Ap Global Midterm Review

Global Midterm review * Changes to map of Europe after WWI/WWII- new countries formed After WWI Only two completely new countries in Europe were formed after WW1 – Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia. Poland, which had been wiped off the map in 1795, was revived. The Baltic republics – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania asserted their independence. Romania doubled in size. After WWII To a great extent, no new countries were formed after World War II. Most of these changes occurred in the East.Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, only just winning independence after WWI were erased as independent states and became part of the Soviet Union. Poland's borders were moved eastward to include only the â€Å"corridor† from before the war but also parts of East Prussia, Pomerania, and Silesia, though they also lost the eastern parts of their country to the Soviet Union. Austria and Czechoslovakia, states created by the end of WWI but annexed to Nazi Germany in the 1930s reappeared, thoug h Czechoslovakia was firmly under Soviet domination and the Austrians were forced to remain neutral during the growing Cold War.In Europe the only country divided was Germany. * Conservatism in western politics Conservatives, such as Austria’s Prince Klemens von Metternich, were bent on maintaining the sanctity of traditional political institutions, particularly the monarchy. It was also their goal to maintain a balance of power in Europe in order to ensure a permanent peace. * Welfare state Welfare State and Consumer Society A. The motives for the welfare state 1. protection against depression and political extremism 2. the argument for social justice B.Features of the welfare state 1. support ‘from cradle to grave’ 2. educational and cultural opportunities C. The growth of consumer society 1. a new standard of living 2. materialism and hedonism 3. the end of public life? * Nuclear umbrella Nuclear umbrella refers to a guarantee by a nuclear weapons state to def end a non-nuclear allied state. * Germany after World War II At the end of the war, Germany was basically divided into 4 sections, each one under the control of one of the Allied powers; The United States, England, France, and Russia.Berlin was divided as well. After a period of rebuilding and reorganization, the sections under the control of the United States, England, and France were returned to the control of the German government. Russia retained control over its section and brought it under the fold of the newly formed USSR. This resulted in the Berlin Wall, and the separate countries of East Germany and West Germany. Following the fall of communism and the breakup of the USSR in the 1980's, Germany reunified. * Marshall plan Proposed to rebuild the continent in the interest of political stability and a healthy world economy * viewed as a vehicle for American economic dominance * Iron Curtain * a term coined by Winston Churchill to describe the boundary that separated the Warsa w Pact countries from the NATO countries from about 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991 * was both a physical and an ideological division that represented the way Europe was viewed after World War II * Soviet control over Eastern Europe Between 1945 and 1949 Stalin created a Russian empire in Eastern Europe.This empire included Poland, Hungary, Rumania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia and East Germany. Each had a Communist government. In the West they were called satellites because they clung closely to the Soviet Union like satellites round a planet. Stalin was able to create this empire for a number of reasons. The first was the military might of the Soviet Union in Europe after 1945. Another reason for the spread of Communism after the war was the gratitude of many Eastern Europeans for their liberation from Nazism.This, and the often-appalling conditions at the end of the war, played into the hands of east European communist parties, which were, of course, backed by Stalin and t he Soviet Union. * Decolonization after World War II After WWII Europe tried to reassert its colonial dominance over Africa and the Far East. At the same time national movements grew strong in those colonies. Europe soon realized that they would be unable to physically control the colonies without massive military occupation forces.This was impossible both in economic and political terms. As a result the colonial powers began a staged withdrawal of physical control but maintained economic ties. While these new countries were ‘independent' their formal colonial masters still had much control over the country. * Impact of World War II on international trade The conclusion of World War II spurred efforts to correct the problems stemming from protectionism, which had increased since 1871, and trade restrictions, which had been imposed between World Wars I and II.The resulting multilateral trade agreements and other forms of international economic cooperation led to the General Agr eement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and laid the foundation for the World Trade Organization (WTO). * Impact of World War II on civilian population -One of the most distressing impacts that war has on civilians is the frequent removal of their basic human rights -Huge civilian casualties on front line and bombing attacks -gave people the physiological hope to become as powerful as Hitler did * Consequences of industrialization in the 1800s Mass migration of people from the land to the cities. -Massive building of below standard accommodation, built cheaply, to accommodate them -Massive increase in childhood mortality due to injuries at work, cruelty, the spread of disease, rat population increase, alcohol use and casual neglect of children due to both parents working. -Expansion of the coal industry to include women and children working down the mines. -Exploitation of cheap child labor -Poor diet due to low wages and the collapse of the agricultural economy due to lack of laborers - Slavery in the UK to plug the gaps of missing workers War with France had been ongoing from the late 18th century and was a massive drain on the economy. -The start of the National Debt to pay for the war and the introduction of taxes on booze, tobacco etc. -Explosion in smuggling to counteract the tax increases. * NATO/Warsaw Pact NATO- North Atlantic Trade Organization -led by US; maintain adequate military strength and political unity to deter aggression and other forms of military or political pressure; aimed at a relaxation of tensions between East and West – a policy based to a large extent on general military strength.Warsaw Pact -led by USSR; a military treaty, which bound its signatories to come to the aid of the others, should any one of them be the victim of foreign aggression. * Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna was convened in 1815 by the four European powers, which had defeated Napoleon. The first goal was to establish a new balance of power in Europe, w hich would prevent imperialism within Europe, such as the Napoleonic Empire,  and maintain the peace between the great powers.The second goal was to prevent political revolutions, such as the French Revolution, and maintain the status quo. * Political ideologies: Conservatives Liberals socialist radicals Conservatism * a political and social philosophy that promotes retaining traditional social institutions Liberalism * a political ideology, a branch of liberalism which advocates civil liberties and political freedom with limited government under the rule of law and generally promotes a laissez-faire economic policy Socialism an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and co-operative management of the economy Radicalism * sought republicanism, abolition of titles, redistribution of property and freedom of the press * Demographic transition after industrialization * dramatic changes in population growth and life expectancy driven by changes in the underlying factors that explain them: fertility increased and mortality decreased * Karl Marx – father of socialism and communism Marx's ideas were that of pure equality.He wanted a world where everyone was equal. His theories, while impractical because of the nature of man, were truly â€Å"good†. His ultimate goal was to eradicate poverty. * Opium war – example of resistance to imperialism * Motives For Imperialism 1. ) Economic – motives included the desire to make money, to expand and control foreign trade, to create new markets for products, to acquire raw materials and cheap labor, to compete for investments and resources, and to export industrial technology and transportation methods. . ) Political- motives were based on a nation's desire to gain power, to compete with other European countries, to expand territory, to exercise military force, to gain prestige by winning colonies, and to boost national pride and security. 3. ) Religious- motives included the desire to spread Christianity, to protect European missionaries in other lands, to spread European values and moral beliefs, to educate peoples of other cultures, and to end slave trade in Africa. 4. Exploratory- motives were based on the desire to explore unknown or uncharted territory, to conduct scientific research, to conduct medical searches for the causes and treatment of diseases, to go on an adventure, and to investigate unknown lands and cultures. * Impact of imperialism/colonization * large numbers of people were forced into slavery or the system of indentured laborers, and vast areas of natural habitats were cleared and converted to monocultural plantations. * the export of Western values – resource exploitation, consumerism and materialism to the colonies

Outline the relative strategic positions of Netflix and Blockbuster. What are the key factors that explain the ultimate Blockbuster demise? Essay

Outline the relative strategic positions of Netflix and Blockbuster. What are the key factors that explain the ultimate Blockbuster demise? (as of the time of the case) In the following assignment I will begin by giving the relative strategic positions of Netflix and Blockbuster as of January 2007. I will then outline what I believe to be the top three key factors that explain the ultimate Blockbuster demise. Strategic Positions Netflix – An outside-in company At the time of the case, Netflix was a perfect example of an outside-in thinking company. Netflix‘s strategy was very straight forward – it was to allow the best home video viewing for its customers. This was a simple and clear strategy. This strategy meant Netflix could adapt and change its model of allowing the best home video viewing for its customers as its customers habits changed. By January 2007 Netflix was fulfilling this strategy via its DVD home delivery service. By the end of 2006 we are told in the case study that Netflix had 6.6 million subscribers, a library of 70,000 different titles which were held on over 55 million DVD’s, revenues of nearly one billion and free cash flow of $64 million. The company could deliver to 90% of its subscribers within a single day. Netflix demonstrated that it listened to customer feedback from very early on. When something didn’t work they changed it until the results showed that the replacement service was working. They changed their charging model from a per-movie price to a monthly subscription, they improved their delivery service through opening more distribution centres to allow for quicker delivery and therefore improving customer service, the range of movies on offer was not being limited to new releases but was instead being broadened to offer its customers more of what they liked, the tailoring of movies to the individual and finally carefully considered partnerships and alliances to increase their customer portfolio. At the time of the case Netflix had a sound business model however the CEO, Reed Hastings, could see large-scale change was imminent and he did not want to be left behind. He could see Video-On-Demand was the future and he wanted to be ready for it. The company had already been investing tens of millions in cash in VOD for several years. This demonstrated their desire to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Netflix was evolving to meet its customer’s desires. Blockbuster – An inside-out company At the time of the case Blockbuster were playing catch up. They had spent the recent past in a very dominant and comfortable position with almost 50% of the home rental market. During the period of dominance their model worked. They were in a position which was similar to that of Kodak at the time of the early introduction of digital cameras which ultimately saw the end of Kodak’s dominance in the photographic market. (Johnson, Whittington & Scholes, 2011, pp. 308). They had been very much in the position of an inside-out company whose success had been built around â€Å"depth of copy†. (Ritson, 2010, pp. 62) The only evidence of a strategy was to copy and try to improve upon models which had already been developed by its competitors. Blockbuster did not identify any threats to its market position until it was too late, and when they did recognise the threat their response was to copy, not to innovate. Blockbuster first dismissed the concept of online rentals in 2002, but went on to launch a version of their own in 2004. Key Factors in the ultimate demise of Blockbuster 1 – Blockbuster did not take its competitors seriously. Ritson tells us that a key factor in the demise of Blockbuster was one of ignorance and arrogance. Blockbuster ignored a tiny upstart with a new business model (Netflix) which began in 1999. In an interview with Fortune magazine in 2003, Blockbuster senior management were openly dismissive of the threat posed by Netflix. They stated that their customers were more â€Å"spur of the moment renters who did not necessarily plan their movie watching in advance†. Blockbuster viewed itself as a rental outlet and Netflix as a delivery service. It did not consider Netflix as a competitor. (Ritson, 2010, pp. 62) 2 – Blockbuster was always playing catch-up. Blockbuster saw itself as competing in a different market. Ritson states that if Blockbuster had realised early enough that it was in the entertainment business instead of the home rental business it could have launched a competitor service to Netflix or perhaps even acquired Netflix. (Ritson, 2010, pp. 62) In the case study we are told that Hastings stated in 2005 that, â€Å"we’re just thankful Blockbuster didn’t enter four years ago†. Again from the case study detail we can see that when Blockbuster did eventually start competing with Netflix in 2004 it launched similar products to its competitor and tried to differentiate itself through price. In the article, â€Å"Reinventing your Business Model† we are told that, â€Å"pursuing a new business model that’s not new or game changing to your industry or market is a waste of time and money†. (Johnson, Christensen & Kagermann, 2008, pp. 56) Blockbuster missed an opportunity to leap frog its opponents and instead of trying to break new ground they simply followed what was already working for its competitors. Meanwhile its competitors were already moving on. 3 – Blockbuster did not listen to its stakeholders or strategise. Blockbuster did not listen to what its stakeholders were saying and doing. The article â€Å"Strategic Management of Stakeholders: Theory and Practice†, tells us that by â€Å"attending to important concepts emerging from the stakeholder literature†, it is possible that â€Å"top management teams can increase the robustness of their strategies†. (Ackermann & Eden, 2010, pp. 179). The article goes on to demonstrate that by mapping their stakeholders in the following way companies can see very quickly who has the relevant interest and power to influence the company’s strategic direction. Stakeholder mapping diagram Keep satisfied Manage Closely Monitor Keep informed The lack of a strategy at the time of their dominance saw Blockbuster having to give up revenue when trying to imitate their competitors – $600 million forgoing late fees to match the Netflix model as well as spending heavily on advertising when taking their version of their competitor’s products to market. This money could have been diverted early on to innovate and to remain dominant in the home entertainment market. (Pugatch, 2007, pp. 43). BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Ackermann, Fran & Colin Eden. (2011) ‘Strategic Management of Stakeholders: Theory and Practice’, Long Range Planning 44, pp.179–196. 2. Johnson, Gerry, Richard Whittington & Kevan Scholes. (2011) Exploring Strategy, Text & Cases, Ninth Edition. Harlow: Prentice Hall Financial Times. 3. Johnson, Mark W., Clayton M. Christensen & Henning Kagermann. (2008) ‘Reinventing your business model’, Harvard Business Review, December 2008, pp. 50–59. 4. Pugatch, CB. (2007) ‘Rent this’ (Online). Available at: http://www.response-digital.com/response/200707/?pg=42#pg42 (Accessed 19th June 2013). 5. Ritson, Mark. (2010) ‘This Blockbuster is one you mustn’t miss’ (Online). Available at: http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/this-blockbuster-is-one-you-mustnt-miss/3018752.article (Accessed 19th June 2013).

World History

During the medieval times, feudalism was the institution that characterized the political and economic landscape of Europe. What began as a contract between a lord and vassal eventually became the means for social organization in Europe. The term â€Å"feudalism† was said to have originated from â€Å"vieh,† the German word for cow (Nelson, 1999). This was because cows were the determinants of wealth for the early Germans (Nelson, 1999). Consequently, the term â€Å"fief† was used, which means â€Å"something of value† (Nelson, 1999). In the medieval era, land was the most valuable. Essentially, feudalism is â€Å"the contractual relationship among the European upper classes, by which a lord granted land to his man in return for military service† (Alexander, 1992, p. 64). This relationship between the lord and the vassal has political implications; the most crucial political characteristic of which was the localization of power and authority. The localization of power was a result of the Civil wars and the many invasions that occurred in Europe (Alexander, 1992). The invasions of the Magyars and the Vikings were instrumental in making the issue of defense a local concern (Alexander, 1992). This situation provided the opportunity for landowners to gain civil and military powers (Nelson, 1999). Due to the attacks, the feudal lords felt the need to hire men to protect their lands, while the people supported the landowners who could offer them protection. Hence, all government power was transferred to the local level, giving the landowners the most authority. Feudalism also dictated the economic atmosphere. Since the the feudal lords already had political authority, it followed that they had economic power as well. Through the fiefs they had given to their vassals, the landowners began influencing the areas within their territories. All the trees within the lord's land were his possession, and those trees may not be cut for any purpose (Nelson, 1999). The people were also asked to be economical in their fuel consumption (Nelson, 1999). Moreover, for every resource the villagers use, the lord must be paid (Nelson, 1999). This includes taking wood and hunting for animals. In addition, the lord has the monopoly over structures like grain mills and public baths (Nelson, 1999). The villagers also had to pay for the use of these structures. Nonetheless, the lords did not keep all income gained from these endeavors. They also shared it as non-land fiefs; examples of which include profits from the mills or fishing rights in streams (Nelson, 1999).Ap World History Units 1-3 Study Guide Aside from the economic rewards of being a feudal lord, he also received â€Å"relief† from his vassals. This was the payment given to the lord for taking a vassal (Nelson, 1999). At the same time, this payment would be used for his crusading expenses, or for the lord's ransom the moment he got captured (Alexander, 1992). In conclusion, feudalism was marked by two characteristics. On one hand, it was characterized by the localization of power. On the other hand, the economy was dominated by the lords. World History During the medieval times, feudalism was the institution that characterized the political and economic landscape of Europe. What began as a contract between a lord and vassal eventually became the means for social organization in Europe. The term â€Å"feudalism† was said to have originated from â€Å"vieh,† the German word for cow (Nelson, 1999). This was because cows were the determinants of wealth for the early Germans (Nelson, 1999). Consequently, the term â€Å"fief† was used, which means â€Å"something of value† (Nelson, 1999). In the medieval era, land was the most valuable. Essentially, feudalism is â€Å"the contractual relationship among the European upper classes, by which a lord granted land to his man in return for military service† (Alexander, 1992, p. 64). This relationship between the lord and the vassal has political implications; the most crucial political characteristic of which was the localization of power and authority. The localization of power was a result of the Civil wars and the many invasions that occurred in Europe (Alexander, 1992). The invasions of the Magyars and the Vikings were instrumental in making the issue of defense a local concern (Alexander, 1992). This situation provided the opportunity for landowners to gain civil and military powers (Nelson, 1999). Due to the attacks, the feudal lords felt the need to hire men to protect their lands, while the people supported the landowners who could offer them protection. Hence, all government power was transferred to the local level, giving the landowners the most authority. Feudalism also dictated the economic atmosphere. Since the the feudal lords already had political authority, it followed that they had economic power as well. Through the fiefs they had given to their vassals, the landowners began influencing the areas within their territories. All the trees within the lord's land were his possession, and those trees may not be cut for any purpose (Nelson, 1999). The people were also asked to be economical in their fuel consumption (Nelson, 1999). Moreover, for every resource the villagers use, the lord must be paid (Nelson, 1999). This includes taking wood and hunting for animals. In addition, the lord has the monopoly over structures like grain mills and public baths (Nelson, 1999). The villagers also had to pay for the use of these structures. Nonetheless, the lords did not keep all income gained from these endeavors. They also shared it as non-land fiefs; examples of which include profits from the mills or fishing rights in streams (Nelson, 1999).Ap World History Units 1-3 Study Guide Aside from the economic rewards of being a feudal lord, he also received â€Å"relief† from his vassals. This was the payment given to the lord for taking a vassal (Nelson, 1999). At the same time, this payment would be used for his crusading expenses, or for the lord's ransom the moment he got captured (Alexander, 1992). In conclusion, feudalism was marked by two characteristics. On one hand, it was characterized by the localization of power. On the other hand, the economy was dominated by the lords.

History of Anthropological Thought - Functionalism and Marxist Anthrop Essay

History of Anthropological Thought - Functionalism and Marxist Anthropology - Essay Example The word 'mangu' means 'witchcraft' and to some extent witchcraft and sorcery are alike. Both have general purposes, but their practices are different. Witchcraft was said to be a 'psychic power which often inherited, it can be activated if the owner became angry or jealous, and this power is normally unconscious as well as limited to those with the substance in their body. Sorcery is skill, which can be learnt by anyone and can be passed on through study. This skill also knows as "black magnetic" which can be defined as the evil use of medicines' (Evans-Pritchard, 1937, p.42). Both are used for destructive private ends against the lives and possessions of law-abiding people. The centre of this book is the three oracles of the Azande in Sudan. These being in the order of decreasing significance: the poison oracle, the termite oracle, and the rubbing board oracle. Amongst the Azande, witchcraft is viewed as the main hazard. They are sure that witchcraft can be inherited and that a person can be a mage, making others harm, without understanding her or his impact. Anthropologists have had the long disagreement concerning the nature and importance of beliefs in witchcraft and magic and, in particular, concerning the rationality of the witchcraft beliefs. Evans-Prichard underlines that they are rational since they are very utilitarian an, they are the mighty mechanism of the social top of a hierarchy. Evans-Pritchard provides a sociological model of such beliefs, he proves that they are what the chief needs to maintain submission and keep people in constant fear. That is the importance of such beliefs for the whole community; without them, the structure if the community itself will be destroyed, and a community would parish to the extent of values and culture. In addition, beliefs are important since they explain to them many things and give the image of the person who is 'omnipotent' and who can help in any trouble as well as make a great harm.           Ã‚  

Hun Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Hun - Essay Example Similarly Ishtar’s lover Tammuz died and this lead Ishtar to visit the underworld during which she removed her attires at the gate and entered while naked. This is the source of many ancient depictions of Ishtar as a naked woman. Her figure, lips, and beauty assert her as the goddess of fertility, sex and love. As the goddess of fertility, Ishtar the Babylonians believed Ishtar controlled the menstrual cycle and birth. This made all humans subject to Ishtar as their mother god. Ishtar gave kings the authority to rule and her prowess is represented by a lioness and a woman holding bow and arrow. Astarte was the love goddess of the Armenians. When Tammuz died, Ishtar descended to the underworld and threatened to break down the doors. Her relationship with Ereshkigal, the queen of the underworld was strenuous and Ishtar was imprisoned and made sick (Bray 15). Since Ishtar was the god of sex, all sexual activity in the world halted during her stay in the underworld, asserting her authority among other gods. Additionally, Ishtar nursed Tammuz which is similar to Isis the Egyptian goddess who nursed Horus. This comparative mythology demonstrates the importance of goddess Ishtar in the ancient religions. Ishtar was part of a secondary astral triad together with Shamash and Sin, the gods of the sun and moon respectively. Ishtar was the protector of prostitutes and her temples featured temple prostitutes. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Ishtar is portrayed as a bad tempered lady who has been spoiled by her father. Ishtar asked Gilgamesh who was the king of Uruk to marry her but he refused since all the lovers Ishtar took ended up dead. Ishtar threatened her father the god Anu after Gilgamesh refused to marry her. This depicts Ishtar as a bully and her need to assert herself above other gods is clear. The goddess Ishtar has influenced modern day religions particularly Christianity. The Jews interacted with

Research Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Research Assignment - Essay Example Tell customers: If you want a V-8 rumble, you’ve gotta buy a V-8 that costs more, gets worse gas mileage and hurts the Earth†¦You’re fabricating the car’s sexiness. You’re fabricating performance elements of the car that don’t actually exist. That just feels deceptive to me† (Brauer cited in Harwell). (Migliore) predicts that V6 engines will be more popular compared to the V8 engines for the 2015 Ford F – 150. The article sums up the benefits provided by V6 engines over V8 engines to back up the prediction; â€Å"In the truck business, its historically been about the most horsepower, the most towing power and the most torque† (Scott cited in Migliore). The main difference between V6 and V8 engine is the number of cylinders. V6 has six cylinders whereas V8 has eight cylinders. The number of cylinders in an engine usually affects the engine’s total displacement volume. Smaller engines they are more cost effective. Since they have less cc, they require less gas to run. However, certain comforts are also offered by bigger engines e.g. more power and better performance, but they require more fuel in order to run the car. Generally, V6 engine provides more economical benefit whereas V8 engine provides more power benefits. Which engine comforts the customers more de pends upon the preferences of the customers. If they are looking for saving, they should go for V6 engines. If they are looking for power and performance, then V8 engines is the choice for them. (Att Training Ltd. and Denton) have introduced a blended learning approach to the engineering of cars in their book. Their book covers all technological and theoretical sections needed by students. Together with ATT online resources, this book offers a comprehensive package comprising video footage, activities, and assessment. They say that the comfort of customers is also determined by their need. If they need larger vehicles, V8 engine would provide them with more comfort whereas if they are looking

Short Run and Long Run Strategies in Business Essay

Short Run and Long Run Strategies in Business - Essay Example The short run is a period usually in which factors of capital other than labor are all fixed and cannot be changed, the short run for the shipping industry may be 3 years and the short run for a smaller business like handicrafts may be 6 months but generally the short run is considered to be one year. The ultimate goal for any company other than not for profit is to earn a considerable profit for its stakeholders but at times market conditions are such that this objective has to be kept behind and other strategies have to be pursued in order to meet the long-term objective of making a profit for all the people who are concerned with the business. Some of these environmental situations are explained below. At times in the face of strong competition that might threaten the business in the long run and the short run as well businesses tend to forget the objective of making a profit until they drive the competition out of the market, there are several strategies that a business could use for this. One of the most popular strategy that businesses use to drive out competition from the market is dumping, since the company which is just entering the market have higher production costs because of lower efficiency due to a variety of reasons such as not knowing the best suppliers and not having a reputation and a rapport would mean that costs for the company automatically are higher than a company which is already existent in the market. Hence established firms take advantage of this and start selling their products at well below their marginal costs, the new entrant into the market can ill afford that and is forced to move out of the market. When a firm deploys this strategy to drive competit ion out of the market, is it earning a profit on the products that it is selling? No, it is not, in fact, it is selling at a price lower than what it cost to produce one extra unit.

Plan to study an oranization (what is reason for development of the Essay

Plan to study an oranization (what is reason for development of the origination, how the organization fulfill its Mission and organization infrastructure.) - Essay Example Several issues cause the increase chronic disease in aging group as follows: It is pertinent to note that chronic disease do force a patient to engage in advanced medication this is planed and will be followed in the study of the Bloomington Meals on Wheels organization (Oatman, 2008. p. 86). Thus, the injection of medicine into blood stream can overpower the human response. The study of new technology at The Bloomington Meals on Wheels organization will include how technology facilitates the smooth running of the organization and the effect it has to the patient. For instance, new technology can misinterpret the old prescription procedures, which will result in increasing rate of chronic disease in aging individual (Roemer, 2008.p.58). According to the experts in The Bloomington Meals on Wheels organization it is that advance in prescription of drugs will affect aging people in certain ways. It is expected that a physician should administer medications in a slow manner to the elderly. In such situation, good foods and perfect nutrition will make a sound treatment (Roemer, 2007.p. 89). In addition, many baby boomers are in retirement age and that they need extra medical care. As a result, a good nutrition’s will be a booster to their health, since the elderly do need more of healthy care than any other individuals do. Further, there is several hindrances for instance insurance fact. It follows that the there are increase in the number of individuals who are not insured and so are not legible for Medicaid or Medicare. it is worth noting that there are is increase in the out-of pocket payment for about 29%.the above makes sick individuals to be unable to afford nursing home facilities. In addition, in recent trends shift from institutionalized for instance nursing home to non-institutional seize care at home (Stein, & Baum 2011. p.79). It is important to understand that informal caregivers at home for instance wife

Corporate Socail Respinsibility of Merck Pharmeceuticals Research Paper

Corporate Socail Respinsibility of Merck Pharmeceuticals - Research Paper Example In a more modern and popular sense, CSR has become a public relations form as well as a marketing strategy that also pre-empts regulatory agencies (Mintzberg, 1983). However, there are many ways that firms or corporations apply CSR in their business system. One of the approaches is the community-based development where a firm establishes community presence and program in a fixed geographical area either in the area of their operation or outside of it. Some of the examples of community-based programs are efforts such as livelihood assistance for a supplier-manufacturing of clothes by a branded clothing, starting a literacy program through provision of books and learning aids, supervision, evaluation and recommendation for improvement in a certain school or area, waterways clean-up, and other efforts. A traditional approach has been philanthropy where corporations provide cash donations, products or tangible materials to a non-profit organization for its distribution to undeserved or d eserving beneficiaries such as Children International and like NGOs. Other forms of CSR are embedded on the supply-chain system such as adoption of the Fair Trade system that ensures animals are not harmed, workers are paid and benefited in a justified manner, packaging is ecological, employees are properly compensated, delivery, distribution and post-consumption processes took environmental protection measures throughout the lifetime of a single or collective products (International Business Leaders Forum and International Finance Corporation, 2007). B)  Ã‚  Merck Pharmaceutical’s CSR Program.     ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The kind of CSR the company is doing:   Merck claims to ensure that CSR is â€Å"an integral part of the way we do business†¦ to create shared value and to help solve the tough issues facing business and society today,† (Merck, 2008, p 3). Their CR principles center on conducting business with high ethical standards; engage in expans ion of access to quality care around globally; make positive and sustainable impact on the communities and societies they live and work in; and provide fair and just compensation to employees (Merck, 2008). This is reflected on their claimed CSR programs research on new medicines and vaccines needed, environmental footprint management, improved access to medicines and vaccines, ensure confidence in safety and quality, advocacy and outreach, and executing the basics which pertains to ethical business process standards (Merck, 2008). CSR has become a very complex process that is involved in various stages of the corporate system, so that a multinational corporation like Merck Pharmaceuticals may be involved in several CSR efforts at one time. The IBLF and IFC (2007) have defined various CSR efforts of which the following are addressed: protection and promotion of the rights of individuals as stakeholders of a company from employees, consumers, suppliers, distributors, to community mem bers. On this manner, Merck has adopted several more popular CSR patient assistance programs in the United States for patients who cannot afford medications (Merck, 2006). This program has started in the 1950s and is active today. There are several CSR programs undertaken by Merck but this paper will focus on seven programs in practice as noted to be more practical to the public: Act Program for Emend, Act Program for Zolinza, Merck

CASE STUDY ASSIGNMENT Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

ASSIGNMENT - Case Study Example In Mary Kay, it would seem that there was not an evident breach between the roles of entrepreneur and owner-manager (Underwood 2003). Mary Kay embodied the traits of both roles and appears to have been able to comfortably slip into one role or the other depending on circumstances. For instance, as an owner-manager, Mary Kay exhibited a very strong internal locus of control. Essentially, she was able to encourage herself to embrace new roles. She was actually motivated by her own ability to believe that she could make her business a success just by making the most of her god-given traits. In addition, she exhibited great courage in her ability to take risks in order to develop her business while also aiming to be the best in her chosen field. There were also situational factors that helped Mary Kay to success after she launched her business. Her demotion in her place of work at a time when she was supposed to be promoted merely served to spur her into launching out on her own. While it may be seen as a disadvantage, the absence of women from the workplace may actually have helped Mary Kay to reach the level of success that she did. If there were more women in the Beauty industry, the competition would have divided the market and forced Mary Kay Inc. to be more innovative in order to win clients (Underwood 2003). Mary Kay’s religion also played a major role in her life. She believed that God wanted the best for her, and this belief spurred her into action even when she faced rejection. Mary Kay launched a business with just nine employees and hardly enough capital at a time when the majority of women in America tended to focus on making homes for their families. She faced discrimination on the basis of her gender when she approached financial institutions for huge loans. She did not have enough money to launch her operation, but did it anyway. Mary Kay’s ambitiousness showed

Influence the West Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Influence the West - Essay Example Body Influence on Democracy of Modern West The Greek civilization has a major impact in shaping the current democratic system of America. Greeks were the ones who developed the system recognized as Direct Democratic System, this system can be easily witnessed in the way American government is operated. The Persian Empire was the one to use the centralized way of ruling the nation in which decisions were made by the head of the states and these decisions were followed by the citizens (Richard, 2010). On the other hand, the Greek Empire was created of the elements of state and cities and the empire was heavily dependent on the public’s participation in the political system. This kind of political system and means of running the country was fairly new to the way an empire was governed. During that era, other empires failed to understand the importance of the participation of the citizens of a country in decision making and running of the political system. They even failed to unde rstand how public can handle the issues faced by the governments of that time. ... Later the scenario changed and all individuals of US were granted the right to vote and were recognized as citizens. The Greeks were the ones who recognized the importance of votes of all the citizens of the nation. Therefore they created an assembly in the city of Athens where all the citizens participated in political process of electing the government body. The citizens were responsible for electing officers to different government positions and these officers were compensated for the services they offered in the government. Similarly, the assembly in comprises of individuals that represent the public and these individuals are responsible for voting for the election of different individuals to different government positions (Osborne, 2006). Influence on Republic Government The government of the Romans start with the creation of constitution, their constitution provided the government with the guideline for operating the nation. Similarly the US functions according to a constitutio n and all the activities conducted by the government are in compliance with the constitution. If activities against the constitution are conducted, the conductor of such activities is held responsible in the court of law. The US process of creating rules and regulations is even similar to the law making system of the Roman period. During the Roman period an assembly consisting of the citizens initiated the process of rule making by passing a legislation, which was later approved by the individuals that were categorized as the upper class and then the rule was passed in the name of the public (Watkin, 1986). In US, same procedure for making rules is followed, first the rule is passed by the representatives of the public which is then accepted by the senate and then the legislation is

Human behaviour Essay Example for Free

Human behaviour Essay Arthur Millers The crucible is a play that shows the extremes of human behaviour both good and bad. In this essay I will be discussing these extremes and also hope the essay will help me conclude whether the best or the worst of human behaviour is presented more strongly. I will also aim to link these themes to events, which would have affected the author at the time the play written. I will give examples of each type of behaviour and conclude. I will start by explaining about the background of the crucible. Arthur Miller wrote it in 1950s America but it is set in Salem 1692. Salem was a puritan community that because of the time had very little scientific knowledge so blamed any unexplained happenings on witchcraft. If someone was accused of witchcraft and confessed they were saved from being hanged but if they denied the charges then they were almost definitely hanged. This is how the witch-hunt began, people would be accused and they would confess and blame others and in turn the others accused would accuse someone else. Millers reasons for writing this play were mainly because the events happening in the 1950s America. At this time in America a modern day witch hunt was taking place. But instead of witches they were hunting communists. Communism is a political theory that states that everyone in society is equally wealthy. Russia had already had a communist revolution and communism had spread to China also. This was the cause of much conflict in Vietnam in which America was heavily involved. The American government was afraid that communism would spread to America and the people would overthrow the government. Also communism clashes with the right wing policies of the American government. Senator Joseph McCarthy was a main figure in this and so this was called McCarthyism. They tackled the threat of communism by passing laws to restrict the actions of communist supporters. Arthur Miller himself was accused of being a communist and like many others would have been questioned about his friends, family and political beliefs and also asked to name others involved. In response to this Arthur Miller wrote the crucible to try and show how the hysteria in the 1950s was similar to the hysteria in Salem 1692. The worst of the behaviour in The crucible is shown mainly in the character Abigail Williams. Abigail is from the very beginning a central character in the play and uses most of her time in the play to seek revenge on one woman, Elizabeth Proctor. She manipulates the court and the other girls into helping her with her plan under the pretence of doing Gods work. It is clear from the very beginning of the play that Abigail bears a grudge against Elizabeth from the language used. Cold imagery is used when Abigail describes Elizabeth; Its a bitter woman, a lying, cold, snivelling woman(act1). The reason for this is because John Proctor, Elizabeths husband had an affair with Abigail and Elizabeth subsequently sacked Abigail. Abigail is still in love with John and hopes that if Elizabeth is hanged then John will want her back. Miller helps us understand the passion of the love Abigail feels for John by the hot imagery used; I have a sense for heat, Johnand I have seen you looking up, burning in your loneliness(act 1). Abigail realising her power over the court goes about accusing anybody she can think of. There are a few people however who doubt her however Elizabeth, John and reverend Hale but none of them can stop her. She carries on accusing people up until the end of act three where John Proctor confesses to the court that he had an affair with Abigail and calls her many names whore and Harlot. Abigail then realises that John does not love her and she steals all of her uncles money and runs away with Mercy Lewis another of the girls. Abigail is a character who is selfish and manipulating and one who shows no compassion to those who she falsely accuses. I think this character was not one that the audience would ever feel sorry for because of the way she is portrayed by Miller. I myself felt angry at the character and I think this was because she shows no remorse and even while other characters see the error of their ways and try and put things right she never even attempts to clear her conscience. Another Character who displays one of the worst examples of behaviour is Reverend Parris who is Abigails uncle. Although he does not cause as much trouble as his niece he is a character that is portrayed by Miller as a self-absorbed and selfish. This is portrayed in many ways; one of them is in Act 1 when although he is upset about his daughter he still has time to question Abigail about their actions in the woods. This may have at first seemed like concern for his child (Betty) but then miller slowly brings the audience to realise that he is only worried that his reputation may be damaged a quote which shows this is But if you trafficked with spirits in the forest I must know it now, for surely me enemies will, and they will ruin me with it(act 1). Another is that he is extremely vain and thinks that he deserves the deeds to the house set aside for the minister and although he now owns the house he still talks of more money he needs. John Proctor says something that really sums up Parris vanity Since we built the church there were pewter candlesticks upon the altar But Parris came, and for twenty week he preach nothin but golden candlesticks until he had them(act 2) which shows even though he preaches the puritan way of life he wants the luxuries no-one else is allowed. Even at the end of the play when most of the characters are trying to help John Proctor the only thing Parris is worried about is himself and that there will be a rebellion against the church if Proctor is hanged. Parris pathetic character is shown most prominently at the end mainly in the stage directions which show him sobbing because he has no money and is once again concerned for himself when he starts talking about how much danger he is in You cannot hang this sort. There is danger for me. I dare not step outside at night!

Sensor Technology for Mineral Exploration

Sensor Technology for Mineral Exploration 1. Introduction Significant contribution is done by satellite remote sensing in the field of mineral exploration viz. Geological faults, fractures and mapping, which are associated with the ore deposits based on spectral signature, (Farooq and Govil 2013; Magendra and Sanjeevi 2014; Murphy and Monteiro 2011, Le Yo et al., 2011) the spectral signature helps in the recognizes hydrothermal altered rocks (Sabins, 1999). The multispectral remote sensing exhibits differences in spectral signatures which are insufficient spectral resolution for the hydrothermal altered mineral mapping (Clark, 1999). The Multispectral sensors viz. Landsat TM, ETM+, ASTER image processing helps in iron oxides mapping, the spectral ranges 1.55-1.75 Â µm and 2.08-2.35 Â µm is important for iron mapping (Gupta, 2003). The hyperspectral images provide a higher spectral resolution the the multispectral images (Clark et al., 1990; Magendra and Sanjeevi 2014; Van der Meer 2012). The discovery of new hyperspectral sensor technology in terms of both sensor and technical development has provided the opportunity to revisit previous remote sensing approaches for the mineral exploration as well as for the development of improved methods. Hyperspectral sensors have hundreds of channels, aircraft and satellite platforms which provide unique spectral datasets, and which are helpful in analyzing the surface mineralogy mapping (Goetz et al., 1985; Kruse et al., 2003; Debba et al., 2005, Vaughan et al., 2003). The airborne sensors like AVIRIS, HYDICE and Satellite sensor like Hyperion are used for mapping geology, snow etc. Hyperspectral remote sensing aims at providing the requirements like spectral, spatial and radiometric empower, measuring in terms of range, sampling, response, stability, uniformity, precision and accuracy. With the help of hyperspectral remote sensing we can find different minerals viz iron oxides, micas, chlorites, amphiboles, talc, serpentines, c arbonates, quartz, garnets, pyroxenes, feldspars and sulphates (Eva Papp and Cudahy 2002; Magendran and sanjeevi 2014; Hubbard and Crowley 2005). EO-1 Hyperion is the first Space based hyperspectral sensor, and it was launched on 21 November 2000 (Ungar et al., 2003). The Hyperion image has 30m spatial resolution, 242 channels and 7.7 km swath. The hyperspectral (Hyperion) sensor with 0.4-2.5Â µm spectral range, i.e. visible-near infrared (VNIR) spectrometer (approxmeterly0.4-1.0Â µm) and one short-wave infrared (SWIR) spectrometer (approximately 0.9-2.5Â µm) (EO-1 User guide) in which some minerals and rocks show good absorption and reflectance, due to variation in physicochemical properties, which help in their exploration mapping (Clark et al., 1990; Hunt et al., 1971). The spectral reflectance one can detect and identify the Earth surface and atmospheric constituents to measure the reflected spectra’s component concentration. We can find the distribution of the component and validate by improving models. The processing of Hyperion image is a challenging task as it consists hundreds of channels. The selection of required channels with its good apparent reflection requires good skills. The direct measurements of atmospheric properties are rarely available, and there are some techniques which surmise them from their imprint on hyperspectral radiance data. These properties are used to constrain highly accurate models of atmospheric radiation transfer to produce an estimate of the true surface reflectance. Moreover, atmospheric corrections of this type can be applied on a pixel by pixel basis since each pixel in a hyperspectral image contains an independent measurement of atmospheric water vapor absorption bands. There are different models available viz QUAC, 5S, 6S, ATCOR, ATREAM, HATCH, EFFORT Polishing, FLAASH etc (ITTVis, 2010). FLAASH is a MODTRAN4-based atmospheric correction software package, which provides accurate, physics-based derivation of apparent surface reflectance, through derivation of atmospheric properties such as surface albedo, surface altitude, water vapor column, aerosol and cloud optical depths, surface and atmospheric temperature from hyperspectral imaging data. FLAASH uses the most advanced techniques for handling particular stressing atmospheric conditions, such as the presence of clouds, cirrus and opaque cloud classification map adjustable spectral polishing for artifact suppression. The Hyperion image consists of a huge number of data sets which are supposed to be reduced dimensionally. The techniques like Minimum Noise Fraction (MNF) transform are used to reduce the number of spectral dimensions to be analyzed. The pure pixels are the most spectrally extreme pixels (Broadman et al., 1995), which spectrally correspond to the mixing end members. These end members form the base for the n-Dimensional visualization, and each selected end members are spectrally matched with USGS spectral library. The near visible near infrared image (VNIR) and shortwave infrared (SWIR) spectral range cover the features of iron bearing minerals, hydroxyl bearing minerals sulphates and carbonates. The iron ores and iron bearing minerals have characteristic spectra in the 850nm to 950 nm wavelength (Magendran and Sanjeevi, 2014). The ferric iron minerals hematite (Fe203) has distinct spectral curves in the visible near-infrared image (VNIR), which is caused by absorptions and induced by crystal field transitions at about 465 nm, 650 nm and 850–950 nm (Townsend, 1987). The paper presents an attempt for mapping iron oxides in Chitradurga Schist belt by using the Hyperion image. The iron distribution mapping is made with the standardized hyperspectral methodologies. An attempt is also made by taking the spectra of iron in-vitro and compared it with the USGS spectral libraryfor mappingiron distribution. The Spectral Angle Mapper Classification (SAM) is an automated method of comparing the image spectra with the individual spectra, or a spectral library (Boardman 1992; Kruse et al 1993). SAM treats both individual spectra, spectral library spectra and calculates as vectors and its spectral angle. Since the SAM algorithm uses the only vector direction and not the vector length. The result of the SAM classification is an image showing the best match at each pixel. This method is typically used for determining the mineralogy and works better in the areas of identical regions. The USGS maintains a large spectral library composed of mineral and soil types, which has image spectra and can be compared directly. 1.1 Study Area and image data The lithology of the Chitradurga schist belt 13036’25’’N and 760 35’49’’E belongs to both Bababudan and Chitradurga Groups. (Figure 1) The Bababudan Group of rocks represented by metabasalt-quartzite formations and NNW trending synclinal Kibbanahalli BIF formation, wrapping around the Chikkanayakanahalli (CN Halli) gneiss and joining the main CN Halli belt near Dodguni (Radhakrishna, 1967; Srinivasan and Sreenivas, 1975; Seshadri et al., 1981; Ramakrishnan and Vaidynadhan, 2008). Chitradurga Group covers most of the CN Halli schist belt, represented by quartz-sericite-chlorite schist, quartzite, carbonates, Mn formations and BIF overlies Bababudan Group (Devaraju and Anantha Murthy, 1976, 1977). EO-1 Hyperion level 1 radiometric (L1R) product having 242 bands covering CN Halli area acquired on 14 April 2011 was used. The image covers the spectral range of 0.4 to 2.5Â µm at 10 nm bandwidth. However, only 155 of them are calibrated from visible-to-infrared (VNIR) and short wave-infrared (SWIR) regions. (Table 1) (EO-1 User Guide, 2003).

Different theories of ageing

Different theories of ageing One of the most significant achievements of modern society is the rise in human longevity. Since 1800, life expectancy at birth has gradually increased over the subsequent two centuries, from forty years to nearly eighty years (Bongaarts 2006). These remarkable changes in human biology have produced challenges for scientists, doctors, sociologists and policy-makers. Over the last century, the growing realization of the changing demography of ageing has provoked sociological and biological research to explain the effects of these changes on society. The aim of this essay is to discuss how different theories of ageing have tried to approach older people and their circumstances. The study of ageing as social gerontology took root in the late 1940s, at a time of great social and demographic change. After World War 2, society in Europe and the United States of America (USA) had palpably changed, prompting sociological research into changes in ageing amongst other sociological phenomena (Vincent 1996). The modern political and economic environment viewed ageing, for the first time, as a problem for society (Jones, 1993). This view of ageing was at odds with the prevailing functionalist sociological theories of the time. Talcott Parsons was a key proponent of general functionalism, and viewed society from the macro perspective of needing functioning parts in order to maintain its well-being. The analogy was with the body of an organism just as the body has many specialized organs which are required for the body to function, society is also the sum of its parts: youth, family, education, labour force, professionals, religion, government etc. Society required these parts to be working together in order for society to function with equilibrium (Giddens 1993). The biology of ageing had been actively researched since the days of Darwin and Mendel, yet the interaction between ageing and society remained unexplored. Indeed, the Social Science Research Council in the USA concluded in 1948 that the scientific community had paid little attention to the interaction between biology and society (Achenbaum and Bengston). The first psychosocial theories on ageing and society took shape, and were published a decade later. Social scientists Elaine Cummins and William Henry published the first important study of aging in 1961. They advanced what they called the disengagement theory of aging. This theory was based on data from the Kansas City Study of Adult Life, in which researchers from the University of Chicago followed several hundred adults from middle to old age. The authors concluded from this study that growing old was a process of disengagement, whereby the tendency of ageing adults was to withdraw from society and live out their declining years with as little interference with others as was possible. Whilst these findings reflected the social practice of the day such as the granny flat or retirement home environment, the authors also proposed that this theory had advantages for the individual and society. According to Cumming and Henrys model, the major shift in interaction between the aged and the rest of society occurs when older people begin to realize their declining physical and cognitive functions and their mortality. They propose that this leads to removal, both consciously and subconsciously, from social networks. Simultaneously, society distances itself from the elderly, and the roles and responsibilities of these elderly members of society are passed along to the younger ones. From a sociological perspective, it has been suggested that disengagement has theoretical benefits (reference?). For the elderly, disengagement facilitates gradual withdrawal from society, whilst preserving social equilibrium. Ageing removes the capacity for older people to function as parents, professionals or working members of society, and therefore it promotes self-reflection for the elderly who are freed from roles of responsibility within society (ref?). Ultimately, it prepares the elderly for a decline in health and death. From the perspective of society, disengagement allows knowledge, responsibility, wealth and power to be transferred from the older generation to the young. The roles of the old and the young in society evolve, such that disengagement from roles of responsibility ensures that the younger population have jobs and roles into which to develop. It makes it possible for society to continue functioning after valuable older members die. Clearly, disengagement theory must be viewed in the context of the era in which it was developed. Largely, the theory of Cummings and Henry reflected the practice of the day. Elderly people in industrialized nations in the 1960s were encouraged to live out their declining years without interfering with progress and development. In rural settings, elderly people may still have contributed through the use of learned practical skills, although during a time of rapid technological advancement these skills were less valued than by earlier generations. This is a form of role discontinuity, whereby what is learned at one age may be useless or conflict with a subsequent period on ones life. This contrasts with contemporary views of ageing, whereby aged populations are more familiar with the technological advances of the second half of the last century. Retirement and disengagement in this context may not be to the benefit of society or the individual. Moreover, until recently few positive role models for elderly individuals existed. Those in the public eye and the media have tended to be youthful in appearance, hindering the socialization to old age. However, with the demographic growth and visibility of the elderly population has come more role models of active and healthy ageing. In this setting, disengagement of individuals before they reached the stage of imminent mortality, whilst they are still able contribute to roles in society, may cause both social and financial isolation and lack of self-worth. Loss of role through loss of spouse, divorce or retirement can lead to an erosion of identity and self-esteem (Rosow 1985). This, coupled with the relentless improvement in healthcare for the elderly, suggests that disengagement theory may be a product of the post-World War 2 era rather than universally applicable. These problems with the universal validity of disengagement theory were recognised within a few years. Activity theory can be viewed as a counterpoint to disengagement theory. Activity theory views old age as an extension of middle age, rather than a separate psychological and biological stage of life as proposed by disengagement theory. Activity theory actually pre-dates disengagement theory. In the 1950s Havighurst and Albrecht (1953 cited in Katz 1996) insisted ageing can be lively and creative experience. Any loss of roles, activities or relationships within old age, should be replaced by new roles or activities to ensure happiness, value consensus and well-being, and that this approach has benefits for the individual and society. The theory builds on the principle that the biological process of ageing can be modified by modern healthcare, and therefore the only differences between and old age and middle age are these modifiable biological processes, not societal wants and needs (schulz and rockwood). The basis of the theory is that there is a positive relationship between activity and life satisfaction, and the greater the role loss the lower the sense of self-worth or satisfaction (Lemon 1972). Therefore, a persons sense of self-worth is related to the roles held by that person i.e. retiring may not be so harmful if the person actively maintains other roles, such as familial roles, recreational roles, volunteer and community work. However, early research failed to substantiate a psychological benefit of continued engagement and activity. Lemon, Bengston and Peterson examined key elements of activity theory in a cross-sectional sample of future residents of a retirement community. In this study little connection was found between activity and satisfaction. However, this study suffers from similar criticisms as the Kansas City Study of Adult Life. The study group consisted of Caucasian, middle-class, married individuals interested in pursuing an active retirement. These issues ref lect a common problem with sociological research into the theories of ageing limited diversity of populations and the presence of confounding factors such as attitudes towards activity and engagement, limit the universal applicability of findings and determination of causality. A further problem with both these theories is their macro approach to the sociological phenomenon of ageing. Activity theory neglects the individual issues of inequality and heterogeneity between age groups. It is clear both activity theory and disengagement theory may be suited to certain individuals or groups on society, and may not be universally applicable. Whilst Phillipson (1998) sees these functionalist schools as important in shaping social theory, such functionalist theories may impose a sense of causality on aging by implying that an aged person will either disengage or will be active. Thus, it can be argued that these arbitrary social theories are a form of academic imperialism, whereby the activities of individual elderly people are dictated by macro-orientated theories rather than taking account of individual experiences or using inductive reasoning. Continuity theory incorporates aspects of activity theory and disengagement theory within the functionalist framework. Continuity theory maintains the social-psychological that were developed from the Kansas City Studies. The basis of continuity theory is that individuals maintain a consistent pattern of behaviour as they age, by replacing lost roles of adulthood with similar ones, and by maintaining a constant attitude of adaptation towards the social environment. Life satisfaction is determined by the consistency between current activities or lifestyles with ones lifetime experiences (Neugarten, Havinghurst, Tobin 1968). This consistency in behaviour implies that central personality characteristics and core values become more pronounced with age. That is, that people who have always been passive and withdrawn are unlikely to become active upon retirement, and vice versa. Therefore, this theory does not advocate significant psychological change with age, unlike the other two macro theories. It is a micro-level theory, encompassing individual experiences and adaptations. However, micro theories suffer from the limitation if not being generalisable, and therefore not being able to be empirically tested on a broader scale. Moreover, by focusing on the individual, micro-theories may overlook the role of social factors in modifying the ageing process (you need references for these points). By contrast, the theory of political economy of old age is a macro-level theory that emerged as a reaction to functionalism, and focuses on social factors modifying ageing. The theory draws upon Marxist views of the capitalist nature of modern society and how old age was socially constructed to meet the needs of the modern economy (Estes 1979). This grew out of a wider move towards modernization in sociology, attempting to explain the changes in society as consequences of population ageing, industrialization and fertility decline. Therefore, socioeconomic and political factors, not individual factors, are the primary determinants of the experience of ageing. These include age and class, as well as gender, sexual orientation and race. As Phillipson (1998) points out, in the UK huge forms of social expenditure were allocated to older people. Consequently, not only were older people viewed in medical terms but in resource terms by governments. This built upon the idea of ageing as a burden to modern society, as Phillipson (1998: 17) states: Older people came to be viewed as a burden on western economies, with demographic change seen as creating intolerable pressures on public expenditure. The major focus of the political economy of ageing was an interpretation of the relationship between aging and the economic structure. In the USA, political economy theory was brought to prominence by the work of Estes (1979), and Estes, Swan and Gerard (1982). Similarly, in the UK, the work of Walker (1981), Townsend (1981) and Phillipson (1982) contributed to understanding age and ageing in modern British society. In the USA, Estes, Swan and Gerard (1982) state that the class structure is the major determinant of the socio-economic position of older people in society. Estes justifies this position by using a Marxist view of society to explain how a individuals social worth is dependent on their productivity. All subsequent policy towards age and ageing can be explained from this premise. Negative attitudes towards older people, and their impoverished position, can be explained by their loss of social worth brought about by their loss of a productive role in modern society. Estes (1 979) also claims that political economy theory highlights the role of the state in contemporary society. Since the state dictates the allocation of resources, this determines the allocation of retirement and pension schemes, and is therefore a further key determinant of social worth of elderly people. Phillipson (1982) builds on this point of view, ad goes on to state that retirement is linked to the timing of economic reduction of wages and enforced withdrawal from work, and hence many older people in the UK in a financially insecure position. Therefore, the state can determine the social position and future of its elderly citizens, and indirectly shape prevailing social and cultural attitudes to the elderly. Indeed, any discussion about change in the welfare state leads to further legitimisation of the burden stereotype of the elderly in society. Echoing this point of view, Townsend (1981) states that society creates the social problems of old age through structured dependency embedded in institutional ageism, through lack of material resources due to poverty, retirement policy, the negative consequences of residential care, and poor structure of community care. Townsend puts forward the idea that there is a structural perspective of rules and resources governing older people in modern society. Townsend claims that the approach is: one whereby society is held to create the framework of institutions and rules within which the general problem of the elderly emerge or, indeed, manufactured. In the everyday management of the economy and the administration and development of social institutions the position of the elderly subtly changed and shaped. (Townsend 1981: 9) Similarly, Walker (1981) argues for a theory of political economy of old age in order to understand the position of older people. In particular, Walker (1981: 77) builds on the idea that the structure of modern society propagates dependency among groups such as the elderly a social creation of dependency. Phillipson (1982, 1986) writes in a similar vein, and considers how capitalism helps socially construct the social marginality of older people in key areas such as welfare. The key argument of these writers within the Marxist school of thought is inequalities in the distribution of resources should be understood in terms of the distribution of power within society, rather than in terms of variation between individuals. In addition to the argument that social and governmental policy contributes to the socializing and marginalizing of old age, political economy theory criticizes the emphasis on community engagement and the consequent social devaluing of elderly people who cannot or choose not to engage in these activities. Activities such as participation in volunteer programmes and social work may be viewed as a way to meet public service gaps created by reduced public funding. Although the benefits of volunteering have been proposed by activity theory, from the point of view of political economy it is social and structural factors that influence the individuals decision to volunteer or participate. For example, elderly individuals who are also carers for their spouse or their grandchildren may not be able to take on additional social roles, and may leave the individual vulnerable to social criticism. Indeed, it has been noted that a paradigm of ageing that only values productivity and civic-engagem ent can stigmatise and disempower elders who cannot contribute to society because of illness, disability or limited time and resources (reference?). The life-course perspective is not necessarily a theory, but a framework of ageing as a lifelong process. It attempts to explain how ageing is shaped by earlier events, including social structure and history along with interactions with family and culture. Individual development of personality and cognition interact with these other factors affecting life-course. Time is the key variable, since it influences relationships in three ways: life experiences influence relationships, family events and family transitions influence individuals and interactions, and events in a broader social historical context also influence social role and values. Social context interacts with individuals and influences them and their relationships. This framework takes account of the diversity of roles and role changes across lifespan, since it views development as occurring at all stages and not just any one stage of life. It takes into account the gains and losses that occur through life-course, rather than viewing development as a linear process. Therefore, development is considered multidirectional, with stability or development in areas, and decline in others. For example, ageing may lead to impairment in short-term memory but not in creativity or social function. Therefore, this approach takes account of micro and macro levels of development and provides a framework to shape further sociological research into ageing. In conclusion, sociological theories of ageing have evolved alongside changes in demography and economics since the early 20th century. The functionalist theories of activity and disengagement approached ageing in the context of the prevailing view of the time. Although based on empirical evidence the observational studies from Kansas city these studies were limited to middle-class Caucasion populations and yet were extrapolated to macro-level theories. As such, both these theories suffered criticisms for their lack of generalisability, and newer theories were developed as an immediate reaction. In the context of economic troubles during the 1970s, the sociology of ageing began to be viewed in an economic perspective. The view of structural aspects of society interacting with healthy or unhealthy ageing has advanced sociological thought in this area, and laid the foundation for contemporary views of ageing. Current demographic issues such as the prevailing economic climate, declining fertility and improvements in healthcare have changed the sociological view of ageing. As such, these issues must be addressed as further research attempts to view life-course influences on ageing at both a macro- and micro-theoretical level.

Pillars of Salt, A Woman of Five Seasons and A Balcony Over the Fakihani :: Pillars Salt Seasons Balcony Fakihani Papers

Pillars of Salt, A Woman of Five Seasons and A Balcony Over the Fakihani missing works cited â€Å"Maha, sister, my life is like candy-floss; fluffy and full from the outside, empty like this damned hospital room from the inside. And they called the candy-floss ‘girls-curls.’ It was like my life. A girl’s life. A fluffy lie for half a piaster. Ya-la-la.† (Faqir, 19) To many eyes, the women’s liberation movement in the Middle East is nothing more than a mere faà §ade. The solidification of women’s rights in writing means very little when actually put into play, women still continue to be trampled on in all walks of life, behind closed doors and tinted windows. This is especially true of the three novels: Pillars of Salt, A Woman of Five Seasons and A Balcony Over the Fakihani. In these stories, women have earned little or nothing of their God given rights and continue to remain silent behind the false protection and ordinance of the law. True, the circumstances surrounding the equality of women have improved compared to what they once were, but even the most simple of things which Western women take for granted are thorns in the sides of Middle Eastern women. The authors of these books do their best to expose the injustices put upon women that the public rarely sees, even in the light of modernity. It is in these novels that we see how little the women’s liberation movement has done for these â€Å"real† women, these women made of flesh and blood who are still largely insignificant in the grand scheme of the universe. Rape as a Model of Society One of the most obvious disguises of inequality is the rape of Nasra in the first novel Pillars of Salt. Rape is very much illegal and yet it happens and happens openly. Maha’s mind races when Nasra tells her that she has been raped, we can see how the society view women who have lost their virginity through rape, â€Å"My friend had lost her virginity, her honor, her life. She was nothing now. No longer a virgin, absolutely nothing. A piece of flesh. A cheap whore. (Faqir, 11) This sums up what society thinks of a woman who has dishonored herself and it seems that once this has happened, there is no hope or chance of one ever redeeming herself. This is the fate of Nasra and the fate of all women.

Can Computers Understand? :: essays research papers

Can Computers understand? 1) Thinking is the hallmark of understanding. 2) Only special machines can think. 3) If something can think it can understand. 4) Only special machines that can think can understand. 5) "Mental" states and their resulting actions are products of the center of activity (brain). 6) To understand, thoughts must be produced by the brain. 7) A computer's mental states and events are controlled by a program. 8) The program is not a product of the computer. 9) A computer does not produce "thoughts" in its brain. 10) A computer cannot understand. John Searle addresses the point of the ability of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to understand, in Mind Brains, and Programs. His main argument is that because AI's are computers and computers have no thoughts of their own, they cannot understand. Any actions being performed to simulate behavior are confined by the programs available to the computer. He presents the example of a man linking Chinese characters and appearing to know the language, but in reality the man is just following the instructions given to him ( the program). This example serves well to explain how although a computer can look like it understands a story, it can do no more than "go through the motions." Of course such a definitive standpoint on an issue as controversial as the capacity of an AI to understand will draw many critics. The criticism of his theory that I find to be the most credible is The Other Mind Reply offered by Yale University. This line of thinking asks: if behavior is what we can determine the presence of cognition through, and an AI passes a behavioral test, why don't we attribute cognition to it? I myself do not believe in the philosophy of AI understanding, because to support either side on this issue one must have a belief for or against the

Different Sources of Energy

The U. S is the world largest energy consumer. It relies on non-renewable resources for the provision of energy ranging from petroleum, coal and natural gas. Modernization and industrialization has resulted to increased energy demand. Energy is required in important sectors like the transportation, industry as well as in the commercial sector. Industries like refineries and chemical production, in the production and processes of their products. Energy is consumed as vehicles, trains, ship and air transport people or goods from one place to another. Houses use energy to heat houses, water, lighting and other electronic appliances.Institutions and business also need energy to accomplish their day-to-day activities. The U. S oil consumption rates are increasing at a high rate that may catch up with the economic growth. U. S consumes 20. 7 million barrels or 869 million gallons daily, 25% total world consumption despite it forming 5% of the world’s population . The consumption lev el is subject to rise with increased industrialization. The over reliance in non-renewable resources will have adverse effects to the environment, political and economic aspects. The non-renewable resources result to high pollution rates.Over exploitation of the resources may result to exhaustion or depletion of the resources. Nuclear energy produces dangerous radioactive waste materials that can affect human beings’ health. Over reliance on oil affects the economy when the oil prices keep fluctuating. Since non-renewable resources can get exhausted scarcity may prevail leading to increased oil prices and inflation levels will be on the rise. A 5-10 Year Plan for Renewable Energy in America. There is urgent need for America to adopt renewable resources that will have reduced impact on the environment while providing a lasting solution to distortions caused by oil dependence.The oil rich countries can interrupt the U. S economy through the price fluctuations. (Micheal 7) The U . S should first put in place laws that will meet not only the short-term energy demands but also ensure that the long-term demands are not jeopardized. Renewable energy will ensure sustainable development. This is because it is reduces the health as well as environment risks. Renewable energy includes energy from the wind, solar and water, which can replace oil and fossil fuels. These forms of energy will reduce the over dependence on oil especially from foreign countries that make it volatile.US should diversify the sources of energy. (Eckhart 8). Encourage industries to adapt sustainable development strategies so that they do not cause health hazards to future generations. They should be environment friendly and high taxes can be imposed to those negating this strategy. The government can increase its investment on its cities so that wastage of energy is reduced. Transportation sector can be improved as an effort to conserve energy. The strategy can be faced with political challe nges whereby by lack of political will by leaders will hinder the effective implementation of the project.The congress has to approve the proposal to be successful. The government should be committed in installing solar electric, geothermal and wind power in its public institutions. Creating awareness will be a positive move in ensuring that people understand the importance of renewable sources of energy as well as the adverse implications of non-renewable sources. This move will ensure that residential energy consumption trends are changed and people adopt renewable sources of energy. For instance encouraging people to use solar electricity to heat water and warm their houses.Renewable sources of energy will reduce the greenhouse gases production and consequently global warming will be reduced. (www. epa. gov). The government will need to commit a 300 billion dollar for 10 years to support this project. It can invest in modernizing the homes of low-income earners so that they adapt energy efficient measures. This approach will help in reducing wastage of energy from the residential sector. The transportation sector currently accounts for 68% of US oil consumption. Replacing the energy wastage measures by adopting renewable and environment friendly resources will help save America.The government can spend 15 $ billion to help automakers phase out the fuel inefficient vehicles. Scientists have shown that man has been very influential in causing global warming. Global warming affects the climate and has adverse effects on man. 20% of green house gases are from vehicles. The transport sector can use electricity from renewable sources. (Houghton 155). Since less than 2% of electricity is from oil it can be used on transportation. Research shows that 30% can be implemented on transport without extra installation. Introduction of sport utility vehicles and light trucks will help improve on fuel efficiency.Government must take its role in ensuring that buildings cons tructed are energy efficient. It must also ensure that technical training is provided to relevant bodies to save energy. Adopting the renewable energy resources will be of economic benefits. U. S spends approximately 1. 4 billion $ daily on foreign oil, money that can be saved if renewable sources of energy are sought. Dissemination of information about the adverse effects of non renewable sources of energy for instance global warming will see people change their energy consumption patterns.Alternative methods of transportation can be opted to reduce the traffic jams that that lead to high wastage levels of energy. Imposing high taxes on polluters will encourage industries to adapt environmental friendly techniques. Increased investment in research will help America establish potential renewable resources that can be exploited match its energy demands. Intensified research will provide accurate information needed in implementation of this project. Research will identify viable resou rces thus reducing unnecessary costs.The government also needs to invest in training for manufacturing industries so that they adapt energy conservation strategies. The government will need to allocate more money to support ethanol refineries. Ethanol from corn is environmental friendly and should be encouraged to reduce the adverse effects brought about by over dependence on oil. Renewable energy will help America maintain its national security and its influence and options in the world will not be affected. Oil rich countries tend to be prone to constant conflicts and are undemocratic.

Public Relations Interview

Kaiser Permanente is an integrated managed care consortium based located in Oakland, California. Kaiser Permanente evolved from industrial health care programs for construction, shipyard, and steel mill workers for the Kaiser industrial companies during the late 1930s and 1940s (â€Å"Kaiser Permanente,† 2013, para. 1). Kaiser Permanente is consists of three distinct entities, the Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, the autonomous regional Permanente Medical Groups, and the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan.Kaiser provides medical care throughout the eight regions, the Kaiser Foundation Health Plans (KFHP) works with the employee, employers, and individual members who offer prepaid health plans and insurance. The health plans provide infrastructure and are not for profit that invest to Kaiser Foundation Hospitals that provides tax exempt shelter to the for profit medical groups. The Permanente Medical Groups are owned by the physician organizations.They arrange, and provide medical care for Kaiser Foundation Health Plan members. The medical groups are for profit professional corporations, and partnerships that receive the funding from the Kaiser Foundation Health Plans. The flagship hospital for Kaiser Permanente is the Oakland Medical Center. The facility has : 761 physicians (between Oakland and Richmond Medical Centers), 341 beds, 14-bed perioperative department, and 60 critical care beds (â€Å"Kaiser Permanente,† 2013, para.3). The Oakland Medical Center is a specialty medical center that employed board certified surgeons, and physicians who teach at well-known universities like the University of California at San Francisco. They provide a wide array of highly specialized care units, including Comprehensive pediatric care program (â€Å"Kaiser Permanente,† 2013, para. 5).a.Cochlear implants b.Genetics c.Kidney stone and gallstone treatment d.Neonatal intensive care e.Pediatric neurosurgery f.Spine surgeryInstant worldwide communications make it m ore important than ever to manage a company's image and control how a company interfaces with its customers (Sardisco, 2013, para. 1). Public relations is an essence of any company whether a company is private or public, profit or nonprofit and its status will define its success. Modern public relations practitioners have faced more difficulties and challenges as the information for fast, and marketing globalization alter the pace and landscape of the profession.I interviewed the Public Relations Affairs manager of organization, she covers the East Bay Region of Northern California that includes Oakland, Richmond Alameda, and Pinole. I have worked with her in various projects highlighting the work we are doing in the nursing units to improve our patient satisfaction, and care experience. As a Public Relations Manager she plays a vital role in our communications, and marketing division. She works in collaboration with the national, regional, and local public relations department of o ur organization.One thing that I am amazed is how consistent and standardized their communications plan across the region; they are consistent with the message they are giving to the community, and to the public. As a PR manager she develops and implements strategic public relations programs to attain significant brand awareness. As a public relation affairs manager, she has the critical work of placing Kaiser’s hearts, and minds of the key stockholders that includes the patients, prospective members, clinicians, journalist policymakers, and executives.She is responsible in numerous interrelated departments dedicated in advancing the organizations mission by promoting, and protecting Kaiser Permanente brand by supporting a successful strategy that includes issues, and brand management, corporate communications, public relations, media, and stakeholders relations, public affairs internally, and externally. She supervises public relations staff that works on different areas; me dia relations, business – business communications, research, philanthropy, sustainability, health IT, and health care reforms. She also shared that Oakland Medical Center has a formal public relations plan.It has an effective print, media, broadcast media kit. The robust plan include news releases, public services, newsletter, community, and charity events, creation, and maintenance of website, webcasts, media tours, spotlight new programs, news monitoring, full use if social media, and internet by participating in the online forums. It is important for the organization to put forward important messages to the public to have an image, and good impression of the organization. They also have scheduled public relations program that regularly appear in the main community calendars.Planning for the unexpected crises is another important function of the public relation. An example was during the fire at the Chevron Richmond refinery last 2012 that happened near the Richmond Medical center that has the same license with Oakland. Kaiser Richmond Medical Center has served several dozen of people who came to the emergency room that complained shortness of breath and people were seriously ill. The fire has affected the quality of air over contra cost and El Cerrito Hills. They created public relations plan to handle the crisis and support the community by providing access with the media, local police, and government.She also shared some of the challenges as a public relations manager is keeping up with the rapidly changing media environment. To have the accurate current information and consistency in reaching the right contact, at the right time with the correct information is also important. Control the new media avenues in proper way like Facebook, twitters, and LinkedIn. How to work around the constantly changing views around the traditional approaches. Development of an effective process from a one – one media relation not in a one size plan.Marketing, and public relations; both are major external functions of the firm and both share a common ground in regard to product publicity and consumer relations, at the same time, however; they operate on different levels and from different perspectives and perceptions (Turney, 2001, para. 3). What I learned is that both public, and marketing relations has gone through intense growth, and evolution, it gained increased influence in the business world as they developed new strategies, and projects that projected positive, and aggressive communication in larger public.The traditional perception is that marketing exists to serve, sense, and satisfy customers’ needs for a profit. In Public relations assist its public and organization to adapt mutually to each other. In marketing it supports the transfer of services, and goods from the producer, and the provider to the consumer. The immediate goal of public relations is to achieve an understanding of the organization’s position wit h the public while marketing’s goal is sales. Public relations inherent goal is to have a positive perception and predisposition while marketing is to gain profit.Public relations measurement of success is evidenced by public support, and expressed public opinion’ while marketing’s measurement of success is the quantity of revenue, and sales it generates. Most organization use only one of these disciplines, some uses both. This depends on the degree that they use; it varies from organization to organization based on the size, purpose, and unique organizational background. Kaiser has three entities the hospital clearly has the public affairs and the health plan division uses the marketing strategy.If an organization is nonprofit like Kaiser Permanente Hospital Oakland Medical Center primary goal is to serve the public, and the community. Public relations are more prominent function because it builds relationship with its members. The public affairs department coo rdinates, and disseminates public information, community affairs, and relations. A business for profit and focuses on marketing, and sales, and gaining profit is the most dominant function. Public relations are the secondary function and are completed to enhance, and enhance the marketing efforts.

Did Life Improve For Black Americans

The NAACP formed in 1909 by William Du Bois, they were active against racial injustice between sass and sass. They had various campaigns one mainly being the main opponent of the UK Klux Klan in 1 sass. They had also stopped various opposition in which they had felt it was a correct decision, an example is blocking a nomination of judge, John Parker, a known racist. They had also pressured the Supreme Courts which ensured black Americans have the same quality of education as white Americans. The Second World War in 941 had many positive and negative changes.The Jim Crow Law which segregated the units in the IIS army there was a black only unit in which they weren't allowed to combat in before 1944 but were offered jobs to support the army such as transport supplies. Although discrimination occurred, US air forces didn't allow black pilots but the Tuskegee allowed them to have black pilots at the end of the war consisting of 1000 black pilots. Education was difficult for black America ns in the 1 sass and 1 9605 because of the struggle f equal education in which in 1952, 20 US states had segregated public schools.Linda Brown had to walk 20 blocks to her school which consisted of black Americans even though there was a school for white pupils near her home. In September 1 957, 9 African-Americans students entered a white only Central High School in Little Rock this made President Eisenhower respond by sending 1000 federal troops which brought the media involved and increased the publicity to the injustices of segregation. Resilience in 195(Yes were increasing, Malcolm X whose father was murdered by white Supremes had joined the Nation of Islam and changed his surname to ‘X'.Although he rejected Martin Luther Kings speech and ideology he believed violence was the only way to secure a black nation. Many young black Americans were frustrated in Kings slow response and with the Malcolm confidence in speaking; he attracted them to support him. As a result, he enc ouraged the self-esteem of black Americans and his ideology was supported by Black Panthers and Power.

Research Paper About Minute Burger

RESEARCH PAPER I. Industry/Company Background Burger Machine is an industry. Minute Burger is an established food franchising company with over 26 years of expertise in the delivery of first-rate food products and food service operations. Since 1982, we have served millions of our on-of-a-kind, hearty, DELICIOUS burgers, in Minute Burger stores all over the Philippines. Today, we continue to explore opportunities and take full advantage of our market potential.We maintain dynamism in developing our product line to suit the various tastes of our growing market. We relentlessly work towards building dependable systems to improve and ensure the highest product and service standards. And, we take our franchising goals a notch higher by jointly envisioning with our partners and by matching our strength with theirs to achieve maximum rewards, not only in our francise business but more importantly, in people’s lives.The market share under the burger on the wheels segment can be descr ibed by the following figures based on my observation in today’s market- Minute Burger- 34, Burger Machine-31, Angel’s Burger-21, Buena bonita’s-8 Other’s-6. Minute Burger has now expanded all over the country through franchising. Its franchising package amounting ? 350,000 includes business operations support, management training services and Marketing/ Promotional Support. II. Vision, Mission. VisionBy 2020, Minute Burger shall be the Quick Service Food Chain of Choice for the value conscious consumer by providing innovative and environmentally sustainable food products and services that meets global standards through operational excellence; aided by highly competent employees and franchise partners with a shared mind set to create memorable experiences and to also achieve local and international expansion. Mission To create positive customer experience. III. REVISED MISSION STATEMENT 1. CUSTOMERTo ensure that each guest receives prompt, professional, f riendly and courteous service. To maintain a clean, comfortable and well maintained premises for our guests and staff. 2. PRODUCTS & SERVICES To sell delicious and remarkable food and drinks. That the food and drink we sell meets the highest standards of quality, freshness and seasonality and combines both modern-creative and traditional Asian styles of cooking. 3. PHILOSOPHY At Minute Burger, we Believe that Fast Food is about sustaining the satisfaction of people. . EMPLOYEES To provide all who work with us a friendly, cooperative and rewarding environment which encourages long- term, satisfying, growth employment. To keep our concept fresh, exciting and on the cutting edge of the hospitality and entertainment industry. 5. TECHNOLOGY To provide the guests the information about the Minute Burger easier. 6. MARKETS 7. SELF-CONCEPT To ensure that all guests and staff are treated with the respect and dignity they deserve. To thank each guest for the opportunity to serve them.By mainta ining these objectives we shall be assured of a fair profit that will allow us to contribute to the community we serve. To provide at a fair price – nutritional, well-prepared meals – using only quality ingredients. 8. CONCERN FOR PUBLIC IMAGE To actively contribute to sustainable development through environmental protection, social responsibility and economic progress. To us, that means meeting the needs of society today, while respecting the ability of future generations to meet their needs.