Local Ethnography On Women’s Pay Equity

In modern era of technological advances and scientific innovations business nevertheless remains the epicenter of global events. Therefore, labor market to great extent is associated with equal human rights and productive human relationships that form the basis for social justice. The latter, as viewed by the majority of sociologists, is an equal treatment of society members regardless of their social status, condition, race, gender, political preferences, religious beliefs, etc. Social justice is regarded as the medium for every individual to achieve goals and have identical opportunities in modern society characterized by various economic, cultural, social, and political inequalities. In Canada each federation is governed by federal employment laws, which prohibit discrimination based on gender and sex. Also, a number of provinces have introduced new laws on wage gap elimination among men and women. Top managers along with sociologists were supposed to conduct surveys in their working atmosphere on the topic of women’s pay equity comparing fair treatment and compensation for work among occupations dominated by men and women. Results showed that women involved in both full and part-time jobs received less money than men. In fact, in late 1990s female workers earned 75% of the amount of money their male colleagues had regardless of the fact that according to the research their abilities to successfully negotiate with clients and work hard on the given tasks were several stages higher than those men were characterized by. Basically, it would be fair to claim that there exist several challenges modern social justice in Canada may experience throughout its attempts to achieve equal treatment among women and men in terms of financial and compensative situation: First of all, there is a strong tendency in the Canadian society to resolve the issue of wage gap and sex discrimination among men and women without resorting to legal assistance. Typically, these situations do not receive publicity and remain unknown being tackled on individual level. Most often, becoming a victim of underpayment or pay inequity women tend to seek other ways of additional income without leaving their previous jobs. This results in the situation when officially women are satisfied with their condition. Secondly, pay inequity has much in common with timetable as according to the recent research middle-aged women earn much less money than those in their twenties or thirties or than men of any age. Also, ethnicity and race play an extremely important part in the issue. â€Å"Visible minority women have the lowest income and highest unemployment rates of all groups.   In 1995, the average income of visible minority women was $16,600, compared to $17,100 for other women in Canada, and $23,600 for visible minority men† (Recommendations to the Pay Equity Task Force). The concentration of women in certain â€Å"underestimated† spheres is traditional and pronounced to high degree. For instance, the service industries include such jobs of no prestige and low income as waitress, cleaner, nurse, etc. According to the survey conducted in 2005, about 65% of working women are involved in service industry and have a part-time job due to numerous overwhelming home duties. Working several hours per day on regular basis greatly contributes to the issue of wage gap as such women are perceived as unqualified workers and add to the problem of poverty. Also, they tend to have low level of livelihood, which may cause poor living conditions resulting in high expenses on health care, etc. With these preliminary considerations in mind, it would be fair to claim that the issue of pay inequity reflects the adverse status of women in Canada. It denotes that despite numerous social changes implemented by work groups and both governmental and non-governmental organizations, the notions of self-employment and flexible working hours among women still remain of current importance. â€Å"In 2001,over three-quarters of a million women reported being self-employed, representing 11 percent of those with jobs. Over the past decade, 39.6 percent of new jobs in Canada were linked to self-employment, and 44 percent of those who are self-employed earn less than $20,000 a year†. (Recommendations to the Pay Equity Task Force). According to the Canadian Human Rights Act it is unlawful to evaluate the same task accomplished by men and women differently and pay unequal amount of money in the same organization.   The Act comprises all categories of state employees and necessary conditions for the implementation of the law. However, many find fault in the section that deals with the wage gap issue, as it is not catered to the needs of women. Forming the main risk group and therefore most often applying to higher echelon with complaints that require numerous formal rules and signatures, women tend to refuse from the idea of publicity especially taking into account the fact that the application requires certain expenditures and does not always guarantee the petitioner’s satisfaction. In order to support women and resolve the issue of unemployment, wage gap, and poverty among them there is a need in creating an efficient action plant that will meet the criteria of governmental establishments in terms of legal policy and comply with the demands of women in the community. The following are the decisions to be made:  §Ã‚   To gather all necessary available data on the problem of women’s pay equity. This will help the participants of the program to realize the scale of the issue and properly organize preventive measures. After the materials are received and processed, it is important to spread the information in the test field and among those who are relatively or not at all familiar with the problem. This may be implemented through mass media, public gatherings, etc. Identifying the problem helps in its faster and effective solving.  §Ã‚   To organize clubs and societies where unpaid or low-paid women will have an opportunity to talk about their previous or current experience, share their own ideas on how to reduce the number of those suffering from social inequity. It would be a significant contribution to the implementation of the project as the victims are the best source of thoughts and ideas on how to help people to solve the problem.  §Ã‚   To enlist governmental, non-governmental, and public organizations in the program including their financial support as project sponsors. To encourage them to tighten already existing rules of their companies in terms of wage gap and money distribution.  §Ã‚   To encourage women to start their own business and actively participate in public life  §Ã‚   To support women in new beginnings and promote their further professional education and training  §Ã‚   To collaborate with various associations and groups such as the Canadian Federation of Business and Professional Women Clubs  §Ã‚   To issue newspapers or journals on the topic  §Ã‚   To create favorable working atmosphere for women (especially of foreign origin).  §Ã‚   To promote global interaction among the members of the high-risk group portraying adverse conditions and consequences of inability to speak up and be assertive.  §Ã‚   To promote equal payment for jobs of identical value  §Ã‚   To uphold safe working environment with all necessary skills such as computer literacy, etc.  §Ã‚   To eliminate violence against women and avoid excessive number of men in the staff. In conclusion, it would be appropriate to note that the main objective of the action plan and other projects connected with the indicated above problem is to destroy the traditionally established stereotype denoting that women are supposed to be involved in low-income sector. â€Å"Policies such as paid parental leave, equal employment opportunities and the promotion of fair bargaining can improve women's ability to participate fully in the labor market† (Pay Equity). In order for us to succeed it is necessary to create a positive image of independent and smart woman who in fact always remains such and demonstrate her ability to cope with tasks that traditionally are only given to men.         

American Identity Paper

Occurred an American Is a person who doesn't have much compared to the people in Europe. There are no kings, lords, or bishops that have all the power. In America every person works for himself and finds a way to travel to where is needed. Coming through America there isn't castles or fancy mansions everywhere compared to Europe. People live in huts made out of clay and cabins where men and cattle lay to keep warm.When a person comes to America they are considered free and are able to be equal among others. There isn't one person who is in charge like a prince or princess that controls all of the people. Every person Is able to make their own decision on whatever they choose to do In America. America Is a mixture of people with different cultures that come together as one community who do not Judge one another or look down upon. There Is no rich or poor community, every person Is considered to be equal among one another.America Is now considered the most perfect society In the world today. Living in the British Society, many people were belittled and frowned upon because they were poor or didn't meet certain standards of others. As Occurred says, â€Å"The rich and the poor are not so far removed from each other as they are in Europe† meaning that being poor led to being a slave and lived in horrible areas. Many people that were poor didn't want to continue living that way. There was one ruler who may have been the king, lord or bishop that was In control of everyone and told the people what to do.As man started traveling out of Europe and moved towards America, It was realized that they didn't have to continue living the way they were. People were not being controlled In American and told what to do as In Europe. As America was being discovered the people saw what is was like to be free and equal among the other people and decided to move there. Any race or culture is accepted and will not be judged or criticized. Not one person is considered to be poor or rich and also every person was free and didn't have to live under one person as a ruler.Every person was able to make their own decisions on what they chose to do. By libertarian's According to Cry ©voucher an American is a person who doesn't have much equal among others. There isn't one person who is in charge like a prince or princess that controls all of the people. Every person is able to make their own decision on whatever they choose to do in America. America is a mixture of people with different down upon. There is no rich or poor community, every person is considered to be equal among one another.America is now considered the most perfect society in the because they were poor or didn't meet certain standards of others. As Occurred Many people that were poor didn't want to continue living that way. There was one ruler who may have been the king, lord or bishop that was in control of everyone and towards America, it was realized that they didn't have to continue living t he way they People were not being controlled in American and told what to do as in Europe. As and will not be Judged or criticized. Not one person is considered to be poor or rich

Campus Foods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Campus Foods - Essay Example The report is supposed to be sent to the president of the university, the human resource department, and state and OSHA agencies. Upon her analysis of the operation Cindy discovered a disturbing trend. The CFS appears to have a serious safety issue because the number of accidents is 20% higher than similar size operations in the food industry. Her boss, Jake, told her to minimize the severity of the accident report because CFS could not afford the report to show inflated accident statistics. Jake also hinted to Cindy that her grade and favorable job recommendation rest on how she handled the accident report. She found 46 cases of accidents and also noticed that some accidents had gone unreported. Cindy has to choose among these seven alternatives: The first option is not a good alternative because as a professional Cindy has to comply with high ethical standards. Cindy is facing an ethical dilemma. â€Å"Ethical dilemmas, also known as moral dilemmas, are situations in which there are two choices to be made, neither of which resolves the situation in an ethically acceptable fashion† (Yourdictionary, 2012). It would be unethical, dangerous, and illegal for her to omit the truth from the authorities. The second and third options are good and ethical alternatives, but these options put her career at risk because Jake threatened Cindy that he would give her a bad grade and bad recommendation if she told the truth. The option of calling the press and leaking the story would make her a whistleblower. A whistleblower can be defined as a person who reveals any wrongdoings or malpractices that are taking place within an organization (Bainbridge, 2007). I do not think that this is the best course of action because it would bring a lot negative attention to the university. The best option for Cindy which ensures she complies with the her ethical obligations, while

The relationship between stock markets and economic development Essay

The relationship between stock markets and economic development - Essay Example Empirical studies do suggest that a well developed stock market can considerably support economic growth in the long run through faster capital accumulation, improved resources allocation and exploiting the prevalence of positive sentiment across the country. (Ahmed, Ali & Shahbaz, 2008) In 19th and 20th centuries, academicians such as Bagehot (1873) and Schumpeter (1911) had focused on contribution of financial sector to economy. The main function of money or capital in the initial years was to trade in credit for the purpose of financing development before the Great Depression. Gurley and Shaw (1955) were the first to study the relationship between financial markets and real activity. However, the direct relationship was not very clear until recently. Recent literature has paid much attention to banking reforms which directly affected both the stock markets and economic growth relationships. Levine (1997) suggested that liquid market spread can lead to stable and long term investments leading to economic growth through reduced transaction expenditure. While the conventional economists always believed that there was no direct relation between stock market growth and economic growth because of presence of level effect and not the rate effect. Many of them in fact be lieved that stock markets actually harm the economic growth due to its volatile nature, market flexibility due to unstructured and unexplainable sentiments and generally no justification for sudden surge or fall in stock indexes leading to perceived gains and losses of millions of dollars in a fraction of a day. However, there has been considerable growth of stock market share in economic direction of a country. During late 90s over a period of a decade, the total value of world’s stock markets rose from $4.7 trillion to $15.2 trillion while capitalisation share jumped fro 4% to 13%. (Levine 1998). The figures have since seen exponential growth in the past decade too, with world economy growing

Mastering Cognitive Psychology to Become a Good HR Manager Personal Statement

Mastering Cognitive Psychology to Become a Good HR Manager - Personal Statement Example I am particularly interested in cognitive psychology since it gives insight into the nature of thought which involves cognition, mental processes, and the underlying behavior. After graduation, I hope to apply the knowledge and skill I have acquired from psychology in a business organization’s human resource department. It is my goal to develop a compensation package which will motivate employees to work with their full potential. I must also add that in aside from my interest in psychology, I am also very passionate in creative writing. Thus, I hope to take minor courses in English in order to enhance my writing skills. It is my greatest dream to write my own book where I can apply my knowledge and skill from both disciplines. I believe that an effective writer should not only be able to tell a good story but let the readers explore the human psyche through the thoughts and emotions of the characters. Through the years, the situations and challenges that I face have given me the chance to grow and develop as an individual. As a working student, I have been instilled with the great sense of responsibility and commitment both for my studies and my job. My part-time job in BCC’s cafeteria for two years has trained me to work with a diverse workforce, deal with customers especially with the irate ones, and value time management. This experience has exposed to the challenges of dealing with stress and pressure. Being an Indonesian, my stay here at the US has enhanced my flexibility as an individual. It enabled me to observe and adapt to the different culture in this society, made me more open-minded, widened my social circle, and furthered my skills and competency in the English language.

Signal-Tek Corporation Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Signal-Tek Corporation - Case Study Example Two larger instrument manufacturers have been taking some of the division’s market shares by offering low-cost products at a quicker rate. STC has been unable to keep up with the competition resulting in a reduction in their workforce by 15 percent. In 2002 STC was awarded a contract with the U.S. Army by offering the lowest cost on signal generators. However, their calculated costs were based on old data. Their plan is to produce newer and more efficient models. Major Problem STC’s first major problem was their lack of focus on timely goals and their inability to produce low-cost, solid-performance, and high-reliability instruments. Due to the aforementioned, larger manufactures are taking over their division market shares and STC’s work force had to be reduced by 15 percent which also reduces their rate of production. Secondly, the supply department does not have a formal engineering background making their situation worst when compiled with the fact that there is no cohesion between the engineering department and themselves. For low-cost and efficient production of quality instruments both the expertise of the engineering and supply departments are needed to work collaboratively together from beginning to end. Lastly, STC should have never made a bid with the U.S. Army based off of old data for material and production costs. Possible Solutions/Alternatives A. The engineering department collaboratively working with the supply department can reduce costs and improve efficiency. B. Research and an assessment of production should be implemented before any new project and an assessment should be conducted on why the organizations old methods were not working. C. The engineering department collaboratively working with the supply department while conducting research to produce better results would be the best alternative. D. The advantage of both departments working together would be the result of better efficient instruments offered at a lower -cost. The disadvantage may be the clashing of ego’s that one department knows more than the other. The advantage of taking time out to conduct research and do an assessment would be the result of a better understanding of the situation at hand. The disadvantage of this would be biases getting in the way of containing valid facts. Choice and Rationale The best choice would be to start at the bottom level and get the engineering and supply department to engage in their projects together. I would set up a mandatory meeting for these departments and list the advantages of both working together and the great outcome it would produce for the organization as a whole including increased job security. Questions 1. Early supply management involvement can assist in low-cost and timely new product development by using their buying expertise to spot the best quality deal. 2. Supply management’s involvement enhances an early supplier involvement program by giving first-hand knowled ge on their expertise of buying. The potential benefits of this are reducing costs and improving efficiency which creates better job security and a healthier work environment. 3. The division can increase cooperation/communication between the engineering and supply departments by first establishing a meeting and presenting factual data on the benefits of their collaboration which includes increased job security. 4. Standardization will greatly improve the new product development by keeping everyone on the same page which decreases confusion and increases efficiency. 5. More effective supply management involvement changes engineering’s role by adding buying knowledge to their list of skills. 6. The division can help to expand supply management’

Operationsat Zara Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Operationsat Zara - Assignment Example Zara’s success can be attributed to its unusual operations management and supply chain strategies which included zero advertising, trendy offerings, and up-to-the minute strategies among others. This paper analyses and discusses the importance of successful operations management and supply chain on gaining competitive advantage using Zara’s operations as a case study. According to Boyer and Verma (2010), supply chain management involves the management of flow of goods or services or both among business and between firms and consumers. The supply chain in itself is the flow of goods, service and information from the business or suppliers to the final consumer. It involves three interdependent chains; resources, material and information flows. In today’s business environment, the competition has been stepped up from company against company to supply chain against supply chain. According to Mangan and Lalwani (2008), supply chain management is closely linked to operations management since it also engages the flow of resource, information and materials. Operations management has been defined as the systematic approach to addressing issues in the transformation process that transforms inputs into useful revenue-generating outputs. According to Pycraft and Singh (2008), Operations management involves understanding the nature of problems and issues to be studied; setting measures of performance; collecting relevant data, making use of scientific tools, techniques and solution methodologies; and coming up with efficient and effective solutions to the problems at hand. The main focus of operations management is to address planning, the design, and operational control of transformational processes which are central to the operations of the business. The major aim of operation management is to ensure that businesses are able to keep their cost at a minimum level and obtain revenues in excess of their costs through careful

Education in China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Education in China - Essay Example And because of the rapidly growing economic sector and global presence of China, it is imperative to understand how the education system works in the country. This essay discusses education in China and the similarities and differences between the Chinese and American education system. Education in China is categorised into elementary school, middle school, and high school. Similar to the United States, twelve years are spent in elementary school and high school, though in China, it is divided quite differently. In China, six years are spent in elementary school, then three years in middle school, and three years in high school, with the initial nine years spent in compulsory education (Peterson, Hayhoe, and Lu 22). One should successfully pass a competitive exam in order to be admitted into high school. High school is offering vocational education and general education. Parents pay for their children’s high school education, and scholarships are granted to those from low-inco me families. High school students are required to stay in school from 8:00 am to 5:15 pm. Generally, a particular school in every city is authorised to offer special education for pupils with impairments (Wang 73). Home schooling is not practised in China, not like in the United States. There are hardly any non-academic extracurricular and sports activities. Nevertheless, numerous students take part in after-school activities to review for examinations, particularly for university admission exams, which they can take once, not like the ACT and SAT Reasoning Test which can be taken several times in the U.S. (Liu 62). In China, a large number of students in elementary school are taught mathematics by a professional math teacher. The math teacher is also allowed to teach Chinese literacy in grades 1 and 2. In several areas, math teachers may also teach science, but science is not a major subject in the elementary school curriculum (Peterson et al. 44). In schools in far-flung or rural places, elementary teachers are also allowed to teach all subject areas, just like in the United States. However, math teachers in elementary schools are usual in China and less usual in the U.S. Moreover, Chinese pupils use a single classroom for their primary classes whilst in the United States students use different rooms for different subjects or classes (Guo and Lamb 75). The major difference between the education system of China and the U.S. is that in the former, the system in general is far stricter with more rules and in the latter there are considerably fewer limitations and greater freedom (Liu 38). For instance, a pupil having the liberty to choose his/her own classes is not common in China. Every class that a student in China should take is fixed. According to Peterson and colleagues, this lack of freedom in China may be attributed to the huge population of students and giving every student the freedom to choose his/her own classes is clearly problematic. Another import ant difference between the Chinese and American education system is the notion of head teacher. The head teacher in China performs an extra responsibility in overseeing their particular classes, providing instruction, and knowing and communicating with the students and their families. The Chinese head teacher will not merely teach his/her particular class that

Report of IT tech for food4all Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Report of IT tech for food4all - Essay Example In the process of creating live video streams for service delivery sessions, the project uses teleconferencing facilities like overhead cameras, screens or projectors, and high speed Internet connectivity among other technologies that incorporate the application of chat features. The preliminary evaluation aims at enhancing the efficiency of emerging technologies as well as their influence on the service delivery exercise on clients. The discourse covers a portrayal of a case where one of the new technologies gets integrated into food delivery. Putting in place a projector and a screen in the media centre used by clients for getting information. Employees will use the same to offer technology professional advanced services, it will also be a client centre for technology, and family meetings among clients will use it for conferences. Other uses include serving as the client center for technology learners in the food supply system, being a likely LVS centre for those with catch-up programs, and a centre for family nights. Using the projector and the screen will enable every participant or client to see clearly, what the project offers. To advance professional services and development for employees handling Promethean Boards during service delivery. Professional development will take place during one of the in-service services sessions scheduled in addition to the after meal on-site programs throughout food delivery. It is consequential for employees to comprehend ways of operating and integrating important aspects such as Promethean into delivering services applied during live streaming and not just the use of boards to impart knowledge among clients. Provision of materials and software for the newly introduced ACT project important in Prep Course. The relevance of ACT is for clients to remain complaint with the new live streaming methods introduced for delivery of food. Food service delivery companies previously provide catch-up

Consumer Products Report Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Consumer Products Report - Research Paper Example I hope that you are going to find this report satisfactory and up to your required standards. Sincerely yours, Name Faculty. Address Enclosures. Contents Letter of Transmittal 2 Contents 3 Introduction 4 Background to the Study 4 Research Aim 6 Significance of the Study 6 Methodology Applied 6 Findings 7 Primary Findings: Interview with a User 7 Primary Findings: Interview with a Sales Person 8 Primary Findings: Interview with a Technician 8 Secondary Findings 9 Summary of the Findings 10 Conclusion and Recommendation 10 References 11 Appendix-1: Interview Guideline for User 13 Appendix-2: Interview Guideline for Sales Person 14 Appendix-2: Interview Guideline for Technician 15 Introduction This research study is aimed at comparing a model of Sony TV with that of Samsung and Toshiba in order to facilitate the buying decisions needed to be made by the customers. For this reason, the researcher will utilize an interview guideline to conduct primary research and would take help from sec ondary sources to affirm the findings of the primary research. Background to the Study The development in technology and the globalization of resources and businesses has urged organizations to align t heir operational activities with that of pace of other businesses. This is because, to stay alive in the market place, organizations need to provide technologically driven and up to dated solutions to the requirements of customer, so that they stay loyal to the businesses. In this scenario, organizations engage themselves in business processes which ensures that every now and than, business come up with a new and innovative product idea, which outmatches the products of same product category of competitors (Herrick, 2007). In case of electronic appliance and gadget manufacturers, need for innovation and creativity increases as these manufacturers are perceived to be providing high quality technological gadgets that make customers’ life easier. Televisions were first introduced into the commercial market in late 1920s and since than, they have transformed into many forms, i.e. from simple cathode ray tube device to LCDs and than to LEDs. Televisions are undoubtedly the most purchased and utilized electronic device in the world and are used for communicating with the world through moving images (Bellis, 2012). The changing dynamics of consumer demands and preferences, along with the changing dynamics of the television manufacturing industry, has proved to be working as a catalyst in speeding up the process of introducing new and innovative television sets to the market. Additionally, the rapid changes in technological aspects of television manufacturing and industry structure makes television manufacturers face enormous challenges in the integration of their value chain activities. Moreover, the bigger challenge arises on customers’ sides that are looking for more facilitating solutions to fulfill their requirement to stay connected to the rest of th e world through television, and at the same time, looking for television that provide them real time image and provide picture quality that makes them feel if they are being a part of the scene they see on televisions (Gage & Pizzi, 2010). A number of quality television manufacturers dominate world’s television market. Among these manufacturer

Should Drugs Be Legalised Article Essay Example for Free

Should Drugs Be Legalised Article Essay Juliette Hughes wrote an article for The Age newspaper about how she thinks drugs should be legalised. She used many different sorts of metalanguage techniques such as using expert’s opinion, appealing to people’s self-interest etc. Hughes is an ethicist; her point of view is from an ethical standpoint. Hughes used examples from history and scientific experiment. The intended audience is a mature audience, who are open minded about the legalisation of drugs. Hughes starts off by talking about cannabis and the effect it has. This leads to talking about drug users being criminalised and how she opposes. Hughes writes â€Å"whether we approve of the activity or not, it is not ethical to punish people for what they do to themselves. † She is appealing to self-interest; it is making the reader think if they were punished for something that they choose to do to themselves. Hughes uses an appeal to hip pocket when she uses the example from the UN’s Office on Drugs and Crime have estimated the global drug trade is $US321 billion, she states that it will be a saving on money and social capital could be directed towards rehabilitation and support for families who are also affected by substance abuse. She appeals to parents when she writes â€Å"Banning something only makes vulnerable young rebels think it’s cool† implying that the youth may be more attracted to forbidden fruit if it made them look more cool. She uses a historic example from when the US banned alcohol from 1920 to 1933, she explains how having prohibition only criminalised most of the population and entrench organise crime. She uses scientific experiments to support her point. She uses a study done in 2005 by Dutch scientists which was published in the British Medical Journal, which showed that prescribing heroin made everyone win. She appeals to community values when she explains that the research shows the users had a better quality life and the community benefited from reduced crime. Hughes uses formal language throughout the article, using words such as â€Å"oxymoronic nexus. † This adds to the point of view that Hughes is trying to get across. Using formal language shows how serious she is about the topic and adds to the tone of the article which is serious and sophisticated. She does a small part of a rebuttal when she mentions drugs being used in sports, she writes â€Å"it is cheating and should be stopped. † In conclusion, Juliette Hughes used a wide variety of metalanguage. Using appeals, historic examples, scientific examples and formal language, she was able to effectively get her point of view across to her intended audience.

Effect of Exposure to Petroleum Products

Effect of Exposure to Petroleum Products Petroleum-derived products are chemicals (mostly volatile) that primarily used for internal combustion machines. These products are made up of hydrocarbon and non-hydrocarbon components; hydrocarbons consist of (aromatic, saturated and unsaturated) and non-hydrocarbons consist of (N, S, O2, vanadium and nickel)(179,180). Some individuals ought to have a bigger risk of revelation to gasoline fumes; those individuals may include gasoline trucks drivers, Petroleum refining factory workforce, filling-station staff and service station attendants, (181). In the present study, table 3-1 demonstrates that, the exposure of oil refineries working staff to petroleum products for long period of time may significantly elevates serum levels of copper, iron, and lead equated to control standards. It is well known that impairment of metal homeostasis in the biological system can be considered as a risk factor for many health disorders. In this regard, chronic elevation of free iron in biological flu ids may lead to diabetes, cardiomyocytes damage, impaired sexual drive, liver cirrhosis, and kidney diseases. Meanwhile, free iron-induced tissue damage might be irreversible, and should be seriously considered by health care professionals due to the high risk of establishing many types of pathological disorders(182). In addition to the release from endogenous storage sites, heavy metals along with other pollutants are discharged to the environment through many industrial activities; during most of these activities, wastes are generated and discharged into the environment in volatile forms(181). The copper content in the human body represents an essential part of various significant enzymes that takes part in vigorous biological processes. Free form release can be done to catalyze ROS formation despite it is generally proteins bounded, including the most powerful and dangerous radicals of hydroxyl. Many cell culture and in vitro studies collected data, support the idea that free for m of Cu initiates oxidative stress, and interferes with important many cellular events(183). Moreover, exposure to exogenous sources and/or liberation of free copper from endogenous sources facilitates the rate of Fenton reactions that excessively generate free radicals(184). For a variety of diseases this is considered as a dynamic research zone, in which copper is playing a significant but yet extra delicate part than in acute toxicity(185). Lead, among the metals that elevated in the plasma of oil refineries workers, is the most dangerous one and massive exposure can lead to fatal consequences. In the present study, the mean blood level of lead is significantly elevated in exposed workers compared with that reported in control subjects. The pathogenesis of lead poisoning is contributed by lead-induced oxidative stress, and increases liberation of ROS through different heterogeneous mechanisms, which may facilitate tissue damage. Among the mechanisms through which Lead induce tissue damage, is the damage of DNA and other proteins and enzymes that have critical roles in body homeostasis. Several target places such as: liver, brain, blood vessels, lung, sperm, and testes can be caused by different pathological conditions related to lead-induced oxidative stress (186). Since lead is one of the components of the petroleum products, especially automobile fuel, blood lead levels are the best indicator of lead exposure impact in the oil refinery and petrol station workers. Many chemicals and additive in Petroleum products however, anyone of the composition could be the cause for such deterioration in the homeostasis of certain metals. Accordingly, intervention may be improved to prevent or at least delay minor impairment de velopment to fatal levels of lead and/or the free forms of iron and copper in the occupational setting. This could be done by the identification of precise product and the categorization of risk exposed job . Moreover, reports regarding hazards in oil refineries may arise in different ways, such as: biological, psychological chemical, physical, and non-application of ergonomic principles, etc. Worldwide diseases and work-related hazards remain to be serious problems, due to the large number of hazards in such workplaces and the absence of consideration to health and safety measures to numerous workers. (187). Although the urinary tract system is viewed as a target of heavy metal toxicity, the study showed that there is no obvious significant alteration in kidney function markers. In the present study, table 3-2 demonstrates a slight elevation in serum urea and microalbuminuria levels in the exposed personnel in comparison to non-exposed healthy individuals; although serum creatinine levels has not affected at all. Petroleum derivatives consist of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons generally gasoline interrelated , these products are mostly toxic to the body organs and specially the kidney(188,189), that could be referred to the risen liberated toxic metabolites, that includes reactive oxygen species. Although animal experimentations stated that inhaling the aromatic hydrocarbons toluene, styrene, and xylene was nephrotoxic(190), however, in humans it has not been verified(191). Both human and trial readings propose that the kidney may be affected by several chemicals (192). Of these chem icals, organic solvents’ role in chronic kidney ailments, mainly chronic glomerulonephritis, has been debated for a long time (193). Moreover, the lead content of the volatile petroleum products can induce many enzymatic systems in the body; most of them liberate ROS in many organs and tissues including the kidney and the cardiovascular tissues(194). Development in additional researches in this field was resulted by the acknowledgment that industrial and ecological causes may damage the renal functions. In the present study, the biomarkers of renal function (urea, creatinine and microalbuminuria) are not importantly high in oil refinery personnel; nevertheless, while they might be slightly raised, and still within standard figures, an inclination could be signified in the direction of initiation of renal diseases. Within the same context, former research has indicated that petroleum products exposition could have damaging impact on kidney functions(195,196). Stengel et al., b ased on a case control study, does not agree on the effect of petroleum exposure in occurrence of glomerulonephritis; but proposed a role in the progression to end stage renal disease(197). Jacob et al. indicated that while using an suitable cohort study design, exposition to petroleum products for long period is connected, with faster progress to end-stage renal ailment, in patients with IgA and membranous glomerulonephritis(198). Regarding the liver function markers, the present study demonstrates a significant increase in the activities of ALT, AST, and ALKP in the serum of refinery workers, compared to that reported in non-exposed subjects. This result supports the possibility of the existence of liver damage induced by the long-term exposure to petroleum products. Some of the liver enzymes existed in the serum in quite low concentration. These enzymes’ function in the serum is to offer hepatic functions information and the possibility of damage in hepatic tissues. Raise of AST and ALT beside the increase in ALP action could imitate inflammatory diseases or liver injury. In this study, the maximum activity of ALKP found was very high, suggesting the likelihood of hepatic cell injury. Serum enzyme activity patterns reflect the organ’s physiological state, as some investigators stated. For example the AST, ALT and ALKP activities rise in serum levels, was noticed in serum of mice inhaled petroleum vapors(199). Other studies indicate a rise in hepatic enzymes activities following albino mouse liver injury exposed to different types of toxic substances(200,201). Moreover, albino rats serum and liver showed biochemical changes for rats inveterately exposed to gasoline, kerosene and crude petroleum revealed a dose-dependent increase in the activities of liver enzymes of rats(202). However, the Total and conjugated serum bilirubin remains unaffected. The present study results in tune with the findings. Evidence from the experimental data indica tes that crude petroleum and/or its refined products could induce hepatic damage, and when exposure becomes high and chronic, it could render the liver dysfunctional. The current study indicates that there is no significant effect of exposure to petroleum products on the lipid profile markers. Besides, the serum glucose level is non-significantly affected. The present study reveals a weak significant decrease (P= 0.04) in the total antioxidant status (TAS) in the serum of oil refinery workers, compared with non-exposed subjects. Although exposure to the fumes of oil processing is considered as a powerful initiator of ROS generation, the studied workers show a very small remarkable decrease in this regard. This might be attributed to the effective compensatory mechanisms, which are still function effectively in many of the workers included in the study. Antioxidants, such as GSH, uric acid, ascorbate and ÃŽ ±-tocopherol present in epithelial lining fluid could keep the tissues from oxidant damage made by air pollutants exposition including petroleum vapors(203). It has been reported that under normal physiological conditions, the biological system maintains a balance between generation and neutralization of ROS(204). However, when the biological system exposed to petroleum products, the rate of ROS production cells get increased, and de pletion of antioxidant reserves may occur when compensation is not enagh(205). Our study shows a statistically significant reduction in all the measured parameters of lung function (except FEV1/FVC) of the oil refinery workers compared with the non-exposed subjects. This finding is in tune with that reported by others. An animal study has indicated that inflammation and/or injury of the airways can be resulted from diesel exhaust waste that establishes a significant fraction of particulate air pollution (206). The peak expiratory flow, forced expiratory mean flow, and forced vital capacity are significantly reduced in animals exposed to gasoline exhaust fumes. The existence of SO2 is possibly behind respiratory impairment and the quality of the hydrocarbons in gasoline exhaust gases(207). Moreover, exposure to petroleum hydrocarbons significantly induces lipid peroxidation with a consequent increased MDA levels, and a decrease in SOD and CAT activities and GSH level. Such state of oxidative stress, due to exposure to petroleum hydrocarbons, also causes alterati on in the histomorphology oflungtissues, and inhaled petroleum hydrocarbons are potential risk factor in thepathophysiologyof pulmonary dysfunction(208). Histomorphologic research stated that edema and hemorrhagic necrosis of the lung alveoli and parenchyma were caused by petroleum hydrocarbons. The outcome of the effect of exposure to petroleum products on hematocrit and RBC count appears to be importantly diverse when matched to that of control group. The toxic ingredients, in petroleum vapors, have been testified to alternate the composition of blood. Most of subjects exposed, for longer than two years, to petroleum products had significantly lower figures of hematocrit, hemoglobin concentration, and red blood cell count than subjects for less than two years exposition. Subjects would become anemic progressively on exposure to petroleum fumes. These results indicate that the petroleum fumes cause a reduction in hematological indices, which worsens with prolonged exposure(209). The principal limitations of the current study, including small sample size, does not enable perfect prediction of the hematological changes in the oil refinery workers included in the study. Moreover, the present study demonstrates significant elevation in serum interleukin-ÃŽ ²1 in the exposed workers compared with non-exposed subjects. Interleukin-1ÃŽ ², also known as catabolin, is a mediator related to the family of cytokines .When the macrophage is activated, This cytokine is released as a proprotein, which is converted by proteolytic enzyme to its active form. This cytokine is considered a significant arbitrator of the inflammatory reaction, and plays a significant part in a diverse cellular events, such as cell distinction, proliferation, and apoptosis(210). Subjects with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD) and asthma ,demonstrate high level of the inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-1. The highly expression of IL-1ÃŽ ² induced in the lungs of adult mice lead to pulmonary inflammation distinguished by neutrophil and macrophage infiltrates. IL-1ÃŽ ² affect distal airspace and cause swelling, consistent with emphysema. IL-1ÃŽ ² distroyed elastin fibers in alveolar septa and cause fibrosis in the pleura and airway walls. The thickness of conducting airways is elevated by IL-1ÃŽ ² , that lead to production of mucine, which in turn aggregates lymphocyte in the airways(211). Moreover, IL-1ÃŽ ² has great influence in the induction of murine emphysema and small airway remodeling. It is compared to TNF-ÃŽ ± in this effect(212). Conclusions: Workers exposed to petroleum products for long-term are placed at oil refinery industry at continuous risk of development of defective organs functions which necessitate a frequent medical examinations and application of suitable measures to prevent serious effects on different body organs of workers and employee at oil refinery industry. Recommendations for Future Work: From my perspective , I do recommend people who work in oil refinery industry should take annual classes that provide valuable information regarding health and safety measures to reduce the risk . Providing information and education about air quality monitoring in and around refineries.

Ethical Healthcare Practices in Bangladesh

Ethical Healthcare Practices in Bangladesh Description: Therapeutic decorum is the shared connection between individuals from the restorative calling. At the end of the day, it is a feeling of kindness and regard, which ought to represent the lead of and relationship among the individuals from the medicinal calling. In Bangladesh, restorative specialists have generally appreciated the most astounding admiration among various callings. Propels in medicinal and wellbeing sciences and their being highlighted in the broad communications have made individuals such a great amount of cognizant about their wellbeing and wellbeing rights. Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council is the body to manage the lead of the Medical Professionals of  Bangladesh. After graduation they need to enroll themselves with the committee. They need to consent to maintain the codes of statement. The therapeutic practice in Bangladesh is represented by enactment and medicinal laws, which are upheld by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Healing facilities, cente rs and indicative focuses are additionally administered by government directions. Doctors play out their expert work in similarity with these controls. Be that as it may, requirement of these demonstrations or laws does not appear to happen all the time. Current Situation: Human rights activists and the Consumer Association of Bangladesh are additionally making individuals mindful about their wellbeing rights. They are presently worried about the medicinal services offices accessible in centers and healing facilities and what they get from individual specialists. They are notwithstanding scrutinizing the cost of medicinal services. The desires of individuals are expanding. Instances of carelessness and misbehavior with respect to doctors are being conveyed to courts with the outcome that expert associations, for example, the Bangladesh Medical Association and its individuals are getting to be plainly aware of their set of accepted rules and moral conduct. At present Bangladesh is experiencing a social change, monetary development and expanding uniqueness, broadening of crevice amongst poor and rich, expanding education, strengthening of ladies, expanded wellbeing mindfulness, expanding future, diminishing baby mortality and maternal mortality. There is a change of way of life of the general population and family progression, wellbeing looking for conduct, change of data innovation and quick urbanization. These are the difficulties in the wellbeing administration. In Bangladesh, both people in general and private segments give therapeutic administrations. Out in the open area there are shortcomings of pleasantries and beds. It is stuffed and the doctors need to confront the moral quandary in their decision of treatment and need. In private part it is expensive and past the compass of destitute individuals. There is an absence of good observing and legitimate laws. Whats more, headways in transplantation and helped propagation require new directions of restorative morals. In showing Medical Ethics provincial legacy is being taken after. It is educated in the bureau of legal solution accentuating carelessness and negligence; yet restorative understudies for the most part take after the expert direct of their seniors instead of learning through reading material and class guidelines. It is the ideal opportunity for rebuilding the rules of therapeutic morals and fuses them in the undergrad restorative educational modules, fortifying the Medical Council, sharpening the doctors and overhauling the important laws. The primary issue in the instructing of morals is that instructors have little information about restorative morals, decorum and set of principles. Likewise, therapeutic understudies dont have much enthusiasm for finding out about medicinal morals as they view different subjects as more vital for qualifying the examination. In addition, proficient lead and behavior are learnt by perception as opposed to through the perusing of books. To create mindfulness about moral qualities among understudies, more significance ought to be given to the instructing of medicinal morals. More accentuation ought to be given to the improvement of understudies state of mind in the course educational modules of medicinal morals with the goal that they can pick up and soak up information about moral practice. It ought to be the obligation of every single proficient association to maintain the guideline of restorative morals and expert lead. The BMDC, the Nursing Council, the Pharmacy Council and the State Medical Faculty ought to be fortified to empower them to screen wellbeing instruction and wellbeing administrations with the goal that individuals can get ideal care from specialists and government wellbeing administrations. Wellbeing organizers, policymakers and implementers ought to offer need to moral issues in medicinal and partnered instruction and in addition therapeutic practice. They ought to give specialized support to medicinal organizations so they can create and actualize a coordinated educational modules for the instructing of morals. A few variables can be forced all together prompt a superior moral condition in the medicinal business: Students rarely find a role model among their teachers for ethical practice. Penalization in case of misconduct can enforce the code of conduct strictly needs to be followed Integrated teaching of ethics in clinical years can be a better setting A structured curriculum for the teaching of ethics needs to be prepared for health professionals, including medical students and doctors. The nature of MNH care is poor in area and sub-region clinics in Bangladesh on account of an absence of human services work force and strategic support, including gear, fundamental medications, and lab needs. This data could be utilized to fortify the national-level approach for enhancing the nature of MNH care at the offices. In each kind of open clinic in Bangladesh, there range settled number of human services work force and a settled measure of calculated support, as determined by the GoB. Be that as it may, the number of inhabitants in each region or sub-area is not the same. In this way, an adjustment in the approach is required to guarantee the appropriation of human services staff and strategic support ought to be proportionate to populace of the area or sub-region. In our review, it was additionally uncovered that human services suppliers were disappointed with their nature of care; nonetheless, the greater part of their patients were happy with their level of care. This is mostly in light of the fact that the patients were ignorant of their wellbeing rights. A mindfulness raising movement ought to be propelled to teach patients that it is their entitlement to get quality care.

Gunsmoke: Character of the Old West Marshal, Matt Dillon :: Radio

Gunsmoke: Character of the Old West Marshal, Matt Dillon The American West. Full of opportunity and danger. Out on the prairie there was always a need for those that were willing to "serve and protect". No ordinary lawman would do though. The needs and demands that were placed on those in authority during that time called for someone extraordinary. The people in the few scattered cities here and there depended on marshals and their ability to uphold the law. Dodge City was no exception, in fact it was the rule. Many ruffians came and went through Dodge and therefore the City needed a lawman like no other. What they had was Marshal Matt Dillon. Marshal Dillon embodied everything that was asked for in the typical "old west" lawman. He did his job and did it well. There are many characteristics that are required of such a man, in such a position as he was in. Marshal Dillon was indeed so like the typical lawman that he was fictional in and of himself. However he is very real in the minds and hearts of all those who have ever experienced the t hrill of hearing the words, "there is only one way to tame... (the west). With a six shooter, and the smell of Gunsmoke."(Radio Spirits). Anyone who has ever heard, watched, or read about Gunsmoke understands the vital role that the character of Matt Dillon plays to the unfolding of almost every episode and tale. Dillon is the portrayal of all that was valued, respected, envied, and romanticized in the stereotypical old west lawman. Marshal Dillon has several characteristics about him that require scrutiny however to do so properly would require a virtual novel of research, as can be seen by the myriad of different traits observed by an Andrews University Lit. class on the American West (www.andrews.edu/~closserb link to Gunsmoke summaries). Therefore examining a few traits that seem to be most frequently observed in a broad way is more reasonable. Marshal Dillon is above all else strong or tough. In this sense strong is to be applied to both the physical prowess and mental resolve. Time and time again Dillon is called upon to be strong. In the radio episode of Gunsmoke "How to Kill a Friend" Dillon shows his strength of mind by refusing a bribe as well as having the strength to stand up to an old friend even if it meant having to kill him.

Brothers Karamazov: Life without Love :: essays research papers

Life without Love – The Malady of Death The Brothers Karamazov, is a novel which contains many themes presenting outlooks on faith, life, and love. The character of Ivan is the cornerstone which Dostoevsky uses to present these outlooks. It is suggested that Ivan suffers from â€Å"The Malady of Death†. The idea of the malady of death is presented in the novel, The Malady of Death, by Marguerite Duras. The malady of death can be thought of as a disease or disorder caused by a sort of spiritual malaise. The question asked than is; does Ivan Karamazov suffer from the malady of death? I believe that the novel clearly shows that Ivan does indeed suffer from the malady of death, but the question I pose is; at the end of the novel is he cured?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To start I’ll present the following question; what IS the malady of death? If one were to take into consideration the actual definition of the words in the phrase, the malady of death would mean the disease or disorder of death. The way that our texts have presented this is not all that different from the words’ actual meanings. In the Duras text the man is said to be suffering from the malady of death. Duras presents this idea by showing that life is nothing without love. On page 3 of The Malady of Death the prostitute asked the man what he wanted to try and his response was, â€Å"Loving.† The man in this text is incapable of loving and when he questions the prostitute as to why the malady of death is fatal, â€Å"... And also because he’s like to die without any life to die to, and without even knowing that’s what he’s doing,† was her response (pg. 19). This response suggests that people who suffer from the malad y of death have nothing to live for, a lack of faith so to speak, and thus don’t fight to stay alive. There is a spiritual malaise going on inside the person. Simply stated the malady of death can be thought of as life without love. Love of others, love of themselves, love of God, love of this world, a person who suffers from the malady of death is missing some or all of these â€Å"loves† which make life worth while. The first real look that we get of Ivan comes in Book V when he’s having lunch with Alyosha.

Salvador Dali :: essays research papers

Salvador Dali was born on May 11, 1904. He was a leader in the new movement of art in the early 20th century called Surrealism. In 1921 Dali studied at the San Fernando Acadamy of Fine Arts in Madrid. Here he was able to associate and learn from such Spanish modernists as Fedrico Garcia Lorca, and Luis Bundel. He also was influenced by Italian futurists and the metaphysical paintings of Giorgio de Chirico. In his early works, however, Dali gave credit to his own Catalan sense of fantasy and his megalomania as being his true motivating forces. Dali left the San Fernando Acadamy of Fine Arts in 1926, and move to Paris where he frequented the Cafe Cyrano, which was the ÒheadquartersÓ of the Parisan surrealists. In 1929 Cafe Cyrano featured an exhibit of DaliÕs own surrealist paintings. Dali was also fascinated with the writings of psychologist Sigmund Freud. He was so moved by FruedÕs theory that he subsequently vowed to his lifeÕs ambition to Òsystemize confusionÓ. Dali is best known for his surrealist works. Surrealism is an art style in which imagery is based on fantasy and the world of dreams. It is thought have grown out of the French literary movement in the 1920Õs and has itÕs roots in Dadaism. These painters developed a dreamlike, or hallucinatory, imagery that was all the more startling for its highly realistic rendering. Some of DaliÕs better known paintings are: ÒPersistence Of MemoryÓ also know popularly as ÒSoft WatchesÓ (1931), and ÒThe Sacrament Of The Last SupperÓ (1955). These Paintings have become part of the definitive record of 20th Century art. Dali used many mediums to illustrate his inspirations. His most popular of course are his paintings, but he also used such media as jewelry, advertisements, beer-bottle designs, ballet sets, and costumes. Dali also experimented his talents in film as well. In 1928 he and childhood mentor Luis Bundel produced the famous surrealist film ÒUn Chein AndalouÓ (An Salvador Dali :: essays research papers Salvador Dali was born on May 11, 1904. He was a leader in the new movement of art in the early 20th century called Surrealism. In 1921 Dali studied at the San Fernando Acadamy of Fine Arts in Madrid. Here he was able to associate and learn from such Spanish modernists as Fedrico Garcia Lorca, and Luis Bundel. He also was influenced by Italian futurists and the metaphysical paintings of Giorgio de Chirico. In his early works, however, Dali gave credit to his own Catalan sense of fantasy and his megalomania as being his true motivating forces. Dali left the San Fernando Acadamy of Fine Arts in 1926, and move to Paris where he frequented the Cafe Cyrano, which was the ÒheadquartersÓ of the Parisan surrealists. In 1929 Cafe Cyrano featured an exhibit of DaliÕs own surrealist paintings. Dali was also fascinated with the writings of psychologist Sigmund Freud. He was so moved by FruedÕs theory that he subsequently vowed to his lifeÕs ambition to Òsystemize confusionÓ. Dali is best known for his surrealist works. Surrealism is an art style in which imagery is based on fantasy and the world of dreams. It is thought have grown out of the French literary movement in the 1920Õs and has itÕs roots in Dadaism. These painters developed a dreamlike, or hallucinatory, imagery that was all the more startling for its highly realistic rendering. Some of DaliÕs better known paintings are: ÒPersistence Of MemoryÓ also know popularly as ÒSoft WatchesÓ (1931), and ÒThe Sacrament Of The Last SupperÓ (1955). These Paintings have become part of the definitive record of 20th Century art. Dali used many mediums to illustrate his inspirations. His most popular of course are his paintings, but he also used such media as jewelry, advertisements, beer-bottle designs, ballet sets, and costumes. Dali also experimented his talents in film as well. In 1928 he and childhood mentor Luis Bundel produced the famous surrealist film ÒUn Chein AndalouÓ (An

Summerhill Education

SUMMERHILL EDUCATION Education is one of many elements, which create personalities of young people. We used to the fact that each school aims to teach, require and civilize. Most people think, that young do not know what is good for them, moreover, without appropriate mobilization, they cannot gain a success in future. 1. Alexander Sutherland Neill  (17 October 1883 – 23 September 1973) was a Scottish progressive educator, author and founder of  Summerhill school, which remains open and continues to follow his educational philosophy to this day. He is best known as an advocate of personal freedom for children.Neill believed that the happiness of the child should be the paramount consideration in decisions about the child's upbringing, and that this happiness grew from a sense of personal freedom. He felt that deprivation of this sense of freedom during childhood, and the consequent unhappiness experienced by the repressed child, was responsible for many of the psychologica l disorders of adulthood. Neill's ideas, which tried to help children achieve self-determination and encouraged critical thinking rather than blind obedience, were seen as backward, radical, or at best, controversial.Many of Neill's ideas are widely accepted today, although there are still many more â€Å"traditional† thinkers within the educational establishment who regard Neill's ideas as threatening the existing social order, and are therefore controversial. In 1921 Neill founded  Summerhill School  to demonstrate his educational theories in practice. These included a belief that children learn better when they are not compelled to attend lessons. The school is also managed democratically, with regular meetings to determine school rules.Pupils have equal voting rights with school staff. Neill's Summerhill School experience demonstrated that, free from the coercion of traditional schools, students tended to respond by developing self-motivation, rather than self-indulge nce. Externally imposed discipline, Neill felt, prevented internal, self-discipline from developing. He therefore considered that children who attended Summerhill were likely to emerge with better-developed critical thinking skills and greater self-discipline than children educated in compulsion-based schools.These tendencies were perhaps all the more remarkable considering that the children accepted by Summerhill were often from problematic backgrounds, where parental conflict or neglect had resulted in children arriving in a particularly unhappy state of mind. The therapeutic value of Summerhill's environment was demonstrated by the improvement of many children who had been rejected by conventional schools, yet flourished at Summerhill. Strongly influenced by the contemporary work of  Sigmund Freud  and  Wilhelm Reich, Neill was opposed to  sexual repression  and the imposition of the strict  Victorian values  of his childhood era.He stated clearly that to be anti-se x was to be anti-life. Naturally, these views made him unpopular with many establishment figures of the time. 2. CHARACTERISTIC Summerhill is a democratic, self-governing school providing boarding, day education and care for 78 pupils aged 5 – 17 years old. It is situated in the small market town of Leiston, within walking distance of the town centre. The school adopts an alternative philosophy to education based on the work of its founder, A S Neill. It is based on the notion that children should be free to decide for themselves how to spend their time in school.The proprietor, who is the daughter of A S Neill, continues to uphold these principles. The daily life of the school is governed by the school meetings, held three times a week, in which everybody has an equal vote. School meetings are used to create, confirm and amend all the school laws which form the structure of expectations for the community of staff and pupils, in which the adults and children have complete par ity of status. The school's philosophy is to allow freedom for the individual, each child being able to take their own path in life and find, through experience, the things that they want to do and the person they want to be.The school proposes that this leads to an inner selfconfidence and real acceptance of themselves as people. All of this is done within the structures of the school, through the meetings, self-government and the clear distinctions between freedom and licence, all elements which are at the very core of the school's philosophy and the day-to-day experiences of the pupils and staff. The school is part of a regional, national and international democratic network and reflects the extent of A S Neill’s continuing influence on the world.This is mirrored in the pupil intake. Approximately two thirds of pupils (mainly Dutch, German, Korean Japanese, and Taiwanese) speak English as an additional language. The principal and, from time to time other staff and children , go out from the school to speak to and work with other children and adults and to promote democratic education. A. S. Neill’s system is a radical approach to child rearing. In Summerhill School authority does not mask a system of manipulation. 3. THE PRINCIPLES ? Neill maintains a firm faith â€Å"in the goodness of the child. He believes that the average child is not born a cripple, a coward, or a soulless automaton, but has full potentialities to love life and to be interested in life. ? The aim of education-in fact the aim of life-is to work joyfully and to find happiness. Happiness, according to Neill, means being interested in life; or as I would put it, responding to life not just with one’s brain but with one’s whole personality. ? In education, intellectual development is not enough. Education must be both intellectual and emotional.In modern society we find an increasing separation between intellect and feeling. The experiences of man today are mainl y experiences of thought rather than an immediate grasp of what his hurt feels, his eyes see, and his ears hear. In fact, this separation between intellect and feeling has led modern man to a near schizoid state of mind in which he has become almost incapable of experiencing anything except in thought. ? Education must be geared to the psychic needs and capacities of the child. The child is not an altruist. He does not yet love in the sense of the mature love of an adult.It is an error to expect something from a child, which he can show only in a hypocritical way. Altruism develops after childhood. ? Discipline, dogmatically imposed, and punishment create fear; and fear creates hostility. This hostility may not be conscious and overt, but it nevertheless paralyzes endeavor and authenticity of feeling. The extensive disciplining of children is harmful and thwarts sound psychic development ? Freedom does not mean license. This very important principle, emphasized by Neill, is that res pect for the individual must be mutual.A teacher does not use force against a child, nor has a child the right to use force against a teacher. A child may not intrude upon an adult just because he is a child, nor may a child use pressure in the many ways in which a child can. ? Closely related to this principle is the need for true sincerity on the part of the teacher. The author says that never in the 40 years of his work in Summerhill has he lied to a child. Anyone who reads this book will be convinced that this statement, which might sound like boasting, is the simple truth. Healthy human development makes it necessary that a child eventually cut the primary ties which connect him with his father and mother, or with later substitutes in society, and that he become truly independent. He must learn to face the world as an individual. He must learn to find his security not in any symbiotic attachment, but in his capacity to grasp the world intellectually, emotionally, and artistical ly. He must use all his powers to find union with the world, rather than to find security through submission or domination. ? Summerhill School does not offer religious education.This, however, does not mean that Summerhill is not concerned with what might be loosely called the basic humanistic values. Neill puts it succinctly: â€Å"The battle is not between believers in theology and non-believers in theology; it is between believers in human freedom and believers in the suppression of human freedom. † The author continues, â€Å"Some day a new generation will not accept the obsolete religion and myths of today. When the new religion comes, it will refute the idea of man’s being born in sin. A new religion will praise God by making men happy. †

Music Piracy Is a Good Thing

Music Piracy is a Good thing Pirating music is one of the most common crimes in the world that happens everyday. However, ones you read this essay, I hope you will see this issue from a different perspective, it may not look like such a terrible crime after all. Most successful artists make in the tens of millions every year according to eHow. com. If that's the truth, how badly is piracy really hurting these people? If music piracy is effecting the artist so much then why do majority of the artists are living in mansions bigger than the White House?If pirating music hurts musicians income so badly it would show, and after all this time of pirating music it hasn't. Music piracy benefits artists more than it hurts, therefore it should be legal. Music piracy is mostly committed by people who are everyday people who have average income jobs and have families who end up being sued by big record companies over downloading music for free. It seems a bit to greedy when you look at the diffe rence in pay between the artist and the people who download the songs. ( †¦) say that the people who pirate the music are more likely to go to the show and buy the albums after downloading music (Ernesto).Also, people who pirate music tracks are very likely to develop an connection to the bands orartists and that will lead to them attending the shows, buying albums and merchandise. When putting this issue in perspective, record companies are just looking for money without any consideration for the ways of getting it. Record companies start suing people who have downloaded music for ridiculous amount of money in attempt to intimidate and scare off the fellons from downloading music illegally. The main groups affected are college kids that don't have the money.Sarah Barg was a sophomore at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Sarah received an email from a label company stating that she owed $3,000 to the Recording Industry Association of America (Bratton). For that amount,, Sarah would be paying $7. 87 for each song. Majority of the songs she pirated were from the eighties and weren't even relevant anymore, and yet she was battling record company’s in court over them them. Sixty students like Sarah at UNL received the same similar, as well as hundreds sent out to over sixty other universities across the country. Not knowing ow else to handle the situation, Barg contacted her parents and they had to cover her settlement. â€Å"I don't know what I would have done. I'm only 20 years old,† says Barg. Well over five hundred students across the states have paid settlements to avoid being sued. â€Å"I see it as bullying,† UNL freshman Andrew Johnson says, â€Å"Legally, it makes sense, because we don't have the money to fight back. † Johnson illegally downloaded one song and settled $3,000 to avoid being sued for one song. The money used came from the 18 year old's college fund and he now has to work two jobs to compensate for his loss es.The record companies seem to target those can't fight back. In 2007, major record companies such as Warner music groups, Warner Bros Records, Inc. , and Sony BMG Music Entertainment, tried to sue a young girl from Texas named Whitney Harper for illegally downloading music from file sharing networks on the internet (Malisow). Whitney was at the time was sixteen years old and was being sued for a minimum of $750 per song when Whitney downloaded thirtyseven songs. That is a little over $20,000 and she is only sixteen years old.Harper tried to use the Innocent Infringer Act that would reduce fees to $200 per song. In order to accomplish that, Harper had to prove she was unaware of the copyright laws by claiming that the copyright notice placed on cds were not on the file sharing networks on the Internet therefore she was unaware. The companies referred to the sixteen-year-old as a â€Å"long term massive infringer† of copyright laws. Harper warned that if the companies won the case that downloading music off the Internet could never be innocent infringement. The Harper case is one the few after many years still going through federal court.The companies had stated they were going to begin transitioning away from suing individuals and find better means of fixing the issue. After years of record companies using an intimidation method to fix the pirating problem, it got them nowhere because the amount of pirates only went up, and the efforts by the companies were in most cases useless. According to the Wall Street Journal, they attempted suing many single mothers, a thirteen-year-old girl, and a dead peope. The new approach is for the companies to work with Internet service providers and when music is eing pirated the user receives a warning that they will lose Internet service if they continue(WSJ. com). The companies still reserve the right to sue if someone is a heavy violator or has ignored several warnings, but even with this new system, it still seems like the companies are only out for money, but in an attempt to escape negative attention from the media, they change their approach. According to The Independent, people who illegally download music also spend more money on music, concerts, merchandises than anyone else.The Secretary of State for Business, Peter Mandelson, stated that the record companies new approach to crack down on illegal down loaders by cutting off internet service could potentially harm the music industry more than help it. â€Å"The people who file share are the ones who are interested in music. They use file sharing as a discovery mechanism. † The artists also have mixed opinions over file sharing, some such as James Blunt and Lily Allen are anti-piracy and Shakira is pro-piracy(Shields). Sites have come out with monthly bills for unlimited music plans that seem fairer.Some artists don't feel affected by file sharing and support the fact that piracy creates a bigger fan base for them. Bands like Ange ls and Airwaves have produced free records so copyright wasn't an issue. They figure that the fans will still come see them play and record sales aren't the only thing to being in a successful band. Some artists don't seem to realize that. Most artists make plenty off of record sales even with a piracy problem, so court cases and law suits on everyday people by record companies seems a bit greedy and selfish.Even with the new laws, they are still pushing to stop this unstoppable problem. Today music piracy is referred to as a dead issue. Most cases that are still pending are being dropped. This year a $54,000 fine on a single mother of four was dropped by the U. S. District Court Judge, Micheal Davis, who stated piracy is â€Å"no longer monstrous and shocking. The need for deterrence cannot justify a two million verdict for stealing and distributing twenty-four songs for the sole purpose of obtaining free music†(physorg. om). Thomas Rasset was convicted in 2007 and was order ed to pay $220,000, but the judge who presided over the trial called off the verdict, saying it was â€Å"wholly disproportionate and oppressive. † Her case was one of the thousands that had actually made it to court. In 2011, with new laws, these cases should not be forgotten about. The people who lost cases should be compensated and apologized to because they did nothing other than have an interest in the artist.

Dulce et Decorum Est †Wilfred Owen’s Poem Essay

Dulce et Decorum Est – Wilfred Owen’s renowned war poem for its frowning on the glorification on war, and The Last Night by Charlotte Gray, similarly depicting the effects of war on the unimpeachable youth, in prose form. Both are excellent representations of the devastation that war truly is and can only result in, and are both written in historical context, only Dulce et Decorum preceded the latter. Dulce directly juxtaposed another war poet, Jessie Pope, who romanticized the concept of it and really manipulated the patriotic conscience. The irony here is that the even after the former described the trauma that war produced, and the unacceptable manner in how people revered the act, the world went on to WWII. Which almost questions why did it happen, did not the destruction of the previous war play any guilt or effect on the countries’ leaders? Over the course of this essay, I aim to reveal the physical and mental effects of war – as well as covering the idealism and the theme of slaughtering the innocents. In the beginning verse of Dulce, the author plays upon the image of a man walking. Contrastive to the propagandizing posters that were often seen at the time that rendered an erect, striding man holding a gun confidently- a picture of tired, old men is illustrated, which emphasizes the idea that they have aged far too quickly. â€Å"Bent double, like old beggars† and â€Å"knock-kneed† delineate a pigeon-toed figure suffering from pure fatigue –an inadequacy to be what is defined as a soldier. In the simile, â€Å"Coughing like hags, we cursed†, we can hear the witch hoarseness of the cough – the enigma here is the build-up this state if they have been simply marching through battles, like Jessie Pope presumed. A sense of utter sensory deprivation is conveyed through, â€Å"Men marched asleep†¦ limped on, lame, all tired, drunk with fatigue, deaf even to the hoots.† The immediate assumption here is that the men would, if given the choice, collapse in a heap of discomfort, subconscious, and fall asleep. The fact that they are compared to drunken men only accentuates their circumstance, a probable disparity between when they started out as recruits and this moment in the poem. They conjured up a web of deception, and empathy from us, as well as in The Last Night, when the children rest in deep sleep despite the appalling environment – really showing their desperation for a moment of peace. The accumulation of all of this is that war has finally taken its toll, the young men evolving — or more appropriately, regressing — into haggard and withered creatures that have faced acute pain and loss. However, the change in pace within the stanza is evident – when faced by death, we experience â€Å"an ecstasy of fumbling†, and this change in speed exposes their anxieties when in the full, frontal face of death, or perhaps the inexplicable torment of a gas attack, as they have seen their peers die in the hands of it before. As they â€Å"fumble† – stressing the urgency of the situation – not everybody manages to clamber on a gas mask in time. The poem is told from a first-person perspective, although this is not made clear at first, however, this allows us to interpret it from a first-hand simulation. The inevitability of the gas floating towards them like a death sentence is horrific -one soldier inhales it, and the devastating effects described in detail. We watch helplessly at him â€Å"flound’ring like a man in fire or lime†, which links to burnings at the stake, arguably the worst torture in existence. We see his eyes writhe in his face, a clear connotation of a loon, suggesting he is in an insane, maniacal state. And then â€Å"his hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin.†, only serves to show how much pain has been delivered. The men then â€Å"fling† him in a wagon which shows the dehumanization of the moment, and they watch him froth and gargle blood, twisting unnaturally. â€Å"The incurable sores† is exactly what it says, incurable. The physical effects are irrevocable, physically and mentally. Through use of emotive metaphors and similes, Owen molds an indubitably sickening portrayal of a suffering man, introducing the readers to the realities of war. Likewise, The Last Night also paints a picture of suffering, but in a far subtler manner. Unlike the soldiers in Dulce, the fate of these innocent, Jewish children is unavoidable for everyone, thus having a certain sadness to it. They have been sentenced to the gas chambers as well, and we can deduce that they will face like pain to the soldier in the previous paragraph, which, for a child, we all know is terrifying and never deserved. The pain we encounter in this extract is more that of basic deprivations, like food, water, and love too. We can understand that the children are exhausted because, despite the most likely uncomfortable surroundings, â€Å"many of the children were too deeply asleep to be aroused.† The children sleep in dung: â€Å"the soft bloom of cheek laid, uncaring†, shows a child with a tinge of rose in his cheeks, the sweetness and the unfairness of this trial he must endure. Again, they are reduced to an animalistic level, â€Å"Jacob’s limbs were intertwined with his [his brother’s] for warmth.†; this imitates two young, baby animals that lie together, unknowing of the world’s cruelties or the predators that stalk them. The children are ravenous and denied of sufficient food and drink, as they cluster around a woman â€Å"holding out sardine cans† for water, and as we know, these cans are remarkably slim and unsuitable to drink water from, especially when the can is passed around of a crowd. They are each provided with a sandwich, this severe rationing a punishment they do not deserve. The physical pain that is shown in this section of The Last Night is purely tiredness and hunger, two qualities good parents ensure their children are not. Their frail bodies find it difficult to withstand this, but the dramatic irony here is that their fate in store is much worse and absolutely inhumane. â€Å"A shower of scraps was thrown towards them† reiterates the animals they are being essentially treated as. As for the mental pain faced by the soldiers, it must surpass the physical by far. From the lies, to leaving their loved ones, the pain and the distant memories are even more difficult to face. Homesickness, when really experienced, can be a very intense and sad feeling, and this does not really raise any morale. One can only imagine their befuddlement when arriving to the trenches and wondering where their accommodation was. As continued from the previous, their mental velocity increased tremendously when in the face of adversity and death. This can only be expected, and is marked by the â€Å"Gas! Gas! Quick, boys!†. The mental anguish when they see their peer suffer but are utterly of no use in this is astounding, and the scene runs almost as a nightmarish sequence, as signified by â€Å"Dim through the misty panes, and thick green light. In all my dreams before my helpless sight.†. The dramatic verb drown is used, and they watch their former companion die in the sea of gas, they having escaped the same fate by only a second or two. This fact is enough to leave them in a state of momentary shock, and in the future, a play back of this episode is probably revisited by every soldier who saw the sight and regretted having being unable to help him in any way – the same shock was experienced when all the Jews realized their time had come: â€Å"a quickening of muscle and nerve† in The Last Night. Through each line, we must remember whom the poem was addressed to, and we can sense some underlying bitterness. The triplet â€Å"guttering, choking, drowning† throws itself out with a dynamic impact. It wouldn’t be expected for the children to know of their demise, but as seen in the excerpt, they seem to sense something wrong. This is why â€Å"In the filthy straw, they dug their heels in and screamed.† Instead of just struggling, they choose to scream, which reveals their internal uncertainties and distress. The metaphor â€Å"dig† means they are trying to fix themselves in the straw, and how they distrust the officers. They are forced towards and â€Å"crammed† in a bus, which again, brings back the animal-like treatment motif. As the adults wrote their possibly last messages which had no to little guarantee of delivery, â€Å"some wrote with sobbing passion and some with punctilious care.† Both adjectives suggest a degree of great mental turmoil, the only difference being the latter having some restraint. Yet there is a recognition of hopelessness in the atmosphere, â€Å"the adults in the room sat slumped against the wall.†, the emotions going through them must have been complex, but ultimately, an increasing feel of nothing can be done, and giving up. This is not a movie where the resolution magically occurs, but this is a depiction of reality. As the officers call out their names â€Å"alphabetically†, in a standardized order, this shows how devoid of emotion or remorse they are, and how each child and each person is reduced to just another name. There is a nervous and tense atmosphere, it seems as if everybody is waiting for some justice to occur, but as we know, this does not happen. They are quickly thrown into the buses, â€Å"the homely sound of a Parisian bus† is somehow mocking to the whole scene. Probably the most heart-rending image is when a mother sees her child for the last time†¦ â€Å"her eyes were fixed with terrible ferocity†¦ intensely open to fix the picture of her child, for ever.† To see your child for the last time, to know of the death, to be able to do nothing about it, as in Dulce, there is the same sense of no faith or hope. The wails and screams of the women as they throw food towards the buses from the camp – knowing the food will never reach, but desperately wanting to do something anyhow – is the final time they will ever see their maternal figures, and the children are, precisely put, doomed. The fact that none of the officers act even merely touched by their fellow humans’ sadness is repulsive. â€Å"Five municipal buses now stood trembling in the corner of the yard† – the buses are personified, which is a symbolic representation of their fear. The story concludes with the bus turning away, â€Å"the headlights, for a moment, light up the cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ opposite before the driver turned the wheel and headed for the station.† This glimpse of something perfectly normal spotlights the unfairness of it all on the children – who at one time, had that ‘other life’. The theme of glory and innocence is well covered in Dulce. In fact, the title is sufficient, To die for your country, is a sweet thing. The poem runs on to contradict it, ending with, â€Å"The old lie: Dulce Et Decorum Est, Pro Patria Mori.† And we are forced to agree, having been witness to the preceding bloodshed. â€Å"If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs†¦ thy friend, you could not tell with such high zest, to children ardent for some desperate glory, The Old Lie:†, this quotation sums up all the contempt he has for any form of glorification of war, when really it is one’s own sacrifice rather than an obligation. It has a tinge of instruction to it, almost as if he trying to convince her in an angry, forceful way, and if he said it verbally, it seems as if it would increase with volume. This is quite justified, as Jessie Pope idealized war as fun, and liked it to a game, and that anybody who ‘chickened’ out was basically a coward. This induced such an outrage that Owen felt he needed to prove how nauseating the concept was. He addresses the soldiers as â€Å"children†, which somehow brings out their naivety and how easy it is to convince – adults generally lie to children in order to mask the truth. The young men were obviously targeted for recruiting and decided to join more out of fear of mockery rather than pure patriotism. The concept of innocence in The Last Night is brought up quite often, the youngness of the children is stressed upon. For example, â€Å"Some children were too small to manage the step up† and â€Å"A baby few weeks†¦ cot was crammed into the bus.† If the children are too small to even step onto the bus themselves, and require support, and they really criminals – or infested jews? They are too young to even know the reason for their death, and as soon as they came into this world, they were stolen just as quickly. They have no ability to reason, no ability to know of the dangers, no ability to believe in anything, yet simply because of their religion – something they are most likely unaware of – they have been sentenced to die and never experience any of life’s pleasures. If they haven’t learnt simple motor skills, how can they be expected to react to a gas attack? The pure horror of it can never be condensed – it is like t hose horror stories materialized. Dulce and The Last Night are both classic pieces of history, genuine and likely more realistic records of those corrupt events that hopefully will not happen ever again. They are both timeless, and dark reminders of why war shouldn’t happen, although pain is still inflicted, every second. These two pieces are a reminder that pain can never truly be prevented as that is how a few are wired to work – and these few have the power to influnce many others. However, the main point the pieces try to bridge across is the innocence of the fighters – who are more like pawns or victims – and the superfluous glorification of war. Something that pains another should never be laughed or promoted in any form, as fundamentally, we are one species, we are the same, as Shylock in the Merchant of Venice so eloquently expressed. The quotation â€Å"Do unto others as others would do unto you,† applies to both concepts the writers try to draw, but in the end, the sadness in both renditions of war is the dehumanization and of course, the gruesome massacres, but mostly, the indifference. The indifference of the bystanders as well as the leaders.

Cosmetics and Revlon

Introduction of the Company Revlon Inc. is a leading cosmetics company offering cosmetic, skin care, fragrance, and personal-care products. Revlon was formed in 1932, and started out with selling only nail enamels. Over the course of the past 75 years, Revlon has become a leading brand in the cosmetic market, recognized both in the United States and worldwide. Revlon owns popular brands such as Revlon, Charle, Mitchum, and Almay. Revlon has recently been struggling with debt, posting losses for the past eight years. Mission Statement AnalysisRevlon’s vision is to glamour, excitement, and innovation through quality products at affordable prices. The key objective of Revlon is to offer high quality beauty products while keeping the costs down for the consumers. I believe Revlon has been holding true to that vision; however they could be following it too closely. Revlon’s recent losses and issues with debt could be attributed to their vision. While the answer to solve thei r issues is uncertain it is clear a new strategy is needed to help Revlon recover. External Analysis External| | | | Opportunities| Weight| Rating| Score| 1. Men are using cosmetics more| 0. 6| 1| 0. 06| 2. Weakening of the US dollar making foreign markets more appealing| 0. 15| 2| 0. 3| 3. Growing trend of using personal care products| 0. 1| 3| 0. 3| 4. The increase in the mini-baby boomers (young teens)| 0. 1| 2| 0. 2| 5. Baby boomer females entering retirement| 0. 12| 3| 0. 36| | | | | Threats| | | | 6. Concern for product safety growing| 0. 05| 2| 0. 1| 7. Concerns about environment and animal testing growing| 0. 07| 2| 0. 14| 8. Increased gas prices greatly reduce disposable income| 0. 15| 1| 0. 15| 9. Natural fashion trends| 0. 05| 2| 0. 1| 10. Intense competition| 0. 15| 2| 0. 3| 1| | 2. 01| 1. There is a growing trend of men using cosmetic products. Product lines marketed specifically for men will be necessary to profit in this market segment. Men will be reluctant to use pr oducts made for women, so separate product lines are necessary. 2. Weakening of the US dollar makes any US based product more appealing in the foreign markets. Not only will people with other currencies favor the currency advantage of buying Revlon, are huge emerging markets growing in Latin America, Asia, and India. 3. There has been an overall growth in the use of cosmetic and personal care products worldwide.As countries become more developed, more people are earning income to spend on these products. Especially in the United States, appearance is strongly valued and cosmetics play a large part. 4. As with the increasing trend in cosmetics, there has been a significant increase in the mini-baby boomer market. Young teens are using cosmetic, personal care products more, and more. This market of teenage women is huge, especially in the United States. 5. The original group of baby boomers are beginning to reach the age of retirement. Most have reached their peak earning potential an d now have large amounts of disposable income.With old age comes the need for cosmetics to help people maintain a youthful look. Retired women of the baby boom era are a significant market segment for Revlon. 6. There have been growing concerns for product safety. Most cosmetics are applied to the face, and some if not properly tested can have adverse side effects. The population is becoming more health aware, and is always looking at the health effects of everyday products. Most companies now advertise the use of natural ingredients to market to health conscious consumers. 7. There is also growing concern for the environment and the use of animal testing.Animal testing had always been an issue for the cosmetic industry; however it is becoming more prominent in recent times. Even more is the growing concern for the environment. Consumers are looking for products that are not harmful to the environment and are eco friendly from the manufacturing process all the way to packaging and d isposal. 8. Increase in gas prices has hurt many industries across the board. Gas is something that the majority of consumers have to buy, and they are forced to pay whatever price is asked. The more consumers have to spend on gas the less to have to spend on items that are not considered a necessity.Costly cosmetics are probably one of the first things to be forgotten when spending needs to be cut back. 9. There is a trend of using natural products from food to cosmetics. There is a trend of going for a completely natural look altogether, meaning no cosmetics whatsoever. Even natural cosmetics discourage the use of other similar or supplementary products that would normally be used. 10. Competition is fierce in this industry. Marketing, price wars, and product differentiation among the cosmetic industry make it an extremely competitive industry. Each company has numerous brands that are recognized globally.Breaking consumer brand loyalty can be a hard task to accomplish. Revlon has a score of 2. 01 which is average. Revlon has been lacking in taking advantages of the different opportunities that it has. Failure to seize these opportunities will allow competitors to move in and gain the upper hand. Revlon should definitely take advantage of the growing foreign markets, especially in light of the weakening US dollar. In terms of threats, Revlon has been passive in responding to are preparing against them. Revlon has to make sure it markets its products in a way that is fitting for the changing view of the consumer.Product quality is becoming less important, as image is becoming everything. Completive Analysis Competitive Analysis: Porter’s Five-Forces Model | | Potential development of substitute products| | | | | I| | | Bargaining Power of Suppliers| -| Rivalry Among Competing Firms| -| Bargaining power of consumers| | | I| | | | | Potential Entry of new competitors| | | Rivalry Among Competing Firms Rivalry is high in the cosmetic industry. A few huge cosmetic makers dominate the market. They all have to deal with the decline in disposable income due to rising gas prices.Companies fight with marketing and cost reduction. Consumers have many ways to purchase these products. While a large amount of cosmetics are sold in drugstores and large retailers such as Wal-Mart there is still a significant sales done door to door. Competition is getting so strong that there has been a move to increase door-to-door sales to help steal market share from competitors. Potential of New Entrants The cosmetic industry is a 200 billion dollar industry. Competition is already high, and the industry as a whole has been faced with difficulties in these economic times.So the threat of new entrants is unlikely. However, new entrants to the industry could be successful if they can make a quality product at affordable prices. While there is a significant amount of brand loyalty, a consumer would easily switch to a more affordable quality product. Potential Development of Substitute Products As mentioned before rivalry is intense in this market. While brand loyalty does exist, price is becoming a very important factor. As a whole the market for cosmetics is very dynamic. While price is important, quality is just as significant if not more significant for some consumers. Companies re faced with the difficult task of balancing the two. Consumers will likely switch to a cheaper product with quality even though they might have loyalties to a particular brand. Bargaining Power of Suppliers Bargaining power of suppliers is low to moderate. Rising commodity prices affect all industries. The raw materials used in cosmetics are used mainly by cosmetic and personal care companies. The cosmetic companies do have some leverage, and these companies are able to keep costs down to offer lower prices to consumers. Bargaining Power of Consumers The bargaining power of consumers in this market is relatively high.Products are easily substitutable and pri ce is probably the most significant factor. Customers have all of the buying power, and often lean towards the cheaper products in these hard economic times. Since consumer bargaining power is high, companies in the cosmetic industry are forced to drive their prices down to stay competitive. While there are segments of the market that will pay a premium for a quality product, are majority of consumers will chose with their wallets. Generic Forces | Approach| Focus| Cost Minimization| Product Differentiation| Broad| X| | Narrow| | |Revlon offers various product lines focused at different segments of the market. The company was founded on the idea of providing affordable cosmetics. While many cosmetic companies attempt to differentiate their products from competitors it is almost an impossible task. Cosmetic products are easily substitutable so cost becomes the more significant factor. A broad focus cost minimization strategy is the one I would recommend for Revlon, there are some pot ential risks. As for any company, introducing new product lines can be a hit or miss. Revlon had recently introduced a product line called Vital Radiance that was aimed towards older women.The new line was not successful and was eventually discontinued, but not without taking losses. I believe Revlon should continue to use the same approach, they just need to make sure enough research is done before introducing new products to minimize the chances of failure. Competitive Profile Matrix Revlon Estee Lauder Avon Critical Success Factors| weight| Rating| Score| Rating| Score| Rating| Score| 1. Financial Position| 0. 3| 2| 0. 6| 3| 0. 9| 4| 1. 2| 2. Brand Recognition| 0. 1| 4| 0. 4| 3| 0. 3| 3| 0. 3| 3. Market Share| 0. 35| 3| 1. 05| 4| 1. 4| 4| 1. 4| 4. Global Expansion| 0. 15| 3| 0. 45| 3| 0. 5| 4| 0. 6| 5. Marketing| 0. 1| 4| 0. 4| 3| 0. 3| 3| 0. 3| Total| 1| | 2. 9| | 3. 35| | 3. 8| Out of the three companies, Revlon is in the worst position. While Revlon does excel in marketing, th e amount spent on advertising is piled on to the already massive amount of debt. The most important factors here in this situation are market share and financial position. In both areas, the competition is clearly ahead of Revlon. Another significant area is global expansion, and Avon is the leader in expansion. The global market is the key to success in the cosmetics industry and Avon's overall score proves that.If Revlon can fix its financial position, then they can begin to look at competing toe-toe with Avon. However, the longer they wait to straighten out the longer they will continue to fall behind. Internal Assessment Internal| | | | Strengths| Weight| Rating| Score| 1. Strong marketing efforts| 0. 15| 1| 0. 15| 2. Large distribution network| 0. 1| 3| 0. 3| 3. Produces Quality Product| 0. 05| 2| 0. 1| 4. Tailors product lines to different segments| 0. 05| 2| 0. 1| 5. Strong Brand Recognition| 0. 1| 2| 0. 2| | | | | Weaknesses| | | | 6. Limited Locations| 0. 15| 2| 0. 3| 7. In crease in long-term Debt| 0. 1| 1| 0. | 8. Weak overall financial position| 0. 15| 1| 0. 15| 9. Risk of Investing in a Project with No Return| 0. 1| 2| 0. 2| 10. Relatively high prices| 0. 05| 2| 0. 1| | 1| | 1. 7| 1. Marketing plays a large part in the cosmetic industry. Most companies compete on price. So ultimately the consumers’ choice is based on the perception of the product. Certain cosmetic lines are marketed towards different groups of people. The success of certain products is directly related to the effectiveness of the marketing campaigns. 2. The channels of distribution also play a large part in the success of any cosmetic company.Today most companies sell their products in a variety of different stores. Having their products available at many different locations helps to keep he competitiveness. Cosmetics are sold at drugstores, grocery stores, and large retailers such as Wal-Mart. Some companies even use door-to-door sales such as Avon. Revlon is beginning to u se that approach in certain regions such as China. 3. While price is the most important factor for most consumers, quality plays a large part with cosmetics. Furthermore actual quality is probably less important than perceived quality. 4.Ultimately people are willing to pay a premium for a higher quality product. In the case of cosmetics, quality is less about the product itself and more about the result to the consumer. 5. In order to make market campaigns successful the products themselves need to be designed differently for different market segments. For example, cosmetics aimed for the older population usually focuses on wrinkle education and skin firming ingredients, whereas cosmetics aimed for young women might offer a lot of color variety and other flashy designs. There clearly exists a different fashion trend among different age groups and different cultural groups.Having product lines tailored specifically for each group can help drive sales for each product line. 6. While Revlon does sell its products globally there are large markets outside of the United States that are yet to be entered. Because of the weakening of the US dollar US products are more favorable to foreigners. This event, along with the recent growth and development of these foreign countries form a large untapped market for cosmetic companies. India, China, and South America are becoming huge unsaturated markets waiting to be taken over. The first company to enter and successfully market to regions will become profitable.If Revlon continues to stay in its concentrated markets it will continue to fall behind the pack. 7. One of Revlon’s largest pitfalls is its failure to reduce its long-term debt. This is due largely to a few failed product lines that Revlon has launched in recent years, with Vital Radiance being the latest disaster. A lot of resources are required to launch new products. Not only are there the costs of production, but also the research and developments before the products are actually made. If the new lines do not yield the expected results the company is left in a net loss.In Revlon’s case, they never get a chance to pay off their debt, and are constantly playing catch-up. 8. Having a large amount of long-term debt is one thing, but for Revlon their overall financial performance is in need of repair. If Revlon able to generate enough income to balance out of their debt they would be much better off. Unfortunately, that is not the case. The amount of income and addition of new assets is not enough to keep out with the increase in liabilities. Because of this their overall financial position is very weak. Something needs to be done in order to set the company on the right path. . The main risk involved in launching new product lines is the potential for complete failure. So much research, time, and capital are spent to launch new product line. If the product does not sell as expected then none of those costs are recovered. Even wit h proper research of both the product and market, there is always a risk of failure. Already having such a large amount of debt, Revlon needs to take its time and do all the necessary research involved to increase its chance of launching a successful new line. 10. Price is the most important factor involved in the consumers’ purchasing decision.Cosmetic companies must find a balance between price and quality. Cost reduction is key to the success of any company in the cosmetic industry. If consumers decide to ignore quality, then price becomes the deciding factor. Though some cosmetic companies might sacrifice quality to keep prices low, they tend sell better when consumers have less money to spend. Revlon obtained a score of 1. 7 which is below average. Revlon’s biggest struggles are faced internally. The inability to pay off their long-term debt and their willingness to acquire new debt leave them in an extremely unstable financial position.Revlon needs to focus on it s marketing and product strategies. In these hard economic times Revlon should focus on price minimization. Consumers are more concerned about price these days with all of their purchases because money is tight. Revlon needs to focus on fixing its internal problems before they can begin to adjust to external factors. Financial Analysis Revlon’s main area of focus should be reducing its debt. Revlon posted net losses from 2004 to 2006. Sales had been leveling off during the same period. Net loss per share went from (. 47) to (. 2) from 2004 to 2006. Overall Revlon had been performing poorly, and failed new product launches helped contributed to the losses. By the end of 2006 Revlon’s long term debt amounted to 2. 3 billion dollars. Because of their ongoing issues with debt, Revlon has been undergoing debt restructuring. Moving forward Revlon must change its strategy to help increase sale, while minimizing the addition of new debt. In 2006 Revlon had a current ratio or l iquidity ratio of 1. 29 which improved slightly from 1. 25 in 2005. However, Revlon’s long-term debt still outweighs their assets.Revlon needs to look at its current product lines, and consider liquidating lines that are not generating expected returns. They are better off canceling unsuccessful product lines, then continuing to take on losses. While it may cost more in the short term, reevaluating existing product lines, and doing the research and development to launch new product lines will be more profitable in the long run. SWOT Matrix | Strengths – S 1. Strong marketing efforts| 2. Large distribution network| 3. Produces Quality Product| 4. Tailors product lines to different segments| 5. Strong Brand Recognition| | | | | | | Weaknesses – W 6. Limited Locations| . Increase in long-term Debt| 8. Weak overall financial position| 9. Risk of Investing in a Project with No Return| 10. Relatively high prices| | Opportunities – O 1. Men are using cosmetics m ore| 2. Weakening of the US dollar making foreign markets more appealing| 3. Growing trend of using personal care products| 4. The increase in the mini-baby boomers (young teens)| 5. Baby boomer females entering retirement| | SO Strategies1. Create product lines for new markets. (O1,2,5+S1,S4)2. The company should expand in to global markets. (O2+S1,S5)3. Focus existing product lines to their targeted demographics. (O1,3,4,5+S4)| WO Strategies1.Open new locations worldwide. (O2,O3+W6,W9)2. Reduce costs. (O4+W10)3. Conduct research before starting new product line. (O1,3,4,5+ W7,W9)| Threats – T 6. Concern for product safety growing| 7. Concerns about environment and animal testing growing| 8. Increased gas prices greatly reduce disposable income| 9. Natural fashion trends| 10. Intense competition| | ST Strategies1. Expand into global markets. (T10+S1+S5) 2. Reduce costs. (T8+S3)| WT Strategies1. Open New Locations. 2. Carefully plan new projects to maximize their profitabilit y. 3. Research safer ways of product testing and formulate safer and environmentally friendly cosmetics. T6,7,9+W9)| Space Matrix ————————————————- Financial StrengthRatings Decrease in Debt1. 0 Increase in Assets 2. 0 Net Income Per Share1. 0 4. 0 ————————————————- Industry Strength Growth Potential2. 0 Profit Potential 2. 0 4. 0 ————————————————- Environmental Stability Competitive Pressure-3. 0 Going Green Trend-3. 0 Economy Dependent-4. 0 ————————————————- -10. 0 —————————†”——————- Competitive Advantage Market Share-5. Brand Loyalty -4. 0 -9. 0 Conclusion ES Average is -3. 33, IS Average is 4. 0 CA Average is -6. 0, FS Average is 1. 33 Directional Vector Coordinate:x-axis: -4. 5+(+2. 0) = -2. 5 y-axis:-3. 33+(+1. 33) = -2. 0 Insert Space matrix The SPACE Matrix shows that Revlon has a defensive profile. They are financially unstable, which is why the point falls in the negative quadrants. BCG Matrix High| Medium| Low| Medium| StarsRevlon Brand| ? ’sAntiperspirants/Deodorants| Low| Cash CowRevlon Beauty Tools| DogsVital Radiance Brand| Revlon’s star product is their Revlon brand.The cosmetic market is still showing considerable growth, and Revlon has a total market share of 13%. Globally the market for cosmetics is expected to grow with the help of the weakening U. S. dollar. Revlon Beauty tools are the cash cow for the company. The overall market share for that product line is almost 25% which makes Revlon a dominant player. Growth in that market is expected, but not nearly as much as the cosmetics segments. Market share of Antiperspirants and Deodorants has dropped within the past year. While growth in that segment is expected, Revlon maintains a small share of the market.However, with the right strategy that segment could become another star for Revlon. Lastly, Revlon’s Vital Radiance line dropped to less than 1% in market share in the most recent year. That segment showed negative growth along with minimal market share. It was a wise decision on Revlon’s part to discontinue that line as it was generating any net profits for the company. Strategy Recommendation Revlon should follow to strategies to help turn things around. The first recommendation I have is for Revlon to expand its business in foreign markets. Currently the US dollar is weak, which makes US products more favorable in foreign countries.There are huge emerging markets in India and China. As these countries become more developed women have more income to spend on cosmetic products. In these countries Revlon might have a better chance at success if they try more direct forms of marketing such as door-to-door sales. There are rumors that Revlon is considering that strategy for China. While I believe times have changed, and marketing has changed especially with the age of the internet, I believe direct marketing works well for cosmetics. The typical users of cosmetics are more likely to buy a product if they get to see it in person, or get to try it themselves.I think door-to-door sales would be successful and could be used in the United States and in other countries. I also believe free samples would be another good form of marketing. I’ve noticed that a lot off cosmetic products are sold on the home shopping network in the United States. I think consumers feel more comfortable buying a cosmetic product when they can see how it is used and what results they generat e. There are cultural differences between the United States and foreign countries. Revlon should create new product lines tailored to each culture.I believe they are better off making fewer product lines focused on broader groups of people, rather than making too many product lines. They need to test the waters of each region, and determine the most effective ways to gain market share. The second recommendation that I have for Revlon is an internal one. Revlon has serious issues with debt. Part of the reason they are in this situation is because of the launch of unsuccessful product lines such as their most recent Vital Radiance. It takes a lot of time and resources to launch a new product line or to acquire new manufacturing locations.Any new product launch poses a great risk for any company. Revlon is not in any financial position to be taking these risks. I believe they need to do two things. First Revlon needs to look at its existing product lines and reevaluate their effectiven ess. Lines that are not meeting sales expectations need to be modified or discontinued altogether. It is better for Revlon to accept its losses and start fresh. The second thing Revlon needs to do is to spend all the time and resources necessary to make a successful new product launch. This was obviously not what happened with the Vital Radiance brand.While it may cost more time and money initially, a successful product line will easily be able to recover those expenses. As they make the decision to launch new brands or re-launch existing brands, Revlon needs to make sure all of its advertising spending is put to good use. Revlon is already deep in debt, and they need to make sure than any additional expenses will generate concrete returns. Revlon needs to refocus some of their brands, and launching new ad campaigns can help them do so. Revlon needs to find out which of its products are successfully marketed, and follow those same strategies to market their less successful product l ines.Focus is necessary in getting Revlon back on track. Effective marketing can help to increase sales both in the United States and abroad. Pro Forma The US market accounts for over half of Revlon’s sales. There is great potential for Revlon to expand its global markets. Realistically their sales in the foreign markets should be more than half of their overall sales. Revlon’s international sales have increased over the past three years, but the growth could be far more rapid. With the reorganization of Revlon’s current brands they could possibly cut some advertising costs by not having to market every product line to the same extent.Refocusing their brands with successful marketing, they might experience a slight increase in sales. I can estimate maybe a 5% increase in sales, and hopefully expenses can remain the same. Whatever extra cash is earned should be used to begin to pay off their debt. However, if neither of the strategies help turn things round, Revl on might consider be bought out by another company. Epilogue Section Revlon had made little improvement since 2007. The company maintains a debt in excess of over 1. 3 billion dollars. Although the company stock price has increased from 13 dollar per share to around 16 dollars. Google Finance) In general Revlon is still in the same boat it was in four years ago. Over half of Revlon’s sales are still from the United States. There has been little progress made in foreign markets. However, things are starting to turn around for the company. Revlon has been facing declines in sales since 2007. Now, in the first quarter of 2011 they managed to increase sales. (WikiInvest) They are estimated to increase overall sales by 2% this year. These sales are attributed to an increase in spending of advertising. Apparently the marketing efforts are beginning to pay off.This additional spending has helped to strengthen some of the Revlon brands. While things are beginning to look positive, th ey are going to need a much greater increase in sales to help pay off the debt. If they continued to lose sales in today’s times I would say it would be smart to consider selling out to another company. The recent albeit small turn around might give Revlon one last chance pay off its debt and become a big player in the industry. Resources: http://www. wikinvest. com/stock/Revlon_(REV)/News/2566033/Revlon_Reports_First_Quarter_2011_Results http://www. google. com/finance? q=NYSE:REV