Thursday, October 31, 2019

Holistic Health Resources Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Holistic Health Resources - Essay Example s website, emotional wellness, it is determined by the ability of an individual to be aware and accepting of his or her own feelings, as well as stress management skills. She works with the Idea Health and Fitness Association, which gives information based on thorough research and ensures it is up to date. This depends on how positive they are about their life. The intellectual wellness is an individual’s ability to be a rational thinker; to have a greater understanding of things and have creativity within them (Applebaum). On another website NetWellness center, which is a non-profit global community service, the physical wellness involves the ability of an individual to participate in different sorts of exercises that determine the strength of their muscles and the health of their heart. The social wellness of an individual is determined by their ability to create and maintain healthy relationships. Spiritual wellness, on the other hand, refers to how much are they willing to seek meaning and the purpose of their existence. It involves the development of personal principles (Fitzwater). Vocational Wellness refers to the accomplishment of personal and career goals. As a result, the individual is motivated by goals. Forever-active is also a fitness and wellness center that is dedicated to improving people’s health. In relation to information provided on the website, the main points emphasize that the six dimensions are important, because they enable an individual to be focused, confident and make decisions based on correct moral grounds. When people master the art of achieving the requirements of the six dimensions of wellness, then they are able to live fulfilling lives

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Financial Statement Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Financial Statement Analysis - Essay Example Please see Appendix A. The same behaviour may be observed in terms of operating margin and gross margins for the same years respectively. These are all relevant evidence of poor performance for the poor performance of Vodafone. It was only for the years 2004 and 2003 that the company had positive gross margin. In other words, the company has in fact been losing money for the years 2003 through 2006. For purposes of comparing the company’s operating margin of the two companies against the industry average, Vodafone is performing poorly compared France Telecom where average for operating margin 17% as taken from MSN (2008) under the telecommunication services. France Telecom had actually the same 17% average for the last four years while Vodafone’s average for the same period, was -29%. Please see Appendix A. Even in terms of Return of Assets (ROA, Vodafone had -8%, -7%, -7%, and -7% for the years 2006, 2005, 2004 and 2003 respectively which faired poorly again compared with France Telecom’ s 6%, 23%, 19% and 32% for the same years respectively. The results of these ratios further confirmed earlier observation in negative net profit margin for Vodafone. The same less desirable or profitability is further observed in terms of Return of Equity where Vodafone showed -6%, -5%, -6%, -6% for the years 2006, 2005, 2004 and 2003 respectively which are definitely lower than that of France Telecom which showed -6%, 2%, 5%, 3% and 4% for the same years respectively. Please see Appendix A. Although France Telecom also reflected negative ROE for 2006, it may be pointed out that years before the company were indeed clearly more profitable. It may be asserted that two ratios have different purposes. ROA measures how efficient management of company was in terms of assets employed in business while ROE measures how

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Analysis of Media Text

Analysis of Media Text TMA02 The first analysed text is an article published in 2016 in Guardian: Maria Sharapova provisionally banned from tennis after revealing failed drug tests, written by Carpenter. (Appendix 1) This will be compared against Maria Sherapova hits out at the media coverage of failed drug test scandal, by N.Evans, published in Mirror in the same year. Despite the fact that these texts have some similarities, they also contain significant differences. Throughout the provided comparison. I will be highlighting process types as can be seen in Appendix 3 and 4. I will further on compare the two texts processes and separate them into categories, reflected in Table 1, which will lead to establishing the most often used verbal groups. Following step will be to identify the actors and material processes in order to establish the active participants. This is reflected in Table 2, as well as in Appendix 3 and 4. Upon collecting all the data I will then attempt to interpret and analyse the results. As mentioned above, in Table 1 the processes identified in each of the categories have been grouped. Both texts use heavily material processes, however, the Mirror text tends to have more verbal and mental processes. The next step in the process has been to identify the actors in both texts and grouping them into categories, as such: Maria Sherapova consisted of she, champion, the 28 year old, the former number one, substance, Wada, etc. The next step in the process has been to identify the actors in both texts and grouping them into categories, as such: Maria Sherapova consisted of she, champion, the 28 year old, the former number one, substance, Wada, etc. Table 3 is consisted of a comparison between text A and text B and the way goals are portrayed in each of the texts, also portrayed in Appendix 3 and 4. Material processes, as well as verbal processes are vital in helping writers assume a certain position regarding the subject of any communication. Upon analysing Table 1 we can see that there is a similar amount of material processes, however, in the second article, Maria is attributed a multitude of them: {..}hits out, .. has hit, tested, but in the same time the Mirror article contains more verbal and mental processes, such as Im proud, I hope, etc. In the first text, as mentioned before, there are plenty of material processes, this is because these are the main ways of providing an animated portrayal of participants and events. It plays a vital role in realizing the swaying function of the text. Restricting the usability of statements is one of the roles played by nominalization. The texts in both newspapers utilize nominalization to establish existence of prepositions before presenting arguments, which are certainly debatable in themselves. Nominalization usually transforms a deb atable process into something, which its existence is more complex to question. For example, in the Text B, people will believe is a good nominalization that is being used. On the other hand, she believed is a good example of nominalization used in Text A. As can be seen in Appendix 1 and 2, both articles are mostly focused on Maria Sherapovas failed drug tests. Through the relational process attributed to the tennis player, few athletes are like Sherapova, the author is helping readers to view participants in certain ways, in this case, as special athlete, that would admit her mistake in order to take control of the story (Appendix 1). The pronoun she is the most prevalent participants in the text by Carpenter (2016). On the other hand, the I pronoun is the most common participants in the text by Evans (2016). The pronouns are commonly employed as an actor in the material processes. Modality refers to the expression of probability. It is the grammars way of articulating the writers verdict, without making first person explicit. In the first text, modality is utilized to express his position regarding WADA decision about their chances of banning the drug. The writer says that the previous year WADA was studying the drug, and the athletes needed to take warning that the drug could be burned soon. On the other hand, on the Evans text, he writes that Sharapova that after ITF hearing, she will be allowed to play again. The will in this text represents the probability of her being allowed to participate in tennis game again. In both articles the themes has no personal element, which makes the texts extremely impersonalised. The main identified information providers are declaratives: Maria Sharapova has been provisionally banned from tennis (appendix 1), however the Carpenter article is at times empathetic towards Maria Sharapova, by comparing her with other Most sports stars try to hide positive tests for performance-enhancing drugs, hoping news will not break until a suspension is revealed (Appendix 1). The tone of the second article appears to be instigating adverse opinions: Tennis ace Maria Sharapova has hit out at some media accounts of her doping scandal in a furious open letter. (Appendix 1) APPENDIX 1 || Maria Sharapova provisionally banned from tennis || after revealing failed drugs test || || Maria Sharapova has been provisionally banned from tennis || after she revealed on Monday || she tested positive at the Australian Open for a recently banned drug [[ that she has been taking for 10 years for health reasons. ]] || || Sharapova claimed || she was prescribed meldonium by her doctor in 2006 || to deal with health issues such as an irregular heartbeat and a history of diabetes in her family. || But the substance was added to the banned list in January of this year || because Wada said || there was evidence of its use by athletes with the intention of enhancing performance. || || Sharapovas announcement is almost unprecedented for a top athlete. || Most sports stars try to hide positive tests for performance-enhancing drugs, || hoping news will not break || until a suspension is revealed. || But few athletes are like Sharapova || who has made herself into the highest-paid female in sport, > through a series of high-end endorsement deals. || The implication [[ that Sharapova has been cheating ]] can be a devastating blow to those deals. || By revealing the test results herself || she is attempting to take control of the story, || hoping that > || people will believe || she is being honest || and really was taking mildronate for health purposes. || || Meldonium was developed years ago in Latvia || to treat patients with heart conditions [[ brought on by a lack of oxygen in their blood. ]] || It has become popular with athletes || who use the oxygen-enhancers || to improve endurance, || especially when working out. || Last year Wada announced || that it was carefully studying the drug, || allowing athletes || to take it with the warning [[ that it could soon be banned.]] || A few months into that study Wada said || meldonium was being moved to 2016s banned list. || (Carpenter, L. (2016) Maria Sharapova provisionally banned from tennis after revealing failed drugs test, The Guardian) APPENDIX 2 || Maria Sharapova hits out at media coverage of failed drugs test scandal || || Tennis ace Maria Sharapova has hit out at some media accounts of her doping scandal in a furious open letter. || || The five times grand slam champion admitted || she tested positive for the banned drug meldonium at the Australian Open in January. || || The 28-year-old is facing a suspension of up to four years by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) || and has already lost numerous sponsorships in the aftermath. || || In a post on her Facebook account, the former world number one thanked her fans for their tremendous outpouring of support || before launching into a critique of [[ what [[ she believed ]] were some inaccurate reports. ]] ]] || || A report said || that I had been warned five times about the upcoming ban on the medicine [[ I was taking. ]] || That is not true || and it never happened, || Sharapova wrote. || || Russian Sharapova said || she was making no excuses || for not knowing about the ban [[ that went into effect on January 1, ]] || but said || that after the first announcement, other notices were buried in newsletters, websites, or handouts.|| Again, no excuses, || but its wrong || to say || I was warned five times, || said Sharapova, || who has said || she took the drug for 10 years due to a family history of heart issues and diabetes. || || The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) added meldonium to their banned substance list || after concluding [[ that it improves blood flow and || boosts exercise capacity. ]] || || Im proud of [[ how I have played the game.]] || I have been honest and upfront, || Sharapova said. || I look forward to the ITF hearing || at which time they will receive my detailed medical records. || I hope || I will be allowed to play again. || (Evans, N. (2016) Maria Sharapova hits out at media coverage of failed drugs test scandal, The Mirror) APPENDIX 3 Process RED Actor GREEN || Maria Sharapova provisionally banned from tennis || after revealing failed drugs test || || Maria Sharapova has been provisionally bannedMA from tennis || after she revealed V on Monday || she tested MA positive at the Australian Open for a recently banned drug [[ that she has been taking MA for 10 years for health reasons. ]] || || Sharapova claimedV || she was prescribed MA meldonium by her doctor in 2006 || to deal MA with health issues such as an irregular heartbeat and a history of diabetes in her family. || But the substance was added MA to the banned list in January of this year || because Wada said V || there was R evidence of its use by athletes with the intention of enhancing performance. || || Sharapovas announcement is almost unprecedented R for a top athlete. || Most sports stars try MA to hide MA positive tests for performance-enhancing drugs, || hoping M news will not break R || until a suspension is revealed R . || But few athletes are like R Sharapova || who has made R herself into the highest-paid female in sport, > through a series of high-end endorsement deals. || The implication [[ that Sharapova has been cheating MA ]] can be R a devastating blow to those deals. || By revealing V the test results herself || she is attempting R to take control R of the story, || hoping M that > || people will believe M || she is being honest R || and really was taking MA mildronate for health purposes. || || Meldonium was developed MA years ago in Latvia || to treat MA patients with heart conditions [[ brought on by a lack of oxygen in their blood. ]] || It has become R popular with athletes || who use MA the oxygen-enhancers || to improve MA endurance, || especially when working out MA. || Last year Wada announced V || that it was carefully studying MA the drug, || allowing MA athletes || to take it MA with the warning [[ that it could soon be banned R.]] || A few months into that study Wada said V || meldonium was being moved MA to 2016s banned list. || (Carpenter, L. (2016) Maria Sharapova provisionally banned from tennis after revealing failed drugs test, The Guardian) APPENDIX 4 Process RED Actor GREEN || Maria Sharapova hits out at media coverage of failed drugs test scandal || || Tennis ace Maria Sharapova has hit out MA at some media accounts of her doping scandal in a furious open letter. || || The five times grand slam champion admitted V|| she tested MA positive for the banned drug meldonium at the Australian Open in January. || || The 28-year-old is facing MA a suspension of up to four years by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) || and has already lost MA numerous sponsorships in the aftermath. || || In a post on her Facebook account, the former world number one thanked V her fans for their tremendous outpouring of support || before launching MA into a critique of [[ what [[ she believed ]] were MA some inaccurate reports. ]] ]] || || A report said V || that I had been warned R five times about the upcoming ban on the medicine [[ I was taking. ]] || That is not true R || and it never happened MA, || Sharapova wrote MA. || || Russian Sharapova said V || she was making V no excuses || for not knowing M about the ban [[ that went into effect on January 1, ]] || but said V || that after the first announcement, other notices were MA buried in newsletters, websites, or handouts.|| Again, no excuses, || but its wrong R|| to say V || I was warned MA five times, || said V Sharapova, || who has said V || she took MA the drug for 10 years due to a family history of heart issues and diabetes. || || The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) added MA meldonium to their banned substance list || after concluding MA [[ that it improves blood flow and || boosts MA exercise capacity. ]] || || Im proud M of [[ how I have played the game.]] || I have been R honest and upfront, || Sharapova said V. || I look forward M to the ITF hearing || at which time they will receive MA my detailed medical records. || I hope R || I will be allowed MA to play MA again. || (Evans, N. (2016) Maria Sharapova hits out at media coverage of failed drugs test scandal, The Mirror)

Friday, October 25, 2019

Stem Cell Research :: Controversy, Debate, Politics

Stem cells are cells that can form into any type of cell, they are found in bone marrow, embryos, fetuses, and blood from the umbilical cord. Early in development, a human embryo is made up of a hollow ball of cells called a â€Å"blastocyst†. Blastocyst cells divide and eventually develop into all of the tissues and organs of a human being, a process called â€Å"differentiation†. Embryonic stem cells can be grown in the laboratory from blastocysts and made to differentiate into nerve, liver, muscle, blood, and other cells. Scientists hope to control the differentiation of the cells to replace cells in diseased organs in human beings. Embryonic stem cells can also be used to test the effects of new drugs without harming animals or people. In adult human beings, stem cells are found in many places in the body, including the skin, liver, bone marrow, and muscles. In the organs, stem cells remain inactive until they are needed. The stem cells supply each organ with cells needed to replace damaged or dead cells. Bone marrow stem cells divide to produce more stem cells, additional cells called â€Å"precursor cells†, and all of the different cells that make up the blood and immune system. Precursor cells have the ability to form many different types of cells, but they cannot produce more stem cells. Scientists can isolate bone marrow stem cells to use as donor cells in transplants. Adult stem cells, however, are rare and more difficult to detect and isolate. The discovery and isolation of embryonic stem cells has led to debate over whether it is right to use cells taken from human embryos for research. People have expressed concern about using human embryos and collecting some of their cells. Some people consider embryos already to be human beings. The embryos are destroyed in the process of isolating the stem cells. Once removed from an embryo, stem cells alone cannot form another embryo or develop into a human being. Many people consider it wrong to destroy human embryos, but other people believe that the potential medical benefits of stem cells justify their use. Scientists have found that stem cells can grow into 210 types of cells in the human body. Scientists believe that these cells can be used to cure many diseases that they have tried to find a cure for. Stem Cell Research :: Controversy, Debate, Politics Stem cells are cells that can form into any type of cell, they are found in bone marrow, embryos, fetuses, and blood from the umbilical cord. Early in development, a human embryo is made up of a hollow ball of cells called a â€Å"blastocyst†. Blastocyst cells divide and eventually develop into all of the tissues and organs of a human being, a process called â€Å"differentiation†. Embryonic stem cells can be grown in the laboratory from blastocysts and made to differentiate into nerve, liver, muscle, blood, and other cells. Scientists hope to control the differentiation of the cells to replace cells in diseased organs in human beings. Embryonic stem cells can also be used to test the effects of new drugs without harming animals or people. In adult human beings, stem cells are found in many places in the body, including the skin, liver, bone marrow, and muscles. In the organs, stem cells remain inactive until they are needed. The stem cells supply each organ with cells needed to replace damaged or dead cells. Bone marrow stem cells divide to produce more stem cells, additional cells called â€Å"precursor cells†, and all of the different cells that make up the blood and immune system. Precursor cells have the ability to form many different types of cells, but they cannot produce more stem cells. Scientists can isolate bone marrow stem cells to use as donor cells in transplants. Adult stem cells, however, are rare and more difficult to detect and isolate. The discovery and isolation of embryonic stem cells has led to debate over whether it is right to use cells taken from human embryos for research. People have expressed concern about using human embryos and collecting some of their cells. Some people consider embryos already to be human beings. The embryos are destroyed in the process of isolating the stem cells. Once removed from an embryo, stem cells alone cannot form another embryo or develop into a human being. Many people consider it wrong to destroy human embryos, but other people believe that the potential medical benefits of stem cells justify their use. Scientists have found that stem cells can grow into 210 types of cells in the human body. Scientists believe that these cells can be used to cure many diseases that they have tried to find a cure for.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Power as Exercised in Totalitarian Regimes of the Stalinist Era

Mao Zedong, founder of the People’s Republic of China, once said that â€Å"Every communist must grasp the truth: political power grows out of the barrel of a gun. † Zedong’s metaphor accurately characterizes the oppressive nature of the Communist regime of the Stalinist era. Such totalitarian systems maintain control over its citizens through the exercise of coercion, reward systems, mass media, and propaganda. This kind of totalitarian government sought to deprive its citizens of individual rights and integrate them into the system as parts of the Stalinist machine. In One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Alexander Solzhenitsyn illustrates how the Stalinist labor camps, or gulags, utilized various modes of surveillance, the constant dehumanization of political prisoners, manipulative reward systems, and frequent brutality and force to maintain control over prisoners and uphold the ideology of Stalinism. Another perspective of the Stalinist power structure is offered in Andrezej Wajda’s controversial film, Man of Marble in which a young filmmaker tries to uncover the truth about a former national icon, Birkut, who fell to obscurity and encounters frequent resistance in her attempts to do so. This film illustrates how the Stalinist government manipulated the media and censored controversial literature, film, and artwork to portray false government success and brainwash its citizens into obeying the repressive regime. This paper will analyze the different mechanisms of power employed by the Stalinist totalitarian regimes depicted in Solzhenitsyn’s novel and Man of Marble and will further evaluate how the study of power in specific historical situations enables historians to determine the motivations of those in power and the effectiveness of certain power structures to achieve its goals and provide for its citizens. In Solzhenitsyn’s One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, the labor camps are depicted as a microcosm for the totalitarian state in existence. Gulags became the Soviet government’s method of transforming individuals under its control into obedient workers existing simply to physically construct the Soviet state and strengthen the economy while embodying the ideology of the Stalinist system. The prisoners were forced to work in severe weather conditions, consume very little food, wear very little clothing, and were encouraged to spy on one another to improve their individual situations. The majority of the prisoners in the cap are helpless victims who should not even be imprisoned; the Soviet authorities have unjustly punished them for they provide free labor. At the camp, many of the officials delight in treating the prisoners with excessive cruelty. The Captain is sentenced to ten days of solitary confinement because he has worn an unauthorized jersey under his uniform in order to stay warm. They also think nothing of stealing part of the meager rations of the prisoners so that they can have more for themselves. The prisoners cannot receive adequate medical care for the rule of the hospital is to admit only two people a day no matter how many may be sick. Consider for example, the exchange between Buynovsky, who jokingly announces the Soviet decree, and Shukhov which shows the absurd pompousness of the Soviet government: â€Å"Since then it’s been decreed that the sun is highest at one o’clock,† Shukhov replies, â€Å"Who said that? † and Buynovsky replies â€Å"The Soviet government. † () For the characters laws are both unavoidable and arbitrary. The Soviet people have little to say in their government and they do what it tells them to do. Buynovsky’s joke reveals the Soviet regime’s delusion of grandeur. Shukhov’s forced false confession to being a traitor to his country also exemplifies the way in which the Soviet government tailors the truth to fits its needs. The Soviet regime imagines itself stronger than not only the sun but also reality itself. Furthermore, Volkovoy’s differing responses to Buynovsky’s charges exemplify the hypocrisy in which the entire Stalinist state thrives. He ignores Buynovsky’s assertion that strip searching in subzero temperatures outdoors violates an article of the Soviet Criminal Code, showing his lack of concern for right and wrong. He is altogether indifferent to others’ opinions of state-sponsored actions. Yet when Buynovsky goes a step further and accuses Volkovoy of being a bad Soviet citizen, Volkovoy becomes violently indignant. He knowingly violates Soviet law and is thus, in a way, a bad Soviet citizen, but he is unwilling to admit as much. He cares much more about making himself look good than making his country look good. Though he disrespects his country’s laws with his action, he wants, hypocritically, to be seen as an ideal Soviet citizen. The labor camp also attacks its prisoners spiritually. By replacing their names with a combination of letters and numbers, the camp erased all traces of individuality. For example, the camp guards refer to Shukhov as â€Å"Shcha-854. † This elimination of names represents the bureaucratic destruction of individual personalities. In Man of Marble, Andrezej Wajda attempts to expose how propaganda, through national icons, was used to present a false impression of Polish success and how these national icons were removed and fell to obscurity when they offered the slightest hint of discontentment with the norm. The film begins by showing propaganda films that praise Birkut as a devout worker who slaves away at brick laying for the officials. Then, Agniezka proceeds to interview the director, who was hired by the government. He tells her about the reality of making the film such as how Birkut was given more food and water unlike the other bricklayers. This is an example of reward power in which the government manipulated Birkut, elevated him to the status of national icon, and gave him additional food and water to ensure that he would continue to work hard for them thereby sustaining that glorified worker’s image common to the Stalinist ideology. Wajda uses these two scenes to deconstruct the false imagery that propaganda gives to its viewers. He illustrates how officials manipulate these kinds of situations to their own political good. The character of Agniezka, the young filmmaker, resists this form of government manipulation of film and art by embarking on an endeavor to uncover the truth about a once great Polish national icon that fell into obscurity, Birkut. She encounters frequent resistance from others regarding the subject matter of her film but despite the controversy, she continues her work and unleashes the truth about Stalinism. Moreover, Birkut is fundamentally erased from memory because he refused to change with the existing political system that was overwhelmed with corruption, manipulation, and exploitation. Birkut spoke against that system and essentially the Stalinist government of Poland at this time, erased aspects of the nation’s collective memory in order to control its citizens. This kind of erasure from memory appeared to be the standard penalty for those who refused to conform. Consider the scene in which Birkut is trying to defend Witek who has been accused of treason. The bureaucrat informs Birkut to â€Å"don’t try to take things into your own hands. Leave it to us. Trust the people’s Justice. † This statement reveals how the government attempted to integrate its citizens to fully that their existence became that of automatic obedience, the trust in the Soviet regime would be so solidified that there would surely be little resistance or defiance and the utter submission to their power. At a union meeting where Birkut again tries to address the question of Witek, he shouts that a horrid injustice has been committed. Trade union officials then turn off his microphone and a chorus begins: â€Å"Socialism will prevail by force of example, onward stout workers! † This line is quite possibly the most important in the film for it exemplifies how the Soviet regime would glorify workers like Birkut and broadcast his intense labor and a glorified image of him through the mass media to encourage citizens to abide by the socialist ideology. However, later on as the film reveals, Birkut becomes demoralized and turns to drinking. His life is now in ruins. Birkut originally came to prominence for supposedly breaking the single shift brick-laying record. However, the newsreel director who recorded the event confides to Agnieszka how he manipulated and outright fabricated aspects of the episode for propaganda purposes. Yet poor guileless Birkut originally accepts everything he is told at face value. As a result, when he falls out of favor with the Party for championing workers’ rights, it is wrenchingly difficult for him to adjust to life when essentially persona non grata. There mere difficulty that Agniezka experiences in her quest to finish her film exemplifies how the government employs censorship to hide the truth. The propaganda newsreel claiming to chart Birkut’s life only demonstrates the parading of his image, as he acts out the role of labor hero, admires his marble stature, and the endless posters, which produce his form, and appears before the public as a crowd-pleasing vision of physical glamour. The proliferation and repetition of images of the idealized citizen were designed to eclipse any suggestion that the state may have no other basis for authority other than the manipulation of these icons. The power of the state to appear to dissolve the individual into the mass is disturbingly echoed twenty years later in exchanges between Agonies and two women who belonged to the generation of the 1950’s: the television editor tells Agniezka that, â€Å"I’ve selected everything to do with Birkut†¦although the rest is pretty much the same†, while Agonies, attempting to divert suspicion as to why she is particularly interested in Birkut’s statue in the museum when, as the museum guide points out, there are so many others like it, says, â€Å"I like this one†¦although it’s all the same. Implicit in this proliferation of idealized effigies of model citizens and leaders is the constant presence of state ideology. The collective memory that she unearths crumbles the seamless portrait of Birkut though revealing the painful, lived-through process of molding his image, which the opening newsreel only parades as a finished product. In flashbacks, Birkut is shown to be force-fed for weeks before the event, shaved, and groomed, when to smile, and carefully directed by Burski who ironically tells him to act more like a worker, and quickly turns his camera away when Birkut collapses, bleeding from the hands, upon completion of the task. Agniezka’s investigation of the manipulation of Witek and Birkut is synonymous with the excavation of the very foundations of the communist system itself, which claimed popular support upon the basis of the patronage of the worker. Her disinterment of the hidden infrastructure of totalitarian power reveals its construction on baseless myths and rituals. â€Å"Better to growl and submit. If you were stubborn, they broke you. † (41) This quote exemplifies how the Stalinist regime used brutality and force to ensure obedience. Throughout history, individuals and groups have exercised various forms of power in order to control others and their surroundings. It is important to analyze how power is exercised, constituted, and contested in specific historical situations because the world will learn how to use power to produce the greatest results in a given situation. In a totalitarian regime as those depicted in One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich and Man of Marble, the individual operates as part of a social machine on the principle of automatic obedience. This is the highest level of the institution of power, the creation of an efficient mechanism in which individuals act predictably on the principle of utter submission. The oppressive nature of the Stalinist regimes depicted in the aforementioned novel and film illustrate how the coercive power employed by the system was most ineffective because it builds resentment and resistance from the people who experience it. â€Å"He was a newcomer. He was unused to the hard life of the zeks. Though he didn't know it, moments like this were particularly important to him, for they were transforming him from an eager, confident naval officer with a ringing voice into an inert, though wary, zek. And only in that inertness lay the chance of surviving the twenty-five years of imprisonment he'd been sentenced to. † (65) This quotation exemplifies how the gulag transformed once proud individuals with fulfilling lives into components of the Stalinist machine and illustrates how the basic need to survive was motivation enough for the prisoners to obey those in power. A man that at was formerly a distinguished Naval officer was now being integrated into the masses and stripped of his individuality and identity to join the Soviet’s source of free labor. The passage suggests that by submitting to the hopeless status of a zed without resistance, one would almost surely survive the brutality of the camp. Works Cited Man of Marble. Dir. Andrezej Wajda. Poland 1977 Solzhenitsyn, Alexander . One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. New York : Farrar, Straus, and Giroux Inc, 1991. The Definition of Totalitarian. www. dictionary. reference. com/browse/totalitarian

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

A Syudy on Fast Food

SOCIOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY OBAFEMI AWOLOWO UNIVERSITY, ILE-IFE. GROUP WORK SOCIAL REFORMATION CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1. 0 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY Dunn, Mohr, Wilson and Wittert (2007) argued that the definition of fast food is inconsistent even within a simple sample. This has allowed participants to define fast food from list of different food items. The common menu items at fast food restaurants include fish and chips, sandwiches, hamburgers, fried chicken, French fries, chicken nuggets, tacos, pizza, hot dogs, and ice cream (Ayse, Lale & Metin, 2007).Moreover there are studies done at Berkeley University in 2009, the closer people live to a fast food restaurant, the higher their risk of becoming obese (Davis, 2011). Although, people indicated a very broad definition of fast food when asked what style of foods classified as fast food(including burgers, fish and chips, meat pies and pasties and brought (sand-wiches), when discussing fast food, they gave example which focused only on traditional fast food items such as burgers and chips from large franchises.Fast food according to the Oxford Dictionary of Contemporary English- is hot food that is served very quickly in special restaurant and often taken away to be eaten in the streets. Equally, fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served with low preparation time. The food is sold in a restaurant or store with preheated cooking ingredients and served to the customers in a package form for take-out or take away. The term â€Å"Fast Food† was recognized by Merriam-Webster in 1951.In as much as the importance of fast food in contemporary society cannot be overemphasized, it is pertinent to tilt focus to the emergence of fast food, and how it became pivotal in feeding and satiating the society to a remarkable extent. The historical background of fast food can be traced to urban development. The development was deeply rooted in sociological inevitability. Furthermore, in the Middle A ges, large towns and major urban areas such as London and Paris supported vendors that sold dishes such as pies, pastries, pancakes, wafers and cooked meats.In Roman cities during the antiquity, 1 many of these establishments catered for those who had no means to cook on their own. Travelers, as well such as pilgrims en route to a holy site were among the customers. The United Kingdom and United States also had notable developments in the fast food sphere, following the advent of the World War I. Equally, as fast food outlets became popular and more affordable, drive – in restaurants were introduced, alongside franchising in 1921 by A & W Root Beer which franchised distinctive syrup.In the traditional African society, Fast Food as an institution is equally evident. There have been hawkers of fast food items in these societies since time immemorial, and these have evolved into restaurants and fast food outlets. Fast food outlets existed in the traditional Nigeria society. The corner seller of Suya, Akara (fried bean cake), roasted plantain, Fried yam, roasted corn has been an age old feature of many Nigeria towns serving snacks for those on the go for everyone from little children to working adults.While traditional fast food delicacies still remain as well as mobile market fast food vendors, what has contributed significantly to the growth of fast food outlets in Nigeria has been increased urbanization and changing work roles. Since the 1960s, (U. S Library of congress), Nigeria has had one of the fastest population growth rate in the world. In 2010, almost half of all the population lives in the cities. As more people choose to settle in Nigeria crowded cities, the time to prepare meals has become more demanding.With more women joining the work force, their traditional roles have changed. This can further be explained by individualization thesis by Beck- Gernshein, (1998). Fast food can also be found in every nook and cranny of Nigeria, Tertiary instit ution like Obafemi Awolowo University is not an exception to this phenomenon of fast food. The example of contemporary and traditional fast food outlets such as Forks and Fingers, Banwill, sell contemporary meals while traditional meals such as Suya, Eba and Egusi soup, Semo are sold within OAU CAMPUS.The patronage of fast food outlets on campus has factors that influence it; these factors are dependent on the student economic status, family background, genders, e. t. c. 2 1. 1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM: There is a general assumption in the Nigeria society that males patronize fast food outlets more, this assumption is backed up by the sexist patterning of division of labour (Bem, 1993; Friedan 1963; Lorber, 1994; Pateman, 1999; A. Rossi, 1964; Schaeffer, 2001). This study seeks to establish the kind of correlation existing between gender and patronage of fast food outlet.Many observers are quick to point at the economic gap between the rich and poor and the rich. Due to the unequal distribution of resources in the study, some people do not have the access to these resources. In the patronage of fast food outlet, there are different fast food on campus, the rate at which students patronize one fast food outlet the others varies for example forks and fingers vary with the rate at which they patrons Banwill. This finding seeks to explore if the socio-economic status of students is a determinant of fast food patronize on campus.The rate at which students patronize Banwill which is more expensive than others like forks and fingers varies. This is as a result of unequal distribution of economic resources in the society. Nevertheless, both the students from low and high income family still patronize fast food outlet despite their difference in socio economic status. 1. 2 RESEARCH QUESTION: The research questions include the following: 1. To what extent does family background influence student’s patronage of fast food outlets? 2. How does gender influence the p atronage of fast food outlets? . How does income level affect fast food outlets patronage? 3 1. 3 OBJECTIVES The broad objective of this research is to look at the social correlates of fast food outlet patronage among OAU students. In achieving the broad objective of this research, the specific objective is to: 1. Determine the extent to which family background affects student’s patronage. 2. Evaluate if gender can influence student patronage of fast food outlets. 3. Determine if the income level of students can affect their patronage of fast food outlet. 1. 4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDYThis study will help to draw the attention on the reasons why OAU students patronize fast food outlets, it will also explain the gender differences in the patronage of fast food outlets, it will help to understanding the adverse effects of patronizing fast food outlets, it will further explain the rationale behind varied opinions on sparing point of students’ time or hours cooking for the mselves. The findings will assist in understanding the Socio-economic influence that pre-dispose students from different family background to patronize or not patronize fast food outlets. CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW Base on previous studies there are lack of studies regarding on fast food consumption locally and there are limited information on these study. Most of the studies regarding on fast food were studied at well developed foreign countries. In addition, there are lack of fast food research specifically consider the attribute of the consumer preference and consumption pattern. For example law, Hui, and Zhao (2004) showed that sta attitude, food quality and variety and environment ignificantly affect customers satisfaction in fast food outlet. Pettijohn and luke (1997) found that quality, cleanliness and value to be three most important attribute in fast food restaurants, while atmosphere and menu variety were relatively unimportant. When consumer considered the convenience and prices of eating place, the utilitarian value (task specific and economical aspect of product and services) of eating out plays an important role in restaurant evaluation and selection (Johns and Pine,2002:Park,2004).However these research do not specifically consider the attribute of consumers who show preferences for fast food product such as important of fast food, consumers concern on health and diseases and child preference of fast food and outlets. Fast food have become an omnipresent part of the moving consumer Goods (FMCG) sector in most development is relatively a new phenomenon that has occurred mainly over three to four decades (Anon, 2007). Fast food is define as ready-to-eat dishes sold by commercial establishment that may or may not have on site dinning accommodation ( Ozcelik,Akan&surucuoglu 2007:43).According to the institute of medicine,( 2006) Fast foods can also be describe as food and meals design for ready availability use or consumption. These food are sold at eating establishment focusing on quick availability or â€Å"take aways† These food tend to be hi in saturated fats and carbohydrates (institute of medicine, 2006). Most fast foods are high in fat and sodium and low in fibre, vitamins and some minerals (Anon 2007) Although fast food in some form of other has been the immemorial, the current fast food phenomenon beyond these contexts is relatively recent.It began in the USA in July 1912 with the opening g of the fast food restaurants called Automat in New York. This restaurant caused such stir and became so popular that numerous other Automat restaurants were soon built around the country. This popularity lasted through the 11920’s well into the 5 1930’s (Schlosser, 2002:15). Kang Chung survey analysis explain that about 13. 3% of the students patronize fast food once a week; about 46. 7% of the students patronize fast food twice a week, about 23. 3% of the students patronize fast food thrice a week, and the remaining 16. % patronize fast food more than thrice a week. Hence, it shows that students usually patronize fast food twice a week. Out of the students patronizing fast food once a week, 75% of the students are female and the remainders are male. Out of the students patronizing fast food more than thrice, 60% of the students are male and the remainders are female. Hence, it shows that male patronize fast food more than female. According to Okome, Mojbol Olfnk, It has been argued that pre-colonial Nigeria had a gendered division of labor. However, the nature and implication of such a division of labor is often misinterpreted.While male dominance was built into the social system of some Nigerian ethnic groups, women played a significant and vital role in all aspects of the lives of their community For some scholars, this is due to the complimentarily of male and female roles and functions. This explains that, from time immemorial, division of labour has been separated between male an d female. Women have been saddled with the responsibility of cooking. When you think about fast food, there are something that you must not forget which is the most factor in fast food is gender.Christine Ton Nu, Patrick Macleod, Jacques Barthelemy(1996),effects of age and gender on Adolescents Food Habits and Preferences. They reported Reasons among Food Quality and Preference (251-262). This study explored food habits and preferences of 222 French adolescents of 10 to 20 years old. They completed a questionnaire about their eating habits and quoted 10 of their favourite and 10 of their most disliked food or beverages. They also mentioned any change in their preferences. These results show that food habits and tastes are mostly related to age and gender.Girls pay more attention to dietetics and snack less than boys. Young adolescents prefer bland and familiar foods whereas older ones learn to appreciate ‘adult’ foods. As they grow older, chicken snack more, skip more m eals and seem more interested in foreign foods. Before puberty teenagers reject many foods they previously liked. After puberty they begin to appreciate some foods they didn’t like before. Their food repertoire widens at this period because of social and cognitive influences. 6 Schlosser, E. , (2001) pointed out the most frequently reported reason for eating at fast food outlets is quick service.Laroche and Parsa, (2000) agreed with Schlosser, E. , and said that people decide to chose fast food outlets because they were worried about time. To prepare home meal food, it may take much of time to cook and served it compared to taking fast food. French S. A Et. al (2001) summaries that some people have other reason why they chose fast food outlets which might be in order for them to chose time with family, friend, by along with eating at fast food outlets, because they are quick and easy to get to and also a way of socializing with friend and family.Drewnowski and Spectre, (2000) contends that another factor that may influence consumption of fast food is by socioeconomic status. There have totally difference between people who have high wages with people who is have low wages in their life. Usually people who have low economic status, they more prefer to choose food that something not has high nutrition, but more reasonable and inexpensive price while wealthy person they prefer to choose branded restaurants rather than realized the ingredients and nutrients contain in the food.Herman and Polivy, (1984) contradicts/protests and emphasizes that the factor that influence of fast food consumption based on residential areas. He observed that people who stay at the rural areas are less consumed of fast food rather than people who stay at urban area because urban/town residential areas are nearer by the fast food outlets. 7 CHAPTER THREE THEORECTICAL FRAMEWORK 3. 0 INTRODUCTION This chapter focuses on the theoretical framework of the social correlate of fast food outlet among OAU students.Thus, the purpose of a good theoretical framework is to explain a given social phenomenon and to define the interrelated concepts, definition and propositions that represent a systematic view of the subject of study (Ogunbameru 2006). Although, there are many theories that can be used, in this study, rational choice theory and Mcdonaldization theory are employed. 3. 1 RATIONAL CHOICE THEORY Rational choice theory is derived from the neo-classical economics (as well as utilitarianism and game theory, Levi et al,1990,Linden berge,2001;Simpson,2007).The focus in rational theory is on actors. Actors are seen as being purposive or as having intentionality that is actors have ends or goals towards which their actions are aimed. Actors also are seen as having preferences (or values, utilities). Of importance is the fact that action is undertaken to achieve objectives that are consistent with an actor’s preference hierarchy. Although, the rational choice the ory starts with actor’s purpose or intentions, it must take into consideration at least two major constraints on action.The first constraint is the scarcity of resources. Actors have different resources as well as differential access to other resources. The attainment of ends may be for those with lo of resources, the achievement of ends may be relatively easy. However, for those with few, if any, resources, the attainments of ends may be difficult or impossible. Related to scarcity of resources is the idea of opportunity cost (Friedman and Hechter, 1998). In pursuing a given end, actors must keep an eye on the costs of forgoing heir next-most-attractive action.A second source of constraints an individual action is social institution. The institutional constraints provide both positive encourage certain action and discourage others. Friedman and Hechter put it that individual’s actions are checked from birth to death by family and school rules, churches, synagogue and mosques, hospitals, etc. By 8 restricting the feasible set of course of action available to the individuals, enforceable rules of the game include norms, laws, agendas etc. 3. 2 RELEVANCE OF RATIONAL CHOICE THEORY TO THE STUDYThe central theme and the main lesson that may be learnt and applicable to this study from the rational choice approach is that students have the goals or aims to achieve good grade or graduate from the university, but there are some challenges they have to go through. In a case where a student is being instructed by his or her lecturer to finish a project or assignment within a given period of time, such student will have to choose between alternative of forgoing his or her cooking time for his or her project or assignment, he or she may choose to save time by patronizing fast-food. More so, another rea of relevance to this study is that some students have the intention to forgo cooking for reading, but the resources (money) needed to buy the food are limited. Students always make use of this slogan â€Å"Aye o Po†, (i. e. No time to do anything else on campus like, cooking and other things). That is despite the differences in the income level among students they still patronize fast food outlet not minding their class in the society or social economic status. Being rational-calculative beings, the time it takes to prepare food compared to patronizing the fast food outlets has been rationally analyzed by the students.It obviously takes more time for preparing food than patronizing the fast food outlets such as the option of patronizing is high. Some students maintained that it cost more to prepare food than opting to fast food centers; calculating the cost of obtaining the raw food stuffs with the stress involved and the constraint of the time-table/academic course work, it appeared to them that the best option available is to get their food-(prepared food) from the fast food centers on campus.In a situation where the time table d oes not allow leisure, for example having a class from 8:00am till 12:00pm at a stretch, such student involved considered that the best option is to patronize the fast food joint because of nonavailability of time to cook due to the constraint created by the lecture schedule and time-table. The intention and decision by students varies i. e. ambivalent; depending on the income level in term of pocket money or allowance gotten by the students. 9Since society is stratified, the family background of the students will be a factor that influences the decision and intention of the students. This tries to explain that humans are pleasure seekers according to Jeremy Bentham but the constraint from social institutions e. g. (family, peer, school, church) and the non-availability of resources due to the variance in its distribution has a major role to play in their decisions, goal attainments etc. The allowance of the students from home also contributes to the decision of patronizing the fast food outlets.For some students that claimed to have little or insufficient allowance from home, they prefer to maintain the little on them, buying raw food stuffs and reduced to cooking compare to patronizing the fast food outlets contrary to those with high and sufficient weekly or monthly allowance from home that have considered patronizing the fast food outlets as better option in so far that there is financial ability in their disposal. 3. 3 MCDONALIZATION THEORY This theory explains that the drive towards bureaucratization and rationalization is largely motivated by profit.Companies believe they cut cost and increase profits through rationalization. The phenomenon of ‘’McDonaldization’’ which Ritzer elicits from his analysis of McDonald’s fast food restaurants encompasses both Production and consumption and is applied to a broad scope of economic, political, social and cultural artifacts and mechanisms. Ritzer is able to apply his concept to p henomenon ranging from work to leisure, from food to media, from education to politics. Such mode of post modern theory help us to critically view key social dynamics institution and problem the exemplifying the major strength of social theory.McDonald’s restaurant has become a better exemplar of current form of rationality and its ultimately irrational and harmful human consequences. McDonaldization’s institution is part of a general drive to rationalization. 10 They aim to increase: 1. Efficiency: choosing the best quickest or least difficult means to a given end. 2. Calculability: Emphasis on the quantitative aspects of the product being sold. 3. Predictability: involves the customer knowing what to expect from a given producer of goods and services. 4. Control: A way to keep a complicated system running smoothly. . 4 RELEVANCE OF MCDONALIZATION THEORY TO THE STUDY. Using the principles of McDonalization, success has been recorded by workers, students and managers. These principles have offered students, workers, manager e. t. c. Efficiency, calculability, predictability and control. These principles will be explained and how it has applied to our study. Ritzer (1996) defines efficiency as ‘The optimum method for getting from one point to another’. To the customer or students of fast food outlets, this means ‘the best way of getting from being hungry to being full.In this contemporary society where all consumers varying from students, workers, lecturers, etc. are in a rush to meet up with tight schedules, e. g. lecture time table, submission of assignments and other demands of the society might turn to fast food outlets for their survival, due to the stress and time constraint faced in cooking. This can be affirmed by (Ritzer, 1996) who stressed that cooking is inefficient because it can take hours to get fed whereas traditional and continual food prepared in this fast food takes minutes and it is also efficient.In major fas t food outlets, ‘quantity (especially a large quantity) tends to become a surrogate for quality. (Ritzer1996). There is an emphasis on producing a high quantity, get a lot of food quickly, and the owners gets a lot of work out of their workers. However, the consumers may not get a quality dining experience, because they are rushed and they have a limited choice. 11 CALCULABILITY: Great importance is given to calculability to an emphasis on quality, often to the detriment of quality. This principle explains the adverse effects of fast food outlets on customers or students.The owners and employees of fast food outlets are majorly concerns with the quick rate of turner, with this, it affect the quality of food they produce, because they are after quantity and not quality. Similarly, customers are expected to spend as little time as possible in the fast food outlets. The drive through the window reduces the time to zero, but if customers desire to eat in the restaurant, the chairs may be designed to impel them to leave after about 20 minutes. (Some students go for relaxation). The emphasis from speed clearly has a negative effect on the quality of food at a fast food outlet.Also, the emphasis on how fast the work is to be done means that the customers cannot be served high quality food. PREDICTABILITY: What this theory explains is that, there is an expected ways the customers are attended to by the workers of fast food outlets and there is a designed way of selling and buying in the outlet e. g. before going to buying food in forks and fingers or Iya- Ila, you have the fore- knowledge of what you expect from the fast food outlets. In these outlets, there are processes which both the customers and the outlets workers must follow in the course of their transaction.Taking Iya-Ila as example, the process in which customers order their food, the customers queue for their food, and also queue for the soup. The predictability has been able to posit that, students h ave the fore knowledge of what to expect from the fast food. 12 CHAPTER FOUR METHODOLOGY 4. 0 INTRODUCTION Methodology according to Oxford Dictionary of Sociology is used to refers to the methods and general approach to empirical research of a particular discipline or even a particular large study, although, the term ‘research techniques’ is perhaps more apt in this context.This chapter describes the place of study, the sampling technique, collection of data and processing, and problems encountered in the field. 4. 1 STUDY AREA The research work was studied in Obafemi Awolowo University campus Ile-Ife, Osun State. The focus areas are: 1. Academic area 2. Student Union Building Area 3. Hostel area 4. New market / New Buka Area. . 4. 2 RESEARCH DESIGN Exploratory research design was used in this study. It serves the purpose of satisfying ones curiosity and desire for better understanding. It was also used to test the feasibility of understanding a more careful study. 4. 3 SAMPLING TECHNIQUEThe sampling technique used in this study is the probability or Random sampling, specifically, systematic sampling procedure to arrive at the target respondents for the study. 13 4. 4 DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENT In this study, quantitative instrument of data collection was used which entails administering of questionnaire. The questionnaires were divided into sections. The first section is concerned with socio-economic and demographic characteristics of respondents such as their age, marital status, religious belief, while the other section is about income level like school allowance, monthly allowance and additional income.The questionnaire contains both the open and close-ended questions, close–ended questions constantly to find out attitudes of respondents if they patronize the fast food outlets and the positive and negative effects that prompt it. It has a closed ended questions in order to minimize irrelevant responses and also to make it easier for the respondent to answer as he or she only has to choose a category. Open ended questionnaire was also included in the questionnaire to allow more opportunity for creativity and self-expression by the respondent.It also helps to deal with complex issues that cannot be condensed into few small categories. 4. 5 DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURE OAU Campus is divided into areas, the areas chosen was the ACADEMIC AREA, STUDENT UNION BUILDING AREA, HOSTELS AREA and NEW MARKET or NEW BUKA AREA. The rationale of selection was systematic through the process of balloting, two faculties were chosen out of the 11 FACULTIES, (Faculty Law and health sciences,) five questionnaires were administered to each faculty to make it 10.Fork and fingers and fivers were chosen in the student union building area based on the food outlets are patronized by 10 questionnaires were administered each to the students to make it 20 questionnaires. The respondents chosen in the BUKA AREA and NEW BUKA MARKET were also done ran domly. 10 questionnaires were administered. Two hostels were chosen by balloting, Moremi and Angola were picked, and Five questionnaires were administered to each hostels make it 10. In all, 50 questionnaires were administered to these areas. 14 4. 6 DATA ANALYSIS PROCEDUREAfter the collection of data, analysis and presentation was done in order to give meanings to the raw data collected by using the statistical package for social science (SPSS). 4. 7 PROBLEM ENCOUNTERED DURING THE STUDY Many of the respondents at the initial stage complained that they did not have the time to fill the questionnaire and were too busy preparing for their examinations as the research was carried out during this period; some opted out of the research session because they were not in the mood to fill the questionnaires. With persuasion, some filled the questionnaire.The female were eager to answer the question, while the males felt reluctant and demanded for a tangible reward. Another problem encountere d was the non response especially on the open-ended questions that requires the respondent volition to answer questions thus; they filled some of the questions arbitrarily. However despite all challenges, the study achieved a great success. 15 CHAPTER FIVE DATA ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION 5. 0 INTRODUCTION This chapter focuses on the discussion, analysis and presentation of tables on the various results obtained from the survey.The discussion herein covers: the socio demographic characteristics of respondent used in the survey, and a discussion on the three objectives: to examine the extent to which family background affects students patronage; to evaluate if gender can influence students patronage of fast food outlets; and to determine if the income level of students affects their patronage of fast food outlet. 4. 2: Socio demographic characteristics Table 1 Age group 15-19 years 20-24 years 25-29 years 30-34 years 40-44 years Total Frequency 6 30 9 1 1 47 Percentage (%) 12. 8 63. 8 19. 1 2. 1 2. 1 100. 0 Sex Male Female Total Frequency 23 27 50Percentage (%) 46. 0 54. 0 100. 0 16 Marital status Single Married Total Frequency 48 2 50 Percentage (%) 96. 0 4. 0 100. 0 Religion Christianity Muslim Traditional Total Frequency 41 8 1 50 Percentage (%) 82. 0 16. 0 2. 0 100. 0 Table 1 shows the socio demographic characteristics of respondents used in the survey. The result obtained from students shows they fall between the age range 15-44 years old, with 12. 8 percent in 15-19 age group, 63. 8 percent of those in 20-24 age group being the highest percentage, 19. 1 percent those in ages between 25-29 years of age, 2. 1 percent of those in 30-34 years old and 40-44 years old respectively.The sex distribution includes 46. 0 percent male and 54. 0 percent female. Their marital status includes majority being single 96. 0 percent, and the married surveyed are 4. 0 percent of total surveyed population. Religious affiliations of respondents are Christianity 82. 0 percent, Mus lim 16. 0 percent, and traditional 2. 0 percent. 17 4. 3: Examining the extent to which family background affects students patronage: Table 2 Variables How are your meals By your mum been prepared at home? By cook By relatives Others-self, sisters Total Frequency 35 5 1 7 48 Percentage (%) 72. 10. 4 2. 1 14. 6 100. 0 If none of the options Yes above, do they give you No money to buy food at Total home? 1 1 2 50. 0 50. 0 100. 0 If yes, does it influence Yes your patronage of fast food outlets on campus 1 100. 0 How often do you cook in your hostel? Trice a day Once a day Twice a week Frequency 10 26 8 Percentage (%) 20. 4 53. 1 16. 3 10. 2 Others- Twice a day, 5 often, never Total 49 100. 0 18 Table 2 examines the extent to which family background affects students’ patronage of fast food. The result shows that meals are prepared at home by majorly by mum 72. percent, followed by cook 10. 4 percent, self and sister 14. 6 percent, and by relative 2. 1 percent. Of all the respond ent only two respondents answer the question do they give you money at home, if meals are not prepare? This has a single positive and negative result of yes and no. And the one person who reported receiving money at home says it influences his or her patronage of fast food. The frequency of cooking in the hostel is reported as once a day 53. 1 percent, trice a day 20. 4 percent, twice a week 16. 3 percent, others includes twice a day, often, and never 10. 2 percent. 4. : Evaluate if gender can influence students patronage of fast food outlets Table 3 Variables Who do you think Male Frequency 32 15 47 Percentage (%) 68. 1 31. 9 100. 0 patronize fast food joint Female most Total State your reasons for your answer above Frequency They have no cooking 8 skill No enough time to 10 Percentage (%) 18. 2 22. 7 devote to cooking Laziness Gender role issue Taking friends out to eat Total 17 3 6 44 38. 6 6. 8 13. 6 100. 0 19 Figure 4. 3 evaluates if gender can influence students patronage of f ast food. It is reported that male patronize fast food 68. 1 percent more than female 31. 9 percent.Reasons for the high patronage of fast food given are laziness especially on the part of males 38. 6 percent, believing there is no enough time to devote to cooking 22. 7 percent, lack of cooking skill 18. 2 percent, taking friends, especially girlfriends, out to eat 13. 6 percent and men believing it is duty of a particular gender 6. 8 percent. 4. 5: Determining if the income level of students can affect patronage of fast food outlet: Table 4. 1 Variable How do you receive Weekly your school allowance Monthly Between monthly No response Total 1 50 2. 0 100. 0 weekly Frequency 11 26 and 12 Percentage (%) 22. 52. 0 24. 0 How much is your 2,000-5,000 12 17 20 49 24. 5 34. 7 40. 8 100. 0 monthly allowance income 6,000-10,000 Above 10,000 Total Figure 4. 5 determines if the income level of students can affect students' patronage of fast food outlet. Table 4. 1 describes the income level o f surveyed respondents. This shows that majority of respondents receives their income monthly 52. 0 percent, this is followed by between weekly and monthly 24. 0 percent, weekly 22. 0 percent, the no response rate was 2. 0 percent. The reported monthly income receive by respondents are within #2,000 to 20 #5,000 24. percent, #6,000 to #10,000 34. 7 percent, and above #10,000 40. 8 percent, having a max of #50,000 from those surveyed report. Table 4. 2: Other sources of income and choice of fast food Variable Do you have other Yes Frequency 31 19 50 Percentage (%) 62. 0 38. 0 100. 0 source of income apart No from your monthly Total allowance? If yes, what are the Scholarship sources? Business Relatives Others- 1 18 9 3. 2 58. 1 29. 0 9. 7 craftsmanship, 3 friends, working Total 31 100. 0 Can your additional Yes 27 14 41 65. 9 34. 1 100. 0 income motivate you to No patronize outlet? fast food TotalWhat is your choice of Forks and fingers fast food outlet on Banwill Iya-Ila 26 8 5 55. 3 17. 0 10. 6 campus? 21 Others- Captain cook, 8 New buka, Depullars Total 47 17. 0 100. 0 Table 4. 2 shows other sources of reported income. 62. 0 percent reported has having other sources of income apart from monthly allowance from home. This sources includes business ventures 58. 1 percent, relatives 29. 0 percent, scholarship 3. 2 percent, others are craftsmanship, friends and working 9. 7 percent. Additional income is also reported to be a motivating factor to patronizing fast food outlet 65. percent. The choice of fast food outlet are forks and fingers 55. 3 percent, banwill 17. 0 percent, Iya-Ila 10. 6 percent, others are captain cook, new buka, and depillars 17. 0 percent among surveyed respondents. Table 4. 3: Cross tabulation showing how much of monthly income or allowance goes to fast food What percentages of your allowance go to fast food Income 2,000-5,000 6,000-10,000 Above 10,000 Total 5-10% 7 (63. 6%) 9 (60. 0%) 5 (26. 3%) 21 (47. 7%) 15-20% 1 (9. 1%) 4 (26. 7%) 3 (1 5. 8%) 8 (18. 2%) 25-30% 3 (27. 3%) 2 (13. 3%) 11 (57. 9%) 16 (35. 6%) 11 (100. %) 15 (100. 0%) 19 (100. 0%) 45 (100. 0%) Total Table 4. 3 shows a cross tabulation of how much income or allowance goes to fast food outlet. 10% of income goes to fast food outlet by those who receive between #2,000 to #5,000 naira as monthly income, 1 person reports 15 to 20 percent of income goes to fast food, and 3 person reports 25-30 percent goes to fast food. Those that receive between #6,000 to #10,000 9 persons reports 5 to 10 percent going to fast food, 4 persons report 15 to 20 percent goes to fast food, and 2 persons reports 25 to 30 percent goes to fast food. 22Those that receive above #10,000 naira 5 persons reports that 5 to 10 percent goes to fast food, 3 persons reports that 15 to 20 percent goes to fast food, and 11 persons reports that 25 to 30 percent of allowances goes to fast food. For those whose income falls between #2,000 to #10,000 naira, that is 63. 6 percent and 60. 0 percent, the highest percentage of income that is spent in fast food outlet is between 5 to 10 percent, while for those whose income is above #10,000 naira, 57. 9 percent of them spend a higher percentage of their income at the fast food outlet 25 to 30 percent.DISCUSSION Findings in this study suggest that the economic status can be a determining factor for student’s patronage of fast food outlets. This can be affirmed by the fact that respondents who receive the lowest income (#2,000 – 5000) spend less of their income on fast food outlets i. e. 63. 6% of them spend just 10% of their income on fast food. This empirical study background can influence student’s patronage as can be seen in table 4. 3 where by 72. 9% of the respondents have their meals cooked by their mum, cook by other relatives while just 7%, cook their food themselves at home.This goes further to imply that greater percentage of the students do not cook by themselves. Hence, they tend patronize fast foo d outlets. Students who have their meals cooked by their mum tend to be lazy in preparing their own food, this can also be tested by the fact that 38% of respondents belief laziness contribute to the reasons why students patronize fast food outlets. This study also establish the fact that individuals gender affect the patronage of fast food outlets as more male patronized than female (68. 1% male patronize fast food outlets while 31. % female patronize it). 23 SUMMARY, RECOMMENDATION AND CONCLUSION 6. 0 SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS: The definition of fast food is inconsistence but equally, fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served with low preparation time. The term â€Å"Fast Food† was recognized by Merriam-Webster in 1951. The historical background of fast food can be traced to urban development which was deeply rooted in sociological inevitably. Large urban cities like United Kingdom, United state, Paris, and London witness the emergence of fast food.I n the traditional society, fast food is equally evident, the example of traditional meals such as Suya, Eba, and Egusi soup, Semo are sold within OAU Campus. Academic and scientific research revealed that, most undergraduate students patronize fast food outlets, which has indirectly affected their cooking culture and the level of satisfaction derived from the consumption of this fast foods. However, other relevant literatures relating to social, economic status of the students however were also discussed. Rational choice theory was used as a theoretical framework to explain how students make choices in order to have good grade.Despite the differences in the income level among students they still patronize fast food outlets not mining their social class and socio-economic status. This study depict that, student maintain the cost to prepare food than opting to fast food outlets. The principle on the study of McDonalization has been recorded by workers, students and managers, looking a t their efficiency, predictability, calculability, and control Methodology describes the place of study, sampling technique, collection of data and processing and problems encountered in the research work.The exploratory research was carried out among the OAU students using the probability sampling, systematic procedure and the problem encountered on the research work is that most of the respondents complained that have the time to fill the questionnaires. 24 Data analysis and discussion focuses on the various results obtain from the survey. This study has been able to cover the social-demographic characteristics of respondent used in the survey looking at the extent to which family background affect student’s patronage, how gender influenced students patronage of fast food outlets. 25 6. 1 RECOMMENDATIONFrom the analysis we can see that most parent do the cooking, parent should be encouraged more to train up their wards on how to prepare meal on their own. ( They can teach t hem how to prepare fast food on their own instead of buying outside). Food and nutrition should also be included in all school curriculums. Gender role of cooking should not be confined to the female child alone; there should be a balance in the societal roles. This will encourage the male to also participate in cooking activities at home so that such child will be able to cook for himself/herself when they get to school.Moderate allowance should be given to student that receives more allowance because more than half of their money goes to fast food restaurant which disallow them from cooking in school. 26 6. 2 CONCLUSION Conclusively, fast food should not be totally criticized because it has been a major source of survival for those that do not have the time and the skill on how to prepare meal on their own. At the same time the students should be discourage from patronizing fast food outlets. The importance of fast food on campus cannot be over emphasizes.The rise or emergence of fast food has been a source of help to social class or group. Consequently in examining the extent through which family background affect patronage of fast food, we see that most meals are often prepared by their mothers and also student who receive more income from home tend to patronize fast food than those who do not receive much. Also, those who have their meal prepare by a cook tend to patronize fast food outlet more than others who know how to prepare their meals themselves.We are able to conclude that male student patronize fast food outlet more than their female counterpart because of the various reason associated with this which are laziness, lack of cooking skill or time. Evidently student income level also goes a long way in affecting student patronage of fast food outlets; those who receive more money from home patronize fast food more. So therefore the survey carried out shows that all these variable such as economic, family background, income level etc goes a long way in affecting student patronage of fast food outlets. 27 REFERENCESChristine Ton Nu, Patrick Macleod, Jacques Barthelemy. (1996). Effects of Age and Gender on Adolescents Food Habits and Preferences. Christine E. Blake, Carol M. Devine, Elaine Wethington, Margaret Jastran, Tracy J. Farrell, and Carole A. Bisogni. (2009). Employed Parents ‘Satisfaction with Food-Choice Coping Strategies. Influence of Gender and Structure. Emily Kroshus, MPH. (2008). Gender, Marital Status, and Commercially Prepared Food Expenditure. Ayse Ozfer Ozcelik, Lale Sariye Akan & Metin Saip Surucuoglu. (2007). An Evaluation of Fast-Food Preferences According to Gender (2007).Humanity & Social Sciences Journal 2(1), 43-50 Aikman, S. N & Graham, D. (2006). Food attitudes, eating behaviour, and the information underlying food attitudes. Olakunle A. Ogunbameru,Bankole O. Ogunbameru (2010), Contemporary Methods in Social Research Kuntel Publisher Ooni layout,Ajebamidele Ile Ife. George Ritzer (2012) Sociologi cal theory Eight edition publisher Mcgraw-Hill companies Inc. 121 Avenue of the Americas, New York. John Scott and Gordon Marshall (2009), Oxford Dictionary of Sociology revised edition Oxford University press. 28

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Things I Am Thankful for Essays

Things I Am Thankful for Essays Things I Am Thankful for Essay Things I Am Thankful for Essay â€Å"Things I Am Thankful For† The things I am thankful for are not things that can be bought but things that are earned. One of the things I am thankful for are my parents because without them I would not be where I am today. My thanks build off of being able to say yes I did this and that but I agree with many opportunities given to me as I pass many obstacles. Another thing I am thankful for are my abilities to listen, learn, and accomplish. I also use my abilities to their highest potential which are my abilities to play the saxophone, my abilities to focus on my engineering and my work. I am truly thankful to be able to wake up every morning knowing I have people depending on me to do my best and to never give up. Mainly life was given to me from two wonderful people to have a chance to show what I can do from start to finish and I am thankful for that reason. I must thank many people for guiding me through life but to also acknowledge the people who told me right from wrong. Even though I have accomplished many things I always thank God for bringing me obstacles that are hard but also easy. If you know the way through a knowing of yourself to realize who you are and to also be yourself whenever you want to make yourself comfortable. I thank my family for showing where I am from and who we are to others in life. The main reason for me to thank myself is to know that I have been told how to use what is earned in my own ways from friends and family. I was always taught to be the best at everything I did to be successful in my own way. As everyday passes I think to myself where would I be without family and friends. And it came to me that if I was not here in life I would never be able to achieve such ability to know the world or life as it is today. As of today I thank my brother, my mom, my father, and everyone else that has helped me.

Monday, October 21, 2019

The Edge Of Heaven essays

The Edge Of Heaven essays The Edge Of Heaven by Marita Golden is a fiction novel that takes place in the late 1980s/ early 1990s in the nations capital Washington D.C. Though the year is inconclusive it is proven by the style of dress mentioned in the early chapters of the novel. The story is told from two perspectives, first person, Teresa who is the main character, and third person narrative Lena who is the mother of Teresa. Teresa is portrayed as a troubled youth who had to face the issue of her mothers imprisonment for the death of her younger sister, Kenya. Throughout the novel a maturation process takes place with Teresa. She is becoming a woman and dealing with her fear of forgiving her mother for the death of her sister. MaAdele is Lenas mother and Teresas grandmother, and in my eyes she is the strongest character in the novel. MaAdele fit the description of most grandmothers in African-American families. MaAdele seems flawless; she was a beautiful woman, Teresa states in the novel: Each time I looked at my grandmothers face I saw the shadow and the promise of my mother and myself. My grandmother had aged with staunch dignity. Each year her high cheekbones, Cherokee nose, and dark skin grew persistent, more right. I took refuge in her that face...(4) MaAdele also has the heart of Aphrodite and the wisdom of the almighty Zeus. She is the backbone of the family: this in seen in numerous accounts. Like many African-American families the grandmother helps raise the grandchildren. This is not uncommon thing in many households. I know firsthand that this is true. In comparison, MaAdele is in many ways like my own great-grandmother, Kitty Mom. Mary Wessels, which is formal, names my great-grandmother, but to those who were close to her knew her as Mom. Mom was the neighborhood mother. It was not uncommon to see a neighbors child eating dinner at Mom&apo...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

8 things a great boss does for you

8 things a great boss does for you In the working world, bosses usually fall into one of three categories: bad bosses, good bosses, and bosses that are just okay. You’ve likely had one of these so far in your career. And then, once in a blue moon comes along a  great boss- one that brings out the best in you and makes showing up to work a truly valuable experience. Does your boss go above and beyond? Read on to find out what a talented and nurturing leader does daily for employees.1. Gives recognition and feedbackA great boss sets out clear expectations and then lets you know regularly how you’re doing. Are you meeting expectations? Exceeding them? Are there a few areas where you need more focus? Also, when you succeed or go above and beyond, great bosses show you they’ve seen your extra effort and that they recognize how hard you’ve been working. Without this kind of validation- even the critical feedback- how can an employee hope to grow?2. Helps you market yourselfBosses have access to all kinds of data you may not. If your boss commends you for a new initiative or for reaching a set goal, that’s good. If they help dig up the numbers, i.e. the proof of the impact your actions have made for the company or industry, then they are arming you to succeed even more. Sure, your boss knows you might use these stats to market yourself elsewhere one day, but that’s not the point- the mark of a great boss is caring about the growth and development of employees, no matter where they may land.3. Empowers you to do great thingsYou’re not just allowed to voice your concerns and frustrations as they arise, you’re invited to- no, expected to. The environment of your office is one in which employees are empowered to take on challenges of logistics, products, processes, and procedures with the aim of bettering the company for themselves and everyone else involved. Great bosses aren’t threatened by giving their employees this leeway- they know chan ge from the inside is good change.4. Runs efficient meetingsA great boss’s meetings not only are short, sweet, and to the point- they are also only called when necessary. Great bosses don’t waste their time- or anybody else’s- on time-wasting trips to the conference room where people jot down useless notes. They keep the meeting schedule lean and mean and make each moment count for something. Employees leave meetings energized and keyed up to work, rather than feeling that the same things have been rehashed a different way.5. Encourages your personal growthGreat bosses help you to further your career, even if that means you’ll take your new knowledge and experience and leave your current position or company a little sooner. They give you projects and initiatives that match your interests and ambitions so you don’t feel stuck in a rut.   They also encourage you to take risks and give you the resources and support for those risks to bear fruit for both of you.6. Stands up for work-life balanceGreat bosses dial down the micromanaging and make sure their employees aren’t going home (or coming in to work) exhausted and depleted. They encourage you to take your vacation days, to make use of wellness plans, and to take regular breaks for fresh air, food, and hydration. They want you to flourish as a whole person, not just as some employee robot on their assembly line. And they never get their panties in a bunch about how long you take for coffee breaks or lunch- as long as you get your work done well. They loosen the reins and let you find your own stride.7. Gives credit where credit is dueGreat bosses won’t take credit for your ideas when they’re reporting to  their bosses- they’ll make it clear that a good idea was yours, thereby pushing you up the ladder and commending themselves for having hired you and cultivated your talent. Giving credit is a staple trait of good leadership, but it is unfortuna tely rare.8. Creates a welcoming office cultureIn a healthy workplace, employees feel safe and heard. Great bosses create and cultivate this environment. They earn trust and help their team maintain a real sense of camaraderie. In a great office culture, failures are merely opportunities to learn. Weak links are supported and helped along the path to improvement. Team members are chosen deliberately to complement this community of learning and growth.If your boss is good, consider yourself lucky. If your boss is one of the great ones, soak up all the knowledge you can- you’ve been given a rare professional gift that you should use to your advantage!

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Hovey Insurance & Financial Services Final Report Research Proposal

Hovey Insurance & Financial Services Final Report - Research Proposal Example The company is adopting a new approach that is the technology approach which will help the company to fulfill and achieve the objectives that it wants to achieve. It hired a designer to create their company website which would inform the people of all the products and services that the company provides. Along with the new marketing strategy, the company faces a number of challenges that it has to overcome in order to create awareness about their website. The company is using different approaches which would help them to achieve a greater market share and also increase their sales (Admin 2010). 1.1 Purpose I was asked to perform two tasks by the company. Firstly, I had to search for a website designer who would make a plan to create a website for the company. I was responsible for creating the contents of the website and also work with the designer so that there exists collaboration between both of us. Secondly, I had to create a marketing plan which would attract the consumers toward s the website of the Hovey Company. I was given a time of two months at the most for the completion of the tasks. In order to complete the work in the given time, I took out time every week in order to see the amount of time that the execution can be carried out and also check if the plan needed any kind of reform or change(Nijssen & Frambach 2001). The New Brunswick province is considered to be a niche market and is the main target of the company. Huestis Insurance Group is the parent company of Hovey company which manages the Atlantic Provinces and the Hovey company can also be understood to be an agent or the broker for the Huestis Group (Nijssen & Frambach 2001). A road map was constructed which would help to complete the work and fulfilling the major objectives and plans of the tasks. The first task as mentioned before was to design the company’s website. For this, I selected the three major areas of the company namely life, personal and commercial insurance. Each of the topic had a different color different than the others and consisted of all the information about that type of program of insurance. Every category would have a sub-category for example liability insurance and commercial insurance under it. I also added some details about every category of insurance in order to motivate and attract people to buy the insurance(Nijssen & Frambach 2001). The home-page of the website will consist of the slogan of the company which is ‘Insurance is the Solution’ that will give an overall idea of the company to the people. The website will also consist of the contact numbers of the company as well as their toll free number. The next step was to meet different designers and claim the best design and offer for the website. These steps were important in order to create the marketing strategy for the company on the internet. The first task for me to fulfill was the online marketing for the company (Berry & Wilson 2001). The next objective that i had to fulfill was to create a plan by attracting potential consumers so that they go through the website of the company and come to know about the current services and products(Berry & Wilson 2001). Once to website is fully constructed, I would need to look for different strategies on how to let the customers know about the website and its services. 1.2 Stakeholders The insurance agencies and the brokers mostly sell similar services and prod

Friday, October 18, 2019

Marketing cases analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Marketing cases analysis - Essay Example The strategy will implement 147, 000 of which 135,000 will be used for the remuneration of the extra staff and only 12,000 will be used for advertising. The strategy is good because it aims at cutting costs. However, the company needs to invest more on advertising so that it can keep up with the competitors who are advertising more every day. The company should also invest in advertising because there are new products that the company would like to launch. That means that the company will have to advertise so that the products can become known to all the company customers and other potential customers. That means that the option of adding an extra personnel and only investing few money in advertising will not be a viable option for the company for the moment. For any brand or product to be successful, advertising and promotional activities have to be utilized. That will ensure that the products become known to the target customers. The right marketing channel must be used to ensure that the adverts reaches the people that it is intended to reach. In the case of Haverwood furniture, the company should use television adverts, magazine adverts, and the use of billboards. Television adverts will reach a wide number of people. That will create some form of interest among the customers and that will be a positive thing towards the sales of the company. For example, the company should use the most viewed television channels. That will ensure that the ads will have a large number of views. Magazine adverts will also be advisable to use because magazines will be read for a long duration of time. The adverts can be run on lifestyle magazines that are read by most middle-aged people. The company can also use website advertising. This channel of adverts will ensure that the company is able to reach a wide number of people especially the young who are technosavey and they spend most of their free time on

International Trade Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

International Trade Theory - Essay Example 235). This novel trade theory has two significant implications. First, on account of the impact of trade on economies, it can enhance the choice of goods available to consumers, while reducing their cost. Second, if the production required for achieving economies of scale is of the order of the global demand, then only a few enterprises will obtain support (Hill & Jain, 2008, p. 235). Consequently, global trade in some commodities could possibly the preserve of the firms who had initially taken the initiative. There are a number of models that relate to international trade, and these models are dealt with in International Trade Theory. The principal objective of these theories is to explain the various ideas that pertain to the transfer of goods and services, across the world. Although, these theories have changed over time, the fundamental principle underlying international trade is more or less similar to the principle, on which domestic trade is founded (International Trade Theory and Policy). In essence, the chief purpose of trade is to maximize profits for the entities involved in the exchange of goods and services. A number of forms are assumed by the economic integration of countries. Some of these are preferential tariffs, customs unions, free – trade associations, common markets, economic unions and complete economic integration. Nations belonging to a specific system of preferential tariffs, levy a higher rate of duty on imports on countries that do not belong to their group. This was evident among the Commonwealth countries, which had established a system of common tariff preferences, subsequent to the year 1919 (Allais, Balassa, Bertrand, Robinson, & Wonnacott, 2011). Unique solutions to economic problems are not possible, as long as competition and trade occur in an environment that is imperfect from the economic perspective. The result of economic endeavors becomes dependent on the behavior of the

Thursday, October 17, 2019

English as Global Langauge Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

English as Global Langauge - Essay Example Before examining these pros and cons, it might be useful to examine how English came to be one of the most commonly used languages in the world. Historically, this language came into Britain from northern Europe during the fifth century and moved to the Asian, African and American continents with the expeditions and colonizations that followed in the last three centuries. English was left behind as a legacy in the colonized countries as they became independent nations, and was often made the official language of communication. With the rise of technology, especially the media in the form of the radio, television and the internet, the dissemination of English became reinforced. Not only the media but trade became truly globalized with the rise of off-shoring and outsourcing made possible with better technology . The rise of multinational companies and corporations and international organizations like UNESCO enhanced the need of a global language. English was there to readily fill in the gap, with its already existing spread and flexibility. Since English was already present in various places like India and Africa as a result of former colonization, it was easier for the language to spread further. English has been touted time and again as a language that could successfully eliminate the need for translation during communication in business, political, and cultural contexts. It has a huge vocabulary of more than 80,000 words which makes it very expressive, and the written script is similar to that of many European languages because of a common origin in Latin. But the increasing use of English in countries with different native languages has an effect of diminishing the status of these indigenous languages. This is even more significant given the history of the English language which was earlier seen as a symbol of colonial oppression in many countries, and is seen today in many countries as a demonstration of the superiority of the West. In some quarters it is felt that the use of English as an official language instead of a native tongue is detrimental to a country's national and cultural identity. Due to its global nature in an increasingly shrinking world, English is fast becoming the language of commercial and formal communications . This makes it an economically viable language to learn in many developing countries where knowing fluent English can actually lead to increased earning opportunities. This strong economic incentive behind learning English could lead to the relinquishment of native tongues, leading to entire languages dying out. Another factor that could cause a language to decline is a decline in its literature. There is a growing trend of non-native authors writing in English: Indian or African writers writing in English are becoming quite common. It is a well-documented fact that all authors with very few exceptions have their best literary output in one language alone. If most literature begins to be produced in English, even by authors who have a different mother tongue, it would be a great loss to their original languages. When languages decline, they take with them rare and precious cultural traditions. This raises fears of loss of cultural diversity which is so vital to the evolution of mankind. Experts think that a uniform world where all cultures and literatures would be similar could become a future scenario

Revenue Recognition and Lucent Technologies, Inc Essay

Revenue Recognition and Lucent Technologies, Inc - Essay Example In the case of Lucent Technologies, Inc. ("Lucent"), the recognition policies proved to be unfortunate in light of the SEC action against them. Generally, one of the most reliable methods for revenue recognition is the critical event basis. When a critical event takes place within the operating cycle, such as a final sale, there are few questions regarding the recognition of the revenue. This more conservative method is "justified because the price of the product is then known with certainty; the exchange has been finalized by delivery of goods, leading to an objective knowledge of the costs incurred" which allows the revenue from the transaction to be accurately recorded (Riahi-Belkaoui 45). This results in a faithful representation of the company's underlying financial condition because it is unbiased and verifiable. In terms of relevance of the information, the company may take the position that, since investors use the data to make decisions regarding timely investments, they should be given information that presents the company in the best possible light. This approach can result in more aggressive methods, like the on es used by Lucent, via a scheme of issuing credits to recognize revenue as soon as possible. ... Revenue should be recognized at the final sale. In the case of Lucent, the company's actions demonstrate the worst aspects of ignoring conservative revenue recognition. They chose to use any means necessary to present investors with a positive picture. Lucent's management decided that it was more important to show higher levels of income than engage in a faithful representation of true financial condition. The problem for Lucent was that investors were relying on the overstated revenues as a basis for owning the company's shares, and when the true revenue numbers were revealed, the stock lost over five percent of its value. Management's decision to massage the numbers toward the higher revenue representation was a poor one. This case demonstrates the down-side of tampering with information to meet sales goals so that investors will be please. It is far better to use a reliable methodology. Lucent's aggressive revenue recognition policies ultimately hurt the company because they were dishonest and biased. When a vendor has an ownership interest in a customer, it is easier to engage in these practices. By using the leverage of customer ownership, Lucent could claim the revenues it originally reported while knowing that renegotiated terms would result in subsequent credits against that revenue. The issue is one of control. Rising to the level of collusion, Lucent could over-ship to its partner/customers, show the gross revenue on its financials, and then control the final customer cost through credits. The failure to book the impending credits, when management knew that such reporting would temporarily meet the sales targets but ultimately result in reduced revenues, was