Is Gold a Safe Investment in the Current Economic Situation

Is gold a safe investment in the current economic situation? Global demand for gold has been on the rise and with good reason- the price of the precious metal has been consistently breaking new highs even though markets throughout the world remain weak (Lee, 2011). In the last decade alone, gold has achieved a 500% increase in value and more relevantly, it has soared from $1400 (an ounce) in January this year to a peak of $1920 (Prial, 2011). Thiru (2011) of Lloyd TSB, determined that gold has provided the best returns for investors in 2011 (as cited in Lee, 2011).However, distinguished private banks and investors remain cynical of gold’s invariable rise and have even deemed the asset as â€Å"the ultimate bubble that will eventually burst† (Soros, 2010; as cited in Conway, 2010). Despite the warnings of George Soros and Wells Fargo, the yellow metal continues to sustain its steady run and is, according to West (2011), looking stronger now than it has ever been in the l ast decade. This study aims to investigate the justifications behind gold’s rising value and will also consider the relevant refutations that discredit the commodity’s safe haven status.The recent appreciation in gold prices can be substantiated on a wide array of merits, disapproving the claims that the commodity is artificially overvalued. Firstly, as affirmed by Spall (2008), gold retains its value even during inflation and consequently, has become a popular avenue for wealth investment in periods of great uncertainty. Early signs of global economic instability induced the European Central bank to heavily reinforce its gold position more than 2 years ago (Prial, 2011).And while the Euro zone truly faces a deepened fiscal crisis, gold is becoming even more attractive still. Because most economies throughout the world remain weak, currencies such as the Swiss Franc, dollar assets such as US treasury bills and other investments that were once considered secure, have lo st the confidence and backing of investors. Alternatively, people look to gold as a stronger and safer investment. Ironically enough, economies that do manage positive growth, such as China and India, have also been witnessing rising demand for the yellow metal.In the case of India, this comes in the form of consumer goods such as jewelry. The People’s Bank of China has one of the lowest rates of gold reserves but is planning to double its issuance of gold bullion Chinese coins in the near future (Holmes, 2011). In the past the gold standard was used as a basis for exchange, but inefficiencies in substantiating the system saw the link between the US dollar and gold removed. Nonetheless, the value of gold still retains a strong correlation to the value of the dollar (Hajjar, 2011).With the Federal Reserve’s freedom to print money, the value of the dollar in circulation has reached trillions. Contrastingly, levels of gold production have remained moderately constant thro ughout time. The imbalance in the value of USDs versus the value of gold reserves, gives the commodity augmented capacity for further price increases. The soaring gold prices can also be explained by the unconventionally large amounts of quantitative easing that has taken place in recent years. Such a policy causes inflation and uncertainty, which in turn makes gold more popular.In late September, Ben Bernanke declared ‘Operation Twist’ -which would cease additional printing of money. Commodity markets responded poorly to the announcement, with gold devaluing by nearly 9% in just two days (Prial, 2011). Although gold prices eventually sustained in value and proceeded with its run, the commodity’s sharp plummet after a single policy revision creates doubt in the safety of gold investments. It also introduces the possibility that gold’s upward trend has been the result of risky commodity speculation.Nevertheless, by acknowledging the current level of economi c instability, lack in investment alternatives and unstable dollar value, the present high price of gold can be easily accepted. An educated guess would have me value the yellow metal at a stable $1700 an ounce by the end of this year. As long as market volatility persists, gold will be able to keep its high prices afloat and retain its position as a safe investment. If the commodity truly is in a bubble, then it is likely to burst- in a convincingly upward manner.

Legalization or Decriminalization of Drugs

The legalization or decriminalization of drugs would be beneficial to society through various ways. The government would collect taxes on them which could help with various expenses such as education expenses. Through different pharmaceutical companies it can be controlled as well as ensure quality which helps drug users from receiving bad product. It could free up space in prison or jails and allow more room for concentration of other important crimes that are taking place in society. On the other hand, the legalization of drugs could as well harm society. It could be used more by individuals and cause individuals to become less alert to the important things in society. This could also cause harm to kids. So we have to understand that there are pros and cons to the legalization as well as it could be beneficial as well as cause harm in many of ways. When this comes into consideration, the pros and cons should be weighed before a final decision is made. Yes I do consider alcohol a drug. It can become addictive as well. It causes a high just same as drugs. It most importantly causes a change in individuals behavior when to much alcohol is consumed. Certain alcohol levels can become very dangerous at times. It can be more dangerous than illegal drugs. I do believe that some alcohols are safer than others. An individual must also know their limits of how much alcohol to consume. This is sometimes hard in many situations which sometimes lead to various addictions and crime. Sometimes it can even lead to death when one has received too much of the wrong alcohol. This is known as alcohol poisoning. Without prohibiting alcohol, I believe that there is already a great control on alcohol already taking place. You will not be able to get rid of it. The only thing that you can do is maintain certain laws and standards that are to be abided by to keep it under control. The drug trade will always exist. There will be drug users as well as drug dealers. TV shows and films in my opinion act out what is already present in real life situations. The only difference is one is physical seen in everyday life versus the other shown on television. I do not believe that all images on TV of drugs and alcohol be banned. Theses situations should be shown. Sometimes by watching these shows and watching some of the out comes can help one turn or change to a more positive path in life. On the other hand it can help those who were considering it, maybe to not participate or become users. Just like everything else, individuals will always try to blame there problems on something or someone, but we have to remember that everyone makes that choice to do right or wrong. Television shows a lot of what is already happening in the streets in homes. Instead of looking at it causing more harm than good, it should be looked at it as a guide to help turn from those ways. Yes I believe prostitution is a crime. If two individuals would like to endeavor in mutual sex, than they can do that with out prostituting. Some are, not in their right state of mind as well as know the difference between right and wrong. If a man or woman would like to sell sexual favors, that should be there right just as long as it is mutual and not in the public view. Two adults that are capable of making decisions about their life should be allowed to make them as long as it does not cause harm to them or anyone else. Prostitution on the streets is nothing that should be exploited because of the dangers and harm that could follow if things are done as planned or expected. Children are alert to all of their surroundings and what goes on in society. Sexual transmitted diseases as well as AIDS is floating on and being passed from one individual to another uncontrollably. Here again without prohibiting it, I believe there is a great control of sexual explicit materials on the internet. It is on television, in magazines, as well as viewed on tapes and cds. So it will be showed one way or another. No I would ever approve of the online sale of sexually explicit photos of children even if they are artificial images created by computer animation. Children are sensitive and are still coming into the knowledge of growing into young mature productive adults in society. They are not learning how to become another statistics in society of crime. This would not be a positive aspect that would be beneficial to them in life. This as well would not lead nor guide them in how to have respect for their bodies as well as others. We should also understand that because there are predators out their in the world we should not help them cause harm to children. I believe that both statements are accurate. Although sexually aggressive men are drawn to pornography; a man who is not so sexually aggressive would reach that stage eventually as he continue to watch as well as read more and more pornography. Men sexual drives are strong at times. There excitement levels are different in many ways. When a manfinds something or sees something that excites him, he continues to want that as well as wanting to reach more exciting levels. Through pornography they are also able to full fill such levels as fantasies. When men become aggressive their focus is usually one thing and that is to reach their peek. Sometimes this means by any means necessary. Now some men needs more than pornography. Pornography is only satisfying for a while. After this point they actually try to turn and create those fantasies with someone else. Some women are faced with the same issues. I believe that there are various views on this issue. I due believe that in various ways there are objective standards of morality. Others believe that there are not any objective standards. Many believe and argue that mostly those individuals that have a relationship as well as an involvement in Christianity are the ones who believe that there are objective standards. They believe that these objectives were written back in the days that God created the Ten Commandments.

Strategic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Strategic - Essay Example Porter argues that strategy is about ‘positioning’ – not about ‘operational effectiveness’. This essay is a critical discussion of this view. It also offers a comparison between Porter’s views and other perspectives such as those of Mazzucato’s, Mintzberg, Waters and Grant. Porter (1996 p. 62) attributes lack of sustainable profitability in an organization to the inability of management to differentiate between strategy and operational effectiveness. Under such circumstances, the tools for management such as benchmarking, outsourcing, and total quality management among others usually displace strategy, which lowers the chances of improving organizational performance through strategy. The operational effectiveness and strategy are significant for the organizational performance, but according to Porter, they are supposed to be treated differently as they operate in diverse ways. In his view, position accompanied by pattern, plan and standpoint are core to strategy. Porter’s dissatisfaction with the management that focuses on operational effectiveness rather than strategic positioning is represented in figure 1.0, whereby the total of all the available best practices within the organization or the value generated by the organization at a certain charge, available machinery, expertise, management practices, and procured inputs is represented by the productivity frontier (p. 63). This curve indicates that an improvement in the operational effectiveness leads to the advancement of the organization in the direction of the frontier. The frontier on the other hand is continuously budges outward as the company acquires new skills and machinery. In order to maintain this shift of the frontier, managers largely invest in organizational learning, career development and such activities that enhance organizational improvement. Organizational competitiveness is not

Imperial Tobacco- International Management Report Essay

Imperial Tobacco- International Management Report - Essay Example Imperial predominantly deals in manufacturing, marketing, distribution and sales of a diversified portfolio of cigarettes, tobaccos, cigars, rolling papers and filter tubes. It holds world leader position in premium, high-end cigar and fine-cut tobacco market. The corporation also delivers logistics and distribution services for tobacco and other associated products. In terms of size, it is one of the top four tobacco companies in the world earning operating revenues of ?29,223m in 2011 (Imperial Annual Report, 2011). The four principal tobacco companies: Philip Morris International, British American Tobacco, Japan Tobacco and Imperial Tobacco constitute about 45% of the overall global market or 74% of the total, excluding China (Ash, 2011). Its strong market position, a diversified brand and product portfolio allow Imperial to grow sustainably. However, growing health consciousness, strict government regulations and restrictions on the industry, high excise duties and illicit trade of tobacco products are key threats to Imperial. Overview of Imperial’s Internationalization Owing to increased globalization and competition, volatile environment within nations, Internationalization strategies by corporations have become more and more relevant for their sustainability. With lowering barriers to trade, access to capital and technological innovation, progressively more organizations are exploring options for higher profit and growth by going international. Imperial became public, by listing in London Stock Exchange, in 1996. At that time, Imperial main source of revenues was UK with only 20% of its revenues coming from other parts of the globe (ScanSafe, 2007). Since 1996, the company has accelerated its global expansion plans, acquiring businesses across the world. As of today, the corporation functions in more than 160 markets with 60% of its products sold in the ‘emerging markets’ of Africa, Middle East and Eastern Europe, and 40% in the †˜mature markets’ of Western Europe and USA. Imperial boasts of a strong global footprint with around 50 factories across 160 countries and employing 38,000 people across the globe. The company divides its operations into EU and non-EU countries. Key markets in EU include France, Spain, Germany and UK while key non-EU markets for Imperial are USA, Australia, Morocco, Taiwan, Russia and Ukraine. Since past two decades, the key drivers of internationalization for the company have been declining growth rate in mature markets such as Europe and US, increase in excise duties on tobacco products, overall slump in economy and rise of anti-smoking culture in advanced countries. Non-EU and emerging markets such as North Africa and Asia have indicated favorable macro dynamics such as GDP growth, population growth and female smoking as well as other growth drivers such as consistent market growth in Asia, Africa and Middle East and margin potential in Eastern Europe. Modes of Internatio nalization Like most other companies, Imperial Tobacco Corporation has adopted Internationalization as a key strategy for sustainable growth and maximizing shareholder value. As learnt in the course, there are several modes by which a company enters an international market. These modes include exporting, licensing, international agents and distributors,

Concept Paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Concept Paper - Assignment Example This results in a gap in their performance as they attempt to perform their role as a leader. (Boak, 2001) The context of my study is to evaluate the need for the restructuring of leadership training in retail management. The need for competent leaders is a bare necessity in the modern retail industry and an essential pre-requisite for its sustenance and growth. The need for able leadership in the retail sector was upheld in the ‘Retail Davos’- the Retail Leadership Forum held on the 13th and14th of September 2011. This event hosted by the global business advisory giants like Goldman Sachs, Korn/Ferry International and OC&C Strategy Consultants, discussed the role of leadership in the modern era of retailing. According to the speakers at the forum, the retail leaders in future will require â€Å"a new set of leadership skills in order to adapt to the changing dynamics in the fact paced industry.† (Harrison, 2011) This has become a pressing issue on the regional as well as global level. And this is what makes this research problem a matter of substantial business interest. In the present business era marked by fierce competition, many global and local retailers are awakening to realize their most critical survival challenge in the forthcoming years. Already caught in the cobweb of competition, pricing, consumer preferences and global extension, the new challenge that has baffled the retail industry is the need for competent leaders. (Florida, 2006; Higgs, 2001; Stalk, 1992) The retail heads across the world have understood that in order to achieve successful organizational growth, it is vital to find and engage the right leadership. (Lengnick-Hall, 2003; Shim, 2002) Studies in retail leadership conducted by Korn/Ferry in collaboration with the World Retail Congress have shown that the lack of right leadership talent can severely affect the development and expansion of retailers, thereby hampering their business growth. (Morel-Curran, 2008) My study

Contemporary Issues in World Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Contemporary Issues in World Politics - Essay Example Everything started in 1988. That year the topic of climate change was more than ever before covered in media, having caused increased public attention to the issue. In the US it was caused by James E. Hansen’s senate speech regarding a threat of global warming. (McCright and Dunlap, 2000: 500) The same year Hansen’s concern was supported by Margaret Thatcher, a Prime Minister of Great Britain at that time, who outlined the possible risks of climate change (Carvalho, 2007: 223-243). The concept of climate change itself, however, wasn’t new to the world at that time. Climate of the planet has always been changing periodically, making people adjust to colder or hotter environment all the time. Probably everyone has heard about so called ‘ice ages’, when great parts of the planet were covered with ice. At the same time, such cold periods were changed by hot ones, like the Medieval Warm Period (A.D. 1000), when most parts of the planet were experiencing hot and dry weather (National Research Council, 2006: 2). During the last 2000 years the most significant climate changes were the mentioned above Medieval Climate Anomaly, the Little Ice Age of 1500-1850, and the warm period of the industrial era, which is lasting during the last 100 years (ibid). These climate changes were caused by various factors, including changes in the planet’s orbit, changes in solar activity, and eruptions of volcanoes. (US Environmental Protection Agency, 2009) The current warming of climate, however, is believed to be much intensified by the influence of human activity that has lead to increased levels of greenhouse gasses emissions. Greenhouse gasses, in their turn, are believed to be the cause of raise in average temperatures on the Earth. David Adam of Guardian outlines that emissions of carbon dioxide produced by human activity are the major cause of the above natural level of greenhouse effect. While before the industrial

Critically assess the impact of the rise of CHina on Asia-Pacific Essay

Critically assess the impact of the rise of CHina on Asia-Pacific security. Is china having an impact in terms of the development of multilateral security mechanisms - Essay Example People’s Republic of China (PRC) came into existence in 1949, two years after division of sub-continent and emergence of India and Pakistan in 1947 when British departed from sub-continent. Indeed, since then, China had remained a poor nation because of its communist policies and strict control by government over nation’s resources. China had no signs of joining the list of developed economies before 1977 because it used to be one of the least developed nations across the globe. However, the Chinese government and policy makers decided to get rid of ‘Maoism’ and traditional adopted communist principles in 1978 to grapple with rising unemployment, poverty, societal and political unrest. Quite unequivocally, China implemented some principles of capitalism thereby opening its economy for foreign investors and interested business organisations that wanted to tap lucrative South Asian and East Asian business markets. The population growth has already declared Ch ina as world most populist country, which in turn, provided international firms availability of extremely cheap skilled, unskilled and semi skilled labor resources. China also introduced new economic reforms to stimulate economic and business activities, thereby controlling the monster of poverty and unemployment. For instance In addition, the foreign investment continued to grow at a phenomenal pace and China, indeed, became world’s most attractive destination for foreign investment. Leading multinationals and supranational corporations also joined the arena and shifted their production plants to Chinese industrial states so that they could maximize their wealth. As a result, Chinese economy grew sharply in last 10-15 years, which in turn, increased nation’s Gross Domestic Product (Purchasing power parity), Per Capita Income, aggregate consumption and output. Government, however, also focused in

Ground Conditions And Explanation of Implications For Design And Essay

Ground Conditions And Explanation of Implications For Design And Construction - Essay Example This paper approves that positions and heights for trees, hedges or shrubs within areas of shrinkable clay were noted too. Ponds, springs, and other waters positions were marked on the map of the site. Placing fill in the location has raised ground levels and this is evident due to features shown on the geological maps as well as aerial photographs, which were found to be missing on the ground. Previously filled areas were determined through comparisons between what appeared on the site and aerial photographs and ordnance survey maps. There were signs of mining within the area evidenced by presence of derelict/hummocky land, old mine buildings as well as infilling or spoil heaps. Slope angles were interpreted through material types underlying the site. Landslips on the other hand indicated terraced ground, poorly drained conditions along the hillsides. Geological maps have identified layers that contain minerals. This report makes a conclusion that direct investigation made it possible to obtain values for limitations defining the soil sufficiency characteristics for designing economical and safe foundations. The investigation was carried out keeping in mind the risks that could arise as a result of inadequate investigation especially with regard to ground behavior. The investigation has made available information in some cost effective means for new works engineering design so that construction costs may be reduced via economic foundation design, structural defects that could arise from unacceptable ground movements are eliminated, health hazards associated with contaminated land can be detected, unforeseen ground conditions claims are avoided, and foundations are prevented from chemical attack.

Increase in energy Essay Example for Free

Increase in energy Essay Introduction Resistance is the opposition a component has on the flow of current and it is measured in Ohms. Resistance occurs as the electrons move along the wire they collide with the metal atoms. These collisions make the atoms vibrate more, which make the metal hotter, they also slow down the flow of electrons causing resistance. Resistance is a measure of how hard it is for the electrons to move through the wire. There are four factors that affect resistance in a wire. They are: 1. Temperature: If the wire is heated up the atoms in the wire will start to vibrate because of their increase in energy. This causes more collisions between the electrons and the atoms as, the atoms are moving into the way of the electrons. This increase in collisions means that the resistance of the wire will also increase. 2. Material: The type of material will affect the amount of free electrons which are able to flow through the wire, if the material has very few atoms then there will be high number of electrons causing a lower resistance because the electrons would have less collisions making it easier for the current to flow. But if there were few free electrons there would be more atoms packed closely together making it more difficult for the electrons to pass. 3. Wire length: If the wire is longer, then the resistance will be higher because the electrons will have a longer distance to travel and so more collisions will occur. Because of this the length increase should be proportional to the resistance increase. 4. Cross-Sectional Area of the Wire: If the wires width is increased the resistance will decrease. This is because of the increase in the space for the electrons to travel through. Because this increased space between the atoms there should be fewer collisions, and more current will flow. Resistance can be calculated using this formula R = V/I. Resistance can be useful in filament lamps and toasters, because if there was no resistance then the wire would not get hot and there would be no light and no toast. But on the other hand in very big power lines you do not want to waste any electricity in heating up the power lines. That is why in the National Grid they use very wide wires so that there are fewer collisions between the electrons and the metal atoms, thats why the electricity is transmitted at high voltage and low current. This causes less resistance and less power is lost. Aim In this experiment I am going to be investigating what effect changing the cross-sectional area has on the resistance of a wire. Input variables are the things which can be changed in an experiment. In My experiment the input variables are going to be the cross-sectional area of the wire this will be varied from thicker to thinner. Output variables are things which are predetermined the input variables. In my experiment the output variables are amperes and volts, and these measurements will be used to calculate resistance. My circuit will include a power supply, wires, an ammeter, a voltmeter, and the subject wire. To make this experiment a fair test I am going to keep the voltage to 3 volts, and keep the length of wire to 20 cm. I am not going to change the wires, ammeters and voltmeter. And I am also not going to change any of the other factors only the cross-sectional area of the subject wire. Prediction. I predict that if the cross-sectional area of the wire decreases then the resistance will increase in proportion to the cross-sectional area. I think this because of my prior scientific knowledge which shows that the wider the wire the more electrons that will be able to flow through them and the less collisions. But in a thinner wire there is less space for the electrons to move therefore more collisions. My tables and graphs should support my prediction. Apparatus list:   Power Supply used to supply an electrical current and voltage   An Ammeter- used to measure current in amps, connected in series. A Voltmeter- used to measure voltage. Connected in parallel.   Two different thicknesses of Nichrome wire- used to experiment on.   Two different thicknesses of Constantan wire- used to experiment on Meter ruler- used to keep the wire to 20 cm long.   2 crocodile clips- used to connect the subject wire to the circuit.   Connecting wires- to connect all the components. Safety I have decided to take some safety precautions by Keeping the voltage at 3 volts because 4 is dangerous, being careful when connecting the wires and while handling the live subject wire. I also wore goggles and used heat proof mats to prevent the live wire from burning the table. Method 1. Firstly I am going to connect the voltmeter to the Power supply. 2. Connect up all the wires. 3. Connect the ammeter. 4. Use crocodile clips to connect the subject wire. 5. Turn the power supply on to 3 volts. 6. The circuit should look like my diagram in the aim. 7. Write down the readings on the ammeter and voltmeter. 8. Repeat for all the thicknesses of wire. 9. After all the wires have been done create a table and calculate the resistance of each wire. 10. Lastly repeat all steps 2 times for reliable results. 11. And find the averages for the results you have collected. Preliminary Work I have decided to use 20 cm of wire as it seemed a sensible length. I also determined to use 3 volts, because 4 volts melted the wire, and 3 seemed a reasonable, safer alternative. I experimented on which of the two materials to use. (Nichrome or Constantan). I compared results on two different thickness SWG 32 and SWG 26 and recorded this information in three tables and three graphs.

Homeopath and Naturopath Medicine Essay Example for Free

Homeopath and Naturopath Medicine Essay Before the practice of the traditional medicine that is used today there was Homeopath and Naturopath medicine; there is evidence of a growing acceptance and use of these more historical medicine practices being used in modern times. Homeopathy and naturopathic medicine practices have a great deal in common; however, there are distinct differences. Over traditional medicine practice and treatment, homeopath and naturopath medicine tend to treat the whole person that try to address the root of the medical problem instead of just treating its symptoms. Cranberry juice helps cure urinary tract infections, garlic is a natural antibiotic and has also been shown to help heart disease as well as other health issues; these two â€Å"cures† are just a sample of using a more holistic approach to treatment rather than prescribing a medication that can be purchased at the local pharmacy. Traditional physicians now prescribe natural based treatments like the garlic and another is fish oil. Knowing the difference between the homeopath and the naturopath practices when seeking medical help is advisable. As stated by Martin Hughes, in his article â€Å"Homeopath vs. Naturopath†: ‘The terms homeopath and naturopath mean different things in different states. In states that license naturopathic doctors as primary care physicians, a practitioner of naturopathic medicine is known as a naturopathic physician. A naturopathic physician may practice homeopathy; homeopathy is one of several treatment modalities used by naturopathic physicians to address your health complaints. In these states, a person who has not obtained the degree of naturopathic doctor from an accredited four-year naturopathic medical school may practice homeopathy but is not permitted to call herself a naturopathic doctor. In states that do not have a licensing process for naturopathic doctors, anybodyincluding lay homeopathscan refer to themselves as a naturopathic doctor.’ Both types of practitioners are unique, however still complement the other. Both believe that the human body is able to heal itself from many illnesses and treatment of ailments should be in a natural form that enables the body  to work properly and heal naturally. Homeopaths and Naturopaths do not always go for the quick fix that a traditional doctor may use. An example is that a traditional doctor may prescribe a chemically based cream for a sever rash, the homeopath and naturopath might advise a cream made from gold seal. Both natural and traditional creams do work. The chemical based is more expensive and may work somewhat faster. A choice comes down to whether the patient would rather use chemicals or something natural to treat an ailment. Before the treatment even begins, there are major differences between naturopathic and homeopathic medical diagnosing that the patient should be aware of. Homeopaths use a detailed question and answering session that may take hours to go thr ough; a naturopath may use a question format along with x-rays and blood work to find the root cause to health problems. A naturopath may work alongside a formally trained medical doctor in an office or within a hospital format, homeopaths typically do not. (Hughes, 2011) Patients need to be aware of how their choice of practitioner works, have confidence in their ability and a willingness to follow any treatment plan given. The treatment that both Homeopaths and Naturopath practitioners use can have differences, both treat the whole body. Many homeopaths use herbalists for help in creating a mixture or formula that treat an ailment. The mixtures are normally made from plants, herbs and juices that are developed in a refined manner and often grown by the herbalist. A naturopath may use botanical and/or chemically based medication. An interesting fact is that women that created the concoctions that healed and treated the sick hundreds of years ago were once considered witches. The practice of burning witches at the stake began in Europe. An ironic fact is that men who practiced â€Å"modern† medicine and often used treatments such as blood-letting found the â€Å"witches† potions to be more effective treatment which then men did not like. (Ehrenreich and English, 1972) Historically effective naturopathic medicine is being brought back into many remedies used today by traditional, naturopathic and holistic practitioners. There is a weaving of practices that is being integrated in a positive way that allows patients today to look at their own health as a whole body treatment. Yoga, vitamin therapy, exercising, following a healthy eating plan is as important as taking medications prescribed by a physician. The weaving begins with the historical use of the naturopath and  homeopathic knowledge we’ve had for generations. The naturopath uses a more whole body approach which may include exercise, diet, regular medicine, herbal or natural types of medicine, hydrotherapy, acupuncture and lifestyle coach ing. (Hughes, 2011) Both homeopaths and naturopaths believe that the human spirit has a great deal to do with how well a person may do when the holistic approach is used. Cancer Treatment Centers of America advertise use of a more naturopathic and holistic approach to treating cancer patients. Caretakers that use a holistic approach and are competent to help treat homeopathic and naturopathic patients are used as a form of support and re-enforcing the treatment plans. ( http://www.cancercenter.com/integrative-treatment.cfm) In some societies spiritual blessings are given or offerings are made, what once was seen as voodoo and witchcraft is now seen in a more spiritually accepted point of healing the inner body. All treatments should be done following the guidelines that are given by the practitioners. Some of the treatments may sound farfetched and even weird, but have proof of their use and positive effect for thousands of years before today. Social media sites such as Facebook are full of people who will swear by some crazy sounding cures, which in fact actually do have medical merit. (One should always check with someone that has proper knowledge before trying anything that may sound dangerous.) It is wise any time a patient is uncomfortable with a diagnosis or treatment plan, they have the right to refuse. Once the treatment is given and completed, there is another difference in how homeopath and naturopath practitioners review the patient’s success. The naturopath will go through many of the same questions that were used in diagnosing a problem. Along the same lines is the checking of symptoms and reactions to the remedies used. If a problem still exists, a naturopath will add another nature formulated item to the treatment and there will be another follow-up a week or two later. A homeopath may use further x-rays and blood work to ensure the treatment is being effective. (Hughes, 2011) There is an ability in gaining knowledge that allows one to know that many forms of natural and homeopathic treatments are being used rather than filling the human body with chemicals that may become toxic, thus poisoning the body. Toxic medications and treatments have been known to cause death, birth defects and cancers. Drug recalls are constantly in the news, most people know at least  one person that has been impacted by a dangerous side effect of a chemical-based medication. Natural medicines or treatments are not without danger; therefore it is imperative to talk to someone who has studied homeopathy, naturopathy or are an herbalist before treating a health problem. Empowering knowledge comes from studying holistic medicine, learning there are ways that are cheaper and better for the body than dangerous, more traditional medicine. The human body is an incredible machine that needs to be treated in the best way possible, using naturopathic and homeopathic medicine is a step in the right direction. References: Hughes, M., D.C. (August 11, 2011). Homeopath-vs-naturopath. Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/100600-homeopath-vs.-naturopath/ Ross, J. (2004) The Mood Cure, published by Viking-Penguin Ehrereich, B., English, D. (1972). Witches, Midwives, and Nurses: A History of Women Healers http://www.cancercenter.com/integrative-treatment.cfm

The use of the loose coupling theory

The use of the loose coupling theory Loose coupling theory proposes that different parts of an organization are loosely related to one another. This can be understood as that different divisions of an organization are loosely coupled with one another, i.e. activities in the higher education department are loosely coupled to those in the English department activities in one department have a minimal impact, or take a long time to show up, in the other. The main thesis of his article is to argue that there are seven pros and corresponding cons of loose couplings. According to Weick (1976), loose coupling is a cognitive response to an environment of constant change, in which connections, networks, diffusion, imitation, and social comparison are less prevalent. The loose coupling systems (LCSs) are uncoordinated and have greater differentiation among components, high degrees of specialization among workers, and low predictability of future action, including change. In general, loosely coupled systems probably are cheaper t o coordinate, but are very difficult to systematically change. The goal of Weicks article is to show that all organizations do not function with tight linkages some organizations, like educational systems, are more loose, which may create more difficult problems for researchers. The loosely coupled approach has a strong parallel in more recent approaches to viewing organizations as complex systems, which has attracted considerable interest among management and organizational theorists. Birnbaum argues that complex systems such as collegial or bureaucratic institution models provide insights to the analysis of LCSs. Complex systems are bottom-up phenomena, also defined as systems comprising large numbers of agents in highly connected webs, can display both high levels of order and disorder. Importantly, order in complex systems is usually a result of micro-structuring processes that provide for robust self-organization. This form of order is not dependent on hierarchical control but is distributed, and it can lead to system-wide stability (or instability). Complex systems do well when they engage in a search for healthier and better-off states, otherwise searches are directed from the top down, and system will likely settle into only moderately fit states. Al so systems must be relatively free to interact with other systems until good fitting strategies are found. Complex systems have slow response times not because they are any slower than simpler systems in detecting environmental threats and opportunities, but because the process of adjustment takes longer. Educational systems demonstrate considerable robustness and resilience in the face of both environmental and intended change, thus the key is to focus on relationships and the building of similar behavior based around trust. Weick (1976) notes that more loosely coupled organizations offer advantages in complex environments. More autonomous groups may be more sensitive to environmental change, and offer more simultaneously adaptation to conflicting demands at the institutional level. If problems develop in one part of the system, it can be sealed off from the rest of the system. Efforts to create a less loosely coupled system or to control and centralize have not altered the overall complex system, which still remains loosely coupled. The concept of LCS is crucial to Rhoades argument about strategic activity. While Weicks strengths and challenges related to LCSs are positioned in difficulties to change organizations systematically, Rhoades approach calls for development of strategic activity through managerialism. Rhoades emphasizes that managerialism and market approaches are two sets of ideas that recently have influenced educational decision-making processes. The problem with these ideas, especially in loosely tight educational organizations, is that although it provided some change, it may not provide a basis for future improvement in education, especially in student learning. Within this model there is an assumption that there is a tight coupling between education policy (e.g. curriculum) and how teachers teach. Where improved performance is sought it is pursued through the manipulation of formal mechanisms such as rules, procedures, rewards or changed evaluation. Bureaucratic hierarchies have however been in creasingly criticized for being non-responsive and inefficient means for organizing public administration. With respect to education, they have certainly proven resistant to change. Managerial initiative is important to Rhoades in moving the universities forward, which is in contrast with loose couplings assumption where planned change has a low predictability as is unlikely to be successful within loose coupling environment. Loose coupling concept also poses some problems for leaders who want to change their organizations. Pfeffer and Salancik (1978) were well aware of this problem of change in loosely coupled systems. They argued that administrators could get around it by finding ways to tighten the coupling patters in their organizations, such as reorganization and stabilization of exchange relationships. The idea was to reduce internal and external variability in the system so that it could be more easily controlled. Thus, loosely coupled organizations can embrace change because its impact is limited. For instance, the English department can change without any punishment if no other departments are affected by its changes the loosely coupled organization as a whole isolates and neutralizes disturbance; however, change is slow. External as well as internal influences are absorbed by this organizational structure. So, the individual departments are not themselves typically difficult to change; rather, the problem lies in getting the entire organization to change, in diffusing the change across the networks. Birnbaum (1988) clearly articulates that to strengthen academic leadership, one must reform structures, adopt more rationalized management systems, and increase the power of executive leadership to make faster, more efficient, and more effective decisions, but for leadership to be effective within LCS, communication has to be present as a sense of general openness in institutional governance and climate. Leaders create organized disorder in which dynamic things happen at multiple locales within the system, thus creating a new behavior rather than controlling organizational activities. Also, the application of data to interaction permits information to influence preferences and possibilities, and that leads to decisions grounded in reality. It is not only about collection, analysis, and dissemination of data, but also about different constituents being interested in that data a nd how it interacts (Birnbaum, 1988). The interaction leads not only to positive administrative decision-making, but also to being rational and looking for consensus among loosely coupled units. Complex organizations cannot function effectively over the long term without leaders to coordinate the activities, represent them, and symbolize the institutional purpose (Birnbaum, 1988). As to administrative decision-making, Weick (1976) notices that LCSs are difficult to change systematically, thus any decision-making change that has to be discussed will encounter a problem of systematic change. The issue with implementation of any administrative change will always come down to the fact that teaching is isolated work and improving instruction is strictly a matter of individual initiative. Thus, the problem with administrative decision-making in LCS is that colleges do not show any collective impact on student learning. The problem with it is also that decision-making is explicitly and directly concerned with the instructional core of education by arguing that educational institutions and their faculty and staff need to be accountable for student learning. Moreover, loose coupling implies that the source of an effect may be located at a considerable distance in time or organizational structure from the effect itself, thus amplification of non-linear cycles makes it p ossible for an insignificant decision to have a major effect as it moves through the system over time (Birnbaum, 1988, p. 71). Birnbaum describes this as butterfly effect and indicates that cause and effect are difficult to predict or determine in loose coupling model. Moreover, circular systems that he describes may also imply about administrative decision-making. He encourages thinking in circles as thinking of unintended consequences that may arise with complexity of how things interact. Although, institutional prestige, faculty morale, student enrollment, and sense of community are crucial for this model, the feedback loops are missing from this model as well as culture of the organization. Also, local adaptations will not always assist with generating efficient responses to system-wide challenges in a decision-making process. Loose coupling implies slow diffusion of central initiatives. As a consequence, the administrator would have to start projects earlier, start more project s, start projects in a greater variety of places, and even talk more frequently about those projects that have been started. The perspective of educational systems as being loosely coupled seems to be weak at explaining one major decision making fact that approaches to schooling have remained remarkably uniform across geography and time. If education systems are loosely coupled, diverse practices should emerge in response to differing local needs and differing ideas about education. Loose coupling can account for the diversity of ways in which units implement different decisions; for instance, the RCM is the way to find innovative options to strengthen individual units where the center does not correlate with units (Rhoades, 2000). In order to improve administrative decision-making, the administrator should emphasize the role of interaction among an organizations members, as well as collaboration and negotiation as methods to determine how decisions should be carried. 2. The Mode 2 knowledge production model is perhaps the most well-known term used to indicate the impact of changes for the university sector. Gibbons et. al.(1994) in the mid-1990s presented their Mode 2 theory saying that university researchers, who previously most often worked on internal disciplinary Mode 1 problems, were now more inclined to involve themselves closely in industrial and governmental research collaborations. Economical factors were seen to be the drivers, as closer relations between university research and industry developed to meet competition from the growing economies. This trend prompted new organizations such as think tanks or hybrid organizations, which often were places where the new front research was to be found. Gibbons et. al. referred to these as Mode 2 organizations, seeing them as generic for the whole research landscape. It seems that Mode 2 model especially in research area was a result of a general economic development towards post-industrialism. Moreover, mode 2 knowledge production model is application-based, and can be explored in an interdisciplinary fashion. As such, the emergence of Mode 2 production would not eclipse Mode 1 methods entirely. In a resource-seeking environment, Mode 2 would likely be more attractive to outside funding agencies and investors due to its application-based principles. Mode 2 may not lead to increased social accountability rather than being held to social values, Mode 2 knowledge would respond to market values, thus will privilege certain kinds of knowledge over others. In this sense, Mode 2 is related to academic capitalism that proposes market-relevant knowledge production. From an academic capitalism perspective, Mode 2 can have a tendency to focus on disciplines with well-known possibilities for commercial use, i.e. technology and medicine, whereas other disciplines may be mostly ignored. By the same token, since both concepts are normative, the system of norms may be well affected especially among traditional researchers within social sciences. In this area, internal interests for research questions seem to be far away from industrys interest for commercial products or the governments interest for useful results. However, one can make an argument supporting Mode 2 and somehow against the notions of academic capitalism. It has to be noticed that Mode 2 would not push research outside of the university, but rather that applied science and the facilities for training researchers would make university-industry relations stronger. For instance, the Bayh-Dole Act of 1980 and related intellectual property legislation profoundly affected the commercial poten tial of government-sponsored research and still allowed research to be conducted within the realm of universities walls. Thus, technology transfer was quite symbolic and the Act was a step toward developing a social exchange between university science and society. In this sense, Mode 2 can be seen as a positive engine that transformed the public research model. Moreover, knowledge production is crucial because knowledge society seen through the lens of academic capitalism would focus more on the activities of higher education institutions in the two countries in a particular regional sphere. Thus, the argument may take us to propositions of globalization and internationalization. A critique that may arise from academic capitalism proponents is the fact that there is no support for a merger of interests between researchers and industry. Researchers at the institutes (or centers of excellence) instead devote their precious time to a shorter research perspective that is strictly coming from the industry or directed toward it. This process was seen as influenced by reductions in state-support, an explanation quite close to the one put forward by Slaughter Leslie (1997). Thus, Mode 2 may jeopardize a strictly public focus of research universities when these start heavily getting involved with the industry. Even though Mode 2 involves multidisciplinary teams brought together for short periods of time to work on specific problems in the real world, this concept, from strictly academic capitalism critique, may not show any organizational diversity, which is at the core of academic capitalism. Also, academic capitalism may criticize Mode 2 as a concept of political i deology rather than a descriptive theory that academic capitalism claims to be. As for similarities, both concepts apply that there are three major actors in science university, industry and government and these extend beyond their former specific areas and change their former roles in closer collaborations for the benefit of economic development of society, thus academic capitalism partly confirms the claims of rising Mode 2. From the perspective of institutional theory, Mode 2 is a problem related to institutional structures. From an institutional theory standpoint, there are templates for organizing institutions that are implicitly understood and translated to new members of an organization. Moreover, these templates are interpretive schema, underlying values and assumptions, similar to mental models (DiMaggio and Powell, 1983; Scott, 1995). Templates of institutional behavior create resistance to change. One concept within the institutional theory that has regularly been applied to higher education institutions to explain change is institutional isomorphism (DiMaggio and Powell, 1983), which suggests that institutions do not change as a result of a competitive market, external pressures or efficiency, but rather through the force of homogenization, striving to be like other types of colleges perceived to be elite. Mode 2 contrasts with institutional theory in the sense of the concept of change because influence of market and other external forces (such as NGOs or TNOs) create a high degree of heterogeneity among institutions. Institutional isomorphism also suggests that institutions tend not to be distinctive in their identity development or image, while Mode 2 emphasizes on organizations that do not have to necessarily conform to the rules and belief systems prevailing in the existing environment. For instance, older and well-established universities with strong cultures will have more specific power to resist change, while other institutions may be more vulnerable to market ideas. Since universities are complex and conflicted organizations, the institutional isomorphism that is projected by institutional theory may be one of the limitations of this theory to encourage distinctiveness and diversity of HED institutions. A critique that might arise from the institutional theory perspective is that the institutions have to learn to share their resources (physical, intellectual and  ¬Ã‚ nancial) with other kinds of knowledge producing institutions. According to Janson (2002), this task may be very difficult to accomplish considering that universities have held the monopoly among knowledge producers. Mode 2 is a threat to this status quo by encouraging alliances as well as collaborative relationships with other knowledge producers. Another critique from an IT standpoint is that Mode 2 would change standards of evaluation and accreditation as well as success and progression that would encourage more of a multidisciplinary context. For IT proponents, disciplinary boundaries are important, thus not only is traditional career path model being challenged by Mode 2, but also the nature of the undergraduate curriculum. Mode 2 is not the only knowledge production model that is challenging the more traditiona l, basic sciences model, but globalization and internationalization as well. According to Gibbons (1994), knowledge is transdisciplinary, problem-oriented, application-based, team-driven, multi-sited, partnership-based, socially useful, heterogeneous, quality controlled, re ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ective and responsive, and less hierarchical than disciplinary knowledge of the kind produced in universities, that is being characterized as typically centered on disciplines, with academic hierarchies, more norm-concentrated, authoritative in regards to social behavior as well as concerned with homogeneity. Another critique is that it will be hard to protect academia from worldwide economic trends as well as production of knowledge in purely economic terms. Because Mode 2 is strictly defined in economic terms, all institutions may have a tendency for duplication and may follow one economic trend in order to survive. Scott (1995) indicates that, in order to survive, organizations must conform to the rules and belief systems prevailing in the environment because institutional isomorphism, both structural and procedural, will earn the organization legitimacy (DiMaggio and Powell, 1983; Meyer and Rowan, 1977). The institutional theory claims that change is less likely to happen within or among organizations, while Mode 2 encourages change especially toward the private sector being more entrepreneurial and challenging the traditional values found especially in higher education institutions. While institutional theory supports traditional values of HED institutions, Mode 2 encourages growth o f those hybrid organizations that capitalize on connections to teaching, research, and service. 4. The most important differentiation is that the concepts of globalization and internationalization that are characterized by glonacal agency heuristic (GAH) are situated above the level of nation-state. GAH as a method of thought focuses on institutions, positions, agency, and structure at three levels: national, local, and global. The concept focuses on colleges and universities (and units and faculty within them) as global agents, encouraging studies of activity and stratification regionally and internationally. However, it is not a method of positioning yourself relative to others. Globalization is not universal, because it does not feel the same for everyone, thus it is not inevitable. In this respect, globalization is uneven and asymmetrical. Moreover, the pressure that it is felt as an institution most of the time mediates. For instance, even if the pressure comes from a national or global context, the local arena may be able to mediate things. For instance, Raytheon company has a heavy involvement on the University of Arizona, however does not have hardly any on Pima Community College. On the other hand, the PCC has a pressure from auto repair industry in cooperation with Jim Click to have mechanics to fix cars. Thus, GAH provides a different response of institutions to globalization. It seems that for GAH there is no separation between globalization and internationalization because both are a total of complex interactions of human and institutional agencies at local, national, and global levels. Marginson and Rhoades (2002) define two types of agency: human agency and institutional agency. For them, it is all about positioning things not individuals. For instance, a supranational agency such as the World Bank has an im pact in developing countries, and the whole impact is being driven by market forces; thus individuals do not shape the globalization process. It takes a lot of agencies to understand what is going on and understand and find a point of where we could resist the impact. According to GAH there is limited analysis of the complex agencies and processes that define them; no global dimension to analyze yet. Thus, with it more comparative studies need to be conducted to know human agency better and also local dimensions institutions and agents. While depicting GAH, the authors base their concept on Clarks description of academic profession that is structured by a triangle, in which market-state is a starting point, from which everything spills over to disciplines and professions as well to government and management. Knight (2004) replies to this issue with the process of internationalization that is supposed to be happening on a continuum basis. Her concept of internationalization is chara cterized similar to Clarks description as a triangle, in which interactions may be of hexagonal shape, but the whole process of internationalization will happen on a continuum basis. For Knight, globalization/internationalization is binary and is an omnipresent force that institutions have to respond to. It is similar to the Newtonian account of action and reaction. However, unlike Marginson and Rhoades, she is interested in institutions approaches (the ways in which they internationalize) and their rationale (why you are doing it explanations and goals), and how they interconnect (by preparing students to exist in global society or bringing in faculty from around the world). Thus, reciprocity is of important value to this concept. It is up to you how you are changing the world. So in that sense, Knight disagrees with Marginson and Rhoades that there is opportunity for everyone to progress. It is worth mentioning that the concept of internationalization is often confused with globalization (Altbach, 2004). The main difference is that globalization may not be unalterable, but internationalization is a process involving many choices. Globalization tends to concentrate wealth, knowledge, and power in those already possessing these elements, thus diminishing the importance of peripheries. International academic mobility similarly favors well-developed education systems and institutions, thereby compounding existing inequalities. Initiatives and programs, coming largely from the north, are focused on the south. The key here is that Altbach summarizes programs and activities relevant to the American study abroad tradition while Knight emphasizes on internationalization as a process. For Knight, internationalization is a two-way street that serves important needs. For Altbach, the concept is focused largely on the south-north spectrum, where students move primarily from south to north, where north controls the process. In this sense, Altbachs approach is based on radical dependency theory that relies on neo-colonialism core. Also, I got an impression that Knights concept of internationalization is not focused on economic (mostly financial) ends. Instead, internationalization is supposed to enhance research, knowledge, and cultural understanding. For instance, one of the initiatives may include study-abroad experiences or enrichment of curriculum through offering a major in international studies or other area studies. Deeply in the core, it does not seem that the process is intended to bring financial profits, but strategically implemented will enhance competitiveness and institutional prestige. However, the process itself, if not controlled, may focus too much on institutional strategies and policies while excluding national governments. In the same aspect, I could sense a tint of skepticism in Altbachs approach in regards to an economic trend of globali zation. Even though he acknowledges the trend and claims it is inevitable, he emphasizes on negative aspects of internationalization as a process that will further diminish the intellectual as well as cultural sides within the developing countries. In addition, Knights definition of internationalization seems to limit itself to the teaching function of the institution by concentrating on the expansion of international curriculum. Although both articles of Altbach and Knight are written in the same year, it seems that Altbach hardly mentions supranational organizations while Knight already acknowledges the new trend proclaiming that not only institutions and national policy makers alone are driving the internationalization, but supranational organizations as well. The tendency for Knight is to look at challenges that globalization presents us from an insider perspective how institutions as well as individuals react to globalization through internationalization, while Altbachs approach can be seen from the outsider perspective that acknowledges institutions, but not the processes and individuals within.

Eye of the beholder :: essays research papers

?Beauty is in the eye of the beholder? is one of the most commonly known proverbs. In the Twilight Zone?s short film, ?Eye of the Beholder? that same proverb is used as a metaphor to demonstrate how beauty and acceptance are illustrated in the real world. The film tells the story of a woman whose hideously deformed face has made her an outcast all of her life. Now she faces her nearly a dozen and final operation for a last chance to look normal with the help of unseen surgeons. First, in the ?Eye of the Beholder? we see the bandaged woman?s craving for normality. She is constantly haunted by the memory of a child screaming because of her physical deformed appearance. We are also reminded that those who look ?different? will be sent of to an isolated place with others of the same ?disability.? With that being said a sense of Nazism idealistic society comes to mind. For example, the Nazi?s sent those who looks different than the normal beautiful blued eyed, blond Germans, to a concentration camp. Moreover, the woman in the ?eye of the Beholder? not only wanted beauty but she felt the need for acceptance. She was denied this when she was taken to a disability camp. It?s amazing how in the movie, people were separated and treated unequally because of their physical appearances, and as result, they could not share the same society. This is in fact is a metaphor for how discrimination was once in extreme existence in this society. For example, African Americans once had to use: different bathrooms, water fountains, and were even segregated to non-white school. They were even isolated to the worse parts of the cities. In conclusion, in the Twilight Zone?s short film, ?Eye of the Beholder? the themes of beauty and acceptance are used as a metaphor for the

Moments Of Action :: Expository Essays

There never seems to be an answer to that one moment of action. There are numerous factors that keep the world in a balance every second. If one of these is slightly altered, the stability is broken, the harmony shattered, the world changed. However, the answer one should give to these moments is unclear. Whether those moments are for the better or the worse, only time can tell. As the fourth quarter clock winds down to the final seconds of a crucial game, the quarterback completes a long range pass for the game winning touchdown. At the moment of its occurrence, it is a tempest of action that can determine the future for many of those involved. It is one of those moments without any explanation. The quarterback might have caught attention from a national football league scout. Maybe the touchdown receiver would be heralded as a hero for his team for years to come. It could possibly affect somebody watching the game from the other side of the world, causing them to realize that nothing is impossible. Though these are the results that primarily come to mind, there is a side to the play that is frequently overshadowed. What happened if the star wide receiver got hurt on the play, and it ends up being a career-ending injury? What about the reputation of the losing coach, who could get fired at the end of the season due to that one loss? All these happen in an instant, a second, just a moment of action that creates an impact that doesn’t have a response. As a car passes by, a pedestrian stumbles over his own shoes, and dives headfirst into the path of the charging vehicle. After the dust clears, police handcuff the driver, and the victim’s family is making plans for a funeral. That one moment of action just affected two unfortunate people’s families, and possibly even more than that. The driver was going at fairly legal speeds, and he ended up being detained for murder. The man who was killed was the only one supporting his wife and son, yet he is gone and his family is stranded. As the moment passes, one can only imagine what would have gone down IF something else happened. If only the pedestrian had taken an extra second to tie his shoes, he would have lived to see the light of day for another second.

Death of a Salesman: The American Tragedy

Arthur Miller’s play â€Å"Death of a Salesman† is considered by many to be a modern tragedy. In â€Å"Poetics†, Aristotle offers his description of a tragedy, and Miller’s play meets these requirements. The American Dream that the protagonist, Willy Loman, spends his life chasing, is, in itself, tragic. And that his family had the same values, the same delusions that Willy did, helps to build the case for tragedy. Aristotle defined tragedy as such:Tragedy, then, is an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude; in language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament, the several kinds being found in separate parts of the play; in the form of action, not of narrative; through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation of these emotions. Tragedy, if one is to believe Aristotle, is something that causes fear and pity. In Arthur Miller’s â€Å"Death of a Salesman†, Willy Loman fails at the American Dream.T his is a common occurrence in modern America, and readers can see themselves in Willy’s shoes, creating fear. They feel sorry for Willy, because ultimately, he is the same as them. His failure is their failure. Not just pitiable, this thought is nothing less than terrifying. According to current research, all human brains have dopamine receptors. Dopamine (DA) is the predominant catecholamine neurotransmitter in the mammalian brain, where it controls a variety of functions including locomotor activity, cognition, emotion, positive reinforcement, food intake and endocrine regulation.If tragedy instills fear, an emotion, clearly a normal working DA is required. With the DA controlling emotions, such as fear and pity, it could be said that humans are hardwired to see all loss as tragic and the play, even as defined by Aristotle, is therefore a tragedy. Being able to see ones self failing, over and over again, is both pitiable and fearful. The average human can see themselves fai ling. Willy Loman’s failures and crushed dreams become their own. In his essay, â€Å"Tragedy and the Common Man†, Arthur Miller states: In this age few tragedies are written.It has often been held that the lack is due to a paucity of heroes among us, or else that modern man has had the blood drawn out of his organs of belief by the skepticism of science, and the heroic attack on life cannot feed on an attitude of reserve and circumspection. For one reason or another, we are often held to be below tragedy-or tragedy above us. The inevitable conclusion is, of course, that the tragic mode is archaic, fit only for the very highly placed, the kings or the kingly, and where this admission is not made in so many words it is most often implied.What he is saying is that, while outdated, tragedy still exists in some form, and no one is above or below it. Willy Loman wanted the American Dream. He wanted to be successful and he wanted his children to be successful. This dream per haps, is the biggest tragedy of all. The play begins when Willy is old, a salesman no longer working on salary, but for commission. He can no longer afford to support his family. All of his contacts from decades of selling are dead. He is the only one left, and he is far from successful.To Willy Loman, success is the equivalent of being well-liked. To modern man, success is having a house, a couple of cars, two point three children, Rover in the backyard and a white picket fence. There is no need to be well-liked as business can be done over the phone or via email while one is in his pajamas. Willy Loman was not well-liked. He had few friends and even less success. He struggled his life away, clawing for the next rung on the metaphorical ladder of life, and never reaching it. His sons were failures and destined to follow in his footsteps.Senile or not, Willy lived the last of his years in a complete fantasy, believing that Biff and Happy were doing well for themselves, when in reali ty, Biff was working as a farm hand and Happy was living with a new girl every week. Happy tried to reassure his father that he was going to get married and be successful. Biff seemed to throw his hands up in despair. He was content doing the work that he was, but Willy still thought of him as a failure.WILLY: How can he find himself on a farm? Is that a life? A farmhand?In the beginning, when he was young, I thought, well, a young man, it’s good for him to tramp around, take a lot of different jobs. But it’s more than ten years now and he has yet to make thirty-five dollars a week!LINDA: He’s finding himself, Willy.WILLY: Not finding yourself at the age of thirty-four is a disgrace! (Penguin Plays, pp 16)Biff himself tells his brother that their dad mocks him all the time. He feels inadequate and lost.BIFF: †¦And whenever spring comes to where I am, I suddenly get the feeling, my God, I’m not getting’ anywhere!What the hell am I doing, playin g around with horses, twenty-eight dollars a week! I’m thirty-four years old, I oughta be makin’ my future. That’s when I come running home. And now, I get here, and I don’t know what to do with myself. (pp22) Happy, too, in a conversation with his Biff, in clearly not content with the direction his life has gone in.HAPPY: †¦I don’t know what the hell I’m workin’ for. Sometimes I sit in my apartment—all alone. And I think of the rent I’m paying. And it’s crazy. But then, it’s what I always wanted. My own apartment, a car and plenty of women.And still, goddammit, I’m lonely. (pp 23) The severely dysfunctional Loman family is a tragedy. Biff and Happy’s constant struggle to make the grade, to be well liked, to be successful; is a tragedy. Willy, barely able to separate past from present, truth from fantasy, has raised his boys to think that the more friends they have the more successful the y will be. Willy Loman measures success in people, and he taught his sons to do the same. He is unable to understand what Biff’s problem is, though the reader finds out at a later time. The problem was Willy. Biff had it made.He was well liked. He had three scholarships coming his way. He failed math, and before summer school started he went to visit Willy on one of the many business trips he took. He finds his father with another woman and leaves, foregoing summer school, the credit and the football scholarships. Albert A. Shea considered â€Å"Death of a Salesman† to be a scathing social commentary on capitalist America. Shea wrote: Arthur Miller casts a score of darts — at advertising, credit selling, the family automobile; at the petty larceny and the subversive attitude toward sex characteristic of our time.But his main attack is against the view that a man is a fool if he does not get something — as much as possible — for nothing more than a smile, being a good fellow and having good contacts. Perhaps Arthur Miller is not casting darts at the view that man is a fool to expect something for nothing. Miller is no doubt attacking the standard good old American Dream, called a dream because that is precisely what it is— â€Å"†¦ something that somebody hopes, longs, or is ambitious for, usually something difficult to attain or far removed from present circumstances.†A dream then, that seldom becomes a reality. These hopes themselves are tragic, because, as mentioned above, they are difficult to attain. For the Lomans, they are not difficult, they are impossible. The Book Rags website writes Willy Loman died a failure by his own standards. Biff considers Willy's life a failure because he had the wrong dreams. He spent too much time convincing himself he could be a successful salesman, when what he was clear he was skilled at working with his hands.If he'd followed the right dreams, and confronted his abili ties in a realistic and honest way, he may not have been a failure, and his life might not have ended this way. Even in death, Willy Loman's plans fail; no one shows at his funeral, and his life insurance policy doesn't cover suicide. And so, at the end of it all, the reader sees, at the same time the Lomans see, that Willy is a failure. His life has consisted of numerous stories and fabrications. He has lied to his wife about how much he has sold, about how many friends he has and even about silk stockings.Willy is a perfect portrayal of the American husband in the fifties. He longs to provide for his family. He dreams about making it big. These are aspirations that he has passed on to at least one of his sons, Happy, who tells him â€Å"Pop, I told you I’m gonna retire you for life. † (pp41) to which Willy responds: â€Å"You’ll retire me for life on seventy goddam dollars a week? And your women and your car and your apartment, and you’ll retire me for life! † A summary on Homework Online offers this: Willy has lost at trying to live the American Dream and the play can be viewed as commentary about society.Willy was a man who was worked all his life by the machinery of Democracy and Free Enterprise and was then spit mercilessly out, spent like a â€Å"piece of fruit. † Joyce Carol Oates read the play in the 1950’s and now writes: His occupation, for all its adversities, was â€Å"white collar,† and his class not the one into which I’d been born; I could not recognize anyone I knew intimately in him, and certainly I could not have recognized myself, nor foreseen a time decades later when it would strike me forcibly that, for all his delusions and intellectual limitations, about which Arthur Miller is unromantically clear-eyed, Willy Loman is all of us.Indeed, Willy Loman is all of mankind, and that is perhaps the greatest tragedy of them all. Oates remarks that Willy Loman resembled none of the me n in her family when she was fourteen or fifteen, and then she realized that all of the men in her family were Willy Loman, in their own way. Aristotle’s definition of tragedy being something that creates fear and pity. Willy is both our fear and our pity.Perhaps Oates summarizes the tragic nature of Willy Loman better than anyone else:In the intervening years, Willy Loman has become our quintessential American tragic hero, our domestic Lear, spiraling toward suicide as toward an act of selfless grace, his mad scene on the heath a frantic seed-planting episode by flashlight in the midst of which the once-proud, now disintegrating man confesses, â€Å"I’ve got nobody to talk to. † His salesmanship, his family relations, his very life—all have been talk, optimistic and inflated sales rhetoric; yet, suddenly, in this powerful scene, Willy Loman realizes he has nobody to talk to; nobody to listen.Perhaps the most memorable single remark in the play is the qui et observation that Willy Loman is â€Å"liked . . . but not well-liked. † In America, this is not enough. Indeed, it is not enough in America.Works Cited:1. Poetics by Aristotle. Trans. S. H. Butcher. 21 May 2004. The University of Adelaide Library. 30 November 2006. .2. Missale, Cristina, S. Russel Nash, Susan W. Robinson, Mohamed Jaber and Marc G. Caron. â€Å"Dopamine Receptors: From Structure to Function†. Physiological Review. 78. 1 (1998): 189-225.3. â€Å"Tragedy and the Common Man†. The Literary Link. 7 October 2006. 8 December 2006. < http://theliterarylink. com/miller1. html>.4. Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. New York: Penguin Books, 1949.5. â€Å"Death of a Salesman† Book Rags. 8 December 2006. .6. â€Å"Death of a Salesman†. Homework Online 8 December 2006. 8 December 2006. .7. Oates, Joyce Carol. â€Å"Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman: A Celebration†. Fall 1998. USFCA. 10 December 2006. .

Bcg Matrix Critique

Marketing Critique: BCG Matrix Your Name Here Table of Contents Introduction3 Concept Overview3 Functional Critique5 Intellectual Critique6 Ethical Critique7 Political Critique8 Conclusion8 Bibliography9 Introduction This paper will attempt to provide a broad critique of the Boston Consulting Group Matrix in light of the ideas of Hackley (2009). In his book Marketing:A Critical Introduction, Hackley presents a framework for analysing marketing models.He suggests that well established marketing concepts should be re-evaluated from time to time, to determine if the marketing studies for that area are applicable to current practice, and revisit the functional, intellectual, ethical, and political relevance of the said concept. I opted to evaluate the Boston Consulting Group model, which is an established tool of the strategic management field, used frequently in marketing circles to optimize product mix.Where alternative versions of the matrix have come up in recent studies, the traditi onal BCG Matrix continues to be popular and this paper intends to evaluate whether the support for the model is justified or needs to be rectified. Concept Overview The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Matrix was initially designed in the works of a leading management consulting firm, the Boston Consulting Group. Henderson (1970) first presented the concept of the Product Portfolio Matrix, the framework of which categorized products within a company's portfolio as â€Å"stars†, â€Å"cash cows†, â€Å"dogs†, or â€Å"question marks†.Also called the Growth-Share Matrix, the model presented by Henderson (1970), organized the products as per their respective growth rate, market share, and positive or negative cash flow. The Matrix was said to create further growth opportunities for the firm if more resources were invested in those products which generated positive cash flows. The model described â€Å"Stars† as those which enjoy a large market share in a rapidly growing industry. Where these stars generate cash, the nature of the market mandates the business to invest cash in order to maintain the product’s market share.The model suggests that continued investment in these â€Å"stars† will eventually lead to these products in becoming â€Å"cash cows† â€Å"Cash Cows† are products which have a large market share in a mature industry. Cash cows are therefore well established, and do not require much investment (marketing expenditures) to continue to generate cash flow. As these products generate cash flow, they are highly guarded. Over time, however, these cows may lose appeal in the market and may have to be retrenched. â€Å"Question Marks† are products which have a low market share in a high growth industry.These products require significant cash investments to generate any kind of boost in sales. Strategies in the case of question marks may either lean towards expansion or retrenchment, depend ing on the market share growth enjoyed by the product. Lastly, there are the â€Å"dogs† which are product lines with low market share in low-growth markets. The nature of the market usually results in these products being produced at a cost disadvantage, and as a result, the cash flow generated from these products is negligible. Businesses usually seek to divest these products, unless they serve an alternate strategic aim.Functional Critique The BCG Matrix presents a strong framework as to how products can be managed from a strategic marketing perspective. At the core of it, the functionality of the BCG Matrix is focused around maximizing returns on investment and how best to deploy organizational resources (Cooper, Edgett, Kleinschmidt, 1999). However, there have been several critiques of its applicability (Stalk and Stern, 1998). In particular, the model has been criticized for its polarities with respect to how the market growth and market shares have been presented.In th e real world, products do not have a high or low share, and are often stuck somewhere in the middle (Hambrick, MacMillan, and Day, 1982). The matrix presents no ideas as to what kind of strategies are to be implemented for the product in this case. Further, market growth rate has been cited as an important driver of product development. Contrary to the advice of the BCG Matrix, market growth rate is viable only till the point of saturation, after which point it would be counterintuitive for the firm to be investing in a product that does not enjoy majority stake (Stalk and Stern, 1998).The critical view of the BCG Growth-Share Matrix was also shared by Morrison and Wensley (1991), who claimed that the model was â€Å"myopic† as it prescribed a set of strategic solutions, rather than encourage marketing executives to think creatively with respect to their product lines. On the contrary, Cooper, Edgett and Kleinschmidt (1999) found in their study that firms which centered strat egy on the product portfolio model were not only more financially viable, but marginally outperformed other firms.Therefore, it is safe to conclude that where the applicability of the BCG model may be challenging, the results it produces are enough for strategists to continue using the model. Intellectual Critique Morrison and Wensley (1991) found that the BCG Matrix set a standard for strategic models, and that a plethora of similar matrix style models came about in the years after the BCG Matrix was introduced (Wind, Mahajan, and Swire, 1983). However, this is where the intellectual contribution of the BCG Matrix ends, they argue.They claim that the Matrix oversimplified the nature of marketing strategies, and streamlined product arrangements in a way that was confirmatory rather than innovative, a view shared by Marren (2004). Other researchers tend to believe that the introduction of the BCG matrix brought forth the importance of financial management in marketing. In particular Schoeffler, Buzzell, ; Heany (1974), Wind, Mahajan ; Swire (1983), and Dirkinderen ; Crum (1984) found that the model recalibrated organizations to focus their strategies more around portfolio management and enhancement.The simplicity of the matrix meant that it could be applied to other areas of marketing management, such as product life cycle model (Barksdale ; Harris, 1982), sales force management (Strahle ; Spiro, 1986). Despite the fact that the model faced significant critique from the academia when it was first launched, it is ironic that the BCG Matrix continues to be an inevitable curriculum component in almost every Marketing and Business Management program around the world.In their study, Morrison and Wensley (1991) found that a majority of instructors continued to espouse the benefits of the matrix to their students, despite having some reservations about its applicability. Perhaps the best appraisal of the intellectual value of the BCG Matrix was provided by Henderson, the creator of the model: â€Å"a milestone on the search for insight into business system dynamics, but certainly not the end of the road† (Moore, 2001). Ethical Critique As per Hackley (2009), marketing studies need to examine the ethical and social values which surround marketing practice and theory.In the case of the Boston Consulting Group Matrix, the model is an internal strategic tool which shapes product assortment which is to be deployed to the market. The nature of the model is such that it advocates products with high market share in strong market growth. The ethical quandary posed here is whether the organization should retrench a product line which has low market share, in an industry of low market growth, but the product serves a purpose that is beneficial to society (such as pharmaceuticals).In a similar vein, is it ethical for a company to invest more resources into promoting a product in a growing market, even when the company is aware of the adverse effects of the product (such as cigarettes). In other words, should an organizations product assortment be negligent of social benefits, and be determined solely on market dynamics alone (McDonald ; Leppard, 1992), in a time when businesses are advocating principles of corporate social responsibility?It is also pertinent to note that the BCG matrix encourages organizations to continue investing in profitable ventures (â€Å"cash cows†), whereas it suggests retrenching investment to those products (â€Å"dogs†) which are not responding to market stimulation initiatives. Considering the large research and development expenditures that go into creating and launching a product, it is not clear from the BCG model about how long the company should wait before removing the product from markets altogether (Seeger, 1984).Therefore, users of this model may want to base decisions in the context of net social benefit to continue driving the long term sustainability of the company and soci ety at large. Political Critique As Hackley (2009) indicated, when analysing any marketing tool, it is important to analyse where the concept originated and what institutional forces stood to advantage from its evolution. In the case of the BCG Matrix, as described earlier, the model was originated in the work of Henderson (1970).The matrix was an integral component of the Boston Consulting Group and was used by several influential benchmark companies at the time of its launch. The matrix also enjoyed coverage in the press, despite strong criticism by academia (Morrison and Wensley, 1991). It is clear that the hype around the model stood to benefit the Boston Consulting Group the most, a fact that is confirmed by the fact that the company propagates its use to this very day, despite being aware of its shortcomings.It has also been found that aside from promoting and capitalizing on the â€Å"success† of their models, consultancies go great lengths to ensure that they attract the highest profiled organizations to employ their services, so that they can charge higher consulting fees citing the quality of their past work (O'Shea & Madigan, 1998). Conclusion In conclusion, it is clear that the Boston Consulting Group Matrix is flawed in many respects, but continues to enjoy support in academic circles for its implications of strategy.It also serves to purpose that the model has inspired the creation of numerous other matrices to assist organizations in strategizing better. However, as with any marketing tool, it is important to keep in mind the ethical implications of the decision-making advised by these strategic models. Bibliography Cooper, R. G. , Edgett, S. J. , & Kleinschmidt, E. J. (1999). New product portfolio management: practices and performance. Journal of product innovation management, 16(4), 333-351. Hackley, C. (2009). Marketing: A critical introduction. Sage Publications Limited. Derkinderen, F. G. & Crum, R. L. (1984). Pitfalls in using portf olio techniques—Assessing risk and potential. Long Range Planning, 17(2), 129-136. O'Shea, J. , ; Madigan, C. (1998). Dangerous company: Management consultants and the businesses they save and ruin. Penguin USA. Henderson, B. (1970). The product portfolio. BCG Perspectives series (The Boston Consulting Group, 1970). Hambrick, D. C. , MacMillan, I. C. , ; Day, D. L. (1982). Strategic Attributes and Performance in the BCG Matrix–A PIMS-Based Analysis of Industrial Product Businesses. Academy of Management Journal, 25(3), 510-531.Barksdale, H. C. , ; Harris Jr, C. E. (1982). Portfolio analysis and the product life cycle. Long Range Planning, 15(6), 74-83. Marren, P. (2004). The matrix revisited. Journal of Business Strategy, 25(4). McDonald, M. , ; Leppard, J. W. (1992). Marketing by matrix: 100 practical ways to improve your strategic and tactical marketing. Butterworth-Heinemann. Morrison, A. , ; Wensley, R. (1991). Boxing up or boxed in? : A short history of the Boston Consulting Group share/growth matrix. Journal of Marketing Management, 7(2), 105-129. Schoeffler, S. , Buzzell, R.D. , ; Heany, D. F. (1974). Impact of strategic planning on profit performance (pp. 137-145). Graduate School of Business Administration, Harvard University. Seeger, J. A. (1984). Research note and communication. Reversing the images of BCG's growth/share matrix. Strategic Management Journal, 5(1), 93-97. Stalk, G. , & Stern, C. W. (Eds. ). (1998). Perspectives on Strategy: From the Boston Consulting Group. J. Wiley. Wind, Y. , Mahajan, V. , & Swire, D. J. (1983). An empirical comparison of standardized portfolio models. The Journal of Marketing, 89-99.

Trends and Issues in Education

Future Needs Change Current Issues and Trends in Education Historically education has changed over the years to meet the needs of children, and their ever changing mold. Society and governance has changed over history to save children from abuse, starvation, and provide educational opportunities but has not completely succeeded in these areas within minority classes. The educational gap between whites, blacks, and Hispanics is astoundingly large. This gap extends to healthcare, gun violence, criminal activity, and poverty. Since 1979, gun violence has ended the lives of 110,645 children and teens in America† (â€Å"State of america's,† 2011). Gun violence is not a new issue to the United States. It can be dated back to the first presidential assassinations and the â€Å"old west†. Gun violence has escalated into religious and political assassinations up to school massacres starting with the Columbine shootings. The United States’ is not successfully helping our youth with gun prevention. In 1994 the federal government passed The Youth Handgun Safety Act which prevents juveniles from possessing firearms or ammunition.That same year they passed The Gun-Free Schools Act which prevents firearms on school campuses and requires LEA’s to a referral service of those students caught with a firearm (1996). Although the government has enacted these laws gun violence has escalated. According to The State of Americas Children â€Å"3,042 deaths of children and teens from gunfire in 2007 alone nearly equaled the total number of U. S. combat deaths in Iraq through July 2011 (3,480)† (â€Å"State of america's,† 2011 ). Their data also shows that 11 children or teens die daily from gun related problems.It also states that even though there are fewer black boys in America they are more likely to come into a fatal blow with a firearm. African American males are more likely to die from a gunshot blow than any natural cause of death ( 1996). The sad issue here is that most of these minorities are the product of poor communities. The need to feel important can be a huge determining factor for these young males, and their need to be accepted into a group. Intervention programs need to be more readily available for these poverty areas. Every 34 seconds a child is born into poverty† (â€Å"State of america's,† 2011). America has made significant advancements in technology, civility, and postmodernism but is still stuck in a time warp from the ‘70s when it comes to poverty. Today’s youth still face the poverty epidemic they faced 40 years ago. The demographic of poverty has changed due to the changing face of America, but the epidemic remains the same. Poverty affects a child’s educational performance and opportunities as well. The schools funds are rooted in property taxes.Most students of poverty live in areas with low property taxes and therefore school funding is low. Instead of th e government making sufficient shifts in funding to give intervention opportunities and professional development, the time warp remains. Teachers come into education unaware of the issues poverty throws on its children. The government has â€Å"tried† to solve the educational poverty issue with No Child Left Behind. This act hides behind the blanket of all children are equal, but the truth is they are not.If they were then all children would have the same opportunities. There would be programs in place for summer enrichment to help stop the loss of information they experience during the summer. Poverty also shows itself in the minority groups and their graduation success rate. In 2006–07, 7. 7 million students attended poverty schools 33 percent African American and 35 percent Latino (â€Å"Child poverty in,† 2006). Only half of the African American male population actually graduates high school. Poverty is the root that bears down to hold on to generation after generation.If society does not change its ways of informing families and students then our society is going to keep falling behind. In order to make minority groups more successful in education, we are going to have to inform them on the statics of graduation, what is needed to graduate, be able to identify at-risk students, and show them the next step, college. If students have a vision of what is next, they can envision themselves on that path. My personal experiences help me and inhibit me in my understanding of the future of our youth. The fact that I grew up in poverty helps me see the need for intervention.If I was not exposed to the interventions that my school had in place then I would not have had the visions for what I needed to be successful. The downfalls to the interventions were that they were only for those A students. I was exposed to the next step because I did well in school. My mother and father were not high school graduates but pushed and showed that education was important. Though I grew up in poverty, I lived in the suburbs. This inhibits me with gun violence to a certain sense. The only gun violence I was exposed to was the untimely death of a classmate because he was playing with a handgun.I am not familiar with street gun violence, the need to be in a gang or the readily available hand guns. This kept me from seeing the issue of inequality until I reached the classroom as a teacher. I became a teacher in ’07 in an inner city school. My familiarity with growing up in poverty helped me connect with my all black classes. I knew when they first saw this â€Å"white lady† they would feel no connection but that quickly changed. They figured out that we had more in common than they thought. I used my experiences of the unknown to keep them from having the same unknowns.I may have no idea of the fear they live in with constant gunfire in their streets at night, I do understand the long, dark path that they see in front of them with no light to guide them through the goals they have rooted in them. I try to provide a spark in the beginning that will eventually lead to an ever burning light that shows them there is no dark place, that success is theirs. They can do and be anything they strive to be. Diligence and will are the keys to success. As an educator I have to stay educated on the adverse society we live in and the proven strategies that will help me be successful to keep my students successful.Our future needs a change in education, in poverty, and in thought. Technology is a beautiful tool, but our country has its hands in the wrong pocket. Taking from education is only hindering our future economic success by filling our prisons and emptying our school desks. Gun violence is being used by our youth as a tool for change but this change is a life altering change in the wrong the direction. Having politicians without educational background guiding our educational realm will continue to lead it into a hurricane of destruction.References (2009). African americans and education. Retrieved from http://naacp. 3cdn. net/e5524b7d7cf40a3578_2rm6bn7vr. pdf Aldridge, J. , & Goldman, R. (2007). Current issues and trends in education. (2nd ed). Boston: Pearson Education. (2006). Child poverty in america. Retrieved from http://www. fightpoverty. mmbrico. com/facts/america. html (1996). Reducing Youth Gun Violence:, Retrieved from https://www. ncjrs. gov/pdffiles/redyouth. pdf (2011). State of america's children. Retrieved from www. childrensdefense. org