Marriage vs. Single Life Essay

Living a single life can be significantly different from being married. A marriage traditionally marks the beginning of a family; on the other hand, usually being single means that having a different solo life. A single person would have more independence than a married person. The differences between single and married life range from very small to very large, but there are few core contrasts that show the main differences between the two lifestyles. One of the significant differences between married and single life is freedom. People who are married, their life would be much busier than people’s who are single. Married people have to take care of their children and their partners, while single people do not have family. For instance, if married people want to go out with their friend, they must get permission from their partners, before they go with their friend, whereas single people can spend their time with their friends anywhere and anytime they want. Married people might keep their job and their relationship might be outstanding, but from their wedding onward they must always think as a husband and wife. The decisions they make affect their future together. The things they buy have an impact on both of their finances. Everything they do must be considered from their husband’s or wife’s point of view. When people are single, they only have to consider their own interests when making decisions, but they are also short the emotional support that makes hard decisions easier to accept. The second difference between married and single people is free time. Being married is a lot like a second job. They have to work at it for it to be successful. Married couples need dedicated time to communicate with one another and help each other with their emotional and physical stress. Read more: Essay of Marriage and Single Life They tend to hang out with their spouses more than they hang out with groups of friends. This is not to mean that they lose their friends, but they do tend to spend more time at home with one another than they do out and about. Single people have time for themselves; therefore, they can choose to spend it with their friends, and they can go on weekend outings or just stay home to playing video game. Married couples may choose to do some things either together or separately, but usually with each other’s approval, while single people may choose to do some things by themselves. The third difference between single and married people life is the financial responsibility. Married people have more dependent on and responsibilities for their partner, while single people tend to be more independent, and they have much less responsibility. For example, I am single; I am responsible for one person; myself. If I lose my job, I am the only person who is going to suffer. However, married people have family, so they need to think about and see with their family, before they make any major decisions. Because married people have their spouse and children to care for, this requires a serious promise. This means that day to day decision making is slightly harder for married people than it is for single people. Also, people who are married split their income of each other, so they can solve their financial problems easily than single person. To conclude, the married life and the single life are totally different in three aspects: the way of us freedom, free time, and financial responsibility. In my view, married life is better than single life because married people distribute their problems, and they can solve their problems with the different opinions of one another.

Pregnant Inmates

When carrying a child it is important to get the right care and right nutrition to assure mother and baby are healthy throughout the whole process. While at home, the right amount of prenatal medication and nutrients can be consumed with no doubt. There are also books and online sources you can refer to while at home to get information on whats going on with your body. Also your doctor is just a call away if you experience any issues or have any questions during your pregnancy. Now imagine you are in jail.Its understandable you should have to do the time for the crime you commited. Your unborn child however, should not have to suffer your consequences. More then 2,000 children are born behind bars each year. (7) Pregnant inmate’s access to these kinds of resources are limited. They really do not know what is in their food, it probably is not the most healthy thing you could be eating. You can not access information about your pregnancy and the best you will be able to get for medical personal is the enfermery unless they decicde it is sereve enough to take to the hospital.Nothing is really your decsion in jail, if you are unfortunate enough to have to be pregnant in jail the least they could do is treat the women better. Given what we know about prenatal care, prisons should give better care to pregnant inmates. One very important thing to worry about while being pregnant is medical care. People usually do not realize how much medical care pregnant women need. There are the vitamins, the checkups, the ultrasounds, and much more. Medical care should start even before becoming pregnant checking to see if your body is healthy enough to handle a baby inside of you.The earlier you know you are pregnant the better off the baby and mother will be. Medical conditions can form within the first month of pregnancy. If incarcerated it is not as easy to figure out if you became pregnant or not. While in jail is it manadated under the eighth amendment for inmates to r eceive adequate medical care from an infirmary in the jail or from outside sources the jail provides. A pregnant women in prision is to be given proper mecial care whether or not she decides to keep the baby.This is a law and the ACLU is working on making sure every prision is giving pregnant women the proper  medical care throughout the whole country. Choosing doctors is also something that has to be done after getting pregnant.Usually women try to find doctors they are comfortable with. Inmates do not have the choice of what doctors they want. They get what is provided by the prision whether they like it or not. This could lead to a miserable pregnancy for mom. Most women would rather be provided a doctor in jail rather then having to be brought out somewhere. They find it embarrassing being shackled and in a jumpsuit with a big pregnant belly. ( 4) Think about it. Most people do not like to stand out from a crowd.Being pregnant and in an orange jump suit in a doctor’s of fice is like being a clown in a doctor’s office considering how much you are going to stick out. Another issue while being pregnant in jail is your living conditions and the treatment you get from other inmates. Would you rather be the mothers you see on television sitting in a nice home or be the poor pregnant imates getting treated like caged animals. Inmates are defintely not going to receive the comfort most mothers would want. Your going to be living behind bars in a cold jail cell with none of the comforts you would have if you were in your own home.Sleeping is going to be a big struggle. The hard bed is not going to be the first choice for someone with a watermelon sized belly. Pregnant women should be provided extra things in their cells to just give them a little more comfort, like a better padded bed. In prision, mothers also don’t get as much time with their babies. Babies do get taken away from their mothers at certain times. Mother and child bonding time i s crucial at that newborn age. (7) If you think you are going to get treated the same in prision by your fellow inmates if your are a new mother or pregnant you are completely wrong.They will look at you different and pretty much see you as prey. Being hormonal from your pregnancy that is the last thing you want to be feeling. The feeling of being unsafe in prision can not be good at all. Women now have to worry about themselves and their babies being at risk of getting hurt. Most prisions still shackle women while they are giving birth or go outside of the prision. Restraints can make a pregnant inmate more opt to fall and if they fall the right way they could even kill their baby. (4) This is not right at all.If complications were to happen this could go very bad because it could make it harder for the doctors to get to mother. It is not fair mothers really are not going to escape at that point in time in that much pain and if choosen on pain killing drugs. Treatmant should be cha nged for pregnant inmates. Nutrition is also a huge factor when carrying a child. We can all agree that prision food is not the most healthiest thing you could be eating. They have inmates making that food and you never know what could be thrown in there that could be harmful to the mother or baby.You are going to have to be eating some what more now because of course, you are eating for two. A normal pregnant women should be eating 6-11 servings of grains, 3-4 servings of fruit, 3-5 servings of vegetables, 3-4 servings of protein, 4 servings of dairy, and ocasionally fats and oils. ( 6)While in prision, you don’t know what is going in your body. Women should have the option of eating healthier special food while pregnant, expecially those who decide they want to breast feed their child after its birth. What the mother intakes is also what the baby intakes.There is no picking your food in prision. What is on the menu is on the menu and there really is no changing it. Eating a nd doing certain things during your pregnancy can affect your child. It is known if you eat a lot of peanuts it will predispose your child to food allegies. Getting sick off of food is one thing when you’re eating for your own body but when you’re eating for two it’s a different story. You do not want to get your baby sick. Babies are at very high risk when still in the womb. You have the people out there that do not care about pregnant inmates at all.They think that if they did the crime they should do the time. That is completely understandable but why should the baby have to do the time as well? Why should the baby be put through the horrible diet and lack of care. If children are born with disablilities there is nothing they could have done about that. They were a poor innocent little person inside of someones body they were dependent on. Usually the people who say they do not care are men. Mostly men work in prision facilities. I got this statistic from cou nting men to women on a floor in the South Bay correction facitlity in Boston.Men do not understand how important things are when it comes to motherly stuff. I understand some are fathers but no father can ever give a child motherly love like a mother can. Babies get taken away many times in a prision.Pregnant women are still receiving the time and punishment about being away from their family at one the most important times in their life. Who cares if there was little tweks here and there to make it a little more comfortable or a little safer. Really you have to step back and look at the baby not the mother that did the crime. Are shackles a really big deal to someone?I do not think it is that hard to catch a pregnant women on the run. If police can not do that how would they ever catch a robber or someone who is in shape? I believe they should at somepoint make pregnant women their own jail or maybe their own wing. It is not like pregnancy is a whole new thing to society. It happe ns to most women. Any point brought up about having pregnant women be treated the same in any way can be fought and won because of the circumstances of what pregnant women are dealing with. Another question people wonder is what happens to these babies born behind bars?What happens to those 2,000 children each year? Before the 1950’s babies born behind bars would just stay in prision nurseries and be brought up by their mothers. It costs about 24,000 dollars to raise a baby in jail and when the number of women in prison increased by 832 percent between 1977 and 2007 it was to expensive to keep children in prison with their mothers. (7) Women are now forced to hand over custody of their child to a relative or the state so that baby can go into foster care. There is also a new thing that some prisons started doing.Mothers are able to keep their children in prison with them as long as their sentence is short and they are not in prison for anything violent. There is great competi tion to get into this because the numbers are limited. Prison is not an ideal place for a baby but it is better then getting ripped away from their mother at an early age. Given what we know about prenatal care, prisons should give different care to pregnant inmates. While being pregnant it is a special time for women. You can take away some things from them but it is just not fair to take everything away especially the things that could change a baby’s lifestyle later in life.People don’t realize that such a simple thing like the comfort of a comfortable bed and a blanket could make a huge difference for a pregnant woman. Some things are clear of what a pregnant women needs. For example different food plans and different vitamins and care. Prisons have to give women some things just for the fact that it’s the law. I really do not think it will kill anyone to give a little slack to someone who sadly has to be pregnant and in prison. Honestly you would never want that to be you.

A Review Of Personal Loans Commerce Essay

A Review Of Personal Loans Commerce Essay If you already have a personal loan, the chances are that it is costing you more than it should. Even though there are a number of great opportunities to make your money work harder, most people don’t bother changing their loan and stick with a loan rate that doesn’t reflect the best deal. By using our search tool to compare loans, you can compare offers available from loan providers in the UK including both personal loans and homeowner loans. A loan is an amount of money you borrow from your bank or any financial institution, usually over a fixed period of time, which is repaid at regular intervals. Interest is charged and added to the original loan amount, and other charges, such as an Administration Fee, may apply to the loan as well. Generally, there are 2 types of loans secured and unsecured loan. Secured loans are secured against the mortgaged property. Secured loans usually ranges from  £3,000 to  £50,000, although some lenders will consider lending up to  £100,000. The amount borrowed is repaid monthly over a term agreed at the outset, ranging between three and 25 years. Unsecured loans can be taken out without offering the lender any security. Unsecured personal loans are available for a range of different amounts and repayment terms. Larger loans such as those for over  £10,000 can usually be taken over longer terms, for example between seven and 10 years, and the maximum you can borrow is about  £25,000. Payday loans are short-term borrowing solutions aimed at those facing an immediate financial difficulty. If you find yourself short of cash towards the end of the month, you can apply for a same-day payday loan, usually lasting for 31 days and are generally available for amounts between  £100 and  £1,000. The interest rates on payday loans are much higher than those on most other types of borrowing. The most common personal loans are fixed, which means repayments are set at a certain amount over a set period of time. Vari able loans are also available, although this means that your interest rate is dependent on the bank base rate and could fluctuate. When choosing a loan you should pay careful attention to the APR, the Annual Percentage Rate, this is important because it tells you how much you are paying back. Secured loans Secured loans are secured against the mortgaged property. Secured loans usually ranges from  £3,000 to  £50,000, although some lenders will consider lending up to  £100,000. The amount borrowed is repaid monthly over a term agreed at the outset, ranging between three and 25 years. Unsecured loans can be taken out without offering the lender any security. Payday Loans Payday loans are short-term borrowing solutions aimed at those facing an immediate financial difficulty. If you find yourself short of cash towards the end of the month, you can apply for a same-day payday loan, usually lasting for 31 days and are generally available for amounts between  £100 and  £1,000. Th e interest rates on payday loans are much higher than those on most other types of borrowing. Payday loans are intended only as a short term arrangement. As with an overdraft, payday loans should not be seen as a long term solution.

Approach to Race and Racism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Approach to Race and Racism - Essay Example Jews suffered millions of deaths in death camps because their 'race', which was speculated to be lead by the Elders of Scion, was a threat to the supremacy of the German pure blood. The term "race" in the not so distant past had a negative connotation associated with it because it was used as an instrument to justify violation of basic human rights. The term 'Racism' has been equated to Discrimination. We see in America reputed to be of high civility, Negroes sold and made to work in the cotton field and was given no election power or the basic right of Self Determination. Yet, as the loom of time unwinds its thread, the concept behind Race has gradually transformed. Although the same notion of inferiority is still present today in some regions of the world, we now see that Race has become a classifying tool trying to rid itself of discrimination tendencies. Many nations today have mixed populations and are thriving. In The United States, for example, the colored citizen has as much right as the white citizen. This paper aims to determine how the anthropological nature of race has evolved thru time. According to the brochure entitled "Race : The Power of an Illusion", all people tend to have a notion of race. The problem, however, is that their notions vary from person to person. This problem was also stated in the 13th page of the reading Chapter 1 Some Theoretical Considerations where each student had some characterization to the term different from their peers. However, the author was able to find commonalities in the answers. Race is associated with the characteristics of each racial group. This includes not only physical features but also the culture practiced by the individual. By culture, we mean music styles, mannerisms, personality traits and the like. Race tends to become rather like classifying according to the nationality of the individual - Chinese, Russian, German, African and the likes. Essentially, the term race tries to distinguish one population or group of people. The most widely used human racial categories are based on visible traits especially skin color, facial features and hair texture and then one refers to genes and self-identification. Conceptions of race, as well as specific racial groupings, vary temporally. This characteristic is significant because of scientific reasons and its impact on social identity and identity politics. Some scientists regard race as a social construct while others maintain it has genetic basis. Although classification of people can be found in as far back as the Ancient Egyptian sacred text the Book of Gates with reference to skin tone, we focus ourselves to the development of the idea of race starting in the 19th century where it has received much attention and fan fare. Our setting will mostly be in the United States where the academic development of anthropology from an exotic undertaking became an academic discipline. The 19th Century This period was characterized by attempts to change race from a taxonomic to a biological concept and where tribesmen where shown in fairs not only to show people the variety of men but also their supposed inferiority to the Western civilized world. There were many natural scientists who delved in the subject of race such as Georges Curvier, Alfred Wallace, Francis Galton and many more but none was more influential than Charles Darwin. In his most

Aboriginal perspectives and science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Aboriginal perspectives and science - Essay Example The concept of indigenous science is very unfamiliar to most Canadian education systems. The education policies that was developed by the Ontario first nation was to provide a framework that will provide institutions with a strategic policy natural systems context within which Ministry of Education and school boards can work together to improve the academic performance of the non-aboriginal students. As described by Michell, Herman and Yvonne in ``Learning Indigenous science from place`` (pg. 6), ‘Aboriginal perspective of indigenous science is a study of natural system that contributes to a holistic view of the environment and the role of human beings in the environment’. This holistic nature of the indigenous science is composed of physical, intellectual, affective and spiritual domains of learning. For this reason the aboriginal community have wished to incorporate cultural teaching within mainstream or other institutional curricula, but there was a concern that was r aised based on the need to help universities systems to prepare students to choose their careers within scientific discipline. The framework provided in http://library2.usask.ca/native/ library website, also clarifies the roles and relationships of the ministry to Inuit students achieve their education goals and close the gap in academic achievement with the non-aboriginal students. A guideline emerged from a certain research project that aimed at fostering collaboration among a diverse range of group of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal educators and scientist. The indigenous study has experienced acknowledgement within traditional ways and cultural practices as a method for sharing, learning, and collecting knowledge development and maintenance. The purpose of the group of Aboriginal students, educators and scientist is to begin the conservations to envision, discuss, and to clarify a philosophy and framework of aboriginal science. The aboriginal people of the 21st century have been so diverse such that their personal beliefs and ideologies as to any other cultural and ethnic group makes it important for educators to realize that these people have traditionally held and have maintained unique perspective that is much different from that of non-aboriginal peoples. The implications of the research have been anticipated to nature all learners in science schools regar dless of their cultural background. Aikenhead (2006, Pg. 7), states that the believe of incorporating Aboriginal perspectives in the school of science will help nature students’ and educators’ in understanding and appreciating indigenous knowledge systems that have not that been a major part of many institutions curriculum in the past. The primary connections of indigenous perspectives framework is aiming to accelerate science and literacy learning outcome for indigenous students and increase non-aboriginal students teachers awareness and understanding of the indigenous perspectives. It also acknowledges the contribution of those involved with development of the indigenous perspectives framework which is based on national research findings and collaboration with Aboriginal groups. Discussion Aboriginal people have viewed themselves to be part of intimately connected individuals and therefore they have acted as the guide to the way in which people and visitors in need a re to be helped traditionally. There have been a lot of aboriginal resources that have described and indicated the role of indigenous science. The need to integrate aboriginal perspectives into the science curriculum in most countries is clear and immediate. Aboriginal resources are used to help understand the knowledge of indigenous

The impact of postnatal depression on women Essay

The impact of postnatal depression on women - Essay Example There are different types of postnatal depression and with different symptoms. The first type is Melancholic depression, which is uncommon but very severe; it is associated with genetic and biological basis. Its symptoms include lack of concentration and psychomotor disturbance. This depression can be treated best under medication. The other type of depression is Non-melancholic depression, which is the most common, and it is linked to psychosocial other than genetic and biological. 2This type of depression responds well under psychological approaches done by a psychiatrist (Southwick & Meevan, 2005). Motherhood is every woman’s wish but sometimes it can be hectic to the extent of affecting both the mother and the baby. This majorly can be caused by postnatal depression on mothers. The depression affects the relation between married couple when most of the time mothers tend to care only for the child and forgets the husband leading to a divorce. 3These women also develop episodes of depression and anxiety (Coopper & Lynnne, 1995). This can be serious especially with women with history of mental disorder. With the disorder, issues of finance, family, work, and even personal become difficult for most of women to solve making them face the risk of

Company law, study case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Company law, study case - Essay Example 1 Thus, in Rolled Steel Products (Holdings) Ltd v British Steel Corporation the disputed transaction was not held to be void. The court came to this decision as the transaction was not wholly beyond the capacity of the company.2 The directors of a private company with just one class of shares are permitted to allot the same class of shares. In addition, they can convert securities into such shares. 3 Moreover, such directors can grant rights to subscribe to such shares. However, these share allotment activities are subject to the prohibitions of the Companies Act 2006. 4 In all other instances, share allotment is permitted to the directors of the company, only if there is specific authorisation to do so by the Articles of Association of the company or there is a company resolution to that effect. Such authorisation has to specify the maximum number of shares that can be allotted under the authorisation. 5 As such, directors are instrumental in decision making and other critical funct ions of the company. The law relating to conflict of interests is intricate, and the director of a company should seek legal advice in this regard. In addition, it is necessary to ensure that the company’s constitution provides the required authority to a director in a specific situation. 6 However, Section 175 of the Companies Act 2006 does not cover all the functions of the directors. For instance, it does not deal with instances, where a director intends to have transactions with his company. This should be permitted by the constitution of the company. Moreover, under the provisions of section 177, the director has to make proper disclose to the board of the company. 7 There should be proper flow of information to the directors of a company. This is indispensable for the proper and efficient functioning of the company. As such, it is obligator for the company board to ensure that the directors have a proper flow of information. This is essential, as there is a statutory ob ligation on directors to take into consideration particular matters at the time of taking decisions. 8 Companies formed prior to the enactment of the Companies Act 2006, can acquire the same status regarding the issue of shares, by resolving to excise the clause relating to authorised share capital from their articles of association. In addition, these companies should resolve to bestow upon their directors the powers granted under section 550 of the Companies Act 2006.9 Companies formed under the Companies Act 2006 are not limited with regard to the number of shares that they can issue. 10 Section 550 of this Act provides that in the absence of a specific prohibition in the articles of association, the directors of a company with only one class of shares are at liberty to allot shares without requiring the authorisation of the shareholders.11 In addition, section 550 of the Companies Act 2006 empowers the allotment of shares by the directors of a private company that has only one c lass of shares. Such allotment of shares does not require prior authority from the members of the company. Furthermore, this power can be precluded or restricted by the members, via the Articles of Association of the company.12 In our problem, Ben and Holly realized that the Kingdom Ltd company would not be in a position to grow without the obtention of further financing for

Global blog project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Global blog project - Essay Example Previous Knowledge With the increase in communication between the Generation Y through social networking and the internet, word-of-mouth has greatly changed the marketing and advertising landscape. Television is fast becoming an obsolete advertising medium for Generation Y. Thus, Marketers have to evolve their practices of market segmentation and targeting in order to develop a brand or a campaign that is accepted by Generation Y. Methodology I plan to discuss the changes in advertising medium and the changes that marketing teams have to make in order to cater to Generation Y. Genre 1: Blog The following blog provides a good insight to marketers regarding the psyche of Generation Y and advertising tactics that marketers could consider: Summer Lovin' For Gen Y with Live Concerts and Mobile Marketing We (referring to the audience in general or specifically potential marketers) all know that no demographic is changing as quickly as the coveted Gen Y demographic.  We also know that for a growing number of brands, they're the segment that is not only the most important, but also the most difficult to engage. But what marketers may not know is that experiential marketing is the best and surest way to reach this elusive set, especially this summer.   Between concert festivals, outdoor sporting events, travel and the general excitement that comes from being "out for summer," the coming months are the perfect time for marketers to get out and about themselves, engaging with these consumers face-to-face. Gen Y now numbers more than 60 million. They're around town, leveraging social media and taking control of every second of their lives and most importantly they are on mobile. This summer they'll tune into whatever they want as easily as they'll tune it out. As a result, brand marketers around the world are retuning how they go to market. There are some interesting stats from a recently conducted a survey with the Event Marketing Institute, surveying several thousand Gen Y consumers. The results are surprising and would help to shape marketing plans as marketers try to reach this elusive demographic.   94% of Gen Y consumers say they would be more likely to buy a product as a result of a good experience at an event. Think about it. If someone went to a concert for an up-and-coming pop star and left wanting more, they would be more likely to buy her CD or download her single, right? But creating that "good experience" is no easy task  Ã‚   MillerCoors understands this and is ramping up mobile at every turn. Gen Y'ers is the first generation that has grown up with the internet as a normal part of everyday life and now the web is in their hands 24/7. In fact, almost half of those surveyed have posted something (a photo, a status update, a Tweet) from or during an event. Because of this proliferation of technology, Gen Y presents a different set of challenges for marketers. Marketers in all brand categories need to plan campaigns that connect w ith consumers, whether they're live or on mobile or both at the same time, and the experiences have to reach consumers' minds. Clearly, marketing to Gen Y is still a tough audience to completely crack. To succeed, marketers need a new rulebook. Here are four rules for ensuring experiences make the critical connection to the Gen Y consumer: Let them in. And we mean all the way in. It is common knowledge that savvy brands use experiential marketing to create ongoing dialogues with consumers. What one might not know is that those conversations now give

Reading response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Reading response - Essay Example Having been circumcised herself, and by every means an informed person, Fuambai cites research examples that found no fault with the practice. This paper will analyze the reading and why female circumcision is not bad after all, but rather, a positive and highly held custom by those who practice it, in a different land than the pressure groups against it. Fuambai starts her interview by saying she shared a video of the celebrations during her initiation, in which people spoke highly of it. Although some may view it as a submission to male dominance, the participating women were clearly in it because they drew some significance from it. I believe that simply because not all cultures share the same values, some should not be viewed as primitive. The African cultures especially those of the Mande people, believe in the symbolic transitioning of girls into responsible women. To them, the cut signifies the preparedness of girls to become leaders, wives and mothers. Physically, just like t he foreskin covering the penis is removed in male circumcision, the same is done in female circumcision, symbolizing feminization of the girls. ... Although complications are reported, she points out that they do not result from the act of circumcision, but rather the stigma that goes hand in hand with it. Pregnant, circumcised women are reluctant to seek pre natal care because of fear of the way they will be handled by the healthcare providers once they find out they are circumcised. The healthcare providers also lack proper knowledge of the circumcised women’s bodies. I agree with the research carried out in Gambia that concluded that infertility is not rampant among circumcised women. In fact, the rate stood at 10 percent for both circumcised and uncircumcised women. In my opinion, it stands out wrong when such statistics are not made known to the people in the same manner as those that portray the practice in bad light. In a bid to balance the candidates and conductors of the numerous researches carried out, the reading cites one done in Sweden by a Swedish obstetrician. It concluded that no connection was found betwe en prolonged or obstructed labor and circumcision, or genital surgery. On the contrary, the research established that circumcised women bore less risks of complicated birth in comparison with Swedish women who were not circumcised. In this light, I think the pressure groups against female circumcision ought to give more credible reasons and evidence of prolonged or obstructed labor. Arguments against female circumcision have branded it as a means to deny women sexual feelings, desires and enjoyment. Many have likened it to chopping off a man’s penis. I do not believe that this argument presents a strong case because, as stated in the reading, researches

Physiology Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Physiology - Case Study Example This condition is known to cause nerve problems which may be responsible for her numbness and weakness on the lower limb. Since she might be suffering from inflammation in his pelvic or cervical region, this may result to elevated body temperature referred to as fever. Fever causes disruption in the body thermal balance causing chills which is responsible for shivering in patients. In addition, the presence of inflammation results to generation of neutrophil from the bone marrow with reduced maturation time. Toxic granulation in the body therefore occurs due to the accelerated maturation of neutrophils in response to cases of acute inflammation (Crowley 72). This will help the medical practitioner figure out if it is a recurrence case, how developed it is or if it is genetically linked (Fogel & Nancy 610). Past medical and drug history will help determine if it is an allergic reaction and any know the form of treatment previously done on the patient. This involves checking for vitamin deficiencies, abnormal immune response or presence of toxic elements. Vitamin deficiency can cause general body weakness, anemia, loss of appetite and neurological problems e.g. lack of vitamin B12 and vitamin D (Fogel & Nancy 209). Elevated levels of white blood cells signifies the presence of an infection or inflammation while toxic elements from pesticides are known to cause neurological problems. The blood test would help rule out certain conditions that are known to cause some of the symptoms depicted seen on the girl. 3. The pelvic exam revealed a foul-smelling discharge. What might this indicate? Might this condition be related to the loss of lower motor control? What might the sedimentation rate and the WBC’s indicate? A foul smelling discharge detected by pelvic examination is an indication of presence of infection in the pelvic region. The infection can

Dubai Police Department Proposals Essay Example for Free

Dubai Police Department Proposals Essay In order to attain the objectives it is essential to recognize the existing practices in Dubai police department and also in the modern police departments of countries like USA, Germany, UK, Australia etc. This will be done by individual interviews of the officials in Dubai and the through questionnaires from other corners of the world. Primary research will be persistent on personal interviews with Dubai Police department officials that will give an inner view of the present positing and future goals. This will also be a key basis of understanding the indolence for change. This will help in bringing out the indication of the present managed system in Dubai police department organization. Ultimately the clients will help in providing the true print of Dubai Police department’s working and key areas of improvement. Data presented from this research will assist to evaluate the best practices model and the actual working. This will help in indicating the difference and the reason for Dubai police department organization to implement a successful change management. Dubai Police higher officials will be randomly selected with favorable time and place for the interviews to be carried out. Finally the research will be focused on the historical data by looking at the Dubai Police department’s strategy in the past. If any failure or any glitches are to be found in companies strategy they will be pointed in this research. This will help the writer to understand the Dubai Police department’s goals in the past and their implementation process. Bibliography Articles: Garry Wilson (2004) Lessons from the trenches Principles of change. Chartered Accountants Journal, 13(1), pp. 1-5. Pierre Collerette, Robert Schneider, Paul Legris (2001), Managing organizational change -Part one Change in turbulent times, ISO Management Systems, pp. 1-8. 45 Woodward, Sally, Hendry, Chris (June -2004), Leading and coping with change. Journal of Change Management, Vol. 4 Issue 2, p155, 29p Michelman, Paul (Oct 2004), Overcoming Change Resisters Harvard Management, Vol. 9 Issue 10, p3, 1p; (AN 15175074) De Jager, Peter. Futurist (Oct 2001), Resistance to Change: A New View of an Old Problem. Vol. 35 Issue 3, p24, 4p, 1bw; (AN 4339215) Pratt, Mary K. , (Jan – 2005) Leading Change Computerworld, 1/10/2005, Vol. 39 Issue 2, p33, 2p; (AN 15636701)

Wal-Mart Is Bad for America Essay Example for Free

Wal-Mart Is Bad for America Essay Starting out with a single store in Bentonville, Arkansas, Wal-Mart has not stopped expanding. The First Wal-Mart store was opened in 1962 by a Mr. Sam Walton. He opened the store with one intention: sell products people need at the lowest price available. Wal-Mart has since blown up into a globally known and used corporation. Currently, more than fifty percent of all Americans live within five miles of a Wal-Mart store, which is less than a ten mile drive away. Ninety percent of Americans live within fifteen miles of a Wal-Mart. (Fishman, 2006). Wal-Mart is bordering on 9000 locations worldwide including operations in Mexico, United Kingdom, Japan, and India. Wal-Mart is undoubtedly a global powerhouse. This powerhouse is impacting its home country. Wal-Mart affects American businesses and employees. This massive corporation affects the health of the United States. It has many affects as it spreads around the world. â€Å"A century ago, the companies that dominated the global food trade were wholesalers. Today these giants are dwarfed by the supermarkets that govern the global food system from farm to fork† (Patel, 2011). In other words, supermarkets or â€Å"superstores† have dominated and taken over the food system. Wal-Mart would be the leader and most profitable giant in this group. With the company’s rampant globalization and its negative impact on American businesses, employees, and overall health, Wal-Mart has proven time and time again that it is no good for America. To begin with, Wal-Mart’s rapid growth has led to great success for the company, but at the expense of small businesses around the nation. â€Å"Supermarkets rule the food chain† (Patel, 2011). Smaller shops and businesses have been taking huge hits in recent years. Small â€Å"mom and pop† stores have been the backbone of American society and a symbol of the American dream since the founding of the country. That being said, Wal-Mart has been in constant competition with these stores, and many say Wal-Mart is doing a great job of destroying all its competition, even some larger manufactures’. â€Å"Not since the days of the British East India Company as the cornerstone of the British imperial system has one single corporate entity been responsible for so much misery† (Freeman Ticknor, 2003). There have been many efforts to combat these â€Å"big box† stores from taking over small communities, while other communities have welcomed stores like Wal-Mart with open arms simply because their community is struggling to survive and they expect such a large business to bring in jobs. It is true that Wal-Mart does bring in jobs. However, as people are applying and taking jobs at Wal-Mart stores, what they do not know is that, they are slowly selling their souls, giving up their pocket books, and becoming slaves of this corporation. â€Å"An exchange of goods at a low price benefits everyone-quoting Adam Smith† (Van Riper, 2008). At what lengths are customers willing to go through to have low prices? Although Wal-Mart offers these low prices, communities still do not want their businesses being forced out and have been fighting the big box store takeover. Americans have not all become accustomed to supermarkets and malls. There are Americans who still enjoy the small â€Å"mom and pop† markets on the corner and like the rich culture that comes from individual shops and town markets. Sometimes, these individuals make a stand against Wal-Mart and other large companies. Take, for example, the success of the citizens of Eureka, California, who were not thrilled with the idea of Wal-Mart coming to town and setting up shop. â€Å"Activists built a well-oiled machine of organized resistance† (Halebsky, 2010). Most towns and communities are not this lucky. The activists had help in this case from Al Norman, the founder of Sprawl-Busters, consultants who help local community campaigns against megastores and other undesirable large-scale developments. This is a reminder that under the right conditions, the small town â€Å"David† can topple a big business â€Å"Goliath† (Halebsky, 2010). When all of these viewpoints are considered, it is clear that Wal-Mart’s rapid growth at the expense of small businesses is bad for the American economy. Wal-Mart is crushing all competitors with no remorse. Wal-Mart forces its way into small communities and forces itself upon the citizens making them into employees and also making it so small business does not stand a chance. Small business in small communities, especially low-income communities, simply cannot compete with a large corporation like Wal-Mart. Though some, like the citizens of Eureka, may be able to fight a Wal-Mart invasion, most are not this lucky nor do they know enough to fight Wal-Mart on their own. Simply put, Wal-Mart is a disease; it infects one community then moves on to the next. In addition to these effects on small businesses around the country, Wal-Mart’s promises of low prices are also impacting its own workforce. These low prices often come at the expense of fair wages and sufficient healthcare plans, leaving Wal-Mart employees to work in poor conditions for little reward. Wal-Mart’s treatment of its employees has long been in question. â€Å"The sad truth is that people earning Wal-Mart level wages tend to favor fashions available at the Salvation Army† (Ehrenreich, 2007). In less sarcastic terms, Wal-Mart employees cannot even afford to buy the clothes they sell and have to end up shopping at places like Goodwill and the Salvation Army to clothe themselves and their family. â€Å"You have to keep wages completely down; you have to keep staff down† (Fishman, 2006). This is part of Wal-Mart’s business strategy for higher profit. Wal-Mart offers some of the lowest possible wages for its employees. Wal-Mart also keeps the available staff down so the employees on the clock are constantly swamped with business making them extremely overworked. So Wal-Mart has discovered the secret to maximum profits: keep the wages and amount of employees down, which means paying less people less money while still raking in profit. This sounds dangerously close to a sweatshop. â€Å"Wal-Mart has lately come under fire for its meanness over employees’ health-care benefits† (Economist, 2006). In the movie Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price, there were several interviews with actual Wal-Mart employees who discuss the low wages and poor health care. In an anonymous interview, an employee states that â€Å"you should never have to choose between medicine for your sick child and feeding your family† (Greenwald, 2005). Wal-Mart offers big discounts and low prices, but the employees end up paying for it with low wages and poor health care. â€Å"The biggest single problem was health care costs which were rising 19 percent a year, mainly because Wal-Mart employees are sicker than the average American† (Bianco, 2007). Wal-Mart’s healthcare is a joke. The rates and premiums are through the roof with doctors’ visits costing one hundred dollars or more. The basic healthcare plan is a 25 dollar premium for an individual, 37 dollars for a single parent, and 65 dollars for a family. This plan included 3 total doctor visits per year before the 1000 dollar deductible kicks in (Bianco, 2007). So the key to Wal-Mart’s broken system is that they pay their employees low wages and overwork them, but if an employee falls ill, Wal-Mart’s own healthcare plan does not even provide enough to help their employees back to work. In addition to the low wages and poor healthcare plans that the company offers its employees, there have been an ever-increasing number of sexual harassment cases levied against Wal-Mart. One such case involved a male employee who made an explicit comment to a female employee who was bending over to pick up a package. One Peggy Kimzey, shipping clerk from Warsaw, Missouri, bent over a package when she heard a male store manager laughing with another male employee. When Peggy asked what they were doing, he replied with a sexual comment about her backside. He then continued even after she asked him to stop. Peggy filed a law suit against Wal-Mart. According to her attorney, Peggy, endured many other situations like this in her four years of employment. Peggy also reported that many of the other female employees went through daily degrading remarks from male managers, as well (Glazer, 1996). This was the beginning of many lawsuits against Wal-Mart and certainly not the end. Wal-Mart is also strictly and famously non-union. â€Å"Wal-Mart has been successful in keeping Unions out of its American stores, partly because it has the resources to fight organizers in the stores and in court† (Preface to â€Å"Should Wal-Mart Unionize, 2008). In order to keep goods at discount and keep wages down, Wal-Mart has tried extremely hard to keep any whisper of unionizing out of its stores. There have been countless attempts by Wal-Mart employees to petition and unionize, but even at the suggestion of a union being formed, Wal-Mart managers start the threats and spread rumors of jobs being lost if employees vote yes. One case came out of Jacksonville, Texas, where butchers voted 7 to 3 to unionize. After two weeks, Wal-Mart eliminated the butchers’ jobs by switching to prepackaged meat and scattered the workers to different departments, which effectively abolished the union. The federal Labor judge ruled this act illegal three years later and ordered Wal-Mart to reverse all its actions. However, by that time, the original butchers had left the company. (Pre-face to â€Å"Should Wal-Mart Unionize, 2008). This shows that no matter what, Wal-Mart wins. The corporation will do almost anything to keep unions out of the workforce. With all viewpoints considered, it is clear Wal-Mart does not take care of its employees. Wal-Mart employees struggle to make ends meet and there are employees that have to choose between the whole family eating and provide medicine for a sick child or family member. This is a ridiculous and disturbing way to live. Employees have no choice in most cases because it is the only job they can find in small towns where Wal-Mart has forced out all other small business. Wal-Mart’s treatment of its employees is ludicrous and barbaric, and it borders on slave labor. Wal-Mart plans every move it makes. It knows they are the only choice for most Americans in terms of employment, so they are able to set their own conditions. Wal-Mart sells goods at the lowest possible prices to keep their prices to consumers low. The problem is that they do not care how or from where those cheap goods are obtained. Recently, in the movie Food Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner (2008) broke down the supermarket walls and showed the public where and how their food transforms from raw material to the food sold in stores. â€Å"I think it’s one of the most important battles for consumers to fight, and that is the right to know what’s in their food and how it was grown† (Kenner, 2008). There has been a big push in recent years for more accurate labeling in the food sold in supermarkets. Many producers and supermarkets are fighting to not have labels on their food showing where the food comes from or even what ingredients are in the food. â€Å"Not only do they not want you to know what’s in it, they have managed to make it against the law to criticize their products† (Kenner, 2008). There are laws protecting the meat and produce companies from people openly criticizing their product. Oprah was even sued by the cattle companies for saying â€Å"it makes me not want to ever pick up another Meat patty again† on her show (Kenner, 2008). The meat packers unsuccessfully sued Oprah for bashing their product and loss of profit. Again, Wal-Mart has no regard for how they make money. It does not matter where or how Wal-Mart’s food is obtained, just so it brings in the maximum amount of profit for them. Red meat and poultry is literally packed into houses and not able to move, in order to gain more meat in less space. These extreme conditions, piled onto extensive hormones and steroids administered to boost the size of animals, make many farm animals extremely unhealthy to consume. There has been an extensive amount of E. Coli poisoning breakouts over the past ten years because of these chemicals growing in the intestines and stomachs of the animals. Yet agai n, Wal-Mart does not care how this meat is obtained just so they get it as cheap as possible and they can resale it marked up and make their profit. Americans have forever been informed of the horrible experiences going on overseas in sweatshops that are run by American corporations trying to maximize profit by paying workers in other countries massively low wages to make and produce goods such as clothing. Wal-Mart has also has been accused of running sweatshops and outsourcing its manufacturing jobs overseas to places where it costs less to make goods because they can pay employees less than American workers. â€Å"Americans may not know it, but many of the name-brand products they purchase were made under appalling circumstances† (Clark, 1996). Many companies, such as Sears and Bloomingdale’s, choose to outsource their work in order to maximize profit. Both companies are huge retailers and make a large profit every year, but this profit is largely based on their ability to produce clothing and other goods through sweatshops and cheap child labor in other countries. Wal-Mart is no different. Although Wal-Mart does not directly contract these sweatshops, they do go around the world finding the cheapest made jeans, clothing, toys, etc., and buy all of them up to turn around and sell them for a huge profit. So, no, Wal-Mart does not directly contract these sweatshops, but they do support this ghastly system. Wal-Mart has come into the Chinese economy in the same way it has in America, by putting a big blue store on every corner. In the most recent study, Chinese Wal-Mart stores are employing almost 150,000 people and drawing in more than 1.2 million people a month with more than 100 stores across the nation (Matusitz Leanza, 2009). This is leading to the same kind of shift to low wages and poor working conditions that is happening in the United States. Aware of these many issues surrounding its global presence, Wal-Mart has been growing involved in fair-trading. â€Å"Recently Wal-Mart has quadrupled its purchases of fair trade bananas, thus elim inating non fair trade bananas from its shelves† (Chu, 2009). However, this engagement in the fair trade market is not compatible with Wal-Mart’s current business model. Simply put, even as the economy is in ruins, Wal-Mart is managing to continue to bring in more profit every year at the expense of its workers and the health of its shoppers around the world. â€Å"Wal-Mart is a penny pinchers paradise† (Gross, 2008). So Wal-Mart finds another way to maximize their profit at the expense of others. Wal-Mart chooses to utilize sweatshops and child labor to increase their overall profit. Instead of using American distributors or buying locally, merchandise travels the world in the pursuit of greater profit margins for the company. Wal-Mart also chooses to expand its business overseas to China. This action also takes advantage of Chinese workers who, like America workers, need money and Wal-Mart is their only option. In conclusion, Wal-Mart is a huge corporation with many resources. Wal-Mart employs over 1.3 million people and over 5000 stores nationwide (Freeman Ticknor). It has been under fire a lot for several of its business practices. Wal-Mart offers horrible wages and meager healthcare to its workers. Additionally, there are many examples of rampant sexual harassment issues among the Wal-Mart work force. With these claims not ceasing, it is clear that Wal-Mart does not care enough about its employees to change. Wal-Mart obtains its food and goods from the cheapest provider and has no problem sacrificing quality or nutrition for the bottom line. There is also the controversy over its economic effect on American businesses. Wal-Mart destroys communities and small business. Piece by piece and store by store, Wal-Mart is taking over the United States. It wrecks communities and treats its employees like slaves. Simply put, Wal-Mart is bad for America. â€Å"Americans have stopped trading up and started trading down† (Gross, 2006). References Bianco, A. (2007, February 20). Wal-Mart: The bully of Bentonville: How the high cost of everyday low prices is hurting America. New York: Crown Business. Chu, J. (2009, April 1). The interest of large companies in fair trade is a sign of growing ethical consumption. In D. A. Miller (Ed.), Opposing viewpoints: Fair trade. Greenhaven Press. Clark, C. S. (1996, August 16). Child labor and sweatshops. CQ Researcher 6, 721-744. Ehrenreich, B. (2007, August 20). Unregulated capitalism exploits the poor. In J. Norman (Ed.), Opposing viewpoints: How can the poor be helped. Greenhaven Press. Fishman, C. (2006). The Wal-Mart effect. London, England: The Penguin Group. Freeman, R., Ticknor, A. (2003, November, 14). Wal-Mart is not a business, its an economic disease. Executive Intelligence Review, Retrieved July 7th, 2011, from http://www.larouchepub.com/other/2003/3044wal-mart.html Glazer, S. (1996, July 19). Crackdown on sexual harassment. CQ Researcher 6, 625-648. Greenwald, R. (Director). (2005). Wal-Mart: The high cost of low price [DVD]. Available from www.walmartmovie.com Gross, D. (2008). As economy tanks, Wal-Mart thrives. Slate.com, Retrieved July, 7 2011, from http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/Extra/AsEconomyTanksWalMartThr

A Personal Reflection Of Developmental Life

A Personal Reflection Of Developmental Life Numerous developmental theories exist today that attempt to explain cognitive and physical changes in the body as we grow older. Some are vague and finite, while others go into extreme detail. Some of the leading psychologists relative to these theories are Jean Piaget (Beilin, 1992) with his cognitive developmental theory, Erik Erikson (Gross, 1987), who developed his psychosocial developmental theory, and Lawrence Kohlberg (Guthrie, 1984), with his moral development theory. It has taken many years for these scholars, as well as intelligent students to polish and critique these developmental theories. Kohlbergs moral developmental theory best accounts for my moral, ethical, and personal development as well as potentially playing a large role in my future development as a senior adult. I respect them all because they all are true in their own way. I just happen to have one theory which applies to me more than the others. As a child, I can remember being cognizant about the direct repercussions of my actions on myself as well as other children. Out of all the conspicuous developmental theories that are commonplace today, I believe that, as Kohlberg stated, it is like saying, The last time I did that I got spanked so I will not do it again (Kohlberg, 1974). Thats exactly the mentality I developed after wrongdoing. In other words, a behavior which is thought to be ethically incorrect usually results in the culprit being punished, driving childrens moral choices. The reflection in terms of how and why Kohlbergs portions of stage one of his theory relates to my childhood is because even though I was quite obsequious, I was surrounded by people who held what they thought were universal moral/ethical developments; these people had general principles to follow that would be deemed appropriate by the majority of citizens, as well as being able to have the moral fortitude to give instead of taking. I admit that I was quite selfish at this early age. Kohlberg devised that his theory was composed primarily of three major levels of development. These primary levels are known as pre-conventional, conventional, and post-conventional. In all, there are six sub-stages that are underneath his primary levels in regards to his moral developmental theory. I can attest that I judged moral acts based on their repercussions. When I was young, I would not steal food from drug stores because I knew if I got caught, they were not going to treat me well in jail. The main point with respect to Kohlberg and my childhood is that I did not grasp what it was to have broadly acquiesced moral values. This is what Kohlberg argued in his first stage of the preconventional level of development. Furthermore in stage two of the preconventional level, which is defined by the self-driven person, proclaims whats in it for me, where correct behavior is based on whatever is in the individuals best interest (Kohlberg, 1974). A young child in the preconventional moral stage has not yet acquired or internally digested the conventions of society with respect to what is right or wrong. Instead, they concentrate on their convergence on the transcendent repercussions that specific states of affairs may bring to them (Kohlberg, 1971). This stage of development concurs with my lifestyle as a youngster. I was selfish and I thought I was completely free from any wrongdoing because I was a child. I failed to develop any rational moral belief system at this point in my life. The conventional level of moral reasoning is typical of some adolescents and a great deal of adults. In the general consensus, people who justify their actions in a conventional way arbitrate the morality of behaviors by discerning them against societys general views and ethically-guided behaviors. Persons in this stage of development either approve or decline from other individuals as it pertains to societys accordance with the conceived role. As Kohlberg put it, they try to be a good boy or a good girl so that they can meet the expectations of society having apprehended the knowledge that there is intricate value in so doing (Kohlberg, 1973). During this broad conventional stage of Kohlbergs theory, one must note that conventional morality is dependent by an acceptance of societys assemblage related to what are right and or wrong. In the fourth stagein the same level as the thirdit is the drive for authority, social order, and obedience that defines its presuppositions. In the fourth stage, it is absolutely essential to adhere to laws, dictums, and social conveyances due to the fact that they are vital in creating a stable and functional society. I can 100% relate to Kohlbergs fourth stage when I was an adult. For example, I ended up picking up rank in the military and was in charge of hundreds of Marines that I was responsible for in every way. It was essential to obey what you were told to accomplish by your supervisor. If you did not finish by the time he or she returned, you can go to jail, lose your money, lose your rank, and even lose your house. The Marines take disobedience to its laws very seriously. Thus, Kohlbergs theory is at work here during this phase of my life because I was dedicated to adhering to the rules that governed me, because it was my duty to protect the U.S. foreign and domestically. With respect to stage five of Kohlbergs theory, my life as I got older and travelled more often became committed to the social contract driven force. That is, I held the worldview and made myself respect that every culture-also known as cultural relativism-has its different views on what is acceptable in society and what is not. I had to learn to respect that because I was used to my own rules and regulations. But when my units in the military deployed overseas, we were under the jurisdiction of foreign governments. Such perspectives should be mutually respected as unique to each person or community. For example, in the United States, prostitution is not something very good to proclaim as a job, and is illegal in every state except for one. This is in direct contrast to other countries, where sex is actually a business industry and is widely promoted. People do it so they can make money and live. It was hard to accept at first, but once my selfishness went away and my mind widened, my morals changed to universal ones, as I will discuss lastly in stage six in Kohlbergs post-conventional stage. After I served in the military, learned to obey and respect other cultures, along with my travelling experiences, I started to finally develop my own universal morals. This I believe started me in stage six of Kohlbergs theory. For example, I believe that murder, adultery in any case, preemptive violence and war, and saying the Lords name in vain are all immoral and should be shunned. This is a mirrored reflection of Kohlbergs, in particular stage six, of his moral development theory. It pos tulates that moral reasoning is based on abstract reasoning using universal ethical principles. Kohlberg and his peers developed the just community schools approach towards promoting moral development (Power, Higgins, Kohlberg, 1989). I thought that anyone in society would think it would be morally right because stealing does not always have negative connotations. This goes along with Kohlbergs conventional stage of development. I tended to weigh the morality of things based on society. For example, I used to believe war was the right thing to do as a preemptive measure. But when I became an adult, my beliefs changed drastically and were more coagulated. I started becoming more diplomatic and resolving issues by negotiations, not by combat or any other physical altercations. In Kohlbergs sixth stage, I believe that was the turning point to how I judge people and other things and situations. Now I will address how Kohlbergs moral theory applies to my current lifestyle as well as to contemporary world affairs. Reaching such a high stage was not noticeable to me for a long time, and it took a lot of hard work to reach it, but then I started giving large thoughts empathetic to lots of individuals. For example, I saw massive amounts of impoverished people in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. There should be no poor individuals in the world; there should be a more rigid attempt to completely eradicate HIV. But the results still have not satisfied me. Efforts to tame the HIV epidemic have only been haphazard (Kaiser, 2010). The key methods are using condoms or teaching individuals how to maintain abstinence. Recently the U.S. cut the condom program before President Bush left office, which was a death sentence to millions of Africans who were participating in the program. The former First Lady Laura Bush made an underrated attempt, which promoted the use of condoms and ha nded them out in African regions, which people thought was evolutionary. However, she did not advocate for abstinence as much as she could have (Kaiser, 2010). Overall, I feel that such differential perspectives among cultures should be respected as unique to each person, group, tribe, culture, or community. I learned this after travelling overseas, interacting with differential people from diverse cultures, and seeing what really goes on in the world. I thought that every country loved America and that we were viewed as the benevolent country that came to the worlds aid when it needed us. I thought that most, if not all countries, wanted freedom, liberty, and justice as a lot of people incorrectly thinks. When I was in Russia, many citizens were angered by our presence as Americans and hated the idea of complete freedom and looked at us Americans like we were the bad people. One Russian, out-of-the-blue, came up to me and said, Iraqà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦BIG MISTAKE. I did not understand the anti-American sentiment. This is in no way a political statement nor does it reflect my beliefs, I just want the reader to be aware of how other cultures view the U.S. and its effect on moral systems. This point aforementioned regarding the Russians is directly consistent with what Kohlberg was saying regarding how society has different views. It is called cultural relativism. Speaking in terms of the future, I would like to work for the FBI and catch criminals, whether they are bank robbers, fraudulent vices, computer hackers, or any criminal of any kind. Because of my developed and polished moral and ethical views, thanks to Kohlberg, I also plan to increase my voluntary practices with community organizations like Habitat for Humanity, the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps. One of my academic goals is to graduate with honors and reach graduate studies. I am determined to succeed and at that I especially mean academically. I also want to get in better shape so Ill feel better. After delving into Kohlbergs moral development theory and also my experience through an adult, I believe that his theory best explains my moral/ethical development, adherence to laws and engage in obedience, and countless other tidbits. Kohlbergs moral developmental theory best accounts for my moral, ethical, and personal developments as well as potentially playing a large role in my future development as a senior adult. It also explains the rationale for punishment administered to me in the past, being of self-interest, and conjuring my own universal ethical principles. Although a lot of the developmental theories are well supported and studied, I believe that relative to my own life that none of them have the clout and or efficacy in its developmental explication that Kohlbergs theory has. Ultimately, I found Kohlbergs theory to be the best one that explains historical, contemporary, and very likely my future endeavors as well as I still mature as an adult. After rigorous delving into Kohlbergs material, I am confident that his moral theory is extremely accurate and could be used as a guide to help in developing individuals.

The History of Guns in America Essay -- Exploratory Essays Research Pa

The History of Guns in America What is the importance of the gun? The gun is one of the most important tools in the defense of our nation. Guns are responsible for a lot of death and injuries, but these things were going on before the existence of the gun. Guns aren't the reason for the death and injuries, they are just a means to it. They are tools and an engineering marvel of our age. The gun has evolved from a simple weapon that caused limited destruction to the modern gun that is so fast and powerful it is capable of mass destruction. Through the evolution of the gun, it has become a political tool. The first guns used in America were a simple machine where the person did most of the work. The user measured and put the powder down the barrel of the gun. Next some shotgun pellets were put in the same way. This was then all compacted and the gun was ready to fire. This reloading took over a minute before each shot could be fired and the guns weren't very accurate by today's standards. If too much powder was used then the gun could explode or if the powder were wet then the gun wouldn't fire. One of inventions during the Revolutionary War was a way to reload faster. The powder was already pre-measured and kept in little sacks. This made reloading faster because the user no longer had to measure the powder between each reloading. These guns were crude but in that day was a powerful modern invention that was considered very useful. The American Revolution was a political war to obtain what the people of that era wanted. By today's standards the destruction of gun was minimal so war w as used to obtain political objectives. The next real step in the evolution of the gun came during the Civil War. Rifles were invented that ... ... capable of killing in small numbers. Now, however, they are able to destroy whole buildings. Politicians can and do use the power of the gun to force others to do what they want. Guns have become such an effective killing machine that they can kill anyone anywhere at anytime and, to fulfill any political cause. Â   Works Cited * Hogg, Ian. The Story of the Gun. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1996. * Lavarone, Mike. "Armory." http://www.worldwar1.com/arm005.htm. July 1997. * "New Guns and Gear for '98." American Rifleman. May 1998: 38-41 an 62-63. * Professional Web Designs. "Guns." http://www.usscod.org/gun.html. December 1997. * "Tank Weapons Gunnery Simulation System/Precision Gunnery System." http://www.stricom.army.mil/PRODUCTS/TWGSS-PGS. April 1998. * "WWII Battleship Gun Data." http://www.uss-salem.org/navhist/battleships/guns.html. April 1998.

Social Security Systems in the Netherlands :: essays research papers fc

From decades social security policies are in question all across the Europe. Moreover, the future expectations of changes in the social security systems due to the variations in household structures and ageing of the society bear new social security systems. As most of the European countries the Netherlands, had a substantial growth in the 1960s. After the oil crises, the economy of the Netherlands worsened. Despite the successful creation of a large number of new jobs in the 1980s the growth of unemployment continued and remained persistent in character and still today. However, the social security system in the Netherlands is not alike to the 1970s and 1980s. The Dutch government expenditure on social benefits is characteristic of the well-developed welfare states - at 27.4 percent it is now above the EU average of 22.9 percent. It is among the high taxation countries and over average GDP per capita. Public employment is low and it has one of the lowest poverty rates. The extraordinary level of economic growth of the 1960s created the economic surplus in the Netherlands but by the world’s two oil crisis in the early 1970s the economic climate started to deteriorate. A stunning increase of unemployment in the late 1970s provoked a policy of labor cost reduction and cuts in the social security budget. It was believed that an increase in the real wages and social benefits would imply a further rise of unemployment. Moreover, it was predetermined by the government that the country could only recover from the economic downfall of the 1970s if free entrepreneurship and the functioning of market mechanisms would be restored. Gradually social policy lost its position as a more or less independent domain. It became the servant of economic policy as it was strongly believed that once the aim of a healthy economy was reached, social and economic deprivation would consequently vanish. In the 1980s the reduction of public expenditures became a keystone of Dutch socio-economic policy, partly to decrease a growing budgetary deficit of the state, partly to reduce the costs of labor as many social insurances were paid for by employers’ and employees’ contributions. As a result the levels of social security benefits like social assistance, unemployment and disability benefits were significantly lowered, while at the same time the definitions as to the eligibility for these benefits were reduced. Moreover, the Dutch social security system offered too few incentives for the non-active part of the labor force to participate in the market.

How Is Miss Ruddock’s Terrible Loneliness Conveyed In Alan Bennett’s Es

How Is Miss Ruddock’s Terrible Loneliness Conveyed In Alan Bennett’s A Lady Of Letters? Miss Irene Ruddock is an ordinary middle-aged woman who lives on her own. She was close to her mother who had recently passed away. Miss Ruddock has no real friends and finds it difficult to fill her time so she is often sitting in her chair, looking out of her window and noting what is going on in other people’s lives. She has no social life and she only leaves the house when she has to. Alan Bennett shows Miss Ruddock’s loneliness through her obsession of writing letters. She uses these letters as a way of communicating with the world outside her home. In the drama, before going to prison, we do not hear Miss Ruddock have a meaningful conversation with anyone other than her doctor, who she is talking to, not about her own health, but about her neighbour’s child, who she feels is being neglected. This shows that she is lonely because she has no close family or friends around her who she can talk to so she think that by writing letters she is helping the people around her and making herself feel useful. In the monologue Miss Ruddock writes letters to a wide range of people. All of the letters have one thing is common, which is that they are all letters of complaint. She goes to the funeral of somebody she barely knew and complained to the funeral directors about ‘grown men sulking in the rhododendrons with tab ends in their mouths’. She also, after a trip to London, wrote to the Queen to complain about some dog poo in front of Buckingham Palace. This tells the viewers that she is lonely because she will talk about the smallest things if it means she will be communicating with somebody. Miss Ruddock also replies to ... ... things with which to occupy her time. ‘I am that busy †¦ I’ve opted for bookbinding and dressmaking’. With these things she has had no time with which to write letters and she has nothing to complain about. The viewer also knows she is lonely as her last words in the monologue are ‘I am so happy.’ For most people prison is the worst time of their lives but prison gave Miss Ruddock a new license of life and now she has so little time for herself and feels so wanted and needed she loves life. I think that when Miss Ruddock is released from prison she will not continue to write letters. I think that, for most people the story had a sad ending, but Miss Ruddock learned a lot from prison, it helped her to overcome her ‘terrible loneliness’ by making her feel she had a purpose. It also taught her how to communicate with people orally, and how to make friends.

Otherness

Cheyanne Easter Processor: Temple English 066 1 October 2012 Otherness Everywhere you go you catch yourself either stereotyping or being stereotyped just by the simple she lives in a big house she must be rich or he’s Asian he must be good at math. Stereotyping is usually a negative habit on all human beings but it somehow weasels its way into social acceptance. Now, more than ever and somehow we end up accepting it with no concern.Allport (1954) theory was that thinking ill of others without warrant that people make their mind u' without any personal experience. This pre judgment is worldwide it happens everywhere including every race white, black, Hispanic to what gender female or male. We are all human we all do it. One group we tend to target the most, our middle aged black men, we pracive them to be a gang member or drug dealers by their own appearance. But would it be wrong to say that hip hop may have an effect on the way people look at African American men in our socie ty.While watching an episode of the Tyra Banks show rerun an episode about stereotypes happened to be on where Tyra did an experiment where she put a group of people from all backgrounds showed them a picture of different cultured individuals and asked what and how you felt about them just by their appearance. The first picture appeared of a middle aged tall black man wearing baggy jeans, boots and an oversized jacket. People assumed right off that bat that he must not be educated, he must be on welfare trying to support his kids and baby momma was some white female’s exact words.These comments were even coming from the same race â€Å"that he must be strapped with guns and running the street as a gang banger† one African American women stated. It was sickening for people to make all these assumptions just based on their theory of stereotypes by a certain individual. He was later brought out face to face with these people to find out that he’s a very successful antrapranoer and has already earned 4 degrees. He says it the same reaction he gets from individual all the time, â€Å"it’s hard on me and that everything I’m hearing today I have to carry the weight of every African American male out there†.He explains that those type of stereotypes are the ones he has to live up to on a daily bases. You could relate this man’s experience with a young African American boy that was murdered because this man thought he was being â€Å"suspicious†. Trayvon Martin a 17 year old teenage that was shot for the simple fact that he was a black male wearing a hoodie walking through a gated neighborhood. Federals say this could indeed be a hate crime. What went through George Zimmerman’s head to shoot this innocent boy was it the first time Zimmerman’s done such type of prejudgment on black males, no.At the very least, a situation of 46 emergency calls made by Zimmerman over the past six years documents his at tentiveness about keeping his neighborhood safe and orderly. The calls include complaints about unruly people at the pool, potholes, dumped trash, and kids playing in the street. In recent months as the neighborhood saw an uptick in crime, including burglaries and a shooting, Zimmerman's calls had focused on specific suspects, the majority of them young black males.Zimmerman assumptions about these people made them his target. Some people say that this doesn’t exist in current day society but this right here is a prime example. To willingly kill a young black kid due to the fact that he walked into this residence or for the simple fact that he was cutting in-between houses, walking very leisurely for the rainy weather and looking at all the house gave Zimmerman the right to shot this innocent kid that caused death by his own prejudgment it devastates me to the bare bone.This problem will never stop. People tend to fill their head with what they want to believe. Is it wrong to say that maybe† hip hop† had a little influence on the killing of Trayvon Martin, editor in chief of GlobalGrind. com, a site about the â€Å"hip-hop† side of pop culture said â€Å"Even if I have a black hoodie, a pair of jeans and white sneakers on, in fact that is what I wore yesterday, I still never will look suspicious.No matter how much the hoodie covers my face or how baggie my jeans are, I will never look out of place to you,† he wrote. â€Å"I will never look suspicious to you, because of one thing and one thing only,  the color of my skin. † Thus, clothing lines and particular clothing items popular within the hip hop culture are Stereotyped and ignoring simplistic understandings of hip hop culture lead people to assume the role of a ordinary African American that lives day to day in our society , as drug dealers, gang bangers or want to be rappers.Do hip hop rappers influence people to assume that black men aren’t safe to be arou nd if they portray the image of rapper, is it all about getting money, smoking and having a gun. It’s sad to say these stereotypes can just come from material clothing you not only see it in hip hop fashion but in the holocaust people could see right through you that you were a Jew, during this semester we’ve been reading a book called Maus were it takes you into the life of one Jewish man valdeck spingleman that survived the worst externmation of 11 million people.

Lg Electronics – International Business

The multinational company that I will be examining is LG Electronics. LG Electronics is based out of Seoul, Korea and was established in 1958. It is a subsidiary of LG Group, which is one of the largest electronic conglomerates in the world. This company is a global manufacturer of consumer electronics, telecommunications systems, and home appliances. LG operates its business through four major divisions: home entertainment, mobile communications, home appliances, and air conditioning & energy solutions. They are the second largest manufacturer of flat screen televisions, and the third largest producer of mobile phones. North America and Asia are its two largest markets, each contributing about 30% of sales. According to their website, LG Electronics has over 120 ventures around the world. They employ around 93,000 personnel. LG Electronics owns Zenith Electronics and controls a large portion of LG Display. Its home entertainment division produces cutting edge products, such as liquid crystal display (LCD) televisions, plasma televisions, 3 dimension (3D) televisions, home theater systems, projectors, and audio, video, and storage devices. The mobile communications branch provides a full line of communication devices, mobile communication terminals, and tablet personal computers (PCs). The home appliances division manufactures microwave ovens, refrigerators, washing machines and more. The air conditioning and energy solutions branch creates air conditioners, develops solar energy cells, and provides green lighting solutions. The consumer electronics industry is growing rapidly with numerous innovative products being invented due to recent advances in technology. This has driven increases in consumer demand. LG Electronics is one of the leading competitors in this area. The global market is pretty equally divided between the United States, Asia, and Europe. The Americas region accounts for 38% of the global market, and is dominated by the US market. Additionally, the economic growth in substantial markets such as China and India has boosted the global consumer electronic market revenue. LG Electronics has many different international activities. This company has branches in almost every region of the world. For instance, LG has production plants in Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, England, Poland, and Brazil. This corporation operates offices for marketing its products in every country imaginable, such as Jordan, Nigeria, Russia, Australia, Thailand and the United States. This is truly a company that is rapidly expanding its holdings around the world. This corporation is putting full effort into becoming one of the top three manufacturers of electronics and telecommunications systems on earth. They are doing so, by using two major strategies: fast innovation and fast growth. LG Electronics is putting a lot of time and money into research and development, in order to get ahead of its competitors. LG is placing the majority of its effort into what they term â€Å"smart technology. † Smart technology is LG’s development philosophy that embraces sensitive communication with customers in order to provide products that everybody wants to use, and easily can. This customer oriented principle has become the most important development philosophy for LG. The key areas that LG is focusing on are the mobile phone and digital television industries. They are also actively participating in pilot projects such as home networking to develop new products with various service providers. LG Electronics is also developing new business opportunities by creating strategic alliances with other successful companies. It is LG Electronics’ goal to become number one in the world through these relationships. Businesses with different foundations are collaborating with LG to create a â€Å"Strategic alliance between corporations. † This is crucial to creating a new industry and solidifying the current one. One of the companies that LG Electronics is working with is Skype. Through this partnership, LG is working to create television products with embedded Skype capabilities. General Electric (GE) is another major corporation that LG is collaborating with. These two businesses have agreed to share patents on cooking appliances and refrigerators. Arguably the most important alliance that LG has formed is one with Microsoft. LG has already released a smartphone based on Microsoft’s Windows Mobile. In addition to that, the companies have been working together closely for personal computer, digital television, and mobile phone convergence. In December 2002, the managing director of Francis Kanoi Marketing Services, Francis Xavier stated â€Å"LG’s success is more related to marketing than technological superiority. I believe that spending money for great advertising is LG Electronics’ major international strategy. This is a technique that will work regardless of what region the consumer lives in. For example, in 2002 LG Electronics India launched advertising campaigns featuring cricketers. LG then released 22 commercials featuring world class cricketers to strengthen its association with cricket. Experts felt that LG would profit by aligning itself with this sport in a country such India where cricket has a huge following. The company then spent approximately 500 million dollars on advertising during the cricket world cup. Due to its aggressive promotion plan, LG became the market leader in India for color televisions, washing machines, refrigerators, and microwaves. LG has since gone on to become one of the leading sponsors of cricket in India. This is a marketing plan that has worked well in other counties too. LG Electronics sponsors soccer teams in England and Costa Rica, where that sport has a large audience. In Australia and Argentina, they are the corporate sponsors of rugby teams. LG also sponsors London Fashion week, as well as Formula One racing which has a giant following all over the world. In essence, LG Electronics is extremely smart in aligning its brand with popular sports and events. LG Electronics is a multinational firm that is striving to become the number one electronics conglomerate on earth. The company is working toward achieving this goal with more than one business strategy. First, they are putting time and effort into listening to the customer when it comes to research and development of new, better products. Second, LG has formed many strategic alliances with other major companies, in order to expand its holdings. Lastly and most important, this corporation is spending money on great advertising and sponsorship of popular sports teams all over the world in order to promote its brand. References 1. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/LG_Electronics 2. http://www. lg. com/global/index. jsp 3. http://www. fibre2fashion. com/industry-article/11/1004/increasing-competition-creates-stress-on-marketing-managers4. asp 4. http://www. allbusiness. com/company-activities-management/company-strategy/16611527-1. html

Operating System and Microsoft Corporation Essay

Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational software corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services related to computing. The company was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen on April 4, 1975. Microsoft is the world’s largest software maker measured by revenues.[3] It is also one of theworld’s most valuable companies.[4] Microsoft was established to develop and sell BASIC interpreters for the Altair 8800. It rose to dominate the personal computeroperating system market with MS-DOS in the mid-1980s, followed by the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems. The company’s 1986 initial public offering, and subsequent rise in its share price, created an estimated three billionaires and 12,000 millionaires from Microsoft employees. Since the 1990s, it has increasingly diversified from the operating system market and has made a number of corporate acquisitions. In May 2011, Microsoft acquired Skype Technologies for $8.5 billion in its largest acquisition to date.[5] As of 2012, Microsoft is market dominant in both the PC operating system and office suite markets (the latter with Microsoft Office). The company also produces a wide range of other software for desktops and servers, and is active in areas including internet search(with Bing), the video game industry (with the Xbox and Xbox 360 consoles), the digital services market (through MSN), and mobile phones (via the Windows Phone OS). In June 2012, Microsoft announced that it would be entering the PC vendor market for the first time, with the launch of the Microsoft Surface tablet computer. In the 1990s, critics began to contend that Microsoft used monopolistic business practices and anti-competitive strategies includingrefusal to deal and tying, put unreason able restrictions in the use of its software, and used misrepresentative marketing tactics; both the U.S. Department of Justice and European Commission found the company in violation of antitrust laws. Microsoft is the undisputed leader in the market for operating systems (Sheremata 1997). The Microsoft Corporation has produced the vast majority of operating systems for all personal computers (PCs); moreover, operating systems that Microsoft has created are Windows95, Windows 3.1, and DOS. They also have produced the leading spreadsheet and word processors for both Windows and Macintosh operating systems. They own 85% of the market share with their office software Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Microsoft Exchange, and Microsoft Access. Not surprisingly, most of us have used some if not all of these products and/ or services provided by the Microsoft Corporation. How did the Microsoft Corporation develop into a software monopoly? For the most part, one or several combinations of the following forge monopolies: an amalgamation of smart business decisions, mistakes by competitors, and at times some shady tactics that a company might employ to become a market leader and monopoly of today. Microsoft had its beginning during the 1970s when IBM was the computer hardware giant of the industry. In 1975 Microsoft was the producer of programming languages for MIPS Altair 7500 (Conigliaro1996). In 1981, Microsoft purchased an operating system for an Intel based 8086 chip from a small company named Seattle Computer Products and redesigned its product to sell it to license it to IBM for its new personal computer (PC) (Conigliaro1996). The redesigned product was released under the name MS DOS 1.0. IBM being a monopoly at that time in the hardware department, by allowing Microsoft to provide the operating system to its PCs, then an outside source, relinquished control of the software industry to this up-and-coming powerhouse. Microsoft retained the right to license their operating system to other manufacturers and helped spur the massive IBM clone industry. Microsoft became one of the leaders in the computer industry during the 1980s with the help of technologies that help provide PCs for an information hungry age and with Microsoft providing the operating systems for a high percentage of the PCs sold. By the late 1980s, Microsoft controlled the operating system market; versions of MS-DOS ran over 80% of personal computers (Conigliaro1996). However, Microsoft did not control any of the application markets, this honor went to Lotus, which at the time had the top spreadsheet, 1-2-3 and WordPerfect had the leading word processors, WordPerfect. When Microsoft introduced Microsoft Windows 3.1 in the 1990s, it locked in Microsoft in the driver seat for what is now the software monopoly that exists. Soon after, Microsoft introduced Excel 3.0 for Windows and Word for Windows 2.0. Lotus and WordPerfect did not realize the effects that Windows 3.0 would have on the industry and did not plan ahead for the evolution (Gleick 1995). The claim has also been made that Microsoft used its control over the operating system and graphical user interface markets to help growth in the applications market. Some executives spoke of the â€Å"Chinese Wall†, that is some of the developers learned to take advantage of the operating system before other companies could who did not have the access (Gleick 1995). They were also accused of when introducing new technology called object linking embedding (OLE) in Windows, they would provide the technology to Excel 3.0 developers to incorporate it into Excel before the technology was available to other companies. Making it possible for applications on a system to work with other applications made by Microsoft before competitors could have a chance to compete and provide the same or a comparable application. With the introduction of Windows 3.1 (an update on 3.0) and Microsoft having the edge, Microsoft’s Excel, Word and Office started to dominate the application market. The dawn of Microsoft the monopoly empire was on the horizon. In the 1990s Microsoft began to diversify with its dominance over the application and operating systems it began to get into producing products for multimedia, business operation systems, and now even games and online services. They have been accused of shady business practices when they attempted to purchase Intuit, the software company that owns Quicken, the world’s most popular personal finance manager. And Microsoft’s pairing Windows 95 with The Microsoft Network, both moves are threatening to new competitors because of the barriers they create. They also generate risks to innovation and competition through the entire industry. Microsoft has used its power as the leader in the market with operating systems to grow into the power that it is now. A combination of good business tactics, regretful business choices by competitors, and finally Microsoft using its new power has made Microsoft untouchable by competitors. We have several examples of monopolies in our past as a nation, and we have found that monopolies have a tendency to stiffen innovation. With computer systems innovation is important to continue and stay ahead of the market. The example we can think about is IBM, when IBM split its business it opened the door to several new businesses that have only helped society. Is Microsoft going to help society if it is ordered to split? We can only wait and see. By making Microsoft split it will open the door to new ideas from small entrepreneurs that might have the next great operating system. # Microsoft has long enjoyed Olympian profit margins, using its monopoly power to maintain prices on its software even in tough times. But now, amid a terrible downturn and rising competition, CEO Steven A. Ballmer is shifting to a scrappier approach. He is cutting prices on a variety of fronts, from flagship Windows and Office products to newfangled Internet services. The idea is to accept lower margins in some businesses but boost overall earnings by going after a grab bag of growth opportunities. These range from expanding its share of big companies’ software purchases to lowering the price of Office software so consumers in emerging markets pay for it rather than pirate it. With the outlook so cloudy, â€Å"we’re focusing on gaining share in those areas that are most critical,† says Stephen A. Elop, who heads the business division. On July 13, Elop demonstrated the new Office 2010 in New Orleans. While Microsoft expects most customers to pay for the program the way they always have, less powerful, ad-supported versions will be available free on the Web. The company is also charging a monthly fee for online applications, such as the e-mail program Exchange, which is about a third as profitable as selling the software on CDs. And on Oct. 22, Microsoft’s new Windows 7 PC operating system will go on sale in stores for $40 less than the $240 it charged when it launched its Vista program in 2007—the biggest price cut on a new version of Windows in years. All of these moves amount to a risky experiment in price elasticity. By lowering prices, the company hopes to increase sales of existing products while making fast headway with new ones. If the company can gain enough market share to cover its massive costs in Web services and Internet search—notably, its vast data centers—every extra dollar will be pure profit. â€Å"I’m not saying it will be easy,† says Ballmer. â€Å"But we have great opportunities to grow total profit dollars.† ONLY $29 IN CHINAMicrosoft is cutting the price of Office and offering the free versions of Word, Excel, and other programs to head off competition from Google and other rivals that offer similar software at little or no cost. Microsoft has so many promotions for Office that its effective price is $100, down from $150, and even lower in such countries as Brazil and India. But the experience is sparking optimism at Microsoft about the new strategy. The company says unit sales of Office surged 415% in the second half of last year. The most aggressive price cut has come in China, where Microsoft says 95% of Office installations have been pirated. Since it began testing a $29 offer in China last September, sales have soared morethan 800%. The low price was â€Å"like taking firewood from under the cauldron† of piracy, says Liu Tianxiang, a vice-president with Beijing Federal Software, a Chinese software distributor. He figures Microsoft has sold 80,000 copies of Office in China since the trial started. Now Microsoft intends to make the low price permanent. Not surprisingly, Microsoft continues to hunt for ways to offset price cuts. It hopes to boost the bottom line by encouraging Windows 7 software users to upgrade more often. Since the program CD will come loaded with multiple versions, users who buy the cheaper Starter edition can easily pay later to get premium features. Of course, that risks annoying users—when rivals such as Google are trying to lure customers with cheaper alternatives. But in the current economy, there’s no risk-free way to stay ahead.