Is Curleys wife a tragic figure? Essay

Throughout the book ‘Of Mice and Men’, Steinbeck portrays the character of Curley’s wife as unfortunate and a bit of an outcast. ‘Well you keep away from her, cause she’s a rattrap if ever I seen one’. But to what extent can she be regarded as a tragic character? The first time we hear about Curley’s wife, she is described as a ‘tart’ by another farm worker. This is because she is lonely so she hangs around the other farm workers wearing ‘red mules’ with ‘red ostrich feathers’ and ‘red finger nails’. Steinbeck uses the colour red to show she is dressing like a ‘tart’ because the colour red at the time was associated with prostitutes. ‘I ain’t never seen nobody like her’. The ranch hands, however, want nothing to do with her, so they ignore her, and so she becomes an outcast. ‘Curley’s wife can sure move quiet. I guess she’s had a lot of practice, though’. The reason they do not want to be seen with her is because she is married to Curley, a ‘pugnacious’ little man, who is very possessive. ‘†Have you seen a girl around here?† he demanded angrily’. The fact that Steinbeck never gave Curley’s wife a name other than ‘Curley’s wife’ is to show that she belongs to Curley. It shows her as his possession rather than a separate person. To get attention, she dresses up and hangs around the workers when Curley is not there. However, none of the farm workers want to fight with Curley, because he is the boss’ son and could get them fired. ‘She looked from one face to another, and they were all closed against her’. Curley’s wife seems unhappy in her marriage. ‘I don’t like Curley. He ain’t a nice fella’. He treats her badly, and even though he is married, he still goes to a ‘cathouse’, and she knows this ‘Think I don’t know where they al went? Even Curley!’ She also admits she is happy that Curley got ‘bust up’, because she resents Curley for the loneliness and for being ‘stick in that house alla time’. Curley’s wife has no children to keep her occupied or keep her company, and she has nothing to do with her time. Steinbeck uses language to show how frustrated she is at being unloved and unwanted. ‘Wha’s the matter with me?’. Even when she is dead she is unloved by Curley, who is more angry that someone â€Å"broke† HIS possession than the fact that his wife is dead. ‘I’ll kill the big son-of-a-bitch!’ Curley’s wife spends most of her time scheming ways to get attention and company from the other men. There are no other women on the ranch, and this is because men’s lifestyles at the time meant they were always travelling and never settled down and got married. This is why none of the other ranch workers have wives for her to talk to, and therefore no one else on the ranch understands her, or her situation. ‘Ranch with a bunch of guys on it ain’t no place for a girl, specially like her!’ Throughout the book, the reader does learn a little about Curley’s wife’s past, and about how a guy ‘who was in the pitchers’ said he was ‘gonna put [her] in the movies’ once he was back in Hollywood, and how she never received the letter. Curley’s wife says that she thought her ‘ol’ lady stole it’, and this shows the reader how naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve and easily led she is, and also the reason she was so desperate to leave home, and why she married Curley. Even though Curley’s wife is so lonely and craving attention, she is still rude and has a short temper, and throughout most of the book is not liked by the reader. ‘ you keep your place then nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easily it ain’t even funny’. ‘She demanded, â€Å"You listenin’ to me?†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ. When she is left alone with the ‘weak ones’ she treats them badly, as if she is taking out her frustration on them. ‘ Standin’ here talking to a bunch of bindle stiffs – a nigger, an’ a dum-dum an’ a lousy ol’ sheep, an’ liking it cause there ain’t nobody else!’ She is jealous that even though she counts them as the ‘weak ones’, some of them can talk to the other men, and are not all forced into the same solitary confinement that she is in. Steinbeck shows just how tragic this character is, by the fact that she has to take her anger out on people she herself counts as ‘weak’, and that is how bitter her lifestyle has made her. Finally once she has died, Steinbeck uses language to show just how tragic she is, even in death. ‘All the meanness and the planning and discontent and the ache for attention’ were all gone from her face. This extract gives us clues as to what Curley’s wife what thinking while she was alive, and how much of her life these things took up. It explains her behaviour and finally makes the reader feel sorry for her, because in the rest of the book this is difficult, despite her tragically horrible situation. I think that Curley’s wife is an incredibly tragic character. The fact that she was so desperate to escape from home that she married Curley, and she was so naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve and had no one to tell her and advise her that it was such a bad idea. Also she had no purpose in life, no one to talk to, or to love and treat her well, that she turned so sour and bitter that she ruined the few moment s of company that she could snatch at. Even the fact she is not loved and wanted by the reader and is seen as ‘trouble’. The only time her worries and problems are over is in death! These are all reasons to show to the high extent that Curley’s wife was shown to be a tragic character.

A Whole New World

This week I attended a one-time screening for a movie called Derby Baby. It was a documentary film on women who play roller derby. It was a small screening in a town called Wilmette. Over the past year I have been introduced to the culture and world of roller derby by my girlfriend. I have been able to experience many different events related to the culture, but this movie brought a different life to the culture of roller derby. I never looked at the sport or hobby as a culture but have realized what a culture it is for many people. The clothing that is worn, the love, the passion, the life, the commitment; these are all so different that my lifestyle. People who love roller derby commit their lives to it, their free time; their friends are all in roller derby or volunteer. The sport is volunteer ran, the games, the practices, the players, no one is paid for what they do. Not many cultures of sports are like this, which makes them very unique. I used to find myself judging the people in roller derby, assuming they were all outgoing and spontaneous people, but over the past year and from this movie I have learned it is an outlet for many. It is a place where quiet people can bring out a different side of them and a place where the outgoing can be more crazy and exciting. Roller derby is not just a game for entertainment; it is a way of life for many. The level of commitment depends on the individual. A player not only plays but volunteers, joins a committee within the league, coaches, trains, parties, they do it all. You can also have a love for derby and not play; you can be a referee or a fan who is highly involved. The possibilities are never ending. It is a passion that many do not know about, like many other cultures it is waiting to be found. A whole new world The world has gone far from what it was a century ago. As the world grows old, things on it, around it, and under it have changed considerably; many were even replaced by new ones.   As time goes on, man has invented and innovated much on four major human activity sectors: industry, energy, transportation and agriculture. (B Goldstein, 2002)Humans have been blinded by the dramatic changes and improvements on their ways of living brought about by technological advancements, industrialization and the transformation of almost everything in this whole new world For all of these, man has sacrificed his most precious wealth: his health. If we are to unveil the mask of this whole new world, we will see that what we actually have is a set of whole new pollutants- the gravest threat to human health.In the two independent studies conducted in California relative to the health hazards of exposure to the soot in diesel emissions, researchers has released alarming result figures. In 2005 half a million of work and school absences, and at least 1,100 premature deaths were caused by breathing emissions from old diesel equipment. (Union of Concerned Scientists) So this is our prize for desiring to have this whole new world a highly industrialized one. The birth of high rise buildings, the construction of hospitals and transportation facilities, comes the birth of soot. Soot particles come directly from the tailpipe of engines and contribute to the unhealthy levels of particulate matter (PM) (UCS p.20).The fine particulate matter â€Å"lodges like tiny razor blades deep in human lungs† according to Kevin Hamilton, who have led one of the two studies in California. Particulate pollution as Don Anair of the Union of Concerned scientists puts it is a â€Å"silent killer†. What the world gets from industrialization are heart diseases, asthma and cancer. The compensation of development is hundreds of different chemicals from the diesel soot: sulfates, ammonium, nitra tes, elemental carbon, condensed organic compound, carcinogenic compounds, arsenic, selenium cadmium and zinc. If one thinks that he can get rid of this pollution by going out of the city, he is wrong. The study even found out 2that soot particles is present at the South Pole.Suggestions as to solving this problem include basically replacing the old equipment with new ones. The sad thing about this is that most of these equipment last for 20 to 30 years. That would mean humans still have to have themselves exposed to this pollution for two to three decades before they will be replaced with less-emitting machines. Taking this fact: 3for every additional 10 micrograms of soot in a cubic meter of air is equivalent to 4.5% increase in heart attacks, how many lives will still be sacrificed in three decades? Being also a cancer-causing agent, soot pollution is not supposed to be taken for granted.  The California Air Resources Board reported that soot is responsible for 70% of the risk of cancer from airborne toxics. No one is safe and exempted from the deadly effects of diesel pollution, especially those who are living in soot-polluted areas like California. In fact, the 26% increase in mortality rate in such areas is attributed to soot-pollution.One does not have to be an environmentalist in order to know what is actually going on with the air we all breathe. We do not have to be scientifically inclined in order to understand what these research studies figures are all about. We just have to have a little concern of the future, especially the lives of the children who have no chance of altering their future. Their only choice, if it is a choice, is to live in the world where their parents brought them up: a polluted world brought about by industrialization. I am not against development, nor am I against industrialization. I am against the carelessness of the proponents of this development who obviously have overlooked the long term health effects of these proces ses.There is no escape to industrialization- the world, being governed by the laws of the material-driven humans, is inclined to be there. What has been done can no more be undone, and that is the sad truth. But there is a means of deterring the worst scenario: laws that will regulate the further use of soot-emitting engines or equipment.The government has to genuinely work hard to ensuring the safety of their people, as they are expected to do so. The human health and the environment can no more wait. The best time to act is now. The chance of this growing old world of getting a better place to live in is declining. We can no more turn back time, what has been lost is lost forever. Let us not lose what we still have today.WORKS CITEDWilson, Janet. â€Å"The Dire Health Effects of Pollution Reported.† The Los Angeles Times. December 05, 2006. Retrieved from http://www.topix.net/content/trb/3412963485317685650330925717330288178910 on February 20, 2007Environmental Health Persp ectives. â€Å"Seeing Through the Soot†. Retrieved from http://www.ehp.niehs.nih.gov/members/2002/110-8/innovations.html on February 20, 2007 Union of Concerned Scientists. â€Å"Clean Vehicles. Diesel Pollution Primer†. Retrieved from http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_vehicles/big_rig_cleanup/life-of-soot-diesel-pollution-emissions-and-health.html on February 20, 2007 Goldstein, Bernardo (2002). â€Å"Pollution Health Article†. Gale Encyclopedia of Public Health. The Gale Group, Inc. Macmillan Reference USA. New York. Retrieved from http://www.healthline.com/galecontent/pollution on February 20,2007

The sound of my alarm clock started ringing

The sound of my alarm clock started ringing.   I tried to stop it in my half-awake state, looking at the clock; it read 7:30 in the morning. I tried to push myself up and prepare for work.   Once I got up, I opened the curtains and felt the sun’s rays touch my eyes.I felt that it’s going to be beautiful day. As I proceed to the kitchen, the smell of brewing coffee aroused my senses and captivated me to drink a cup before heading for the bathroom and prepare for work.After I finished fixing myself, I headed out of my unit and went outside. The sights of the place seem to indicate that fall is fast approaching.   It is when leaves starting to turn to brown, birds chirping and the winds slowly building.As I walk on the sidewalk towards the subway, I glimpsed at children laughing and playing while their parents reprimand them of staying put. Even though the sun is exhibiting its brightness and warmth, the wind seems to overpower him as it sends chills in my body. Afte r a couple of strides, I arrived at the park.There the trees sway as if they are encouraging the wind to never stop. The usual visitors were there doing their own thing. The jogger, as I want to call her, was doing her laps.   The old couple was at their usual places reading the morning papers with each one giving me a smile as I headed my way.There was nothing unusual about this but the weather seemed to indicate otherwise. People looked more calm and cheerful while the birds are as if chirping their last and the wind seemed to blow an aura of happiness to every individual.   As I approached the subway station, I again took the liberty to look at town, seeing that everything seems to be in their proper order, I started to head down.Sitting in the train and recalling the instances that greeted me awhile back, I started to show a glimpse of a smile.   After all that happened, I know for a fact that today is going to be a beautiful day for everyone.

Nosocomial Infections. What are they and how do you prevent them Research Paper

Nosocomial Infections. What are they and how do you prevent them - Research Paper Example On an average, it is estimated that the nosocomial infections affect up to 6 people out of every 100 patients who are admitted. In the year 1995, it was recorded that 88000 people succumbed to these infections and died. In the same year it was estimated that these infections served a burden of $4.5 billion of economic burden (Weinstein 1998). Nosocomial infections are preventable and there are many measures which can be implied. The first and foremost recommendation is that cleaning of the hands is very important and hand washing should be stressed upon. It is necessary to carry out invasive procedures like catheterization only in the instance if it is very important and proper methods are supposed to be used to prevent any infection. When urine is obtained for testing, it is necessary that cleanliness and proper hygienic measures are taken. The infected patients should be kept away from other patients to prevent spread of infection. Awareness regarding catheterization and hand washing should be stressed upon regularly. Sterilization of the instruments that are used on patients is important. Proper hygiene and cleanliness of the healthcare providers plus the patients should also be stressed upon. The hospital should be clean. Usage of gloves and masks should be employed where necessary. Aseptic conditions should be devel oped before drawing blood to prevent infections (Soule and Huskins 1997). Soule, B. M., & Huskins, W. C. (January 01, 1997). A global perspective on the past, present, and future of nosocomial infection prevention and control.  American Journal of Infection Control,  25,  4,

Hiistory Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Hiistory - Assignment Example 2. A response to the given statement should seek to make the speaker understand how the views expressed by him are a result of the colonialist discourse that not only wiped out thousands of Native Americans, but also seeks to erase any memory of them. History, as they say, is written by the victorious. This is an example of an attempt to remove the subaltern from books of history. 3. A significant difference in the way Native Americans perceived the world from the Europeans was in the way gender roles was organized. They followed a matrilineal system of inheritance. This meant that women were the ones who held property. This would mean that a much greater respect was accorded to women. This is a significant difference from the Europeans who settled in America and denied property rights to women and treated them as inferior to men. 4. Slavery in Africa was carried out by the indigenous tribes of the place who belonged to the same race. Slavery existed as a part of the social fabric th at placed the peasants and the slaves together, with the peasants on a higher plane than the slaves. This later was a factor in the export of slaves from Africa. Slavery in the Americas, however, was carried out by people of different races. ... A group of aristocrats were also part of the group of migrants who landed in America, for the purpose of administration of the new colony. Another reason why the English people migrated to North America was the most obvious and probably the most important reason-the search for new land and resources to augment the development of England. 6. The primary reason why England wanted to establish colonies was to procure more resources from another continent that would enable a greater standard of living for its own population. Apart from this, it was also easy for the British to get a lot of indigenous products that belonged to the native tribes by cheating them or through extortion. Trade, thus was another important reason for England to establish colonies in North America. Another reason for England to establish colonies in North America was the political situation at the time when England was engaged in a great rivalry with the French and wanted to compete with them in their trade with the Native Americans. 7. An Indentured servant is a laborer who works without any wages and is provided food, clothing, shelter and transportation. The initial immigrants of North America found it very difficult to procure servants to work in the fields because of the high wages that had to be paid. Indentured servants helped solve this problem and formed a part of the society that helped build the colonies in North America. Later, they formed an important part of the population of these countries as they did not leave them for their homelands. 8. A similarity between the colonies in Africa and the colonies in North America was the fact that in both of these places, the

Content Analysis on Prime Time Television Using Cultivation Theory Research Paper

Content Analysis on Prime Time Television Using Cultivation Theory - Research Paper Example Cultivation Theory was developed by George Gerbner and Larry Gross based on their research in order to identify and understand the effects of television on its viewers. They focused more on the culture of violence that is evidently and explicitly embedded in television programs and on how this message is inculcated in its audience, thus affecting their social behavior and disposition. Gerbner and Gross also correlated that as the exposure to such programs increases or becomes a constant factor on the daily lives of people, they tend to develop and adopt the same notion of thinking that, indeed, the world is full of violence. Cultivation theory remains to be one of the most popular theories in mass communication phenomena and is an essential theory in understanding behavioral (Bryant, 2004). n the Saturday program, FOX aired two episodes of Cops and an episode of Bones. The plot of these TV shows clearly depicts a violation of criminal law and grave offenses against society. The former is an action-packed documentary and reality show that revolves around what transpires in the line of duty of law enforcement agencies from various areas and departments of United States, while the latter is a fictional series about a team of forensic investigators who solve crime mysteries by analyzing, examining human remains, and determining the cost of death of the victims. While these shows can be easily concluded, and rightly so as to having themes of heavy violence, they also portray other messages as well.

Amazon.com - Not Your Average Bookstore Case Study - 3

Amazon.com - Not Your Average Bookstore - Case Study Example For example, one can book the latest Harry Potter book on internet and get it immediately as it is released. It has exploited technology to have a definite and advantageous position within the industry Amazon has used disruptive technology to run its business because it helped transform traditional bookstore in physical format to a virtual store where people can access books of their choice without actually holding them physically. The conceptualization of a virtual store is innovative strategy that has changed the very concept of market. Disruptive technology broadly refers to a new concept that disrupts existing market and creates a new one with more value. Amazon has taken business and marketing to a new level where time and space have become irrelevant. Access to goods and products has become easier and selling and buying more convenient, both for buyers and sellers. It is like mobile phones which has redefined communication. Amazon has been constantly innovating to maintain its customers’ loyalty by personalization and customization to their changing preferences. It has been able to create a one stop shopping experience for the customers and also welcomes personal recommendations and reviews. By providing customers with unique experience of book world where customers not only buy what they want, Amazon has also been able to earn customers’ commitment and loyalty by ensuring that their recommendations are incorporated within the broader strategy and goal of the business. For example, it has started Amazon3 on the recommendations of its customers and provides them with virtual space to store the personal data or books. Amazon’s e business model primarily relies on exploiting technology to meet customers’ changing preferences and uses them to constantly evolve. From a mere virtual book store, it has evolved into a comprehensive service center offering people storage in cyber space to

Blowing In the Wind Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Blowing In the Wind - Essay Example From the overall study, the viability of the micro wind turbine market in the UK context is ascertained. Certain external environmental analysis based factors have revealed that there are some technological limitations which need to be corrected for the successful implementation of micro wind turbines in the market of Yorkshire. In addition, cost of micro wind turbines is also affordable and favorable for the households of the country. It can be convincingly stated that there is a huge opportunity in the area of micro wind turbines in regions such as Yorkshire in the UK. However, the business execution process needs to be properly channeled. A typical system of micro wind turbine on an uncovered site could simply produce greater power than the lights and electrical appliances used. Residential consumers of urban areas cannot use the traditional wind turbine technology because of a lack of reach. Researchers belonging to the Hong Kong University along with the Lucien Gambarota of Moto rwave Limited have formulated a micro-wind turbine technology named Motorwind, which is quite small for the domestic use in both urban and rural areas. Micro wind turbines are actually different from the large scale turbines in terms of its physical formation. Owing to the great results derived currently the business and residential properties are increasingly moving towards the micro wind turbines. In this regard, the Clean Energy Cashback Scheme provides tax free incentive support for the generation of renewable energy for the household use.

Reflections Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reflections - Assignment Example Personally, I agree with Lewis’s saying that the ultimate price that we pay for losing those we love is pain and grief (Tesiik, 2001). I saw my mother, G.M struggling with the pain of losing my stepfather. Thus, she was paying a price for the commitment and love that she accorded my stepfather. Connection to saying. The saying relates well to the scenario of my mother, G.M. As pointed by Lewis, one can go through a series of pain if she loses the object of her love. G.M was indeed in deep love with my stepfather. She went through series of pain and episodes of depression attributable to cognitive response. As a result, she is suffering from Alzheimer and Parkinson’s diseases. Description of manifestations of grief. Grief manifests itself in four different ways including feelings, physical sensations, cognitions, and behaviors. Feelings are often diverse and take different turns (De Magalhà £es, 2009). Sadness is a feeling that many individuals experience after losing the persons that they love or have a close attachment. My mother, G.M experienced this when she lost my stepfather. Individuals often demonstrate sadness by crying. Crying is a gesture that arouses a protective or sympathetic reaction from other individuals. Complicated grief may result if individuals fail to express sadness with or without the accompaniment of tears. I felt sad when I watched G.M writhing in pain. Anxiety is a common feeling that relates to the loss and it often originates from the fear that the bereaved may not be in a position to take care of themselves. There are different ranges of anxiety and can extend from mild to extreme forms of panic attacks. Grief also manifests itself through cognition (Amella, 2004). In most cases, a cognitive response often occurs after an individual develops varied feelings. As I have outlined above, my mother G.M experienced different feelings of sadness, and anxiety after the loss of my stepfather. It is through this happening that I

Describe the position of black people in the USA in 1945 Essay Example for Free

Describe the position of black people in the USA in 1945 Essay Blacks in the USA in 1945 were not considered as equal; the treatment of people was based on their skin colour, a practice that had been going on for many years before, even after the Reconstruction of society after the Civil War in which the blacks were liberated from slavery. In theory, blacks were free to work and live where they wanted, but the figures at the time told a different story: by 1960, around 17% of the workforce of white-collar workers, i. e. professional, technical, administration, etc., were blacks, while the whites remained the majority at 47%. The blue-collar work, such as craftsmen, manual labourers, etc. jobs that are renowned for needing less skill and education had 40% of the workforce as blacks, and 36% were whites. Blacks just werent provided the education and qualifications to do the professional types of work due to separation of black and white facilities. Not only were they held back at getting the higher-class jobs, they were paid less for the same work that whites did; in 1950, blacks earned about 53% of a whites wage. This figure remained the same over the next 20 years, with it rising 11% to blacks earning 64% of a whites wage. All over the USA, blacks were discriminated against in almost all areas of life, whether it is the law of the state, or just by the custom of the local society. After the abolishment of slavery, slaves had the choice of moving away from their former homes and having their own lives; unfortunately, many blacks didnt have any money to move halfway across the USA to the northern states that had fought to free them. Those who did have the finance to travel rarely had enough money afterwards to sustain a good quality of life after they had moved. The custom of de facto came into play in some of the Northern states; ghettos and places where the majority of the population were black sprung up in towns and cities. Segregation by custom in the North was contrasted with segregation by law, or de jure, in the South- Jim Crow laws forbade blacks, for example, to enter white facilities, or sit on buses with whites, etc. Places where de facto was in force came up with other ways to separate blacks from whites to keep the Southern order of things; red lining was when banks were not allowed to give money for mortgages if they suspected it would be a risky investment- if a black family moved into a certain area, it would lower the prices of the surrounding houses. This meant that places such as ghettos were built up, when the majority of the population were black. This type of segregation wasnt by law, but by custom, blacks werent forced to live in black areas, but they felt pressured to live in certain places because of the practises such as red lining in effect. Although it is in the Constitution that everyone is equal and has the same civil rights, it is beliefs like red lining that push a wedge between races; it may not seem constitutional, but it is up to the Supreme Court in the USA to decide what is constitutional. They decided that slavery was lawful mainly due the fact that the Southern states economy was based on slavery; they were needed to produce cotton, the main export in the 19th century. Without them, the economy would have fallen apart. After the 13th amendment to the Constitution, slavery was no longer legal, but the Supreme Court still remained to overlook state laws that continued discrimination and practices that could be seen as worse then slavery- for example, the Ku Klux Klan were allowed to terrorise and lynch blacks, yet lynching was not made illegal. The Supreme Court declared that the 14th amendment forbids states, but not citizens, from discriminating (1) Separate facilities for blacks and whites were considered as the solution to the discrimination problem; the Supreme Court believed that the blacks were separate but equal when they were forced to use different buildings, transport, schools and hospitals then the whites. Since the Supreme Court approved laws and could declare them unconstitutional if they wanted to, they were the ones who the blacks has to convince if they wanted to change anything; in legal cases, the trial had to be taken to the Supreme Court to have any impact, since the State Courts were always going to be in favour of the Jim Crow laws. The Plessy vs. Ferguson (1896) case was when Homer Plessy refused to sit in the coloured car of a train and sat in the white section instead. The case went to Supreme Court, and they ruled that Plessy was guilty and sentenced him to pay a fine or go to jail. This was considered the most shameful ruling of the Supreme Court in history; it shows the extent of the discrimination against blacks, even after slavery was abolished- even though Plessy was 1/8 black and 7/8 white, he was still considered as black in the eyes of the Louisiana law. Although many people thought that this ruling was shocking, there wasnt much that could be done, since they did not have a definite leader to show them what the do; everything that the movement did was relatively unorganised, with maybe one person leading the others. People such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Booker T. Washington tried to unite blacks under one leadership, but it did not work, because everyone has different opinion on what should be done about the discrimination problem. Dr Martin King Jr. was a black leader that advocated peaceful resistance; because of this, many whites accepted him because they knew that he would not cause violence, but blacks did not like this as peaceful protest could only take them so far- they felt that King was weaker then some of the other extremist black leaders, such as Malcolm X. Kings approach to fighting against their oppression wasnt enough to keep the blacks following him; they preferred people who were willing to do more for the benefit of all blacks. Another leader who was thought as weak by fellow blacks was Booker T. Washington; he was accused of being an accommodationist to the whites, as he wasnt campaigning for equal civil rights, he was concentrating on equal job opportunities- this wasnt what the blacks were fighting for; they wanted to be free to do what the whites could do, not only in jobs but in other aspects of life too. The leaders of the movement were not united, therefore they were not strong- many leaders were critical of others, for example, W. E. B DuBois criticised Washington, saying that blacks cannot get social equality if they do not get political equality first. The New Deal is a phrase used to explain the actions taken after Black Tuesday when the US Stock market crashed to stop the effects of the Depression disturbing the lives of the public. Laws were passed to help stop the consequences of the Depression becoming a long-term problem; within the first hundred days, President Roosevelt passed a law that lowered workers salaries and pensions by up to 15%- a move that people did not like, yet it saved a lot of money for the government. Another act was passed that stated that the government could inspect banks before letting them open again so they could see if the bank was eligible to lend and hold money. This prevented banks lending out money that they did not have, therefore they did not losing money for their customers and wouldnt have to close, as they would have to have done if they did lend out money they didnt have. The New Deal was produced so the government could help all of those that were affected by the Depression; this helped the blacks because they were some of the poorest people in the USA at the time, and as many as 8% of blacks were unemployed in 1955. For the blacks, the New Deal slightly improved their way of living as it was designed to help everyone without discrimination. Soon after New Deal was set up, the situation for blacks was improved socially by the outbreak of the Second World War. When the Americans were brought into the war, they needed as many men as they could to fight; blacks had regiments where they could join and be equal to whites, but they still were not allowed to belong to the same regiment as the whites- there were some who did, but they were rare, they normally belonged to an all-black regiment. At the end of the war, the blacks got more ambitious; they were allowed to fight for their country, but America wasnt even grateful enough of them to let them be equal. This would have enraged African Americans since they had fought so hard to be a part of America, so the Civil Rights movement activity increased, which put pressure on the government to do something. The Nazi ideology also pushed the government into action, because what the Americans were doing to the blacks could be compared to the Germans discriminating against the Jews in Germany; the blacks realised this, so demanded equality, as they didnt want the same to happen to them. In conclusion, the position of blacks in 1945 was not equal to whites: even after a century of supposed freedom from slavery, blacks were still treated as inferiors to whites. Laws and acts were in effect that encouraged the discrimination of blacks. Amendments such as the rights for blacks to vote and the rights for them to be equal were passed, but there were so many other laws that cancelled them out. Jim Crow laws in the South and practises such as red lining in the North made it impossible for blacks to be seen as equal politically, whilst rebellions by extremist whites and groups such as the Ku Klux Klan stopped blacks gaining any social standing or equality. Blacks were supposed to be equal, but by 1945, some may comment that the position of them was worse then slavery, as the blacks were on their own in there poverty and discrimination; before, they had their slave owners who would clothe and feed them to keep productive workers- they would never be out on the streets as slaves, but as free people, they received basically no help. Things that whites took for granted, such as clean and good-quality facilities, and jobs that are fair and just are things that blacks counted themselves lucky if they managed to get any equality. People like Martin Luther King Jr. and W. E. B. DuBois tried to get equality, both through violence and peaceful means, but it didnt have much effect to the political and social standing of blacks. The discrimination of blacks continued right into the 20th century, even up into the 21st century. It was slow going for the blacks right to equality, but actions by both blacks and whites changed things for the better. However, in 1945, blacks were not considered as equal, but as 3/5s of a human being. Bibliography: (1) http://www. alternativeinsight. com/Reparations-Slavery. html Field, Ron; Civil Rights in America 1865-1980; Cambridge University Press http://www. lawbuzz. com/can_you/plessy/plessy. htm http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/New_Deal.

Edible History Of Humanity By Tom Standage History Essay

Edible History Of Humanity By Tom Standage History Essay Book report on an edible history of humanity by Tom Standage. Tom Standages book regarding edible history of humanity gives us numerous pictures of looking at the past. The book approaches history in a different way altogether: as a sequence of changes caused, influenced or enabled by food. Throughout history, food has not only provided sustenance but has also acted as the catalyst of societal organization, social change, economic expansion, military conflict, geopolitical competition and industrial development. Since the time of prehistory to present, the stories of these changes form a story that encompasses the entire human history. The foods first transformative role was the basis for entire civilizations. The taking in of agriculture enabled new settled lifestyle and put mankind on the path to the modern world. However, the staple crops that aided the first civilizations hardly and the wheat in the near east, rice and millet in Russia, potatoes and maize in America were not simply revealed by chance. Instead, they came out through a multifaceted process of co-evolution because preferred traits were chosen and propagated by the early farmers. These crops are in effect, development; intentionally cultivated technologies that existed only as a result of human intervention. Adoption of agriculture as a story is the narration of how early genetic engineers came up with powerful and new tools that made progress itself possible. In the process man changed plants and eventually the same plants in turn transformed people. By offering the platform through which civilizations could be founded, food then acted as a social organization tool, helping to structure and shape complex societies that came up later. The religious, political and economic structures of the early society, right from hunter-gatherers to the very first civilizations were based on systems of food production and allocation. The production of agricultural food surpluses as well as the coming up of irrigation systems and communal food storage fostered political centralization with agricultural fertility rituals developing into state religions and food becoming a medium of taxation and payment; feasts were used in garnering influence and show status; food handouts were used in defining and refining power structures. Allover the ancient world before money was invented, food was a sign of wealth and ability to control food was power. With the emergence of civilizations in various parts of the world, food aided to connect them together. Food-trade routes acted as inter-boundary communication networks that improved not just commercial exchange but religious and cultural exchange as well. Spice routes that spanned the ancient world resulted in cross cultural fertilization in fields which were diverse just like the field of architecture, religion and science. The first geographers began to take interest in people and customs from far places and compiled the first efforts at world maps. By far the biggest change caused by food trade was as a result of European need to avoid the Arab spice domination. The result of this was the revelation of a new world, establishment of first colonial outposts by the European nations and opening of maritime trade routes between Asia, Europe and America. As European nations tried to build global empires, the next big shift in human history was aided by food, a flow in economic development during industrialization. Potatoes and sugar just like the steam engine underpinned the process of industrial revolution. Sugar production on plantation on the West Indies was considered the first prototype of the industrial process that mainly relied on slave labor. Meanwhile potatoes overcame the first suspicion among the European as a staple food that yielded more calories than cereals from a given area of land. Together, potatoes and sugar offered cheap sustenainace for the workers who worked in new factories in the industrial era. In Britain for instance where the process first started, the upsetting question whether the future of the country lies in industry or agriculture was decisively and unexpectedly resolved by the Irish potato famine of the mid 19th century. Using food as war weapon is timeless; however large scale military wars of the 18th and 19th centuries elevated it to a new level. Food played a vital role in determining the consequences of the two conflicts that defined the USA, revolutionary war of 18th and 19th centuries as well as the civil war of 1860s. Meanwhile, the rise and fall of Napoleon closely connected his capacity to feed his large population of armies. The 20th century mechanization of warfare gave the impression that for the first time in history, feeding machines with ammunition and fuel became an important factor than feeding soldiers. However, food took a new twist, as an ideological weapon during the era of cold war between communism and capitalism, and finally helped to determine the result of the conflict. In the modern society food has become a battle filed for other issues, including globalization, development and trade. During the twentieth century the application of industrial and scientific to agriculture brought about dramatic increase in food supply and the corresponding increase in the world population. The green revolution led to social as well as environmental problems. However, without it there would have been a lot of famine in much of the developing world in 1970s. By making sure that food supply grows rapidly than the population, the green revolution opened the way for the amazingly rapid industrialization in Asia as the century came to an end. Because people in industrial societies consider having a smaller number of children compared to those in the agricultural societies, this in turn the peak of the human population near the end of the 21st century is now on sight. The tales of many personal foodstuffs, traditions and food related customs and the coming up of a particular nation cuisines, have already been narrated. Less focus has been given to the question of foods world-historical significance. This responsibility does not assert that any single has the key to understanding history; nor does it try to give a brief account of the whole history of food or the whole worlds history. It rather draws on a range of disciplines that include genetics, anthropology, genetics, economics, ethno botany and archaeology. It focuses especially on intersections between world history food histories. Asking a simple question; which foods have offered the most in terms of shaping the modern world and in which way? By taking a long term historical dimension also gives a new way to shed light on modern debates about food, like the argument surrounding the genetically modified organisms. The link between poverty and food, coming up of local food movements, use of p lants to make biofuels, effectiveness of food as a tool of mobilizing political support for a number of causes, and the widely accepted way of reducing the environmental impact of modern agricultural methods.

Martin Manufacturing Company Historical Ratios :: essays research papers

Martin Manufacturing Company Historical Ratios RATIOS  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ACTUAL 2001  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ACTUAL 2002  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ACTUAL 2003  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  INCREASE (DECREASE)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  INDUSTRY AVERAGE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Current ratio  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.7  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.8  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2.5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.7  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.5 Quick Ratio  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.9  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.2 Inventory turnover (times)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  5.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  5.0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  5.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  10.2 Average collection period (days)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  50.0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  55.0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  58.0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  3.0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  46.0 Total asset turnover (times)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.6  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2.0 Debt Ratio (%)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  45.8  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  54.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  57.0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2.7  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  24.5 Times interest earned ratio  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.9  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.6  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  (0.3)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2.5 Gross profit margin (%)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  27.5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  28.0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  27.0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  (1.0)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  26.0 Net profit margin (%)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.7  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  (0.4)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.2 Return on total assets (ROA %)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.7  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  (0.4)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2.4 Return on common equity (ROE %)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  3.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  3.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2.5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  (0.8)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  3.2 Price / earning (P/E) ratio  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  33.5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  38.7  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  34.5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  (4.2)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  43.4 Market/ book (M/B) ratio  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.9  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  (0.2)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.2 Analysis Liquidity: The current ratio and quick ratios for the year 2003 are at 2.5 and 1.3, which are both higher than the industry average. The company has enough to cover short term bills and expenses. Both the current and quick ratios are showing an upward trend compared to 2001 and 2002. The current assets decreased by $ 20,264 to $ 1,531,181 and the current liabilities also decreased considerably by $255,402 to $616,000, a 29.3% decline, thus making the current ratio jump to a 2.5. The biggest decline was seen is accounts payable which decreased by $170,500 to $230,000, a decline of 42.6 %. Activity:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The inventory turnover is almost half compared to the industry average, although it managed to increase by 0.3 compared to 2002. The company needs to maintain a constant cost of goods sold and at the same time manage inventory more efficiently to maintain market competitiveness. The average collection period also increased slightly to 58 days, three days increase compared to 2002. The company needs to negotiate or persuade on efficient payment methods to customers to decrease the collection period down to industry average. The total asset turnover increased 0.1 to 1.6 but still failing to meet the industry standard of 2.0. Martin Manufacturing needs to boost sales while maintaining a constant asset value to meet or exceed industry standards. Debt:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The debt ratios increased by 2.7% to 57% more than double the industry standard of 24.5%. The long term debt increased from $700,000 to $ 1,165,250 an increment of 66.5% in the year 2002. The company is currently highly leveraged thus it needs to work on reducing long term debts and continue to increase assets. The times interest earned ratio dropped by 0.3 to 1.6 in the year 2003. The company could face difficulties making interest payments in case of a sales slump. Profitability: The gross profit margin is at 27% which is a percent higher than industry standards. The company is performing good and meeting industry standards in terms of cost of goods sold and sales volume. The net income margin decreased to 0.7% in 2003 a decrease of 0.3% compared to 2002.

The Art of Hospitality - The Greeks and the Odyssey Essay -- essays re

Each culture treats strangers and guests with distinct differences from every other culture. One of the most hospitable cultures was that of the ancient Greeks, exemplified in Homer’s The Odyssey by both gracious hosts and guests. In Greece and The Odyssey, not only was good hospitality etiquette expected, but the added pressure from the conviction that the gods would punish the host if guests were treated without respect (whether they were poor or rich) further compelled excellent manners. The Odyssey illustrates the proper etiquette when dealing with guests.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Whether friend or stranger, when a guest of any sort arrived the host would greet them and offer them food and drink before any further conversation or engagement of any kind would occur. If the host had considerable wealth, a maid would bring out a basin of water in a â€Å"graceful golden pitcher† to rinse their hands, seen in Book I (line 160) when Athena visits Telemachus, again in Book 4 (60) when Menelaus takes Telemachus and Athena as guests, and also in Book 7 when the King of the Phaeacians greets Odysseus. Appetizers, meats, and wines are all brought out and laid before the guest, as their coming is seen as a celebration, as seen when Telemachus is hosting Athena, â€Å"A staid housekeeper brought on bread to serve them,/appetizers aplenty too, lavishwith her bounty./A carver lifted platters of meat toward them,/meats of every sort†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Book 1, 163-166) On several occasions, a particularly h...

Does Competition Bring Out The Best In Us? :: essays research papers

COMPETITION BRINGS OUT THE BEST IN US The score was 14-15. My team was losing the sectional championship game by just one point. Now we had to give our all to win, or we would be regretting the loss for years to come. In order to win, we had to get along with everyone on, and off, the volleyball court. We had to believe in ourselves, but most of all, we had to use all of the competitive skills that we had learned throughout our lives from parents, coaches, and our own experiences. Each second, the game became more and more intense. After playing our hearts out for two rotations, the score was now in our favor. We were winning 16-15. As soon as we were in control of the game, we competed at a collegiate level that no one would have thought was possible. Our skills were equal to the skills of a college player. The hitters could jump so high that their entire arm was swinging above the net. The blockers all had at least half of their arm making a wall over the net. The defensive players all dug up balls that looked like comets beaming onto the court. We were just twelve girls on a high school team, but the skill and talent we were showing to win against our rival could have been even better than a professional team. We ended up being the team that was celebrating victory in the locker room. We all had our chance to yell, cheer, and jump up and down after we shook our opponents hands. We finally had the opportunity to celebrate an amazing victory. We were even int erviewed by reporters and photographed by staff of the Hearld Argus, our city’s paper. Competition brought out the best in each one of us that night and that season. The skills we learned and showed on the court will never be forgotten. We learned to get along as a team, believe in ourselves, and to never give up on a goal. In order to succeed, people must compete. Competition can bring out the best in everyone. During a single day, people in some way compete with themselves or with others. They compete to win a sporting event, to get a raise or promotion in their workplace, to receive the best grades on tests or homework assignments, and to be the best at everything they do.

Cmi Level 7 Unit 7006

1. Identify the current strategic aims and objectives 2. Undertake an evaluation of the component parts of a strategic plan 3. Analyze the factors affecting the strategic plan The history of Harley-Davidson began in 1903, in a 10†² x 15†² shed located in the Davidson family's Milwaukee backyard. The Davidson brothers – William D. , Walter, and Arthur – and William S. Harley crafted their first motorcycle using the best tools they had available – mostly their hands and their ingenuity. Since that time Harley-Davidson has learned many lessons on how to operate a business.We are focused on providing our customers with not just a quality product, but also an overall experience. Our mission statement is as follows: honesty, integrity and personal growth in all of our dealings with stakeholders. Our values are the rules by which we operate. At Harley-Davidson, we are equally committed to a corporate vision that mandates how we run our business. Within this vi sion we emphasize the relationships that we deem crucial to our success, including our relationships with customers and suppliers. Our vision states: HARLEY-DAVIDSON, INC.IS AN ACTION-ORIENTED, INTERNATIONAL COMPANY, A LEADER IN ITS COMMITMENT TO CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVE OUR MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL RELATIONSHIPS WITH STAKEHOLDERS (CUSTOMERS, SUPPLIERS, EMPLOYEES, SHAREHOLDERS, GOVERNMENT, AND SOCIETY). HARLEY-DAVIDSON BELIEVES THE KEY TO SUCCESS IS TO BALANCE STAKEHOLDERSi INTERESTS THROUGH THE EMPOWERMENT OF ALL EMPLOYEES TO FOCUS ON VALUEADDED ACTIVITIES. Doing Business With Harley-Davidson Our vision is our corporate conscience and it helps us to eliminate short term thinking, such as â€Å"cashing in† on the intense demand for our motorcycles by giving quantity precedence over quality to save a few dollars per unit.It also encourages every employee in our organization to be acutely aware of his or her role in satisfying our stakeholders. Harley-Davidson has become the world leade r in the super-heavyweight (850cc+) motorcycle market because of our unwavering commitment to continuously improve upon the superior quality of our products. This quality commitment is built on the satisfaction of each and every customer, internal and external, including everyone from our production line employees to our end users.This belief is captured within our quality policy statement: HARLEY-DAVIDSON IS COMMITTED TO CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT TO REDUCE WASTE, DEFECTS AND VARIABILITY IN EVERYTHING WE DO, WHILE STRIVING TO MEET / EXCEED CUSTOMERS' EXPECTATIONS. It is the goal of Harley-Davidson to satisfy our customers by not only meeting, but also exceeding their expectations and by giving them superior value for their money. We can accomplish this only if you, as a Harley-Davidson supplier, embrace our company's values and commitment to quality to the extent that we do.Our hope is that you will see reward in satisfying our customers, which are also your customers. Please remember you are not simply selling your products to Harley-Davidson, you are selling them to our customers. 1. Apply a range of strategic analysis tools to audit progress towards strategic aims and objectives 2. Review and assess the expectations of all stakeholders and their influence upon the organizational strategy 3. Analyze, interpret and produce a structured evaluation of organizational strategic positionHarley Davidson has always been known for its differentiated products that have continuously stood out from the norm. This has a lot to do with strategies Harley uses to promote its products and services. Some of the key strategies used throughout 2013 were the promotion of its 110th Anniversary Special Edition Motorcycles and the worldwide Open Road Tour used to advertise their current production line. The stunning 2013 model 110th Anniversary Harley-Davidson motorcycles, which feature rich new paint schemes and special 110th Anniversary identification has been an instant success.Eve ry 2003 motorcycle in the line-up has been designated a 110th Anniversary model. The company has extended the model year to 14 months to give even more customers the opportunity to own a piece of Harley-Davidson history. The Anniversary celebrations began back in late 2011 as the Open Road Tour made its way to Atlanta, Baltimore, Los Angeles, Toronto and Dallas/Fort Worth. The festivities then traveled overseas to Sydney, Tokyo, Barcelona and Hamburg. Billed as the world’s largest rolling birthday party, the Open Road Tour brought the Harley-Davidson experience full throttle to riders and enthusiasts around the world.Receiving worldwide exposure at minimal advertising costs, the Open Road Tour has been a complete success, thus allowing Harley’s unique and differentiated products to be seen up close around the world. Additionally, Harley-Davidson established the Harley Owners Group (HOG) in 1983 in response to a growing desire by Harley riders for an organized way to sh are their passion and show their pride. By 1985, 49 local chapters had sprouted around the 12 country, with a total membership of 60,000.Now in 2013, the promotion of the 110th Anniversary has allowed the membership to include over 1200 chapters and close to 800,000 members. HOG has played a major role in the success of the 110Th Anniversary celebration. This one of a kind, unique strategy which started 20 years ago by Harley and its members, has grown tremendously and will continue to play an important role in the future success of the company. Strategies such as these implemented by internal management and carried out by dedicated customers and members are one of the most precious assets a company can ever dream of.That is the Harley way!! Furthermore, the key strategies relating to the distribution channels have allowed Harley-Davidson the world-wide exposure needed to market its product with tremendous success and demand that has always seemed to exceed supply. To date, there ar e more than 1300 independent dealers worldwide. Over 630 are within the United States alone. Recognizing that to grow sales will take more than just an increase in capacity, the company’s aim has been to add 20-30 dealers per year to grow the dealer network, with an increase of roughly 5-10 domestically and the balance internationally.In addition to its dedicated dealer network, the company also uses smaller, occasionally temporary retail outlets in high-traffic areas, such as airports, to sell accessory products like apparel, collectibles, and licensed products. This gives Harley the additional exposure needed without having to spend millions on other forms of advertising. In order to effectively analyze Harley Davidson, we wanted to present a breakdown of the different price ranges offered based on the current list of the five classes of heavyweight motorcycles produced under the Harley Davidson name. BusinessHarley-Davidson, Inc. was incorporated in 1981, at which time it purchased the Harley-Davidson ® motorcycle business from AMF Incorporated in a management buyout. In 1986, Harley-Davidson, Inc. became publicly held. Unless the context otherwise requires, all references to the â€Å"Company† include Harley-Davidson, Inc. and all of its subsidiaries. The Company operates in two segments: the Motorcycles ; Related Products (Motorcycles) segment and the Financial Services (Financial Services) segment. The Company's reportable segments are strategic business units that offer different products and services.They are managed separately based on the fundamental differences in their operations. The Motorcycles segment designs, manufactures and sells at wholesale heavyweight (engine displacement of 651+cc) Harley-Davidson motorcycles as well as a line of motorcycle parts, accessories, general merchandise and related services. The Company's products are sold to retail customers through a network of independent dealers. The Company conducts business on a global basis, with sales in North America, Europe/Middle East/Africa (EMEA), AsiaPacific and Latin America.In 2009, the Company decided to exit its former Buell product line and ceased production of Buell motorcycles. The sale of remaining Buell motorcycle inventory to independent dealers and/or distributors was substantially completed during 2010. The majority of independent dealers continue to provide ongoing service and replacement parts to Buell owners. In 2010, the Company completed the sale of MV Agusta (MV). The results of MV have been presented as a discontinued operation for all periods. The Motorcycles segment discussion that follows is specific to the Harley-Davidson brand unless otherwise specifically noted.The Financial Services segment consists of Harley-Davidson Financial Services (HDFS). HDFS provides wholesale and retail financing and provides insurance and insurance-related programs primarily to Harley-Davidson dealers and their retail customers. HDFS conduct s business principally in the United States and Canada. Harley-Davidson, Inc. , SWOT Analysis * Overview Harley-Davidson, Inc. (Harley-Davidson) designs, manufactures, and sells heavyweight motorcycles. The company markets, its products in North America, Europe, Asia/Pacific and Latin America.The company’s strong brand image, coupled with its wide range of products, helps it to be a front-runner in the industry. However, dependence on the domestic market and product issues are a few areas of concern to the company. Nonetheless, expansion in global markets, especially Asian markets, and launch of new models could ensure a strong future for the company. New emission standards for two wheelers and the prevailing competition could negatively impact the company’s growth. Harley-Davidson, Inc. SWOT Analysis| Strengths| Weakness| Strong Brand ImageBroad Product and Service PortfolioFocused Research and Development Activities| Product Recalls/IssuesDependence on the Domestic M arket| Opportunities| Treats| Global ExpansionNew Product LaunchesRestructuring Plans| New Emission Standards for Two WheelersProcurement of Raw MaterialsCompetitive Landscape| * Strengths Strong Brand Image Harley-Davidson owns one of the strongest brands in the world, which helps it attract and retain a loyal customer base.The company established a strong brand image with its motorcycles achieving iconic status and being ranked among the world’s most valuable brands. Harley-Davidson has been continuously ranked among the top 100 global brands in the world. The company holds 55. 7% share in the US heavyweight market; and is ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in the heavyweight motorcycle market share in nine countries across Europe. Harley-Davidson’s motorcycles are known for their traditional styling, design simplicity, durability and quality.The company achieved industry recognition for its high quality, best design, robust performance and unflinching customer confidence, loyalt y and trust of its products and services. The Harley-Davidson brand has significantly contributed to the success of the company by building strong market recognition and a loyal customer base. Broad Product and Service Portfolio Harley-Davidson offers a broad array of products and services through its two business segments, namely, the Motorcycles ; Related Products segment and the Financial Services segment.The company offers a variety of products in the motorcycle segment to cater to the various needs of its customer base. Harley-Davidson designs, manufactures and sells heavyweight touring, custom and performance motorcycles, besides a line of motorcycle parts, accessories, general merchandise and related services. Harley-Davidson is well known for its unique motorcycles. Its subsidiary, Harley-Davidson Motor Company (HDMC), manufactures five families of motorcycles, namely, Touring, Dyna, Softail, Sportster and V-Rod.These models are distinguished by their frame, engine, suspensi on, and other characteristics. The company shipped 233,117 motorcycles in the fiscal year ended December 2011, comprising 39. 5% Touring motorcycle units, 39. 2% Custom motorcycle units, and 21. 3% Sportster motorcycle units. Through Harley-Davidson Financial Services (HDFS), the company offers a package of wholesale and retail financial services for its products, providing it a competitive edge in the motorcycles business in the US and Canada regions. HDFS financed 51% and 30. 4% of the new Harley-Davidson otorcycles retailed by independent dealers in the US and Canada respectively in 2011. HDFS provides wholesale financial services to Harley-Davidson motorcycle dealers, including floor plan and open account financing of motorcycles and motorcycle parts and accessories. These specific services provide a competitive edge to the company in capturing a higher market share and enhancing its bottom line. Focused Research and Development Activities Harley-Davidson has a strong research a nd development unit that facilitates innovation and attracts industry attention.Its Product Development Center (PDC) undertakes the development of new and better quality products. The company spent $145. 4m, $136. 2m, $143. 1m and $163. 5m in the fiscal years ended December 2011, 2010, 2009 and 2008 respectively on research and development activities. Harley-Davidson’s continuous focus on R;D helped the company in launching innovative products such as Softail motorcycles with 1584 cc engine with new features such as new hand controls, a larger odometer, and an anti-lock braking system option.Continuous research and development activity enables the company to maintain a leading position in custom and touring motorcycle market and develop products for the performance segment. Focused R;D activities enable the company to offer innovative products and improve its operational performance. * Weaknesses Product Recalls/Issues Product recalls/issues not only affects the companyâ€⠄¢s current revenue, but could also affect its long-term performance by reducing customer confidence.In February 2012, Harley-Davidson launched a repair service campaign to fix faulty brakes in about 1,228 units of 12 models, including the Road King and the Electra Glide Ultra Classic. In October 2011, the company initiated a world-wide recall affecting over 308,000 units of its Touring, CVO Touring and Trike motorbikes. The company made this recall owing to a potentially dangerous glitch with their braking systems, where in the problem with a switch on the bikes could cause the brake lights to stop working, or may even cause the rear brakes to fail.Such recalls would hamper Harley-Davidson’s brand image and have a significant impact on its product sales. Dependence on the Domestic Market Harley-Davidson focuses predominantly on the US and generates a major part of its revenue from that market, which could increase its business risk. For the fiscal year ended December 2011, t he company’s Motorcycles business reported revenue of $4. 67 billion comprising 67. 7% revenue generated from the US, 16. 8% from Europe, 4. 9% from Japan, 3. 3% from Canada, 3% from Australia and 4. 3% from Other foreign countries.In 2011, its Financial Services business reported revenue of $649. 44m comprising 95. 3% from the US, 0. 7% from Europe and 4% from Canada. Such geographical concentration makes Harley-Davidson vulnerable to the risks of economic downturn in any single market. * Opportunities Global Expansion Harley-Davidson has huge opportunities for growth in the overseas market. In October 2011, the company opened a new permanent Latin America headquarters in Miami, Florida, the US. Through this new headquarters, the company can expands its focus on customers in Latin America.In the fiscal year ended December 2011, retail sales of Harley-Davidson motorcycles from the international markets witnesses a rise of 6. 1%. The rising demand in Europe, Asia, Australia, L atin America and Africa offers huge potential for the company. In 2011, Harley-Davidson completed its second CKD (complete knock down) assembly plant in India to further strengthen its operations in the Asia-Pacific region. In 2010, the company opened a 1,000 square meter showroom in Beirut. This is the first and only showroom in the Levant which includes six-station service facilities with staff trained by the company.In a bid to garner a higher market shares in these regions, the company already refined its business and marketing strategies that are attuned to local customer preferences. Focus on international expansion would help the company enhance its business aggressively and reap greater benefits. New Product Launches Harley-Davidson could benefit from its new product launches. The company intends to explore new methods to enhance its value by introducing new products, which provide an edge over other players in the market.In February 2012, Harley-Davidson launched two new mo torcycle models, namely, the Seventy-Two and the Softail Slim, further strengthening its heavyweight custom offerings. In July 2011, the company offered its customers an H-D1, a comprehensive set of customization tools. In January 2011, the company introduced new Softail motorcycles with 1584 cc engine and through its Touring motorcycles line, the company introduced Electra Glide Classic, Road King, Road King Classic, Ultra Classic Electra Glide and Electra Glide Ultra Limited touring bikes.The company’s 2010 models include nine new domestic models of heavyweight motorcycles. New model launches could help the company sustain its leadership position in the highly competitive automotive industry. Restructuring Plans Effective 2009 – 2010, Harley-Davidson announced a series of restructuring measures, which focused on reducing administrative costs, eliminating excess capacity and exiting non-core business operations.In 2009, as a part of the restructuring plan, the company consolidated engine and transmission plants, closed a distribution facility, discontinued the domestic transportation fleet, consolidated vehicle test facilities, and exited the Buell product line. In September 2010, the company’s unionized employees in Wisconsin ratified three separate new seven-year labor agreements, which take effect in April 2012 when the current contracts expire. The new contracts would allow flexibility and increased production efficiency.Harley-Davidson also repurchased expensive debt worth $300m and is expected to save $45m annually for three years. In December 2011, the company announced plans to cease its operations at New Castalloy, its Australian subsidiary producer of cast motorcycle wheels and wheel hubs; and source those components through other existing suppliers. This move was made in line with its overall strategy to develop world-class manufacturing capability throughout the company by restructuring and consolidating operations for greater competitiveness, efficiency and flexibility.Such restructuring initiatives by Harley-Davidson are expected to improve its operational performance in the long-run. * Threats New Emission Standards for Two Wheelers Harley-Davidson could face increased challenges in its two wheeler business due to the stringent emission standards. According to Dealernews. com, motorcycle industry stakeholders in Europe announced plans to increase EURO 3 emission standards to more stringent EURO 5 standards by 2015. Association des Constructeurs Europeens de Motorcycles (ACEM) is likely to introduce EURO 3 standard for mopeds and Euro 4 standard for motorcycles by 2012.It also proposed the introduction of more stringent emission test cycle, and EURO 5 standard for motorcycles by 2015. Such implementations might require the company to redesign its vehicles, which could result in increased operating costs. Failure to comply with the standards could result in penalties and affect its profit margins. Procu rement of Raw Materials Harley-Davidson relies on suppliers to obtain raw materials and provide components for use in manufacturing its motorcycles. It depends on a single supplier for certain of its raw materials.Such a situation makes the company’s business dependent on the ability of the supplier to deliver the ordered raw materials in time. The rising input costs could also have a major impact on the operational costs of Harley-Davidson. Increasing pressure of the costs of commodities leads to capacity constraints, lower production and financial distress to raw material suppliers. In case of a delay in receiving the raw materials, product delivery to its customers could also get delayed, which impacts its business and customer relations.Competitive Landscape Harley-Davidson manufactures motorcycles in the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia. Many of the company’s competitors have more diversified businesses and they may compete in the automotive market or all segments of the motorcycle market. Its motorcycle retail prices are generally higher than that of its competitors. If price becomes a crucial factor for consumers in the heavyweight motorcycle market, Harley-Davidson would be at a competitive disadvantage.Moreover, its financial services operations face stiff competition from various banks, insurance companies and other financial institutions that may have access to additional sources of capital at more competitive rates and terms, particularly for borrowers in higher credit tiers. The company’s failure to address and respond to these competitive pressures worldwide would have a material adverse effect on its market share. 1. Identify and develop a range of alternative strategic options to meet strategic aims and objectives 2. Determine and justify the strategic option that meets the revised strategic position

Nike vs Adidas Essay

My area of study for this project would be more on comparing the performances for Nike and Adidas for the past 5 years. In this project I would explain the performance such as growth in profits, revenues, market share, the company employers and employees, size of the market share, steps for increasing the social performance, products performance, dividends per share, assets and the company investment. Nike and Adidas and have been the top two leading sport companies in the sport industry over the past few decades. These two companies sell and offer wide range of products for the customers and their products offered is mainly on sports wear for men and women and caters to consumers from different age groups. Their products consist on clothing such as jerseys, shirts, t-shirts, shorts and pants. These companies also provide the customers varieties of footwear such as sports shoes, casual shoes, boots, sandals and stockings. Besides that, fashion accessories are also offered from these three companies such as bags, watch, bracelets, wallets and purse. And lastly they also offer a wide range of sport gears for their customers. Nike and Adidas have also been the top sponsors in the sport industry. Sponsoring their products is important for the companies to get brand recognition, building their brand image and to promote their latest products. Nike and Adidas have been sponsoring equipments, clothing and accessories for athletes and coaches in sport tournaments and events. For instance, these three companies sponsor their products for football, soccer, basketball, baseball and many more. These companies also include slogan and motto for their company. Nike’s motto is â€Å"Just Do It’ which is the signature of the brand which makes their products and the company recognizable to consumers. As for Adidas, their current motto is â€Å"Impossible is Nothing† which serves as an encouragement to athletes for their sports. Origins and History of Nike and Adidas Nike, originally known as Blue Ribbon Sports was founded by University of Oregeon track athlete Philip Knight and his coach Bill Bowerman in January 1964. The company initially operated as a distributor for Japanese shoe maker Onitsuka Tiger, making most sales at track meets out of Knight’s automobile. The company’s profits grew quickly, and in 1966, Blue Ribbon Sports opened its first retail store, located on Pico Boulevard in Santa Monica, California. By 1971, the relationship between Blue Ribbon Sports and Onitsuka Tiger was nearing an end. BRS prepared to launch its own line of footwear, which would bear the newly designed Swoosh by Carolyn Davidson. The Swoosh was first used by Nike in June 1971, and was registered with the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office on January 22, 1974. Adidas was founded in 1948 by Adolf â€Å"Adi† Dassler, following the split of Gebruder Dassler Schuhfabrik between him and his older brother, Rudolf. Rudolf would later establish Puma, which was the early rival of Adidas. Registered in 1949, Adidas is currently based in Herzogenaurach, Germany. The company’s clothing and shoe designs typically feature three parallel bars, and the same motif is incorporated into Adidas’s current official logo. The â€Å"Three Stripes† were bought from the Finnish sport company Karhu Sports in the 1950s. Objective The objective of the project is to measure and compare the marketing strategies of the top two sport fashion companies which are Nike and Adidas. So this project would be mainly conducted to resolute the similarities and differences of the two sport companies marketing strategies. Besides that, this project will compare on the performance of Nike and Adidas which include the company’s growth in revenues, profits or net income, dividends per share, size of company in the market, performances of employees, steps for increasing the social responsibility performance, products performance, stock performance and the company performances in investment. Problem Statement Firstly, the sport industry is becoming ever more competitive, with new brands competing for a share of consumers for the products in the market. Building a relationship with customers is a challenge facing for Nike and Adidas. This is because the companies need to be followed up with new trends and styles in the industry for their customers in order for them to build their products brand and image. Secondly, there was a case happened in China where a local Chinese domestic sports goods manufacturer company called Li Ning opened 6917 stores in mainland China by December 31,2008 aking it 1241 more than the year of 2007. During the year 2008, Li Ning has published its financial report which states that due to the Beijing Olympic Games, the company made total revenues of CNY 669(million) a year on-year-increase of 53. 8% compared to the year 2007. Not only that, Li Ning made an overall entry into the market of Southeast Asia. Now they have stores in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and other Southeast Asia countries. This became a problem for Nike and Adidas where the two international giants see recession in their performance in China. According to the financial report of Adidas, the company’s net profit decreased by 95% to â‚ ¬ 130 million in the first half of the year. As for the sales revenue, it decreased by 2% to â‚ ¬ 5. 03 billion. As for Nike numbers of distributors were reduced in the year 2008 due with the bad performance. Thirdly, the problem that attracted me to do this project is because I would like to know why Nike had low growth in revenue in the year of 2009. Nike had only increased 3% of its revenue to $ 19176. (million), with net income falling 21% to $ 1486. 7(million). As for Adidas, they also had the same problem. But the problem for Adidas was worst compared to Nike because at the year of 2009, the company net income is â‚ ¬ 10381(million) which decreased compared to the year 2008 which is â‚ ¬ 10799(million). These two companies had their difficulties is the year of 2009. So I would eager to find out about the problems they faced during that year. Significance of Study The importance of doing this project would be very important to other parties and companies. In this case, small and medium enterprise (SME) would get the advantages and benefits because they would know how the bigger companies such as Nike and Adidas operates their businesses, how they sell their products and services to their customers, what kind of marketing strategies they use, how the companies measure their performances and the most important reason is how Nike and Adidas continues to become a big market player in the sports industry. As part of that, this project will comprise mainly of small to medium-sized companies to engage in a diversity of activities which includes manufacturing of sport goods, sport tourism, media, and construction of venues. For example, small and medium enterprise (SME) in Malaysia can take the opportunity to get involved with sport products, services, sponsorships, hosting up international sport tournaments and events. And not to forget, the involvement of (SME) would also helps our country in the tourism sector because many athletes and participants will get to travel and visit our country and this will relatively build the countries economic performances. Corporate social responsibilities (CSR) also play a role for every sport companies in responsibility to act in a way that positively contributes to their stakeholders and the communities in which they exist. In this case, it is increasingly important for the social and economic issues such as rapid technological change, a diverse and aging population, environmental changes and mounting concerns regarding the country’s growing social divide have resulted in focusing on the responsibility of firms to the communities in which they operate. (Margolis & Walsh 2003; Sagawa & Segal 2000) Justification The reason I chose this topic is because the project is interesting as sports is an important part of today’s society and plays a large role in many people’s lives. From a social standpoint, sport plays a positive role in uniting people from different social backgrounds. This can aid people’s understanding and tolerance of each other. As far as education is concerned, sport is an important part of every child’s schooling, as it plays a big role in both their physical and mental development. It teaches children how to work as a part of a team and cooperate with others, while at the same time improving physical condition. The second reason I chose sports industry because this industry is growing rapidly in Malaysia. There are continuous demands from customers, sports athletes, and models for these sport products. The Malaysian sport industry is considered as a young industry comprising of small and medium-sized businesses. The Malaysian sports industry comprises of companies engaging in a diversity of activities, from the manufacturing of sport goods, sport tourism, media, to the construction of sport facilities. The third why I chose these two companies is because Nike and Adidas has been the biggest market share player in the sports industry. Nike controls 31% of athletic sportswear which is the highest market share compared to other sport companies in the year 2007. As for Adidas, they control the second highest share of athletic sportswear which is 16% of the market in 2007. As for other companies Puma controls 7%, Reebok 6%, New Balance 6%, and Converse 4%. Expected Outcomes The expected outcome which I can conclude is Nike would have the better performance for this year 2010 because their net income/profit for the past few years have been stable. Ever since the year of 2006, Nike’s net income/profit stands at $ 1392. (million). As for the year 2007, it increased to $ 1491. 5(million). At the year 2008, Nike’s net income/profit increased with huge and outstanding amount of $ 1883. 4(million). But by the year of 2009, their company had a decreased in their net income/profit which is $ 1486. 7(million). As for Adidas, the company would not have a better performance compared to Nike because in the year 2009, their net income was only â‚ ¬ 245(million). Their net income decreased with a huge margin compared to the year 2008 which is â‚ ¬ 642(million). So the key impact from the financial statement of year 2009. The net income of Adidas reduced more than 60% in 2009. But Nike was capable of stabilizing the results with a minor reduction of only 20% in 2009. As for the performance of dividend development, Nike has shown increases in its number. For the year 2006, Nike’s dividends declared per common share stands at $ 0. 59. Their company dividend increased to $ 0. 98 in the year 2009. But as for Adidas, they showed a decline from the year 2006 to 2009. In the year 2006, Adidas dividends declared per common share stands at â‚ ¬ 0. 42. While in the year 2009, Adidas dividends declared per common share felt to â‚ ¬ 0. 5. As for the expected outcome for the year 2010, Nike would be expected to increase their dividends successfully because their dividend declared per common share has been rising steadily. As for the company’s asset assessment, I can expect that Nike would do better in the assets performance in the year 2010 because their total assets have been increasing from the year 2006-2009. The total of assets that Nike had in the year 2006 was $ 9,869(million), in the year of 2007, Nike’s assets increased to $ 10,688. 3(million). Last year, Nike had a total of assets of $ 13,250(million). This shows that Nike’s assets have been increasing and it is expected to rise in the year 2010. As for Adidas, their company’s total asset is not stable from the year shown in 2006-2009. In 2006, Adidas totals assets stands at â‚ ¬ 8379(million). It decreased on the following year to 8325(million). As for the year 2008, their total assets were increased to â‚ ¬ 9533(million). As for 2009, their total assets decreased to a total of â‚ ¬ 8875(million). Ever since Adidas total of assets is not stable, I can expect that Nike would do better in the assets performance. References http://condor.depaul.edu/~aalmaney/StrategicAnalysisofNike.htm http://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1693768.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nike,_Inc http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adidas http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reebok

Physiological Factors On Sports Training And Performance

Describe the effects of physiological factors on sports training and performance In all, there are 4 physiological factors that may affect someone’s sports performance; Motivation, arousal, anxiety, personality and concentration. Motivation- Motivation is the foundation all athletic effort and accomplishment. Without your desire and determination to improve your sports performances, all of the other mental factors, confidence, intensity, focus, and emotions, are meaningless.Personally, I believe motivation is one of the most important factors as it gives you the mental ability to maximize your physical abilities and reach your full potential in performance. Short Term Effects- Short term factors such as winning a competition or scoring a goal can motivate someone for a short period of time to do better. Another method of a factor that can trigger short term motivation are goals. Goals are something that we set to achieve our targets, for example big goals such as, getting a go ld medal in the Olympic power lifting, or something smaller such as, improving your 400m running time by 1second.Long Term Effects- There are many factors that can impact performance in sport for a long period of time. Examples of these factors can be sporting role models, parental pressure and prizes. In particular, parental pressure and being rewarded for your actions play a big part in creating long term motivation for an athlete. Some parents can push children into play sports for many reasons; they share the same passion for the sport, the parent never succeeded in the chosen sport so wants their child to do so and to keep kids active and in good health.Parental pressure can be both good and bad depending on the personality of the parent and the child. This would mean that motivation for the child should be high because he/she has great support from people close to them. Prizes are also a good way of getting younger people as well as older people to get motivated and perform we ll. E. g. if a child is playing a football match and their parents said if you score a goal today we will buy you a treat for doing so, well then the child will think that he/she can get something extra out of this and put in a better performance and work harder.Arousal – Arousal is to do with your personal level of excitement and your eagerness to perform. Arousal can have both positive and negative effects on your performance, hence your performance will be at its best at an optimum level of arousal. There are even graphs which demonstrate this decline/increase of performance in proportion to your arousal levels. Short Term Effects- There are many factors that can rapidly increase/decrease someone’s arousal levels. An example of this could be types of music such as ‘Rock/Pop Music’.The combination of loud and fast beats can increase someone’s levels of motivation. This is commonly referred to as a ‘Sike-Up’. This and many other forms of a short term increase in arousal levels can affect someone’s motivation and thus determine the overall impact in a game situation. Long Term Effects- There are many factors that can rapidly increase/decrease someone’s arousal levels. In general, long term effects tend to have the biggest effect on someone as they tend to come from past/future events that did/haven’t already taken place.Whereas short term effects are generally from more physical factors, long term effects are generally from within which provide a more direct form of motivation to the subject rather than physical forms of motivation such as a trophy or money. However, although arousal plays a key part in someone’s performance and generally the higher the level of arousal, the higher the level of performance. Some sports are better performed at low arousal, mainly those which require small, precision movements and control, e. g. shooting and putting.And other are better performed at high arousal, mainly those that require brash power with large movements. E. g. Ice Hockey. Anxiety – Anxiety is a psychological state of mind where you get a worried feeling as you may think something bad might happen. This is commonly referred to as ‘chocking’ as the majority of people acquire a blank state of mind. This emotional state, similar to fear, is often accompanied by feelings of nervousness and apprehension. Generally a low anxiety level results in a better mental state, thus allowing the body to perform at its best in a game situation.However, training athletes are mentally taught how to perform under huge amounts of stress as anxiety can pose a huge threat to an athlete’s performance. An example of this can be Olympic athletes who are exposed to huge amounts of stress, however it’s their mental and physical training which prevents them from succumbing to these enormous amounts of pressure. Short Term Effects- Sources of anxiety can range f rom many things, no matter how small or big, almost everything you do plays a part in altering your anxiety levels.Unlike motivation or arousal, anxiety has sources that can be both a short term and a long term factor. For example, in football when you are set up to score a goal that could potentially put your team into the lead and win the game could be house to an enormous amount of anxiety altering factors which could inevitably could lead to over arousal in an athlete for a short period of time. Other examples could be not training to the best of your ability hence, you are not able to improve your skills or understanding of the dynamics of the sport.Long Term Effects- Sometimes when a player e. g. doubts or underestimates his abilities, he/she may start to lose interest in the sport as a whole, this is triggered by what’s known as cognitive anxiety, this is when an athlete is nervous about his/her ability to perform well, which can certainly reduce his or her concentrati on levels. This can lead to the athlete to stop coming to training sessions and overtime may even stop playing the sport all together. Personality – Personality is the unique trait of someone, which determines behavior.Athletes are constantly separated in terms of ability, most athletes who rank at the top are those have ‘a good personality’. Personality plays a colossal part in an athlete’s overall performance. If the athlete is dedicated and a patient person, then he/she will be more dedicated and patient in training which will affect how fast or slow the athlete’s skills will progress. In general, football is the best example of this divide between lazy, arrogant athletes and the indomitable, modest athletes in teams.Short Term Effects- If you have a good personality in training and in game situations, you will be more likely to progress as an athlete faster and you will carry on performing at 100% of your abilities every match. Long Term Effects - If you have a bad personality in training and in game situations, you will be limited to how fast or how well you improve as a performer. This will affect you technique/skill and overtime you may even stop coming to training which could even provide a knock on effect resulting in you dropping out of the sport completely.Concentration – Concentration is the physiological ability to focus on the task in hand. If an athlete lacks concentration then their abilities may not be effectively applied to the task. E. g. if a footballer is about to shoot the ball but isn’t concentrating on the environment around him, another player from the opposing team may be able to tackle him/her and prevent him/her from scoring a goal. Concentration is very much linking to someone’s motivation, if a player is focused on the task at hand, this may motivate the player to take shots or pass to players far away, and this can all affect the outcome of the game.Although different sports r equire different levels of concentration, all require an athlete to concentrate on the task at hand to perform to the best of his/ her ability. Short Term Effects- If you have a high level of concentration in e. g. formula 1 racing, you are able to perhaps avoid obstacles in the distance or even perform quick maneuvers and over-takes that could result in winning a race. Long Term Effects- If your concentration levels are too low in training, your skill may not improve. This may result in using the wrong technique in a match, resulting in losing the game.

Child Protective Services

CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES REFORM 1 INTRODUCTION Child Protective Services (CPS) is a complex system of assessments, investigations, and conclusions. CPS is the central agency in each communities child abuse and neglect service system. It is responsible for ensuring that preventative, investigative, and treatment services are available to children and families endangered by child abuse and neglect. As a result, CPS workers must perform a variety of functions when responding to situations of child maltreatment and play a variety of roles throughout their involvement with child protective clients.Reporting a suspective case of child maltreatment to the local CPS agency (or a family member’s own request for help with the problem) initiates the CPS response process. Once the intake is completed, an investigative process is done, and then the initial assessments and services planning processes are completed. Then the stage is set for implementation of ongoing services(Schene)(1). Th is description of the process of child protective services sounds acceptable and workable. However, an increasing number of child abuse and neglect cases have presented themselves in recent years.According to Jane Waldfogel, a writer for Child Welfare, about three million children were reported to the CPS in 1997, a more than fourfold increase over the number reported just 20 years earlier. In our society today, with increased violence and agitation the number has risen dramatically again. SHE ALSO 2 stated that caseloads of child protection workers increased dramatically in response to widespread concerns about CSA (child sexual abuse)(Waldfogel)(2). The number of children coming into the child welfare system remain at unacceptably high levels because of substance abuse, poverty, joblessness, housing, and other social problems.This increasingly high number of reports turning into caseloads for social workers has combated the effectiveness of the above CPS process. The average socia l worker handles approximately 135 cases. The high number of caseloads per social worker ratio is driving down the original intended purpose of CPS. There is also the issue regarding gaps of protection for the children. Twenty-five to fifty percent of deaths from child abuse involve children who were previously reported to authorities for suspected maltreatment.Tens of thousands of other children suffer serious injuries while under the supervision of CPS (Besharov)(3). At the same time, overreaction to complaints of abuse plagues the system. Children have been removed from parental custody and placed in foster care for weeks and months based on the most cursory investigations. Sometimes the children were removed on the basis of unvalidated complaints. Many courts have begun to find that when CPS employees fail to do their jobs well, the agencies and the employees may be liable for resulting injuries.There have been some setbacks though. For example, in 1989, the U. S. Supreme Court held that the failure to protect a child who had been reported to CPS as in danger and who was under the agency’s supervision through home visitation, was not an actionable claim under . 3 sec. 1983 of the Federal Civil Rights Act. The case was DeShaney v. Winnebago County Department of Social Services(Trial)(4). This history of foster care as child protection is quite recent, expanding into it modern core components as a result of a law passed by Congress in 1961.As the National Coalition for Child Protection Reform (NCCPR)(5) points out in a Child Welfare Timeline on their website (www. nccpr. org), the tension between placing children out of the home and preserving and restoring the family has proven to be the decisive struggle in child protection. As a result of decisions made during the Presidencies of Reagan and the senior Bush, undermining of support for family preservation and strengthening of incentives for foster care placement effectively reversed the trend.The res ult is that as of 2006 there are nearly 600,000 children in foster care nationwide. Statistics are given by the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services in annual reports to congress in their Adoption Foster Care Report (AFCARS) (6). According to another report by the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Child Abuse and Neglect National Statistics (CANNS)(7), the composition of children in foster care is the result of, 10% sexual abuse, 19% physical abuse, and 63% neglect. The cost of foster care is a staggering $9,400,000,000 annually.It seems apparent that the CPS system is in dire need of reform. Funding for services needs to be completely overhauled. The higher caseload situation is compounded with reduced resources and lack of support for both families and workers. These issues are very important to all of us Americans. These children are our future. 4 We as Americans need to look into what types of reform are needed and have these issues addressed to Congres s. RESEARCH QUESTIONS During my research, I will be conquering questions that are important to this subject.Questions like, â€Å"What types of reforms are currently in place? † â€Å"What type of education does a CPS worker need? † â€Å"How can we ensure expanded voluntary/preventive family support systems are adequately funded for child well-being systems to be put into place? † â€Å"What type of funding should be allocated by the federal government and state government? † â€Å"What type of liability does CPS have for inadequate protection? † â€Å"Which cases really belong with CPS and which ones should be more community- based cases? † METHODS My approach for my research will consist of multiple different facets.I will be using archival information, including both journal articles and books, from the library. I will also be gathering information from various websites that pertain to Child Protective Services. The websites will be both federal and state governmental sites, child protective services reform sites, and psychiatric based perspective on children in protective services. In addition, I will be conducting a personal interview with Mrs. Tammy Houtari LMSW, ACSW, CAADC. Mrs. Houtari is a local social worker who has numerous years of experience working for local human services agencies.Currently, she is an instructor here at Lake Superior State University and also has her own private practice. 5 My hopes are that Mrs. Houtari will be able to enlighten me on many different facets of the social worker and their responsibilities to ensure the safety of children. I will also explore what other researchers have contributed to this issue and what they are currently saying. I will also examine present day statistics involving the funding for protective services. In addition, I will study the current plans for reform and what types of community programs are available to children and their families.Utilizing these v arious methods will provide me with a broad range of information and resources that will aide me in completing my research. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS Society’s expectation of the child protection system is that it will keep children safe from serious injury and that it will reach out effectively to all legitimate community concerns for the safety of children. This expectation is not being met with the current system and resources, and it is the standard by which any newly designed communitybased system of child protection should be judged.The bottom line for any system of child protection is that it assures safety for children, not just for those who make it into the system. It is for all those who are at risk in the nation’s communities. Public support for any such system will depend primarily on whether it can assure that safety while simultaneously recognizing and respecting the responsibilities of parents to raise their own children. 6 WORK CITED (1) Patricia A. Schene, PhD, consultant in children and family services and is associated with the Graduate School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado, Denver.THE FUTURE OF CHILDREN – PROTECTING CHILDREN FROM ABUSE AND NEGLECT, VOL. 8 – NO. 1, SPRING 1998. http://www. americanhumane. org/children (2) Jane Waldfogel, BA ME d MPA PhD, professor of social work and public affairs at the Columbia University School of Social Work. http://futureofchildren. org/futureofchildren/publications/docs/19_02_09. pdf (3) Douglas J. Besharov, Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research in Washington, D. C. and a visiting professor at the University of Maryland School of Public Affairs. See RECOGNIZING CHILD ABUSE: A GUIDE FOR THE CONCERNED (1990). ttp://www. welfareacademy. org (4) DeShaney v. Winnebago County Department of Social Services Trial. Sec. 1983 of the Federal Civil Rights Act. Http://www. welfareacademy. org (5) National Coalition for Child Protectio n Reform. http://www. nccpr. org 7 (6) U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. The AFCARS Report Availability: http://www. acfhhs. gov/programs/cb/dis/afcars/index. htm (7) Child Abuse and Neglect Statistics distributed by National Clearing House On Child Abuse/Neglect. Http://www. calib. com/nccanch/pubs/factsheets/canstats. com