Is Your Yoga Practice A Vehicle For Mental Health And...

Is your yoga practice a vehicle for mental health and self-actualization or are you content with just doing the physical practice? Yoga was originally intended to be a practice to facilitate self-actualization, meaning to realize who you are and being comfortable being you. More recently in the western yoga world, there has been a separation between physical development and spiritual development. Social media has defined yoga as cool physical postures. Yet, do not be fooled into believing that you will be self-actualized by only practicing asana. Asana is only one of the eight limbs, and a healthy body means nothing without a healthy mind. The definition of mental health according to the World Health Organization (â€Å"WHO†) is:†¦show more content†¦There are many benefits from doing the physical practice, including improved overall physical fitness, stress relief, and a reduction in anxiety and depression. But how can your yoga practice be an instrument for self-actualization? First of all, motivation is important. You have to want more. Without the desire to grow and learn, self-actualization will not occur. That motivation often comes from being in a place where nothing else is working. A time when you have tried everything else, and still you do not feel fulfilled. The Trifecta Approach There is a combination that will help you on your path towards fulfillment through self-actualization. I call it the trifecta approach. Here are the three key methods that work together to facilitate mental health and a life fully lived. 1. Yoga Practice: Find the right yoga teacher who supports your individual development beyond the physical asana. 2. Meditate: Develop a solid sitting practice. This more subtle practice will strengthen your ability to observe all mental activity. 3. Psychotherapy: Find a good therapist who will see you, hear you, support you, and guide you through your own transformation, and who will encourage you to keep at it. This may seem like a complex combination, but here is a case that demonstrates the trifecta’s approach in action. Alex’s Story1 Alex is a dedicated yoga practitioner. For over 10 years, she rolled out her matShow MoreRelatedDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 Pagesmymanagementlab is an online assessment and preparation solution for courses in Principles of Management, Human Resources, Strategy, and Organizational Behavior that helps you actively study and prepare material for class. Chapter-by-chapter activities, including built-in pretests and posttests, focus on what you need to learn and to review in order to succeed. Visit www.mymanagementlab.com to learn more. DEVELOPING MANAGEMENT SKILLS EIGHTH EDITION David A. Whetten BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY Read MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 Pagesmechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. To obtain permission(s) to use material from this work, please submit a written request to Pearson Education, Inc., Permissions Department, One Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458, or you may fax your request to 201-236-3290. Many of the designations by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and the publisher was aware of a trademark claim, the designationsRead MoreMarketing Management 14th Edition Test Bank Kotler Test Bank173911 Words   |  696 Pageslatent demand D) negative demand E) unwholesome demand Answer: D Page Ref: 8 Objective: 2 AACSB: Analytic skills Difficulty: Moderate 14) People in emerging countries today are becoming increasingly health conscious and are seeking healthy food choices. As a result, demand for health foods is rising steadily, creating an opportunity for marketers to exploit this ________ market. A) demographic B) business C) need D) geographic E) service Answer: C Page Ref: 8 Objective: 2 AACSB:

William Shakespeare s Batman And The Dark Knight Rises Essay

There are five types of conflict that a character can experience: Person vs. Person, Person vs. Society, Person vs. God/Fate/ Destiny, Person vs. Self, and Person vs. Nature or Technology. Person vs. Person is conflict in which one character will oppose or be opposed by another character and an example of this is Creed where Adonis Creed fights Ricky Conlan so that Adonis can be the heavyweight champion. Person vs. Society is conflict in which a character and the society that he/she lives in are at odds, so an example of this would be The Dark Knight Rises. Batman’s bold actions diverge from the social norm, so when Batman is trying to help the people of Gotham and the cops try to arrest him. Next, Person vs. God/Fate/Destiny is conflict in which a character is in opposition of forces that are not of this world, so an example of this would be in the Bible where God tells Jonah to go to the town of Nineveh, and Jonah gets on a different boat, so God sends a storm, then Jonah gets swallowed by a whale and taken to Nineveh. Next, Person vs. Self is conflict in which the main character struggles internally, and this can be shown in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire when Katniss is struggling over her feelings for both Gale and Peeta. Lastly, Person vs. Nature or Technology is where a character is up against the harsh forces of nature or a type of machine or technology, an example of this would be After the End when a group of people are told there was a nuclear war and sentShow MoreRelatedLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 Pagesillogical to answer only Yes and walk away─ unless you are trying to irritate the person who asked the question. Real life decision-making often must work in a dynamic, unpredictable environment. In the business world, new competitors appear, prices rise or fall, opportunities that were available at one time are not available at another. The uncritical decision maker is unaware of these changes and continues to make decisions as if in the old environment. Alert decision makers understand the need

The Republic Essay Example For Students

The Republic Essay Re-WritePlatos The Republic provides an exploration of Platos theory that morality or justice are discovered when a clear distinction is made between belief and knowledge. Plato draws an analogy between the operation of society as a whole and the life of any individual human being within that society to discover morality or justice. He assumes that morality and justice will only be found when three other characteristics are also exhibited. Plato uses his argument by elimination to find morality within ones self. The struggle to be good and truthful is something many people face. Platos insights into our personal motivations when deciding how we should act are as true today as they were when he first published them. Plato believes we commonly feel numerous impulses pulling us apart in various directions at once, and he attempts to explain how the human soul functions as it is bombarded with sensory perceptions as well as intellectual ideals. He begins talking about the love of knowledge within his own society, which happens to be the base of his argument for morality. (143) Without knowledge, one cannot find truth or justice morality. When looking deeper into the motivations for our wants and desires, Plato poses the question, is there just one single thing which we use for doing everything, or are there three and we use different things for different tasks? (145) He also considers how we decide which tasks to get going on. Plato confirms his idea that humans have more than one of these aspects by stating, the same one thing cannot simultaneously either act or be acted on in opposite ways in the same respect and in the same context. (145) If this is found to be happening in the case of these asp ects of ourselves, there will definitely be more than one. In this way Plato develops his idea of the mind being broken down into three separate parts; the passionate, the rational, and the desirous or mercenary. As previously presented, the first part does, the next thinks, and the final part of our mind desires. The presentation of this idea that it takes these three separate parts to function accordingly helps Plato present the possibility of people doing these at the same time; or for example, there may be one part of the mind functioning while another does. Plato will not accept this definition of the situation. He uses examples of a person standing still in one place, but moving their hands and head, or a top spinning in one place to describe his thoughts. He will not say someone or something is moving and still at the same time. (146) This is because of the semantics; one may become confused because the moving and still adjectives may be used to describe the whole object in m otion over a plane, or parts of the object in motion while being still over that same plane. Plato argues that acceptance and pursuit of something are not related to rejection and distaste for that same thing. (146) Having an appetite for, or desiring that thing is acceptance and pursuit of it. (146-147) Similarly, denial and avoidance of that thing is rejection and distaste of it. (146) Plato presents an example on pages 149 and 150: sometimes humans have an appetite to drink while also refusing to drink. Because acceptance and rejection are opposites, they cannot belong to the same part of the soul. (150) The rational part will do the planning, symbolizing wisdom, while the passionate part will obey the ruling part and employ its courage to carry out the plans. Plato then goes on to present his belief that self-discipline is the device that keeps each of the parts of the soul in check, because it only comes about when they are in agreement. Without self-discipline, according to Pl ato, chaos and thievery would abound. .uc5ec0cb66e572e0669133bb7e2412856 , .uc5ec0cb66e572e0669133bb7e2412856 .postImageUrl , .uc5ec0cb66e572e0669133bb7e2412856 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uc5ec0cb66e572e0669133bb7e2412856 , .uc5ec0cb66e572e0669133bb7e2412856:hover , .uc5ec0cb66e572e0669133bb7e2412856:visited , .uc5ec0cb66e572e0669133bb7e2412856:active { border:0!important; } .uc5ec0cb66e572e0669133bb7e2412856 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uc5ec0cb66e572e0669133bb7e2412856 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uc5ec0cb66e572e0669133bb7e2412856:active , .uc5ec0cb66e572e0669133bb7e2412856:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uc5ec0cb66e572e0669133bb7e2412856 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uc5ec0cb66e572e0669133bb7e2412856 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uc5ec0cb66e572e0669133bb7e2412856 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uc5ec0cb66e572e0669133bb7e2412856 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uc5ec0cb66e572e0669133bb7e2412856:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uc5ec0cb66e572e0669133bb7e2412856 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uc5ec0cb66e572e0669133bb7e2412856 .uc5ec0cb66e572e0669133bb7e2412856-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uc5ec0cb66e572e0669133bb7e2412856:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Monasticism In The Middle Ages Argumentative EssayEveryday people have to overcome obstacles and make choices for themselves. In the first half of his book, Plato offers his view that addresses what humans do when faced with choices. (135) In Platos presentation of the story of Leontius, the son of Aglian, he strengthens this argument. As the story goes, one day Leontius walked by an

Compensation Benefits free essay sample

Compensation and Benefits in the Twenty-first Century ? Abstract Team platinum will explore compensation and benefits in the 21st century. Any review of total compensation must include the crucial areas of health and retirement benefits and financial compensation, as well as discuss the implications of pivotal changes in the market and demographics which impact organizations and overall performance management issues. There are several different compensation and benefit strategies that can be combined in innovative ways to meet the needs of the both the organization and the diverse needs of the employees. The proper administration of a total compensation and benefits package is a critical aspect in an organization’s ability to recruit and retain the most qualified applicants in today’s competitive market. ? Table of Contents Abstract2 Compensation and Benefits in the 21st Century4 Compensation4 Base Pay5 Variable Pay6 Benefits7 Retirement Insurance Benefits9 Benefits Impact9 Advantages and Disadvantages of Retirement Plans10 Insurance Plans Comparison12 Pivotal Change14 Technology14 Generational Diversity15 Trust16 Performance Management17 A Tool for Success18 Shared Expectations18 Advantages and Disadvantages19 Conclusion20 References21 Compensation and Benefits in the Twenty-first Century Many of the leading organizations in the 21st century must be competitive in many ways. We will write a custom essay sample on Compensation Benefits or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Due to the fact that a large portion of the money they spend goes to their employees, they must have a system in place that compensates their employees competitively and falls in line with the organizational goals. Organizations must not only determine compensation, but must also determine the benefits that will be offered, consider the changing job market and demographics of the personnel pool, as well as what type of performance management they plan to incorporate in order to succeed. This paper will discuss four segments regarding Compensation and Benefits in the 21st Century. These four segments include: Compensation is an important aspect of Human Resource Management, Benefits are an integral and important aspect of a total compensation plan, the Changing job market and demographics of the personnel pool have a pivotal impact on Human Resources Management, and Performance management is a key facet of organizational success. It is hoped that a better understanding of compensation and benefits is achieved at the conclusion of this paper. Compensation Webster’s dictionary defines compensation as payment for services such as wages (Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 2006, p. 97). According to the book, Human Resource Management, there are three basic forms of employee compensation; they are base pay, variable pay, and benefits (Mathis Jackson, 2008). Some companies offer compensation packages where these three forms of compensation are combined or grouped together. The book, Salary Negotiation Tips for Professionals, points out that all e mployees must know what they are worth and make sure the compensation reflects it (Krannich and Krannich, 2005). The next few paragraphs will break down and discuss each of the three forms of compensation. Base Pay The first type of compensation is base pay. The textbook, Human Resource Management, defines base pay as the â€Å"basic compensation that an employee receives, usually as a wage or salary† (Mathis Jackson, 2008, p. 361). Most companies use 2 types of base pay and they are either hourly or salary. The way an employee is paid usually goes by the nature of the job. Hourly pay is based on a time scale. The employee will keep some sort of time sheet and will be paid based on the number of hours worked in either a one or two week period and that is called a wage. Whereas salaried employees are paid a set amount and that amount is the same no matter how many hours they work. Usually only hourly employees can earn pay for overtime worked, but overtime pay can be paid to salaried employees and that is defined by state and federal laws (Mathis Jackson, 2008). When it comes to an individual trying to figure out how much pay they feel they deserve to be paid, they must consider the job they are applying for and the compensation packages the organization is offering. They must decide what is important to them. Do they want benefits like family insurance, dental insurance, profit sharing or other perks?

Hand Hygiene free essay sample

We are surrounded by pathogens. Preventing the spread of disease causing microorganism in health care facilities is crucial. You have to protect yourself, staff and your patients by washing your hands frequently. The article â€Å"hand hygiene: It does make a difference,† written by Maryellen Guinan and Maryanne McGuckin, discusses the importance of handwashing and the steps of properly washing your hands. Handwashing is a skill that is especially important in health care facilities. Some examples of when hand washing should be used is whenever coming into contact with patients, after contact with intact skin, before donning sterile gloves to insert a central intravascular tube, or any other situation that exposes you to body secretions. The proper way to wash your hands is to first wet your hands to allow for better distribution of the soap. It is important to use warm water and lather the soap for a minimum of 20 seconds, make sure to use friction and wash your hands thoroughly. We will write a custom essay sample on Hand Hygiene or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page A much quicker alternative to washing your hands is to use antibacterial sanitizers. When using alcohol-based hand rubs apply them to the palm of your hand and keep rubbing until your hand becomes dry. Wash your hands or using sanitizers whenever possible will help keep the health care worker and residents safe from illness This article emphasizes the importance of keeping your hands sanitized. The main concern as a healthcare worker is to keep patients safe and provide them with the best care they could possibly receive. Taking 20 seconds to thoroughly wash your hands you are not only protecting yourself but you keeping everyone you come into contact with safe. Antibacterial sanitizers are a great alternative to washing your hands when you may not have the adequate time to thoroughly wash your hands. Keeping your hands clean can make a big difference and can lead to a healthy and safer environment.

Free Essays on Minimum Wage

The Minimum-Wage Controversy When receiving paychecks, most employees will agree that one can never be paid enough, however, their employers may disagree with that statement and believe that they are getting paid far greater than they are entitled to. Thus creating a conflict between minimum wages. Minimum wage is the least amount of money that an employer may pay their employees. The federal minimum wage that is experienced by many members of the United States, currently is at $5.15, and is under debate as to whether or not it should be raised an additional dollar per hour, to make the minimum wage $6.15 (1). As a result of dissatisfaction with the minimum wage, debates whether or not the wage should be lifted to please more workers are currently taking place. The process to finding the perfect minimum wage to please both employee and employer are still under way, and has been an important controversial issue for many decades. For many, a raise in minimum wage would be fantastic, ma inly employees. For others such as employers, they look down upon the idea of increasing the salary for their workers. The process for increasing the minimum wage would start by paying fifty cents more on January 1st of 2001, and adding the other fifty cents exactly one year later on January 1st of 2002 (1). â€Å"Through this proposal, it would allow for business tax breaks worth $76 billion dollars over ten years, which is down from $122.7 billion in an earlier House version of the bill† (1). As unemployment has reached a recent 30-year low, some employers are looking to change this fact around by hiring in greater numbers (3). But as employers may in fact do try to change this unemployment trend, this also means more money will be spent on trying to match the minimum wage. If they should try and match the minimum wage, the employer will be spending more money just to have more workers that he may not need. Say the minimum wage stayed the same for a while, ... Free Essays on Minimum Wage Free Essays on Minimum Wage It’s Time to Raise the Minimum Wage The current minimum wage does not allow a full-time worker supporting a two-person family to reach the federal poverty line. However, increasing the minimum wage is not a simple undertaking. There are many concerns and questions to address. Business owners are concerned about the expense of raising the minimum wage. Many legislators believe the majority of the minimum wage workforce is teenagers earning money for luxuries. This report will discuss the history of the minimum wage, exceptions to the regulation, demographics of the minimum wage workforce, real value of the minimum wage, and economic feasibility of raising the minimum wage. Based on my research, it is my recommendation that the minimum wage should be raised. The Beginning of the Minimum Wage: The Fair Labor Standards Act The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) of 1938 set the work week and overtime guidelines, child labor restrictions, and the first minimum wage. Opponents of the act resented the governmental mandates on private business operations. Organized labor unions were concerned that the minimum wage would become a maximum rather than a beginning point. The proponents of the action wished to improve the living conditions of the working poor and create new jobs by shortening hours and setting overtime standards (Cong. Dig., 2000). The federal minimum wage is currently $5.15 per hour. Exceptions to the Minimum Wage Regulation Employers are allowed to pay only 50 percent of the minimum wage to employees who regularly receive $30 per month in tips. The employee must receive at least the minimum wage when the hourly pay and tips are combined. Several states wage/hour laws remove this exception from the law (Cong. Dig, 2000). This exception shifts the burden to pay employees from the employers, to the customers and employees themselves. Earning tips is difficult in businesses with fewer customers, low... Free Essays on Minimum Wage The Minimum-Wage Controversy When receiving paychecks, most employees will agree that one can never be paid enough, however, their employers may disagree with that statement and believe that they are getting paid far greater than they are entitled to. Thus creating a conflict between minimum wages. Minimum wage is the least amount of money that an employer may pay their employees. The federal minimum wage that is experienced by many members of the United States, currently is at $5.15, and is under debate as to whether or not it should be raised an additional dollar per hour, to make the minimum wage $6.15 (1). As a result of dissatisfaction with the minimum wage, debates whether or not the wage should be lifted to please more workers are currently taking place. The process to finding the perfect minimum wage to please both employee and employer are still under way, and has been an important controversial issue for many decades. For many, a raise in minimum wage would be fantastic, ma inly employees. For others such as employers, they look down upon the idea of increasing the salary for their workers. The process for increasing the minimum wage would start by paying fifty cents more on January 1st of 2001, and adding the other fifty cents exactly one year later on January 1st of 2002 (1). â€Å"Through this proposal, it would allow for business tax breaks worth $76 billion dollars over ten years, which is down from $122.7 billion in an earlier House version of the bill† (1). As unemployment has reached a recent 30-year low, some employers are looking to change this fact around by hiring in greater numbers (3). But as employers may in fact do try to change this unemployment trend, this also means more money will be spent on trying to match the minimum wage. If they should try and match the minimum wage, the employer will be spending more money just to have more workers that he may not need. Say the minimum wage stayed the same for a while, ...

Strategies of Advertising Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Strategies of Advertising - Essay Example By this time most people carrying out the advertisements were not in apposition to pay for the media expenses. However, currently viewers are in a better position to comprehend the advertisements much more easily as almost every body can access the media. This, subsequently have made the advertisements easily visible as well as audible (Amazon.com, 2007). The ultimate outcome normally depends on the manner advertising techniques are employed. There has been, on the other hand, a wide application of what is called custom publishing which usually aims at reaching a particular community segment. This, for instance may include anti-smoking advertisements which has been employed by the cancer charities and other anti-smoking groups in collaboration with several government health departments in trial to contain the tobacco advertisement (Sheriga, 2008). They thus establish their own advertisement in order to bring to lime light the negative impacts of smoking. Initially, several commercial advertisements usually assisting cessation of smoking as well as reduce to risk posed lung cancer and its aftermath. Several advertisers employ some sneaky strategies in order to get the attention of the consumers. Generally, advertisements are expected and as well accepted in every society. They are perceived to have nothing wrong in them by most people who usually view them every day. Most people have created the notion that the products advertised are always good ones and that the products being advertised on televisions have nothing wrong in it. Convincing the consumers to buy the products being advertised came about with some strategies. Several commercials which have nothing to do with a product on the other hand have been employing certain lifestyles (Carroll, 2009). Some of the commonly used strategies include: i). Ideal Families and Kids. Research by Raylight (2007) indicate that most TV adverts targeting families usually show up perfect families that appear to be having a hip looking modern styles such as latest hair cuts, hottest fashions as well as toys. These families appearing in the adverts acts as representatives of the type of ideal families the several children viewing the commercial would prefer their families or even themselves to appear. This subsequently leads the children's families to buying the product being marketed in these commercial adverts. The fact is that buying of these products can not make them perfect families. All what the advertisers want is for you to purchase their products. ii). Star Power Some celebrity stars have been employed to market several products through advertisements. Someone's music star, for instance, convincing them to purchase the products they are advertising would make the music fan to buy the goods without realizing that they don't necessarily possess those products or even use them but they are there just for the money. Celebrity stars are used to get attention of the fans as well as watchers who acknowledge them (Raylight, 2007). iii) Sounds Good The attention of the watchers is sometimes gotten in commercial advertisement by playing some good music and sounds which can add some excitement to the viewers. This mainly applies to commercial products meant for kids.

Sexual Harassment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 3

Sexual Harassment - Research Paper Example The issue of sexual harassment affects the whole society and requires joined efforts to combat it. The starting point of handling the issue of sexual harassment is conducting research about the issue and understanding the various perspectives and contexts upon which sexual harassment takes place. This paper will start by discussing the origins, the evolution, and the global context of sexual harassment. It will also offer possible solutions of ways to decrease sexual harassment that is occurring in selected countries. Sexual harassment is an issue experienced by men and women of all ages, races, religions and nationalities, all over the world. The number of sexual harassment reports around the world continues to increase. The threat of sexual harassment affects the lives of millions, especially women, worldwide. Victims of sexual harassment often find it hard to recover from the trauma. They usually exhibit mental stress, depression, and low self-esteem. As such, the effects of sexual harassment may ultimately affect the lives of these people. â€Å"Incidences of sexual harassment are on the rise in most parts of the world particularly towards women† (Kenny, Samah and Chan 296). In Bahrain, most of the reported cases of sexual harassment are towards women, especially foreigners working in the country. In order to comprehend and know the dynamics and the importance of addressing the issue of sexual harassment, it is vital to assess the global trends of the matter in order to understand its severity. Most of the global research on sexual harassment has focused on women. Due to the increasing rates of sexual harassment in the world, there is a need for governments, organizations, and the international community, to take affirmative action towards the issue. â€Å"The world should not view incidents of sexual harassment as isolated incidences but as a construed aggression against the rights of people† (Akhtar 55). The world today is increasing

The Major General Environment Developments that Impinge Upon the Europ Essay

The Major General Environment Developments that Impinge Upon the European Automotive Industry - Essay Example Further Europe has highly evolved manufacturing facilities with automobiles constituting 36% of the total manufacturing of Europe. Of the five major automobile giants General Motors, Toyota Ford, Daimler-Benz, and Volkswagen, the last two are indigenous to Europe but all have a strong European presence with a number of smaller groups adding to the competition. GM markets its products under popular brand names of Opel and Vauxhall. The Ford Europe has staged major acquisitions in Europe by buying Land Rover, Aston Martin, and Volvo, Jaguar. Ford was the first US company to set up its manufacturing base in Europe as far back as 1920. Volkswagen, the German manufacturer is the most aggressive of all the European companies having acquired brands like Skoda, Bentley, Lamborghini, Audi, Buggati, and Seat. Since the early twentieth-century European car manufacturers enjoyed the competitive advantage due to their location. Europe accounted for the maximum percentage of consumers while it also has the largest number of manufacturers. However, it faced the first trans-continental threats first from the US car majors like Ford, GM in the early twentieth century and then from the highly efficient Japanese cars in the 70s. Political: Europe is an economically integrated region of 27 countries. The industries have to conform to near equality in trade laws and manufacturing standards especially the emission standards of the European Union. European Commission, for example, wants to do away with the rigid system of national car dealers (Madslien). Since dismantling of the Communist regimes in the Warsaw Pact countries, a large East European market has opened up for the European manufacturer. Due to the advantage provided by a common culture and proximate culture, the European automotive manufacturers were quick to capitalise on it. Companies like Volkswagen, Ford Europe, Daimler-Benz, and Peugeot Citroen have set up manufacturing facilities in East Europe.  Ã‚  

The Effect Of Financial Constraints On Small And Medium Enterprises Finance Essay

The Effect Of Financial Constraints On Small And Medium Enterprises Finance Essay CHAPTER 1 Introduction The relation between financial constraints and the survival and growth of the SME has been document across Africa and world. The researcher will look at the economy of Kenya and make evident of the financial constraints that are facing the small and medium enterprise hence affecting the survival and growth of small and medium size enterprises. There is a need to research in this field since the SME are the backbone of the Kenyan economy. In fact with the growing inflation, not to mention the difficulties the SME have in accessing the financial aids they are barely making it to the second birthday. Overview of the Context Kenyan is a developing country in Africa. The increasing role of the SME sector is confirmed by the recently completed Kenya 2003 Economic Survey, According to the survey, total employment recorded in the informal sector increased from 3.7 employees in 1999 to 5.1 million in 2002, while the formal sector increased only from 1.74 million to 1.76 million employees during the same period. However, the growth of the informal sector in number of employees does not necessarily reflect growth and high productivity of the enterprise itself, as the number of informal sector companies grew largely because of the depressed formal economy and under employment in the formal firms. Having said that, the SME in Kenya faces a lot of challenges and one of them is the financial constrains which really inhibits its growth and survival. Hence the call for this research paper. The researcher will use the research methodologies to extract evidence that really financial constraints is a major factor that affect the growth and survival of the SME in Kenya. Statement of the problem. In Kenya, SME have little access to finance, which thus hampers their emergence and eventual growth and survival. Financial constraint remains a major challenge facing SME in Kenya Wanjohi and Mugure (2008) and this will be evidence in this research paper. Their main sources of capital are their retained earnings and informal savings and loan associations, which are unpredictable and not very secure. SME can rarely meet the conditions set by financial institutions, which see them as a risk because of poor guarantees and lack of information about their ability to repay loans. The financial system in most of Africa is under-developed however and so provides few financial instruments. The researcher has come up with some of the reasons why SME find it hard to access finance in Kenya: High interest rates by the financial institutions Delay in the loan processing due to lack of securities and other requirements by the financial institutions. Some of the SME do not have a good track records hence most of the local banks fear to give them the unsecured loans. Banks are particularly nervous of smaller businesses due to a perception that they represent a greater credit risk. Kariukis (1995) study of bank credit access in Kenya illustrates this point further. A survey of 89 small and medium-scale firms in manufacturing and service industries, combined with secondary information from commercial banks, found that from 1985 to 1990 the average real volume of credit for the sample firms fell, except for the year 1986 which showed a marginal increase of 1.5 per cent. Small scale borrowers were found to be faced with higher nominal interest rates at higher inflation rates in the latter half of the 1980s. Moreover, the explicit transactions costs of borrowing were found to be high in relation to interest costs. Because the information is not available in other ways, SME will have to provide it when they seek finance. They will need to give a business plan, list of the company assets, details of the experience of directors and managers and demonstrate how they can give providers of finance some security for amounts provided. The researcher recognized that in the current context of the most severe financial and economic crisis in decades, various factors such as increased risk aversion, decreased liquidity, bleak prospects for economic growth, etc. are having or are expected to have a highly negative effect on SME and entrepreneurs access to short and long term financing. Small firms are particularly vulnerable because: It is more difficult for them to downsize since they are already small. They are individually less diversified in their activities. They have weaker financial structures or lower capitalization. They have lower or no credit ratings. They are heavily dependent on credit. They have fewer options for finance, especially in financial markets. With this in view, the measures that most governments are taking or planning to take to counteract the effects of the crisis and stimulate their economies should include easing SME and entrepreneurship access to finance. Numerous money lenders in the name of Pyramid schemes comes up, promising hope among the SME that they can make it to the financial freedom through soft borrowing. The rationale behind turning to these schemes among a good number of entrepreneurs is mainly to seek alternatives and soft credit with low interest rates while making profits. Objectives The general objective of the research is to establish the effects that the financial constraints have on the survival and growth of the small and medium enterprises in Kenya. Some of the specific objective that the researcher will bare in the study will evolve around the small and medium sized enterprises in Kenya. To establish effect of economic activities on the survival and growth of the SME in Kenya. To assess the impact of high interest rates by local commercial banks on the survival and growth of the small and medium sized enterprises in Kenya. To establish the effect of commercial banks lending policies and access to credit on the growth and financial performance of SME in Kenya. To establish the effect of the firm capital structure on the growth and survival of the small and medium enterprises in Kenya. To establish the impact of government policies in Kenya on the economic growth on the survival and growth of the small and medium business. 1.5 Research Questions How do high interest rates affect the survival and growth of the firm in Kenya? What effect do the banks lending policies and access to credit have on the growth and survival of the SME in Kenya? How do the government policies in Kenya on the economic growth affect the survival and growth of the small and medium sized business? What effect do the external borrowings have on the survival and growth of the small business enterprises in Kenya? How the economic activities affect the growth and survival of the firm in Kenya? 1.6 The significance of the study. Small and medium sized enterprises are the backbone of virtually all economies in the world. However, the process has long been constrained by the limited availability and accessibility of financial resources to meet a variety of operational and investment needs within the SME sectors. SME and entrepreneurs play a significant role in all economies and are key agents of employment, innovation and growth. A significant number of entrepreneurs and SME could use funds productively if they were available, but are often denied access to financing, thus impeding their creation, survival and growth. Although SME form a broad spectrum as far as their relative size, sector of activity, seniority, location and performance are concerned; there is a vital need for innovative solutions for their financing in particular for innovative and high- growth SME in a globalised knowledge-based economy. The researcher however will be interested to know how does this financial constraints really affect the growth and survival of SME and she will undertake the study t establish the necessary fact that make the growth of SME restrained in Kenya. 1.7 The scope of the study. The Kenya government is commitment to foster the growth of SME emerged as one of the key strategies in the 1986 report Economic Management for Renewed Growth. It was reinforced as a priority in the 1989 report, The Strategy for Small Enterprise Development in Kenya a document that set out the mechanisms for removing constraints to growth of the SME sector. In 1992, the government published the SME policy report, Sessional Paper No. 2, Small Enterprises and Jua Kali Development in Kenya. This report was reviewed in 2002, leading to a new policy framework that provides a balanced focus to SME development in line with the national goals of fostering growth, employment creation, income generation, poverty reduction and industrialization SME in Kenya have not seen much development since Kenyan independence due to financial constraints and other factors that are not going to be discussed on this research paper. Small enterprises have a potentiality of boosting a kenya economy. Although they are faced by many challenges, they still have opportunities to grow. These include linkage with multinational companies, networks with other businesses, diversification of market and products, enabling environment and franchising opportunities which is geatly being encouraged the coalition government that is currently running the government of Kenya although the impact has yet to felt on the small and medium enterpeises due to its size and limied resources. CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction. Kenya being a developing country, the researcher will borrow some of empirical research done by experts in other developed and developing countries. A large number of empirical studies have addressed the issue of financial constraints, mainly in order to study the relation between the firms investments and the availability of internal and external funds. Under perfect capital markets, internal and external sources of financial funds are perfectly substitutable Modigliani and Miller (1958), so that the availability of internal funds should not affect investment decisions. Small firms cannot exploit economies of scale in the same way as large firms can they face more financial constraints. Since young companies have not accumulated sufficient cash flow and are unable to rely on bank financing, they have to depend on the equity investments. The analysis of the effects of financial constraints on the firm survival and growth therefore is important. 2.2 Theoretical account of financial constraints The financing constraint literature has been the first to recognize that partitioning firms helps to provide important insights into their behaviors. The pioneers in this field have undoubtedly been Fazzari, Hubbard and Petersen (1988) who point out the fact that firms are definitely not homogeneous. They classify firms according to their dividend payout ratio. Their main aim in doing this is to show that firms that have different dividend payout ratios and therefore belong to different categories, have differential access to finance. Some firms are financially constrained while others are not. Following Fazzari, Hubbard and Petersen (1988), a number of studies have tried to distinguish between various categories of firms. For instance, Whited (1992) uses measures of indebtedness, interest coverage, and whether or not a firm has a bond rating to discriminate among firms. Kaplan and Zingales (1997) use both quantitative and qualitative data to distinguish among firms.Bond et al (1999) classify firms according to whether a firm operates in a bank-based or market-based system.Cleary (1999) uses a financial constraint index to differentiate between firms, which takes into account a number of factors such as firm liquidity, leverage, profitability, and growth. Carpenter and Guariglia (2003) use the number of employees to distinguish between large and small firms. However, the factor common to all these studies is that they have tried to discriminate only within firms that have access to capital markets. A high percentage of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises remains in the informal sector with limited opportunities for growth. Africa has one of the largest informal sectors in the world, World Bank, (2006). In Kenya the availability of finance tends to be extremely limited and difficulty to get external financing as researcher came to find out on this quest on the Kenya town and from the SME managers. The SME financial resources are usually restricted to equity capital and bank debt to those who are able to access it. As the business establishes itself, however, it gains access to resources from its own productive activity and sources of external finance. According to Aghion (2007), access to external finance improves market selection by allowing small firms to be more competitive. Additionally, financial accessibility significantly facilitates the growth of firms. Unlike large firms, SME are restricted in their funding options. Therefore, a new hierarchy of sources of finance for SM E can be defined. In this new hierarchy of sources of finance for SME there are three sources of finance, internal finance, debt finance and new capital contributions. Large firms that have access to capital markets are able to issue equity; however, SME do not normally have access to this form of finance of new capital contributions Cost of new debt financing Cost of internal finance 2.3 The Financial constraint variables According to many studies, small firms do not even recognize their own growth potential Scott Rosa (1996).This is more evident in the research since most of the managers of the small and medium size enterprises are more concerned about the survival of the firm rather than the growth of the firm in most Kenya region. This research however will look at some of the variables that help to clarify this phrase in the Kenyan market. 2.3.1 The effect of government policies. Similar evidence regarding the lack of importance given by small scale enterprises to tax policies is also found in Southern Africa, including Niger, Botswana, Swaziland, Lesotho, Malawi, and Zimbabwe Mead (1994). Studies for these locations found little concern for government regulations, except from those enterprises concentrated in targeted locations and specific sectors such as food processing. Instead the greatest concern for the majority of those surveyed was the lack of access to working capital, credit and finance. 2.3.2 The effect of commercial bank lending rates and access to credit. According to Holmes and Kent (1991), SME are characterized by 2 factors: they cannot issue equity and are concerned about ownership and control. Small firms usually do not have the option of issuing additional equity to the public. Even if they were able to issue private equity, managers of SME would restrain from doing so as issuing equity would lead to a dilution in ownership and control. Therefore, managers of SME will usually prefer to go for debt financing, mainly comprising of bank financing. On the other hand, managers of larger firms usually consider a broader range of funding options. As Steel (1994) highlights, high transactions costs and risks associated with small loans, a lack of collateral and an historical orientation towards larger enterprises, continue to restrict small scale enterprise access to formal credit. This no different from Kenya where access to credit is really issue and Kariukis (1995) study of bank credit access in Kenya illustrates this point further. 2.3.3 The impact of government policies Data on the SME sector in Kenya is scarce, although the National SME Baseline Survey provides comprehensive and reliable information; it has not been updated since 1999 and does not contain information for medium-sized firms. The survey indicates that the contribution of the SME sector to GDP increased from 13.8 percent in 1993 to 18.4 percent in 1999.Thia shows that the government policies put in place in Kenya also do affect the growth and survival of the small and medium size enterprises. 2.3.4 The effect of internal capital structure. It should be noted that growth is not the objective of all firms. For example, when firms are faced with serious difficulties during periods of economic downturns, they may shift their objective from growth to survival waiting for better economic conditions to expand. This has been observed in crisis economies where firms downsize and try to keep their costs as low as possible until the economic situation improves. Some firms may choose to remain small if their entrepreneurial capabilities are inconsistent with large size because financial constraints force the poor to start small business, the lack of firm growth could result in social immobility where the small firms remain poor. On the other hand, if small firms have the potential of becoming large, poor firm owners could become rich as their firms expand. Moreover, firm growth in Africa, where technology is usually labour intensive, is usually associated with job creation, which in turn is the key to poverty reduction. Therefore, whether firms have potential to grow or remain small has important policy implications. Slow growth of firms in Africa has been explained as being the result of the lack of access to financial resources McCormick et al. (1997) and Biggs and Srivastava, (1996). This is particular to developing economies where financial markets are under-developed. 2.4 Conceptual Framework. The financial constrained as outlined above is a diverse business phenomena that need to be researched since its the back bone of any business growth and survival may it be a small business in the slums or a major manufacturing business. The researcher is mainly focused on the small and unquoted firms in Kenya. The local commercial banks have a role to play in all this and so is the government. The firm own capital structure also do contribute a lot to the survival and growth of the firm. In Kenya the economic activities that are carried out also influence a lot the GDP of the country hence the economic growth. CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY 3.1 Introduction The researcher will mainly use secondary research methodology although the tertiary methodology or the search tool will also be used for the purpose of this research. This will include books, magazines, newspapers to collect data and information regarding the topic. The researcher will also make use of the internet to obtain information about SME and other related information. Secondary data are data that have been collected for some other purpose. Secondary data can provide a useful source from which to answer the research question(s). Punch (1998) mentions several advantages of using existing data. Expenditure on obtaining data can be significantly reduced and data analysis can begin immediately, so saving time. Also, the quality of some data may be superior to anything the researcher could have created alone Thomas (2004). On the other hand, the chosen research method also has several disadvantages such as data that have been gathered by others for their own purposes can be diffic ult to interpret when they are taken out of their original context. It is also much more difficult to appreciate the weak points in data that have been obtained by others. 3.2 Research Area The propose research area is the SME in Kenya. The length of time within which to finish this project will be estimated one month since time and resources might be a major constraint. The researcher proposes to choose at least 15 major towns in Kenya since Small business are all over the country and do research in a at least 10 firms in each town, so as to capture the operation of financial reporting in the country so as to ascertain whether financial constraints are really a major constraint in the survival and growth of small and medium size business in Kenya. As a mean of testing the hypothesis of the study, the researcher will apply the methods below of data collection. 3.3 Observation To judge the effect of financial constrains on survival and growth of a small business in Kenya. The researcher will have to visit the local banks and financial institutions and find out how ones access to finance limits the growth of the business. I propose to use time-series method to judge the observation. The observation will assist me to ascertain that the formal financial sector has provided very little or no service to small business men hence they are unable to finance their small business. 3.4 Interview This will be conducted individually. Structured and unstructured questions will be used to collect information on the subject under investigation. This is to help the researcher obtain responses to questions like; in your view is business growing? How best can it be financed? ,and others. I propose to conduct the interview in such a manner that each sector will have equal probability of being selected. Interviews will enable me to do most of the qualitative part of my research, and the information gained here is usually more realistic. 3.5 Questionnaire I will prepare systematic and well organized questions that will enable me; have responses to the questions raised in the introduction and moreover test the hypothesis of the research. This is demonstrated in Chapter 1 where several questions to this effect have been formulated. 3.6 Data Analysis I will not only rely solely on the information from the various responses from the varied sectors but, also the statistical publications from international organization in Kenya who have done a similar research on SME. I propose to make a thorough analysis of the official and unofficial data received. I will propose the use of quantitative and the qualitative analysis. REFRENCES Punch, K F. (1998), Introduction to social research: Quantitative and qualitative approaches. Kariuki N (1995) The Effects of Liberalization on Access to Bank Credit in Kenya, Small Enterprise Development, 6 (1), 15-23 Central Bureau of Statistics, International Center for Economic Growth, and K-Rep Holdings, National Micro and Small Enterprise Baseline Survey, 1999. Central Bureau of Statistics, Ministry of Planning and National Development, Economic Survey, 2003 Wanjohi, A.M. and Mugure, A.(2008). Factors affecting the growth of MSEs in rural areas of Kenya: A case of ICT firms in Kiserian Township, Kajiado District of Kenya. Republic of Kenya (1992). Sessional Paper No. 2 on Small Enterprises and Jua Kali Development in Kenya. Government Printer, Nairobi Biggs, T. and Srivastava, P. (1996) Structural Aspects of Manufacturing in Sub-Saharan Africa: Findings from a Seven Country Enterprise survey, World Bank Discussion paper No. 346. Modigliani, F. and Miller, M. (1958), the cost of capital, corporation finance and the theory of investment. Aghion, P., Fally, T. and Scarpetta, S. (2007): Credit constraints as a barrier to the entry and post-entry growth of firms, Economic Policy, vol. 22 (52): 731-790. Savignac, F. (2008): The impact of financial constraints on innovation: what can be learned from a direct measure? Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Volume 17 (6):553-569. Petersen, M. and Rajan, R. (1994): The benefits of firm-creditor relationships: Evidence from small business data, Journal of Finance, 49, 3-38. Aghion, P., Fally, T. and Scarpetta, S. (2007): Credit constraints as a barrier to the entry and post-entry growth of firms, Economic Policy, vol. 22 (52): 731-790. World Bank. (2006) Doing Business in 2005. The World Bank. Washington D. C., USA. Scott, M. Rosa, P. (1996). Opinion: Has Firm Level Analysis Reached its Limits? Time for a rethink. International Small Business Journal 14, 4, 81-89. Mead D (1994) The legal, regulatory and tax framework and small enterprises, Small Enterprise Development, 5 (2), 10-17 Steel W (1994) Changing the institutional and policy environment for small enterprise development in Africa, Small Enterprise Development, 5 (2), 4-9 Kaplan, S. and L. Zingales (1997), Do investment-cash-flow sensitivities provide useful measures of financing constraints? Quarterly Journal of Economics, 112, pp169-216. Whited, T. (1992), Debt, Liquidity Constraints and Corporate Investment:Evidence from Panel Data, Journal of Finance, 4 ,pp1425-1460. Kaplan, S. and L. Zingales (1997), Do investment-cash-flow sensitivities provide useful measures of financing constraints? Quarterly Journal of Economics,112, pp169-216. Carpenter R.E and A. Guariglia (2003), Cash Flow, Investment and Investment Opportunities: New Tests using UK panel Data, Unpublished. Fazzari, S., G. Hubbard, and B. Petersen (1988), Financing Constraints and Corporate Investment, Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, 1, pp141-95. Holmes, S. and Kent, P., (1991), An Empirical Analysis of the Financial Structure of Small and Large Australian Manufacturing Enterprises, Journal of Small Business Finance, 1 (2), pp141-154. QUESTIONNAIRES. Why did you choose to start a business in this area? Does your business follow the government policies in regard to paying taxes Yes â‚ ¬Ã‚  No â‚ ¬Ã‚  What is the number of the employees in your business? How is the business in this area affected by the economy trends preferring at the moment? Who is the highest ranking member of your business? What is the annual turnover of your business? Where does your business get the initial capital to start it up? What is your source of financing? What form of financial instruments do you have in place? Which banking or financial sectors do you operate in your business? How do the interest rates affect your business? What are some of the difficulties do you experience when getting bank access? What can you say is the reason for your business failure to grow? How is the government policies put in place in Kenya helping you achieve your financial goals? What are the major issues does your enterprise face when accessing credit facilities in the banking sectors in the Kenya? What would you say is the challenge facing the small business in Kenya in terms of finances?

Womens Roles in Ancient Times Essays -- Females Sociology Sociologica

Women's Roles in Ancient Times For years, people have said that since the beginning of civilization our society has been patriarchal. This assumption is wrong. Archeological evidence proves that in the beginnings, the cultures were female-centered, with a creator goddess. Women's roles were valued as more important than men's role specially because they could give birth. Although this is true, no evidence suggests that these cultures had a matriarchal society. In fact, the evidence found supports the idea of a society where men and women worked side by side sharing the labor, with different roles or tasks, but all equally important. This idea declined over time until we got to the point where women were treated as slaves, and societies were completely male-centered. To prove that women did actually have a very important role in the beginnings of times, we will look at evidence from three archeological sites: Paleolithic Europe, the Neolithic "Old Europe" and the Neolithic Catal Huyuk. First, Paleolithic period in Europe which contains information for the oldest civilization we know up too now, covers the years 40,000 to 10,000 BCE. In this period, people saw the universe as an all giving mother, a very powerful force that gave life. The birth giving process, was looked upon as miraculous in this times, therefore women were venerated for them posses that ability. Evidence to support this theory, can be found in the paintings on the caves discovered in this site. Fist, in these paintings female figures or feminine symbols where always placed in the center, surrounded by the masculine symbols. Also whenever animals' drawings were found in those painting, they were often drawn with big bellies implying pregnancy. E... ...a society where women took on not only an important role, but perhaps the most important role that of the creator of life. However, as society developed and cultures were born the world changed, and we came upon what we have today. A world, where women not only do not have the important role it had before, but had to fight to get the minimal human rights that any human is entitled to. After generations, today we are able to support the importance of the role of women in the creation of many of the principal societies have been built upon such as agriculture and art. In spite of the many changes through the generations, there is one irrefutable fact that will always ensure the place of women in history, we will always be the giver-of-life. Even if that role has been cast down from that of a Goddess to that of an everyday woman, the miracle of it still remains intact.

Energy-Auto Inc. Essay

Read the Hypothetical Case Problem #1 at the end of Chapter 1 and respond to these questions: 1. If Javier sued Energy-Auto Inc., identify who would be the plaintiff and the defendant. 2. In which state or states can the suit be brought? 3. Assume that Javier incurred $100,000 in damages. a) Analyze whether the suit can be brought in federal court b) Explain the advantages and disadvantages of federal versus state court for this type of suit. Case 1. Javier is traveling from his home in New York to Dallas, Texas. While driving through Oklahoma, his brakes fail and he is injured in the ensuing crash. Javier wants to sue the maker of his car, Energy-Auto Inc. Energy’s headquarters is in New York. It does not have any dealerships in Oklahoma or do any advertising in Oklahoma. In this case Javier was driving his car from New York to Dallas, Texas when his brakes failed in Oklahoma where he injured himself. Javier would be the plaintiff because he is the one suing, and Energy- Auto Company would be the defendant in this matter because this company is the one being sued. The suit would then have to be brought in the state of New York considering that this company does not have dealerships in Oklahoma nor does it do any advertising. This would give personal jurisdiction to New York and not Oklahoma. Had this Auto Company adver tised or had any dealerships in Oklahoma then this case could be brought to the courts of Oklahoma for jurisdiction. New York courts can refuse to hear this case and with Javier being a resident of Dallas could possibly have his case heard there considering the fact that Javier has incurred $100,000 in damages he could possibly be immobile from an accident like that. This case can also be brought to federal court for the simple fact that both the plaintiff and defendant are both out of state parties, and would be heard at federal court under diversity jurisdiction. The advantage of federal versus state court would be a judge wouldn’t lose its job for making the wrong ruling in this case which is why its sent to federal court and rulings are heard from a judge that has been appointed forever or until he/she is impeached or reaches retirement. This allows in my opinion, room for fair equal treatment. Disadvantage would be state vs. federal court is the state wouldn’t hav e subject matter jurisdiction in this  case and wouldn’t know how to handle it.

Love and Suffering essays

Love and Suffering essays The way love and suffering have shaped my life is through my childhood. It was a difficult childhood but I learned as I watched my mother go through trials and tribulations with my father. Being raised in a home where the man ruled the house, at a very young age I witnessed my mothers love for my dad and her extreme suffering because of the way my father reciprocated that love. My mother gave so much only to get nothing in return except infidelity and shame from my fathers extracurricular activities which included cheating on my mother constantly and pilfering money from the family business to spend on his mistresses. I remember waking up in the middle of the night finding my mother in the living room crying because my father didnt come home. She loved him so much and really believed in marriage - that no matter what, you stay married even if you are being treated unfairly. Making things worse, was the fact that my family was living in one of my grandmothers houses. My mother was not allowed to make any decision without my grandmothers approval even when it came to her own children. As I look back while I write this journal about love and suffering, I cannot deny the fact that the way I loved in my past relationship has a lot to do with what Ive observed as a child and experienced. In my past relationship I remember loving someone so much that I was willing to endure whatever difficulties I had to face. I stayed with my boyfriend at that time even though he was not very nice to me. I was pregnant at that time and he was hardly there to help me out. He was always out and about with his friends and other women. Sometimes he wouldnt come home till the next day. I remember the tears I shed over this man, and I will never forget the hurt I felt. At that time, I was willing to suffer not only because I loved him but because of my love for my unborn child. I went through all the heartache and...

Role of Criminal Justice System and Illicit Drugs. essays

Role of Criminal Justice System and Illicit Drugs. essays There is considerable debate about the role that the Criminal Justice system should play in the control of illicit drug use (Study Guide 1001CCJ 2003, p.69). The Australian drug policy currently operates within a prohibition model, which states that the production, distribution and use of illicit drugs are criminal offences (Cherney s drug problem, and there seems little doubt that combinations such as law enforcement, medicalisation and harm minimisation based alternatives will be the drug policy of the future. To begin, however, a brief description of the historical origins of prohibition is offered, followed by a review of the criminal justice systems goals in dealing with the control of illicit drugs. The prohibition of illicit drugs originated from a variety of reasons in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These included political economical, public health considerations as well as pressures from medical and moral groups (Study Guide 1001CCJ 2003, p.69). The rationale behind toughening illicit drug use in the 1960s and 1970s was, and continues to be primarily deterrence (Makkai 2000, p.64). De...

Managed Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Managed Care - Essay Example Reference is made to the context and the forms of managed care, as described through the literature and the relevant empirical research. Furthermore, the critical examination of the current activities of managers in health care organizations has led to the assumption that these activities can be influenced by the policies related to managed care but the power of these policies to introduce radical changes in these activities is not standardized, being related to the conditions in the internal and external organizational environment and the personal perceptions/ background of the individuals (managers) involved. In order to identify the potential influence of managed care policies on the activities of managers in health care organizations, it would be necessary to refer primarily to the elements of the managed care framework, as it has been extensively developed across USA. Different approaches have been used in order to describe managed care, probably because of the extension of the particular framework. In accordance with Rickel and Wise (2000) managed care can be described as a framework ‘establishing networks of service providers who agree to the conditions of a contract and choose providers based on the cost, quality and range of services they provide’ (Rickel and Wise 53). ... work is described in the study of Edmunds (1997); in accordance with the above study, managed care ‘imposes limitation on utilization of health care services by specifying which practitioners and which services are covered – often, also the number of allowable visits’ (Edmunds 41). In other words, managed care involves in the critical examination of a case (referring to the patient visiting a health services organization) and the referral of the case to appropriate specialists who have the skills and the experience to handle it. Of course, there are chances that the health problem of a patient can be effectively addressed at the first level of the network – i.e. by the primary care provider. Through the above process, the costs related to the health care services are reduced, in the terms that unnecessary expenses on health are avoided, a fact that can significantly benefit the patients but also the state – in cases where medical expenses are covered by the state. From another point of view, the time and the resources spent on each case are appropriately filtered, increasing the effectiveness of health care organizations, which, through the managed care plans can handle more cases, i.e. they are able to respond to the needs of more patients, a fact that increases the effectiveness of the entire health care system. In order to understand the potential influence of the policies of managed care plans on the activities of managers in health care services organizations (HSO), it would be necessary to describe the environment in which these plans are developed; it would be also necessary to refer to the participants, at the level that their decisions and initiatives could affect the activities of managers in HSOs. In accordance with McKenzie and Pinger (2008) the

Written response; What is the purpose of Mama's retelling of familiar Essay

Written response; What is the purpose of Mama's retelling of familiar stories, specially the cuentos, during afternoon coffes - Essay Example Cofer shares the significance of Mama to her in these words, â€Å"I saw her as my liberator and my model. Her stories were parables from which to glean the Truth† (Cofer 69). The characters in Mama’s stories might be fake, but they were knit into stories that depicted the realities of life. The girls were in the age of adolescence and thus, in a state of transition from childhood to adulthood. They needed an interesting way of being informed of the challenges lying ahead in their lives, and Mama’s cuentos exactly addressed that concern. Cofer shares how she would reflect upon Mama’s stories together with Sara to draw conclusions from them in these words, â€Å"Sara and I discussed everything we heard the women say, trying to fit it all together like a puzzle that, once assembled, would reveal life’s mysteries to us† (Cofer 70). Mama’s house was a very suitable place for the cuentos to be narrated in as there was no intrusion of any sort from men in there; â€Å"Then Mama’s house belonged only to us women†¦and the women telling their lives in cuentos are forever woven into the fabric of my imagination, braided like my hair that day I felt my grandmother’s hands teaching me about strength, her voice convincing me of the power of storytelling† (Cofer 70). The stories Mama narrated depicted, in one way or another, realities of the lives of her own daughters. Storytelling not only provided Mama with a unique and interesting way of developing a strong connection and understanding with the young grand-daughters, but also of raising them into well-educated, civilized, and decent girls who would not trust the love of men until they signed the contract of marriage with them. Mama’s stories had lessons hidden in them. Giving those stories deep thoughts would lead Cofer to the realization that a woman loses to nothing and nobody but her own self by letting herself fall into love; â€Å"We understood that neither the name nor any of the facts were

LP4- juvenal justice- Family Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

LP4- juvenal justice- Family - Assignment Example To begin with, the modern American family did not always have the father as the all powerful head of the household / breadwinner. Before the 1920s, women did their ample share to support the family through cottage and backyard industries that existed within their homes. These jobs could be as simple as dressmaking, babysitting, baking, etc. The common denominator among these jobs is that it allowed the woman to stay at home in order to supervise the rearing of the children. According to sources; â€Å"It was only in the 1920s that, for the first time, a majority of American families consisted of a breadwinner-husband, a home-maker wife, and children attending school† (â€Å"Does the American Family Have a History? Family Images and Realities†). This change marked a major turning point for the American families and how the parents would continue to influence the upbringing of their children. Historical research by Tas (27 - 28) has shown that even during ancient times, the family was considered to be the cornerstone of a childs discipline and upbringing and therefore, should be blamed for any delinquency that might occur. Noted as the â€Å"major causal agent in the genesis of delinquency† even the ancient Mesopotamians left tablet scriptures indicating that they believed the world would come to an end because even back then, children were already showing signs of disobeying their parents . In order to properly determine the influence of changes in the family unit in relation to juvenile delinquency, we must look at the influential variables that help determine the character development of the child. These influential variables include family functioning, impact of family disruption, and two-parent versus single parent households (Doggett, Anika â€Å"Juvenile Delinquency and Family Structure†). The family is the unit where a child is first exposed to the world and its activities. A child who is exposed to

Racism in Philosophy of Hume and Kant Essay Example for Free

Racism in Philosophy of Hume and Kant Essay During the Age of the Enlightenment in European history there was high emphasis on the ideals of reason and individualism. Scientists and philosophers pushed reason as an ultimate guideline to reforming society and challenging its old traditions and faith. This was the philosophers’ attempts to further advancing our knowledge through scientific method. Things like skepticism and intellectual interchange were highly promoted during this period. The true way to gain rational thought was through the process of using logic to make tests and conclusions out of clear evidence rather than superstitious ideas. There are two important enlightenment thinkers, David Hume and Immanuel Kant who despite their high praise of reason and logic, share clearly racist views in their philosophies. Could these two enlightened thinkers actually be capable of contradicting their entire philosophy or could it just be pure ignorance? We are going to discuss what sort of racist views Hume and Kant share and how they possibly created the idea of racial differences. First we must discuss what the idea of reason truly is and what it has to do with human thought. Reason is ultimately what separates us human beings from animals. Animals physically cannot express reason. Reason is the mental capacity to be able to make sense of something. It is how we are able to apply logic to help create facts. Understanding of academics like math, science, and philosophy are attributes only humans possess. The ability to understand and appreciate art and beauty are examples of reason that animals have never shown. Animals may show desire for certain things, but that is not the same as appreciating the beauty of it. David Hume believes that all human beings share similar moral feelings. He does however believe that animals can feel sympathy which is one of the essential foundations of morality. Hume also believes that morality is entirely independent of religion and that morality is found deep in true human nature itself. He states that the belief in God is irrelevant to morality. This is similar to Immanuel Kant’s belief in human autonomy. He believes that human beings have their own free will and can think independently without being governed. Humans can be moral and free without the need of God’s divine support. Hume and Kant believe we have a right to faith but also in the possibility that it limits knowledge to make room for faith. They believe we can have faith in ourselves and be governed by reason rather than our animal impulses. The racism of Hume and Kant are most definitely reflected in their philosophic views. Hume believes in the idea of causation, which is the understanding between two events (one being the cause, the other being the effect) that the second event is always the consequence of the first event. Hume whole-heartedly believes that Europe is the model of all humanity and culture, that blacks are an inferior race. He considers their supposed inferiority to whites to be natural. He states that he has never witnessed any black manufacturers, artists, or scientists and that they are simply a barbaric breed of man. Hume falls into a fatal error of his own causality by saying that there is a causal relation between a person’s skin color and their intelligence. He is identifying that simply the color of one’s skin makes a constant difference between two races of men. This is horribly contradictory and morally wrong. Kant, despite all of his beliefs in that all humans can understand morality and reason, he singles out blacks as totally inferior in these very human attributes. Kant has actually dismissed a person’s statement and position as stupid without a moment of analyzing the content because the person was black. This is extremely contradictory to the sorts of logic and reason a true philosopher should have when regarding any human being whether white or black. The two philosophers show a huge lack in open-mindedness when it comes to anyone non-white. The supposed racial differences that Hume and Kant seem to believe there are have no real proof or logic behind them. This is truly ignorant of both Hume and Kant and it’s surprising that two important philosophers in history could actually believe in ideas that are so close-minded and completely illogical. There is simply no morality or rational thinking behind these false judgments. Kant stating that he has never seen black artists or scientists just sounds like he hasn’t looked beyond his backyard window. Although Kant does indeed believe that all humans are born free and that level of intelligence does not determine who deserves to be a slave to another. Despite this positive belief, he still believes blacks are inferior. As intelligent as their ideas of sharing knowledge for the advancing of mankind sound at first, it is truly sad that they are only speaking for one single race rather than ‘all’ human beings equally. Their racism does indeed cast much doubt on their Enlightenment understanding on what a person was. There should not be such a disregard for the possibility of equal opportunity among all human beings. Peoples’ idea of race is purely subjective and there really are no significant differences. The only true racial differences are geographical. Skin color has nothing to do with one’s mental capacity and ability. Works Cited Denis, Lara. Kant and Hume on Morality. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. The Metaphysics Research Lab, Center for the Study of Language and Information (CSLI), Stanford University, 26 Mar 2008. Web. 7 Mar 2014. http://plato. stanford. edu/entries/kant-hume-morality/. Maduka, Enyimba. Racism and Philosophy. Racism, Philosophy, and African Thought . izuchukwu, 20 Apr 2005. Web. 10 Mar 2014. http://www. frasouzu. com/Issues and Papers/Enyimba Maduka etc on Racism, Philosophy and African Thought. pdf.

Pel?: Edson Arantes do Nascimento :: essays research papers fc

Pelà © was born on October 23, 1940. He was born in the small Brazilian town of Trà ªs Coracones (Tres Coratsoin, translated it means ‘Three Hearts’) in the state of Sà £o Paulo. His birth name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento. His father was Dondinho, another excellent soccer player. His birth name Joà £o Ramos do Nascimento. Pelà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s father had been a great soccer player before Pelà © was born. Pelà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s father had to retire prematurely. During a game, he was slide tackled and sustained serious career-ending injury to the knee. Instead of playing the sport he loved, he had to resort to scrubbing floors to support his family. As a result, Pelà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s mother was greatly opposed to Pelà © playing soccer. However, after Pelà © was born, the family moved to Bauru, another city in Sà £o Paulo. He played soccer in the field behind his house. He used Coca-Cola cans to mark the sidelines and goalposts. The ball was made of rags and socks. His father gave him valuable tips during these sessions. After a while, as he played more and more, Pelà © was starting to master the sport. While these sessions were going on, Pelà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s career was off to a running start. He played for the local youth team, Bauru AC. His coach was a man named Waldemar de Brito. He had been another great player in Brazilian soccer history. Brito taught Pelà © the bicycle kick. That is a trick that Pelà © would use very many times to score many goals. When the ball was in the air, he would turn his back, then jump into the air horizontally, then kick the ball. Pelà © played for Bauru AC until 1956. He was fifteen years old. He left home to play for Santos FC in the city of Sà £o Paulo. He ended up playing for Santos for most of his career. Santos was the most successful and widely recognized team worldwide. When he was seventeen, in 1958, he was selected to play in the World Cup for Brazil. He played for the Brazilian national team, in competitions and exhibitions, from 1958 until 1974. In Sweden in World Cup 1958, he scored six goals. These included a hat trick in the semi finals, and two in the final. Brazil easily took the Cup home. Pelà © had his quietest years in 1959, 1960, and 1961. In 1962, Brazil won their second World Cup in a row. Santos won a club championship under the guidance the best soccer player ever, Pelà ©.

Fin 486 Final Exam

Name___________________________________ MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 1) The primary emphasis of the financial manager is the use of A) cash flow. B) profit incentives. C) organization charts. D) accrued earnings. 1) _______ 2) All of the following are key strengths of a corporation EXCEPT A) low organization costs. B) readily transferable ownership. C) limited liability. D) access to capital markets. 2) _______ 3) The ________ is a measure of liquidity which excludes ________, generally the least liquid asset. A) quick ratio; accounts receivable B) current ratio; accounts receivable C) current ratio; inventory D) quick ratio; inventory 3) _______ 4) FASB Standard No. 52 mandates that U.S. based companies must translate their foreign-currency-denominated assets and liabilities into dollars using the A) average rate. B) historical rate. C) current rate. D) none of the above. 4) _______ Table 3.5 A financial manager at General Talc Mines has gathered the financial data essential to prepare a pro forma balance sheet for cash and profit planning purposes for the coming year ended December 31, 2004. Using the percent-of-sales method and the following financial data, prepare the pro forma balance sheet in order to answer the following multiple choice questions. (a) The firm estimates sales of $1,000,000. (b) The firm maintains a cash balance of $25,000. (c) Accounts receivable represents 15 percent of sales. (d) Inventory represents 35 percent of sales. (e) A new piece of mining equipment costing $150,000 will be purchased in 2004. Total depreciation for 2004 will be $75,000. (f) Accounts payable represents 10 percent of sales. (g) There will be no change in notes payable, accruals, and common stock. (h) The firm plans to retire a long term note of $100,000. (i) Dividends of $45,000 will be paid in 2004. (j) The firm predicts a 4 percent net profit margin. Balance Sheet General Talc Mines December 31, 2003 5) The pro forma total liabilities amount is (See Table 3.5) A) $650,000. B) $700,000. C) $500,000. 5) _______ D) $550,000. 6) If a United States Savings bond can be purchased for $29.50 and has a maturity value at the end of 25 years of $100, what is the annual rate of return on the bond? A) 6 percent B) 5 percent C) 7 percent D) 8 percent 6) _______ 7) If a person's required return decreases for an increase in risk, that person is said to be A) risk-indifferent. B) risk-seeking. C) risk-averse. D) risk-aware. 7) _______ Table 8.5 Cuda Marine Engines, Inc. must develop the relevant cash flows for a replacement capital investment proposal. The proposed asset costs $50,000 and has installation costs of $3,000. The asset will be depreciated using a five-year recovery schedule. The existing equipment, which originally cost $25,000 and will be sold for $10,000, has been depreciated using an MACRS five-year recovery schedule and three years of depreciation has already been taken. The new equipment is expected to result in incremental before-tax net profits of $15,000 per year. The firm has a 40 percent tax rate. 8) The initial outlay equals ________. (See Table 8.5) A) $44,100 B) $41,100 8) _______ C) $38,800 D) $38,960 Table 9.6 Nuff Folding Box Company, Inc. is considering purchasing a new gluing machine. The gluing machine costs $50,000 and requires installation costs of $2,500. This outlay would be partially offset by the sale of an existing gluer. The existing gluer originally cost $10,000 and is four years old. It is being depreciated under MACRS using a five-year recovery schedule and can currently be sold for $15,000. The existing gluer has a remaining useful life of five years. If held until year 5, the existing machine's market value would be zero. Over its five-year life, the new machine should reduce operating costs (excluding depreciation) by $17,000 per year. Training costs of employees who will operate the new machine will be a one-time cost of $5,000 which should be included in the initial outlay. The new machine will be depreciated under MACRS using a five-year recovery period. The firm has a 12 percent cost of capital and a 40 percent tax on ordinary income and capital gains. 9) The payback period for the project is (See Table 9.6) A) between 4 and 5 years. B) 2 years. C) 3 years. D) between 3 and 4 years. 9) _______ Table 10.1 A corporation is assessing the risk of two capital budgeting proposals. The financial analysts have developed pessimistic, most likely, and optimistic estimates of the annual cash inflows which are given in the following table. The firm's cost of capital is 10 percent. 10) If the projects have five-year lives, the range of the net present value for Project B is approximately ________. (See Table 10.1.) A) $201,000. B) $255,410. C) $303,280. D) $80,560. 10) ______ 11) The ________ is the firm's desired optimal mix of debt and equity financing. A) target capital structure B) book value C) cost of capital D) market value 11) ______ Table 14.5 Caren's Canoes is considering relaxing its credit standards to encourage more sales. As a result, sales are expected to increase 15 percent from 300 canoes per year to 345 canoes per year. The average collection period is expected to increase to 40 days from 30 days and bad debts are expected to double the current 1 percent level. The price per canoe is $850, the variable cost per canoe is $650 and the average cost per unit at the 300 unit level is $700. The firm's required return on investment is 20 percent. 12) What is the cost of marginal bad debts under the proposed plan? (See Table 14.5) A) $765 B) $5,100 C) $383 D) $3,315 12) ______ 13) Much of the commercial paper is issued by A) venture capitalists. C) small businesses. 13) ______ B) commercial finance companies. D) small manufacturing firms. 14) The part of finance concerned with design and delivery of advice and financial products to individuals, business, and government is called A) Financial Manager. B) Financial Services. C) Managerial Finance. D) none of the above. Table 2.1 14) ______ Information (2005 values) 1. Sales totaled $110,000 2. The gross profit margin was 25 percent. 3. Inventory turnover was 3.0. 4. There are 360 days in the year. 5. The average collection period was 65 days. 6. The current ratio was 2.40. 7. The total asset turnover was 1.13. 8. The debt ratio was 53.8 percent. 15) Inventory for CEE in 2005 was ________. (See Table 2.1) A) $32,448 B) $ 9,167 C) $36,667

Marketing and the Fast Food Industry Essay

The ultimate themes of fast food chains are high visibility and global recognition. The earliest establishments, ostentatiously designed in an attempt to attract attention, were strategically placed alongside highway off-ramps in order to draw in customers. Simplistic logos, such as the legendary golden arches, began to bring recognition to the fast food chains. The fast food industry’s ability to sell convenience and taste then allowed the popularity of fast food to gain momentum. Eric Schlosser, the author of Fast Food Nation, explores the various tactics used by the industry in order to achieve global recognition, target children, and why it is more productive to reach children than to target other age groups. One method used to achieve global recognition was to apply the concept of synergy. Synergy can be defined as the cooperation between two or more organizations to produce results greater than the sum of their separate effects. In simplistic terms, two or more companies combine forces in order to benefit themselves more than they could have done individually. Two companies who have effectively utilized this concept are the Walt Disney company and the McDonald corporation. They were able to propose marketing deals, provide giveaways, and swap executives amongst their companies. The cross promotion strengthened ties between Hollywood and the fast food industry, allowing the McDonald corporation to gain global recognition. Studies show that children have an easier time identifying characters such as Ronald McDonald than major political figures such as the president of the United States. Half of Australian nine and ten year olds thought that Ronald McDonald was an authority on what they should eat. In Beijing, all of the primary school children recognized Ronald McDonald, saying that he ‘understood their hearts’. Germany has more than one thousand McDonalds, many popping up inside of Wal-Marts, because they know lots of children get lugged to Wal-Mart every day. (Schlosser 231). The McDonald corporation had accomplished its goals to reach ‘global realization’, and this achievement paved the way to pursue early targeting. Children became the target group within advertisement, â€Å"the decade of the child consumer† (Schlosser 43). In order to exploit children effectively, focus groups were created solely for the purpose of finding effecting means of targeting ads towards children and collecting demographic information. â€Å"89% requested personal information from kids† through the internet and most children supplied it without parental consent (Schlosser 45). Soon, products such as Coca- Cola and Dr. Pepper were marketed to schools and fast food advertisements were littered throughout the education system. Advertisements were placed on school buses, in school newspapers, written on stadium banners, and announcements were made over the stadium’s public-address system during games (Schlosser 51). Children were not only faced with these ads during their time period at school, but at home too. The media played a huge role in promoting fast food. Television commercials, the internet, and the radio were employed to â€Å"get kids to nag their parents and nag them well† (Schlosser 43). The adults set out to prey on children’s immaturity and to â€Å"exploit their present- mindedness† (Schlosser 46). Unsurprisingly, fast food companies became recognizable household trademarks. Ronald McDonald, Mickey Mouse, and McDonald’s renowned golden arches are a few of the most identifiable symbols today. Companies believed that by propagandizing children at an early age, they would influence the children to remain loyal customers to their company. This leads to ask why marketing to children is the most worthwhile tactic. Foremost, children are impressionable. According to Consumer Reports magazine, young children have difficulty distinguishing between advertising and reality in ads, and ads can distort their view of the world. â€Å"Children are still establishing their tastes and habits†, making them ideal customers because they have many years of purchasing ahead of them (Schlosser 54). â€Å"America’s fast food culture has become indistinguishable from the popular culture of its children† (Schlosser 48). The coalition of the fast food and entertainment industry allowed fast food companies to market toys based on current trends in entertainment. â€Å"The key to attracting kids is toys, toys, toys† (Schlosser 47). In return, the entertainment industry promoted their current trend. Children’s identities should not be defined by their consumer habits. Yet, that is the main way their are portrayed in the media– as consumers. Children were also described as â€Å"surrogate salesmen† (Schlosser 43). Schlosser explains that children need to persuade others in order to get what they want which again, gets kids to â€Å"nag their parents and nag them well† (Schlosser 43). As an incentive to get children to want to eat at their restaurants, the McDonald corporation created playlands in their establishments based off of Disney’s theme park, Disneyworld. â€Å"Playlands bring in children, who bring in parents, who bring in money† (Schlosser 47). Since children need to be accompanied in order for them to get what they want, more customers, such as parents and siblings of the child, are brought into the company as well, thereby benefiting the company. Schlosser argues that the fast food industry’s marketing tactics aim to achieve global recognition, victimize children, and explains the importance behind targeting children. He portrays children as naive individuals who are drawn into fast food through the fast food industry’s strategic efforts, and in most cases, they are. Children are bribed with playplaces, toys, cartoons, movies, and videos, and are reached through contests, sweepstakes, games, clubs, and the media. Schlosser questions the ethic and moral values of the advertisers in the fast food industry for feeding off of the children’s naivety. However, children, susceptible to the world of advertisement around them, continuously fall prey to the marketing industry.

Alzheimers and the effects. This is a informative piece of writing explaining Alzheimers and the effects of the disease.

Alzheimers and the effects. This is a informative piece of writing explaining Alzheimers and the effects of the disease. Alzheimer's is a disease of the brain that causes a loss in memory. This results in dementia, loss of brain functions (thinking, remembering, and reasoning) severe enough to interfere with everyday life. When German physician, Alois Alzheimer, first described the disease in 1907, it was thought to be rare. Today, Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia, affecting 10% of people 65 years old, and nearly 50% of those age 85 or older. An estimated four million Americans have Alzheimer's. Alzheimer's disease usually begins gradually, causing a person to forget recent events and to have difficulty performing familiar tasks. How quickly the disease advances differs from person to person, causing confusion, personality and behavior changes, and impaired judgment. Communication becomes difficult for Alzheimer's patients. They struggle to find words, finish thoughts, or follow directions. Eventually, people with Alzheimer's become unable to care for themselves.Scientists still don't know what causes the disease.English: Diagram of how microtubules desintegrate ...Age and family history are possible risk factors for the disease. Scientists are exploring the role of genetics in the development of Alzheimer's, studying chromosome 19. Rarer forms of the disease, which happen to people in their 30's and 40's, called "early-onset," often run within families and appear to be related to chromosome 1, chromosome 14, and chromosome 21. Many researchers and physicians are coming to believe that Alzheimer's is a complex disease, probably caused by a variety of influences.Alzheimer's affects both the mental health and Social health. It is mental in the way that Alzheimer's victims can not think clearly, remember, and reason. Patience can not deal with stress. It is social health in the way that victims can not interact well with people to build satisfying relationships. They can not communicate well with family members or friends. Victim's may forget who people are.

Profile of Serial Killer Velma Barfield

Profile of Serial Killer Velma Barfield Velma Barfield was a 52-year-old grandmother and serial poisoner who used arsenic as her weapon. She was also the first woman executed after the death penalty was reinstituted in 1976 in North Carolina and the first woman to die by lethal injection. Velma Margie Barfield - Her Childhood Velma Margie (Bullard) Barfield was born on October 23, 1932, in rural South Carolina. She was the second oldest child of nine and oldest daughter to Murphy and Lillie Bullard. Murphy was a small tobacco and cotton farmer. Soon after Velmas birth, the family had to give up the farm and move in with Murphys parents in Fayetteville. Murphys father and mother died not long afterward and the family remained in Murphys parents house. Murphy and Lillie Bullard Murphy Bullard was a strict disciplinarian. Homemaker Lillie was submissive and did not interfere with how he treated their nine children. Velma did not inherit her mothers same submissive ways which resulted in several severe strap beatings by her father. In 1939 when she began attending school, she found some reprieve from being inside her cramped, volatile home. Velma also proved to be a bright, attentive student but socially rejected by her peers because of her impoverished style. Velma began stealing after feeling poor and inadequate around the other kids at school. She began by stealing coins from her father and was later caught stealing money from an elderly neighbor. Velmas punishment was severe and temporarily cured her from stealing. Her time was also more supervised and she was told she had to help with taking care of her sisters and brothers. A Skilled Manipulator By the age of 10, Velma learned how to control talking back to her stern father. She also became a decent baseball player and played on a team her father organized. Enjoying her favorite daughter status, Velma learned how to manipulate her father to get what she wanted. Later in life, she accused her father of molesting her as a child, although her family strongly denied her charges. Velma and Thomas Burke Around the time Velma entered high school her father took a job in a textile factory and the family moved to Red Springs, SC. Her grades were poor but she proved to be a good basketball player. She also had a boyfriend, Thomas Burke, who was a year ahead of her in school. Velma and Thomas dated under the strict curfews set by Velmas father. At age 17, Velma and Burke decided to quit school and marry, over the strong objections of Murphy Bullard. In December 1951, Velma gave birth to a son, Ronald Thomas. By September 1953, she gave birth to their second child, a girl they named Kim. Velma, a stay-at-home mom, loved the time she spent with her children. Thomas Burke worked at different jobs and although they were poor, they had the basic comforts. Velma was also dedicated to teaching her children solid Christian values. The young, poor Burke family was admired by friends and family for their good parenting skills. A Model Mother Velma Burkes enthusiasm for being an involved mother continued when the children began school. She participated in school-sponsored events, volunteered to chaperone school trips, and enjoyed driving children to various school functions. However, even with her participation, she felt emptiness while her children were at school. To help fill the void she decided to return to work. With the extra income, the family was able to move into a better home in Parkton, South Carolina. In 1963, Velma had a hysterectomy. The surgery was successful physically but mentally and emotionally Velma changed. She suffered severe mood swings and temper tantrums. She worried she was less desirable and womanly since she could no longer have children. When Thomas joined the Jaycees, Velmas resentment soared because of his outside activities. Their problems intensified when she discovered he was drinking with his friends after the meetings, something he knew she was against. Booze and Drugs: In 1965, Thomas was in a car accident and had a concussion. From that point on he suffered severe headaches and his drinking increased as a  way to deal with his pain. The Burke household became explosive with endless arguments. Velma, consumed with stress, was hospitalized and treated with sedatives and vitamins. Once home, she gradually increased her prescription drug use and went to different doctors to get multiple prescriptions of Valium to feed her growing addiction. Thomas Burke - Death Number One Thomas, displaying alcoholic behavior, pushed the family deeper into dysfunctional madness. One day while the kids were at school, Velma went to the laundromat and returned to find her house on fire and Thomas dead from smoke inhalation. Velmas suffering appeared short-lived although her misfortune continued. A few months after Thomas died another fire broke out, this time destroying the home. Velma and her children fled to Velmas parents and waited for the insurance check. Jenning Barfield - Death Number Two Jenning Barfield was a widower suffering from diabetes, emphysema, and heart disease. Velma and Jennings met soon after Thomas died. In August 1970, the two married but the marriage dissolved as quickly as it began because of Velmas drug use. Barfield died of heart failure before the two could divorce. Velma seemed inconsolable. Twice a widow, her son off in the military, her father diagnosed with lung cancer and beyond belief, her home, for a third time, caught on fire. Velma returned to her parents home. Her father died of lung cancer shortly afterward. Velma and her mother constantly quarreled. Velma found Lillie too demanding and Lillie did not like Velmas drug use. During the summer of 1974, Lillie was hospitalized because of a severe stomach virus. The doctors were unable to diagnose her problem, but she recovered within a few days and returned home. Source: Death Sentence: The True Story of Velma Barfields Life, Crimes, and Punishment by Jerry BledsoeThe Encyclopedia of Serial Killers By Michael NewtonWomen Who Kill by Ann Jones