MacDonald's and Its Critics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

MacDonald's and Its Critics - Essay Example The company implemented various promotional planning in order to increase competency of the company (McDonald’s Restaurants Limited, 2008). The company is also known as the â€Å"Penny Cost† business. It usually means to control cost and on the other side, to increase sales. McDonald’s implementation of penny cost in their marketing strategies helped increasing the sales and profitability of the company. Presently, the company is dealing with 30,000 restaurants all over the world (McDonald’s, 2011). The main aim of this paper is to recognize the competitive advantages attained by McDonald’s through the implementation of effectives strategies related to marketing, human resource as well as other organizational aspects. The discussion of the paper further emphasize on the evaluation of sustainable growth, profitability and the rapid growth achieved by the company through its performance over the past years. The Key Strategic Decision of McDonaldâ€⠄¢s Establishment of Competitive Advantages To gain competitive advantages, McDonald’s has implemented various strategic decisions into practice. Competitive advantages are known as the reward gained over the competitors by contributing towards customer values and perceptions along with other fundamental aspects of business management. Competitive advantages tend to mark the performance level of a firm in a highly competitive market that can be gained through the generic strategies as proposed by Michael Porter, i.e. cost leadership, differentiation and focus (Porter, 1998). McDonald’s adopted the theory of expansion to offer customers with highly efficient services. Their main target was to attain customer satisfaction and also attain competency through expansion. McDonald’s executed various strategies in order to expand the business and attain sustainable growth through competitive advantages. In 1940s Ray Kroc started the business with milk shakes and few oth er items. In 1968, when Mr. Turner was the president of the company, he implemented changes in its organizational structure. Regional offices were established, in different countries and market regions. At that time quality control was not quite significant in the fast food industry, but McDonald’s implemented the quality control strategies which assist to improve the company’s brand image (Bartone & Wells, 2009). McDonald’s provided high quality services to its customers and planned the business structure in a systematic order and attractive manner. McDonald’s implemented strategic alliances which majorly intended differentiating the products, increasing the sales along with the profit. McDonald’s also introduced â€Å"happy meal† chart, which included new recipes. The execution of this procedure attracted new customers. The company also focused on increasing its sales with an addition of 1,200 restaurants in its worldwide chain (Bartone & Wells, 2009). All these factors, such as expansion of target market area, customer base and increase in the customer satisfaction along with increased sales rewarded the company with greater competitive advantages. Sustainable Growth McDonald’s implemented strategic plan such as differentiation, and quality control. This assisted the company to gain competency and long term profitability in the market. McDonald’s executed differentiation of the products, as these strategies were expected to help gaining higher profit along with increasing

Human cloning is not playing god Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Human cloning is not playing god - Essay Example However, this depicts that only God has the power to create and sustain life as opposed the concept of cloning. On the other hand, cloning does not play god as it carries out the role of man as given in the biblical accounts of creation. This is concerning going forth and filling the world, where man attempts to sustain life by extending it. This is done by using cloning for is benefits in overcoming certain health conditions that may lead in fatalities. The entire process involves the manipulation of DNA, as opposed to the biblical accounts, where man is created from dust thus, cloning has no hand in an attempt to take over Gods role (â€Å"Human Cloning†). Therefore, human cloning does not play the role of god in any way following the distinct differences in the creation process. This is as seen in both cases of cloning and creation, where one is the source of life, while the second is only but a means of extending life. â€Å"Human Cloning†. American Medical Association. n.d. Web. 9 Oct. 2012. Candel, Joseph. â€Å"Playing God?: Facts and Thoughts on Human Cloning†. Activated Ministries. 2003. Web. 9 Oct. 2012.

Emphasize the importance of vision

Emphasize the importance of vision 1. Introduction This critique report explores the article ‘Understanding the role of vision in project success by Dale Christenson and Derek H.T. Walker. The sole purpose of this article was to emphasize the importance of ‘vision in project success as it states â€Å"this paper focuses on an examination of the impact of the leadership construct of project vision on expected project outcomes†. This article is interesting as it focuses on project vision being the key to creating successful project outcomes by understanding that development, communication and maintenance are important when considering stakeholder management. This article contained the four characteristics of vision and a total of four case studies, comparing and contrasting with one another, however only two have been looked at in this report. The article had gathered information from past project experiences which helped its argument that vision is in fact critical in project success. The main points discussed in th is report will be the definition and role of vision in project management, analysis of the case studies and strengths and weaknesses of vision. 2. Terms of Reference Requested was a critique report on a chosen article. This report will be exploring the article â€Å"Understanding the role of vision in project success† and investigating its strengths and weaknesses. This report is due on Monday 22 March 2010. 3. Findings 3.1 Definition of Vision Having read this article, I have concluded that vision is a strong means of clarification and communication that surround a team within a project by an appointed central project manager whom inspires a vision of the projects requirements and how they will positively influence the project. The definition described in the article however was as Bennis and Nanus (1987, p. 82) explain, â€Å"The concept of vision becomes one of a tool or means to engender passion and meaning to a project to meet the envisioned end manifestation.† A project vision can also be an object that defines the projects foundation. 3.2 Analytical summary 3.2.1 The Importance of Vision There are many factors that, when put together guarantee project success. However, this article focuses on the role of vision as a critical achievement factor in project success. â€Å"The type of project influences the way that a project vision may develop, no matter the situation regarding goal definition, vision has an impact on the possibilities for developing a project vision.† A vision is linked to the end benefits and should be understood at the beginning of the project, but with â€Å"foreknowledge that both the vision and end benefits are likely to change and evolve throughout the project lifecycle†. â€Å"It is important to discuss the basis of change management because projects are about instigating a process or product change.† â€Å"Vision clearly seeks to convince its audience that change is worthwhile and bestows benefits. A project vision concept, summarized within a vision statement, often seeks to motivate and inspire team members and other stakeholders to positively participate and shed negative behaviors.† Stretch goals are encouraged within this article such as BHAG which stands for big hairy audacious goal. Stretch goals are needed to â€Å"provide a framework for progressing towards the envisioned future† and to improve the overall system. A successful project must have both an appropriate relationship structure and the individual leaders must have the leadership skills and abilities and personal motivation to make it work. 3.2.2 Communication in Vision In project management the â€Å"projects require a strong cohesive team focus on the desired project outcomes† and â€Å"it is important for project teams to have a common and shared idea of what difference they are trying to make as a result of the project† I agree with these two statements as for a project to succeed, you need to both co-operate and except others viewpoints, so that if there are contrasting ideas you may look from each others perspective and come to a resolution without interfering with the project. This article stated that communication is a key factor in project success and coheres with vision as it states that â€Å"Creating an effective project vision requires excellent communication skills and a deep understanding of both organizational culture and the history and trigger mechanisms that create underlying assumptions of individuals and groups comprising project teams.† It is also suggested that team building exercises help create vision fo r the team, as it indicates that those who are team orientated people will stick around and cohere with the group and the â€Å"problematic† people will often walk away. Leaders use vision-making and vision-communicating as their tools to achieve strategic goals. A vision statement may become an artifact, a document describing project goals and aspiration. 3.2.3 Stakeholders in Vision Attention is focused on stakeholder analysis and project leader behavior in the promotion and adoption of project vision.â€Å"Identifying the need to conduct a stakeholder analysis, alert the central project manager as to the motivation of some project participants and create a better opportunity to better manage the risks that these stakeholders presented to the project.† This vision can be built by exploring questions and ideas with both stakeholders and project team members. â€Å"A clear understanding is needed of stakeholder goals and their aspirations for the project.† Identification of three stakeholders, internal, external and customers, meeting stakeholder requirements, is of key importance. â€Å"Vision must be continually ingrained in the minds of project teams and active stakeholders; often the focus is on the business requirements and technical specifications of the system.† 3.2.4 The four characteristics of Vision The four characteristics of vision are seen as a ‘must to ensure that vision operates to its full effectiveness, all strongly advise clear and positive communication, emphasis on goals, objectives and the importance of stakeholder input within a project. It must be understood: it must capture the core purpose, preferred future state and essence of project objectives It must be motivational: it must make a convincing case for following the project vision concept that can be internalized by project stakeholders and that provides a compelling value proposition. It must be credible: It must be consistent with stakeholder cultures to appeal at the assumptions and values level so that the vision statement artifact resonates with them It must be demanding and challenging: It should be proactive to facilitate teams to work smarter and more effectively, perhaps identifying stretch goals. 3.3 Analysis of the JIMS and Global Knowledge case studies Four case studies were described in this article, however I will only be exploring the downfalls of one and the positive aspects of the other as I found the JIMS case study contained many weaknesses and the Matsushita consisted of strengths. 3.3.1 A brief overview of the JIMS project The JIMS project which stands for Joint information management system had a life of ten years, however, evolved from a loose group of individuals into a project management structure with a good sense of vision. The stakeholders required separate meetings to discuss business requirements and were assigned someone each without formal training â€Å"Their authority was uncertain within their respective agencies and dubious within the context of the project management structure† there was an assumption that this would help them gain experience and learn, however resulted in greater stress. The article states that â€Å"a successful project must have both an appropriate leadership structure and the individual leaders must have the leadership skills, abilities and the motivation to make it work† Although the vision was apparently understood, business requirements were identified and signed, design specifications approved and proof of concept modules displayed, front end core agencies participating in the system still had the opinion to walk away from the project if they didnt like it. â€Å"Thus at the point of inflection, both motivational and inspirational characteristics were revived and the vision became credible once again.† the project vision with this change came greater decision making, problem solving and a better positioning of stakeholders through understanding the role of vision in project success. 3.3.2 Weaknesses within the project Leadership structure did not stay consistent as it evolved from being structured to a maintaining a more flexible approach. The contract was not binding to both the team members and stakeholders giving them the option to abort at any chosen time with no mechanism to preserve their continued participation. Stakeholders were allowed too much input into the project with contrasting ideas and personal reflections of â€Å"their individual agency or department interests† getting in the way. There was lack of executive sponsorship, due to costs. Lack of sponsorship is seen as a number one way to set projects out to fail. Leadership of the central project manager was driven by technology and resource concerns. 3.3.3 A brief scenario of the global knowledge project The Global knowledge project, known as ‘Vision 21 had senior level personals from a successful project team The Novo Nordisk visited their business units and discussed standard approaches, the importance of communication and their best practices. ‘The Novo Nordisk personals acted as models for the Vision 21 team, thus producing vision and positivity for the business unit to successfully complete their project. 3.3.4 Strengths within the project Emphasis on the importance of vision and bringing past successful personal to encourage and motivate the business unit. Teamwork is shown and stakeholders are questioned, but not have the power to influence the project. 3.3.5 Case study analysis Extreme problems had to be encountered first for the JIMS team to get together and come up with a strategy to better their project so it did not fail completely. The project lacked in management experience and knowledge, thus proved to be a big learning curve for the development team. However, I believe from this case study, sometimes in order to learn, mistakes need to be made, to better further them for the next project. The JIMS team would have benefited if vision was used better within their project, they would have worked better as a team, reduced risks and would have experienced less problems with stakeholders both internally and externally. The Global knowledge project proved successful through bringing in experienced personal to give insight on how they achieved sanction and motivating the Vision 21 team to follow their footsteps and create a vision for their project. I believe this was a good idea as it gives knowledge and insight into the ways of creating a successful project, this would have benefited the JIMS team as they lacked in experience and knowledge. 4. Conclusion To conclude, project vision is viewed as a critical success factor in projects, it determines the final outcome of the projects and gives the project team some motivation and structure which leads to efficiency, better team co-operation and project accomplishment. Explored have been the four characteristics, which convey vision as a whole, they need to be considered for vision to produce its full capability. I have analyzed two case studies, one of a successful outcome and another that experiences problems but solved them in the end. I believe that vision is an important aspect of project success through reading this article, not only have the case studies proved it, but it also makes sense to consult your stakeholders on a regular basis, rather than just focusing on the business requirements. It is important that both the team itself and the stakeholders are informed of any changes to the requirements and are kept up to date with all that is happening. I feel that it is also important for good team communication and goal setting when doing a project, it creates an optimistic vision of what the project has to achieve and how it can make an important impact. All the information in this article was useful and displayed clearly and helped me gain a better understanding of factors that underlie project success. 5. Reference Christenson, D., Walker,D. (n.d). Understanding the role of vision in project success. Project management Journal, 39-52. Retrieved March 1 2010.

The Suffragete Movement :: Papers

The Suffragete Movement In Britain only two thirds of the male population were allowed to vote, these did not include, men who did not own property or pay at least  £10 per year in rent, servants who lived with their employers, criminals and lunatics. Women could not vote at all. In 1906 The Suffragete Movement was used to describe women campaigning for the right to vote, Emmiline Pankhurst was one of the first leaders of the Suffragete movement. The fight for the right for women to vote was a violent revolution for the rights of all men and all women to be treated equally this was led by Emmiline Pankhurst and her fellow Suffragettes. On 19th May 1905, 10 women went to speak to the Prime Minister. One of those women was Emily Davies, who was 76 years old. It was Emily who handed the first women’s suffrage petition to the Prime Minister. In return all they received was some advice about ‘being patient’. This was not the result they wanted. They wanted to be taken seriously. In 1906, Christobel Pankhurst and her colleague attended a meeting held by Sir Edward Grey, a leading Liberal. There they assaulted a policeman, were arrested and sentenced to seven days in jail or pay a fine They could have paid the fine and gone home. Annie Kenney refused to pay the fine, as far as she and the movement was concerned; it was prison or votes for women. As time went by there were more arrests and imprisonment for members of the ‘Suffragettes’. They shouted down Ministers, protested in parliament and on the streets, but women were still refused the right to vote. In 1908, Miss Nell chained herself to the railings outside the Prime Minister’s front door. She did this for lots of reasons; the Cabinet was in session so they would hear her speech, and so would the crowd outside. Furthermore it would take the police a long time to unchain her. Nurse Oliva Smith who followed her example and chained herself to

Baz Luhrman’s Romeo and Juliet: Movie Review

Romeo + Juliet Film review The film â€Å"Romeo + Juliet† was released in 1996, with Baz Luhrman as director. This is one of the most famous love plays written by Shakespeare, screenplay was by Craig Pearce. Romeo and Juliet is a film about forbidden love and how tragic love can end. The film was shot in Miami, but most of all in Mexico. The main actors are Leonardo DiCaprio as Romeo and Claire Danes as Juliet. Romeo and Juliet is about two teenagers that fall madly and deeply in love in Verona, italy, it takes place in the present time.Romeo is an 18 years old, poor rebel and son of the Montague family. He has chestnut hair, soft olive skin, charming blue eyes and a determined but kind mind. Juliet is an 18 years old, rich daughter of the Capulets. Juliet has long dark hair, gorgeous green eyes and clear pearl skin. She doesn’t like being pushed into doing things she cant decide for herself. Juliet loves Romeo and vise versa. As if it weren’t enough problems wit h relationships at a young age, their families were great enemies. This makes it physically impossible to for them to be together.This particular film is a renewed version of the actual story written by Shakespeare. Therefore you can relate a bit more to the actors actions and drama. Romeo is a smart guy, and come up with some clever ideas for the two of them to meet. In one of his last attempts to end the â€Å"war† between their families, something goes totally wrong and destroys their chances forever. The music and sound was made and set by Nellee Hooper. The sound effects were really intense and aggressive, but that only made the story come more to life.The way they talked was extremely special, it set the mood of Shakespeare’s originality and realness. The message the film wanted to give was that you should always follow what you want. Forbidden love is possible to make just love, you just have to fight with everything you have. When teenagers get determined about something they do not forget it easily. â€Å"Romeo + Juliet† will always be an incredible and beautiful love story, that many can relate to. I loved the tension between the two families and the problems that kept on coming during the film.I was really exited every time Romeo and Juliet were secretly meeting. The frighting thought about being caught and killed was constantly there. The only thing that was difficult to understand was the language. In the film they talked the original â€Å"old english† that Shakespeare used in his time. It was not easy to understand everything they said. Since I had heard about the story and read it before, I knew what was going to happen. Over all Romeo & Juliet is a beautiful love story that will never be forgotten.

Philippine Culture and Filipino Essay

Understanding the Filipino Values and Culture To a person who is not familiar or aware ot the Philippine culture, understanding Filipinos is like playing a game one has never played before and of which the rules have not been explained very well. understanding the values of Filipinos pose a challenge, to enjoy the game without missing the Joys and fun of like living in the Philippines. A stranger or foreigner who has a knowledge of or exposure to the Filipino societys customs, etiquette, and manners, is less likely to experience intense culture shock. The Philippine Islands and Filipino Profile: The Phlllpplnes Is composed of 7,107 Islands with a total land area of 296,912 square kilometers (1. 6 kilometers equal 1 mile). This makes it a little larger than the British Isles and a little smaller than Japan. Its land area Is eight times larger than Taiwan, 213 the size ot either Thailand or spaln, but less than 1/30 ot the size ot the united States or Mainland China. The country is bounded on the west by the China Sea, on the east by the Pacific Ocean, and on the south by the Celebes Sea. It lies a little above the equator and is 965 kilometers (600 miles) off the southeast coast of the Asian mainland. It Is about 160 kilometers (100 miles) below Taiwan, and 24 kilometers above Borneo. Just being above the equator. puts the Philippines in the typhoon belt. The two pronounced seasons in the Philippines are the rainy months from June to October and the dry months from November to May. In between these seasons come a number of typhoons that hit the country yearly. The Philippines has a population of more than 50 million. The population of the country is rather unevenly distributed on the larger islands due to livelihood opportunities, social and economic organizations and historical factors. Its biggest islands In addition to the three (3) main islands (Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao) are Mindoro, Samar, Panay, Cebu, Palawan, Leyte, Bohol and Masbate. Its largest cities are Manila, Quezon, Davao and Cebu. The Philippine population Is characterized by an almost equal number of males and females. ot Flllplnos are below 15 years of age. Literacy stands at 82. 9 percent. The Philippines has for its languages Pilipino, English and Spanish; it has 87 different major dialects. English is widely spoken; In fact, this country is the third largest English-speaking nation In the world. Philippines is the first democratic country in Asia. Welcome to the Philippines! Welcome to this country of warm smiles and vivacious people. Getting to know the Filipinos is easy enough. If you speak English, you will find that most of the Filipinos speak the language; and what’s more, they are only too happy to make your acquaintance in English. Even if you don’t, the Filipino is so outgoing by nature that making friends out of total strangers or chance acquaintances is simply being in character. The Filipinos are a happy blend of several races, basically Malay with Chinese, Spanish, Indian and American admixtures. Their values and ways of life were shaped by several, sometimes conflicting cultures and the resulting blend is what makes their own uniquely Filipino. In their veins run the rich Christian values of Europe, the pragmatic and democratic values of America, and the spiritual values of Asia. The seven distinct elements in Filipino culture are: values, basic personality, basic social unit, politics, economics, technology and ecology. Each of these aspects of the Filipino culture has a body of ideas called â€Å"content† which gives form and meaning to each aspect. This form and meaning are expressed through â€Å"structures† or institutions which the Philippine society creates for the orderly regulation of behavior in established ways. Filipino cultural values are widely held beliefs which make some activities, relationships, goals and feelings important to the Filipino people’s identity. When these Filipino values coalesce and mesh in a mutually supportive system, it is called â€Å"Filipino value system. † The content of the Filipino values are the Filipino myths and religion while the structures are the Filipino oral and written traditions, churches, acred places, temples and mosques. The Filipinos internalize these values of their culture and thus create for themselves a â€Å"world of meanings. † The Filipino basic personality is determined by the Filipino culture because of the selection of those congruent types that are congruent with the culture. The content of the Filipino basic personality is made up of Filipino beliefs and knowledge while the structure is formed by the Filipino initiation and various rituals and formal and informal education. The Filipino basic social unit is the family which contributes to and maintains the Filipino values. The content of the Filipino social unit is the family, groups and community life while the structure is the lineage, marriage descent, neighborhood, peer group and villages. The Filipino politics are the Filipino ideas and structures related to the distribution and channeling of power within the Philippine society for its well-being, order and regulation. The content of politics is the Filipino traditional power units and democracy while the structures are the law, parliament, councils, elders and chiefs. structures which it creates for provision of food, clothing and shelter for its members. The content of Philippine economics is the production by private enterprises while its structure is capitalism and socialism. Filipino technology includes all that the Filipinos have invented to make their life easier, less arduous, and shifted from the brink of mere survival thus changing their way of life and giving them more control of their physical environment. Its contents are communication and health while its structure is composed of the various media, professional organizations, medicine, hospitals and laboratories. Filipino ecology is the relation of the Filipino to the ecosystem such as temperature, ype of soil, amount of moisture, types of crops that can be grown or types of animals present in the Philippines and other environmental features. The content of Filipino ecology is the identification of the Filipino with nature and its structure including hunting, fishing, nature worship and irrigation. Cultural Contrast: The Filipino, compared with Westerners, prefers a â€Å"structured† way of life rather than one in which he can be assertive of his own individuality. Thus, a Westerner will find the Filipino less autonomous and more dependent. This is because of the social oncept of the Filipino self-esteem. His concept of self is identified with his family. Right from childhood he is made to believe that he belongs to the family. Since childhood a Filipino is encouraged to tell all of his thoughts to his parents and submit to his parents’ direction, counsel and advice. He is admonished to be good because any disgrace that he commits is a disgrace to the family. In times of misfortune he is assured of his familys support, sympathy and love. By western standards, the Filipino parents can be considered overprotective and sometimes intrusive. However, if one understands this seemingly unreasonable control in the context of the Philippine culture wherein exists the belief in the primacy of the extended family over that of the individual and that the only source of emotional, economic, and moral support is the family, one will be more tolerant and respectful of such actuation. The Filipino Family and Kinship: The basic units of the Philippine social organization are the elementary family which includes the mother, father and children, and the bilateral extended family which embraces all relatives of the father and the mother. Of special importance is the sibling group, the unit formed by brothers and sisters. There are no clans or similar unilateral kinship groups in the Philippines. The elementary family and the sibling group form the primary bases of corporate action. influence of kinship, which centers on the family, is far-reaching. The persuasive influence of the family upon all segments of Philippine social organization can be illustrated in many ways. Religious responsibility, for example, is familial rather than church-centered. Each home has a family shrine. The influence of the family upon conomic and entrepreneurial business activities is also great. The so-called â€Å"corporations† found in urban areas are generally family holdings. The prevailing family structure emphasizes loyalty and support of the family, not of any higher level of social organization. The Filipino family is the nuclear unit around which social activities are organized – it is the basic unit of corporate action. The interests of the individual in Philippine society are secondary to those of the family. Ethical and Normative Behavior of Filipinos: Ethics bases itself on what is human. Not everything is universal in human nature. As Clyde Kluckholm and Henry A, Murray say â€Å"Every man is in certain respects (a) like all other men; (b) like some other men; (c) like no other man. It is within the context of (b) that ethical and normative behavior of people in the Philippines has its distinctive characteristics. The Filipino cultural orientation is supported by shared values which function as the basis of shared behavior common to most Filipinos. Values have reference to standards people use for evaluating what is right or wrong, good or evil. Values are elated to norms which are rules of conduct specific to given social situations. The Filipinos have two set s of paradoxical traits and patterns of relationship that are imbued by his culture. The first set is the highly structured and authoritarian familial set-up where roles are prescribed especially for younger members of the family. This is characterized by autocratic leadership of the elder-members, submitting one’s self to the decision of the family elders, and almost one-way communication in the pecking order. The second set of social relationship that the Filipino has, which ronically exists side by side with the highly structured set-up, is the strong communitarian practice called â€Å"Bayanihan† which literally means â€Å"being a hero. This practice ignores social ranking, structures, leadership roles and authority relationships. The roles in the structured set-up mentioned earlier cease to exist. Surprisingly, the Filipino is at home with both cultural practices in his social life. He shifts from one setting to another with unbelievable ease and grace. In the first set up, there is no way that a child can lead the elders in any form of decision- making. In the Bayanihan set-up, however, if a child proves that he has the right qualification needed for the task, he may lead the elders, not excluding his father and elder brother. There are three main imperatives that underlie Filipino value orientation: relational imperatives (actual person to person encounters), emotional imperatives (emotionally perceived and that the most powerful moral imperative in Filipino culture is â€Å"utang na 100b† or debt of gratitude/loyalty or commitment). Unlike in other Asian countries, women in the Philippines occupy a high status. Equality with men is a birthright of the Filipino women. Unlike her Western sisters, they didn’t have to march the streets to be heard. Women are highly respected in the Philippines. They may walk alone on the streets. They can also drive alone. Filipinos are fond of giving and attending parties. Any event can be an excuse for having a small or big party – the baptism of an infant, a birthday, a daughter’s debut, a wedding, or an engagement. Even a promotion in a Job, passing a government exam, getting one’s first paycheck or recovery from illness is enough reason to give a party.

A Comparison of Act 3 Scene 5 of Romeo and Juliet Essays

A Comparison of Act 3 Scene 5 of Romeo and Juliet Essays A Comparison of Act 3 Scene 5 of Romeo and Juliet Paper A Comparison of Act 3 Scene 5 of Romeo and Juliet Paper In this assignment I will be comparing how Act 3 Scene 5, of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, is portrayed by Channel 4 Middle English schools version and Baz Luhrmanns film version. Both of the versions use Shakespeares language but they choose to leave out different sections of the original play. The main events of Act 3 Scene 5 are that Romeo leaves Juliets house, Juliet is told by her mother that she is to get married to Paris at St. Pauls on Thursday, but then Juliet argues with her mother. This causes a lot of tension between the family and she goes on to row with her father. The Channel 4 version is set out in a room that is dark and spacious, there are many wood furnishings and these look very expensive. Theres a very traditional feel to this Channel 4 version with candles showing the only source of light, this shows when the scene was set back in Elizabethan times when there was no electricity. Luhrmans version differs to the Channel 4 version in a big way because many things are the opposite, everything is all modernised, very light and spacious. The room is white and very luxurious with a large array of decoration, toys and dolls. The costume is in a traditional Elizabethan style in the Channel 4 version; Lady Capulets dress is dark and her hair is back showing he plain forehead, which is a sign of beauty back in that time. Juliets hair is long and curly and is put down loose, she is shown in a white dress, which makes Juliet look more innocent and pure like a young girl. Juliet acts a lot older in the channel 4 version. In Baz Luhrmans version she is also shown as wearing white but in a much more modern dressing gown. In Baz Luhrmans version, Lady Capulet has a rich dressing gown and is more modern than in the channel 4 version which shows Lady Capulet in a traditional Elizabethan costume. In both versions of the play they use Shakespeares language, in the Channel 4 version this is expected because of how the play is set out with it been more traditional and realistic look, but in Baz Luhrmans version it isnt expected because of the modernisation of the scene. So using language they use blank verse with ten stresses per line another word for this is iambic pentameter, this means no rhythm and imitates the rhythms of natural speech. In Channel 4s version the stage is set with heavy wood furniture with a very dark wood colour, all the persons in this play are rich Elizabethan noble people. In Baz Luhrmans version it is very different as everything is virtually modernised. All things are white and beautiful and the furniture stands out as if everything is all wonderful. There is much more movement in this play unlike the Channel 4 version where everything is all static. Lord Capulet is dressed like a true noble man, he has rich tapestry but it is modern. In both plays Juliet is shown in white but looks more modern in Baz Luhrmans version and also in Baz Luhrmans version she looks a lot younger. The movement is Channel 4 is very wooden and static, whereas it is much more fluent in Baz Luhrmans version, much livelier and believable. There is much more use of the camera in Baz Luhrmans, which does close ups on the characters faces and shows the anger or sadness in there face and makes you feel how they feel. In the play Juliet gets into a big argument with her father and this is shown in two different ways in the Channel 4 version the rage on her fathers face, because she says she wont marry Paris, isnt realistic and the actor doesnt look like hes putting much effort in to it. But in Baz Luhrmans version the anger from Lord Capulet and the fear in Juliets face is intense and makes this whole fiasco look like its going to blow over and maybe a fight may come, especially when Capulet says how his fingers itch and that he may smack his daughter. I prefer Baz Luhrmans version of the play, mainly because it has a much more thrilling touch to it than the Channel 4 version. Baz Luhrman has set out to make this play a much more of a box office record breaker and with his budget he could do this, by hiring actors that had already starred in big movies. Luhrmans version had a mixture of genres in it, parts had humour in when the nurse walks in to find Romeo in bed with Juliet which starts Romeo scampering around to search for his clothes, parts had drama when Juliets nurse says she isnt going to help. The Channel 4 version of this scene wasnt any good because they will have been on a lower budget and setting the scene and all the furniture would have to be cheap and not very effective.

How To Get Along With Your Roommate In College

How To Get Along With Your Roommate In College You’ve started college or university, everything is new and shiny, everything is exciting, you’re going to meet so many new people! Of course, one of those new people is likely to be your new roommate, someone you are going to be sharing a lot of time and space with over the coming year or so. You need to get along with this person, so how can you do it? Well, hopefully you find someone who is like you in terms of personality, someone who shares common interests and can support you in difficult situations. But dont be desperate if not. Here are a few tips on how to get along with your college roommates, as well as a few pointers on how to set house rules in your dorm room. Don’t Expect Miracles Straightaway Rome wasn’t built in a day they say, and it’s true in many cases in life. Everyone is going to be a bit nervous or even a little defensive when they start college or university. Some people take a little longer to settle in than others. If you find your new friends in college are a little shy, then they may come across as defensive or cold, but that’s not to say they are that way in reality, they’re just finding their feet. Give it a little time, and don’t expect everything to be roses straightaway; in a week or two, you’ll be getting along like a house on fire, although not literally, of course! Be a Little Sociable Suggest a night out or a few social activities in the first week of moving in, so you can enjoy relaxing time away from the house and away from college. When dealing with college roommates, you need to find common ground, and being sociable and relaxed is the ideal way to do this. You will probably find that your new friends are wanting to get out and experience the place just as much as you are, but they’re probably waiting for someone else to make the first move. Set a few House Rules Whilst you want it all to be fun and relaxed, it’s important to set a few house rules for college roommates, so you know you’re all on the same page, and you’re not treading on any one’s feet, so to speak. If someone wants to share food cupboards, but someone else wants to have private ones, you need to find common ground and set a rule. You also need to have rules regarding cleaning, so nobody is going to get resentful of doing more than the others. Appreciate That Everyone Needs Space Not everyone wants to talk all the time, and some people may need a little space away from everyone, in order to get their work done, to speak to friends and family at home, and to basically chill out and have a little ‘me’ time. This is perfectly normal, so don’t get offended if your new roomie decides to lock themselves away for an hour or two; appreciate everyone’s need for space and you should get along fine. Sort Out Arguments and Bickers Quickly One of the best pieces of advice when dealing with college roommates is to sort out any problems quickly, and not to let them fester. You’ve been thrown together, when perhaps you wouldn’t have chosen to live together otherwise, so of course, there are going to be differences in opinion or problems that occur from time to time. Sit down and talk about them, and don’t turn the smallest thing into a slanging match – this means you will be able to smooth out any choppy waters, without it turning into World War Three. Getting along with your new roommate is about give and take – you need to recognise differences. Of course, it’s not going to be plain sailing all the time, but the key is to be adult about the situation and see it as the great opportunity to gain a lifelong friend.

Analysis Of The Equality Act

Analysis Of The Equality Act Disclaimer: This work has been submitted by a student. This is not an example of the work produced by our Law Essay Writing Service . You can view samples of our professional work here . Analysis Of The Equality Act The introduction to Equality Act 2010 Equality Act 2010 is an act of the Parliament of United Kingdom which taking effect from October 2010 prescribes an equal treatment in access to employment as well as private and public services. The act list a set of protected characteristics which are identified as follow: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. With regards to these characteristics the Act provide a distinct protection per each framing the all provisions with general indications about common characteristics of discrimination. The reason of such fragment and different protection among the protected characteristic is explained on the basis of a pre-existing anti- discrimination law which was subsequently combined by the Equality Act adding further element of protection. In fact, the Act is formed by a number of pieces of other legislation whi ch regulated the discrimination law field. In this way, were legislatively actives the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, the Race Relations Act 1976 and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. The act replace also a number of Regulations, in which the one relevant in age discrimination field was the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations, which take effect starting from 2006 until the adoption of Equality act. The definition of ‘Discrimination’ differs from statute to statute and it generally consist in treating one person less favourably than another   [ 1 ]   . In this way, the Equality Act provide a guidance which aim to give a general framework of the different discriminatory situations. It distinguish among direct discrimination [Section 13(1)   [ 2 ]   ] and indirect discrimination [Section 19(1)], harassment [Section 26 (1)] and victimisation [Section (27)1]. Following the Act definitions is possible to identify direct discrimination where because of a protecte d characteristics a person is treated less favourably than someone who does not share that characteristic. According with the guidance, Indirect discrimination refer to a policy which applies in the same way for everybody providing as effect particularly disadvantages to people with a protected characteristic. It is important to underline how the Act refer to the possibility of lawful discrimination. The circumstances in which a concrete discrimination is permitted are in occupational requirements (direct discrimination is permitted when particularly characteristics are required for a job), armed forces (for the purposes of combat effectiveness of the armed forces), positive action ( positive action are intended as measures to alleviate disadvantage suffered by people who share one of the protected characteristics). The possibility of lawful discrimination are amplified in age-discrimination, in which is prescribed that an ‘objective justification’(legitimate aim) could be applies to allow indirect discrimination and direct discrimination. With regards to public bodies, a new Equality Duty has come in force on 5 April 2011 underlining the importance of public role in eliminating discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations in the course of developing policies and delivering services. In this way, the aim for public bodies is to consider the needs of all individuals in their day to day work, in developing policy, in delivering services, and in relation to their own employees   [ 3 ]   .

Health Isurance and Quality Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Health Isurance and Quality - Research Paper Example Erris in his report on Safer Health System recons that medical errors cause’s high death rate, disability and terminal ailment. The DHCS has since introduced policies that help in reducing health care acquired problems. It also emphasis on monitoring and tracking of health care progress to ensure better health care services. DHCS has established measures such as the realization of section 2702, ACA. According to this section, the Department of Health aims at reducing preventable health conditions such as a foreign object after a surgery, a falls, trauma and surgical infections (Douglas, 2012). Moreover, implementation of ‘Delivery System Reform Incentive Pool’ (DSRIP) helps in improving the quality of health care(Douglas, 2012). DSRIP is financed through the Medicaid program. The program aims at improving early detection and management of serious blood infections. Douglas outline more preventable measure including reducing harm in hospitals, preventable events and improving on maternal health care and obstetrical outcome. Provision of effective, efficient and affordable health care is a measure that improves on the quality of health care. In order for an effective health system, the department of health has simultaneously considered the need for proper health care in relation to population health, per capita cost of health care and quality given that there are limited resources. These challenges require development of health care models such as organizations, medical homes and, ensuring none of abuses and fraud in care givers. DHCS has provision that enhances care of Seniors and People with Disabilities. To this effect, the DHCS utilizes the 11 15 Waiver that allows it to coordinate, manage and improve care to Seniors members and Persons with Disabilities (Douglas, 2012). The DHCS is in the process of developing an innovative program where people eligible for Medi-Cal and Medicare will find assistance. The

Tesco Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Tesco Company - Essay Example The company faces financial risk factors as follows: the interest rate risk, credit risk, liquidity risk, foreign exchange risk, capital risk and insurance risk. Current ratio – this ratio measures the ability of a business to meet its current obligations using the current assets. Generally, it is advisable for the ratio of current assets to current liability to be 2: 1. Concerning Tesco PLC, the company’s current ratio for 2012 and 2013 were 0.67 and 0.69 respectively. The ratios clearly show that the company is not liquid enough to sufficiently settle its short-term obligations using the current assets. Debt ratio – this ratio indicates the proportion of a company's total assets that have been financed by the total liabilities. It also shows the value of assets that creditors would claim in case of liquidation. Concerning Tesco Company, the ratios for 2012 and 2013 are 64.9 % and 66.76 % respectively. Both ratios show a high dependency on debt to finance the co mpany's assets with 2013 having the biggest percentage. The interpretation shows that only 3.4% of Tesco's revenue was net profit before tax, whereas, the remaining 96.6% were consumed by operating expenses. Based on the current ratio and the net profit margin before tax, Tesco company exhibits poor liquidity and thus cannot meet its current obligation using the current assets. The profitability analysis shows a high level of the company’s operating expenses thus a lower level of profits expressed as a percentage of the total revenue.

The Implantable Gastric Stimulator Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

The Implantable Gastric Stimulator - Essay Example IGS is also being increasingly used for the treatment of Gastroparesis. Obesity is fast bloating into epidemic proportions in the United States and elsewhere in the world. Considering the prevalence of this condition, and the numerous health complications associated with excess weight gain, the need for its mitigation assumes a sense of emergency from public health point of view. Gastric Electric Stimulation (GES) is a novel and drastic method to tackle morbid obesity. This method provides a better alternative to the more invasive surgical procedures for treating morbid obesity. It does not alter gastrointestinal anatomy and has been shown to be safe in hundreds of study patients worldwide. The first IGS procedure was successfully executed in 1995. Since then more than 700 implants have taken place in Europe and the USA with positive results (defeatdiabetes.org). Obesity can be and often is a pathological condition that is not very responsive to diet and exercise. A medical approach too can prove to be ineffective in many cases, unfortunately. When all other simpler methods have failed, surgery becomes the only option to lose weight and stop suffering from various obesity-related health problems, which can even be potentially fatal. GES involves an i Obesity surgery is recommended in men suffering overweight by nearly or more than 100 pounds, and women overweight by 80 pounds, equivalent to a Body Mass Index of 40 (NIDDK 1). Several types of alternative procedures involved in traditional gastro-intestinal surgery result in weight loss either by restricting food intake or interrupting the digestive process. However, all these usual major surgical procedures (e.g., removal or blocking off of a portion of the stomach) have possible side-effects and risks. GES is a relatively new surgical technique which avoids the drawbacks of the conventional bariatric surgery

Reaction paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 6

Reaction paper - Essay Example That he was a former Jew and an insider makes what he is saying believable. There is no doubt that there are things about the World Wars that we are not aware of. Whether they were dispensable pieces of history or intentionally left out so as not to tarnish the image of the bloodshed in the Holocaust and to make those atrocities take an impact in the minds of people is something worth asking. What is very evident from the introduction of the speech was that it fully takes on an anti-Jewish approach or to say it directly, it is very anti-Semitic. â€Å"Here in the United States, the Zionists and their co-religionists have complete control of our government† (Freedman, n.p.). Benjamin Freedman tells us that what happened are all products of the propaganda of powerful Jewish people but I can’t stop feeling that in some way he has propaganda of his own. Throughout the speech he was very persuasive among Christians to take a second look at the lies Jews proliferated and how they have been kept in the dark all these years. Perhaps it was the best tone to convince people to what he is saying but the generalization of Jews makes it uneasy to take in without a second thought. It is very effective in that even I now begin to reconsider my knowledge of World War II and how it has portrayed Germany and rethink whether it was truly a genocide or just plain casualties of war.

Explain how sociological and lay ideas about illness differ from those Essay

Explain how sociological and lay ideas about illness differ from those of biomedicine - Essay Example (1988), p142-143). The lay concepts blamed individuals for inflicting illnesses upon themselves and therefore, were forced to believe in these concepts. Individuals, all over the world, use a number of theories, models and concepts of health and illness. These concepts include lay concepts which are also known as folk concepts and other concepts or models put forward by biomedicine. These concepts are used by individuals explain the importance of maintaining ourselves and to give more information different kinds of illnesses. Lay concepts of health and illness are further explained through a number of theories including Biomedical, Humoral, Ayurvedic etc. Other theories used by individuals are locally developed and although these are not related to the major theories of health and illness, but they do explain the mechanisms of body and other related health issues. These lay concepts explain the immediate causes of an illness but furthermore, it also provides the appropriate treatment methods and procedures and also provides the level of severity and the explanation of the overall illness. These concepts provide ideas about the funct ioning of the body and the symptoms which are to be given importance. The lay concepts of health focus more on the why and the how of illness because it is believed that the causes of illness should be researched upon and this involves active participation of the patient himself. The lay concepts and theories about health and illness differ widely in various cultures and localities and also vary for different socioeconomic levels. A number of researches have been done to reveal the differences between these lay concepts of illnesses and those provided by biomedicine. A research conducted in the United States showed that individuals belonging to lower socioeconomic classes tend to give importance to these

The Implantable Gastric Stimulator Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

The Implantable Gastric Stimulator - Essay Example IGS is also being increasingly used for the treatment of Gastroparesis. Obesity is fast bloating into epidemic proportions in the United States and elsewhere in the world. Considering the prevalence of this condition, and the numerous health complications associated with excess weight gain, the need for its mitigation assumes a sense of emergency from public health point of view. Gastric Electric Stimulation (GES) is a novel and drastic method to tackle morbid obesity. This method provides a better alternative to the more invasive surgical procedures for treating morbid obesity. It does not alter gastrointestinal anatomy and has been shown to be safe in hundreds of study patients worldwide. The first IGS procedure was successfully executed in 1995. Since then more than 700 implants have taken place in Europe and the USA with positive results (defeatdiabetes.org). Obesity can be and often is a pathological condition that is not very responsive to diet and exercise. A medical approach too can prove to be ineffective in many cases, unfortunately. When all other simpler methods have failed, surgery becomes the only option to lose weight and stop suffering from various obesity-related health problems, which can even be potentially fatal. GES involves an i Obesity surgery is recommended in men suffering overweight by nearly or more than 100 pounds, and women overweight by 80 pounds, equivalent to a Body Mass Index of 40 (NIDDK 1). Several types of alternative procedures involved in traditional gastro-intestinal surgery result in weight loss either by restricting food intake or interrupting the digestive process. However, all these usual major surgical procedures (e.g., removal or blocking off of a portion of the stomach) have possible side-effects and risks. GES is a relatively new surgical technique which avoids the drawbacks of the conventional bariatric surgery

Explain how sociological and lay ideas about illness differ from those Essay

Explain how sociological and lay ideas about illness differ from those of biomedicine - Essay Example (1988), p142-143). The lay concepts blamed individuals for inflicting illnesses upon themselves and therefore, were forced to believe in these concepts. Individuals, all over the world, use a number of theories, models and concepts of health and illness. These concepts include lay concepts which are also known as folk concepts and other concepts or models put forward by biomedicine. These concepts are used by individuals explain the importance of maintaining ourselves and to give more information different kinds of illnesses. Lay concepts of health and illness are further explained through a number of theories including Biomedical, Humoral, Ayurvedic etc. Other theories used by individuals are locally developed and although these are not related to the major theories of health and illness, but they do explain the mechanisms of body and other related health issues. These lay concepts explain the immediate causes of an illness but furthermore, it also provides the appropriate treatment methods and procedures and also provides the level of severity and the explanation of the overall illness. These concepts provide ideas about the funct ioning of the body and the symptoms which are to be given importance. The lay concepts of health focus more on the why and the how of illness because it is believed that the causes of illness should be researched upon and this involves active participation of the patient himself. The lay concepts and theories about health and illness differ widely in various cultures and localities and also vary for different socioeconomic levels. A number of researches have been done to reveal the differences between these lay concepts of illnesses and those provided by biomedicine. A research conducted in the United States showed that individuals belonging to lower socioeconomic classes tend to give importance to these

Apple Inc. and Wall Street Journal Essay Example for Free

Apple Inc. and Wall Street Journal Essay Apple has set the standard and has built a reputation around the world for creative, consumer-friendly, simple devices that are used around the world. They are marketed in such ways that demand for these gadgets are always in high demand. Apple’s innovations and marketing techniques have changed not only the phones and computers we use but their innovation has challenged people to do business outside of the box. For Apple not only have they gone outside the box, but literally outside of the country for the manufacturing of their products. 10 percent of the Apple IPhone is manufactured in the United States, the other 90 percent of the Apple IPhone is manufactured abroad. (Duhigg Bradsher, 2012). To make an IPhone requires hundreds of different parts and not all of these parts can be found all in one place. The advanced semiconductors of the phone are made in Germany and Taiwan, the memory pieces, display panels and circuitry are all from Korea and Taiwan, chipsets are from Europe and the rare metals are found from Africa and Asia. After the materials have been acquired they are sent to China mainly Foxconn City where they are manufactured. (Duhigg Bradsher, 2012). The unscratchable glass screen was perfected by Apple engineers in Kentucky and sent to Foxconn City where they are assembled.(Duhigg Bradsher, 2012). While 90 percent of the parts needed are found elsewhere the software and the marketing of that software in the phone is all American. (Duhigg Bradsher, 2012). Apple employs 43,000 people in the United States and 20,000 overseas, whereas they contract an additional 700,000 people from everywhere but the United States to engineer, build and assemble their gadgets. (Duhigg Bradsher, 2012). As Apple grew around the world the demand for their products simultaneously increased. Apple realized that their production was also going to have to grow and grow out of the United States to meet their expanded quota. The solution was outsourcing. Outsourcing has become the frequent thing to do in hundreds of industries including electronics. Almost all of the 70 million iPhones, 30 million iPads and 59 million other products Apple sold last year w ere manufactured overseas. (Duhigg Bradsher, 2012). When companies decide to outsource Asia always looks to be the best choice among the rest. The workers who are just barely trained are much cheaper, which keeps profits high when labor the main cost of production is kept to a minimum. In Apple’s case this was not their concern, what made Asia the place where Apple contracted Foxconn is  because of the speed of production and the magnitude of people that are trained and hired to work are unthinkable here in the United States. For the needed 208,700 people to work in assembly lines and over see production it has been estimated to take nine months to find that many qualified engineers in United States to work. In China, it took 15 days. (Duhigg Bradsher, 2012). Apple’s worldwide supply demand manager spoke on the subject and commented â€Å"What U.S. plant can find 3,000 people overnight and convince them to live in dorms?† For Apple to make the switch to Chinese workers from American workers was a critical advan tage in their company. (Duhigg Bradsher, 2012). Foxconn City was informally named a city because of the amount of people that works are equivalent to city. This facility employs 230,000 most of the workers spend six days a week working, and up to 12 hours of their day at that same plant. Many of the workers there are forced to live in company dorms where they make less than $17 day. (Duhigg Bradsher, 2012). However, Foxconn can provide companies, like Apple with the scale of people that are needed for efficient production of their gadgets. Since Foxconn has been successful they have opened dozens more of facilities that assemble an estimated 40 percent of the world’s consumer electronics. (Duhigg Bradsher, 2012). With production exceeding everywhere else in the world the consequence of having unseen high production output is also to have harsh and demanding working conditions for employees. Employees at Foxconn work extreme overtime hours, and live in crowded dorms. The owners of Foxconn and Apple have been criticized for these conditions and that underage workers have helped build these products.(Duhigg Barboza, 2012). They are also criticized for safety concerns of hazardous materials that are not disposed properly that eventually harm uneducated workers. The China Labor Watch (CLW) found â€Å"a variety of dangerous working conditions, as well as unfair calculations of work time, low basic wages that compel acceptance of large amounts of overtime in order to have adequate income on which to live, very high work intensity, and failure to pay for social insurance, work-related injury insurance and other insurance required by law.† (Lubman, 2012). Codes of conduct were set by Apple and the CLW in place to help balance working conditions and employees rights. These policies are frequently inspected but are found to be seriously violated on a daily basis.(Duhigg Barboza, 2012). The criticism and investigations of Foxconn  have led them to improve conditions; they plan on improving conditions by hiring more new workers, eliminating unpaid overtime, improving safety, and to upgrade housing and other amenities. (Gupta Chan, 2012). Foxconn said it was â€Å"going to raise salaries by 16 to 25 percent, and was advertising a basic monthly wage, not including overtime, of 1,800 yuan ($290) in the southern city of Shenzhen, Guangdong province where the monthly minimum wage is 1,500 yuan.† (Duhigg Barboza, 2012). Foxconn also alleged to building new housing where multiple workers do not have to cram into a room, and help their workers enroll in union type of structures. As these promises seem hopeful they have not been yet effective. Chen Yamei, 25, who has works at a Foxconn factory, complained that her salary will drop to just over 2,000 yuan a month ($317) from over 4,000 yuan. (Duhigg Barboza, 2012).Which is the complete opposite of what was promised, and shows that the investigations just highlighted the problems of oversea manufacturing companies that without fixing them. Urbanization normally generates more economically productive work, compared to rural areas. The skills needed to survive in an urban area are different, also getting paid for these skills are an increase to rural pay. ( Areddy, Davis, Page 2012). With more people living in an urban center this naturally causes a demand for new housing and buildings. Therefore, an increase in the urban cities would create more jobs an d better pay for people and this could lead to people less likely to work at companies like Foxconn, and utilize their skills somewhere else with a more competitive pay. The urbanization of China not only will open up more cities and jobs and such, but it will change the way that this generation thinks and works. The new generation of workers is less tolerant of the rigid military management style that was used on their parents and grandparents. ( Mozur, 2012). As jobs grow in China, young workers will pick and choose their jobs. This complicates the situation at Foxconn because the newer generation will challenge the manufacturing company and the government to meet the large expectations that will only continue to grow. The younger workers want to work more independently, employees 24 and under desire jobs where they don’t live paycheck to paycheck and can afford to save money for the future. ( Mozur, 2012). Being independent or an entrepreneur, living in a big city where there are more opportunities, not depending on working at a company like Foxconn where you  are told what to do and where to sleep every day. No I do not think it is proba ble to manufacture IPhones and IPods in the United States. Figuring out space, resources, and labor would cost a fortune even before production. While in China they have warehouses already built to accommodate production, with free samples of products, employees available 24 hours a day and free engineering offered. (Duhigg Bradsher, 2012). As a business executive the smart choice for your company would be to move your supply chain to the most efficient place possible. â€Å"The entire supply chain is in China now,† said another former high-ranking Apple executive. â€Å"You need a thousand rubber gaskets? That’s the factory next door. You need a million screws? That factory is a block away. You need that screw made a little bit different? It will take three hours.† (Duhigg Bradsher, 2012). The production that can be done overseas could not be matched here in the United States in the same amount of time, this is why manufacturing in the United States would not benefit Apple as much as it does in China. I don’t believe that companies have an obligation to support American workers. CEOs want to maximize profits, and continue to be competitive around the world, so the most logical thing to maximize profits is lower costs. Labor is a huge cost. The U.S. is a world leader not because Americans are more intelligent than everyone else on earth, but because we have a free market and a free market inspires people to innovate which help American companies to stay a competitive power around the world. It hurts some people’s jobs but for a short term. Globalization needs to happen to thrive, limiting outsourcing inhibits growth, and jobs cannot be made without growth. Acquire new and better skills or perish. Competition needs to continue for growth in jobs, not an entitlement to a job just because you’re American. References: How the U.S. Lost Out on iPhone Work by Charles Duhigg and Keith Bradsher from The New York Times, January 22, 2012, pp. A1 and A22-A23 ( ONLINE version dated January 21, 2012) â€Å"In China, Human Costs are Built Into an iPad† by Charles Duhigg and David Barboza, The New York Times, January 25, 2012 Apple Contractor Ho Hai Says it Hired Underage Workers by Paul Mozur, The Wall Street Journal, October 16, 2012 (also see version printed on October 17, 2012 Foxconn Factory in China Used 14-Year-Old Workers) Working Conditions: The Persistence of Problems in Chinas Factories by Stanley Lubman, The Wall Street Journal, September 25, 2012 â€Å"Apple, Foxconn set new standard for Chinese workers† by Poorima Gupta and Edwin Chan Reuters, March 30, 2012 â€Å"China Population Balance Tilts Urban† by Jeremy Page and Bob Davis, The Wall Street Journal, January 18, 2012, p A10 New Labor Attitudes Fed Into China Riot by Paul Mazor, The Wall Street Journal, September 26 (or 27), 2012

Addictive Properties of Sugar

Addictive Properties of Sugar Sugar is naturally present in most foods, but with an increase of both modified food and sweet cravings, people have become addicted even more than cocaine users are addicted to cocaine. Overtime, several people have grown to be health conscious and have committed themselves to eating healthy foods. Some have even gone to the point where they do not eat any type of sugar whatsoever. Before one completely removes sugar from their diet, it is crucial to understand what sugar is exactly. Sugar is a carbohydrate made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Although those who cut out sugar from their diet completely have good intentions, a certain amount of sugar is still needed for the body to have energy. But when is it too much? Several doctors recommend to intake 55 to 60 percent of your daily caloric intake from carbohydrates. This has become increasingly difficult for some, especially those that exceed that amount. Studies have shown that some people have become heavily dependent on dail y sugar intake, with some even becoming addicted to it. Some doctors have gone against that claim, saying that in order to become addicted to sugar, they have to meet certain criteria and most people are not technically addicted. On the other hand, drugs like cocaine are known to have an addictive property to them. Most people that are users of cocaine become addicted and dependent on it. The question that many people are asking is if sugar is as addictive as drugs. To understand what makes people want sugar so much, researchers have to go all the way back and understand the principles of sugar. In essence, sugar is a carbohydrate that is split into several categories of identification. Not all sugar is the same; similar to how not all drugs are the same. There are several types of sugars such as beet sugar, white sugar, powdered sugar, malt sugar, etc. ‘Simple carbohydrates, or simple sugars, are composed of monosaccharide or disaccharide units. Common monosaccharides (carbohydrates composed of single sugar units) include glucose, fructose, and galactose’ (James). Fructose is the sugar present in fruits. Lactose is present in milk sugar. Maltose is present in grain products. And sucrose, one of the most common, is present in sugar cane and sugar beets. All of these types of sugar differ in the amount an individual should eat. They also differ in taste, with some sweeter than the other. â€Å"Any food where sucrose, fructose, gluco se, corn syrup, honey, or other sugars are listed as the first ingredient on the packaging can be defined as sweets† (Schmitt). Just as there are different types of sugars each having different qualities and properties, in the same way drugs, specifically psychoactive drugs, can be divided into four main categories. Those are: stimulants, depressants, opiates and hallucinogens. All of them are addictive and induce dependence. Stimulants, like cocaine, amphetamines and ecstasy, stimulate the central nervous system. Depressants have an opposite effect by slowing down the central nervous system (CNS). Examples of depressants are alcohol and cannabis. Opiates also act in the same way as depressants and slow down the CNS. Some well-known opiates are heroin, morphine, opium and methadone. Hallucinogens change a person’s perception of reality and time. Commonly used hallucinogens are LSD and psilocybin (magic mushrooms). Addiction has both a biological and behavioral component. Our brains instinctively find certain things pleasurable, such as eating certain foods and having sexual intercourse. The brain has a specific reward circuitry that makes us want to do what we need to survive. The brain interprets anything that stimulates the â€Å"reward pathway† as necessary for life and needs to be repeated. Many things, however, that aren’t necessary for life can stimulate this reward circuitry, including drugs, sugar, junk foods, and even behaviors such as gambling and exercise. (Rettner) The reason we get pleasure from these substances, that aren’t in fact crucial for survival, is because they cause the release of a neurotransmitter called dopamine in an area of the brain called Nucleus Accumbens. Dopamine helps control the brains reward, pleasure and motivation centers. Dopamine also helps regulate movement and emotional responses, and it enables us not only to see rewards, but to t ake action to move toward them. (Frances) Another hormone called serotonin is also responsible for the euphoria that’s felt after ingesting certain substances. Studies have shown that after ingesting drugs and eating certain foods, especially those that are high in sugar, serotonin and dopamine levels in the brain significantly increase. This leads the individual to feel pleasure and euphoria and motivates them to repeat this process. This is the mechanism that causes addiction. Both sugar and cocaine cause a temporary high soon after they enter the bloodstream but only to cause many debilitating problems after their effects wear off. An intake of sugar that exceeds the recommended daily amount can lead to very serious side effects. That includes an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, several types of liver disease, an increased probability of developing cancer, obesity, depression, increased risk of yeast infections, a weaker immune system, tooth decay, etc. The side of effects of cocaine include, but are not limited to; permanent damage to blood vessels, high blood pressure (leading to heart attacks, strokes, and possibly death), liver, kidney and lung damage, malnutrition and weight loss, severe depression, severe tooth decay, etc. Besides the addiction they cause, both sugar and cocaine have several side effects in common. On the other hand the methods of treating a cocaine addict and those for treating a sugar addict differ greatly. Most professionals agree that the best solution for any addiction include sugar and cocaine addiction is prevention. Prevention of the development of an addiction is the most effective way to tackle the problem, due to the fact that after an addiction develops, treatment is quite hard and psychologically challenging. Sugar addicts are advised to increase their protein intake because protein-rich foods like meat, nuts, and beans provide a steady and balanced source of energy for your body, which can help eliminate cravings for sugar-containing foods. Taking probiotics is also helpful because excess bacterial growth in the body creates sugar cravings since bacteria thrive on sugar. Eating healthy saturated fats is also a method that quickly yields results since saturated fats like coconut oil; raw, pasture-based butter, grass-fed milk and cream are all excellent healthy fats that will provide solid sustenance for your body thereby eliminating sugar cravings. There are a number of treatments for cocaine addicts including pharmacological approaches and behavioral interventions. Although there are not any FDA-approved pharmaceuticals to treat cocaine addiction, several medications designed for other diseases like vigabatrin, modafinil, tiagabine, disulfiram have been reported to reduce cocaine use in controlled clinical trials. Behavioral treatments for cocaine addiction can be divided into two categories: motivational incentives and cognitive-behavioral therapy. Motivational incentives use an exchange system where participants receive prizes for drug-free urine screenings. In other words individuals are encouraged to not use cocaine in order to qualify for a prize. Cognitive-behavior therapy treatment involves helping addicts to replace their drug-seeking behaviour with other, healthier, ways of dealing with their everyday issues. This type of treatment is designed to help the recovering addict understand the cause of their addiction and d rug use and to create a healthier lifestyle. After analyzing several studies on sugar, it is concluded that sugar can become addictive when overeaten, but is it more addictive than cocaine? Statistics show that the effects of sugar addiction is to a lesser degree than that of cocaine. Works Cited Carbohydrates. Nutrition and Well-being A-Z. Ed. Delores C.S. James. New York: MacMillan Reference USA, 2004. 2 vols. Frances, Allen. Dopamine. Psychology Today: Health, Help, Happiness + Find a Therapist. Psychology Today, June 2013. Web. 04 Dec. 2014. Rettner, Rachael. Is Sugar a Drug? Addiction Explained. LiveScience. TechMedia Network, 28 Oct. 2013. Web. 02 Dec. 2014. Schmitt, B.D. Sugar and Sweets. RelayClinical Education. Cengage Learning, Feb. 2012. Web. 21 Nov. 20Sugar 101. Sugar 101. American Heart Association, 19 Nov. 2014. Web.24 Nov.. 2014. Schmitt, Barton. Sugar and Sweets. Pediatric Advisor:. Childrens Health Network, 15 May 2012. Web. 24 Nov. 2014. Taubes, Gary. Is Sugar Toxic? The New York Times. The New York Times, 16 Apr. 2011. Web. 01 Dec. 2014. Venuto, Tom. Is Junk Food As Addictive As Heroin? Basilandspice.com. Cengage Learning, 3 Nov. 2009. Web. 15 Nov. 2014.

HIV and X-ray Crystallography Essay -- Biology AIDS

WHAT IS AIDS? AIDS stand for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome ACQUIRED, how? The blood, vaginal fluid, semen, and breast milk of people with the AIDS virus contains enough of the virus to transmit it to another person. Most people who have acquired the AIDS virus have done so by having sex with an infected person, sharing a needle with one, or being born to a mother who is infected. IMMUNE DEFICIENCY? Catching the AIDS virus can be lethal because it affects the immune system, which is the system in the body that fights against diseases. A person with the AIDS virus has lower levels of CD4+ cells. These cells, commonly called "T-helper" cells are an essential part of the immune system. Normal people usually have between 500 to 1,500 CD4+ cells in a milliliter of blood. SYNDROME, what syndrome? A syndrome is a health related problem that accompanies a disease. Acquiring AIDS has many side affects. As the CD4+ levels in an AIDS patient decrease, side affects including fevers, night sweats, diarrhea or swollen lymph nodes increase. Some frequently asked questions Q: What's the difference between AIDS and HIV? A: AIDS is caused by the virus called the Human Immunodefiency Virus or HIV. HIV is a retrovirus. Initially when your body is infected with the virus, it takes time for it to take its toll on the immune system. At this point its affect may not be apparent for years. HIV becomes AIDS when one has less than 200 CD4+ cells per milliliter in their blood. Q: Can you tell whether a person has AIDS just by there physical appearance? A: No. You can't tell by simply looking at someone. They may appear completely healthy. Q: Is it possible to get AIDS by the transmission of fluids such as tears or saliv... ...osure of the gp41 ectodomain. Thus, the HIV virus invades a human cell and causes infection. Implications of this experiment Although the isolation and crystallization of the gp120-CD4 complex is a milestone for HIV research, there is still much work to be done. With further research of this nature, we can learn even more about the initial interactions between HIV and the human lymphocyte cells. The more we learn about these interactions, the closer researchers will come to developing some type drug to prevent infection. In this case the ultimate goal is to discover some type of chemical that will bind to gp120 and keep it from binding to CD4. However, as there is currently no cure for AIDS, and the drugs to ease the disease's symptoms tend to be quite expensive, it is crucial that each and every person be properly educated about AIDS prevention.

A Personal Experience in the United States Socializing Function :: Free Essays Online

A Personal Experience in the United States' Socializing Function My junior/senior high school was public. It served the surrounding four towns with a total student population of about seven hundred. In rural Vermont we were set aside and sheltered from the pain and suffering of the city's ghetto, as well as trained to ignore the poverty right before our eyes; next door. Classes started at eight, and ended at two fifteen. Our windows were tinted black so we would be sure not to ever have a glimpse of the outside world. Here our attention must be focused on the school work; learning what the institution deemed important. My U.S. history class is a perfect example of this; we learned what the teacher taught, and what the textbook covered, but what of all the information not included? It would be impossible for us to learn all the history of the United States, but who gets to decide what history we need to know? We learned about the evil Nazi's concentration camps extensively, but only touched upon our own equivalent imprisonment of the Japanese-Americans briefly. We learned of the fight against communism in Vietnam and Korea, but nothing of the mass slaughter of the common people in those countries that our country took part in. What is even more discouraging than this distortion of history, is that no one cared. Jonathan Kozol writes on page 37 of The Night Is Dark and I Am Far from Home; "Nationalistic education is a special brand of such bamboozlement; patriotic mindlessness is the product being sold. Most children buy it, unresistingly." The teacher did not want to teach anything that was not requ ired, because if it was not required by the government then it must not be important enough information. The government would not dream of having such evil things in our history be required to be taught because it shows the student a weakness of the all powerful ruling class. And the students did not, and certainly were not encouraged to, want more than what our school was giving them already. But who has the right to pick and choose what information shall be given out , and what information shall remain obscure? In looking back on my six long years committed to this high school I can recall numerous instances in which I found myself confronting the institution, yet never pushing enough.

Marks and Spencer’s accounting choices Essay

Question 1 Exhibits 1 and 2 report the income statements and excerpts from the notes to Marks and Spencer’s financial statement for the fiscal years ending between March 31, 2005 and March 31, 2009. Critically analyze M&S’s accounting choices. What choices may have helped the company to overstate its net profits between 2005 and 2009? * M&S recognize many software development costs as intangible assets. In fact they recognize all costs related to software costs. This includes direct cost of material and services, payroll related costs for employees who are directly associated with the project. This may help M&S overstate its profits because normally only the direct costs associated with the software are recognized as an asset. The payroll costs for employees should not be considered to be an asset but as direct costs and should immediately reduce profits of M&S. Because this isn’t done, profits can be overstated. This is reflected by the large increase in computer software under development which was 5.6 million in 2005/2004 and was 178.8 million in 2009/2008. This is a stunning increase of 3192%. Besides there isn’t any amortization of the computer under software development and is only subjected to impairment. * Another thing which should be considered when reading the report is that there is a large amount of goodwill which may lead to overstatement of assets. In those five years there isn’t any impairment loss recognized or depreciation on that goodwill. Goodwill should be every year be subjected to impairment and it’s unlikely to remain constant over five years. This may lead to overstatement of assets. Warning signs of delayed write-downs on non-current assets can be a declining non-asset turnover or a declining return on assets below weighted average cost of capital. * Another point of discussion about the accounting methods M&S use, is the large depreciation rates they use on fixtures, fittings and equipment which can vary from three years to 25 years depending on the estimates life of the asset. This should be done on basis of useful economic life instead of the estimated life of the asset. This way they can spread the costs over a larger amount of time which overstates profits. * In 2005-2009, every year there are a large amount of additions, other than acquisitions. This is the case with land and buildings, fixtures, fittings & equipment, goodwill, computer software and computer software and development. Our opinion is that this comes from an increase in value of the asset. This is strange because there is an addition in goodwill which suggests that the value increased with no particular acquisition in 2007/2006 and 2008/2007. Also land and buildings and fixtures fittings & equipment increase because of additions while there is economic downturn in 2008/2007 and 2009/2008. * They also requalify their pension liability as equity because they sold it to a joint venture with its pension fund. This liability was then leased back from the joint venture so because they fully control this operational liability, they can qualify this as equity. This seems to be an accounting trick to state liabilities as equity. M&S also receives exceptional pension credit from this transaction in 2009/2008 and 2008/2007. Question 2 Exhibit 3 provides information about the liability that Marks and Spencer reclassified as equity. Do you agree with the decision to reclassify? What will be the effect of this decision on future financial statements? The reclassification of the liability of Marks and Spencer’s as equity seems to be an accounting trick. Marks & Spencer’s group had a liability of 496.9 million to M&S UK pension scheme. Because they did not want that the liability influenced their financial reports in 2007, they sold it to a joint venture of M&S group with M&S UK Pension scheme. The partnership then leased the properties of the partnership to the M&S plc. This reclassifies the liability because of the operational lease as equity while M&S group still has to pay the money to the pension scheme. When the pension fund has not got the money to pay their employees, the group still has to bring up the money. The effect of this decision on future financial statements is that a large amount of liabilities is classified as equity which distorts the equity/liability ratio and is not an actual reflection of the financial health of the organization. The future financial statements will give off a wrong impression of the liabilities owed to the pension scheme.

Cybersecurity for Critical Infrastructure Protection Essay

Cybersecurity entails safeguarding of computer networks and the information that it carries from unauthorized access and malicious disruption or damage. This is because the use of networks has become common in businesses and government activities, and any tampering can cause serious consequences for the affected bodies. A question is what degree do the security bridge has to critical infrastructure. Analyses of unconventional and asymmetric attacks assume that potential opponents would use cyber weapons. Such opponents could employ the use of conventional nation state and â€Å"non-state actors† opponents. Initially, cyber weapons were considered better because of their asymmetric attacks because of the low cost, which results in damaging most vulnerable parts that are found in most of the computer networks – may be disastrous as kinetic or blast weapon. â€Å"Digital Pearl Harbor† a term that appeared in mid-1990s, when internet was commercialized and frequently used came to birth. The scenario in this picture is that the world would plunge into disaster due to the introduction of hackers. Some of the results that were predicted to be associated with the Digital Pearl Harbor include open floodgates, blackness, poison water supply and planes crashing. However, there is no cyber attack that has produced such disastrous results. Such talk arose due to lack of technological understanding, how software’s operate, and the operation of other complex system. To determine the extent of risk that is posed by computer networks and its vulnerabilities, it requires an estimation of probability that will damage critical infrastructure in certain ways that will affect the national interest. Hence, it means that there should be sequential or simultaneous events that must occur for a digital attack in the cyberspace to have physical effect. Computer networks are usually the vulnerable part, and not the critical infrastructure that these networks accommodate or support. Infrastructures are strong and resilient and are capable of absorbing damages that are associated to terrorism, natural disasters and climates. This means that the issue of cybersecurity in the field of terrorism is usually overestimated. By saying so, it does not mean that planning of critical infrastructure protection should not be in place. In planning for the measures that should be include in planning in the CIP, first as the computer networks increase, their vulnerabilities also increases. Secondly, another method that can be employed by the attackers is attacking the storage parts of the networks instead of the networks itself. The networks are penetrated, collect-required information and monitor changes without creating any suspicion and when they are suspected, the databases and networks that support important activities are disrupted. Political Context for Cyber security and CIP In the end of 1990s, cybersecurity policies were dominant and there were frequent discussions on the issue of critical infrastructure protection. Nevertheless, currently there is a minimal understanding by the Federal that the initial issues that were associated with the use of internet and network connectivity were overemphasized. This overemphasis was due to several factors that range from the introduction of Internet to the Y2K (Philemon 2005, pp. 70). Y2K was associated for previous programming errors which IT experts believed that world would plunge into chaos at the mid night of the New Year, thus brought most attention to the world of cyber security. American government as been associated with risk-averse policies since the 1970s. This is because there is a loss in terms of confidence of governing elites, decrease in public trust and a punitive and partisan political environment. Hence introduces plans, policies, and various strategies for critical infrastructure protection. This political change brings in better understanding of cybersecurity and critical infrastructure protection. Hence, planning for critical infrastructure protection requires an assessment of risks that are capable of damaging attack. An individual who is risk aversive may estimate the probability of damage attack to be higher when compared to a neutral individual (Davis 2003, pp. 33). Assessing Risks In determination of the significance of cybersecurity for critical infrastructure protection, it must begin with estimating the risk. This method so far has proved difficult to incorporate. The better method is neutrally analyzing previous attacks and gain better ways of knowing it causes and consequences that were associated. This will enable the estimation of likelihood that a potential attacker will concentrate on a particular target. In addition, it is able to predict the type of weapons that will be used. This involves understanding the motive of the attacker, strategic role, capabilities, preferences, goals and experience. This will weigh the capabilities and goals of the attacker against potential infrastructure vulnerabilities (Davis 2003, pp. 33 – 34). The definition of risk is how much of threats that a society or government could withstand and relies on the importance of the security. Homeland Security policy states that it is difficult to eliminate all risks, but requires priorities that will reduce the amount of risks that are associated with cybersecurity. Risks that are associated to cybersecurity can be grouped into three parts: risks that can cause injuries or death, affects the economy or reduce the capability of military. So far, there are no issues or threats that are associated with the different groups (Keith 2005, pp. 66). Critical Infrastructures and Computer Networks United States has a long list that identifies critical sectors and includes agriculture, health systems, banking and fiance, IT and telecommunication, energy, industries, and transportation. To the Federal government the issue of cybersecurity is not serious to them. An infrastructure is said to be critical since it is able to meet some standards of national interest. To meet these different standards, there is usually an implicit assumption that disruption of the infrastructure would reduce flow of services and goods creating hardship resulting to impeding of government economic operations. To understand the relation between cybersecurity contributions to the critical infrastructure protection, two additional concepts of location and time can be introduced (Keith 2005, pp. 66). Location and time helps in understanding that cybersecurity is not a concern to critical infrastructure. Those issues that takes time to show problems, usually gives time for the affected organization to identify solutions and organize and in marshaling resources to respond to the issue, hence, does not present a crisis. The capability of industries to respond to the problems through innovation and creating alternative technologies or solutions means that those infrastructures that had disruption and did not posses immediate danger, results in minimal effect to the economic, national security and life in general. National infrastructures are geographical distributed which means that they are not critical in nature. This means that larger infrastructure provides critical supports to key governmental functions and economic, and not the entire industries or networks. This means that there are few networks that are national in nature and at the same time are usually mutually dependent. Networks that are associated with telecommunications, finance and electrical power are most critical because of its interconnectedness, economic health and national scope. An example is the Fed wire that supports banking, if it is attached it may cripple the banking sector form sometime, but the Federal Reserve have developed means to harden the Fed Wire. Internet as a Critical Infrastructure With the help of cyber weapons, the Internet can to some point be attacked. However, the Internet is a shared network that if attacked will affected both the target and the attacker. An attacker can calculate that the US economy may be most affected and the attacker may use back ups of some sort, giving it a temporary advantage. Internet is robust and is able to operate even if the Soviet Union and United States exchange nuclear weapons. Its architecture and design enables it to survive and withstand all these problems. With packet switching, the Internet can redirect the messages and at the end of the day arrives or are directed to the required port. The capacities of the internet to operate is due to the addressing system which is multilayered, decentralized and has the possibility of operating even if it means it will take days to update the routing table. The core protocols that are employed by the internet are vulnerable to attack. An example is the Border Gateway Protocol –BGP that is responsible for routing traffic, has been tested and it is vulnerable to attacks but the attacker has to face the redundancy, which is associated with thousand of subsidiary networks in the Internet (Davis 2003 pp. 33 – 34). So far, there is only one case that has between witnessed, in 2002 there was an attack to the Distributed Denial of Service of eight out of the 13 important root servers, which govern the addresses of the Internet. The attack did not cause a lot disruption but it is believed that if it could have taken a longer time it would have degenerated the Internet. Since the 2002 incident the DNS system has been strengthened through dispersing the root servers to different places, using new software’s and employing routing techniques. Hence, the new redundancy that has been employed has drastically reduced the issue of shutting down the DNS. In addition, the complexity that is associated with estimating the actual cost makes planning for critical infrastructure protection difficult. Most estimates that are associated with cybersecurity are exaggerated or overestimated. To obtain the amount of damages that are caused by cybersecurity, a sample is estimated and then it is extrapolated to the affected population. Analysis of the impacts and effects of cybersecurity estimates should be analyzed by statistical analyses and economic losses should not be received in face value. Importance of the cybersecurity in protecting critical infrastructures other than electrical power, telecommunications or finance, rests on the believe that the critical infrastructures are dependent on the computer networks for them to be able to operate. In such perspective the computer network specifically are vulnerable but the infrastructure that they support are not vulnerable (Philemon 2005, pp. 70 – 75). An example of a distractive cyber attack was the Slammer worm. It effects affected automated teller machines (ATM) across the northwest making 13000 to be out of service. Many analysts belief that the Slammer was a damaging cyber attack, but in national perspective, it had small impact since other parts of the country operated normally. Furthermore, the Slammer Worm only affected one bank and its ATM services. In this case, the customers of the bank suffered some inconveniences; the bank lost revenue and spoilt their reputation giving an advantage to the cybersecurity conscious competitors. Potential opponents in terms of nation-states may employ the use of cyberspace. When they gathering intelligence information will prompt them to attack and penetrate the U. S. computer networks. When a conflict occurs between different states, information, skills and access to crucial infrastructure will be used to disrupt important information system. Risks that are associated with espionage and cyber crime are real for firms, agencies and individuals. References Davis, J. (2003). Information Technology Security Threats, New York: Barron’s Educational Series, pp. 30 – 34 Keith, J. (2005), Plans and Developments in Computer Networking, New Haven: Yale University Press, pp. 66 Macklin, M. (2007), Computer networking Implementation and Security, Jakarta: Cambridge University Press, pp. 45 – 49 Peter, K. (2001). Cyber Security and CIP, Australia: Fontana Books, pp. 120 – 121 Philemon, M. (2005), Development of Computer Systems and Terrorism Threats, Stanford: Stanford University Press, pp. 70 – 75 Rachael, L. (2003), Critical Infrastructure Protection, New York: New York Publishers, pp. 13 16 Richard, Z. (2005), Management and Information Technology, London: Oxford University Press, pp. 60 – 61