% were 60 and over. AGE GROUP 5 1 — Less than 20 1 6 2. 1% S-39 Copyright  © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 26. 1% 5 — 50 to 59 Figure 1: Age Distribution of Respondents 29. 4% 4 — 40 to 49 3 33. 7% 3 — 30 to 39 2 4 2 — 20 to 29 5. 4% 6 — 60 or over 3. 3% Sample Reports 7 Areas of Job Performance Affected by Stress The respondents were given a list of work performance areas that might be affected by stress and were asked to identify whether stress increased, decreased, or had no change on their work performance.Only respondents who indicated stress negatively affected an area were considered in these findings. Of the 15 areas listed, four areas were identified as having a response rate of more than 50. 0%. These areas were as follows: job satisfaction/morale (73. 9%), courtesy (65. 2%), accuracy (52. 7%), and creativity (51. 6%). Similarly, Schorr (2001) stated that a significant number of employees' creativity is negatively affected by stress. Also, Harrold and Wayland (2002) agreed that morale is strongly affected by stress. Falling within the range of a 30. 0 to 50. 0% response rate were cooperation (49. %), organizational skills (46. 3%), initiative (45. 2%), productivity (42. 8%), alertness (39. 4%), decision making abilities (39. 1%), and perseverance (35. 5%). Harrold and Wayland (2002) established that increasing stress and anxiety are having a negative influence on an individual's organizational efficiency and productivity. The findings that negatively affect work performance are shown in Figure 2. Figure 2: Negative Effects of Stress on Work Performance 15 13 11 9 7 5 3 1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 S-40 10 42. 8% 73. 9% 39. 1% 52. 7% 51. 6% 28. 0% 46. 3% 65. 2% 20 30 40 ProductivityJob Satisfaction/Morale Decision Making Abilities Accuracy Creativity Attentio n to Appearance Organizational Skills Courtesy Copyright  © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 50 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 60 49. 5% 45. 2% 26. 6% 39. 4% 35. 5% 25. 8% 28. 3% 70 Cooperation Initiative Reliability Alertness Perseverance Tardiness Absenteeism 80 Sample Reports 8 Central Texas employees indicated the area they believed was most affected by stress and the area they believed was least affected by stress. According to the results, job satisfaction and productivity were thought to be most affected by stress.On the other end of the scale, areas least affected by stress were personal appearance and absenteeism. However, Schorr's (2001) study found that, on the average, individuals experiencing stress are more inclined to be absent or tardy. Programs Employers Offer Employees to Manage Stress Question four listed 17 programs offered by employers for managing stress. Respondents were asked to indicate which programs their companies had implemented to manage stress. Th e responses for each program are shown in Table 1. Table 1: Programs Offered by Employers to Manage Stress.TYPE OF PROGRAM Insurance RESPONSES 72% Breaks Educational Assistance/Reimbursement 51. 0% Access for Disabled 42. 6% Alternate Schedule 34. 0% Employee Assistance Programs 34. 0% Wellness Programs 34. 0% Flextime 29. 8% Stress Management Seminars 29. 8% Training Programs 29. 8% Piped Music 17. 2% Assigned Parking 17. 0% Employee Empowerment Programs 17. 0% Ergonomically Correct Furniture 17. 0% Financial Counseling 8. 5% On-Site/Assistance with Child Care S-41 69. 2% 4. 3% Copyright  © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Sample Reports 9Insurance received the highest number of responses (72. 0%), whereas, therapy received the lowest (2. 1%). Playing classical music and creating a comfortable work environment were found by Foster (2002) to be low cost stress reduction programs. Although these are inexpensive programs to implement, a relatively small response rate w as given for piped music (17. 2%) and ergonomically correct furniture (17. 0%). Maurer (2002) stated that it is necessary for companies to design programs that enable employees to assess stressful situations and develop a rational mode of behavior.In contrast to Maurer's research, only 17. 0% of the respondents indicated that Employee Empowerment Programs are being offered by their employer. A response rate of 34. 0% in the category of wellness programs/on-site fitness facilities was obtained. Barden (2001) reported programs that improve an individual's physical condition are both a positive and an effective method of managing stress. The remaining methods for managing stress were varied. Listed in decreasing percentages, they are as follows: breaks (69. 2%), educational assistance/ reimbursement (51. %), access for disabled (42. 6%), alternative schedules (34. 0%), Employee Assistance Programs (34. 0%), Wellness Programs (34. 0%) flextime (29. 8%), stress management seminars/classe s (29. 8%), training programs (29. 8%), assigned parking (17. 0%), financial counseling (8. 5%), and on-site/assistance with child care (4. 3%). Conclusions On the basis of the findings, several conclusions concerning the effects of stress on Central Texas business employees can be drawn. The findings of this study indicated stress does negatively affect the work performance of employees.Job satisfaction and productivity were indicated as two areas most affected by work-related stress. Therefore, stress cannot be considered just an individual issue because reduced job satisfaction and lower productivity has a direct effect on the company as a whole. From this study, it can be concluded that employers have realized the importance of managing stress in the workplace because of the wide variety of programs now offered to manage stress. Of all the programs offered by employers, insurance is the most frequently offered means for managing stress.Because insurance acts as a security net fo r employees and is offered the most, it can be inferred that employers contend that insurance is the most effective means for managing stress. S-42 Copyright  © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Sample Reports 10 Recommendations Based on the findings and conclusions in this study, the following recommendations are made: 1. 2. Employers should conduct a survey of the programs they already offer to discover which programs are the most effective for managing their employees' stress. 3.Employees should share their ideas for managing stress with their employers in order to help their employers implement appropriate stress reduction programs. 4. Educators should incorporate into their business curriculum discussions of stress in the workplace and ways to manage stress. 5. S-43 Employers should offer various stress reduction programs to help employees manage stress because stress is prevalent in the workplace. Additional research should be done. First, other areas negatively affected by stress should be studied to determine if stress affects other aspects of an employee's life.In addition, other factors should be examined to learn what the personal and work-related causes and symptoms of stress are for an individual. Copyright  © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Sample Reports 11 Bibliography Barden, Nancy Ray. â€Å"Wellness Programs: Everyone Wins. † Commerce and Health, November 2001, 28–42. Foster, Lucy Barnes. â€Å"Workplace Stress: Changing the Pattern. † Sales and Marketing Journal (2002), 32–33. Harrold, Robert and Wayland, Michael. â€Å"New Methods to Reduce Workplace Stress. † Industrial Concepts, June 2002, 19–21. Maurer, Marcia K. Is Stress Running Your Life? † Modern Office Innovation, February 2002, 27–28. Schorr, Leslie. â€Å"Coping with Stress, Boosting Productivity. † Employment News, Spring 2001, 23–26. S-44 Copyright  © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Sample Reports Appendix A Questionnaire The Effects of Stress on Business Employees Students in the Graduate School of Business at Southwest Texas State University are conducting this survey to determine perceptions of the effects of stress on employees. The survey also is designed to determine efforts employers are making to help employees manage stress.Please return this questionnaire in the enclosed postage-paid envelope by Friday, November 8. 1. How does stress most often affect you at work? Please mark one response per line. AREA AFFECTED Productivity Job Satisfaction/Morale Absenteeism Decision Making Abilities Accuracy Creativity Attention to Personal Appearance Organizational Skills Courtesy Cooperation Initiative Reliability Alertness Perseverance T di S-45 Copyright  © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. INCREA SE DECREA SE NO CHANGE Sample Reports 13 2.Which one area from question 1 do you believe is most affected by stress? 3. Which one area from question 1 do you believe is least affected by stress? 4. Which of the following means for managing stress does your employer offer? Please mark all that apply. __ Employee Assistance Program On-Site/Assistance with Child Care Assigned Parking Employee Empowerment Programs Educational Assistance/Reimbursement Breaks Wellness Program/On-Site Fitness Facility Financial Counseling Access for Disabled Stress Management Seminars/Classes Training Programs TherapyAlternative Schedules (part-time, time off for family, etc. ) Flextime Piped Music Ergonomically Correct Furniture Insurance (security net for employee/family) Other (please specify) Note: Questions 5 and 6 are included in this questionnaire as a means of developing a demographic profile of our respondents. 5. Are you classified as a full-time employee by your employer? Yes 6. No Please check your age group. Less than 20 20 to 29 30 to 39 40 to 49 50 to 59 60 or over Thank you for taking time to help us. We value your i nput. S-46 Copyright  © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Health and Social Care Level 3 Essay

Objectives: All learners should be able to define basis of discrimination. All learners should be able to explain basis of discrimination Most learners should be able to demonstrate discriminatory practice Some learners should be able to describe effects of discriminatory practice. Basis of discriminatory Culture A person’s culture is important to them and identifies who they are in the world. In health and social care profession, respecting a person’s culture is important for all concerned. It also important to health and social care professionals because they see the benefits of their care value base which underlines respecting and individual’s culture Disability In health and social care you will work or support people with various disability. This disability Act status it unlawful to discriminate against someone has disability. Are covered include: employment, access to goods, facilities and services of organisation, education etc. Age Age discrimination happens when someone is treated unfavourably because of their age without justification or harassed because of their age. Controversies regarding dispensing of expensive drugs to older people because of shorter life expectancy. Denying a person a drug is illegal. Social class Our social class is apparent from where we live. The higher the class the better place is kept and maintained. The poor are more likely to get cancer than the rich and their chances of survival are poor. Human rights emphasises that everyone should be treated equally and with dignity no matter of their circumstances. Gender A person cannot be discriminated because of their gender. Health and social service should not discriminate unfairly due to a person’s gender. Equality rights of access, health and social care rights must be adhered to. Sexuality Sexual orientation can be referring to a person who is attracted to another person of the same sex. E.g. gay and lesbian. Discrimination against someone due to their sexual orientations against the law. Health status Taking into account the cost of treatment and the expected quality of life after treatment and overall life expectancy, people taking these decisions should always keep their own assumptions and prejudices. Family status This is lead to a variety of discriminations: against gay/lesbian parents, single parents, parents of different genders, parents from different race with mix race children and other family grouping

What does 'mixed' mean in contemporary Britain Essay

What does 'mixed' mean in contemporary Britain - Essay Example When individuals become mixed in their identities and lifestyles, social (national) identity too by default become mixed. The prevailing practice of multiculturalism and the corresponding intersection of identities, based on race, nationality, ethnicity and sex, have led to the mixing of identities in the present day society in the United Kingdom. Mixedness is quite often wrongly attributed to the different heritage of individuals and communities. It is only partially true as mixedness is also the product of the contemporary society which actively mixes the identities of both individuals and communities which previously existed exclusive of each other. One could easily argue that mixedness is essentially a question of the present as it is constantly (re)produced in the present society. Mixedness happens in the present and strengthens itself through the present. For instance, when people marry persons from other communities, they actually (re)create mixedness. In other words, mixednes s is always in the making. Mixedness is not simply an ascribed status of people have hereditary status of coming from what is traditionally known as interracial mixed families. Mixedness could also be derived from the present in a vibrant multicultural society. Mixedness is constantly produced in the multiple avenues opened up by the practice of multiculturalism and an existing multiracial multicultural environment. Here, the identities are not constant and permanent. It exists in constant flux and always becoming fluid. Therefore, mixedness is not a marginal phenomenon occurs with some marginal mixed group. It is the general state of affairs of the contemporary British society. Mixedness is no more simply a question of the existence of a mixed race in the United Kingdom. The mixed groups are usually defined in terms of their commonalities, which are defined by shared inheritance, culture and beliefs. But, the idea of mixedness does not stick to mixed groups alone. Mixedness is the mainstream. In other words, the mainstream has gone mixed and it is increasingly being more mixed by a variety of social, economic and political forces. It characterises the mainstream society as everyone gets mixed in a multicultural society in one way or another. Many research studies, according to Song (2010), have proved that no mixed group in the United Kingdom is coherent both as a community and in lived-in experiences. Identity, Lifestyle and Representation The passage from modernity which was characterised by colonialism to postmodernity, defined in terms of postcolonialism has changed the outlook of British society forever. At present, â€Å"the demise of colonialism as an explicit political formation has given rise to understandings of postcoloniality and, perhaps ironically, an increased recognition of the role of colonialism in the formation of modernity† (Bhambra , 2007, p.878). In Bhambra’s scheme, the old British society was characterised by the ‘W hite malestream’ vis-a-vis the marginalised colonial subjects. The White British society existed as the product of modernity and was predominantly characterised by a homogenous White culture. But, the increased immigration from the postcolonial societies to the United Kingdom is altering the British social landscape in an unprecedented manner wherein the Whiteness did not exist as pure or as the founding culture of the British nation. The identities of British people are no more constructed against nationality, ethnicity, race or sexuality. The mixed identities of the British people are self constructed. And, it is possible to argue that the socially and culturally determined self construction of new mixed identities is induced by the

ABE Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

ABE - Case Study Example of the people, while the technological environment determines the availability of new methods of carrying out activities and development of new products at SMB. To be successful, SMB has to make measures to adapt to this external environment in its operations. Save Britain Money is a Welsh company with headquarters in Swansea and large offices in Cardiff. SBM employs 950 staff members and a further 500 self-employed staff that work across the United Kingdom. The founder and CEO of SBM is Swansea businessperson, Neville Wilshire SBM has subsidiaries including Nationwide Energy Services, We Claim U Gain, Save Me My Money, Billscutter, HiS Energy, Debts Reduced, and FuelSwitch.com. The main business operations of the company include energy efficiency surveys, renewable energy advice, and installation, mis-sold payment claims, price comparison services, debt management plans, on-line fuel switching and much more. SBM was founded in 2005 in response to grants offered by the Welsh government; this was aimed for households to improve energy efficiency in their homes. This study aims at conducting an in-depth analysis of Save Britain Money using the PEST framework to understand each factors effect on the policies and competitiveness of the compan y in the market, strategies for the company to undertake and provide recommendations for the success of SBM. PEST is a tool for the generation of an understanding on the relation of the firm to the external environment (Warner, 2010). The main reasons for PEST analysis is that it is relevant in decision making as it informs the management on the situation of the firm in relation to the external environment (Slownam, & Jones, 2011). Political– this deals with the relation of the firm to the rules and regulations, tax rates, legislation, and laws in different countries in which the company operates. Globalization has led to the importance of the political environment as an influence on the ability of the firm to meet its goals

Introduction to fiction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Introduction to fiction - Essay Example Impression of such conflict becomes quite clear from very initial level of the story, â€Å"I was getting along fine with Mama, Papa-Daddy and Uncle Rondo until my sister Stella-Rondo just separated from her husband and came back home again† (Welty). Quite in contrast to her younger sister Stella-Rondo, the protagonist has always been marginalized and her conflict with such discriminative approaches actually constructs the very theme of the story. Her continuous conflict with rest of her family members has compelled her to live her own household and take residence in the P.O and this very aspect explains the actual reason behind title of the story. Being an individual, the protagonist has certain self-respect and she is completely resolute on not to compromise over the very factor, even at the cost of staying away from her own family, â€Å"Its too late to stop me now",... "You should have tried that yesterday. Im going to the P.O. and the only way you can possibly see me is to visit me there† (Welty). Being a Southern Writer, as Eudora Welty has often been referred as, she constructs her protagonist with her typical southern tone, vocabulary and conversational style but essentially spirit of the characters is that of an indomitable human will that remains resolute on this aspect that preservation of self-dignity and fighting for individual happiness are greatest virtues and under no circumstance this basic human quality can be compromised, â€Å"But here I am, and here Ill stay. I want the world to know Im happy† (Welty). Proper depiction of this quality by the author and struggle of the protagonist to retain her individual identity makes a critic believe that the character is perfectly unpretentious and knows how to fight for her own happiness even going beyond a determined rule of social construction. â€Å"And of Clay Are We Created† by Isabel Allende is an excellent piece of modern

HW1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

HW1 - Essay Example (The administration of troubled President Al-Assad puts the amount of nationalities marginally higher, at 80 or more.) Conversely, the shows how the U.S government has not yet evaluated the amount of its nationals battling in Syria. The kind of data leaving the US includes reports of secluded occurrences, for example, in November 2013, when an administrator in the N.S.A proclaimed that three US nationals were confronting charges identifying with arrangements to make a trip to Syria to bond withthe Al-Nusra Front. Battling in Syria picking up across the board consideration in the Western press, authorities from the Parliament of Europe being compelled to remark on the dangers of joining in the battling, and the implications for the security of Europe. There are specific reasons for alarm with respect to what will take place provided remote contenders come back to Europe and their likely interest or association in suicide operation. Regardless of Benotmans declaration that a few Europeans may end up consuming jihad in the wake of going to Syria for different reasons, there are still numerous who end up radicalized by the dynamic vicinity of Islamist activist gatherings online prior to leaving for Syria. Online recruitment through social networking, web journals or sites on the Internet had gotten much simpler than some time recently. "To such an extent that the supposed third era of warriors inside the equipped gatherings grew up with engineering and are more connected with it particularly as keen gadgets and online networking sites have gotten across the board," he said. Online recruitment fights seem to have been compelling enough that a few governments in the West especially the U.S have propelled counter-battles accordingly. For instance In Dec 2013, The New York Times distributed an announcement by a United States State Department administrator who stated that a test case project would react to tweets, interpreted feature cuts show by

Responsible Gambling Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Responsible Gambling - Assignment Example It is done in order to save the customers from the negative impacts of gambling or gaming. Apart from this, maximum extent of the industries or organizations operating in this industry try to implement land-based and online gambling services so as to enhance the reliability of the customers (Wenderoth, 2009, p. 21). Other than this, with the help of responsible gaming or gambling process, the customers get protection from vulnerable practices, protection against fraud and non-ethical behaviours of other consumers, maintenance of varied information’s utterly private, ensuring prompt payments, delivering a fair and ethical gaming experience, high-level of commitment is also observed to enhance customer satisfaction and demands to retain them. Such types of behaviours are extremely essential for the consumers of the industry of gaming or gambling as their age-bar differs from one another. The prime target audiences seen in the industry of gaming or gambling are mainly youths within an age limit of 18 to 28. In order to fulfil their excitement and fun, maximum extent of these youths of the wealthy families of China, Thai and Korea enter into this sector. The individuals getting attracted to gambling, desire to attain relief from varied types of mental distress and tension, so it is extremely essential to present humble behaviour with them. Otherwise, due to certain fraudulent conducts, he or she might get disturbed resulting in breakdown of their physical and mental health. Due to which, the reputation and image of the organization might get ruined resulting in switch-over of numerous other customers as well. Moreover, adults and parents, suffering from varied types of economic and social hardship, desire to engage themselves in gambling to get rid from such problems. Thus any type of worse behaviour might create an

How Intersectional Identities Must Shape an Asian American Agenda for Assignment

How Intersectional Identities Must Shape an Asian American Agenda for Social Change - Assignment Example This paper illustrates that a census of our own presents a masterpiece that resulted from a 2010 Queers Southeast Asian survey. This sample had 364 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) Asian Americans from the entire United States. Intersectionality connects to the diversity of Asian American people through the difficulties in communication. Often when in public places, the Asian American people fear to talk because they will be oppressed due to their inadequate knowledge of the native English language. Therefore, to emphasize on discrimination based on the diversity of the Asian American culture, many people from this race miss various educational scholarships based on their racial backgrounds. The educational experience of many Asian Americans is biased. To drive the social agenda of the Asian American community of affirmative action, equity must be allowed to prevail in the selection processes of students set to join universities. The excessive acceptance by the educational establishments on the previous cases of racial discrimination threaten the authorities to face stern legal actions form the social change activists. In fact, intersectionality in the education system is prime in the classroom balance experience in multiple learning institutions of the United States. Furthermore, affirmative action requires the equal enrollment of the minority into the prestigious educational systems, to eliminate the educational segregation attached to racial diversity. The immigration experiences of the Asian Americans present a partisan treatment of the immigrants based on their racial background. The continuous efforts by the elected members of the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) indicate the difficult requirements that the authorities have put in place to discourage the inhabitation of undocumented immigrants in the United States. Such provisions as the military enlistment and the requirement of good moral conduct cast the Asian American community in the bad picture as they require many strict eligibility criteria to be permanent legal residents of the United States.

What impact does migration have on European politics Essay

What impact does migration have on European politics - Essay Example People have migrated to Europe because of the numerous opportunities that are in Europe as compared to other parts of the world. One of the reasons why migration has been common in Europe is because of many job opportunities that are there. Education prospects have also contributed to this migration (Castles 2006, p.745). People have also moved to Europe in order to run away from war and conflict situations in their home countries. There is a common perception that Europe is more peaceful than other continents. The improvement of the economic policy of Europe has also contributed to the movement of people to European cities. More than 32.5 million people within the European Union (EU) are non-citizens (Cesarani and Fulbrook 1996, p.63). The political participation is debatable along context of awards for voting rights within the European countries. This is due to the changes that have resulted in changes of European societies. The political system in Europe allows the flexibility in exercise of political rights, laws and regulations. As a result, the migrants can be incorporated into the translational forms of political participation like the lector politics and other civic engagements (Geddes 1999, p. 12). Effects of migration on European politics Recently, the interest in migrant political transnationalism has increased. Precisely political participation of the immigrants encompasses distribution of resources between members of a political community and acts as an instrument for obtaining other goods and resources. The political participation of immigrants was more than just the need for resources, but acted as a goal of conventional democracy towards seeking the influence from other parties (Geddes 2003, p.251). Migration in Europe triggered the immigrant to participate in parliamentary and advisory committees. The migrant self-society and civil society institutions facilitated political participation of the immigrants. Such initiatives include religious gro ups, non-governmental organizations and political initiatives. This gave a chance for immigrants to participate in various political dimensions based on the diversity and country they migrated to. More than 32.5 million people within the European Union (EU) are non-citizens. Political and civic participation of immigrants is a key area on the integration of migrants into the European societies. This is accompanied by practices and measures that enhance participation and empowerment of immigrants to enables them exercise their duties and rights in the promotion of values and accountability. This may be constrained by human and social factors due insufficient resources such as finance and time (Cesarani and Fulbrook 1996, p.63). The immigrants participated in procedures and structures of the political systems in Europe. This includes voting, joining a political party of choice, standing for an office or participating in petitioning bodies and political demonstrations. This raises conc erns on societal and political relevance in relation to national development. A decision to migrate begins with the decision by the immigrant to move. Immigration to Europe resulted from the need to escape oppression, natural disasters and poverty by people from developing countries. Some of the countries within the European regions experienced dramatic growths due to immigration after the Second World War (Freeman 1995, p.887). Most of the nations in Europe still contain significant populations of immigrants. In most contexts, immigrants have expressed the interest of participating in parliamentary systems for the countries at hand. This is confirmed by the increased number of civil societies. The situation of modern Diaspora and transfer of political issues in

Influential Economic Views of Karl Marx Research Paper

Influential Economic Views of Karl Marx - Research Paper Example Until lately, nearly half of the world’s population lived under authorities that claim to be Marxist. It shows that Marx’s works have been modified and his meaning changed to fit a variety of political circumstance. Furthermore, the fact that many of Marx writings delayed publication means it is only recently that his intellectual stature has been appreciated by scholars. Marx as an economic theorist composed the idea of communism which included all people having all the property and infrastructure. His theories played a significant part in international politics especially late 20th century during the cold war. Marx his work is unique as it polemic other thinkers frequently happened through critique. As a result he has been given in social science first great use of critical method. His attempt to distinguish key findings from ideology prejudices by use of equating metaphysics, speculative philosophy with ideology. This has placed him apart from present day philosopher s. Theory of labor value This theory is the science of political economy to show how under capitalization working people are exploited. It also shows how capitalist society operates. This value is fundamental in understanding of the capitalism economics since capitalism production of commodity par excellence. And, theory of labor value essentially explains what determines a commodity value (World Socialist Movement 2012). According to Karl, the basic unit of the capitalist economic structure is the commodity. Labor theory of value by Marx was inherited from classical school. He basically used Ricardo’s theory of value which states that commodities in... This paper offers comprehensive analysis of the contribution of the renowned social scientist, historian, revolutionary and philosopher Marx to the economic branch of knowledge.It is argued in the paper, that Marx labor theory of value has a primary role in ethnical and ideological issues. He shows that property income sources are often unearned or exploitative incomes. This is accomplished by his assumption that surplus value can only be created by one commodity which is labor. Marx consistently maintained this position through his analysis. Therefore, one can conclude that the surplus value sole creator is capital. His theory of labor value is the science of political economy to show how under capitalization working people are exploited. It also shows how capitalist society operates. This value is fundamental in understanding of the capitalism economics since capitalism production of commodity par excellence. And, theory of labor value essentially explains what determines a commodity value . According to Karl, the basic unit of the capitalist economic structure is the commodity. Labor theory of value by Marx was inherited from classical school. He basically used Ricardo’s theory of value which states that commodities in their prices. He stated that, commodities should have certain measurable amounts that should be common in all of them. Labor is one of the main thing in ensuring a stable economy. Therefore, it should be taken seriously and exploitation of workers should be minimized.

Clarkson Lumber Company Pro Forma Statement Essay Example for Free

Clarkson Lumber Company Pro Forma Statement Essay Assumptions. We build pro-forma statement mostly based on the assumptions given in the case. Other assumptions are following. At first, we assume that the tax rate is an average of tax rates for the past three years which is 20. 1%. We use this tax rate to calculate the provision for income taxes for following years. Next assumption is that we take Mr. Dadges approximation for the initial rate as the interest rate, 11%. Since Mr. Clarkson finished payment to Mr. Holtz in 1995, we assume that only the bank loan to Suburban National Bank and Northrup National Bank are the interest-bearing liabilities for 1996 through 1999. For account payable period, we calculated two numbers, 53. 62 days for 1995 and 54. 86 for the first quarter of 1996. We used the payable period for 1995 to calculate the accounts payables for the forecasted years because, as mentioned in the case, Mr. Clarksons business has some seasonality so hat the payable period for the only first quarter of 1996 would not fully reflect for a whole year. We decided not to include 2% discounts for early payment to the suppliers on our income statement because of the payable period. We also assume that Mr. Clarkson issued no new equities and paid no dividends during the forecasted years. Only source of the change in the net worth is the net income for the same period. New credit line. The new credit line of $750,000 would be sufficient only for 1996 and 1997. The bank loan would exceed the credit line to 858,000 and 1,109,000 for 1998 and 1999, according to our pro forma statement. Without the approval of the bank, Mr. Clarkson would not be able to expand his business at the current growth rate after 1998. With the assumption of sales growth rate of 25%, the external financing required has become double from $493,000 in 1996 to $1,109,000 in 1999. Since the new credit line is fixed at $750,000, Mr. Clarkson would have to find other ways of financing the operation such as issuing new equity.

History Of Public And Commercial Leisure Provision

History Of Public And Commercial Leisure Provision Leisure can be defined as the process whereby everyone gets freedom from lengthy duties and everyday jobs. Roberts describes leisure as the relatively freely chosen non-work area of life. This shows that leisure can be done anytime or when the body call for it. The demand of recreation is constantly increasing, therefore leisure providers try to do as much as possible to attract people and make all kinds of profit in all the ways they can. The leisure provision can be divided into two sectors: first one is public which is provided by the government. Torkildsen (2005, p.131) describes it as provided by a public authority or by legislation for the general use of public. The second one is commercial sector, presented by private industries that are willing to give luxury leisure in return for money. However, their aim is to gain financial profit and an adequate return of investment Tordkilsen (2005, p.193). As we have been asked to write about leisure providers in this essay we will be looking through the history of the two sectors that are involved in the topic, by discussing the different types of organizations within them and saying who benefits from it by trying to explain why these sectors run leisure facilities. History of public and commercial leisure provision Leisure existed during ancient period as part of everyday life. As soon as it attracted more people, different providers of amusement have emerged. First signs of this division are dated on 18th century. In this period aristocracy provided exclusive sport like fox-hunting, horse-racing, shooting, to those who were socially qualified Cunningham (1980, p.17). In other words, it was for wealthy people that often possessed a land. In these circumstances gentlemen (people from middle class) and also gentry (those who had independent income but no land) created their own clubs and often met in assembly rooms. Taverns and public houses provided leisure for labourers, small manufacturers and poor people. Among them the most favourite amusements were dog-fights, cock-fights or bull-beatings. The second half of 18th century to 19th has brought significant social and industrial changes, which also had an impact on leisure provision. During this time people were moving from villages and small towns to cities. It caused overcrowding, increase of crime, poverty and longer hours of work. People could not enjoy leisure and space as they used to do. The most common behaviours were drinking and gambling. That is why important reforms had to take place. The 19th century has changed peoples thinking about what the leisure really was. Reformers were deeply concerned about three different aspects which include welfare of children, urban life with no opportunity for healthy exercise and recreation and encouraging governments to act against social injustice and hardship of masses. As a result of that improvement, government has created Physical Training and Recreation Act 1937, which enabled people access to the leisure facilities. Employers recognized the importance of providing leisu re to their employees and they started to create social and sports clubs in order to fulfil their needs. In 20th century also people from working class started to demand leisure. Public baths, houses and music halls became available not only for wealthy people, but also for those poorer. Leisure gained more recognition after the introduction of cinema, spectator sports and television, which came ultimately as a result of two World Wars. Finally, in 1960 the actual picture of leisure was developed as we know it today. Different organizations within public and commercial sector In current times, we can see clear division of leisure providers. The sectors we will be discussing are public sector and commercial one as a part of the private sector. Both sectors provides leisure and recreation facilities in a wide range. Public sector organizations are those owned by the government. This can be national government or local government Tribe, J. (2005, p.26) Source: Adapted from Tribe J., (2005, p.25) Facilities which are provided by public sector are accessible to us in two different ways. First, is an access without any fee. Examples of them are urban parks, playgrounds, libraries, picnic areas, nature trails, beaches and country parks. They are supported with rates and taxes we pay to concerned authorities. The other way of getting those services is to pay in order to use them. These facilities include swimming pools, playing fields, golf courses, marinas, arts centres, theatres and sports centres. If the leisure is not provided by local authorities, it may include difficulties in affording those facilities. Young people would not have an access to their culture and usage of open land for other purposes like supermarkets and car parks etc. That is why central government provides leisure open for general use. This governing body is responsible for making decisions on major policy and establishes the way in which local government can act. Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is a link between Local and Central governments. Therefore, it has significant influence on leisure itself. For instance, the ODPM is responsible for planning improvements such as increasing standards of leisure facilities. Another important department in central government is DCMS (Department of Culture, Media and Sport). This department has a responsibility of providing policy on: The Arts, sport, The National Lottery, libraries, museums and galleries, broadcasting, film, press freedom and regulation, The Historic Environment and tourism. Another sector, which is engaged in providing leisure, is private sector. Although it is divided for voluntary, which is non-profit making and commercial, our case of study will be only the commercial part of it. Private sector organizations are those which are non-government-owned. They can be further sub-divided into profit-making organizations and non-profit-making organizations Tribe, J. (2005, p.26) Source: Adapted from Tribe J., (2005, p.25) Commercial sector is a part of private sector which does not include voluntary organizations. Their activity is mainly directed to make financial profit from users of those services. They try to meet the demand of consumers but it is very hard to do it on current market. The main purpose of commercial sector is to achieve a financial profit or adequate return of investment. It does not exclude benefit in other sectors, but their predominant aims are different. Examples of commercial market are sport clubs, squash clubs, bowling, themed restaurants, amusement parks, holiday camps or cinemas. Commercial organizations do not have an intrinsic interest in leisure and recreation, in and of itself, but in leisure as a source of profit Torkildsen, G. (2004, p. 249) There is a correlation between both sectors mentioned above. When commercial sector creates new market, it tries to reach the highest level of productivity. After that, when they have to invest more money again, it is more beneficial for them to create a new market rather than invest outlay on the previous one. In these circumstances commercial sector puts strain on public sector, because the demand has been created already. If commercial sector do not want to work on it any longer, public sector is expected to do it. Commercial sector is often run by entrepreneurs. There are thousands of businesses involved in commercial sector, but they have been taken over by multinational companies. As a result of this the choices of products that are sold in the market are limited. In order to reduce risk factor in current economic recession period, business people have to sell the businesses in which they may not be good but concentrate on a vertical supply chain. Both sectors have to attract potential clients or lose profit. In the past both sectors dealt with different activities of their own range, but now they have been overlapped in most part of their business. Who benefits Leisure is something that people indulge in their everyday life; according to Doggett and OMahoney (1991, p.23) it is important because it enhances the quality of life in society. Leisure is an activity that can take place anywhere. Roberts (1978, p.125) says individuals can use their leisure for recreation. Alternatively, however, they can spend their time and money in their families, on their homes, in education and other mainstream institutions. Elaborating on this, it shows that people can choose whatever way they wanted to spend their leisure time without being disturbed. The two types of sectors we have, public and commercial, exist to give entertainment to local communities. But although they have the same assumption, they both offer various kinds of amusement (as mentioned above) and both give benefit in their own different ways. Commercial providers invest in and manage public sector facilities; the public sector offers high quality health and fitness opportunities, which have traditionally been offered by the commercial sector, while the voluntary and commercial sector are beginning to establish partnerships primarily for the benefit of customers of commercial facilities The Higher Education Academy (2005) [Online]. Still, it is mostly the people in the leisure industry that benefit the most, especially within the commercial sector, which is a dominant one in United Kingdom, as they provide leisure and service in return of money. Commercial sector is directed towards two groups of customers: those with disposable income and tourist. They as the wealthy people are able to make bigger profit for the company. This sector only give discounts or buy a package and get the other free or half price. It is a completely profit orientated part of leisure industry. However, most customers get refund, if they did not enjoy the leisure that was provided for them by the companies. On the other hand, it gives a lot of opportunities as far as employment is concerned, this sector delivers it. Moreover, it revenues income from abroad and drives development within the country. Practical advice for business [Online]. Public sector is provided by the government and local authorities in order to give equality to people, to make leisure accessible for those, who cannot afford it it raises the quality of life. Among leisure there are many sports facilities which help its users to stay healthy and fit, for example by tackling obesity. Public sector is also responsible for enabling the disabled access to these facilities. What is more, it supplies several kinds of discounts for various kinds of people. One of them is free theatre entry for people under 26 years, to encourage them to use that leisure facility and to make them more familiar to the culture. Also the elderly (over 75) have a cheaper access to many services. There are many local societies within this sector, like Woodhouse Road Family Life Centre for example, which is a group that brings together older people from the local community The Higher Education Academy (2005) [Online]. Older people can attend the meetings to have fun and remain a ctive and sociable The Higher Education Academy (2005) [Online]. So, in public sector it is not only about various facilities, sometimes just mutual support is enough. It is directed toward socially excluded people people are out of work, with low income and ethnic and disabled communities. Generally, this sector is responsible for providing leisure to everybody for free, so every participant is the one who receives a benefit. There is also a lot of support from European Union. Governments can get grants to make an improvement within their countries and local authorities are also able to develop leisure facilities within the cities. This makes citizens proud of the place they live; they have more places to go to and to entertain themselves. Such actions decrease hooliganism by reducing anti social behaviour and attract tourist and event co-ordinations. Specific reasons why public and commercial sector run leisure facilities Local authorities and societies play essential role in providing, supporting and developing leisure and sports opportunities. As local authority have different types of health services such as free consultancy and distribution of drugs (medicine) to the people in need. However local authority is the important part of a borough that keeps in touch with leisure and recreational activities. They are responsible for scheduling new improvement for protecting the environment and for improving the quality of life through local transport initiatives or better green spaces. In sort, local authorities have a significant direct impact on the success of communities. Public sectors really help to developed new supports to the people such as best athletic development and provide funding for developing new sport policies. Sports and recreational conveniences are offered by together private and public sectors. Mostly health centres and fitness clubs are organized by local authorities in the local areas. According to visitor survey by Tourism South East 2004/05 Leisure and Recreation [Online] in England about 13.5 million tourists visited The National Park. The National Park provides a most popular entertaining resource for the visitors living within and around the area, and also attracts several tourist from corner to corner of southern England and on a national scale as well. New developments within leisure also have positive impact of other ways; Leisure and recreation contributes can change the image of a city and lead to increased private savings. The main reason behind the existence of commercial sector is to make a profit. Commercial sector is responsible for delivering quality services for the people with disposable income. Also the particular facilities like swimming pools, which require a lot of maintenance, are only provided by commercial sector. The reason for the provision of swimming pools by commercial sector is that they have got sufficient amount of money for the maintenance work. As the competition is inevitable in this sector so they are concentrating more on the quality of services. These sectors run leisure services because off several reasons such as creating awareness and keeping society healthy. According to Miller the globalization of sport has also created hyper-competitive worldwide surroundings where many nations try to find their moment of fame on the world sport stage. Hoye et al, (2009, p.17). It is important that local communities have access to range of entertainment, arts, sports and recreational facilities for enjoyment. Local councils provide wide range of leisure and sports services including sports pitches, playing fields and playgrounds. Local authorities provide public parks and open spaces for older citizen and people in need. Arts centres venues and theatres, galleries and museums are also run by local communities. Local authorities also conduct various festivals, sporting and culture events. Providing leisure amenities from local establishment are very beneficial for native people. As local authorities have variety of entertainment and rel axation activities. People can find all facilities easily and cheaper then managing on themselves. Local authorities will motivate people towards healthy life style, by investing more money in sport and leisure facilities. Local authorities always have great emphasizes on promoting leisure and sports in the local areas. Conclusions After all of our considerations about the given topic, we came to the following conclusions. Leisure is not a new phenomenon; it has been existing as a part and parcel of our lives since ancient times. There is a wide range of different organizations dealing with the provision of leisure and recreation facilities. The services provided by local authorities are easily accessible to each class of community. On the other hand, leisure facilities provided by commercial sector are for those people, who have disposable income. The services provided by both sectors constitute to the high quality of life and nations health. It is beneficial to invest in both sectors as they are growing dramatically and the needs and demands of the people would be lasting in coming future. From the Travel and Tourism point of view, we can say that, tourists are able to use only a few services, provided by local authorities or voluntary sector, but they can use all the facilities provided by commercial sector as every facility is available to them after payment. As far as Events opinion is concerned, the situation here looks similar to the one above. People participating in events can enjoy those provided by both public and commercial sector equally, even if they are not citizens of given place.

A Christmas Carol Essay example -- English Literature

A Christmas Carol Lots of people take great pleasure in listening or telling ghost stories. People enjoy this because it gives them a chance to tell people maybe some of their own experiences, stories or their ideas. Some of these may be very scary and some may only be mildly scary. It is also a good way of socialising as you are talking to people and sharing experiences that people may find extremely interesting, resulting in them thinking you are very intellectual, as telling stories can be more in depth than just having a conversation. The usual setting for a ghost story is an image of darkness and fear, which is intended to bring across the image of fear on the reader and involve them in the story. In the actual ghost stories the image of a ghost is usually something that is scary, dead and wants to bring you harm in any way possible. They usually only appear in the dark as a story tends to be more fearful if the atmosphere and appearance of the story is dark, secluded and dirty. Although as you get older the whole image of a ghost changes it tends to become a more secluded, unknown creature or maybe a memory of a person and sometimes may not be scary, it can be friendly or somebody you may be able to make contact with. Some people actually believe in ghosts, which is maybe why ghost stories sometimes do so well in the world. Now for the actual story, a Christmas carol. The story takes place in London, pre 1914. Charles Dickens is very good at creating a ghostly image by using the power of adjectives and contrasting the light and dark and bright and dull images. An example of this is â€Å"cold, bleak, biting weather, it is the use of these words and techniques that give the reader the sense of... ...eating a very successful ghost story that is effective, scary and interesting for all audiences. Dickens does very well in the way he contrasts all of the ghosts within the story, there are a number of different personalities within the ghosts, he changes from spooky to jolly and then fearful, this is in done by creating stages and builds up to the finale of the ghost of still to come is extremely spooky and intimidating. He has set the atmosphere by describing the setting of the rooms and surroundings and contrasting them with the ghost and mood or essence. I think the best ghost in the story is the last ghost as the story is after all meant to be a ghost story and is meant to be scary; the ghost really does set a scary mood. Overall the story a Christmas carol sets a very spooky mood that draws in the audience in and makes them want to carry on reading.

Cold Pasteurization can Change the World :: science

The preservation of food is essential to maintain life and growth. Its daily intakes nourish our bodies, providing enzymes, in turn giving us energy. The ability of matter exerts radiation in its domain by means of energy in selected foods. Such rationale debates whether a development of technology creates an effective way to reduce the incidence of foodborne diseases, while treating a variety of potential problems in our food supply. An effective method of research in food irradiation illustrates substantial evidence in its safety, nutritional adequacy, and social-economic global effects. Irradiation is capable of improving the safety and quality of many foods. It is the process that emits high-energy rays passing through [food] products, virtually killing all harmful bacteria and parasites in or on the food (OCA, 1998). Yet, the food remains raw and undergoes only minor chemical changes. Foods are treated with ionizing radiation to accomplish many different goals, one being the delivery of raw meats and sprouts. There is no guarantee that raw ground beef or sprouts will be free of certain harmful bacteria. These foods provide a favourable environment for bacterial growth, whereas, the production process does not include a step to reduce these bacteria, such as cooking or pasteurization. For these foods, irradiation provides a bacteria-killing step. However, one association disagrees the issue and claims that irradiation only covers up problems that the meat and poultry industry should solve, increasing the fecal contamination that results from speeded up slaughter and decreased federal inspection. Irradiation is a ‘magic bullet’ that will enable [the company] to say that the product was ‘clean’ when it left the packing plant (OCA, 2001). The claim, more rather, lacks the key source in evidence, for even the best sanitation and standard antibacterial treatments cannot ensure safety in foods. In addition, irradiation cannot occur properly if the food is too heavily contaminated, preventing industries from using this practice as a substitution for good sanitation practices. Irradiation is not harmful in producing resistant strains of bacteria, nor does it make food radioactive. It simply reduces the amounts of bacteria in foods that may become potential illnesses in humans. Accordingly, food irradiation advocates 40 years of research showing the process to be safe, however, evidence for this assertion is missing. An article in the Nation’s Restaurant News states that detractors of irradiation paint the process as a potential health risk that has n ot been studied sufficiently (Liddle, 2001, p 60, 3p, 4c).

The Pros and Cons of Genetic Engineering Essay -- Persuasive Argument

Within the field of human embryo research lies a controversial science that could redefine prenatal care: genetic engineering. Genetic engineering not only offers the possibility of eliminating birth defects and genetic illness, but also presents the moral ambiguity of eugenics. The acceptabilities of genetic engineering, assuming that it will be available in the foreseeable future, must be explored if society is to fully benefit from it. The most prominent and perhaps the most acceptable reason given for genetic engineering is its potential use in preventative medicine. A few cells from an embryo could be genetically analyzed to detect harmful mutation or predisposition towards disorder, at which point action could be taken either through somatic cell or germ-line gene modification. In 1993, the gene that causes Huntington's Disease was located, and scientists are currently trying to determine its normal function (The Benefits of Genetic Engineering). Assuming researchers succeed in this endeavor, genetic engineering could then be used to eliminate a debilitating and ultimately fatal disease that affects approximately 30000 Americans and that has the potential to affect 150000 more through genetic inheritance (Huntington's Disease). In 1997, a group of scientists successfully diagnosed familial adenomatous polyposis coli, the dominant cancer predisposition syndrome, in three preimplantation embryos. This type of canc er predisposition affects 1 in every 10000 people America, Britain, and Japan, making it a relatively common malady (Ao, 140). Schizophrenia has been shown to run in families; even adopted children of schizophrenic parents are ten times more likely to develop schizophrenia, regardless of whether or not... ...-Stewart, Edward J. Roy, and Christopher D. Wickens, eds. Psychology, 4th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1997. The Benefits of Genetic Engineering: http://web.syr.edu/~jmschroe/wrt205/screen2.html. Debate: Germ-line Gene Modification: http://zygote.swarthmore.edu/gene7.html. Henig, Robin Marantz. "Tempting." Discover May (1998): 58-64. Resta, Robert G. Genetic Counseling: Coping with the Human Impact of Genetic Disease: http://www.gene.com/ae/AE/AEC/CC/counseling_background.html. Ruben, Robert J., Thomas R. Van De Water, and Karen P. Steel, eds. Genetics of Hearing Impairment. New York: New York Academy of Sciences, 1991. Wolfson, Richard. Cloning, Marketing Life, and Playing God (Part II): http://www.natural-law.ca/genetic/BiotechNov97.html. Huntington's Disease: http://neuro-www2.mgh.harvard.edu/hdsa/huntingtonsdisease.nclk. The Pros and Cons of Genetic Engineering Essay -- Persuasive Argument Within the field of human embryo research lies a controversial science that could redefine prenatal care: genetic engineering. Genetic engineering not only offers the possibility of eliminating birth defects and genetic illness, but also presents the moral ambiguity of eugenics. The acceptabilities of genetic engineering, assuming that it will be available in the foreseeable future, must be explored if society is to fully benefit from it. The most prominent and perhaps the most acceptable reason given for genetic engineering is its potential use in preventative medicine. A few cells from an embryo could be genetically analyzed to detect harmful mutation or predisposition towards disorder, at which point action could be taken either through somatic cell or germ-line gene modification. In 1993, the gene that causes Huntington's Disease was located, and scientists are currently trying to determine its normal function (The Benefits of Genetic Engineering). Assuming researchers succeed in this endeavor, genetic engineering could then be used to eliminate a debilitating and ultimately fatal disease that affects approximately 30000 Americans and that has the potential to affect 150000 more through genetic inheritance (Huntington's Disease). In 1997, a group of scientists successfully diagnosed familial adenomatous polyposis coli, the dominant cancer predisposition syndrome, in three preimplantation embryos. This type of canc er predisposition affects 1 in every 10000 people America, Britain, and Japan, making it a relatively common malady (Ao, 140). Schizophrenia has been shown to run in families; even adopted children of schizophrenic parents are ten times more likely to develop schizophrenia, regardless of whether or not... ...-Stewart, Edward J. Roy, and Christopher D. Wickens, eds. Psychology, 4th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1997. The Benefits of Genetic Engineering: http://web.syr.edu/~jmschroe/wrt205/screen2.html. Debate: Germ-line Gene Modification: http://zygote.swarthmore.edu/gene7.html. Henig, Robin Marantz. "Tempting." Discover May (1998): 58-64. Resta, Robert G. Genetic Counseling: Coping with the Human Impact of Genetic Disease: http://www.gene.com/ae/AE/AEC/CC/counseling_background.html. Ruben, Robert J., Thomas R. Van De Water, and Karen P. Steel, eds. Genetics of Hearing Impairment. New York: New York Academy of Sciences, 1991. Wolfson, Richard. Cloning, Marketing Life, and Playing God (Part II): http://www.natural-law.ca/genetic/BiotechNov97.html. Huntington's Disease: http://neuro-www2.mgh.harvard.edu/hdsa/huntingtonsdisease.nclk.

Organic Food

Jessica Perez Professor A. Madsen English VO1 A 6 November, 2012 Is Organic Food Worth the Extra Cost? With technology reigning, it’s no wonder that in today’s world, food is being processed more quickly and efficiently to feed millions of mouths a day; however, there are also a handful of people who decide not to eat processed foods which is why in recent years, organic foods have begun to rise in popularity. Most people purchase organic foods because they believe it is healthier for them and that it pledges to be 100% pesticide and chemical free.Unlike non-organic foods, organic foods are also better for the environment. Despite these advantages, only a few people are able to afford the purchase of organic foods since the cost is twice that of non-organic foods. While organic foods have a reputation for being better than non-organic foods, consumers have many misconceptions about the term organic. As a result, many consumers have no clue that the underlying facts behi nd organic foods which may not be worth the extra cost.What consumers need to understand first is the meaning of the term organic and how foods qualify as organic. Jennifer Rose, staff writer and new media manager of the Organic Trade Association (OTA), explains that organic foods are simply processed and distributed using natural agricultural methods. These natural methods include without the use of pesticides, antibiotics, synthetic nitrogen fertilizers and any type of form to genetically modify the foods (Chen 13). In order for organic foods to qualify as organic, they have to pass through US standards.The USDA, which stands for the United States Department of Agriculture, is an accredited agency that assures the products are organic so they fulfill the qualifications of the National Organic Program (Chen16). The qualifications include that the ingredients that are added to organic foods music be at least 95% organically produced. If they are 70% organically produced then they ha ve to say â€Å"made with organic ingredients. † Anything below 70% cannot be sealed by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture 21); however there are many problems whether or not these products are really organic. One of the common isconceptions is that most consumers believe that by purchasing organic foods, they are supporting small farm owners but that is not the case. Michael J. Potter, founder of Eden Foods, is one of the last remaining men left in the organic industry, meaning that his company is one of the last remaining independent industries along with a few others that are not affiliated with the big businesses (Strom). Some of the biggest organic industries for example, Bear Naked, Wholesome & Hearty, and Kashi are owned by the big corporations which include Coca-Cola, General Mills, Kraft, and many others (Strom).What is worse is that these corporations have complete control of these organic industries and many consumers are unaware of the ultimate powe r these corporations obtain. For example, Potter attended a meeting in Albuquerque to decide along with the big corporations of both organic and non-organic to decide upon which ingredients from the farm, should be allowed to be included in organic foods since some ingredients did not look fresh. Carrageen, a seaweed-derived thickener with a somewhat controversial health (Strom), was one of the main ingredients to be decided whether it should be on organic foods or not.Potter voted it down, but since most of the people in the meeting were from big corporations, they decided that Carrageen should be added to organic foods thus winning (Strom). Not only does this prove that the organic industry is corrupted but as well as demonstrating that they have no interest in keeping the integrity and value of organic foods since these companies decide to associate with the big corporations. In addition, the increase in the number of corporate board members has caused for more non organic ingred ients to be added to organic foods which will then be processed and sealed by the certified USDA (Strom).Corruption indeed lies within the organic industry; therefore, the best thing to do if consumers want to continue to purchase organic foods is to buy either from farmers markets or from Eden, Cliff Bar & Company, Amy’s Kitchen, Lundberg, Family Farms and other independent organic companies whom still remain true to organic (Strom). Another common misconception of organic foods is that most consumers believe that organic foods are better and healthier to consume. Even if they have to pay double the price for it, they will continue to purchase it as long as the foods are labeled as certified organic.But is it really worth the price? According to a recent study of this year by a research team in Stanford University, they have concluded that there is no strong evidence that proves organic foods are healthier or carry fewer health risks than non-organic foods (Brandt). This stu dy immediately brought the attention of many consumers who purchase organic foods and many refused to believe that this study is true although other studies even before Stanford have also concluded that there is no difference; however, Smith-Spangler, another member of Stanford’s research team, noted some differences between organic and non-organics.He noted that, â€Å" We did not find strong evidence that organic foods are consistently more nutritious than conventional foods, [but]the exception was for levels of phosphorus, which were higher in organically grown produce organically grown food† but â€Å"those differences are not likely to be of any health significance†(Mestel).Other minor differences were that organic eggs and chicken contained higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids but Smith explains as well that, â€Å"the data are scant and quite variable† (Mestel) There is only a little amount present of nutrients in organic foods than conventional fo ods so why do consumers continue to purchase organic foods despite all the studies that have been shown? Most conventional foods like eggs have a higher of being contaminated with bacteria like the most common one salmonella.Salmonella can be contaminated when animals are being confined into very tight places and therefore the bacteria can be spread faster (Kluger). This is the reason why consumers want to avoid conventional foods; however, that does not mean that organic foods can’t be contaminated. According to studies in Holland, Denmark, and Austria a bacterium called Campylobacter was found in all organic chickens and a third of conventional flocks despite being vaccinated against it while 72 percent of organic chickens were infected with parasites.With all these infections occurring, both organic and non-organic chickens can come in contact and spread the infection if processed in the same production line (Johnston 26). Consumers should not be assuming that the risk of organic foods getting contaminated is low. Both conventional and organic foods have the same risks of getting infected with some type of infection. Organic foods causing less damage to the environment is another misconception that consumers buy into. For example, Starbucks decided that the milk they usually use to make their famous drinks with will no longer be sing milk that contains RbGH, which is a hormone given to cows so they produce more milk. Instead they will be purchasing milk that contains no RbGH which comes from milked cows. Subsequently, milking cows’ causes 80% of more land to be cultivated with fossil fuel burning factors, 20% capacity of global warming risks, and a 70% contribution to acid rain; in addition, cows that are milked tend to burp a great amount of methane which is a more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide (Avner, Johnston 24).So farmers will be milking thousands of cows for the thousands of consumers who purchase Starbucks. Not to mention thousands of more that buy organic milk in stores. For the most part, milking cows is not only inefficient to feed thousands of organic consumers, but can lead to drastic repercussions that add up to more damage for Mother Earth; however, Earthbound, which is a similar to the Whole Foods business, comments that, â€Å"its farming techniques annually obviate the use of more than quarter of a million pounds of toxic chemical pesticides and almost 8. million pounds of synthetic fertilizers† (Shapin). Still, the farming techniques used by most organic farmers and industries is less efficient since they do not utilize the latest technology and they have to rely on man-made resources such as fuel and land to get the job done(Avner). Plus, Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma: Natural History of Four Meals, quotes a scientist at Cornell University that, â€Å"growing, processing, and shipping one calorie’s worth of arugula[plant] to the East Coast costs fi fty-seven calories of fossil fuel†(Shapin).Recalling that more land means more burning fossil fuel tractors so in the end, organic farming will redo the damage rather than taking the steps to reduce environmental damage by using organic methods. In regards to whether organic foods contain pesticides, many consumers easily believe that they are pesticide free. Organic trading groups such as The Soil Association claim and spread this misconception so unfortunately, consumers do not know that some infections can actually occur.According to Stanley Feldman, a medical professor and the author of several textbooks including Scientific Foundations of Anesthesia, mentions that most infections are caused by natural bacteria which can come from organic fertilizers (37). In order to kill the bacteria, organic farmer apply a pesticide of copper to kill the fungal diseases; however the pesticide copper remains in the soil for a long time filled with toxins (Johnston 25). Feldman then adds to this that â€Å"If a fungicide is not used and the ergot fungus infects cereal crops, then the unsuspecting organic consumer may end up with gangrene of fingers and toes (37).This clearly shows that organic foods can harm consumers because of the use of organic fertilizers. Furthermore, advocates of organic believe as well that natural occurring substances such as sulphur and copper based compounds are less harmful than the use of chemical based pesticides (Feldman 39). On the contrary, these natural compounds can be just as poisonous as chemical based pesticides. Paracelsus, a German-Swiss doctor and chemist that lived from 1483-1551, reasons that, â€Å"nothing is without poison; it is the dose alone that makes it so† (Feldman 39).Even though pesticides in conventional foods has caused more birth defects and illnesses, this only applies when consumed in high a dose which is exactly what Paracelsus pointed out. Studies have shown that the small traces of pesticides lefto ver in conventional food have not shown to multiply with the body thus failing to demonstrate as a cause of a medical condition. Besides, pesticide levels are kept in level that will assure no harm for consumers and the small accumulations of pesticides that build in the body have not shown to cause any severe poison for consumers (Feldman 39).On the contrary, the use of pesticides has played a role in the past 50 years, increasing the life span of a human for up to 7 years (Ellison 71). Pesticides may not be added to organic foods as much as conventional foods, but it and can still cause some harm to consumers. Despite all studies done for organic foods, consumers will continue to believe that organic foods are healthy, grown locally, environmentally friendly, and free of pesticides.Although these studies are not meant for consumers to stop purchasing organic foods, it is necessary for them to become more aware of the underlying facts instead of having mere misconceptions of the tr uth. The battle to determine whether organic foods are better than convention foods will continue until more evidence is presented. Until then, consumers that support organic will continue to purchase that. So next time consumers, who have obtained knowledge of organic foods, come in contact with an organic produce vs. a non-organic, the choice will be all up to them to decide if it really is worth the extra expense.Work Cited Avner, Jackie. â€Å"Organic Food for Thought Reasons You Should Buy Regular Goods: [Final Edition]. † Http://search. proquest. com. vlibdb. vcccd. edu/. ProQuest LLC, 29 July 2007. Web. 28 Oct. 2012. Brandt, Michelle. â€Å"Little Evidence of Health Benefits from Organic Foods, Stanford Study Finds. † Http://med. stanford. edu. N. p. , 3 Sept. 2012. Web. 1 Nov. 2012. Chen, Katherine J. â€Å"Organic Food: An Overview. † Is Organic Food Better? By Ronald D. Lankford. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2011. 13-18. Print. Ellison, Andrew. â€Å"Organic Food Is Not Worth The Extra Expense. † Is Organic Food Better? By Ronald D.Lankford. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2011. 69-72. Print. Feldman, Stanley. â€Å"Organic Fertilizers Pose More Health Risks than Pesticides. † Is Organic Food Better? By Ronald D. Lankford. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2011. 35-43. Print. Johnston, Rob. â€Å"Consumers Should Not Support Organic Foods. † Is Organic Food Better? By Ronald D. Lankford. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2011. 23-28. Print. Kluger, Jeffrey. â€Å"Health Checkup: Who Needs Organic Food? † Time. Time, 18 Aug. 2010. Web. 01 Nov. 2012. Mestel, Rosie. â€Å"Organic Food — Better for You or Not? A Study Takes a Look. † Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 03 Sept. 2012.Web. 01 Nov. 2012. Shapin, Steven. â€Å"Organic Food and Farming Has Drawbacks. † The Local Food Movement. Amy Francis. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. At Issue. Rpt. from â€Å"Paradise Sold: What Are You Buying When You Buy Organic? † The New Yorker 82 (15 May 2006). Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 7 Nov. 2012. Strom, Stephanie. â€Å"Has ‘Organic' Been Oversized? † The New York Times. The New York Times, 08 July 2012. Web. 01 Nov. 2012. United States Department of Agriculture. â€Å"National Standards for Organic Food. † Is Organic Food Better? By Ronald D. Lankford. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2011. 19-22. Print.