Language Acquisition and Various Influences on Student Learning Essay

Language Acquisition and Various Influences on Student Learning - Essay Example This essay declares that children invent the learning rules through making initial mistakes and correcting themselves as they develop. Various aspects of language acquisition have been identified by theorists that make it a biologically controlled process. Two of these aspects are significant for language educators in creating an environment that promotes learning among students. Firstly, it has to be stressed that language acquisition is innate and it is not generated by external events. However, its development requires a rich environment that exposes the learner more to the language. Secondly, it is also noted that direct teaching and intensive practice do not have significant positive effects on the language acquisition process. These aspects imply that a proper language acquisition will then be enhanced through creation of some classroom environment that favors interaction between the students themselves. This paper discusses that developing such a climate will involve examination different factors affecting learning and their mutual relations. The influence of social and emotional factors on the learning process can no longer be ignored. Such negligence results in the development of some instructional gap and the students attempt to fill this gap in their devised mechanisms that do not support the learning process. Some degree of mutual relationship occurs among intellectual, social, and emotional processes as they affect the learning process. ... The learning process occurs in some social context that is dynamic in nature so that an individual with complex cognition will be able to learn and adapt to the changing needs of the social contexts of learning as opposed to the less complex individuals (Love & Love, 1996). Aspects of the social setup such as the culture of a community may affect a student’s beliefs, attitudes, or motivations towards the learning process. These are detrimental to the learning process if carried into the classroom environment. On the other hand, the individuals with complex cognition have better skills of understanding the perspectives of other people. This implies that good cognition can help students adapt to new social settings, which is essential for learning. The relationship between cognition and the social process is also evident in classroom discussions. A good proportion of learning in students occurs in the classroom discussions, where students share their experiences that they feel t he other individuals need to learn. Through the discussions, a student is able to learn more of the concept or determine if it is well understood Emotions also have effects on the learning and development processes in students since the feeling states, and thinking states cannot be separated easily (Love & Love, 1996). The emotional and rational minds of an individual often act in a balanced manner to guide the individual through life decisions. While emotions will strive to inform and guide the rational operations, rational mind will try to refine the input from emotional mind before initiating an operation (Love & Love, 1996). Negative emotions such as depression, when carried into the classroom, will suppress the learning process. The students will not be able to

How does the culture of a selectrace affect the value of sacramentals Essay - 1

How does the culture of a selectrace affect the value of sacramentals to the Church and individual spirituality - Essay Example f both culture and religion in the human society affect the human individuals in the communities around the globe and how each other intend to affect the systems of understanding and life-guidance that is provided by both aspects of directive human living. Through this discussion, it is expected that a presented indication as to how human living and human perception toward modern Catechism and religious consideration have been changed through the years of human advancement due to the implicative elements that culture itself suggests to the human communities worldwide. This part of the paper shall show a definitive pathway that would lead to the readers understanding of what religion and culture is and what roles are they playing g in the lives of human individuals living in certain communities around the globe. In this section of the reading, a defining factor on the differentiated approach of cultural preferences shall be presented in connection with the changes that it proposes on the recognition of the importance of Catechism in the society. This section shall tackle about the developments happening in the human society then and at present and how these developments affect the acceptance of people towards the guidelines and rules that are presented to them by religion through catechism. For this section of the reading, the researcher shall present the modern approaches to catholic catechism that reflects the effect of social culture towards the establishment of rules and ways of living suggested by modern religion. Through the basic discussions, this section shall summarize all the necessary points that are importantly needed for the proving of the major options of realizing how culture and religion go hand in hand or on the other hand, stand against each other, in presenting modern human lifestyle guidelines. Religion and culture are two primary foundations of the present systems of human society. Basically though, these two primary entities of the human

The Concept of Entrepreneurship

The Concept of Entrepreneurship INTRODUCTION CONCEPT OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP The importance of the development of entrepreneurial skills by every graduate cannot be over-emphasized because gone are the days when jobs were available everywhere both in the private and public sector of the economy and employers go about looking for potential employees to employ. Indeed, in the past, it is the employers that go round universities in this country to hunt for potential employees. Then there were fewer universities and low university enrolment. But today, things have changed and very drastically too such that many graduates are now sellers of recharge cards and some work as bus conductors. What an economic tragedy and waste! The question of choice of job or employer is gradually being eroded each year. Many graduates are desperate to get any job to keep body and soul going. Indeed there is a paradigm shift in the labour market now. Even the professional disciplines are now fast getting into that problem of unemployment. Employment prospects for the youths are changing with a lot of increasing competition; the openings are equally limited. Also, employment in the public sector is also decreasing and job prospects are diminishing by the day. Added to this ugly situation are the increasing trend of job outsourcing, casualization of labour in the oil and gas industry and the increasing phenomenon of rightsizing of labour among big firms and corporations in the country. As a side effect, the figure of tertiary graduates who have not been able to secure the first employment since graduation for upward of five years is on the increase and even those with professional qualifications like MBA, ICAN, COREN, Medicine and Pharmacy are not spared from the ugly phenomenon. Others are paid peanuts if they are lucky to secure paid job. Some now fall back on their lower qualifications like WASC and OND to secure menial jobs. The recent economic meltdown also has made matters worse. Some companies are as a result operating below expected capacity. The current troubles in the financial sector, particularly the money and the capital markets and their subsequent effects on the economy, particularly on the real sector as well as the remedial efforts of the CBN are very visibly glaring, instructive and challenging. Nevertheless, entrepreneurship and indeed the need for developing the requisite entrepreneurial skills have been suggested to help redress the aforementioned problems by making people not only to be job creators but wealth creators (Midea, 2004 ; Izedonmi, 2009). According to Small Business Service (2005), the possession of entrepreneurial skills to create new knowledge based social enterprises is vital to addressing social and environmental issues effectively. Our nation cannot afford to toy with it. Our tertiary institutions must respond fast and positively towards entrepreneurship education. However, general business skills and general knowledge are considered insufficient to turn graduates into entrepreneurs (Kisby, 2004). Hence, the need to develop specific entrepreneurship skills cannot be overemphasized .This is because entrepreneurship has been vital to creating employment and therefore a special form of employability (Moreland, 2004). Both the government and the academia hav e been attracted to it. In particular, universities are re-designing their curricula and the ways they operate to create opportunities for the training of their students in practical entrepreneurial skills. Due to the way entrepreneurial programmes have assumed a global proliferation and dimension, it was suggested by Volkmann (2004) that it has become the major academic discipline for business education in the 21st century. I totally agree with him. Economic Growth And Entrepreneurship Recent Survey Report in 2008 by the Kauffman Foundation in connection with the relationship between economic growth and entrepreneurship found that all nations with high level of employment activities had above average rate of economic growth. What this translates into is that entrepreneurial deficient economy will have low growth while entrepreneurially good economy tends to enjoy good growth. Hence, Government has come to recognize the importance of entrepreneurship in economic development that entrepreneurial ventures have in-built capacity to promote employment and economic growth. Literature Review One of the first courses specifically addressing entrepreneurship was established at the Harvard Business School in 1947.In the U.K, the first courses in entrepreneurship were launched in the 1980s together with the UKs first initiative for enterprise in higher education (Elton, 1991, Kirby, 1989 2005, Volkmann, 2004). Along this line, Fry (1992) remarks that entrepreneurship has been one of the fastest growing disciplines in the U.S.A in the 1990s.By the turn of the 21st century, as many as 1600 universities in the North-America were offering courses in entrepreneurship compared to merely two dozens in the 1970s (Inegbenebor, 2005). The growth of entrepreneurship education and the subsequent inclusion into the curricula of universities in the United Kingdom has been attributed to the sheer need to serve the innovation need of businesses and to produce graduates with transferable skills for businesses.  [i]   ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN NIGERIA According to Ekanem (2005), the history and development of entrepreneurship in Nigeria started in the 1960s as supported also by some of the earlier studies such as Schatz and Edokpayi (1962), Harris (1969), Olakanpo (1968) and Akeredolu-Ale (1972). Therefore, the concept of entrepreneurship development in Nigeria is not new. Since the 1970s, several government agencies and institutions in the country have been engaged in different aspects of fostering entrepreneurship in Nigeria, though with short-lived and varied successes. For instance, the Centre for Management Development (CMD), National Directorate of Employment (NDE), former Nigeria Industrial Development Bank (NIDB), Nigerian Bank for Commerce and Industry (NBCI), Nigeria Youth Service Corps (NYSC), among others had programmes for entrepreneurship development in Nigeria. Other entrepreneurial development agencies include government sponsored Entrepreneurial Development Programme (EDP). NGOs, Nigerian Employers Consultative As sociation (NECA).The vigor with which it was pursued then is a different issue for our assessment. If the proofs are available even the blind and deaf can feel it. Only fools dont proof. What Does Entrepreneurship Really Entail? Basically, what entrepreneurship entails includes: The building of skills in negotiation Building leadership skill New product development Creative and innovative thinking and Exposure to technological innovation, (Kuratko, 2003). It shows students and graduates how to believe and behave entrepreneurially. It encourages them to get involved in networking, create and manage businesses of their own and facilitate progress and success in entrepreneurial career. Entrepreneurship could satisfy status and social needs and leads to self-satisfaction and actualization. It can also meet the financial needs for the entrepreneurs and their families. In fact, entrepreneurship is a satisfying process even though it can be risky and may even lead to loss of wealth at times (Fry, 1992). Society-wise, entrepreneurship has made substantial impacts throughout history because of numerous inventions, massive job creations made through small and medium scale enterprises (SMES) in both developed and developing countries. DEFINITIONS OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP Various definitions have been given for entrepreneurship. For instance Inegbenebor and Igbinomwanhia (2008) say that: Entrepreneurship is the process of performing the roles of an entrepreneur. It has been defined as the process of planning, operating and assuming the risk of a business venture. It may also be defined as the process of creating a clique value of pulling together a unique package of resources to exploit an opportunity. Entrepreneurship encompasses various activities which are carried out to ensure the survival and growth of the business Inegbenebor (2006) defines it as: it is about bearing the skills needed to assume the risk of establishing a business. It is about developing the winning strategies and executing them with all vigour, persistence and passion needed to win any game Ekanem (2005): Entrepreneurship is the process of or capacity for organizing, operating and assuming risk for a business venture. It is dynamic risk-taking, creative and growth oriented behavior which involves the use of various resources to create wealth Ekwe (1992): observes that, Entrepreneurship involves the: 1. ability to perceive profitable business opportunities. 2. willingness to act on what is perceived and 3. necessary organizing skills associated with a projects Fry (1992) says that Entrepreneurship involves action rather than static events. It involves taking action necessary to analyze opportunities to launch and/or grow business, to finance the venture and possibly even to invest the venture. Izedonmi (2009) placed entrepreneurship in a continuum form with economic entrepreneurship at the end of the continuum and social entrepreneurship at the other end. In between these you will find some varying characteristics of combinations. The process is also dynamic. In summary, the central issues in entrepreneurship involve uncertainty and risk-taking, innovation, perception and change. For instance, Drucker (1985) posits that innovation is the specification instrument of entrepreneurship. He argued further that the entrepreneurs must always change to respond to it, and exploit it as an opportunity. CHARACTERISTICS OF A DWINDLING ECONOMY The characteristics include: High unemployment rate High inflation rate Low average real income Low saving ratio or high consumption ratio Low levels of technology Low levels of productivity Low per capita income and downward trend of living High poverty rate of a large proportion of the population Low economic growth rate Poorly developed financial and stock markets High level corruption and instability and insecurity of lives and property Although the above factors and many others can be observed in a dwindling economy, they also provide good basis for entrepreneurial development. In fact, of these factors listed above, some can act as either pull or push entrepreneurial factors. Very often they provide good windows of opportunities for entrepreneurial-minded individuals. ROLES OF ENTRENEURSHIP IN REVIVING A DWINDLING SOCIETY Some of the roles include: Generating employment Increases productivity through innovation Facilitates the transfer/ adoption of technology Ensures increase resource utilization Stimulates growth in the supply market Renovates large scale enterprises and public enterprises Encourages and sustains economic dynamism that enables an economy to adjust successfully in a rapidly changing global economy. Linkage effects of various sections of the economy is facilitated Generate income and wealth occur faster Encourages training and development Ensures rapid development Develops indigenous entrepreneurship Provides a training ground for indigenous managers and semi-skilled workers Reduces rural-urban migration Constitutes a vital engine for economic growth development of a nation- increase GDP Skyrocketing of the emergence of SMES and Promotion of self-reliance and economic sustainability ELEMENTS OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP Entrepreneurship may involve the following elements IDEA GENERATION AND SCREENING This is actually the starting point of many new entrepreneurial ventures. Sources of ideas are many and varied. The sources notwithstanding, the would-be entrepreneur must cultivate the habit of documenting those ideas. It should be packaged in form of feasibility report, no matter what. STARTING A BUSINESS This could involve: a. Buying an existing business b. Starting from the scratch or start-up business c. Through Franchise d. By Inheritance CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION Innovation is the development and introduction of a new product, a new process, or a new service to a market. Creativity is the link between pure imagination and the introduction of an innovative product, process or service. Both are necessary ingredients for entrepreneurship. However, creativity is behind innovation. Creativity alone, does not define entrepreneurship. Creativity without innovation does not produce results. And innovation without effective management does not produce marketable products, processes or services. Although creativity and innovation are necessary ingredients, they are not sufficient of themselves to establish successful entrepreneurship (Fry, 1992, Izedonmi, 2009). There must be effective and efficient administrative structure on the ground and a healthy dose of management as well. 3. SEEKING FINANCING Financing could either be debt or equity financing, traditional or venture, internal or external capital. The would-be venture must consider financing the venture. Availability, cost and timeliness must be balanced. Starting small attracts small capital input. However, not all entrepreneurial ventures require start-up capital or equal amount either Creative financing is a basic tenet of entrepreneurship. A growth-oriented venture uses multiple sources of financing. You must be prepared to make your personal sacrifice in this respect. Too often, the banks will request to see your personal inputs in terms of financial commitment. Finance institutions only lend to ventures that have proven records, and history, and those ventures that are also promising economically. 4. ASSUMING RISK Every entrepreneur must assume one risk or the other. However, entrepreneurship is not necessarily risk-taking but risk-assuming. Corporate management deals in risk minimization, entrepreneurship deals in risk management. Corporate management too often generally tends to be risk-averse. They want to reduce risk to a minimum during production so as to be profitable. Entrepreneurship manages risk since it cannot be reduced significantly in entrepreneurial situations whether new or existing ventures. However, entrepreneurs are calculated risk-takers. Risk management involves the acknowledgement that risk exists and the actions that are taken to shift as much risk as possible to others and then control the remainder. Some risk Management ventures include Renting rather than owning equipment and facilities Using multiple sources of financing. Building an entrepreneurial team with distinctive skills. Undertaking multiple ventures simultaneously with varied degrees of risk. Committing a portion of the total resources to any one project. Assigning a team member the responsibility of monitoring short-term performance with the anticipation of cutting losses of early performance indicates unfavorable results. THE PULL AND PUSH ENTREPRENEURSHIP FACTORS There are various factors (negative or positive) which tend to provide the needed motivation in getting into entrepreneurship or becoming an entrepreneur. While the negative factors are called push factors; the positive factors are pull factors. Both factors provide the fundamental attraction either by necessity or by desire and opportunity into the entrepreneurial world. The push factors are: Unemployment / loss of job. Dissatisfaction with pay and job situation. Discrimination and victimization by boss in work place. Middle-age crises. Divorce / widowhood. Relocation. The positive pull factors are: Desire for independence. Desire for increase in wealth. Increased social status and prestige. Spouse support and motivation. Provision of market opportunity. Franchise. Provision of licenses by parent company. Favorable government policies etc. THE ENTREPRENEURSHIP DECISION The entrepreneurial motivation to launch a venture has been grouped into three variables (Fry, 1992) as: Antecedent variables. Triggering variables. Enabling variables. The antecedent factors They cause the individual to begin to consider the possibilities of entrepreneurship either consciously or unconsciously. This could take into consideration the variables listed below Creativity. Background. Personality. Past experience. Education. Current job. Triggering factors: These are the events or situations that specifically trigger the entrepreneurial act. They are salient life events may be quite personal , professional or for instance, financial changes in an entrepreneurs life that are perceived as very important to entrepreneurial decision may set off the alarm to take step. They involve: Loss of Job Invention or Idea Offer from partner Entrepreneurial motivation or willingness to start a venture (M) = Antecedent Variables (A) X Triggering Variables (T). The enabling factors These factors make the actual launching of the venture possible. They include opportunity and resources which are very critical to the successful launch of the venture. The likelihood of a venture launch is made up of these three factors combined. Our youths look outside instead of looking inward. Those who look inward first tend to travel faster on the outside. Several entrepreneurial opportunities exist in the environment. They need to look well to discover some opportunities. Our youths must be ready to start small, learn the ropes and grow up. Hard work, patience and deep commitment are necessary. ENTREPRENEURSHIP OPPORTUNITIES Entrepreneurship tends to be opportunity-driven rather than resource-driven. This is because that once opportunities are identified and properly evaluated resources are deployed to capture them. Opportunity creates or generates its kind of resources. There are thousands of opportunities available to would-be entrepreneurs who present high potential for wealth, growth, self-employment, independence, social status, and prestige. The would-be entrepreneur must conduct a thorough scanning and survey of the environment strategically. But if you do not have any readily available opportunity, you can creatively and innovatively come up with one. However, some of the sources of these opportunities could include: Self-discovery Improvement in the quality of existing product/ service. Use of an existing product/service in an untapped market Invention Consultancy Trade magazines, Journal and Business Newspapers Societal needs Survey of natural resources Government Agencies Research Institutes, Universities, e.t.c Spin-off Work experience Hobby and Vocation ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS REQUIRED TO TRANSFORM CHALLENGES INTO OPPORTUNITIES GENERAL BUSINESS SKILLS Entrepreneurial skills of successful entrepreneurs include: Sales and Marketing skills Financial Know-how skills Self-motivation skill Time management skill Administrative skill Sales and marketing skills To get the right customers and subsequently make target revenues and profits Include communication skills Financial know-how skills To know how to handle money well. After all, not everybody can effectively manage money. Source and manage funds and cash flows Self-motivation skills Internal locus of control Self-starter with a clear desired goal in mind Confidence in yourself and in your ideas Diligent and hardworking Extra drive and commitment to set goals Time management skills Time is money Time is life Entrepreneurship opportunity has time-limit Time management is very important for business success Self-management is very critical for effective time management TYPES OF BUSINESSES AND TIME MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES Have a time table, schedule of activities to be done Employ delegation freely without fear Determine priorities into urgent and important activities as: Urgent activities demand immediate attention Urgent but not important activities Not urgent but important activities Not urgent; not important Give priority to (i) and (iii) because by performing them, time is reduced for activities (ii) and (iii) Manage meetings and relationship with others Administrative skills Organizing, coordinating, directing, planning and general management, etc. B). TECHNICAL, ANALYTICAL AND HUMAN RELATION SKILLS Entrepreneurs are expected ordinarily to be sound by training normally technically skilled. They must also develop and possess conceptual, analytical and human relation skills to be successful. Others are business planning, idea creation, negotiation, risk analysis and management skills etc. C). ICT SKILLS They must also have computer and information Technology (CIT) skills because of the era we are and the environment they will have to operate. ENTREPRENEURSHIP OPPORTUNITY AND SKILLS S/N ENTREPRENEURSHIP OPPORTUNITY SKILLS AND ATTITUDES 1. Business/consultancy in area of professional specialization or working as a contractor General Business skills such as marketing, time management e.t.c Confidence enthusiasm, hardworking 2. Sonet Entrepreneurship Idea development, leadership, negotiation, planning, organizing, self belief, confidence General business skill 3. Intrapreneurship Idea development recognizing opportunities for improvements Alliance building, confidence, leadership 4. Non-traditional specialist business General Business Idea development, creativity, confidence Willingness to work hard 5. General Business Ventures Ideas development, creativity, confidence, willingness to work hard General Business skill Source: Andrea: Developing Entrepreneurship skills in the context of higher education. http://cfiweb.cf.uk/news/past.events/bee/files/Andea. on 16/3/2010 DEVELOPMENT OF ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS These could be through: Attending Entrepreneurial training classes, development programme, seminars, workshops, etc. Universities Job rotation Special (intensive) training Article ship or apprenticeship Organizational learning R D Institution Consultants National and international agencies and bodies NGOs Professional bodies ENTREPRENEURIAL SUCCESS FACTORS Successful entrepreneuring depends on four (4) major factors namely: Knowledge Hard work Skills Attitude(character/ integrity) Lifematics Question Created by (Izedonmi, 2010) Now let us work out this lifematics question together. There are basically four (4) attributes or factors that can enhance our success in life viz: Skills, Knowledge, Hard work and character (Attitude). They are all essential to ingredients of entrepreneurial success. How much does each contribute? Which of these is superior and why? For easy understanding, let us replace character with attitude. Solution Our current roman alphabets are made up of A B C D E F G H I J K L M 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 The alphabets together with their numerical values are stated above. Let us take each attribute one after the other and link up the corresponding numerical value. Start with skill, then knowledge follow this with hard work and finally character but remember to substitute attitude for character. Let us replace numeric value to each alphabet and see their results as indicated below: (i) S K I L L S 19 + 11 + 9 + 12 + 12 + 19 = 82% (ii) K N O W L E D G E 11 + 14 + 15 + 23 + 12 + 5 + 4 + 7 + 5 = 96 % (iii) H A R D W O R K 8 + 1 + 18 + 4 + 23 + 15 + 18 + 11 = 98 % (iv) A T T I T U D E 1 + 20 + 20 + 9 + 20 + 21 + 4 + 5 = 100 % Solution Skills secure only 82 %, Knowledge 96 %, hard work 98 % and Attitude 100 % in that order. Only Attitude which I equate to character for this purpose secures 100 % success in the race of high profile entrepreneurship. Conclusion I must admit that professional certification is good but character is a lot better. Character is the true collateral security of our values, learning and entrepreneurial success. It keeps the society and system going. It prevents a nation from decaying and checkmates unnecessary crisis and even civil war. Therefore in all our entrepreneurial pursuit, character development should be given a prominent place. When character breaks down everything breaks down. True certification in life is only evidenced by character and not papers called certificates or entrepreneurial success alone or quantity of wealth.

George Washington Carver Essay -- essays research papers

George Washington Carver was a African American scientist who showed many intriguing thoughts of nature throughout his life span of being one of the most dedicated scientist. George was born in Diamond Missouri, but his exact date of birth is not known by people. Never the less, one of the most remarkable inventors was born. Many people speculate that he was born sometime in January in 1964, while others believe he was born in June. George was born as a small and weak baby, and he had his first challenge of overcoming various obstacles as a baby. Possibly one of his biggest goals that he had to overcome was growing up without having any parents. His father was killed in an accident while he was just a baby. George lived in a small cabin with his mother and brother James. Everything was going fine for George until one night when a raiding group of people came breaking into there home. They kidnapped George, along with his mother, while James went in the woods for a place to hide so h e won’t be captured. James would be leaded by his owner’s Moses and Susan Carver. Eventually George would escape from the people who capture him, and join his brother again as they would be guided by there owners. As being a black slave, they never adopted the last name from there parents. Only after the end of the Civil War, both James and George picked Carver to be their last name. George would stay with his owner’s that took care of him, and he would help out with the chores to show his appreciation. He became very fond of plants and at a early age George would plant and maintain the garden on the farm. He became so good at planting and gardening, his owner’s would give him the name â€Å"The Plant Doctor.† The Carver’s taught George many of the basic things that every child should know at the ealy age. George learned how to read and write with no problems. Many people thought and knew that George had an excellent future ahead of himself due to the fact that he has a quick ability to pick up on new traits that he learns. At first things didn’t look to bright for Carver’s future, he tried to enlist into the school in Diamond Grove, but was turned down because of racism. They told Carver that African American’s were not permitted to attend the school. With the news of this, George left home on his own, to attend a color school in the community of Neosho. He had to find someone who ... ...d inventions. When asked why Carver said â€Å"God gave them to me, how can I sell them to someone else?† Carver was never a married man, and in 1940 he gave his life savings of $33,000 to the Tuskegee Institute. As an appreciation to his donation and effort that he brought forth, the money was used to establish the George Washington Carver Research Foundation for agriculture research. Carver received many awards for his accomplishments, in 1916 he was named a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in London. In 1923, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People awarded him the Spingarn Medal for distinguished service in agricultural chemistry. In 1939, Carver received the Theodore Roosevelt Medal for his contributions to the world of science, and in 1951 the George Washington Carver National Monument was established in Missouri on the farm where Carver was born at. Carver died at Tuskegee, on January 5, 1943 and is buried on the grounds of Tuskegee Institute. To show the prosperity and gratitude that George Washington Carver brought to the world of science, Congress declared every January 5th a day to honor Carver, and all of his wonderful achievements that he gave us.

Creating Human Service Agencies Essay

Human Services agencies play a vital role in connecting community resources to those in need of services. Some of the agencies are more beneficial to the community than others. Some of the larger agencies that are well connected with political figures tend to receive more funding, and directly affect local policy changes. Inadequate, funding prevents most human services agencies from conducting program evaluations that could be used to help strengthen their capacity, increase funding and track success. One small organization located in Tallahassee, Florida defies those odds. The agency is located inside Bond Community Health Center the largest community health center in Tallahassee. The small agency is a pioneer of social change in the field of HIV/AIDS creating the only active Peer Navigator program. The Minority Alliance for Advocating Community Awareness and Action, Inc. (MAACA’s) mission statement is to empower the minority community through the linkage of services, the creation of culturally sensitive programs and through mobilization strategies. According to the history â€Å"the Minority Alliance for Advocating Community Awareness and Action, Inc. MAACA), formerly known as the Minority AIDS Action Committee (MAAC) was established in October 1999, under Shisa, Inc. Shisa, applied for federal funding from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) to help with the increasing number of new African American HIV infections cases in the United States. The CDC cooperative agreement capacity-building grant no. PA00003 Priority 3: Strengthening Community Capacity for HIV Prevention was awarded to Shisa, Inc. Shisa’s task was to build the capacity of African American communities to address the growing need for HIV prevention. States and counties covered under the cooperative agreement included Mobile, Alabama, the pan handle of Florida down to Jacksonville, Florida and then over to Thomasville, Georgia. According to the contract the boards were to provide three areas: 1) create community boards in each of the locations, 2) the board provides prevention events in the African American community especially during National HIV Observance Days and 3) the MAAC boards were to host community capacity building workshops. â€Å"In the early days of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, there has been since the 1980s a â€Å"profound re-medicalization of sexuality. One of the best-known works on the history of HIV is 1987’s book And the Band Played On, by Randy Shilts. Shilts contends that Ronald Reagan’s administration dragged its feet in dealing with the crisis due to homophobia, while the gay community viewed early reports and public health measures with corresponding distrust, thus allowing the disease to spread and hundreds of thousands of people to needlessly die. This resulted in the formation of ACT-UP, the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power by Larry Kramer,† Wikipedia. According to Wolf Wolfberger, conscious rather than unconscious ideology; â€Å"One thing that can be very bad about our ideologies is that more often than not, we are not aware of them. Sometimes we take them so for granted that we lose sight of their existence†¦ At other times, we simply are not equipped intellectually to formulate our ideologies into words. At yet other times, our ideologies are so bad that we cannot consciously face up to them. † â€Å"For example, we all claim to believe in equality – and then we practice gross discrimination, but deny it because we cannot admit it and therefore do not realize that we discriminate. It is with those ideologies that the stigma, fear, discrimination, homophobia, and negative perceptions about HIV/AIDS that places too many US citizens at a higher risk of infection. Many at risk for infection fear stigma more than actual infection itself especially in the African American communities. They instead choose to hide their high-risk behavior rather than get counseling and testing. The lack of awareness of one’s HIV status can affect the overall HIV rates. According to CDC data, â€Å"approximately 1 in 5 adults and adolescents in the U. S. living with HIV don’t know their HIV status. This translates to about 116,750 persons in the African-American community. † Just as it was in the early years of the pandemic the African American community was not prepared for HIV prevention and did not understand capacity building. The rural south communities did not welcome HIV prevention work especially HIV prevention work in the black churches. Many of the other agencies were not willing or not culturally sensitive to the needs of the African American community. Human service organizations are archetypically â€Å"institutionalized organizations. That is, their growth and survival depend less on the technical proficiency of their work and more on their conformity with dominant cultural symbols and belief systems, that is, institution rule (Meyer & Rowan, 1977) (page 14 – 15). † By 1990, those institutional rules fo r HIV prevention became more structural. Policy, laws and standard operating procedures were beginning to take form such as the US Congress enacting â€Å"the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act. Ryan White is the largest federal program dedicated to providing care and treatment for people living with HIV. A key component of the public health safety net, it reaches hundreds of thousands of people every year with medical care, drugs, and support services. The CARE Act has been a huge success in reducing sickness and death from HIV disease and helping people live longer, more healthy and productive lives. † Yeheskel Hasenfeld writes, â€Å"recognizing that human service organizations engage in moral work impede that they must constantly seek and maintain legitimacy for what they do. They do so by making references to institutionalized moral system in their environment. That is, they adopt and uphold moral systems and cultural frames that resonate well with their significant audiences, such as legislative bodies, government bureaucracies, regulatory agencies, professional associations, other human services organizations, various civic and political associations, and clients (Scott, 2008). † By 2005, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines stated that all agencies providing HIV prevention intervention programs must follow the â€Å"Behavior theory Interventions† as outlined in the CDC procedure guidance book. With this shift many of the small minority based CBO closed their doors to HIV prevention work. Of the fifteen Minority AIDS Action Committee (MAAC) boards formed during the five year of the CDC contract only the agency in Tallahassee, Florida remains. There is still a great need for the African American community to engage in HIV/AIDS prevention work. MAACA host some of the largest events in North Florida from HIV conferences to community workshops and forms. It is only when we chose to engage, constantly seek and maintain legitimacy that what we do in the field of HIV/AIDS that MAACA will continue to exist. MAACA is a champion for the people and was able to diversify funding sources while remaining true to its mission.

The role of nuclear energy in the field of medicine

Nuclear energy is a type of energy which is released by a reaction called as nuclear reaction. There are two main types of nuclear reactions, one is called fission and the other one is fusion: In Fission reaction it releases a nuclear energy when a single heavy nucleus seperates into two smaller ones, causing energy to be released . The most common element used to undergo nuclear fission is uranium because uranium has many favorable properties. Uranium nuclei can be easily split by applying neutrons at them. The fission reaction is used to make heat for producing steam, which is then used by a turbine to generate electricity. but if in a fusion reaction a two single nuclei combines together to form another nucleus which is heavier. This reaction occurs only under very hot conditions. Nuclear fusion is used to generate a lot of energy in the form of light, hear and radiation. This energy supports life on our planet and it was the only energy early mankind used. 1) â€Å"What Is Nuclear Energy.† What Is Nuclear Energy. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Aug. 2012. . 2) â€Å"Nuclear Energy.† ThinkQuest. Oracle Foundation, n.d. Web. 22 Aug. 2012. http://library.thinkquest.org/3471/nuclear_energy.html Picture 1: 1) Picture 2: â€Å"Free Energy: Nuclear Fusion in the Quran.† Pakalert Press. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Aug. 2012. . Scientists have discovered that nuclear energy can be used in treating various diseases such as cancer, heart disease, endocrine, gastrointestinal and other abnormalities found inside the body. Nuclear energy provides a good solution in treating certain diseases affecting people in today’s world. In the field of Cardiopulmonary. Nuclear energy is used in scanning and visualizing blood flow and also heart function. In treating cancer diseases such as Melanoma and breast cancer, Nuclear energy can have their lymph mondes located first before doing the surgery. It can also find out whether there are respiratory problems and blood flow in lungs. Another major important use of Nuclear energy is for the treatment of various cancers such as Melanoma and breast cancer. Patients having Melanoma and breast cancer can have their lymph nodes found first before doing the surgery, thyroid cancer and tumors that spread to the bones are also cured by using Nuclear energy. In other diagnostic use of nuclear energy, Nuclear energy is used to evaluate tumors, arthritis, fractures and infenction of bones. Locating the area where there is an infection, identifying problems causing gallbladder inflammation and bleeding into the bowel can be treated using nuclear energy. It can also be used to investigate brain abnormalities, such as loss of memory, seizures and abnormalities in blood flow. â€Å"General Nuclear Medicine.† Nuclear Medicine, General. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Aug. 2012. . â€Å"How Is Nuclear Energy Used in Medicine?† Yahoo! Contributor Network. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Aug. 2012. . The effectiveness of using nuclear energy to solve diseases is very effective because for eg; if a patient having cancer undergoes surgery, before doing the surgery doctors need to locate the specific area where the cancer are located to do this X-ray tomography or (CT) scans work by using nuclear tracers to emmit gamma rays once the rays are inside the body, special cameras are able to pick up the emitted gamma rays and show to the photo of the organ or the part where the cancer is to the doctor. This helps the doctors to successfully treat the patient. Another more advanced technology called a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) isused in determining patients with cardiac conditions, problems in the brain and cancer, first positron-emitting radionuclides are injected into the patients body and then they gravitate to the organ and they begin to quickly decay. They emmit a positron and an electron from inside of the patients body an two very distinct gamma rays which the PET scans and forms an image. The photo helps doctors to locate where the problem is, this is more advanced than CT scans. Comparing methods like CT scans and PET scans to other methods like Endoscopic ultrasound and others to determine where the cancer is to methods like brain scan, the method of CT scans are likely to be more dangerous and may harm the patient because in CT scans they use contrast agents which are chemical substances that are exposed to the human body when they are running the test. Contrast agents like Iodine is the contrast agent which is the most commonly used contrast agent can cause allergic reactions to some patients which includes a rash, a warm sensation or even in a worst case scenario difficulty to breathe normally. Also in CT scans it involves patients to get exposed to ionizing radiation which is known to cause cancer. This becomes a problem for people who need multiple scans and also for children because children are more sensitive to radiation than to adults. So even though CT scans can help doctors to locate where the disease is they aren’t that reliable and can be harmful as well if they are not used properly. â€Å"Symptoms & Diagnosis.† Symptoms & Diagnosis. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Aug. 2012. . Cioffi, Rebecca. â€Å"How Does Nuclear Medicine Actually Kill Cancer Cells?† EHow. Demand Media, 30 Apr. 2009. Web. 26 Aug. 2012. . Social: The use of CT scans to perform scans inside the body for the location of diseases inside the body can be very useful and can help to treat the patients. But CT scans are high tech devices and are very expensive which are only available in developed countries, for poorer countries like in Africa have no technology and money to get CT scanners and have to rely on alternative solutions to cure their diseases, Which sometimes give inaccurate results. Environment: CT scanners need nuclear energy to produce the image inside the patient’s body. Nuclear energy is one of the world’s most efficient energy producer and electricity. This helps the society very much. But nuclear energy also can cause a great deal amount of damage to the environment. If a CT scanner has a gamma ray leak out it can cause greenhouse gas emissions to rise and harm the environment. Crops and drinking water exposed to gamma ray can cause lung tumor and thyroid cancer if consumed, Animals and marine life will be affected by it also, so people who are responsible for maintenance of the scanners must maintain the machine well or not there will be a great consequence to face. From making this essay I came to know about the great use of nuclear power in the field of medicine, They can detect cancer, tumor and hemorrhage inside a person’s body and help doctors in treating them. But I also learnt that there is a limitation to this technology because some people have allergic reactions from nuclear energy and if exposed too much to a person’s body instead of treating the disease it can cause one, so we must be responsible using this strong energy.

Brutus Is A Honorable Man

Brutus Is A Honorable Man In Shakespeare's play of "Caesar" Brutus is a conspirator who portraysa person who favors a republic for Rome. Brutus is an honorable man. Manycharacters in the play show there reverence for Brutus. Brutus exemplifieshis honor in many ways. Brutus is obsequious when he is needed to abet hisfellow romans. Brutus is an honorable man. "Am I entreated to Speak and Strike? ORome I make thee promise, If the redress will follow, then receivest thyfull petition at the hand of Brutus" (Shakespeare 397). Brutus will obey towhatever the romans convey to him. Consequently, Brutus joins theconspiracy inorder to help the romans rid rome of Caesar. Brutus alsounderstands that he is putting it all on the line for his romans, thereforeBrutus is an honorable man. Brutus is a scrupulous man, whose virtues endure. "No not an oath, Ifnot by the face of men, the sufferance of our souls, the time's abuse-Ifthese motives be weak, break off betimes, and every men hence to his idlebed; So let high sighted tyr anny rage on, till each man drop by lottery"(Shakespeare 399).BrutusBrutus said that if the conspirators do not join for acommon cause, then there is no need for an oath because the conspiratorsare self-righteous, and they are serving the romans. If the conspiratorsdon't bind together, then each man will go his own way, become a weakling,and die when it suits the tyrants caprice. Brutus is advocates peace,freedom and liberty, for all romans, which shows that Brutus is analtruistic as well as an honorable man. Brutus also had a compassion for Caesar when he had killed Caesar. "Ifthen that a friend demand why Brutus rose against Caesar, this is myanswer: Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more"(Shakespeare 421). Brutus had honored Caesar but Brutus felt that Caesarwas to...

Supply Chain Task Essays

Supply Chain Task Essays Supply Chain Task Essay Supply Chain Task Essay I new however, that in order for the business to be successful, I would need to be somewhat conservative in Quarter 2. I chose to target the Mercedes and Travelers market segments as these two had several top things they wanted in a computer in common. While the market sizes were smaller, I thought if I produced the right products, I could be a market leader for both target segments. In Quarter 2 1 projected a demand of 350 units for my primary target market, the Mercedes group, and 170 units for my secondary group, the Traveler. My total forecasted demand was 500 units, and my available operating capacity was 520 units. I decided to sale my product to the Mercedes group for $3800. O/unit with a $100 rebate/unit and sold my product to the travelers for $3000. O/unit with a $100/rebate. I operated at 100% capacity for Quarter 2. I sold out of both products, under estimating my consumers. For the Mercedes group, I lost out on 158 sales and for the Travelers I lost out on 74 sales. At the end of quarter 2, I was still operating at a loss, but had significantly cut my loss from $-338,500 to $-195,018. Thanks to the common stock I sold this quarter, I still had a cash balance over a million dollars which helped me make changes for ratter 3. In Quarter 3 1 increased my projected demand too total of 2,000 units. I projected 1,250 units for the Mercedes group and 750 units for the Travelers. I only operated at 71% capacity this quarter, so I didnt do a very good Job of estimating what I would need to produce. I sold a total of 1,392 units, leaving an ending inventory of 75 units total between the two products. In quarter 3 1 finally turned a profit. I earned a net income of $947,091. I used the previous quarters pro-formal statements along with the current quarters projected statement to change some of my numbers. I didnt want to be overzealous and be too aggressive. I did decide to open an additional sales office, and also decided to produce two new products for the 4th quarter. Because I had a beginning cash balance of for the 3rd quarter, I had more than enough money to achieve all my goals for the quarter. In the 4th quarter I did not do a very good Job of estimating my demand. I estimated that I would have a demand of 3,610 units, but it actually ended up being triple that. I lost a total of 6,194 sales, which had I continued past the 4th quarter, probably would have meant a drop in business. Had I been able to go on past quarter 4, I would have increased my production capacity significantly. My beginning cash balance for quarter 4 was $2,671 ,759. 00 and my ending cash balance was $3,780,039. I know that by looking at all my financial statements that I would have had more than enough money to invest back into my company and I would have increased my production capacity significantly. I was at 100% capacity, and needed to triple the number of units I actually made in order to satisfy demand. In the end, by using the budgets and pro-formal statements, it allowed me to run a profitable business after only a ear. Had I not been able to use budgets and statements, Im sure my business would have had a very different outcome. Because I could play around with numbers prior to running my simulation, I was able to see where I needed to make adjustments, mainly with manufacturing, so that I could have a profitable business. 2: Discuss how you could have employed Just-in-time TIT) and Lean Operations to improve operating efficiency in your manufacturing facility. A: Just-in-time TIT) Just-in-time TIT) is an approach of continuous and forced problem solving via a focus on throughput and reduced inventory. (Higher Render, 2010) I tried to implement this methodology in my business. Only after quarter 3 did I have left over inventory, and that was a very small amount (75 units total) that I sold in quarter 4. Every other quarter there was no ending inventory, however I did not do a good enough of projecting my demand. By attempting to implement this system, it actually cost me sales since I didnt have any extra inventory on hand to sale. The other part of this is that I should have also done a better Job of forecasting my demand, so I would have produced enough products to meeting the actual demand of the customers. This is the downside to Just-in-time, as it opens businesses too number of risks, notably those associated with your supply chain. With no stock to fall back on, a minor disruption in supplies to your business from Just one supplier could force production to cease at very short notice. (Aimed, 2014) If I had been able to fully implement this system, and also better forecast my demand, then I think it would have made my business even more profitable. Even though I only had excess inventory once (after quarter 3), that was planned and not due to not being able to sell those units. If I had implemented Just in time, then I hind it would have allowed me to have all the available supplies J ust when I needed them, which would have allowed me to make more of my product to sell, which then would have meant I didnt lose sales due to not making enough. B: Lean Operations While Just In Time focuses on driving out the waste, Lean operations focuses on the customer. Understanding what the customer wants and ensuring customer input and feedback are the starting points for lean production. Lean operations means identifying customer value by analyzing all the activities required to produce the product from the customers perspective. (Higher Render, 2010) In the simulation I was somewhat able to apply Lean concepts, since I somewhat followed the principles of Just In Time. If I had been able to implement this is my business simulation, there are few things I would have done. 1 . Use Just In Time techniques to eliminate virtually all inventory: With KIT, materials arrive where they are needed when they are needed. When good units do not arrive Just as needed, a problem has been identified. By driving out waste and delay in this manger, KIT reduces costs associated with excess inventory, cuts variability and waste, and improves throughput. (Higher Render, 2010) 2. Develop partnerships with suppliers. This means that you are assisting your suppliers in understanding the needs of the customer through common objectives. 3. Reduce space requirements this can be done by properly laying out the space where your product is put together to minimize the travel distance. Having the correct supplies close by the areas where those supplies are needed can cut down on wasted time. 4. Develop employees through training, teamwork, and empowerment. Let the employees take pride in their work, and feel as if they have some say in the company, and that drives them to ark harder and better, which in return makes your product better. During my simulation I didnt have a lot of excess inventory, but there were definitely times that I wish I had excess inventory, only because I failed to properly forecast the demand of my product, sold out, and had quite a few lost customers. On the other hand, using these strategies would only help my business grow because I would not be wasting money or time on things that did not add value to the finished product, which in turn would drive up my costs, and lower profit margin on the products I was selling. : Discuss the applicability of work cells versus a traditional straight line method to the type of manufacturing facility used to assemble computers. Work cells reorganizes people and machines that would ordinarily be dispersed in various departments into a group that they can focus on making a single product or a group of related products. (Higher Render, 2010) Work cells come about as manufacturers identify products that have similar features. Work cells reduce waste since it allows a product to be put together in one space, which eliminates the need for the product to travel throughout the warehouse as it is assembled. There are overall advantages for a work cell according to Higher and Render, they are: 1 . Reduced work- in-process inventory because the work cell is designed to allow one piece to go from machine to machine. The next machine is ready to accept the work- in-process product, instead of the product having to wait for the next person/ machine to be available to continue the assembly process. 2. Less floor space is required because less space is needed between machines to accommodate work-in- process inventory (Higher Render, 2010) which allows you to maximize the space you have available, and potentially not need as much space since the cells are roped together, rather than using an assembly line that travels throughout the entire plant. 3. Reduced raw material and finished goods inventories since work cells allows for more rapid movement of the materials throughout the work cell. 4. Reduced direct labor costs due to improved communication among employees, better material flow and improved scheduling. (Higher Render, 2010) 5. Heightened sense of employee participation in both the company and the product. Employees accept added responsibility in the quality of the product because it is a direct result of them and their work cell. 6. Increased equipment and machine utilization due to better scheduling and faster material flow, thanks to advantage number 3 listed above. 7. R educed investment in machinery and equipment because good utilization reduces the number of machines and the amount of equipment and tooling. (Higher Render, 2010) All the above advantages culminate into allowing number 7 to succeed. This ultimately benefits the company from a lean perspective because work cells help eliminate waste waste from poor layout, waste from work-in-process inventory, waste from raw materials finished goods inventories, etc. There are also four requirements to the work cell as outlined by Higher and Render in the 10th edition of Operations Management, and they include: 1 . Identification of families of products, through the use of group technology codes 2. A high level of training, flexibility and empowerment of employees. 3. Being self-contained, with its own equipment and resources 4. Test at each station in the cell. The work cell strategy has multiple advantages over traditional assembly lines because a work cell groups similar tasks together and also inspects them immediately, instead of waiting until the product is finished. The cell also allows for a worker to reach more areas of the cell, which allows for fewer works (with the capability of adding more if needed due to demand), which then ultimately helps to increase the profit margin on the products. The area is more balanced and then because the shape of the cell is a U shape and you have fewer workers, communication improves. 4: Inventory Management I did not do a very good Job of managing my inventory for the simulation. For quarter 2 1 forecasted a total demand of 500 units, with my available operating capacity at 520 units. I produced 520 units, but my actual demand was 752 total nits, and I lost 232 sales. For quarter 3 1 projected the total demand for my 2 products to be 2,000 units. This quarter I d id a better Job of predicting demand, as I produced 1,467 units and sold 1,392 units leaving 75 units in inventory. In quarter 4, I once again did not project demand very well. I forecasted a total demand of 3, 610 units, sold 3,640 units, but my actual demand was 9,909 units, so I lost 6,194 sales. I applied the principle of Safety stock somewhat in quarter 3, as I purposely held back 75 units for my ending inventory, hoping that would create a buffer for the next ratter. Ultimately I didnt project the demand very well, as those 75 units were nowhere near enough to help make up for my poor projections in demand. Safety Stock is extra stock to allow for uneven demand; a buffer. (Higher Render, 2010) I didnt want to carry too much extra inventory, as I was afraid I would not be able to sale it and would be stuck having to carry over a lot of extra inventory from quarter to quarter. I believe if I had done a better Job of predicting my demand, I could have used safety stock to help make up for my bad projection numbers, while also being able to cut down on my lost sales due to selling out of my products. In the 4th quarter I introduced 2 new products while a lso keeping my 2 original products but lowering the price. I thought I would have higher demand for the new products and not as much for the older products. I was wrong on all counts. I way underestimated the demand for all 4 products, which cost me money in terms of lost sales. While I didnt have to carry the burden of too much extra stock, not having enough is also poor management and can make the business fail. 85: Continuous Improvement There are several programs that contribute to Continuous improvement, but one that I would have implemented in my business is employee empowerment. Employee empowerment is involving employees in every step of the production process. (Higher Render, 2010) I feel that empowering the employees only helps the company. Even though you have the executives making the day to day decision and running the organization, the employees are the ones on the ground floor and can sometimes notice problems before management can since they are the ones actually assembling the products and inspecting them. There is one stud y that indicated total quality management programs that delegate responsibility for quality to shop-floor employees tend to be twice as likely to succeed as those implemented with top-down directives. (Higher Render, 2010) When employees are able to take pride in their work, they perform at a better rate and the quality is also better. Just like with the work cell theory, employees have a heightened sense of quality to the product because it is a direct result of their work. There are several ways that I would attempt to increase employee empowerment n my company, they include developing communication networks to include the employees, creating teams and quality circles. A quality circle is a group of employees who meet regularly to solve work-related problems. (Higher Render, 2010) I would implement this in my company, a group of employees taken from all departments to meet and share not only their concerns, but also from co-workers. This group would work together to bring to light concerns made by the employees to management, as well as ideas that could help not only employee morale, but the company as a whole.

How to Prepare a Winning Business Pitch

How to Prepare a Winning Business Pitch How to Prepare a Winning Business Pitch To get a business idea off the ground, you may need some investment. And this means you’ll need to convince investors that you have a great business plan. But what goes into a good business pitch? A few things to consider when pitching a business include: The type of business pitch you’re preparing (e.g., verbal or written) Details to include, such as your target customers, market research, etc. Who you’re pitching your idea to and what they’re seeking. Who you are and who you’re working with in the business venture. How much to include in your pitch (as compared to a full business plan). So let’s take a closer look at how to prepare a winning business pitch. 1. Written vs. Verbal Pitches If you’ve been asked to pitch your business, make sure you know what type of pitch to give. The main distinction here is between written and verbal pitches: A written pitch is a short document, typically between one and three pages, where you outline the nature of your business for investors. A verbal pitch is a presentation you give to potential investors in person. This could be a short elevator pitch, which would last up to two minutes. Or it could be a full presentation with backup visuals and documentation. Chances are you’ll need to use both at different points of pitching a business (e.g., selling the idea with a short elevator pitch before writing a written pitch to flesh out the details). Thus, you should try to find out what kind of pitches investors are seeking and tailor yours accordingly. If you are preparing any written documents as part of your pitch, , moreover, make sure to have them proofread. This will ensure they are error free and easy to read, demonstrating your attention to detail. 2. The Essentials of a Business Pitch The exact content of your business pitch will depend on the kind of business you’re pitching and the type of pitch you’re delivering. However, there are at least a few details that any business pitch should include, such as: A brief overview of your business idea and your overall goals (this could be the introduction for a longer presentation or written document, but it might be the entirely of an elevator pitch). Your target customers and how your business idea will serve them. The market you’re entering and the opportunities it presents. How your business will distinguish itself from existing competitors. Your financial projections, including revenue and profit forecasts. Key team members and any partners you will work with in your business. How much investment you’re seeking and how you will spend it. Remember, though, that a business pitch is not a business plan. It’s about selling an idea. As such, telling a compelling story can be more important than the pure details. For instance, when outlining your business, you could tell an anecdote that demonstrates the need for your product. This can help your pitch resonate on a personal level – it’s about how your business will help real people, not just how much money you hope to make. 3. Do Your Research on Investors It always pays to do some basic research on investors before preparing a pitch. This will give you a better idea of what different people and groups are looking for in a business, as well as giving you a sense of the kind of pitch investors are expecting. Try to find out: Whether they typically invest in certain business types or areas, especially if this matches the profile of your proposed investment. If they usually invest in specific geographic regions. How much they usually invest and what they seek in return. Whether they take a hands-on or hands-off approach to companies they invest in and how this might affect your proposed business. This will help you pick the right investors for your business idea. 4. Sell Yourself Don’t forget you’re part of your business pitch! In fact, some investors focus more on the people pitching a business idea than what they are pitching. A great idea can be worthless in the wrong hands, after all, so you need to show investors they can trust you with their money. As such, you should include something about you and your team’s past achievements in your pitch. If possible, focus on success stories that show you know how to start and run a business. 5. Don’t Overload on Information Finally, when you’ve prepared a first draft of your pitch, cut it down to the essentials. The most common error when pitching a business is trying to cram too much in, especially in a verbal pitch, where you may end up rushing. Remember: this is a pitch, not a plan. So rather than launching straight into a full five-year financial breakdown, focus on key details that make your idea appealing. Another tip is to use visual aids, such as charts and tables, which can stop your presentation becoming too wordy. Ideally, your visual aids will be more detailed than this. In other words, your priority in a pitch is to make investors interested in your idea. And you won’t be able to do this if they’re struggling to keep up with reams of information. Of course, if all goes well, the people you’ve pitched to may ask follow-up questions. Or they may ask for a full written plan. This is when you’ll need the in-depth research you’ve prepared. But try to keep things engaging until you know the investors are already hooked!

Overseas Trade, Slavery, War, And Taxation in the 18th Century Britain Essay

Overseas Trade, Slavery, War, And Taxation in the 18th Century Britain - Essay Example The availability of revenue allowed for Britain to maintain naval dockyards and barracks, pay wages, and supply food and munitions, through Effective action by armies and fleets. The interconnectedness of overseas trade, slavery, war, and taxation shall be addressed by this paper. It is important to note however, that British colonialism had an influential role in the linkage among the four factors. Alongside a renewed pressure with the unprecedented demands of war with revolutionary and Napoleonic France between 1793 and 1815 was the fiscal-military state of eighteenth-century Britain, in which taxation reached 20 percent of the national income of England.3 Taxes were normally between 8 and 10 percent throughout the 18th century. Along with the growing influence of Britain was a desire to protect strategic goods, encourage colonial trade or preserve domestic employment from foreign competition, which became issues of national, security and imperial preference. It was likewise import ant for Britain to establish its political life and to provide links between civil society and the state, which became the subject of the complex process of brokerage with trade interests.4 However, success in Britain's point of view did not only mean the availability of an increased flow of revenue but warfare as well, whereby large amounts were spent in a short period of time which far exceeded income. It may be inferred that Britain's goal to pursue warfare specifically with its long-term rival France and the corresponding pursuit to sustain taxation were towards the attainment of a more heightened objective, which was colonialism. Such trail towards colonialism is seen in Britain's concentration on taxing policies witnessed in the fiscal system becoming more dependent on excise duties, with tariffs and stamp of wealth declining an importance.6 Land tax was considered the most important direct tax in this period, which was seen to rise in line with rents, profits, and salaries.7 The restoration of the land tax to the real level of the 1690s was seen to solve all fiscal problems as argued by a radical pressure group in 1860, the Financial Reform Association. A range of assessed taxes supplemented the land, aiming to tap the income of the rich by taxing signs of conspicuous wealth and display such as male servants, carriages, and pleasure horses. However, an increasing reliance on indirect taxes ensued when land and assessed taxes declined and these indirect taxes took the form of excise duties on a limited range of goods as well as duties on exports and imports. 8 At the time Britain relied on indirect taxes, there was an expansion of a more effective 'handle' on the economy for trade. Likewise, a means of extracting revenue from expanding sectors of the economy was offered through imports of raw materials such as cotton. This scenario shows the interconnectivity between trade and taxation, complementing one with the other in sustaining a mercantile economy. Warfare contributed to the rising power of Britain towards acquiring more territories for its expansion and objectives of colonialism.

Marketing Planning At Just Us Cafes Case Study Essay

Marketing Planning At Just Us Cafes Case Study - Essay Example Enhancing Customer Experience and Expanding Loyal Customer Base 13 Integrating New Media to Promote the Brand 17 Conclusion 20 References 22 Introduction The case study relates to ‘Just Us’ which began its operations in the year 1996 under the Co-operative Association Act. It initiated as one of the earliest fair trade coffee roasters in Canada. ‘Just Us’ evolved as a worker-owned and operated for-profit coffee co-operative that essentially imported, roasted and sold both wholesale as well as retail fair trade, organic coffee brought from fair trade authorised coffee manufacturers from different parts of the world. The main vision of the company is to be one of the leaders in the Fair Trade business focusing upon quality along with professionalism as well as innovation so that all its stakeholders would be benefited to a great extent (Just Us, 2012). Marketing planning at Just Us is significant because it will try to identify the various challenges that the company face and thus in light of the strengths and opportunities faced by the company, it will be aimed to focus upon how the company’s performanc e can be enhanced (Just Us, 2012). The main objective of the study is to discuss the internal as well as external marketing environment of Just Us. The study will also entail the ethical issues that have been raised in the context of the case study. The significance of product life-cycle concept to Juliet and the problem that can be faced by the company due to deleting a product from the company’s product range will also be discussed in adequate detail. The study will endeavour to offer suggestions to improve the cafe’s performance and provide recommendations on how the company can update its current marketing programme. Internal and External Environment of ‘Just Us’ All the factors within the organisation that affects the strengths and causes weaknesses in an organisation are referred to as internal environment. All the factors outside the organisation that offer opportunities and thus pose threats to an organisation are referred to as external environment (Kazmi, 2008). External Analysis a t ‘Just Us’ For the purpose of creating effectual strategies Just Us Cafe needs to examine the external environment in which it tends to operate. The analyses of factors such as competitor analysis, PEST analysis, Porters 5 Forces Model are crucial in this scenario. Competitor Analysis ‘Just Us’ has numerous competitors across the product line in the local market such as Nova Scotia and also in the wider market such as Canada and the US. It is quite important for the company to comprehend the competitors’ resources in order to predict the degree of future threats. Java Factory is found to be one of the significant threats to Just Us. One of the specific competitors of Just Us has been Kicking Horse in the Canadian market. Therefore, it can be stated that competition poses a major threat to the company (Loudyi & et. al., 2009). PEST Analysis It has been evident from the case study that one of the political factors, which has been hindering the success ful operations of ‘Just Us’ was certified identification of actual fair trade. There is constant alteration in the economic environment. The case study demonstrates the fact that a few of the competitors are offering partly organic ranges along with mainstream organic coffees. It has been identified that Just Us practices premium pricing strategy. However, in the recent times the companies need to consider the disposable income of the consumers in choosing the products. Therefore, it is quite important for Just Us to be aware of the fact that consumers feeling for one particular product can be impacted by their income, despite how

REPORT ON TRANSITION PLACEMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

REPORT ON TRANSITION PLACEMENT - Essay Example According to Hicks (2008), obesity is a major factor in developing diabetes. The latest trend in technology--automobiles as substitute for walking; video games in lieu of tag and hide and seek, has led more and more people to drop simple physical activities for machines that decrease work effort. In a study conducted across Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) nations, â€Å"...one in 2 adults is currently overweight and 1 in 6 is obese...† (Robb, 2010, n. pag.). Students working with specialist nursing specializing in diabetes will gain knowledge and understanding of the dynamics that surround the causes of diabetes. Knowledge on prevention of the said disease will help the student educate others in the aim of raising awareness and decreasing the incidence of the disease. Education and information dissemination will be the first step towards this goal; eventually leading towards lifestyle modification among the participants. Apart from education, the skills learned while working with the nurse specialist can be used in monitoring the blood glucose level, as well as drug therapy, of those diagnosed with the said disease. Blood sugar control and proper administration of drugs results in its desirable effects. These effects can range from symptom alleviation to prevention of complications such as heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure, blindness, kidney disease, nervous system disease, and amputation (ADA, 2011). In a study conducted by Edwall et al. (2008), constant follow-up by nurse specialist enabled the patient to foster understanding and acceptance of their disease; which demonstrated a desirable effect on the patients’ manner of coping with the struggles associated with the illness. The positive outcome was brought about by the following aspects: â€Å"being confirmed, being guided within the disease process, becoming confident and independent and being relieved† (Edwall et al., 2008, n. pag.). The patie nts gained a sense of power over the disease and this gave them satisfaction. Knowledge of special care regimen will lead to a more effective nursing care. Specialization in this field will allow the student nurse to address the patients’ concern regarding their illness. According to Heitkemper and Bond (2004), specialist nurses can provide support and guidance that can enhance patient care, refine nursing practice, and invigorate the healthcare delivery systems. Reference American Diabetes Association. (2011). Diabetes statistics. Retrieved from http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/diabetes-statistics/ Boyer, B., & Paharia, I. (Eds.). (2007). Comprehensive handbook of clinical health psychology. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. Edwall, L., Hellstrom, A., Ohrn, I., & Danielson, E. (2008). The lived experience of the diabetes nurse specialist regular check-ups, as narrated by patients with type 2 diabetes [Abstract]. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 17(6), 772-781. doi: 10.1111/j .1365-2702.2007.02015.x Heitkemper, M., & Bond, E. (2004). Clinical nurse specialist: State of profession and challenges ahead. Clinical Nurse Specialist: Journal for Advanced Nursing Practice, 18(3), 135-140. Retrieved from

Case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Case Study Example Mike’s also has its own wash bays and vacuum islands where customers can wash and clean their cars themselves. Secondly, Mike’s has also created an inviting place. Each of its 19 locations is located in a more-than-an-acre property that is highly landscaped, has a well maintained lawn and with its own underground sprinkler system. The buildings look so clean that people sometimes think Mike’s is a restaurant. Third of all, when it comes to its people, Mike’s is extremely fussy on who it hires. For every 50 applicants, only one might qualify for a second interview. Mike’s ensure that it hires only those people who place the customer’s interest above everything else, those who will fit in well with Mike’s principles. Fourth, regarding selling the relationship, Mike’s always think about their customers, especially their repeat customers. In fact, they live and die on repeat business. They are committed to providing 100% satisfactio n to their customers. Fifth, in order to sell their relationship, Mike’s empower their employees to take ownership of their work. These employees are entrusted to create a happy experience for customers, enough to keep these customers to come back for more of Mike’s services, and to become advocates for Mike’s. Sixth, although Mike’s has its own rules, policies and procedures, it likes to keep things simple. In fact, during the trainings for its employees, Mike’s discusses with its employees the latter’s experiences in the outside world in terms of services they had received as employees and turns the discussion towards how the employees can do the same thing to Mike’s customers. Seventh, Mike’s encourages, and even promotes, (friendly) competition among its stores. Mike’s believes that such friendly competition sparks improvements not only in its stores but also in its employees as well. Mike’s conducts meetings with various

Irritable Bowel syndrome Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Irritable Bowel syndrome - Essay Example This essay discusses that many women with anemia experience cases of acute fatigue, especially caused by menstrual blood loss. Anemia is mainly caused by iron deficiency though Maria eats regular diet. Being overweight can also be a source of fatigue, and may cause sleep disorders. The remedy would be to lose weight, quit certain lifestyles like smoking, drinking, and sleeping with CPAP device that keeps the air passages open. Taking the right diet is another remedy to help level blood sugar in optimal ranges. The diet should include foods such as eggs, and taking snacks throughout the day. Anemia causes iron deficiency during menstrual blood loss in women, since more red blood cells are needed to carry enough oxygen to the tissues and organs. Hypothyroidism is a thyroid, which is a small gland in the lower neck that controls metabolism. One will feel sluggish and may add weight if the gland is under active, and the metabolism functions is too slow. This occurs when the speed of conv erting fuels into energy is too slow. Certain foods such as too much caffeine may add more fatigue in consumed in large quantities, even though it improves alertness and concentration if taken in moderate quantities. Chronic fatigue that lasts up to six months may present symptoms like multi joint pains, headache, and muscle pain, and can be defined as chronic fatigue syndrome. The diagnosis may need a lot of time in clearly identifying the problem if the symptom is really fatigue, and other causes of fatigue should be investigated. Cushing’s disease, other infections like malaria, HIV infection, and influenza are numerous sources of fatigue. Heart diseases such as congestive heart failure, coronary heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, pneumonia, and arrhythmias are also associated with fatigue. Their existence also needs to be explored. History of drug abuse, alcohol abuse, grief, bereavement, and bulimia are psychiatric conditions that may present f atigue. Even the medication history should not be left behind when investigating the causes of fatigue. Especially anti depressants, sedatives, medication and strong drug withdrawal, steroids, and blood pressure medications. Associated symptoms include vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, blood in urine and stool, constipation, fever, muscle cramps and aches. Depression Depression can also be a cause of severe fatigue, as well as other physical symptoms. Other causes of depression should be examined such as headaches, loss of appetite, and other causes of emotional disorder. Depression is a very complex condition to diagnose since it is attributed to many causes. The factors that might increase depression are abuse, either physical, sexual, or emotional abuse that might make depression manifest itself in later stages of life. Certain medications are known to enhance depression, especially drugs for treating high blood pressure, beta blockers, and reserpine. Personal conflicts are a sure sour ce of depression, or disputes among family members. Grief or loss of a loved one, like Maria’s son was involved in an accident raises the level of sadness, thus increasing the levels of depression. Depression is also a hereditary

General Custer's Last Stand Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

General Custer's Last Stand - Research Paper Example Those that were left would pass down the story of the battle from generation to generation, until it became a legendary part of history. The main controversies leading to the battle were a band of what was considered to be renegade Sioux Native Americans and the fact that the settlers were once again pressing in on the lands previously given to the Sioux. A treaty was signed in 1868 and the Great Sioux Reservation was created; it included the Black Hills, lands considered sacred to the tribe2. Custer himself, however, had led expeditions into the country in 1874 and discovered rich reins of gold, which, of course, were wanted by everyone other than the Sioux3. Complicating things were a band of Sioux that had never considered themselves reservation Native Americans, and lived freely on buffalo hunting grounds4. Led by Chief Sitting Bull, these Sioux were finally issued an ultimatum, which was to move to the reservation by January 31, 1876, or be considered hostile and have military action taken against them5. The stage was set for a spectacular finish, and the Native Americans would not go quietly. Accounts of Custer himself are conflicted. His own writings depict that he believed Native Americans were hostile, and that they would break any treaty made before the ink was dry from their marks6. However, there are other accounts that portray him as friendly towards the Native Americans, wishing nothing more than to be considered a frontiersman7. It cannot be denied that he had clashed with Native American tribes before, as he had achieved victory over Cheyenne tribe at the Battle of the Washita in 18688. He had also done battle with Sitting Bull, as well as Sioux Chief Crazy Horse in 1873, when guarding railroad workers’ surveying land for new tracks at the Yellowstone River9. Custer, Crazy Horse, and Sitting Bull would once

Irritable Bowel syndrome Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Irritable Bowel syndrome - Essay Example This essay discusses that many women with anemia experience cases of acute fatigue, especially caused by menstrual blood loss. Anemia is mainly caused by iron deficiency though Maria eats regular diet. Being overweight can also be a source of fatigue, and may cause sleep disorders. The remedy would be to lose weight, quit certain lifestyles like smoking, drinking, and sleeping with CPAP device that keeps the air passages open. Taking the right diet is another remedy to help level blood sugar in optimal ranges. The diet should include foods such as eggs, and taking snacks throughout the day. Anemia causes iron deficiency during menstrual blood loss in women, since more red blood cells are needed to carry enough oxygen to the tissues and organs. Hypothyroidism is a thyroid, which is a small gland in the lower neck that controls metabolism. One will feel sluggish and may add weight if the gland is under active, and the metabolism functions is too slow. This occurs when the speed of conv erting fuels into energy is too slow. Certain foods such as too much caffeine may add more fatigue in consumed in large quantities, even though it improves alertness and concentration if taken in moderate quantities. Chronic fatigue that lasts up to six months may present symptoms like multi joint pains, headache, and muscle pain, and can be defined as chronic fatigue syndrome. The diagnosis may need a lot of time in clearly identifying the problem if the symptom is really fatigue, and other causes of fatigue should be investigated. Cushing’s disease, other infections like malaria, HIV infection, and influenza are numerous sources of fatigue. Heart diseases such as congestive heart failure, coronary heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, pneumonia, and arrhythmias are also associated with fatigue. Their existence also needs to be explored. History of drug abuse, alcohol abuse, grief, bereavement, and bulimia are psychiatric conditions that may present f atigue. Even the medication history should not be left behind when investigating the causes of fatigue. Especially anti depressants, sedatives, medication and strong drug withdrawal, steroids, and blood pressure medications. Associated symptoms include vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, blood in urine and stool, constipation, fever, muscle cramps and aches. Depression Depression can also be a cause of severe fatigue, as well as other physical symptoms. Other causes of depression should be examined such as headaches, loss of appetite, and other causes of emotional disorder. Depression is a very complex condition to diagnose since it is attributed to many causes. The factors that might increase depression are abuse, either physical, sexual, or emotional abuse that might make depression manifest itself in later stages of life. Certain medications are known to enhance depression, especially drugs for treating high blood pressure, beta blockers, and reserpine. Personal conflicts are a sure sour ce of depression, or disputes among family members. Grief or loss of a loved one, like Maria’s son was involved in an accident raises the level of sadness, thus increasing the levels of depression. Depression is also a hereditary

Understanding the Patient Intake Process Essay Example for Free

Understanding the Patient Intake Process Essay Medical Insurance describes the intake process using a decision tree model (pg. 79, Figure 3.1, Valerius, Bayes, Newby, Blochowiak, 2014). The tree leads administration personnel through a list of questions to determine if the patient is a new patient or an established patient. The first problem with this process is that some of the new patients are patients that have been seen at the practice. If an established patient has an appointment with a new specialist or sub-specialist that patient is registered as a new patient. The problem with this is describing these patients as new patients can lead to multiple patient records and lost data between physicians. If a patient for example, was seen in a large medical office that had several types of specialists and subspecialists creating a new patient chart for each visit to a new doctor or specialist would make it difficult to ensure that all files were updated. This would be particular important for a patient that was under more than one doctors care for more than one problem at a time. In cases where a patient had more than one problem, treatment for problem A could affect the treatment for problem B. It is important for doctors to know a patient’s complete history as well as current care when attempting to treat them. Using a master patient index is the first step to removing the need for duplicate records. In a master patient index a patient is registered the first time they are seen at a practice and given a constant and unique patient identification number. â€Å"Master Patient Index’s ensure that every patient is represented only once, and with constant demographic identification, within all systems of hospital data† (Master Patient Index, 2011). The master patient index as well as the medical records also needs a system to control the circulation of paper files or electronic database. A centralized medical records office would be the best way to control records (Green Bowie, 2011). The medical records office would control  the master patient index, which is never changed, so if a patient is absent from the practice for a number of years and returns their number could be found in the index. The centralized medical records office would also control the circulation of paper records. To release a record, the office would require a requisition for the record. Then records management would remove the record and replace it with an outcard and log the file back in when it was returned (Green Bowie, 2011). In an electronic database system, records management would control entering the demographic data and the administration data as well as scanning any paper records into the electronic records (Green Bowie, 2011). In a practice where patients might see different specialists or subspecialists there are two options for organizing the patient record. The POR system where each new problem would be entered using the SOAP method: subject (problem), objective (observations of condition and test results), assessment (providers evaluation), and plan (the treatment plan) (Green Bowie). The second option would be the SOR system where each source (provider, nurse, x-ray technician, lab technician, etc.), would group their entries together (Green Bowie). Considering Table 3.1in Medical Insurance the SOR system would probably be the best system for this organization. As this practice is used to organizing files specific to providers this system would be the most similar and thus the least confusing to change to. The SOR system would allow each specialist or subspecialist to easily identify ‘their’ section of the patient record as well as easily reference pertinent information. For instance, a new specialist needs to get lab work done to verify a chemical level before prescribing a particular medication. The specialist can easily access the lab technician’s results and see if the right test has been run recently. In a system where each new visit to a different specialist results in a new patient file, this information would be hard to cross reference. Maintaining patient records in a centralized location also allows for better control of medical files. When multiple copies of a patient file are in circulation it becomes increasingly difficult to control the circulation and  creates unnecessary possibilities for HIPPA violations. A Master Patient Index will also increase efficiency and patient care. According to Building a successful enterprise master patient index: a case study: â€Å"there are more overlap patient files than an organization usually perceives; an imprecise and incomplete base of demographic data will multiply the error rate for the enterprise† (Lenson, 1998). The master patient index ensures that patients are given a unique identification number only once, meaning there will never be multiple patient files for one patient. A centralized records management center ensures that there are not duplicate files due to decentralization. References Green, M. A. Bowie, M. J. (2011). Essentials of health information management: Principles and practices (2nd ed.). Clifton Park, NY: Delmar, Cengage Language Lenson, C. M. (1998, August). Building a successful enterprise master patient index: a case study. Topics in health information management, 19(I), 66-71. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10181913 Master Patient Index. (2012). In Search Health IT. Retrieved from http://searchhealthit.techtarget.com/definition/master-patient-index-MPI Valerius, J., Bayes, N., Newby, C., Blochowiak, A. (2014). Medical insurance: An integrated claims process approach (6th ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill. Green, M. A. Bowie, M. J. (2011). Essentials of health information management: Principles and practices (2nd ed.). Clifton Park, NY: Delmar, Cengage Language

Media And Childhood Obesity

Media And Childhood Obesity Obesity is among one of the many global epidemics. Its impact affects all age groups. The attention of international and national foci has been sparked by the reported rising of prevalence of child and adolescent obesity for preventative and management action. (Bromfield, 2009). Childhood obesity is a major public health problem. A main contributing factor to childhood obesity has been identified as food advertising during childrens television programs (Udell Mehta, 2008). Media is present to inform the public and present them with arguments that support or oppose solutions to childhood obesity. Obesity affects approximately 20% of the youth in America and this number is always rising. The media can define public perceptions on issues by choosing what to present and how this information is presented. This technique is called framing and can define what problems are perceived to be important and what the causes and solutions might be. It is hypothesized that media has a negative infl uence on the obesity of children. Past research will further help investigate this problem. In an article by Harris, Bargh, and Brownell (2009), it is hypothesized that food advertising on television triggers children to automatically snack on whatever food is available. It is stated that advertisements for high calorie, low nutrient foods are common contributors to the obesity epidemic. Obesity is the fastest growing cause of disease and death in America. (Harris, Bargh, and Brownell). The trend is increasing among young people. Snacking at non-meal times occurred in 58% of food ads during childrens programming. Food advertising to children portrayed unhealthy eating behaviors with positive outcomes. An important source of priming influences is the media, including television programs and advertisements. Food and beverage advertisements convey extremely powerful food consumption cues, including images of attractive models eating, snacking at non-meal times and positive emotions linked to food consumption (Harris, Bargh, and Brownell). The messages presented in television f ood advertising have the potential to act as real world primes and lead to equivalent eating behaviors. The article predicted that food advertising that conveys snacking and fun will automatically prompt eating behavior among adults as well as children. Experiment 1 in this study proved that snacking while watching commercial TV with food advertisements for 30 min. per day would lead to a weight gain of almost 10 pounds per year. Childrens behavior was consistent with what they saw on television, thus an automatic connection between what they saw and how they reacted due to the effect of food advertisements. In Experiment 2, it was predicted that food advertising would also prime eating behavior among an adult sample, and whether effects of eating behavior are due to exposure to images. It was hypothesized that watching food advertising that promoted snacking, fun, and excitement will cause people to eat more of snack foods than advertising that has nutrition benefits. The experimen t supported the direct influence of the snack advertising on consumption. The experiments presented in this article were highly consistent with the hypothesis. Food advertising that promoted snacking, fun, happiness, and excitement contributed to increased food intake. A limitation found in this study is that real world exposure to food advertising occurs in many situations, and it is not definite that other situational factors could not have moderated the advertising effects (Harris, Bargh, and Brownell). Reactivity was minimized and external and internal validity were enhanced when the experimenters mocked TV-viewing conditions in a natural setting. Another limitation is that the specific advertising features that affected eating behaviors can not exactly be pinpointed. More research is needed to make certain that priming snacking versus nutrition benefits and not other features of the advertisements caused the effects on consumption behaviors (Harris, Bargh, and Brownell). In an article by Udell and Mehta (2008), it was hypothesized that the main causes of childhood obesity were advertisements of unhealthy foods, no physical activity, increased time in front of the television, and busy parents. Policy changes to food advertising, encouraging environments for physical activity, better environments for healthy eating and healthy eating strategies were presented as solutions (Udell Mehta). This study found one hundred and sixty-six newspaper articles published that reported on restricting television food advertising to children as a solution to childhood obesity. Young children were found to be vulnerable to manipulation of these food advertisements. This study suggested that children need to be protected from high exposure to advertisements by encouraging them to eat foods with high energy and low nutrients (Udell Mehta). The article found that childhood obesity was caused by advertising of junk foods and a lack of physical activity due to the amount o f television watched. The media often links unhealthy foods with something catchy. For example, McDonalds shows viewers that if a happy meal is purchased, the child will receive a toy. This gives a misperception to children that they will be rewarded when consuming unhealthy foods. Most of the food advertising for children was for high fat content low-nutrient foods, and this was giving children the wrong idea of what is healthy. A positive correlation was found between a childs weight and the amount of time children spent on focusing their attention on media. This study emphasized the role of the media in advertising to children as a factor in childhood obesity. The articles that were analyzed were from July 1st, 2002 to July 1st, 2005, which was a time period where obesity was becoming an outbreak. The articles were 150 words or less and the main themes throughout these articles were concerning restrictions on food advertising to reduce obesity among children. Most of the results were constant with the idea that there should be restrictions on advertising. However, many articles suggested that television advertising had no effect on children and that the inactive lifestyle of a child was the main reason for their weight. The findings of this article were limited because there were only 166 articles selected and there could have been more data to support the hypothesis. The time period was also a limitation in this study because it was only within a 3 year span of time. During those years, obesity had just come to the publics attention so little was known of the actual cause. A study by Bromfield (2009) summarizes the negative physical and nonphysical outcomes for obese children compared with their non-obese peers. Obesity has been identified as a major risk factor for the development of common chronic and disabling conditions. Obese children have an increased risk of psychosocial and mental problems that can continue into adulthood. (Bromfield) Low self-esteem was presented in this article as the most common consequence of obesity. Other studies linked obesity to disordered eating, unhealthy weight control behaviors, bulimia, body esteem, and distorted body image. Obesity can become a child protection concern. Over-feeding of children by adults can be observed as producing extensive harm. Studies found that obese children with low levels of self-esteem engaged more in high-risk behaviors like smoking or alcohol consumption. (Bromfield) Research suggested that children who were overweight would encounter bullying as a consequence of their weight. It was a lso said that levels of education seem to be inversely correlated with body weight. A study in China found lower IQ scores in cases where children were severely obese compared to average weight peers. A survey was conducted for overweight children who rated their school performance and educational future lower than their non-overweight peers. Obese children often blamed their weight as a reason for having few friends and being left out from social activities. Weight bias and stigma in this article refers to weight-related attitudes that are displayed as stereotypes, stigma, rejection, and prejudice towards children because they are overweight or fat. (Bromfield) Current detrimental beliefs in the Western World include fat, ugly, awkward, overeaters, lazy, stupid, and worthless. Treatment for childhood obesity has been considered, including diet changes, exercise, surgery, medication and psychotherapeutic interventions. Parental involvement has been believed to be a main factor for t he most effective intervention. Limitations in this study could be location, as US studies dominated the UK studies. Also, even though research has shown that obese and overweight children are the targets of stigma, more evidence would be needed to understand its nature and impact and how outside factors such as age, race, weight status, and disability act as mediators or moderators (Bromfield). Media influence on childhood obesity is talked about more in research led by Harris and Bargh (2009). Investigation shows that childrens food preferences are acquired through learning processes which have long-lasting effects on diet. It was hypothesized that a specific type of food gains higher taste rating if it was advertised rather than it not being advertised. It was also predicted that there is a correlation between the time spent watching television at a young age and an unhealthy diet later on in their life. This is partially due to television advertising of food products which may influence ones perceived taste of the unhealthy food. It is debated in this article who is to blame for the overweight children: the food industry or the parents. Research has shown the crucial role of parents in early learning of food preferences, as they start to develop early in children. Peers, social institutions, the media, and culture are all considered to play a role in the spread of food p references (Harris Bargh). Children learn about their social world openly through observation of the media. Children learn while watching television that foods filled with calories and are high in fat and sugar taste great and are rewarding to eat. Food products make up the most highly advertised category on television that children watch most, 98% of the foods consisting of low nutritional value. The average child watches 15 television food ads per day, promoting unhealthy food products and thus promoting that eating fatty foods is fun, happy, and cool. (Harris Bargh) Research also shows television viewing and unhealthy eating habits are linked. Effects of television food advertising include greater recollection, preferences and requests to parents for the advertised products. Planned solutions to protect children from the unhealthy influence of television and food advertising included public service media campaigns, parent-child communication, and reductions in exposure to unhea lthy messages on television (Harris Bargh). In this article, it was predicted that preceding television exposure would be related to greater perceived taste and enjoyment of unhealthy, highly advertised foods. Parental interventions were hypothesized to moderate the unhealthy influence of television exposure on diet, which depended on how parents conveyed the message to their children. To test these predictions researchers conducted a study on college students at a private university and a state college; 90 from the public university and 116 from the private university (a total of 206 students). These participants were asked to complete a 30-min online survey of childhood memories of their parents rules and television viewing. The results were constant with the predictions of the experimenter, as perceived taste was associated with consumption. Healthy food consumption was associated with higher taste ratings for healthy foods, and lower taste ratings for unhealthy foods. From the collected data, results indicate that as predicted, healthy food consumption was correlated with higher taste ratings for healthy foods and lower taste ratings for unhealthy foods (Harris Bargh). These findings supported the hypothesis that healthy and unhealthy diets are directly related to the perceived taste of healthy and unhealthy foods. The hypothesis that the relationship between early television viewing and unhealthy eating with children and adolescents continues into early childhood proved to be true with the results. Evidence consistently supports that children who watch more television simply like the taste of unhealthy foods more, especially those which have been highly advertised. Limitations of the data include the discrepancy of self reports. Participants could exhibit self-deception or biases which could lead to results that do not accurately represent participants actual behaviors and beliefs (Harris Bargh). A survey was conducted with college students, however a student population was examined that may not be truly representative of all young adults and college students. Results represent relationships between variables and cannot determine causation. In the final article, Moore and Rideout (2007) explain the importance of marketing communication tools and how it is being used by advertisers to target children. The article discussed how food marketing is impacting children and how it may be linked to obesity. It was explained that internet, specifically, is being used as a marketing communications tool to target children. The focus of this research was on the online marketing practices by advertisers and how their practices affect children. It was hypothesized that exposure to the media, especially online advertisements, influences dietary habits among children and alters their perception on foods (Moore Rideout). The study was conducted on major food advertisers by analyzing their Web sites from the summer to the fall of 2005 and 96 brands of food were used as candidates. There were three parts to the study: the features of the site, the specifics of the brand and how it was presented on the site, and games online. Results indic ated that 85% of the brands had content on their Web site that had content for children. It was estimated that there were around 49 million views by children aged 2-11 per year on Web sites. Of those sites viewed by children, an astounding 73% of them contained one food brand while 27% contained up to 41 brands. It was also observed that of the many food brands on the Web sites, most of them advertised unhealthy foods, like candy, salty snacks, and sugary drinks. The researchers established that the advertisements online influenced childrens perceptions on what to eat. Because children spend so much time online playing games or socializing, they are constantly being exposed to persuasive food advertisements and its leading to the assumption that children are becoming obese because of the lack of physical activities and that their perceptions of food were being altered. Given the right programming, television can be a prevailing tool of entertainment and education for children. Studies have been presented in this paper that television and media has very negative influences. Television is a destructive force through images and advertisements which can influence viewers to make poor food choices or to overeat. Excessive television watching can result in inactivity which leads to weight gain and poor levels of fitness. Children are especially targets of food advertisements and have been proven to be more vulnerable than adults to their influence. Results indicate that media indeed does play a crucial role in the prevalence of obesity among children. (Bargh Brownell, 2009; Bargh Harris, 2009; Moore Rideout, 2007; Udell Mehta, 2007). Evidence shows that advertisements have a strong impact on the way children distinguish what is healthy and what is unhealthy. Also assumed in the previous studies is that advertising companies are capable of persuading children very easily to consume their products and that the amount of advertising should be limited to solve the problem of obesity in America. These articles have provided significant insight on how media influences childrens eating habits. Obesity has become a rapid growing epidemic in this country and it is vital to understand the degree of the dangers of this disease. To further investigate the relationship between the influence of media and childhood obesity, it would be helpful to directly study childrens diets and the amount of time engaged in television and internet. The first step to solving this epidemic is by attacking the problem that has likely caused it-the media.