Is Our Society to Dependent of Computers Essay

Is Our Society too Dependent on Computers? Computers have found their way into just about every aspect of our lives, and in most cases, they make things easier for us. They allow people to work from home, socialize with friends and family, and they provide an ever-welcome stress relief from school or work. Since their invention, people far and wide have become increasingly dependent on computers. Children today are growing up in a world where computers are needed to do everything from controlling vicious heat seeking missiles to saving lives. The computers role in education is growing with increasing investments and technological innovation. The computer is a good thing, but the world must proceed with caution and a critical eye. As people increasingly rely on computers to get through the day, the question begs to be asked: is our society too dependent on computers? Despite the many benefits of computers, there are also a number of arguments against them, one of which is the negative effect some believe they are having on children’s education. Illiteracy is a growing issue, and many say that computers are to blame. In the past few years, many teachers have taken to shuffling their students off to a computer to type out short, quick assignments that could easily be written out by hand. While this is not much of an issue for older students, it is an issue for the younger students who are just learning to read and write. Regardless of how much we are coming to rely on computers, printing and handwriting are a necessary skill to have. But typing out assignments has an effect on more than just the ability to print; it can also negatively impact their spelling and grammar. While most programs now have spelling and grammar-check, they are not foolproof; they cannot differentiate between groups of words that have the same spelling but different meanings and will often times suggest corrections that are not, in fact, correct. Furthermore, information is often more easily and accurately remembered when children have to spend a little time writing it out by hand, rather than a few quick minutes typing away at a keyboard. Because of these factors some believe, computers in school should be reserved for older students, longer assignments, or classes which specifically teach how to use a computer. Another case against computers arises when a person’s interest in computers goes too far and becomes an obsession. Computers make it possible to do many things from the comfort of our own home; we can shop online, keep in touch with our friends online, even go to school online. They make it easier to record and organize information and entertain us with a nearly endless variety of games. However, it is still important to maintain a life outside of the cyber world. When a computer becomes the central point of a person’s life, they undergo a change in behavior; they become idle and develop anti-social tendencies, and, in some severe cases, simply cannot function without a computer. It is a common thing seen in children who have been allowed to spend too much time on the computer, watching television, or playing video games but when it comes time to walk away, they throw temper tantrums. But it is not just a matter of behavioral changes, when a person cannot tear themselves away from the screen long enough to take part in any other activity, it can take a toll on their health. They may experience weight gain, strained eyes, and headaches, among other unpleasant side-effects. Computers can also have a negative effect on the environment. Firstly they are a major source of energy consumption. Whole buildings are full of desks running computers day and night, causing a major drain on our natural resources. New computers become outdated far too quickly. Manufacturers are developing hardware at such a vast rate that people feel the need to upgrade. After upgrading the old hardware is obsolete and is usually disposed of. There are a lot of harmful substances that make up a modern computer, and these should, but are not always disposed of correctly. Many end up in landfills. These are just examples of issues with household computers. Instead of writing a check, people whip out their debit/ credit cards to pay for things when they are short on cash. What happens when the internet goes down and they are stuck in the checkout line with two hundred dollars worth of groceries, and no way to pay for them because they do not have a blank check? What happens when everyone is driving their fancy, futuristic cars that run on a computer chip and something goes wrong? In a few hundred years, will anyone know how to drive the cars of today? People put their computers through a lot of grief because they don’t quite know what they’re doing when they decide to fix a problem or clean up their hard drive, but there are also errors in programming, bugs that need to be fixed long after the product is out on the market, and there are always people trying to ruin a perfectly good thing with nasty computer viruses. Perhaps the most convincing argument, however, is the issue of safety. Aside from the issue of sharing personal information such as full names and addresses, there is also the bigger issue of stolen personal information. As our dependence on computers grows, so does our comfort level with them, people are more likely to save personal information to our computer. While it would be nice to think that it is always perfectly safe to do so, the fact is that there are predators that have any number of ways to gain access to personal files, and therefore, any personal information stored on your computer. Even if you do not knowingly keep any personal information on your computer, if you bank or shop online at all, it is possible for someone who knows what they are doing to gain access to delicate financial information. There is also the threat of younger computer users being introduced to violence and sex. As many negative aspects as there are against computers there are also positive ones. The first computers differed drastically from the ones we are accustomed to using. They were so massive that they occupied whole rooms or buildings and were also relatively slow. Nowadays they can perform many complex operations simultaneously and there are numerous jobs that could not be done without the aid of a computer. Imagine how much paper would be wasted and how many trees would have to be cut down just to save the information that is today saved on a computer. Computers can also calculate and process information faster and more accurate than a human. There is an ever-increasing desire to get children started learning early, even before schools start. Pre-Kindergarten programs or parent teaching is necessary for preschoolers to be prepared for a kindergarten curriculum that no longer starts with the absolute basic skills and knowledge. Kindergarten has a more advanced curriculum than it did years ago, and technology is available to help parents teach kids the basics before they ever go to school. There are many educational websites that feature games based on math, spelling, color recognition, reading and other basic educational necessities that children enjoy playing. Getting practice in this way, prior to enrollment, allows school systems to start at a higher level. The easy access and sharing capability of the Internet allows students to access study guides, tests and even grades through their computers. In addition to making these materials available to students on their home computers, there is the fact that this technology allows schools to save money on printing and save time on distributing paper copies of everything a student needs to know. Not every student has the same mental and physical ability. Therefore, there must be ways to convey information and allow for completion of work that vary with some students. Technology plays an important role in providing assistive devices to learning or physically disabled students. The computer era has unveiled new career dimensions. Specialists are required by companies, organizations, governments and other bodies to run the computer innovations in these areas. Globalization has resulted to a more search and availability of international career opportunities. Through the Internet, organizations can advertise their job vacancies to the society regardless of border limits. They can source for manpower from all the spheres of the world. Timely and up to date information is now moved from one point to another in order to reach the intended audience. The core issue is that, there is faster and convenient transmission of this data to the destination point. Think of for example, the Internet, you log on to the Web and minutes after, you have written down your content and placed the send button and instantaneously its delivered to the another part of the world. This is truly amazing. Another area computers impact is the entertainment area. Most people like science fiction or action movies, especially the ones with the neat looking effects. Well, those graphics were mostly made by computers. Most of the movies today use computer graphics to make things more realistic. Computer graphics are mostly used to create spaceships, aliens, monsters, and special effects. Movies like Jurassic Park, Starship Troopers, Star Wars SE, and the latest Star Trek Movies used computers to make them look more interesting and realistic. There are even movies completely made by computers like Toy Story and A Bugs’ Life. Finally, the most signigicant role computers play is in the medical field. Their uses include storing patient related data, housing knowledge bases, scanning and imaging the body, and facilitating speedy communications. Patient records are stored on computer databases in the medical field. Details of the medications prescribed are stored together with details of any that cannot be prescribed. Appointments are scheduled using a computer database. Billing information is also stored. Hospitals and surgeries depend on computers for administrative and financial functions. Hospital monitoring equipment is often based on computer programming. Emergency alarms, bed beeping systems and X-ray machines are all examples of equipment using computer technology. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computer tomography (CT) employ computer software. High-resolution images are achieved with the use of sophisticated computers and infrared cameras. Some surgical procedures are even computer guided. Computers also monitor heart rates, pulse rates and brain readings. It would be virtually impossible for a human to do this. Computer networking facilitates fast communication. Doctors on opposite sides of the world can communicate instantly via the internet. Images and messages can be exchanged in seconds and conclusions can be reached speedily. Computers are also used in the medical field in the manufacture of medications. Patients benefit from readily available information on the internet. Computer applications help in research studies. Computers are a must have in every medical profession. Computers have impacted the way we live on a large scale. You will find computers in hospitals, libraries, schools and banks, each running tasks that would be difficult for people to do on their own. The computer has been widely considered as one of the greatest inventions of the 21st century, but it also is blamed for many day-to-day problems and even tragic events. As computer technology advances, the effects will continue to change the world for better or worse. One thing is apparent computers and the technologies they possess are not going anywhere therefore society will become increasingly dependent upon them.

Posttraumatic stress disorder Research Essay

223. 4 million U. S. citizens have experienced a traumatic event at least once in their lives. This is about 70% of adults in the USA. Today 31. 1 million people are struggling with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (Rosenthal). PTSD is defined as re-experiencing, avoidance, and arousal, due to a traumatic event. The symptoms are either long lasting or have a delayed onset (Oltmanns & Emery, 2012). A traumatic event that involves actual or threatened death or serious injury to self or others, can create intense feelings of fear, helplessness, or horror (Oltmanns & Emery, 2012). This traumatic event then can lead to a serious anxiety disorder such as PTSD. Examples range from witnessing another individual in a life or death crisis to experiencing a life or death crisis first. While PTSD affects a large percentage of the world’s population, only recorded incidents are placed in statistics. However around the world traumatic events are not uncommon, with the cases of genocide in Rwanda to war torn counties in the Middle East, and all the way back to the survivors of 9/11 and US troops back from Iraq, it is no wonder that PTSD is one of the most common disorders. This paper will summarize symptoms, causation, prevention and treatment of PTSD. There are four main categories that the symptoms of PTSD are grouped into. The first is re-experiencing the traumatic event or incident. There are a few different ways one can re-experience the trauma. Some may repeatedly visualize distressing images of either the incident or something closely related. There may be a constant thought of the event as it unfolded. Some may focus on how they could have done things differently assuming there might have been a better ending or the event would have been avoided entirely. Others will experience horrifying dreams or night terrors that will either be an exact flashback from the traumatic event or a metaphor of some sort that is equally traumatic. For example, a woman with PTSD who was a paramedic and was dispatched to the scene of the twin towers on 9/11 experienced nightmares of a fire breathing dragon. A friend of hers stated that it was as if there was a fire breathing dragon with all the fire and trauma that engulfed the paramedics (Psych Lab Video Case). Last are flashbacks that one will re- experience. â€Å"Flashbacks are sudden memories during which the trauma is replayed in images or thoughts often at full motional intensity† (Oltmanns & Emery, 2012). The next symptom of PTSD is avoidance. One who suffers from PTSD will avoid all stimuli associated with the trauma. This means avoiding feelings, thoughts, people, places, and activities that remind them of the trauma. One critical symptom of avoidance is a numbing of responsiveness or emotional anesthesia, which causes sufferers to withdraw from others and hide or conceal their emotions. This is known to have a large effect on family and loved ones who attempt to help (Oltmanns & Emery, 2012). The last symptom of PTSD is arousal or anxiety. PTSD is grouped in the DSM-IV-TR as an anxiety disorder because of the effects of arousal and the secondary anxiety it causes. Anxiety may show itself through hyper-vigilance, restlessness, agitation, irritability, exaggerated startle responses, and excessive fear reactions to unexpected stimuli (Oltmanns & Emery, 2012). In order to assess and diagnose a person with PTSD, a person must re-experience the traumatic event at least once, they must have at least three symptoms of avoidance, two hyperarousal symptoms, and symptoms that make it hard to go about their daily life such as school, work, etc. nimh. nih. gov). If a majority of the world’s population experiences many or at least one traumatic event, how is it that not everyone develops PTSD? There a few factors that cause PTSD. Trauma is necessary for PTSD to develop but is not the only cause (Oltmanns & Emery, 2012). Social factors include the amount of trauma the individual would be subjected to. For example, a police officer would have a higher rate of developing PTSD because of the exposure they commit themselves to as part of their career. Individuals are more likely to develop PTSD depending on the severity of the event. Some people can be categorized as â€Å"risk takers† which would make them more vulnerable to developing PTSD such as a police officer or paramedic. Other risk factors include having a history of mental illness, getting hurt, living through traumas, having no social support or dealing with extra stress after the traumatic event such as loss of loved one (nimh. nih. gov). Prevention of PTSD is possible and circumstances can take place that would help individuals prevent the disorder from developing even though traumatic events that could lead to PTSD are unknown or may come as a surprise. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides mental health assistance after a tragic event. An early intervention is critical. Incident stress debriefing is a five hour group meeting where citizens share events and tragedies after a disaster (Oltmanns & Emery, 2012). Police officers and all emergency personnel are given some sort of PTSD prevention therapy (Sanford). This is due to the fact that they have a high risk exposure to traumatic events. Treatment for PTSD varies and there several different types of psychotherapies that can be used to treat the disorder as well as medication. The main therapy currently used is cognitive processing therapy, or CPT. Cognitive processing therapy can be done in an individual or a group setting. A therapist will help a patient reevaluate how they feel about a traumatic situation. For example, many victims of sexual violence and rape place the blame on themselves. The efficacy of the therapy has held up. Recently, Congolese women who survived the intense conflict in their country and were subjected to rape and sexual violence underwent months of CPT to ease the post-traumatic stress. The results were promising, though the women appeared to respond better to the group therapy. â€Å"After four months, the proportion of women with probable PTSD dropped from 60 percent to 8 percent in the cognitive processing therapy group; the proportion of those with depression or anxiety plummeted from 71 to 10 percent. Their functional impairment scores dropped by half. In the women who received individual support counseling, rates of probable PTSD, depression or anxiety declined less, from 83 percent to about 54 percent. † (Seppa, 2013) Another helpful PTSD therapy is Prolonged Exposure Therapy or PE. PE requires the patient to expose themselves to safe but uncomfortable situations that they have been avoiding due to their PTSD. The patient is also taught breathing relaxation techniques in order to lessen the anxiety associated with reintroducing themselves to traumatic tasks (U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs). The patient is also asked to talk repeatedly about the traumatic situation which eventually leads to habituation or a neutral response to the once negative stimuli. Medication is the other option for treatment of PTSD. Though it is not completely curable, it can be managed by a wide variety of medications. Currently, the evidence base is strongest for the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). The only two FDA approved medications for the treatment of PTSD are sertraline (Zoloft) and paroxetine (Paxil) (1, 2)† (Jeffereys). There are also some obstacles to overcome in getting patients to best respond to this treatment. Patients are often concerned about the side effects of the medication, about learning to rely on the medication rather than fixing the root problem, about getting addicted and they may begin to abuse the medications by mixing them with alcohol if the PTSD is severe (Jeffereys). In addition, recent studies have suggested that long term exposure to anti-depressants may actually hamper a patient’s ability to respond positively to therapy (Nauert, 2013). A new study conducted by researchers at Emory, University of Miami and Scripps Research Institute has showed promise in prevention of PTSD. The results of the study suggest that exposing victims of trauma to morphine immediately after experiencing the distressing event may do more than just ease physical pain. Morphine may also play a role in â€Å"fear learning†. When the drug was administered to a group of mice after exposure to a stressful event, they â€Å"could still learn to become afraid of sounds and shocks, but the fearful memories were not as durable and the mice did not freeze as much in response to the sound alone two days later, even if they had been previously exposed to stress† (Eastman , 2013). Some other â€Å"out of the box† potential treatments include channeling all energy into martial arts training or service dog training (London, 2013). The idea here would be to distract the brain away from the negative thoughts by focusing all the patients’ resources into positive activities.

Comparative Methodological Critique

The aim of this paper is to compare two academic research papers, one informed by qualitative and another one by quantitative research designs with focus on the methodological factors. Both papers describe working lives and attitudes of gay and lesbian workers in the UK and USA, possible consequences of disclosure of sexual orientation on their working relations and organisational arrangements towards equality and diversity of working practice. These research projects add to the growing number of studies which shed light on the sensitive nature of homosexuality in the workplace and anti-discrimination policies and practices that organisations deploy to create a more inclusive working environment. Governed by the difficulty of access to gay and lesbian population both in UK and USA, and its â€Å"hidden† nature both teams chose their own strategy in unveiling the nature of work attitudes of gay and lesbian employees and demonstrating the progress organisations have made or are making towards the establishment of good practice. st paper (qualitative) The paper deals with identifying good organisational practice concerning equality, diversity and sexual orientation in the workplace, and considers any changes following the introduction of Employment equality (Sexual Orientation) regulations 2003. It also aims at addressing the gap between equality policy and practice which provides the foundation for further analysis of the significant shortfall in knowledge relating to the experience of LGB (lesbian, gay and bisexual) employees in UK organisations. Even today, the issue of sexuality still remains a sensitive one, despite the coming into force of legislation offering protection to LGB people. It is also the cause of unease for some employers in the modern world in discussing (not to mention dealing with! ) this issue, and consequential bullying, suffering and fear which make life and work unbearable for so many LGB people. So far progress has been made based on social justice and business case studies which means that this still â€Å"remains †¦an under researched area in which there have been very few case studies of particular organisations† (Colgan et al. 2007:591). Having adopted a phenomenological position in their design, the research team chose to carry out a longitudinal (2 year) qualitative study in 16 â€Å"good practice† case study organisations in the area of employment of LGB workers, to discover â€Å"the details of the situation†¦[in order to] to understand the reality† (Remenyi et a l. , 1998:35) of working relations in organisations with LGB workers. Also focusing on the ways that people make sense of the world especially through the sharing of experiences with others has dictated the use of a social constructionist framework (Bryman and Bell, 2007). The case studies involved the analysis of companies’ documentation and reports, trade union publications and websites to get an inside view of companies’ attitudes and practices. The main challenge of the project in data collection was â€Å"limited resources †¦ inability to specify a sampling frame† (Saunders et al. , 2003:170) which dictated the use of non-probability sampling. Therefore, snowballing sampling was applied as the most appropriate for this kind of research. The research team interviewed in depth 154 LGB employees who, prior to that, completed a short survey questionnaire. All completed the survey giving a complete census. However, due to â€Å"a lack of robust statistical evidence concerning the proportion of the UK population who identify as LGB† (Colgan et al. , 2007:591) and the difficulty of access to such people, it’s hard to say how representative this sample of LGB people is. Determined by these practical constraints, the research team adopted a mixed methods research strategy (case study/interviews) with various data collection methods that allowed them to have a cross-check against each other's results. Difficulty of accessing LGB employees also dictated the choice of analysis focusing only on â€Å"good practice† organisations. Hence, using survey, in-depth interview and secondary data enabled the team to combine the specificity of quantitative data with the ability to interpret perceptions provided by qualitative analysis. Though, there is evidence and justification by the research team of how respondents were selected, the project itself demonstrated a disproportioned balance of respondents not only in terms of gender (61,7% -men, 38,3% – women) but also in terms of ethnic division. This means that the balance tipped so far in terms of the depth of their research. The research team adapted an inductive research approach to accommodate the existing theories and findings as well as their own empirical studies, for example â€Å"that those in lower level and perhaps more difficult working environments are less likely to be â€Å"out†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦at work† (Colgan et al. , 2006a cited in Colgan, 2007:593). The paper also gives a good historical overview of how public and private sector organisations have made progress towards the â€Å"inclusion of sexual orientation within its organisational policy and practice† (Colgan et al. , 2006a cited in Colgan, 2007:593). This provides readers with a comparative overview of how the situation has changed following the introduction of the legislation. The research team identified the number of steps organisations took to follow â€Å"good practice† in relation to equality and diversity, at the same time outlining the differences in progress between public and private sector companies. In doing so, the authors also assert that the implementation gap between policy and practice still exists and requires further measures such as â€Å"the need to see policy championed, resourced and implemented by senior line managers† (Colgan et al. 2007). Whereas the Regulations empowered LGB people to step in and â€Å"challenge discrimination and harassment† (Colgan et al. , 2007:604), the key factor, as identified by the authors, â€Å"that prevented some respondents coming out at work †¦ the fear† (Colgan et al. , 2007) remained the main obstacle to LGB workers to blowing the whistle and reporting an incident. These findings are supported and justified throughout the paper by respondents’ statements and results of previous studies. The research team also defined the relation between the impact of the employment equality (SO) regulations, considered as independent variable, and such dependent variables like job satisfaction, being out at work, experience of harassment and discrimination, this in fact gives an idea of the existing problem in organisational practices. In terms of structure, language and appropriateness of referencing to other material this paper proves highly informative. It suggests that further research needs to be done in order â€Å"to gain a more â€Å"representative† picture of working lives of LGB employees† (Colgan et al. , 2007) as it only explored the â€Å"tip of the iceberg†, because the research project was able to examine only a fraction of the whole, and, unless an organisation adopts more effective and proactive leadership on equality and diversity, the legislation on its own will take only a small step towards the inclusivity of LGB people and the creation of harmonious equal working practices in UK organisations. The research project involved cross-sectional design that allowed the team to compare and contrast their findings derived from each of the cases. This is considered to be a great advantage of the project as it allowed the team to consider â€Å"what is unique and what is common across cases† (Bryman and Bell, 2007:64), thus facilitating an attempt to generalise their findings. The research team does not explicitly express their own opinions, allowing personal values to sway the conduct of the research and the findings deriving from it, this ensures that they acted in good faith and followed good practice. However, having conducted a survey following the implementation of (SO) Regulations 2003, this study failed to provide a sufficiently broad spectrum of opinion of how organisational culture has changed as a consequence of the legislation. Moreover, the research team did not specify whether any of the key informants or interviewees had worked in â€Å"good practice† organisations before the regulations came into force which would allow a comparative analysis of organisational practice to take place and, thereby, for data to be more representative. Much attention was focused upon good practice organisations in their study; however, there was a failure to demonstrate what was meant by â€Å"good practice†. This would have enabled readers to have a more explicit understanding of what expectations are from any organisation with LGB employees. In terms of access to respondents, although the team acknowledged the difficulty, they were not as resourceful as they might have been. Lack of robust information undermines the conclusions, arguably, brings into question the credibility of the findings as the research net was not cast widely or deeply enough. For the readership of this paper there is no ultimate enlightenment as the paper does not show any argument or advocacy that invite readers to the world of unexpected discovery; instead, it is rather a presentation or portrait. It also remains difficult to conduct a true replication of this study, even though majority of the organisations â€Å"were willing to be identified by name† (Colgan et al. 2007). 2nd paper (quantitative) This paper describes the relationship between reported disclosure of sexual orientation, anti-discrimination policies and top management support. It is also aimed at identifying work-related attitudes of gay and lesbian workers if such disclosure takes place and its effects on individual performance of gay and lesbian workers. At the time of the research very few empirical studie s had been conducted to investigate work attitude and disclosure of sexual orientation. Since the recognition of the gay and lesbian population within the workforce, inclusiveness of gay and lesbian employees in organisational diversity management policies was desperately needed. It has been argued that â€Å"an approach of workplace tolerance is needed† (Day and Shoenrade, 2000:347) which can contribute to the knowledge of human resource function when taking appropriate actions if conflict arises and to help create a more conducive environment for the disclosure of sexual orientation. Emphasising the importance of collecting facts and studying â€Å"the relationship of one set of facts to another† (Anderson, 2009:45) underpins their positivist paradigm. Focused on key unresolved questions such as â€Å"closeted homosexual workers will have a less positive work-related attitude† (Day and Shoenrade, 2000:346) the research team takes a deductive research approach to test three formulated hypotheses which together with research paper aims do not appear until well into the text. This can lead to uncertainty on the part of the readership. In terms of selection of respondents and its rationale, the research team fails to demonstrate the proportion of respondents relating to ethnics; also gender division appeared to be highly disproportioned with 485 gays and only 259 lesbians. Their chosen data collection methods (sampling, focus groups and a questionnaire) highlighted some problematic issues such as â€Å"identifying a representative sample of working lesbians and gays† (Day and Shoenrade, 2000:350) due to the sensitive nature of research and lack of current data on the lesbian and gay population. Great attention was paid to demonstrating their strategy in obtaining possibility sample. Having looked at various options, the sampling choice was justified on the basis of geographical location (USA Midwest) which it was thought would benefit in the existing research as it involves lesbian and gay population not surveyed before. A large sample would allow them to easily obtain a significant test statistic (Esterby-Smith et al. 2008), the research team sampled several resources, principally Human Rights Project (HRP), and then broadened them getting a reasonable response of 29% which â€Å"showed no statistically significant difference from the larger sample on the major variables† (Day and Shoenrade, 2000:351). However, such considerations cannot be viewed as justification for not following the principles of probability sampling and therefore team’s findings do not represent the whole gay and lesbian population of USA and cannot be generalised. In testing three formulated hypotheses the research team established three independent variables (disclosure of sexual orientation, presence of anti-discrimination policy and top management support) and 5 dependent ones (affective commitment, continuance commitment, job satisfaction, job stress and conflict between home and work) and selected a multivariate analysis to find a way of summarising the relationship between these variables and at the same time capturing the essence of the said relationship (Esterby-Smith et al. , 2008). Adopting objectivist ontology the research team aimed at analysing the relationships between these variables thus creating static view of social life (Bryman and Bell, 2007). However, there was a failure to specify which statistical test was used to demonstrate and examine interdependence between them. This, in fact, point to a lack of transparency of their project. Based on several example questions the team demonstrated it can be deduced that they were dealing with categorical data (ordinal and cardinal) and therefore the Spearman correlation test and regression analysis (linear regression model) were used to represent non-parametric data. This allowed them to measure the strength and the direction of association between the variables, and confirm whether there is any difference in the population from which the sample was drawn. The research team also used a qualitative research method. They conducted a focus-group discussion to ensure that â€Å"the construct of disclosure of sexual orientation be precisely defined and relevant to†¦ [this] population (Day and Shoenrade, 2000:351). This helped to ensure that the concept was precisely defined and relevant to the population. The lack of secondary data sources also explained the rationale of their chosen method of data analysis. However, had this data been obtained, it would have allowed to create a more comparative analysis. For each independent variable the research team demonstrated several example questions and interpretation of the results which provided readers with an overview of a critical analysis of the conclusions the research team came to. However, those who are not familiar with statistical data would find it hard to follow the argument as there was a failure to provide basic explanation of roman letters and include notes when referencing to the tables. Therefore, it is impossible to cross-check their results and to confirm their findings. Focusing on facts, and looking for causalities throughout their analysis, underpinned their positivist paradigm and reflected their research approach and strategy. Like any other quantitative researchers the team was trying to describe why things are, rather than how they are. They admit that the issue of causality should be discussed to achieve a better understanding of the relations of the variables. Nevertheless, the research team found the evidence to support portions of the three formulated hypotheses. They critically evaluated each one by giving their own suggestions and recommendations to organisations and HR practitioners on how to improve their working practice and establish the inclusiveness of gay and lesbian workers. The presence of modal verbs in the quantitative research once again emphasised the invariably implicit nature of this research often criticised by the qualitative researchers for its high level of assumptions (Bryman and Bell, 2007). Their data analysis and interpretation of their findings are well structured and presented. The ability of the research team to point out the pitfalls of their own project and critically approach their findings is considered to be a great advantage of this research paper. Conclusion The papers provide a solid foundation for further analysis in the field of equality and diversity in organisations with gay and lesbian workers. Governed by own choice for research strategy and approach to answer research questions, they were both affected by the same practical constraint during the research, extremely sensitive nature of sexual orientation and the â€Å"hidden† nature of the gay and lesbian population which led to that fact that probability sampling was impossible as there was no accessible sampling framework for the population from which the sample could be taken. Hence, one cannot confirm that both research projects were successful in generalising their findings beyond their chosen sample. Both research projects lack of robust evidence of the proportion of the UK gay and lesbian population and base their research projects on out of date information. This, in fact, stress the importance of secondary analysis to take place which would allow them to obtain good-quality and up-to-date data, and, as outlined by the quantitative research team, offer the opportunity for research to â€Å"compare an individual’ responses longitudinally† (Day and Shoenrade, 2000:361). It would also provide the opportunity to gain a more descriptive picture of gay and lesbian working lives and facilitate the emergence of a new data interpretation and theoretical ideas as new methods of quantitative data analysis are constantly appearing in the business research field. Unlike the qualitative research team which totally avoids any advice, the quantitative research team succeeded in providing various recommendations for organisations that can help them create a more inclusive environment, â€Å"this process could begin through education top management in the importance of the issue and the consequences of ignoring it† (Day and Shoenrade, 2000:360). In terms of contribution to the field unlike quantitative research the qualitative research project rather confirmed the existing findings and results of previous studies then introduced new information that would benefit and add to the existing knowledge. However, both research projects draw the parallel between UK and USA in terms of work attitude and practice in organisations with gay and lesbian workers pointing at lack of effective leadership and commitment of top management needed to create inclusive working relations in a contemporary business world. Both research teams admitted that further analysis will be required, perhaps, a combination of two research methods, as stated by the quantitative research team, â€Å"to gain a more â€Å"representative† picture of working lives† (Colgan et al. , 2007:606) of gay and lesbian workers.

Truancy in the Schools of the United Kingdom Essay

Truancy in the Schools of the United Kingdom - Essay Example The third chapter describes the various measures and strategies adopted by the Labour Government for combating truancy. In this regard, several initiatives taken by the authorities like penalizing parents of truants, establishment of truancy patrols, enhancing fines against parents and offering several incentives for attending school were described. The fourth chapter examines the results of such endeavours. Gradually, parents were convinced that attendance and higher levels of attainment were correlated (Education war on truancy, 2007) and this led to a decline in absenteeism. In this context, the decline of truancy in Cedar Mount High, Plant Hill Arts College and Manchester Academy were cited (The sad truth about truancy, 2007). Truancy has been described as the absence of students from school without a valid reason (Stoll. P, 1990). The duration of non - attendance varies from a single class to many weeks (Atkinson M, Halsey K, Wilkin A & Kinder K, 2000). Several reasons exist for such truant behaviour and bravado, depression, retention by the parents in order to supervise younger children at home, etc, are some of the usual reasons. Parentally approved absence from school p... P, 1990). The duration of non - attendance varies from a single class to many weeks (Atkinson M, Halsey K, Wilkin A & Kinder K, 2000). Several reasons exist for such truant behaviour and bravado, depression, retention by the parents in order to supervise younger children at home, etc, are some of the usual reasons. Parentally approved absence from school poses a major quandary and endures despite the instructions of the 1996 Education Act that such absence could be sanctioned only by the school authorities. Moreover, several of the some of the seemingly credible reasons given by parents to account for the absence of their children from school are dubious (OFSTED, 2001). It has been observed that forty thousand students abstain from school each day without proper authorization (Audit Commission, 1999). Since 1997, the Labour Government has been repeatedly emphasizing the importance of education, because the nations' future is largely dependent on the effectiveness of education.These initiatives have borne fruit and superlative results have been obtained by the schools in terms of student results and increased proficiency of the teaching staff (At a glance, n.d.). Investment on its own is incapable of ensuring an education of a high standard. The requirement is to combine reform with investment. Some of the reforms that have been implemented, in order to achieve this objective, are specialist schools, literacy and numeracy strategies, superior vocational education and the right to adult skills training (At a glance, n.d.). Despite these successes, the fact remains that quite some children have been deprived of a proper education due to the existence of incompetent schools.Although, inner city area

If The State Becomes A Major Source Of Threat To Its Citizens, Does It Essay

If The State Becomes A Major Source Of Threat To Its Citizens, Does It Thereby Undermine The Prime Justification For Its Existence - Essay Example The constitution as put forward by Hobbes is a social contract between the people and the state that legitimizes the government in place. Once the contract is broken, it is only necessary to overthrow the existing government and install one that would serve citizen interests (Booth, 2007). Some questions that need answering are; what is security? For whom? What are the security issues? It is important to understand these questions to be able to evaluate whether the state which is supposed to protect security has become itself a source of insecurity to its citizens and whether it should lose its mandate to govern or lose its justification for its existence. In order to achieve this, the paper will be divided into three sections. The first section will discuss what security is. The second section will discuss whose security it should be for, is it the state or individual and implications on legitimacy of state. This will involve considering different views from realists, constructivist s, critical studies, feminism, peace research and the Copenhagen school of thought. It will argue that security is socially constructed thus means different things to different people. This in turn affects how people understand the role of the state to be and whether it is legitimate. The last section will be the conclusion. International security studies is a discipline that has evolved over the years dealing with security issues in a global arena. It depends on the definition put forward regarding security since various theorists have not been able to come up with a uniform definition. According to Buzan (1983) a legitimate state is one that meets the needs and wishes of its citizens including security, conflict resolution, economic development and peace. It is not uncommon to hear governments implying that they are doing certain things such as curtailing people’s freedom for state security reasons. Williams (2012:3) asserts that individuals are â€Å"killed, starved, tort ured, raped, impoverished, denied education and healthcare all in the name of security.† This is especially so in war torn countries such as Syria (Paul, 1990). So what is security and who determines what security issues are? According to Booth (1997: 104-119) security is a derivative concept and as such its understanding derives from political outlook and philosophical worldview. For example, for ethico-political view security could include everything and anything depending on policy agenda while for analysts, use of empirical evidence frames issues such as diseases as global security issues. Williams (2012:5) defines security as â€Å"alleviation of threats to cherished values.† It is therefore, based on emancipation though justice and human rights. Security can also be positive or negative; negative security implies absence of threat whereas positive security implies â€Å"making things possible† (p.6). For Buzan and Hansen (2009: 9) security is about â€Å"p olitical themes such as state, authority, legitimacy, politics and sovereignty.† The next question that needs understanding is whose security? Different theorists have different opinions regarding the referent object or for whom security is meant to be. For realists, the state is the referent object (Buzan & Hansen, 2009). Issues of security are thus aimed at addressing the internal and external threats to the state. It then implies that ensuring the

A cross-country analysis of the impact of political stability on Essay

A cross-country analysis of the impact of political stability on economic growth - Essay Example This analysis will then be followed by an in-depth examination of these four diverse countries, each representing different regions of the world. Finally, this essay will demonstrate that political stability must be present for an economy to be healthy and is a necessary condition for the promotion of strong and continued economic growth. How does one define political stability? Theoretically speaking, the term is notoriously difficult to define and definitions will necessarily vary (see Ake 271-283; Fosu 329-348; Pasos 70-86; Goldsmith 471-480). Nonetheless, it is integral that the concept of political stability be defined for the theoretical purpose of this essay. Leon Hurwitz explored four conceptions of political stability and defined it as: 1) the absence of violence, 2) the duration of government, 3) the existence of a legitimate political regime, and 4) the absence of structure change (149-163). Since this definition is comprehensive it will guide the political component of this essay as well as complement the economic systems analysis of our four case studies. What sort of factors influence economic growth? The economic growth of a country is routinely measured by an aggregate indicator such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which represents the increase in goods and services produced by an economy. Economic growth can also be measured in GDP per capita, an indicator of the average annual income of an individual within a given economy. Annual economic growth and national productivity are influenced by a variety of factors including international terms of trade (imports vs. exports), the national unemployment rate and inflation rates (Henderson 338). Canada, Iraq, the United Kingdom and Somalia represent a fascinating cross-section of countries with which to analyze the effect of political stability on economic growth. From a

Background for cgeesecack factory restaurant Essay

Background for cgeesecack factory restaurant - Essay Example In 1975, Evelyn started to make a variety of delicious cheesecakes and some fantastic desserts that were sold by thousands of wholesale accounts. Just after thirty years, with one hundred and seventy locations, the success of the cheesecake factory has made it a great success story for the American. The restaurant looked impressive. There were many apartments to be seated in. There was an oval bar off to the right of the entrance. There were two levels of seating and some were in open areas while others were in off to the side areas for quiet or even romantic dining. The people were dressed in a variety of ways. Some folks had on shorts and others were dressed up in beautiful special evening clothing. As we looked around we noticed the servers were smiling, happy and courteous with everyone – no matter what they were ordering. People ordered pizza, snacks, sandwiches, appetizers and meals or any combination of those items. We wanted to stay at the restaurant for a while so we could watch people for this paper, so we ate a very small lunch and saved our appetite for this evening out. This assignment is a combination of our observations. The Cheesecake Factory Restaurant was our choice for this assignment because everyone tells us how great the food is and how much fun it is to eat there. We have been told they have good and friendly service, sports on the televisions around the whole restaurant, and good food. We are international students and know that there are many thoughts that go through our minds as we spend time in a restaurant. People of all nationalities, races, colors, and cultural backgrounds appeared at the restaurant during our time there. It does not cater to one specific group of people. As we consider the people we see we try to guess as many details about them as possible by their dress, mannerisms, skin color, and language. We believe people’s culture is an asset to our goal of international business

The Constitutional Framers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Constitutional Framers - Essay Example In his statement Jefferson compared the government to a newspaper; he stated that he preferred a newspaper without government to a government without a newspaper. This philosophy was directed towards the American constitution, the confederation act and the declaration of independence in America. The revolutionaries set a system which was too weak to accomplish the set objectives in the country. A clear analysis of their approach could define the motives which lay behind the poor system. They were basically on a quest to defend their wealth against federal interference. Major sectors of the country’s economy were rendered helpless by this group of people who argued that they were acting in the interest of the many. Jefferson states that a man is a rational being endowed with a sense of judgment and hence able to distinguish what is wrong and right. This is a sign that the revolutionaries were concretely aware of their undertakings; they were acting on matters which were clearly established from their inner personalities. The closing of the revolutionary era paved a way to another class of thinkers who insisted on a different aspect. At independence, the core objectives were to maintain the societal order, settling the public debt, the establishment of a sound financial system and installing mechanism which could spur the growth of the economy in the country. These categories of individuals were not founding their techniques on philosophy as they were basically businessmen and individual property owners in the country.

November rain Music video analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

November rain Music video analysis - Essay Example It appears in the video several times in different settings. The interpretation of this symbol depends on the setting where it appears in the video. In the beginning of the video, the sound of rain on the background intensifies the loneliness of the main characters who sits in his dark bedroom. During the wedding, rain represents the turning point in all life events. It transforms the wedding party and makes all people hide somewhere in the house or under the tables. Finally, the rain takes place funeral ceremony referencing the main message of the song that says â€Å"nothing lasts forever†. Death of the beloved is highly symbolic for this song. First of all, death supports the thesis of the composition that nothing lasts forever. Death can take away love, freedom and friendship and people cannot win the death. Death represents all external consequences which do not depend on people’s actions. Death is often a turning point in people’s life and it forces them to start everything from scratch. In the context of the song, death is the begging of new life for the main character who has to let it go and start new relationships. The chapel in the deserted area is a clear symbol of loneliness and personal isolation. It is not an ordinary building but a chapel, which means that it is related to personal emotions, religion and spirituality in its broader context.

Cultural customs Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cultural customs - Research Paper Example In their homeland, children and adolescents are geared toward achieving the goal of higher education and have lessons taught about the importance of holding onto traditional Chinese cultural values (Henslin, 2003). Lessons on thriftiness, especially in relation to finance, are reinforced during this period of the life cycle. As adults, the Chinese stress maintaining caution in areas of business and establish plans for long-term financial success much earlier than other groups (Zhang). In their homeland, Chinese often marry with the idea that it will be a life-long bond and put a great deal of emphasis on the value of personal relationships. At senior age, it is common to still be a part of the family household and is often revered for wisdom. The U.S. citizen is strikingly different than the Chinese and infants are often reared with much less emphasis on education, but more on securing their emotional well-being. Infants are cared for with considerable intensity and usually the child bonds with the mother over the father. During childhood, there is much less emphasis on creating a family bond and the child is promoted to socialize outside of the family network to build skills in peer bonding and organized play (Henslin). Some of these lessons begin in early educational years and team-based concepts, outside of family values, are the most common experiences. In adolescence, children are given lessons on establishing their own sense of individuality rather than finding connection through family. They are exposed to many cultural symbols through advertising and other media formats, therefore they have access to different external role models to base their own personalities. During adulthood, it is common to partner without taking the vow of long-term marriage and the family structure can be outside of the social norm. Lessons relating to the importance of higher

The trouble with scientists Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The trouble with scientists - Essay Example Although malnutrition and hunger remain grave problems globally, the issue of world food supplies continues to reemerge constantly. There could be numerous reasons for this. For example, it could be a result of a decrease in yields of key staple cereals, environmental damage, and pesticide resistance among many more. These are all courses for concern. Therefore, the main objective of this paper is to bring to light the issue of global food crisis by analyzing it and demonstrating the responsibility of scientists in solving this problem especially through participating in science journalism. It is no doubt that agriculture and food are at the heart of the civilization of mankind. Many cultures celebrate the variety of aspects of agriculture and food since they are essential for the continuity of human beings. The serious food crisis that the world is facing is life threatening and perilous to millions of people. A great number of countries continue to experience crop failures and an i ncrease in fertilizer prices. An increase in population further worsens the problems as it means there are increasing mouths to feed. Moreover, people continue to make developments in the form of buildings which destroy the natural environment and habitat. Millions of people remain underfed due to inequality in the distribution of food among dissimilar socioeconomic groups. It is the goals of food distribution systems to connect producers such as fishermen and farmers to consumers. It is also the goal of the system to allocate this food accordingly. Establishment of markets has made distribution procedures easy. However, these markets are located in central locations where the food is distributed to outer regions. It is tough for consumers to purchase the food due to inability to access markets and their lack of ability to afford the costs. In developing nations, there is limited transportation; few roads with poor maintenance, which make the areas inaccessible and delays movement o f goods. According to past research, the chief cause of food shortages, which leads to hunger and starvation, is not scarcity of land for agriculture. The world has adequate arable land for food production and cultivation. Nations like Sudan, Bangladesh, Somalia, Mozambique and Ethiopia are some of the nations that are hardest hit by starvation and hunger, yet they have adequate arable land. The causes of deficient food levels and supplies are manifold, and this calls for numerous and diverse, appropriate strategies to overcome the problems. An awareness of the causes of hunger and malnutrition is imperative in poor countries. It will challenge and enable policy makers and scientists to lay the ground work for programs and measures that alleviate poverty and ensure food security. As experts, scientists have an obligation to participate in the alleviation of the worldwide food crisis. One of the principal strategies that scientists have established in alleviating the crisis is the cr eation of genetically modified crops. Genetically modified crops neither grow more intensely nor do are they bigger than common crops. Their main advantage is that they have a high resistance from pests and need minimum or no use of pesticides. Research into these crops has become a pillar into several nations’ agricultural reform strategy. With funding from the governments, scientists can continue to use research facilities to come up with more

Euro Crisis Essay Example for Free

Euro Crisis Essay The ability of Euro zone countries (countries in Europe that use the common currency called the Euro) to borrow in a common currency poses free-rider problems because there may be an incentive to bailout countries that borrow excessively. How does the original design of the Euro attempt to address this incentive to over-borrow by some countries? The free rider problem refers to when someone is capturing the full benefit of an action while shifting the cost to others. The free-rider problem built into the euro lies into the fiscal structure, since the countries were fiscally undisciplined and also governments were gaining political gain running deficits supported by their euro partner nations. Over borrowing occurred due to the incentive of governments to borrow in a common currency; to address this issue the original design had to solutions. One was the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP) which limited budget deficit to up to 3% of GDP and 60% of stock of public debt, aiming to ensure fiscal discipline; where if a member state was in an excessive deficit situation then the council could impose sanctions. The Second rule is a â€Å"no bailout† clause stating that community shall not be liable for the debt of governments (with some exceptions) The original design of the euro sought to address the over-borrowing. Why were the measures in the original Euro design insufficient in preventing the Euro sovereign debt problems? First it is important to point out that the sovereign debt crisis is significantly tied to the banking crisis and macroeconomic crisis through the entire euro area. The original measure was insufficient because in a way these measures actually worsen the crisis. The sovereign debt crisis can be divided in three phases: pre-crisis period, the financial and sovereign debt crisis and post-crisis recovery. The initial design affected the pre-crisis since in reality it increased fiscal risk due to the increased in the current account imbalances across the euro area and also the dispersion in credit boom, housing prices and sectorial debt levels. Then, during the crisis 2007-2008 the original design actually augmented the fiscal impact since the global financial shock had diverse impacts across the euro area and policies were focus on European Central Bank to address the financial shock, not accounting these policies prompted a worse euro sovereign debt crisis (Especially countries with macro-imbalances). Thirdly, the original measures slowed down the post-crisis recovery period because the stated estrictions of deficit and debt made the recovery stretched, along with the poor political management of countries’ institutions to solve factors involving the crisis. What are the new reforms to address sovereign debt concerns? What makes the new measures superior to the original ones? The new reforms to address the sovereign debt is compounded on a treaty called â€Å" Fiscal Compact Treaty† which requires new fiscal principles to be pose in each country (Jan 2013). These fiscal reforms are based on two principles: a void high public debt since it’s a threat to fiscal stability. Second, the fiscal balance has to be close to zero. The improvement is a structural budget balance less than 1% of GDP when debt is below 60%. Also the country that has higher public debt (off the limit) will have to correct the issue with a timeline. Though this reform is a little more efficient than the original, it still has major implementation problems since it requires adjustments on forecast errors for the structural budget balance. Also it’s difficult to accurately trust the ability of governments to identify and tackle down excessive imbalances.

Over Populations Effects On Nature

Over Populations Effects On Nature Population is one of the key issues in the present era which drag everyones attention towards it. Over population is defined as the condition in which the population density increases to a limit that hassle the environment impairment, diminution of natural resources, deterioration in quality of life, and population crash. The problem of unrestrained population growth found to be one of the most major issues of recent time as it affects the welfare and happiness of all the world population. It demands the focus of every country and society, this problem is more crucial for developing nation than that of developed countries. Every country is dedicated to gain a good standard of living so that the people staying there should get adequate food, shelter, education, employment and health facilities. This dedication has become a main objective for many developing countries that are in poverty, but the current rate of population growth has become a hurdle for the developing nation to reach their objective. The current global population is going to double in 35 years .It is projected that the population of the world in the year 2054 would be 9 billion, which is going to affect the increasing rate of economic development, which will enforce a heavy burden on effort made to enhance human welfare (JohnSeitz2002). In developed country the population is likely remains steady at1.2billion. The current birth rate is 14 to 20% for 1000 population per year and the death rate has declined this is because of good infrastructure, wider market, high productivity of crops, modern medicine and development of sanitation facilities. While the population is going increase in developing country. The growth is expected in five developing countries like China, India, Pakistan, Nigeria and Indonesia. It is projected that by 2050 the population of India is going to increase by1.5 billion which will be more than chinas population. Worlds population and distribution The population of the world has been started increasing in eighteenth century, the population in 1800 was 900 million, in 1900 the population was 1600million, in year 2000 the population was 7600 million. Over 56.7% of the world population live in less developed countries, like Asia and Africa. The GNP that is per capita Gross National Product of these countries was 8.5% which is the average of world GNP and produce only 4.9% of worlds total GNP. On the other side the average per capita GNP for the developed countries is 80% of worlds GNP, contained 15.2% of worlds population. Most of them developed nation like North America, Europe, Australia, North America and some Middle East and Asian countries have High standard of living. Thus a gross inequality exists between the responsibility for supporting the world population in sustainable manner and the available resource between two groups of countries. Over 45 percent of the world countries is experiencing high population growth rate. Most of them are less developed countries are western Asia and Africa. It is expected that in next 32 years the population is going to double by present growth rate of 2.2%. The population of India in 1994 was 913.6 million, Brazil 159.1 million, Indonesia 189.9 million, this countries are experiencing growth between 1.5 to 2.1% per year. If this countries make effort in reducing their population will prove helpful in reducing the world population in coming years. In next 47 years the population will be double by the present growth rate of 1.5%. First, the per capita GNP is higher for the countries those who have high population growth than that of moderate population growth. It is not necessary that a high income may lead to low population growth. Second, environmental resource, income level and growth rate differ between countries. Where population growth rate is very low the people themselves may regarded as an important resource. In short sustaining development is adversely affected by high population growth. The population of the world is not equally distributed. America and Canada have 250 million of population; Soviet Union and South America both this countries have same population. the population of china , Korea and Japan is more than 1billion .India ,Pakistan ,Bangladesh is densely populated region with population of 1.5 billion. Population Density Population density is defined as the number of human being in per square miles. Population density gives over all view of the effect of population on natural resource with in the country. The impact of environmental damage on the economy of the country cannot be accurately forecast by the population density. Some populated countries whose population density is more, have high standard of living. The countries such as Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, where population density of this country is 1000person/sq mile. Some developed countries like UK, Australia and European countries have stable population with sustainable economy. As this country cultivate and export their crop. But countries like Brazil and Africa who are in developing stage with unstable population and have acute shortage of food, so import food from other countries. The difference in economy is generated due to diversity among the countries. The nation whose population is stable enjoys sustainable economy wit h high standard of living and the nation whose population is unstable and growing suffers from unsustainable economy, which leads to problem like starvation, poverty, disease. Impact of population pressure on Environment that is food and natural resource The population of the world is increasing day by day which indirectly effects the environment. Population is the key factor which affects the environment. The total population of the earth is 6billion which is more than the carrying capacity of the earth. Also population is increasing by the rate of 1.3% per year. As it is said above that the population of the developed country is stable but the population of underdeveloped country is increasing. So developing countries like India, China, Brazil, Africa have high illiteracy and most of the people live below poverty line .This is due to over increase in population, such vast population result in tremendous demand for shelter, food, water and sanitation facilities. This indirectly effects the natural environment and resource. Food: In developing countries like India, agriculture is their main occupation .more people in rural area are dependent on agriculture as their primary source of income. The population of developing countries is gradually increasing, but demand for the cultivation of crop is not increasing in the same way, which is due to scarcity of land and infertile soil. It is well known that agricultural increases arithmetically where as population increases geometrically. In many area the carrying capacity of agricultural land have already reached saturation, which is due to infertile soil, soil erosion over use of pesticides and fertilizers. Water: Another important issue in developing nation is scarcity of water. Extensive use of water for cultivation for many years has reduced the ground water level resulted in food scarcity. Other reason for water scarcity is irregular rain fall in these nations, which puts an additional pressure on water reservoirs. The available surface and ground water is very less to fulfill the growing demand of the population. Soil:- Tremendous increase in population and over use of land for agricultural purpose, road construction, reckless deforestation, fodder collection lead to continuous deterioration of soil. Due to scarcity of land many people are shifting towards the forest land, so more and more forest are cutting down for building houses and settle farm land .The remain of the trees are burnt and use as fertilizer or cattle grazing result of this the essential nutrients are washed out of the soil, which lead to soil erosion. In humid and tropic region about 80% of soil is infertile and acidic. When deforestation rises, the soil become more infertile. Due to high temperature in equatorial region the soil becomes dry which develops cracks in it, because of that the essential nutrients of the soil are lost, results into reducing fertility of soil. Forest: Over increase in population in developing countries resulted in terrible pressure on forest resource. As people are more dependent on forest for to fulfill their basic needs such as wood, land etc which led to deforestation. The extension of valuable species and plant are the major effect of deforestation. Deforestation can lead to many serious problems like erosion of soil, land become infertile, as a result the soil becomes hard and the essentials nutrients are absorbed. Studies say that deforestation can also led to climate change, which means hot climate and less rainfall. Poor people cut down forest for settlement and for farming, the trees are then burned which releases co2 as well as other gases which effects the environment. Fuel: Population explosion also has tremendous effect on nonrenewable resource like natural gas, petroleum product, coal etc and also mineral resource like gold, silver, copper, lead and iron etc. More and more this kind of fuel is used for industrial and domestic purpose which leads to pollution. According to me now people are thinking about the consequences and effect of over population, awareness has been created among the people in the urban area of developing nations. Government strategy towards controlling the population explosion has changed. In various nations around the world remarkable reduction in birth rate is taking place which will help to reduce population. Government should create awareness among the people regarding the benefits of family planning by conducting seminar and road shows in rural areas. A change in tax law should be done which encourages people to have not more than two children per couple. This will help them to give better education and prospect for their future. Government should also run different program for controlling population and they should also open family planning center which will provide people information about marriage counseling, sex education and child counseling (help to keep spacing after first child) apart from this banners, hoardings, electronic media and printed articles in news paper also helps to reduce birth rate. In developed countries, government is providing more benefits to the family having one or two children like free education, cloths, free medical and one time also meal to the children. The main effect on environment is increasing in deforestation to reduce this more no of building is created rather than individuals houses. Agricultural land should not be destroyed for this urbanization. More amounts of industry and factories should be built in towns which will create employment opportunities. This will help in moving people from major cities to towns in order to reduce the density of population. In urban areas government should provide benefits to the people using electric cars, this will reduce the air pollution caused by internal combustion engines. The chemical waste from industries is released into lakes and rivers which pollute them. This chemical waste contains toxic substances and poisonous gases which affects the health of human beings. These effects can be reduced by stopping release of toxic substance into the water. This water retreated in the plant and used for domestic purpose which will reduce the water shortage. For both the developed and the under developed countries, its important to see the environment as well as the economic growth. The developed and underdeveloped countries should create a balance between the economic growth and protection of environment. So that they can protect the land, air, and water on which the entire life depend.

Assessing The Strategy Of Blue Ocean Commerce Essay

Assessing The Strategy Of Blue Ocean Commerce Essay The market set is divided into two categories which are called oceans: Blue Oceans and red oceans. Red oceans are the known market space as it exists today, with all the various industries. Competitive rules are defined and barriers are clear and accepted. Competition exists among players to gain a bigger share; the more players are on the market, the fewer prospects for profit and growth is existent. Cutthroat competition turns the red ocean bloody. Blue Oceans on the other hand represent the opposite they are the unknown market space with industries that are not existent today. Demand is not created by competitive rivalry, because the rules of the game are yet to be set. There is substantial opportunity for profitable growth because of the deep potential of market space that is not yet explored.  [2]   To be successful in economic performance most companies are laying the focus on competitive strategies, plenty of enthusiasm is spend on analyzing and outperforming rivals. Using the vocabulary of the authors their focus is on red ocean strategies. In the future this will not be enough to survive; in addition to swim in a red ocean companies need to create Blue Oceans.  [3]  The following image illustrates the major differences between red and Blue Oceans. Image 1: Comparison of Red Ocean with Blue Ocean strategy  [4]   Value Innovation The basis of the Blue Ocean Strategy is called Value Innovation. Competition is made irrelevant by creating value for both buyers and the company. Buyer value is created by the benefit and price that the company offers to the consumer; value to the company is created from the price and its cost structure therefore only if those two variables are aligned the strategy works. The innovation of a product/ service must create value for the market and eliminate features that are not valued by the current market. New and uncontested market space is made accessible by simultaneously differentiate and reducing costs. This strategy is contrary to common management strategies which propose that companies can either create value to customers at higher costs or create reasonable value at lower costs.  [5]  According to the authors Value Innovation is a strategy that embraces the entire system of a companys activities.  [6]  Image 2 illustrates Value Innovation. Image 2: Value Innovation  [7]   Analytical tools and framework There are three basic tools that will help companies to build a Blue Ocean Strategy. The strategy canvas The strategy canvas is a tool that helps to build a Blue Ocean Strategy. It highlights the current situation in the known market space and shows the offering level that buyers receive across several key competing factors. By illustrating these factors in a simple matrix a graphic description in form of a value curve is visible. This value curve shows a companys relative performance within its industrys factors of competition.  [8]  By illustrating the current situation of an industry the strategic focus can be shifted away from current competition to alternatives and noncustomers, a redefinition of the industry can be constructed.  [9]  Image 3 illustrates a strategy canvas with an example of an Airline. Image 3: Strategy Canvas  [10]   The four actions framework This tool uses four key questions to lead to a new value curve: Which of the factors that the industry takes for granted should be eliminated? Which factors should be reduced well below the industrys standard? Which factors should be raised well above the industrys standard? Which factors should be created that the industry has never offered?  [11]   The first two questions give an insight in how to reduce the cost structure in comparison to other players in the industry. Question 3 and 4 give insight into how to lift buyer value and create new demand.  [12]   The eliminate-reduce-raise-create-grid This tool is supplementary to the four actions framework. It gives companies the possibility to act on all four questions answered before to create new value. The four factors of what to eliminate, reduce, raise and create are put in a matrix and by that scrutinize every factor the industry competes on.  [13]   Formulating Blue Oceans strategies Reconstruct market boundaries In order to break away from the competition the first principle is to reconstruct market boundaries. The challenge is to find possibilities of Blue Ocean opportunities. During performing research across various industry sectors the authors found a basic approach to remaking market boundaries, the six path framework.  [14]  This framework is applicable in all kinds of industries and all are based on looking at data from a new perspective. These are the six paths: Path 1: Look across alternative industries Path 2: Look across strategic groups within industries Path 3: Look across the chain of buyers Path 4: Look across complimentary product and service offerings Path 5: Look across functional or emotional appeal to buyers Path 6: Look across time  [15]   By analyzing each of the single paths companies will be able to get an insight into how to open up Blue Oceans by rebuilding market realities and leave behind conventional boundaries of competition.  [16]   Focus on the big pictures, not the numbers The approach to the strategic planning process is based on drawing a strategy canvas, as it is explained in the section of analytical tools and framework of this document. A structured process for developing a strategy canvas has been developed, which is called the Visualizing Strategy.  [17]  As the name implies, this process uses visual stimulation with the purpose to unlock peoples creativity. The main focus here is laid on the big picture rather than on defined numbers and operational details.  [18]   Reach beyond existing demand To achieve a maximization of the size of the Blue Ocean you are creating the focus should be laid on two things: The analysis of non-customers and finding out strong similarities of what buyers value.  [19]  This is a reversed approach to common strategies, where the focus is on customers and customer differences. The three tiers of non customers The challenge is to find out who the non-customers are and get a deep understanding of them. The authors describe three tiers of non-customers that eventually can be transformed into customers. The first tier of non-customers is closest to your market and would stay and increase their frequency of purchases if a leap in value would be offered to them. These non-customers also referred to as soon-to-be.  [20]  The second tier of non-customers is further away from your market and aware of offerings in it but has consciously voted against them. These non-customers are also referred to as refusing.  [21]  The third tier of non-customers is farthest from your market and has never considered its offerings as an option. These non customers are also referred to as unexplored.  [22]   By analyzing each of the three tiers an understanding of the non-customers can be developed to attract them into your market and expand your Blue Ocean.  [23]   Get the strategic sequence right The fourth principle of Blue Ocean Strategy focuses on the challenge to build a sustainable business model that will make profit on your Blue Ocean idea. The idea here is to use sequences and key criteria within a sequence to reduce business model risk.  [24]  Each sequence has a key question that has to be asked. If answered with no the sequence has to be reshaped. If answered with yes one can move on to the next sequence. The four sequences are: Buyer utility: Is there exceptional buyer utility in your business idea? Price: Is your price easy accessible to the mass of buyers? Cost: Can you attain your cost target to profit at your strategic price? Adoption: What are the adoption hurdles in actualizing your business idea? Are you addressing them up front?  [25]   With this sequencing as a starting point further analyzing of strategic pricing, target costing and finally the profit model is developed.  [26]   Executing Blue Ocean Strategy Overcome key organizational hurdles The challenge to execute the strategy of Blue Oceans is significant, since there are changes made from the conventional way of doing things. The authors present four common hurdles in the execution: The cognitive-, political-, motivational- and resource hurdle. Dealing with those challenges in form of hurdles with tipping point leadership is the key to make Blue Ocean Strategy happen in action.  [27]   Build execution into strategy The sixth principle of the Blue Ocean Strategy is about building commitment and trust into the strategy from the start. The focus is laid on a fair process as a key variable that distinguishes successful Blue Ocean Strategy moves from those that failed.  [28]   Case analysis In this section, we intend to describe and analize two cases of innovative companies (Virgin Galactic and Petrobras) based on the Blue Ocean theory. Virgin Galactic Description of Virgin Galactic Virgin Galactic is a company which belongs to the Virgin Group. This group was founded 1970 by Sir Richard Branson and is one of the leading brand venture capital organizations of the world. The group has created more than 300 branded companies in a variety of different industries, employs around 50,000 people and generated revenue of approx. US$ 18 billion in the year 2009.  [29]  Based on them the success of this group derives from the power of the Virgin name, Richard Bransons personal reputation; our unrivalled network of friends, contacts and partners; the Virgin management style; the way talent is empowered to flourish within the group.  [30]   The Virgin Galactic company has the aim of making private space travel available to everyone by creating the worlds first commercial spaceline.  [31]  Virgin Galactic will create, own and operate spaceships, the SpaceShipTwo. To achieve this goal the Virgin Group uses it experiences in aviation, adventure and luxury travel combining with the technology developed by Burt Rutan. The company was founded in the year 2004 and is located in New Mexico. The SpaceShipOne became the first private spaceship with high altitude-flights in the year 2004. The successor of this technology, the SpaceShipTwo, has seats for two pilots and six passengers. Every passenger has to pay US$200.000 with a deposit ofUS$20,000. At the moment 340 passengers have registered for this service.  [32]  So far 450 people have ever been to space, the goal of Virgin Galactic is to take 1,000 people to space within the first year of commercial operation.  [33]  The first commercial flight shall start in the year 2012.  [34]   The mothership of the SpaceShipTwo, the WhiteKnightTwo, will take the SpaceShipTwo to a height of about 16km and then release it. At that point the rockets of the SpaceShipTwo will boost and bring it to a height of about 100km.  [35]  There it will fly for about five minutes in which the passengers have a magnificent view at the earth and can enjoy weightlessness. Afterwards the space ship will decrease the altitude and land at its base in New Texas. The first flying tests of the WhiteKnightTwo were executed successfully and the SpaceShipTwo completed the first manned glide flight in October 2010.  [36]   At current stage the company Blue Origin which is based close to Seattle is also working on a private space ship.  [37]   Analysis of Virgin Galactic The analysis will start by discussing the Value Innovation of Virgin Galactic. So far tourism in space was available for seven specific persons who paid in average US$ 25 million for staying about 14 days at the ISS.  [38]  The clear buyer benefit of Virgin Galactic is to make this tourism available for nearly everybody who can afford paying the US$200,000 which is less than 1% of the price so far. Moreover, these space trips also add value to Virgin Galactic as it will earn US$200,000 for every passenger having already 340 on the waiting list. Virgin Galactic clearly succeeded in creating a Value Innovation. In the following the strategy canvas for Virgin Galactic will be developed to see the value curve in comparison to its competitor the stay at the ISS.  [39]   As principal factors the following was defined: price, safety, request for personal attributes and easy preparation for the trip.  [40]  As seen in image one the Virgin Galactic company enables a much more comfortable and convenient stay as the previous tourism on the ISS. This is also based on the lower requirements a person has to fulfill to be able to execute this tourism and the lower time-investment. Image 4: Strategy Canvas of Virgin Galactic  [41]   Considering the four action framework Virgin Galactic reduced the costs by eliminated the factors that a stay in space has to be combined with a long duration and cost-intensive stay at the ISS and with cost-intensive rocket starts. Furthermore, they created the factor that nearly everybody would be able (from physical requirements  [42]  ) to go to space with a low time-investment and a comparably low amount of money. They increased the convenience of space-tourisms to a very high extent. In conclusion, they managed to dramatically reduce the costs while increasing the perceived value of the passengers which are interested in some minutes of weightlessness and seeing the earth from the space. Virgin Galactic also concentrated on the so called non-customers as the total number of customers was seven so far. They identified the implicit wish of most people to go to space once. Organizational hurdles The cognitive hurdle cannot be applied as Virgin Galactic did not start in a red ocean but directly entered the Blue Ocean with the start of the company. The hurdle resources will probably be not a big burden as the first flying tests went successful, customers on the waiting list already paid close to US$7 million as deposit and Sheikh Mansour invested US$280 million in this business.  [43]  Furthermore, the Virgin Group and the state of New Mexico are supporting this business. The motivation of the employees and managers is high which is also pushed by Richard Branson personal interest in the success of this company.  [44]  The political hurdle could be implemented by making new laws for required safety standards. But already in 2004 the US congress passed a law which allows passengers to fly into space with the understanding that these vehicles might not be as safe as regular airplanes. Furthermore, the governor of New Mexico supports this company  [45]  and the Virgin group has a high political power. In conclusion all the hurdles were passed successfully by Virgin Gallactic. Build execution into strategy From the beginning Richard Branson declared the vision of this company to make private space travel year 2004. Conclusion In final conclusion, Virgin Galactic entered a Blue Ocean from the beginning. It decreased the costs and made space travel available to everyone by creating the worlds first commercial spaceline. Virgin Galactic works towards this clear vision with having the first commercial flights very likely eight years after its foundation in the previous tourism in space and increased the value of it by leveraging especially the convenience for the customers. Moreover, it went beyond known customer space by offering this service for less than 1% of the costs so far. It managed the organizational hurdles and created a strong vision from the start. Although other companies as e.g. Blue Origin try to create space tourisms this ocean is deep blue so far for Virgin Galactic. Petrobras Description of Petrobras Petrobras was established on October 3, 1953 by the president of Brazil, Getà ºlio Vargas, to undertake oil sector activities in the country. In the early 1970s, the members of the Organization of the Oil Exporting Countries (OPEC) rose the international prices substantially, triggering the so-called Oil Shock. As a result, the market was troubled and marked by uncertainty. In order to overcome the difficulties, the Brazilian government adopted economic measures in order to overcome the supply of oil. Some examples of these measures were the encouragement for use of ethanol as automotive fuel and prioritizing offshore exploration and production. With the measures, the government intended to reduce the dependency on importing a very expensive product and to create an industry to create jobs and exports. These tasks where given to Petrà ³leo Brasileiro (Petrobras) for being executed.  [46]   Producing ethanol for powering the nation 1975 marks the beginning of the production of Ethanol by Petrobras in Brazil aiming to drive the large-scale substitution of oil based vehicular fuels for biofuels. Substituting gasoline for ethanol (produced from sugarcane and manioc) led to 10 million fewer gasoline fuel cars running in Brazil, reducing the countrys dependence on imported oil.  [47]   Today Brazil is recognized as the world leader in the production of ethanol for industrial purposes, based on the most advanced agricultural technology for sugarcane cultivation in the world and to the amount of arable land available in the country. In 2010, the Brazilian ethanol produced by Petrobras was designated as one of the most advanced biofuels due to the 61% reduction of green house gas emissions.  [48]   Pioneering in deep waters In 1984 the company discovered one of the biggest reserve in deep water ever registered in the world. The Albacora field was discovered; proving the existence of giant fields nestled at great depth in Brazil. This marked the beginning in deepwater exploration for the company. By 1986 the company, which until then purchased technology, was faced with the challenge of producing oil at a depth of 400 meters. After surveying the market and finding out there was no technology available for this depth, the company decided to invest in developing new technologies. This was an extremely ambitious project, since, at the time, Petrobras had been exploring at depths of 150 meters and had plans for 1000 meters by 1990. This project turned out to be a great success and the company is currently the global leader in this area. By 2005, Petrobras sets the record of drilling depth with a sloped that reached 6915 meters beyond the bottom of the sea.  [49]   Petrobras achieves self sufficiency In 2006 Brazil became a self-sufficient country in oil and gas production. With an average of 1.9 million barrels per day, Brazil went on to exporting more oil and oil products than it imported. It was like a dream came true, only possible because of the technological efforts and dedication of the employees. Since this point, Petrobras is the most profitable company in the Brazilian economy, being recognized as the eighth biggest oil exploring company in the world.  [50]   In the upcoming years, Petrobras intends to invest in using and developing new renewable energy sources. The portfolio of new projects includes wind, solar and water energy sources and fuel hydrogen. The intention is to reduce even more the dependency on oil, delivering the necessary energy sources to Brazil in order to sustain the intended growth of the upcoming years. Analysis of Petrobas Petrobras success can be summed up in one word and that word is innovation. This company faced the challenge of turning one of the biggest countries in the Americas from a big consumer of imported oil to self sufficient in oil and gas production. This strategy was based on focusing on the big picture (producing its own oil and become an exporter of petroleum) rather than finding a temporary solution for importing oil in the 70s, when the biggest crisis of oil prices occurred. Value Innovation They broke away from the competition by reconstructing market boundaries. For each challenge they faced, they were able to create and develop the necessary technology that didnt exist in the market, becoming a leader in deepwater oil drilling. They reached beyond their existing demand by having more oil available than they need for their own consumption. They also created value to the country by reducing the amount of CO2 in 61% emitted by cars and public transportation thanks to the introduction to ethanol and biodiesel. Brazil became a more efficient country thanks to the use of their natural resources for powering the nation. By mixing ethanol with oil, Petrobras has managed to increase the value for customers by creating a reduction of oil prices  [51]  and by guaranteeing the oil supply they reduced the dependency on foreign companies. Strategy canvas We have decided to explain the differences between the two largest producers of Ethanol in the world, Brazil and U.S.A. As we have mentioned before, Petrobras is the only company responsible for the production and distribution of ethanol in Brazil. Image 5: Stragegy Canvas Petrobas  [52]   As we can see in the figure xx, Brazil is the second largest producer of Ethanol in the world (6,500 million gallons in 2009  [53]  ) behind the United States (10,900 million gallons in 2009  [54]  ). But, the total area used by Brazil for cultivating their sugar cane (3.6 million hectares  [55]  by 2006) is far less than the land used by the United States (10 million hectares  [56]  in 2006). This means that the productivity per hectare is superior in Brazil than in the United States. Another important thing to mention is that thanks to the mixture of Ethanol and oil in Brazil, green house gas reduction has been reduced considerably (89%  [57]  ), increasing the value the company gives to their customers. Organizational hurdles The hurdles are based on the theory mentioned in the first section of this project. During the oil crisis of the 70s, the company faced the challenge of completely changing the paradigm of production. In the cognitive hurdle, we can say that the employees understood completely the need of the company and were able to transform the company. In the second hurdle resources, we can say that the company successfully understood that they needed to invest a great amount of resources in RD in order to increase the efficiency of the production of ethanol and also to raise the drilling depth for oil extraction. Motivating employees on a thirty-year-old project has been an enormous challenge for the company. They have managed to succeed by achieving small goals each year, increasing the level of satisfaction and trust towards the leadership of the company. Finally, the political hurdle was managed correctly due to the implications of the transformation project, involving the government, the management and employees of the company. Build execution into strategy As we mentioned before, the strategy was clear from the beginning: Reduce the dependency of oil and turn the country into a self-sufficient country. The facts speak for themselves, the whole company aligned in order to achieve the goal and it is an example on how to implement the Blue Ocean strategy. Conclusion So, why can the strategy of Petrobras be considered a Blue Ocean strategy? First of all they focused on creating value for the country by reducing the amount of oil imported and gaining self-sufficiency. As a consequence, they were able to reduce considerably the prices of gasoline in Brazil and the dependency of external factors to develop the country. They achieved this goal by innovating in ways to reduce consumption of oil (alternative fuels like ethanol and biodiesel) and exploit the potential the country had in its coasts, regardless the technology available at the times. In the last twenty years, Petrobras has become a key player in the success of Brazil to achieve development. The upcoming years for this company look really bright, thanks to the investment they are doing on other alternative means to produce electricity (water, solar and wind), improve the efficiency of alternative fuels and by creating the necessary technology for increasing the depth for deepwater drilling for oil. Discussion In the following the degree of novelty of the Blue Ocean strategy and the general criticism about this theory will be discussed. Analyzing the degree of novelty in the Blue Ocean Strategy The book The Blue Ocean Strategy was first published in 2005 and according to the two authors based on more than 15 years of research in various dimensions of this business topic and 150 successful strategic moves spanning.  [58]   As we read above the Blue Ocean Strategy aims at creating new demand in an uncontested market space. This is done by reducing the factors of competition and offering new value to t