Annotated Bibliography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 5

Annotated Bibliography - Essay Example e (1990) reported that researchers generally ignored the importance of ‘motivation and individual differences’ in their bid to understand cognition, he asserts that college lecturers must consider these two concepts in their delivery of the various subject matter. Thus, he stressed the need for lecturers to consider not only students’ acquisition of knowledge but also their motivation to continue learning even after their college days are ended. He therefore advocated life long learning as a major aim of the college education system. Three underlying factors utilized by Mc Keachie (1990) and his associates to analyze cognitive psychology and motivation theory include firstly, the pre-knowledge that students bring to their learning experiences, secondly, the issue of ‘deep versus surface processing’ of learning which is determined by students active involvement in the learning process and thirdly, the importance of nurturing the intrinsic motivation of the learner. Specifically, Mc Keachie (1990) and his associates investigated the ‘learning strategies and motivational characteristics’ of students enrolled in Biology, English, Psychology or Sociology at three different colleges.(130) Special emphasis was paid to the rudiments of research in a natural setting. In general, the authors focused on the interest and achievement level of anxious students. The researchers concluded in spite of their inability to over-generalize due to the small sample size that supportive structures were needed early in the course and assistance must be given to students to develop effective learning strategy and study skills.(138) Furthermore, Mc Keachie (1990) posits that three items are of major importance in the teaching and maintenance/improvement of the motivation level of students, namely, finding out ‘what is in the mind of the learner’, the identification of ‘key concepts and their relationships’ and ‘student self-efficacy in mobilizing energies for

Cell Phones And Academic Performance English Language Essay

Cell Phones And Academic Performance English Language Essay The adoption of cell phones by young generation has been a global phenomenon in recent years. Thus, with the emergence of this technology almost everyone has tried to adopt these cell phones. We found in this research that cell phone usage had a negative impact on students GPA. Students using their cell phone during class, they also receiving and sending text messages during their class so they were able to pay less attention to lecture and thus it had negative impact on students performance. Key terms: Cell phones usage, Academic performance, GPA Introduction Since the commercialization of cellular phones technology, the use of this communication device has rapidly increased. Today, the global cellular phone market now stands at approximately 1.8 billion subscribers, and is forecasted to reach 3 billion by the end of 2010 (Reid and Reid, 2007). In Pakistan total subscribers for cell phones till 12 September 2012 have reached to 120,513,430 (Pakistan Telecommunication Authority). The adoption of cell phones by young generation has been a global phenomenon in recent years. This cell phone was originally created for adults for business use (Aoki Downes, 2003). It has become an integral part of adolescents daily life and one of the most popular forms of electronic communication. In todays world almost every student is having cell phone in their pocket, clipped to a belt, or hidden in a brief case or purse and knows perfect usage of it. As technology is growing every day at very fast rate, and is bringing positive and negative effects for soc iety and so is with cell phone technology that has brought both positive and negative effects. It is commonly observed that these cell phones have also become status symbol for youth and they have indulged themselves in the competition of having best and most updated cell phone with maximum features. Todays youth prefer cell phones more as compared to internet or any other social activity. Not only young people own cell phone, they have symbolic and affective investment in them (Lobet-maris, 2003) and they also want to upgrade it as soon as new model is launched in the market. Cell phones are that much involved in our life that the person who own cell phone is tend to be thought socially connected, independent, modern and in demand by the society. One of the most used applications of cell phones by our young generation is text messaging and these cellular network companies have also played a vital role in negatively affecting our young generation by introducing a number of packages for text messaging and calls also. Students of today are master in fastest text messaging and are seen text messaging while at home, at university, traveling ,in classroom and specially while studying. Communication with fellow students, professors, parents, and everyone else is just a click away. In New Zealand study 56% of high school students reported that the most important reason for using a cell phone was to talk and text with friends and family (Netsafe, 2005). This research paper explores the impact of cell phones` usage on students academic performance. We examined the affect of mobile usage on the grades among university students. Literature Review Cell phones and academic performance: The invention of the fixed telephone in the late 19th century in the United States changed the way that people interacted and communicated (Marilyn, 2005). This has been paralleled in the early 21st century by the advent of the cell phone (Marilyn, 2005). This is extremely similar to the fixed telephone in the early 20th century, where telephone engineers explained that the telephone was made for the business world and not for social conversation (Flinchy, 1997). The growth of cell phone technology is demonstrated by the fact that in 2002 the number of cell phone users worldwide, surpassed those of fixed-phone users (Srivastava, 2005). In 2005, the number of cell phone subscribers worldwide will reach 2 billion (Deloitte Research, 2005) and in Australia will reach 19.2 million (Fisher, 2005). And in Pakistan total fixed phone subscriber by December 2011 reached to only 3,098,117, less than mobile phone subscriber that were 120,151,253 till December 2011 (Pakistan Telecommunication Au thority). In Norway in 1999, 80% of 13 to 20-year-olds owned a cell phone, while in the United Kingdom in 2001, 90% of young people under the age of 16 did so (www.capacitybuilder.co.uk). In 2003, in Italy, 56% of children aged 9 and 10-years-old owned cell phones and of the 44% who didnt, all expressed a desire to own one (Guardian Unlimited, 2003), and amongst teenage girls in Tokyo, the adoption rate is almost 100% (Srivastava, 2005). In Australia in 2004, a survey by iTouch found that 50,000 children aged between 5 and 9 years of age owned a cell phone, one third of children aged 10 to 13-years old and 45% of 13 to 15-year-olds also owned the device (Allison, 2004). Surveys have consistently shown that young people even prefer their cell phone to television or the Internet (Enpocket, 2005; Hession, 2001). It is childrens favourite method of communication (Livingstone Bober, 2005) with younger adolescents (school years 7 to 9) more attached to their cell phones than older adoles cents (school years 10 to 12) as they reported needing to return home to collect their phone if they forget it (Matthews, 2004). Young people also save text messages which they value and cherish (Taylor Harper, 2003).Thus, with the emergence of this technology almost everyone has tried to adopted these cell phones. The main issue for teachers is the disturbance created in class room due to cell phone calls and texting. The functionality of SMS lets students send and receive messages unobtrusively (Geser, 2004). Combining this with the ease of hiding the device due to its small size, makes it very difficult for teachers to control. Because of the short time frame in which an answer is expected to a message (Kasesniemi Rautiainen, 2002), the excitement of finding out who has called and what the message is (similar to snail mail letters), young people are reluctant to turn off their cell phone during class time. In an Italian survey of 9- and 10-year-olds, 86% of students who owned cell phones kept them on during lessons (Guardian Unlimited, 2003). The New Zealand survey also found that 66% of students who took a mobile phone to school kept it turned on at school (Netsafe, 2005). Campbell (2006) found that students and faculty view the ringing of cell phones in class to be a serious problem. It is clear that if students are spending time texting, they are not paying attention to the class lecture, will not be able to understand the topic and will not be able to produce good result in class, this will have impact on their grade points. Through common observation today students are busy with this technology, spends 90% of their time with cell phones and dont pay attention to their studies. And if they pretend to their parents that they are studying in their room, they are actually dodging their parents, it is such a small device that they can easily hide them and lie with their parents. Students are trying to make as many friends whether girl or boy as they can, keeping themselves busy all day and night, as these network companies for their own profit have introduced a lots of cheap packages for call and messaging. All these activities in which students have en gaged themselves in todays world are demolishing their present and future. Students are using this technology not only for text messaging in class but also use it as source of cheating in examination. Students have always cheated via taking notes into class, or writing notes on hands (Ling, 2000a). For example, 12 students at the University of Maryland were caught cheating during an accounting exam (Anonymous 2003). With many cell phones now incorporating a digital camera or video, there is a danger in schools, colleges and universities that inappropriate pictures will be taken because of the portability and discrete nature of the camera (Marilyn, 2005). Pictures can be taken quickly without the knowledge of the person being photographed. Stealing of cell phones is also an issue which can impact on school staff (Williams Williams, 2005). Most victims of mobile phone theft are under 18 years of age and the phones are stolen by the same age group as well. This can put additional strain on school administration if the theft occurs at or near school and staff are expected to investigate (Marilyn, 2005). After explaining negative aspect there are some positive impact also, it helps students to stay connected with their group members when assigned some group work from their teacher. In school it also helps teacher to tell their parents about any serious problem happened to the students and also helps teacher to text their parent if they are absent from school. Students are supposed to use mobile phones whole night texting their friends. It is interesting to note that there are few common family rules about young peoples use of the cell phone. In fact, many adolescents (58%) reported that there were no rules set by their parents about their cell phone use, and only 12% reported that their parents used removal of their cell phones as punishment (Matthews, 2004). In New Zealand, this increased to 26% of young cell people reporting being threatened, with the phone being confiscated, as a form of punishment (Netsafe, 2005). It has been found that some young peoples sleep is disturbed when friends call them on their cell phone to talk or when a text message is deposited (Anderson, 2003). In New Zealand 11% of young people reported being woken every night by a text message or voice call (Netsafe, 2005). Probably because of the sleeping issue it has been found that the most common rule set by parents (56%) was that children have to leave their cel l phones out of their rooms at night. Ten percent of young people also reported that their parents frequently had to ask them to stop using their mobile phone late at night with 12% saying that this was the most common disagreement between them and their parents (Matthews, 2004). Along with academic performance cell phones have also positively and negatively affected social relationships. With the emergence of mobile phones individuals are able to stay connected with their friends, family and relatives living abroad. In addition to keeping up with social relationships, individuals have also been able to increase productivity with their work because they can be hundreds of miles away from the office, and still have instant access to their e-mail, documents and contacts wherever they are (Tully, 2003). A trend that is becoming more apparent is present absences; this is the concept of how an individuals presence in a social setting changes regardless of their physical presence, they are only half-present (Fortunati 2008). After a ring or buzz of their cell phone, they are drawn away somewhere else, away from their present situation and/or conversation. Through observation, researchers have found that individuals typically will not hesitate to interrupt an ongoin g conversation to answer the ringing of their cell phone. Cell phones have given a new way to individuals to form new relationships and to strengthen existing ones. Teens admitted spending nearly an equal amount of time talking as they do texting each month. The feature is so important to them that if texting was no longer an option, 47 percent of teens say their social life would end or be worsened especially among females (54 percent compared to 40 percent of males) (CTIA Survey 2008). Before the emergence of mobile technology, individuals have regular interaction with one another. As they have very little telephonic contact with one another so they are used to visit each other homes regularly. Even if any one of the family member is in hospital, their loved ones even if out of city make a visit instantly or the next day but now with the emergence of cell phones people are supposed to just ask about their health on phone call with their cell phones. Hypothesis Cell phones` usage will have a negative affect on students` academic performance. Model Cell phone usage Academic performance Methodology The data was collected by distributing questionnaire to students of different universities in Pakistan with the ages ranging between eighteen and thirty. A sample size of 150 students was taken in which 65 respondents were male and 85 respondents were female. The survey consisted of 24 questions, including cell phone impacts on students academic performance and social relationship. Multiple choice questions were asked. The reliability of the instrument was calculated by using SPSS. The instrument was personally administered to the sample. Demographic information (e.g., age, gender, university, degree, GPA) was also collected. Results After successfully collecting the data through distributing questionnaires in different universities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, we have inserted that data in SPSS software data sheet and run desired functions necessary to know that what impact does independent variable (cell phone usage ) have on dependent variable (students academic performance). We have evaluated students academic performance by considering their GPA. From the correlation results as shown in TABLE 1, we have find that cell phone usage is having negative impact on students GPA i.e. (r= -0.303, p TABLE 1 Correlation Results M S.D 1 2 3 4 Age 21.487 1.8672 1 Gender 1.58 0.49521 -0.184* Cell phone usage 3.267 0.4512 0.045 -0.149 1 GPA 1.9911 0.57583 -0.154 0.246** -0.303** 1 **. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). *. Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed). TABLE 2 Regression Results Predictor Academic performance(GPA) ÃŽÂ ² Ά Sig. Step 1 Age -0.27 0.164 Gender 0.205 0.006 Step 2 Age -0.26 0.167 Gender 0.169 0.020 Cell phone usage -0.212 0.072 0.001 The table 2 shows the regression result of dependent and independent variable. In step 1 control variables i.e. age, gender is shown and in step 2 independent variable i.e. cell phone usage is shown. In horizontal line we have dependent variable i.e. academic performance measured using students GPA. The fluctuation in students academic performance (GPA) due to cell phone usage is 72%. The impact of cell phones usage on student academic performance is negative i.e. (ÃŽÂ ² = -0.212). Which implies that the student whose usage of cell phone is more is having low GPA i.e. showing poor academic performance. Discussion In this research paper we have evaluated that what impact students cell phone usage has on their academic performance by considering their GPA. Students age and gender is also taken into account while running analysis using SPSS. Cell phone usage is taken as independent variable and students academic performance is taken as dependent variable. Questionnaires are given to be filled by students of different universities in Rawalpindi and Islamabad between the age of 18 and 30. The data collected is analyzed by using SPSS software and evaluated the impact of cell phones usage on students academic performance. The result shows that cell phones usage is negatively impacting students academic performance. This means that the students who are using cell phone more are having low GPA. On asking questions on how much time they spend on using their cell phone and in how many classes they use cell phone, we have found that there is negative relationship of these two questions with students GPA. That is the students who are using cell phone almost 7-10 hours and those also who use cell phone during their most of the classes are having low GPA. On asking random questions we have found that one of the most used feature of cell phone is text messaging used by 67% students (female 37% and male 30%). Almost 81% students (female 46%, male 35%) are using standard text messages as compared to multimedia messages or other. 43% students (31% female and 13% male) say that they put their mobile phone on silent mode while attending class. 35% students (20% female and 15% male) say that they occasionally receiv e or send text messages while the class was in session. 55% students (35% female and 20% male) agree on policy that mobile should be kept by students but they should set it in vibration mode. 61% students (40% female, 21% male) say that they do not use night packages on their cell phone. 42% students (23% female, 19% male) say that they use day packages on their cell phone. 67% students (39% female, 27% male) say that they spent 10% of their pocket money on cell phones. 56% students (32% female, 24% male) say that they sometimes use their cell phone while doing their assignments. As results show that those students who spend most of their time on cell phone are achieving low GPA, which is in accordance with the literature and common observation. Students are using their cell phone during class, they are also receiving and sending text messages during their class so they will be able to pay less attention to lecture and thus it will have negative impact on students performance. Some students are also using night packages on their cell phone which will make them unable to be attentive in their morning class or may be unable to attend the first class. It is better to activate missed call alert on their cell phone and put it off during class and when they will on it they will receive message of all the calls they missed when the cell phone was off. In last concluding all cell phone usage is significantly impacting our youth who are misusing this technology, and thus showing poor academic performance and demolishing their career opportunities.

The Nuremberg Trials Essay -- Essays Papers

The Nuremberg Trials On June 22, 1945 representatives from France, Great Britain, Russia, and the United States started to plan the prosecution of the main Axis war criminals. These representatives had to establish a fair way of trying the criminals because the world had never seen a situation like the one at hand. The result of the meeting was the International Military Tribunal. The Tribunal’s constitution set forth the principles the defendants were subject to. The panel of Allied representatives decided to hold the trial in Nuremberg. Nuremberg was chosen because the city served as the center of Nazi activities and offered nice facilities (Keeshan 3). Lawyers from the Allied powers submitted an indictment to the Tribunal on October 18, 1945. The indictment charged twenty-four Nazi leaders with crimes committed during World War II (Keeshan 9). The trials were set to start in the middle of November in 1945. Allied troops with the help of some German citizens restored the city because the city was in ruins prior to the scheduled starting date of the trial. The Nazi leaders were incarcerated in Nuremberg in August 10, 1945 (Keeshan 13). A defendant named Robert Ley committed suicide two weeks before the start of the trial. Therefor, an Allied guard was placed at the door of each Nazi leader’s prison door to stop them from killing themselves. When the November trial date finally arrived the city was restored, the defendants were secured and the trial was ready to begin (Keeshan 20). The brutal crimes that the defendants were on trial for revolved around the "Holocaust." It is important to understand the meaning of the word holocaust when viewing the defendant’s case. The definition of hol... ...onot 498). The rest of the guilty defendants were sentenced to life imprisonment including Rudolf Hess. Hess was the deputy to the Fuehrer and successor to Hitler after Goering. Hess hung himself in 1987. The men sentenced to death were killed on October 16, 1946 and their ashes were put into a river outside of Munich. Symbolically, "the center of the Nazi movement became the grave of its leaders (Conot 507)." Works Cited - Bosch, William. Judgement on Nuremberg. Chapel Hill, NC: U. of North Carolina Press, 1970. - Conot, Robert. Justice at Nuremberg. New York: Harper & Row Press, 1983. - Keeshan, Anne. Justice at Nuremberg. New York: Marvel Press, 1950. - Rosenbaum, Alan. Prosecuting Nazi War Criminals. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1993. - Smith, Bradley. The Road to Nuremberg. New York: Basic Books Publishers, 1981.

Building Community within Organizations

It is already given that the one constant thing in life that nobody can stop is change. This proven fact is applicable much more in the world of running a business organization. In order for the company to strive and compete in the industry it is involved in, there is the necessity for it to instill, from time to time, alteration in company policies, in the framework of its organization and almost in all of the aspect of its whole structure.When situation like this happens, the changes in the policies of the company — be it retrenchment or simple adaptation of new operational procedures or even technology – the most affected by this change is the frontline of the operation. These people are those who belong to the rank-and-file officers and staff members of the firm. Moreover, if the change in policy is a major one that affects the whole member of the organization, intelligent skills and knowledge is a necessary tool so that everyone can cope up with it.The question tha t underlies this statement is: â€Å"What are the effective actions that the employees and leaders alike should do so to counteract the negative side effects of the change and also to parry the blows to their personal and organization’s well-being. † Members of the organization would surely experience the change while it takes place and this call for an intelligent and effective style of leadership and communication on the part of the management.From the vantage point of the employee who is affected through loss or change in the policy of the company, he should have coping mechanism to avert the negative impact of the change. And from the vantage point of the management, good leadership is needed so as not to alienate the workforce and make the changes have a slight impact in them. Ways of Coping from the Vantage Point of Employee Since it is inevitable that a company or an organization will apply changes in its company policies mainly to keep abreast with the stiff co mpetition in the market, every employee of any firm should have a coping mechanism in the light of this.It is them best to follow the advice of the team of Sparks, Baret and Lehndorff (2000) who said in order to bring out the best in anything or everybody, one must know more than the work required of him. Using this advice to avert any catastrophic effect of any change happening in an organization, the employee will have something to fall back on to if ever the alternation in the company policy will deem his position and role in the organization is no longer needed.To go more deeply in this very effective mechanism of averting and coping with the changes happening in a company, the employee, if he knows more than the work he is performing for the company, will have a place to go to if ever his position will be deemed no longer needed by the firm. A good example of this is when an order delivery boy knows how to cook or function in the kitchen of the restaurant he is working for. Bes ides knowing how to drive a delivery van this employee may also participate in the kitchen in preparing food for example during the lull moments when there is no delivery.If ever the times comes when the company will phase out its delivery service and this means the driver will no longer be in need by the company, that employee, because of his experience in working in the kitchen, can be absorbed by the kitchen department so as to lessen the impact of the change in the policy of the firm. Thus saying, this means that an employee should make it to himself to know more about the company that he works in. By knowing different kinds of work in a particular organization, the problem of being absorbed by different department will be not a hassle or a problem.This also avert the point where in the employee can lose his job and part with the organization. Furthermore, if the employee knows many things or have various experiences in various kinds of work, the event of losing an organization or his job will, in a way, not a problem for him. As they say a man of jack of all trades is better than being just a master of one. In an event that an employee is retrenched because of organizational policy, he will not have any trouble finding another work even if the new job is not related to the previous job that he used to perform.Using the set example above, a driver of a delivery van for example may be retrenched for any possible organizational or policy change happening in his company. But since he knows also how to be a mechanic or a helper in the company he used to work with, he may find another job in another firm as a mechanic or even just a helper in the kitchen. Giving this example, it is thus cannot be over emphasized the need for an employee to know more than what he does in his particular organization.Even though this knowledge regarding another line of work is not related to his present job, the use of this may come in the future considering that his tenure in the company is not permanent or changing according to the policies of the management. Transition from Job Loss Wilson (2004) said that when someone is faced by a major loss like being fired or terminated, that person will experience an expected series of sequence of emotions known as Kubler-Ross stages.These grieving emotions will start at denial, bargaining, anger, despair and finally, acceptance. A person who suffered a job loss does not usually experience these emotions in this sequence. They may come in different variation, yet understanding the sequence of this emotional stage can help the person bounce back from the traumatic experience of losing his job. Nevertheless, this is not just the whole picture of the situation that the person must know to pull himself back from a major loss.It is also important to know the four truths as Wilson (2004) enumerated them: †¢ Most people who experience career losses feel like you do †¢ There will be predicable stages in your career transition †¢ As an adult, you will continue to grow and change †¢ There really is a best way to approach finding a new job Wilson (2004) added that by exploring these four truth about a job loss will help create for a person a more realistic expectation.And by doing so, there is likely that the person will slide in the â€Å"paralyzing isolation, frustration, or depression† which usually comes after a major set back like a job loss. Doing and understanding these four truths then will be a capital for that person to create a tremendous opportunity in finding a new job or a career. Leadership During the time of change in company policy and transition from the old process of working to the new one, leaders act as catalysts of change. They are necessary member of the organization since they shoulder the strength of the company in general.Leaders have the ability to set and influence the point of view and opinions of their subordinates. As Philips & Schmidt (2004) said it is therefore not at all surprising that for a long time every organization and corporation are spending big amount of money just to enhance their worker’s skills on leadership. In this light, in an event when a company has set it organizational system it is therefore important that there is a leader, characterized as having transformational skills, to support these changes.This quality of leadership is necessary if not crucial for the company itself since the skills of these people have the capacity to help motivate the working spirit of the employees affected by the change. Moreover, transformational leaders help the organization shift from the old system to the new system when a major change takes place. One of the advantages of having a transformational leader when a change takes place in an organization is the given sensitivity he already has for those who either will be affected by the change or to those who will lose their jobs.Considering that this kind of leader n o longer has control over the retrenched workers or employees, his quality of being aware to the effects of the changes will greatly help those who are left behind to continue their work. Awareness about the effects what happened to the organization will be the ground on which this leader will lead his subordinates to continue being motivated doing their jobs. The good thing about this kind of leader is that he is aware that many, if not most, of the employees will surely lose their enthusiasm to work for the company.Knowing this, the leader then can initiate open communication with his subordinates about what is the real goal of the change and therefore erase the doubts in the mind of the employees that the organization is not really there for them. What is even more effective about this kind of leader is that he knows that he is there to stand before his employees and workers as somebody to be emulated upon. Whatever his actions and attitude towards change will surely be the gener al sentiments of those who fall under him.In this light, changes may take place inside the organization yet the transformational leader will always lessen their impact on the working ethics and habits and also motivation of the workers. References Philips, J. and Schmidt, L. , (2004). The Leadership Scorecard. Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann, UK. Sparks, L. , Baret, C. & Lehmdorff, S. (2000) Flexible Working in Food Retailing: A Comparison Between France, Germany, Great Britain and Japan. London: Routledge. Wilson, D. G. (2004). Back in Control: How to Stay Sane, Productive, and Inspired in Your. Sentient Publications, US

A Sample Position Paper

A SAMPLE POSITION PAPER Globalization: A Transition to What? Barber, Benjamin R. Introduction to Jihad vs. McWorld (New York: Ballantine Books, 1996) Kobrin, Stephen J. â€Å"Back to the Future: Neomedievalism and the Postmodern Digital World Economy,† Globalization and Governance (London: Routledge, 1999. After the bloody clashes between anti-globalization protesters and the police in Genoa, globalization is once again on the world's agenda and it is here to stay. A dream to some and a nightmare to others, globalization is a widely debated issue among journalists and scholars, among intellectuals of all profiles, business people and decision-makers alike. Benjamin R. Barber, Walt Whitman professor of political science, and Stephen J. Kobrin, professor of multinational management, both join the discussion, each giving his own vision of what the post-modern future of this globalized world might look like. In â€Å"Jihad vs. McWorld† Barber's fragmented and at the same time integrated world is â€Å"terminally post-democratic† (20). It is pulled apart by two opposing forces: disintegrating ethnic hatreds and unifying mechanisms of global economy, none of which cares much for civic society and civil liberties. In Barber's terminology Jihad stands for the blind parochialism of any kind, but primarily for tribal instincts that tear countries apart and cause bloody wars. McWorld epitomizes the world of consumerist capitalism unified by commerce, entertainment and consumerism that knows no borders. Although Jihad seems like a more obvious threat to democracy, McWorld is no less dangerous because both are enemies of the sovereign nation states and of democracy. Barber warns that democracy might be collateral damage from the confrontation between globalization and parochial fragmentation. While Barber is primarily interested in the fate of democracy, Kobrin gives a great deal of attention to the problem of state sovereignty in the increasingly integrated world. In â€Å"Back to the Future: Neomedievalism and the Postmodern Digital World Economy† the key issue is the anticipated transformation of state sovereignty into new forms of political loyalty. Kobrin argues that sovereign state as we know it-firmly defined within certain territorial borders-is about to change profoundly, if not to wither away. National markets are too small to be self-sustainable which challenges the meaning of territorial boundaries between states. Both authors acknowledge that sovereignty, defined as unambiguous authority, is threatened. Whereas Barber finds that alarming, Kobrin takes this as a historical inevitability; modern state system, based on mutually exclusive jurisdiction, may be an anomaly rather than a historically privileged form of political organizations. Kobrin argues that we should look at the medieval world for the answers to how the future might look like. Medieval analogy offers a world of overlapping multiple authorities and absence of fixed boundaries. It is a world of multiple political loyalties-to emperors, to the pope, to feudal lords-which are complex rather than linear. Kobrin's modern analogy is European Union, with its overlap of national, regional and supra-national authorities. The medieval metaphor seems attractive, but Kobrin forgets that the world of the Middle Ages was highly decentralized rather than unified, and in that sense radically different from our own. Medieval feuds, as economic units, were self-sufficient and isolated-everything that modern markets are not. Kobrin himself argues that the integrated economy requires a strong central authority, perhaps not yet in the form of world government but certainly through stronger international organizations such as WTO. Clearly, this is a different kind of authority than a pope or an emperor might have had in medieval world. Is medieval analogy applicable at all? If we follow Kobrin's reasoning, it appears that the new world will require more rather than less authority. Nation-state's sovereignty may be eroding, but, as a result, we have an increasing supra-national authority instead of a loose authority of the medieval type. Barber, on the other hand, may be launching an artificial dichotomy. While McWorld sounds like an apt metaphor for globalization, Jihad seems to be a superficial, emotionally charged term with multiple meanings. Barber draws on Yeats and Mary Shelly to define this â€Å"heritage of race,† the force of tribal instincts, ancient hatreds, and fundamentalism. Although doubtless poetic, the concept of Jihad, as described by Barber, is confusing. He takes a few examples of ethnic conflict, such as Bosnia or Rwanda, and declares they are but a manifestation of the tribalisation phenomenon, but he does little to support his thesis. Did Bosnia really fall apart because of ancient, tribal hatreds? Barber overlooks the fact that peoples of Bosnia have been living peacefully with one another much longer than they have waged wars. Reducing complex conflicts to an oversimplified, poorly defined phenomenon such as Jihad helps Barber support his shaky Jihad-McWorld dichotomy but does little to persuade the reader that Jihad exists as such. Barber's and Kobrin's views seem diametrically opposite whereas it may simply be that they are considering different issues. There is little common ground between them in terms of problems they are interested in. They both take McWorld for granted, though. Neither challenges globalization nor tries to imagine the world as something other than globalized, digital, and integrated. Even Barber who laments over the destructiveness of Jihad admits that McWorld is the winner in the long run. Although they have different agendas, they are telling essentially one and the same thing-the future belongs to McWorld. What with democracy, Barber asks? Everyone will be a consumer, but what will happen to citizens? For Kobrin, however, the problem does not exist; just as we have civil societies within states today, in the future they will be replaced by global civil society with its mixture of state and non-state actors, NGOs, transnational movements. Are Barber and Kobrin debating at all? Their visions of the world in the future are not mutually exclusive. Barber comes up with a bold notion that not even nations constitute main players today, but tribes. His description of balkanization, tribalization and awakening of atavistic forces among peoples evokes images of dark Middle Ages. Barber warns that our civilization is beginning to resemble medieval past in which the world consisted of warring fiefdoms unified by Christianity; in our world, Bosnian Serbs and alike wage their ethnic conflicts while both the aggressors and the victims eat the same BigMacs, wear jeans and watch MTV. It seems that he is also looking at the world through medieval prism, albeit from its dark side. It is precisely the dark side that Kobrin avoids confronting. He is intentionally focused on the practicalities of managing the world in the future so he lefts out of the picture the unpleasant details. Fragmentation is one of the issues that he chooses not to consider although he acknowledges that some authors, such as Kaplan offer a less optimistic vision of the world torn by refugee migration, private armies, collapse of nation state and civil order with it. Kobrin's only response to this grim prophecy is little more than hope: â€Å"One hopes that such an age is not part of the neomedieval metaphor, hat a new and more terrifying barbarian is not on the horizon† (183). Walled communities and private security forces that he admits appear increasingly today could be, Kobrin still hopes, only â€Å"ephemeral products of a world in transition and not a permanent characteristic of the postmodern era† (183). Barber, Benjamin R. Introduction to Jihad vs. McWorld (New York: Ballantine Books, 1996) Kobrin, Stephen J. â€Å"Back to the Future: Neomedievalism and the Postmodern Digital World Economy,† Globalization and Governance (London: Routledge, 1999.

Compare and contrast the aims and achievements of Mazzini an essays

Compare and contrast the aims and achievements of Mazzini an essays Compare and contrast the aims and achievements of Mazzini and Garibaldi Save this essay for later viewing Plagiarism and How to Cite The unification of Italy came about almost by accident. However, the process was reliant upon the actions of several key figures. Mazzini and Garibaldi were two of these key figures. Although the two men played essentially very different roles in the unification of Italy, they had much in common. During the course of this essay, the similarities and differences in the aims and achievements of Mazzini and Garibaldi will be examined. Mazzini was the first man to give a coherent and politically sound basis for Italian unification. After spending time as a member of the Carbonari, a secret society with little consistency in its aims and objectives, Mazzini founded Young Italy (Giovanni Italia). The essential goal of Young Italy was to achieve Italian unification through violent means. However, Mazzini was also a republican and believed that a united Italy must be a free and equal community of brothers; essentially it appears that Mazzini envisaged a socialist democratic republic. Mazzinis aims were inexorably linked in his own mind; he believed that Italy should not be unified under a constitutional Monarchy and that a constitutional Monarchy must only be a transitional phase. He believed that, through a process of revolution and education, Italy could be turned into a democratic socialist republic: Education must ever be directed to teach...the necessity of revolution. Revolution...must be so conducted as to render it a means of national education. The character of the revolution must be national...the flag raised, and the aim proposed will be national Although Mazzinis aims of violent revolution to create a unified republic of Italy were made clear to all 60,000 member...

Literary Essays and School Essays

Literary Essays and School Essays Literary Essays and School Essays Literary Essays and School Essays By Maeve Maddox As a literary term, essay is defined as â€Å"a short non-fiction composition.† What many people mean by â€Å"essay† these days, however, is quite different from what it means as a literary genre. The Literary Essay The word essay comes from the French word essayer â€Å"to try, to attempt† and still has this meaning in English, both as a noun and as a verb: Thats his first essay into the cattle business. We shall essay to remedy the situation. The first writer to apply the term to the type of reflective and entertaining pieces he liked to write was the Frenchman Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592). The writer who popularized the essay form in English was Francis Bacon (1561-1626). For the professional writer, the essay is the ideal genre with which to practice the writing craft. It offers the opportunity to focus on a topic and discover what one thinks about it. In a much quoted passage from his Collected Essays, Aldous Huxley describes the essay as a literary device for saying almost everything about almost anything.† Huxley says that essays can be studied â€Å"most effectively within a three-poled frame of reference† and goes on to identify the â€Å"three poles† as: the pole of the personal and the autobiographical the pole of the objective, the factual, the concrete-particular the pole of the abstract-universal Huxley’s opinion is that most essayists are at home in one, or at most, two, of the three types of essay. The writer comfortable with all three writes â€Å"the most richly satisfying essays.† Montaigne remains a model for modern essayists because he was able to combine the three poles. George Orwell is another useful model. For more recent examples of the literary essay, browse the pages of such publications as The Village Voice and Slate. How Long is an Essay? Although an essay is defined as â€Å"a short non-fiction composition,† in the hands of a professional writer with plenty to say, it can be pretty long. The essays of Montaigne and Bacon, for example, can run to 4,000 words. The famous essay â€Å"Self-Reliance† by American essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) exceeds 10,000 words. For the non-professional writer, the high school student applying for college, for example, the â€Å"essay† is quite short. College entrance essays fall in the 500-700 word range. It’s rare that a high school student or college freshman is asked to write an essay any longer than 1.000 words. The greatest difference between the literary essay and the school essay is that the literary essay springs from the interests of the writer and can be a joy to write. The essay written as a school assignment is often regarded by the writer as drudgery. The Essay as Chore Two main reasons that essay writing is perceived as a chore by students are 1) they don’t want to do it 2) they’ve had insufficient reading experience. We learn our first language by hearing it spoken. We absorb the forms of written language by reading it. Students with limited reading experience will find essay writing more difficult than those who are avid readers. They have not internalized the patterns of written English. As a result, sentences written by ill-read students seldom vary from simple or compound. The most common coordinating conjunction found in this type of essay is and. The most common subordinating conjunctions are because, then, and before. The reading level of this type of â€Å"assignment essay† rarely rises above sixth grade. That in itself is not necessarily a bad thing within the framework of communication. Much popular material is written at this level. The vocabulary in student essays tends to fluctuate between the elementary and the exotic. Many, if not most, high school students acquire advanced vocabulary by studying word lists, not by encountering them in the context of books. As a result they often misuse words because of insufficient understanding of their meanings. Nevertheless, even without a strong reading background students can master the skill of producing a five-paragraph essay that is acceptable for most school assignments. The Five-Paragraph Essay The five-paragraph essay is often criticized for being too restricted; too cut-and-dried. It is said to inhibit creativity. Perhaps. But not all the young people being asked to write essays are gifted with creativity. And even the creative ones need to learn the basics of composition before soaring off to their creative heights. The five-paragraph essay remains a useful workhorse. Parts of the Essay Every essay has three main parts. In the five-paragraph essay they are arranged this way: Introduction (first paragraph): states the topic and theme; Briefly states three points to be made about the theme. Body (paragraphs 2-4): each paragraph expands and supports one of the points mentioned in the introduction. Conclusion (paragraph 5): restates the theme and sums up the argument in a satisfying way. The Hardest Part of Writing an Essay Essay writing guides can help, but the most important aspect of any writing assignment lies with the writer. Only the writer can answer this most important question: What do you want to say? Time spent in pinning down the topic and theme of your essay is never wasted. Don’t begin writing before you know 1. what you are writing about 2. what you want to say about it 3. to whom you are saying it With school assignments, the essay topic is often part of the assignment, but the student is usually given a choice of more than one. If at all possible, choose a topic in which you feel some interest. Have a destination. It’s not enough to say you’re writing about â€Å"war† or â€Å"civic responsibility† or â€Å"gun control.† What do you want to say about the topic? What do you want your reader to feel about it after having read your essay? One of the most frequent faults of freshman essays is that they leave the reader wondering â€Å"so what?† Who’s your reader? Picturing your reader in your mind as you write will influence your writing style. If a teacher is your target audience, nonstandard vocabulary and grammar are not an option. Supporting Statements A common fault among student writers is the failure to distinguish between a general statement and a supporting statement. Inexperienced writers often attempt to support one general statement with another general statement: My sister is annoying. She really bothers me. I can’t stand some of the things she does. All three of these statements are generalizations. Specific, concrete examples are needed to support general statements. General statement: My sister is annoying. Supporting statement: She eats my favorite cereal on the sly and then puts the empty box back into the cabinet. Some helpful links A good starting place for the insecure writer is Ali Hale’s article on the writing process. A good guide to and discussion of the five-paragraph essay can be found here. A detailed step-by-step guide to writing the student essay can be found here. The steps include pre-writing, outlining, drafting and revising, Finally, here’s an example of a five-paragraph essay Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Dialogue Dos and Don'ts60 Synonyms for â€Å"Trip†Educational vs. Educative

Japanese School System Facts

Japanese School System Facts The Japanese educational system was reformed after World War II. The old 6-5-3-3 system was changed to a 6-3-3-4 system (6 years of elementary school, 3 years of junior high school, 3 years of senior high school and 4 years of University) with reference to the American system. The gimukyoiku ç ¾ ©Ã¥â€¹â„¢Ã¦â€¢â„¢Ã¨â€š ² (compulsory education) time period is 9 years, 6 in shougakkou Ã¥ ° Ã¥ ­ ¦Ã¦   ¡ (elementary school) and 3 in chuugakkou ä ¸ ­Ã¥ ­ ¦Ã¦   ¡ (junior high school). Japan has one of the worlds best-educated populations, with 100% enrollment in compulsory grades and zero illiteracy. While not compulsory, high school (koukou é «ËœÃ¦   ¡) enrollment is over 96% nationwide and nearly 100% in the cities. The high school drop out rate is about 2% and has been increasing. About 46% of all high school graduates go on to university or junior college. The Ministry of Education closely supervises curriculum, textbooks, and classes and maintains a uniform level of education throughout the country. As a result, a high standard of education is possible. Student Life Most schools operate on a three-term system with the new year starting in April. The modern educational system started in 1872 and is modeled after the French school system, which begins in April. The fiscal year in Japan also begins in April and ends in March of the following year, which is more convenient in many aspects. April is the height of spring when cherry blossoms  (the most loved flower of the Japanese!) bloom and the most suitable time for a new start in Japan. This difference in the school-year system causes some inconvenience to students who wish to study abroad in the U.S. A half-year is wasted waiting to get in and often another year is wasted when coming back to the Japanese university system and having to repeat a year. Except for the lower grades of elementary school, the average school day on weekdays is 6 hours, which makes it one of the longest school days in the world. Even after school lets out, the children have drills and other homework to keep them busy. Vacations are 6 weeks in the summer and about 2 weeks each for winter and spring breaks. There is often homework over these vacations.   Every class has its own fixed classroom where its students take all the courses, except for practical training and laboratory work. During elementary education, in most cases, one teacher teaches all the subjects in each class. As a result of the rapid population growth after World War II, the numbers of students in a typical elementary or junior high school class once exceeded 50 students, but now it is kept under 40. At public elementary and junior high school, school lunch (kyuushoku ç µ ¦Ã© £Å¸) is provided on a standardized menu, and it is eaten in the classroom. Nearly all junior high schools require their students to wear a school uniform (seifuku åˆ ¶Ã¦Å" ). A big difference between the Japanese school system and the American School system is that Americans respect individuality while the Japanese control the individual by observing group rules. This helps to explain the Japanese characteristic of group behavior. Translation Exercise Because of the rapid population growth after World War II, the number of students in a typical elementary or junior high school once exceeded 50.  Dainiji sekai taisen no ato no kyuugekina jinkou zouka no tame, tenkeitekina shou-chuu gakkou no seitosu wa katsute go-juu nin o koemashita.ç ¬ ¬Ã¤ ºÅ'æ ¬ ¡Ã¤ ¸â€"ç•Å'Ã¥ ¤ §Ã¦Ë† ¦Ã£  ®Ã£ â€šÃ£  ¨Ã£  ®Ã¦â‚¬ ¥Ã¦ ¿â‚¬Ã£  ªÃ¤ º ºÃ¥  £Ã¥ ¢â€"åŠ  Ã£  ®Ã£ Å¸Ã£â€š Ã£â‚¬ Ã¥â€¦ ¸Ã¥Å¾â€¹Ã§Å¡â€žÃ£  ªÃ¥ ° Ã¤ ¸ ­Ã¥ ­ ¦Ã¦   ¡Ã£  ®Ã§â€Å¸Ã¥ ¾â€™Ã¦â€¢ °Ã£  ¯Ã£ â€¹Ã£  ¤Ã£  ¦Ã¤ º ºÃ£â€šâ€™Ã¨ ¶â€¦Ã£ Ë†Ã£  ¾Ã£ â€"㠁Ÿã€‚ Grammar ~no tame means because of ~. I didnt go to work because of a cold.Kaze no tame, shigoto ni ikimasen deshita.é ¢ ¨Ã©â€š ªÃ£  ®Ã£ Å¸Ã£â€š Ã£â‚¬ Ã¤ »â€¢Ã¤ ºâ€¹Ã£  «Ã¨ ¡Å'㠁 Ã£  ¾Ã£ â€ºÃ£â€šâ€œÃ£  §Ã£ â€"㠁Ÿã€‚ Vocabulary dainiji sekai taisen ç ¬ ¬Ã¤ ºÅ'æ ¬ ¡Ã¤ ¸â€"ç•Å'Ã¥ ¤ §Ã¦Ë† ¦ World War II ato 㠁‚㠁 ¨ after kyuugekina æ€ ¥Ã¦ ¿â‚¬Ã£  ª rapid jinkou zouka ä º ºÃ¥  £Ã¥ ¢â€"åŠ   population growth tenkeitekina å… ¸Ã¥Å¾â€¹Ã§Å¡â€žÃ£  ª typical shou chuu gakkou Ã¥ ° Ã¤ ¸ ­Ã¥ ­ ¦Ã¦   ¡ elementary and junior high schools seitosuu 生å ¾â€™Ã¦â€¢ ° the numbers of students katsute 㠁‹ã  ¤Ã£  ¦ once go-juu ä ºâ€Ã¥   fifty koeru è ¶â€¦Ã£ Ë†Ã£â€šâ€¹ to exceed

Analysis of Civil Rights Movement Freedom Riders Research Paper

Analysis of Civil Rights Movement Freedom Riders - Research Paper Example On the one hand, some would say that they failed due to the reality that many of them were beaten and arrested. On the other hand, their message resonated with many across not only the South, but the nation as a whole. That message was designed to end the prejudice and segregation that still existed a century after the end of the Civil War. While policy changes may not have been initiated as a direct result of the Freedom Riders, the reality is that these activists highlight a rift within American society that would have to be dealt with. As a result, the Freedom Riders did end up having an impact of the Civil Rights movement by strengthening the voice of the African American person, bringing attention to the pervasive problem of segregation, and moving the government towards action in the end. Frustrated from a lack of transportation services, and the reality that those offered to African Americans at the time were of a substantially substandard quality in comparison to whites, many in the African American community felt that they needed to be more proactive in making their voices heard and begin the process of desegregating the South once and for all. The rides are believe to have actually begun in force on a Mother’s Day in 1961. As history has revealed, one of the most segregated areas of the country was the rural South, and Alabama was prime territory to enforce segregational laws and policies (Manby, 2012). The African Americans in this area were not heard and they had no voice in local or state politics. As a result, some brave white and many blacks took it upon themselves to begin to be heard. The freedom riders themselves actually integrated certain Greyhound bus routes, mixing black and white passengers, at great risk of personal injury. In many locations, such as the first report event in rural Alabama in 1961, a

Case Application of Psychological Theory Term Paper

Case Application of Psychological Theory - Term Paper Example Marc also had issues of attitude as revealed in his employment history. He was fired several times from his jobs because he could hardly relate to other employees. He then enrolled in Ecole Polytechnique in 1982, however, struggled to keep up with his night class. In December of 1989, he walked into Ecole polytechnique with a gun in his hand and shot 27 victims. Fourteen women were killed while thirteen others were injured. He shot and killed himself after the incident. The case of Marc Lepine as a murderer can be fully understood with the application of the social learning theory. This theory which is proposed by Bandura emphasizes that behaviors are influenced by the interaction of the environment and the cognitive aspect of the learner. Behaviors are learned through association and interaction with other people present in the surrounding and through modeling. For behaviors to be learned successfully, the observer has to go through four processes namely attention, retention, reprod uction and motivation. The imitator has to pay attention to the behavior she/he wants to copy to be able to code it in his memory. This way, he/she can reproduce the acquired information into practice even with the absence of the model. Modeling method though is not applicable in all situations as there are some circumstances where practice is required for the observed behavior to be successfully put into action. Another assumption of social learning theory is the function of reinforcement. Behaviors which are either rewarded directly or indirectly are found to be easily imitated or modeled by the observer. Reviewing the life of Marc Lepine, one notes that it reflects that he learned his anti social behaviors including his tendency to kill from his association with the significant person, his father. Although he was still young when he witnessed the behavior of his father who inflicted physical abuse on them, it provided Marc with the model pattern for his own life. Association with delinquent people especially the significant figures within the family circle is indicated as the strongest predictor of misbehavior in all age groups. Such concept is explained at length by Siegel (2007) in his Criminology book where he made a distinct example of adolescent cases. Siegel explained that a group that one belongs to exerts a powerful influence on their members to set the tone of their behaviors whether those behaviors are considered deviant or normal. This holds true for any other group including family. This is the reason why mother and father figures are encouraged to provide a safe and nurturing environment for their children for them to live a healthy life and become a contributing asset in the society. However, in the case of Marc, his father replenished the opposite environment where he learned to hate, to abuse those who are considered easy target and to employ physical force to achieve his goal and to ameliorate his frustrations. The learned aggression behavi or is supported with the study by Josephson (1987) regarding aggression among children with low aggressive behavior. In his research involving boys in grades 2 and 3, he found out that participants who were exposed to violent movies are likely to develop aggressive behavior compared with boys who were subjected to non-violent movies. Such behavior is developed because content of the movie affects the emotion of

Starbucks' Strategy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Starbucks' Strategy - Research Paper Example Starbucks Coffee Company ensures creativity and innovation. Products provided here are customers oriented and designed to meet the needs of the customers in the best way possible. Use of the available digital technology is an important aspect of innovation that is used to fulfill the wants of the customers. The managers of Starbucks ensure that the activities at the company are outcome oriented. The company has a high profile that has to be maintained in the global economy. Therefore, all its initiatives ought to be outcome oriented. Starbucks Company encourages teamwork among the employees so that they can achieve better results. Working as a team makes the outcome more efficient than working on an individual basis. The achievements made by the company are therefore influenced by the good management skills. Starbucks management strategies have contributed to the position it is in today. Innovation is one of the main contributors of the company’s success. The Coffee Company was opened in 1971 and has shown tremendous improvement over the years. This is due to the great innovative ideas that have prevailed in the company. Howard Schultz was a great innovator who owned the company personally and ensured that the products were designed to suit the customers. Through good customer service and addressing the real need of the customers, the company has been able to maintain its customers (Noe 2012). Another innovative strategy used by Starbucks is to ensure that the employees of the company have the scientific knowledge of the products they produce. This is different as in other coffeehouse employees tend to apply individual improvisation in the way of serving coffee. Through this, they are able to maintain both local and international customers. A manager at Starbuck is supposed to be innovative in order to maintain the good

Race make you a victim Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Race make you a victim - Assignment Example The very system that is designed to protect and defend has obviously let Lisa down in this situation. In this case, the race of the victim could have played a role in the fact that the police gave little consideration to Lisa’s plight. We know that the average response time for poise to resound to African American victims, for example, is higher than that of victims from predominately White neighborhoods (Gorner & Mac, 2011). We also know from Lisa’s recounting of the event that when the police did finally show up at the scene, they really offered little assistance to the victim. From her own recounting of the incidence, she seems to take this in stride and is used to being the victim and receiving little assistance from those in society who have sworn to serve the community. If this is true, then it is certainly vicious cycle that creates a self-defeating environment amongst minority groups where they begin to feel that they are simply left to endure certain hardships in life because of their race, It is neither right nor proper, yet it appears to be the direction tha t society has headed for quite some time now. In addition, while culprits of hit and run accidents may not take race into consideration when deciding to flee the scene of the accident, the very reality that minority victims receive less attention from the policy may quite likely play a role in their split second decision. It could be viewed as a high likelihood that they will never be caught simply because of who the victim is, so they see little incentive in doing the right thing, stopping, and taking ownership for the accident that they caused. This speaks to the reality that African Americans and Latino in the United States are more likely to be victimized than are Whites (Truman, 2011). Because of this, people like Lisa are less likely to pursue their case because they view that the

God's Existence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

God's Existence - Essay Example In a similar manner, we could actually prove the existence of God without resorting to highly scientific analysis which sometimes could confuse people more than explain things to them. In proving the existence of air, the movement of the leaves on the trees or the feel of the breeze on one’s face are evidences that there is air even though one could not actually hold or see it. Likewise, one could only prove the existence of God through the existence of tangible things. When a person looks around, he could notice order in so many things. Common sense tells us that there must be someone who has caused all the things around us to be in order. For example, if children leave the house topsy-turvy and they arrive to a well-organized home; they would know that somebody placed all things in order. In contrast to the Big Bang theory, common sense and science show that things do not simply arrange themselves in a perfectly organized and functional manner. There must be someone who orga nized the earth, the sun, the moon and the stars and that someone must be

National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Speech or Presentation

National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey - Speech or Presentation Example Their data is comprehensive and nationally representative, drawing from a large and diverse sample of participants. Current presentation focuses on the contribution made by NHANES to research chronic disease like obesity and hearing disorders and infectious disease like tuberculosis (TB). Current trends and risk factors associated with these disorders are also highlighted. Is there a fine line between healthy weight and overweight, or between overweight and obesity? Body mass index (BMI) is a widely used tool to determine overall health and nutritional status of individuals over time. NHANES have made a significant contribution in studying weight issues. Their reports indicate that the percent of overweight and obese adults is continuing to increase (NHANES). The percent of people, who are overweight or obese, with a BMI of 25.0 or higher, increased from 56 percent in 1988-1994 to 64 percent in 1999–2000. Moreover if we look at the longer period from 1960s to 2000, there is ab out 18% decline in healthy weight. The bottom line is that there is increase in the prevalence of obesity in men and women both, and in all age groups (20-72 years) (Flagel et al., 1723-27). These numbers obviously raise question about the implication of these trends on health outcomes since obesity is a risk factors for many chronic diseases like arthritis, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and some types of cancers. Diabetes is more closely linked to obesity and its prevalence is also increasing along with obesity. Lifestyle change, education, low fat-low energy diet and regular physical activity can bring a modest change of 5-10% reduction in body weight. The benefits of reduction in overweight and obesity are of significant public health importance. Hearing disorder is another chronic disease affecting tens of millions of people in US. A maximal threshold levels that range from 15 dB to 25 dB can be defined as normal hearing. Loud sound exposure is one of the risk factors for acquired loss of hearing. NHANES report that infection, genetic syndromes, complications of prematurity, perinatal complications, ototoxic medications, and head trauma are other possible risk factors for this disease. According to NHANES, the prevalence of hearing loss in adolescents aged 12-19 years in significantly increasing. It increased from 14.9 % in 1988-1994 to 15.2-23.8% in 2005-2006 (Shargorodsky et al 772-8). This is about 31% increase over these years. Both unilateral and bilateral hearing loss showed increased incidences. Unilateral hearing loss increased from 11.1% to 14.0%, while bilateral hearing loss increased from 3.8% to 5.5% during these periods. NHANES 2005-2006 report show that 1 in every 5 adolescent demonstrated loss of hearing. 1 in every 20 adolescent has mild or worse hearing loss (>25dB). The interval factors between 1988-1994 and 2005-2006 like vaccination against influenza, pneumonia or awareness towards hearing loss due to loud music, had not effect on the reduction of hearing loss, although it was expected. Hearing loss at this age can affect learning, social skill development and self-esteem; hence it becomes important that young adults do no underestimate the symptoms of loud sound, tinnitus, and temporary hearing impairment during music exposure. Slight or worse hearing loss has also been associated with lower school grades, low self-esteem and increased stress. 2005-2006 NHANES report that higher incidences of hearing loss come from the participants living below the national

God's Existence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

God's Existence - Essay Example In a similar manner, we could actually prove the existence of God without resorting to highly scientific analysis which sometimes could confuse people more than explain things to them. In proving the existence of air, the movement of the leaves on the trees or the feel of the breeze on one’s face are evidences that there is air even though one could not actually hold or see it. Likewise, one could only prove the existence of God through the existence of tangible things. When a person looks around, he could notice order in so many things. Common sense tells us that there must be someone who has caused all the things around us to be in order. For example, if children leave the house topsy-turvy and they arrive to a well-organized home; they would know that somebody placed all things in order. In contrast to the Big Bang theory, common sense and science show that things do not simply arrange themselves in a perfectly organized and functional manner. There must be someone who orga nized the earth, the sun, the moon and the stars and that someone must be

U can choose a topic by urself Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

U can choose a topic by urself - Essay Example In such cases, SMEs will always find it more affordable to let such processes be handled externally instead of them being handled within the business organisation at a higher cost. This paper aims at discussing the extent to which outsourcing enables entrepreneurs to be flexible. Outsourcing can be used by entrepreneurs in successfully handling various projects. In business management different projects usually require different resources. In any case a business organisation will decide to fully invest in a project independently, they will have to invest in all the resources that are needed for the project to be successful. However, things are different when a business organisation decides to use outsourcing. With outsourcing, they would not have to invest in all the processes that are involved in the project. They can find a third party to carry out some of the process that seems to be so costly that they can be able to reduce the general cost of the project. Therefore, it can be concluded that through outsourcing entrepreneurs can be able to undertake different types of project without having fears of whether or not they have the full capability of handling the project. If they choose to ignore outsourcing then they will have to stick to the projects that they are able to undertake independently. Outsourcing can also enable entrepreneurs to be flexible by reducing the risks involved in their undertaking. In business management the risks that require management include market, technologies, financial conditions, competition, government regulation, and many others. Through outsourcing business organisations are always able to relegate some of their functions to other business organisations with speciality is such areas (Corbett 101). When a business organisation delegates a certain function of their activities to another organisation, they also delegate the risks that are

A Report On Snowboarding Sport Essay

A Report On Snowboarding Sport Essay Snowboarding Snowboarding is a kind of sport that evolved from surfing and skateboarding. Often, its a sport described as skateboarding or surfing on snow. Before one goes to the slopes, it is advisable to have some stretching and warm up exercises. After snowboarding, the same exercises and stretching must be repeated. We normally do this to minimize pain. It can be frustrating the first time one goes down a hill. But it can be interesting if the right procedures are followed. We are required to dress properly for snowboarding. A helmet must be worn properly because it prevents one from getting injured if it is not moving around the neck and its below the eyes. However, it should not be too tight. Boots must be comfortable and tight. Always wear high socks. For safety reasons, wear only one pair of snowboarding socks as wearing two pairs will make the boots too tight thus giving no room for blood circulation on the feet. Every person has got his/her lead foot. Snowboarding requires us to determine our lead foot before we put our foot on the snowboard. Lead foot may be determined by sliding on ice, running on hardboard floor and slide or standing with the feet squared and then having a friend push us from behind. In all these instances, the foot that we put forward naturally is the lead foot. The lead foot should then be put in the front binding. Make sure the bindings are fastened tightly and get the real bindings. This should be repeated for the other foot. It is advisable to move around and bounce to get a feel of the snowboard. In order to prevent a runaway board which is normally serious, we loop a lead chain around the lead binding. This is then clipped into the lead boot lace. An angle of 15+ degrees for the lead foot binding is allowed so that the ankle is not sprayed after falling. Every beginners big toe is supposed to be angled towards the boards nose. From here, we get on the ski lift with our board. After getting off the ski lift, we dont go speeding down a hill once we are off the chairlift. We start from a little hill where we can then turn to the larger one. Going to a bunny/practice hill which can give a speed of 5 miles in an hour helps you to have enough practice. When on the edge of the bunny hill, it is a requirement to sit with your board perpendicularly and then check whether the binding and the boot are tight enough. If this is okay, one can then stand and apply pressure on his lead foot. The best position is to keep the back straight while the knees are bent so that balance is maintained. Slowing down is done by switching to the toe or the heel. This is very important to learn as it vital when turning. Always, the board follows our body. Thus when switching to the heel edge from the normal stance, the torso must be turned to face downhill. Sometimes balance is lost and falling back means that we have leaned back too far. But this is better rather than having the toe edge catch snow while falling forwards. Leaning backwards also accelerates stopping. Its very similar to switching the toe edge where we turn the torso uphill. In this case, applying the pressure on the rear leg and placing weight over the toes through leaning little forward is advised. Controlling turning is the same way as switching the toe edges. This is important when one gets to the edge of the hill where we are supposed to get back to the foot forward stance as we aim for chair lift line. Snowboarding is an interesting activity. Its through snowboarding that our bodies are toned and at the same time getting a good cardiovascular workout. This is a sport that keeps on strengthening our heart muscles. Oxygen is excellently delivered to our muscles through snowboarding. Since snowboarding is a physically demanding activity, in one way or the other it assists us to loose weight thus lowering risks of several diseases. The warm up exercises and stretching help in burning of calories and thus such people look better than those who dont. We escape some dangerous diseases like high blood pressure and type 2diabetes. Its a sport that keeps benefiting all body parts. The exercises involved help in secretion of endorphins. This is a chemical that helps us to feel happy and more peaceful. Its even possible to sleep better after snowboarding. Once we are able to go down a given hill, there is that feeling of accomplishment and pride that there is a goal achieved. This helps a pers on to age so well. Snowboarding is a risky sport. Several people have their careers in snowboarding as skiing instructors while other design snowboards. Others have been employed as terrain park designers, event organizers, filmers, product testers, resort managers and sales material designers. Due to the risks associated through accident and personal injury, there is provision of insurance policy that deals with medical costs. Where one experiences an injury or a minor accident, compensation is always at hand. These are considered to be special benefits offering standard coverage. The skiing equipment is expensive too. Loss of this equipment may leave a person out of pocket. Thus, those in this career are provided with cover for any replacement costs. This also assists in payment of hire fees. A ski pass is not cheap too. There are several policies that have been in use in order to award compensation coverage just in case one loses the ski pass. Most importantly, the major benefit in snowboarding is t hat one can compete in organized sports and a win earns him/her the prize money.

Computer Viruses :: essays research papers

A computer virus is a relatively small program that attaches itself to data and program files before it delivers its malicious act. There are many distinct types of viruses and each one has a unique characteristic. Viruses are broken up into to main classes, file infectors and system or boot-record infectors. A file infector attaches to ordinary programs usually affecting .COM and .EXE files. These two files are subject to infection though some can infect any program from which execution is requested. On the other spectrum, system or boot-record infectors infect executable codes found in certain system areas on a disk, which are not ordinary files. Not only are there two main classes of viruses, but there are also many different types. A virus can be classified as a boot sector virus, a program virus, a trojan horse virus, a macro virus, a memory resident virus, a stealth virus, or a polymorphic virus. A boot sector virus replaces the startup code on a disk with a modified version, which is loaded into the memory when the computer is started. Program viruses attach to legitimate program files. After attachment the program file will then intercept the program’s execution and take control of the computer system. Trojan horse viruses are also legitimate programs that are advertised as something desirable, but are actually something that is undesirable. It performs an unauthorized destructive act on your computer when executed. They received their name from the mythical Trojan Horse that was delivered to the gates of the city Troy. Macro viruses are written in macro language of specific computer programs, such as Word or Excel. These viruses infect files when a program document is accessed, or triggered by user actions, such as certain keystrokes or menu choices. Memory resident viruses hide in memory and are difficult to detect. When the virus is in memory it will infect any uninfected file that is executed. A stealth virus hides their presence. They can infect a program by adding bytes to the infected file. It then subtracts the directory entry of the infected file by the same number of bytes. This gives the impression that the file’s size has not changed, therefore, antiviral programs can not detect them through these changes. Polymorphic viruses modify their appearance and scramble their code periodically. This allows them to replicate so that none of its copies are the same. These viruses also all have different characteristics.

Inline or Online :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Inline† or â€Å"online†, this very question is being asked by many different schools all around the country. As we enter a new age of technology, more and more schools are beginning to see the benefits of being â€Å"online†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Over 100 years ago Albert Einstein could have never imagined this thing we call the Internet. Although he was busy discovering nuclear fusion and theory’s to explain even the most puzzling questions, the Internet was never a thought that would come up. The Internet can be used to find all sorts of information, from the author of a famous book that you’ve been dying to read, or the stock quotes for the day. The Internet is a very useful tool that has proven effective in many schools. Unfortunately, the Internet can be a dangerous tool used to corrupt and to destroy people’s lives and families. The North Carolina Regional Educational Laboratory stated in 1995 â€Å"We believe that technology that does not advance a student's learning has little value in the classroom. Technology used in conjunction with the most recent research and development findings on learning, however, can help all students achieve in school†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The potential for growth of the educational resources available throughout the Internet are endless. However, there are some concerns. For one thing, there currently is no censorship, which means that students can access some material not appropriate for them. Any individual or group does not control the Internet. Congress is currently examining this, but the problem is that the Internet is not located in one specific place, country, or continent, in which, the U.S. Congress has no jurisdiction. A second concern is the improper use of the Internet. Many schools as well as districts need to establish Acceptable Use Policies. These policies clearly have to state the ground rules for student online computer use, and must be signed by both students and parents before the students may participate on Internet related projects. Another concern is that there is no systematic information system. There is no uniformity while searching for information. There are plenty of se arch engines. Some are easy and others not so easy to access. There is the need to have some information assistance. Sometimes, it becomes a major challenge to locate materials. At the same time many people are building home pages with references to their favorite links, this ultimately will build good reference materials. Inline or Online :: essays research papers   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Inline† or â€Å"online†, this very question is being asked by many different schools all around the country. As we enter a new age of technology, more and more schools are beginning to see the benefits of being â€Å"online†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Over 100 years ago Albert Einstein could have never imagined this thing we call the Internet. Although he was busy discovering nuclear fusion and theory’s to explain even the most puzzling questions, the Internet was never a thought that would come up. The Internet can be used to find all sorts of information, from the author of a famous book that you’ve been dying to read, or the stock quotes for the day. The Internet is a very useful tool that has proven effective in many schools. Unfortunately, the Internet can be a dangerous tool used to corrupt and to destroy people’s lives and families. The North Carolina Regional Educational Laboratory stated in 1995 â€Å"We believe that technology that does not advance a student's learning has little value in the classroom. Technology used in conjunction with the most recent research and development findings on learning, however, can help all students achieve in school†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The potential for growth of the educational resources available throughout the Internet are endless. However, there are some concerns. For one thing, there currently is no censorship, which means that students can access some material not appropriate for them. Any individual or group does not control the Internet. Congress is currently examining this, but the problem is that the Internet is not located in one specific place, country, or continent, in which, the U.S. Congress has no jurisdiction. A second concern is the improper use of the Internet. Many schools as well as districts need to establish Acceptable Use Policies. These policies clearly have to state the ground rules for student online computer use, and must be signed by both students and parents before the students may participate on Internet related projects. Another concern is that there is no systematic information system. There is no uniformity while searching for information. There are plenty of se arch engines. Some are easy and others not so easy to access. There is the need to have some information assistance. Sometimes, it becomes a major challenge to locate materials. At the same time many people are building home pages with references to their favorite links, this ultimately will build good reference materials.

Case Study on Golf Equipment Industry

The industry overview The retail sales of golf equipment industry, which includes golf clubs, bags, balls, gloves and footwear, declined from approximately $4 billion to about $3 billion in 2003 and then rebounded to around $3. 8 billion in 2007 with many threats remaining. The changes in the retail value of golf equipment industry are closely related to the total number of golf players and total rounds of golf played in the country. The participation rate of golf has dropped approximately 21% from 27. 5 million in 1998 to 22. million in 2007, being the largest decrease rate during the same period among selected sports and recreational activities including bicycle riding, fishing, hunting, running, swimming, tennis and workout at fitness club (Source: National Sporting Goods Association in Gamble 2008, C-80,). The total rounds of golf played in the United States had rarely changed in the last decades, it is especially flat from 2004 to 2007, with less than 1% changes recorded (Source : National Golf Foundation in Gamble 2008, C-80). 7% of golf equipment sales are from core golfers-those playing at least 8 times a year and averaging 37 rounds a year (Gamble 2008, C-80). Although, there are less players and less rounds played then before, manufacturers are compelled to go ahead with their innovation and development schedule and even boost their spending in marketing (Stogel 2009). There are two types of manufacturers in the golf equipment industry. High-end leading brands, which include well known name such as TaylorMade-Adidas, Fortune Brand (parent of Titleist and Cobra), Callaway, Ping, Cleveland and Nike spent huge amount of resources on R&D for innovative designs and distributed their product through on and off-course pro shops and major online golf equipment retailers. The low-end manufacturers such as Adam Golf and Dunlop Golf with less developed technological capabilities sold their products at attractively lower prices. They mainly focus on beginner and occasional golfers through department store, large sporting goods stores and discounters. The three defining characteristics of the golf equipment industry are the number of golfers, gear design innovations and brand recognition. The United States Golf Association (USGA) and the Royal & Ancient Golf Club (R&A) had started placing more and more performance regulations to limit the manufacturers’ ability to develop equipments, clubs and balls, with advanced technological innovations, because USGA officials believed that it’s an effective way of protecting historic golf courses that could not be lengthened due to space limitations, but also ensuring that the skill is the dominant element in determining game’s success. It is believed that such performance regulations had two impacts to the golf industry. Firstly, it discourages new golfers from taking up the game. Secondly, it equalises the technological differences between the high-end market leaders and the low-end producers. In all, the golf equipment industry is a fix-sized marketing driven market with current manufacturers, each trying to capture a bigger market share by growing reliance on price competitions. The competition in this industry for market share is fierce. The five-forces analysis We take the five-forces model of competition to analyse the competitive forces in five areas that affects the industry attractiveness. 1. The competitive pressures created by the rivalry among competing manufacturers are very strong and have the greatest effect on the industry attractiveness, mainly due to: a. All leading brand manufacturers are active in delivering advanced products with design innovations in order to improve their market standing, b. All leading brand manufacturers are quite equal in size and capability. They can hardly be differentiated in overall product performances. . There are fewer buyers with less demand. d. Equalization of technological capabilities due to regulatory limitation has shortened the differences in equipment performance between low-end and high-end products. e. There is growing reliance on price competitions. The competitive weapons used by companies to outmaneuver one another include: a. Most brands started the battle of price cutting. The aver age unit selling price of most golf equipments dropped. For example: a. Drivers and woods dropped from $231 in 1997 to $174 in 2007. b. Irons dropped from $75 in 1997 to $71 in 2007. c. Footwear dropped from $86 in 1997 to $81 in 2007. d. Golf bags dropped from $126 in 1997 to $116 in 2007. (Source: Golf Datatech in Gamble 2008, C79,) b. All brands are spending huge amount on R&D for technological advancement to give a better and easier swing, they also providing a boarder range of equipments to suit golfer with different needs (Rynecki 2001). In addition, some had added adjustable features such as the TaylorMade r7 drivers, which allow golfers to move tungsten weight plugs among a series of slots located in the rear of the driver to adjust launch angle and left/right dispersion. c. Manufacturers were relying on winning endorsements contracts with touring professionals to enhance their image. For example, Nike paid Tiger Wood nearly $100 million endorsement contract in 2007. d. Custom fitting was offered by most manufacturers and pro shops. It became important to gain market share as most manufacturers introduced shaft flex options in early 2000s. 2. The competitive pressures associated with the threat of new entrants were weak mainly due to: a. The market demand does not show any increase since the number of golfers and the total rounds played are decreasing year after year b. Most golfers have a very high degree of loyalty. They are highly likely to stick to the brand that they were using and normally have strongly believes to their favourite touring professionals’ choices. Along with the high technological product designs that influence most buyers’ purchasing decisions, it has made the entry barriers very high for this industry. c. Almost all existing manufactures are experiencing unpleasant profit grows in recent years. However, opportunities for new entrants still exist for low-end golf gears market under the current regulatory conditions. The new comer may be rofitable only if it completes the following goals: a. Become a fast & exact copy cat and compete on a low price. b. Be able to find reliable & low cost suppliers overseas. c. Originally has or be able to build good distribution channels, imaging Kmart or Target to have their â€Å"home brand† golf gears. 3. The competitive pressures from the sellers of substitute product ra ises from: a. The raising number of counterfeit equipments produced in China, selling online at attractive prices and ship to the world. b. The overall difficulty of the game, time consuming issues and the high golf fees are the three main barriers for recreational golfers. The current economic crisis had forced many families to cut their spending on leisure activities. As presented in Exhibit 2 of Gamble’s original case, while the participation rate for golf was decreasing, the rate for running and workout at a fitness club showed significant increase of approximately 37% and 50% from 1996 to 2007. On the other hand, in December 2003, six leading brand has created an alliance to against counterfeiters and had recorded some successes with Chinese government’s willingness of taking severe measures against rampant counterfeiting. Golf, also known as the perfect couple with business, is a challenging sport that suits all age and sex groups. Its ability of improving social networks, expanding business opportunities and harmonise domestic conflicts was perceived by its players. The remaining golfers are more likely to be the core golfers those are loyal to the game. Moreover, various governing bodies had successfully brought golf back into Olympics, starting 2016 Summer Olympics. Thus, the pressures from substitutes are moderate to normal. 4. The competitive pressures stemming from suppliers bargaining power were quite weak since: a. The clubheads were made by casting houses in Asia, where rarely union power was exercised. The design is owned by those leading brands manufacturers and they are being selective in establishing contracts with surplus offshore casting houses. b. Most brands manufacturers co-develop shafts with suppliers that specializing in shaft design and manufacturing. The collaboration had provided attractive win-win opportunities, but weakens the suppliers’ bargaining power and feasibility. . Both clubheads and shafts suppliers had rarely chance to integrate themselves and become official club manufacturer due to the high entry barriers, as discussed in force No. 2-new entrants. Golf manufactures need to pay more attention to background check to casting houses offshore. It is important to initiate effective controls on production and shipping procedures to prevent suppliers selling the same product on black market. 5. The competitive pressure stemming from creational golfers’ bargaining power were moderate to normal because: a. Buyers are the end users, in another word, golfers, who purchase the equipment infrequently and in small quantities. b. The manufacturers’ brand reputation and images are important to core golfers. c. Most golfers are very loyal to specific leading brand and has strong believes in its product performances. However, d. The demand was declining due to the number of golfers and total rounds played are declining. e. The USGA and R&A performance regulations had limited and equalized the technological capabilities of different manufacturers. The competitive pressure stemming from touring professional golfers are strong because their choices have strong influence to core golfers who watches the tournaments. The driving forces analysis The overall golf equipment market is downsizing. There are 3 major driving forces in this industry. Firstly, the regulatory design limitations adopted by USGA and R&A had driven the competitive changes. As a result, some leading brands’ capabilities of developing a sweeter swing were limited. Lower-end manufacturers got opportunities to catch up on technological capabilities and had gained more market shares and made more profits than before. In addition, it had lowered the overall profit margins in the industry. Secondly, product innovation is another key driving forces. Although the battle on developing the most advanced clubs and balls to the market has never stopped, the battle had been upgraded by calling design innovations within golf’s governing organizations’ regulatory limitations. Thirdly, the whole market trends are to be marketing driven. To play a better market mix such as understanding buyer interests, increasing product differentiations, appropriate pricing and use effective promotion tools is the key task for every manufacturer. Leading brand like Callaway used heavy TV schedule, plus print and radio for mass advertising in order to bring its Big Bertha Steelhead Plus metalwoods and irons to market (Stogel, 2000). Winning endorsement contracts with top tour professionals improves images of the brand and influences core golfers’ purchasing decision. The above driving forces are inter-related and together influencing this mature industry by making the competitions fiercer than ever. The strategic group map The strategic group map below shows the comparative market positions of selected golf equipment manufacturers using price and design innovations/advancement. Note: Circles are drawn roughly proportional to the total revenues of each manufacturer. ) The map provides some indication of brand positioning in general. It shows that Callaway, Ping and TaylorMade are likely to struggle more with market share competitions. On the other hand, the governing organizations’ regulation driving force will fa vour strategic groups like Adam and Nike as the design limitation smoothes the differences among their innovation capabilities to the high-end ones. However, this map may not mean much as most of the product brands have their own advantages and have significant market share in some specific golf equipment. For example, Nike with a very successful record in golf apparel and footwear sales, where it was the second leading golf shoes manufacturers, had never grown to 3 percents market shares of golf clubs. In all, Nike is best positioned in this map with almost no overlapping with another other brands. Key success factors The key factors determine the success of company competing in the golf equipment industry should be closely linked to the industry’s dominant economic characteristics, driving forces and market positions (Thompson, Strickland III and Gamble 2010, p. 92). There are several factors that could affect the competition, three of them outranked in importance from three different areas. First of all, in regards to product marketing, a well-known and well-respected brand name influences buyers purchasing decision. Therefore, clever advertising using the appropriate media to gain effective contact with the potential buyers is every golf equipment manufacturers’ market focus. Over the years, winning endorsement contract with top touring professionals with respective social image had been approved to be the most effective way of creating and enhancing brand image. Nike Golf as a late comer was a star in using endorsement contract to improve brand recognition and boost sales. The company has recorded notable success in golf apparel, footwear and ball market since its 1996 endorsement contract with Tiger Wood. (Gamble 2008, C-96) Product innovation capabilities come next in this competition pool. The overall market is still very sensitive to first-to-market new attributes and features to be added on, even though the industry is considered as mature with knowledge-customers. All leading brands in the industry had put huge amount of resources on R&D and had delivered several remarkable models to market over the years, although Callaway and TaylorMade seem to be more internationally recognised by their innovation power. Thus, there is no overall market leader in innovation, but leading models in different product group (Woods, Irons, Putters, Golf balls & Accessories) for a specific time period. Another key success factor is product distribution related. As we mentioned before, leading manufactures sell their product mainly through on-course and off-course pro shops and most large pro shops have made variety of brands and models available in stock. The retailers/sales’ preferences will more or less influence buyers’ final decision at point of purchasing. Therefore, the relationship with these retailers is important, especially for brands like TaylorMade-adidas Golf that does not offer consumers the option of purchasing clubs or apparel on its website (Gamble 2008, C-92). Callaway Vs. TaylorMade-adidas, financially The financial performance of a company is usually a good indicator of how well its competitive strategy works in the market. However, the way of translating and comparing companies’ financial result has never been easy. we take the growth rate as an example by looking at the manufactures’ 2007 total sales revenue, Callaway Golf increased its sales (rounded to the nearest million) by $107M =10% from $1,018M in 2006 to $1,125M in 2007. Callaway’s net income was more than doubled from $23M to $55M during the same time. That makes the earning per share (EPS) increased from $0. 34 to $ 0. 82. In contrast, TaylorMade-adidas’ net sales experienced a 52M = 6% decrease from 856M its peak 2006 to 804M in 2007. The company’s operating profit has also gone down from 73M to 65M during the same time. It seems that Callaway performed much better than TaylorMade-adidas in 2007. But if we compare the same figures over a 4-year period from 2004 to 2007, Callaway’s increase in net sales was $109M=20%, comparing to TaylorMade-adidas’s 171M=27% increase, the result is obviously different. Therefore, both Callaway and TaylorMade-adidas had successfully coped the key competitive forces and gained comparatively healthy financial performances between 2004 and 2007, under the given economic condition. In addition, the growth rates for each product category are also different mainly stem from the differences in innovation capabilities and buyers’ perception. From the financial data given in the case study, Callaway Golf was easier to achieve growth in manufacturing woods/drivers and iron clubs, shown 28. 2% and 19% growth during 2004 to 2007. The company had struggled with its golf sales and was unable to make any positive growth on it. TaylorMade-adidas Golf found it was easier to obtain growth and maintained the market leader position in the driver category as well as hybrid clubs. Although, TaylorMade’s irons have a very wide price range from $600 to $1300 per set, with a total market share of 15. 2%, it had never challenged Callaway’s market lead position in irons. Moreover, TaylorMade-adidas also gained significant sales increases in golf apparel and footwear, shown 107% and 63% during 2004 and 2007. Note: All calculations are based on Exhibit 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 from Gamble’s original case. ) Recommendations In order to improve its competitive position, Callaway should continue invest large amount in R&D to maintain its innovation capability and maintain its leading position in iron sets and putter. It should also spend more efforts on marketing issues such as collecting different customer requirem ents to help develop new equipments and bring the product line to a wider range that suits every player. More money should be spent on advertising to improve its image as a full-line golf gear manufacturer. To frequently advertise on selected fashion and life style magazines can not only increase its overall brand recognition, but also boost apparel, footwear and other accessories sales. In addition, it is also important to build good relationship with major retailers. This normally includes higher retail outlets supporting funds, sufficient professional trainings to sales representatives and more sales incentives. The improvement opportunities are all related to the main driving forces in the industry. This case analysis recommend Callaway to maintain its current strategy of being the market lead in product performance and innovation, but do not shifting its focus to price wars. Similar to Callaway, TaylorMade-adidas should also keep investing in R&D to maintain its leading position in drivers and hybrid clubs. They will also need to spend more dollars on advertising of its market share winning apparel and footwear. Find another ‘Tiger’ and lock him/her into an endorsement contract like what competitor Nike did before is always a simple but effective idea. Finally, the company will be benefit from 2 ways from offering the customer with the option of purchasing clubs and apparel by visiting its website. One is increase sales and avoid changing of mind when visiting retailers that has several competitive brands available. The other one is to do business with end customers will help the company collect first-hand information regarding the customer needs and product performance feedback. In all, unlike Callaway who aims to be the all-round manufacturer, TaylorMade-adidas should focus on winning buyers recognition of being specialised in drivers and hybrid club and the No. 1 in golf fashion industry. This analysis recommends Fortune brands to better differentiate its sub-brands and each one’s target market. Their advertising effort should then be separated in regards to different target groups. In addition, the company should also work on cost reduction opportunities in order to cut their prices to be better positioned in the market, its ZB line of iron sets is a good example.