Purhsing Paper Can Be Fun Essay

Question: What Performance problems is the captain trying to correct. Ans: 1 Poor Reporting Performance among the employees. Question: Use the MARS model of individual behavior and performance to diagnose the possible causes of the unacceptable behavior. Ans: 2 Possible causes for the unacceptable behavior is as follows: MARS Model: There are four main factors that directly influence an employee’s voluntary behavior and resulting performance. Employee Motivation: There was no clear motivation for employees to do their job perfectly as required. Motivation does not mean only financial motivation; people are motivated not only with money but also with an appreciation by the leaders of the company is enough to motivate them and pump in the force required to do the job with intensity. Captain must have set some goals which on achieving, the employees get recognition through an appreciation letter at least from the higher ranked personnel in the organization, keeping in mind that he was under the budget crunch which limited him in motivating employees by rewarding them financially. Ability: Analyzing the employees based on their capabilities was one of the cause. You will find some people whose interest is in doing the office work, captain should have recognize the skills and knowledge and segregate the work within depending on their capabilities. Coaching was also missing by the captain. Role Perceptions: They were aware about the consequences for inadequately doing the reporting as they were having issues when the case reached the court. Captain should have given them priorities from their various responsibilities by explaining them that the what matters is the quality of the work and not quantity. This would have helped them to improve. Situational Factors: As captain explained they set-up the team competitions based on the excellence of the reports, but the leaders were not committed and none of them were receiving any type of rewards for winning the competition. Leadership is responsible for the well-being of the employee in the company so they need to be committed. Question: Has the captain considered all the possible solutions to the problem? IF not what else might be done? Ans: NO What else can be done is as follows: 1. Task related trainings should be provided to strengthen the capabilities of the employees. 2. Improved Employee Engagement should be done, by recognizing the best employees, rewarding them which will boost their moral and they will feel that they are an integral part of the team. He can set-up a mechanism, like Employee of the Month Award and can display it in the office. 3. Coaching is also an important aspect of the leader, as a leader he should coach his team as and when required.

Bohol Countryside Package tour Essay

Commentary: Good Afternoon Everyone! I’m Queensy del Corro, your tour guide for this 2-Day and 1 night Bohol Countryside Package tour. You can call me queen, queens or just â€Å"Q†, whatever that suits you. And now, We are on our way to our first stop The St. Joseph Cathedral. St. Joseph the Worker is the patron saint of the city. The original church was built by the Jesuits through forced labour of the local people. But on December 23, 1798 the church was demolished to the ground. The cross-shaped church was reconstructed in 1839 to 1855. Less than two decades later, the two-storey convent was added, followed by the bell tower. As you can see the cathedral has a neo-Romanesque look, with corbelled arches underneath the cornice. Built from the usual materials found in other old churches built by the Spanish colonizers, the church retains the classic look at the front facade. In the inside. The church is both simple and majestic. Simple because the decorations are not as ornate as those we would see in Baclayon Church. Which you will be able to see tomorrow on our 2nd day. Or that of the Sto. Nino Basilica in Cebu. Majestic because it inspires awe when you look up at the display of saints behind the altar. Weddings are grandest at the cathedral which would explain why it is not easy to get a reservation for the wedding schedules. If you really want to, give yourself a year to reserve in order to be sure. So now, you can look around, take pictures and I’ll give you just enough time to admire the sacred place. And please do minimize your voices for there is a lot of church goers who prays and visits this place every now and then. And for our next destination, We are now here at The Sandugo or Blood Compact Shrine monument in Bo-ol district of Tagbilaran City. Does anyone here have an idea what the word â€Å"Sandugo† means? â€Å"Sandugo† is a Visayan word which means â€Å"one blood† or in tagalog â€Å"Iisang-dugo† . It was a blood compact, performed between the Spanish explorer Miguel Là ³pez de Legazpi and Datu Sikatuna, the chieftain of Bohol on that time. It became one of a landmark site of the first international treaty of friendship between Spaniards and Filipinos. It happened on March 16, 1565, to seal their friendship as part  of the tribal tradition. The monument, with the bronze statues of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, Rajah Sikatuna and several other witnesses, was a masterpiece of the Boholano sculptor and National Artist for Sculpture, Napoleon Abueva. Take time to have your pictures taken, and you may also enjoy the over-looking view of the Bohol Sea at the back, just be careful. I know you’re a bit hungry at the moment but don’t worry ‘cause we are now here at Bohol Bee Farm. You’ll be able to enjoy their healthy and organic food without feeling guilty after consuming a plate or two. But not only that, you’ll also enjoy to get near the cages or synthetic bee hives where the bees produce honey to pastries with traces of grated vegetables. A guide will assist you there so don’t worry. They also offer accommodation services such as, spas, massage areas and alike. So I’ll give you enough time to enjoy the food and most especially the place. Have and fun and I’ll see you after an hour and a half. And now, we are here at Panglao Shell Museum also known as The Nova Shell Museum, It features an enchanting collection of sea shells, especially those endemic to the waters of Panglao and Bohol. The museum is owned and operated by Mr. Quirino Hora who has practically devoted half his life in the collecting, studying and archiving of these underwater creatures. His hobby soon developed into a source of income for his family and provided employment opportunities to the local folks. At present, the Shell Museum showcases one of the biggest shell collections in the world. For enthusiasts of the beautiful sea life, the place is definitely on the top of the list. Fun fact, two shells are already named after him, the Busa Quirihoria and the Primovula Horai. The former was discovered in 1987 and the latter in 1994, along the pristine shores of Panglao Island. A tourist guide on standby can provide us information about the shells displayed inside the museum. Let’s now hear it from him. I know you are all feeling tired from the almost half a day of travelling on the way here in Bohol. And the some short stops we did along the way, that’s why I’m ending our first day early leaving you here in the Paradise of Bellevue Resort. Reservations are already made so you don’t have to worry  about anything. Free breakfast is included for tomorrow. Enjoy, Relax and have fun! The Bellevue Resort is everything you would imagine having in the best night of your tour. Experience a life of luxury with The Bellevue’s five star appointments. The customer service desk is open for any inquires you may need. Call time tomorrow would be at 7:30 here at the exact area where we are now. See you! We’ll be leaving exactly at 8am. Bring your swim wear just in case! DAY 2 Good Morning Everyone! So how was your sleep? Did you enjoy your Bellevue experience last night? I hope you did. Have everyone here had their breakfast? ‘cause we have a long day ahead of us. Our first destination for this day is the Hinagdanan Cave here in Bingag, Dauis still in the Island of Panglao, Bohol. In the area, you’ve seen numerous souvenir shops that sell a wide variety of souvenir items like keychain, T- shirts, hats and the likes. I highly recommend to buy your â€Å"pasalubongs† here, for their shops have cheaper prices than of the other you’ll see on our way. But you can do it later, don’t worry I’ll give you time for that. Upon entering, the cave’s interior is quite dark, that’s why you need to adjust your cameras for proper lighting when you take pictures. If you don’t know the proper camera setting, I’ll be glad to assist you how to do so. I can also take your picture if you want to. Inside the cave you can see a big, clean, and deep lagoon where you can bathe. So anyone who brought their swim wears with them? You may now go dipping! Next stop-over would be here at Dauis Church. The church is named Our Lady of Assumption. It is located in the heart of Dauis town. The big area outside serves as the playground for kids and picnic area for families during afternoons. Inside the church, you will see the â€Å"Miraculous well† as they say. Because according to some people, the water from the well can cure illnesses and sometimes helps you acquire things that you’ve been wishing for a long time. At the back of the church, near the exit door you can see a small kiosk like structure where they sell bottled water from the  Ã¢â‚¬Å"miraculous well†. You can buy it for 20 pesos. Take time to look over the place and don’t think twice to ask me help you take your pictures. Next in line is meeting Prony! The Python in Captivity. Prony is a self-developed and trained Python. It is owned by Sofronio (â€Å"Fronio†), where the name â€Å"Prony† came from. This is the biggest and longest Phyton in captivity is in the Island. Prony was captured last October 21, 1996 which only weighs 5 kilos and is 5 feet long during that time . Animal and snake experts says that the growth of Prony is abnormal as Pythons who live in the wild with the same sizes are already 50 years old comparing to Prony who is only 9 years old. The owner says that Prony’s growth abnormality is due to the fact that they treated the Python with outmost care. They fed Prony live chickens before but due to her large consumption and the cost of chickens, they now fed her with pig or goat every month. Prony has an amazing ability to sense unsuitable food such as sick pigs and goats. Prony doesn’t like dark, spotted and dirty pigs. She chooses clean white pigs that weigh over 40 kilos. The Python is given a bath 4 times a day and celebrates her own birthday annually. Now, you can take pictures with Prony. And if you like, they also have photographers to take your picture and give you a printed one right after with a reasonable price. As what I’ve said yesterday, we’ll be visiting the Baclayon Church – The Baclayon Church regarded as the second-oldest church in the Philippines; next to San Agustin Church in Intramuros. Symbolizing Catholicism’s influence in the island, the Baclayon Church was built from corals bound together by mortar mixed from eggwhite. Inside the church, you can see the dark interior of Baclayon Church, the gilded retablo behind the altar will definitely catch your attention, it is a baroque confection bedecked with backlit icons. Let’s walk to the back of the church and you’ll see carroza, or carriages for religious processions; some walls and part of the floors are engraved with the names of devotees presumably buried under the tiles. We’ll now be entering the Baclayon parish museum, please keep your cameras for picture-taking inside is not allowed. You’ll find the relics of ivory icons of Jesus and Mary; relics of Jesuit saints; church music written on sheepskin; priestly vestments; and religious artwork. Notes at the bottom  part of the relics are provided, take time to read while the local guide tours you around the museum. For the awaited lunch buffet, we are now here at the Loboc River Cruise. This is not something optional if you don’t want to miss a superb experience in your Bohol country side tour. Enjoy a buffet lunch in a festival themed floating restaurant while enjoying the cool breeze blowing inside it as it traverses Loboc’s clean river which is surrounded by lush green plants. Loboc River Cruise also offer a night cruise which is perfect for a romantic dinner. Along the cruise you’ll see several lanterns in the trees which surely look great at night. Enjoy your lunch while listening to the local bands ready to serenade you throughout the cruise. And don’t be surprised if they do some short stop-overs to let you see and admire the local children dancing and singing folk songs. On our way to Chocolate Hills, let’s take this opportunity to stop-over in Bohol’s Man-made Forest. The 2-kilometer expanse of verdant vegetation mostly of Mahogany trees, added with ferns, some wild bushes and flowers. The Mahogany Forest was part of the nationwide reforestation program that was launched in the 1960s during the reign of Diosdado Macapagal. The 857.4 hectares of bare land was gradually planted with young Mahogany trees by volunteers. You can also now take the opportunity of taking memorable pictures of another grand spectacle of Mother Nature and at the same time, also a product of human ingenuity. For our last but not the least destination. The Famous Chocolate Hills. The world-renowned cone-shaped Chocolate Hills is Nature’s expression of beauty, mystery and romance. Chocolate Hills is also cited as a Geological Movement of the country and is also known as the Eighth Wonder of the World. It consists of approximately 1,268 hay cock hills with heights ranging from 40 to 120 meters. Formed centuries ago by tidal movements, the hills are considered as a National Geologic Movement. During the summers, the dome-shaped grass covered limestone hills dry up and turn brown, transforming the area into seemingly endless rows of chocolate â€Å"kisses†. Two of the highest hills have been now developed and provided with facilities  such as a restaurant, hostel and a view deck. Now go ahead and explore Bohol’s Pride! Goodluck on climbing the 214 steps before reaching the view deck. Take Care!! Myth Story telling: On our way to Chocalate Hills Legend has it that when giants live with mortals, a gentle giant fell in love with a beautiful village girl. Agoro, the giant was handsome and though a favorite among female giants, was also a loner. When everything and everybody sleeps, Arogo would sit by his favorite spot near the river to ponder or just watch the night pass by. One night while Arogo was by his spot, he noticed a beautiful native girl with hair as black as the night by the river bank. He instantly fell in love with Aluya. After that night. Arogo would always wait by his place to take a glimpse at his beloved Aluya. A rumor reached Arogo that Aluya would soon marry a man her parents chose for her. The night before Aluya’s wedding, Agoro kidnapped Aluya. Seeing a giant, Aluya screamed, kicked and cried, but to no avail. Arogo was successful in abducting Aluya. In the giant’s cave, Arogo tried to give Aluya food and water but the girl kept on crying. Her sadness reached her heart that she died with tears in her eyes. Arogo buried her and kept his vigil. He cried for days and months. Giant tears fell to the ground. He cried a thousand years for the loss of his love. After sometime, Arogo’s tears hardened and became what we know today as Chocolate hills. The Hills were witnesses of an unrequited love of the years go by. There are at least 1,776 uniform hills that leave visitors no wonder how they came to be. And that would end our tour 2 day 1 night Bohol Countryside Tour. I hope you had fun even just for a brief period of time. I enjoyed your company and I’ll be expecting to see you here again! Thank you so much! And it’s me, Queensy del Corro again, signing off as your tour guide.

Selection Strategy for Merino Textiles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Selection Strategy for Merino Textiles - Essay Example This essay stresses that an effective HR Department will provide the company effective people to man the sensitive jobs of selecting qualified personnel for the various jobs of machine operators and an effective workforce for the different machineries in the production of textile and fabric products of the company. The role of the human resource department is significant to the attainment of the organisation’s goals and objectives. The manager has to maintain a good and effective rapport with his employees. The employees too have to establish an effective communication with the customers. Meeting the needs and wants of customers is the job of both the manager and employees. This paper makes a conclusion that the human resource department has to focus on identifying and selecting persons capable of implementing the organisation’s plans. HRD should maintain employee performance and see to it that that they are highly motivated. Without motivation employees cannot function well. Other HRM functions include job analysis, appraisal, and performance standards. Human resource management also determines the number and type of employees needed in the team and where the labor supply should come from. Recruitment, training and development, and assignment of people should all be in accordance with the organisation’s objectives. The organisation’s objectives are crucial to the staffing process.

Compare & Contrast Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Compare & Contrast - Essay Example One of the primary reasons why individuals choose the raw food diet is because they believe that heating food above 116 degrees Fahrenheit would destroy the enzymes within the food which assist in the digestion and absorption of food. Cooking is also thought to reduce the nutritional value and â€Å"life force† of food. However, critics of the raw food diet say that it doesn’t matter if some enzymes get inactivated when food is cooked because the human body uses its own enzymes for digestion. In addition, cooking makes certain phyto-chemicals, like beta-carotene in carrots, easier to absorb (Wong 2). The vegans on the other hand believe in a philosophy and lifestyle that seeks to exclude the use of animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose. People tend to pursue the vegan lifestyle primarily because of ethical commitments or moral convictions regarding animal rights, environment, human health, and spiritual or religious concerns. Hence vegans are strictly opposed to practices that involve factory farming, animal testing, and the intensive use of land and other resources for animal farming. The raw food diet is low in trans fats and saturated fats and high in potassium, magnesium, folate, fiber and health-promoting plant chemicals called phyto-chemicals. These properties are associated with a reduced risk of diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Proponents of this diet also believe that this diet offers numerous health benefits like increased energy, improved skin appearance, better digestion and weight loss. Similar to the raw food diet, a nutritionally sound vegan diet is free of cholesterol and is generally low in fat. On the other hand, this diet is rich in proteins, calcium, zinc and iron. Therefore, eating a vegan diet makes it easy to conform to recommendations given to reduce the risk of major chronic diseases such as colon cancer, heart attack, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, prostate cancer, and

Entrepreneur interview and PersonalAnalysis Essay

Entrepreneur interview and PersonalAnalysis - Essay Example These questions also reflect on the different factors that led the person to for a business venture. It would also reflect that whether the person in question has taken any creative or innovative pursuits in helping to gain business productivity. Further the questions also endeavour to understand the vision with which the person had sought to open up the business venture and the process through which he has achieved success in motivating his staff to adapt to the changing needs. The questions would thus help one to understand that whether the entrepreneur performs his actions with an outside eye and the manner in which changes are incorporated in the enterprise context. The questions also tend to evaluate whether the entrepreneur in question conducts activities in regards to the protection of the social and natural environment in and around the business firm. Further through the use of the questions an understanding can be made of the several entrepreneurial traits in regards to the individual in questions. It seeks to understand whether the person is quite self confident in managing changes in the external business environment and also share the same confidence while decentralising the whole gamut of business tasks among separate units. The pattern of questions designed would also reflect on the several influences social, economical and technological which made the entrepreneurs form such an enterprise in carrying out new sets of business activities. In total the questions prepared would help the interviewer in getting a personal insight in the understanding of how Mr. Thomas Mathews aged somewhere in thirties has been able to design a productive entrepreneurial venture though somewhat small in nature. The interview questions are prepared keeping in mind theoretical guidelines which would help in effectively evaluating the entrepreneurial capacity of the interviewee. Open ended questions are rendered so as to get an elucidated understanding of the entrepreneur ial mind of Mr. Thomas Mathews. The specific attributes of Mr. Thomas Mathews which had helped him in becoming a successful businessman is thereby successfully explored through the questions outlined. Evaluation of the Entrepreneur The evaluation of Mr. Thomas Mathews would be conducted from point to point based along the separate questions which can be rendered as follows. A.1 The entrepreneur in order to bring about enhanced productivity in his venture is required to incorporate large amount of changes both in the business process. This change in the business process is made to help the concern address the needs of the external environment. Such change in the business process is made through modification of the business resources both technical and human resources (Ricketts, 2003, p.72). Mr. Thomas Mathews is also found to incorporate changes in its business process through dividing a single project in the hands of double or multiple individuals and assigning a person as responsib le for the monitoring of such. This process would help the company in getting a large number of projects within the same time period. A.2 The entrepreneurs are required to motivate their staffs in a large manner to rightly adapt to the changes incorporated in the process and philosophy of the business organisation. The staffs of the firm need to be adequately trained which in turn would enhance their competence and skills to enhance the business

Police statics discussion 2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Police statics discussion 2 - Assignment Example 1). Finally, the data published by the US Department of Health and Human Services focus on drug use, alcohol use, tobacco use, substance abuse, among others (US DHHS, 2010). What are the major strengths and weaknesses of each? The strengths of the FBI reports are the availability and accessibility to crime reports on the most updated manner, where the latest statistics provided is for the year 2013. The weakness is that some data are not provided; for instance, the site disclosed that in violent crimes, clearance and arrest data are not available (FBI, n.d.). For the NCVS, the strength is the clear structure of the reports; while the weakness is that the latest information available is 2012 (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2013). Finally, the information provided by the DHHS is also comprehensive in the area of drug use; however, the weakness is that the latest available statistics pertain to the year 2010 (US DHHS, 2010). Which of the three different examples do you think is the most useful from a practitioners perspective and why? From a practitioner’s perspective, the most useful would depend on the statistics needed as well as the information on the type of crime that the practitioner needs. Yet, the most current and updated statistics provided by the FBI is deemed to be most relevant since it provides the most updated information that reveals current and historical patterns. US DHHS. (2010). Results from the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of National Findings. Retrieved December 16, 2014, from oas.samsha.gov:

Drug trafficking a global issue Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Drug trafficking a global issue - Research Paper Example It is understandable that this illegal business keeps growing at such a fast pace despite myriad efforts made at an international level and the mighty risk involved because the huge amounts of cash bagged by those involved directly or indirectly in the trade keeps them from abandoning the business. The above figure clearly demonstrates how much the illicit drugs trade differs from other kinds of illegal trades like trafficking of diamonds, firearms, and humans in the context of estimated global value. Though profits in this trade are made through a variety of different factors, yet one most profitable sector in many instances is based on the complex and highly secretive process of carrying the drugs internationally which is performed in so many different and ingenious ways that catching the people involved in this process becomes impossibly difficult many times. â€Å"The funds raised by trafficking groups can be used to underwrite other criminal activity and even political insurgency† (UN World Drug Report 2007, cited in Shah, 2008) which shows that drug trafficking even has political implications as will be discussed in this research paper. This paper basically aims to analyze the key elements of drug trafficking and its global implications. Literature about how the p ublic administration relates to drug trafficking will also be reviewed along with demonstrating the relationship of internal and external influences in context of drug trafficking. Many efforts over the past many years have been made consistently to tackle this global problem which has diverse domestic implications as people are still dying in staggering numbers in many incidents related to trafficking. An important factor accounting for this thriving illegal business is that unlike diamonds or human trafficking, the drug supply is regularly consumed each year and remains in constant need of immediate and rapid renewal. When the supply always needs to be renewed on a yearly

Assignment 9 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

9 - Assignment Example However, in your case, a false positive happened, wherein customers are inconvenienced, when their cards are temporarily suspended. We do not automatically suspend accounts, however, and we make sure that our customer care representatives call customers first before doing it. However, when customers are travelling abroad, it becomes harder to call them. Other customers have been inconvenienced by false positives too, much to our dismay, but our system has benefits and safeguards too that we must consider. First, the system is working. Our fraud rate has dropped from 15 centavos to 6 centavos for every $100. This means that we are also saving customers from the stress and inconvenience of having their available credit decreased or even depleted. Moreover, we have established safeguards against false positives. We advise you to call customer service at 1-800-553-0321 before travelling, in order to ensure smooth card transactions. You can also call the same number in case you experience other related problems. In addition, we are also working on reducing false positives in the system. We are identifying these trends and including them in purchases that must not be tagged for suspension. For more inquiries and concerns, you can e-mail us at  AskVisaUSA@visa.com. You can also access this website to see all our toll-free numbers in different countries:

Mens Cosmetic Market Essay Example for Free

Mens Cosmetic Market Essay The definition of a niche market is that the product interests just a few people. The target is represented by a limited segment and, in order for the market to be profitable, only one or two companies can be positioned on this specialized segment. In the market of hygiene and beauty for men, and especially in the cosmetics, the offer has been ignored by the cosmetics brand for a long time. In fact, until the end of the 1990s, beauty products for men were almost non-existent on the market. They did not have a special space the stores and the men strictly used products in a utilitarian aspect. This market has interested just a few brands because it was considered as a niche. Only the group L’Oreal had the courage to launch itself in this segment in 1985 with Biotherm Homme. This brand is considered like a pioneer in the men’s’ cosmetics. In fact, Biotherm was almost alone for more than 15 years, and it is the first one which dares to proclaim that men also need to take care of themselves, to clean their skin, combining the pleasure and the wellness by usingcreams, lotions, even anti-wrinkle creams. In the 90s, Nickel, an exclusive brand for men, launched an offensive by creating masculine beauty institutes. Then, in 1996, it launched its own line for men only. In fact, thanks to the succeed of its institutes, the brand noticed an real capacity and opportunity in this market. This new brand bound to men only knew how to enter in this market, thanks to its concept composed by different offers: one on the products, and the other one on the performance of services. But, the real revolution occurred in 2001 with the arrival of Vichy for men and Clarins in 2002. A lot of brands begin to be seriously interested in this growing segment and real competition appears. A new potential is detected by the big cosmetologist firms. †¢ The â€Å"masculinity of the women’s products It is important to consider the cosmetics’ world in two distinct parts; the market for the men and the one for the women. Even if there are not big distinctions between the products, those two markets are quite different. In fact, the men have not the same demand concerning the product. That is why the offer cannot be the same for both. The ideal product for most men must have some properties and qualities such as being invisible, fast, pleasant to put, easy to use, without smells and with an efficient result. Thus, men are not searching for a feminine product, otherwise, they will continue to use their wife’s ones. They really look for a product adapted to them and to their needs and wants. Moreover, the demand is different from the women: They (the women) like to use make up, take care of their body and their face by putting moisturizing cream on it†¦ Men have not already surpassed the taboos of the society, and, moreover, they do not like to â€Å"spread† cream on their body. That is why they will be more attracted by products for shaving, for hairs. But this current demand will probably change in the next years. The strength of Nickel was to propose from the beginning a technique and know-how studied specially for men. For instance, in his institutes, the technique for depilation was specially adapted for them. Moreover, in order to stay in â€Å"a masculine tonality†, the brand gave names with a masculine connotation that do not make the men â€Å"guilty†, such as â€Å"torse de boxeur† (boxer chest) or â€Å"jambes de cyclistes† (biker legs). 1. 1. 2. Changes in the men cosmetics’ market Blossoming (rapid development) of cosmetics for men As it was said before, the market of cosmetics, at the beginning, interested just a few brands and also, few men. Initially, this world is attributed to women only. In fact, cosmetology is synonymous of seduction, beauty, healthiness, or pleasure. Those words represent what the women are looking for when it comes to cosmetics. But, finally, the market of men cosmetics takes off after years of waiting thanks to different changes: mentalities of the new masculine generation, appearance of â€Å"metrosexual†, social liberalization of homosexual, and the fact that men want to stay young. The relationship between men and cosmetic products has changed and nowadays, they admit the fact that they also look for pleasure and wellness by using cosmetics. Bit by bit, firms pass over some barriers that men did not think they could transcend: make the men taking care of their skin, then, make them epilating and after, everything follows and continues to change. Make-up, Spa centres, beauty institutes, anti-wrinkles cream, hair cares†¦ â€Å"Their interest for their appearance expresses in their point: thus, they are 64,6% to take care of their skin, 73,8% to attach importance to their hair, and 31,8% like trying novelties. In addition, 38,7% states they devote time to take care of themselves. Those figures are clearly higher for the men under than25 years old and decrease gradually with the age†. All begins in 1985 when Biotherm launched Biotherm Homme, a line specially dedicated to men use. But, the market really took off in 2001 with the appearance of many brands interested in that specific market such as Nivea for Men, Klorane, Vichy Homme, Nickel, Phytomer, Clarins Men. Many lines and brands still appear on this market. It is in constant growth since its apparition and above all since 2001. This market is bound to be successful for both top-of-range and mass distribution. †¢ Opportunities of the market The advantages of this market are real since it is accessible and opened on the growth. In fact, forecasts are optimistic but the results are above the foretold success. For instance, Clarins Men reached 170% of its objectives in 2002 18 by the fact that the average number of products bought by the men is higher that the women’s one. According to Christian Courtin from Clarins, men buy â€Å"well beyond their forecast, men buy on average 4 products, against only two for women. Another example is Biotherm Homme, the pioneer: its line counts 45 products. Between 1997 and 2002, this brand knew a growth of more than 250%. It is true that the purchase from the men reaches unhoped-for proportions, but a demand without attracting cannot be a balanced market. This is why many brands of hygiene-beauty specialized in the female market launch a reserved range for the men in order to benefit from a market less encumbered, of a stronger growth, evolution of mentalities and to create a place in this market before being lagging behind. Indeed, some firms benefit from advantages before even catapulting themselves in the masculine care, because while being already present for the women, they enjoy a good reputation, therefore of a true credibility, an image of specialist and financial means the consequent ones. The arrival in force of the interest for the male world does not reach only the beauty care. The readers express a real passion for the male press, which arranges the market because, thanks to this mean of communication, it makes them known. Whether it be Maximal, Men’s Health, New look, or even Mr. Magazine, they approach each subject having attracted with the beauty. Men’s cosmetics amount to 50% (one in every two men), whereas nowadays, it is just 21% and in 1994, it was just 4% of men who stated they used regularly face care products 1. 2. THE MARKET IN FACTS 1. 2. 1. The global cosmetics’ market: The market of men cosmetic is absolutely not the rival of the women market because it represents only the fortieth 24 of the feminine cosmetology. But, in spite of its modest size, this market is bound to a continuous and fast growth, which is a sizeable advantage. According to the French newspaper â€Å"le Monde†, the trends are not so optimistic for the manufacturers of cosmetics. In fact, in Europe, the market of cosmetics in general is about 59,47 billion euros according to the European Association of the companies of hygienebeauty- perfumery (Colipa) and it presents a growth of the sales modestly positive (+ 2% in 2004, against + 3,5% in 2003). Those sales even start to regress in Germany and France, the two biggest European markets. If the women still buy as many hair or skin care products, the purchases of perfumes, and more generally of make-up (nail varnishes, for example) decrease. The main reason seems to be probably the price. 1. 2. 2. The European market of men’s cosmetics 2013: It has been a somewhat mixed year for the men’s lines market across the Big 5 wih some ups and downs. Male grooming continues to be a market that on the whole, is growing. But that is not to say the category hasn’t been affected by the credit crunch – a crisis Europe is only now making proper strides out of France As all the group members are French, and because this market is quite representative about what is happening through all Western Europe, it is interesting to present the facts and figures for the French market. The French industry of cosmetics is an industry which â€Å"draws† the growth: In 2006, French cosmetic industry saw its sales progressing for the fortieth consecutive year. The sales turnover is divided harmoniously between exports (57%) and the sales in France (43%). For 2006, cosmetic industry grew of 3,5% which is half more quickly than the national economy. The French market for men’s cosmetics follows the world tendency. The total sales turnover (produced care, of beauty and perfumes for men) progressed of almost 140% between 1998 and 2003, to 42,16 million euros, according to statistics of the federation of industries of perfumery (FIP). For the only products of care and beauty, the progression is 294%, with 21,37 million. Products for men, account for 10,3% of the total French market of the cosmetic, but 25% of the sales of perfumes. 2013: In France figures from SymphonyIRI France revealed that male grooming fell by 0. 2% over the past year in value terms, with volume figures slumping by a worrying 1. 8%. The male grooming market in France is now worth â‚ ¬934. 6m, while volume sales came in at 195. 05m units. Natural products have always been popular with French men and the past year was no exception. Germany  In Germany things were a bit brighter for the male grooming market, which saw growth of 4. 2% over the past year in value terms to total â‚ ¬538. 61m, according to SymphonyIRI Germany. Volume figures were also positive up 3. 2% to 265. 36m units. All areas saw a growth in value sales – men’s shower products put on 1. 6% to make â‚ ¬122. 84m, while men’s deodorant products rose 4. 5% to â‚ ¬140. 62m and men’s facial skin care products increased a massive 13. 5% to â‚ ¬1. 89m. Italy  Male grooming in Italy experienced a disappointing turn of events over the past year as value sales slid by 3%, according to industry body Unipro. All sectors saw a decline in sales with a 1. 7% drop in male soaps, shaving foams and gels; a 3. 7% decline in aftershave products; and a 4. 4% decline in treatment creams. Although the figures for the past year do not seem to suggest it, Italian men are famously into their beauty products and L’Oreal Italy predominantly monopolised launches in this category. Spain  More bad news was in store for Spain, where male grooming fell by a worrying 5. 69% in value terms to â‚ ¬312m and 4% in volume terms to 45. 2m units, according to SymphonyIRI Spain. In terms of what each individual sub-sector was worth, razors accounted for the lion’s share of this, at â‚ ¬203. 1m; shaving foams, creams and gels made â‚ ¬43. 5m; pre-shave treatments and aftershaves were worth â‚ ¬30. 1m; while facial treatments accounted for â‚ ¬35. 3m worth of sales. The recent gloomy environment, however, does not seem to have deterred brands from new product development as quite a few new launches for men hit Spanish shelves over the last year. UK  Fortunately it has not been all doom and gloom in the UK over the past year – the market here put on 2. % in the past year to make ? 782. 74m in value terms, according to Kantar Worldpanel. Volume also inched up by 0. 8% to 345. 15m units. All sub-sectors saw good growth including fragrances up 11. 9% and hairdressing products up 9. 8%. A slew of new launches hit shelves including those from supermarket giant Tesco, salon range Bed Head and a number of British niche brands. 2. 2. 2. THE MARKET ACTORS Men cosmetics’ market is still in a structuring phase. Nevertheless, 3 kinds of actors are appearing: †¢ Cosmetics industry leaders These actors are the most powerful in the market. They all have important financial and organisational ways to impose their products in the male market. They pursue a roll-over strategy close to the one used since a long time in the female market. Among the leaders: Beiersdorf with Nivea for Men, Clarins with Clarins Men, Estee Lauder with Aramis and Clinique, L’Oreal with Biotherm, Vichy, L’Oreal Paris and Lancome, and Shisheido with Shisheido, Jean-Paul Gaultier and Decleor. To keep their ranks, the leaders are now compelled to spread their product ranges to stay in the competition. Care universe actors Some brands benefit of a strong credibility thanks to the care market. This market has several advantages in the distribution network pharmacies, institutes, spas thanks to their support. Actually, these actors take advantage of the know-how and the credibility which characterize care and pharmaceutical world, and could get a determinant rank in the market. Brands and laboratories to know are for instance Pierre Fab re with Klorane, Sanofi-Aventis with Lipofactor, Phytomer and Decleor. †¢ Independent cosmetics’ makers They strongly stimulate the market by adapting their offer to men, but their diffusion stay confidential. To become strong, this group needs distributors to give visibility to beauty for men through specific spaces or special concepts. Independent makers have to use particular ways and specific concepts to introduce the market because they do not have the power of the market current players. Examples of independent makers are The Body Shop or Nickel. 2. 2. 3. Competition analysis †¢ New entrants threat Cosmetics sector is a very competitive one where in which are many brakes. Indeed, companies have to think about rules, high investments’ level, and scale economies. Innovation should be a primacy objective. However, research amp; development and communication costs are very high, and all companies can not invest heavily. This is of course not the case of firms such as L’Oreal, Nivea and Clarins, which already have a past fame very important. Thanks to this successful past, it would be hard for new entrants to find some place in the market. †¢ Substitutes threat Substitutes are not a real threat in cosmetics’ market. Yet, men use more and more aesthetic surgery. Actually, a patient on ten is a man. Today, men better assume their beauty’s envy. Most of men do not like going to buy beauty products. That is why they borrow them to their partners, who have, moreover, an adviser role. Finally, the distributors’ brands can be a threat. The market shares of these brands is growing more and more. Nevertheless, male products in supermarkets are often just shaving products and deodorants. †¢ Suppliers’ power Suppliers’ power seems to be light as well. Without big brands, suppliers and conditionment factories could not live. It is still important to keep good contacts with suppliers, especially those which have rare raw materials. †¢ Customers’ power A company has always to maintain its sustainable advantage by creating original products, adapted to the market targets. It is difficult to attract man’s attention since he is maybe not used to buy cosmetic products. So it is necessary to know and to analyse his needs and wants, and to succeed to satisfy him: a satisfied man is a loyal consumer for a long time.

War in the Air Essay Example for Free

War in the Air Essay If there was a war today, aircraft would be used for the following reasons, parachuting soldiers into enemy lines, bombing enemy countries, transporting supplies to troops, spying on the enemy, observe aircraft carriers to gain valuable information about operations in the enemy lines. In 1914 planes were not as useful and were mainly used to watch enemy activities. The only weaponry used by aircraft were the guns which pilots carried to shoot down enemy planes this was very dangerous as pilots risked hitting the propeller and having the shot rebound and killing themselves. Later in 1915 a man called Anthony Fokker a Dutch designer working for Germany designed a machine gun timed to fire between the airplanes propellers. The invention made air combat more deadly and lead to dogfights which was clashes with enemy aircraft. Another source of weaponry used by pilots was small hand bombs which were dropped by hand; these bombs had little effect on the enemy and outcome of the war. In 1914 planes resources disabled the aeroplanes from transporting supplies to troops and operating attacks on the enemy. During 1914 planes were extremely unreliable and very dangerous, they were mostly used for observing the enemies lines, spying and collecting valuable information. At later stages Germany developed the Gotha it was one of the first bomber aircraft, these aeroplanes were very valuable as they collected information from the enemy lines they took valuable photographs. These aeroplanes were a great help for sailors and troops. The Zeppelins were not much use for attacking this was due to them not being able to carry enough bombs to do serious damage. These were a valuable weapon for war at sea and the Germans had the most advanced ones. In the earlier stages of war the important aircraft were the airships, the airships were gas powered by engines with massive bags of Hydrogen. The airships were mainly used by the British army for accompanying ships and tracking down u-boats. They spotted u-boats on the surface of the water and they gave a warning to allied troops. However Germany had an advantage as their airships were the Zeppelins they were an important weapon but more so to the war at sea. The Zeppelins flew higher and travelled at a greater speed.

Threat from Naturalised Wildflowers on Roadside Verges

Threat from Naturalised Wildflowers on Roadside Verges The Threat from Naturalised Wildflowers used on Roadside Verges for Native Forests and Agriculture. The naturalised vascular species of flora throughout New Zealand at present has similar totals to the native species (Williams Cameron, 2006), and newly naturalised species are being discovered at an increasing rate (Howell, 2008). Approximately 19% of all naturalised species are presently recorded as environmental weeds (Howell, 2008). Unfortunately, these statistics can, incorrectly, give the impression that New Zealand environments are inundated with an abundance of diverse weeds. Rather, the majority of naturalised plants, together with weeds, still inhabit a mere fraction of the wild-land habitats throughout New Zealand (Williams Wiser, 2004). In the centuries to come, it is predicted that weeds and other naturalised floras will increasingly occupancy areas of New Zealand, even for millenniums as has appeared to have occurred with Europe’s naturalised plants (Pysek Jarosik, 2005). The general origins of naturalised flora species were as decorative garden and feature pl ants (Howell, 2008), as such they commonly are present near human settlements (Timmins Williams, 1991). When random wild-land sites were surveyed few, if any, environmental weed species are generally found (Sullivan, Williams, Timmins, 2006). This suggests that environmental weeds are generally in the initial stages of infiltration into New Zealand’s environments, thus, there is an opportunity to curb further dispersal. Methods of long distance dispersal differ among environmental weed and naturalised flora species, however, the planting and sowing of naturalised flora species, particularly the wildflower varieties, on roadside verges both facilitates the establishment and acts as corridors for the dispersal agents of these species, for instance stock, people, and vehicles (Overton, Smale, Whaley, Fitzgerald, McGlone, 2002). It has been estimated that the naturalised flora species which are present along roadsides are disproportionately early naturalisations that were originally stock-dispersed, and from either or both recent or current agricultural use. The total richness of naturalised flora species on roadside verges can be reflective of habitat and aspects of the neighbouring land use (Ullman, Bannister, Wilson, 1998). Roadside verges, as well as riparian margins and various other ‘waste’ areas, contain patches of wild habitats that can act as reservoirs for naturalised flora species in what is otherwise intensively managed rural environments. However, some studies are indecisive when it comes to naturalised flora species utilising roadside verges as linear dispersal corridors autonomously of the neighbouring land. Rather, naturalised flora populations along roadside verges generally imitate the adjacent land and the naturalised flora communities present on that land. However, there wil l certainly be exceptions to this rule. One example in New Zealand is the Kaffir lily (Schizostylis coccinea) present in mid-Canterbury. This lily is spreading beside roads utilising the irrigation ditches (Webb, Sykes, Garnock-Jones, 1988). Roadside verges present an unusual, generally uninterrupted continuity of a mono-habitat. Given the variety of wild habitats that roads pass through, it is thought that this is indicative of a present absence of nearby sources that can be used for the purpose of propagating, or a propagule, for these species in the area. The role of propagule pressure at local scales in species distributions is well detailed by Levine (2001) in a related riparian structure (Levine, 2001). However, it is vague as to whether various ornamental naturalised flora species that are restricted to roadside verges could maintain their populations without the support of propagules from proximate cultivated sources, especially when it comes to competition from species that are more abundant, such as pastoral grasses, which disperse onto the roadside verges from the neighbouring land. Regardless of the typical dominance of species from neighbouring environments, roadside verges are not merely expansions of adjacent habitats (Angold, 1997) (Parendes Jones, 2000). Roadside verges are frequently continuously disturbed and possess altered soil conditions, particularly in close proximity to the traffic lane. They typically have high light availability, specifically verges next to high-traffic roads (Parendes Jones, 2000). This makes the proximal roadside zone a highly specialised habitat, which in the temperate zones of the Southern Hemisphere is normally occupied by ruderal, or pioneer, flora species generally originating in Eurasia, but they vary with regards to local climatic conditions (Wilson, Rapson, Sykes, Watkins, Williams, 1992). Over in Australia, tropical grasses often establish on roadside verges and before spreading into neighbouring open woodland (Amor Stevens, 1976). Generally, woody varieties of naturalised flora are more uncommon on roadside verges than herbaceous species; however, species such as pines and eucalypts (Healey, 1969) can be frequent on roadside verges, provided there is consistent available moisture and low disturbance rates. Such species as Cotoneaster spp. tend to be most common on roadside batters, which are generally less disturbed by roadside maintenance than the flat areas (Sullivan, Williams, Timmins, Smale, 2009). Naturalised plant species that are present on roadside verges can endure there as wild populations, yet they still may not infiltrate into the surrounding areas of agriculture and native environments. It is possible that filtering effects may be especially strong in climatically severe locations, even where the neighbouring short flora could give the impression that it is open to invasion. Herbaceous roadside naturalised flora are likely to be ephemerals, and are not able to penetrate neighbouring native vegetation, whereas successful invaders are inclined to be less ephemeral (Winqvist, 2003) and functionally similar to native species (Godfree, Lepschi, Mallinson, 2004). When it comes to prairie flora with a mix of native and naturalised ruderal species, the naturalised species are more likely to occur on roadsides than the native species (Larson, 2002). It is possible that similar patterns occur within New Zealand; however, ruderal species either native (Wardle, 1991) or naturalis ed on roadside verges are uncommon. On the other hand, where filtering effects are not as strong, the distribution of naturalised flora along roadside verges may alternatively suggest the initial stages of an invasion into the adjacent flora. In Europe, herbaceous flora could possibly be invaded from 50 to 100m from the roadside verge (Tyser Worley, 1992) and non-native evergreen woody species in the United States, invaded deciduous forests 120m from the roadside verge plantings (Foreman Deblinger, 2000). The effects of planting roadside verges with naturalised plants is exemplified in a study conducted by Sullivan, Williams, Timmins, Smale (2009) regarding the extent of Russell lupins (Lupinus polyphyllus) which has spread from gravelly roadside verges of the Mackenzie Basin into the adjacent degraded tussock grassland, riverbeds will also function similar to roads as key linear corridors for the spreading of plants (Sullivan, Williams, Timmins, Smale, 2009). In other circumstances, the discrepancy between naturalised flora on roadside verges and the neighbouring flora may be rather noticeable. Ruderal species are often limited to roadside verges or, for brief distances, into the neighbouring disturbed woodland in environments both different (Wester Juvik, 1983) and comparable to New Zealand (Pauchard Alaback, 2004). Whilst generally the Eurasian ruderal species do not establish within New Zealand forests, and it is more likely that the roadside verges will be invaded by shrubs and vines that possess comparable features to the native flora present (Williams, Nicol, Newfield, 2001). Within New Zealand naturalised flora on roadside verges are influenced by both climatic and altitudinal gradients (Wilson, Rapson, Sykes, Watkins, Williams, 1992) (Ullman, Bannister, Wilson, 1995). As the environmental responses are comparable to the responses documented in Europe, it has been recommended that establishment of all obtainable roadside verge sites by the naturalised species has occurred, regardless of the comparatively short time-span since their introduction to New Zealand (Ullman, Bannister, Wilson, 1995). However, this is unlikely to be true for all naturalised flora within New Zealand as generally there is a strong correlation concerning the time from naturalisation and habitation on roadside verges, as well as for the reason that there are numerous new naturalisations found on roadside verges (Williams Cameron, 2006). Roadside verges regularly offer the primary and closest opportunity for naturalised plants to establish past the restrictions of agriculture in what is an intensively managed landscape. 25% of recent naturalisations between 1989 and 2000 were gathered from roadside verges (Williams Cameron, 2006); though in part this is because of some sampling bias. The formation of an environment which naturalised flora will find favourable initiates with the construction of the road itself (Greenberg, Crownover, Gordon, 1997). A frequent effect of road construction is an elevation in the levels of the water-table on roadsides which aids the establishment of naturalised flora particularly in wetlands (Buckley, Crow, Nauertz, Schulz, 2003), whereas in more arid areas, the runoff delivers water and/or nutrients which then promotes the growth of naturalised flora (Williams Groves, 1980) more so than with natives (Angold, 1997). More often than not in New Zealand (Ullman, Bannister, Wilson, 1998), as well as in other parts of the world, naturalised grass species are some of the more commonplace roadside verge species (Tyser Worley, 1992), as the altered environment and roadside management is beneficial for them, more so than some of the other naturalised plant species, for instance woody species (Angold, 1997). In Westland, New Zealand, within the pakihi vegetation, the construction of roads has assisted the establishment and coverage of naturalised species by altering drainage patterns (as is the case with Carex ovalis) as well as increasing nutrient availability due to the soil disturbance (as with Holcus lanatus) (Williams, Courtney, Glenny, Hall, Mew, 1990). Roads themselves offer a way of accessing the land for a variety of modes of transportation from large vehicles to animals, and all may transport the seeds of various flora which are then deposited either haphazardly or specifically in various locations. Thus, it is possible for a species to invade more rapidly along roadside verges than across the landscape overall (Guthrie-Smith, 1953). This is indicated by the naturalised flora diversity and abundance found along the more developed roads (Tyser Worley, 1992) where the volume of traffic is greater, though the more developed roads may also possess a more altered and more regularly disturbed habitat along the roadside verge, as well as a higher density of human habitations. A mode of dispersal for various seeds and whole seed heads is the capability to be transported via some form of attachment, particularly to vehicles, specifically the smaller seeds which can be transported by the tyres of vehicles and in the soil itself that is a dhered to them (Schmidt, 1989). As a result, the seeds present on vehicles can originate from various habitats, and a small number of these species, comparatively, are found on roadside verges, yet the seeds of most naturalised species found on roadside verges are also persent on vehicles (Schmidt, 1989). Vehicles are capable of transporting not just the small seeds of naturalised flora species, which are more commonly than not grass species, but urban garden species as well which are generally wind dispersed (for instance Buddleja davidii) or dispersed via animals (such as Pyracantha spp.) (Wardle, 1991). The manner in which vehicles act as dispersal agents can be of particular concern to managers of natural areas, for example, in Kakadu National Park, they have found the seeds of roadside weeds in the tyres as well as the mud on vehicles (Lonsdale Lane, 1994). Unfortunately, a traditional method of washing cars is merely cosmetic, and does nothing to stop the spread of naturalised species via vehicles. As a result it is improbable that something can be done regarding seeds on private vehicles except in special circumstances, the most effective method to protect sensitive areas is to keep vehicles out altogether (Parendes Jones, 2000). Alternatively the approach of disregarding the dispersal vectors altogether and focusing on discovering the originating populations of naturalised species in sensitive areas (Lonsdale Lane, 1994) is possibly the best tactic in New Zealand, however, this may be unreasonable for locating naturalised species that have been spread by four-wheel-drive or ‘off road’ vehicles on tracks away from established roads. People who not only use roads but also the methods employed to maintain roads, principally the use ‘slashers’ on the roadside, are significant vectors for dispersal of naturalised species on roadside verges. Naturalised flora species are particularly dependent on these practices for their vegetative spread, species such as domestic hops (Humulus lupulus) within the Buller catchment, Nelson (Sullivan, Williams, Timmins, Smale, 2009). However, domestic stock is still the primary vector responsible for the dispersal of naturalised agricultural seed species in other parts of the world (Tyser Worley, 1992) (Pauchard Alaback, 2004), because they were preceded the introduction of stock transportation vehicles in New Zealand (Guthrie-Smith, 1953). While currently stock droving is not really practised within New Zealand, it is still possible for stock to disperse the seeds of naturalised species when they get transferred around (Tyser Worley, 1992). For naturalised species of flora to be actively planted and sowed on roadside verges, for the use in methods such as erosion control and even via the dumping of garden waste, has resulted in some significant invasions of flora, for example in the United States, Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) was used on roadside verges for erosion control and bank stabilisation. However, it quickly became a problem due to its rapid growth rate and capability to displace native plant species (Williams, Timmins, Smith, Downey, 2001). Japanese honeysuckle is also a problem in New Zealand (DOC, 2014). Russell lupin (Lupinus polyphyllus) is another species commonly found on roadside verges throughout New Zealand and presents a threat to native areas. As they are an aggressive species presenting a particular threat to Canterburys braided riverbeds, with the potential impacts it could have these ecosystems. Roadside verges are among the areas of habitat suitable for use by environmental weeds and naturalised flora species as they advance their invasions into areas of natural vegetation within New Zealand’s landscape. Consequently, the protection of New Zealand’s sensitive and valuable conservation reserves from invasion by environmental weeds and naturalised flora species would definitely be advantaged by the control of planting and sowing roadside verges with naturalised wildflowers, particularly when used in combination with other weed control methods in neighbouring habitats that would be suitable for naturalised species. Carrie Page

Business Ethics :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Donaldson’s Values in Tension: Ethics Away From Home, he describes a policy that was standard at home, but unsuccessful elsewhere. In one example, the manager of a U.S. company in China caught one of the employees stealing. By following the company’s practice and turning the employee over to the authorities, which was the right thing to do according to our values. The employee was executed because he was judged based on China’s political, legal, and ethical codes, while to us (Americans) the punishment did not fit the crime.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While many cultures believe in some variation of â€Å"The Golden Rule†, there really is no detailed international standard of business conduct. U.S. firms should, at the very least establish company policies that take into consideration the principles of different cultures.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There is clearly a balancing act to develop policies that define the ethics of the corporation, while understanding that codes of conduct vary greatly around the world. Firms like Levi Strauss and Motorola, not only define their policies, they understand that their managers must be able to adapt to a great deal of moral uncertainty in international assignments. Many business practices are neither black nor white but exist in a gray zone, a moral free space through which businesses and their managers must find away to deal with. Levi Strauss and Motorola seemed to have helped managers by treating company values as absolute and insisting that their suppliers and customers do the same. How this was addressed by these companies, was the development of detailed codes of conduct that provides clear direction on ethical behavior, but leaves room for managers of these companies to use moral imagination that allows them to resolve ethical problems appropriately.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Donaldson argues that companies must be guided by three principles in the shaping of ethical behavior: respect for core human value, respect for local traditions, and the belief that context matters when deciding what is right and wrong. These principles help in establishing a moral guide for business practice.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  James Rachel’s The Challenge of Cultural Relativism, argues that different cultures have different moral codes. He is obviously taking the opposite approach to Donaldson’s absolute approach, that of a relativist approach. The relativist concludes that there is no objective â€Å"truth† in morality, therefore right and wrong are merely matters of opinion that can vary from culture to culture. The problem with this argument is that the stated con- clusion does not necessarily need to be the case if the premise is given.

Eating Disorders and Image Essay -- Anorexia Bulimia Health Weight Los

Eating Disorders and Image As humans on this planet we often think about what others think about our appearance. We often, in this society, look at a person through their characteristics such as: looks, height, clarity of skin, and by how fat or thin one appears to be. In the article, The Diet Zone: A Dangerous Place, by Natascha Pocek, she states the fact that, in this society, we put a lot of emphasis on diets and appearing thin. From when we are children we tend to change our views according to the ways of man, and find ways to stay fit or to lose weight. With this constant loss of weight we tend to get into a hole of wanting to be thinner, and in my opinion that want leads to the attempts of so many girls developing some sort of eating disorder. That fact has struck America hard, and Americans try harder to be what the image of the world is telling them to be. This image is to be thinner and prettier than you could possibly imagine. Dieting is a good thing to a point, but when one crosses the line of going to eating disorders, then dieting is not just a way to lose a few pounds. This way of dieting is a death trap. In Pocek’s discussion, she describes her story about the fad diets that she has tried and how they ended up not working for her. Pocek went through period where she would try a diet and either would not be able to follow through with it or the diet would not work for her. When her diets did not work out she would get really upset and try another diet. This method of dieting is common among most Americans today because commercialization is telling people that they will never be good enough unless they are slim. This is seen through the television and many ads that are placed in magazines. Sinc... ...as you keep it under control, dieting is not a bad thing. Pocek says in paragraph 7 of her essay that â€Å"losing weight lies in the power of our minds, not in the power of chemicals† (Pocek 167). Therefore, we have the power to keep our dieting under control. I am for dieting but when it comes to eating more when it says diet, or eating less to lose those numbers on that scale than the line of dieting has been crossed. Sometimes we are blind to seeing that line though, and cross over it daily because of the way America views people as always needing to be thinner. That image is causing thousands of people to feel they will never be good enough. Work Cited Pocek, Natascha. â€Å"The Diet Zone: A Dangerous Place.† Good Reasons with Contemporary Arguments. Ed. Lester Faigley and Jack Selzer. Needham Heights, Massachusetts: Allyn & Bacon, 2001. 164-167. Eating Disorders and Image Essay -- Anorexia Bulimia Health Weight Los Eating Disorders and Image As humans on this planet we often think about what others think about our appearance. We often, in this society, look at a person through their characteristics such as: looks, height, clarity of skin, and by how fat or thin one appears to be. In the article, The Diet Zone: A Dangerous Place, by Natascha Pocek, she states the fact that, in this society, we put a lot of emphasis on diets and appearing thin. From when we are children we tend to change our views according to the ways of man, and find ways to stay fit or to lose weight. With this constant loss of weight we tend to get into a hole of wanting to be thinner, and in my opinion that want leads to the attempts of so many girls developing some sort of eating disorder. That fact has struck America hard, and Americans try harder to be what the image of the world is telling them to be. This image is to be thinner and prettier than you could possibly imagine. Dieting is a good thing to a point, but when one crosses the line of going to eating disorders, then dieting is not just a way to lose a few pounds. This way of dieting is a death trap. In Pocek’s discussion, she describes her story about the fad diets that she has tried and how they ended up not working for her. Pocek went through period where she would try a diet and either would not be able to follow through with it or the diet would not work for her. When her diets did not work out she would get really upset and try another diet. This method of dieting is common among most Americans today because commercialization is telling people that they will never be good enough unless they are slim. This is seen through the television and many ads that are placed in magazines. Sinc... ...as you keep it under control, dieting is not a bad thing. Pocek says in paragraph 7 of her essay that â€Å"losing weight lies in the power of our minds, not in the power of chemicals† (Pocek 167). Therefore, we have the power to keep our dieting under control. I am for dieting but when it comes to eating more when it says diet, or eating less to lose those numbers on that scale than the line of dieting has been crossed. Sometimes we are blind to seeing that line though, and cross over it daily because of the way America views people as always needing to be thinner. That image is causing thousands of people to feel they will never be good enough. Work Cited Pocek, Natascha. â€Å"The Diet Zone: A Dangerous Place.† Good Reasons with Contemporary Arguments. Ed. Lester Faigley and Jack Selzer. Needham Heights, Massachusetts: Allyn & Bacon, 2001. 164-167.

What is the good life?

The article I have selected to summarize for this assignment is titled as ‘The Secret to Happiness’ by David Myers . This article discusses about the beauty and secret to a happy good life. It discusses the goodness of life from different aspects. It suggests that people from different genre ought to think differently about the curve of life and its happiness. According to a survey materialism brings much content and happiness in an individual’s life and a greater amount of people wish they were rich, which proves that money brings happiness to most. Thus suggesting that the source of good life recedes before an individual as he wishes to pursue. The article by David Myers speaks about the twentieth century with reference to people, their lives, and what made them a happier individual: the more rich a person is the more content he is in his life compared to the person who is poor and cannot fulfill his needs. Moreover, a survey was done with different classes of people which included the rich and poor, the young and the old, the children and adults and all were asked to tell their happiest period of life that they would never forget. More than 75% of the answers were materialistic happiness that is they were the most happy when they bought a new car, or a new home, when they found a new job. These were few answers that bought them life lasting satisfaction. Furthermore, writer uses a term known as buyer’s remorse used to describe the let down which occurred purchasing something that doesn’t provide satisfaction was expected off. Therefore, the secret to happiness for long lasting satisfaction is materialism. Though, many may not agree to the fact but it is true that materialism has held its importance in our life that much that it has become a secret of happiness. My Evaluation: What is a good life? A mother says that a good life is to see her children prosper; a father says that a good life is when he’d be able to be the strong man who could support his family; a student would say that a good life is to attain and be a top graded student; a beggar would say that it would be when he’d be able to get bread for his living; a prisoner would say that a good life is when he’ll be a freeman and when a lover is asked the same question as to what is a good life, he would say that a good life is to just have a glimpse of his love of life. Therefore a good life may be different to different people but all we need to do is to be practical and study carefully the options that we are given and choosing the best option among them. A good life is one that is spent in a high pursuit; a life where the energy of love is given most importance than any energy of matter. Thus, to spit away the hatred through the entrance of forgiveness, revealed through love would transform life into a life that is called a good life. A good life can never be spent around until the scent of love and charm may not be imbued in all, with all the strength and passion. We can harness the energy of the winds, the seas, and the sun. But the day a man learns the energy of love, that will be as important as the discovery of fire; and then one will realize what is meant by a good life. A good life is a life of a soldier. The pride and the passion with which a soldier walks with the soul content can’t actually be put to words. The soldier-walks upright and passes his nights waking only because the other million people there are sleeping only because that one soldier wakes and in the war zone hugs all the bullets as his medals. He is happy with all what life has given to him. His firm belief is that the truth or secret of happiness is serving his nation, defending its honor, safeguarding people and sacrificing his life for what he holds most dear to his heart which is his motherland. Thus, he lives and dies as a person with good life. But there also live people who have everything they have in life, everything they want, the women they love, the children, the career, the kind of freedom that is the envy of all friends, the travel, the honors, the pleasure and the praise. But then even their lives are missing something. These are the people who turn into the true hunters of a good life. They are always in search of what the true meaning of happiness is and this pursuit takes up most of their lives. The constant hunger or the dissatisfaction, despite of having everything they require, in them doesn’t let them rest and forces them to go beyond the normal realms to find the thing that will provide them with contentment, satisfaction and happiness. Thus a good life is the beginning of learning about the three most important things in life. First, as soon as people decide to confront a problem, they realize that they are far more capable then they thought they were. Second, all energy and all the knowledge came from the same unknown source that we usually call the God. All one has to do is to believe in the paths, to honor what one wishes to do and to honor that energy. To connect up with it every day, to allow oneself to be guided by the signs and to learn by doing and not by thinking about doing is what is important for the person. And third may lie on the observation that a good life is considered to be worse due to the sufferings we face. One should always remember that no one is alone in their troubles; there is always someone else thinking, rejoicing or suffering in the same way and that gives us strength to confront the challenge before us, to fight by moving the heavens and the earth to make a good life. A good life is always confronted by sufferings but in order to turn out those sufferings one must learn that if there is suffering then its best to accept it, because it won’t go away just because you pretend it’s not there. If there is joy then it is best to accept it too, even though you are afraid it might end one day. Some people can only relate life through sacrifice and renunciation. Some people can only feel part of humanity when they think they are happy and leading a good life. But a good life is good when a person is self satisfied. Nothing in the world can replace this one factor which is the only key to a better life. A good life may further be best analyzed by this Mongolian myth in which there are two characters. A doe and a wild dog that come together, two beings are very different natures: in the wild, the dog would normally kill the deer for food. In the Mongolian myth they both understand that they each need the qualities of the other if they are to survive in a hostile world and that they should, therefore join forces. To do this they must first learn to love. And in order to love they must cease to be who they are, otherwise they will never be able to live together. With the passing of time, the wild dog comes to accept that his instinct, always focused on the struggle to survive, now serves a grater purpose; finding someone who he can rebuild the world, who he can pass his life which is termed as not life itself as alone but rather a good life. Thus in all accordance life is what we choose to be, whether alone or with people we love, happy or unhappy, satisfied or unsatisfied. The key to it is to decide what we actually want and with that self actualization comes the true essence and meaning of happiness.

Impacts of Alcoholism on Family Welfare Essay

CHAPTER ONE 1. 0 Introduction 1. 1 Introduction This chapter contains the background of the problem, statement of the problem, purpose of the study, objectives of the study, research questions, justification of the study, limitations of the study, the scope of the study and the conceptual framework. 1. 2 Background to the Problem Seventy percent of Kenyan families are affected by alcoholism (Simiyu, 2006). Man has, over time, indeed come to acknowledge the fact that alcoholism is indeed destructive to the human race. This explains the reason as to why numerous studies have been conducted and some are still underway in relations to various areas where alcoholism is indeed a major threat. It is however important to note that most of these studies are mainly centered on the alcoholic. Alcoholism is a term that has many and sometimes conflicting definitions. In current and historic usage, alcoholism refers to a condition that results from continued consumption of alcohol despite the social and medical impacts that are raised by the vice. Alcoholism also referred to, in the nineteenth century and partly in the twentieth century, as dipsomania, may also refer to pre-occupation with or compulsion towards the consumption of alcohol and/or impaired ability to recognize the negative impacts of excessive alcohol consumption. The Macmillan dictionary (2002) defines the word alcoholism as a medical condition that makes it difficult to control the amount of alcohol you drink. 1. 2. 0 Alcoholism The dictionary definition of alcoholism is, a disorder characterized by the excessive consumption of and dependence on alcoholic beverages leading to physical and physiological harm and impaired social and vocational functionality. The Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research defines alcoholism as 1 a layman’s term for alcohol dependence and abuse. The medical encyclopedia defines alcoholism as a popular term for two disorders, alcohol abuse and alcohol dependent. The definition of alcoholism adopted for this study was a disorder that involves long term, repeated, uncontrolled, compulsive and excessive use of alcoholic beverages that impairs the drinker’s health and social relations. In this study alcoholism was characterized by frequent drinking, drinking five or more days in a week. 1. 2. 1 Family Welfare The Macmillan dictionary (2002) defines a family as a group of people who live together and are all related to one another, usually consisting of parents and children. It also defines welfare as the health and happiness of people. The definition of family welfare adopted in this study encompassed physical and psychological health, finances, employment, social life and relationships Velleman, (as cited at www.alcoholandfamilies. org). Family welfare was characterized by economy, health and safety, legal proceedings, marriage stability, responsibilities, and withdrawal. The Macmillan dictionary (2002) defines economy as the careful use of money, products or time that very little is wasted. Family economy in this study was characterized by the amount of money spent on alcohol, investment ventures and savings in respect to individual’s income. The dictionary definition of health is the condition of your body especially whether or not you are ill. Safety on the other hand refers to the fact that a thing is safe. For purpose of this study health and safety was characterized by instances of alcohol related illness or disorders, domestic violence both on women and children attributable to alcohol, accidents or any other act done which exposed the individual to harm as a result of the influence of alcohol on the person (Alcoholic) or on the family, and psychological state. 2 Responsibility is defined by the Macmillan dictionary (2002), as a state of being in charge of someone or something and of making sure that they do or what happens to them is right or satisfactory. In the study responsibility was characterized by instances of family roles of individuals (for example paying school fees by the parents), good physical and psychological availability for the family, work problems due to alcohol and its consequent negative impacts (Alcoholism). Marriage stability is a situation where marriage can raise up beyond the challenges which can lead to its break-up (Akem, 2009). For purpose of this study marriage stability was characterized by instances of divorce, separation, quarrels and disagreements. Withdrawal is to no longer take part in something or stop someone from taking part (Macmillan 2002). The definition of withdrawal adopted for this study was helping the person to get rid of his/her body off alcohol as well as the harmful physical effects of alcohol, Schuckit & mace, (as cited at www. answers. com) Withdrawal in this study was characterized by attempted instances to stop alcohol consumption by either the individual or third party efforts and the respective challenges posed by the same. 1. 2. 2 Alcoholism Unmasked Up-to 50 percent of murders involves alcohol, and three or more people die in Britain due to alcohol (Holden, 1996). Approximately fourteen million people in the United States of America are alcoholics, alcohol being the third leading killer in the United States, killing twenty thousand people and injuring 1. 5 million due to drunk drivers, Drink, (as cited in Katherine, 2009). Drink also reported that 65 percent of the aggressive attacks against women involve use of alcohol by the offender with more than 60 percent of the homicides involving the use of alcohol by either the offender or the victim. According to Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) alcohol abuse affects 70 percent of families in Kenya. 3 In November 2001, over 140 people died and scores of others lost their sight after consuming an illegal laced drink. In June 2005 illegal brew laced with industrial alcohol caused the deaths of 49 people and more than 174 people were hospitalized after drinking the home made Kwona-Mbee, literally ‘see the way ahead’, brew containing methanol a toxic wood alcohol added to the concoction to give it more kick (Simiyu, 2006). According to a study carried out by WHO (2004) involving 188 patients evaluated after motor vehicle crashes in all hospitals located in Eldoret found out that 23. 4 percent were blood alcohol concentration (BAC) positive and 12. 2 percent were intoxicated. This research work indicates the impacts of alcoholism on health and safety of the alcoholic, but they fail to mention the impacts of this disorder in the family setting. Holden (1996), states that alcohol does no good for the economy, costing the British industry 1. 7 British billion pounds. There thus existed need to establish a clear link between family economy and alcoholism. About a third of alcoholics recover whether they are in treatment program or not, Vallant, (as cited in Santrock, 2005). Studies from the national institute on alcohol abuse and alcoholism (NIAAA) in United States of America indicate that of all drugs, withdrawal from alcohol differs most significantly. This is so because it can be directly fatal, with an alcoholic having no serious situations having a significant risk of dying from the direct effect of withdrawal if not managed properly. This established the need to investigate how withdrawal as an aspect of family welfare is affected by alcoholism. One in three divorces is due to behavioral problems linked to drinking (Holden, 1996). In Kenya, most domestic misunderstandings are attributed to alcohol, (Simiyu, 2006). The study, therefore sought to find out the impact of alcohol on marriage stability. 4 1. 3 Statement of the Problem Research has shown that alcohol indeed has major impacts on the life of its victims. Indeed no man is an island; hence an alcoholic does not live in isolation. It is therefore expected that whereas alcohol is not good for the drunkard, it is also not good for the family of the drinker. It robs them the morally upright person that they looked up to. What might be the various aspects of the family that might be affected by having an alcoholic in the family? According to Cork, (as cited at www. alcoholandfamilies. org), researchers have often shown much concern for the alcoholic, while overlooking his/her family. There was therefore need to determine the various aspects of the family that were affected by having an alcoholic in the family. 1. 4 Purpose of the Study The purpose of the study was to investigate and establish the nature of relationship that existed between alcoholism and various aspects of family welfare of reforming alcoholics in Suneka division, using case study research design with a view of bringing to the light the intensity of alcoholism in our society. Alcoholism was characterised by frequent drinking, drinking five or more days per week. Family welfare was characterised by family health and safety, family economy, responsibility, marriage stability, instances of legal proceedings and withdrawal. 1. 5 Research Objectives The research sought to establish the impacts of alcoholism on family welfare by specifically finding out: 1. The challenges posed by the negative impacts of alcoholism on family economy. 2. The challenges posed by the negative impacts of alcoholism on marriage stability. 3. The challenges posed by the negative impacts of alcoholism on family health and safety. 5 4. Problems associated with withdrawal from alcoholism. 5. The impacts and frequency of alcoholism influence on legal proceedings perpetrated against alcoholics within the family. 6. The link between alcoholism and neglect of responsibilities. 1. 6 Research Questions In order to establish the kind of relationship that existed between alcoholism and family welfare, the research was guided by the following research questions: 1. What are the challenges posed by the negative impacts of alcoholism on family economy? 2. What are the challenges posed by the negative impacts of alcoholism on marriage stability? 3. What are the challenges posed by the negative impacts of alcoholism on family health and safety? 4. What are the problems associated with withdrawal from alcoholism? 5. What is the impact and frequency of alcoholism on legal proceedings perpetrated against alcoholics within the family? 6. What is the link between alcoholism and neglect of responsibilities? 1. 7 Significance of the Study The findings of the research sought to help: 1. Site out the impact of alcoholism in the local context which will act as an eye opener to the stakeholders concerned for instance the Ministry of Health, Human rights activists and the entire NGO community to see the need to help the affected parties. 2. Occasion, as a result, setting up of appropriate programs to help curb the menace caused by alcoholism, for instance setting up a rehabilitation centre. 3. Alcoholics see the need to stop taking alcohol, having realized the pain they inflict on their families. 6 1. 8 Limitations of the Study The study was based on a sample size of 30 respondents drawn from an accessible population which consists of individuals from Suneka community in Kisii south district. Owing to scarcity of resources, precautions should therefore be taken while generalizing findings of this research to other localities. This may be majorly due to environmental and social factors that may factor in to invalidate the findings. 1. 9 The Scope of the Study The study primarily focused on the impact of alcoholism on family welfare, a case study of Suneka division, Kisii south district, Nyanza province in Kenya. The study was based on a sample of 30 respondents and was conducted between the months of February and March 2009. 7 1. 10 Conceptual Framework ALCOHOLISM FAMILY WELFARE FAMILY HEALTH AND SAFETY MARRIAGE STABILITY FAMILY ECONOMY ALCOHOLISM RESPONSIBILITY WITHDRAWAL LEGAL IMPLICATIONS Fig. 1. 0 A conceptual framework on the relationship between alcoholism and family welfare. The study sought to find out the relationship that existed between alcoholism and components of family welfare namely: family health and safety, marriage stability, family economy, withdrawal, and the legal implications. 8 CHAPTER TWO 2. 0 Literature Review 2. 1 Introduction This chapter contains past studies in relation to alcohol and alcoholism. It has also highlighted the historical background. It particularly focuses on the impacts of alcoholism on the economy, health and safety, legal implications, marriage stability, withdrawal and responsibilities which were the pillars of this study right from the global, continental and local point of view. It also contains the critical review and the summary. 2. 2 Past Studies This section will shade light on the historical background of alcoholism, researched impacts, and the global, continental and local implications here in Kenya. 2. 2. 0 Historical Background The word alcoholism was first introduced by a Swedish physician Magnus Huss (1849) to mean poisoning by alcohol. It was later mentioned in France by M. Gabriel (1866) in his medical dissertation. This marked the evolution of the word alcoholism (as cited at www. asnwers. com/library/psychoanalysisdictionary). The most rigorous definition of an alcoholic (a person suffering from alcoholism) is the one provide by Pierre Fouquet, â€Å"An Alcoholic is any man or woman who has lost the ability to do without alcohol. † The production of alcohol dates back, to around 1400-1600 BC (Before Christ), in the Munainus region between black and Caspian seas. Commercial production of alcohol was well underway by 1500 BC, Court Wright, (as cited at www. asnwers. com/library). Alcohol is probably the oldest drug known to humanity. It was easy for the primitive people to discover that fruits and juices left to stand in warm places easily fermented to form alcoholic mixtures. Alcohol production is mainly founded on yeast cells, which in presence of warmth and 9 water continue to grow by using up the sugar until the sugar is finished or alcohol content kills them. Alcohol is a deadly poison and in high enough quantities, it kills all living things including the yeast cells that produce it, Weil & Rosen, (as cited at www. alcoholicsanonymous. org)! It was initially believed (Sigmund Freud, Karl Abraham, Sandor Ferenczi) that alcohol does not create symptoms but only promotes them, removing inhibitions and destroying sublimation (Descombey, 2002). The theory of alcoholism (1905d) is summarized in terms of predominance among men, beginning at the onset of puberty, Sigmund, (as cited at www. answers. com/ library). Magnus the Swedish professor of medicine distinguishes between two types of alcoholism that is, Acute alcoholism, which is due to temporary effects of alcohol taken within a short period of time- drunkenness and intoxication; Chronic alcoholism, which is a condition caused by habitual use of alcoholic beverages in poisonous amounts over a long period of time. Prior to the nineteenth century, alcoholism was seen as a moral weakness or criminal, rather than an illness. The new, â€Å"Disease† approach to alcoholism was started in America perpetrated by the, â€Å"Alcoholism movement. † It consisted of Alcoholics Anonymous (A self help group, setup in 1935), National committee for Education on alcoholism (later The National Council on Alcoholism) and the YALE, centre for alcohol studies. The, â€Å"Alcoholism movement† Quickly spread to Britain and subsequently to the rest of the world (Heather & Robertson, 1997). According to WHO (2004) In Africa, for instance, alcohol related beverages are very predominant among ethnic groups branded in different names passed from one generation to another. Among the common alcoholic beverages are: Chang’aa-Which is common among Samburu pastoralists living in northern Kenya and the whole of Kenya at large. In fact the word seems to have gained a national appeal in Kenya along with Busaa which are often used in Kisii among 10 the Gusii community. Others include: Palm wine (common along the Kenyan coast), banana beer (made from a fermented mixture of banana and sorghum flour) and Muratina (made from sugarcane and Muratina fruit-a fruit grown in Kenya). Among the Gusii community, the common alcoholic beverages used from times immemorial include Chang’aa and Busaa. Chang’aa is a distilled product resulting from malted millet, maize or sorghum alongside molasses the mixture of which has been fermented for a number of days, for instance a week. The fermented malted millet, maize or sorghum mixture in its crude state (nondistilled) produces Busaa. 2. 2. 1 Global Impact 2. 2. 1. 0 Health Alcohol has raised major attention on the international ground mainly due to its negative impacts in the society. Topping the list is the link between alcohol and its impact on health. It is important to note that alcohol on its own can cause a medical disorder known as alcoholism which was the pillar stone of this study. Studies indicate that alcoholism can arise in a genetic disorder which can be transferred to the offspring of the victim just like any other genetic disorders. It is estimated that 60 percent of those who become alcoholics are believed to have a genetic predisposition for it, Vallant, (as cited in Santrock, 2005). Hamgin and others (1999) also reported that there is a high frequency of alcoholics in first degree relatives of alcoholics. Research has shown that alcohol damages various organs in our bodies resulting to chronic diseases. Some of these organs include: 1. The Liver: Excessive consumption of alcohol results to liver cirrhosis and liver hepatitis. Hepatitis is the inflammation of the liver while liver cirrhosis is a liver ailment that interferes with the liver’s normal structure and function. Both diseases can be fatal 11 2. Blood: Excessive consumption of alcohol interferes with both the structure and function of blood. High quantities of alcohol damages red blood cells making them to become abnormally large as well as the destruction of white blood cells which results to low immunity whereas damaging of red blood cells may lead to cancer in extremities (NIAAA). The NIAAA in the United States of America suggests that a connection exists between heavy alcohol consumption and increased cancer risk. In fact 3. 56 percent cancer cases all over the world are related to alcohol drinking resulting to 3. 5 percent of all cancer deaths. 3. Heart and circulatory system: Alcohol drinking affects these body systems causing such disease as heart attacks, stroke (which arises when a blood clot from the heart enters the circulatory system into the brain blocking blood circulation in the brain) Alcohol is also not good for pregnant women for it can lead to various birth disorders such as, Fetal Alcohol syndrome (FAS), Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). These are permanent birth defects on off-springs of women who consume material alcohol during pregnancy (NIAAA). Other health implications include Sexual dysfunction and epilepsy and in extremities even causing death directly. Despite the numerous researches on the implications of alcohol on health, not much has been done on the frequency of such health implications on families affected by alcoholism. However, for an alcoholic it is important to note, perhaps not for his/her sake but for the children’s sake, that if they continue the path to alcoholism they are putting their children at the exposure to this disorder since comprehensive studies have shown that children of alcoholics’ show a three-to-four times risk of developing the disorder. Recent studies have proved that alcoholism is 40 to 60 percent attributed to genes, leaving 40 to 50 percent on environmental influences, Schuckit; Anthenelle Schuckit, (as cited in Schonbeck, 2004). Alcohol is not also good for the brain causing psychological harm in the long run with instances such 12 as depression and anxiety with as many as 25 percent of alcoholics presenting severe psychiatric disturbances. Alcohol effect reveals an overall sluggish brain activity (Revolution health, 2007). 2. 2. 1. 1 Safety Alcoholism has also raised eye blows in relation to its influence on safety in the society. Top on this list is road accidents. Indeed in most accidents grossly impaired judgment reduced reflex activity and reduced visual perception all play their part. In the United States 41 percent of all traffic fatalities are alcohol related. On average, alcohol related motor vehicle accidents occur after every 30 minutes injuring 500,000 Americans yearly with 30 percent of all Americans involved in such accidents at one time during their life time while 50 percent of such trauma cases end up dead, (www. niaaa. nih. gov). According to Santrock (2005), 60 percent of homicides involve use of alcohol by either the offender or victim and 20 percent of suicide cases involve use of alcohol by the victim, with 65 percent of aggressive instances against women involving the use of alcohol by the offender. Santrock also reports that alcohol increases instances of aggressiveness; to be precise alcoholics are more easily provoked when drunk than when they are sober to unleash harsh words, throw a punch or pull a trigger of a gun, Dougherty, Benelt & others; Fale-Steward, golden & Schumacher, (as cited in Santrock, 2005). According to Seto & Barbaree (as cited in Santrock, 2005), it is unfortunate that the people who are already prone to aggression are also the ones who are likely to drink and then become violent when they become intoxicated! People under the influence of alcohol, almost commit half of the rapes and other violent crimes, Abbey, Ross& McDuffie; Abbey & others, (as cited in Santrock, 2005). All these comprehensive research focuses on the impacts of alcoholism on the alcoholic’s safety but fails to shade light on the suffering which the family has to undergo as 13 a result. Equally most of these research findings do not bring out clearly the frequency of such hazards among families of alcoholics’. 2. 2. 1. 2 Marriage Stability It is estimated that more than 40 percent of separated or divorced women were married to or live with a problem drinker with more than three fourths of non-fatal female victims of domestic violence having reported that the assailant had been drinking (www. alcohlics-info. com). According to Holden (1996) one in every three divorces are attributed to alcohol drinking. It is clear while alcohol seems to be a clear threat to stability in marriages it is unclear, on where exactly it impairs on marriage stability. 2. 2. 1. 3 Responsibility It is estimated that a bulk of 10 percent work force in the United Kingdom have problems due to alcohol (Holden, 1996). According to Velleman, alcohol affects the quality of parenting, although the aspects of quality of parenting are not well defined (as cited at www. alcoholandfamilies. org). At the prime of alcoholism the alcoholic manifests an utter disregard to everything, including shelter, family, food, and job. These occasional flights into oblivion are best described, ironically, as, ‘Drinking to get away from the problems’ caused by drinking (www. alcoholics-info. com). These studies indicate a clear link between alcoholism and the role it plays in the execution of responsibilities at large but fails to pin-point the particular impact of alcoholism on family responsibilities and the frequency of the items mentioned above in a family setting. Santrock (2005), acknowledges the fact that binge drinking, usually associated with high BAC, to be associated with class absences, physical injuries, trouble with police and unprotected sex all instances of neglect of responsibilities by children (college students) who are a unit of the family. 14 2. 2. 1. 4 Legal Implications There are at least fifty thousand recognized alcoholics in Victoria-Australia, with one-hundred thousand drunk and disorderly convictions each year (Wright, 1991). Drinking at inappropriate times can lead to legal proceedings such as Drinking and driving, beyond the legal set limits, or public disorder. According to NIAAA (1997) forty percent of assaults are alcohol related. About 3/4 of all prisoners in 1997 were involved in alcohol or drug abuse in some way leading to their current offence (United States Department of Justice Statistics, 1997). From research already conducted there seems to be a link between alcohol and crime but on the other side no studies exists on the frequency of legal situations encountered by alcoholics in a family setting or their families or challenges faced by such families when faced by such occurrences. 2. 2. 1. 5 Withdrawal Unlike withdrawal from other drugs, withdrawal from alcohol differs most significantly from other drugs, since it can be directly fatal (NIAAA, 1997). For example it is extremely rare for heroin or cocaine withdrawal to be fatal. When people die from heroin or cocaine withdrawal they typically have serious underlying health problems which are made worse by the strain of acute withdrawal. An alcoholic however, who has no serious health, issues has a significant risk of dying from the direct effects of withdrawal if it is not properly managed. When alcohol is stopped, especially abruptly, the person’s nervous system suffers from great brain imbalances. This can result in symptoms that include anxiety, life threatening seizures, delirium tremens and hallucinations, shakes and possible heart failure. During withdrawal especially acute withdrawal symptoms tend to subside after 1 – 3 weeks. Less severe symptoms (e. g. insomnia and anxiety) may continue as part of a post withdrawal syndrome gradually improving with abstinence for a year or more. Withdrawal symptoms begin to subside as the body and central nervous system makes adaptations to reverse tolerance and restore 15 functions towards normal body functioning. It is evident that from completed research the habitual user experiences hangover (a combination of head ache, nausea, fatigue and depression) a situation which may be very challenging. According to Hamigan & others, (as cited in Thom, 2009) one in nine individuals who drink continue the path to alcoholism. However, according to Vallant, (as cited in Santrock, 2005) by the age of 65 a third of alcoholics are dead or in terrible shape; a third is still trying to bear addiction and a third is abstinent or drinking only socially. Vallant found the factors leading to successful withdrawal to be predicted by: 1. Having a strong negative experience with alcohol, for instance serious medical emergency 2. Finding a substitute depends, for instance meditation, exercise or overeating (which also has serious medical implications) 3. Developing a positive relationship such as a caring employer or a new marriage 4. Joining a support group such as Alcoholics anonymous (AA). Vallant acknowledges that more than 18 million patients currently need alcohol treatment and only one fourth ever get treatment for a number of reasons such as lack of availability of such facilities lack of adequate space, limited funding or because drinkers object to the treatment. These studies clearly depict the challenges facing withdrawal from the medical stand point. However, it is important to note that not much has been done on the impacts of withdrawal on the family set-up. 2. 2. 1. 6 Economy Alcohol also does no good for the economy. In 1989 it cost British industry 1. 7 billion United Kingdom pounds (Holden, 1996). According to a recent special report prepared for United States Congress by NIAAA, the impact of alcohol on society including violence, traffic accidents, lost work productivity and premature deaths, cost America in aggregate an estimated 188 billion United States dollars 16 annually. However, not much has been done on the impacts of alcohol on family economy and personal financial management and stability as separate from National or Global economic impacts. 2. 3 Continental Impact The continent Africa is characterized by poverty and unemployment. Extensive research has shown that these factors are a contributory to the start of alcohol intake and consequently alcoholism. African countries have high reported cases of domestic violence which are largely attributed to consumption of alcohol. Since most of the drinking population is poor and they can’t afford ‘expensive and classy’ commercial brands, they have opted for the cheap non-hygienical local brews. The drinking population also spends most of their finances on alcohol leaving their families financially unstable hence their family economy is in a terrible state. Excessive alcohol consumption also causes serious negative effect on fertility in both men and women: decreasing testicular and ovarian size, interfering with sperm and egg production and viability, disrupting menstrual cycles, and reducing libido. When pregnancy is achieved reduced quality of sperm and egg may significantly and permanently affect the quality of life, pre and post-natal, of the child. A child born to an alcohol using woman has a great risk of being born with fetal alcohol syndrome, which causes distinctive cranial and facial defects, including a smaller head size, shortening of the eyelids, and a lowered brain capability. Developmental disabilities, heart defects, and behavioral problems are also more likely. There has been an outcry among women from Mombasa, a town in the Kenyan coast, that alcohol intake among their men folk is making them incapable of performing their conjugal duties. Alcohol consumption has also caused numerous health hazards within the continental standing similar to what is being experienced globally. Among such diseases common in Africa include: liver disease, physical injuries due to short 17 term effects of alcohol leave alone the psychological ailments that the family of the alcoholic has to go through (Asenjo, 2009). It is however important to note that unlike in western countries, in Africa alcohol is more reserved to the male population. Women who drink are seen as a social vice associated with prostitution and immorality hence, as such alcohol has gained much prevalence among men and as such most alcoholics are men. It is ironical that since times immemorial women have always prepared the brew, but they give it to their male counterparts for consumption. Alcoholism also increases instances of marriage break down due to such factors as domestic violence, neglect of responsibility (a major problem) and the psychological impacts involved mostly among the women fork and the children of the alcoholic husband cum father. However, unlike in the developed countries where there exists, in abundance, institutions dedicated to aid alcoholics shake off their habits, such facilities are very rare in the black continent. These can be attributed to the fact that in most communities, alcohol consumption is regarded as a traditional artifact and as the saying goes, â€Å"Mwacha mila ni mtumwa â€Å"(A Swahili proverb which translates into, â€Å"He who abandons tradition is a foreigner†. Also this can be cited as a reason mainly responsible for low instances of withdrawal in the continent. Withdrawal, if any, is due to ones own efforts or in some instances pressure from a particular class in the community for instance, church or ones own family. It is, however, important to note that despite the ‘naked’ impacts (negative) caused by alcohol all over the continent, not much has been done to better understand the problem from a continental stand point and whatever presumptions that exists about alcoholism, are just mere generalizations, in that case, of what happens in the west to be applicable in Africa as well, which might not always be the case owing to the so obvious cultural and social difference 18 2. 4 Local Impact The devastating effects of alcohol and drugs on young people can be felt bare today. Experts have sounded alarming bells after two studies revealed that school children as young as eleven are falling prey to alcohol. Research at the African Mental Health foundation says that in the last four years the use of alcohol and other drugs among young people has increased by a staggering 71 percent. In Kenya, unrecorded alcohol consumption is estimated to be 5. 0 litres of pure alcohol per capita for population older than 15 years for the years after 1995, estimated by a group of key alcohol experts (WHO, 2004). A 1997 to 1998 survey sponsored by the Economic ad Social Research council and The British Institute