The fashion industry should not feel obligated

The fashion industry should not feel obligated to use plus sized models in their campaigns. Do you agree? BY sashays The fashion industry should not feel obligated to use plus sized models in their Women these days are constantly bombarded with advertisements and campaigns telling them what they should wear, what they should eat and how they should portray themselves. It has become a race to try and achieve a size zero look because women feel as if it has become the new norm. That is why, I believe the fashion industry should be obliged to use plus size model. A plus size model is a model who is a US size 8 or above.Even though these models are described in the â€Å"plus† category, making them appear to be an outcast, what is ironic is that the majority of women will fit into this category. Therefore, I agree that fashion industry should be obligated to use plus size models. There are three reasons why: firstly, to stop increasing the social pressure on first world women to h ave the ideal body image; secondly; prevent psychological effect on women in trying to maintain an ideal body image; thirdly, the potential increase in business. To begin with, the expectation for women to mirror the body image of a model has come omnipresent.You find them in fashion magazines, TV shows, fitness programs and even Barbie Dolls. Women, especially teenagers look at these icons as role models and have been manipulated by society into thinking they must look a certain way and weight a certain amount to fit in. It is the fashion industries to blame for this, because by using impossibly thin models in almost every campaign it is putting pressure on women to look perfect. However, women cannot attain these perfect bodies because not only have the images been altered but are unnatural and simply unachievable.Due to this, women now days are lacking confidence as they feel self-conscious about their body. In a recent survey done by the National Institute on Media and the Famil y in Washington, it was found that 40% of girls from ages 9-10 are dissatisfied with their weight. This suggests that the distressing and impairing body image concern seems to be becoming more prevalent at a younger and younger age. Furthermore, according to CDC, 20% of the teenage girls' suicide cases in USA are due to bullying about someone's weight. This clearly highlights the negative effect y Just using skinny models is having.The society has become superficial as it measures beauty in size. It is crucial that fashion industries are forced to use plus size model in order to change society's view of beauty. It is not right to put pressure on women to distort their healthy bodies too feel accepted. In addition, not having plus sized models in campaigns causes women to suffer from harmful effects as they try to replicate images of a zero size model. In a recent survey, it was found there are up to seventy million individuals worldwide who have an eating disorder, and of hem 90% ar e women between the ages of twelve and twenty-five (US Mental Health Administration).Some women have become so desperate to lose weight that they turned to starvation developing bulimia and anorexia. However, it is not the skinny models to blame for this, because they also suffer from these conditions. Even models feel pressurized to stay skinny and many models starve for days before a runway until they can barely keep their eyes open. Kristin Clement, former Vogue editor revealed that some models had turned to dangerous methods such as eating tissue. Yes, tissues. Models eat this dehydrated, bleached paper in order to become â€Å"Paris thin†.If this is not stopped it will not be long until all women struggling with weight loss will try this to. Have we become this inhuman that being skinny is more important than life? Hence, I believe it is vital for fashion industries to use plus size models to promote more healthy living and prevent unnecessary deaths. Finally, by using p lus sized models there would be an increase in business. The average plus size model ranges from size 8-14, they are not fat, they are healthy. A study done Warwick Business found that adverts and campaigns which predominantly feature skinny models are more likely to discourage sales.H have currently begun using plus size models for their swim suit campaigns. CEO Karl – John Person said he feels â€Å"irresponsible with the type of female body image being portrayed† and now is committed to market and encourage diverse body types. This has begun to influence many more women to feel confident about their body. According to the Business Insider, those who are labeled as plus size account for 67% of the apparel arching population, bringing in retail revenue of nearly $16 billion Just in US every year.This indicates clothes for plus sizes have become very important in the market. Furthermore, many stores have begun using plus size mannequins. By displaying larger mannequins , not only do women see how the clothes would fit their shape but they would also feel more confident due to the increase in publication of the plus size within the fashion industry. Hence are likely to purchase more. Therefore, I believe there fashion industries should use plus size models because here are many positive outcomes.However, some people may argue that many people are naturally really thin, but only 5% (SCUD) of the women have the skinny model body, the majority of the other 95% will resort to unhealthy living conditions. You may also argue that it's a models Job to look extremely skinny, however would you let your daughters risk their well-being for a moment of fame? Does that really make it okay? Even though plus size models have made a massive stride in obtaining respect in a business that demands skinny; resulting in more full figured women to race the high fashion magazine covers and to walk the main stream fashion shows.The portrayal that thinner is better is stil l deeply engraved in society. This is putting pressure on women to be someone they are not and resulting in harsh life threatening disease such as anorexia. There are countless advantages on having plus size models in the industries from benefits in business to benefits in well-being. Therefore, we need to do something to change the craving for the unrealistic body image. Plus size models do not promote obesity, they reflect reality.

“A Conversation with My Father” Response Essay

In the short story â€Å"A Conversation with My Father,† there are two narratives intertwined. This story brings to light a generation gap between the past and the present. This generation gap leaves the dying father and his writer daughter with different views not only in life but also in literature. Paley’s use of characters exemplifies her efforts to combine realism with experimentation. This story is a great example of her style of writing: telling stories through the use of characters. Paley blends real life and literature, portraying her characters as practical people with realistic problems. Every character has his/her own unique opinion on life. The two narratives mirror each other in the sense that they are about the relationships between parents and their children. Read more: Essay About My Father Goes to Court The daughter hates the kind of story her father wants, while the father rejects her tale because he sees in it her inability to face tragic realities of fiction and life. Their different attitudes towards the possibility of opportunities and change, fictional or real, stem from their different worldviews and experiences. Not only are the intertwined narratives paralleled, but the overall story might also reflect Paley’s relationship with her father. Did Paley have issues with her father regarding her career choice? In the story the daughter writes for her dying father, the father she would rather have surfaces as the mother who uses drugs as a mean of being closer to her son. This idea might be Paley’s way of expressing her desire to have a father like the mother her protagonist created. In a way, Paley puts herself into her work as the protagonist and uses the hidden message in her work as a way to express her problems.

Scholarly Writing Skills

Writing in a scholarly manner is one of the most difficult tasks for a student. It involves the correct knowledge, comprehension, and expertise to be able to produce a good output. One important skill in scholarly writing is being able to compose statements and paragraphs with reliable content. This means that there should be adequate supporting evidence to posed arguments. Also, proper citations on both in-text and reference list must be included to avoid plagiarism. Another important skill is producing a readable output. Readability is achieved through writing in a scientific manner which means that words and statements should be clear and concise. Highfalutin words and vague statements should be avoided (Goldbort, 2001). Lastly, an important skill in scholarly writing is being consistent with standard academic conventions for writing. This means that the output should follow basic grammar rules and use correct style, tone, and argument formation (Hall, 2000). Hall (2000) discussed in detail the basic grammar rules which include writing in complete sentences, subject-verb agreement, appropriate punctuation, right vocabulary, and correct use of apostrophe. Furthermore, she explained the style conventions which include typing and spelling, avoidance of abbreviations, capitalization of letters, etc. A writer should also write formally (avoiding cliches and jargons) and make sensible use of paragraphs that involve analysis and answering the questions or supporting the thesis (Hall, 2000). On the other hand, I need to improve and learn common referencing styles as I am only familiar with the American Psychological Association format. Based on feedbacks from my professors, I am able to provide good review of literature containing supportive and sound evidences for my thesis, but my skills in providing accurate in-text and reference citations should be improved. Another aspect that I need to improve on is forming sound arguments. Sometimes, I provide too many information and focus too much on specific details that the most important subject or even the answer to the question is not emphasized in my writing. These are the two skills in that I need to improve the most. Meanwhile, I am able to produce readable outputs that helps my readers understand my writing easily. I have learned and practiced not too use cliches and jargons in academic writing. I also allot ample time in proofreading my writings in order to minimize and correct grammatical and typographical errors before I submit them. The best way to improve my skill in accurate referencing style is by studying the common reference styles used in scholarly writing such as the APA, MLA, Turabian, and AMA. It is also important to consider when to use these types of referencing styles aside from learning how to use their format (Delany, n. d. ) To address my lack of competence in forming sound arguments, I need to organize my thoughts by structuring an outline on my topics and subtopics so that my statements and paragraphs would be coherent and clear. I would also need to define exactly the question I need to answer, the supporting evidences for my answer, and the analysis and critique of the supporting statements that I presented.

Marketing Ethics of Mecca Cola Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Marketing Ethics of Mecca Cola - Case Study Example Marketing plans and strategies would be incomplete without paying much consideration to the customers. Customers will and should always be a part of the agenda in any marketing plan of any company. Because of the implications for profitability and growth, customer retention is potentially one of the most powerful weapons that companies can employ in their fight to gain a strategic advantage and survive in today's ever increasing competitive environment (Lindenmann, 1999). Marketing involves the buying, selling, and trading of goods and services and the subsidiary activities that make these exchanges possible. It is a social process, as well as an economic activity and a collection of physical tasks. Marketing takes place only in societies. Even a rather large, primitive family unit may engage in extensive production and consumption on a self-sustaining basis without becoming involved in activities that can be described as marketing. In organized societies, marketing activities are themselves important features of the social milieu, and changes in marketing practices may carry implications extending throughout the social structure. For example, the location of trading centers affects the modes and routes of transportation (Kotler and Armstrong, 200); advertising affects popular conceptions of tastes and life styles; and changes in distribution channels create and eliminate employment opportunities and ways of life. Appraisals of the performance of marketing activities within our society are commonplace. Marketing is said to be inefficient because there are "too many" gasoline service stations. It is said to be unfair because some firms are "making it impossible" for others to continue to exist in the market place. It is said to be unproductive because "too much" money is spent on advertising (Lun and Gupta, 2001). Generally comes off very well indeed. Businessmen do not hesitate to spend large sums in marketing their wares, and consumers show no great reluctance to pay the resultant charges embodied in what they buy The fundamental economic criterion for appraising marketing activities is the efficiency with which they are performed. Efficiency, or productivity, involves a relationship between effort and effect, sacrifice and reward, input and output. Efficiency is a relative concept (Neumann and Sumser, 2002). When we describe an activity as "inefficient," we mean that too much effort is being expended with too little effect; in other words, that the ratio of effort to effect is higher than necessary. And when we describe an activity as "efficient," we mean that the ratio of effort to effect is about as low as can be achieved. In general, economic activities that are more efficient are preferred to those that are less efficient and for a very simple reason. If there are two methods of accomplishing the same task and one of them requires a smaller expenditure of time, effort, and resources than the other, then by using that method one can accomplish the task and have time and materials left over. One may then either use these surplus resources to accomplish the task another time, or in a superior fashion, or may transfer these resources into some entirely different activity (Ohmae, 1990). So long as one's time and resources are of some value in some use including their use in leisure or in saving for the future

Early Childhood Evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Early Childhood Evaluation - Essay Example According to Neisworth, & Bagnato (2004), young children are being mismeasured if formal assessments are used against them. The authentic assessment alternative for infants and young children, they said, should not be those conventional, norm-referenced testing practices which can be detriment to young children. At play-based schools for young children, teachers and Stanford psychologists conclude that the play is the thing (Firth, 2006). The rationale is that in a play-based environment, curiosity and learning are best encouraged because children can choose from a broad range of developmentally appropriate activities. It is wrong to imagine that classes at play-based schools have no structure - the reason for the adamant stance of policy makers to recognize informal assessments (Firth, 2006). Apparently, the word "play" simply invokes mindless movements and killing time initiatives to those un-initiated, which may explain what people thought of as devoid of assessment. Against this backdrop is the fact that the traditional dichotomy between the public-school system and early education has typically meant that play-based curricula have not been practiced by educators within the public-school system, the locus of most policy makers (Erwin & Delair (2004). In most play-based schools, however, where a typical session in the morning or afternoon in two to three sessions per week, a choice is offered among painting, clay, building with blocks, making a book, carpentry (with wood, hammers and real nails), dressing up, working in the sand, or simply racing around or swinging (Frith, 2006). Schools today are under threat by the NCLB law (New York Times, February 14, 2005). Everywhere, there are protests from states where teachers try to protect their beliefs about teaching. The foremost obligation of educators then, according to Morrison (2006), is to reconcile standards with play-based practice. However, he said, in doing this, the following age-old theories and precepts propounded by educational philosophy should be recognized. For example, teachers believed Piaget (1962) who said play promotes cognitive development and enables children to construct knowledge; they have long recognized Montessori (1912) who said play is children's work; respect had long been granted Vygotsky (1978) who opined that social interactions during play are essential to children's cognitive and emotional development; and they had paid tribute to Erikson (1950) who maintained that play enables children to become partners with their futures. At kindergarten level, the developmental areas to be measured may be on levels of cognition, language or communication, motor, social/emotional adjustment, self-help and adaptive skills at (ERIC clearing house, 1999) but they do not necessarily preclude play as locus of measurements. How could you bring something into the kindergarten setting that would satisfy your AP's need for definitive scores and accountability while still maintaining an appropriate learning environment for the children Culled from the National Science Teachers' Association (NSTA) WebNews Digest from 2004 up to the present are what could shed light into the case of formal assessment: 1) Some 68 percent of Americans were not aware or had minimal knowledge of the federal

News letter Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

News letter - Assignment Example To be clear, it is the individual’s mental state, not the method, which counts towards attaining ASC. Still, for the sake of discussion, below are the methods that aid in altering the state of consciousness. 1. Relaxation – This involves free or unrestrained body movements. Unrestrained movements are believed to reflect free emotional expression. It is also believed that muscular blocks causes repression. 2. Massage – This is used for stress-related behavior disorders. It is believed to have an impact on the consciousness. The assumption believes that behavior is manifested in the physical body. Body structure is influenced by attitude. Changes in muscle thickness and length are also caused by emotions. 3. Dance – Every dance is believed to have an impact on consciousness as well. Special dances like the Tai Chi Ch’uan of China and the Sufi dance are thought to promote physical and mental health, and facilitate alteration of consciousness. 5. Breathing - Deep breathing aids in relaxation due to its rhythm’s connection with the mind. Its rhythm is dependent on the state of consciousness. Breathing control also allows an individual to control the mind.. 6. Expressive Techniques – Allowing expression of anger in controlled environment (anger therapy) also aids in relaxation and tension release (Grosklags, 2006, p 47). However, it has to be done with caution as overdoing it could result in more aggressive behavior due to more negative emotions. The second set of methods involves two social activities. The first one is the manipulation of social factors. This method involves total withdrawal from society and change in social functioning (McKay, 2006, p 21). The second method is alteration of social relationships. It is said that when people interact, there is a potential growth (McKay, 2006, p 23). From this viewpoint, maladjustment or suffering could result in greater maturity or development in the end. Changes in social values can aid in

Issue of climate change Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Issue of climate change - Assignment Example The past century alone saw global see levels go up by approximately 8 inches. There is enough evidence of sea ice melting while patterns of precipitation continue to change. As some parts of the world receive more rainfall, others are receiving very little or none at all. As a result of increased absorption of COÂ ­2, the oceans are increasingly becoming acidic. Yes the issue may receive a lot of hype from the media and political fronts but it is real, the planet earth’s climate is undergoing change and may be a threat to life in future. We must do something to avert the situation and protect our environment going forward. There is therefore no doubt that climate on the planet earth is not the same again. Human activity is the greatest culprit. Industrialization, deforestation, heavy economic reliance on fossil fuels and other sources of greenhouse gasses are some human activities behind the global climatic change. It has thus come a time when we must sober up and think about our planet’s climatic condition seriously. Green energy technologies, increasing the forest cover and being energy economical are some of the steps we can take to reverse the current climatic situation. Environmental pollution must stop at all costs so as to permit safe of survival of plant and animal

The Politics of Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Politics of Research - Essay Example Sheila Dow has gathered several economists to review Card and Krueger's important work Myth and Measurement: The New Economics of the Minimum Wage, and what is more important than what any of these individual reviewers has to say is the collective impression left by the reviewers: the politics of research play a far larger role than do the numbers themselves. Finis Welch is left calling for an entirely new set of standards to govern the process of economic research and interpretation (Dow 2002). Several of the reviewers in this article refer to the design of what Card and Krueger call their "natural experiments" designed to see how an increased minimum wage would affect employment. One of the primary arguments against an increase in minimum wage has been that employers would be forced to reduce their workforce numbers to accommodate the higher wage - or to raise prices to such a degree as to render the increased wage negligible. Card and Krueger find as their conclusion that this argument is not true - they conclude that the effect on employment of a higher minimum wage is almost nonexistent. Charles Brown (who, coincidentally, believes that a 10% increase in the minimum wage would decrease employment by 1%) criticizes Card and Krueger's methods, saying that their time window for measuring effects of an increased minimum wage is too short, and does not consider other factors, such as sunk and capital costs (Dow 2002). By contrast, Richard Freeman, who views the minimum wage as one palliative for this "era with rising inequality," agrees with the use of a short time window, because "[e]mpirical analysis of quantitative responses to price incentives is most convincing over periods during which the structure of the economy, technology, and so on can safely be viewed as fixed"(Dow 2002). And so even one's opinion of statistical methodology, it seems, is related to one's prevailing opinion about the topic at hand. If one wants to write a paper that has a certain result, the temptation will soon arise to allow the statistical analysis to provide only a particular answer. Paul Osterman makes note of an analysis that Card and Krueger conducted using past research. According to their study, not only have past economists decided not to publish papers about the minimum wage that would contradict the prevailing argument about the danger to employment numbers, but even within papers that were published, they have "simply [ignored] findings that were inconsistent with the point the authors wanted to make" (Dow 2002). Of course, this manipulation and misuse of data is exactly what Finis Welch accuses Card and Krueger of doing in their own book: after dissecting Card and Krueger's studies and finding them too statistically insignificant to support a hypothesis, he asks, "Are these the kind of data that you would recommend as the basis for national policy"(Dow 2002). In addition to flaws in the design and implementation of particular research methods, this selection of reviews also provides insight to the inherent biases that the reviewers themselves bring to

Critically analysing the issues and effectiveness of the Code of Essay

Critically analysing the issues and effectiveness of the Code of Sustainable Homes and their contribution to helping UK Government to achieve the reductions in CO2 required - Essay Example necessitates the need to formulate strategies, framework, policies, regulations and any other method to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases in to the atmosphere (Bergman et al, 2007). Presently the world is going through the global warming phase; the cause has been attributed to increasing green house gases from industrial, commercial and various other residential activities. Goodall (2007:3) mentions that fewer people know the details regarding the amount of carbon dioxide are generated in their day to day activities. It is further mentioned that only air travels, each person travelling by air is responsible for 12.5 tonnes of greenhouse gases per year in United Kingdom. It is important to mention that half of the total carbon emissions results from the way in which we live i.e. running our homes and getting from place to place in car or plane. Bergman et al (2007) states that household ownership of electronics, such as televisions, domestic IT and other gadgets has increased ra pidly and expected to continue to rise over the next years making the consumer electronics, the biggest single sector of home electricity consumption. And moreover, the number of households is increasing with the increased growth in population year by year causing an increased environmental burden and introducing social sustainability issues. It is further mentioned that the one person household in the UK has grown from 18% in 1971 to 30% in 2001 and are predicted to constitute 38% of households by 2026. In view of the involvement of residential activities in carbon emissions and other greenhouse gases, the governments from different countries evolved and formulated different strategies to cope with the increasing problem. The present paper looks into the policies adopted by United Kingdom to reduce the carbon emissions the residential sector by providing carbon free homes as stipulated in their Code for Sustainable Homes. According to the report for World Business Summit on Climate

Public Health Policy and Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Public Health Policy and Society - Essay Example In April 2008, the Australian government increased Alcopops tax by seventy percent (Squires, 2008). Ever since, the government has been collecting these taxes and withholding them from the liqueur companies. By May this year, the government had collected more than four hundred million dollars (Squires, 2008). A bill was passed by the lower house of Australian parliament that allowed the government to keep that money. The bill was passed in the month of May (Skov, 2009). This bill is highly likely to be passed by the senate. Another bill allowed the government to go on collecting those taxes until May 2010. The aim is to bring to the floor of the house a bill that aims to make this taxation a permanent feature of Australian tax revenues. This taxation aims to cut down on the production and consumption of alcohol in Australia. This will be in line with other developed countries that charge the liquor companies higher taxes. The alcopop tax was introduced to curb the consumption of ready to drink alcohol. This kind of alcohol is what is referred to as alcopop (Skov, 2009). It includes those canned beers that are sold in the supermarkets, for example Smirnoff, vodka amongst others. It is not only aimed at those canned drinks but all form of alcoholic beverages that are ready to drink, excluding the spirits. This taxation has been informed by the issues of the health of the Australian public. This was a result of the realization that â€Å"social context and the health of the community and individuals are interlinked† (Macdonald, 2005: 53). Therefore alcoholism, a social aspect, affects the health of the public. Alcopop taxation has been welcomed by the Royal Australian College of Physicians (Skov, 2009). Though it has not yet been passed by the senate, the college believes that this is a step in the right direction. This is because alcoholism has been found to be a very important public health issue (Macdonald,

Ethical Healthcare Issues Essay Example for Free

Ethical Healthcare Issues Essay Ethical dilemmas in health care are often the most difficult to navigate. Quite often the life of a person depends on the decision made when a challenge arises. This is certainly the case regarding patients in a permanent vegetative state. These cases have provoked very strong, opposing opinions throughout the medical community. Generating a definitive answer to how a facility handles these situations is extremely important to ensure appropriate ethical policy is followed throughout the care or termination of medical services for a person in a permanent vegetative state. Four ethical principles assist in guiding the ethical conversation: autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, and justice. Autonomy Preserving a patient’s autonomy is a standard ethical policy for health care providers. Examples of how doctors and facilities protect a patient’s right to independence include Advance Directives, the Patient Self-Determination Act, and HIPAA. â€Å"The problem is that vegetative patients are not competent to refuse continued treatment, and there is concern about how best to protect them from treatment that they would probably refuse if they could† (Jennett, 2002, p. 356). A patient who has the unforeseen misfortune of entering into the permanent vegetative state may not have the chance to express their stance through an Advance Directive on how he or she wish to proceed medically, therefore stripping him or her of the right to autonomy. Some patients may have expressed their wishes informally to their family members and loved ones, such as the desire to donate organs when the time comes. If the decision were made to end medical care in a more direct and rapid way, organs would have a better chance of becoming used to help others, which would restore some of the patient’s autonomy (Wade, 2001). Most people would rather donate their organs for the benefit of others, rather than remain in an unconscious state, when given the choice. Unfortunately, these patients are not given a chance to voice that opinion. Nonmaleficence Nonmeleficence is the ethical principle to do no harm. It could be argued that a person in a permanent vegetative state feels nothing, and that poses the question regarding whether or not one can do harm to someone who does not feel anything emotionally or physically (Wade, 2001). In addition, continued treatment actually may be doing harm to the patient. â€Å"There have been many declarations that survival in a permanent vegetative state is not a benefit to the patient, some regarding it as a fate worse than death† (Jennett, 2002, p. 356). There are opposing viewpoints that believe patients in a vegetative state actually may be aware of their surroundings. According to Hope (2011) a study confirmed, â€Å"patients thought to be in a permanently ‘vegetative’ state may still be able to think and communicate† (para. 1). Although this may sound hopeful for loved ones, for some patients being aware of surroundings but not able to move or communicate is doing more harm to them. Would it be more nonmaleficent to end their suffering if they have poor quality of life? Beneficence The philosophical question beneficence raises is will an unknowing patient benefit from an act of good (Wade, 2001)? The patient is not aware of any kind or unkind act done to him or her in an unconscious state. Ongoing treatment could bring about a recovery, but a patient may not view this as beneficent. The state that their body and mind would be in and the quality of life they would have is questionable for whether or not keeping the patient alive was actually doing him or her any good. Beneficence can also relate to the survivors of the patient. In many cases, it is the willingness of the family to keep the patient alive in the hopes of a miracle even if it is against what the doctor’s recommend (Brody, 1988). Is it beneficent to the patient’s family to remain in a state of ongoing grief when there is no improvement in sight? Justice Justice is the most applied ethical principle for arguing for or against termination of treatment for patients in a permanent vegetative state. One argument that can be raised is whether or not it is fair to continue to allocate resources for a person in this state when it limits the care and resources other patients could be receiving (Wade, 2001). If a person is in a permanent unconscious state and doctors have determined that he or she will not regain consciousness or live a normal life, should the care and services he or she are using be given to a patient who has a greater chance of recovery. In addition, consider the cost to society for paying for the ongoing resources and care these patients will need (Brody, 1988). Is it fair to impose that cost on others? Instead, the funds could be used to save the lives of others. However, if the policy became to end patient’s care once they have reached a permanent vegetative state it could be said that attitudes may change toward other severely disabled people and the ongoing care they receive (Wade, 2001). Provider’s compassion may begin to be diminished over time through seeing the termination of care on these permanent vegetative patients, and it may desensitize them in a way that would make it difficult for them to provide any ongoing care to disabled people. Terminating an individual’s life whether it is physician-assisted or merely stopping food sources will always pose huge ethical concerns, even if the patient is in a permanent vegetative state and cannot express emotion or feel pain. Forming an opinion on the issue is not easy, and there are many parties who have interest in the outcome such as the patient, their family, the staff providing care, the facility providing care, and society. By applying the four ethical principles of autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, and justice healthcare administrators can begin to form an ethical opinion to shape the way their facility approaches the many challenges permanent vegetative patients cause. References Brody, B. A. (1988). Ethical questions raised by the persistent vegitative patient. The Hastings Center Report, 18(1), 33-37. Hope, J. (2001, November 10). Vegitative patients can still think and respond. Daily Mail, 0(0), 28. Jennett, B. (2002). The vegitative state. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, 73(4), 355-357. Wade, D. T. (2001). Ethical issue in diagnosis and management of patients in the permanent vegetative state. BMJ: British Medical Journal, 322(7282), 352-354.

Competition in Energy Drinks, Sports Drinks, and Vitamin-Enhanced Beverages Essay Example for Free

Competition in Energy Drinks, Sports Drinks, and Vitamin-Enhanced Beverages Essay The strength of these companies had been growing strong but had a slight decline in recent years. SWOT for the Industry Strength: Product Expansion – many new products have been developed Distribution Channels – Can use convenience stores, grocery stores Able to deliver with carbonated soft drinks Weakness: Price is high compared to soft drinks Unhealthy ingredients Caffeine is not regulated – like in soft drink industry Opportunity: Consumer demand Supplier Channels – ingredients, cans, labels Product Innovation – provides differentiation. Brand Loyalty – taste, image, energy boosting Brand building skills needed 2 oz. energy shots Threat: Economy Scientific evidence that some products are not healthy Effect people with heart arrhythmias and insomnia Mix with alcohol Relaxed Drink Niche – abuse with prescription cough syrup As we look at this SWOT analysis of the alternative beverage industry we notice that there are some opportunities that they have created and are able to use in the future. Consumers’ choices are changing from the standard soft drink to alternative beverages. The key is to be sustainable by building up these products. The main opportunity to help with sustainability is to build brand loyalty. Try building up the knowledge and uses of your brands will help you gain the skills needed to continue building the brand. Porter’s five-forces model reveals that the overall alternative beverage industry attractiveness is high. Some beverage companies, such as PepsiCo and Coca-Cola, have mastered the art of brand building in the alternative beverage market and have been rewarded with rapid growth rates. The rising population of health conscious consumers is increasingly leaning towards alternative beverages that are believed to offer greater health benefits. The strongest competitive force, or most important to strategy formulation, is the threat of entry of new competitors. Competitive pressure from rival sellers is high in the alternative beverage industry. The number of brands competing in sports drinks, energy drinks, and vitamin-enhanced beverage segments of the alternative beverage industry continue to grow each year. Both large and small vendors are launching new products and fighting for minimal retail shelf space. More and more consumers are moving away from traditional soft drinks to healthier alternative drinks. Demand is expected to grow worldwide as consumer purchasing power increases. Another strong competitive force is buyer bargaining power. Convenience stores and grocery stores have substantial leverage in negotiating pricing and slotting fees with alternative beverage producers due to the large quantity of their purchase. Newer brands are very vulnerable to buyer power because of limited space on store shelves. Top brands like Red Bull are almost always guaranteed space. This competitive force does not affect Coca-Cola or PepsiCo as much due to the variety of beverages the stores want to offer to the customer. As a result of this certain appeal, the two companies’ alternative beverage brands can almost always be found shelf space in grocery/convenience stores. Distributors, like restaurants, have less ability to negotiate for deep pricing discounts because of quantity limitations.

Multinational Company Bmw Economic Essay

Multinational Company Bmw Economic Essay BMW is the multinational company that I choose for the assignment. BMW is a company that operating in more than 1 country. They are not only operating in their home country (Germany) but they also operate in many countries like: Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and etc. Beside that BMW also have manufacture in country like UK, USA, Mexico, South Africa and etc. So BMW is proving as a multinational company. BMW Group is one of the worlds largest premium carmakers and BMW is also the parent of the company of BMW MINI and Rolls-Royce car brands, and, formerly, Rover. BMW headquarters in Munich, Germany. The company slogans in English are The Ultimate Driving Machine and Sheer Driving Pleasure. BMW was founded by Karl Friedrich Rapp in October 1913. Automobiles, motorcycles and financial services are three segments that operate by BMW and they manufactured the first passenger car running by hydrogen. BMW manufacturing is plant in Germany, Austria, UK, USA, Mexico, South Africa, Egypt, Brazil, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and also Vietnam. BMWs main competitors include Acura, Alfa Romeo, Audi, Cadillac, Infiniti, Jaguar, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo all of this are consider luxury brands of the car products. Nowadays, BMW is support by 11different types of series which is: BMW C1, BMW 1, 3, 5, 6, 7 series, BMW X3, 5, 6, BMW Z4, BMW M5, BMW M6, and BMW Z4 M. According to the research, shown that there are 2 new divisions for BMW been introduce in October 1, 2007. Which are corporate and brand development will be lead by the director of corporate planning this is focus on the vital for brand management, corporate planning, and strategic implementation BMW. Second, purchasing and supplier network that headed by Dr.Herbert.Diess. The purpose is to reduce the material cost and expenses factor. These are few of the new management strategy that BMW Company is using to operate the c ompany. 15 Sentence of credit crunch in general are stand for credit crunch make it almost impossible to the lender like bank and investor to borrow the money because they become very chary of lending the money to the corporation. They scared of bankruptcies and defaults, which they drive up the price of debt products for borrowers which result in higher rates. The consequence is drag on of recession, which the shrinking of the credit supply wills happens as a result. 2 Credit crunch overall background is starting with the lender like bank are suffering loss because of their previous lending loans, and this make them normally unable and averse to lend the money again to the borrowers. This happen when the borrower in arrears and the properties underlying a defaulted loan and drop in the value. As in this case the borrowers default, the bank can only foreclose on hypothecate and trying to sell this property to compensate the funds they loaned out. Thereby, if the pricing of the house is decreasing, the bank is considered left selling at the cost. The banker capital position is reducing; when they suffer losses which are reduce the amount that they are able to lend out. The lending institutions are requiring keeping down the minimum levels of capital. 3 The reasons that cause to the credit crunch are first: speculation. Many people go to obtain additional loans with very easy terms for instance no initial down payment because it is too easy to gain the credit from the banks so that all of the peoples and investors think that the price will going to increase also. The rapidity increase in property value make investors to jump into the investment with low and no fundamentals. This situation will make the investors to feel that they are missing out and left behind, in case as many investors going to heap up it will cause increasingly unsustainable to the price of property. Next is lack of the regulatory oversight, the distrustful of loans are make by mortgage brokers and bankers, the underwriters who working in the bank are determine whether the ability of the borrowers is there for them to repay the loans and turn a blind eye to what is going on so that the increasing of the profit can see by the loans that they have written. In addit ional, there are others reasons like Adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) and subprime loans, the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act, Historically low interest rates, and as well as politics which happen because many of the politicians going to say that the higher of the rate of the home ownership for Americans is better, but what would happen to the economy from the perspective of those that cant afford their homes when an inevitable slowdown occurred.4 The occurring of the credit crunch will actually affect the economy of a country and company in few ways. First, the banker will actually tighten up the credit for all types of loans and become more caution to lending the loans. So that this directly affects the small businesses peoples that who are depend on the loans and the credit to fund their day to day operation and become illiquid. Next, unemployment rises is one of the ways that will affect a company and country where the businesses are unable to pay for all the immediate bills and so that they also facing the problem that they cannot pay for the employees salary and so that caused the situation like unemployment increasing in nationwide. The bankers and the brokerage firms are hit by this credit crunch. Apart of that a spiraling domino effect occurs, above these two economies effects of the economies crisis can make the economy of a country going down and than affect the whole country economy and if the economy of a country continues to going downward, it will lead to the difficult to stop the cycle. 5 On year 2008, America was affected by the serious economy crisis, and their economy is actually hit really hard by this economy crisis. We can see through the secondary data that done by research show that BMW also hit by 2008 economy crisis. According to (Chris Reiter 2010) BMW and Mercedes this two world largest luxury car makers was only sold a combine 31,000 fewer vehicles last month because of the occurring of economy crisis and cause credit crunch that discourage the power purchasing of consumers. The percentage of sales are also falling down 8.3% to 113.005 cars and sport- utility vehicles from 123,300 vehicles a year earlier by BMW Company whose are also owns the Mini and Rolls-Royce auto brands. Next, Auto sales in US BMW as a biggest market also decrease 32 percent in October of 2008 to the lowest monthly total since January 1991. They look back to their 2008 profile target on November BMW plans to cut production by 65,000 cars and SUVs according to (Chris Reiter 2010). Chris Reiter (2010) states that BMW is involved in the extremely changeling market and the vehicles sales are decreasing for the whole year because of this. As what Ian Robertson who are the Munich-based carmakers sales chief said: in a statement today, reiterating a forecast released Nov. 4. The retail gains made in our growth markets were unable to fully offset declines in Western Europe, Japan and the U.S. Chris Reiter (2010) also states that BMW posted 12% drop in Western Europe, 5% drop in US and the worst is Japan drop 34%. Furthermore, David Gow (2010) states that credit crunch put brakes on BMW 2008 also when US economy goes down turn and BMW reported that a step fall down in first quarter earnings. The son company of BMW Mini and Rolls Royce said that the pre-tax profits spilled 25% to ( £505m), dragged down by increased risk provisions, tighter credit and the strong euro. According to (S. wall, S. Minocha, B. Rees, 2010)[case study 4.2 BMW after Rover], show Rover in Britain worsened and hopeless in early of March 2010 due to the strong pound damaging the exports of Rover. Finally Rover sells to Alchemy. This happened and uproar Britain press and politicians because scaring big number of unemployment in Rover and few supplier are located around the region. Alchemy withdrew from bidding process and sell to Phoenix consortium for  £10. Previous 6 years BMW spent total  £34billion to save Rover but posted big losses. The disposal provoked a political storm in Britain, and BMW bosses were someone parliamentary before this. Britain government furious, Milberg (who took over CEO of BMW in 1999) retorted government slow to get the signals he sent in a phone call before the situation worsened. This criticism infuriated the government again. This shows that government and political mess will also cause a problem to a company. Apart from that, the case stud y also stated that the decreasing and increasing of a currency will also give a huge impact to a company. The pounds became stronger and then give a direct effect to the company and destroy their exports businesses are one of the problem that we can see from the case and this may indirectly lead to the occur of credit crunch as well. 14 David Gow (2010) states BMW a 5.6% rise across its three brands to a record 351,787 despite a 9.1% drop in their biggest market, US. The international financial crisis deteriorates the climate for consumer spending became gloomier, it said, pointing to March 2008 as the peak of the crisis. Before this BMW still expect to beat the last year sales record to 1.5m but the USs economy getting worst and lead to the dropping of the profits. The world largest luxury carmaker BMW have became the victims of the credit crunch on 2008. It took a 236 million euro (S$500 million) charge because of falling prices and rising bad debt in the United States. The move is the provision made of the divinable losses in business area. This move could cause to increased nervousness about the impact of the financial crisis on the economy in Europe, even as most companies report robust first-quarter results. This is what reported by The Financial Times. The Click here to find out more!Daimler chief executive Dieter Zetsche says that in 2008 may that month the general car sales of US is fall down this year but the growth in emerging in market can expiation it. 6 In addition, research shows that 2008 BMW sons company MINI has declared that axes 800 redundancies in Cowley, Oxford hire prompting protests from unions over a perceived lack of sensitivity towards the rights of agency workers. The redundancy pay will not received by many of the staffs that who have been made the contract through the agency Manpower. At the same time the sales of the luxury cars are drop very ruggedness, so because of that supermini segment has experienced a less severe downturn driven by a consumer shift to smaller and more economical vehicles. Seen from secondary data, clearly we can see the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) January figure, the trend towards the smallest segment the mini or city car segment is growing stronger as the recession deepens, with new car registrations up 40.8% on 2008 figures. At British, Mini was one of the last of the car manufacturers that are continue working through these suffering times, but they are not produce an y cars on that relevant week because of to the significant fall in global demand. Around 20% of these 800 axes redundancies are going to tha manufacture like: Jaguar, Nissan and etc. 7 BMW became the first victim of the credit crunch on 24 of April, that who are the world largest luxury carmaker. BMW took a à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬236m ($369m) charge because of falling prices and rising bad debt in the US are showing through the research. But however the pre-tax level is slightly increased compare with last year. 8 The strategy that BMW use to overcome credit crunch are first: that are one of the reason why BMW and Mercedes are teaming up. There are fewer options for OEM (original equipment makers), consolidations of period have gone through by automobile suppliers and this trend is expected to speedup for the next few years. It becomes difficult for the investment capital because credit crunch makes suppliers harder to fund their business. 9 Many organizations are affected by the credit crunch in UK industry and so BMW. But BMW consider one of the successful from them and six awards are goes to BMW and German manufacturer sales rise and new models bring in new customers. Although BMW also affected but they get the award for best small car with the MINI, best small premium car for the 1 Series and best large premium car for the 3 Series. In addition, The 5 Series took the gong for best executive car and the X5 won best SUV and BMW was presented with the Fleet News environmental award for the EfficientDynamics package. 10 Next, BMW also trying to protect himself from credit crunch by helping some of the suppliers. The stronger suppliers are encouraging by BMW to take over weaker supplier in this case and BMW will pay more for the parts, speedup the payment and as well as they will temporary pay higher price for the parts. 11 Apart from that, in UK, during credit crunch the governments are actually asking to help the car manufacture and government helping a litter bit where we just seem it banking sector. According to the research, on that time if the government is still not aware of this problem and the unemployment will become worst and the number of import export within UK and other country will be reduce and shown that UK government will loss  £110 billion revenue and UK  £146.2 billion tax next couple of year if the government despise this case. 12 However, in Malaysia it will still have at least a litter bit effects because of credit crunch but the god strategy need to be prepared to face the credit crunch. According to Briscoe, he believes that the luxury car like BMW needs to have a better positioned for it to growth in the industry when facing difficulty at the economic side. He also said that: There would be an impact but we feel that the volume-based car segment would be more affected than the premium segment. According to him as well in Malaysia market in 2009, was to provide the right car at the right market at the right time. Extra key are they are now focusing on their credit crunch strategy are introduce more diesel powered cars. 13 This are few strategy that BMW done or the place government done to solve the various problem during credit crunch. But actually they are pro and con for every strategy they used and pro and con as well for the helping from the government, it is just depend on each of us to criticize either each of this strategy are falls into pro or con. In my opinion, as the first point I listed above BMW are teaming up with Mercedes, to invest in the suppliers and the next point that BMW are encourage strong supplier to take over weaker suppliers. It is just a good decision I think because it is not a good decision if we just leave our cars part supplier to facing and suffering alone with the credit crunch without any assisting. In the tough time during credit crunch, if we are not helping each other among supplier even competitor we might just die together because of the wrong decision. We can actually helping each other according to our capability like what BMW and the rest done. Next, the ethical issues are very vital for a company. According to (S. wall, S. Minocha, B. Rees, 2010), an organization must make sure that every decision they make, have a conscious ethical content. If it is an internal problem, it maybe about the labour working hours, or their wages problem. When come to the BMW do à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬international business with other country, company must ensure they does not apply their own ethical norms to the foreign country but is conforms to the local customs, and ethical as well as morality enough when making any of the business decision and also during economy crisis. Although the company situation is worse and worried but any decision making by BMW will be ethical enough; example during credit crunch any methods using to solve the credit crunch problem, it must be with ethical.

Dyslexia :: essays research papers

Dyslexia For Children Jimmy’s Story: Jimmy was a 10 year old boy who had done well in school through the third grade. Once he got the fourth grade he was having trouble following the readings as fast as the other children could. He was mixing up words and confusing letters. He was very upset so he told his mom and she decided to check out what was happening. She took Jimmy to the doctor and the doctor had Jimmy take some tests and the doctor discovered that Jimmy had dyslexia. This didn’t mean that Jimmy was stupid, it just meant that he had trouble reading certain words. Jimmy would have to see a special teacher to fix his problem. Facts about dyslexia: 1.Children who are dyslexic are not stupid 2. Dyslexic is a word used to describe children who have trouble putting words together or spelling 3. Although many people may think so, dyslexic people do not see things backwards. 4. Many dyslexic children seem to have good creative skills like drawing, painting or playing a musical instrument. 5. Dyslexia can have more of an affect on one person than it does another or it may have less of an affect on one person or the other. 6. Experts think that 10% of all children have some degree of dyslexia and only 4% have a really bad case of dyslexia. This means that if you have dyslexia, you are not the only one. There are many other children who work with dyslexia everyday. 7. No two dyslexic children are alike. Children who have dyslexia are just like everyone else except they have to work through their reading and writing a little harder. 8. Many famous people have worked through dyslexia for example: Thomas Edison, the inventor of the light bulb; Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of Great Britain and Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States of America.(1) Causes of dyslexia: There is no real answer for the cause of dyslexia. Dyslexia is not contagious so you can’t get it from someone else, it is not in something that you eat and it is not a cough or the flu so it won’t hurt you if you have it. Doctors think that dyslexia runs in families, so it might get passed down from your mom or dad when you are born.(1) Solving dyslexia: The best known solution to dyslexia is working with a special teacher and working hard. There are some medicines that are available (ritalin and adirol) that will help you concentrate better but the way to getting past dyslexia is all in the hard work.

My Quality Education Essay -- essays research papers

My Quality Education For years I've heard that in order to succeed one has to receive a quality education. It's kind of funny though, with all the talk about the need for this great quality education nobody ever says exactly what it is. While examining this strange phenomenon I've discovered the basic universal elements of a "quality education". I've also learned that everyone has different standards by which they judge what is and what isn't a quality education, different groups are treated differently, the importance of home education and the effects that my own pursuits of education have had on me. Depending upon who you ask you will almost always receive a different response as to what the qualities of a good education are. However, most will agree that there are four basic elements to a quality education. The first and most important to our survival is the ability to compete in the job market. Without this many, if not all of us would find it impossible to play a significant role in society. Also included, but often ignored element of education is our ability to interact with others. Every day of our lives we will be required to interact with another person or many people. School provides us with the perfect opportunity to learn how to get along with others with minimal conflict. This could perhaps be the single most element of education. Education also provides us with an education of our own cultu...

How to Meet Your Deadlines :: Process Essays

How to Meet Your Deadlines It's a gorgeous fall day and my mind is drifting like a dinghy on the lake. But I'm inside my house watching the clock tick away, hoping to pull together this essay before the deadline arrives. If you're like me, deadlines drive you crazy, but they also keep you driven. Chances are, you've spent countless nights awake, fretting over an upcoming deadline, even ones that are easy to meet. The Pressure Cooker So how can you handle the pressure -- real and imagined -- of deadlines? And what should you do if it looks like you're going to miss one? Here are a few tips on handling the dreaded D-word. Always meet your deadlines. There's simply no excuse, short of calamity not to. As Cameron Foote writes in "The Business Side of Creativity": "You're very raison d'etre is to do for others what they cannot or will not do for themselves. When you accept an assignment, the client expects you to be competent, professional, and most of all a fanatic about meeting his or her deadlines." Treat deadlines with the respect they deserve. Woody Allen once said, "eighty percent of life is just showing up." You'll be amazed and how much return business you can earn simply by being on time. Negotiate longer lead times. Deadlines are like money, they aren't easily renegotiated. Even if you think you can meet the proposed deadline with little problem, it's best to win yourself a little extra time during the initial negotiation. Extra time acts as insurance should a work or personal emergency arise or if the job becomes inexplicably complex. The slack can also come in handy if you need to accommodate a rush job, particularly one with extra dollars attached. Ask for an extra day or week or month, whatever is appropriate to the work you do and the scope of the project. Whenever you start talking to a client about a deadline, think about your kids, significant other, or beloved hobby, and silently ask yourself: Is this deadline going to prevent me from spending time with the people or activities I love? If nothing more, this ploy gives you the incentive to ask for that extra week or two. Break up chores into manageable pieces. Perhaps the problem is not the deadline, so much as the sheer size of a project you face. One way to battle this daunting specter is by creating a Gantt chart to break the project into smaller chunks.

The Hoover Company and Dyson

Table of Contents Question 12 Dyson’s Value Chain Model2 Competency framework model3 DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS4 Question 25 VRIO FRAMWORK5 DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS6 Question 36 Question 47 References:8 Question 1 Using framework from the chapter, analyse the strategic capabilities of Dyson. Dyson’s Value Chain Model Support Activities FirmInfrastructure| Structuring and planning, HQ in UK, manufacturing and testing facility in Malaysia with 120 testing station, patent protection, management, corporate commitment to product development supported by company motto: thinking, testing, breaking, questioning. 50 engineers in Wilshire with 20 specialist laboratories close by. | INFORMATION FLOW Human ResourceManagement| Up-to-date employee details, training, reward scheme, 2500 people working for Dyson around the world, recruitment follows an online process, the right candidate will be called for an interview, recruitment strategy focuses on recruitment of engineers and designers | TechnologyDevelopment| Margin Helps in R&D, which is the key operation, ERD and IRM to manage the information flow within the company, a wide selection of technology involve in production process and technological innovation. Dyson’s technology: multiplier technology and ball technology. | Procurement| Raw materials procure from the UK and Asia. Majority of procurement come from Asia where suppliers are based and cost are low. The material is shipped to Dyson’s manufacturing plant in Malaysia. Malaysia is on of the leading procurement centres in the world. | Primary Activities Inbound logistics| Connected with suppliers, so that they can meet the needs, raw materials, energy, inventory management, reverse logistics process as defective product can be returned to Dyson company at the cost to the customer. The product will be return within 24h to the customer. | Operations| Avoiding unwanted operations and thus enhance the flexibility, manufacturing the products in Malaysia and China, the NQ in the UK, developing and testing the prototypes, sending the prototype through production process. The manufacturing process that converts raw materials into various products. The operation phase is preceded by the development of a prototype. Various forms of technology is used to develop a prototype from special computerized technology to plasticine and cardboard. Outbound logistics| Fast and direct link to distributors all over the world, Dyson’s sell his products directly from their website and retail stores like comet or curry’s. Activities of outbound logistics are customer’s orders which are shipped to different locations around the world. | Research &Development| 50% of the company profit is spend on R&D, 350 engeeners, R&D in the UK, design, technological innovation an d creativity. Marketing & Sales| Electronic market research, advertising, Dyson award for young inventors, online ordering process, online marking, strategy where the customer can shop online with the assistance of customer service agents. The online order makes easy for the customer to choose product, models and performance. | Service| Effective after sales services to the client at cost to the client, 7 days a week customer help line and online customer service, 5 years warranty for Dyson’s products. | INFORMATION FLOW Competency framework model ———————————————— Dyson: threshold resources ————————————————- †¢Engineering design equipment (tangible) ———————————— Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- †¢Product supplies (tangible) ————————————————- †¢Manufacturing space (tangible) ————————————————- †¢Offices and facilities (tangible) ————————————————- †¢appropriate personnel (tangible) ————————————————- sufficient customers (human resource) ————————————————- ———————————————— - Dyson: threshold competences ————————————————- †¢general management skills including distribution & marketing (intangible) ————————————————- †¢Engineering design skills (intangible) ————————————————- †¢Cost control through manufacturing in low-cost locations; Malaysia and China (tangible) ————————————————- Quality assurance and control, 550 tests before the product will reach production line (tangible) ———————————————â€⠀- †¢The ability to attract customers sufficiently inspired by design to pay premium prices across (intangible), ————————————————- ————————————————- Dyson: distinctive resources ————————————————- †¢James Dyson himself (human resource) ————————————————- The Dyson brand name and strategy of high-end products in an otherwise dull market (intangible source) ————————————————- †¢An HQ building and related laboratories desig ned to foster innovation (tangible resource) ————————————————- †¢Product portfolio and associated patents (intangible) ————————————————- †¢High R&D budget (tangible) ————————————————- †¢Company invests extensively in PR & advertising (intangible) ————————————————- Ownership of the manufacturing facilities and hence control over the working conditions of the employees versus other companies that contract out their manufacturing and can be accused of supporting poor labour conditions different markets (tangible) ——â €”—————————————- †¢ 350 engineers involve in R&D (tangible) ————————————————- †¢ Manufacturing plants in Malaysia and Singapore (tangible) ————————————————- †¢ 120 testing stations (tangible) ————————————————- †¢ Physical products. Space cube kitchen, vacuums, washing machine and air knives (tangible) ————————————————- †¢ Corporate culture, Dyson encourage their workers to think outside the box, the company mix experience engineers with freshly qualified to give them the chance to make a difference, entrepreneurial culture with a huge emphasis on innovation, creativity and initiative (intangible) ————————————————- †¢ Human resources: Dyson is committed to hiring people who are creative and courageous, unconditioned fresh-thinkers (tangible) ————————————————- Finance resources ————————————à ¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- ————————————————- Dyson: distinctive competences ————————————————- †¢Inspirational leadership around the value of engineering (intangible) ————————————————- †¢Design engineering skills that transform ideas into practicable products (intangible) ————————————————- †¢Competence to make engineering aesthetically attractive (intangible) ————————————————- Seamless value chain despite design a nd manufacturing being in different locations (intangible) ————————————————- †¢Being one step ahead of competitors attracting customers and subsequent followers including premium pricing (intangible) ————————————————- †¢ Attractiveness of their product, never being boring; always being surprising and colourful (tangible) ————————————————- †¢ Marketing expertise (tangible) ————————————————- Manufacturing process, product design: combination of design engineering and manufacturing (tangible) ———— Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- †¢ 50% of the profit goes on R&D (intangible) ————————————————- DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS All the key activities in Dyson value chain are intertwined due to very innovative approach to products. Dyson’s decision of moving manufacturing to Malaysia and Singapore was based on reduce cost of production but the profit was not the only reason. Very important was the short distance from the Asian suppliers and primary consumer market. Dyson’s shows very unorthodox approach towards by allocating 50% of their profit into R&D. It proves that it was the right decision by showing three new products; newer root cyclone technology, air-blade hand dryer and bladeless fans. (Arnott, 2010) While leaving its HQ in the UK to be close to centre of innovative technology and development. Their HQ is the centre of developing, testing and prototyping which employees 350 engineers. We cannot forget about inspirational leadership pertaining to the value of engineering and design engineering skills. Dyson’s employment strategy focuses on the recruitment of engineers and designers more than any other group of people. The HR philosophy in Dyson is ‘‘to nurture talent and challenge people to get the best from them’’. Recruited staffs typically follow a linear progression in moving up the ladder of their career. The Dyson website reports that there are 10 different types of benefits, staffs are entitled to. There are 2500 people working for Dyson around the world with a growing demand to recruit more engineers at the Wiltshire head office. Recruitment follows an online process and successful candidates are called for interviews where the best are selected. Dyson’s shows vibrant, entrepreneurial culture with a huge emphasis on innovation, creativity and initiative. Dyson don’t strap people into suit and plonk them behind desks. The staffs are encouraged to develop new ideas outside of the traditional boundaries. Question 2 To what extent do you think any of the capabilities can be imitated by competitors? VRIO FRAMWORK | Valuable? | Rare? | Costly to Imitate? | Exploitable by the Organisation? | Competitive Implications? | | NO| —| —| NO| Competitive Disadvantage| YES| NO| —|   | Competitive Parity| | YES| YES| NO|   | Temporary competitive advantage | | YES| YES| YES| YES| Sustained competitive advantage| 1. Inspirational leadership | YES| YES| YES| YES| Sustained competitive advantage| 2. J. Dyson| YES| YES| YES| YES| Sustained competitive advantage| 3. R&D expertise| YES| YES| Y ES| YES| Sustained competitive advantage| 4. Physical products| YES| YES| YES| YES| Sustained competitive advantage| 5. Manufacturing plants | YES| YES| YES| YES| Sustained competitive advantage| 6. Design engineering skills | YES| YES| YES| YES| Sustained competitive advantage| 7. The brand name| YES| YES| YES| YES| Sustained competitive advantage| 8. Corporate culture| YES| YES| YES| YES| Sustained competitive advantage| DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS In my opinion any capabilities can be imitated by competitors with exception of patents which are protected for the limited time period. Competition itself it doesn’t have to be the direct threat but in today’s world allow us close observation resulting in many cases in reverse engineering provoking technology improvements and finding more sufficient solutions. There in not such a thing as a well protected company. Dyson lost case in English Court with TTI) Market share among competitors does not relay on available technology only. There so many different factors like cost efficiency, marketing, advertising, location and so on and those factors are usually used for market domination in the same product range. Every competitive company could be categorizing by distinctive capabilities. Distinctive capabili ties are giving the particulars companies a distinctive edge directly related to market demands e. g. Electrolux – saving products, Dyson –eco-friendly or innovative appearance and Miele – reliability. Question 3 Which of Dyson’s distinctive capabilities may, over time, become threshold capabilities? Distinctive resources and competencies and its diversification rely on certain niche market. Not every consumer is preparing to pay a premium price for the product representing outstanding innovative look and design. Many of us are not prepare to do so because reliability and traditional brand name are the factors instigating our choices. Different companies relay on different strategy to maintain its market position and this is usually based on traditionally recognise distinctive competences, resources and capabilities. There are some companies with well establish markets names which are used by generation of consumers e. g. Electrolux or Miele. In the age of new technologies distinctiveness of the product will loose its grounds towards unification, which proves the point that distinctive resources, competences and capabilities will loose its outstanding values over unification. Dyson is based on innovated look targeting high end product users constantly reinvesting its profit towards new concepts and this idea is very alien for more conservative approach to well establish group of consumers. In my opinion you do try to repair something which is not broken. If the company will consequently follow the idea of JD towards mixing arts and engineering and investment of the huge portion of profit in R&D they will maintain its position in the market leadership. All of the sudden well established companies who dominated market for generations got over come by relatively speaking new comer Dyson Ltd. In order to reverse the situation there are force to rethink own market approach and adapt new ideas e. g. allocation funds for R&D, creativity in product appearance and implementation of new design and technologies. Question 4 Bearing in mind your answers to question 1 and 2, how crucial is Sir James Dyson to the future of the company? What might be the effect of his completely leaving or selling the company? In my opinion JD left the impact not own in his only company but also changed the approach of consumers market towards unusually innovative products. Instead of using straight path and follow existing concepts he is famous for introducing futuristic ideas. This is not easy to implement radically different products although he is doing this with the full determination. Relationship between unconventional design and markets needs is known not always in tune. In his concept thinking, testing, breaking, questioning will always find a group of devoted followers. From practical point of view his smart ideas of protecting his product by patents law secure the company position against the catching up competitors. He showed that simple household products could have very artsy design for which he could charge the premium price. His innovative approach includes unprecedented allocation of 50% of the profit towards R&D. By doing this Dyson is securing strong and save position of his company. Every strategic decision to resign his CEO position allows him to still have very strong impact on a product outcome by holding the key decision to innovated design. If he ever decides to leave or sell the company his legacy won’t be forgotten. This company maintain its leading status would probably prolong his vision in order to stay ahead of competition. If Dyson decides to sell the company and the new owner doesn’t follow his idea the company will become one of many without distinction. References: Arnott, S. , 2010. Dyson Profit Double Thanks to R&D Investment. The Independent, [online] 27 May, Available at http://www. independent. co. uk/news/business/news/dyson-profits-double-thanks-to-rd-investment-1983841. html, [Accessed on 15/11/2011] Barney, J. B. , â€Å"Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage,† Journal of Management 17 (1991), p. 101, [Accessed on 10/11/2011] Campbell, D. , Stonehouse G et al. (2002) Business Strategy-An introduction, 2nd edition, page 40-50, [Accessed on 10/11/2011] Dess, G. G. , Lumpkin, G. T. , et al. , Strategic Management (Boston, McGraw Hill, 2004) pp. 141-148, [Accessed on 17/11/2011] Grand, R. M. Contemporary Strategy Analysis (Cambridge, England: Blackwell Business, 1991), pp. 100-102, [Accessed on 10/11/2011] Grant R. M. , (2006), Contemporary Strategy Analysis, 5th edition, page 146, [Accessed on 11/11/2011] Hitt M. A. , Ireland R. D. , et al. Strategic Management: Competitiveness and Globalization, 4th ed. (Cincinnati, OH: South-Western College Publishing, 2001), [Accessed on 17/11/201 1] Musa, Z. , 2009. Dyson to make Malaysia R&D centre. The star online, [Online 8 October], Available at http://biz. thestar. com. my/news/story. asp? file=/2009/10/8/business/4864485&sec=business, [Accessed on 15/11/2011] M Porter (1990), Competitive Advantage of Nations, Free Press, [Accessed on 10/11/2011] M. E Porter (1985) Competitive Advantage: New York: Free Press, [Accessed on 10/11/2011] Suderland, R. , 2011. Sir James Dyson furious as court rejects appeal over ‘copycat' design case. This is money. [Online 28 October], Available at http://www. thisismoney. co. uk/money/markets/article-2054304/Sir-James-Dyson-furious-court-rejects-appeal-copycat-design-case. html, [Accessed on 15/11/ 2011] http://bookshop. blackwell. co. uk/extracts/9780199203055_wetherly. pdf, [Accessed on 12/11/2011] http://www. yson. co. uk/insidedyson/article. asp? aID=jamesdyson&hf=0&js=, [Accessed 10/11/2011 http://www. guardian. co. uk/uk/2010/jun/22/budget-2010-corporation-tax-slashed-to-24p,accessed 11/11/2011 http://www. hse. gov. uk/news/index. htm, [Accessed on 17/11/2011] www. hoover. co. uk, [Accessed on 11/11/2010] http://www. hrmagazine. co. uk/news/999460/350-new-engineering-jobs-Dysons-laboratories-Wilts hire/, [Accessed on 12/11/2011] http://www. ingenia. org. uk/ingenia/articles. aspx? Index=171, [Accessed on 11/11/2011] http://www. vax. co. uk/about/, [Accessed on 10/11/2011]

Balance Sheet and Regulatory Features Paper

Financial institutions offer a wide array of services that vary in terms of transactions, clients, packaging, volume and other parameters. Among them are the investment securities firms, banks and insurance companies. In general, they all â€Å"perform the essential function of channeling funds from those with surplus funds to those with shortages of funds† (Saunders & Cornett, 2003). Then as they progress with their respective financial products, services, and target markets, then their roles in the financial world become more apparent. Investment Securities FirmsInvestment securities firms act as brokers and sell securities such as company stocks, commercial papers and promissory notes as well as government-issued treasury bills. â€Å"[They] assist individuals who want to purchase new or existing securities issues or who want to sell previously purchased securities† (Melicher & Norton, 2003). Full service of these firms for individual clients would include doing rese arch on securities available for them to invest in and rendering advisory services by giving clients timely information and recommendations based thereon (Saunders & Cornett, 2003).These they do also for corporate clients that park some of their idle company funds in securities – both fixed-income securities and stocks. These firms charge commission and service fees for their services, and this is basically how they generate their income. Depository Institutions While investment securities firms are non-depository institutions, those that are designated as depository institutions can accept deposits from retail savers. They include banks, savings institutions and credit unions (Saunders & Cornett, 2003).While non-depository institutions plainly act as intermediaries of funds from the sources (the investors and the savers) to the users (the companies needing additional working capital to fund their operations, etc. ), depository institutions can act both as intermediaries and as custodians of the money entrusted to them. When an investor goes to an investment securities firm to either buy stocks or to put some money in commercial papers, they know that their money is placed in the company that issued the securities (stock or debt instruments).They will therefore be concerned with the financial well-being of the securities issuer, and not so much the investment securities firm. This is because the company primarily responsible for the safety of the value and the income of their money is the same company that issued the securities they invested in. In contrast, when an investor goes to a depository institution like a bank to leave their money there for safekeeping until they would need to use it or to invest it elsewhere, the same investor is placing his trust and confidence in the depository institution.He, therefore, believes that the institution is financially sound and that putting his money in their custody is a safe move. The institution, in turn, ac cepts the deposits and stands to be responsible for them. In behalf of their depositors, then, they invest the pooled deposits elsewhere and lend them to qualified borrowers. Financial Intermediaries Financial intermediaries generally include banks, investment securities firms, investment banks, insurance companies and pension funds.They are grouped into three categories: the depository institutions (banks), the contractual savings institutions (insurance companies) and investment intermediaries (mutual funds). These entities stand between the lender-savers and the borrower-spenders and facilitate the transfer of funds from one to the other. (Mishkin, 2001) They receive money and pass them on as investments, subject to their respective agreements or transaction contracts with their clients.

Mediation †Practicum

What kept the two sides glued to the negotiating table was their mutual desire to stay out of court.   Although for different reasons, a court case would not help the causes of Manasseh Pulp & Paper Company (Manasseh) and Shawnee Power Company (Shawnee).   Manasseh had two reasons for wanting to settle the dispute out of court.   First, the company was not financially healthy.   It feared that the combined cost of taking down the dam and bringing Shawnee to court would dangerously drain the company coffers. Second, it considered Shawnee a big customer for their specialty papers and believed, correctly, that filing a suit would certainly mean losing a sizable amount of business. (Selig, 2002) Although Manasseh appeared adamant in its initial demand, I believe that the company was really hoping for a favorable out of court settlement. Shawnee, on the other hand, had its own reasons for avoiding a court case.   Even before the problem with Manasseh arose, the company had already received an order from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requiring it to clear the river of their toxic metal discharge.   The company counsel pointed out that a suit involving the same issue might work to their disadvantage in that it might force EPA to compel Shawnee to speed up its compliance with the clean-up directive. Shawnee would not want this to happen because it would mean an earlier cash outflow for the project.   Moreover, if Shawnee lost a court case with Manasseh (and the probability was very high because unquestionably, Shawnee was the source of the toxic metal in the river), the company counsel feared that such a ruling might cause a negative influence on the EPA regarding their directive on the toxic metal clean-up. (Selig, 2002) The aforementioned motivations compelled both parties to keep on discussing possibilities despite recurring impasses brought about by their conflicting interests.   The counsels of both parties played a significant role in maintaining interest in the discussion not only by their constant reminders about the undesirability of litigation, but also by their active participation in efforts to look for mutually-beneficial alternatives. It must be properly noted that during one of the lulls in the discussion, it was the remark of one of the legal counsels that â€Å"it would be a lot simpler and cheaper if we could repair the dam instead of having to take it down,† (Selig, 2002) that started the ball rolling again. Notice should also be made of the participants’ enthusiasm in following-up any new ideas that came from discussants from both sides of the table every time an impasse occurred.  Ã‚   When one of the attorneys made the remark about the possibility of a repair being cheaper, it was a Manasseh vice president who followed it up by asking â€Å"if we were to repair this dam, could we restore railway service over the top and also use it once again to generate electricity?† (Selig, 2002) Another constructive quality shown by the parties to the conflict was their readiness to look at the issue from all sides and take into account radical departures from their original demands and objectives in order to investigate all possible areas of agreement.   For instance, the final solution found by the parties – that of repairing the dam, restoring the railway service, and operating a turbine that would generate power (Selig, 2002) – was a far cry from their original plan of dredging the toxic wastes and dismantling the dam.   However, since both parties were determined to look for a solution, their discussions stretched that far. The successful resolution of the problem faced by Manasseh and Shawnee as shown in this case history, is evidence that if parties to conflicts adopt the correct attitude before embarking on conflict resolution processes, solutions that could benefit all parties involved are almost always available.   That attitude would include a determination to resolve the issue in a way that would benefit the two sides.   To achieve such an attitude, both parties are required to come prepared to open up, speak freely, patiently listen to arguments, empathize with the other’s situation, and be prepared to utilize all pieces of information arising out of the discussions to explore possible avenues of success. As a tactical move, it might help to stand firm on one’s position, but for the sake of a successful negotiation, one should never close the door on proposals from the other side.   In the case history presented, several issues stalled the discussion.   The first hurdle proved to be the differential amount of $2.2 million that Manasseh insisted must be paid by Shawnee and which Shawnee expectedly rejected. (Selig, 2002).   However, because both sides were decided to settle things out of court, that disagreement, and all other subsequent differences of opinions, did not deter them from seeing the process to its final conclusion. The Manasseh – Shawnee negotiation showed that in cases where the parties to a conflict are both intent on resolving their common problem, the mediator becomes redundant.   A mediator is someone who has no interest in the case, personal or otherwise, and his or her neutrality is supposed to afford him or her with an unobstructed view of the possible solutions to the conflict. However, in the subject case history where both parties were determined to cooperate in order to find a mutually-beneficial solution – out of court – their positive attitude was enough to provide them with a certain amount of neutrality that enabled them to stay focused on looking for possible solutions to their shared problem.   Of course, full realization of the dire consequences to both parties in case they failed to reach an agreement proved decisive.   Both Manasseh and Shawnee, for instance, were fully aware of the urgency of repairing the dam before it collapsed because they were advised by their respective counsels that they â€Å"would probably be held jointly and severally liable for the consequences of such a collapse.† (Selig, 2002) The six-month deadline fixed by the Corps of Engineers for the removal of the dam provided an added impetus for the two parties to stay on the negotiating table in spite of several impasses until a solution was finally found. (Selig, 2002)   Based on this case history, it would therefore be safe to conclude that given the proper guidance and control from the proper authority, it only takes total cooperation from both parties to render the mediator redundant. REFERENCES Selig, E.I. (2002). Mediation Principles: An Environmental Case History. Dispute Resolution

Will Biofuels Solve Global Warming

Will Biofuels solve global warming? Global warming is caused by greenhouse gasses; these trap heat in the earth’s atmosphere that should escape from the earth. Global warming is causing sea levels to rise and ice caps to melt this could lead to coastal cities flooding, droughts in area’s which usually get rain and less crops to list only a few affects. The cause of global warming is â€Å"greenhouse gasses† these gasses include nitrous oxide carbon dioxide and water vapour.Cars produce CO2, H20 and trace amounts of nitrogen oxide all greenhouse gases, with the amount of cars on the road surpassing the 1 billion mark in 2010 according to Ward’s Auto with the average car realising 7 tons of CO2 each year it is easy to see why cars are one of the biggest contributors to global warming, producing energy for factories to work also produces harmful gases one solution to this problem is Biofuels. Biofuels is the term given to living or recently living biological material which can be used to fuel cars and other forms of transport they can be derived from any Biomass include animal waste products. Also read: What Unique Challenges Do Aquatic Plants Face That Terrestrial Plants Do NotOne of the main advantages of Biofuels is that they are almost carbon neutral; when a crop is growing it performs photosynthesis to create sugars and other organic compounds that provide energy during this process plants take in CO2 when these crops are turned into Biofuels and burned this CO2 is realised back into the atmosphere as no more CO2 has been added it is carbon neutral however some CO2 is produced in transporting these crops and turning them into Biofuels so they are not completely carbon neutral.Unlike fossil fuels such as petrol Biofuels are a renewable energy source this means they will not run out as crops can be grown back relatively quickly. Biofuels can be created anywhere in the world meaning it is accessible to many people. Biofuels are also cheaper to run than petrol or diesel with the price of petrol rising due to it depleting amount Biofuels are cheaper to attain. Other benef it of Biofuels is that they provide jobs and industry for many farmers all over the world.One popular type of Biofuel is Biodiesel which has many advantages * Simpler to make than other Biofuels such as Ethanol * Burn up to 75% cleaner * Provide new source of income for farmers However Biofuels also have their disadvantages one of the main problems is the land needed to produce the crops. In the UK in 2010 71. 61 % of the UK land was used in agriculture this left around 28. 39 % of land for other uses, coming of the lack of land environmentalist worry that the habitat of any animals and wild plants creating the room to grow Biofuels.At this moment in time Biofuels are not sustainable without affecting the price of food and production. Though Biofuels will give farmers more income however it will give farmer more income than growing crops does this leads to the danger of farmers stopping the growing of crops to grow Biofuels this could lead to less food production and ultimately star vation. Biodiesel also has disadvantages *   sustainability issues * Making biodiesel is not very efficient Biodiesel cannot meet the demand of diesel.Biofuels are not the only alternative fuels Hydrogen fuel cells could also be used in cars to power them they are cleaner than most fuels. Electrical cars are also become increasingly popular however unless the electricity is produced using Biofuels they can still be damaging on the environment. There is no definitive answer to â€Å"Will Biofuels solve global warming† as the issue we are in is far too complex for just one solution, Biofuels along with other renewable energy sources e. g. wind turbines and hydroelectric power would provide a more viable solution to global warming.

Effect of video games on children Essay

During the course of this research, a number of significant facts were found. The original topic question for the research was â€Å"the psychological and physical effect of video games on children†. The amount of information researched on the psychological effect was a lot and thus the topic question for the research was then changed to â€Å"the psychological effect of video games on children†. The main reason for researching this topic was the fact that there are a lot of young children in the world who play immensely violent games. Many children and their parents ignore the game rating. Many parents do not understand the adverse effect that those video games would have on the young child’s growing brain. Research which is discussed below in detail has proven that violent video games have a great psychological effect on the children which causes them to become aggressive adolescence. This in turn affects their social and personal life in a major way. The researched information shows that violent video games are clearly harmful to children and both parents and children must obey the game rating if they want healthy and rather peaceful children. Video games have been available to the customer for around 30 years now. The games have evolved greatly. They merely started off as 2D arcade games and now they have evolved to 4D virtual reality. One of the main researched subtopic has been video games and the time children spend playing them. The time that children spent playing video games varies greatly according to gender. A research/ study conducted in 2004 by Gentile, Lynch, Linder & Walsh stated that adolescent girls played video games for an average of 5 hours a week whereas boys played an average of 13 hours. Now this extended amount of time spent playing video games affects the children in many ways. The time which they could’ve spent studying is spent playing video games. This may appear to be a decline in academic achievement. The same study conducted by Gentile, Lynch, Linder & Walsh also states that teens also tend to become more aggressive in nature, more prone to confronting their teachers and also get into a lot of fights with their peers. The research shows that video games not only affect the child psychologically but also socially. It affects the person’s relationship with friends and close ones. In a study by Walsh in 2000, majority of the teenagers admitted that their parents don’t impose time limit. In a survey conducted by myself, the results clearly show that 30% of the people play video games more than four times a week. Another deeply researched subtopic has been video game rating. Parents tend to ignore the game ratings of a game and also the warnings on the game that say that they are unsuitable for children. A research authorised by the UK game industry found that parents let young children play adult games. The main reason for this was the fact that parents thought their children were mature enough to play games way beyond their age level. This thought process of parents is much objected by Modulum researcher Jurgen Freund. He suggests that parents think their children are mature and that the game will not have an influence on the child. Parents seem to perceive age ratings as a guide but not as a prohibition according to him. It has been reported that 39% of UK parents ignore the rating on videogames. A survey conducted by myself indicated that 50% of the children do not follow the game ratings. Video games are very addictive. This is because, once the player engages into the game, he/she is in the game world. The real world is switched off for him/her for that period of time. As the player has no idea about the real world, he/she do not realise the amount of time spent playing the game. Addiction of video games has caused many serious effects on children over the past years. These serious effects also include death. On December 27th 2004, a thirteen year old Warcraft player committed suicide by jumping off a building in order to join the heroes of the game. This aim of joining the heroes was indicated by his suicide note. In conclusion it is clearly evident that video games have a very negative effect on children and their growth. Firstly, children should be monitored throughout their young life so that nothing bad affects them in their childhood as this will affect the child in his later years. Parents should also have a hold on the amount of time the child spends playing video games. The time spent should not interfere with the time that the child could have spent playing with friends and socialising. Parents should strictly follow the game ratings and should instil the idea of following the game rating into their children. Young children should not play adult games. This should be done because violent games cause the children to become more aggressive and in turn it grows the kids into violent adolescents. These violent adolescents grow into aggressive, angry and rather violent adults. If the person is violent it is highly likely that that person will not have many friends and will not often socialise. This will cause that person to be lonely and rather depressed. The parents should enforce strong rules regarding the time spent playing the video games and set a certain time weekly that the children may play the video games. The parents must also strictly follow the game ratings and make sure that they only buy games for their children which fit their age group. Parents should make sure that their kids do not become ‘gameholics’ but rather should spend more time with friends and be out socially. If all the above are followed by parents then there is a reduced risk of psychological problems developing in children from a very young age. If looked carefully it is evident that parents play a very important role in the child’s growth and development. Gentile, D. A. , Lynch, P. , Linder, J. & Walsh, D. (2004). The effects of violent video game habits on adolescent hostility, aggressive behaviors, and school performance. Journal of Adolescence, 27, 5-22 [ 2 ]. Walsh, D. (2000). Interactive violence and children: Testimony submitted to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, United States Senate. (March 21, 2000. ) [ 3 ]. Andrea Norcia, (26/06/2010) The Impact of Video Games on Children, http://www. pamf. org/preteen/parents/videogames. html, 18/11/2011 [ 4 ]. Swiss research association [ 5 ]. Chief executive officer of Modulum [ 6 ]. Alfred Hermida , (27/04/2010) Parents ’ignore game age ratings’ , http://news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/technology/4118270. stm, 17/11/2011 [ 7 ]. Ricky Lam, (November 7, 2010 ) Top 10 Cases of Extreme Game Addiction, http://listverse. com/2010/11/07/top-10-cases-of-extreme-game-addiction/, 16/11/2011.