Organizations

Organizations are releasing more modern and advanced products all the time and so are their competitors but the question we all want to know Is what's next? The answer to that question is Razor's upcoming gaming tablet â€Å"Project Fauna† which has been renamed as â€Å"The Razor Edge Tablet†.In this paper you will read an overview of the organization, a description of the product or service, a SOOT analysis of the organization and offering, a competitive analysis of the organization and offering using Porter's five competitive forces model, the criteria we will use to segment our market and we will select our target market including geographic, demographic, cryptographic, and behavioral factors, a description of our target market, and the needs that cause our target arrest to buy Including emotional and logical drivers.As kids in the ass's and ass's some of us grew up around Atari, Nintendo, and Saga Genesis with many games such as Super Mario Pros. , and Sonic the he dgehog making childhood memories that last a life time. Back then those very gaming systems were earning billions with 90% market share and a decade later the gaming system industry has doubled its sales becoming a worldwide entertainment powerhouse earning as much as movies and music, â€Å"U. S. Video games scored 21. 3 industry is thriving on its development, marketing, sales etc.With so many popular systems available in the market what more could gamers want? Currently on the market is Sony Play station (399. 00) who has earned 23. 8 million, Microsoft OXBOW 360 (313. 00) who earned 31. 5 million from their systems, and Nintendo WI (399. 00) who has brought In a whopping 56 million. Now the market is currently buzzing about the next Generation Console the Razor's â€Å"Edge Tablet†. The Razor Edge Tablet Is a gaming tablet with integrated dual game controllers, connected to each side Is a wand like controller with analog thumb sticks and two triggers apiece.Although it i s recently Just a manufactured idea it's strategically planned features bring significant excitement to the anticipating gamers for reason such as this, the handle bars are detachable, the base unit can slot into a keyboard to turn it Into a more conventional desktop. The edge tablet will also feature a 10 Inch touch screen designed for PC gaming and very much capable of running- current generation PC games. The Edge tablet is designed to operate on a windows 8 operating system with a memory of BIB of DRP RAM leaving a ton of space for downloading games, The Edge Tablet on its way.The competitor Analysis is the fact that Apple is the leading the tablet market. Over 55 million tablets sold globally as of last quarter ( Suns, 2012). Launch of the PAD 3 saw sales hit 3 million In the first three days. Apple currently holds 58% of the tablet the time and quickly gained ground over the other tablets that are in competition ( Suns, 2012). The five Porters competitive forces for this will be bargaining power of customers or buyers to let them know that they will be getting a great product that is worth the money and no another product will beat their product.By barging with the suppliers to help keep cost done with them being the suppliers so they can keep being your supplier for the Fauna project and also stay the competitive of your rivalry so you can stay on top of the game. In this business you always want to research what other gaming system are doing and what they are creating to make their line of business better and more appealing to customers. You also do not want a new client to come into place and try to take over your product or try to substitute your product.There are so many copy cats in this industry that you will always need to be on the kook out to make sure that your company is not being taken an advantage of. There should be a group of people hired within the company to be on the look out for scams and what other companies are launching within in t heir company to make themselves better than yours. You Just want not believe how many competition that are out there trying to be in the number one spot; so it is very important to keep up with the competitive analysis from year to year to know where you stand in this whole market.The criteria that will be used to segment the project Fauna that will target market the geographic, demographic, cryptographic and behavioral factors is the objective with these static in mind for the promotional campaign are to expand the target market by broaden the audience that will be buying this product. The first thing is to increase the awareness what Fauna tablet is all about how it is better than other tablets that are on the market as well.By doing this is to live stream with interviews and game play, have television advertisement's to help boost ratings to make the customers want to go out and buy it to see what all the talk is about. When you see ewe technology on the home shopping channel are you going to automatically look and see what the salesman have to say about the product. This also gives you the opportunity to hear what other shoppers think about the product and if they like it or not.Then they can be event appearances like going out to the mall where all your young customers and buyers hang out at to promote the tablet. By doing this will help you promote the new tablet and answer any questions that a potential customer might have and it will help them understand why this product is better and will be otter let's say the PAD. When people can get a feel of something and feel the hype of the new product people will try it to see for them. When it comes down to technology people always want to have the latest trend of technology. The gaming world has a huge age bracket to consider, you have children that start playing on tablets as young as the age of 4 and ranging up to people in their ass's. The biggest age bracket to consider would have to be young child up unt il their early ass's. What is so unique about Project Fauna is that it has all of the gaming systems you can sibyl think of that can fit into the palm of your hands. This is expanding the market to consider when marketing their brand out. There many people out there that prefer gaming systems that are compatible with PC's, playing on the T.V. , being able to work on Microsoft word to get your homework done for school. This product is going where no tablet has gone before. Making it easier for them to market out and reach everyone in the gaming world. To put it out there, it is one of the most genius ideas ever thought of after the PAD was created. Product Fauna is putting gamers into a mind blowing experience with this new technology being placed on the market. Our brains are wired to pay attention to emotion and new or unusual things.Product Fauna has put a whole new look on tablets, consoles, even Nintendo ADS' and such. The five emotional triggers to have a consumer go out and bu y are love, pride, guilt, fear and greed. People who love their games and have made it a hobby will be so excited when they can get their hands on something so spectacular. Their pride could get to them which would cause a reaction for them to go out and buy the newest system out there. Or better yet, if they can't afford it, they can guilt their parents, girlfriend, boyfriend, etc. Onto buying it for them on their birthday, special occasion or even a holiday such as Christmas. The fear that can be impacted on gaming consumers is if they have missed an opportunity of having something amazing and better than the rest. Lastly greed also has to be considered, there are some where they like to have everything that hits the selves and want to be the first one with it. Project Fauna isn't Just a gaming device that we have seen before, or should we say, we have, but not when you had it all together Onto one bundle package.That would take the consumer who is not so sure if they should make such a purchase evaluate the product and need a solid reason as to why they would want to purchased it and Justify their first initial response when considering their emotional need. Logic on this product is that it is the first of its kind and it has so much more to offer. You could even get away with all of the other gaming systems and use Just the one. REFERENCES: www. Tightrope]extinction. Com www. Silversides,. Net/]emollient/dig-take-pro]etc-fauna-presentation

A Policy Analysis of the Medicare Prescription Drug Savings and Choice Act of 2005

This paper looks at the Medicare Prescription Drug Savings and Choice Act of 2005, also known as the Medicare D Drug plan.The paper will look at its’ historical underpinnings, an overview into how the policy started, view into the policy itself, as well as an analysis of it—whether the policy is really giving benefits to its intended beneficiaries. This paper however, contends that the Medicare D drug plan is not sufficiently meeting the needs of those who are its beneficiaries. Before the arguments as to whether the policy is effective or not however, it may well be first necessary to look at and understand the policy.The Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Plan and Choice Plan, otherwise known as Medicare D Drug plan was aimed to supplement or enhance the original Medicare program. The Medicare D drug plan was passed into what is known as the Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act or MMA legislation. It was enacted by the Bush administration in 20 03. Benefits from the program started only recently, in January 2006. (â€Å"Medicare Part D†, 2006)Medicare D drug benefit plan is a voluntary outpatient prescription drug benefit for people under the Medicare program—beneficiaries include the elderly (over 65 years of age) and diseased beneficiaries (end stage renal disease patients, for example) (â€Å"Medicare (United States)†, 2006).Simply stated, the Medicare D Drug plan is a type of insurance to seniors and other disabled citizens who may not be able to anticipate or pay for the high cost of medicine. The Medicare program works with many private insurance and other companies to bring these seniors a variety of plans. (Lieberman, 2006)The original Medicare program previously had two parts: part A and part B. Part A of the program covers hospital care for inpatients, skilled nursing services, health care for patients at home, as well as other health services. Part B, on the other hand covers a wide range of frequently used health services, examples of which are doctor visits and diagnostic testing. (â€Å"Medicare Savings Program†, 2005)Because of former problems with the previous Medicare program such that it was ineffective as cited, â€Å"when President Bush came into office, Medicare was outdated and not meeting the needs of American seniors.†Hence, legislation was passed into Congress and the President signed into law what was to modernize the Medicare program—this was by providing preventive care, offering of more choices to seniors and most of all giving seniors’ better access to prescription drugs that they need, the Medicare D Drug plan.(â€Å"Strengthening Medicare: A Framework to Modernize and Improve Medicare†, 2005)Furthermore, with the revolutionizing of the Medicare D drug plan, President Bush has concentrated on preventative health care—it was believed that if diseases were caught early, these diseases would be easier to cure. In addition to that objective, a need existed to revolutionize the original Medicare program and this was due to â€Å"gaps† in the original Medicare plan coverage (â€Å"Choosing a Medigap Policy to Supplement the Original Medicare Plan â€Å", 2006).Changes in the original Medicare policy involved a means testing. This means that a higher income (and this includes Social Security benefits) would consequently mean a higher pay for Medicare beneficiaries. To illustrate the point: Medicare beneficiaries would see their premiums increase dramatically before they die, i.e. they retire at an age of 65, live until 95, but have an inflation of 3%; without working out the numbers this already clearly shows that beneficiaries aren’t getting benefits.The next generation of Medicare beneficiaries is said to have to pay the full price of their Medicare benefit from the beginning of their retirement, despite of paying Medicare taxes their entire life. Hence, the 2003 legislation was enacted—to eliminate the effect of inflation on income. (â€Å"Medicare (United States)†, 2006)

Critical theory and professionalism Essay

In what ways can critical theory shed light on professionalism? This presentation explores how critical theory can provide a perspective for critiquing professionalism in education. In so doing the nature of the relationship between the professionalisation and social movement trends in education is addressed. An attempt at a definition of professionalism is going to be the focus of the first part of the presentation. Several concepts articulated within critical theory are discussed for their relevance to the issue of professionalism. The work of the Frankfurt School is underlined, drawing parallels to the work of Gramsci and Freire. In the final analysis, specific issues and questions raised by the perspective of Critical Theory are reflected upon as they apply to the professionalisation of education. The concept of professionalism Literature on professionalism is in its abundance. There have been many attempts at providing a clear definition, including the government-led agendas calling for higher degrees on professionalism in education. It can be noted at the outset that attempts at coming up with a definition of professionalism in education have struggled to agree on a particular one. Freidson (1994) has concluded that the use of the term professionalism is inconsistent. He argues that professionalism is ‘The Third Logic’, claiming that professions are occupational groupings that exercise relatively high degrees of control over the conditions as well as how they carry out their work. This kind of arrangement provides a mechanism for organising some aspects of social life in a way that properly deploys specialist knowledge. Professionalism is therefore viewed as a mode of social coordination and competes with, and provides some insulation from, both market and bureaucratic forms of organisation. It has also been viewed as â€Å"a state of mind† or ideology that reflects a way of thinking about the cognitive aspects of a profession and the characteristics that typify a professional (Van Ruler, 2005). In other words, in the case of teaching, professionalism is the cultural means by which we give meaning, purpose, definition, and direction to work as professionals and the place of practitioners in society. It can therefore be claimed that there is no universal agreement of the concept. It has been implored by some authorities for teaching to become evidence-based profession like medicine and law. Hargreaves, for example describes teaching as the â€Å"paradoxical profession†. He asserts that of all the jobs that are, or aspires to be professions, only teaching is expected to create the human skills and capacities that will enable individuals and organizations to survive and succeed. (Hargreaves, 2003). Carr (1992) has suggested that in this ‘extended’ view of educational professionalism, education and teaching are to be understood by reference to the elaborative network of public duties, obligations and responsibilities in which teaching as a social role is implicated. It can be asserted that if teaching is a profession, there has been an assumption that teachers should be equipped with capacities for autonomous judgement and the freedom to exercise this judgement. It could be considered inappropriate for politicians or employers to dictate to teachers what is or is not worthy of inclusion in the school curriculum, or what kinds of knowledge and skill are crucial for the professional conduct of teaching. It is with this view in mind that Flinders (1980) has argued that teaching is an open-ended activity. Helsby (1995) claims that professionalism is subject to geographical and cultural differences and it can be understood as relating to exceptional standards of behaviour, dedication as well as a strong service ethic. This view is supported by Bryan (2003) who argues that professional work can be seen to be increasingly influenced by politics. This can be justified by the claim that the policies of governments are ideologically driven, hence professionalism may be understood as constructs which develop in response to ideological influences. Thomas (2012) uses professionalism as a descriptor of a combination of teachers’ specific capabilities and knowledge, the purpose and ethical underpinnings of their work, the extent to which they are able to exercise independent and critical judgement, their role in shaping and leading changes in their field, and their relationship to other stakeholders. Despite the vicissitude of the notion of professionalism in education, standard analyses of how this concept can be applied in public services such as teaching and nursing have stressed the importance of specialist knowledge  and expertise, ethical codes as well as procedures concerned with training, induction and continuing professional development (Flexner, 1915; Larson, 1977; Langford, 1978; Eraut, 1994). Attached to this view of professionalism is the assumption that in exchange for a greater say in matters related to school and teaching, teachers are expected to submit to greater levels of scrutiny and work roles that go beyond classroom teaching (Stone-Johnson, 2013). In this exchange there is a shift of power whereby as the work of the teachers becomes increasingly professionalised, teachers appear to have surrendered degrees of professionalism. The critical project in education supervenes from the postulation that pedagogical practices are linked to social practices, and that it is the task of the critical intellectual to identify and address injustices in these practices. The Frankfurt School’s perception of Critical Theory was driven by an underlying commitment to the notion that theory as well as practice must inform the work of those who seek to transform the oppressive conditions that exist in the world. Their ideas influenced other great critical theorists such as Freire and Gramsci. If the notion of critical theory is to be linked to the debate on professionalism, it can be argued that the development of critical pedagogy out of critical theory has changed the way through which the role of the teacher is seen, particularly the professional position of the teacher in the society. It has been argued that there has been a widespread erosion of professional autonomy in recent years (Barton et al, 1994, Whitty et al 1998). This has been a result of the centralisation of control over all aspects of teacher’s work such as curriculum (National Curriculum, literacy and numeracy hours), assessment, (SATs, QAA/ Ofsted Inspections) and conditions of service (imposed by the employers in a controlled quasi-market regulated by centralist funding formulae, league tables and inspection regimes.) (Freidson, 2001). This can be corroborated by a survey of teachers carried by Helsby and McCulloch (1997) as it showed that the government onslaught of edicts and initiatives demolished professionalism. It has been argued the formulation of policy documents have positioned the teacher as fundamentally impotent in terms of curriculum design. The teacher  has been reduced to a mere curriculum deliverer. This is mainly to system of communication that is viewed as one-sided by educational critiques. Murphy and Fleming (2010) have attempted to deal with this issue by using the Habermas’ notion of communicative action. They argue that, for Habermas, the essential feature of communicative action is that it aims at reaching agreement. Furthermore in order for that agreement to be not only mutually acceptable but satisfactory, its participants must be willing to make and defend validity claims such as claims of truth, rightness and truthfulness. Habermas’ notion accedes to the fact that while validity claims are raised automatically in everyday communication, it is only when communication aims primarily at reaching consensus, and when participants provide reasons for their argument, that rationality actually manifests itself. It can be argued that in the case of professionalism, Critical Theory is meant to herald a liberatory education that empowers stakeholders, fosters curiosity and critical thinking, and provides a means for crucial successful bottom-up, top-down engagement in the political arena. The introduction of a prescriptive and centralised National Curriculum has greatly weakened the professional confidence of teachers, (Helsby and McCulloch, 1997). It has also left them uncertain of their ability to cope and of their right to take major curriculum decisions. This has resulted in the government having more control over the teaching profession, (Meyer- Emerick, 2004). Critical theory prefers to call this process ‘one-dimensionality’ of life. Thus this extended the existing understanding of power and its impact on the construction of knowledge. Gramsci was deeply concerned with the manner in which domination was undergoing major shifts and changes within the industrial western societies. He developed a theory of hegemony, whereby he sought to explain the manner by which these changes were exercised more and more through the moral leaders of the society (including teachers) who participated in and reinforced universal ‘common sense’ notions of what is considered to be truth in society. This is consonant with Foucault’s questioning of what he termed ‘regimes of truth’ that were upheld and perpetuated through the manner in which particular knowledge was legitimated within the context of a variety of power relationships within the society. Foucault’s perceptions of power is not  solely at play in the context of domination, but also in the context of creative acts of resistance and these are produced as human beings are interact across the dynamic of relationship and shaped by moments of dominance and autonomy. Such a viewpoint challenges the dichotomised standpoint of either domination or powerlessness of power as enticed by radi cal education theorists. Thus it can be argued that Foucault’s writing on knowledge and power shed light on a critical understanding of the teaching profession in relation to authority. More so it does open the door to a better understanding of power relations within the context of teaching practice.

Cable television in terms of its Respositioned target Market Assignment

Cable television in terms of its Respositioned target Market Demographics using the US - Assignment Example About 52.1% households in the U S earn over $50, 000 per year. This provides cable TV with a high potential of increasing its sales, market share as well as its brand awareness (US Census Bureau, 2009). There is a total of 117, 538, 000 households in the US that comprise all the racial groups (US Census Bureau, 2010). This shows there is a sizeable number of households cable television will market to in the targeted group. Census data also predicts the market has potential of growing in the coming years. Cable television targets families as it provides different channels suitable for family viewing and that will suit each member of the family. Cable television targets a wide range of individuals in all age groups, and they range from 5-60 years. The main users of cable television range from 15 to 40 years. The main target markets, therefore, include students and teenagers, professionals and business people, and seniors. The student and teenage population has an enormous desire for no n-stop entertainment, and easy access to entertainment will attract this group. The population continues to grow, and this is a crucial aspect for cable television’s customer base. ... Types of Research Needed to Reposition Cable Television Cable television is positioned at providing continuous entertainment and information at affordable prices to all its viewers. The main aim of the business is to provide services to its consumers in an effective and unique way. Cable television aims at casting channels through which individuals can access their favorite programs. This concept will enable the business to build a strong relationship with individuals who initially may not like cable television. Repositioning cable television requires extensive research. Market research has to be carried out to determine the preference of individuals and to show people the benefits of the services. This method will convince a large number of people to subscribe to cable television so they can enjoy the new services. Research has to be done regarding market needs of the target population. Rapid growth experienced in the field of information technology is the beginning of a trend towar ds an economy based on the infrastructure of cable television. Cable television should, therefore, ensure that it keeps up with the changing trends that are taking place due to changes in information technology so that it can provide up-to-date services to its customers. Methods Used to Increase Adoption Rates After identifying the target market and researching on consumer insights, cable television should develop a new overall image integrated with an awareness-building program aimed at shifting perceptions about cable television. Cable television would use two key methods to increase adoption rates of the services it offers to customers. The first method will focus on attracting new customers. This will be achieved

The Gulf War Reasons Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Gulf War Reasons - Research Paper Example The research paper "The Gulf War Reasons" talks about the reasons why the United States of America won in the Gulf War through the analysis of the economic impact of the Gulf War in the United States including agricultural market and fuels. The US succeeded in the war because of the small resistance it received. The US also confronted Iraqi army which was not in support of the deeds of Saddam Hussein during his regime. The Gulf War contributed significantly to psychological trauma. This is evidenced by the literature provided on the posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) portrayed by the soldiers who were exposed to war. The majority of the soldiers who had participated in the war lost their homes in order to raise enough money to pay for their medical care. Additionally, it is evident that some soldiers were exposed to depleted uranium, as well as toxicity from other biological and chemical materials that were enclosed in their weapons. The majority of the armies also were affected by environmental contaminants. The economic impact of the Gulf War was very significant in the U.S. it led to the rise of prices of goods as well as an increase in the rate of taxation. The America farmers also suffer significantly from the war; the American farmers used to sell a lot of their rice to Iraq. Thus, the war led to the loss of market to their agricultural products. The war also led to the increase in the price of the fuel, and as a result, hampered with the investments in many countries.

Ethical Investments Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ethical Investments - Personal Statement Example Due to sheer volume and popularity of his firm he was able to earn huge profits while giving almost a penny or less to other brokers per share. He mostly made his business strategy public through interviews to reputed journals, due to which his huge earnings did not raise suspicion. For example he used to compare his profits with Standard and Poor’s who had a history of earning 14 to 16 % profit per annum. His strategy was simple; due to huge volume of trading he would buy shares of MNCs (multinational companies) and strong stock holders. He would then take option contracts on good terms and earn profit. He also made calculated buying and selling with respect to fluctuations in share market index. He would manipulate share prices by advance knowledge, artificial shortage and later flooding of shares. He also minimized losses by limiting his downside portfolio in stocks. The Ponzi scheme took advantage of a ruling in Federal law which requires firms to annually pay minimum 5% o f their funds. Since he largely dealt with charities his fraud went unnoticed over decades.

300 word essay, history of history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

300 word , history of history - Essay Example He states that the rulers of England, and indeed, of Europe as a whole, have all laid siege to the countries, and have reaped benefits after their own interests, sidelining the interests of the common man who was thought of as inferior to the ruling class4. He draws a sketch of the different evolutionary stages that occurred in the styles of government in England, and pinpoints the flaws of each form of Government, or each new policy of the ruler5. The letter is written in a style of comparison; Voltaire compares the government of England that existed historically with the form of Government that exists presently, evidently siding with the present form of government and presenting its benefits and superiority as compared to the historical form6. He also compares the ruling class with the common masses, treating the former with contempt and disgust, and the latter with appreciation and pity7. His writing his highly prejudiced; he does not make an effort to critically analyze the rulers of the past, instead merely submits their unfair disposition towards the masses8. Similarly, he does not weigh the pros and cons of the present form of Government, rather simply praises it as flawless9. Therefore, his letter cannot be considered a critical analysis on the Government. 1. Paul Halsall, â€Å"Voltaire (1694-1778): Letters on the English or Lettres Philosophiques, c. 1778,† Fordham University, August 1998, http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1778voltaire-lettres.asp#Letter

Online Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Online Marketing - Essay Example (Prideaux 2004, 30) To understand what attributes are implemented in the online retail sector, we will consider the way one online fashion retailers www.ASOS.com markets its products and brands. This UK online fashion store was started in 2000. ASOS.com offers an extensive range of top women’s and men’s fashion, designer labels, lifestyle accessories and cult beauty brands at very competitive prices. As one of the top two most visited online stores in the UK, sales at ASOS rose by 39% t to  £18 million in 2007. The number of registered users of the Asos web site increased by 60% to 960,000 over the year. It plans increased its revenue from third-party advertising by almost 70% in 2008. Some of the advantages of the company are as follows: www.ASOS.com offers to its customers in Europe and the USA a four-day delivery at the cost of  £3, and a one-day delivery for  £5 only. The customers can pay with either their credit or debit cards, filling in the online enquiry forms. The website of the company has the option of converting the prices from British pounds to dollars or euro. All items are described meticulously, including the material they are made from, length (for dresses and skirts), etc. ‘Clearance’ section of the website presents a wide variety of discounted items sold at very cheap prices. ‘Copying’ the clothes of the ‘stars’ have resulted in many million profit that www.ASOS.com has gained, and helped the company become second largest online shop in Great Britain with the annual revenue growth rate as high as 30-40%. Further on, we will dwell upon the characteristics of the e-tailer’s website in more detail. The main challenges that online fashion retailers have to face are overcoming the customers’ unwillingness to purchase clothes online, as well as their fears concerning security issues and confidentiality.

A determination on the cost efectiveness of temporary employees for a Essay

A determination on the cost efectiveness of temporary employees for a manufacturing company - Essay Example In this study, several items will be considered while analyzing the cost effectiveness of temporary workers. First, an overall analysis of the benefits as well as the drawbacks of temporary workers will be presented in comparison to the hiring of full-time employees. The presentation of this analysis will demonstrate that hiring temporary workers is, in fact, more beneficial for companies when trying to cut costs.Temporary workers allow for companies to adapt to fluctuating markets, and give them some control in an economy that has not provided much earning incentive. In order to resolve this and to adapt to changing times, temporary workers can be hired and maintained by companies for as long as needed. Skilled contingent workers are included in this study. While skilled contingent workers are often paid more than other temporary workers, and often more than full-time workers as well, their use still allows the company to save money. This is because they are usually brought on for s hort term projects, and then released when the projects are completed. The large salaries or hourly wages earned by skilled contingent workers thus will end, and the company can return to normal expenditure. There would therefore be no need to bring on another full-time employee to handle certain skilled situations that are needed for specific periods of time only, and this has helped to keep costs down for many companies. This study examined three companies throughout a one year, four quarter period. Costs were analyzed and determined as the companies transitioned into using more and more contingent workers. The results of this study demonstrate that companies achieved cost-cutting results that increased every quarter for each company that participated in the study. Therefore, this study helps to prove that temporary workers, whether skilled or not, can be used to help cut the costs of company finances. Based on the findings, it appears that the use of temporary workers does, in fa ct, cut costs for companies. Therefore, the key recommendations of this study are for companies to use temporary employees in order to save money in a worsening economy. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT 3 CHAPTER I. Statement of the Problem 5 Statement of the Problem 5 Purpose of the Study 5 Research Objectives 5 II. LITERATURE REVIEW 6 Temporary Employees 6 Core Reasons and Responsibilities of the Temporary Agency 7 Core Reasons and Responsibilities of the Organization 8 Core Responsibility of the Temporary Employees 11 III. METHODOLOGY 13 IV. Data analysis 14 Who Are the Temporary Workers 14 What Jobs do Temporary Workers Perform 17 How Often Are They Used 18 Overview of the Model 20 Is Training and Hiring Employees Cost Effective 25 Company 1 - Illustration 26 Company 2 - Illustration 27 Company 3 - Illustration 27 V. Summary, CONCLUSION, Recommendations 28 VI. 28 REFERENCES 33 Refer to the Student Guide for formatting and titles of chapters, etc. Chapter 1: Statement of the Problem Due to the rise of the global economy, technological advancement and the growth of the service economy have promoted changes in the way organizations do business (Camerman, Cropanzano, & Vandenberghe, 2007). These require that business develop the ability to respond flexibly to the fast-changing environments. One such strategic decision is whether to engage temporary employ

Entrepreneuria venture report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Entrepreneuria venture report - Essay Example On September 15, 1997 Google.com was officially registered as domain (Google, 2013). In June 1999, the venture released their first press release where it announced strategic stake sell to Kleiner Perkins and Sequoia Capital for $25 million. In 2001, Eric Schmidt became the CEO of Google while Brin and Page became the presidents of technology and products respectively. During 2002-05, Google launched many popular products like Adwords, Google News, Adsense, Google Books, Orkut, and Google Map that highlighted their accolades (Google, 2013). Larry Page and Sergey Brin are the co-founders of the venture. Their initial objective was to establish a search engine algorithm that will be able to determine the importance of individual webpages (Google, 2013). Larry started with launching ‘web crawler’ that works like search engine and explores web that originated from the home page of Stanford. Founder’s primary responsibility was to convert back-link data that the search engines gathers for a particular web page into importance measuring webpage (Google, 2013). In the year 1996, Robin Li designed a small search engine named RankDex under a subsidiary of Dow Jones. This technology worked on the same concept as Google search and it was also patented. Hence, according to my opinion as the venture grows it would be best for the company to include Li in their team which will help Google to acquire all the intellectual properties of Baidu in China that was used by Li when he founded Baidu. It is the art of mobilizing others to struggle for shared aspirations. Creativity is the inborn trait of an entrepreneur who effortlessly succeeds in his work and can work with a team by providing them proper guidance & leadership. As discussed earlier, Google’s mission is to organize the information of the world and make them universally available. These envision of imagining exciting

Pearl Harbor in relation to Mission Command Structure Term Paper

Pearl Harbor in relation to Mission Command Structure - Term Paper Example Closely following is the authority and capacity to issue actionable commands within the chain of command in order to accomplish a mission. Team building is a very critical part of every mission because every soldier’s life is put in the hands of others in the course of accomplishing a mission as well as ensuring the teams survival. This need to ensure its own survival by humans led to the formation of groups mainly along family and clan lines. The modern military is a more organized structure with in societies that ensures the survival of their people groups and their interests. In an effort to function efficiently these groups developed structures that ensured its survival and order. Pearl Harbor is a classic example of nations fighting for resources in an effort to further its interests and betterment. Groups in primitive societies merged with other similar groups to increase their capacity to increase in wealth (Black). The same thing still happens to date even after these groups had fully evolved into kingdoms and nations. There their defense systems also evolved into national armies as fighting groups were consolidated into one centralized and formal fighting group. These formal fighting groups fought on behalf of their societies and in return were rewarded with payment in terms of money, recognition and honor. Pearl Harbor was a high and glorious moment in history for the Japanese while it was a low one for the Americans, which plunged both countries into World War II. The success of the Japanese was however short-lived as it did not plan and strategies to destroy the whole naval base which cost them a lot. Many nations have gone into war in an effort to procure the better good of their citizens while many others have forced by circumstances beyond their control to participate in wars. Command therefore originates from

My Big Fat Greek Wedding Essay Example for Free

My Big Fat Greek Wedding Essay In order for counsellors to help their clients evaluate their values in either work or personal issues, they make them look towards both their values and interests. In a study conducted by Neville and Saber (1986), it was found that â€Å"values are the objectives sought in behaviour, whereas interests are the activities in which values are sought. † Therefore, values determine why an individual may undertake a certain activity, whereas interests dictate what a person chooses to do. It has also been suggested that values are more correlated with work satisfaction (Rounds, 1990) as opposed to interests, which are more connected to the choices one may make in their career. The film, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, broaches the subject of values in a very intricate manner. The protagonist, Toula Portokalos, is brought up on three essential values; `Marry a Greek boy, have Greek babies, and feed everyone. ’ As a result, she begins to resent everything Greek, as she feels that being Greek has overtaken everything she wants for herself. To the extent, that when she meets a man who is a regular American, she is almost ashamed of disclosing the fact that she comes form a Greek family. Dating a non-Greek and then eventually her decision to marry him evokes a guilt within her. This is because her parents have always taught her that marrying a Greek man and inevitably bearing his children is one of the fundamental points to her existence, the reason her parents had worked so hard to give her the comfortable life she has had. Therefore, she is made to feel indebted to them. At this point, we see a classic incongruence between values and interests. On the one hand, we have her intrinsic values, what she wants for herself, personally, juxtaposed to the extrinsic values she needs to fulfil in order maintain her prestige, status, etc. It is interesting to see how despite the fact that Toula resents the Greek values she has been brought up with, it is her values that Ian, her fiance, adopts when they decide to get married. For example, he converts to her faith, the wedding and reception take place in the Greek manner, and even at the end of the film, when they have a daughter, she is sent to Greek school. Ian is depicted as a ‘WASP-ish’ individual with a very middle-upper class up-bringing. He comes from a family of lawyers and has rebelled against what is expected of him by becoming a teacher and then by marrying a Greek. However, Ian doesn’t demonstrate the same guilt that is seen in Toula. In his academic study A Critical Analysis of Values Clarification, David Lipe argues that Moral education generally has been regarded as an integral part of institutions such as the family, the church and the school. This is very much evident in the film, as both Toula and Ian seem to be products of their environments. Therefore, if this couple were to receive counselling, the values that they have accumulated throughout their lives would be an integral part of the process. This is because values are a direct reflection of our attitudes and therefore our beliefs. For example, if we take Toula’s love for Ian as an example, she is willing to work hard to sustain that love, and to even make sacrifices. She has clearly learnt this ability from her mother, as this is also conveyed within the film. This childhood value therefore becomes a pillar within her personality. If a counsellor was to overlook this whilst counselling her, he would miss a vital component to her personality and therefore risk prescribing the incorrect treatment for her. Values can be assessed by either a values inventory or a values clarification, and counsellors generally utilise these processes to treat people who feel confused or uncomfortable with their values. Both treatments focus on the patient examining their internal blueprint and direction of their lives. These processes provide the means to both be retrospective and evaluating the values that have been instilled within us, which then in turn aids us to set goals and prioritise. Both exercises are carried out in the form of a questionnaire aimed specifically towards the individual’s needs. This allows the patient to decide which goals are important and which may be left aside. The clarification of our values would inevitably help us to strengthen our core values and achieve a wholeness. Inevitably, for the couple depicted in the film, this process would be vital if they were to ever need counselling. As essentially, their values are what makes the essence of them. References http://www. apologeticspress. org/rr/reprints/Critical-Analysis-of-Values-Cla. pdf retrieved 22/01/09 Hood, A. B. and Johnson, R. W. 1997, Assessment in Counselling: A Guide to the use of psychological assessment procedures, American Counselling Association, 3 ed

Physiology and Pharmacology of Hypertension

Physiology and Pharmacology of Hypertension Introduction High blood pressure, or most usually termed as hypertension is one of the most common diseases that  affects the human population and approximately 1 billion individuals are afflicted by it and around 7.1 million deaths per year can be affiliated with it. (Chobanian, et al., 2003). However all these deaths are caused mostly by cardiovascular disease and another disease, death does not occur b hypertension on its own but by many of the acute linked diseases like Myocardia Infraction, strokes and renal failures. (Rodriguez-Cruz, 2009). As it is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity, it possesses important health challenge as the cost associated with treating it and reducing other risk factors associated with it a lot of active research is being done to understand the causes and the pathophysiology. Classification Normal blood pressure is considered to be 115/75 mmHg, whereas the 115 is the systolic pressure (occurs during contraction of the ventricles) and 75 is the diastolic pressure (occurs during the relaxation of ventricles). (Oparil Weber, Hypertension: A Companion to Brenner and Rectors The Kidney, 2005). An individual is treated with hypertension when their blood pressure is consistently over 140/90 mmHg, however doctors these days are becoming more cautious and start treatment when the pressure touches 130/80 mmHg . It is known that cardiovascular risk increases for every 20/11 mmHg increment. (Chobanian, et al., 2003) Hypertension can be broadly classified into two groups; primary/essential and secondary hypertension. About 90 to 95% population diagnosed with hypertension has primary type, for which the cause is not full known and seems to be more prevalent as people age; it may increase up to 75% in people aged over 75. (Rodriguez-Cruz, 2009) (Carretero Opari, 2000). Secondary hypertension is caused by an underlying medical condition which has altered the homeostatic pathway of regulating blood pressure. Secondary hypertension is more easily treatable as the underlying cause can be identified. Some commonly recognised diseases that may cause hypertension include Cushings disorder, kidney diseases and tumours. Another important cause is the genetic abnormality of the aorta. (Williams, 2010). Signs and Symptoms Moderate hypertension which starts from 140/90 is asymptomatic. Prolonged and sudden enhanced blood pressure is linked to headaches, sleepiness and visual disturbances; which in turn can cause nausea. (McPhee, Papadakis, Tierney, 2008)While it is known hypertension is more prevalent in elderly, children can be affected as well in the children the symptoms may be as more acute like epistaxis, and bell palsy. (Rodriguez-Cruz, 2009). Children usually exhibit hypertension due to some other underlying cause, and thus most cases are of secondary nature. (Rodriguez-Cruz, 2009).The signs and symptoms of secondary hypertension are dependent upon the ailment that is causing it and thus the indicators for Cushings syndrome would be different from the genetic one or drug induced one. (Williams, 2010) Pathophysiology The exact cause of the primary hypertension is not known. There are many risk factors including age, genetics, metabolic, race and â€Å"sedentary lifestyle which can cause obesity† and it has been estimated that 85%of the cases of hypertension have a higher BMI than 25. (Haslam James, 2005) Figure 1: This figure shows the key elements of the pathophysiology of hypertension and all the risk factors which increase the likelihood of contracting the ailment. Abbreviations used here: AME- apparent mineralocorticoid excess; CNS central nervous system; GRA glucocorticoid-remediable aldosteronism. (Oparil, Zaman, Calhoun, Pathogenesis of Hypertension, 2003) The pathophysiologic mechanism and the vascular irregularities are speculative and it is actively being researched upon. Blood pressure is the combined consequence of cardiac output and vascular resistance thus either one can independently or in combination cause hypertension. (Dreisbach Sharma, 2010). Different studies show that several factors may work independently or together to turn the neurohumoral systems on or off. In patients with a hyper-responsive system due to â€Å"changed vascular properties† an aggravated pressure flow is observed. (Randal, 1991). It has also been studied that there is a natural evolution of the disease thus man researchers suggest the one of the reason of the early elevations of the blood volume or the cardiac output may be the inadequate elimination of sodium by kidneys. Increased sodium levels can increase the osmotic pressure hence the blood volume. It chronic hypertension subjects the cardiac output and the blood volume is usually close to the normal. So it can be inferred that hypertension is maintained by the increase in vascular resistance by a decrease of elasticity of the walls as in aging or â€Å"by a reduction in lumen Diameter† (Khabunde, 2007) when the individual has been following a medically unhealthy lifestyle. These â€Å"changes in arterioles, which increase total peripheral resistance, result in an increase in diastolic and a secondary increase in systolic blood pressures† (Randal, 1991) Another factor that different studies have showed relate the decrease in sensitivity of receptors of the receptors in the vessels The decrease in receptors sensitivity modifies central nervous system (CNS) manipulation of sympathetic nervous system (SNS) distribution, resulting in two expressions. First, having an insensitive receptor requires a larger change in blood pressure to produce the same response as the receptor doesnt get activated. Secondly decreased receptors â€Å"sensitivity results in enhanced SNS activity for a given level of arterial blood pressure.† (Supiano, 2001) In hypertension there is has been shown evidence that changes in vascular endothelial function (VEF) can hamper normal vascular tone of hypertensive patients. Vascular tone can be changed by increase circulation of angiotensin II, or by the increased sympathetic activity (as discussed above). The altered sympathetic activity can lead to a decrease in production of nitric oxide which is a vasodilator or endothelin production could increase, which is a vasoconstrictor. (Khabunde, 2007). Type 2 diabetes can causes endothelial dysfunction â€Å"by enhanced oxygen free radical-mediated damage and decreased nitric oxide bioavailability.† (Khabunde, 2007). Other factors that maintain hypertension are caused by dysfunction in electrolyte homoeostasis especially deviations in sodium, calcium, and potassium concentrations. Sodium example has been already discussed above. In addition, calcium increases vascular contractility. It can also stimulate renin release; the same mechanism is thought to operate in obesity-mediated hypertension. Renin synthesis epinephrine, and activity of the sympathetic nervous system, which can be linked back to abnormalities seen in vascular tone. Potassium, however, helps decrease the blood pressure as it suppresses the release of renin. (Rodriguez-Cruz, 2009). This figure explains the different factors that directly affect the blood pressure, which is later affected by other different factors. In hypertension cardiac output is usually normal and therefore peripheral resistance sustains hypertension by the dysfunction in vascular function or decreases in lumen by a sedentary lifestyle. The figure is taken from Wikipedia. (Wikipedia, 2009) It can be seen the complexity of the system, as many mechanism works to sustain hypertension. In different individuals, it can be difficult to understand which systems are operational thus designing treatments can be difficult, and treatments are then usually more often designed to affect the regulatory factors rather than cause. (Randal, 1991) Treatment Treatment usually works to regulate the factors which maintain hypertension. Non-pharmacological treatments include lifestyle changes like decrease/halt in alcohol and cigarette consumption and if needed weight reduction with a more active lifestyle. Caffeine intake is also minimized as it increases the pulse rate. It is assessed that lifestyle interventions can reduce blood pressure by at least 10 mmHg in about 1 in 4 people with high blood pressure. (Association, 2009).Yet most of the times pharmacological interventions are used as they more affectively regulate blood pressure, there around 6 classes of pharmacological medications available which all perform at different levels to bring the blood pressure to normal. (Oparil Weber, Hypertension: A Companion to Brenner and Rectors The Kidney, 2005). ACE inhibitors: inhibits the assembly of angiotensin II, as a result, the vessels expand improving the blood flow. The tension in the circulation is regulated to normalcy by increase filtration by the kidneys. The decrease in levels of fluids also helps reduce blood pressure. This medication is used only when other medications are not working. Angiotensin-II receptor antagonists: they work in an analogous manner to ACE inhibitors. However, instead of stopping the production of angiotensin II, they prevent its action on the receptors. Again vessels are able to expand, improving blood flow and reducing blood pressure. Beta-blockers block the effects of sympathetic nervous system and the hormone epinephrine. This decreases the cardiac output as it relaxes the heart so the pulse rate is slowed down, lowering the blood pressure. Alpha-blockers: triggers the vessels to ease and expand. Giving them in combination with beta-blockers has a greater effect. Calcium-channel blockers: expand the arteries to reduce the muscle tension and also decrease the cardiac output by relaxing the heart muscles so it pumps more slowly, reducing blood pressure. Diuretics: help clear the unnecessary sodium and water thru kidneys, which decrease the osmotic pressure. They also relax the blood vessels reducing the strain on them. (Uren Rutherford, 2004) Treatment for hypertension is throughout ones life as hypertension is not curable; however, all the drug classes above help maintain the blood pressure quite well within the normal range. Summary The complexity of pathophysiologic mechanisms that lead to high blood pressure is such that selective antihypertensive treatment is rarely possible and a number of drugs and lifestyle changes are required to bring any change. Hypertension is widespread among middle-aged and elderly and controlling their blood pressure is a challenge we face as we still have not properly understood the underlying causes of primary/essential hypertension. (Oparil, Zaman, Calhoun, Pathogenesis of Hypertension, 2003). Bibliography Association, B. P. (2009, March 4). High Blood Pressure. Retrieved March 8, 2010, from Patients UK: http://www.patient.co.uk/health/High-Blood-Pressure-(Hypertension).htm Carretero, O. A., Opari, l. S. (2000, Jan 25). Essential hypertension. Part I: definition and aetiology. Circulation, 3(101), 329-335. Chobanian, A. V., Bakris, G. L., Black, H. R., Cushman, W. C., Green, L. A., Izzo, J. L., et al. (2003, December 1). Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure. Hypertension, 42, 1206-1252. Dreisbach, A. W., Sharma, S. (2010, Feb 19). Hypertension and Kidney. Retrieved March 8, 2010, from Emedicine: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/241381-overview Haslam, D., James, W. (2005). Obesity. The Lancet, 366, 1197-1209. Khabunde, R. E. (2007, January 04). Primary (essential) hypertension. Retrieved March 8, 2010, from Cardiovascular Physiology Concepts: http://www.cvphysiology.com/Blood%20Pressure/BP024.htm McPhee, S. J., Papadakis, M. A., Tierney, L. M. (2008). Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment 2008. United States: McGraw-Hill. Oparil, S., Weber, M. A. (2005). Hypertension: A Companion to Brenner and Rectors The Kidney (2nd ed.). United States: Elsevier. Oparil, S., Zaman, M. A., Calhoun, a. D. (2003). Pathogenesis of Hypertension. PHYSIOLOGY IN MEDICINE: A SERIES OF ARTICLES LINKING MEDICINE WITH SCIENCE, 761-776. Randal, l. O. (1991). Physiology and pathophysiology of hypertension. Journal of the Association for Academic Minority Physicians, 151-155. Rodriguez-Cruz, E. (2009, Nov 16). Hypertension. Retrieved March 8, 2010, from eMedicine: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/889877-overview Supiano, M. A. (2001, Dec 2). Hypertension: Classification, Epidemiology, Diagnosis, Evaluation and Treatment. Retrieved March 8, 2010, from Armenian Health Network: http://www.health.am/hypertension/hypertension/#Pathophysiology Uren, N., Rutherford, D. (2004, Sept 24). High blood pressure (hypertension). Retrieved March 8, 2010, from Net Doctor: http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/hypertension.htm Wikipedia. (2009, June 8). Arterial Pressure. Retrieved March 8, 2010, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Arterial_pressure_diagram.png Williams, B. (2010, Feb 10). Secondary Hypertension. Retrieved March 8, 2010, from Hypertension: Overview, Causes, Symptoms, Risk factors, Treatment: http://www.health.am/hypertension/secondary-hypertension/

Benefits And Detrimental Effects Of Internet English Language Essay

Benefits And Detrimental Effects Of Internet English Language Essay Internet is basically a network of many computers all over the world which is connected in a way and let other computers access to get information from any sources that is available. It has changed our life in educational environment and in our daily routines. The internet enables to exchange the information among the users anytime of day as well as provides convenience with regard to such activity as paying any bills. In the law, if the computer connected to the internet it means the computer can be joined to any other computer on the network. There are many districts, nationwide and also global network connects millions of people through internet including schools, universities, companies and many more. The computers communicate via a protocol called as Transfer Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) (Gray, 1999). It has been a tool for students and public who are going to internet as they can find those journalism, literatures, solutions for certain problems and also to find latest news that is happening currently. Internet had been also a tool as it is convenient for students to look for information in detail without going through any reference books and if she/he has a great interest using the internet, it will smooth the progress in finding informations. For an example, Halasz (1997) said that in this modern year, the education has come up with online studies which offers flexibility, accuracy and convenience which is cost and time savings for the students. The intention of these studies is to observe the use of education and other technologies of the internet in global. It talks about the application applied, education and crisis on the educational utilized on the internet and to check on the effective of the internet using in primary, secondary and universities education systems. However there are many advantage and disadvantage of using internet in global. Benefits of internet There are so many benefits that students can get through internet. They can communicate with other users in this global such as international students. Not only that but they can increase their knowledge and experience, join in discussion forums, share ideas among the students, search for solutions and also can learn about many different kind of cultures all over the world. There are also advantages for parents and teachers while the internet gives a lot of information for the students who are looking for it. The internet provides interactive learning for students, parents and teachers who dont have an English skill to gain knowledge by learning in a proper way. Furthermore, parents also can watch their childrens education by linking libraries, school or any other resource to improve their skills. Moreover, students can change the learning styles in internet and in the classroom. There will be more individual techniques that will be gained by the students rather than attending a phys ical class. In addition, they will be more independent in their studies and they will know how to handle most of the situations although it is hard in the beginning. 2.1 Up to date digital content One of the internet benefits is up to date digital content. It shows that internet is much more important as it is growing up larger in this global and the resource availability is very much convenient to students as they can easily access to it to find the information needed. Not only that, but students are also able to access to any resources available virtually to do homework, prepare for their examination from any place with an internet connection, via digital library or can be called as digital technology as it allows students for a flexible time of teaching and learning. If the students are not able to follow the traditional way of lesson being conducted in school or any institutes for that matter, they can learn in their own pace and time whenever they can. In this new era, the traditional textbooks can become outdated and they are expensive to buy. With the use of internet, the content of textbook is refreshed and updated with a click of a button so students and also teachers can find recent updates in science, history and other curriculum subjects that is up to date. 2.2 Conducting research According to Deore (2012), it will be easier for students and educators to conduct research using the internet as it is a dominant tool to search all the materials that is useful. In past years, the students and educators need to go to library and search through books in order to get either the particular information or any solutions. It can be difficult and inefficient compared to looking for information in internet on a computer. Meanwhile, nowadays most of the colleges offer online library systems which let the student to find any information regarding the subjects using their lab computers and also allow the students and educators to access information database of many articles that they can read through online. One of the great advantages of the internet in education in these years is its function in e-learning as it is using course materials that exist partly in internet on a computer. It is learned to reduce a hard copy material which is a time waster. Even in some schools, they offer subjects that are utterly based on e-learning, assignments, and exams which are accessible online without face to face meetings that is required. By using e-learning, it consent students and educators with limited mobility, inflexible schedule to take the courses offered and study at times which is suitable for the learners. In addition e-learning also let the students and educators to learn in different rates and also subjects. The students and educators can also go through a specific course and finish it in half of the time of another learner. Most of the colleges are offering courses that are based on e-learning where the educator will be providing sufficient notes, course materials and also formative and summative exams through online such as assignments, quizzes and exams. 2.3 Huge source for students Deore (2012) also said that internet can be the biggest source for students who are trying to search and look up for more and detailed information for a project or to do homework. In addition, the use of internet will also reduce the communication barriers for disabled students whereby they might have difficulty in getting to a library in the colleges. Moreover, students can have access to information such as in encyclopedias that may be set by their family. It also let the student and educators to read the latest news of course subjects that they are studying and also global news that happening currently. For an example, if they are studying any politics matter, they can do a news search on the politics and also find out the latest event that is happening in the world at that moment which can be helpful for them to look up and apply what they are learning in this current global. In addition, it can also keep the students and educators paying attention in the subject so that the information that they receive will be up to date and they can also control the information input which will not be out of the topic. Meanwhile, the students may have concentration towards latest technology rather than using other type of traditional education. In the current world activity, the internet is very important for almost everyone. It is because the use of internet is one of the great and safest ways to help students and educator in education. It is also an advantage for tutors to look for information on subjects for giving lectures and it also allows the tutors to efficiently communicate with students through email. If in case the tutors want to spread important information regarding the assignments or tests, they can send an email to all their students to inform or give better tips or ideas on the topic being discussed. 2.4 Developing computer skills Deore(2012) also said that using an internet will develop students and educators computer skills. The main computer skill will be typing words as fast as possible and look for information needed in correct and efficient way. When the educators and students use internet, definitely they will enhance their typing skills. They will become better at typing words, essays, etc. In addition, it also helps student and educators to improve their writing skills, searching for information and their readings. When the students start typing, the errors will be shown on the computer which will eventually teaches the students on writing correct sentence structures and this will improve their writing skills. In some situations, the use of internet can help the students and educators with their thinking skills whereby they are facing with a lot of information than they possibly will ever use or need. When the students read more, they can gain a lot of information which can stimulate their brain to think deeper. They will have various ideas to discuss or argue on. It also involves them to sort out through the information found and decide what and which one is most important and relevant. The students can also have conversation with a lot of different type of students around the world who are studying the same things to exchange the information. For an example, nowadays many online courses use discussions boards, chats, and online student forums. The students need to know how to go into discussion board or forums and access notes that the lecturer uploaded. So, by knowing these basic skills, students will able to improve their computer skill and they will be able to make or create their own forums or discussion topics on the website. At the same time they can get more information from their friends from all over the world to make their points rich. Detrimental effects of the internet on students Even though there are plenty of benefits of internet on students, there are also many disadvantages of using internet. Since internet is a huge hub for information, everything can be found there and students may get exposed to all the unsuitable content in the internet that may affect the students attitude and behavior. 3.1 Exposure to inappropriate content The disadvantage of internet for students is exposure to inappropriate content. The internet has a huge content which is not appropriate for the students. Especially when they are not supervised, the students may fall upon a large range of unsuitable content. For example the students might get exposed to self harm sites, pornography, sites with bad languages, music that is not suitable which has inappropriate language and violence, and also advertisement for adult products. Accordingly, the students may not talk to their parents and family about what they see online and with long-drawn-out exposure, they may build up behaviors that replicate what they have viewed or searched in the internet. They will be very eager to share what they see with their peers and influence will be lingering all over their friend and they will tend to do inappropriate things bravely with the support from their friends. 3.2 Addiction of internet According to Young (2010), there are many activities which may encourage students to be addicted. Lets say if a person has an addictive personality, they can be easily fall in doing the same activity for a longer period of time in line to change their mood or to get emotional. More time and battle is being needed to keep the same level of mood so, the activity can become like a drug. The addictive activities is like Facebook, games, interaction in forums, finding the latest information or starts a group of friends for chatting and gossips as the net effect is a form of addiction. Additionally, if the students have a minor social adjustment, emotional or mood confusions, the internet is used as a way to solve the variance or tension by doing something out in forums, blogs and addicted in group gaming or in any other ways. This will let the students suffer from the reactions of others which can make them to be far more aggressive than others and this will also let the person for emotio nal upset. This may also lead the students to react more aggressive and she/he will be going after the person who caused problems otherwise starts negative reaction or violence. 3.3 Stalkers/predator As stated by Demerica (2009), another disadvantage of using the internet is about predators or stalkers. In this new era, there are many victims fall with predators or stalkers, most of them are students. Many cases involving students who were fascinated into a bad situation is with predators. It is easy for the stalker to act as if they are someone they are not, as the person on the other side of the chat cant see them. Before the stalker attracts the students, they find out the personal information which is easier for them to make the students fall to them. It is like giving a gun to a cold blooded murderer. By getting the information of a person, the stalkers use it for every advantage so the student must be aware of the ways whereby they can protect their personal information when the students are on the internet. Virtual social network such as facebook, stalkers easy to get information of one person through it and the stalker will copy out the victims pictures and publish it usi ng a fake facebook account and also to multiple sites. And the messages will be transmitted to the victim whereby they can be received it anytime or anywhere through email and also text messaging to the phones. 3.4 Fraud and theft As said by Goessl (2010), the internet fraud and theft is the largest complaints that had been made by students and also public. There are many types of cyber crime such as cyberspace lurk identity thieves, embezzlers, structured group of cyber criminals, malware creators, copyright criminals and counterfeit businesses system for the reason of ripping people off whereby the student nor public easily get cheated by these cyberspace crime. Unfortunately these and many other cyber crimes are continuing to rise. At the top of the list are those crimes related to some sort of fraud and theft. The Internet Crime Complaint Center logged 336,655 complaints in 2009 with a $559.7 million loss. This is a significant rise from 2008; the 2010 statistics will likely be released early spring 2011 (Goessl, 2010). In this current global, the internet has given cyber criminals with an ideal environment to lie, cheat and steal financial grow. They can easily target their victims globally which does not make an easy problem to solve as the law from corner to corner at the borders do not essentially align or agree. These situations make it easy for the criminal to create the actions in a country and then they will attack globally. Conclusion As a conclusion, internet may have detrimental effects on students but the benefits that the students can gain from the use of internet are plenty. Students cannot be halted or blocked from using the internet just for a few negative effects. They should be able to control the use of internet as they will not get addicted to it. Some privacy settings should also be set so that the students will not be able to visit unwanted websites and retrieve all the unwanted information. If the students use the internet wisely mainly for education purpose, they will definitely excel in their studies as many high-quality points or information related to studies are there. They can use all the information they get in their daily lives and that will eventually improve students critical and high thinking skills which will be very useful in their education as well as bringing up their own first-class lives.

Experiencing Slavery Through Octavia Butlers Kindred Essay -- Octavia

Authors of fiction often write about the human condition as a way to connect with a broad range of readers. Unlike factual textbooks, fiction gives characters feeling and emotion, allowing us to see the story behind the basic details. In many cases, readers gain a new perspective on a period of time by examining a fiction novel. In Kindred, by Octavia Butler, the near death experiences of Rufus Weylin transports a 20th century African American woman named Dana to the ante bellum South to experience exactly what it’s like to be a slave. Through her day-to-day life on the Weylin plantation, the reader begins to understand just how complex slavery is and how it affects both the slaves and the plantation owners; thus, giving new meaning and an added sense of realism to this 19th century practice of exploitation. On the surface, slavery was a system in which Africans were bought and sold as property. However, by reading Kindred, the reader begins to realize that the system was much more complex. In other words, both plantation owners and slaves focused on retaining their property or staying alive, respectively. Butler illustrates this throughout the text. Seen as inferior and subhuman by whites, slaves were often only able to trust and rely on each other. When Dana is transported to the 19th century, she realizes her need to escape. However, the only way she can do this is by allowing Rufus to lead her in the right direction. As he does this, she wonders whether he is setting a trap for her. She says, â€Å"I realized suddenly how easy it would be for him to betray me—to open the door and run away or shout an alarm† (32). In addition to illustrating a lack of trust for whites, this scene also depi... ...up call. Work Cited Butler, Octavia. Kindred. Boston: Beacon Press, 1979. Hairston, Andrea. â€Å"Octavia Butler – Praise Song to a Prophetic Artist.† Daughters of Earth: Feminist Science Fiction in the Twentieth Century. Middeltown: Wesleyan University Press, 2006. Works Consulted Alaimo, Stacey. â€Å"’Skin Dreaming': the Bodily Transgerssions of Fielding Burke, Octavia Butler, and Linda Hogan.† Ecofeminist Literary Criticism. Chicago: University of Illinois Press,1998. Francis Consuela, ed. Conversations with Octavia Butler. Jackson: University Press Mississippi, 2010. Govan, Sandra Y. â€Å"Homage to Tradition: Octavia Butler Renovates the Historical Novel† Melus 13 Nos. 1-2 (spring-summer 1986): 79-96 Mitchell, Angelyn. â€Å"Not Enough of the Past: Feminist Revisions of Slavery in Octavia E. Butler’s â€Å"Kindred.†Ã¢â‚¬  Melus, Vol 26, No #, 2001

Documentation and Fabrication in Phonography :: Music Essays

Documentation and Fabrication in Phonography ABSTRACT: In most general terms, my paper is about the mixture of agendas in the recording industry, where documentation, with its apparently educational implications, becomes difficult to distinguish from a range of distinct, even opposed, goals—which I group under the heading "fabrication." After a few historical remarks, I develop the concept of what I call works of phonography (WPs)—that is, sound-constructs created by the use of recording machinery. (Examples: rap music recordings, electronic compositions for tape machine, sonic pastiche's by pop groups such as Art of Noise.) I detail their ontological characteristics, as contrasted the features of ordinary musical works. WPs are—I claim—replete. (Their finest sonic details are constitutive of them.) They are autographic. (Authenticity of their instances is not tested by the allographic criteria we associate with ordinary musical works, namely, compliance with scores.) And they are phono-accessibleâ⠂¬â€that is, accessible only through playbacks of authentic instances of their record artifacts, e.g., cassette tapes, CDs, etc. I then turn to Theodore Gracyk's recent study of rock music (in his book Rhythm and Noise), arguing that his account is formally similar to my account of WPs. This raises the question of whether there be counter-examples to Gracyk's account—particularly of the sort that show his view to be too broad. I bring this to a focus finally by a comparison of rock recordings with jazz recordings—two classes that Gracyk tries to keep ontologically distinct. I argue that many classic jazz recordings are artifacts of the recording studio, no less than those Gracyk identifies as pure cases of rock music. In the same vein, I argue that, once recorded, the improvisational music of jazz is deformed—indeed, that it acquires features of WPs. This has the further implication that Gracyk cannot preserve his sharp distinction between rock and jazz records that he want's to maintain. I. Like Evan Eisenberg, who argued that sound recording has opened up entirely new kinds of musical experience unknown in the age of mere live performance,(1) Ted Gracyk has opened his ears to what Walter Benjamin had to say about mechanical reproduction. Both see sound recording not as a mere convenience but as fraught with broader implications. In his recent book, Gracyk has brilliantly described, not only the phenomenology of rock sound, but how the technology has made possible a type of musical work unknown in the age of mere live music.(2) The recording industry has lived mainly by what might be the called transparency perspective, according to which the analogy for a sound recording is a transparent window pane through which we can view, undistorted, the object of our interest.

Ethical Theories Essay

Ethical egoism or egotism (also known as egoism) is the normative ethical arrangement that ethical agents have to do what is in their personal self-interest. It is different from psychological egoism, which declares that persons simply perform in their self-interest. Psychological egoism or egotism is the outlook that individuals are always aggravated by self-interest; even in what appears to be actions of altruism. It states that, when individuals decide to assist others, they do so eventually because of the private benefits that they themselves anticipate to get hold of, directly or indirectly, from acting so. It is indeed a non-normative vision, as it only makes arguments about how things are and not how they should be; it is conversely, linked to numerous other normative shapes of egoism, for instance ethical egoism and rational egoism. (Lundy, 2009). A quarrel for psychological egoism advises is that individuals just do what makes them sense fine, thus making all actions self-centered, for instance, you may help a turtle across a road because if you did not you would be upset about its well-being crossing the road. So in turn to sense good physically, you assist the turtle. The issue with this is it sounds like it is defining a generous person, one that gains contentment from serving others, a selfish person most probable would not have been dreadfully worried for the turtle in the first instance. Furthermore, if we glance to the deeper stimulus of the turtle helper’s actions, as the psychological egoists are likely to do and inquire why the individual derives pleasure from serving others in general and the turtle particularly, you will most probable run into the wrapping up that the individual cares about what comes about to others. This line of quarrel is actually a perplexity of the object of aspiration and auxiliary results of the consummation of that need; if once you get wedded you are enormously satisfied, that does not inevitably suggest that you got wedded with the wish for that pleasure in mind, rather the contentment is a purpose of your desire for wedding and would not be otherwise. Ethical egoism is the normative assumption that the encouragement of one’s own good is in accordance with morals, in the strong side, it is held that it is for all time moral to encourage one’s own good and it is by no means moral not to encourage it. In the weak side, it is supposed that even though it is for all time moral to promote one’s own good, it is not inevitably never moral to not. Explicitly, there might be conditions in which the evasion of private interest may be a moral deed. Ethical egoism states that moral agents ought to do what is in their own self-interest. It differs from psychological egoism, which claims that people do only act in their self-interest. The principle of psychological egoism is non-ethical, supported by the idea that the reason that drives us is the hunt of our own wellbeing, to the barring of anybody else’s, it is just how we are, entirely self centered. Freud (1923) defined ego as â€Å"the mind-ful rationalizing segment of the mind. †, so each action reasoned out has deeds to serve the self. On the contrary, ethical egoists suppose that the moral significance lies in glancing out for yourself and when provoked this way, each action, even serving others, takes you further down the road to attaining your own finest interests. The difference would appear to lie in the entire selfishness of psychological egoism as opposite to the helping of other’s wellbeing while focusing on one’s own, this appears equally beneficial and enhanced for society. It is uncertain whether each theory can be held as a factual ethical philosophy, if the classification of self-centeredness is applied, meaning that we always repudiate to judge others in favor of our own satisfaction, aggravated by our needs only, then facts of misleading notion has shown this to be incorrect. Self-interest portrays an individual who is engrossed in what he perceives to be what serves up his interests best, if applied to ethical egoism, there is proof to knock over this as well, it would require to be a general concept to have the power to stand as a moral assumption and it is not. The proof of altruistic instincts and integrity of concern for others is more general and stronger than either of these two above mentioned theories. It is more probable that we all own elements of self-interest and self-conservation, but are intrinsically willing to help and get by with others in society; nevertheless, it is in our best concerns to do so. (The internet encyclopedia of philosophy, n. d. ). Frequently attacks of self-interest are leveled alongside anyone performing in their own advantage as if no one should be concerned for themselves; I suggest that there is a distinction between self-centeredness and self-interest, self-centeredness is performing in your benefit with no regard and sometimes hurting other individuals. On the contrary, self-interest assists society flourish, self-interest is performing in your benefit but with reflection of others needs. Self-interest for a person, corporation or state is crucial for endurance. Reference Lundy, A. (2009). Psychological and Ethical Egoism. June 30th, 2009. Retrieved from: http://www. socyberty. com/Philosophy/Psychological-and-Ethical-Egoism. 508525 The internet encyclopedia of philosophy. (n. d. ). Egoism. June 30th, 2009. Retrieved from: http://www. iep. utm. edu/e/egoism. htm Vita, L. E. (2007). On Selfishness and Self-Interest. June 30th, 2009. Retrieved from: http://ethanleevita. blogspot. com/2007/12/on-selfishness-and-self-interest. html

Inheritance of Loss Essay

Chapter 1 In chapter one of Kiran Desai’s novel, â€Å"The Inheritance of Loss,† the author describes the setting and presents the first perspectives of the characters. Their home is presented as being rather unattractive as it was colder inside their house than outside of it even the temperature was relatively low. Further, when the author presents the cook’s difficulty of trying to light damp wood for the purpose of making tea in a kettle that looks to have been found in an archeological dig, shows the living conditions of the setting. However, the Judge still expects the cook to be able to cook with out gas and over a fire the old fashion way in order to maintain his routine schedule. He still expects this even when there is no food and then forces the cook to make something out of nothing. Kiran Desai’s use of nature emphasizes her use of anthropomorphism to present a situation which allows for the events of the novel to flow smoothly. The author first presents this when Sai is reading about giant Squid from a â€Å"National Geographic† when â€Å"the caress of the mist through her hair seemed human, and when she held her fingers, the vapor took them gently into its mouth. It is this anthropomorphism during teatime when the boys from the Kathmandu black market find the opportunity to creep up to the Judges house in search of guns and supplies, where mutt initially frightens the boys. The boys remain persistent even when the judge tells them that he has no guns and demand that they be fed before they continue of their journey. The boys are disappointed at the lack of food which further demonstrates the living conditions of this setting. Chapter 2 The chapter starts from the cook’s perspective as he is trying to justify why going to the police to report the robbery at Cho Oyu would do any good. The cook explains that if the police were being paid off by the robbers they would do nothing but if they were not then the robbers, who now had weapons, would come for revenge against him and the other members at Cho Oyu. The cook does not believe that there is any benefit to reporting the robbery. The police do take action as there was a robbery of guns from a previous member of the judiciary and the police arrived at Cho Oyu later that day to search the property, collect evidence, and interview the members of the family. The police looked around and were not impressed by the condition of Cho Oyu. The police proceeded to the cook’s hut where they looked through the cook’s belongings, what little belongings he has. Sai felt very sad at the sight of the cooks hut, how little he had and how his privacy had been violated by the police as they searched through every little corner of the cook’s hut and read letters that had been sent by Biju. Other less important parts of this chapter include the brief history of Cho Oyu and the cook’s encounter with the black cobras. We learn that Cho Oyu was built by a Scotsman long ago. In order to build Cho Oyu, porters had carried boulders from the riverbed and piping, wrought iron gates, tiling, and tubing were all brought in to create what the Scotsman believed was a place that could raise the human heart to spiritual heights. The cook’s encounter with the cobras had happened when one time, defeated by a rotten egg, had proceeded to defecate behind the house instead of his usual place at the far end of the garden. In doing so, the cook had angered two snakes, who lived in a hole nearby. Although the cook was not bitten, he swelled up to ten times his size and so he went to the temple where he was instructed to ask of forgiveness from the snakes. He did so by creating a clay cobra and cleaning the area with cow dung. In this chapter, we also learn some characteristics of the cook and Biju, that he is powerless, can barely read or write, he has worked hard all his life, has avoided trouble, and lives only to see his son. We also learn that the cook’s wife died seventeen year prior when Biju was only five years old. His wife had slipped from a tree while collecting leaves for the goat, an accident. We also learn some of Biju’s characteristics in this chapter including his good nature and his fearless personality. Chapter 3 This chapter portrays the cook’s son, Biju, working at a hot dog restaurant in New York, USA. The other employees try and convince Biju to use the services of Dominican prostitutes but Biju is very timid about this idea. To mask this feeling from the other employees he portrays a fake sense of disgust at this idea. Biju feels, â€Å"several years younger† (p 16) than the other workers because of this. Then, the manager of the restaurant receives a memo instructing him to go a green card check on his employees. He tells his employees that there is nothing that he can do, and they disappear quietly. Chapter 4 This chapter starts with the police still at the judge’s property and they are searching through the cook’s house for any evidence that it was the servant that robbed the judge. The police find the letters that Biju has been writing to the cook, which describe the different jobs he has been working at, and he describes a false sense of excellence of his new life in America. The cook writes back to his son, advising him to save his money, beware of liars and cheats, and to stay healthy. He also says if he has any problems to talk to Nandu, who is another man from their village who is also in New York. Then we get a recount of a story where the judge gets a coupon for a National Geographic Inflatable Globe. Sai fills it out and mails the coupon away, and the Globe comes in the mail long after they had mailed it away. Sai blows it up, and she shows the cook where New York is, and tries to explain to him why it is day there when it is night in India. The police continue searching the cook’s house, exposing his poverty and that his dignity has no basis. The cook justifies this treatment because they need to search everything, and that it is usually the servant who steals. The policemen then leave the property, and Sai is embarrassed for the cook to have this poverty exposed. Sai remembers when she first met the cook nine years about when she first arrived to live with the judge. Sai expresses her displeasure at the way the police treated the cook, but the cook responds with, â€Å"But what kind of investigation would it be, then?† The chapter ends with the cook cleaning up his belongings, putting them back in the same place. Chapter 5 In this chapter, we are introduced to Biju’s different places of employment in America and of the different races represented in each. Firstly, The Baby Bistro where it was French in the restaurant but Mexican, Indian and Pakistani in the kitchen. Then, there was the Baby Bistro which was rich up top and poor down below. At the Baby Bistro, some of the poor ethnicities present included Colombian, Tunisian, Ecuadorian, and Gambian. At the Stars and Stripes Diner, it was all American in the diner but all Guatemalan below, plus Indian when Biju arrived. At all of these different places of employment with all of the different cultures, Biju found himself asking where the different places were. It was through his questioning that he learnt that there are Indians spread out all over the world. After learning of the different cultures present in Biju’s different places of employment, the cooks warns him to be careful of the Pakistani in particular. The cook does not feel that they are to be trusted. Biju has already received a negative vibe from the Pakistani and felt that he was unable to talk to the man as he felt that he was fake. Biju found himself fighting with the Pakistani, Desis against Pakis, and because of the noise that the two created, both of them were fired from the Baby Bistro. Chapter 6 In this chapter we find out that Sai’s parents are dead. We learn how they met, by a tree while Sai’s mother was at collage, and her father was in the air force. They had got married and had Sai, however Sai’s father was picked to go to Russia, to become a space pilot, furthermore Sai had to be left behind, so she was sent to the convent that her mother had attended. However while in Russia, Sai’s parents were killed when they were run over by a tourist bus. Also in the chapter we find out how Sai comes to be living with her grandfather. As we know Sai was at the convent, but when her parents died there was no one left to pay for her to stay at the convent. So the nuns looked through their information, and the name under â€Å"in case of an emergency† was Sai’s grandfather, Justice Jemubhai Patel. So Sai was sent with a visiting nun, to Kalimpong, where her grandfather lived. Additionally we learn how Cho Oyu was built. It was built by a Scotsman who said it was a very good location to build a house, however this was not why the judge wanted the house built there, it was built there because it was a place that the judge could live. Chapter 7 The cook welcomes Sai by constructing a motorcar modeled out of mashed potatoes; a skill in which the cook had not used in a while. The car acted as a center piece for the table, as to state that the purpose of the evening was to welcome Sai. However, initially the Judge shows no apparent knowledge of Sai’s arrival or her presence at the very table. This changes, and the Judge asks for Sai to tell him what her name is, which seems to actually anger the judge. Later when Sai complements mutt the Judge avoids his expression of the complement and instead demands that the soup be presented to him. When the Judge realizes that the soup is not ready be becomes very frustrated that his routine has been upset. The cook describes how poverty stricken he is and what he has to work with. While eating the Judge discusses with himself how Sai has a tutor and the disadvantages of the other forms of schooling and the affects that types of schooling can have on you. Later on when Sai is lying in her bed, which demonstrates the poverty as her sheets are table clothes since there are no blankets left. Poverty is further presented when Sai comments of the structure of the house and how it seems to be fragile. Suddenly Sai hears microscopic jaws munching on the house which could destroy the house in a season. Summary 8-11 With the arrival of Sai, the judge kept thinking about his past, annoyed with the similarities of Sai’s loneliness and his own. The judge was only nineteen when he left Piphit, his ancestral home to study at Cambridge, in England. At the time the future judge was called Jemu which was a nickname of his real name, Jemubhai. Jemubhai was a one-month married man to a fourteen year old girl, whom he was to leave for some years. With his arrival to England, he was amazed with the sights he greeted though over time things changed, not to a better situation yet he did not lose his courage. In England, he was isolated, different, lonely and reaching madness as his antisocial behaviors increased, while avoiding light to hide from others. His ideas also began to develop a in a new way of self disgust, and embarrassment. Judge insisted that Sai must have a tutor; therefore she came to meet Noni whose house was an hour far. Noni and her sister, Lola possessed a cat named Mustafa and a guard, a retired army man named Budhoo. With the suspense of trusting a man with no clear vision of stealing their possessions or lives, they found him necessary for guarding their house. They both were a fan of the English culture. Lola had a daughter named Pixie which perhaps is the BBC radio reporter, who inspires them to listen to radio at nights. Biju on the other side of the world in United States attempted everyday to find better jobs though his lack of self-respect did not prosper his standings. He started working at Freddy’s Work delivering food with a bicycle. He worked for long hours and when arrived home, in the basement of a building where among other illegal fellows he lived under cruel condition. Later he loses his job as Saeed Saeed whose grandmother was Indian. The cook considered with Biju’s condition in USA, sold alcoholic beverages called chhang. The cook was not satisfied with his salary from the judge; he felt rage inside himself serving Judge’s family. Despite the rage, the cook lied about Judge’s lost glory; he praised him in front of others, attempting to make himself seem worthier. Sai was a follower of the cook’s stories as she sat in the kitchen asking questions about judge and his wife who passed away. Judge able to hear the stories, was annoyed of his past, the truth that he knew of and the lies that cook told. He was raised with hardship during his childhood. One thing calmed him down and it was his schedule of everyday life and being on task.

Critical Essay on “Annals of Labor Nobodies”

John Bowe’s â€Å"Annals of Labor Nobodies† is a very ugly article describing the virtual slavery of agricultural workers. Reminiscent of public attitude toward and awareness of domestic abuse and pedophilia in most of the Twentieth Century, modern slavery is buried deep in a cesspool of ignorance, apathy and denial. Those at the â€Å"top of the heap† are protected by â€Å"buffer layers† and deniability. Fear and brutality are tools employed to maintain the silence. Resources and alternatives for victims are scarce or nonexistent. These are among the themes presented by Boles in his review of dirty secret of one of America’s largest industries, fresh produce production; while he presents a little hope, the situation will continue to exist. South Florida is one of the nation’s greatest citrus and tomato production areas and â€Å"ground zero for modern slavery† (Bowe, 3). Bowe describes the plight of the undocumented Mexican and Central American workers from the time of departure from their homes to their arrival in South Florida. It is a story of an â€Å"opportunity† to terrific homeland poverty which can be worse than what they left. Workers are conned and exploited throughout their journey, paying exorbitant sums to every one in the vicious chain. They are so impoverished and terrified that slave labor is their only option. As a Border Patrol agent remarked â€Å"They’re controllable. There’s no escape† (s). There has been a great deal of consolidation of the produce farms as well as their huge customers. There are many familiar names in the food chain: ConAgra, Cargill, Tropicana, Minute Maid, Coke, Pepsi and Taco Bell. All claim a â€Å"hands off† to the issue of slave labor picking their tomatoes and oranges. The industry has long enjoyed special status exempting it from many labor laws, including overtime pay, workers’ compensation and the right to organize. Unfortunately although the price of the produce may increase, the price of labor decreases due to the large pool of workers coming from Mexico and Central America. In 2000 the Trafficking Victims Act was made into law; unfortunately the usual congressional deal-making resulted in exempting everyone except the labor contractors from fines and imprisonment. The cases are difficult to make. Victims and witnesses are too terrified to testify. Even if they were willing and able to testify their migratory work patterns make them difficult to find. As usual the blanket of â€Å"limited resources† in law enforcement as well as state and federal prosecution offices is used but not believed. Paraphrasing one anonymous laborer, they and their plight is virtually invisible to the outside world. Slow change is coming about and with it a shred of hope for those enslaved. Legal and social service agencies are starting to reach this dark world, and loose coalitions of workers are growing. According to one former tomato picker â€Å"change won’t come from Washington or from the lawyers. It will come from people in the field. If you change people’s consciousness, the people themselves will take care of it† (6).   He is right, of course, and the hope is if change won’t come from Washington and the lawyers, at least they will be an ally and not an impediment. After the sentencing of convicted human traffickers the federal trial judge mentioned to the U.S. Attorneys prosecuting the case that they should not exhaust the â€Å"limited resources† prosecuting low-level thugs and enforcers. The judge, likely mindful of the powerful federal conspiracy laws, stated â€Å"others at a higher level of the fruit picking industry seem complicit in one way or another with how these activities occur† (11). References Bowe, John. â€Å"Annals of Labor Nobodies†. April 21, 2003.