Finance Policy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Finance Policy - Assignment Example A business’s financial position is evident from its profit and loss account and the balance sheet. The balance sheet and the profit and loss statement should communicate the appropriate results of the firm to the CEO so that he can make decisions regarding investment. The financial statements of the firm should be made available to all so that they can make their own conclusions from the financial statements with respect to the operations in the firm. It is very important that the financial information provided must be reliable and authentic. The primary objective of my role as CFO is to interpret the firm’s accounts accurately and identify which of the investment methods could benefit the firm in the long as well as the short run. This could be achieved by making appropriate review of the financial statements as well as developing accurate interpretations. This is supposed to benefit the firm and its stakeholders. b) The company can use concise financial report, which consists of Consolidated Income Statement, Statement of Comprehensive Income, Balance Sheet, and Statement of Changes in Equity, Statement of Cash Flows so that all the third party investors and stakeholders could evaluate the firm’s business. ... The taxation requirements of the government should be met with appropriate heads showing profits before tax and profits after tax. Similarly the employees can get an idea about the functioning of the firm by analyzing the financial statements. The creditors and debtors value in the balance sheet along with the bad debts gives a clear understanding about the total debtors and creditors of the firm. The shareholders can understand the way the firm is functioning through the payment of dividends and the return on equity, which is projected in the financial statements. Question 2 a) High dividend policy to the shareholders signifies that the firm is earning high profits and, thus, is paying high dividend to its shareholders. This creates anticipation among the shareholders that the firm will pay them a higher amount of dividend in the next financial year. High dividend also signifies that the portion of debt capital in the firm in comparison to its equity capital is less, which implies t hat the firm has its own financial stability. b) If there are negative profits in the firm then the firm will pay a lesser amount of dividend. If the firm chooses to retain a high portion of its earnings for investment activities, even then the dividend payment will be less. c) High dividend payouts are popular and well appreciated by all the shareholders. But the problem that arises here is that if the firm earns high profits and provides high dividend to its investors in one year and in the next financial year its profit is less comparatively and so it fails to pay high dividends, then the shareholders will be unhappy with the firm. This will affect the bond and relation they have with the firm. As the shareholders are the primary investors in the

High School Life and College Life Essay Example for Free

High School Life and College Life Essay The change from high school to college can be a difficult one. Both your social and academic life will be remarkably different from high school. Although you might think that college is simply a level above high school, there are several differences between the two, and you need to be prepared for what’s ahead. My college experience so far has been really stressful but am trying my best to excel. Unlike high school where things tend to move smoothly, college has been the total opposite. No time to play, more assignments and project which tends to consume my time. For instance, in high school, my classes were assigned to me and i was supplied with many of my classroom materials and books. I had a guidance counselor telling me which courses to take and when. In college, it is my responsibility to sign up for the classes i need to take to graduate and during my first enrollment, I ended up picking irrelevant classes because I had no idea about the whole thing. Although, we have an academic advising center were you can go and meet an advisor who can help out with picking classes suitable for you and is located at room 113 north shepler of Cameron university. Also, in college, I am responsible for buying all class materials and trust me, the cost of these materials are very high whereas in high school, our textbooks and class materials were given to me for free. A textbook with access code can go for a minimum of $100 which is way expensive and I do not get to spend so much during high school days Class materials are really expensive. Moreover, we have a library where you can get all this books and check them out if you need them urgently without buying. I use the library everyday and check out books all the time. Read more: High school life essay Finally, the style of teaching tends to be more advanced in college than high school. Am finding it difficult coping with the assignments(which are very voluminous),unlike high school where I was given just little assignments. Tutors explaining things fast and am just confused and lost in class and I just take a break from classes like that. Although, the school came up with tutor.com, a free online website where students can visit to get help and l also visit the academic tutoring facilities like that for  center for academic success which is located at nance boyer room 1008, center for writers at nance boyer room 2060, math lab at burch hall 104 and academic commons tutoring center at academic commons 138. Am trying really hard to overcome these difficulties before next semester. Putting in every single effort and aiming for a perfect grade point. I know I can do it by being determined and being serious.

My Reality Check Essay examples -- Personal Narrative

My Reality Check Two things didn't mix well in my life. One was being a full time student and the other an athlete. It was great not having parents around telling you to do your homework or to go to class, of which I never did. I had a choice, which was more important, playing lacrosse or studying. Like any first year college student I picked lacrosse. At that point I didn't realize what I was getting myself into. Who at that age would know either? My worst nightmare came true in the summer of 1989. I was academically dismissed from the university. I thought to myself "no way, this could never happen to me, I played lacrosse, had a girlfriend, and I was popular, how could this have happened". The worst part of the whole experience was the car ride home from the post office. The feeling of emptiness overwhelmed me, I felt as if I had nothing inside my body. I thought, "what am I going to do?" Then I had to face my parents, boy was I scared. What was I going to tell them? Sorry mom and dad but I wasted your money; I had no excuses so I told them the truth. What happened after that changed my life forever. It was either the military or go to a community college and try to redeem myself. I wanted to do neither, but I had to choose. The military was off my list and going to a community college sounded o.k. So I registered and the rest of that summer I had to deal with the fact that I had not accomplished anything in the past year and this was wake up call an...

Hadyn Middletons The Lie of the Land - The Next Blockbuster Movie? :: Hadyn Middleton The Lie of the Land

Hadyn Middleton's The Lie of the Land - The Next Blockbuster Movie? The idea of turning Hadyn Middleton's The Lie of the Land into a film sounds quite exciting. I can just picture the television commercials airing clips from the movie after every sitcom and T.V. show, and posters and billboards mounted high atop tall buildings on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood and even New York. Perhaps The Lie of the Land can be the next blockbuster movie! Just imagine, with an all star cast and a high budget set, this film can have great potential. Our leading man, David Nennius, can be played by none other than the handsome Keanu Reeves and his leading lady, Melissa, can be played by the beautiful half African American and half Caucasian, Halle Berry. The rest of the cast can include Elizabeth Hurley as David's pitiful mother, Mary, Cameron Diaz as Rachel, Robert Downey Jr. as her husband Matthew, Hugh Grant as Quinn, and special appearances by Richard Gere as William Meredith and Bruce Willis as Alasdair (Ally). Of course, we would need about ten to fifteen more extras to fill the roles of characters like Art, Grace, Emrys, David's anonymous father, and the man who gets brutally killed by David. This contemporary film of the nineties can be a thriller especially for young adult movie goers, but can be viewed by all 17 and over persons for it must be rated R due to some profanity and explicit sexual scenes in the film. Lots of loud pop/rap/alternative music and vibrant colors can add much flavor and pizazz to this flick. Action, drama, murder, mystery, sex, and much more can really jazz up this film. The setting would be in England of course and it would include buildings, city streets, cars, and the night life. Certainly, the costs of making this film would be expensive due to the all star cast and the location it will be filmed in. But wouldn't it be worth it if it becomes a big hit? Being directed by Quentin Terrintino and all? Furthermore, unlike the novel, the film will start with Elizabeth Hurley (i.e. Mary) getting seduced by this mysterious man and then giving birth to our main character, David. Then the film will progress as it does in the book, but the ending of the film will be the beginning of the novel. The movie would have not much differences from the novel, but I figure that a heated scene in the beginning of the movie will open many eyes immediately,and naturally viewers would be interested to keep their eyes open throughout the film to see what's next.

Physics for Future Presidents Notes-Final Exam

Energy: the ability to do work. Work= force x displacement. Power=energy/time Power is measured in watts or horsepower. Joules/sec=watts 1hp=746w=1kw Basal metabolic rate 2000kcal/day= 100w Batteries store energy in chemical form. They release energy by pumping electrons’ through wires from the minus pole to the plus pole. Devices inbetween convert this energy to another form, Efficieny- e. motor=85%, combustion= 20% Hydrogen is not a source of energy but a means of transportation Types of energy: kinetic e(in joules)= . 5mv^2.Solar energy- 1gw per km^2 Solar energy can be turned into electricity through solar cells 15%=cheap, 40% efficiency=expensive. Caloric theory of heat=caloric fluid flows from hot object to cold. Heat engine= device to turn heat energy into useful work: heat comes from something hot but only some goes to useful work. Satellites=free fall. Ionizing radiation=energy in the form of waves or paricle Beta radiation-just an electron, wont go through skin but r eally bad inside you alpha- he2+ nucleus-wont go through skin but bad once inside. Comes from radioactive particles like lead 210 or iodine. amma- high energy photon, may go through you. neutrineos-noninteracting, come from fusion, cosmic rays-very powerful. Come from supernovas. Moves at speed of light moderator-slows neutrons b/c they are absorbed better when slow ciritical mass needed for nuclear bomb-5kg, resistence of wire depends on length, longer=more resistance. Thickness-thinner=bigger resistance, material. Escape velocity=velocity required on the surface to completely leave a planet Rcket-goes nowhere near escape velocity – drag from atmosphere is bad, goes slower but carries fuel Tin Celsius = Tin Fahrenheit ? 2 ? 5 9 Tin Fahrenheit = Tin Celsius ? 9 + 32 . 5 Nuclear energy Source of energy of energy in plants=radioactive particles such as uranium and plutonium. A chain reaction is the doubling law that takes you from small numbers to high numbers in a small number of generations. Aromic bombs are based on chain reactions of u-235 or pu-239. Plutonium is manufactured in nuclear reactors. Difficult bomb design (implosion). Hydrogen bomb=fission ignites secondary reaction that contains two isotopes of hydrogen-most dangerous part of residual radioactivity.Nuclear reactors are based the chain reaction but normally work with neutron multiplication of 1 o reaction doesn’t grow. Moderators slow neutrons so they are more likely to attract to nucleus. If moderator is lost the chain reaction stops. If it runs away and c. r. begins to grow exponentially, the slowness of the neutrons limits the size of the explosion. Since a c. r. depends on slow neutronsa cr that depends on slow neutrons cannot give rise to a nuclear explosion so therefore a reactor cannot blow up like a bomb b/c when temp increases, aroms are moving too fast for the neutrons to hit them so the c. stops. It will blow up like tnt, but 1 mil times smaller than a bomb. N reactor= d evice in which sustained c. r. takes place. Neutrons hit nucleus to cause another fusion. Power doesn’t grow, is constant. Power comes out in the form of hear. Nuclear reactors use moderators- a chemical mixed with fuel that slows down the neutrons. Isotopes are different types of atoms (nuclides) of the same chemical element, each having a different number of neutrons. Power-rate of energy release. Cookies=high energy. Tnt=high power. I kg h=1 gal gas.Heat energy (or just heat) is a form of energy which transfers among particles in a substance (or system) by means of kinetic energy of those particle. Nuclear energy= energy stored between the forces between parts of atomic nucleus. Energy=measured in calories or joules. I watt-I joule/sec. most useful kinds of energy=chemical and potential. One calor is the enrgy it takes to raise one kg of water by one degree Celsius. 4k joules=calories. Solar cells- crystals that convert sunlight directly into electricity. K energy depends on sq of v. double speed=kinetic energy increased by factor of 4.. emp is a measure of hidden kinetic energy. Disorider= entropy. Double abs temp=double pressure. Heat engine= any engine that runs by turning heat into mechanic motion. Laws: 0-objects in contact tend to reach same temp. 1- energy is conserved. 2-you can’t extract heat energy w/o temp difference- tend towards same temp 3-nothng can reach temp of abs 0. Satellite in low earth orbit=5 mi/sec. high sat=slow. Geosynchrous sat= sat that orbites in 24 hours. . blackhole=escape velocity = faster than speed of light. Big mass or lots packed into small radius . rockets fly by pushing burned fuel down. /c rocket weighs so much more fuel, the amount of velocity gained by rocket is much less than the fuel velocity so very inefficient. Gravity=attraction between two masses. Radioactivity= explosion of nucleus atom. Radiation=pieces thrown out in explosion.. chernyobyl-vessel explosded in Ukraine, radiation went all the way to stockhom. Don’t know if deaths were from radiation or regular cancer. Firefighters died from radiation45 rem receved average.. 25 rem=1% cancer chance. The hydrogen economy is a proposed system of delivering energy using hydrogen.Thinks methane is the way since ch4. he term â€Å"hydrogen economy† describes an envisioned large-scale scheme of delivering energy by means of hydrogen, particularly for â€Å"motive power† (personal cars, buses, planes, ships, etc. ). This is attractive for several reasons, among them the clean way in which hydrogen burns (it only leaves water as a residue), its high energy per weight, and the fact that fuel cells can convert hydrogen’s energy directly into electricity that subsequently powers an electric motor, with a combined efficiency exceeding that of ordinary combustion engines.Around 4:00 am on the morning of March 28, 1979, water pumps in the non-nuclear section of Three Mile Islands’ Unit 2 nuclear power pla nt stopped working. This prevented the steam generators from removing heat from the plant and initiated an automatic shutdown of the reactor. The possiblity that the melting of fuel rods could result in a release of radioactivity to the surroundings was of great concern. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission was alerted at 8:00 am and the White House was alerted at 9:15 am. By 11:00 am, all non-essential personnel were evacuated from the facility.The remaining personnel worked to bring the situation under control over the next several days. According to the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, this accident, â€Å"was the most serious in U. S. com- mercial power plant operating history, even though it led to no deaths or injuries to plant workers or members of the nearby community. But it brought sweeping changes involving emergency response plan- ning, reactor operator training, human factors engineering, radiation protection, and many other areas of nuclear power plant operations. â €  – melted cre

DNY influence of the dutch on nycs early history Essays

DNY influence of the dutch on nycs early history Essays DNY influence of the dutch on nycs early history - Dutch trading companies push factor missing 1,2.,3.,4 they didnt feel like going out to dicover pull factor not strong 1.,2,3, they were only interested in trading - 1602 Dutch East india Company- monopoly on dutch spice trade often considered first multinational company/corporation in the world first issue stock -1614 first dutch settlement Fort Nassau -1621- dutch west india company -march 31st 1624 ship the new Nederland 30 familes first dutch immigarnts tp north America -1624 fortress, Fort Orange -1625- fortress, Manhatten Island, farmers from Holland brought here five farms established -farms bouwerijen 1629- DWIC promised liberties 2nd exemptions 50 colonists- own expense called a patron buy land-full ownership held in perpetuity for himself and heirs 1629- dwic bought back 4 or 5 patroon ships- Rensselaers wyck-Kiliaen vao Rensselaers 1647- Nieuw Amsterdam became trading center of the colony- Pieter Stuyvesht-700/100? de wal Amsterdam- nienw Amsterdam- new york city 1626- Peter Minuit, governor of new Amsterdam purchased Manhatten Island for 60 guilders (24$-25$) 1664- 1500 inhabitants-350 houses- not all Dutch- many languages- cosmopolitan city- atmosphere of tolerance(religious), as per 17th century Holland 1646- town of breukelen Brooklyn 17th century- Netherlands and England maritime powers- rivalry for trade and freedom of the seas August 28,1664- English fleet off Nienw Amsterdam four men- of war- dutch surrender 1673- Dutch again- nieuw Oranje/ New Orange 1674- Treaty of West minister ended Anglo- Dutch war territory to Britain- NYC

Sales planning, telemarketing and customer relationship management

Sales planning, telemarketing and customer relationship management Sales Planning A sale planning is the key component of any sales activities. Sales plan consists of two major components: the sales strategy and the sales tactics (Everett 47). The sales strategy refers to the acts of letting the community know about the company and its products. The sales tactics may refer to activities, such as putting adverts on local dailies, knocking door to door, setting up events at the work place and attending seminars and chamber of commerce meetings (Everett 49).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Sales planning, telemarketing and customer relationship management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Prior to making sales plan, managers should consider the sales quota, the product line, the sales territory and the line of products and services. However, revising the sales from time to time is also very important. This applies to the best plans developed by sales group. Sales managers often make mis takes not preparing sales plan or developing sales plan, which are practically impossible to execute. They leave out important requirements during sales plan development. This includes sales rep development, where managers develop sales plan for the actual sales people without involving them. Secondly, sales plan should have provision for regular reporting, may be on weekly basis to provide flexibility in the planning cycle. Finally, sales metrics should focus on results and activities (Zahorsky 2011). Sale force motivation involves making the sales people feel accepted and their efforts recognized as a crucial part of the company’s development. There are three major determinants of motivation. This includes environmental conditions, the firm’s management policies, such as compensation, supervision and task and personal characteristics of the sales person (Zahorsky 2011). Positive motivators include recognition, acceptance, respect, trust, achievement, and pride while the negative motivators include intimidation, fear, revenge, obligation and social comparison (Everett 51). One of the biggest blunders made by sales manager is to confuse appreciation with training whereby the management congratulates on the sales force for a good job, and at the same time dilute this feeling by immediately shifting to areas of improvement (Zahorsky 2011).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Sales people can consider it as lack of appreciation from the management. Therefore, to avoid such confusion, performance improvement areas should be saved for coaching sessions, and success stories should be appropriately celebrated even in small parties as these little gestures portrays respect and recognition of efforts. A person who understands the overall goal and inspires others to make individual commitments towards achieving these goals is a good motivator . Several ways to provide motivating environment include participation, whereby decisions affecting a team is made collectively, recognition in form of giving credit rewards and praise. it is also necessary to be aware of the companys products and services and be able to communicate them well. The use of appropriate style for each situation, warm climate and creativity are crucial. A key asset for any company is a formidable sales force, which ensures that the services and products of the company reach the intended customer. To recruit the sales people, the manager should know the required number based on sales projections and goals. Special emphasis on experience is important as this would reduce training cost. Qualities such as hardworking, people with a positive outlook on life and good attitude as well as dedication to work are vital for sales people (Everett 51). People who are resilient to discouragement and challenges that arise along the way, make good sales persons (Zahorsk y 2011). To get such people, the recruiting team should engage existing sales persons and chose the best method of advertising, such as a use of local newspapers that covers a wide region. It is necessary to focus on the right attitude and personality during interviews. Telemarketing Telemarketing is defined as marketing operations which are done directly to sale some goods, gather marketing information, make meetings, and generate sales over the phone (Rank 2009). For any sale to take place by telemarketing, a first step is to identify potential customers.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Sales planning, telemarketing and customer relationship management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This can be obtained from customer survey reports which explain various types of customers and their products and service needs. Past purchase records, telephone directories and customer databases from other companies are also good r eference points (Louis 52). There are two types of telemarketing: in-bound and out-bound. In-bound telemarketing includes handling of the customer responses generated by advertisements, direct mails and catalogs and taking orders for a variety of goods. Customers use toll free 800 numbers, and call a company’s telephone service to place orders for goods and services (Rank 2009). Out-bound telemarketing is hands-on with the telemarketing company calling the end customers. The sales representative required for this requires more training than those for in-bound telemarketing. Telemarketing has several advantages. It is cost effective and time saving when compared to personal selling. Small-scale businesses and big companies therefore prefer it. It only costs one fifth of the actual amount used through personal selling, when using telemarketing. Compared to direct mails, telemarketing is more expensive but it is more effective in closing deals than direct mails. Telemarketing al one is an effective method of selling, but it is most profitable as a part of a general market endeavor. For telemarketing to bring positive change in any marketing strategy, managers should consider qualifying the type of products and services to be effectively sold over the telephone; the means of generating new business using telemarketing; the possibility of expanding sales volume using telemarketing and how the practice can help qualify forecast, characterize the markets and service existing customers. Telemarketing applications includes selling, gathering information, creating new leads and improving customer services (McHatton 1988). Products readily identifiable in the market and those whose purchases are repetitive can effectively be marketed using telemarketing. (Louis 52). Maintaining the existing customer of the company is important, as it is from this base that most of the business generates. Use of telemarketing enhances customer follow-up.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Telemarketing also acts a resourceful activity of obtaining future customers and sales leads, since the information of all prospective consumers gathered is store in a unique database. To determine the effectiveness of advertisement used by companies, telemarketing is a resourceful tool (McHatton 1988). However, telemarketing faces many challenges such as swindles and fraudulent practices. This has contributed to great loses among people, making this practice less popular. As a result, the government has proposed several laws that deal with the practices of telemarketing. Advancement in technology has also slowed the telemarketing industry (Briones 33). With the advent of a telephone screener, the privacy manager in 1998, telemarketers no longer have the freedom of calling all their prospective customers, since some of their calls do not go through because of screening by this system (Beatty 19). This has contributed negatively for the industry. However, newer methods of handling th ese challenges to sustain telemarketing as a leading sales strategy are available. Customer Relationship Management Customer relationship management (CRM) is a company-wide business strategy intended to reduce costs and increase profitability by solidifying customer loyalty (Chapman 2009). â€Å"It is the methodologies, software, and usually internet capabilities that help an enterprise manage customer relationships in an organized way† (Taylor 2009). CRM system has many benefits to any business. Using CRM the company can govern their client contact information, follow patterns in their buying, and present value added services (Chapman 2009). CRM has major effects in an organization such as shifting focus from product to customer and responding to customers’ needs rather than making what the company can produce, and also stress on competencies that valuable customer relationship management require. Customers will often buy products that meet their various needs than bu y inferior products regardless of the price. An effective CRM program takes a holistic method and emphasizes on delivering products and services of high quality, which creates pleasant experiences for the customers (Rank 2009). This enables the enterprise to get repeat businesses and increased referrals. The CRM system is important as it helps enterprises to identify and target its best customers as well as provide the best service to this group, manage marketing campaigns and create quality leads for the sales force (Jones 2007). It also helps in the improvement of telemarketing sales, accounts and sales organization by information distribution among the staff and streamlining on hand processes (Jones 2007). CRM also allows individualization of customer relationship and therefore a better understanding of the actual customer needs. CRM systems also equip the staff with the right information to know and understand their customers’ needs as well as build good relationship betw een the company, its client base and distribution associates (Jones 2007). Nevertheless the ultimate purpose for CRM is to increase the profit in an organization. CRM achieves this result by making sure that the company offers better services than its competitors, by improving customer service, reducing costs and wastage and possible complaints (Chapman 2009). Companies can use the CRM system to improve and build customer relationship. CRM is a strong market research tool which gives instant feedback, and also opens avenues of communication with the customers (Chapman 2009). This makes it possible to receive direct market reactions on products and services feat. Using this approach, the company is able to identify its customers and the obstacles that make it hard for the two to do business (Rank 2009). With this first hand information, the company should work to ensure that the products they deliver always solve the problems of the customer. This will help improve customer loyalty a nd builds the company brands. The products developed by the company should always speak to the customer’s needs (Chapman 2009). In conclusion, a good CRM approach should be the one that address the exact need of the customer and also one that explains how to produce and deliver the coveted products to the customers. Therefore, CRM entails all aspects of dealings a business has with its clientele, and is therefore the basis of liaison marketing. Beatty, Sally. Ameritechs New Phone Service Aims to Keep Telemarketers at Bay. Wall Street Journal 23 Sept. 1998. Print. Briones, Maricris. IT, Privacy Issues Will Challenge Direct Marketers. Marketing News 7 Dec. 1998: 32(8). Print. Chapman, Alan. Customer Relationship Management. New York: Wiley, 2009. Print. Everett, Martin. Its Jerry Hale on the Line. Sales Marketing Management. Dec. 1993: 75-79. Print. Jones, Sonya. The Real Purpose of CRM. Kansas: Jantsch Communications.2007. Print. McHatton, Robert. Total Telemarketing. New Yo rk: Wiley, 1988. Print. Rank, J. Reference for Business. Encyclopedia of Business. 2nd ed. 2011. Print. Taylor, Steven. The Importance of CRM. Ezine articles. Jan. 2007. 6 Oct. 2011 https://ezinearticles.com/?The-Importance-of-CRM-Customer-Relationship-Managementid=425303 Zahorsky, Darrell. The Five Biggest Sales Management Blunders. New York: Prentice Hall, 2011. Print.

Example Sentences Using Irregular Verbs in All Tenses

Example Sentences Using Irregular Verbs in All Tenses For an English language learner, regular verbs are consistent and easier to learn than irregular verbs. The main difference between regular and irregular verbs is in the past participle and past simple. For regular verbs, you just have to add -ed for both the past participle and past simple: I visited my friends in Milan. (past simple)Shes visited her friends in Milan throughout the years. (present perfect)   Irregular verbs, on the other hand, are more complicated and often need to be studied individually because they dont follow a single pattern. The following example sentences in all tenses will help students learn irregular verb forms in context. Example Sentences Using Irregular Verbs Click on one of the irregular verbs listed below for example sentences using the verbs in all tenses including active and passive forms, as well as conditional and modal forms. To help you choose the verb you need, each verb includes three example sentences  to get you started. be  / was / were / been Tom was in New York yesterday.Ive been at this job for a long time.Shell be at the party next weekend. beat /  beat / beaten We beat the home team yesterday.Ive never beaten Tom at chess.Do you think you could beat him? become  / became / become Jason has become an excellent doctor.Ill become your friend if you move here.The situation became a problem for Bob. begin  / began / begun They havent begun the play yet.I began to work early this morning.Shell begin to explain in a moment. bend  / bent / bent He bent the branch until it broke.The flag poll bends in the wind.Ive bent the nail in the board.   break  / broke / broken My boy has broken three windows this week!I broke that window last week.She usually breaks the egg over the sink.   buy  / bought / bought Janice bought a new watch last week.I usually buy my vegetables at a country stand.Hes bought more than 10 cars in his life.   come  / came / come We came home earlier yesterday.He comes to class on time every day.Hes come across that song before.   cut  / cut / cut How many  pieces have you cut?I cut my finger on a glass yesterday.The boy never cuts his own steak. draw  / drew / drawn She drew a beautiful picture in class.Jackie has drawn a few clowns this week.Shell draw the money from the account tomorrow.   drink / drank / drunk I was so thirsty I drank two bottles of water.Have you drunk any water yet?Ill drink something when I get there.   drive  /  drove / driven Have you ever driven across the U.S.?I drove to the basketball game after work.Hes going to drive to the airport this evening.   eat /  ate / eaten We ate lunch early today.Have you eaten already?Where did you eat dinner yesterday? find  / found / found Have you found him yet?I found this book on that table over there.Ill find him, dont worry! fly /  flew / flown Cheryl flew to Brazil last month.Have you ever flown around the world?Hes going to fly a commercial airliner someday. forget  / forgot / forgotten (U.S.)  - forgot (UK) Have you forgotten that you had an appointment?I forgot my pen at home. Can I borrow yours?Youll have forgotten by the time you get home.   give /  gave / given   They gave us an early appointment.Hes given up on trying to learn Japanese.Ill give you a call next week.   go  / went / gone Have you ever gone on vacation alone?Shes going to ride the bus to work today.I went to the party last week.   grow /  grew / grown   She grew up very poor.The plants have all grown.Did you grow that plant? have  / had / had I had some toast for breakfast.Ive had some extra free time this week.Shell have the package ready when you come.   hit /  hit / hit Hes hit me three times!Bob hit the ball out of the park last night.He usually hits his nine iron well. hold  / held / held   She held on tightly and entered the tunnel.Ive held her hand before.Hold on for a few more minutes.   keep /  kept / kept Have you kept your word to Peter?John kept the door open for his mother.Ill keep your secret. know  / knew / known I knew that once ...Ive known my best friend for more than 40 years.Peter will know the answer.   learn /  learned (learnt UK) / learned (learnt UK) Have you learnt (learned) anything yet?He learned his lesson last week.This has been learned for ages.   leave  / left / left   We left the book at home.Hes left the house early this morning.Well leave as soon as you get home.   lose  / lost / lost I lost my watch yesterday.Shes never lost her purse.Theyll lose patience if you dont hurry up.   make / made / made I made the bed before I left.Ive made some tea. Would you like some?Will he make the meeting next week? meet / met / met Have you met Jack?Were going to meet at 3 oclock next week.He met his wife in Hawaii.   pay  / paid / paid He paid by credit card.Ill pay the bill and we can leave.Janet is paid by the hour.   put  / put / put She put on a CD and relaxed for the afternoon.Ive put in for a new job.Shell put him up for the night.   ride  / rode / ridden Mary rode the bus to work.Ive ridden a bike all my life.Shell ride with Tim to the party.   run  / ran / run I ran four miles yesterday.Weve run out of milk, so Ill go to the store.David usually runs two miles a day. see  / saw / seen Have you seen Angie yet?I saw the film last week.Shes going to see her friend next weekend.   If youd like to check your knowledge, take this  English irregular verbs quiz.

Sociological Theory in Sports Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 1

Sociological Theory in Sports - Coursework Example Skinner, Zakus & Edwards (2005) posit that sociology theory may contribute to the discussion regarding the development of sport management practices and policies.   This essay aims to analyze the significance of sociology theory to sports management by studying modern sports issues.This paper is concerned with how sports play a role in fostering social inclusion to aid in social inclusion and community development. According to Coalter (2007), there have been two sports policies brought up: to increase social and sports participation trough geographically targeted programs in socially deprived locations and to emphasize the contribution that sports volunteering can make to activate citizenship.Relatively, sports sociology is still a new term. Chalip, Thomas & Voyle (1996) defines it as the study of â€Å"the sportsperson as a sociological being in a particular context† Giddens (1997). He also postulates that it includes the study of contemporary social models which influence sport, specifically those that have lasted. They also believe that sports sociology is morally bound to consider the process and results of inequality and ignorance that exist in sport. Sociology also allows the range of common beliefs practices and attitudes to be reviewed and analyzed with the sole purpose of giving the best quality of sporting experience to shareholders. Chalip, Thomas & Voyle (1996) discuss the value of the sociological theory relation in four areas: as a stimulus for new ideas, the ability to clarify or to destroy myths surrounding sports, theoretical or hypothesis testing in sports research, and allowing the explanation and generalization of the sport.In the past decade, sport and recreational policy makers have had to adjust globalization and neoliberal processes since they affect social, economic and state activities, including those of social and community development. The governments' methods to shift from support and financial provision for sport and oth er embedded liberalism provisions to modern neoliberal state ones resulted in significant changes Coalter (2007). In the â€Å"neo-liberal† state private-public partnerships, tax advantages for corporate social duty, and the reduction of social solidarity are key aspects of the new institutional frameworks.  According to Thompson (2004), this implies that development and community level sport should operate under market conditions and frameworks inherent in neoliberalism and globalism. This means that sport should fulfill two roles: traditional sport development system for society and elite sport programs; as a function of legislation, programs, policies, funding, and sports management, secondly, where a sport is employed as a platform to deal with issues in the society and offer opportunities for disadvantaged members of the society. Research proves that one of the biggest challenges facing the disadvantaged is to find a community which they can identify with and belong un der declining social program provision and persistent breakdown of social solidarity (Atherley, 2006).Long term reliability and sustainability in delivering social outcomes is essential to the success of these developments through sport participation programs. Modern society demands additional flexibility and choice. The challenge for the traditional sports sector in most places is to move beyond current sport delivery norms and provide a range of products at low cost locally developed opportunities and extended public, private and third sector social capital programs. According to Giddens (1997), there is always a risk relying on these predominantly volunteer organizations to determine social outcomes.In such as the United Kingdom, there is an opportunity for the organizations to establish long term programs to support the use of sport to engage the community to deliver positive social outcomes. Partnerships between the traditional sports organization and the community-based organi zations could be forged to support participation in sports across the time from outreach to mainstream participation (Atherley, 2006).

Confucious and the golden rule, East meets west Coursework

Confucious and the golden rule, East meets west - Coursework Example From the Chinese philosopher’s perspective, a person who does not want to be hurt should not hurt others. On the other hand, Jesus implies that if you do not want to be harmed, do good to others because if you are good, then other people will give you back the same treatment. As an individual, I live by the same rule of Jesus because I strongly agree that people should be active participants in their community in making it a peaceful and harmonious place to live in. I recognize the view of Confucius that people should not do to others what they do not want others do to them. However, I am more inclined to strongly concur with Jesus’ point of view because it is not only stated positively but it also encourages an active participation of a person. I firmly believe that we need to stay away from doing dreadful things as Confucius interjects but in order to minimize if not eliminate awful situations, we have to actively do excellent things. According to Tao, the best man benefits all things just like water does. Where there is water, life abounds and the same is true with the best man. Tao says that the best man is selfless, able to benefit the people around him and does not compete with them. Instead, he is able to see identify a need and does something to meet the need without thinking about what he should gain from it or what he is going to lose if he needs to spend a lot of time and money in accomplishing the task. The best man, despite his commendable attributes will remain humble and simply continues to exist influence his community in a positive manner. Humility is that place which Tao says the water goes to which all disdain. Indeed, through the different centuries, only a handful strove to do good and still remain quiet about what they did. Most people set their goals high and do mighty works and above all their achievements, they want to be recognized and exalted. Nevertheless, the best man takes a different route. He gives

Read instructions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

Read instructions - Essay Example Teachers emerge from a variety of corners in the school day experience. They are solely accountable to the whole fraternity concerning the content of their evaluations. The evaluation tenets consider a continuum of shared language vision in the technique. The basic standards that are critical in the evaluation process are as follows. The first standard revolves around the content knowledge. This standard demands the teacher to possess an in-depth understanding of the subject matter. They must attempt to eke a correlation between the content and life experiences. The second standard touches on teaching and classroom learning. This focuses on the classroom organization, taking care to provide relevant age appropriations and relevant assessment criteria to the learners. The next phase borders on the literacy acknowledgements in the instruction. The instructor must aim to fulfill both oral and written communication to advance their rote technique. The fourth measures the diversity of the classroom fraternity. The curriculum and teaching resources must be sensitive of the varied cultures and racial affiliations of the learners. The last phase touches on the teacher professionalism akin to the appropriate delivery in the class. This tenet also emphasizes the ethical implications of the teacher. Lastly, the evaluation process has different connotations. The teacher can perform an administrative driven self-assessment. A dialogue is also relevant, between the teacher and the assessor. Additionally, observation in the class also takes place twice during the school year. It is impromptu and often, the results form the basis of teacher proficiency determination. Evaluation completion results in step raises for the teachers depending on years of

Unit 6, Four Law Questions Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Unit 6, Four Law Questions - Article Example The Exclusionary Rule interrogates whether these rights were violated while finding evidence. 2) To disallow a search which no judge allowed in the first place: A search warrant must be authorized by a judge. 3) To deter the police: The Exclusionary Rule helps to deter police from using unconstitutional methods to obtain evidence. Elements Of Subjective Test: The defendant’s state of mind. If this is questionable, the evidence may be rendered inadmissible. 2) The willingness of the defendant to participate in the crime must also be adequately proven by the prosecution. Objective Test: Looks at whether the defendant committed the crime due to pressure from government agents or whether government agents persuaded the person into committing the crime. It also explores the possibility of the person not being ready and willing to commit the crime until such a time when the governments agents interacted (Samaha, 2011).. Four Tasks for the judge: 1) Presiding over the hearing and ensuring that that order is maintained. 2) Determine the legality or otherwise of any evidence presented 3) The judge issues instructions before any deliberations begin and cites the law relevant to the case and the standards it must meet. Finally, in case of bench trials, the judge scrutinizes the facts and decides on the way forward for the case. Preliminary Hearings and Grand Jury Review: Basically, a preliminary hearing is taken as an adversarial hearing. On the other hand, a grand jury is a private proceeding that listens to the case of the prosecution without the participation of the defense. Preliminary hearings are also presided over by the judge while the grand jury managed by the

Galileo's Daughter underlying devotion to her father Essay

Galileo's Daughter underlying devotion to her father - Essay Example Since all the three of Galileo’s children were illegitimate, he knew it would be difficult to marry them off, which is why he sent two of his daughters to convents, to become nuns. Born Virginia Galilei, Galileo’s eldest daughter was a great source of support and encouragement to him. She later assumed the name of Suor Maria Celeste, at the San Matteo Convent, Arcetri. Evidently, she couldn’t retrieve information about the outside world and her correspondence with her father allowed her to learn and obtain news from outside. Galileo’s daughter was of brilliant intellect and often offered suggestions and advice to her father, when he seemed in a chaotic mindset or demoralised. The letters have been written using endearing terms and portray the great love and respect that Maria Celeste had for her father. The discussions revealed the deep interest she had in her father’s scientific work, wherein she often offered her opinions. Besides this, they also discussed extensively on health remedies and other family issues. In these pages, Maria Celeste is revealed as lively, insightful, ingenious. In the convent, she served as an apothecary, having learned the trade from "the nuns and visiting doctors who staffed the convents infirmary" (p. 325). Sobel speculates, however, that she learned to read and write in Latin and Italian under her fathers tutelage. Indeed, "no one at San Matteo surpassed her in language skills. Even the abbesses sought her out to write important letters of official business" (p. 325). In Sobels view, it is Suor Maria Celeste --- far more than her cloistered younger sister or her wayward, undisciplined brother --- who met Galileos match in intelligence, insight, devotion, and wit.

Unit 6, Four Law Questions Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Unit 6, Four Law Questions - Article Example The Exclusionary Rule interrogates whether these rights were violated while finding evidence. 2) To disallow a search which no judge allowed in the first place: A search warrant must be authorized by a judge. 3) To deter the police: The Exclusionary Rule helps to deter police from using unconstitutional methods to obtain evidence. Elements Of Subjective Test: The defendant’s state of mind. If this is questionable, the evidence may be rendered inadmissible. 2) The willingness of the defendant to participate in the crime must also be adequately proven by the prosecution. Objective Test: Looks at whether the defendant committed the crime due to pressure from government agents or whether government agents persuaded the person into committing the crime. It also explores the possibility of the person not being ready and willing to commit the crime until such a time when the governments agents interacted (Samaha, 2011).. Four Tasks for the judge: 1) Presiding over the hearing and ensuring that that order is maintained. 2) Determine the legality or otherwise of any evidence presented 3) The judge issues instructions before any deliberations begin and cites the law relevant to the case and the standards it must meet. Finally, in case of bench trials, the judge scrutinizes the facts and decides on the way forward for the case. Preliminary Hearings and Grand Jury Review: Basically, a preliminary hearing is taken as an adversarial hearing. On the other hand, a grand jury is a private proceeding that listens to the case of the prosecution without the participation of the defense. Preliminary hearings are also presided over by the judge while the grand jury managed by the

Importance of motivation on the workforce Case Study

Importance of motivation on the workforce - Case Study Example Importance of motivation on the workforce Experts are always on the lookout on how to optimize the productivity of people on how to make them perform well because the competitiveness of a business organization depends on its greatest asset – its workforce. This question is not only to satisfy a certain curiosity in a business organisation but in fact has economic relevance because a workforce with high morale has a higher output and productivity. This paper would venture into the various theories and approaches to enhance workforce morale from the classical theorists such as Taylor until present perspective on workforce morale. In any business enterprise, the human resource are always considered as the most important asset. Their performance can spell a difference between a business’ failure or success especially in today’s very competitive environment (Guld 2007). Business organisations with a committed and motivated workforce does not only have higher productivity but also ensure the viability of the business in the long-run. Such, it is critical that businesses should motivate its workforce not only for them to commit and perform but also to keep them in the organisation. Keeping valuable employees motivated in an organisation is not only intended to make them commit and perform but also to keep them over the long haul (Frasch 2010). There are many implements used by business organisations to motivate their employees. ... Several business organisations even went as far as integrating play with work not only to keep their employees committed and productive, but also to induce creativity in the workplace which proved to be beneficial to a company’s diversification drive such as the case of Google (Lovewell 2005). III. Motivation theories and examples The idea of the necessity to motivate employees to encourage commitment and performance among employees was first conceived by management classical theorists such as Taylor, Maslow, Mayo, McGregor, Vroom and Herzberg. While modern management and organisational theorists will argue that their concepts of motivating employees to commit and perform are inadequate, it cannot be denied that these classical theorists provided the basic building blocks of the know-how to motivate employees. From a simple idea of Taylor that adequate remuneration motivates employees, it later expanded to include the other dimension of human needs and aspects with the aim of fulfilling these needs that would enable employees to commit to the organisation.. The classical theorists of motivation a. Frederick Winslow Taylor’s Principles of Scientific Management Taylor first conceived the idea that workers are mainly motivated solely by wage. He posited that management has to possess the control and knowledge of the methods of production so that it would have a greater control of achieving efficiency in an organisation that includes motivating its workforce (Jaffe 2008). For Taylor, the breaking up functions into small quantifiable tasks is necessary to make the time-piece rate pay possible that will encourage employees to work harder if they can see that they are being paid with more work (Taylor 1911). This theory assumed that employees

Genetically Modified Foods Essay Example for Free

Genetically Modified Foods Essay Technology has been responsible for bringing about some of the most noteworthy accomplishments of recent generations. Medical cures for deadly diseases, the World Wide Web, faster and more efficient travel options, and advanced irrigation systems are just a few of the recent successes which have all resulted from better technology. Like anything, though, technology can be problematic at best and detrimental at worst if not employed properly. One recent use of technology which leaves many conscientious people uncomfortable is genetically modified foods (GMF). These new food sources are derived from genetically modified organisms (GMO) that have undergone a molecular level change to their DNA by genetically engineering techniques (Gaskill et al. , 1999). Not everyone is convinced that GMF are a positive use of technology. In fact, the American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) encouraged all physicians to educate their patients, the medical community, and the public to avoid GM foods when possible and provide educational materials concerning GM foods and health risks† (Edwards, 2013). Many skeptics are concerned with the product’s health risks and environmental impact, along with the repercussions for local farmers, particularly those operating in developing countries. Nearly everyone is affected by GMF in one way or another, but some groups of people are more directly affected than others. They include local farmers, food manufacturers, food purchasers, environmentalists/ conservationists, and government agencies. Due to insufficient scientific data concerning the safety of GMF, and the possible catastrophic consequences resulting from the development and use of this product, they should be highly monitored by government agencies and immediately banned in order to protect the public at large. James P Collins CS 300T 9/30/2013 4 Some studies have shown that GMF are potentially hazardous to consumers, especially children, pregnant women, and individuals with compromised immune systems. Many scientists and healthcare professionals argue that GMF are a major contributor to the deteriorating health of people worldwide and possibly even a carcinogen (Edwards, 2013). An increase in blood pressure and heart disease is linked to the consumption of GMF, although these food products are too recent for most researches to be able to conclude anything decisive regarding their long-term effects. Dr. Stanley Ewen, a homeopathic physician, argues that a cauliflower virus oftentimes used in GMF could potentially increase the risk of both colon and stomach cancers. Even if one is able to completely avoid GMF, they are still not safe from the harmful effects. Water sources near crops of GMF are often contaminated by the runoff from the soil. Dr. Ewen maintains that this amount of exposure alone may hasten the growth of malignant tumors (Edwards, 2013). Other studies suggest that animals fed GMF suffer from severe illnesses and die faster than expected. In India, animals that grazed on genetically modified cotton plants died almost immediately. Cows in Germany that ate genetically modified corn products experienced the same fate. Scientists are attributing this phenomenon to GMF’s tendency to produce toxins and suppress the immune system (Kuiper et al, 2001). The Institute for Responsible Technology listed 65 health risks associated with GMF. Rats fed genetically modified potatoes developed precancerous cells in the digestive tract. These rats also showed signs of inhibited development of the brain, liver, and testicles, along with atrophy of the liver and immune system damage. Another study indicated that rats fed Monsanto’s genetically modified corn showed significant changes in their blood cells, livers, and kidneys. Not surprisingly, this mega-company denied James P Collins CS 300T 9/30/2013 5 these findings and refused to conduct follow-up studies to confirm the safety of their food products (65 Health Risks, 2013). A second major drawback of GMF is their negative impact on the environment. As already stated, genetically modified crops pollute soil and water systems. This, in turn, causes adverse consequences on plants and animals (to include humans) that rely on these two natural resources. Insects that live in the soil are oftentimes negatively impacted and die due to chemical changes in the soil composition. The damage to the water affects nearly all animals, as most animals obtain their water from runoff systems (Dill, 2010). Additionally, GMF produce unnatural chemicals that give plants a new way to defend themselves and insects and animals that naturally consume these organisms die. Spiders, caterpillars, and other small insects are particularly vulnerable to these engineered chemicals. Unfortunately, many species are becoming endangered or threatened. Due to cross pollination, crops that are not genetically modified are becoming contaminated. Some scientists are concerned that if this trend is not halted, unaltered food species will become severely compromised and may even go extinct (Kuiper et al, 2001). One noteworthy example is North Dakota’s genetically modified canola plants. Scientists took thousands of random seed samples from across the whole state. Nearly every sample – whether wild or domesticated – contained genetically modified seeds. Further studies identified genetically modified canola seeds in locations as far-reaching as Japan and Ireland. Researchers interpret this data as suggestive of cross-pollination in the wild (Biello, 2010). Furthermore, scientists maintain the genetically modified crops greatly increase the amount of herbicide used. Farmers know that their crops are resistant to most herbicides. Therefore, they tend to use these toxic chemicals more liberally. Since genetically modified James P Collins CS 300T 9/30/2013 6 crops are also modified to produce their own herbicides and pesticides, the end result is that even more toxins are added to the food supply, causing even more contamination (Dill, 2011). A final reason to ban GMF is the negative economic impact these food sources have on small farmers. Many local farmers, who pride themselves on naturally growing their products, are forced out of business due to rising food costs. They cannot compete with large farms that use genetically modified seeds and pesticides on their crops. As more and more organic farmers close their doors, the available unmodified, natural food sources decrease steadily. This, in turn, drives up the prices for consumers, making it harder for the average person to afford healthy alternatives. Local farmers oftentimes have their fields completely destroyed or are forced to forfeit their harvests due to cross pollination. Large seed companies, (such as Monsanto), patent their seeds. If these seeds contaminate the local farmers’ crops, then the mega-companies are legally permitted to confiscate the produce and destroy what remains. This is particularly problematic in developing countries. According to the Center for Food Safety, big seed companies attack and target any farmer who wants to save their seeds. This plan of attack consists of three stages: â€Å"investigations; coerced settlements; and, if that fails, litigation† (Lo, 2013). In the United States alone, Monsanto has sued 410 independent farmers and 56 small business owners for violations of seed patents (Lo, 2013). Unfortunately, this mega-company won every case to date. This resulted in their receiving over $24 million from small time farmers and businesses. Countless other businesses have been forced to close their doors due to threats from Monsanto and other mega-seed corporations (Lo, 2013). Presently, many companies are working to produce even more genetically modified plants and food sources that are even more resilient to predators. Also, many large companies James P Collins CS 300T 9/30/2013 7 are lobbying policy makers in order to have stricter laws and regulations enacted to protect their modified products (Lo, 2013). If these companies are allowed to continue with their agenda, there will be dire consequences. More people will develop horrific illnesses and diseases, the environment will suffer terribly, and local farmers will be forced out of business. The Union of Concerned Scientists (2013) has proposed five ways to prevent these hazardous products from further contaminating consumers’ food supply. First, they suggest that research funding for public crop breeding programs be expanded to help subsidize the cost of producing unaltered, natural food products. Second, they advocate public research funding to develop agro-ecologically based systems of farming. Third, they propose changing patent laws to allow independent companies to experiment on GMF without legal repercussions. Fourth, they maintain that stricter controls should be placed on GMF so that these products do not come to market until scientists and private researchers can better understand their health risks. Lastly, they support food labeling laws that mandate all GMF be labeled appropriately. In conclusion, GMF are detrimental to society as a whole. They are extremely unsafe for human consumption, pose huge risks to the natural environment, and place unfair and unnecessary stressors on local farmers. Due to the numerous uncertainties associated with GMF and the data that supports their harmful side effects, these products should be heavily monitored by government agencies and banned from the public market. It would be wise for the government to adopt the five suggestions put forth by the Union of Concerned Scientists in order to better protect its people. Unfortunately, mega-seed companies have substantially more disposable income than non-profit health and welfare organizations; therefore, they can afford to buy lobbyists to petition lawmakers to make rules and decisions profitable to their agendas. James P Collins CS 300T 9/30/2013 8. Works Cited Biello, D. (2010). Genetically modified crop on the loose and evolving in U. S. Midwest. Scientific American. http://www. scientificamerican. com/article. cfm? id=genetically modified-crop Dill, J. (2010). The dangers of GMOs: Know the environmental hazards. Natural News. http://www. naturalnews. com/029869_GMOs_dangers. html Edwards, R. (2013). GM expert warns of cancer risk from crops. Sunday Herald. 16 February 2013. Gaskill, G. , Bauer, M. , Durant, J. , Allum, N. C. (1999). Worlds apart? The reception of genetically modified foods in Europe and the U. S. Science, 285 (5426): 384-387. Kuiper, H. A. , Kleter, G. A. , Hub P. J. , Noteborn, J. M. , Kok, E. J. (2001). Assessment of the food safety issues related to genetically modified foods. Plant Journal, 27 (6): 503-528. Lo, P. (2013). Monsanto bullies small farmers over planting harvested GMO seeds. British Broadcast Channel. 14 April 2013. N. A. (2013). 65 health risks of genetically modified foods. Institute for Responsible Technology. http://www. responsibletechnology. org/gmo-dangers/65-health-risks/1notes N. A. (2013). Genetic engineering in agriculture. Union of Concerned Scientists. http://www. ucsusa. org/food_and_agriculture/our-failing-food-system/genetic engine ering.

Business Strategy Of Wal Mart In Japan

Business Strategy Of Wal Mart In Japan Globalisation is described as a process of world wide integration of culture, technology, social, political and economic factors. It is all about the creation of a world unified market and this can be observed with the growing levels of global trade (Luthans and Doh, 2009). Globalisation is evident in the shift of Multinational companies (MNCs) and economies from a world of isolation as a result of trade barriers to a world of reduced trade barriers and more inter related businesses and economies (Hill, 2009). MNCs now, expand from both developed countries, developing countries and emerging countries and vice-versa. There is therefore increasing competition among nations (The Economist, 2008). The global expansion of businesses over the years into different international markets have helped these businesses to increase their sales, competitiveness, reduce their cost of production and expand out of their saturated home markets (Root, 1994; Hill, 2009; Daniels et al., 2009). Retailers are not exceptions to this global expansion. This article will evaluate the internationalisation strategy of Wal-mart in Japan. Wal-Marts internalisation strategy in Japan is of particular interest because it recently pulled out of two of its international markets; Germany and South Korea. Its success in Japan is still questionable especially as Japan has proven to be a difficult market for many foreign retailers. International companies such as Carrefour, Boots have pulled out from the Japanese market after facing business challenges (Luthans and Doh, 2006). The literature review will analyse the Integration- responsiveness I-R framework as well as culture. These frameworks will be used for the evaluation of Wal-marts internationalisation strategy into the Japanese market in comparison with its international competitor Tesco Plc. The use of these two frameworks is to show the extent to which Wal-marts strategy responds towards Japanese local tastes and preferences in achieving a successful internationalisation. Conclusions and recommendations will be drawn from this analysis. BACKGROUND OF WAL-MART Wal-mart was founded in 1962 by Sam Walton and opened its first discount store in Rogers Ark, USA. In 1969, the company incorporated to become Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Wal-mart stores feature general merchandise such as electronics, clothing, and home appliances. It also has complete groceries units. The company employs more than 2.1 million associates, serving more than 176 million customers a year. In 2009, it ranked first among retailers in Fortune Magazines Most Admired Companies survey and is also the largest retailer in the world (Wal-mart, 2009). As a result of the saturation of the American retail market, Wal-mart started its international expansion into foreign markets in the 1990s first into Mexico and subsequently expanded into thirteen other countries including Japan China, Canada and Great Britain (Wal-Mart, 2009; Hill, 2009). Today it has about 8,424 stores and club locations. The companys most successful foreign venture is in its Mexican market (Hill, 2009). This is as a result of the fact that they adjusted their international strategy to meet local demands. Their everyday low price strategy was also successful in Mexico which is a developing country. However, these strategies are not always welcomed by consumers as revealed in their German and Korean market expansions where they failed and had to pull out. Wal-Mart is still struggling to succeed in the Japanese market where it has already invested $1 billion (USD) (BBC, 2007). Nevertheless, Wal-marts international expansions of Wal-Mart has allowed it to develop economies of scale, increase Its customer base and develop more ideas such as their new shop layout (Hill, 2009; Wal-mart, 2009). LITERATURE REVIEW INTEGRATION-RESPONSIVENESS(I-R) FRAMEWORK According to Prahalad and Doz (1987, p.18) the Integration-Responsiveness (I-R) framework is a way of capturing the pressures on a given business . This framework is based on the pressures for global integration and local responsiveness on a business as perceived by the managers of the company (Rugman, 2002). Pressures for global integration are industry forces which drives companies into the standardisation of their products, policies and procedures in order to reduce their cost of operations across national boundaries while pressures for local responsiveness are forces which drive businesses into being locally sensitive to differences in culture, preferences, tastes, and general behaviour of each international market in their internationalisation strategies (Rugman, 2002; Daniel et al., 2009; Luthans and Doh, 2009). According to Luthans and Doh (2009), the understanding of culture and its diversity is important to an international companys successful internationalisation in any country. This is because it impacts upon work force attitudes, managerial ideology, technological transfers, business customs and practices as well as consumer behaviours. The I-R framework was developed by Prahalad and Doz in 1987. They classified international strategies into Global strategy (global integrated, centralised management and move for cost reduction), Multi-focal strategy (an integration of global coordination and local responsiveness) and locally responsive strategy (customised and localised product and services). The adoption of any of these strategies is dependent on the dominant pressure on an MNC as well as its main focus which could be cost reduction or customer satisfaction. Bartlett and Ghoshal (1989) further developed this framework and classified MNC strategies into four categories which can be compared with that of Prahalad and Doz. Their four strategic classifications are: Global strategy, International strategy, Transnational and Multi domestic strategy. Companies with global strategy (high Integration- low Responsiveness) focus on standardization and cost reduction with tight global control, those with International strategy (Low Integration-Low Responsiveness) usually introduce their existing competence and expertise into the new market while Transnational companies (High Integration and High Responsiveness) are flexible and integrate equal levels of global integration and local responsiveness into their business. The multi-domestic companies on the other hand (low Integration and High Responsiveness) respond more towards product customisation (Daniel et al 2009). It is however worthy to note that the adoption of one strategy may lead to the negl ecting another. Figure 1, shows the diagrammatic representation of the strategic classifications by both authors. CULTURE The understanding of culture and its impact on international market expansion is imperative to the success an MNCs strategy in a foreign country (Luthans and Doh, 2009). The degree of pressure for local responsiveness is reflective of the degree of influence of culture upon consumers. Differences in cultural match between companies and employees or consumers can often result to struggle for success in an international market (Holstein, 2007). Hofstede (1980, p.21), defined culture as the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one human group from another. Just as personality defines the identity of an individual, culture defines the identity of a group. According to Luthans and Doh 2009 p.96, culture is the acquired knowledge that people use to interpret, experience and generate social behaviour. This acquired knowledge often manifest into peoples attitude, values, behaviours and general ways of life. Many researchers have argued that culture can be lea rned, shared, symbolised, patterned, adapted and transgenerationalised. Hill (2009) further argues that values and norms form the basis of a culture. These values could be attributed to collective responsibility, social obligations, loyalty and so on and are often times emotionally important to the group. Norms on the other hand are social codes of conducts which dictate peoples behaviour towards each other. The Japanese for instance, can be seen as a group of people with similar values and norms and related culture. Several researchers have studied cultural differences and its impact on different national behaviours. Hall (1973, 7976) cited in Paliwoda and Ryans (2008), categorised culture into High and Low context. High context cultures like Japanese and Arabic, prefer implicit or unspoken messages and slow business discussions with emphasis on personal relationship and trust while Low context cultures like North America, United Kingdom, Germany prefer explicit, written or spoken messages with more emphasis on expertise, performance and efficiency. Hofstede (1980) undertook a study of the impact of culture on values in a workplace. He categorised culture into four main dimensions: power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism -collectivism and masculinity-feminity. A fifth one confucian dynaminism also referred to as long term or short term orientation was later developed. Power distance shows the extent to which people perceive inequality. High power distance nations (cultures) emphasise on the inequality of power, its workforce follow their superiors orders while low power nations or cultures minimise this inequality to minimum thus the work force follow superiors orders as a procedural requirement. Uncertainty avoidance on the other hand is the extent to which cultures avoid uncertainty. High uncertainty avoidance cultures shy away from risks, while low uncertainty avoidance cultures see risk as a part of life. Individualism versus collectivism is the degree to which people look after themselves as individuals or work in groups. Masculinity is often compared with feminity. Cultures with emphasis on success, money were referred as more masculine by Hosftede while a culture with emphasis on quality of life and caring for people are seen as feminist ( Hill,2009; Luthans and Doh,2009). The table below shows the Work-related values for 5 countries adapted from Hofstedes study. In as much as Hofstedes work is well accepted and has provided the basic characterisation of different cultural or national groups, these are not definite because culture cannot be easily classified and also culture is gradually changing with the increase in globalisation and integration of the world at large (Luthans and Doh, 2009). WAL-MARTS EXPANSION INTO JAPAN. Wal-Mart initially made a failed entry into Japan in the mid 1990s when it entered the market through selling its products in local supermarkets, however sales were disappointing (Yoffie and Wang, 2002). The initial failure could be associated to slow market drive by the local super markets as Wal-mart had little or no control over them. This can be seen as a major disadvantage of indirect exporting (Root 1994). However, in 2002 Wal-mart made a second attempt into Japan (BBC, 2006). Japan is one of the wealthiest and developed economies in the world. It has the second largest consumer market (Haddock-Fraser et al., 2009). Wal-marts entry into Japan was through partnership with Seiyu Ltd which is Japans fifth largest hypermarket and was in financial distress at that time (Yoffie and Wang, 2002). It was a deal which was done in phases as agreed by both parties. Wal-mart was to initially acquire 6.1% of Seiyu shares and gradually increase its stake by acquiring up to 67% of Seiyu in 200 7 (Yoffie and Wang, 2002). Sumitomo Corp a leading trading company in Japan also had a 15.6% stake of Seiyu (Luthans and Doh, 2009). In 2005, Wal-mart increased its acquisition stake making Seiyu a Wal-mart subsidiary and increasing Wal-marts control over Seiyu. In 2007, Wal-marts stake was again increased to 95.1% (Wal-mart, 2009). This partnership deal was meant to help Wal-mart minimise its risk of internationalising in Japan where there is strong domestic competition, price wars and strong suppliers and also help its entry and expansion in the market (Yoffie and Wang, 2002; Luthans and Doh, 2009). ANALYSIS OF WAL-MARTS STRATEGY IN JAPAN. Companies like Wal-mart, adopt international strategy for global expansion as suggested by Bartlett and Goshal because they have core competences which they can capitalise upon especially if its difficult for their rivals to match them. Companies with International strategy have important part of their value chain such as decision making, expertise, new products and international operations being controlled or decided from their headquarters. However such centralised decision making can often impede upon the abilities of the subsidiaries to respond to local demands (Hill, 2006; Daniel et al., 2009). Wal-mart has a cost efficient operating system with an expense structure that is among the lowest in the industry (Shah et al, 2005). Its price of food was estimated to be 20% lower than its competitors in the United States (Yoffie and Wang, 2002). Wal-mart is therefore trying to replicate this successful American strategy and core competence of Everyday Low Price (EDLP) in the Japanese international market. Though this strategy has been success in some of its international markets such as Mexico and China, the results in Germany and Korea were so poor that Wal-mart withdrew from those countries in 2006. Once again the success of this strategy is still questionable in Japan. Japanese consumers associate low price with low quality as they are willing to pay high price for high quality products (Holstein, 2007; Strategic Direction, 2008; Boyle, 2009). The perception of customers towards low price signifying low quality is particularly high in its clothing segment (Brunn, 2006). This low price strategy was adopted by Wal-Mart in its entry into Japan in 2002, especially because it was at a time when the country was just emerging from a prolonged recession and consumer income was low (Luthans and Doh, 2009). In order to erase this image of Low Price signifying Low Quality from the minds of their customers, Wal-Mart has introduced, more expensive products for the customer segment that prefers high cost while still maintaining some low cost variants. For example, it has jeans for $10 and $ 35 option as well (Business Week, 2005) this however may further confuse its customers who may not understand the basis for such price disparity. Japan is a country with a high context society and collectivistic way of life (Paliwoda and Ryans, 2008). They have strong ties to families and groups and great emphasis for quality and prestige (Hofstede, 1980). As a result of these strong social ties, Wal-Marts sacking of 25% of Seiyus work force including 1500 managers and employees in 2004, was wrongly perceived by the Japanese people. Wal-mart opens its stores for 24 hours a day, this is seen as stressful by the employees and generally seen as an infiltration of the American culture into Japan. Its introduction of American, Canadian and British managers who act on headquarters decisions rather than employing Japanese managers who understand the market better further portrayed them in a negative light to both the employees and the general public. This consequently led to the loss of some of its customers (Holstein, 2007; Strategic Direction, 2008). Another core competence which Wal-mart introduced into Japan is its technology-focused inventory replenishment system which is linked to their suppliers. It helps them monitor and manage their inventories. However, because the Japanese people prefer personal interaction when doing business (Hofstede,1980), the implementation of this Information technology strategy has not been easy, especially as Japan has several layers of distribution network which are closely networked and difficult to penetrate. It thus makes high volume discounting difficult and merchandising more expensive (Brunn, 2006; Holstein, 2007). Wal-Mart is however trying to eliminate the middle-man in order to successfully implement its low price strategy (Luthan and Doh, 2009). Wal-marts response to local tastes, preferences and general way of life is perceived as low in its international strategy as It tends to implement its competences into international markets with little considerations to what the local demands, preferences, expectations are and this has led to its struggle to survive in Japan (Brunn, 2006). Comparing Wal-mart with Tesco Plc in Japan, the following differences can be drawn from their strategy. Tesco Plc which is the biggest retailer in the United Kingdom entered Japan in 2003 through the acquisition of a domestic retailer just as Wal-Mart did. While Wal-mart acquired Seiyu which is a hypermarket, Tesco Plc acquired C Two-Network stores which has small discount supermarket stores (Tesco, 2009). Haddock-Fraser et al., (2009) have argued that large supermarket (hypermarkets) of the western cultures are not viable in Japan, rather small supermarkets, convenience stores with fresh and quality products are preferred by the Japanese consumers. Thus the strategic move of acquiring a discount supermarket chain by Tesco was aimed at meeting the local demand of the Japanese consumers who prefer to shop daily for fresh food in small quantities with convenience. This shopping behaviour makes them to patronise convenience stores and discount supermarkets which are more accessible than out of town hypermarkets. Tesco, with its small store format, experienced overall sales growth in 2006 unlike Wal-mart which has been making loss for four years (Haddock-Fraser et al., 2009). Upon acquiring C Two-Network, Tesco retained the management team of the company to oversee its operations in Japan, because Tesco realised that these managers have better understanding of the Japanese employees, consumers and suppliers (Food and Drink, 2003). Japan, being a country with high collective behaviours, (Holfstede, 1980) perceived this as a good move. Tesco Plc tries to localise its products and services in each of their international markets, recognising that each market has unique preferences. This higher degree of local responsiveness in their international markets emphasises the reason why Tesco retains its foreign managers and limits its control from headquarters (Tesco, 2009). Figures 3 and 4 below further shows the differences in the sales contribution of the international markets to the total revenue of both companies. Wal-Marts international markets contributed 24.6% of the companys 2009 financial income while Tesco Plc has 53% of its 2009 financial income being generated by its foreign markets with Asia alone generating 30% of this value. It can, therefore, be concluded that Tescos response to local responsiveness has a positive impact on their financial performance internationally. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Wal-Mart is very successful in its domestic market and also some foreign markets such as China and Mexico where it had to adjust its strategy in order to respond better to local pressures. It is therefore recommended that Wal-mart should further develop its strategy in Japan and respond better to the countrys local demands and preferences through the opening of convenience stores in order to capture that market segment and offering more fresh local products to meet the local demand. Wal-mart should also employ Japanese managers who understand the market better. These measures will help Wal-mart to succeed better in Japan where the pressure for low price by customers is not emphasised rather high quality is preferred. Wal-mart can still maintain its international strategy with a little more responsiveness to local demand as there is no one best strategy to adopt. This move will save Wal-mart from withdrawing from the market where it has already invested $1 billion USD. Wal-marts low s ales value from international operations in comparison with Tesco reveals that the retail market is still a viable industry for Wal-mart to exploit.

Pressure :: essays research papers

Pressure   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Pressure, is the ratio of a force acting on a surface, to the area of the surface; it is thus distinct from the total force acting on a surface. Units of pressure are force units divided by area units. Examples of these are pounds per square inch, dynes per square centimeter, or newtons (N) per square meter (Pressure n.pag). Pressure has many influences and effects on objects. When the pressure rises, it affects the melting point and the boiling point of a substance. This causes the raising of the melting and boiling points of most substances (Pressure The... n.pag). Pressure can be seen and demonstrated in many ways; including air pressure, Bernoulli’s principle, Pascal’s Principle, and Archimedes Principle.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Air pressure is the force exerted on you by the weight of tiny particles of air, called air molecules (Sample n.pag). The air’s pressure is caused by the weight of air that presses down on the earth, the ocean, and the air (Understanding...n.pag). Even though they can’t be seen, they still have weight and take up space. Air molecules are very spaced out and can be compressed to fit in a smaller volume. When the air is tightly compressed, the air is under high pressure. We are continuously feeling air pressure but we are used to the air pressure around us at sea level so we don’t consciously feel it. But when one travels higher the number of air molecules decreases and thus the air pressure also decreases. When this happens, certain symptoms can be noticed, such as a shortness of breath and the popping of your ears. This pressure is measured by an instrument called a barometer (Sample n.pag). Air pressure is reported in inches of mercury in the U.S, but elsewhere they measure it in millibars, also called hectopascals (hPa). Air pressure, among other things, is used to forecast the weather. If there is a high-pressure system coming through, then cold temperatures and blue skies will result. If there is a low-pressure system, then warm, stormy weather is expected.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bernoulli’s principle is a perfect example of how the use of pressure can be beneficial. This principle has to do with flight and is what keeps planes in the air. It has to do with the shape of the wing on an aircraft. The bottom part of the wing is flat and the top of it is curved.

Stem Cell Therapy Essay

Sepulveda Bio. Anthro. Tues 6-9 Cell Replacement and Stem Cell Therapy to Treat Neurodegenerative Disease Stem cell therapy is being used to treat neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS, commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The disease itself, new therapies and treatments, along with a cure are currently being studied by universities and stem cell researchers. ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease which attacks the neurons in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary movement, eventually leading to respiratory failure and death (Kamel et al. 2008). The current course of action for a patient with ALS is physical therapy and, if their budget allows, cell replacement therapy. However there is presently no cure and the patient will eventually have respiratory problems and die from the disease. Adult stem cells (ASCs) and blastocyst or embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are being used to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in cell replacement therapy, yet this only slows the degeneration of their neurons (Goldman, Windrem, 2006).Research for both adult stem cell and blastocyst stem cell technologies are the only practical option in approaching a cure or more effective treatment for ALS. Both of these technologies require stem cells, but are challenging to safely retrieve and utilize through the current treatment methods, which is why it is essential to continue to support and fund this research. Cell replacement therapy is currently the only stem cell treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS, but researchers are trying to find new ways of treating and possibly curing ALS.Cell augmentation using stem cells could be the future of treatment for ALS but scientists are currently working to increase availability of the needed ESCs and ASCs to treat patients using cell replacement therapy. There are three different ways to harvest the necessary stem cells for neuron replacement: growing ESCs in vitro, har vesting stem cells from the brain or spinal cord of a live donor through biopsy, and harvesting from the brain or spinal cord of a donor post mortem (Sohur et. al. , 2006). The goal of treatment of ALS is to slow and eventually stop cell loss progressing to the point of functional impairment.To accomplish this goal, protecting the remaining neurons as well as replacing and augmenting damaged neurons is important. The ultimate goal, to cure ALS, is to fully restore authentic neuronal circuitry or â€Å"full systems reconstruction† (Ormerod et. al. 2008). Full systems reconstruction would consist of recreating a map of precisely patterned neurons of the correct type using the stem cells to send projections to the appropriate field within the brain. The cure seems virtually impossible with the technology currently available, but recreating neurogenesis may be possible in the future.Adult stem cell harvesting is difficult and costly when retrieving the stem cells needed to treat neurodegenerative diseases from brain matter or spinal fluid. Neurons are very specific cells in the brain and spinal cord and possess a special set of neurotransmitters depending on their function; this poses problems when harvesting ASCs (Zhang et. al. , 2006). The ASCs needed to treat ALS must be able to specialize and replace degenerating neurons affected by the disease. This procedure would not be possible without using stem cells to replace the damaged and degenerating neurons.However a problem associated with ASCs is rejection of foreign cells when transplanting ASCs taken through biopsy from a donor. Although biopsy from the patient receiving treatment is an option, the ASCs required come from the brain or spinal cord and can be very dangerous to harvest this way. Adult neural stem cells can be harvested from brain tissue, either from a deceased donor or through biopsy, and then grown in a culture (Ormerod et. al. , 2008). ASCs will not expand nearly as much as ESCs in cultu re and will differentiate into a limited number of neuron types.When using ESCs, which conform to the necessary specialized type of neurons, the lack of flexibility encountered in the ASCs is eliminated. Human embryonic stem cells (ESCs), however difficult to harvest initially, will multiply greatly when grown in culture. The ESCs are generated by in vitro fertilization and grown into the blastocyst stage before harvesting. The advantages of ESCs are boundless; the results of the therapy would not be obtainable without use of the stem cells to replace the damaged cells.The ease and frequency with which ESCs can be expanded in culture is a significant advantage over ASCs. Growing such high numbers of stem cells in this fashion can prove problematic though, while the cells reproduce indefinitely they become more susceptible to mutation and may cause tumors following transplant (Ormerod et. al. , 2008). Thus, a challenge rises to differentiate the cells fully before transplant or to gr ow many more cultures from different donor eggs, which are difficult and expensive to receive.ESCs are more easily specialized into neurons, oligodendrocytes, and glia needed to treat ALS than ASCs; but the possibility of tumors forming in the patient along with the cost and complication of creating new chains of blastocysts from donor eggs pose a disadvantage of using this technology (Ormerod et. al. , 2008). Taking into consideration ESC technology’s advantages and disadvantages, it is equally as viable an approach to a cure for ALS as ASC technology. ALS is an extremely destructive disease which unfortunately plagues a large population.ALS is difficult to treat because it is a neurodegenerative disease and requires brain surgery and neuron replacement. Both adult stem cell and embryonic stem cell therapies have potential to increase the quality of life for patients with ALS but they both have their own individual inherent risk that must be taken into account by the patient and doctors when choosing a stem cell therapy method. Donors are few and far between and the necessary cells are very specific for this particular procedure.Through an increase in research and development of new ways to multiply and store stem cells, along with an increase in donors, the road toward a cure will be a short one. Hopefully in the future the treatment will become easier, less costly, and less dangerous for the patient. Works Cited Larsen CS. 2010. Essentials of Physical Anthropology: Discovering Our Origins. New York and London: W. W. Norton & Company Ormerod, B. K. , Palmer, T. D. , & Maeve, A. C. (2008). Neurodegeneration and cell replacement. Philosophical Transactions: Biological , 363(1489), 153-170.Retrieved from http://www. jstor. org/stable/20210044 Sohur, U. S. , Emsley, J. G. , Mitchell, B. D. , & Macklis, J. D. (2006). Adult neurogenesis and cellular brain repair with neural progenitors, precursors and stem cells. Philosophical Transactions: Biological Scien ces, 361(1473), 1477-1497. Retrieved from http://www. jstor. org/stable/20209745 Kamel,, F. , Umbach, D. M. , Stallone, L. , Richards, M. , Hu, H. , & Sandler, D. P. (2008). Association of lead exposure with survival in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.Evironmental Health Perspectives, 116(7), 943-947. Retrieved from http://www. jstor. org/stable/25071103 Goldman, S. A. , & Windrem, M. S. (2006). Cell replacement therapy in neurological disease. Philosophical Transactions: Biological Sciences, 361(1473), 1463-1475. Retrieved from http://www. jstor. org/stable/20209744 Zhang, S. , Li, X. , Johnson, A. , & Pankratz, M. T. (2006). Human embryonic stem cells for brain repair?. Philosophical Transactions: Biological Sciences, 363(1489), 87-99. Retrieved from http://www. jstor. org/stable/20210040

Positive Psychology and Depression

Positive Psychology in the Treatment of Major Depression Positive psychology is a strengths-oriented, positively focused approach to human behaviors and thoughts that is relatively recent to the overall field of psychology. Previous schools of thought had always focused on the abnormalities, weaknesses, and pathologies of people. Positive psychology is an exceptionally new branch of psychology and aims at making life more fulfilling, enjoyable, and happy instead of just tolerable; they wish to promote mental health and well-being instead of only treating disorders.This research paper will address the roles that hope, gratitude, forgiveness, resilience, optimism, and self-efficacy play in one’s life, and how these characteristics can be utilized in a way to maximize one’s positive affect. One of the most common mood disorders is depression. Depression comes in many forms and there are also different depressive disorders such as major depression, bipolar disorder, and dys thymic disorder. (NIMH, 2009) For the sake of this paper, major depression will be examined. Related article: Approaches to Promoting WellbeingSymptoms of a major depressive episode include feelings of sadness or unhappiness, irritability or frustration, loss of interest or pleasure in normal activities, reduced sex drive, insomnia or excessive sleeping, changes in appetite, agitation or restlessness, angry outbursts, slowed thinking or speaking, fatigue, tiredness, loss of energy, trouble thinking or concentrating, frequent thoughts of death or dying including suicide, crying spells for no apparent reason, and unexplained physical problems such as pain (Mayo Clinic, 2012).One does not have to have every one of these symptoms, they must have at least five symptoms, they must persist for at least two weeks, symptoms cannot be caused due to drug or alcohol consumption, are not caused by bereavement or last longer than two months, and they must cause a significant amount of impairment in the person’s everyday life functioning (DSM-IV-TR, 2000). Major depressive disorder has a lifetime prevalence rate of 11. 2 percent in young adults with 3. 3 percent of those cases deemed severe, and a twelve month prevalence rate of 6. percent in adults with 30. 4 percent of those cases diagnosed as severe. People ages eighteen to twenty-nine are seventy percent more likely to have experienced depression compared to those over the age of sixty, people between thirty to forty-four years old were 120 percent more likely, and forty-five to fifty-nine year olds were 100 percent more likely. Women are seventy percent more likely than their male counterparts to experience depression during their lifetime and whites are forty percent more likely than blacks to experience depression.Compared to 2 percent or less for most other disorders, major depression is quite common. (NIMH, 2009) Positive psychology interventions in cases of major depression focus on increasing positive emotions, positive experiences, subjective well-being, and beneficial engagements. This differs fro m traditional interventions by not focusing on the depressive, negative symptoms and instead trying to focus on the good aspects of one’s life. Positive psychologists do not ignore the fact that mental illnesses are abnormal and the fact that things do go wrong in peoples’ lives.Instead, they want to take a closer look at the good things that happen in peoples’ lives and what makes and keeps people content or happy. In one study, conducted by Seligman et al, positive psychotherapy exercises delivered through the internet were shown to relieve the symptoms of depression for a minimum of six months whereas traditional treatments lasted less than one week. In subjects suffering from severe depression, reduction in mild-to-moderate depressive symptoms was observed.It was also observed that subjects who had been suffering from major depressive disorder and underwent positive psychotherapy had a higher reduction in symptoms than those who underwent traditional treatme nts and those who underwent traditional treatments combined with medications. The hypothesis of this study stated that â€Å"depression can be treated effectively not only by reducing its negative symptoms, but also by directly and primarily building positive emotions, character strengths, and meaning. It is possible that directly building these positive resources may also buffer against their future reoccurrence. (Seligman et, al. , 2006) Logically, major depression would be well treated when using a positive psychology oriented approach. People who suffer from depression experience anhedonia – an inability to experience pleasure in activities which it is usually produced. They lack positive affect, show a lack of engagement in meaningful activities, lack of feeling of purpose, and lack of feeling of meaning. These people no longer find any interest in things such as sex, food, bonding with friends, favorite past times, and work. (Brynie, 2009) A study by Barnaby D.Dunn, pu blished in July of 2012 also found that people suffering from depression also do not experience anticipation or recognize positive emotions the way those unaffected do. (Dunn, 2012) The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines anticipation as â€Å"1: b. the act of looking forward; especially: pleasurable expectation. 2: a mental attitude that influences a later response. †(Merriam-Webster, 2012) From this, it is understood that people suffering from depression, and therefore anhedonia, not only miss out on the pleasure normally experienced during enjoyable activities, they also do not even look forward to any of these pleasurable activities.It is as if they do not see the possibility of an experience producing positive outcomes. Positive psychology, on the other hand, is primarily focused on creating and building-upon positive emotions, helping people find meaning in their everyday lives, and promoting an overall increase in mental health. Positive psychology has its roots in self -efficacy, optimism, and hope. Self-efficacy is the belief that you have the skills and self-control necessary to achieve the goals you set for yourself.This is a learned way of thinking, predicted by previous successes, observing others with high levels of self-efficacy, the ability to imagine oneself achieving a successful outcome, verbal persuasion by other strong and trustworthy individuals, and ability to control negative emotions. Optimism is a person’s tendency to look at a situation from the best possible point of view, or too expect the best possible outcome in any given situation (Merriam-Webster, 2012). Optimism can be predicted by a childhood environment which provided safety, coherence, secure attachments, and there is also a genetic component to optimism.Television, however, is one of the main culprits in promoting pessimism – the opposite of optimism. The final main building block of positive psychology is hope. Hope is the combination of the belief that one can reach his or her goals and has the ability to find alternate routes to these goals should they be presented with adversity. (Snyder, 2011) Key steps and aspects of combating major depression with positive psychology were outlined by Seligman, Rashid, and Parks in their 2006 article.Since depression is associated with a lack of positive realizations in one’s life, clients were asked to take steps to help them recognize their signature strengths, ways to utilize these signature strengths, good things that happen to them every day, things and people in their lives that they are thankful for, and also to forgive others and themselves for past transgressions. To help clients recognize their signature strengths as well as help them to see the way they view themselves, clients were instructed to write stories describing what they believe to be their character strengths.The client and therapist discuss how apathy and the absence of positive emotions do nothing but maintain t he cycle of depressive episodes. Next, clients were instructed to take the VIA-IS strengths finding questionnaire and then use those results in an assignment stating how they could best utilize their strengths to improve their everyday lives. Afterwards, clients were to recall past situations in which they have successfully used their identified strengths to their advantage. Pleasure, engagement, and meaning as pathways to happiness are discussed during the client’s session and their role in overcoming depression is outlined.All of these steps help lead to the realization of the client that they have strengths that are unique to themselves, they have control over situations that happen to them, and they are not helpless. (Seligman, 2006) The next set of steps focuses mainly on engagement. Clients were asked to keep Blessings Journals in which they recorded at least three good things which happened to them each day. They are also encouraged to write about three bad things that have happened to them and to go into depth about their emotions surrounding these events and how the events influenced their depression.The therapist will inform the client of the ways in which retaining negative feelings such as anger and bitterness can compound the effects of depression and prevent recovery. Clients were encouraged to talk about negative experiences and vent about these experiences rather than ruminate on them. Clients were then to write at least one forgiveness letter. They describe an incident with a wrong-doing, the emotions experienced along with the event, and they also promise to forgive to transgressor; even if it was himself or herself. Seligman et al, 2006) Forgiveness is a freeing from a negative attachment to the source that has transgressed against a person. There is less desire to avoid the person or seek revenge, and an increase in positive feelings or actions towards the individual. There is a realistic assessment of the harm done, an acknowledgeme nt of the perpetrator’s responsibility, a cancelation of debt between the victim and perpetrator, and then a self-removal from the category of victim.Forgiveness is important in a person’s life because it helps to break the cycle of violence when one person is harmed and seeks revenge and then the initial transgressor seeks revenge as well which initiates and maintains said cycle of violence. When a person displays a willingness to forgive others, it is not only beneficial to that person, but also to all of the people surrounding said incident. It produces positive feelings as well as an inclination to also be forgiving in future situations. This is a form of positive role modeling between peers. Snyder, 2011) Another important step is expressing gratitude. Clients are encouraged to express their gratitude to someone they never properly or fully thanked either in person, through a letter, or via telephone conversation. (Miller, 2008) One way gratitude is experienced is when another individual acts in a way that is costly to himself or herself, provides value to the recipient, and was done intentionally. Another way gratitude can be experienced is when someone survives a catastrophic event, a threat to his or her health, or a dangerous situation.Gratitude is a highly valued character trait in many cultures due to its beneficial nature and tendency to increase a person’s tendency to perform altruistic tasks. Those who are high in gratitude are generally less concerned with material goods, more spiritual, more satisfied with life, and more empathetic. (Snyder, 2011) Using the concept of primary prevention, psychologists can help their clients to prevent depressive symptoms from occurring in the first place, or lessen the severity of depressive symptoms during the next depressive episode.Some positive psychology interventions in Seligman, Rashid, and Parks’ 2006 study that dealt with primary prevention were being more physically active, socializing with more people or more often with people who were already friends, engaging in meaningful work such as volunteering and helping the less fortunate, bonding more with loved ones and forming deeper connections, lowering expectations of oneself and others, and making one’s own happiness a priority.In the same study, Seligman and his fellow researchers randomly assigned six hundred volunteers to one of six intervention activities online. Five of these activities were from a more positive psychology focused list of exercises, and one was a placebo. The placebo exercise required participants to write down their earliest memories every night for a week which had only temporary effects on that group. The volunteers assigned to groups 1, 2, and 4 showed pointedly lower depressive symptoms and much higher levels of happiness when compared to the lacebo and two other control-like groups. The volunteers in the successful group also had result which lasted at least six mont hs whereas the people in the other groups had either no results, or results that were only fleeting. (Seligman et al, 2006) Group 1 was required to take the VIA-IS strengths questionnaire and then considers ways in which they could utilize their results to help them in their everyday lives. Group 2 had to write down at least three good things that had happened to them that day and why they thought these things had happened to them.Group 4 had to conduct a gratitude visit, much like the one previously mentioned, in which they composed a letter of thanks to someone who had positively impacted their life in some way, shape, or form but they had never fully thanked and then read said letter either in person or over the phone. The two control-like groups’ assignments were to take a strengths test questionnaire alone, or to write an essay about themselves in a moment when they were at their best. Seligman et al, 2006) These last findings show that the positive psychology activities used in the Seligman et al study can also be used as a form of secondary prevention. Secondary prevention addresses a problem after it has already appeared; just as these online participants were already showing signs of extreme depression. After participating in the three blessings per day exercise their depression scores went down showing that this exercise not only could help prevent depressive episode as previously shown, it could also lessen a depressive episode that had already begun.As a spin-off from this study a website, www. reflectivehappiness. com was created. This was a social website community centered on positive psychology. New exercises and interventions were posted each month, a book club was formed, a newsletter was published and sent out, and a discussion board dedicated to positive psychology. During the first month of operations, it was found that fifty of the site’s subscribers who took pretests for the Center for Epidemiological Studies – Depre ssion Scale, scored in the range that would qualify as extremely depressed.After completing the exercise involving recording three blessings each day for two weeks, the average score for this group of people dropped from 33. 9, to 16. 9. This showed that ninety-four percent of these people were less depressed and fell from the extremely depressed range to the mildly to moderately depressed range. This website is no longer functioning the same way, it has moved to a mobile network which only works on iPhones and now runs under the URL www. happiness. com. Another important part of positive psychology and the ability of a person to remain positive, optimistic, and hopeful is resiliency.Resilience is the ability to bounce back from adversity and to successfully adapt to the demands of stressful situations (Tugade et al, 2004). People who are seen as resilient are more likely to be described as self-efficacious, confident, and determined and can also be expected to generate a more posit ive self-talk, boost their self-image, and promote self-agency (Mak et al, 2011). All of these characteristics are those of someone with a very positive outlook on life as well as a positive view of themselves.These people show a much lower susceptibility to mental disorders and behavioral problems such as depression, anxiety, violence, and substance abuse (Lillehoj et al, 2004). People who are more resilient also show more optimism and a higher level of hope when thinking about the future. The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions suggests that â€Å"positive emotions expand what an individual feels like doing at any given time. †(Snyder, 2011) This is referred to by Fredrickson as a broadening of one’s thought-action repertoire.Emotions such as joy, interest, contentment, pride, and love all have the ability to expand you potential action options. Joy can create more creative, playful behaviors while interest creates the desire to explore, expand, and experie nce new things. One of the most important in positive psychology is pride. Pride creates the desire to share good news and envision oneself doing even bigger and better things. The opposite happens in any life threatening situation; your thought-action choices narrow to provide a smaller list of options to try to conduct a speedy, potentially life-saving choice. Frederickson, 2001) This research proves that when a person is feeling depressed and are lacking the positive emotions described above, they do not have an expanded thought-action repertoire and therefore do not see all of the possible paths to their goals which, in turn, leads to feelings of hopelessness and a lack of self-efficacy. Other health benefits of promoting positive emotions are increased laughter, decreased heart disease, increased longevity, positive emotional disclosure, and overall increased psychological health.Laughter has been proven to be a cyclical cause and effect of positive emotions which in turn impro ves immune system functioning, and help maintain a stable positive emotional state. Elderly people who had been hospitalized for an incident involving heart disease and kept up a positive attitude had a much lower readmission rate than those who displayed a negative outlook. Also, people who tend to be more positive throughout their lives, participate in emotional disclosure, and upholding an optimistic and hopeful outlook have a propensity to live longer than those who did not.Positive emotions and an expanded thought-action repertoire not only help people emotionally avoid depression, they also help people to be more physically active and thus further avoid depressive symptoms. The reasons why exercise helps to alleviate depressive symptoms is not completely understood, but it is believed to happen on a few different levels. First of all, exercise is thought to release beneficial neurotransmitters and endorphins which are essentially ‘feel good’ chemicals for your bra in and body. These chemicals are thought to activate the opioid receptors in the brain creating feelings of happiness and optimism.Another way exercise is thought to help create positive emotions in those who exercise is by lowering certain chemicals released by the immune system which can also prolong depressive feelings. Finally, exercise increases body temperature which is thought to have a calming effect on individuals. The more direct, less scientific ways that exercise can help people avoid depression are by acting as a distraction from everyday life and taking a person’s mind off of things, increasing social interactions and therefore increasing positive interactions, and improving physical appearance and thus increasing confidence. Mayo Clinic, 2011) A study also found that speed walking for thirty five minutes per day for five days each week, or sixty minutes per day three times each week had a significant effect on decreasing depression. (Harvard Medical School, 200 9) All in all, having a positive outlook on life can be beneficial to one’s life in countless ways. The study of positive psychology helps people to take steps towards developing better skills to take advantage of their ability to think positively, act positively, and avoid or decrease their depression.Through a few very simple steps, such as gratitude letters, blessings journal keeping, and skills and strengths assessments, one can increase their sense of self efficacy, increase resilience, increase their sense of hope, and by doing this decrease major depressive symptoms. Works Cited: American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed. , text rev. ). Washington, DC: Author. Anticipation. 2012. In Merriam-Webster. com. Retrieved November 26, 2012, from http://www. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/anticipationBrynie, F. (2009). Depression and Anhedonia. Brain Sense. December 2009. Dunn, B. D. (2012). Helping Depressed Client s Reconnect to Positive Emotion Experience: Current Insights and Future Directions. 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