Art and book making Essay

Books are integral part of everyone’s life. There are different kinds of books and each has its own purpose and meaning. Most books are intended for learning while others are for entertainment purposes and for self-expression on the part of the author. Every book is like a treasure box that is full of valuable things. Most of the time, books are used for academic purposes. Without books, it would be really hard for students to learn and for teachers to prepare their lessons. Books serve as a guide and basis for learning. It would be impossible for present generations to learn about histories of different civilization and time and other knowledge without books. Others also find entertainment by reading books such as story and poetry books. Books also expresses the thoughts, emotions and view of the writer. It can also be said that the machines, equipments and technologies that we are experiencing in the present time is because of the existence of books that recorded many discoveries and studies done in the past. Through these studies, we had been able to make life easier and better in meeting the needs of the people and in doing things. Yet, today it can be said that the importance that we give to books are declining also because of the advancement of technology. However, it is undeniable that books still plays an integral part for learning and development not only in terms of technology but in personal growth as well. Due to the great importance and the role that books play in our society, it is also important to pay attention to the book making process. Making a book is not an easy task and requires a lot of work, time and as well as good ideas. It is also important to consider book making as a form of art, a work of art. Aesthetic is also a consideration in order to be able to create a high quality book that is able to serve its purpose whether it is for educational or entertainment purpose. The very cover of the books requires artistic ideas. It is important to make a good impression to the reader. Definitely a reader will choose a book with an attractive cover. It is an important factor for the readers to get interested in the book from the beginning. There is no way a book will be effective if it is not read and readers will think twice before reading a book with a dull cover. For this reason, most story books have a very colorful cover in order to attract readers especially kids who are funned of reading stories and seeing beautiful pictures. According to James A. Cox, editor-in-chief of Midwest Book Review, the cover is the part of the book that will attract distributors, booksellers, costumers, librarians and reviewers to pick up the book, allotting time opening it and casting eye tracks on the interior of the book. Not only colorful and attractive covers are needed in coming up with a high quality book but the message of the cover as well. This is not an easy task and requires good artistic ability. Although aesthetic is an important part, the main text and body of the book is still the main important part that readers are searching. A cover must give a hint on what the book is all about that is why titles are commonly a part of the cover. The title itself requires creativity. A book needs a catchy title for it to gain the interest of the reader. The title can also tell the reader whether the book is worthy to be read and worthy of their time, money and effort. The main body of the book also requires creativity and art. You don’t just write anything you want in making a book. It must be organized and put in a creative manner in order to maximize its effectiveness. Illustrations and others must be included because it is easier to remember and understand. Making an illustration regarding the important things and information that you want to impart is also a hard task that requires creativity and artistic ability. Any information given and emphasize by the writer will be greatly appreciated if the reader will be able to grasp the idea. Making the body of a book does not only require a good writing skills but the writer must also think of better ways on how to improve the body for the readers. For this reason, most scholarly books include tables, graphs and other representations for better understanding. Thus, book writing must also be considered as a form of art that requires creativity and artistic design. Artistic ability is really needed in book making especially in making story or book of poems. Making poem is not as easy as it looks. The purpose is not simply to entertain but as well as for the writer to express himself/herself in a creative manner. Every part of a book requires good artistic ability in order to be effective and to serve its purpose. The cover needs to be attractive for the readers to take time looking at what the book is all about. The body must also be a work of art for the readers to be satisfied with what they have read. Book making is a form of art and art cannot be separated from book making. Without art, it would be impossible to come up with a high quality, effective and informative book. Creativity and artistic design is a great factor to gain and satisfy the readers. To satisfy the readers is not just beneficial on the part of the reader but for the writer as well. By doing so, the writer will gain the trust of the readers and will be able to build a good reputation. Thus, the possibility of having readers of his or her future works increases because of the reputation that he or she was able to build by meeting the expectations of costumers or readers. The greatest challenge in book making is not the information that is to be included in the book but rather how you can come up with a book that can be considered as a work of art from the cover and to the whole text. A book is not just read, it must be appreciated and the only way to do so is to consider book making as an art that must be appreciated for the contents and as well as for the aesthetics and artistry of the book in general. An effective and successful writer is definitely a creative artist. References Cox, J. ,A. (No date). The importance of book covers. Retreived January 10, 2008 from http://www. midwestbookreview. com/bookbiz/advice/coverart. htm Hunter, L. (2002). The importance of making a good impression. Retrieved January 10, 2008 from http://www. berkeley. edu/news/berkeleyan/2002/11/13_bookm. html Sowin, J. (15, April, 2007). The importance of books. Retreived January 10, 2008 from http://www. fireandknowledge. org/archives/2007/04/15/the-importance-of-books-l amott/.

Mental Health Nursing Essay

Case Study Report Jamelia I am so tired and drained. I feel as though my head is going to explode with all this pressure. You see I’ve been looking after my mother for a long time, she suffers from anxiety, the illness comes and goes, presenting itself periodically. Although I do worry about my mother I can usually deal with this, I have been for a long time but recently I’ve found myself worrying about my father as well. My father, usually a well presented and calm individual has been acting very strangely the past few weeks. I went round to visit my parents and check my mother was alright and he looked extremely unkempt, he looked as though he hadn’t shaved in a while, and he was wearing dirty clothes. I tried to keep things as light hearted as possible when I asked him why this was and out of nowhere he became extremely angry and defensive which is very unlike him. My mother has been telling me recently that she thinks he’s ‘losing his marbles’ as she puts it, but to be honest I just put this down to her own illness as this is often how it starts, my mother becomes worried about family members and friends when it’s really her who we need to worry about. I kind of put my father to the back of my mind for a few weeks and tried to concentrate on looking after my two children, which is a handful in itself, but then out of the blue at whatever time in the morning the phone rang, a police officer on the phone, she told me how my father had been found roaming around the street not an hour before, in his pyjamas no less. I was mortified, so angry at my father for his behaviour, but the police officer was very reassuring and advised me it might be a good idea to get in touch with my father’s GP, which I did and he put in a referral to the Community Psychiatric Nurse. I think he’s coming round during the week sometime to visit us. I honestly don’t know what else I can do, I am so stressed and run down by this whole thing I haven’t stopped crying, I just hope the CPN can do something to help, or at least give us some idea what the matter is so I can sleep at night. Community Psychiatric Nurse I received a referral from the GP recently asking for me to carry out an assessment on a Mr Hamed Khan who has been displaying behaviours that are a bit out of the ordinary, I also received a police report stating Mr Khan had been picked up for wandering around in his pyjamas in the early hours of the morning. There are many things that I have to rule out before I jump to the obvious conclusion which would be some kind of dementia, the rate at which I believe Mr Khan seems to have deteriorated at is staggering so if Mr Khan is suffering from dementia I would probably sway towards Lewy Body dementia, although, of course, I cannot make assumptions. I will wait until I meet with the family, i will ask them all questions, the majority will be aimed at Mr Khan to answer but I need to see it from everyone’s viewpoint and everyone will be entitled to join in any discussions we carry out providing Mr Khan is happy and willing for this to happen, then based on my observations and the answers i get from the family i will arrange some further tests to get a proper, medical diagnosis, if need be. Before i send Mr Khan for further assessment I will need to ensure a Urine Sample has been taken so we can rule out any kind of Urinary Tract Infection which could be the cause of any confusion Mr Khan has suffered from recently, this is quite often the case in older people they tend to get anxious and confused and this can, and often is mistaken for some kind of dementia. When I go out to visit the family i will ensure they are happy with having a male CPN, and I will meet all their requirements for this visit and all further visits, if necessary. Of course it won’t just be myself working to help the Khan family i will be just one member of a multi disciplinary team who will each have their own role in helping and supporting the Khan family. Sunita’s Needs Meeting Sunita’s needs is paramount in ensuring she is fulfilling her full potential. Sunita’s basic human needs have to be met. Sunita needs to feel loved, at the moment this may be lacking because everyone else is so worried about Hamed that Sunita may be being overlooked. Sunita needs to make sure she maintains her self-esteem, suffering from anxiety herself she needs to make sure she is looking after herself by making time for herself and not worrying about others too much. They say knowledge is power so it might empower Sunita if she was able to learn more about her anxiety, the causes, and all treatment options available so she can make a decision and choose how she would like to manage her illness. Sunita has the right to choose exactly what her own care plan will include, by getting involved in the whole process so it is geared to suit her as an individual and means she can still carry out activities she enjoys which can help her recovery. Hamed’s Needs No matter what the diagnosis Hamed’s needs are all very important, safety is extremely important particularly due to the night wandering and forgetfulness. Hamed needs to feel loved and respected as the head of the household regardless of his illness as this will help his self esteem, his appearance is an important part of this as well. As we have heard Hamed is normally well dressed and clean shaven, and we have to make sure this continues so Hamed still feels as normal as possible, a home carer may be an option to help Hamed get ready in the morning if he feels he would benefit from this. Every decision in relation to the care plan Hamed will be making himself as much as possible providing he is still able to do this and if not an advocate can be appointed, Hamed always has the right to choose. Hamed’s needs will be assessed using different tools of assessment, these could be shared activities, observations as well as meetings, using more than one method will ensure the care plan is as comprehensive as possible and meeting every need Hamed has, in a way he is happy with. Hamed’s physical needs will be met by encouraging him to continue doing physical activities he has enjoyed in the past. Socialising is a very important need, Hamed may be interested in going to a club or even attending a support group where he will meet and interact with people that he perhaps has something in common with. Stress factors for Jamelia There may be several different things which could be causing Jamelia to feel stressed. First of all she has to look after two young children with very little practical, hands on help from her husband. Jamelia also feels obligated to care for her mother when she is suffering from a bout of anxiety. Seeing someone you love and care for being distressed and worried is definitely going to be weighing on Jamelia’s mind. During the times when Sunita is unwell Jamelia is having to look after her mother as well as finding time to spend with her children which probably means Jamelia is feeling guilty, perhaps Jamelia feels she is neglecting her children because she has to look after her mother, all these conflicting emotions will cause a great deal of pressure on Jamelia. Even when Sunita is well, Jamelia has to deal with constant phone calls which may be waking her during the night, lack of sleep may be a contributing factor to the way Jamelia is feeling. As if this wasn’t enough for Jamelia to deal with she also now has to help with her father who is getting forgetful, confused and acting out of the ordinary. Hamed, who is normally a calm, strong man is changing in front of her eyes at an alarming rate, and is perhaps hard to recognise. Juggling so many things, Jamelia is probably not eating properly and not taking care of herself or making any time for herself. Support available for Jamelia, as a carer. There are many organisations out there who can offer practical and financial help to Jamelia as a carer. First of all Jamelia is entitled to a carer’s assessment. The law states that â€Å"anyone who provides or intends to provide a substantial amount of care on a regular basis can have a carer’s assessment. † A carers assessment will look at how Jamelia is affected by caring for her family, how much caring she can, practically, do while still having a life of her own, and having time for her children. There is also the option of getting someone else to care for Hamed and Sunita if and when Jamelia needs a break this can be in form of respite care, which comes in many different forms, for example, residential care where Hamed and Sunita can go for a short stay in a residential nursing home, as well as being good for Jamelia it could help meet the social side of Hamed and Sunita’s care plan as they will be meeting other people. There are day-sitting services which can be used for a couple of hours during the day, giving Jamelia a break, or a night- sitting service helping Jamelia get a proper night’s sleep. Financial help is available to help fund this particular help from local authorities and local councils in form of vouchers or direct payments. Word Count – 1675.

John Proctor vs Arthur Dimmesdale Essay

The sixth commandment states, â€Å"Thou shall not commit adultery. † This is something that both John Proctor from â€Å"The Crucible† and Arthur Dimmesdale from â€Å"The Scarlet  Letter†Ã‚  committed. John Proctor’s partner in crime is Abigail Williams and Arthur Dimmesdale’s is Hester Prynne. The big difference between these two men is that John accepts his sin and Arthur does not. They both  share  the same sin, but they lived two different but similar lives. Since they both were Puritans and people that the town looked up to. The most glaring difference between John and Arthur is the fact that John isn’t a holy man. Hell, he doesn’t even attend church on Sundays. But this doesn’t change the fact that he completely regrets his crime of adultery. I think it might affect John a lot more than Arthur because he already has a significant other. This makes the sin more personal for John in that regard. John’s reason for not being a holy man (which was a big deal for the time) can be traced to 2 things. 1: Him being a farmer makes his life revolve around the randomness of the weather and the brutality of nature. The corruptness of the religious members of the town. An example is all of the witch accusations that are completely ridiculous and the priest asking the townspeople for money instead of preaching god. John’s personality is also completely different. He is entirely confident in himself (sometimes appearing arrogant) but believes he is right all of the time. This is one of the factors why the townspeople look up to him. But also one of the reasons the townspeople turned against him so fast when he admitted to adultery. Arthur Dimmesdale is as holy as you can get. He is a famous minister that gets transferred to the town of the scarlet letter and is respected by everyone. He eventually commits adultery with Hester Prynne which tears him up inside because it goes against everything he knows. He then beats himself up over it the entire book going as far as mutilating himself as â€Å"punishment†. Now that I mention it maybe Arthur regrets it more. Think about it, he gets punished for having a â€Å"thing† with the only woman he ever loved. Also it breaks all the rules in his lifestyle. Challenging his very means of living. He even gets a child out of this â€Å"mistake†. Pearl, who is a constant reminder of what he did. Arthurs personality is definitely a lot weaker than Johns. He is an incredibly weak man after the affair. Leaving as a shell of his former self. He is in so much guilt over what happened that he starts losing his own sense of reality at one point. Arthur is also incredibly susceptible to Rogers tricks in the book making him a weak man. Now that you know the differences between the characters let’s talk about how they accept their sin. John is pushed to the point where he has no other choice but to confess to the town that he had an affair with Abigail Williams. John is 100% strong in his decision though. He gives Abigail a cold shoulder on his way to his death telling her that it was a mistake and that he never loved her. But he tells his wife that he’s sorry for everything and that he loves her. In my humble opinion I think Proctor went out in pride. Accepting what he did and taking it like a man. Arthur†¦not so much. He knows he’s dying so he decides to let the town know the truth by showing the â€Å"A† carved on his chest to the entire town. This literally takes the â€Å"burden† off his chest but dies immediately after. This shows that he couldn’t take the guilt and that’s what killed him. Revealing it was too much for him. This was my comparison of characters in Puritan society stories and I favored John Proctor over Arthur Dimmesdale. They are both good analysis’s of the human condition and really made me think. Just remember that†¦. â€Å"A person that never made a mistake never tried anything new. † – Albert Einstein

Difference Between Nurse Leaders and Nurse Managers Essay

Difference Between Nurse Leaders and Nurse Managers - Essay Example Nursing managers remain responsible for chairing of organizational meetings and determining the organizational projects, nursing leaders on their part work to determine the particular participation of unit nurses in particular organizational projects. Based on such a perspective, it is possible a nursing manager also becomes a nursing leader at the same time. As such, a clinical manager would as well step in to work as an in charge nurse and perform the necessary roles associated with a nursing leader such as the application of fairness in dealings with people. In most instances, nursing leaders lack management position but still perform to the satisfaction of the concerned parties in a similar manner of a nursing manager. Such roles include assigning of nurses on different roles and responsibilities depending on an individual’s ability to complete such tasks. On a similar perspective, it is possible that a nursing manager becomes a leader. As such, the nursing leaders would be in a position to influence control over other nurses such as giving them directions (Finkelman, 2012). Additionally, a nursing leader must not be in a management position in order to perform effectively. Generally, all nurses need to be leaders by default, with appropriate qualities of effective performance.

The Human - Computer Interface Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Human - Computer Interface - Essay Example User experience can be vastly enhanced by incorporating multiple sensors into virtual environments because people can immerse into another world more naturally and easily by using their whole body (Schrammel et. al., 2010). Therefore, the Human Computer Interface continues to expand in the field of human-computer communication bandwith by incorporating multiple sensory channels. Meanwhile the growing societal recognition of the needs of people with physical disabilities and neurodegenerative diseases also provide special application domains for Brain-Computer Interface (Tan & Nijholt, 2010). Some researchers advocate â€Å"user interface consistency† as the golden rule in Human Computer Interaction dialogs. Possibility of automating the designs, monitoring, evaluating and comparing the interface properties are the most attractive benefits of consistent designs. However, a clear definition for consistency cannot be found in research literature. In general a consistent design is have, (1) internal interface design consistency and (2) external consistency of interface features with features of other interfaces familiar to the users. Users can obtain convenient, less expensive and versatile products by consistent designs. Example: the training time is 100% to 300% less compared to the random user interface design. Nevertheless some researchers advocate that diverting primary focus from users and their needs into consistency, as narrowing the spectrum of software engineering (Grudin, 1989). Haptic Technology MacLean, 2000, defines â€Å"haptic feedback† as the â€Å"computer control over the tactile or kinesthetic properties of a physical interface, permitting realtime representation of a changing virtual or remote environment rather than a specific, constant handle† (p. 2). In general, haptic feedback is a mechanical response created by the haptic interface in terms of a special vibration sensation. Conventional vibration alerting differs from the haptic feedback as the latter involves advanced vibration patterns and waveforms that convey rather informative messages from a dynamic virtual environment to users. Human brain comprises of various visual, audible, smell, taste and haptic sensory neurons that are stimulated when an objects contact with the respective sensory channel. Sensory receptors located in the human body such as; muscles, tendons, joints and skin in the hands are important for human performances equally to hearing and visual sensing (Torre, 2006). Characteristics of the human brain have largely shaped the designing of modern human-computer interfaces. In the history, models of Human Computer Interactions were dominated by audio-visual simulations (Hayward et. al., 2004). Incorporating haptic, pressure, taste and smell sensors in remotely controlled and virtual environments can be considered as the greatest achievement in modern software engineering. Haptic technology is largely aimed at enhancing the oper ator performances and user experiences by kinesthetic and touch channels stimulation. Humans are rather cautious when touching a surface compared to looking at it. Such characteristics have shape the modern Human Computer Interfaces. Researchers advocate that haptic feedback is rather effective when used in conjugation with other sensory modalities. Example, Morris et. al., 2007, used haptic feedback for teaching undergraduate students a sensorimotor skill that have a force-sensitive component and requires recalling a

Stratigic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Stratigic Management - Essay Example Although it has the highest rates of spending, the returns are very low even as 16 percent or 44 million people are uninsured (Mendenhall, 2006). Although the health care industry was slow in adopting strategic management, external factors coupled with dramatic changes in Medicare instigated from various sources including legislative, demographic shifts, new technologies, economic and market changes forced the sector to adopt and implement stratagems in cope with the continuously changing environment. Some of the challenges facing health care are poor information technology, lack of innovation, security and confidentiality issues, accuracy and laboratory testing among others compelling the industry to embrace modern strategic methods. According to the Baldrige National Quality Program (2006), a competent health care should be founded on the following key components: visionary leadership; patient-focused excellence; organizational and personal learning; valuing staff and partner; agility; focus on the future; managing for innovation; management by fact; social responsibility and community health; focus on results and creating value; and systems perspective. This are effected by implementing the following seven components: leadership; strategic planning; focus on patients, other customers, and markets; measurement, analysis, and knowledge; management; human resource focus; process management; and results (Hertz, 2006). The strategic management execution requires focus on the organization core competencies that emphasizes the implementation of its finest aspects that are unique, distinct and are not prone to imitation. Similarly, the organization must identify its core or shared values as well as analyzing its criti cal success factors or a working formula including the leadership aspects that compliment organization competencies (Grant, 2003). A

Morality and Moral Controversies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Morality and Moral Controversies - Essay Example Gender identity is one of the first and most far-reaching identities that a human being learns. Many societies have established social distinctions between the sexes which do not inevitably result from biological differences. This largely reflects the impact of conventional gender-role socialization. Gender-roles were defined as expectations regarding the proper behaviour, attitudes and activities of males and females. The application of traditional gender roles leads to many differentiation between men and women. Both sexes are physically capable of leaning to cook and sew, yet most western societies determine that these tasks should be performed by women. Both men and women are capable of learning to weld metal and fly airplanes but these functions are generally assigned to males. All of us can describe the traditional gender-role patterns which have been influential in the socialization of children and the United States. Male babies get blue blankets while females get pink one. Boys are expected to play with trucks, blocks and toy soldiers; girls are given dolls and kitchen goods. Boys must be masculine - active, aggressive, tough, daring and dominant - whereas girls must be feminine - soft, emotional, sweet and submissive. In any society, gender socialization and stratification requires not only individual socialization into traditional gender roles within the family, but al... ender roles, every society has women and men who resist and successfully oppose these stereotypes: strong women who become leaders and professionals, gentle men who care for their children and so forth. With these realities in mind, it seems clear that differences between the sexes are not dictated by biology. Indeed, the maintenance of traditional gender roles requires constant social controls - and these controls are not always effective. 2. Is Rawls right that the obligation to obey the law rests on the duty of fair play (Political and Social Relationships) I believe that nothing in the world is fair. Social stratifications, gender and racial inequalities are very much apparent that we can say not everything is fair and square. With these differences, the law binds all of us no matter what race we have, what economic strata we belong or what our gender preference may be. In complex and rapidly changing societies, there are dislocations between ends and means that encourage individuals to commit acts that are not defined as deviant. Deviance is somewhat more of a social problem rather than a personal trouble; it is a property of the social structure, not of the individual. As a consequence, the solution to deviance lies not in reducing the mismatch between structured goals and unstructured means. In human groups that are growing and changing, class lines are not immutable. Individuals alter their class positions and the boundaries and strata may change. It is important to understand the relationship among social mobility, structural change and moral panic. A central element in our culture is the value placed on improving one's position - through increased income, a job entailing more authority, an access to prestige, ability to have knowledge about technology.

Celebrities in Advertisements Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Celebrities in Advertisements - Essay Example Hence, the celebrities have become a strong weapon of influence in the hands of advertisers as they not only help in selling the products, but also help in creating a long lasting psychological association between the product and the consumer, which ensures the future success of the brand. Celebrities In Advertisements As per the modern trends, advertising can be defined as â€Å"a paid persuasive communication that uses nonpersonal mass media –as well as other forms of interactive communication- to reach broad audiences to connect an identified sponsor with a target audience† (Wells, Burnett and Moriarty 5). From the definition, it is clear that advertisers use the advertisement to persuade people to take some action or to take a decision related to the products that are being advertised (Wells, Burnett and Moriarty 5). However, making a consumer to take a decision regarding a product is not as easy as it seems as there are hundreds of different brands selling the same kind of products. Hence, the advertisers have to use a strategy that is highly powerful and highly impacting. This is where the role of the celebrity in advertisements begins. The fact that approximately one sixth of the ads world-wide features the celebrities shows how beneficial it proves for a brand to have a celebrity feature in the advertisements (Shimp 250). Moreover, the salaries the celebrities are paid are huge. According to a report on top endorsement incomes of athletes (2007), professional golfer Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson were paid $100,000,000 and $47,000,000 respectively, for the ads (Shimp 251). To endorse the brands, the advertisers use variety of celebrities from the field of television, movies, sports, athletics and even politics (Shimp 250). It is believed that celebrities have the power to influence the attitudes and behavior of the consumer towards the brands as they are respected and loved by the consumers (Shimp 250). The brands pay huge salaries to the celebrities to advertise their products as they think that celebrities can positively influence the consumer and increase the sale of their products (Shimp 250). Studies in the field of advertising have revealed that there is a positive link between the ‘famous people’ in the brand and people’s favorability towards it (Pringle 69). The chances of success of a brand increases when it features one of the likeable celebrities in its advertisement (Pringle 97). Hence, it is believed that celebrities have the power to influence the decision of the people. However, what really works behind the success of the brands featuring celebrities in their ads is the method of ‘mental association’. Psychology Behind Celebrity Advertisements It has been proved that the presence of celebrity in the brand advertisement increases the chances of its success. The explanation for the effect of celebrity advertisements on people’s behavior and thinking can be found in the psychological theory of ‘mental association.’ According to psychoanalysis theory, the principle of ‘association’ governs the mental life of human beings (Richards, Macrury and Botterill 140). The theory states that when a person has any experience, his mind creates an association between the feelings related to that experience and the elements that were involved in that experience (Richards, Macrur

Locke on the state Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Locke on the state - Essay Example In order to understand a normative account of government, it is useful to understand the descriptive. By examining theories regarding the human state of nature, it is possible to set forth standards and norms by which people ought to live, including those relating to who should rule. This essay will analyze Locke's account of the origins and purpose of governance, with the aim of understanding how supporting the conflicting ideals of autonomy and authority might be remedied. Locke's state of nature comprises three elements; a state of perfect freedom, a state of equality and a state of natural law, which commands "no-one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty or possessions" (9). Accepting these elements is of fundamental importance in understanding the origins and role of government, but there are problems to be overcome. The natural law immediately limits the scope of the first, in that we do not have a perfect freedom to jeopardize another person's safety or invade their property. Secondly, if every person is equal, there is no natural claim to authority, which seems to conflict with the notion of obeying the law as set down by a government. The inclusion of the moral law in Locke's state of nature helps us to understand the motivations behind an argument for setting up a political governing body. We may all be equal on Earth, but the existence of a natural law which states we are duty bound not to harm others implies the existence of an objective morality as created by some other superior being, i.e. God. This theological aspect of Locke's account is important. It means that every individual is at liberty to behave in a way which fits within the parameters of a natural moral duty. Furthermore, as the law is created by a superior being, there must be some reason to accept that the law should be upheld. Although it might seem absurd, in this day and age to accept an appeal to God as a reason to accept an argument, Locke also appeals to an idea of natural reason which is inherent in all of us. Co-operation with the natural law ensures our survival, and so it is unreasonable to think anyone would object to it. Hence, each person is not only equally bound to abide by the natural law, but each person is also equally bound to ensure that others abide by it. "In transgressing the law of nature, the offender declares himself to live by another rule other than that of reason" (Locke 10), and so offers himself up to be punished by those who have not. The equality of every man within a state of n ature also means that each individual who has not broken the natural law has the right to punish the offender. The severity of that punishment should be adequate not only to ensure the perpetrator does not commit the same act again, but also act as a deterrent for other would-be criminals to do something similar. From this reasoning, it is believed that mankind will be preserved and live in a state of relative security. By Locke's own admission, this right to punish, may seem like "a very strange doctrine" (10), but without it, the law of the land would only apply to those who are naturally resident within it. Foreigners who have not consented to domestic legal policy would be free to act under their own standards and so the freedoms and safety of native habitants would be in doubt. It must then be a natural law that governs all mankind, regardless of cultural

Potential of Stobart Group Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Potential of Stobart Group - Assignment Example The founder of the company Mr Eddie Stobart recently passed away in 2011.Currently, Eddie Stobart operates in forty sites that are well distributed across Europe and it employs over 5,300 people.It has more than 2000 tractors and more than 6000 million square feet for the purpose of warehousing. The business empire is divided into Stobart Ports, Rail divisions and Stobart Air. Stobart is one of the most respected enterprises in the transport and warehousing industry. To attain a positive macro business economic business environment, the Company responds to any challenges that crop up and works day and night to meet the ever-changing business environment. Stobart employs an innovative approach to projects besides having a highly skilled and motivated workforce which make it possible for it to compete for some of the most complex projects smoothly. Amidst the broad economic climate, moving forward looks uncertain but the Board of governors insists that Stobart has the right strategy and people who show the resilience that is needed for prosperity even in tough economic hardships. Stobart aims at becoming UK’s leading provider of multimodal solutions. The company works under a conducive environment in within the UK and other European countries, after the establishment of the European Union, the business has continued to flourish due to relaxed rules in the cross-border trade and movement. Other factors that have enabled is growth is the use of one currency, government cooperation in establishment and completion of a number of projects and fair competition in the market. For example in 2010, the government approved the London Southend Airport plans after the company had presented the plan to the government.When a company gets adequate support from the government and the industry it is involved in, it is likely to grow and flourish. The biogas production has branded Stobart as an environmentally conscious company this has achieved it public approval compared to their companies in the industry (Paladino, 2007).

Cultural Diversity in Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Cultural Diversity in Business - Essay Example In Brazil, the level of power distance is extremely high as compared to Denmark. This means, all the individual within the society of Brazil is not equal. Due to which, the less powerful members of the society or organization had to obey the rules and regulations of the powerful persons. As a result of which, the manufacturing unit of Brazil may face the problem of interpersonal conflicts among its members. This is because; all the members of the organization may not follow the orders or policies of the more powerful individual and it might lead to clashes or quarrel. Due to which, the rate of retention of the employees might get reduced resulting in attrition or lockouts. This might not only hinder the image of the organizational unit but also hamper its prosperity in long run. Other than power distance, the masculinity is also quite high as compared to Denmark. As a result of which the female members of the organizational unit of Brazil may not be offered equal rights and privilege s and that may create conflicts among other members. Due to which, their level of motivation and commitment of the female employees might get reduced that may hinder their productivity and performance. However, due to lack of performance of the female employees, the overall profitability of the organization reduces to a significant extent among many other rival players. Due to lack of equal rights, the interpersonal relationships among its members might get reduced that may hamper their performance and commitment level.

The tragic Hero Essay Example for Free

The tragic Hero Essay Oedipus, the classic Greek tragedy by Sophocles, is one in which the protagonist is portrayed as a tragic hero. The author does this by combining the elements of irony, personal tragedy and heroism. In the play, Oedipuss character evokes pity because of his misfortune appears to be greater than he deserves hence the reader is left to empathise with him. His actions are controlled by fate and the reader is left to wonder why such a terrible thing is happening to such a good man. Power corrupts but absolute power corrupts absolutely. Humans seem to have a common running trait, and that is one of power and heroism. The quest for heroism becomes the basis of Oedipus the Kings demise. If this power however gets into ones mind, the results could be detrimental, and Oedipus the King is a living testimony of this. Since his actions are controlled by fate, no matter how hard he tries, he cannot prevent good or bad things from happening to him. Since fate is cannot be prevented from taking its course, his actions are quite futile. Aristotle said A tragic hero evokes our pity and terror if he is neither thoroughly good nor thoroughly evil but a mixture of both. The tragic effect is stronger if the hero is more mortal than we are. Oedipus is a mixture of both good and evil. In the opening scene he is seen as a compassionate king who is intelligent and caring. Oedipus prides himself on his intelligence and it is this along with his questioning personality that lead to his downfall. These are his good sides with his evil side being that is guilty of killing King Laois and sleeping with his own mother. Oedipus tries his best to be morally upright with everything that he does, which is more than the average person does. Aristotle also goes on to say the tragic hero suffers a change in fortune from happiness to misery because an error in judgement which leaves the tragic hero to ignore or violate a divine warning or moral law. In the play, Oedipus runs away form Corinth to Thebes and solves the riddle of the sphinx and is thus made the king of Thebes. He however marries the widowed queen and has children with her thus violating a moral law. His fortune changes from happiness to misery when he realises what he has done. A tragic hero evokes our pity because he is not evil and his misfortune is greater than he deserves. He evokes our fear because we realise we are fallible and could make the same error said Aristotle. Oedipus is flawed in many ways and as a result comes out as imperfect since he has a balance mixture of both good and evil. His fortune in saving Thebes becomes his downfall when he fulfils the oracle by sleeping with the queen, who unknown to him is his mother. Oedipus is imperfect and this is seen through his moral and physical flaws. He limps as a result of his feet being pinned together when he was quite young. Unknowingly sleeping with his mother and killing his father is his moral flaw. Thus, combining the heroism of Oedipus with his flaws makes him imperfect though higher than the ordinary man in many ways. Sophocles portrays the result, a classic example of a tragic hero in this play. Sophocles use of irony throughout the play brings to bear on the reader the gloom of Oedipuss situation. We constantly find Oedipus trying to escape the Oracle, but in doing so, ends up fulfilling it. This is seen when he says in the opening scene Everybody everywhere knows who I am. This ironic statement is said in the opening scene of the play when Oedipus comes out to meet the people. His true identity is unknown to him but he exclaims that everyone else knows who he is. Also, since he is such a great riddle solver, you would think he would be able to solve the riddle of his identity but he is unable to in the sight of overwhelming evidence, which is quite ironic. An example of the irony of his fate is when his parents try to prevent the oracle form being fulfilled by sending him away to be killed. He however returns and on his way fulfils the oracle by killing his father and later on marrying his mother. It seems strange to the reader that Oedipus is not more careful about what he does. For example, when he killed king Laois at the crossroads, he should have realised with the oracle in mind that anybody he kills is likely to be his father. He however reacts carelessly by succumbing to his emotions when the King annoys him. Oedipus returns to Thebes and saves it by solving the riddle of the sphinx. However, he leads to its destruction since he is the cause of the plague. It is destroying themes. Thus his fortune tends to be his misfortune. These examples show how Oedipus fulfils the oracle even though he is trying to escape. The reader gets a haunting glimpse into the mindset of Oedipuss wife and mother. This is portrayed to the reader through the actions that she takes. She is a woman who after all who wanted want to kill her son to prevent the oracle from being fulfilled only to find out years later that she is married to him, which leads her to commit suicide later on. She expresses her disbelief in the oracles by telling Oedipus that they are powerless, however, in the next scene she is praying to the oracles to help Oedipus to stop his strange behaviour. Also in this scene, a messenger brings news from Corinth that Polybos is dead and Oedipus should return to Corinth. Though Oedipus is pleased about the kings death since he proves that the oracles dont come true. Yet still he refuses to return because Merope is alive. His fear is that he will fulfil the prophecy since his mother is alive. Oedipus, remains a mystery to both the reader and himself. He does not know his true identity and this becomes the source of his demise. He comes to find out his true identity, but in doing so, his sudden tragic end is brought closer. The reader at this point is left to wonder, what is the way out. Unfortunately, the answer as we come to realise in the latter parts of the book is one that is not easy. Fate has already chosen Oedipuss destiny and nothing can change it. A feature of tragic plays by Shakespeare. The writer connotes a certain sombre picture and depressing mood, which is characteristic of most of Shakespearean tragedies. The employments of understatements that lead to humour are also evident in most parts of the text, and this makes for an interesting reading. For example throughout the play, there are references to sight such as, you cannot see, yet you know the nature of this plague and light, o light, light now everything is clear which are ironic because Oedipus blinds himself later on. Also, the blind prophet Teireseis knows about Oedipususs true identity but Oedipus who isnt physically blind does not know his true identity. His servant Kreon whose name means king is also an irony since he turns form a messenger to a king. Throughout the play, there are references to sight such as, you cannot see, yet you know the nature of this plague and light light, light now everything is clear which are ironic because Oedipus blinds himself later on. Also, the blind prophet Teireseis knows about Oedipususs true identity but Oedipus who isnt physically blind does not know his true identity. His servant Kreon whose name means king is also an irony since he turns form a messenger to a king There are three hero archetypes that suit the character of Oedipus; The quest, the initiation and the sacrificial scapegoat. Oedipus delivers Thebes by solving the riddle of the sphinx and thus fulfils the first archetype which is that of a hero who who solves an unanswerable riddle to save his kingdom. He does this on his journey to discover his true identity. The second archetype is that of the phase of separation. This happens when he leaves Thebes, is transformed and returns to become king and save his kingdom. The third archetype is when in order to save Thebes he has to banish himself from the kingdom to restore it back to fruitfulness. This has the elements of a tragedy because no matter the decision he makes he it is going to be detrimental to him. Even though Irony plays a crucial role, other elements such as heroism and tragedy come in the text. We find Oedipus entangled by his own principles. He is always in that twilight zone, one between acceptance of the harsh reality and total rejection of the things he goes through. The choice of the latter is detrimental to both his character and that of the people he leads and governs and he thus chooses the former remaining a true tragic hero.

Starbucks Strategic Management

Starbucks Strategic Management The Strategic Management provide an indepth knowledge of the process for developing and enacting business plans to reach a long-term goal that takes into account the internal variables and external factors in the business environment. It encompasses an integrated, future oriented managerial perspective that is outwardly focused, forward thinking and performance based. Strategic managers identify long-range targets, scan their operating environment, evaluate their organization structures and resources, match these to the challenges they face, identify stakeholders and build alliances, prioritize and plan actions and make adjustments to fulfill performance objectives over time. This module will provide detailed explanation on how the balancing of strategic managements outward, inward and forward looking functions would be used to develop a vision and strategies to move forward. The five key facets of strategic management namely, goal setting, strategy analysis, strategy formation, strategy implementation, and strategy monitoring will be introduced in stages. These are the integral elements that, when applied together, would distinguish strategic management from less comprehensive approaches, such as operational management or long-term planning. In 1971 Starbucks opened operations in Seattles Pike Place Markets with the future aim of providing coffee to a number of restaurants and surrounding bars. With the recruitment of Howard Schultz who led the marketing and retail efforts of Starbucks. * In 1982, the company took a change in direction through the views of Schultz, who after visiting Italy tried to adapt the same principles in order to a strong bar culture. Schultz then utilized Starbucks ability to provide quality coffee beans and opened up a new store called Il Giornale, which brewed coffee from these particular beans. * In 1987, Giornale had decided to take over the assets of Starbucks and also, further changed its name to Starbucks Corporation. By the end of the year, Starbucks had increased the number of stores to 17 and furthered its location span by entering Chicago and Vancouver. * In 1990, the company took further steps forward with expansion of the Seattle headquarters and an increase in resources with the opening of a new roasting plant. Relationships and other ventures also took off during the early nineties as the company looked to development organizations to further its progress. *In 1995, the company really established its name with the opening of the 676th store as well as increasing the products in store with the addition of compact discs a result of a previously popular experiment with in-house music. * In 1996, the company kept on stretching its reach by entering into the market of Japan, Singapore and Hawaii. This was achieved through joint ventures including the one formed with Sazaby Inc., which pushed through the development of coffee houses in Japan. In 1971 Starbucks opened operations in Seattles Pike Place Markets with the future aim of providing coffee to a number of restaurants and surrounding bars. With the recruitment of Howard Schultz who led the marketing and retail efforts of Starbucks. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ In 1982, the company took a change in direction through the views of Schultz, who after visiting Italy tried to adapt the same principles in order to a strong bar culture. Schultz then utilized Starbucks ability to provide quality coffee beans and opened up a new store called Il Giornale, which brewed coffee from these particular beans. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ In 1987, Giornale had decided to take over the assets of Starbucks and also, further changed its name to Starbucks Corporation. By the end of the year, Starbucks had increased the number of stores to 17 and furthered its location span by entering Chicago and Vancouver. * In 1990, the company took further steps forward with expansion of the Seattle headquarters and an increase in resources with the opening of a new roasting plant. Relationships and other ventures also took off during the early nineties as the company looked to development organizations to further its progress. *In 1995, the company really established its name with the opening of the 676th store as well as increasing the products in store with the addition of compact discs a result of a previously popular experiment with in-house music. * In 1996, the company kept on stretching its reach by entering into the market of Japan, Singapore and Hawaii. This was achieved through joint ventures including the one formed with Sazaby Inc., which pushed through the development of coffee houses in Japan. Current situation The current international situation for Starbucks seems to be an emerging part of their business and the reorganization of this is proved by their aim to become a leading global company through making a difference in peoples lives all around the world. This goal is quite close to being achieved as proved the Starbucks current locations in international markets and the successfulness of these ventures. The current countries in which Starbucks are located in are: Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, New Zealand, Oman, Peoples Republic of China, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, United Kingdom, and the United States. Current performance Overall, the aim of becoming a worldwide global brand seems to be working in favor of the company and is helping it to attract the attention of many major companies who would like to share a partnership. This is all positive news for the company because it provides a strong basis for future development of international markets, which further strengthens the mission to become one of the leading specialty coffee retailers in the world.However, the net revenues increased 3 percent to $2.5 billion for the fourth quarter of 2008, compared to $2.4 billion for the fourth quarter of 2007. For the 13-week period ended September 28, 2008, Starbucks reported net income of $5.4 million, which included $105.1 million of restructuring charges and other transformation strategy costs. Net income was $158.5 million for the same period a year ago. The company actions announced in July of 2008 to close approximately 600 company-operated stores in the U.S. and 61 company-operated stores in Australia, and reduce approximately 1,000 open and filled positions within its leadership structure and non-store organization. Strategic posture 1- mission To inspire and nurture the human spirit- one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time The mission of Starbucks is to establish Starbucks as the premier purveyor of the finest coffee in the world while maintaining our uncompromising principles while we grow. None of this success would have been possible without a set of goals that the company aimed to achieve and a set of principles, which governed the decision making process. The six principles of Starbucks are stated as: 1-Provide a great work environment and treat each other with respect and dignity. 2-Embrace diversity as an essential component in the way we do business. 3-Apply the highest standards of excellence to the purchasing. 4-Roasting and fresh delivery of our coffee. 5-Develop enthusiastically satisfied customers all of the time. 6-Contribute positively to our communities and our environment, and recognize that profitability is essential to our future success. Application of these principles can be used as a guideline for all employees from managers to workers to aim to achieve the companys goals, while maintaining a certain type of standard. However, the net revenues increased 3 percent to $2.5 billion for the fourth quarter of 2008, compared to $2.4 billion for the fourth quarter of 2007. For the 13-week period ended September 28, 2008, Starbucks reported net income of $5.4 million, which included $105.1 million of restructuring charges and other transformation strategy costs. Net income was $158.5 million for the same period a year ago. The company actions announced in July of 2008 to close approximately 600 company-operated stores in the U.S. and 61 company-operated stores in Australia, and reduce approximately 1,000 open and filled positions within its leadership structure and non-store organization. This mission statement along with the set of guidelines provides a focus for employees as they make strategic decisions. It not only supports the employees, but supports the customers as well, making a note that they should be satisfied all of the time. The mission shows alignment with the vision by stating how the company plans to reach the broad goals set by the vision statement. Another supporting sentence in the mission statement is that the company applies the highest standards of excellence to the purchasing, roasting and fresh delivery of its coffee. This statement supports the idea thatStarbucks uses the best available resources to give it a recognized and respected name. Objectives Strategies: Here are the following objectives ofStarbucks: Our Coffee It has always been, and will always be, about quality. Were passionate about ethically sourcing the finest coffee beans, roasting them with great care, and improving the lives of people who grow them. We care deeply about all of this; our work is never done. Our Partners Were called partners, because its not just a job, its our passion. Together, we embrace diversity to create a place where each of us can be ourselves. We always treat each other with respect and dignity. And we hold each other to that standard. Our Customers When we are fully engaged, we connect with, laugh with, and uplift the lives of our customers even if just for a few moments. Sure, it starts with the promise of a perfectly made beverage, but our work goes far beyond that. Its really about human connection. Our Stores When our customers feel this sense of belonging, our stores become a haven, a break from the worries outside, a place where you can meet with friends. Its about enjoyment at the speed of life-sometimes slow and savored, sometimes faster. Always full of humanity. Our Neighborhood Every store is part of a community, and we take our responsibility to be good neighbors seriously. We want to be invited in wherever we do business. We can be a force for positive action- bringing together our partners, customers, and the community to contribute every day. Now we see that our responsibility-and our potential for good-is even larger. The world is looking to Starbucks to set the new standard, yet again. We will lead. Our Shareholders We know that as we deliver in each of these areas, we enjoy the kind of success that rewards our shareholders. We are fully accountable to get each of these elements right so that Starbucks -and everyone it touches-can endure and thrive. From all what mentioned above that Starbucks is aiming to success through quality of product, diversify in business and place, to satisfy customers and shareholders, through pleasant and nice existence nearly to everyone. Financial Analysis The general financial performance for Starbucks in 2008 was declining from the previous years dramatically. The following analysis will show this fact. Investment Returns % Company Industry Return On equity 12.6 25.8 Return On Assets 5.6 13.2 Both the ROE and ROA are lower than the industrys average, which means that the company is not using both the equity and their assets properly to increase their revenue. Profit margins % Company Industry Gross Margin 16 27 Pre-Tax Margin 4.4 13.2 Net Profit Margin 3.03 8.5 Starbucks margins are lower also that the industrys average, especially in 2008 where the net profit margin reduced to 3.03 from 6.3 in 2007. Financial Condition Company Industry Debt / Quity Ratio 0.4 0.46 Current Ratio 0.8 1 Quick Ratio 0.48 0.7 Starbucks generally manages their debs and liabilities wisely, and this considers a financial strength for the company. Year 2008 2007 2006 2005 sales 10383000 9411497 7786942 6369300 Net income 315500 672638 564259 494467 Corporate governance Board of directors As part of Starbucks mission they are committed to maintain their uncompromising principles while they grow. In this regard, their Board of Directors has adopted governance principles and committee charters to lead Starbucks governance practices. Currently, the board has 9 directors, a substantial majority of whom meet all of the independence requirements of NASDAQ ® and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Of the nine members of Starbucks board, one is Latino, two are African American (one of which is female), and one other female also serves on the board. Starbucks president and CEO Howard Schultz chair the board. In Starbucks there are well-defined criteria for the selection of new board members, foremost being a clear demonstration of their own personal integrity and ethics. Board diversity is sought in terms of members personal and professional backgrounds, gender, race, ethnicity or other differentiating characteristics, enabling a wider range of opinions and perspectives to be considered. This criterias of selection affected the company in a very good way that gave it the opportunity to succeed in the international market. That the diversified background, education, culture and gender in the board was one of the greatest Starbucks strong points. There are three committees of the board are comprised of independent directors and have specific charters: Audit and Compliance,Compensation and Management Development and Nominating and Corporate Governance. In November 2007, the board amended the companys bylaws to include majority voting to allow shareholders to play a more meaningful role in the election of directors. Director nominees must receive more for than against votes to be elected in an uncontested election. Additionally, the term of a nominee who does not receive a majority of the votes cast will end on the earliest of either: (1) 90 days after the date election results are certified; (2) the date the director resigns; or (3) the date the board of directors fills the position. This change demonstrates Starbucks ongoing commitment to strong corporate governance practices. Shareholders and partners (employees) can provide recommendations and feedback to the board through the Business Conduct Helpline and the Audit line. In addition, written correspondence can be sent to the board, an individual director or to any of Starbucks independent board committees. Committee charters, governance principles, director nominations policy (including criteria for board membership) and profiles on each board member are available in the corporate governance section of Starbucks.com. Starbucks formed a Policy Governance Council in fiscal 2006 to oversee and approve governance tools at the global enterprise level, and to ensure they are well-defined, consistent with each other, current, stored for easy retrieval, and effectively communicated to partners. The Council is comprised of company leaders who represent multiple business units and functions, and is supported by Starbucks Policy Office and staff.Starbucks stakeholders include partners (employees), customers, suppliers, farmers, shareholders, governments, community members, environmental groups, activists and many others. The company engaged them to be able to understand their concerns and gain their input on topics of mutual importance. External Environment: Opportunities and Threats Starbucks international operation was one of the major aspects of their success. , in the mid 1990s, with the market reaching saturation, Starbucks could no longer depend on the U.S. market for growth. To maintain its growth rates and to boost revenues, Starbucks had to venture abroad. Starbucks international presence is now in more than 25 countries and the United States of America. This presence is formed in three modes in entry that are Joint venture, licensing and wholly owned subsidiaries. This became a burden on the mother company in a later stage. That those types of entry moods need a lot of training, supervising, management assistance and technology transfer for the partner. This is along with inability to engage in global strategic coordination. However, the success of Starbucks is not only to its aggressive expansion but also to its product innovation. Starbucks came out with new products to attract customers on different periods. Also diversification was one of the factors that Starbucks started to apply even on a small initiated base. That along with serving coffee, Starbucks also sold merchandise. In 1995, it started selling CDs of its famous in-house music program. It also entered into alliances with various players such as Canadian Airlines, United Air Lines, Starwood Hotels, and Barnes Noble, Inc., to serve Starbucks coffee. Michael Porters five forces Michael Porter defines five forces impacting a firms competitiveness- threat of substitutes, threat of new entrants in the industry, bargaining power of suppliers, bargaining power of customers, and the intensity of competition within the industry. A firms strategic decisions to respond to these five forces are a source of risk also. The company is facing a real threat of substitution from many other companies that producing the same product that is satisfying the same need. This is in its domestic market and even in the international market specially Europe and Middle East. Also Starbucks is facing a real problem of rival competition due to its uncompetitive price all over the world and even in its domestic market. Also the taste of Coffee had been judged by customers as an artificial taste especially in Japan. Suppliers bargaining power is really represent a threat for Starbucks. That they decided to deal with a 51% women or minority owned suppliers. Also they are not dealing with suppliers who dont follow the same environmental ethics that are for Starbucks. This may lead them to lose a good opportunity or deal with a supplier that they will not deal with him. Also dealing with small suppliers instead of dealing with limited number of big power full suppliers is not giving them real good deals for facilities and prices. Societal Environment Economics Economic factors are an important aspects that concern the nature and direction of the economy in which a firm operates Starbucks also faced criticism from Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) that urged the company to acquire certified coffee beans,ensuring that those coffee beans were grown and marketed under certain economic and social conditions. Furthermore, Starbucks faced problems due to economic recession in countries such as Switzerland, Germany, and Japan in the early 2000s, where it experienced declining sales and revenues. Moreover, a real expectation of huge recession during the next year due to the worldwide financial crisis may affect the companys results badly. Technological Starbucks is continuously searching for ways to better a customersexperience. With the introduction of the Starbucks Card for example, the Company has created the opportunity to improve customer service, shorten lines and make a customers visit at Starbucks quicker and more convenient. Most if not all Starbucks location has WI-FI for consumer needs. Political/Legal Increasing tensions between the United States and the rest of the world, the business environment, especially in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, was becoming increasingly volatile. After U.S. declaration of war on Iraq in early 2003 matters became worse for the company. This created serious problems for Starbucks. In July 2002, Arab students called for a boycott of American goods and services, due to the alleged close relationship between the United States and Israel. The boycott targeted U.S. companies including Starbucks, Burger King, Coca-Cola and Estee Lauder 2-In addition to these incidents, Starbucks topped the list of companies to be boycotted due to Schultzs alleged closeness to the Jewish community. Till now in the Arab countries Middle East a lot of rumors that Starbucks is sponsoring the Jewish community against Palestinian crises. Due to increasing security threats, Starbucks closed down its six stores in Israel. Starbucks had two class action suits pending since 2001. The lawsuits entitled Carr vs. Starbucks and Sheilds vs. Starbucks are challenging the status of Starbucks California store managers and assistant managers as exempt employees under California wage and hour laws. Starbucks is denying all liabilities in these cases, however; the company has agreed to the settlement in order to take care of all of the plaintiffs claims without having to get involved in any protracted litigation. Starbucks only imports all their coffee beans, so possible threats could include a change in import laws. A change in the status quo as far as imports go could greatly affect numerous areas of production for the company. For example, if it costs more to import or the process is made more difficult the result could ultimately be a change in price, which would affect the level of consumption for Starbucks coffees. Social/Cultural Environmental Mission Statement (Starbucks is committed to a role of environmental leadership in all facets of our business) As a result of Starbucks closely following their objectives, the company has installed a list of principles that further outline the companys willingness to make sure that its affect on the environment is as positive as possible. These principles are stated as: 1-Understanding of environmental issues. 2-Sharing information with our partners. 3-Developing innovative and flexible solutions to bring about change. 4-Striving to buy, sell and use environmentally friendly products. 5-Recognizing that fiscal responsibility is essential to our environmental future. 6-Instilling environmental responsibility as a corporate value. 7-Measuring and monitoring our progress for each project, and encouraging all partners to share in our mission. Those can only be seen as a positive for the image of the company and shows that they are willing to utilize their resources in order to more than satisfy requirements. Task Environment Not only this but also, Starbucks organizing activities such as neighborhood clean-ups and walk-a-thons. Many examples are available on the web site of the company. Policies that also have been implemented are the buying policies, which only allow the company to purchase from those other businesses (suppliers) who follow the same environmental strategy as Starbucks. This may push the company to lose an opportunity of good deal, because the supplier doesnt follow the company environmental policiesFinally, to integrate these policies to new employees, Starbucks has employed the services of a few partners which congregate together to create a Green Team, which installs the environmental views into trainees as well as coming up with inventive ways of helping the environment. Summary of External factors TO However, it was found that the success of Starbucks was due to its profitable domestic operations. It was reported that most of Starbucks international operations were running into losses. In May 2003, Starbucks Japanese operations reported a loss of $3.9 million (Japan constituted the largest market for the company outside the United States), and the company also performed badly in Europe and the Middle East. Analysis pointed out that Starbucks international operations were not as well planned as its U.S. operations. It was also observed that the volatile international business environment made it difficult for the company to effectively manage its international operations. Internal Environment: Strengths and Weaknesses Corporate Structure Starbuck has no formal organization chart and does not work with hierarchy structure. It consists of to main departments, functional department consists of marketing, supply chain, operations, finance and human resources, and cross functional teams, consisting of local store marketing and marketing campaigns. The decision making process in Starbucks is bottom up process, where the employees are empowered even to take decisions without referring back to the management. There is a conflict in the corporate structure where some employees are reporting to two different divisions which in some cases causing confusion and over lapping. Corporate culture The Chairman of Starbucks, Schultz decided to treat employees as family, and called them partners. Both full time and part time employees could benefit from training and health insurance. Starbucks paid some more salaries than competitors to gain highly qualified employees. Starbucks relied on its baristas and other frontline staff to a great extent in creating the Starbucks Experience which differentiated it from competitors. Employees had option to stock chare according to their base salaries. Also Starbucks had shared values with their employees who made them proud to work in such successful company, and this created good culture. Schultz decided also to be open and honest with his employees, and let them share in the decision making process. He gave extensive training to employees especially barista employees to give careful attention to customers. Environment was important to Starbucks. Using this concept Starbucks gave good attention to their suppliers by helping them technically and financially as part of their corporate social responsibility. Also it encouraged all partners to share in the companys mission. Starbucks has deep tacit knowledge, which is difficult to be imitated by competition. Functional strategies Marketing The main marketing strategy and position for Starbucks is for customers to consider it as their place after home and work, this will guarantee customers visiting the shops several times. However it also customizes its positioning for each store individually according to the specific location it is in. Another important part of Starbucks positioning over competition is that they are environmentally friendly. Starbucks does not generally offer promotional prices on its products. It has a reputation for having pricey drinks; furthermore, Starbucks brand is too expensive. The company mainly depends on the brand for their high revenues, which could be risky from competition. However it seems to be the market leader when it comes to new products and ideas. Starbucks has found more success advertising on a local level rather than to the nation as a whole. The Company advertises a lot through print mediums, as Starbucks target market tends to be educated people who do more reading than the average person. In 2005, Starbucks spent $87.7 million on advertising, or 1.4% of revenues. Starbucks also market itself as environmentally friendly and focus on its corporate social responsibility, one example is buying Ethos-Water Company and they also plan to donate $ 10 million to help countries under developed lacking clean water. RD The RD role in Starbucks is to make a RD mix and mainly consists of the following activities: Ä ±Coffee Science Ä ±New Technology Ä ±Equipment Technology Ä ±Product Development Ä ±Menu Development Ä ±Coffee Quality Assurance Ä ±Sensory Science The introduction of the Starbucks Card for example, Starbucks has created the opportunity to improve customer service, shorten lines and make a customers visit at Starbucks quicker and more convenien. Starbucks is continuously searching for ways to better a customers experience. The company spent 7.2 Million in 2008 for new technologies related to food and equipment. Operations and logistics The main operation for Starbucks divided into local operation in USA and international operation. Starbucks depended mainly on their employees to manage operation, thats why they focused on training employees as they are the main asset in the company. They are managing all stores in USA, however, they are in the international operation sometimes manage their store, or give licenses, or get into joint ventures with existing companies. But they focus on their operation on the quality of their coffee Starbucks deals with international small suppliers. Starbucks made good deals with their suppliers to supply coffee with fixed prices rather than using the Fair Trade Coffee. They mainly use non-smoking restrictions in their stores, however in some countries because of culture conflicts they had to have either smoking rooms or smoke areas in the air. One of the main advantages Starbucks has is the accumulative experience of their employees in operation, this is due to the low turn over they have and their focus on employee satisfaction. Human Resources Starbucks paid considerable attention to the kind of people it recruited. So the company hired people for qualities like adaptability, dependability and the ability to work in a team. Starbucks was one of the few retail companies to

Chronic Kidney Disease

Chronic Kidney Disease Chronic conditions have been defined as â€Å"health problems that require ongoing management over a period of years or decades† and have been labelled as the biggest challenge faced by the health sector in the 21st century (WHO, 2002:11). While the economic cost of managing them is high, Suhrcke, Fahey McKee (2008) identify some strong economic arguments that may be made in support of the need for societies to invest in their (chronic diseases) management. They identify some primary benefits such as improved health (in terms of patients quantity and quality of life in years), long-term cost savings from complications that are prevented, and workplace productivity experienced by patients and their employers. Management of such conditions are no longer evaluated by the rates of survival alone but, also, by the quality of life experienced by patients as a result of the therapy (Bowling, 2005) Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is becoming a global pandemic (Mahon, 2006; Chen, Scott, Mattern, Mohini Nissenson, 2006; Clements Ashurst, 2006). The disease causes gradual decline in kidney function (Silvestri, 2002). It has been categorised into 5 stages according to the glomerular filtration rates (Johnson Usherwood, 2005) and the progression through these stages is influenced by several processes, mostly lifestyle-related (Riegersperger Sunder-Plassmann, 2007). Patients with stage 5 kidney disease (end stage) must receive kidney transplant, peritoneal dialysis or haemodialysis to survive (Niu Li, 2005). However, Wu et al. (2004) identifies that many patients undergo either haemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis because kidneys are, mostly, not available for transplant. Between these two treatment methods, haemodialysis is more common in many countries (Jablonski, 2007; Zhang et al., 2007; Martchev, 2008) although Carmichael et al. (2000) report that about 50% of dialysis patient s in the United Kingdom are on some form of peritoneal dialysis. The two common treatment modalities for kidney failure (haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis) have the same primary purposes: to remove metabolic waste and excess fluids, and maintain fluid and electrolyte balance the functions the kidneys have failed to perform (Martchev, 2008; Timmers et al, 2008). However, each of them places unique demands on the patient as well as the healthcare team. For instance, patients on conventional haemodialysis have to spend between three to four hours on the machine for three times in a week (Rayment Bonner, 2007; Dunn, 1993). This, in addition to transportation to and from the haemodialysis centre or hospital, if they are not on home haemodialysis, affects their work or family life (Martchev, 2008). Likewise, patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD), the most common form of peritoneal dialysis, have to allow dialysate to dwell within their peritoneal cavity for an average of four hours and exchange of the dialysate is done about four times in a day (Dunn, 1993; Bowman Martin, 1999; Gonzalez-Perez et al., 2005). Moreover, compliance to dialysis regimen is very difficult because of all the dietary and fluid restrictions and other lifestyle modification associated with it (Cleary Drennan, 2005; Timmers et al., 2008; Martchev, 2008). Presently, more than 23,000 adults in the UK undergo dialysis treatment as a result of kidney failure and this number is expected to increase yearly (World Kidney Day, 2009). Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (Ghana) recorded 558 cases of chronic kidney disease between January 2006 and July 2008 in the country (All Africa, 2009) and this may represent less than 30% of the total disease burden as the hospital serves a few regions in the country. I once encountered a 27-year old young man who had been diagnosed with kidney failure. At that point in time, my concern was the kind of life he would experience depending on dialysis for survival. Cleary and Drennan (2005) identifies that patients with kidney failure have lower quality of life than the general healthy population while Loos et al. (2003), also, identify that patients with kidney failure have poor quality of life as compared to other patients with other chronic diseases. Complications such as anaemia and fatigue may contribute to the lower quality of life in patients with kidney failure (Phillips, Davies White, 2001). Therefore, management of kidney failure should not only be cost-effective, but should also provide acceptable quality of life for the patients (Kring Crane, 2009). How, then, can health professionals provide an acceptable quality of life for persons diagnosed with kidney failure? Major roles played by health care personnel include educating, encouragin g, and assisting patients to choose the treatment modality that is best for their unique needs (Niu Li, 2005). It is, therefore, appropriate for nurses to know which of the two kinds of treatment modalities promises an acceptable quality of life for individual patients, and this knowledge should be supported by appropriate evidence gathered through quality research. In the 21st century, patients feelings and perceptions on health care are paramount to the feelings and perceptions of the health care providers (Bowling, 2005). Therefore, studying the quality of life, as experienced by patients on a specific regimen, requires the direct, subjective assessments of the patients and not the objective assessment of the health care provider (Kring Crane, 2009). However, quality of life lacks a unanimous definition as a concept, making interpretation and synthesis of studies on it very difficult (Cleary Drennan, 2005; Kring Crane, 2009). Researchers and theorists have reached a consensus on some characteristics of quality of life as a concept: it is multidimensional, temporal and subjective (Bredow, Peterson Sandau, 2009). The multidimensional aspect of the concept comprises of the physical, psychological and social capabilities of the person (McDowell, 1996 cited by Fortin et al., 2004). It is temporal because people can change their values and perc eptions to fix the changes in their perceived quality of life as circumstances change (Sprangers Schwartz, 1999). It is subjective because, as stated earlier, patients perceptions and feelings on such an outcome supersede that of the health care provider. Nevertheless, Tobita and Hyde (2007) states that there are some objective measures such as age and gender that can influence the measurement of quality of life. Different subjective tools have, therefore, been developed to measure subjective aspects of quality of life but these are of two kinds: generic and disease-specific measures (Tobita Hyde, 2007). Generic tools measure broad aspects and can be used for several types of diseases at different locations and for different cultural groups while disease-specific tools are for specific types of diseases or patient groups (Patrick Deyo, 1989). When the two kinds of tools are combined, different populations can be compared and sensitivity to the changes that might occur with time is enhanced (Wu et al., 2004). The generic tool that is commonly used to measure quality of life is the Medical Outcomes Study Questionnaire 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) (Neto et al., 2000; Fortin et al., 2004; Morsch, Gonà §alves Barros, 2006). Carmichael et al. (2000) identify that three disease-specific measures have been designed for dialysis patients and these are Kidney Disease Questionnaire (KDQ) , a questionnaire designed by Parfrey et al. and the Kidney Disease Quality of Life questionnaire (KDQOL). Polaschek (2003) identifies that most of the studies that have been undertaken to explore the quality of life of patients with kidney failure have used the quantitative approach. However, he adds that a few nursing studies have used qualitative methodologies in an attempt to understand the quality of life as experienced by patients on dialysis. For example, Al-Arabi (2006) used the naturalistic enquiry method to identify how the challenges faced by patients with kidney failure influence their quality of life. Sadala and Loreà §on (2006) also used a phenomenological approach to explore patients perspective on their dependence on haemodialysis machines for survival. Grounded theory approach has, also, been used Kaba et al. (2007) to understand patients experience of kidney failure and dialysis in Greece. So far, this essay has addressed the poorer quality of life experienced by patients with chronic conditions, with special emphasis on that of patients with kidney failure. It has, also, touched on the attempts made by theorists and researchers to conceptualise and assess quality of life. Development of tools to measure subjective quality of life has created more diversity in the assessment of quality of life of patients, either by the use of quantitative or qualitative methodologies. It has been stated earlier that nurses and other health personnel assist patients in choosing the treatment modality that is best for their condition with the best available evidence. Therefore, the question for healthcare providers to answer is ‘does peritoneal dialysis, compared to haemodialysis, provide a better quality of life for patients with kidney failure? The next section would look at ways by which health care providers can use research to generate answers to the above question. This section would critically appraise various research methods that could be employed to answer my research question does peritoneal dialysis, compared to haemodialysis, provide a better quality of life for patients with kidney failure? Empirical research, audit/service evaluation and systematic review of published studies are the approaches that would be considered in this essay Empirical Research Qualitative and quantitative designs could be used to answer the above research question. However, steps to control bias and to ensure reliability of the findings should be considered (Polit Cheryl, 2008). Consideration should also be given to ethical issues (Robson,..) Qualitative research is the best approach when questions on ‘what, ‘how and ‘why on a phenomenon are to be answered (Green Thorogood, 2004). Some of the research traditions that are used in qualitative studies include ethnography, phenomenology and grounded theory (Polit Cheryl, 2008). To understand quality of life, as experienced by dialysis patients from their own perspective, phenomenological approach appears to be more appropriate. Polit and Cheryl (2008) identify that phenomenological study focuses on the meaning and importance attached to a phenomenon by those experiencing it and suggest that this approach is beneficial for studies on concepts that have been poorly defined, such as quality of life. If phenomenological approach is used for my research question, I would interview dialysis patients on how kidney failure and dialysis have affected their quality of life, after obtaining their informed consent for the study. However, Ashworth (1996) states that researchers using descriptive phenomenological approach by Husserl should set aside all their preconceptions on the phenomenon that is being studied (bracketing). For instance, now that I know that dialysis patients have a poorer quality of life, as compared to other patients with other chronic diseases or the general healthy population, I should be able to set such an idea aside during the collection and analysis of data. But Polit and Cheryl (2008) identify that researchers using interpretive phenomenology approach by Heideggar acknowledge that bracketing is not possible in empirical studies. Nevertheless, both types of phenomenological studies require the researcher to be open to all meanings that are given to a phenomenon by those experiencing it and maintain such an attitude when analysing the data and describing the findings. One limitation of phenomenology, however, is that small number of participants can be used for each distinctive phenomenological study, usually ten participants or less (Polit Cheryl, 2008). Phenomenology shares other limitations of qualitative research methods. Given (2006) identifies that qualitative research generate a lot of data, even when the sample size is small. He also states that collecting and analysing data may take a long time and results may not be generalised because of the small number of participants. Therefore, even though phenomenology and other qualitative methods may offer me rich and in-depth information on dialysis patients perspectives on their quality of life, a qualitative design may not be suitable to answer this research question for generalisation purposes.

Research :: essays research papers

Research Skills Activity 1. Diversity Issues in workplace teams. A group of regional human resource professionals continually has made workplace diversity an ongoing educational item for its members. "Diversity in many aspects came about through attempts to address race and gender," said Scott Holsman, chapter president of the Human Resources Association of Mid-Missouri. "But they're also finding out there's more to diversity than those two issues. There's a rise of understanding on how teams work together, and I think we're moving toward more a substantial look at the role diversity plays." (Friedman, 2002, p.1) As part of a yearly look at diversity issues in the workplace, members of Holsman’s group attended a half-day conference early last week. Plummer spoke about diversity issues to about 60 of the group’s members. Diversity â€Å"is a topic because it’s a reality today,† said Holsman, who works for Express Personnel Services in Mid-Missouri. â€Å"The leading companies really understand that diversity is many things, and it’s not just a gender and racial thing. A team is made up of different talents, and the challenge is to optimize those talents to get the most benefit for an organization.† (Friedman, 2002, p.1) 2. Case Studies in Object Oriented Programming Pi is n debugger written in C+ +. This paper explains how object-oriented Programming in C+ + has influenced Pi's evolution. The motivation for Object Oriented programming was to experiment with a browser-like graphical user interface. The first unforeseen benefit was in the symbol table: lazy construction of an abstract syntax-based tree gave a clean interface to the remainder of Pi, with an efficient and robust implementation. Next, though not in the original design, Pi was easily modified to control multiple processes simultaneously. Finally, Pi was extended to control processes executing across multiple heterogeneous target processors. (Cargill, 1986, p.350) The subject of this paper is the impact of object-oriented programming on the structure and capabilities of a complicated piece of software - a debugger called Pi. The paper begins with observations about debugging in general and a description of Pi, to motivate the introduction of object-oriented programming. When the design of Pi began, object-oriented programming was chosen as a means of achieving a style of user interface. But the application of object-oriented techniques throughout had unforeseen benefits with respect to symbol table structure, multi-process debugging and target environment independence. (Cargill, 1986, p.350) 3. Current Political Trends in Singapore. Though being politically stable and popular, the government of Singapore has not been leading without dissentient voices.

F. Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby :: essays research papers

In his novel The Great Gatsby (1925) F. S. Fitzgerald introduces the reader to a set of characters that stand on the different levels of socioeconomic ladder and by destiny's will share each other's lives. Reading the novel one can see that Fitzgerald puts a huge emphasis on money: its presence or absence is the deciding factor in shaping the lives and personalities of the characters. The novel takes place in New York, in the early 1920s. One might notice that the financial situation with the East and West Eggs bears an uncanny resemblance to the situation with the East and West Sides in the city. The narrator himself introduces the reader to this idea: 'I lived at West Egg, the -- well, the less fashionable of the two, though this is a most superficial tag to express the bizarre and not a little sinister contrast between them'; (9). In the city families who have been wealthy for several generations occupy the sophisticated East Side; in order to buy an apartment there one must provi de good recommendations. West Side is less sophisticated and therefore less desirable for it is open to the 'new money.'; By creating this setting Fitzgerald is trying to make the reader understand that a character like Gatsby needs a certain environment to exist. Although Gatsby's persona is surrounded by different rumors, and 'contemporary legends such as the 'underground pipe-line to Canada' attached themselves to his name,'; people come to his parties. Money can buy one popularity and friends, at least temporarily. Most likely many of Gatsby's 'friends'; knew where the money came from, yet it did not seem to be a good enough reason for them to stop socializing with him. Money can also buy tolerance for breaking the law. In order for Gatsby to be able to have his lavish parties where 'in the main hall a bar with a real brass rail was set up, and stocked with gins and liquors and with cordials so long forgotten'; (44), he had to have the entire police department on the payroll. Th e 1920s were the years of Prohibition – the sale and purchase of alcohol was forbidden in the United States. Gatsby's money bought him an unspoken permission to have those parties. Gatsby acknowledges his friendly relationship with the commissioner to Nick. He says that he 'was able to do the commissioner a favor once, and he sends me a Christmas card every year. F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby :: essays research papers In his novel The Great Gatsby (1925) F. S. Fitzgerald introduces the reader to a set of characters that stand on the different levels of socioeconomic ladder and by destiny's will share each other's lives. Reading the novel one can see that Fitzgerald puts a huge emphasis on money: its presence or absence is the deciding factor in shaping the lives and personalities of the characters. The novel takes place in New York, in the early 1920s. One might notice that the financial situation with the East and West Eggs bears an uncanny resemblance to the situation with the East and West Sides in the city. The narrator himself introduces the reader to this idea: 'I lived at West Egg, the -- well, the less fashionable of the two, though this is a most superficial tag to express the bizarre and not a little sinister contrast between them'; (9). In the city families who have been wealthy for several generations occupy the sophisticated East Side; in order to buy an apartment there one must provi de good recommendations. West Side is less sophisticated and therefore less desirable for it is open to the 'new money.'; By creating this setting Fitzgerald is trying to make the reader understand that a character like Gatsby needs a certain environment to exist. Although Gatsby's persona is surrounded by different rumors, and 'contemporary legends such as the 'underground pipe-line to Canada' attached themselves to his name,'; people come to his parties. Money can buy one popularity and friends, at least temporarily. Most likely many of Gatsby's 'friends'; knew where the money came from, yet it did not seem to be a good enough reason for them to stop socializing with him. Money can also buy tolerance for breaking the law. In order for Gatsby to be able to have his lavish parties where 'in the main hall a bar with a real brass rail was set up, and stocked with gins and liquors and with cordials so long forgotten'; (44), he had to have the entire police department on the payroll. Th e 1920s were the years of Prohibition – the sale and purchase of alcohol was forbidden in the United States. Gatsby's money bought him an unspoken permission to have those parties. Gatsby acknowledges his friendly relationship with the commissioner to Nick. He says that he 'was able to do the commissioner a favor once, and he sends me a Christmas card every year.

Filipino Traditional Games for Kids Essay

While I was walking yesterday, I saw a group of children playing ‘luksong baka’. They were having fun while enjoying the game. Then I remember my childhood days twenty five years ago. I also use to play that kind of game with my neighboring kids especially on weekends. As years went by, these Filipino traditional games for kids are slowly disappearing. You can rarely see Filipino kids playing patintero, tumbang preso, luksong tinik, luksong baka, taguan, syato, habulan, etc. These games were replaced by gadgets like xbox, playstation, nintendo, and kids are more exposed to Western Sports activities. Amidst the popularity of these latest game gadgets and non-Filipino sports, we must not lay aside and forget our traditional games. We must always remember that this is our cultural heritage and treasure. There are many known traditional Filipino games for kids, but I will only name the Filipino traditional games that I still remember when I was a kid. PATINTERO 1. Patintero – this is a popular game not only for kids, but including adults. I remember that we played this game not only in the morning, but sometimes in the evening when it is full moon. We used chalk or water to make lines. The rule of the game is very simple: make it sure that you can cross the line without being catch or touch by the other group. PIKO 2. Piko – this is the Filipino version of hopscotch. I always see my two sisters playing this game when they were still kids, because it is a popular game among the girls. LUKSONG TINIK 3. Luksong Tinik – Two players will be the base by putting their right feet or left feet together. While the other players will jump without touching the two players feet. LUKSONG BAKA 4. Luksong Baka – It is a popular variation of luksong tinik. The ‘it’ will bend while the other players will jump over him/her. The bending player will gradually stands up as the game continues. A jumper who will not be able to jump over, or touch the ‘it’ while jumping will become the next ‘it’. TUMBANG PRESO 5. Tumbang Preso – This is a Filipino street game among kids. I really enjoyed this game a lot. The ‘it’ will be in charged of the tin can, while the other players will strike it using their slippers (pamato). The rules of the game varies in different places. TAGUAN 6. Taguan – This is the American version of hide-and-seek. The ‘it’ will say these phrase while the players are looking for their place to hide. â€Å"Tagu-taguan maliwanag ang buwan. Pagbilang ko nang sampu nakatago na kayo. Isa,dalawa,tatlo,apat,lima,anim,pito,walo,siyam,sampu.† After the counting is done, he/she will locate those who are hiding. This game is more challenging when it is done in the evening. My father told me that he and his siblings always play this game when it is full moon in the evening. SAWSAW SUKA 7. Sawsaw-suka – The ‘it’ has/her palm open. The other players will touch his palm using their index finger while singing this song –â€Å"sawsaw suka mahuli taya’†. The ‘it’ will catch any players finger after the songs. BAHAY-BAHAYAN 8. Bahay-bahayan – This is a very good game for kids. They will act as a family member. Each of them will be given a responsibility like cooking,taking care of an imaginary baby,etc. I remember that my playmates always bring small cooking objects made of clay, while I am in charge of building our small imaginary house made from banana leaves or blankets. TEKS GAME 9. Teks – These are game cards which contain comic strips and texts within speech balloons. We played these cards by tossing it to the air until it hit the ground. We used our thumbs and forefingers to toss the cards. The winner will collect cards on how the cards are laid upon hitting the ground. JAK N POY 10. Jack and Poy – This is the American version of rock-paper-scissors. Two players will do rock-paper-scissors while saying these words-â€Å"Jack and Poy, hale hale hoy, sinong matalo syang unggoy. HOLEN 11. Holen – We used marbles to play this game. You must be a sharpshooter to win this game. It is played by aiming at the marbles inside the circle. You must hit the marbles inside by flicking your fingers while holding your own marbles. Whoever gets the most marbles win the game. SIPA 12. Sipa – The object that is being used in this game is called ‘sipa’. It is toss upward for the player to kick it using the foot. The player will kick it as long as he wants. However, the ‘sipa’ must not touch the ground. The player with most number of kicks wins the game. LANGIT LUPA 13. Langit Lupa – You need to say these lyrics in choosing the ‘it’ while pointing to the player one by one-â€Å"langit lupa impyerno. im im impyerno. Saksak puso tulo anf dugo, patay buhay alis diyan.† The player will be the ‘it;, if he/she is pointed after the song. Then the ‘it’ will chase and tag the players who remain on the ground. A player cannot be tag if he/she will stay above the ground.